Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 196 What magic did you cast on him?

George Karl, sitting on the sidelines, narrowed his eyes slightly and frowned.

There's a difference in height and weight; he knows it won't be easy for Ben Wallace to defend Yao Ming.

But I still feel that Yao Ming played too easily.

They lost their position as soon as they squeezed; was there really such a big difference in strength between the two?
Not far away, Spike Lee was shouting and jumping around excitedly like a child.

This made George Carr even more irritable.

The US team and the Chinese team are in Group C and are direct opponents.

George Karl didn't think Yao Ming's strength would affect the Dream Team's qualification, but he still felt a headache coming on.

Having such a powerful center in the FIBA ​​arena greatly enhances a team's strength.

On the field.

After scoring, Yao Ming immediately turned and ran away.

Sure enough, Kwame Brown was right; Ben Affleck's claim of great strength was just a bluff, not as exaggerated as it seemed.

Yao Ming headed straight for the restricted area.

On the defensive end, Wang Fei had only one requirement for Yao Ming: ignore everything else, guard the paint, and try to block every shot.

Baron Davis wasn't the only one who wanted to test Yao Ming's abilities. He seized the opportunity, executed a crossover dribble, and blew past Guo Shiqiang like a whirlwind, heading straight for the basket.

During training camp, in order to train Kobe and Carter's ability to penetrate, Sather often played the role of the defender.

However, Yao Ming and Brown would also be pulled over to act as defenders under the basket.

Therefore, Yao Ming actually had defensive experience against NBA-level penetrators.

He quickly filled the gap, and his large frame made Davis abandon his idea of ​​attacking the basket directly.

However, instead of passing the ball inside, he braked suddenly and chose to shoot over Yao Ming.

But he clearly underestimated Yao Ming's height.

Yao Ming jumped quickly, stretched out his arm, and poked the thrown basketball.

Block shot!

The scene was filled with exclamations of surprise.

But it wasn't over yet. The ball was poked away, but Davis reacted quickly and retrieved it.

But with Yao Ming standing right in front of him, there was no room for him to move around. He bent down to think of something, but in the end, he didn't get up and instead chose to pass it to Ben Wallace next to him.

Yao Ming had his arm raised, anticipating this move. When he saw Ben Wallace receive the ball, he immediately turned halfway to meet him.

Ben Wallace got up to go for a layup. His movement was quick, but his shot was a bit careless. He still underestimated how much coverage his 2.26-meter height could actually cover under the basket.

The moment he let the ball leave his hands, Yao Ming reached out and slammed it down.

Yao Ming, who learned how to block shots from Tang Sen, also had a weakness: he was slow at bending down to pick up the ball after it fell.

Ben Affleck once again caught the ball with lightning speed.

He grabbed the ball, faked a move, and then charged up again.

Yao Ming was standing right next to him. He didn't create any space, and his attempt to force his way up resulted in being blocked again.

This time, the ball was slammed down in mid-air.

Yao Ming then caught the ball.

"Fake!"

As he stumbled to the ground, Ben cursed under his breath.

In one round, he was blocked twice.

No, three!

We also need to add Davis.

Looking up at Yao Ming, Ben Affleck felt a chill run down his spine.

How can such a tall guy be so agile, strong, and fast?

The Chinese team's bench has become a sea of ​​celebration.

Wang Fei stood proudly on the sidelines, arms raised high.

The cheers from the stands grew louder and louder, with many Chinese fans waving flags and chanting Yao Ming's name.

This formation actually had a bit of the aura of someone playing on home turf.

Popovich sighed silently and said to George Karl, "George, we need to reduce our drives."

Having such a tall player standing under the basket is very unfavorable for the guards.

"And look how agile he is."

Popovich then pointed to the court and said.

He made timely interventions, jumping instantly to block Davis's sudden stop and floater.

Good explosive power.

Upon noticing Davis's pass, he immediately turned around, took a step, and rose up; his agility was truly frightening.

George Karl looked troubled, but before he could say anything, Yao Ming arrived.

He stepped outwards to make it easier to receive the ball.

The Dream Team is made up of NBA players. Although during the pre-game training camp, he repeatedly told everyone to tighten the defense and fill the paint.

But when they actually got to the field, these guys still instinctively chose to spread out.

Therefore, for the Chinese team, getting the ball into Yao Ming's hands is not a difficult task now.

Yao Ming received the ball, turned to face the basket, and made a high pass, as if to shoot.

Then, in the instant that Ben Wallace instinctively raised his hand to block, the ball squeezed past him and into the net again.

George Carr grinned widely.

The fluidity of his footwork really does remind you a bit of Hakeem Olajuwon.

He felt that Big Ben was about to be completely destroyed.

Ben Wallace's defense wasn't great. Not to mention monsters like Shaquille O'Neal, even physically strong big men like Kwame Brown were repeatedly outmatched.

