Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 220 We must be wary of the Knicks
The Knicks' bench erupted in jubilation.

Tang Sen also stood up and applauded.

"That bounce..." Tedersky grinned beside him.

Honestly, every single one of these young people is a bouncy, athletic guy with explosive talent.

Even Bender, who was once a patient.

Tang Sen nodded and then shook his head: "It's not just about jumping ability, it's about awareness."

The key to coordinated defense is awareness.

Many players focus solely on the game, and their defense is also limited to the player in front of them.

Without observing the situation on the field, effective defensive coordination is impossible.

Tedsky sat down and agreed, "You were right to let them watch the video; it was very efficient."

Tang Sen thought to himself that this was a successful experience.

And it's not just about recording.

There are also ongoing intra-team scrimmages, where we watch videos to learn and apply what we've learned through practice.

With the help of the "Practice Makes Perfect" badge, as long as you work hard, you will definitely make progress.

This block completely ignited the morale of the players on the court.

"I feel we can win today," Tedeschi said.

Although this is just the regular season and anyone could be eliminated, beating the defending champions still represents something.

"That's enough."

Tang Sen pursed his lips, not that confident.

The Magic played too easily in the first quarter and became complacent.

Most importantly, the Magic have been tempered by the blood and fire of the Finals, making them experienced and composed.

To win a game, you can't rely on a single moment of brilliance.

Being patient is also an important skill.

The Knicks are far behind in this respect.

At halftime, the Knicks trailed 44-46, by only 2 points.

It looked like they were about to take the lead.

However, in the second half, the score gap gradually widened again.

"The Knicks' biggest problem right now is their offense."

In the TNT studio, Ernie Johnson analyzed, "Allan was in very poor form today, and Jeryl defended him very well."

"Yao had a tough time against Kwame, and apart from those two, the Knicks had no other reliable scoring options."

Smith nodded in agreement.

He also felt that the Knicks' biggest weakness right now was their offense.

Under Brown's defense, Yao Ming had given his all with 16 points in the first half.

Besides him, no one else could step up and help the team score consistently.

This is the fundamental reason why the Knicks were able to catch up in the score at one point, but then the gap gradually widened again.

Barkley scoffed and said, "That's a question for Tang. Ask him when he can develop the next Garnett, the next Jordan for the Knicks."

He joked, then added, "But Jonathan played really well today."

Smith nodded.

"That defensive block in the first half really reminded me of Kevin."

Aside from that, his defense wasn't too bad, and he also scored 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Compared to past performances, this is already quite good.

Barkley thought for a moment and said, "Actually, when he's healthy, he plays quite well. Last season with the Pacers, he averaged more than 7 points per game."

"It's an average of 7.4 points per game."

Ernie Johnson, a data expert, immediately quoted the accurate figures: "Averaging 21 minutes per game and scoring 7.4 points is actually not bad."

Based on these statistics, he can barely be considered a decent role player.

As the three were talking, Yao Ming made a strong move in the low post, pretending to attack. After attracting PJ Brown to rush over, he flicked his wrist and passed the ball to Bender.

Bender did not hesitate.

Billups previously said to be wary of Yao Ming, and to shoot immediately upon receiving a pass.

I've been practicing shooting for about two months now, not too long, not too short.

There is always progress.

Bender swiftly brought his knife down, hitting his target once again.

11 points!

This season's highest scoring record.

Bender clenched his fists, silently cheering himself on.

He's not a rookie; he's been playing in the NBA for three years now, not too long or too short.

Last season, he also scored 20+ points.

Logically speaking, a mere 11 points is not something to be overly excited about.

But Bender had a different feeling.

Arriving in the Knicks and working with Townsend, it was as if he had restarted his career.

Start by addressing your weaknesses from the basics.

It was as if he had returned from the brink of aging, taking each step with a firm footing, and every step of growth and progress made him feel exhilarated.

To Bender's surprise, even the stands erupted with scattered cheers.

It's either praising someone else, or it's praising yourself.

Because Bender saw Spike Lee on the sidelines give him a thumbs up.

Not long ago, these fans racked their brains to mock themselves in various ways.

Bender couldn't help but smile, wondering if he had gained the approval of the Knicks fans.
Billups's strategic vision is beyond question.

Once he saw that Bender could make the shot, he immediately began to create opportunities for Bender.

He exchanged a subtle glance with Bender, who understood and moved to the flank.

