Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 175 If your teammates can't carry you, then do it yourself.

In the car, Jackson spoke to O'Neal beside him in the gentlest of voices.

"Shaq, I know you're anxious. You must be unhappy that the team lost."

"I know you gave it your all, and your performance was nothing short of amazing. My God, this is the Finals, and you scored 44 points. Not many players can achieve that."

Jackson's compliments eased O'Neal's expression considerably.

He thought for a moment and said, "Phil, I was just saying it offhand. I don't think the reporters will think much of it."

At the post-game press conference, O'Neal was asked how he felt about scoring 44 points but the Lakers still losing. He said somewhat defiantly that he had given it his all anyway.

At first glance, it seems like there's no problem.

But thinking about it more deeply, there's a sense that I did my best, while others didn't.

Adding to the tone of his voice, Jackson believed it was highly likely that reporters would interpret it as O'Neal being dissatisfied with Kobe.

After all, Kobe had a terrible game today, shooting 4-for-13 and scoring only 11 points.

Fewer shots, lower accuracy.

Looking at the data alone, it's incredibly disappointing.

But Jackson felt it was acceptable because Sasser defended very well.

You have to give Kobe time to adjust.

“Shaq, I’m just reminding you, you know how annoying reporters can be sometimes.”

Jackson didn't dwell on it. Seeing that O'Neal understood, he smiled and let it go, then said, "The Magic caught us off guard today, but I believe in you guys. You are the best players in the world."

"So Shaq, trust your teammates, we will win the game."

As they spoke, the car arrived at its destination, O'Neal's villa in Windermere.

Shaquille O'Neal didn't want to stay in a hotel and complained about everything.

As a superstar, Jackson could only appease him and even personally arranged for a car to take him back after the game.

"Get some rest, see you tomorrow."

Jackson patted O'Neal on the shoulder and watched him get out of the car and enter the villa.

Once the car door closed, Jackson's expression immediately turned serious, and he told the driver to go back to the hotel.

After returning to the hotel, most of the players had already rested.

Jackson then went to Kobe and offered him a few words of encouragement.

"Kobe, I believe you can adjust. If any player could defend you after a few months of training, then superstars would be too cheap."

Jackson patted Kobe on the shoulder and walked away with a smile.

Then Jackson called his coaching team, borrowed a hotel conference room, and watched the game video together to analyze the reasons for the loss.

There's really nothing to see here. They're just sitting on the sidelines, and they know exactly how the game is going.

"Phil, the inside game isn't important, we'll figure out how to stop Tracy," said the white-haired Tyx Winter, tapping the table.

As the originator of the triangle offense and a close friend of Jackson, it can be said that no matter where Jackson coached, the old man always had a place in the team.

However, he is already 80 years old and no longer travels with the team to away games.

But since it was the finals, he still followed them to Orlando.

His judgment was also Jackson's judgment.

Jackson had figured out the Magic's tactics.

The idea is to have Brown and O'Neal go head-to-head.

Using this method to deal with O'Neal is unparalleled in the league and incredibly bold.

But miraculously, the magic trick worked.

O'Neal scored 44 points in this game, while Brown scored 39 points.

Comparable.

Jackson could only say that Brown grew too fast. He completed in one season what a player with amazing talent would take several seasons to achieve, quickly becoming one of the league's top centers.

Logically speaking, given Brown's outstanding performance, they should have tried to target him.

But Jackson felt that he wasn't the biggest problem; McGrady was.

McGrady scored 28 points in this game.

When Brown is off the court and McGrady is attacking with all his might, no one on the Lakers can stop him.

O'Neal could at least go toe-to-toe with Brown, but Kobe was contained by Sather and couldn't shoulder the responsibility of keeping the score close.

Jackson cannot expect Kobe to immediately regain his form in the next game.

Kobe is a superstar, and Jackson believes he will eventually adapt to Sasser's defense and then play at his usual level.

But it takes time.

Sather appeared out of nowhere, catching Kobe completely off guard.

