Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 245 we need a plan!
After defeating the Mavericks, there are no tough opponents left in the remaining games of January.

Carlisle is playing something new, but his next key game is on the 6th of next month, against the Lakers.

We're still rotating players as usual, striving for victory.

After a six-game winning streak, the Knicks have fallen to sixth from the bottom in the Eastern Conference.

Or we should count from the front.

Tenth in the East.

They are only two games behind the ninth-placed Bucks, and the eighth-placed Hornets are only four games behind.

The playoffs are really not far away.

Carlisle also wants to secure home-field advantage, so his target is the upper half of the draw.

He wanted to win every game he could.

And they did win.

The league is currently lacking top-tier centers.

Once you have a top center like Yao Ming, it can make the whole game come alive, giving you a huge advantage.

Just look at last year's magic show.

Brown's dominance alone propelled the Magic to new heights.

At home, the Knicks defeated the Suns and Hawks in a row.

Harvey still started alongside Yao Ming.

His role remains rebounding.

He grabbed 9 rebounds against the Suns and 11 against the Hawks.

This performance continued into the next three away games.

Against the Heat, he grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.

However, some problems have already begun to emerge.

First and foremost, defense.

Being good at rebounding doesn't necessarily mean being good at defense.

The disadvantage of being short and stocky in the paint cannot be compensated for. In the game against the Grizzlies on the 31st, facing Pau Gasol, he was badly beaten due to his height disadvantage.

Pau Gasol scored 11 points in the first quarter alone.

Carlisle immediately substituted Chandler, which finally contained Gasol.

The problem Harvey encountered was actually the same problem Rodman encountered.

Rodman had two Defensive Player of the Year awards, but he still had his flaws.

He used to play small forward, and he could even defend guards.

After joining the Bulls, he gained weight and started playing inside.

At this point, his defenders started to lose their defense.

But it's not a big problem, we have Pippen and Jordan.

He has excellent defensive skills, is good at drawing offensive fouls, stays on defense promptly, and is sharp at fronting and positioning himself under the basket.

Most importantly, he has a strong mental fortitude, is persistent and tenacious, and is also good at subtle tactics and trash talk, constantly trying to provoke you.

But his shortcomings remain.

He can't defend big men in the paint, nor can he defend tall power forwards who are good at mid-range shots. After gaining weight, his ability to switch onto lower defenders is also weak.

Even more fatally, in high-level games, when facing seasoned veterans like Ma Long, they can easily get crushed.

Secondly, there are issues with the offense.

Harvey can only be described as barely able to shoot now.

Just as he couldn't defend against big men like Gasol who excel at mid-range shots, his shooting was also easily countered by such tall interior players.

Apart from that, he has almost no offensive capabilities to speak of.

If it were just his rebounding ability, he would be able to secure a place on any team except for championship contenders.

But not for championship teams.

His offensive weaknesses are too easy to exploit.

So he has to find a way to improve, otherwise he will be eliminated again.

Previous starters, like Bender, have clearly worked harder since being relegated to the bench.

In this competitive environment, not progressing is tantamount to regressing.

Despite a three-game road trip, including a back-to-back game, the Knicks still won all three.

They've won 11 straight games.

They have successfully climbed to ninth place in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind the Hornets.

This rapid rise has attracted the attention of the entire league.

New York fans and media went wild.

At the beginning of the season, the Knicks were really struggling to win a single game.

The New York Times even seriously discussed whether the Knicks could break their franchise record of 18 consecutive wins.

This record was set in the 69-70 season by Reed and Frazier, who led the team to their first championship.

Their analysis even took on a touch of fate.

It is said that Reed personally helped the Knicks draw the number one draft pick, allowing the Knicks to acquire Yao Ming.

Like a legacy, the Knicks will usher in another glorious chapter, break their franchise winning streak record, and win the championship.

They really didn't mention at all how the top scorer was chosen.

Anyway, Tang Sen didn't believe that Reed was really incredibly lucky.

Furthermore, if the Knicks want to break their 18-game winning streak, they need to beat the Lakers twice in their next eight games.

Win twice!
At the beginning of the season, O'Neal's paid injury affected the Lakers' record, but now the Lakers are starting to catch up.

O'Neal remains dominant, unstoppable in the paint.

Kobe Bryant has also transformed his game. As Tracy McGrady takes on more playmaking duties and his scoring has started to decline, Kobe is averaging 31.4 points per game. If nothing unexpected happens, he should win his first scoring title in his career.

Moreover, the Lakers' motto this season is revenge.

The Magic snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, shattering the Lakers' dream of a three-peat, and they got their revenge.

This Lakers team is not easy to deal with.

It's April now.

There was one more thing facing Tang Sen: drawing badges.

Following his successful start to the year, Tang Sen hopes to continue this good fortune.

It did hit the mark, but it's not a new badge.

Real-world experience is the best teacher.

I drew a gold-level badge.

It's a bit of a shame, but it's alright.

[Practical Application] This badge is quite useful.

Carlisle has already spoken with Townsend and said that simply training the body and defense is not enough now.

Defense still needs to be practiced, but what's needed now is more technical skill and scoring ability.

Even if he didn't say it, Tang Sen was also preparing to shift his training focus entirely to technique in the second half of the season.

The significance of the "Practical Combat" badge is self-evident.

However, frequently drawing old badges is sending a bad signal.

That means there might not be many new badges left.

After a three-game away trip, the team can rest for two days.

The team had a day off on the 2nd, and Tangsen went back to Manhattan to spend time with his family.

At nine o'clock in the evening, my mother had already gone to bed early.

She spent some time idling in New York, and getting really bored, she opened a laundromat again. Tang Sen had told her that if she was really bored, she should do something else.