Today's Yao Ming has the physical strength, a huge height difference, and damn good skills.

How can the main team defend against this?

From the start, the Chinese team had only one tactic: to pass the ball inside.

Holding his breath and trying to prove himself, Yao Ming accepted every ball that came his way and took it.

Just four minutes into the game, they scored 8 points in a row with four consecutive one-on-one plays, forcing the US team to call a timeout.

Wang Fei greeted Yao Ming and said "good" several times in a row.

He was really excited.

When he was in Los Angeles, he saw Yao Ming relentlessly attack Brown's defense, scoring in various ways.

What level is Kwame Brown at?
Destroying the base should be effortless for him.

In comparison, Yao Ming's performance can only be described as normal.

But actually witnessing Yao Ming's performance on the court was still incredibly surprising.

"Old Yao, you're amazing!" Liu Wei greeted him, extremely excited.

Just a few months ago, the two were on the same team, and Yao Ming knew exactly what level he was at.

But it's only been a short time, and Yao Ming is already able to pin NBA stars to the ground and beat them up?
Yao Ming smiled and said, "It's mainly because he's relatively short."

Being short is one thing, but the key is that the body can withstand it.

People always say that the NBA is fiercely competitive. Whenever the media, especially the domestic media, discuss their prospects in the NBA, they always worry that they won't be able to adapt to the intensity of the NBA.

But now, when he actually played in a real game and faced these NBA players, Yao Ming realized just how much Tang Sen had prepared him over the past few months.

It really feels like you've been in seclusion for years, only to find out everyone around you is a complete weakling.

A few steps away, Bartel and Li Nan huddled together.

“I told you, he wasn’t even using his full strength during training,” Battelle said in a low voice.

He had fought Ben Affleck before; those massive arms of his were as hard as iron, and when he charged, he was like a mad bull, impossible to stop.

As a result, in front of Yao Ming, they were completely defeated and turned into docile old oxen.

Li Nan nodded.

It's obvious that Yao Ming was just playing around during the team's training sessions these past few days.

"That Tang Sen seems to be really powerful," Li Nan said in a low voice.

Just a few months ago, he faced off against Yao Ming in the Finals.

Looking at him now, he seems like a completely different person.

"It's definitely impressive."

If Tang Sen could turn the notoriously strict and uncompromising Zhang Hess into a devoted fan of the Nuggets, then one can only imagine how formidable he is.

"It's just too expensive." Batel held up three fingers and muttered, "This is the price for a summer, three months."

"Three hundred thousand US dollars?" Li Nan's eyes widened. He earned a little over 20,000 a month, which was about that much money in a year.

"Hundred."

Batel glared at him.

"How many?"

Li Nan almost screamed, then shuddered violently and said, "That's outrageous. No wonder everyone wants to come to the NBA."

As he spoke, he nudged Batel with his elbow and said, "Then you should go find this Tang Sen and train with him properly. If you train well, you can make a lot of money too."

Batel shook his head: "I'd like to, but the key is that they have to accept me first."

He's seen the news; many star players wanted to train with Tang Sen during the offseason, but none of them had the chance.

The comeback is temporarily suspended.

The Americans made a change, switching to Jermaine O'Neal to primarily defend Yao Ming.

The result is the same.

Jermaine O'Neal was taller than Ben Wallace, but weighed less.

Last year, when he faced Brown, Brown physically bullied him quite a bit.

Now, facing the taller and heavier Yao Ming, the outcome is predictable.

Yao Ming's dribbling and post-up moves are standard, powerful, and full of energy.

Jermaine O'Neal was like a sampan being battered by a giant wave; even with his body tilted and his best effort on defense, he kept being pushed back.

Yao Ming doesn't rely solely on his physical attributes; he utilizes his skills more. When he gets close to the basket, during his last post-up move, he took a step back with his left leg, turned around, and positioned his left foot in front of Jermaine O'Neal's likely path of movement.

Then he turned around and made a clean, decisive move, trapping O'Neal to his side and easily scoring a layup.

Jermaine O'Neal glanced at Ben Wallace not far away, giving him a questioning look.

I was thinking, "You're not supposed to help defend, are you? Why don't you come over and double-team me instead of just watching me get one-on-one attacked?"
Big Ben pretended not to see it and turned to leave.

Not only could they not defend Yao Ming, but on the offensive end, Jermaine O'Neal was also having a tough time.

Trying to force a shot in the low post is clearly a pipe dream. With Yao Ming's thick body and broad frame, it's not easy to get a shot off under his interference.

But if you're positioned a little further out, your mid-range shooting won't be good either; even Yao Ming can keep up with you.

His leap was so powerful it blotted out the sky; the sheer force of it was terrifying.

So when Yao Ming went 7-for-9 and scored 14 points in the quarter, George Karl knew his adjustments had failed.

