I'm not really a role player

Chapter 288 Rivers' Idea
On February 2, Los Angeles.

In the evening, the Bobcats have an away game against the Clippers, not back-to-back, and the opponents are also very bad, so there is not much pressure.

In the afternoon, the entire Bobcats team was resting, but Bickerstaff Jr. was waiting at the entrance of the hotel. After a while, a business car slowly stopped.

The doorman opened the car door, and it was Boss Joe, followed by Doc Rivers, who got out of it.

Rivers has lived in Los Angeles since he was fired from the Celtics in 08.

In the 08-09 season, even after receiving the invitation from the Clippers, he did not choose to come back, but continued to hibernate until now, when Sam Vincent dismissed get out of class and the Bobcats started the coaching work, he came out to apply.

For the Bobcats coaching position, Rivers was determined to win, but he did not expect that he would face the competition from his old friend Tom Thibodeau and Mark Jackson, who had never coached before.

In order to get the handsome position of the Bobcats, Rivers first used his rich theoretical knowledge and flexible adaptability during the interview to easily kill Mark Jackson.

That's right, Li Ke was optimistic about Mark Jackson, but the reason he was out was because of his avalanche in the interview.

In the end, in the contest with Thibodeau, Rivers did not have the confidence to win, but he accepted a short-term contract whose salary did not meet his worth.

In the end, he decisively defeated his old friend Thibodeau and became the new coach of the Bobcats.

If you want to ask why he is so humble, he has to get the Bobcats' handsome position, Rivers will not say much.

Deep down in his heart, he was holding back his energy. What he wanted to prove was that the fiasco in 08 was not his problem!

He didn't lose to the rookie Sam Vincent. The reason why Sam Vincent won that year was because of a better team!

And now, Rivers is going to coach this better team, use his results to hit the Celtics in the face, Danny Ainge in the face, and the Big Three...

After some courtesies in the hotel lobby, soon, in the restaurant, Doc Rivers called his new team members.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. From tomorrow, I will be your new head coach!"

Rivers was right, starting from tomorrow.

Tonight's game, he will not be able to catch up, because the registration has not yet passed.

After tonight's game, the registration is passed, and the Bobcats will also officially announce the addition of Rivers. After that, in the last game of the Bobcats' western road trip, Rivers can stand on the sidelines and start his coaching debut.

In the crowd, Li Ke tilted his head.

He wasn't surprised that Rivers appeared here, but he was surprised that Old Joe also came. Does he attach so much importance to Rivers?

As everyone knows, no matter what happened to Rivers, he is also the winner of the NBA's best coach, and this time when he joined the Bobcats, Rivers signed a 2-year low-salary contract of only 500 million US dollars.

The best coach with such high cost performance, how can Lao Qiao not pay attention to it?

In the restaurant, Rivers made a scene, and then Old Joe called Li Ke, plus Rivers, and the three sat in the corner.

"Welcome aboard, Doug."

"Thank you."

Sitting opposite Li Ke, Rivers first thanked Li Ke for his welcome.

Then, he was very direct: "To be honest, Sheldon, I'm here for you."

Unfortunately, Li Ke was not surprised.

It's not for me, is it still for Curry, for Hua's second child, and for Jordan?
Li Ke thought, Rivers probably doesn't have the discerning eye. Knowing Curry's great horse, Hua's second child is even more nonsense. Little Jordan, there is still a possibility, after all, the two are bound.

But coming for a blue-collar center, it's a bit outrageous to think about it.

Therefore, Li Ke was not surprised.

Seeing Li Ke nodding, Rivers also maintained a calm expression, and then took out a paper notebook:

"Before I came here, I had studied the Bobcats in detail when Sam Vincent was coaching. I know that you mainly played the triangle offense, but in my opinion, the complicated triangle offense has been eliminated by the times."

With just this sentence, Li Ke's eyes lit up, who was originally silent in the ancient well, wouldn't this be a confrontation with him?
To be honest, the development of the times is actually an opportunity for bastard coaches like Rivers to hang out. The reason is that they don't need to study those tactics such as the triangle offense and Princeton.

In this way, Rivers is really a good coach.

