606 Short End of the Stick (1/2)

The conversation between Dai Li and Gray ended.

Dai Li felt that Gray already knew his shortcomings. People who could make it to the NBA were not fools. They knew how to solve their problems.

For Gray, his problem with fouls was a challenge he needed to overcome. This was Gray's so-called ”rookie wall.” If he successfully overcame this challenge, he would be like a bird that had just learned to fly; the sky would be his limit.

As for whether or not he could overcome this challenge, that would depend on Gray himself.

As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. There was a phenomenon in the NBA: players with the better physiques were more likely to foul. If one were to look at the players with the most fouls, the top ten would be made up of players with good physiques. Those who that couldn't jump high or run fast were less likely to get fouls.

This was Dai Li's analysis. These muscular players were able to run quickly and jump high. When defending, they felt that they could pin down their opponents. They only needed to harass them a little, but they always wanted to apply maximum pressure. In order to apply this pressure, they had to perform maneuvers that were technically difficult, increasing their chance of fouling their opponent.

Although Gray had played in the NBA for several seasons, he had only played around 100 games. He was regarded as an experienced rookie. He wasn't a superstar, so refs never looked the other way on his fouls. Whenever he committed a foul that was ambiguous, or that could be ignored, the referees didn't hesitate to blow their whistles. If Gray became an all-star, the referees might be more relaxed in calling in his fouls.

In fact, every player who played inside the three-point line had to deal with getting too many fouls. Every player who played inside the three-point line had the experience of getting kicked off the court because they committed six fouls. If they didn't have this experience, they were ashamed.

...

In the next game, the Clippers went to Oracle Arena in Oakland to challenge the defending champion, the Warriors.

The Warriors were the strongest team in the NBA. They and the Clippers were both in the Pacific Division.

According to the NBA's scheduling rules, teams in the same division had to play four games against each other every season. Under this system, it was tough to be in the same division as a very strong team.

For example, in the Pacific Division, the Warriors were super strong. The other four teams (the Lakers, the Clippers, the Kings, and the Suns) were no match for the Warriors. As long as the Warriors played seriously, the other four teams would get four losses. By the end of the season, their record would be worse than teams in other divisions. In the fiercely competitive Western Conference, a difference of winning and losing one game could cause a shift in ranking by two or three places. If they lost another one or two games, they would not be able to get into the playoffs.

Before the start of the game, Nicholas, the Warriors coach, was at the bench. He looked at Karaby, who was warming up, and pouted.

”Karaby has gained a new lease on life. The Clippers got such a good deal! If we had a player like him, our chances of winning the championship would be much higher,” Nicholas said to himself.

Karaby had returned to his prime this season. This made him a favorite amongst many teams, and that included the Warriors. Karaby had height, ability, and speed on his side. He could guard the entire free-throw lane with his blocking. One, he could shoot well. He could even shoot three-pointers. He was very suitable for the Warriors.

Karaby's only drawback was that he was thin. However, this was not a problem for the Warriors. The small ball playstyles that were currently popular had been popularized by the Warriors. Traditional tactics had no place in the Warriors' strategy. It was better to have someone control the entire space inside the three-point line than to have a large player act as a single obstacle for opponents.

Nicholas couldn't help but glance at his center substitute. Although his guy was also physically strong and had explosive power, he was a little slow. He was like an explosive. One never knew when he might blow up and hurt his own teammates.

Nicholas looked at him, and then jealously looked at Dai Li's substitute bench. He remembered Dai Li's record. When Dai Li was the head coach of the U.S. track and field team, he was able to give new life to a lot of older players.

”It is good to be young!” Nicholas sighed. It wasn't clear whether he was referring to Dai Li or the athletes who returned to their youthful prime with Dai Li's help.

...

The Clippers and the Warriors were neck and neck in the first two quarters. However, in the third quarter, the Warriors seemed to have found their footing, leading by 23 points.

The Warriors displayed their own unique characteristics when they played. They achieved the lead in the third quarter by employing their traditional method. The first quarter was for warming up, the second quarter was warm-up for the substitutes, the third quarter was for going all out, and the fourth quarter was for preparing to get off work. Statistically speaking, the Warriors had an APBRmetric value of +130 in the third quarter. The Warriors employed this method against the Clippers that day.

There were many excellent teams in the NBA, but none of them were able to crack the Warriors' tactical system. There was no way it could be done by a half-baked basketball coach like Dai Li. The only thing he could do was use the Prophecy Request Box and try his luck.

I drew a bad lot! Dai Li looked depressed and looked at the result of the Prophecy Request Box. If it were a good lot, the game could be reversed. The bad lot was useless.

Dai Li didn't even want to look at the result of the Prophecy Request Box. He thought about it. Since they could not win, he decided to give up. There were 82 games in a season. It didn't matter if they lost one game. Moreover, they were losing to the Warriors. There was no shame in losing to the Warriors.

”You guys are up!” Dai Li pointed to the substitutes who usually didn't get to play. They couldn't get into the rotation in most games so, when they were called to play, they were happy. They had a quarter to showcase their skills.

”Coach, I want to play for a while longer,” a voice out of nowhere said. Dai Li turned to look. It was Gray.

Gray actually asked to play on his own. Was he affected by our last conversation? He was able to keep his fouls under control today. This may be because of his opponents. The players on the Warriors rely on shooting to get points. They tend not to rush underneath the basket. Dai Li nodded and agreed to Gray's request. At the same time, he told his players, ”If Gray wants the ball, pass the ball to him.”