"How about starting Devin?" Jackson suggested.

The method of double-teaming McGrady is the simplest, but Jackson didn't even mention it.

Even after 48 minutes of play, one person still needs to guard McGrady.

Fox is 33 years old; he's really getting old.

So Jackson thought of Devin George, who was able to secure a spot on Fox's bench because of his solid defense.

Lambis nodded and said he could give it a try.

But old Winter offered a different idea: "Phil, I have another option. Let's have Robert guard Tracy."

Jackson was taken aback.

Who, Horry?

He did know that Horry had played small forward; he had played small forward since he first entered the league.

I also know that Horry is a good defender and very well-rounded.

But it feels a bit strange to have him guard McGrady.

Old Winter explained the reason: "Rick is getting old, and he moves very slowly laterally now. Tracy can easily get past him and then get a shot off in the mid-range."

“I noticed that Tracy reduced his attacks on the rim because Shaq was standing under the basket, but we didn’t have anyone in the mid-range.”

"Because Robert is roaming on the outside, our mid-range position is too open."

Jackson crossed his arms.

Indeed, McGrady took many of his shots from the mid-range today.

Winter continued, "We'll have Robert lead the defense on Tracy, and then start Samaki. He can secure our rebounds and improve our mid-range defensive depth."

“I know Robert might not be able to stop Tracy, but if he breaks through, Robert and Samaki can block him from both sides and lock him down.”

His two fists bumped together.

Jackson nodded thoughtfully.

Putting Horry aside, one point Winter made that Jackson agrees with is that the Lakers' mid-range defense lacked depth in this game.

O'Neal and Brown recklessly attacked the paint, largely because Horry was always floating on the outside.

Logically speaking, mid-range open spaces should also be advantageous for Kobe.

But Kobe was entangled by Sather, which gave McGrady an advantage, allowing him to drive in and take a lot of shots from mid-range.

After thinking for a moment, Jackson nodded.

"You can try it."

Immediately, the group discussed tactics for the next match, following this line of thought.

The discussion lasted until 2 a.m.

The next day, they borrowed the stadium again to practice tactics for the second game.

The second game of the finals will begin on June 7th.

The Lakers' early lineup change put Rivers on high alert.

As soon as the game started, he got up and went to the sidelines to watch the game attentively.

Tang Sen, as usual, sat on the sidelines with Yao Ming watching the game.

"Brother Sen, can Horry still play small forward?" Yao Ming asked curiously, as he had limited knowledge of NBA players.

Tang Sen nodded.

There was no way around it; when he entered the league, the Rockets already had the golden duo of Hakeem Olajuwon and Otis Thorpe in the paint.

Horry's draft picks included his excellent three-point shooting and versatility; he could do everything and defend positions 2 through 5.

However, Tang Sen really couldn't understand the Lakers' move.

Fox is getting old and can't stop McGrady, but does that mean Horry isn't getting old?

He's 32 now, and he's long lost the energy he had in his youth.

"This is the finals. Every team has a team and the best coach. Perhaps some head coaches don't react well during the game, but they will definitely make targeted adjustments after the game."

Tang Sen pointed to the field.

"Look at Kobe. In the last game, Fisher would bring the ball across half-court and immediately pass it to Kobe, because Kobe is the initiator of the Lakers' triangle offense."

"But in this game, the Lakers changed. Fisher started to handle the ball, then hand off Kobe, and then delay Sasser, creating opportunities for Kobe to drive in."

"This is a championship-caliber team; their ability to adjust is very strong."

As he spoke, Tang Sen looked at Rivers.

Jackson was not good at making in-game adjustments and preferred to leave the game to the players, letting them play freely.

Rivers is the same; his only on-the-spot tactic is to change the way he encourages the players.

Seeing him pacing back and forth on the sidelines in frustration, he's probably completely confused and has no idea how to adjust.

Sather was very fast at maneuvering around cover, and Tangsen had him practice this specifically.

But Kobe's shot was faster.

