Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 219 This is Kevin Garnett!
The New Yorkers didn't have high expectations for this game.

The Knicks can't even beat bad teams, let alone the defending champions.

However, seeing the Magic outscore them 27-15 in the first quarter still prompted frustrated fans to hurl insults.

A voice echoed throughout Madison like a tsunami.

"Leiden, you're out!"

Yao Ming is great, we won't criticize him.

Houston has made progress, and we won't criticize them.

They're a bunch of newbies; we can't afford to criticize them.

Cheney has been fired and is out.

If you're going to criticize, criticize Leiden.

Your grand plan is a mess; your brain malfunctioned and caused the Knicks to lose a championship.

Spike Lee, sitting in the front row, was even more enthusiastic. During the break, he went straight to Dolan on the sidelines.

"James, what are you doing? Get that idiot Scott out of New York!"

Spike Lee exclaimed, annoyed by his lack of ambition.

Dolan looked embarrassed and remained silent with a dark expression.

At this moment, the fans' attitude even aroused his rebellious psychology.

When he wasn't the owner of the Knicks, the media called him a playboy.

He became the owner of the Knicks, and they called him a playboy and an idiot.

It's as if whatever I do is wrong.

At the start of the season, the team struggled, and Dolan was anxious.

He also began to regret whether he had been fooled by Leiden and shouldn't have completely believed him.

The problem is, what's done is done, and there's no chance to make changes now.

The second quarter began amidst a chorus of jeers from the crowd of fans.

Bender walked onto the stage, listening to the boos from the crowd, and felt inexplicably fortunate.

Good, at least he's stopped scolding himself.

But he didn't care about that. Whether he was scolded or not, he had gotten used to it after all this time.

Bender just wants to play well and do what he's good at right now.

That is, defense.

He followed Grant, analyzing each other's strengths and weaknesses as always.

Grant used to be good at cutting to the basket, but now he's old and his legs are slower, so he can't cut anymore. The only role he can play on the court is defense and shooting.

Then it becomes clear what to do.

Bender stayed right behind Grant, marking him closely, spreading his arms to disrupt his ability to receive the ball.

They also tried to get Grant out of the dessert table.

Bender watched the videos repeatedly until he knew them by heart.

There is also joint defense.

Watching videos and immersing yourself in the scenarios depicted can be helpful.

For example, Bender started paying attention when De Klerk rushed out of the penalty area.

Breakthroughs often occur after a pick-and-roll screen.

Sure enough, De Klerk set a screen, and Troy Hudson drove the ball toward the basket.

Chandler was taken out, leaving the paint open.

Bender quickly dropped Grant and rushed forward.

Anticipating the route, they established a defensive position a step in advance.

Troy Hudson couldn't brake in time, nor did he have the ability to change direction. He crashed headfirst into Bender, barely managing to toss the ball into the air.

Bender fell to the ground.

The whistle blows; an offensive foul.

This was an excellent defense.

There was no reaction from the stands, but the fans continued to hurl insults at Renden in various ways.

Who cares about the performance of your rookie substitutes?

Bender didn't care, silently pumped his fist to encourage himself, quickly got up, and rushed out.

Bender wasn't the only one to contribute excellent defense.

Starting in October, everyone gained weight.

With increased quantity at the same price, and without changing athletic ability, the direct effect of gaining weight is increased strength in physical competition.

After Bender achieved his goal last time, Chandler spent a few more days working on it before finally succeeding.

He now weighs 112 kilograms, which is considered quite heavy for an inside player.

He also started watching videos to learn how to defend.

Compared to the perimeter, interior defense is simpler and more direct.

The heavier or faster one has the advantage.

Now, facing Dekler, who is shorter and lighter than him and is a white center, Chandler can only say that the advantage is in his hands.

Inside and outside the penalty area, in the stalemate, De Klerk was completely unable to get into position.

Forcing the ball into position and then striking with a low, back-heeled stance is completely ineffective.

Tangsen arranged a lot of lower body training for Chandler, and his legs gradually became fleshy, strong, and his lower body was able to stand steadily.

But his explosive jumping ability remains unchanged.

De Klerk attempted a turnaround jump shot, and Chandler leaped into the air in a spectacular fashion.

There are no tricks, it's all talent.

With a clang, the basketball hit the frame and came out.

Bender, positioned in the low post, quickly grabbed the rebound.

He used to play like a small forward, with almost no awareness of rebounding.

The Knicks have once again contained the Magic.

A tower is built from sand.

These rookies may not be very good at offense, but they have all put in a lot of effort on defense.

Most importantly, physical health has improved.

