Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 128 Sir, are you really an NBA player?

During the pause, the camera cuts back to the studio.

Barkley shrugged at Smith.

It's as if they're saying, "See? I told you, the Nets are no match for the Magic."

"In the two months since the start of the season, the Nets have only played one game against the top four teams in the Western Conference, against the Kings, and they lost."

"So their being number one in the East and the Magic being number two in the East are completely different concepts."

The Kings, Lakers, Spurs, and Timberwolves are all top-four teams in the West, and the Magic have already played against them several times.

"They were both kings, and the Magic played them twice and won both games."

"So I really don't understand why so many people think the Nets are better than the Magic, just because they won a few more games than the Magic?"

"The Kings have a better record than the Lakers right now, so how dare they say they can beat the Lakers?"

Barkley retorted loudly.

Smith quickly changed his attitude and joined Barkley in mocking, "Before the game, Scott praised Martin, saying that he was also a number one draft pick and not much different from Brown."

"Indeed, it's a difference of 2 points versus 9 points in a single quarter."

In the first quarter, Martin scored only 2 points, seemingly invisible.

Brown, despite being frequently double-teamed, still managed to score 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Barkley laughed and exclaimed, "Do you know why Kenyon Martin only scored 2 points? Because Kwame was standing under the basket, and he didn't dare to go in."

Kenyon Martin, averaging 15.2 points per game, is already the Nets' leading scorer.

With their offensive anchor scoring only 2 points in a single quarter, it's no surprise that the Nets lost by a whopping 14 points in that quarter.

"I wonder what Scott is thinking right now?"

Barkley muttered something to himself.

The camera panned to the Nets' bench, where Scott stood in front of a group of players, spitting as he spoke.

The second quarter begins.

While urging everyone to get on the field, Scott grabbed Kidd and told him to speed up, to make sure to push the pace.

After falling so far behind in the first quarter, he dared not let Kidd rest.

Scott only felt his mouth was dry after sending the players onto the field.

The entire Army Aviation Center was eerily quiet, devoid of the pre-match cheers.

Scott had a strange feeling that countless eyes were staring at him.

Rumors are on the back.

At that moment, he suddenly regretted it; he seemed to have been a bit too cocky before the match.

The key point is that he never expected the magic to be so powerful.

Who really is the best in the East?
Just as he was thinking this, McGrady blew past rookie Richard Jefferson, but instead of driving straight to the basket, he chose to pass the ball.

His pass cut across the paint like a hot knife through butter, tearing apart the Nets' defense and sending it straight to the weak side at a 45-degree angle.

Troy Hudson pulled it out and threw it.

3 points hit.

When Brown and Billups were off the court, McGrady, playing with the bench, took charge of both offense and playmaking.

No one on the Nets can stop him.

And if the Nets choose to double-team on the wing, he can still create opportunities by passing the ball.

Especially Ewing.

Grant wore old shoes on new legs, and so did Ewing.

Players of Ewing's caliber remain unstoppable as long as their physical condition allows.

Facing rookie Jason Collins, Ewing seemed to have returned to his peak form, unleashing his signature bunny hop offense.

That wasn't all; he quickly stepped in to help defend and blocked Jefferson's drive.

After swatting the ball hard out of bounds, Ewing landed and couldn't help but roar, then pointed to the sidelines.

Tang Sen looked around.

That's right, it should refer to myself.

Is he thanking his own training for helping him recover his physical condition?

Tang Sen gave him a thumbs-up in response, then couldn't help but look up at the scoreboard.

The score difference has widened.

Tang Sen was a little puzzled. How could the Nets, the top team in the East, be so underperforming?

This is also a problem that Rivers can't figure out.

When the Magic led 51-30 at halftime, a full 21 points, he thought the only possibility was that the Nets were still finding their rhythm.

This was, after all, the first time the two teams had faced off this season.

Strong teams often only need one halftime break to recover.

Sure enough, Van Horn hit a three-pointer at the start of the third quarter, which alerted Rivers.

He immediately went to the sidelines and shouted, urging everyone to stay focused and not let their guard down.

Don't think that having a 20-point lead means you can relax and become complacent.

They're number one in the East, they can catch up in no time.

As it turned out, the Nets really got going in the third quarter, scoring 25 points in that quarter alone.

But the problem is...

Rivers looked up at the score.

78:55.

The magician also widened the score gap.

Rivers frowned.

Didn't they say the Nets had a great defense?

Kidd, in particular, single-handedly held up a defensive line.

accident.

It must have been an accident!
Rivers turned and glanced at Scott across from him.

Everyone has their bad days.

But when the fourth quarter came, McGrady suddenly exploded, repeatedly attacking Van Horn one-on-one and scoring 7 points in a row, widening the gap to 28 points. Rivers gasped in shock.

Could there be... another possibility?
That means the Nets are just too bad!

