Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 216 Apply what you learn
Apply what you learn.

Bender is quite intelligent.

At Picardoon Memorial High School, he did well academically, achieving a GPA of 3.3 with a B+ grade.

In his senior year of high school, he averaged 23.1 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 assists per game, showing well-rounded stats and the potential to become a point forward.

This indirectly proves that he is willing to use his brain on the field to motivate his teammates.

However, after entering the NBA, he was plagued by injuries, and the Pacers, who were busy achieving breakthroughs in the playoffs, did not devote enough energy to him.

Of course, the most important thing is the hard physical training I've done over the past month.

Bender learned from his experience and defended further back.

Swift's first step was incredibly explosive.

The effect is remarkable.

Throughout the match, Bender managed to defend against Swift several times.

After the duel, there are still several more competitions to come.

For example, in basketball shooting, based on one's own data, compare whose shooting percentage has improved more.

"Jonathan, I feel like your defense has gotten better," Swift asked curiously.

Although the introverted Bender was excited, he did not show it on his face, but simply shook his head slightly.

Swift suddenly realized, "Did Tang show you a video, or rather, a video of Kevin Garnett?"

"Ugh?"

Bender was taken aback and asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Swift pointed to the big screen and said, "Why didn't I know? I had already gained weight, so I got the recording last weekend."

Bender suddenly realized.

That's true, they've already gained weight, so they must have started watching videos and learning a long time ago.

Then I've already slowed down quite a bit.

Bender is a bit strange.

Now that Swift has started watching videos to learn, why hasn't his defense improved?

As a rival within the team, Bender was well aware of Swift's changing level.

The defense was as bad as ever.

That means you watched the video for nothing.

Swift seemed to have guessed what Bender was thinking, and said somewhat awkwardly, "I understand, but I can't quite process it."

Bender understood, but he guessed that what Swift meant by "understanding" wasn't really understanding.

This guy is so straightforward; after spending time with him, I always feel like he's missing a screw in his head.

The sparring session lasted for almost an hour.

To Bender's surprise, Tang Sen came over and praised him.

He said his defense had improved.

"Tang, what about the attack?" Bender asked anxiously, his surprise and delight mixed with his eagerness.

We've learned defense, but what about offense?

Bender's biggest desire is still offense, scoring, becoming a star, signing a big contract, and supporting his entire family.

"Don't be anxious, take your time."

Tang Sen shook his head. "You've only learned the basics; you're still far from good enough."

Don't rush.

Bender gave a frustrated "oh" and didn't argue further.

Only at this moment did he clearly realize that Tang Sen had a clear plan for his training.

His idea directly resulted in a several percentage point increase in the bonus for [believers].

Tang Sen didn't care.

"And you."

Tang Sen looked at Swift.

The kid was staring straight at me, very focused.

There was nothing clear in those eyes.

"Just work hard."

Tang Sen patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk away.

After spending more than a month together, Tang Sen had already realized that this guy's football IQ was really not high.

Sports IQ is not the same as intelligence quotient (IQ).

In Tang Sen's understanding, sports intelligence can be summed up in eight words: reading the game and making decisions.

On offense, you decide whether to drive, shoot, or pass.

When defending, read your opponent, choose the appropriate defensive position, pay attention to your teammates' movements, and decide when to help defend.

It's such a simple thing, but some people just can't seem to understand it.

In Swift's mind, there is only one thing: to rush in and dunk in the coolest way.

When defending, just go with the flow.

Pass the ball?

He's played two seasons in the NBA, and his average assists per game are still only a fraction of a second.

Tang Sen decided to observe him for a while longer.

If he still can't correct his behavior and there's no improvement, then he should just go all the way in Kemp's direction, become a jumpy guy who can only dunk, and become a role player.

Training is over.

After returning home, Bender immediately watched the video.

Watch it repeatedly, ponder it repeatedly, put yourself in the situation in the video, and then think about how you should defend.

So engrossed in watching, he even got up and demonstrated it in the living room.

Bender felt he was improving and even began to look forward to the game.

In previous matches, he was ridiculed by the media and verbally abused by fans.

The most hurtful time for him was when he was walking through the players' tunnel and a little black kid wearing a Yao Ming jersey yelled at him, saying that he would play better than him even if he were on the court.

At that moment, Bender felt so frustrated that he wanted to punch himself twice.

We can't exactly jump onto the stands and beat this kid up.

But now, Bender is looking forward to the game, hoping to perform better, help the team win, and become a hero at Madison Square Garden.

