Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 211 He will become a BUG
Thanks to Stern's efforts, sports channels in China are now able to broadcast NBA games live simultaneously.

And today's game, Yao Ming's debut, is one that the sports channel absolutely cannot miss.

They dispatched Zhang Weiping as part of the on-site reporting team.

Inside the live broadcast room, host Yang Jian and guest Su Qun provided commentary on the match.

"Oh dear, why did they take Yao Ming out? He was on fire!" Su Qun exclaimed with some regret.

With eight and a half minutes remaining, the Knicks made their first substitution, taking Yao Ming and Billups off the court.

At this point in time, it should be time for the rotation.

The problem is that Yao Ming was on fire in the first quarter. Not only did he dominate Ben Wallace, but even when the Pistons brought in the heavier Rebraka, Yao Ming still dominated.

Su Qun said, "Take that ball just now, for example, how could that footwork not have the shadow of the Dream Footwork?"

Yao Ming relied on his physical strength to overcome the odds.

Facing the slow-moving Rebraka, Yao Ming immediately changed his strategy, starting to show off his footwork and demonstrating his agility that was disproportionate to his large size.

His skillful low-post footwork completely outshone Rebraka.

Especially that last shot, it was extremely misleading. Rebraka was completely fooled and lunged in the wrong direction, clumsily like a bear.

Yang Jian nodded in deep agreement.

He mainly felt that Yao Ming was in hot form and could score easily inside, so he had to seize the opportunity to score before the opponent double-teamed him.

Eight and a half minutes, 13 points is not enough. If you play the whole first quarter, 15 points will be a piece of cake.

But he was rotated out of the game just like that.

What's even more frustrating is that after the substitutes came on, the 6-point lead created by Yao Ming's 13 points in the quarter vanished in an instant.

At the end of the first quarter, the Pistons trailed by only one point, 27-26.

The fact that the Pistons, who are usually lacking in offensive firepower, could score 26 points in a single quarter is enough to prove how bad the Knicks' defense is.

The two couldn't understand what the Knicks were thinking, so the conversation returned to Yao Ming.

"In 8 and a half minutes, he made 5 of 8 field goals and 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 13 points. To be honest, Yao Ming's performance couldn't be more perfect," Su Qun remarked.

Even without looking at the statistics, just by looking at his specific performance on the court, you can see Yao Ming's dominance in the paint.

If you can't defend against Benitez, you can't defend against Rebraka either.

As long as Yao Ming has the ball, he has a way to score.

It seems that only fouls can stop him.

"Most importantly, I saw a strong sense of self-confidence in him."

Su Qun still retains the romanticism of a media person, valuing the spiritual world, saying: "Just like before the game, when we connected with Coach Zhang, didn't Coach Zhang go to the locker room for an interview?"

"He asked Yao Ming a question: You and Kwame Brown were both number one draft picks and trained with Townsend for a few months. He scored 29 points in his debut. How many points do you want to score in your debut?"

"How did Yao Ming answer? He said he was the number one pick in 01, and I was the number one pick in 02. Since there was one more year, I would try my best to get 30 points."

"Listen to this, would a rookie say something like that if he didn't have enough self-confidence?"

Su Qun countered with a question.

Yang Jian simply nodded and said, "Teacher Su, what you said reminds me of the Asian Games two weeks ago."

"Before the game, the South Korean team was very arrogant. Kim Joo-sung said that it's just the NBA, and he just didn't go. If he had run for the NBA, he wouldn't be any worse than Yao Ming."

"How did Yao Ming respond before the game? He simply said that if the South Korean team won the championship, he would retire on the spot!"

As a result, Yao Ming scored a whopping 41 points and 23 rebounds, leading to a 17-point victory over the South Korean team.

Even if this game was filled with chaotic whistles.

This statement once became a sensation online, becoming Yao Ming's most domineering declaration.

Su Qun was also deeply impressed by this statement, saying, "Yes, that's the kind of change. I've interviewed Yao Ming more than once before. When he was still with the Eastern team, you felt that he was just a shy big kid."

"Over the past few months, you can clearly feel the change in him; his confidence has really increased a lot."

"This shows that your strength has improved and you have confidence. So I think some fans and media in China are worried that Yao Ming will not adapt well in the NBA. I think they are worrying too much."

"Yao Ming is ready, both physically and mentally."

Su Qun was puzzled as to why the Knicks substituted Yao Ming when he was on fire, and the three veterans of TNT were equally confused.

"Why?"

Barkley asked a loud question.

"We need to look at Yao Ming, to see how strong he really is, not a bunch of rookies. God, what is Stromiler doing?"