Therefore, during the few minutes the substitutes were on the court, the Magic's offense was essentially disrupted, scoring only 5 points in 4 minutes.

This performance prompted Rivers, who had been sitting as calmly as a rock, to get up and go to the sidelines to observe and see what was going on.

They were leading by 12 points, but now they're down to just 8.

During the bench phase, the Knicks, who were younger and full of rookies, actually managed to recover some ground.

This is a bit unbelievable.

Rivers wasn't the only one to notice this; Thibodeau did too.

His gaze fell on Bender.

Bender not only defended Grant but also helped on defense. On at least three occasions, the Magic's drives to the basket were thwarted by Bender's help defense.

So when the starters returned to the court, Thibodeau thought for a moment and left Bender on the court.

When Cheney was around, he strictly adhered to the agreement with Redden Townsend: whoever was in better training condition would play, and then they would work hard to level up.

Cheney had concerns, fearing it would jeopardize Rhoden's grand plan and lead to his own dismissal.

Thibodeau doesn't have this concern. He's a substitute player himself, so he's more tactful in his use of players.

At least when Bender outperforms Swift, he won't mindlessly substitute him.

This decision gave Bender a sense of exhilaration.

Sure enough, hard work pays off.

And every effort you make will eventually be seen by someone.

When he came on the court, Billups came over and whispered something to Bender.

During the bench phase, the Knicks had no tactics and just played haphazardly.

Even with the starting lineup, the tactics are actually quite simple.

But Billups should at least let Bender know what he's doing on the field.

"Pay attention to Yao's movements. He will pass you the ball. Don't overthink it, just shoot."

Billups gave his final words of advice.

Swift has a big problem, which is that she doesn't have a shot.

This is also a major reason why PJ Brown double-teams Yao Ming so recklessly, because even if Yao Ming passes the ball to Swift, he will only choose to drive to the basket.

At this moment, Brown can use his speed to quickly get back on defense and give Swift a good beating.

Billups felt that Yao Ming's offensive threat was being wasted at the power forward position.

But what can I say when I'm a player myself?

Game start.

The ball was still being passed to Yao Ming.

Sather defended so well that Houston was practically shut down.

It won't be easy for Yao Ming to secure his position.

Brown is very experienced. The moment you reach out to catch the ball, he will actively push you. Once you have control of the ball and are away from the basket, you have to exert force again to regain position.

This time, however, Yao Ming used his fadeaway jump shot, which he had been practicing diligently, after receiving the ball.

He practiced for about a week, but the results were naturally limited.

But Yao Ming is willing to give it a try.

Brown didn't fall for the fake, but that's okay, Yao Ming has his own rhythm.

He turned around, leaned back and jumped up, raising his arms high.

Brown has an amazing jumping ability, but no one expected Yao Ming to shoot so quickly and so ruthlessly.

Lean back while keeping your arms straight!
That release point was much higher than the basket.

This kind of shot relies entirely on wrist power.

It felt great; the basketball fell into the basket with a high arc.

Brown was surprised after landing: "Yao, when did you learn this move? Did Tang teach you?"

"Just started practicing, how does it feel?"

The two have a special relationship, Yao Ming said as he ran.

Brown didn't say anything, he just gave a thumbs up.

He felt it was too exaggerated; so high and leaning back, it was practically a skyhook, giving the defender no hope of stopping it.

This match was broadcast live across the entire United States.

With the Knicks, who are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, facing the defending champions, the outcome was already decided.

So in the TNT studio, Barkley and his team weren't paying attention to the game at all; their attention was entirely off the court.

Barkley had criticized the Knicks before, so he was too lazy to criticize them anymore.

In his opinion, the Knicks' grand plan was a joke.

Several people were discussing whether the Magic could defend their title.

"Acquiring Deakinbey won't bring about much change for the Nets, so it won't be an easy task for the Nets to get past the Magic."

The Nets had a lively summer, trading for Mutombo and making it seem like their interior defense had improved significantly.

As a result, the African player's performance declined sharply, and now it seems that the Nets have become the sucker who took over the job.

"On the contrary, the Wizards have Grant in great form, and Amare is also doing very well. He is currently averaging 14.6 points per game, which is an outstanding performance, and their record has risen to fourth in the Eastern Conference."

The Wizards' performance was a pleasant surprise.

Hill, having emerged from his injury slump, is now teaming up with promising rookie Amar'e Stoudemire, a move that is like adding wings to a tiger.

Most importantly, Jordan is still relatively healthy this season, and averaging 20 points per game is still within his reach.

"But I believe that the Magic will ultimately be the ones to break out of the East."

