Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 335 The Great Art of Transcendence
Upon returning to Los Angeles, Chen Fang underwent a full-body examination by the medical team, which concluded that he had a minor strain in his left leg and joint inflammation in his right shoulder.

After the results were announced, Chen Fang was notified by the team and immediately placed on the injury observation list.

The home game against the Knicks on March 3rd is hopeless, and the back-to-back game against the Lakers on the 4th has angered Chen Fang.

"I have to play this game." Chen Fang's attitude was very firm.

"There are still 3 days until the competition, and I will take my medicine on time."

Seeing Chen Fang take the medicine as an exception, the coaching staff was greatly puzzled. They reported this to head coach Rivers, who immediately understood Chen Fang's intentions.

"If there are no problems, it's best not to go against Prince Chen's wishes."

"Now we need to focus more on optimizing our offense. Given Chen Fang's outstanding performance in these few games, our tactical system needs to be improved."

Chen Fang was not idle either; while cooperating with his rehabilitation, he also took the time to visit Kobe.

The meeting was very strange. At the same time that Kobe sent the invitation, Chen Fang sent a text message. The two had the same purpose, so they met immediately.

"Play like Jordan?" Without any politeness, the two met at the training ground in Rock, and Chen Fang's first words embarrassed Kobe.

"Why are you so surprised? Do you think I'm imitating your playing style?" Chen Fang blinked.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring the sarcastic remarks, he snorted, "How do you feel about these three matches?"

Seeing Kobe's serious expression, Chen Fang decided not to tease him any further and thought for a moment before exclaiming, "Aha!"

It sounded like a riddle, but Kobe nodded in agreement.

"It seems you've indeed hit the mark." Kobe then added, "The current defensive system places more emphasis on interior and perimeter defense, leaving plenty of space in the mid-range."

"These spaces remain undiscovered because no one uses them."

“I watched all your scoring highlights from these three games, and I’m glad to see that you’ve found a way to break through the scoring barrier.”

As Chen Fang recalled and imagined, "I didn't realize it at first; I just wanted to get more points."

"But facing defenders endlessly, I'm always surrounded by double-teamers. If I want to score, I need to rack my brains to find opportunities to receive the ball, which is a long and difficult process."

"So I tried to back down him, but during that movement, I suddenly felt that the person guarding me would have a temporary opening in their defense."

"I don't know how to describe this discovery, so I tried to look for opportunities to receive the ball as I moved from the outside to the inside. Once I got the ball, I would immediately launch an attack, whether it was a mid-range shot or a layup."

"Suddenly, I felt that scoring was very easy. I just needed to stabilize my core and strengthen my ball-protecting hand. The rest was up to my right hand." After saying that, Chen Fang raised his right hand.

Kobe listened very carefully, and he looked at Chen Fang with genuine envy. In less than two years, this Chinese man had actually figured out the secret that he had only discovered ten years later due to a serious injury.

"Then, the next step is to improve the mid-range shooting technique," Kobe said after confirming the details.

"Yes, I think there's still a lot I can improve in this area." Chen Fang was eager to try. He was currently in the recovery phase, which was a good time to find some low-intensity technical training to help him transition.

"Let's begin then." Kobe took off his jacket.

“We’ll start with three things. The first is how you hold the ball.” Kobe demonstrated, saying, “I’m used to holding the ball with my wrist straight, while Jordan used his wrist sideways.”

"The advantage of a straight wrist is that it allows for faster release, requires no adjustment, and allows for better use of the power from the waist and abdomen."

"Kawhi and KD both have this kind of teamwork style, and so do I."

"Jordan uses a side wrist, which has the advantage of a very smooth power generation. The power of the lower body is fully transferred without any reduction. There is no need to straighten the waist to add power, and the body will be more natural."

"Why is there this difference?" Chen Fang asked.

"It's very simple. Nobody has Jordan's core strength. None of us can do it. When we shoot mid-range shots, especially when we pull up and fade away, if we don't straighten our backs and consciously stimulate our core strength, the whole shot will lack power." Kobe glared at Chen Fang, as if to say, "Do you think we don't want to?"

It's because we can't do it that we settle for less.

"Finding the right way to exert force that suits your own strengths is the most correct approach. There is no perfect person in the world. If there is, it can only be Jordan." Kobe's first statement sounds like a truth, but the second statement sounds more like an admission of defeat.

