Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 159 Yao Ming is coming

This is his own son.

However, Paul Silas didn't expect his son to provide an answer.

Although his son followed in his footsteps and became a coach.

But in Paul Silas's view, he is still too young, having only been an assistant coach for two seasons and lacking experience.

So after glancing at his son, Paul Silas got up and walked to the sidelines, where he crossed his arms and watched the game.

In fact, Stephen Silas did have some ideas.

Moreover, this idea had already been in my mind before the competition.

That's PJ Brown.

This is a player who came from the Hornets; he knows the Hornets' tactics all too well.

It's no exaggeration to say that as soon as Davis gets the ball, PJ Brown knows what he's going to do and when to intercept him.

In his view, the Magic had prepared three defensive lines for Davis.

The first one is Billups.

At 95 kilograms, Davis is definitely a heavy point guard, and his breakthroughs rely more on using his body to overpower opponents.

The problem is that Billups is also quite heavy, and he doesn't have any advantage over Davis in a physical confrontation.

That is, Billups' lateral movement is slightly slower, so Davis can occasionally make a breakthrough.

After breaking through, the second line of defense will appear.

PJ Brown not only understands Davis's playing style, but also has a great awareness of help defense.

His interception was very effective.

Even if Davis gets past these two hurdles, there's still Kwame Brown as a final defensive line.

Stephen Silas, who started his career as a scout, always felt that Brown's defense was underrated.

Or rather, it's a combination of offense and defense.

Brown, who averages over 20 points per game, is an excellent defender with amazing athleticism and can always quickly get into position to help on defense.

These three barriers were like a giant net, almost completely neutralizing Davis's ability to break through defenses.

Breakthroughs are an important skill for Davis.

This season, he averaged 16.4 field goal attempts per game, and excluding three-pointers, 55% of his shots were taken near the basket.

He doesn't have any floaters near the basket, nor does he have a mid-range shot. After driving in, he can't do anything except attack the rim.

What's more troublesome is that, in order to accommodate him, David Wesley was forced to move up to the shooting guard position, and his average of 6 assists per game has plummeted to less than 4.

Davis's assists, however, jumped to fourth in the league, averaging 8.5 per game.

So it's quite clear that the Hornets rely heavily on Davis's drives and passes.

If he can't break through, the Hornets' offense will be completely shut down from the source.

Moreover, Stephen Silas had a slight worry in his heart.

He felt the Hornets were in good form in the first quarter, which is why they were only a few points behind.

But what if the feel of the touch declines over time?

Because the Hornets rely too much on three-pointers.

Throughout the season, the team averaged 12.1 three-point attempts per game.

Not many, definitely not among the league's top three-point shooters.

The problem is that Davis, Wesley, and Mashburn, combined, only attempt 12.8 three-pointers per game.

Because Mashburn missed a lot of games, he attempted more three-pointers than the team averaged per game.

Neither Mashburn nor West had the ability to shoot three-pointers independently with the ball, and they relied heavily on Davis's drives and passes.

He can't break through, and the Hornets' outside shooting is also prone to problems.

With limited scoring ability in the paint and a weak bench, the Magic can easily widen the score gap once their three-point shooting goes cold.

There was no need to wait for the Hornets to cool down; during the bench phase, the Magic capitalized on the opportunity to widen the score gap.

Having trained with Tang Sen for so long and put in so much effort, it's impossible for Ewing to regain his superstar form from back then, but he can still fill in for a few minutes as a substitute.

He immediately stepped up to help defend, drawing an offensive foul from Davis.

Then, facing substitute Steven Hunter, he repeatedly scored with low-post jump shots, giving his junior a good lesson.

By the time the main players returned, the point difference had widened to 9 points.

Paul Silas was pacing anxiously on the sidelines.

Before he could figure out a strategy to adjust, a Hornets offensive run stalled, almost causing his heart to stop.

In just over three minutes, the Hornets missed several three-point shots, scoring only 2 points.

The Magic maintained their steady offensive, going on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to a total of 16 points.

Paul Silas was terrified; it was only halfway through the game and he was already getting beaten badly!
The first half is over.

The Magic led the Hornets 53-38, a full 15 points.

The atmosphere in the away team's locker room was somber.

Baron Davis was panting heavily; he had only rested for two minutes during the entire first half.

As a result, the team still lost by a whopping 15 points.

He looked at Silas, hoping he would make a change.

Silas was having a heated discussion with the coaching staff, and judging from his serious expression, he was clearly also overwhelmed with problems and had a terrible headache.

Paul Silas looked at Brian Hill.

This is his chief teaching assistant.

Most importantly, Brian Hill rose to fame with the Magic, leading them to the NBA Finals in 95.

Brian Hill wore a bitter expression and remained silent.