At least, the development of the times has avoided his shortcomings, and his strengths-chicken soup, on-the-spot reaction, etc., are all necessary for a champion coach.

"So, what changes are you going to make?"

Although Rivers has signed the contract, at this moment, he still has to face Li Ke's question.

Rivers smiled: "I will take the ball away from you, I don't know if you have any objections."

Of course Li Ke had no objection, but he still asked, "Why?"

"Because you are not good at organizing passes, and the ball is in your hands, the only way to go is to end it. Such an offense must have no future. We must make changes."

This is correct, Li Ke nodded secretly, and asked again: "Take the ball away, to whom?"

"Steph Curry."

A natural name popped up, and Rivers went on to explain:

"I watched the two games where Stephen was in control of the ball. Many ball critics think that Stephen in control of the ball played like Steve Nash. I don't think so. I think he is more like Chauncey Billups. If he is given the right to football, he will be able to play at the peak of Chauncey's performance in his rookie season..."

This evaluation is not too high.

When Li Ke heard these words, he felt that there was a wave.

At least, Rivers' philosophy is consistent with Li Ke's.

Old Joe on the side smiled wryly, why didn't he choose Mark Jackson?Because Mark Jackson's tactical thinking is far less clear than Rivers.

In other words, he had already heard these words.

If Rivers didn't explain his tactical thinking in this way, he wouldn't choose Rivers.

In the hotel, after some discussion, Li Ke recognized Rivers.

As the game approached, before departure, Rivers called up this group of players who were not yet his team members, and made some requirements for the game in the evening.

"I know that in the past, your offense was to give the ball to Sheldon, and Sheldon took care of everything, but starting from the game in the evening, everything has to change. My request is to give the ball to Stephen!"

Specifically, Curry will have control of the ball, but not total control.

He doesn't play like the old Ai in the past. As Rivers said, Curry is more like Billups, controlling the rhythm, opening up the situation in singles, and containing the defense.

Under this style of play, Li Ke does not completely lose the ball, he will also have the opportunity to play singles.

Even Hua's second child has the opportunity to play singles with the ball. Curry's only role in controlling the ball is to control the rhythm.

If this continues, the Bobcats' offense will indeed become more integrated.

Hearing this, Li Ke really wanted to ask Rivers: Why couldn't you think of this kind of offense when you were in the Celtics?

Rivers is also very wronged. For one thing, in the era when the Celtics' Big Three formed an army, defense was still king.

Secondly, as far as the Celtics' configuration back then, there were more point guards, center Perkins, Pierce was a single player, and Jun Zilei had no possession or status.

Look at Thibodeau, to the end, isn't it the same?

Now that Mike D'Antoni is succeeding, under the leadership of a purely offensive coach, if the Celtics' offense still does not improve, then it can be determined that it is not the coach's problem.

emmm, Rivers is looking forward to it...

In the evening, at the Staples Center, facing the weak Clippers, the Bobcats followed Rivers' tactical thinking and attacked hard.

The Clippers this season are indeed very weak. The No. [-] pick Blake Griffin suddenly suffered a stress fracture in his left knee knee before the start of the season and was reimbursed for the season.

Without the No. [-] pick, the Clippers have no supplementary income compared to last season.

Last year's tank team, this year is still the same.

Facing the underdogs, the Bobcats, who are trying a new style of play, are progressing smoothly.

Facing the bearded Baron Davis, Curry's offense at the beginning was a little rough.

But Li Ke's liberation from the end with the ball is still quite effective. The Clippers' defense is concentrated on the weak side.

So, on the strong side, Curry and Hua Laoer tore through the Clippers' defense line one after another, and the Bobcats' offense went smoothly.

Li Ke concentrated his energy on the defensive end, and Eric Gordon was locked by him. By the way, Li Ke also blocked the entire flank.

Playing such a bad team, the Bobcats are still very handy. Although the new tactics have not been drilled and practiced together, the Bobcats still played good results.

Leading by more than ten points at halftime, Li Ke's singles attack suddenly in the third quarter, widening the point difference to 20 points or more.

Then, the game entered garbage time, and Bickerstaff Jr. simply made a rotation. It was not that simple rotation. Tucker and Sean Livingston, who were deep on the bench, all got playing time.

