On the night of December 3, the Cavaliers faced the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Apart from James and Irving, the biggest highlight of this game is the Cavaliers' new coach Steve Kerr.
Other than that, there was nothing noteworthy about the game.
The Pistons' Five Tigers are already a thing of the past.
Joe Dumars relied on experience and some luck to build a championship lineup. It turned out that there was indeed more luck.
After the five tigers completely aged and fell apart, the Pistons made frequent mistakes in the past two years.
Dumas's vision and operation problems are on the one hand, and on the other hand, they are naturally related to the decline of the city of Detroit.
The entire city of Detroit experienced bankruptcy and was filled with unemployed people.
As industries moved and declined, a large number of industrial workers left, leaving mostly black poor people.
How can these people have the financial strength to spend money on sports and entertainment?
Violent crimes and drugs are rampant in the city. Many of the once-rich single-family villa areas have become abandoned places, where homeless people, drug addicts, and poor people temporarily live.
The team changed owners, and the management was disorganized from top to bottom.
The championship has become an elusive thing, and the most important thing for the team right now is to survive.
Therefore, after the Pistons disintegrated from the Five Tigers, the main direction of signings was to recruit those big-name stars who had expired.
For example, Iverson and Tracy McGrady are doing it to sell more tickets so that the team can survive.
Maybe Joe Dumars also knows that once-over-the-top stars like Iverson and Tracy McGrady, firstly, their strength has been greatly reduced and they can no longer make waves, and secondly, their playing style is seriously inconsistent with the city of Detroit.
The Pistons' long-standing image is that of toughness, iron-bloodedness, grassroots, and defense.
Stars such as Iverson and Tracy McGrady, who are known for their gorgeous offense, are simply not accustomed to the Pistons.
But Joe Dumas had no choice. For the sake of the ball market and the box office, he had to make this move.
The result was not satisfactory. Iverson and McGrady only stayed in Detroit for a short time and had a very unhappy life here for various reasons.
For example, a superstar like Iverson had to play as a substitute when he came to the Pistons, and his No. 3 jersey was worn by Stuckey.
As a result, Iverson's life in the Pistons was unsatisfactory, and Iverson's fans have always hated the Pistons. The Pistons were unhappy with both sides, and trading Billups for Iverson was a complete failure.
As for McGrady, he was involved in the struggle between the new and old players of the team, and ultimately failed to get along, staying for one season and leaving.
Various deeds show that the Pistons, a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference that has reached the Eastern Conference finals for six consecutive seasons, are now in ruins and show no signs of getting better.
A team like this was box office poison in its prime, let alone now.
The ratings for tonight's game really depend entirely on the Cavaliers.
In Cole's first game as a new player, he still didn't know how the team should play. Anyway, he just pretended to call a timeout and encouraged the players and that was it.
The specific tactical arrangements should be left to Mike Brown and the assistant coaching staff first.
The Cavaliers' assistant coaches all seemed uninterested and had no mood or passion for the game.
Because they all know that once Steve Kerr takes over the Cavaliers, they will definitely be purged and replaced.
This is different from the Clippers. The core figure of the Clippers is Min Congda, and Min Congda can use whomever he likes.
And Cole must recruit a suitable assistant coach that he likes.
Cole did think so. As the game progressed, he was constantly thinking about which assistant coaches to recruit.
The game against the Pistons itself was not very interesting. The Pistons lacked highlights in terms of offense and defense.
Their backcourt Brandon Knight has a certain fighting capacity, and the inside Mark Hill is very dynamic.
Monroe inside has good offensive steps, and Drummond on the bench has great potential.
But in Cole's view, the Pistons' team-building ideas are completely out of date, lagging behind the current version and future trends.
For example, a short and low-post offensive insider like Monroe has average defensive movement and likes to score points in isolation. This is simply the version of the insider from 20 years ago.
Although the Clippers also have an early version of an insider like Randolph, Randolph is already in his 30s and has matured, and his role in the team has become more functional and marginalized in the past two years. Anthony Davis’ The arrival also means that Randolph has someone to succeed him.