The next day, the Knicks hosted the Jazz.

Yao Ming was immediately subjected to a comprehensive attack.

Sloan sent in heavy center Ostertag to help Karl Malone contain Yao Ming.

Every time someone receives the ball, it inevitably results in a series of physical collisions.

Especially Malone, who, not long after the game started, gave Yao Ming a "surprise" with his signature elbow strike.

Yao Ming was hit in the cheek and leaned against the basketball hoop, taking a long time to recover.

This was actually quite dangerous.

If you open your mouth when you get elbowed, you're more likely to bite your tongue.

Malone received a technical foul.

This is New York, this is the Knicks. The referees will give every call they deserve.

Yao Ming was briefly substituted off the court for medical examination.

The crowd gathered around nervously.

"Yao Ming, find an opportunity to take him down!" Tang Sen leaned over and reminded him.

This is the NBA, and there are always some players who play dirty.

We must never be soft on this kind of player; we must retaliate in kind.

As a center, you're bound to be targeted in the future, so how can you not be aggressive?

Thibodeau nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice, "Yao, Tang is right. Give it back, then look that bastard straight in the eyes and tell him you're not someone to mess with."

Tang Sen gave Thibodeau a thumbs up.

This guy is also a ruthless person.

She is 44 years old and still unmarried with no children.

In his own words, "My only focus is basketball, and women will only be a burden to me!"

If you're this ruthless to yourself, you can imagine how you'll treat others.

Yao Ming nodded thoughtfully, paused for a moment, and then returned to the court.

He listened to what Tang Sen said.

Not long after he came on, he received the ball and made a strong attack in the low post.

Faced with being double-teamed, he became fierce, let out a low growl, forcefully turned around, and bent low to rise.

In the midst of the muscle collision, he didn't care about anything else; he just wanted to get up, so he smashed away everything in his way.

The whistle blows.

The ball missed, and Malone clutched his ribs, gasping for breath.

Yao Ming looked at him without flinching, then turned and walked to the free-throw line.

Turning around, as Malone attempted a low-post drive, Yao Ming immediately stepped in and, with an unconventional move, blocked Malone's shot from mid-air. The whistle blew again.

Yao Ming pretended not to hear and kept staring intently at Malone.

"Shet."

Malone cursed under his breath, realizing that Yao Ming wasn't as weak as he had imagined.

"Fuck you."

Seeing that Ma Long muttered something, Yao Ming retorted.

They used Chinese, which Malone couldn't understand anyway.

Malone didn't understand, but he knew Yao Ming must have been cursing at him. He wanted to retaliate, but then thought better of it.

On the sidelines, Tangsen and Tedeschi exchanged a glance and nodded silently.

After getting to know Yao Ming, Tang Sen could sense that Yao Ming had a ruthless streak deep down.

After that, Ma Long toned it down considerably.

However, the Jazz's defensive strategy against Yao Ming clearly worked.

Yao Ming, who was working inside the paint, got into big trouble.

Swift, who started the game, was unable to provide any threat or help relieve the pressure.

In the first quarter, Yao Ming only scored 6 points.

At this point, Bender came on as a substitute.

He faced off against Jazz backup power forward Scott Paget.

For the first time, Bender, following Padgett, abandoned his own thoughts about how many points he could score, whether he would be blown out, and what the media would say about him after the game if he was blown out, whether they would mock him as a fake Garnett.

He thought a lot while with the Pacers, and even more after coming to New York.

There's no way around it, he's a super genius who entered the NBA with all sorts of accolades.

Too many people have too many expectations of him.

Now, Bender only reminds himself that he is just a loser.

I've already failed so badly, why should I think so much?

In the video provided by Tang Sen, a key point was repeatedly mentioned: read your opponent, use your brain to analyze their weaknesses and your strengths, and then decide how to defend.

Bend silently analyzed.

Paget is a white center who is tall and big enough, slightly heavier than me, and very strong.

Bender knew that white centers had more power in the paint, while black centers had more explosive power in the paint.

In terms of raw power, white centers have an advantage.

However, Paget has the common weaknesses of all white big men: slow movement and no ability to operate near the basket. He just shoots, shooting, shooting, with a shooting range covering the three-point line.

We should stay close and not be afraid of him breaking through.

Even if they break in, I can keep up.

He usually operates on the wing and catches the ball before shooting, so you can move in front of him to disrupt his ability to catch the ball.

Bender quickly made a judgment based on the techniques shown in the video.