On the court, Kidd was giving loud instructions, and you could clearly feel his anxiety from his shouts.

And under the basket.

Kenyon Martin kept running in and out, frequently double-teaming Brown.

His enthusiasm cannot be explained simply by his poor condition.

It's no use.

The Magic continued to maintain a firm grip on the Nets.

Rivers silently sat back down.

At that moment, he was certain.

There's nothing wrong with their performance; the Magic are leading for only one reason: the Magic are simply too strong.

A surge of pride welled up in Rivers' heart.

Unbeknownst to me, magic has become this powerful?

Looking across the East, there isn't a single player who can compete.

“John,” he called to Davis beside him, his gaze hardening as he murmured, “We really have a chance this year.”

The Pistons won.

The Nets were completely dominated.

Celtics?

They lost the last game, but the game before that, the Magic won.

Therefore, there are truly no rivals in the entire East.

Guaranteed finals!
At that moment, Rivers felt a little dizzy.

Exciting.

But he quickly calmed down.

We still can't be too optimistic.

After all, this is only the regular season. When the playoffs come, Brown's performance as a rookie will be questionable.

Therefore, we still need to strengthen our position, especially the power forward position.

Rivers believes that if they can really get Robinson, then they will be safe in the East this year.

With four minutes remaining in the game, the Nets surrendered.

"so boring."

In the studio, Barkley started yelling, saying that if he had known it would turn out like this, he would have preferred to broadcast the Wizards vs. Bulls game live.

At least it's Jordan returning to Chicago.

"Look, Jason didn't even high-five Byron!" Smith exclaimed suddenly from across the room.

In the footage, both sides substituted their key players.

Kidd walked off the field with a dark expression. Scott raised his right hand to give everyone a high-five, but Kidd ignored him and walked straight past him.

Scott was left with an embarrassed expression as he quickly withdrew his hand.

Barkley scoffed and said, "Don't even mention the Nets. Although they've played well this year, like I said, they just haven't faced any strong teams."

"Once they face a strong team, their true colors will be revealed." "On the contrary, I really think the Magic have a better roster. Even in the Western Conference, the Magic's roster wouldn't be bad."

With both stars at All-Star level, that's about all the top teams in the West can offer.

"correct."

Barkley paused for a moment, then said with a grin, "The third round of All-Star voting is out. To be honest, I want to thank all the fans in America. Because of you, we will soon see Kwame and Michael playing together as teammates."

During the last game between the Magic and the Wizards, Barkley called on fans across America to vote for Brown, clamoring to fulfill the regret that Jordan and Brown never played together.

The fans were incredibly supportive.

"The results of the third round of voting for the All-Star Game are in. Brown has won 33 votes, successfully pushing Mutombo to second place in the starting center position for the Eastern Conference."

Smith immediately followed up and explained the voting results.

In the previous round of voting, Brown was relatively unknown, receiving only a little over 6 votes and ranking fifth.

In the third round of voting, the number of votes surged by 27, propelling the company to first place.

It can only be said that there are quite a few fans who just want to watch the excitement.

Barkley wiggled his hips, incredibly excited, and had already started fantasizing.

When the All-Star Game comes around, I must go to the game myself, just like Larry Bird did, and ask Jordan first, then Brown, if they are happy.

Look, this is the vote I gave for Brown.

The match ended while the three were discussing it intensely.

101 to 74.
The Magic proved who is the strongest team in the East with a 27-point blowout.

At the post-game press conference, Brown, who scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, was asked by reporters about the All-Star voting.

"I already have 33 votes, which means I have a chance to be an All-Star starter?"

Brown was incredulous.

He didn't even pay attention to the All-Star voting.

The main reason is that Brown subconsciously felt that he was still a rookie, a newcomer, and never thought about it in that way.

"It's not just a matter of having a chance, it's that it should be," the reporter who asked the question corrected.

After saying that, he was also filled with disbelief.

In his rookie season, he was selected as an All-Star and a starter. The last player to achieve this was Grant Hill.

Going back further, it's Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, and Wilt Chamberlain.

Every name can be associated with greatness.

And now, Brown is about to become one of them.

Consider Brown's outstanding performance of 21 points and 11 rebounds per game; even without Barkley's campaigning, he deserved to be an All-Star starter.

Brown snapped out of his reverie and immediately replied, "Of course I'm looking forward to it."

I may hate it, but the thought of playing with Jordan makes me actually kind of excited.

At the post-game press conference, Rivers did not take the opportunity to criticize the Nets.

He didn't have time to think about it at all.

As soon as the bus left the arena, he couldn't wait to call Gabriel and ask him what the Pistons had to say.

Gabriel was still stunned.

You didn't even shake hands with Rick Carlisle, and you're asking me what I think?
Rivers didn't care about any of that and analyzed, "John, after this game against the Nets, I'm certain of one thing: as long as we keep our current roster and make a few minor improvements, we're guaranteed to make it to the Finals."

