Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 212 They Lost a Championship

The Knicks won the game, but Barkley didn't hold back his criticism afterward, launching a tirade against Redon's moves in the summer.

“I know Latrell has a bad temper, but he has changed his ways. Look at what he said in Chicago, that he wouldn’t complain about being traded, that he would always be grateful to the fans in New York, and that they are the best group of fans in the league.”

"So why send him away?"

Barkley retorted loudly.

"If they keep him, the Knicks will have an All-Star caliber small forward instead of a rookie like Gerrard who can airball three shots."

"My God, his performance was a complete disaster."

"Keep Latrile, sign Chauncey with the mid-level exception, and keep all the experienced veterans."

"And there's Marcus, and KT, New York's power forward position isn't bad."

"And Yao is just like Kwame, no, he's even more mature than Kwame. You could say he already has the ability of one of the league's top centers."

"Why have the New Yorkers had such a poor record in recent years? Isn't it because they lack a superstar center?"

"Now they have it. Once Yao Ming joins, they'll have a championship-caliber roster!"

Smith on the other side nodded.

Yao Ming, Camby, Sprewell, Houston, plus Billups.

In his view, this roster is good enough to contend for the championship.

Barkley continued firing.

"And then they dismantled the team, and in return, they got a bunch of guys who were supposed to be the next Garnett, the next Jordan!"

"Damn it, are New Yorkers short of money, or has James Dolan gone bankrupt, and they're just trying to cash in on the rookie bonus?"

According to Barkley, in order to replace this roster, New York cut a lot of players, but salary expenditures are still among the highest in the league.

"So I really don't know what Scott Layden is doing, or what great plans he has in his head."

"Fortunately, they still have Yao."

Barkley then shifted his focus back to Yao Ming.

"My God, he's so well-rounded, so amazing, he doesn't seem like a rookie at all."

Facing the camera, Barkley excitedly shouted.

In Detroit.

At the post-match press conference, Carlisle said the same thing to the media.

"He's not a rookie at all!"

Carlisle looked helpless.

Which rookie is so strong, 7 feet 5 inches, and so agile?

Which rookie has such well-rounded skills, is proficient in low-post offense, and has such excellent shooting ability?

Which other rookie has such a versatile playing style, truly playing with their brain?

In any case, Carlisle himself had never seen it.

Therefore, he was generous with his praise for Yao Ming.

He's already racked up 36 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks, with only 4 turnovers throughout the game. What more can I say about such a performance?

To belittle him?
That's tantamount to belittling yourself.

Look at Ben Wallace, he only scored 5 points in the whole game, which is less than a fraction of Yao Ming's score.

His supposedly top-tier rebounding ability was no match for Yao Ming, managing only 9 rebounds.

They were completely crushed from all sides.

Carlisle looked worried as he left the post-match press conference.

Last season, the Nets emerged as a dark horse, but the Magic unexpectedly rose to even greater heights and went on to win the championship.

Now the Knicks have joined the fray.

Judging from Yao Ming's performance and form, he's definitely another Kwame Brown.

So, won't the East also experience a major internal power struggle this year, just like the West?

People always say the West is wild, but the East is just as wild these days.

Back in the locker room, the players had already finished their shift.

But Carlisle wasn't going to leave; he had told his assistant coach he wanted to stay and study the game footage.

At 43 years old, he is still as diligent as a 23-year-old young man.

But through hard work, he went from being Larry Bird's bag carrier and McHale's assistant to earning a $5 annual salary with the Nets, diligently studying tactics, and gradually becoming the head coach he is today.

"Rick, the Knicks players are doing extra practice, making it seem like they're the ones who lost," assistant coach Tony Brown remarked as he walked over.

Some teams will hold extra training sessions after losing a game to reflect on why they lost.

But the Knicks won.

They're still practicing even after winning, does that mean they're not satisfied with the victory?

“Last year we were third in the East, third in the East!” Tony Brown held up three fingers and repeated it deliberately.

You beat the Pistons, so be happy! Still not satisfied? Then what do you want to do? Go after the championship?
"Oh?"

Carlisle, however, became interested and said, "I'll go take a look."

The game is over, so it should be fine to check it myself.

He immediately went to the stadium.

It turned out that it wasn't just a few players who remained, but the entire Knicks team.