Moreover, he was in amazing form right from the start today, hitting two consecutive jump shots.

At this point, Rivers had not yet come up with a solution, but Billups on the court took the initiative to make an adjustment.

He whispered something to Sasser.

Sather immediately stopped using cover, and the two began to switch defenses.

After Kobe set the screen, the defense immediately switched, with Billups personally guarding Kobe.

Kobe's offensive immediately came to a halt.

Kobe looked somewhat surprised as Billups moved sideways to block his path and pressed forward, forcing him to turn his back with his strong body.

He had no idea that Billups was such an excellent defender.

So Tang Sen not only trained one secret weapon for Magic, but two?

Jackson couldn't sit still any longer and got up to go to the sidelines. To be honest, he had only just noticed Billups.

Because Billups was too inconspicuous in the Magic's roster.

Jackson's impression of him was that he could organize the offense and orchestrate the Magic's offense very well.

Other than that, no more.

Oh, and he seems to be able to shoot three-pointers too.

Then defense?

I don't really remember it; it was just above average.

But he was able to keep up with Kobe and hold his own in physical confrontations.

Jackson also turned his head, searching for Tang Sen's figure on the other side.

Did they train two secret weapons?
Jackson decided to wait and see, trusting in Kobe's adaptability.

Moreover, the adjustments made for Kobe were not the main focus; the main adjustments were for McGrady.

The effects are already visible.

McGrady tried to get past Horry by using his rhythm and changing his pace, but he couldn't get past Horry successfully.

Horry is getting old, but he still has defensive experience.

He is completely unmoved by being shaken.

McGrady immediately adjusted and began to use his speed to overpower his opponents.

It was effective, but after he broke in, before he could even make a move, Walker had already pounced on him.

Even more amazingly, if either Kobe or Fisher got close to PJ Brown, they would immediately abandon their opponent and pounce on PJ Brown.

Tang Sen doesn't believe that Tang Sen's speed in switching defenses is something he hasn't practiced.

Tang Sen frowned as he watched Sather being left open, receiving a pass from McGrady but missing the shot.

We were so focused on practicing Sather's defense that we didn't think to take some time to practice his shooting.

The key point is that even when he was left open, he still couldn't make the shot.

But that's not the most troublesome thing; the real trouble is Brown.

At the start of the game, neither O'Neal nor Brown were in good form.

Two top-tier centers went head-to-head in a game.

Moreover, O'Neal played 43 minutes in the last game.

Brown played longer, a full 44 minutes.

The extent of their exhaustion is unimaginable.

15:18.

At the end of the first quarter, the Magic were down by 3 points.

But what's terrifying is that neither team managed to score 20 points.

O'Neal scored 4 points, Brown scored 5 points.

Kobe scored 6 points, McGrady scored 4 points.

The game was sporadic and riddled with mistakes, making it far less exciting than the previous offensive battle.

Jackson could accept this result, and even felt encouraged by it.

At least we're in the lead.

As for the Magic, Rivers has whispered with Davis and the others countless times, but they still can't come up with an effective adjustment strategy.

We can only try again, and then do another set: "Come on guys!"

Or "Keep moving!"

When it's almost time for them to go on stage, they'll definitely clap their hands and say, "Let's go!"

Having watched the game from the sidelines more than once or twice, Tang Sen has a deep impression of these three sentences.

But putting myself in Rivers' position, I'd probably be worse off than him.

If you're behind in the score, your key players aren't performing well, and everyone is counting on you.

Then you might have some ideas in your head, but you're not sure if adjusting them will help.

Even if adjustments are made, the team members' ability to execute them will still be tested.

The arena is ever-changing; everything is in flux.

Therefore, being a head coach is not a job that just anyone can do.

Tang Sen felt inexplicably fortunate that he had become a trainer instead of switching careers to become a coach.

Donovan even invited me.

As a trainer, my skills are developed off the field, and my responsibility is to prepare all the players.

Whether they can win the game after they take the field depends on themselves.

