Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 232 Larry Bird's Temperament

That evening, the Knicks played their first game of the new year.

They will host the Raptors.

During the summer, Carter trained hard with Townsend, which greatly improved his offensive skills, and he once rose to the top of the scoring list.

During that period, Raptors fans seemed to see hope for a resurgence.

However, Carter got injured not long after the season started.

Tang Sen still felt there was something wrong with his playing style. In the summer, he tried to improve Tang Sen's ability to change direction and move around in a tight space by using some football training methods.

This will make his breakthroughs more varied.

They also made him practice shooting to increase his threat when he had the ball.

He was doing very well during training camp.

Unexpectedly, during the season, he reverted to his old ways, using the change-of-direction skills he had worked so hard to develop in the summer to achieve more efficient breakthroughs and more powerful dunks.

On the daily top 10 plays, Tang Sen often saw him dribbling the ball at high speed, then making a sharp change of direction to get past the defender and slam the ball in for a powerful dunk.

His playing style is too damaging to his knees.

So in the middle of last month, he was injured again.

His injury wasn't enough; another key inside player, Antonio Davis, was also injured.

With both players injured, the Raptors' record plummeted, now ranking fifth from the bottom in the Eastern Conference, only three games ahead of the Knicks.

Leaving aside the fact that key players are injured, the Knicks are certainly not lacking in ambition these days.

In the words of the media, "We've already beaten the Spurs so badly, we don't even have a chance to get a lottery pick."

And yesterday, New Year's Eve, was in Times Square.

Dolan took a screen and played a clip of the Knicks' latest promotional video.

It's unclear who instructed them, but sure enough, they shouted that line at the end of the video.

Our goal is the championship.

In other words, by not including this year, they left themselves room for a final explanation, but it still leaves much to the imagination and excites countless New York fans.

So today's Madison Square Garden was a full house again.

At the pre-game press conference, Lenny Wilkens, following the trend, lavished praise on the Knicks, calling them a playoff-caliber team.

It's said that the Raptors are no match for the Knicks now.

According to his thinking, the Raptors' interior defense was already weak, and now that two of their core players are injured, I'm now taking the initiative to back down and just asking for a lenient beating.

Unexpectedly, Carlisle showed no mercy whatsoever.

He changed the lineup again for this match.

The Twin Towers are no longer being played.

They brought in Prince and started practicing the triangle offense from this game onwards.

He didn't expect to execute a smooth triangle offense right now, but the tactics were clear: exploit the Raptors' weakness in the paint and let Yao Ming attack recklessly.

The Raptors' interior defense is really weak.

The starting player, Jerani McCoy, is only 2.08 meters tall, a standard power forward build.

Not to mention that he doesn't have the strength and physicality of a short, stocky center like Ben Wallace, even if he did, he wouldn't be a match for Yao Ming.

Yao Ming played too easily.

Once the ball is in his hands, the only thing that can affect him is his own touch.

He scored a total of 13 points in the first quarter, going 5-for-7 from the field and including free throws.

Even more critical is the defense.

With Yao Ming anchoring the paint, the Raptors found it difficult to penetrate and score.

His outside shooting is also inaccurate.

Maurice Peterson, the team's third-leading scorer, had a dismal 1-for-5 shooting performance in the first quarter.

After two seasons with the Raptors, he quickly secured a starting position.

He is left-handed, but he has a very accurate shot, good athleticism, and some ability to dribble and break through defenses.

The only problem is that his performance is not consistent enough.

A god, a ghost—that's him.

Today's match was clearly not due to his slump, but rather Prince's.

Carlisle stood on the sidelines, taking in Prince's performance.

Prince looks very thin, but his physical strength is surprisingly strong.

Moreover, they have a lot of defensive experience.

His prediction of the breakthrough route was very accurate, and his lateral movement speed was not slow.

Most importantly, he has arms with an amazing reach.

With a wingspan of 2.18 meters, the defensive coverage area is too large.

Peterson tried to break through several times, but Prince blocked him each time.

And those long arms also gave him a huge advantage in blocking shots; Peterson made 1 of 5 shots, thanks to Prince.

So Carlisle was pleasantly surprised to discover that Prince was actually an excellent wing defender.

This is already his second surprise since joining the Knicks.

The first surprise is Chandler, whose amazing athleticism matches Yao Ming's playing style and can form a twin towers formation in the paint.

His gaze swept across the bench, wondering how many more surprises like this would come.

Then he saw Tang Sen.

Tangsen was chatting with Brittenham.

With a sudden thought, Carlisle walked over and sat down directly next to Tang Sen.

Tang Sen was stunned.