From the initial launch to the water dispenser, everything was kept.

"Hurry up, speed up! 100 shots! If anyone is slow, everyone else will have to wait with them!"

As Carlisle stepped out of the players' tunnel, he heard Tangsen shout.

He stopped and looked around.

Everyone is practicing shooting.

One half, five starters take shots, then five substitutes defend their corresponding positions.

The remaining five water fountains were positioned in the other half of the court, where they were defended by several trainers.

They were practicing shooting under defensive pressure.

If it's 100 balls, it will probably take more than half an hour.

Carlisle spotted Yao Ming near the free-throw line, repeatedly shooting under Chandler's defense, and sinking the shots one after another.

"Rick."

Tang Sen spotted Carlisle immediately.

Cheney and Thibodeau on the sidelines immediately turned to look at Carlisle.

For a moment, their eyes met, making Carlisle feel embarrassed.

However, he looks like Jim Carrey, and his skin is just as thick as Jim Carrey's on screen.

He doesn't care about saving face as long as he can learn something.

"Donald."

He walked over calmly and greeted Cheney and the others.

Finally, after exchanging pleasantries with Tang Sen, he immediately asked, "Tang, it's the middle of the season now. Won't the players' stamina be affected by this extra training?"

Training like this during the offseason is perfectly fine.

But during the season, too much training could potentially injure your body.

Most importantly, how did Tang Sen persuade these players to give up their private time and agree to extra training?

Tang Sen glanced at the eager-to-learn Carlisle.

Townsend's impression of Carlisle was that he was tough, tough on players, and tough on management.

Then, being somewhat rigid, he would design a large number of tactics for the team.

The Detroit Free Press has criticized him, saying he can call out tactics for every possession from the sidelines and has an extremely strong control over the game.

He has his own set of methods, and he has achieved results.

Last season, he almost snatched the Coach of the Year award from Rivers, which is the best proof of that.

Tang Sen naturally felt a certain fondness for such a hardworking and diligent person.

After a moment's thought, Tang Sen said, "As long as they get enough rest, that's fine. We'll use a specific rest plan to ensure the players get enough rest."

Many players indulge in revelry and partying after a match, so if they then have to train extra, their energy will definitely be affected.

But now, after extra training, they can immediately go back to rest and reduce leisure time, thus minimizing the impact.

"But Rick, every team is different, you can't just copy them."

Tang Sen added that he possessed the [Balance] badge, which granted him a 20% recovery bonus when creating a rest plan.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only 20%; the effect is quite good.

That's why Tang Sen had the confidence to arrange extra training during the season.

But you can't do that.

Carlisle nodded repeatedly, looking like he was humbly learning something.

He had always been curious about what kind of magic Tang Sen possessed that allowed so many players to be trained under his tutelage.

After all, they are all trainers, sharing the same head on two shoulders. Who can really be that much stronger than the other?
Unfortunately, media coverage of it has been limited.

Now, Carlisle believes that one of the key factors to Townsend's success is diligence.

Training starts at 5 a.m., with extra practice after the competition.

With such diligence, it would be strange if it didn't work out.

"Tang, thank you. Please continue. I won't disturb you any longer."

Carlisle smiled, turned and left.

As Carlisle met Tony Brown, who was peering into the player tunnel, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Tony, starting tomorrow, we need to increase our training volume, and like them, we should also do extra training after the games."

Tony Brown was startled and quickly said, "Rick, if you do this, the players will have a lot of complaints."

It's no wonder the players complained when the training intensity was increased during the season.

"No!"

Carlisle shook his head. If you have a problem with it, then keep it to yourself.

"Tony, think about it yourself. The Magic won the championship through hard work. Now, the Knicks, under Don's guidance, are also training like crazy. Let's see what kind of strength they have."

This is no longer the bottom-ranked loser from last year.

All of this is inseparable from diligent training.

“Tony, we need to learn from successful experiences,” Carlisle said, patting Tony Brown on the shoulder.

His entire life has been spent in continuous learning. He followed Bill Fitch and Chuck Daly, and he always became stronger through learning.

“He is Tang, and he succeeded, so we need to learn from him.”

Increase training volume and develop a reasonable rest plan.

Tang Sen had told him all about this trick.

Inside the venue.

After almost an hour, the extra 100-ball practice session was over.

