Chapter 762: Chapter 12 Borrowing Your Auspicious Words
Bill Schonely was right.
In the first game of the new season, the Trail Blazers played quite awkwardly.
The new tactics were one aspect; on the other hand, the players’ attention was not focused enough.
For a team aiming to win consecutive championships, competitive spirit, attention, injuries, targeting by opponents, etc., are all challenges to face.
Most of these challenges come from within themselves, and how to battle against oneself is a subject that top championship teams must study.
The new tactics indeed brought some chaos, but they also gave the Trail Blazers players a new objective.
During the break between the third and fourth quarters, Bobby Berman kept drawing the Princeton Offense patterns on the tactical board.
Everyone had to listen carefully, just like attending a new class in college; if you don’t listen, play the wrong tactics, you’d be substituted and also have to endure Beelman’s swearing attacks.
As the head coach, Bobby Berman leaned toward the old-school coaching style, not focusing on building good relationships with players, but demanding everyone with a harsh, cold, and strict attitude.
He intentionally kept a distance from most players to establish the authority of a head coach, while letting Rick Adelman play the good cop, being the coach who builds good relationships with the players.
Such a combination not only united the players but also instilled fear in them; except for Ah Gan, most of the players were afraid of Beelman.
He was no longer the second assistant coach doing miscellaneous tasks, the NCAA "traitor," but now known as Bobby Berman, "the Marine" renowned for his mastery of profanity.
During the training camp, Beelman spent a lot of time studying, organizing Pete Carrell’s tactical notes and a few Princeton game videos.
He deeply studied the origin and development of the Princeton System, which wasn’t invented out of thin air by Coach Carrell, but inherited the tactical ideas of Franklin Capon, the 1930s Princeton basketball team head coach, and combined with the tactical system of Bernard Salachek, the coach of the Yeshiva University basketball team, to form what is now known as the Princeton System.
These coaches, who have made contributions in the history of basketball development, all emphasized one common point in their tactics: movement.
It is the consensus among coaches that constant movement of players on the court creates opportunities.
However, these coaches hadn’t imagined that one day, the NBA arena would be dominated by a group of tall, fast, muscular, and exceptionally capable players.
Sometimes, movement not only fails to create opportunities but also disrupts the rhythm of individual players.
Bobby Berman is clearly aware of this; he isn’t obsessed with Princeton’s movement system, and when necessary, he lets Ah Gan solve the problem.
The fourth period begins, Gan Guoyang continues to rest on the bench, after scoring 4 points and 6 assists in the third period, his passing is becoming increasingly lethal.
He has a good understanding with old teammates like Porter and Kossie; after cooperating for many years, everyone is very familiar.
Rockets’ coach Don Chaney has noticed that the Trail Blazers are using a new tactical strategy, focusing on movement and frequently executing backdoor plays.
However, the new tactics have many loopholes, the Trail Blazers had seven more turnovers than the Rockets tonight, all due to unfamiliar tactical positioning, wrong passes, and hesitation.
During the break, Chaney urged his players to actively press, disrupt the Trail Blazers’ passing, and launch fast counterattacks to gain an advantage on the court.
This tactic was effective; Larry Smith and Floyd helped disrupt the Trail Blazers’ passes along with their outside teammates.
Sabonis tried to pass down to the basket from a high position but was anticipated and intercepted by Kenny Smith.
In the counterattack, Smith jumped directly, scoring with both hands!
Kenny Smith’s jumping is quite impressive; this seemingly thin and unremarkable guy has participated in dunk contests.
The Trail Blazers changed strategy, directing Sabonis to play one-on-one in the low post, but Larry_FM successfully made a front steal, and the Rockets counterattacked again.
Smith drew a defensive foul from Petrović, went to the free-throw line, and made both shots, allowing the Rockets to retake the lead.
Afterward, both teams entered a phase of mutual missed shots, making scoring increasingly difficult for the players.
It took nearly three possessions to score once, and the scoring often stumbled, making it feel choppy for the fans.
From 1986 to 1990, coaches throughout the League focused heavily on developing defensive tactics and strategies, with little progress in offense.
It seemed as if in a tang metaphor, research on armor was rapidly advancing while cannon and ammunition development was lagging, resulting in tanks unable to penetrate each other.
Of course, one day the development of cannons and ammunition will surge, and the progress in armor will stagnate, and the situation will reverse.
Currently, the NBA has entered a phase of major armor development, while the research on cannons and ammunition is relatively behind.
The Trail Blazers and the Bulls are among the few teams actively researching offensive strategies, yet even they prioritize defense even higher.
The Trail Blazers’ defense has always been tenacious, and Beelman inherits the teachings of his University of Notre Dame coach, maintaining a high level of half-court press defense.
In the fourth quarter, both teams fought a tough defensive battle, and after more than three minutes, the score remained at 66:65, with the Rockets leading by one point.
Then, Petrović made a strong offensive drive to the basket, but his final throw shot slightly missed, and Larry Smith got the defensive rebound.