He didn't have high hopes for the Hornets before this series even started.

The Hornets have their strengths, with solid interior defense, but the departure of PJ Brown has rendered them a third of their former powerless.

Then, their scoring ability is not strong, and they rely too much on their three-point shooting touch. The team averaged 93.2 points per game this season, ranking tenth from the bottom in the league.

If the Hornets can't stop their opponents, their scoring ability won't be enough to win the game.

It's one thing to have your own weaknesses, but the main problem is that your opponents are too strong.

The media saying the Magic are guaranteed a spot in the NBA Finals is, in his opinion, no exaggeration.

In the East, the Magic are truly dominant.

Just like the Magic team that had Hardaway and O'Neal back then, their interior defense was unmatched in the East, and they also had strong offensive options on the perimeter.

Most importantly, after a season of training and hard work, the Magic have developed some championship qualities.

He is calm enough to play at his own pace, no matter what kind of opponent he faces.

Even if the tactics don't work, the team has enough toughness to overcome them.

Just like Brown.

In the first half, it seemed like the Hornets were double-teaming him, but by halftime, he still had 13 points.

That's another easy 20 plus 10.

This consistency is truly comparable to that Magic team back in the day; no matter how they dealt with O'Neal, he could consistently put up at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

And McGrady hasn't even started yet.

They only scored 12 points in the first half.

Or rather, the entire magic trick didn't exert any effort.

Once the Magic get going, the Hornets will lose by far more than 15 points.

He really didn't think the Hornets had any hope of winning against a team like that.

Hill remained silent, and Silas's mind was a complete mess. Fifteen minutes passed, and they still hadn't come to any conclusions.

Throughout the second half, all Silas could do was to double-team Brown more decisively, set more screens for Davis, and allow the outside shooters to take more three-pointers.

But no matter how they adjusted, the Magic maintained their offensive rhythm.

Aside from hugging and high-fiving the players coming off the court and offering words of encouragement, Rivers barely got up from his chair.

The tactics include Davis.

Billups is also on the court.

The opponent is too weak, why should the head coach have to take action!
In the fourth quarter, the point difference widened to 19 points, and the game was no longer in doubt.

Brown and McGrady were surprisingly substituted off the court early.

Rivers also wanted to take this opportunity to let these substitutes get used to the playoffs and get some training.

Silas on the sidelines turned green with rage.

What a shame!

We haven't even surrendered yet, and you're already calling it quits? That's incredibly disrespectful.

But anger is useless.

The key question is what to do after the game.

Silas frowned deeply. Before the game, he had boasted that the Hornets could sting.

As it turned out, it wasn't a wasp, but a mosquito. It had just landed on someone and hadn't even bitten them before it was slapped to death.

No miracle occurred in the match.

The Magic defeated the Hornets 93-79, a 14-point victory, securing a winning start to their playoff run.

Silas arrived at the post-match press conference with a dark expression.

Come on, it's just mockery, isn't it?
I made some tough talk, but I failed to show off. I'll take the beating. I accept it.

With this mindset, Silas is mentally prepared to face the storm.

But it didn't.

The reporters in the audience didn't mention the Hornets' intention to sting anyone at all. It was as if they were just going through the motions. They asked some meaningless questions, such as how to evaluate the opponent and what to do in the next game.

As Silas stepped off the stage, he couldn't help but turn and glance at the reporters below.

When did these reporters suddenly change their ways and become so easy to talk to?

Is he plotting something bad, planning to write a feature article about it in the newspaper?

nor.

The day after the match, Silas immediately went to the newspaper.

I think I don't care, but I still mind it deep down.

But nobody mentioned it. Even the Sentinel newspaper only congratulated the Magic on their opening playoff victory and then devoted a lot of space to analyzing the Magic players' form and performance.

Nobody cares about me.

This disregard hurt Silas even more than mockery.

"We can really sting."

This was Silas's final, defiant declaration at the second pre-match press conference.

A few light laughs from the reporters in the audience served as a response.

Then, a 98-81 victory, a 17-point win, left Silas completely depressed.

If we lose one more game, I'll have to go home for the holidays.

At that moment, Silas realized that the Joker was actually himself.

Even back in Charlotte, the local Observer published a commentary telling the Hornets to give up and try again next year.

Silas was somewhat unwilling to give up and wanted to try something more.

In the third game, he brought in Robert Treller, who weighs a full 127 kilograms, and launched a relentless double-team against Brown.

Although Brown only scored 14 points in this game, PJ Brown stepped up and scored 22 points.

With a score of 102-81, the Hornets became the first team eliminated in the playoffs by a series-high 21-point margin.

The Magic's next opponent will be either the Celtics or the 76ers.