"Next is the second point, the auxiliary hand, or the ball protector." Kobe had long since overcome his childhood anxieties, and he continued to demonstrate: "Strictly speaking, the position of the ball protector is not fixed."

"Instead, adjustments should be made based on the intensity of the defense."

As he spoke, Kobe asked Chen Fang to act as a dummy. He dribbled the ball and then made a pre-shooting motion for a sudden stop: "For this kind of forward drive followed by a vertical power release, the ball-handling hand should be positioned higher on the ball to ensure that it doesn't leave your hand and stays firmly in your shooting palm."

"With a defender following you from the side, when you pull up for a jump shot while moving, you can place your ball-protecting hand in front of and above the ball."

"Because of the great inertia, you need to control the ball to prevent it from going forward."

"You need to practice this ball protection move constantly until it becomes instinctive, because it's so subtle that it's hard to do it precisely. That's why your shooting percentage often drops."

"It's like a bullet getting stuck because the spring isn't fully compressed," Kobe said, giving a score.

Chen Fang listened very carefully. It had been so long, almost a whole season, and Kobe was coming to teach him again. This was an extremely rare opportunity.

"Thirdly, the way you exert force is also the most important point."

"As I just mentioned, the way you generate power and the way you combine the ball complement each other. Whichever one makes you more comfortable is the one that suits you better."

"Straightening the back is a muscle movement that compensates for insufficient strength, which often allows us to flick the ball rather than forcefully press down on the wrist."

"Both core engagement and back extension are suitable for different distances. Strictly speaking, back extension makes it difficult to throw long distances, while core engagement is more suitable for long two-pointers."

"Your jump shot three-pointer relies more on leg power, which is suitable for shots without blocking or interference from the front, but not for face-up shots."

"So your three-point pull-up jumper is more about pulling in your abs and straightening your back; it's a complex power generation."

Chen Fang nodded. He hadn't expected Kobe to have studied him so thoroughly; he himself hadn't even realized it.

After repeating the actions several times, Chen Fang confirmed that Kobe was right.

"The problem with the compound technique is that once you're exhausted, there's no guarantee of accuracy because your power output is no longer perfect."

"Yes." Chen Fang recalled that the later he played, the more he relied on his three-pointers after changing direction to get past his opponent and then taking a big jump shot, rather than pulling up for a three-pointer while facing the basket.

"Jordan uses a low elbow to lift the ball and generate power, while I am more accustomed to using a high elbow. Lifting the ball high will inevitably lead to straightening the waist and shifting the position of the supporting hand backward, due to the changes in the power generated by the shoulder."

“I saw your elbow, it was close to the angle between me and Jordan, maybe that angle is more comfortable for you.”

Chen Fang thought for a moment, then gestured a few times and explained, "I like to generate power with my arm extension. If it's too high, I won't be able to flick the ball enough; if it's too low, my arm extension will be too fast."

Kobe frowned and thought for a moment, then imitated it a few times, finally shaking his head: "It seems to be the part I don't understand. Very well, you can only rely on yourself in this aspect."

The two then began to experiment, which was more like a mutual learning process. A few hours later, when the sunset outside the arena was already visible to the naked eye, Kobe stopped teaching.

"I hope you can master your mid-range shot, whether it's a stop-and-shoot while moving, a fadeaway, a step-back shot, an up-and-under shot, a shot fake after a triple threat, or a mid-range shot after a back-to-the-basket fake and turnaround, you can do it all with ease, truly achieving full coverage of the mid-range area without any blind spots." "This is the most beautiful art in basketball!" Kobe concluded with these words of advice.

This was a long speech, and Chen Fang kept nodding. It was Kobe's earnest expectation of him, as well as a kind of obsession with unfinished business.

"I will. I will continue to train throughout my professional career," Chen Fang promised.

Kobe smiled and said no more.

After Kobe left, Chen Fang practiced alone on the court, relying on more than a dozen cameras outside the court to repeatedly compare and improve, instead of blindly figuring things out like a blind man touching an elephant.

With the addition of Rock Trainers, if Chen Fang can learn the essence of Kobe and Jordan's mid-range shooting, the world will ultimately belong to him.

Everyone was very excited about this, and Ilya, as an elite mid-range shooter, was particularly obsessed with it.

For three consecutive days, Chen Fang spent his time in the gym while recovering from his illness.

