At the end of each season, each team made considerable changes to their lineup. Some teams even changed their coaches. So the NBA held preseasons to let the teams have a chance to try out their lineups. It allowed them to get familiar with the how every player and team played. It helped with determining the actual lineups in the regular season. It also helped increase the communication between the players and the coaches. It helped them get into the mindset that was needed for the arduous regular season.

Typically, the preseason lasted two weeks. In those two weeks, a team played about eight games. In recent years, the NBA increased its internationalization efforts to cater to the tastes of overseas fans. It sent teams to play preseason games overseas, in addition to inviting overseas teams to come to the United States to partic.i.p.ate in the NBA preseason.

The Los Angeles Clippers were selected by the NBA to play a preseason game in China this year. After all, the Clippers were owned by the Dingtian Group. Being sent to China was no surprise.

The Clippers were playing the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks signed a preseason contract with a Chinese player. That meant that the Chinese player could partic.i.p.ate in the preseason on behalf of the Mavericks. The NBA officials would naturally not give up this opportunity to cater to Chinese fans, so they arranged for the Mavericks to go to China in the preseason.

Going to China for the preseason was an opportunity for the NBA to expand overseas. It benefited both the NBA and the teams. The players, however, had to travel long and far. They had to travel half a globe, from the United States to China. After they got used to the time difference, they had to compete in two different cities and, at the same time, partake in promotional activities. Some players also had to partic.i.p.ate in sponsored activities. Their schedules were full. Under such conditions, they did not feel the positive effects of the warm-up games.

Da Li took the team on a vacation in China. As for the preseason, he treated it as a performance.

The Clippers had been called a "shelter for the old and weak," but the current team of "old and weak" was filled with star players who knew how to play. They were still very popular in the hearts of the fans. They could easily get fans to cheer for them simply by returning to the court.

When the Clippers returned to the United States, the preseason was half over. After they got used to the time difference and resumed their training, the Clippers only played two preseason games in the U.S. By then, the NBA preseason was already coming to an end.

For the Clippers, this was an obvious loss. Other teams had played eight preseason games. They had time to get used to and adjust their lineups to achieve an optimum result. However, the Clippers went all around the world. They were not in a condition that was fit for compet.i.tion.

...

Ca.s.sel went to Dai Li with a form in his hands.

"Coach, from the preseason stats, Wood has played the best. It seems that he has restored 70-80% of his peak skill. As the season progresses, he should get better and better. As long as he doesn't get injured again, he may be playing like an MVP again soon.

"Hall's situation is much worse than Wood's. He hasn't played for a long time. His speed and explosive power are recovering. The most important thing is his handle of the ball. You know, although Hall is able to make three-pointers, he's best at scoring pull-up jumpers. Although Hall's current scoring rate in training is very good, during actual games, his scoring rate pull-up jumpers is just over 30%. This is a failing score. Getting a feel for the ball is something that needs time. I think Hall needs more time to find the rhythm of the game.

"The worst is Raymond. In fact, his situation is similar to that of Hall. Although his body has recovered, he has not yet gotten used to competing. Raymond hasn't played the game for a long time. It will take some time for his body and spirit to get used to the tension. He is a superstar so, in the preseason games, the opponents put more pressure on him. His field goal percentage was the worst amongst them.

"Gray is recovering very well. He is indeed a brilliant man with a large physique, but his problem is that he has too many fouls. He has only played about 100 NBA games. As far as experience is concerned, he is really a second-year rookie. His lack of experience is a major disadvantage on the court. He might receive six fouls within 30 minutes. In this respect, there aren't many ways to help him. Any inexperienced guy with a large physique playing inside the three-point line will get fouls. It is the only way he can learn. This is the price that he has to pay.

"Fortunately, we still have Karaby in the three-point line. When Gray gets into trouble with the fouls, Karaby can prop up our defense in the free-throw lane. From his performance at the preseason, Karaby did not seem like a 35-year-old veteran at all. I think he is just as good as he was five years ago.

"In addition, k.u.mar's performance surprised me. During the NBA Summer League, he was strong and adaptable. In the preseason, he scored the most points for the team other than Wood. He has begun to adapt to the rhythm of an NBA game."

Ca.s.sel gave this simple report on the players' performances in the preseason. Osef had not been able to get on the court yet because of his history of drug abuse. As for Noel, he would not be able to get a six-month medical report until January, so he did not play in the preseason.