Despite taking a 2-0 lead, the Celtics failed to capitalize on their momentum and sweep the 76ers. In Philadelphia, Iverson once again stepped up, delivering a wild 42-point performance to decisively win the game back.

If Iverson can maintain this form, the two teams may have to play five games.

If that's the case, then the semi-finals might not start until the 5th of next month.

This means that magicians can rest for a whole week, truly putting them at ease.

During this period, in addition to arranging training and keeping Brown and the others in good physical condition, Tang Sen also had another temporary job.

Tang Sen received an invitation from Duffy, who wanted Tang Sen to go to Chicago to help prepare for Yao Ming's joint tryout.

He announced to the public that Yao Ming would receive training from Tang Sen.

Seeing is believing, and Tang Sen's words would be more credible if he were standing next to Yao Ming.

So Yao Ming is coming.

The joint training trial is scheduled for May 1st, Chicago time.

Yao Ming booked a flight for the 28th.

He had already begun preparations for this trip long ago.

After leading his team to the championship, Yao Ming first went to the capital to report to the Chinese Basketball Association and discuss his plans to stay in the United States for training and then rejoin the national team at the end of August.

This is not an easy task.

Before coming, Yao Ming had already prepared himself for the possibility of being rejected by the national team.

After all, the Wang Zhizhi incident happened.

If the Basketball Association doesn't budge, it will also affect its own draft.

To Yao Ming's surprise, the matter went quite smoothly, and the Basketball Association agreed after a meeting.

"Don't think too much about it. I've seen the media reports and I know this Tang Sen. He's very capable, and this is an opportunity for you. Train hard with him."

At the Capital Airport, national team head coach Wang Fei personally saw Yao Ming off, and when they parted, he pulled Yao Ming aside and gave him a few words of advice.

"Coach, thank you."

Yao Ming had already heard some rumors that the smooth progress this time was due to Wang Fei's final decision.

Two years ago, Wang Fei went to the United States for further studies and learned about the training level there. It was probably for this reason that he agreed to stay in the United States for training.

After leaving the capital, Yao Ming took some time to return to Shanghai.

I'll stay for one day, then immediately set off for the United States.

And this departure meant he was truly gone.

“Son, do you want to bring some pickled vegetables? I made them myself. Xiao Zhang said there’s no authentic Chinese food in America. Don’t go hungry because you can’t get used to the food.”

The mother busily helped her pack her luggage.

It wasn't a trip for a few days, but for several months, so I packed all sorts of things into three suitcases.

Even so, she was planning to bring some pickled vegetables, saying that she had already started pickling them.

"Mom, forget it, we can't even get through customs."

Yao Ming stopped him.

The doorbell rings.

The film crew arrived.

It wasn't just CCTV; there were also NBA channels from the US.

From now on, my every move will be filmed and made into a documentary.

Besides packing his bags, Yao Ming has another plan for today.

That is to say goodbye properly to the place where you lived for the first 21 years of your life.

He went to Gao'an Road No. 1 Primary School.

He went to the youth sports school and met his first coach, Li Zhangmin.

There's also my father's old dormitory.

"So, you were practicing here with your father back then?" the filming director, Adam Dior, asked curiously.

In front of me was a dilapidated dormitory building, and in front of the bicycle shed was a small open space.

Yao Ming nodded: "I was only 9 years old at that time, and I was extremely thin. I would be out of breath after running one lap around the track at the sports school. Every weekend when I had a holiday, I would play basketball with my dad here, and he would teach me how to dribble."

Looking back, Yao Ming's eyes became misty.

Back then, I was in poor health, and my family was not well-off. In order to help me grow, my parents had to ask relatives and friends for milk coupons.

It wasn't until later, when the sports bureau found out about this, that they allocated funds to give him 10,000 yuan a year to drink milk.

Thinking about this, Yao Ming's complaints about the Eastern team's exorbitant demands inexplicably faded a lot.

The initial compensation offer of $1800 million was rejected. It was only after a city leader intervened and spoke up that the amount was reduced to $800 million.

But none of this matters anymore.

There are no more obstacles in my way, and I can now pursue my dreams.

Yao Ming stepped forward and reached out to touch the iron pillars supporting the carport, which were mottled and rusted.

He seemed lost in thought, head bowed in silence, as if bidding farewell to the past.

Not far away, Adam Dior immediately called to the cameraman to find the camera and capture Yao Ming, the carport, and the dormitory behind it all in the shot.

He even thought of his lines.

On that day, Yao Ming, who was already 21 years old and about to travel across the ocean to fight in a foreign country, returned to the starting point of his dream with anxiety about the future, hoping to find the strength to pursue his dream here.

Seeing Yao Ming stop and look up quietly at the dormitory building in front of him, Adam Dior believed he had found it.

(End of this chapter)