You're not coaching the game anymore?
Even though we are in the lead, we can't underestimate our opponents.

Look across the court, Wilkens has been standing there the whole time, encouraging his players to play well.

Carlisle seemed to have guessed what Tang Sen was thinking and said confidently, "Don't worry, we can't lose."

That's not the kind of tone a head coach of a bottom-ranked team in the Eastern Conference should be using.

"Tang, I have an idea."

Carlyle said.

Tang Sen remained silent, gesturing for you to speak.

Carlisle said, "I think your choice at the beginning of the season to focus on improving the defense of all players was the right one."

He asked Thibodeau and found out what Tangsen had been doing for the past three months.

Starting with training camp, gaining weight first, and then focusing on defensive training – this development path seems absolutely correct today.

Prince on the field is the best proof of that.

It's impressive that a rookie can have such defensive abilities.

"So I think we can play zone defense."

The benefits of zone defense are self-evident. At the start of last season, the Timberwolves relied on their zone defense to surge to the top of the Western Conference.

In Carlisle's view, a top-tier zone defense is one where all five positions have excellent defenders.

It's not easy to assemble such a lineup.

But this Knicks team has that potential.

From Yao Ming to Billups, all five positions have impressive defensive capabilities.

Playing zone defense can maximize the team's defensive performance.

Especially when the goal is the championship, both the Lakers and the Magic have top-tier centers.

The rapid collapse of a zone defense can limit top centers.

Therefore, in Carlisle's view, this is a good weapon if he wants to contend for the championship.

Carlisle looked excited.

Tang Sen thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

It doesn't matter.

When training players, whether it's zone defense or spot-on defense, there's not much difference.

As I always say, you dream, I'll make it happen.

Carlisle then seemed to realize something and said, "Judging from Cheney's previous training needs, I think he wanted to train TyShorn to be the next Larry Bird?"

As Larry Bird's bag carrier, Carlisle knew him all too well.

He sized up Prince on the field.

To be honest, they do look somewhat alike in terms of body shape.

He's tall and has long arms.

I just don't know if I can develop my shooting skills.

Tangsen nodded and asked Carlisle whether he thought Prince had any hope of becoming the next Bird.

After all, you know them well.

Carlisle thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook his head and said earnestly, "The temperament is not right."

temperament?

Tang Sen was taken aback, then nodded in deep agreement.

Indeed, Bird's cool and aloof demeanor is something most people can't imitate.

Seeing Tang Sen's expression, Carlisle knew what Tang Sen was thinking, and said with a wry smile, "Larry does like to brag, but I don't think his success is entirely due to bragging; he has a certain..."

Carlisle frowned, racking his brains before finally finding a barely acceptable adjective: "He's very impressive."

Tang Sen thought to himself, "That's not showing off, that's being slutty."

That's incredibly stylish; I've never seen such a flashy player before.

Carlisle continued, "Larry has a very strong desire to perform, and I think that's the key to his success."

“Skills can be practiced, and his talent is certainly excellent as well.”

Bird's running and jumping abilities were somewhat lacking, but as a white man, he possessed top-tier strength and was actually very strong in physical confrontations. His talent was also among the best in the league.

"He has a desire to perform, so he works very hard to practice his skills, and this desire to perform also prompts him to make those imaginative passes on the field."

"He's playing a game, enjoying the thrill of controlling the whole situation and intellectually crushing the competition."

"So that's right, it's this desire to perform that made him great step by step."

Showing off is just a side effect.

“As for TySean, he’s rather quiet, too low-key,” Carlisle added.

Tang Sen also looked at Prince.

According to Carlyle's analysis, the core issue boils down to one sentence: Prince can't pull off a flamboyant style.

"Rick, do you think a person's temperament can be changed?" Tang Sen asked curiously.

Carlisle thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It should be difficult."

Tang Sen neither confirmed nor denied it, but suddenly became somewhat interested.

"Rick."

Tang Sen leaned closer to Carlisle and whispered something in his ear.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow, looking both amused and exasperated, and asked, "Will this work?"

"Why not give it a try? You've been saying it's impossible to lose, so what's wrong with giving it a shot?" Tang Sen shrugged casually.

Carlisle hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

At halftime, the Knicks led 51-40, an 11-point advantage.

Back in the locker room, Carlisle remembered what Townsend had said earlier.

He pulled Prince aside, hooked his arm around his shoulder, and said, "Tyshawn, I want you to hit harder."

Gritting his teeth, Carlisle glanced at Tang Sen and said, "Here's what I want you to do in the second half."

He lowered his voice and whispered something.

Prince's expression changed: "Coach, this... isn't a good idea?"