He made a gesture, and Houston started running to draw defenders away.

Yao Ming immediately stepped up to screen for Billups.

Billups, dribbling forward, pretended to pass the ball to Houston who had rounded out, but instead passed it to the bottom corner.

Bender was there.

PJ Brown cursed under his breath and turned to pounce.

But it's too late.

Bender didn't hesitate and pulled up for a three-pointer.

Go in again.

14 points!

Bender roared to the sky, his excitement overflowing.

He was met with cheers from the stands.

New York fans can hate a player very quickly, but it might only take one game for them to like one player.

The difference is now only 1 point.

Rivers quickly called a timeout.

His expression was serious; he had never expected the bottom-ranked Knicks to be so difficult to deal with.

Meanwhile, Thibodeau has already noticed Bender's value to the Knicks.

He can defend, though he can't completely stop PJ Brown, but he has a good awareness of help defense.

Against a team like the Magic, known for its penetrating defense, his help defense is invaluable.

Most importantly, he possesses a shooting ability that Swift lacks, allowing him to support Yao Ming and alleviate some of the pressure on Yao Ming.

This value is far greater than that of Swift, who can only dunk.

He grabbed the tactics board and quickly drew several tactics for Bender.

Some people lack opportunities.

Clearly, Bender seized the opportunity through his own efforts today.

He received the pass on the wing but did not choose to shoot.

Instead, at the moment PJ Brown pressed down to block, he lowered his body and chose to break through.

During this long period of time, Tang Sen only had him practice two things: shooting and dribbling.

His hard work in dribbling paid off; he maintained a steady rhythm and moved with incredible speed to get past PJ Brown.

Brown quickly came to help defend.

Bender didn't get carried away just because Thibodeau drew up a few plays for him and the fans cheered for him.

He is very calm as he embarks on this new journey.

He stopped abruptly and calmly passed the ball to Yao Ming behind Brown.

Yao Ming caught the ball, leaped up, and slammed it into the basket in a fit of rage.

Rivers, standing on the sidelines, sharpened his gaze.

Wow, he can even pass the ball.

And this athleticism, for a 7-foot, 2.13-meter giant!
Judging from Bender's performance in this game, Rivers does seem to resemble Garnett a bit.

He turned his head to look at the opposite bench.

He knew about the Knicks' so-called grand plan. But after the season started, Layden's plan became the biggest joke in the entire league.

Rivers also joked about it.

But deep down, Rivers had a slight sense of unease.

He could guess why Ryden had proposed such a plan.

It's because of Tang Sen.

In four months, Tang Sen trained a Sather.

Let's find a group of talented players, give them four months, and guarantee at least one defensive stalwart like Sasser.

Rivers knew that his wish could come true because he had made it himself.

Sure enough, in just two months, Bender is already starting to resemble Garnett a bit.

What about that season?

If given a season to develop properly, who dares to say that Bender has no chance of becoming Garnett's equal?

And the Knicks have a bunch of players like that on their bench.

Rivers' gaze swept over the young faces.

Perhaps the next Rodman, the next Jordan, the next Magic Johnson is sitting inside.

Lost in thought, the third quarter ended.

The Knicks are still down by 3 points.

However, the atmosphere at the scene had already become heated.

Even the beautiful cheerleaders kicked their legs higher and twisted their waists more violently.

If the Knicks can go toe-to-toe with the defending champions, who dares to say they're no good?

But the joy won't last long.

The magician began to work his magic.

Rivers didn't make any special tactical arrangements; he just spread everyone out and let McGrady go one-on-one without thinking.

Wallace undoubtedly fought hard, but the gap in skill was huge.

One summer, Kobe honed his post-up game to a high level, while McGrady's post-up game was already at its peak.

Especially the back-to-the-basket transition into various fadeaway jump shots.

He could really play like Jordan.

Wallace could do nothing but watch McGrady score time and time again.

At this point, the Knicks could no longer keep the score close.

“Tang, Yao’s stamina is a problem,” Tedeski whispered.

Tang Sen nodded in agreement.

One of the reasons I agreed to Leiden's rotation idea was that Tang Sen thought Yao Ming's stamina would be a big problem.

He's too big.

I feel that playing for a little over 30 minutes is just right; after 35 minutes, his stamina starts to take its toll.

Especially today against Brown, where there was a lot of physical contact.

"take it easy."

Tang Sen looked at Chandler in the front row.