Monroe is the rookie player chosen by the Pistons. This year, the Pistons also acquired a center like Drummond who is heavy-weight and lacks the ability to support and organize. This is enough to show that the Pistons are lagging behind the times in terms of development strategy.
With James and Irving in charge, the rhythm of the game was firmly controlled by the Cavaliers.
And the Cavaliers' morale is quite strong tonight, and they are very confident after just defeating the Clippers.
Kerr's only clear instruction to the Cavaliers tonight is, "If you have the opportunity, take three-pointers as much as possible, don't be afraid."
This is a little different from Mike Brown.
Brown is still cautious in his request for three-pointers and must be absolutely sure before shooting.
The first thing Cole did when he came to the team was to further relax the outside players.
The Cavaliers actually have very good shooter resources. Irving, Green, Battier, and Miller are all outstanding three-point shooters.
The Cavaliers should play their role, firstly to improve the efficiency of scoring, and secondly, like the Clippers, they have to open up the offensive space wider.
As a result, the Cavaliers broke out with a three-pointer in the third quarter and a 15:0 offensive climax, widening the point difference between the two sides to as much as 19 points.
The game lost suspense from here, and the Pistons had no chance of comeback because their offense was too traditional.
Nowadays, scoring in the NBA is gradually becoming easier, and the number of outside three-pointers is gradually increasing.
In order to keep up with the rhythm and pace of the game, the team must attack, otherwise it will be difficult to catch up once it falls behind by more than 10 points.
As the pace of the game accelerates and the number of three-pointers increases, the fluctuation range of the points difference between the two sides will further increase.
For example, in a game in the 1990s, if you were ahead by 10 points, the game would lose suspense.
It is difficult for the lagging side to catch up with the score, and it is also difficult for the leading side to further extend the score to 15 or 20 points.
The situation is different now. For example, the top teams in the league, such as the Clippers, Lakers, Heat, and Thunder, even if they are 15 points behind, they can come back as long as there is enough time.
Likewise, if you can't keep up with the rhythm and speed, the point difference will widen even further, by 15 or 20 points, and you will die without any suspense.
By the fourth quarter, there was not much suspense in the game. After only half of the game, the Pistons replaced their main players and put them on the bench, and the game entered garbage time.
Cole also called a timeout at this time and replaced James, Irving and other main players.
James was obviously in a good mood, sitting on the bench and chatting happily with his teammates.
He thought to himself: "Mr. Smart brought in Cole, and the changes he brought to the team were quite significant. He shot more three-pointers more resolutely, which is a good thing. However, he said that he should let me play the fifth position. ?This...isn't this a joke?"
The conversation with Cole before the game has always haunted James.
We agreed not to play No. 4, but in the end, I was given No. 5!
You are so considerate. Do you want me to die?
Although James is strong, his physical fitness is historically high among NBA players.
But James is not very used to playing inside because his technical level is not enough.
When playing inside, the physical foundation is one aspect, and many people also ignore the technical foundation.
For example, Charles Barkley is a typical short inside man. He is only 198, which is shorter than James.
But he thrives in the paint and even won the rebounding title, relying on his extremely solid basic skills in the paint.
If you only rely on brute force to survive in the paint, you will be inefficient and prone to injury.
James has always been learning outside play, and his inside skills are not solid.
Nowadays, the fifth position is becoming more and more withered, tending to be role-based and functional.
Let James play the fifth position, and the Emperor will assign him to the Frontier? There is no such thing as this.
But although James was unhappy, he was a little worried. Could this be Smart's instruction?
James still knows Smart's tactical level. He hits the nail on the head and has immediate results every time.
So does he want to listen?
Thinking about it, James sat on the bench and started biting his fingers.
The Cavaliers won this game easily, achieving three consecutive victories and moving slightly forward in the Eastern Conference rankings.
After this game, the Cavaliers returned to Cleveland without stopping, and they will face the Bulls on the 5th.
The Cavaliers' schedule at the beginning of this season is not friendly, there are too many away games, and the home court is very broken by away games.