“What’s wrong with that? Just do it. I trust you.” Carlisle patted him on the shoulder and turned to walk away.

Prince looked at Carlisle with a mixture of amusement and exasperation; he had never encountered a coach like this before.

Halftime return.

Prince immediately faced Peterson again.

Peterson took a dragging step to start, only to be precisely blocked by Prince.

But he had a backup plan: he immediately pulled back, yanked it up, and threw it away.

After three months of rigorous physical training, Prince developed impressive leg power, leaping almost simultaneously with his long arms, nearly poking the basketball as it slipped from his grasp.

The ball was too short and bounced off the rim.

Peterson landed and ran away in frustration.

During halftime, Wilkens criticized him for his inaccurate shooting and wasting too many opportunities.

Prince opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Peterson had already turned and run away.

He quickly followed.

While the two were locked in a stalemate on the wing, Prince hesitated for a moment and said, "Your shooting isn't accurate either."

Peterson was startled and turned to look at Prince.

"What did you say?"

Prince gritted his teeth and continued, "I'm telling you, your shooting is terrible. I feel like I don't even need to guard you; you can't make a shot anyway."

"Okay, if you make a single three-pointer from now on, I'll call you Dad."

"Fake Squid!"

Peterson was furious. He shoved Prince hard, then charged at him, spewing a torrent of trash talk.

The referee immediately blew his whistle.

The surrounding players looked bewildered, having no idea why the two were arguing, and hurriedly stepped forward to separate them.

"You just wait, you fucking bastard!"

Peterson grumbled and cursed.

He went 2-for-9 in the last game and was already criticized to the point of being worthless, and was even mocked by Prince.

Peterson is like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

"TySean, calm down," Houston urged Prince, pulling him aside.

Prince was not only calm, but also guilty.

Carlisle told himself to fight more aggressively and to provoke Peterson with trash talk.

Even these words were taught to her by Carlyle.

Now that the words have been spoken, Peterson is furious.

I have to fight tooth and nail to stop Peterson.

If he manages to score even one three-pointer, then I'll have to become his son.

On the sidelines, Brittenham asked curiously, "Don, what did you say to Rick?"

Tang Sen just smiled and didn't say anything.

It wasn't that I thought it was funny, it was just a joke by Princeton.

In the current lineup, Carlisle's goal is clear: to start Prince.

So Tang Sen wanted him to be a little tougher.

As Carlisle said, the kid was too dull.

Tang Sen wanted him to be more flamboyant, like Bird, with an indomitable fighting spirit.

After all, his future opponent will be McGrady.

In today's media, Tracy McGrady, who is proficient in fadeaway jump shots, is said to be the person most like Michael Jordan.

Bird could be considered Jordan's arch-rival.

Now, Townsend also hopes that Prince will become McGrady's nemesis.

A minor incident occurred, but the competition continued.

Peterson reached out for the ball and headed it directly at Prince.

He wants the kid to call him "Dad" right now.

He dribbles between his legs repeatedly, feints as if he's about to drive, then pulls up and throws the ball.

This is a battle between fathers.

Prince dared not relax. With his mind focused, he was completely unfazed by the fakes. He took a step, jumped up, stretched out his fingers, and touched the basketball.

Peterson's shot was an airball.

"Fake!"

He cursed under his breath, then turned and ran away without a word.

For the remainder of the game, Peterson kept trying to make three-pointers over Prince.

He has some ability.

Last season, he averaged 3.7 field goal attempts per game, shooting 36 percent.

The output is decent, and the efficiency is also acceptable.

But today he met his match.

Prince's long arms were too much of a distraction for him.

Moreover, Prince had a slight advantage in the physical confrontation. He was certain that Peterson could only shoot three-pointers, and under close defense, Peterson missed several shots in a row.

To outsiders, this was a completely mindless and reckless investment.

Wilkens couldn't stand it anymore and substituted him off the field early to let him calm down.

With this sudden calm, the outcome of the match quickly became a foregone conclusion.

Peterson didn't even get a chance to return to the field, and Wilkens had already given up on the game and started substituting the starters.

Peterson was dumbfounded.

I haven't even made that arrogant kid call me dad yet.

Carlisle was quickly substituted.

Tangsen greeted Prince and asked him with a smile how he was feeling.

Prince paused for a moment before realizing that Tang Sen knew what Carlisle wanted him to do.

He was a little confused.

But thinking about how Peterson practically devoured his own gaze as he left the field, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Prince pursed his lips and said, "It feels... pretty good."

Tang Sen burst into laughter.

This guy may be quiet, but somehow he seems a bit secretly passionate.

(End of this chapter)