Barkley added that, in his opinion, the Magic's biggest advantage is having a superstar center in the paint.

This is an advantage that no other team in the East has.

Just then, Yao Ming on the court completed this turnaround fadeaway jump shot.

"nice shot!"

Smith instinctively shouted something, then paused for a moment before exclaiming, "Shit, did Yao just lean back?"

He then noticed that Yao Ming had completed the shot by turning and leaning back to shoot.

Barkley stared wide-eyed at him.

"That's right, it was a fadeaway jumper. What the hell did Yao do?"

He exclaimed in surprise.

A 2.26-meter giant doing a backflip? That's unbelievable.

Soon after, the Knicks launched another attack.

In almost the same spot, before PJ Brown could pounce, Yao Ming turned directly to the top of the court, then leaped high and shot backwards.

Brown invited him to play another one.

This time, Brown jumped with all his might, his hand almost covering Yao Ming's face.

But it didn't work.

The entry point was too high.

It's a pity that I didn't get in.

After all, I've just started training, and my muscle memory isn't strong enough yet.

But it was enough to shock Brown.

"Yao, if you master this skill, no one will be able to stop you."

Brown felt a chill run down his spine; he knew he couldn't do it anyway.

As for whether it's possible to train for it?

Brown didn't see it as a problem at all. With Tang Sen's help, when Yao Ming started practicing this move, it was almost certain that he would be able to master it in the future.

Yao Ming smiled, not bothering to say more, and quickly returned to defense.

However, he then decisively abandoned this unfamiliar technique.

Having limited control will only waste offensive opportunities.

But even these two small attempts were enough to frighten Barkley and his two teammates.

"A terrifying guy, he's still evolving."

Barkley exclaimed, shouting across the distance, "Don, just how strong do you want Yao to become? He's already very strong."

Brown was already very impressive as a rookie last year.

As a result, Yao Ming is even more dominant this year, averaging 26 points per game so far.

Despite being so powerful, Yao Ming is still improving.

"He can shoot threes in the low post, and now he can also take a fadeaway jumper from the mid-range."

Across from him, Smith counted Yao Ming's abilities on his fingers, one by one.

"Of course, there's also Skyhook."

Smith took a deep breath and said, "Although there are some offensive techniques that Yao Ming is not yet proficient in, his career has only just begun, and he has plenty of time to grow."

"I can't even imagine how powerful Yao will be after a few seasons."

Barkley shared the same idea.

At this rate of growth, he might reach the level of one of the top four centers in just a few seasons.

While the three exclaimed in surprise and continued their discussion, the Knicks slowly narrowed the gap to 6 points.

As Billups broke through and passed the ball to the corner, Bender hit a three-pointer, bringing the difference to 3 points.

Suddenly, the Knicks fans who had been shouting and cursing in the stands fell silent.

How did they gain momentum and catch up?
The opposing team is the defending champion!
Inside the arena, Ray Castordi played a timely tune that ignited the passion of all Knicks fans.

"Let's Go Knicks!"

This is the battle song of New Yorkers; when the song begins, it is time to fight.

Rivers quickly got up, went to the sidelines, and pressed his arms down to signal for some stability.

If you want stability, you definitely need to hand it over to the team leader.

Chris Whitney was just a tool; he dribbled the ball across half-court and quickly passed it to McGrady.

McGrady protected the ball, looking for an opportunity.

Brown took Yao Ming away.

PJ Brown suddenly rushed out, and Bender followed closely behind.

McGrady started his run, using PJ Brown as a screen, he made a crossover and pulled the ball past Gerald Wallace like a whirlwind, cutting straight to the basket from the wing.

Yao Ming was too late to cover.

But just then, a figure suddenly darted out.

Bend!

Having moved up to the high post, he surprisingly returned to defend the paint very quickly, helping to block McGrady.

McGrady had already jumped up, and Bender was equally fearless.

The Knicks' young players have neither experience nor skills.

Aside from his physical body, he is utterly useless.

But they can jump, every single one of them!
Bender jumped up, to an astonishing height.

The scene of him jumping from the free-throw line and performing a mid-air windmill dunk seems to be right before my eyes.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Bender placed his left hand on the basketball.

A flying block!

The hat was still on McGrady.

"Who is this kid?"

Some fans in the stands looked bewildered.

"Our Garnett!"

Many Knicks fans were somewhat dazed as they watched the ball roll out of bounds and Bender clench his fist and roar with excitement.

He recovers from high position with incredible speed, amazing jumping ability, and an iron-blooded shot block.

That's Kevin Garnett!

(End of this chapter)