Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 242 Don't call me a mad scientist, you are the one.
Old Nelson paid little attention to the commotion and shouting from the stands.

The Knicks are on a roll, but please take a good look at your own strength.

You are facing the number one team in the West.

Even we want to win, so what, you really want to compete for the championship?

He had this idea, but old Nelson was not an arrogant person; he still had a bit of vigilance in his heart.

After all, the Knicks have Yao Ming.

In the last game against the Knicks, Yao Ming completely destroyed the Mavericks' weak and soft interior defense.

The Mavericks' weakness in the paint is almost their Achilles' heel.

In the West, especially against teams like the Lakers, it's always a free win.

Dallas media always claim to be unrivaled on the offensive front, calling themselves mad scientists who only know how to attack without thinking.

But after turning the Warriors into the Golden State Track and Field Team, they reflected on their actions.

Besides, back in his Bucks days, he built his career on defense.

Old Nelson thought to himself that he wanted to be good at both offense and defense, but even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients.

If he had Shaq, he wouldn't have played like this.

That's reality, there's nothing that can be changed. All Nelson can do is maximize his offensive potential.

As for the results, let's see who comes in first in the West.

Therefore, in this game, Nelson did not field Bradley to compete with Yao Ming to see who was taller, and instead chose to start LaFrentz.

At least he looks a bit stronger.

However, after receiving the opponent's starting lineup, Old Nelson immediately frowned.

Before each match, the coaching team gathers information about the opponents and analyzes the condition of their players.

Then, based on the opponent's starting lineup, design targeted tactics.

But Nelson didn't expect that after benching Yao Ming in the last game, the Knicks would change their lineup again.

Three matches, three starting lineups.

He even wanted to ask Carlisle, "Are you addicted to changing the starting lineup?"

The Knicks fielded a starting lineup of Yao Ming, Chandler, Bender, Houston, and Billups.

What's really alarming is that Yao Ming scored 226 points, Chandler 216, and Bender 213.
The average height of the forwards is 218 cm.

This height on the wing makes any perimeter player think twice before attempting a drive to the basket.

This match was broadcast live across the entire United States.

Inside the TNT studio, Barkley and his two teammates also noticed the Knicks' starting lineup.

"Damn it, they've changed tactics again."

Barkley quipped, then added, "What's even scarier is that they're not two towers now, they're three."

Barkley held up three fingers to the camera.

Everyone says that old Nelson is crazy, a scientist, but he thinks that title should be changed and given to Carlisle.

Making the core players benched and starting three towers – what kind of new basketball are you playing?
Kenny Smith on the other side said, "Actually, in the previous game between the Knicks and the Spurs, Yao and Tyson started together and the effect was very good."

"As for Jonathan, he always played small forward when he was with the Pacers. He's fast enough, so he could definitely play small forward."

"What I care more about is the rim protection of this lineup."

With an average height of 2.18 meters, these three players standing in the paint mean the Mavericks won't be able to grab a single offensive rebound, and they'll likely lose their own rebounds as well.

"Moreover, the Mavericks' weakness is their interior defense, so the Knicks might actually win this game."

After saying that, Smith himself was also incredulous.

This discussion is about the bottom team in the East and the top team in the West.

At the start of the game, the Knicks showed the Mavericks the power of their three towers.

Yao Ming easily deflected the basketball and leisurely launched his attack.

The Mavericks weren't double-teamed.

Old Nelson never considered this issue.

What is defense anyway? I'd rather make a couple more shots than waste that time on defense.

The key issue is that there's nobody around.

Nowitzki has never been known for his defense.

As for LaFrentz, the fact that Yao Ming could easily push past Bender and score a layup when Bender passed the ball to Yao Ming speaks volumes about his defensive ability.

This result was not unexpected for Nelson, and he wasn't particularly concerned about it.

The Mavericks' path to victory still hinges on their offense and shooting.

When he saw the Knicks fielding tall players in the paint, he instinctively thought the Knicks were courting disaster.

With three seven-foot giants collapsing the defense, you've secured the paint, but how do you defend against outside shots?
The Mavericks' strength lies precisely in outside shooting.