After all, after this game is over, they have to turn around and rush to the Denver Plateau to play an away game against the Nuggets.

Preserving the physical fitness of the main force and preparing for a showdown with the Nuggets is what the Bobcats need to do most at this time.

Emmm, Li Ke doesn't want to lose to the Nuggets, even in the regular season, he doesn't want to lose a game.

Who made him brag that Guagua rarely wins against him?This cow can only continue to blow.

But the pressure is still great.

After all, the Nuggets are very strong this season. The last time they played against the Bobcats, they were able to win because of their home court advantage and Curry's hard work. Li Ke's confidence is still not enough.

After the game, Rivers took the opportunity to enter the locker room of the visiting team at the Staples Center, and it was another encouragement——

"A great victory, new tactical thinking and style of play, you executed it very well, we did not have any drills, but played such an effect, this is enough to prove that this style of play is the most suitable for us."

Li Ke secretly gave a thumbs up. It has to be said that Rivers has a deep understanding of people's hearts. With these words and this victory, most of the Bobcats' players have already recognized the Bobcats' new style of play.

……

The night the game ended, the Bobcats officially announced Rivers' joining. The details of the signing were not disclosed, and Joe knew it. If it was revealed, Rivers would be embarrassed.

Although the details of the signing were not disclosed, Rivers' situation is still a bit embarrassing.

The public opinion in the media is not so friendly. ESPN issued two reports and a column after the Bobcats official announcement.

The first report was fixed, and the second report was analyzed by Zach Lowe.

He believes: "Change coaches in the middle of the season, and the Bobcats really have no better choice. In any case, Doc Rivers has a successful experience in the Magic..."

Although it is affirmative, the meaning inside and outside the words is: Rivers is just a last choice for the Bobcats...

The column is from Bill Simmons, who has been following the Bobcats coaching change, and when the final result came out, he played a gimmick --

"Doc Rivers, who was once defeated by the Bobcats and dismissed because of this, became the head coach of the Bobcats in the middle of this season."

Then, he gave his prediction: "I don't think Doc Rivers is the best choice for the Bobcats. From the news I got, they have better options for Larry Brown, and even Tom Thibodeau is a better choice than Doc Rivers. Of course, I think the best choice for the Bobcats is that they can let Bickerstaff Jr. lead this season, and then choose another coach after the season is over, just like the Hornets are doing."

With regard to this passage, Li Ke once again believed that Bill Simmons could be punished.

The Hornets, who let Jeff Ball lead this season, are now far away from the playoffs and deep in the lottery.

If the Bobcats really do this, the season will be over.

Just look at the record. After the Bobcats won the Clippers game, the Bobcats had a record of 29 wins and 18 losses, with a winning percentage of just over [-]%.

This is still the record after all kinds of winning streaks broke out at the beginning of the season. If he started pulling his hips from the beginning of the season, this record may be dangerous until the playoffs.

If you don't change Rivers and Bickerstaff Jr. leads this season, the Bobcats should not be able to win 50 wins.

This is just like last year, another failed season.

Li Ke can endure the loss of the Finals or the Eastern Conference Finals, but he cannot endure the first round or the second round of the playoffs.

The arrival of Rivers gave Li Ke the confidence to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

As for the stinky fish and rotten shrimp in the east, as long as the Bobcats go the right way, who else can fight the Bobcats except Magic?
No more, probably no more...

……

After the official announcement, Rivers officially took office.

And before his eyes, was a weight duel with the Nuggets.

Although he has been at home for a long time, Rivers also knows that the enmity between Li Ke and the Nuggets, he knows that this game must be won.

The pressure was already mounting, but Rivers announced loudly at his inauguration press conference:
"I'm going to get off to a good start in the Denver Plateau!"

"Galacticos? No, they're not!"

"Without me, the Bobcats can defeat the Nuggets. After I join and join forces, the Nuggets are no match for them!"

As far as these big words were concerned, no one from the Nuggets responded.

Li Ke knew that after the last fight, Guagua had already died, Artest simply did not pay enough attention, and it was normal for no one to respond.

But the Nuggets must be simmering, especially Guagua and Artest...

(End of this chapter)