Even Jermaine O'Neal couldn't stop Yao Ming.

Who else?

LaFrentz, this rookie? He's just a completely weakened version of O'Neal.

What about Antonio Davis?

He's as short as Ben Affleck, so it's even more difficult for him.

And once they're gone, there's no one left!
George Karl couldn't help but feel frustrated. They were all on the Dream Team, so why was it that when it was his turn, there wasn't a top-tier center available?

19:21.

At the end of the first quarter, the Chinese team was only down by 2 points.

Wang Fei looked excited.

My decision to make Yao Ming the core of our offense was the right one.

This is the dream team, the world champions, and they only lost by 2 points. This is already a huge victory.

During the break, he pulled everyone aside and first asked Yao Ming how his physical condition was.

In the first quarter, Yao Ming attacked a lot, almost taking on the entire team's offensive responsibilities.

"good."

Yao Ming shook his head to indicate that he was fine.

He attacked a lot, but he was efficient, and he stayed under the basket the whole time, so he didn't expend much energy.

Wang Fei felt relieved and told the others to run around and stop passing the ball so rigidly.

Secondly, if an opportunity arises, one must act decisively.

But when Yao Ming returns to the court, the ball must be passed to him.

As a result, Yao Ming had only been sitting on the sidelines for a few minutes when the score was quickly widened.

The US team's inside game began to dominate, with Antonio Davis scoring repeatedly against Battier.

Within minutes, the American team had extended their lead to 9 points.

Wang Fei cursed under his breath and had no choice but to bring Yao Ming onto the court.

The Dream Team has clearly made adjustments.

On the one hand, they appropriately double-teamed Yao Ming in the paint; on the other hand, they began high pressing and mid-range interference to limit the Chinese team's ability to pass the ball to Yao Ming.

The effect is remarkable.

Within three minutes, Yao Ming only scored 2 points through fouls.

He can't catch the ball, and even if he does, he'll be double-teamed as soon as he gets close to the basket.

The space for international competitions is too small.

Seeing the point difference widen to 13 points, Yao Ming immediately changed his playing style.

He suggested it to cover for his teammates.

He became the axis of the team's offensive operation, helping his teammates create opportunities.

If his teammate passes the ball back, he can choose to shoot directly or pass it to his teammate.

He has the ability to facilitate and distribute the ball.

Last season with the Eastern team, during the regular season he followed Tang Sen's advice to pass the ball to his teammates more often and then provide support at the end.

Hu Weidong scored 3 points, and Liu Yudong, who was suffering from an injury, also hit a 3-pointer.

The two veterans scored a point for the team.

Yao Ming moved further and further out, eventually reaching the three-point line in one go. After setting a screen, he received the pass back, pulled up, and shot a three-pointer.

Jermaine O'Neal couldn't block the shot and watched it go into the net, feeling extremely frustrated.

That's how it was last year when I played against Brown; I simply couldn't defend him in the low post.

If they get double-teamed, they can still pull someone out to provide cover.

As it turns out, Yao Ming is even more ruthless than Brown. He can screen, shoot mid-range, and pass the ball. Now he's even starting to shoot three-pointers.

He just wanted to ask Yao Ming, "Is there anything you can't do?"

39:47.

The Chinese team trailed by 8 points at halftime.

Wang Fei looked delighted.

Although this was just a warm-up match, he didn't expect the Chinese team to beat the Dream Team.

His expected score was 30.

Losing by only 30 points is considered a victory.

They were only down by 8 points at halftime.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, there is even hope that they can continue to narrow the score gap.

Because the Dream Team simply couldn't defend against Yao Ming.

Even when double-teamed or having his passes disrupted, Yao Ming could still contribute and score with his shooting.

Yao Ming was limited in the second quarter, but still managed to score 7 points.

The score is already 21 points at halftime.

In the stands, Leiden was incredibly excited.

He doesn't care who wins or loses; he only cares about Yao Ming and how much progress Yao Ming has made after several months of training with Tang Sen.

"Tang, did you see that?!"

Leiden pointed to Yao Ming, who was lingering in the players' tunnel signing autographs for excited fans, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Look how great he is! Ben couldn't stop him, Jermaine couldn't stop him, nobody can stop him!"

"He's unstoppable in the paint, and even outside the paint, he can still shoot. His screens are better than Kwame's, and he can also pass the ball."

"My God, I had no idea he could be so versatile."

Leiden was so excited that his whole body was trembling.

Before the match started, Cheney actually wanted to dampen Renden's spirits.

But after watching half the game, he found himself just like Ryden, unable to control his excitement.

Yao Ming's performance really exceeded his expectations.

He was truly curious about what kind of magic Tang Sen had used on Yao Ming to improve him so much, given his ability to both attack and defend.

(End of this chapter)