Surprisingly, the Knicks defended the Mavericks' offense very well.

Bender goes without saying; he's played small forward before, so he won't leave anyone open on the wing.

Chandler could also follow Nowitzki around.

Even Yao Ming was able to come along.

After all, even Yao Ming could come out and shoot three-pointers.

This means that no matter who comes out to shoot, the Knicks can keep up.

The biggest fear when shooting is height.

Nowitzki is extremely good at punishing mismatches; at 7 feet 2 inches (13 meters), he can pull out to the perimeter and shoot three-pointers.

The average inside player can't keep up, and the shorter outside players are also short.

But this time, standing before him was an even taller Chandler.

Even if Chandler didn't stay, there was still Bender.

Benders all had the same height as him.

This height put a lot of pressure on Nowitzki, and his first shot went wide.

Don't even think about getting a rebound; unless you're lucky enough to get it into LaFrentz's hands, you simply can't get it.

In just this one round, Old Nelson noticed the problem and got up to go to the sidelines to observe.

On offensive possessions, the Knicks' tactics were very clear.

Similar to the last game against the Spurs, the strategy involved a high screen to initiate a drive, followed by strong low-post attacks and passes to the perimeter.

Bender has a three-point shot, and he can also guard the perimeter.

Although it's a three-tower lineup, the penalty area isn't crowded.

Billups was still able to penetrate and deliver the ball to Yao Ming.

Once the ball gets into Yao Ming's hands, LaFrentz has no choice but to either watch the score go in or commit a foul.

Yao Ming was in exceptionally good form today.

He already had his playing time reduced when playing the Heat on the 20th, and he was a substitute in the last game.

Despite playing three games in five days, Yao Ming was still well-rested and full of energy.

So from the very beginning of the match, he had the air of taking over the game.

Halfway through the first quarter, Yao Ming had made all four of his shots and also drew a foul on LaFrentz, scoring a total of 10 points.

The Knicks outscored the Mavericks 12-7, forcing the Mavericks to call a timeout.

The cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder.

It was all the Great Wall, and there were cheers for MVP.

Yao Ming's nickname is the Great Wall.

Old Nelson was annoyed by the shouting, and his inability to defend Yao Ming was exactly what he expected.

Just like when playing against the Lakers, we never expected to be able to stop Shaq.

But he didn't expect Yao Ming to be in such good form right from the start.

What troubled him most was not his inability to defend Yao Ming, but the Mavericks' inability to get their offense going.

After observing half a quarter of the game, Don Nelson realized that the Knicks' big three lineup had something special about it.

Yao Ming sits under the basket.

Chandler and Bender swept across the mid-range area, covering the left and right sides of the paint. They not only swept the mid-range but also followed the Mavericks all the way to the three-point line to limit their three-point shooting.

These two didn't contribute much on offense, but they were really outstanding on defense.

He is tall and athletic.

It's like having two Garnetts in the mid-range position.

This greatly limits the Mavericks' shooting ability.

This is a calf.

When the key players are on the court, they often score 30 points in a single quarter.

When have I ever seen the Mavericks score only 7 points in half a quarter?

However, Nelson could only make limited adjustments at the moment, and could only ask Nash to pass the ball around, and then have Nowitzki come over to help defend in the paint.

LaFrentz alone is clearly no match for Yao Ming.

But the effect was not good.

Carlisle, the tactical mastermind, once again demonstrated his prowess, thinking three steps ahead of time and anticipating what Nelson would do.

One advantage of having three towers is that Yao Ming doesn't have to worry about lacking a focal point in the paint.

Yao Ming can confidently pull out the ball and leave Chandler under the basket.

That's exactly what Carlisle planned, instructing Yao Ming to make plays in the mid-range.

If Chandler can provide screens, does Yao Ming not have any?
Yao Ming can also pass the ball.

When Yao Ming moves to the high post and works in the mid-range, a simple pick-and-roll pass back to Billups can easily create a shooting opportunity.

If there is no opportunity, Yao Ming can also act as a high pivot, passing the ball to Houston and Bender on the left and right.