He used half of his body to trap Paget, stretched his left leg between Paget's legs, leaned forward, used his left arm to brace Paget, and spread his right arm to interfere in front of him.

It works.

Stockton glanced at Paget and then gave up on passing the ball to him.

Bender nodded to himself; this defensive strategy was correct.

When Paget turned and ran against him, using his strength to push past him and rush to the basket to receive the ball, Bender had already anticipated this.

He knew that he was no match for Paget in terms of physical strength.

So he immediately turned around and followed.

He had the speed to keep up with Paget, thwarting Paget's attempt to get to the baseline.

In a 48-minute match, there will be dozens of offensive and defensive rounds.

Bender's efforts only limited a few rounds and restricted one player, so the effect was negligible.

But Bender didn't care.

As a substitute, I can't score many points.

But he enjoys the feeling of defending against his opponent and reaping the rewards of success.

His few minutes on the field flew by.

Bender didn't score a single point, and neither did Paget.

When Thibodeau was substituted off the court, he didn't say anything to praise himself, and his teammates' reactions were also indifferent.

They probably think they're just going to play as usual, play a few uneventful minutes, and that's it.

To Bender's surprise, Tang Sen from the back row came over.

"Good defense."

Tang Sen patted Bender on the shoulder.

Tang Sen had noticed his changes; he had truly improved and was using his brain to defend.

Bender nodded excitedly.

In the second half, he did the same thing, trying his best to defend against his opponent in the few minutes he had left.

He anticipated Paget's shot, stayed close to him, and interfered with his shot.

Paget missed both of his shots.

While trying to defend against his opponent, Bender also attempted to attack.

If reading the defender helps you decide on your defensive strategy, can we extend that to deciding how to attack?

A very simple and reasonable extension.

The opponent moves slowly but is strong; I definitely can't win by brute force.

But you can try to overpower them with speed.

Bender dribbled and changed direction to break through, but unfortunately, due to his limited skills, he succeeded in breaking through, but his body was already out of shape when he released the shot, and he missed.

Bender changed his strategy again.

He started running, looking for open spaces on the court.

He was in an open position once in the second half, and he guessed correctly.

And as long as he is in an open position, Billups, a point guard with excellent court vision, will definitely pass the ball to him.

Catch the ball, stop abruptly, and shoot a jump shot.

The feeling was right, and the basketball swished through the net.

Bender suddenly understood why Tang Sen had required all perimeter players to practice their pull-up jump shot.

This is the most basic offensive tactic.

I'm not good enough to be a star like Garnett, relying on complex skills to attack. I should focus on mastering the basics and seizing opportunities to grow little by little.

2 points, 3 rebounds, 0 turnovers.

Bender's stats were pitiful after 11 minutes on the pitch.

But Bender didn't care. He felt he had found the direction to work towards, and that as long as he continued to work hard, the data would definitely get better and better.

Unfortunately, the team still lost today.

Yao Ming once again became the leader of the "empty stats" group, with a super 20-plus-10 performance of 29 points and 13 rebounds.

Although he was double-teamed, he had many offensive options.

If one side is dark, another will shine; he can still take shots from the outside.

Furthermore, he hit a skyhook from mid-range in the second half.

Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to help the team win the game.

Houston scored 21 points, while Billups had 8 points and 9 assists.

The three core players performed well, but the team still lost because of the role players.

The good thing is that the Knicks have lost so many games that the fans have become numb to it and are too lazy to even criticize them anymore.

Knicks fans these days have started to mentally manipulate themselves.

They said that as long as Yao Ming performs well, that's enough.

This season is over, but as long as Yao Ming develops, New York's future is bright.

Bender walked through the players' tunnel without anyone criticizing him.

Nobody paid any attention to him.

He didn't mind, accepted the massage from Guo Yonglin's apprentice Zhou Hongwei, and got on the bus to go home.

After losing to the Jazz, the Knicks narrowly defeated the 76ers at home.

Fred Jones, who came off the bench, ate dumplings. He played 12 minutes and scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

His 10 points were crucial; he was the only player on the bench to score in double figures.

The Knicks narrowly won 91-87, securing their third victory of the season.

In this game, Bender's performance was inconsistent. Facing the stronger Brian Skinner, he was unable to defend his opponent and allowed him to score 11 points.

Bend increasingly appreciated the importance of having a strong body.

Finally, on November 25th, he got up early and weighed himself as usual, and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had met the standard.

102 kilograms, very tall.

(End of this chapter)