On March 4, Chen Fang finally returned to the Clippers training base. As soon as he got out of the car, he was caught by Mazura.

"Let's go, I think I've made a new discovery."

Upon arriving at the coaching staff office, everyone was there. Mazura had already explained things on the way, and Chen Fang knew that this was another change in the Clippers' tactics.

"Given these three games, I have a new idea."

Mazura cut to the chase without beating around the bush.

"Divincenzo, Bridges, JuHollidi, Jaren Jr."

"DiVincenzo and Bridges will cross positions on the two wings and the corner, Jrue Holiday will support you at the top of the key, and Jaren will follow you at all times to set screens for you."

"In this way, a large cross is formed, and there will be someone at each point."

"There are five points in total, and you are at the center of the intersection."

"Whether you pass the ball or score, we always have someone going for the rebound and delaying the fast break."

"So this tactic is also called the Grand Cross, and it has an even better-sounding name."

Mazura solemnly proclaimed, "The Great Judgment."

"If you can maintain this style of play, it will be difficult for any opponent to match your offense."

"The opponent will have to close in the middle, otherwise they will not be able to withstand your attack. Whether you shoot or drive to the basket for a layup, you must maintain a defensive presence of at least three people in the middle."

"And it can cause congestion in the opponent's defense and following, while the remaining two players will find it difficult to control the five areas on the outside."

"There will be plenty of open spaces at the top of the key, the wings, and the bottom corner, provided that your pass is perfectly timed."

"This also tests the opponent's flexibility and defensive strength. Teams with slightly weaker switching defense will face a difficult choice: whether to let them pass or let our shooters pass."

Mazura spoke at length, and after listening, Chen Fang asked in return, "Do we have a suitable rotation?"

Mazura shook his head: "With the current roster, we can only use this as a playoff trump card."

"To deal with a team like the Raptors that has almost no weaknesses!"

Chen Fang's eyes immediately lit up, and he said "good" three times in a row.

"If it works, we will follow this approach during the offseason to piece together the championship puzzle."

The situation suddenly became clear: the Clippers' previous tactics were still part of a large system without any unique characteristics, but based on this cross, it is hoped that a Clippers system can be formed in the future.

"With the Lakers' games coming up, we have 17 games left."

"With a current record of 52 wins and 13 losses, and 17 games remaining, if we win 8 more games, we will secure the best record in the league and have home-court advantage in all playoff games."

Rivers also used this opportunity to give a final pep talk to the entire coaching staff.

"We've reached the final, intense phase, and we must ensure we have a two-week rest period to keep our key players healthy."

"Scientific and reasonable adjustments and control over performance."

"According to the schedule, we have to play two games against the Lakers."

"One game each for the Thunder, Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Warriors."

"The remaining teams are the Bucks and Celtics in the East."

"The remaining nine games are relatively weak, so let's plan the allocation today." Rivers kept looking at Chen Fang, or rather, he was asking Chen Fang for his opinion.

“Apart from the Lakers, we can let go of the others. We’ve played against them many times already, there’s no need to fight anymore.” Chen Fang said without hesitation.

"Okay." Rivers was relieved, as he had been worried about Chen Fang's attitude.

"Don't you have any requirements for performance?" he asked Chen Fang with a smile.

"It's meaningless, I value the playoffs more!" Chen Fang replied.

The two exchanged a glance; this must be each other's ultimate goal.

Chen Fang failed, but continued for a third year, while Rivers also had a chance to leave, continuing their ups and downs.

With the victory, everyone was overjoyed. Rivers left with his head held high, while Chen Wang established his own faction within the league, creating his own power base.

"There's only one month left!" Chen Fang reached out and shook the head coach's hand.

"No, it's the last two and a half months! Mid-June, let's stay together!"

"But have you figured out how to play the Lakers tomorrow?"

Chen Fang asked, "Has the Lakers' injury report been updated?"

Upon hearing this, Mazura immediately went to her computer and replied after a while, "No change."

"It seems the Lakers are still not convinced and think they were wronged last time," Chen Fang laughed.

"I remember how the Lakers' media mocked me during this period, and I won't let it go this time."

Rivers cautioned, "While I don't think they'll go too far, they might do something underhanded, and you need to control your emotions as much as possible."

Chen Fang shook his head: "Then come on, I'm not afraid of them!"

(End of this chapter)