Ca.s.sel said, "Coach, the regular season is about to begin. We have only briefly practiced a few tactics. We have not yet made it clear what kind of tactics we're using this season."

"Our strategy will be simple. Just pa.s.s the ball to someone," Dai Li said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Ca.s.sel asked, puzzled.

"Isn't it a very common tactic in the NBA? Pa.s.sing the ball to someone..." Dai Li left his words hanging.

"And then what?" Ca.s.sel asked.

"And then? Nothing." Dai Li shook his head. "Someone will score. The Lakers and the Cavaliers, didn't they used to have superstars who did this all the time?"

Ca.s.sel gave laughed drily. His expression was clearly asking, Are you telling a joke?

Dai Li continued. "Strategy in the NBA has been constantly developing. Many coaches have their own systems. These are what I am worst at. We can still learn and apply tactics that are simple. Complicated tactical systems can't be learned by watching a video. We are far worse than the other teams tactically!"

"So you want the players to play solo?" Ca.s.sel shook his head. "I don't agree with this. We can't give up on tactics just because you haven't mastered them."

Dai Li explained. "What I am best at is physical training. I can let athletes play at their best while they are out competing. Our team is unique. We have gathered a group of all-stars..."

"They were all-stars," Ca.s.sel corrected.

"Well, if I can get them back to their previous states, we will have a group of all-stars. Do you think we need to teach a group of all-stars how to play?" Dai Li did not wait for Ca.s.sel to answer. "They could become star players before. That not only means that they have excellent skills, but also that they have an extraordinary ability to read the game. They can lead a team and win."

"That doesn't mean we don't need to plan a strategy." Ca.s.sel shook his head.

"Of course we need a strategy, but there is no way that we will be able to create a complex tactical system like the Spurs. We need some simple, effective tactics to increase the chemistry between the players. Then, we need to give the players more freedom when playing. They were once leaders, they know better than me how to lead a team to victory," Dai Li replied.

Ca.s.sel expressed disbelief. "You want to let the players decide what to do? What's the use of us coaches? Do we just sit on the sidelines and watch the show?"

"We can give advice, as well as make some adjustments to the players. When it comes to the court, we should trust the players. They are all-star players, they have enough experience in the game. They know when they need to do what they need to do. The game is always changing and the player's judgments are based on experience. Sometimes their decisions are better than ours," Dai Li explained.

"I still can't agree with you. We are coaches, so we should provide players with a tactical plan. That is what we do." Ca.s.sel was stubborn.

Dai Li shook his head helplessly. "Please tell me, what kind of strategy should we arrange for the players? The complicated cooperation of the Spurs? The Warriors 'death lineup'? The Rockets' magic style of play? These are popular tactics, but they require a deep tactical understanding of basketball. With my level of knowledge, I am can't understand them. Do you have such a deep understanding? Can you make our players like the Spurs? Will the ball go through the hands of each individual and then reach the basket? Can you make our players like the Warriors? Can they pa.s.s rapidly between players and then shoot very difficult three-pointers? Can you make our players like the Rockets? Will they only score outside the free-throw lane and the three-point line? Do you have the ability to create a new, better tactical system?"

Ca.s.sel was left speechless. If he could, he would not be an a.s.sistant coach.

"So you are saying that it's not that we don't want to plan a strategy, but we don't have the ability to do so? We are not 'tactical masters.' Therefore, we can only use one type of play style." Dai Li extended a finger and then said, "We can only hope that the players' personal abilities are strong enough. We can only use the 'all-star' strategy!"

After listening to Dai Li, Ca.s.sel wanted to refute him, but he could not do so.

Dai Li continued. "What's strange about expecting star players to succeed? During the early days, a single superstar could dominate a game. Later on, it was standard to have one superstar outside the three-point line and one inside the three-point line if a team wanted to win the champions.h.i.+p. Even later, the 'Big Three' model won champions.h.i.+ps. Today, the Warriors have the so-called 'Big Four'. Why can't we build a 'Big Five,' 'Big Six,' or 'Big Seven'? Other teams are putting out their star players in the starting lineup. I think we should even have star players as subst.i.tutes! We have no tactics. We can only rely on the stars to play. That is the 'all-star' strategy!"