This was Tang Sen's impromptu idea.

The Knicks won today, but it was a narrow victory, 86-81, by only 5 points.

Yao Ming and Houston played without any problems.

Without them, the Knicks couldn't have won.

And the other people, especially their shooting, really raise your blood pressure.

After reviewing the statistics, Cheney promptly approached Tangsen and suggested that they intensify shooting training.

Aside from the core, the hit rate of less than 30% is simply unacceptable.

Tang Sen also agreed with his idea.

Shooting is truly the most basic skill.

In the second half, Yao Ming was frequently double-teamed and surrounded, and he had to pass the ball around a lot, but no one could seize the opportunity, which was really a headache.

"How is it, are you tired?"

On the way back to the hotel, Tang Sen specifically sought out Yao Ming.

"Fortunately."

Yao Ming shook his head. Although he was the offensive core in today's game, he only played for 33 minutes. He had plenty of rest time, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Tang Sen actually wanted to ask if he was tired from the extra training after the game.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Sen said, "Yao Ming, you are the core of the team. You have to set a good example for everyone. Do you understand what I mean?"

This year will undoubtedly be an incredibly painful one for all players if they want to achieve results in their training.

Training this thing is inhumane.

To persevere, you need systematic positive feedback and a healthy competitive environment.

For example, there is a leader.

Let all the players see that even the NBA number one draft pick, the absolute core player, and the future team leader, trains this hard. How can you be so lazy?

Just like last year at Magic.

McGrady and others trained hard, and even veterans like Ewing and Grant worked incredibly hard, partly because they saw how hard Brown was putting in the effort.

He was the number one draft pick, and upon entering the league, he immediately scored 20 points and 10 rebounds, becoming the youngest player to reach 50 points. Despite his success, he didn't become arrogant; instead, he worked tirelessly to improve himself.

This level of diligence can truly inspire others.

Yao Ming understood immediately.

From the moment the management started assigning players based on merit, Yao Ming knew that the core of the Knicks this year was competition.

"Brother Sen, a train runs fast because of its locomotive, I understand."

Yao Ming nodded, then joked, "Also, when did I become the core of the team?"

Tang Sen smiled, stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Excessive humility is arrogance. You are still young, so work hard."

With that, he returned to his seat.

Once back at the hotel, everyone should wash up and rest as soon as possible.

I have to catch a flight to Philadelphia tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow we'll play the 76ers away.

Lying in bed, Tang Sen didn't rush to rest. Instead, he logged into the system to review today's matches.

Some problems only really come to light during the competition.

I glanced at the experience bar for the title as I went.

It has reached level 4, 96%.

I estimate that it should be able to upgrade in about half a month.

The last time I was promoted to level 4 was after the All-Star Game in February, which is more than half a year ago.

This shows how slow the title upgrade is.

Replay the entire match.

Tang Sen's focus is not on who performs well or poorly, but on what shortcomings exist in physical development and what problems exist in technical tactics.

But to be honest, every single one of these guys is physically at a beast level.

That bounce, that speed, that power.

But apart from this, there really is nothing else.

Take Swift, for example. Let's not even talk about his mindless dunking. He doesn't have the skills, so it's understandable that he can only rely on his physicality to dunk.

But he seems to be too obsessed with dunking.

On one occasion, he broke through the baseline, received a pass, and had an open shot opportunity.

You don't like layups, but dunking is fine.

But instead of just dunking with one hand, he had to leap high and do a windmill dunk.

He's definitely handsome, and he's definitely dashing.

He is tall with long arms and a wide reach, so his dunking motion is fluid and highly entertaining.

But there really is a hint of him deliberately adding drama to his life.

So ultimately it all comes down to technology.

Tang Sen sometimes really thinks that drafting too early isn't a good thing.

Like Brown, Bender, and others.

They can dominate high school with their talent and go straight to the NBA, lacking the experience gained in college.

Once you get to the NBA, many teams don't have the patience to let you slowly learn skills from scratch.

In that case, you can only continue to rely on your talent.

Talent declines with age, and relying solely on talent makes players prone to injuries. Such players are very likely to be eliminated from the league.

So even though he knew that Swift's playing style was eye-catching and could make full use of his physical gifts, Tang Sen still hoped that they would practice more technical skills.

(End of this chapter)