On the court, Swift charged towards the basket, attempting to dunk over Ben Wallace.

The result was terrible.

Big Ben was still furious.

I can't beat Yao Ming, but I can't beat you, a jumping guy?

He stepped up to help defend, leaping forward to nip the dunk in the bud.

Swift fell awkwardly to the ground.

Barkley covered his face, unable to bear the sight, and muttered, "Seriously, I think it's very necessary for me to take back what I said back then."

When Swift was drafted, Barkley said he was a super genius, describing his athleticism as being like a fast and agile buck.

Two years have passed, and he is still jumping around.

That was not a good opportunity at all. Even though Ben Wallace had come to help defend, Swift still chose to force a dunk.

Even if you stop and shoot a basket?
"Seriously, bring Yao in. I want to see him dominate Ben Wallace under the basket. I want to see his skyhook," Barkley shouted.

Given Ben Wallace's height, if Yao Ming were to use his skyhook, Wallace would have to jump as high as Jordan to even be able to interfere.

Tang Sen was aware of the rotation arrangement.

The Knicks' current strategy is to compete and strive to develop useful players from this group of rookies.

Then you need to give him playing time.

Therefore, the Knicks now strictly adhere to rotation schedules.

For example, Yao Ming has to leave the court after eight minutes.

They have to sit on the bench for a full nine minutes to rest before they can go on the field.

The entire event should last around 30 minutes.

In Cheney's words, this would also reduce Yao Ming's burden and physical exertion.

The time freed up by the core players is used to train the substitutes.

This approach, if there isn't much pressure to achieve results, is definitely beneficial for nurturing rookies.

But Tang Sen felt it didn't have to be that rigid.

While there are no performance requirements, it's still worth trying to win any game you can.

Losing repeatedly can actually affect player morale.

The reason why my training is so addictive is because of the constant positive feedback. I can continuously feel the improvement in my body, which motivates me to keep training.

The same applies to competitions; you also need positive feedback from victories to motivate you to work harder.

Fortunately, Houston is still there to hold them up.

Chandler has excellent athleticism; he could easily play the power forward position.

So he was able to offer to provide cover for Houston.

At this stage, the Knicks' tactics were simple: try to create scoring opportunities for Houston.

Others can just pick up the leftovers.

Houston didn't disappoint; when the opportunity arose, he made it.

In addition, the Pistons' offensive firepower was limited, and the score was so close that Yao Ming had to enter the game.

Carlisle felt a pang of anxiety when he saw Yao Ming stand up.

Ben Wallace on the field felt a chill run down his spine.

Then it's the familiar recipe, the familiar taste.

Yao Ming needs to position himself under the basket.

Before he could even raise his hand, Billups anticipated the move and passed the ball to him.

Yao Ming raised his hand and caught the ball.

The ball is broken by hitting it.

With just one step, Ben Wallace felt himself being "gently" pushed aside. Sensing Yao Ming lowering his waist and the shift in his center of gravity, Ben Wallace, as if facing a formidable enemy, jumped up in a flash.

The moment the feet leave the ground, intelligence takes over.

Da Ben had only one thought in his mind.

That's enough, that's really enough!
You could have just attacked me directly and scored, why did you have to fake me out? It makes me look stupid.

Yao Ming, who jumped later, delivered a powerful one-handed dunk, making Ben Wallace the backdrop once again.

Carlisle stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, his face contorted in a grimace.

Wrong!

Why doesn't the Pistons have a superstar center like that?

Also, even though they're both NBA teams, the Pistons are like stepchildren, while the Knicks are like biological children, getting the number one draft pick by force.

He watched Yao Ming run away quickly, his eyes filled with longing.

If the Pistons had a top-tier center like that, and then let Ben Wallace play the power forward position, their interior defense would be at its maximum level.

The idea is beautiful, but the reality is cruel.

In the next possession, Yao Ming backed down in the low post, faked left and right, turned and jumped to shoot. After the ball bounced into the basket, Carlisle quickly made a hand gesture.

Double team!

We have no choice but to double-team them.

When Yao Ming received the ball again, Robinson rushed over immediately.

Yao Ming didn't panic.

He has enjoyed this kind of treatment far too many times at the World Championships.

He held the ball high in one hand.

He can reach a height of 2.92 meters while standing, and the basketball hoop is 3.05 meters high.

In other words, he was standing there holding the ball, and the basketball was almost touching the rim.

You really can't reach that height unless you jump.

Another benefit of practicing the skyhook is that it greatly strengthens the wrist.

Yao Ming can pass the ball using only his wrist strength while holding it high to protect it.

