The Godfather of Basketball

"James, Brad should have told you about the team's plan?" Tang Tian asked.

"Yes." Harden nodded.

"But you still can't accept the fact that you can't start?"

"I can do a good job of defense." Harden said, it can be heard that he is not convinced.

"Then use it in the game to prove it to me."

Harden shrugged and didn't speak, he could feel that Tang Tian's words had no effect on him.

Tang Tian realized that this guy might be a little soft-hearted.

"Actually, you are not the only one who has defensive problems." Tang Tian continued.

Harden looked at Tang Tian curiously at this moment.

"Kevin also needs to improve his defense. I can choose to remove him from the starting lineup and put you in the starting lineup."

"That's unfair to Kevin." Harden said directly, he was still very loyal.

"But it's not fair to you now."

Harden fell silent.

"You have experienced the finals of last season. You should know the defensive ability of the two of you now. It would be a disaster to be on the court together, so someone must make sacrifices. The person who is on the bench is not not capable enough, but for the team. The sacrifice is for the ultimate victory."

"I understand." Harden was silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"You will prove it to me." Tang Tian said and reached out to pat Harden on the shoulder.

Harden nodded, then turned and went back to the locker room.

Tang Tian let out a long breath. Among the three, Harden should be the one who gets along best.

One month passed quickly, and it was already early October in a blink of an eye, and the new season was infinitely approaching.

After training during this period, Harden has improved the most among the group. After chatting that day, he often pulled Reggie Jackson to practice more, and the effect is remarkable. According to this progress, it is estimated that he can directly start in the middle of the season .

In mid-October, the preseason kicked off, and Tang Tian also began to test the lineup.

It can be clearly felt in the game that after hard training during the offseason, the strength and self-confidence of the four young players have been greatly improved. If they continue to play with this momentum, they are really hopeful to hit the championship in the new season.

What troubled the Thunder coaching staff was that both Kwame Brown and Diaw played very well. The former had a large defensive area, strong pick-and-roll, and he handled the ball quickly after returning to Tang Tian's side. The latter's organization Strolling in the courtyard, seeing every stitch, sorting out the offense smoothly.

The time came to the end of October in a blink of an eye, and the 7 games of the preseason ended. The Thunder had a record of 5 wins and 2 losses. Except for the four minors, the performance of PJ Tucker and Middleton was gratifying, especially Middleton, Offensively composed, not a rookie at all.

The preseason is over and the start of the new season is just around the corner.

The Thunder completed the final cuts of the season. Liggins, Alton and Russell Sani were laid off successively through non-guaranteed contracts.

What's more interesting is that after Alton and Russell were waived, they directly signed a contract with the Liaoning team, which is considered a seamless connection.

At this time, the major media announced the strength ranking of each team in the new season.

Number one is the Miami Heat.

The comment given by ESPN is: The most mature and peak James, coupled with Wade and Bosh who are in good condition, it is hard to imagine such a team in the new century. They are the most unsolvable after the Big Three of the Cavaliers The team is also a well-deserved favorite to win the championship in the new season.

Ranked second is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The comment given by ESPN is: Although Tang Tian left, after signing Yi Jianlian, successively contracting last season's championship heroes Carter and Artest, and retaining other members of the coaching staff from last season, the strength of this team Compared with last season, they have only increased, and they are expected to hit the first 4 consecutive championships in the new century.

In third place is the San Antonio Spurs.

Leonard's performance last season was gratifying. The Spurs won the first place in the regular season in the Western Conference for two consecutive years when they were not favored by others. With Leonard's growth in the new season, their strength has gone further. There is reason to win a new championship trophy.

Thunder ranked fourth.

ESPN's comment: Tang Tian's entry has rejuvenated the team's fighting spirit. After retaining James Harden with a big contract, they basically retained the lineup of last season. The only worry is that, They lost Kendrick Perkins, the team's only inside barrier, and although they signed Boris Diaw and Kwame Brown one after another, neither of them was a qualified starting center last season.

All in all, the Thunder have a chance to hit their first championship in team history, but there is a long way to go.

...

The evaluation given by ESPN is very pertinent, and it has also been approved by most fans.

Tang Tian traded James away from the Cavaliers at the beginning, which made countless fans sigh, but in the new season, the formation of the Heat's Big Three allows them to put that enthusiasm back into it.

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, on November 2, the Thunder team ushered in the opening game of their new season, which is also the first game of the league's new season.

The league has maintained their consistent urgency, and it is absolutely not to be missed if they can arrange feuds.

The Thunder's opener is an away game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tang Tian had just left Cleveland during the offseason, and returned to his old place just after the start of the new season.

The Thunder arrived in Cleveland the day before the game. After they put down their luggage, they went to the training hall.

Quicken Loans Arena has two auxiliary training halls, one for the home team and one for the visiting team, both of which are entered through the main entrance.

Just got off the bus.

"Isn't that the coach!" Bazemore yelled directly after he got down.

The team members looked in the direction of his shouts and fingers, and then saw a statue erected in front of the Quicken Loans Arena, a man holding a tactical board and staring ahead, that face, despite being Tongzhu couldn't stop that handsome one, wasn't it Tang Tian!

Tang Tian was also slightly surprised.

When he was in China before, he also received a request from the arena. He agreed without thinking much at the time, because he was busy building a basketball school, and even forgot afterwards. He did not expect the efficiency of the arena to be so high. It was finished before the new season.

No, it should only be half finished, surrounded by a circle of construction signs, and the stone carvings under the bronze statue haven't been finished yet.

But if you think about it, there will definitely be a ribbon-cutting ceremony after everything is done, and he will definitely be there at that time.

"The coach is really good!"

There are not many statues outside the arena, and they are usually players, such as Michael Jordan, "Magic" Johnson, and Karl Malone. This is really the first statue for a coach.

But this is actually not surprising. Tang Tian won the first championship trophy in team history for this city, and later won a wave of three consecutive championships. He is fully worthy of this honor.

"Hey, Coach, you're back." At this moment, the cleaning staff outside the arena saw Tang Tian, ​​smiled and reached out to greet him.