In the second quarter, neither team made many rotations and continued to rely heavily on their starters.

In a closely contested match, who would dare to make extensive substitutions?

23:21.

In the second quarter, O'Neal and Brown showed signs of improvement.

O'Neal scored 8 points in the quarter, while Brown scored 9.

The magic trick brought them back a bit.

But at halftime, the score was only 38-39.

It didn't even reach 40 points.

Seeing the players from both teams panting as they walked towards the locker room, you can imagine how much they had expended.

"Brother Sen, can we win?" Yao Ming asked the same question he had asked before.

In the last match, Tang Sen confidently answered that he could win.

But today, Tang Sen's answer was: "Maybe."

Based on the performance of both teams in the first half, Tang Sen was not confident either.

In the away team's locker room, Jackson confidently declared that they could win.

"Gentlemen, if we win this game, we'll have three home games coming up. Believe me, we could potentially eliminate the Magic 4-1."

Jackson was optimistic.

The magician's performance exceeded his expectations.

Or perhaps the Magic were too well-prepared for this half-season.

But it's okay.

The Lakers were caught off guard in the first game, but as long as they adjust, they will definitely be the ones laughing last.

But he didn't realize that you can't just make promises you can't keep.

Because when the second half came, a surprise player stepped up.

Chauncey Billups.

What if the opponent is too strong, or if teammates are in trouble, not in good form, or can't carry the team?
Then do it yourself!
During halftime, Rivers rambled on for a long time, but didn't say anything of substance.

Let Brown and McGrady attack more, and attack more decisively.

Billups listened silently, feeling that the problem lay elsewhere.

Brown's performance has exceeded everyone's expectations; he and O'Neal have truly traded places.

McGrady encountered some trouble, but his performance was still normal.

He scored 28 points in the last game, so who dares to say he had a problem with his performance?

The same applies to this one.

The Lakers' targeting got him into trouble, but he kept scoring, 11 points in the first half.

His performance was comparable to Kobe's.

According to Billups, the Magic and the Lakers are currently locked in a stalemate.

The key players from both teams performed at a similar level.

Let's just keep fighting like this, no problem.

The problem is that while the core players performed well, the role players on both teams failed to step up.

Of course, in a battle between star players, role players should step aside.

But if someone needs to step forward, Billups is willing to take on that responsibility.

At the start of the second half, Billups told McGrady to drive in and shoot if he had the chance, and if not, to pass to him and pay attention to his movements.

Billups himself changed his playing style, moving more aggressively and at times letting McGrady handle the ball.

Then he seized the opportunity.

Ten minutes into the third quarter, McGrady broke through on the wing and was once again surrounded. He calmly controlled the ball, ignored Brown who was there to receive the pass, and chose to pass it back to the outside.

Billups appeared on the flank.

Without hesitation, he pulled up for a three-pointer.

Arrow through the heart.

In the 7th minute, almost the same situation occurred: McGrady passed the ball to Sather, who headed it across to the bottom corner.

Billups calmly hit another three-pointer.

In the 4th minute, Billups even managed to hit a three-pointer over Fisher.

Not finished yet.

With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Billups faked a pass and drove to the basket, making a floater.

Billups went 4-for-5 in the quarter, including three three-pointers, for a total of 11 points. He stole the show as his team struggled to score.

The Magic outscored the Magic 28-20 in the quarter, taking a 7-point lead.

Rivers was overjoyed.

Jackson was completely dumbfounded.

At the start of the second half, he was worried that either Brown or McGrady might suddenly explode.

But what no one expected was that it would be Billups, who hadn't even averaged 10 points per game this season, who would have the biggest breakout.

In the Finals, Billups scored 11 points in a single quarter, squeezing in every opportunity. He was absolutely amazing!
The name Chauncey Billups echoes throughout the entire water villa area.

The usually composed Billups couldn't contain himself and roared at the stands as the third quarter ended, pounding his chest in response.

Who dares to call themselves a fake third-place finisher now!
(End of this chapter)