He delivered the ball precisely to Bender, who was in an open position.

Bender jumped and threw a shot, which clanged as he struck the iron.

Ben quickly turned around and blocked Yao Ming behind him.

He anticipated the basketball's landing point, but overlooked the significant height difference.

Yao Ming also jumped from behind, and with that slight height advantage, he successfully deflected the ball away.

Unfortunately, Stackhouse got his hands on him.

Ben Wallace was furious. He turned and glared at Yao Ming before finally running away in silence.

You're so great, so awesome, okay?

It's still a double-team.

Carlisle felt he had hit the Knicks where it hurt.

The Knicks have a bunch of rookie players, and apart from Yao Ming, Houston, and half of Billups, they have no other reliable scoring options.

However, after seeing that his teammates were not even making open shots, Yao Ming quickly changed his playing style.

Don't double-team me, I'm not going to the basket.

He set a screen for Billups near the free-throw line, received the pass back, and pulled up for a shot.

Atkins, who was trying to get around the screen, reacted quickly and lunged at Yao Ming as soon as the ball was passed back.

He's only 1.8 meters tall!
When Yao Ming jumps to shoot, all he can do is... look up.

After resting for about ten days, Yao Ming was in really good form today, hitting the target steadily.

Carlisle's face scrunched up again.

I had only one thought in my mind: I can't play anymore.

You're unstoppable inside, fine, but you're going to try and shoot from the high post?
Oh right, he still hasn't used the Skyhook.

Carlisle suddenly thought of Sabonis.

When Sabonis finally made it to the NBA, the whole of America was looking forward to the world's rooftop who had once led his team to defeat the United States.

He fantasizes that he is invincible in the paint, can shoot from the outside, and can pass the ball, making him omnipotent on the court.

Unfortunately, all that arrived was an old man who was told he could apply for a disabled parking space.

None of the fantasies came true.

But today, seeing Yao Ming on the court, Carlisle suddenly felt that this was exactly the Sabonis that Americans had imagined back then.

Equally tall, equally versatile, capable both inside and out.

It's worth noting that some media outlets back then claimed that Sabonis could dominate the NBA.

What about Yao Ming?

A dominant center may be on the horizon.

In the second quarter, Yao Ming scored another 9 points in seven minutes.

The Knicks had too many rookies, and Billups was obsessed with passing. Houston didn't compete for possession, so Yao Ming had absolute freedom to shoot.

The score is 22 points at halftime.

Even the Pistons fans in the stands couldn't help but murmur among themselves, staring at the big man with astonishment.

A group of Chinese journalists in the media area were even more excited than usual.

Look, see the power of the Great Wall of China!

51 to 44.
The Knicks led by 7 points at halftime.

There aren't many leading ones.

After all, the Knicks' role players performed terribly.

But Barkley had already confidently proclaimed that the Knicks had won the game.

"It's simple, the Pistons have no way to deal with Yao."

Barkley said seriously, "Think about it, Yao has enough size and strength. He is not afraid of any contact under the basket. He has excellent low-post skills and many ways to put the ball in the basket."

"Most importantly, he is flexible enough, has ample shooting range, and his style of play is not limited to the penalty area."

"When a player like that appears on the court, I think any opponent will have a headache because you don't know how to defend him."

You can double-team an inside player, but you can't exactly double-team an inside center from the outside.

Not to mention Yao Ming can also pass the ball.

Barkley realized that Yao Ming had plenty of ways to deal with double teams and wasn't flustered at all.

If he's double-teamed at the high post, the paint is completely open, and he can easily throw the ball under the basket for an assist.

Even without double-teaming, there's a mismatch on the perimeter. When Yao Ming goes to shoot, or even a three-pointer, how many perimeter players can interfere with him?

"I saw some media analysis before, saying that Tang followed the same path as Kwame in developing Yao."

"But I don't think that's true. Tang fully utilized Yao's strengths, turning him into a bug-like presence on the court."

At this point, Barkley couldn't help but shudder.

He seemed to have already seen yet another dominant center, like Shaquille O'Neal, emerge.

Smith on the other side nodded in agreement.

He also felt that Yao Ming's current playing style was somewhat flawed, making him difficult to defend.

"And I've discovered that this Knicks team isn't that weak after all."

Summer's series of questionable moves by Layden led many media outlets to have a low opinion of the Knicks.

Indeed, apart from Yao Ming, Houston and Billups, the other Knicks players didn't perform well today.

"But they've maintained their lead, and the Pistons were third in the East last season."

The Pistons are not some bottom-feeder team in the Eastern Conference.

(End of this chapter)