Although the Eastern Conference is full of weak teams, being a weak team has its advantages; it's easy to make it to the Finals.

Why must we fight like we do in the West, where we have to use our brains?

On the other end of the phone, Gabriel also seemed very excited; he certainly wouldn't miss this match.

He didn't expect the Nets to be so weak, getting easily crushed by the Magic.

Rivers said, "So we need to strengthen the power forward position. John, don't worry about those first-round picks, give them to him. Anyway, we've risen to prominence, and first-round picks are worthless."

Brown and McGrady are still young, and the Magic's first-round picks won't be worth much in the next five years.

“I’ve done the math. We can package Yad Butchler and give Hunter to them. The bottom line is two more first-round picks. We have room to take on any shortfall in salary.”

Rivers has even planned out a trade.

Butcher is slacking off a lot right now, earning $360 million a year, almost the same as Brown's.

But look at how others behave, and then look at how you behave.

So Rivers wanted to take this opportunity to get rid of this burden.

Then, in order to impress the Pistons, they simply gave them another player, Hunter.

Anyway, the Magic's frontcourt is crowded, and there's no place for Hunter for the time being. Besides, they're all aiming for the Finals, so they don't have the energy to develop rookies.

Rivers thought he had already shown enough sincerity by giving away two more worthless first-round picks.

Even if the Pistons are competitors, if you were Dumars, you'd be tempted.

It's just Robinson, not David Robinson.

Gabriels gasped, sensing Rivers' resolve.

It's not that he's reluctant to give up the first-round pick; given the Magic's current record, the value of the first-round pick has greatly decreased.

The key question is whether the Pistons have any intention of making a trade.

"Okay, I'll try again."

The team returned to Orlando overnight.

The next day they will face the Warriors back-to-back.

After three consecutive away games, including back-to-back matches, Tang Sen was exhausted and canceled training altogether.

Rivers even arranged for Brown and McGrady to rest.

Even the youngest person can't withstand this kind of strain.

Most importantly, Rivers has stopped caring about the team's record.

So what if we're second in the East? We can still crush the first place.

So what if I fall to eighth in the East? Believe me or not, I'll pull off a Cinderella story.

His attention was entirely focused on the trade.

He had originally thought the Pistons would have to consider it, but unexpectedly, that afternoon, before the game against the Warriors started, the Pistons sent him news.

"They agreed?"

Rivers rushed into Gabriel's office and asked urgently.

Gabriel gestured for Rivers to sit down first, then shook his head in exasperation and said, "No, Joe said it has to be three first-round picks, and of course, Steven and the others too."

"Fake!"

Rivers started swearing.

Screw it, they really think Robinson is a treasure. Three first-round picks, I could trade them for a star player.

Gabriel said helplessly, "Doug, I told you, Joe will never do a deal with us."

He felt it wasn't that the Magic weren't sincere enough, but rather that the Pistons viewed the Magic as a rival and didn't want to make a deal that would benefit their enemy.

"Doug, listen to me, let's get PJ Brown instead. I really think PJ is a better fit for us."

Gabriel advised.

Anyway, the more he thought about it these days, the more he felt that PJ Brown was a better fit for the Magic now.

And since they've already secured a spot in the Finals, shouldn't we start thinking about how to deal with Shaq?

Robinson's small frame is nowhere near as muscular as PJ Brown's.

Rivers gritted his teeth, but didn't budge, only saying he would think about it some more.

Meanwhile, the players had already arrived one after another in the locker room.

Billups arrived with a long face.

De Klerk, standing nearby, asked him curiously what was wrong.

Billups, his face darkening, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Andrew, am I really that bad?"

Today, Townsend didn't schedule any training, but Billups didn't sit idle and still contacted Townsend.

He also wants to challenge elementary school students.

Billups is currently very enthusiastic about training, and he's thought about coaching elementary school students—it's not tiring.

Tang Sen initially refused.

However, seeing Billups's resolute attitude, they could only ask Moss to make the arrangements.

Tang Sen also rushed over, at least to give him a buff.

Because of the last-minute arrangement, two teams were changed.

However, the challenge remains.

As expected, Billups lost the first game.

The score difference is still more than 20 points.

Billups gritted his teeth, signaling to try again.

He decided to take it one step at a time, setting his sights on a score difference of no more than 20 points.

The result remained the same.

The second game saw an even more crushing defeat with a substitute lineup.

At this point, something frustrating happened to Billups.

After the second game ended, a freckled kid walked up to me and asked innocently, "Sir, are you really an NBA player?"

The tone and the look in his eyes seemed to say, "If you're an NBA player, how come you're so bad?"

Billups was so frustrated he almost vomited blood.

(End of this chapter)