Most importantly, Yao Ming was in really good form today.

Tang Sen glanced at Carlisle, who was standing on the sidelines.

This guy probably started thinking about the Mavericks' games when he was playing against the Heat.

Therefore, he reduced Yao Ming's playing time and even made him a substitute, all in order to reduce Yao Ming's workload.

He even arranged for Yao Ming to undergo recovery training to help him adjust his condition and deliver a breakout performance in this game.

Two games in advance, to prepare for the crucial match.

Carlisle is the first person in the league to dare to do something like this.

He probably has so many good players, which gives him that confidence.

What is a core player?

That means as long as he doesn't get injured, he can start every game in 35 minutes or more, and when he encounters a strong opponent, 40 minutes is the minimum.

The long season and dense schedule inevitably take a toll on the core players.

Except for a few exceptionally fit players, the vast majority of players experience fluctuations in their form.

Doesn't the coach know that core players need to have enough rest time to maintain their form?

Of course I know.

But there's no other way; we only have a few usable players, and for the sake of results, we have to use our core players to the extreme.

But honestly, the Knicks these days can put up a decent fight if they pull out a full-strength bench.

That gave Carlisle the confidence to do it.

However, he remains bold.

The Mavericks didn't dare to rotate their players because they were too far behind.

Carlisle didn't care.

Yesterday your Mavericks played the 76ers, and today is a back-to-back away game.

You core members are exhausted, but we core members have been resting for several days. Let's see who can hold on longer.

Both teams' key players played the entire first quarter.

28:16.

Yao Ming scored 15 points in the first quarter, while Houston scored 7, creating a 12-point lead in the first quarter alone.

This result stunned Don Nelson and made all the New York fans in the stands so happy they almost fainted.

That's the top Mavericks team in the West.

The TNT trio remained silent.

"can't read."

Ernie Johnson frowned.

When Carlisle fielded a lineup with three tall players, he considered it a suicidal formation.

The defense was surprisingly good, limiting the Mavericks to only 16 points in the quarter.

This is a calf.

Barkley frowned, just like him.

Everyone says the Knicks have unlimited potential and are about to take off.

And now, a budget version of Rodman has recently emerged, causing quite a stir in the media.

There's no way around it; this is New York, and with the reach of the New York media, the whole of America has to know.

In Barkley's memory, the Knicks were still a bottom-tier team in the Eastern Conference.

How could they beat the league's best team, the Mavericks, who are contenders for the championship, so easily?

To put it bluntly, it was like pinning a calf to the ground and beating it.

It feels so unreal.

This sense of unreality became even stronger at the beginning of the second quarter.

Old Nelson has no choice but to rotate the players.

After all, they are back to back.

But as is customary, he kept Lafrentz and Finley on the field to lead the substitutes.

Unexpectedly, the Knicks acted completely irrationally, putting themselves in a five-in-five-out situation.

Carlisle fielded a lineup of Harvey, Swift, Prince, Jones, and Dooling.

Before going on stage, Carlisle deliberately pulled Dulin aside.

"Kenyan, I know you've always worked very hard, extremely hard."

"Your chance has come. If you can stop the Nick, we can win."

Nick van Exel.

Fan the Madman.

When he gets into a rhythm, he can be used like Jordan.

He is not tall, so he is very fast and his long-range shots are especially accurate.

Therefore, Carlisle needs a defensive specialist to contain him.

Many times, the Mavericks won games thanks to Van Gundy's performance.

Billups' lateral movement is a bit slow, he's in trouble.

But he thought Dulin was a good candidate.

He secretly observed that Dulin was basically a smaller version of Jeryl Suther.

Dulin nodded slightly, his heart filled with excitement.

After joining the Knicks, he only played 3 games in the regular season, totaling 11 minutes.

The score is 2.

He wasn't discouraged, and he just kept practicing diligently with Tang Sen.

At worst, I'll become the next Sasser.

Moreover, even if you don't get a chance with the Knicks, you can still get a big contract if you go to another team.

For four months, he focused on defense and shooting, quietly waiting for his opportunity.

Now is the chance.

(End of this chapter)