Yao Ming's physical fitness cannot be improved overnight; it requires gradual training.

Therefore, at this point, Chandler, as a substitute, needs to step up.

His defense has improved, but his offense is still far from good enough.

With Mike Miller hitting a three-pointer, the game was no longer in doubt.

Still lost.

Tang Sen sighed silently.

Also normal.

Look at the Magic's lineup on the court. They don't have a point guard; they let McGrady handle the ball and organize the offense, while they have Sasser and Miller on the court at the same time in the backcourt.

This is almost the same roster that won the Magic the championship last year.

If the Knicks can beat this lineup, they can go straight for the championship.

The game ended with Houston missing a shot.

The Magic won the game 91-85, a six-point advantage.

McGrady scored a game-high 29 points.

Yao Ming scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but his field goal percentage was only 5%.

Houston's 13 points were a liability.

It's understandable that Sasser was able to hold Kobe to less than 30% shooting percentage in the Finals.

Bender did have a small outburst.

19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks filled his stat sheet.

When I returned to the player tunnel after the game, someone even called my name.

"Jonathan, please sign your name for me, please."

He was a kid, clutching his jersey, stretching out his arms and shouting at Bender.

Bender checked to make sure no one was around calling Jonathan before stopping and taking the jersey and pen from him.

He remembered that time before, when a child had also been shouting that he would play better than him.

Bender unfolded his jersey and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

It's Yao Ming's number 11 jersey!

I reckon nobody's going to buy my number 24 jersey.

Who told me I was a fake?

With that thought in mind, Bender quickly signed his name and threw the jersey back.

Although the Magic won, Rivers lost his temper in the locker room after the game.

"PJ, you let that brat Jonathan score too many points!"

The first shot was fired at PJ Brown.

“Don’t tell me he’s as good as Kevin Garnett,” Rivers retorted.

PJ Brown looked embarrassed.

Everyone chuckled inwardly.

After a moment's hesitation, PJ Brown said, "Doug, to be fair, that kid did a good job today."

Horace Grant nodded in agreement, saying, "Doug, you know, he was trained by Don. He might really become the next Kevin."

Rivers knew this, of course, but he still had to throw cold water on it.

"Don't forget our goal is to defend our title."

Rivers shouted a reminder, sensing that some people were starting to slack off.

After giving McGrady a few more words of advice, Rivers called him to the post-game press conference.

Even in New York, Rivers had a wide network of connections; he could see acquaintances everywhere he looked.

Not to mention that he is now a championship coach, and his reputation is well-known in the league.

After answering a few questions briefly, when asked by a reporter how he would rate the Knicks' performance today, Rivers hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Knicks played very well today."

He paused for a moment, then said with a serious expression, "Everyone, I think many people have underestimated the Knicks."

"That's right, at the start of the season, their record was terrible, and it was very difficult for them to win a game."

"But they have All-Star caliber stars like Yao and Alan, and they also have our championship point guard."

Rivers snorted softly at the mention of this, feeling somewhat annoyed.

He really didn't know what kind of spell Renden had cast on Billups that made him willingly run off to New York.

They only signed middle-class exceptions, so why not stay in Orlando?

"I know about the Knicks' rebuilding plans; they want the next Garnett, the next Jordan."

"Many people think they're being delusional, but what about after this game?"

Rivers looked at the group of reporters and asked a question in return.

"Jonathan scored 19 points, and I think everyone saw how good his help defense was."

"And this has only been two months?"

Rivers held up two fingers and said, "He's improved so much already, what about after a season?"

The reporters looked at each other, none of them able to provide an answer.

"Think about Jeryl, think about Tracy and Kwame, and look at Kobe this year. Don's ability is beyond question. He has the ability to turn the impossible into the possible."

"He's practically a magician, believe me, I know his abilities."

I made a wish myself.

"And the Knicks have many, many more players like Jonathan."

"Guys, the Knicks are much stronger than we think. Give them time, and they might surprise everyone."

Rivers looked at everyone with a serious expression, then got up and left.

After this game, Rivers really felt it was necessary to make all the teams in the league, especially those in the Eastern Conference, take the Knicks seriously.

The Knicks need to lose more games.

Otherwise, the playoffs would be the perfect time for all the players to achieve results after a season of training under Tang Sen.

Rivers was worried that by then, the Knicks would become a big problem for the Magic.

(End of this chapter)