Always the laundromat.

Tang Sen still can't forget the smell of disinfectant.

But my mother disagreed, saying that she wasn't familiar with other businesses and that this was the only one she knew how to do.

Now she has opened a laundromat in Chinatown on the south side of Manhattan, and she is full of energy every day.

Tang Ling sat cross-legged on the sofa, working on her laptop.

Tang Sen lay on the sofa watching TV.

After a week of pre-release promotion, the first episode of Spike Lee's documentary "Paths of Glory" will premiere tonight at 9 p.m. on MSG and ABC.

It was originally intended to be exclusively broadcast by MSG, for New York fans only.

But ABC approached them, wanting to buy the copyright.

Spike Lee was reluctant.

He didn't care about making money while making this documentary; it was a gift he dedicated to all Knicks fans.

But as the main investor, Dolan persuaded Spike Lee.

It's not that Dolan is short of money.

His idea was even more brutal.

The Knicks have a chance to win the championship, and Dolan wants the whole world to know how he won.

He's willing to pay for advertising, so why would he refuse when someone else is paying for the rights to help him spread the word and promote the Knicks?

So I'll sell it, I'll sell it for whatever price I'm offered.

He even wanted to pay money to move the show to primetime on ABC.

The documentary began at 9 p.m.

"This must be your documentary, right?" Tang Ling looked up and glanced at it a few times.

Tang Sen nodded.

Tang Ling asked curiously, "Will you appear on camera?"

"Definitely."

The film crew followed Tang Sen for a month, and Tang Sen also gave several interviews.

I just don't know if it will be cut into the final cut.

The first episode is 60 minutes long, but Tang Sen was busy with team work and didn't see the final cut.

It begins with oppressive darkness.

In the darkness, only the cacophony of voices could be heard, shouting and lamenting.

It sounds like the sounds from the competition venue.

But it shouldn't be a recent game, because Townsend heard the Pacers' voices.

The sound gradually subsided, but the image slowly appeared.

A giant, wearing jersey number 33, walked dejectedly toward the players' tunnel.

On both sides of the stands, the audience members covered their faces in pain.

Ewing?

Tang Sen was shocked.

Ewing is still wearing a Knicks jersey, and he's playing for the Pacers. Could this be the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals?

This year should be the last glory of the Knicks during the Ewing era.

At that time, Ewing had suffered a wrist fracture, and his mid-range shot was no longer as sharp as it used to be.

At the beginning of the season, he tore his tendon and missed the first 20 games of the season.

His scoring was even lower than Sprewell's and Houston's.

That year's playoffs were particularly tough.

The Georgetown teammates once again stood on the stage of the Eastern Conference semifinals, contributing their final glory to each other.

The two teams battled for seven games, with the point difference remaining in single digits each time.

In the decisive Game 7, Mourning made a mistake that he later described as one he would never forgive himself for: a reckless steal that allowed Ewing to dunk and take the lead.

Who could have imagined that this encounter would mark the end of an era?

Ewing, the Knicks' spiritual icon, was sent to the SuperSonics by Layden.

Mourning was also diagnosed with a serious kidney disease and is still struggling to return to the league.

The grudges and grievances between the Heat, Riley, and Georgetown have come to an end.

The Knicks' journey is not over yet, as the Pacers and Knicks will once again meet in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But this time, the Pacers got their revenge.

The Knicks' glory has been completely dimmed.

In the shot, the stands gradually blur, leaving only Ewing's long, lonely silhouette.

Tang Sen sat up straight.

I have to say, this is truly a film-level director. He just throws together some material and instantly creates that epic feeling of a hero's downfall.

Tang Sen couldn't help but think about it.

That year, at 37, Ewing must have known that he was getting old and his aging body could no longer support him in the paint.

This year may be the last time in his career that he leads the team to compete for the championship.

After repeated failures, bearing the title of "uncrowned king," they finally made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, only to be defeated once again.

At this moment, listening to the regret and sorrow of the fans in the stadium, and the unrestrained celebration of the opponents, what must Ewing have felt as he walked dejectedly into the locker room?
He never imagined that just a few months later, Leiden would cruelly send him to the Supersonics.

The screen went dark again.

After a few seconds of deathly silence, there was a soft "pfft".

A small flame suddenly appeared.

It's a lighter.

The camera slowly zoomed out, and Tang Sen could finally see that it was Leiden playing with the lighter.

In the video, Thibodeau and others are arguing fiercely.

Dolan's face darkened, and he remained silent.

There was no sound at the scene except for the sound of Leiden repeatedly fiddling with the lighter cap.

But you can feel the oppressive atmosphere.

Just then, Leiden stood up, walked to the front, and slammed his hands on the table.

The camera panned upwards, capturing his serious yet resolute face.

"guys."

He spoke, silencing everyone else, then his gaze swept firmly across everyone present, and he declared emphatically, "We need a plan!"

The sound pierced the dawn like light.

In that instant, the feeling came, and it clicked.

Just like in the movie The Two Towers, which was released just two months ago, Gandalf arrived with reinforcements, bathed in holy light, shouted "Save the King!", and then led his troops in a charge.

It even echoed Leiden's crazy reconstruction plan.

Tang Sen got goosebumps, but he felt more like laughing and crying at the same time.

Tang Sen was certain that the footage in front of him was definitely being reshot recently.

I didn't see Cheney.

Furthermore, Tang Sen strongly suspected that Leiden must have secretly bribed Spike Lee to give himself more screen time.

This single shot portrays him as a superhero who saves the Knicks.

He really doesn't mention at all the messy thing about sending Ewing away and giving him huge contracts.

(End of this chapter)