Even if your strategy is correct and the idea is right, if the players don’t execute well and miss shots, the media and fans will first blame the coach instead of the players.
In just two short weeks since the start of the new season, Carl has become much more haggard, and his once thick hair is already starting to fall out.
The battle against the Lakers stopped the bleeding, but in the following games, one after another, Carl has to endure the torment as long as he hasn’t found a suitable model and command habit.
After playing the Lakers, the Trail Blazers went to the Denver Plateau to challenge the Nuggets, which was relatively easy for the Trail Blazers.
Since sending away Mutombo, the Nuggets have been struggling in the quagmire for years, unable to find the right direction for team building.
In the 1980s, Gan Guoyang’s old rival Dan Issel became the team’s coach when he faced the Nuggets, and the Nuggets wanted to build a system with McDyess and Lafrentz as the core of the interior.
Ever since the Trail Blazers swept the league with Ah Gan and a passing high-post combination, many teams have followed suit, trying to build similar interior combinations to achieve the goal of competing for the championship, including Boston Celtics’ Duncan and Ilgauskas.
However, none have truly achieved similar results, as no team can match Gan Guoyang’s level, especially his comprehensiveness and durability.
In fact, he could succeed with other combinations, such as Ah Gan and a super guard; it just so happened that the Trail Blazers had Walton and picked Sabonis.
Last season, the Nuggets brought in offensive-minded coach D Antoni, hoping to replicate the beautiful offense the Nuggets once had with a mercury-like flow.
However, the fact proved that in the late 1990s, only the Portland Trail Blazers could play offensive basketball; the other teams lacked the talent and ability, and it’s better to focus on defense to yield results.
Ultimately, D Antoni led the team to only 23 wins, a dismal record, and left after just one season.
Of course, this mustached coach did not change his coaching philosophy because of this; he is looking for and waiting for new opportunities and the era belonging to him.
At the beginning of the season, the Nuggets’ situation was worse than the Trail Blazers, and the team had not found a direction at all, and Dan Issel was still experimenting with the lineup.
So in this match, the Trail Blazers seized the opportunity, compensating for the poor three-point shooting against the Lakers with 9 field goals by halftime, leading the Nuggets by as much as 19 points.
After gaining the lead, in the second half Carl took the opportunity to play more young players, giving Wallace, Little O’Neal, Henderson, and Kobe more playing time to practice their on-court chemistry.
The Nuggets played chaotically, without any strategy, performing terribly at home, and were eventually slaughtered by the Trail Blazers with a 38-point gap at 123-85.
Carl breathed a sigh of relief, a big win can alleviate the heavy pressure on him, boost the players’ confidence, and gave the young players a chance to gain experience, and the team took a solid step forward.
The big win by the Trail Blazers shows they still have a significant advantage when facing weaker teams; their offensive foundation, once the touch and state are good, can easily lead to a massacre.
After finishing the battle in Denver, the Trail Blazers returned to Portland for the last home game in November.
After this home game, they will embark early on a long-distance journey to the Eastern Conference and won’t be back until December, so evidently, this year’s schedule is not friendly to them.
The situation of having all home games in a whole November, as before, is difficult to happen again; the early away journey poses a great challenge to the record and stamina.
The opponent for the last home game in November is the Atlanta Hawks, a match that has gained widespread attention at home and abroad because it is Wang Zhizhi’s first face-off with his older brother in the NBA arena.
Currently, there are three Chinese players in the NBA: Gan Guoyang, Wang Zhizhi, and Hu Weidong.
Hu Weidong, after serving the Lakers for three seasons, left Los Angeles this summer.
Phil Jackson does not appreciate Hu Weidong, the outside shooter lacking in defense.
Hu Weidong had to go through training all over the place in summer to find a new contract.
Finally, before the season started, the Boston Celtics offered Hu Weidong a short contract, which was converted into a guaranteed contract after the season began.
Hu Weidong also transitioned from the sunny California to Boston in the Northeast, continuing his NBA basketball dream.
Of course, this cannot happen without some help from Gan Guoyang and the friendship with Bobby Berman; Berman likes backcourt players with long-range shooting ability.
However, in the strong Celtics, Hu Weidong’s role is destined to be more marginalized, only appearing as the 10th or 11th player on the team.
Meanwhile, Wang Zhizhi, who was drafted in the first round by the Hawks, has received more attention and has become a hope in the hearts of fans in Atlanta.
The Hawks’ management and coaching staff also have high expectations for him, and the rebuilt Hawks have many young players, and Wang Zhizhi was quickly promoted to the starting position.
However, in the first few games of the season, Wang Zhizhi’s performance was fluctuating, with ups and downs.
On the positive side, he has a knack for offense, an excellent mid-range shot, and a soft touch.
As a tactical finisher, he can put the ball into the basket well during low-intensity game rhythms.
Moreover, in some rounds, his footwork on offense is brilliant, toying with defenders and drawing cheers from the home crowd.
Soon, Wang Zhizhi gained decent popularity in Atlanta, and his jerseys sold well, making him more successful than Hu Weidong in this regard.