At the beginning of the season, the Cavaliers experienced a wave of six consecutive away games, with more defeats and fewer wins, and their morale was low.
After that, home games and away games were mixed, and there were no more than two consecutive home games. This made the Cavaliers players suffer from traveling on planes and buses.
Cole followed the team to Cleveland. He came in a hurry to take up the post, bringing some changes of clothes alone. His family was already in Phoenix.
The Cavaliers did not arrange accommodation for him in time, so they could only temporarily stay in a hotel near the training hall. Cole would deal with it himself, and then the team would reimburse him for the expenses.
This made Cole shake his head repeatedly and couldn't help complaining to fellow traveler Mike Brown: "The Cavaliers' logistics is really bad. After the plane arrived at the airport, the bus had to wait half an hour before it arrived. And the players We have to carry our own luggage and figure out how to get home, and no one can make overall arrangements?"
Mike Brown was surprised: "Does the team still want to send players home? We used to be like this Steve."
Cole recalled his playing career with the Bulls and Spurs, as well as his time as general manager with the Suns. It seemed like everyone just landed on the plane or the bus arrived and went back to their homes to do whatever they were supposed to do.
The team is a place of work, not a kindergarten.
Cole pursed his lips and said: "But...but it's different in the Clippers. After we arrive at our destination, whether we are returning to Los Angeles or going to an away game, from players to coaches, we don't have to use our brains, don't think about anything, just follow along." .”
This is called no harm without comparison.
Min Congda is in Los Angeles and gives Sloan enough money every year to provide him with logistical services.
Therefore, the Clippers' logistics is the best in the league, truly making the players not feel like they are on the road.
You don’t have to worry about anything, you don’t even have to use your brain, just follow along.
Reporters sometimes photographed Clippers players on the road. Most of them were wearing headphones and playing with their mobile phones without paying attention to anything.
It is this kind of "fool-like" full-process logistics service guarantee that allows players to conserve their energy to the greatest extent and devote all their energy to the game.
Of course, this kind of protection costs money.
Cole checked into a room, checked in with his family, and made a few phone calls to his favorite assistant coach.
On December 4th, Cole directed the Cavaliers' first training session.
In a simple tactical training session, Cole conducted a group confrontation according to his usual practice with the Clippers.
During the group confrontation, Cole made it clear that James should play the fifth center position in his team.
"LeBron, you play center."
James spread his hands, his face confused, but he had to obey.
In previous exchanges, James made it clear that he would not play the fourth position, and Cole agreed.
But James didn't say he wouldn't play the fifth position!
Although he could refuse again, but then he thought about it, he was the new coach after all, or the one sent by his adoptive father, so it would be a shame to continue to refute him, right?
James called Min Congda last night and said that Cole suggested that he might play the fifth position.
Min Congda thought for a while and said: "Listen to him, he has his own design. But if you really play the fifth position, you have to think about it carefully. This is definitely not an ordinary fifth position. It is different. You Think of Marc Gasol."
Marc Gasol is now an atypical fifth center with the Clippers.
He rarely appears in the low post, but often supports the ball in the high post.
His attack range is wide and his methods are diverse, making every center who opposes him miserable.
James's basketball IQ is very good, but his basic skills, sense of position on the court, and some tactical awareness cannot be said to be terrible, but rather incomplete due to congenital disabilities.
Because he lacked the link of further education in college and quickly entered the professional league, the training in this area was not enough.
Similar to Kobe, after many years of training, he developed a very detailed tactical awareness.
Even so, some bad habits that Kobe left behind when he was young will still hurt the team.
From this point of view, players like Jordan, Duncan, and Curry who have stayed in college long enough have much fewer problems.
When defending, James performed well because the Cavaliers did not have a serious low-post player.
But on the offensive end, if James is not the first ball handler, but in the low post, in the ribs, covering, coordinating or following, he will be a little messy.
Cole had been observing quietly, looking at James' slightly embarrassed look, thinking that there was still a lot of work to be done.
But if you think about it on the bright side, there is still a lot of room for improvement.
(End of chapter)
