Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 258 I knew they were strong, but I didn't expect them to be this strong.

Yao Ming received the ball, and Stoudemire immediately pounced on him.

Collins' strategy was clear: double-team Yao Ming.

Yao Ming wasn't flustered at all.

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the ball to Chandler, who was there to receive it.

Chandler practiced hook shots near the rim, and he's been practicing shooting since the beginning of the season.

At a distance of 10 feet, with no one around, he jumped steadily with a very standard posture. Combined with his 7-foot height, he really had a bit of Garnett's iron-blooded jump shot feel to him.

5:0.

The ball was passed to Jordan, and Houston closely followed.

With a change of direction, he didn't completely create space, so Jordan chose to drive hard, creating a rhythm difference, and then took a strong shot.

It's a bit short.

The significance of the twin towers is to deny the Wizards any hope of grabbing offensive rebounds.

The Knicks advanced slowly.

The ball was still being passed to Yao Ming.

From a mid-range position, he leaned against Haywood with his back to the goal and suddenly flicked the ball behind his head.

But it was Wallace.

He made a reverse run, bypassing the screen and heading towards the basket.

Yao Ming's pass was perfectly timed.

After receiving the ball, Gerrard took a step up and scored another 2 points with a powerful dunk.

It's 7-0!
Collins on the sidelines hugged his arms tightly, his body beginning to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

Hill was clamoring to step up and lead the team to victory.

After receiving the ball, he immediately drove forward without stopping.

This step was quick.

But Gerrard was not completely left behind.

Moreover, Chandler had already reinforced and blocked the way ahead.

If they break through again, they will be surrounded.

Hill slammed the ball down, bounced it, and passed it across to Stoudemire.

But Yao Ming had already quickly stepped in to cover.

Chandler instantly abandoned Hill and turned to pounce on the basket.

The speed at which they switched onto the defense made Collins' eye twitch involuntarily.

Two centers over seven feet tall with this kind of agility and chemistry are truly terrifying.

The Wizards still haven't scored.

Billups slowed down the pace, leisurely waiting for Yao Ming to run across the court.

He made a gesture, and everyone started to move.

Houston is the safety net.

Yao Ming raised his arms to shield Jordan behind him.

The team switched sides, with Billups making a wide pass that looped out to Houston at a 45-degree angle on the weak side.

Catch the ball, keep going, swift and decisive, and score again.

It's 10-0 now.

In the opening three minutes, the Knicks unleashed an unstoppable offensive surge, silencing the entire Verizon Center like a tomb.

Collins immediately called a timeout.

He anticipated that he wouldn't be able to beat the Knicks, after all, the Knicks were very strong.

But he didn't expect the Knicks to be this strong.

They came out strong and took a 10-0 lead over the Wizards.
What's even more alarming is that Yao Ming, the absolute core player, hasn't even started scoring yet.

Although it only lasted three minutes, you shouldn't be sweating.

The players who walked off the field were already panting heavily.

High pressure.

“Their defense is very strong,” Hill said through gritted teeth as he plopped down.

Not everyone, but everyone.

"Everyone is constantly running, assisting in defense, covering for others, and switching on defense."

Hill didn't think it was a big deal that he couldn't defend against the opponent.

The Knicks' offense was executed very well, and with Yao Ming as a strong point to facilitate, they started strong and scored several baskets. There's nothing unacceptable about that.

What's truly impressive is that the Knicks managed to stop the Wizards' offense.

They defended every single round!

That defensive attitude and aggressiveness were what truly alarmed Hill.

This is the playoffs, so it's normal to increase the defensive intensity, but I didn't expect it to be this high right from the start, it's almost suffocating.

Hill's words were exactly what Collins wanted to say.

He saw it all clearly from the sidelines.

Each player was very aggressive when being marked.

Like Wallace, Hill simply couldn't get rid of him.

Wallace's defensive abilities are absolutely top-tier in the league.

Collins can understand this, after all, these guys all train with Tang Sen.

Tang Sen trained Sasser in just four months.

Wallace and his group trained with Tang Sen for a whole season.

What's even more problematic is that the Knicks also have the awareness to help defend, switch on defense, and rotate on defense.

Collins could easily imagine that the Knicks had put a lot of effort into their defense.

"Don't panic."

Collins reassured everyone, then said, "Our inside game is not advantageous, so we need to move around more, find opportunities, take decisive shots, shoot more, and be patient."

He also couldn't come up with many adjustment plans.

This season, the Wizards' playing style is very simple.

It's about breaking through and passing the ball.

Hill has always been an expert in this area.

Stoudemire is also very strong at attacking the basket and can draw defenders away, creating opportunities for his teammates.

But now the Knicks have two seven-foot giants in the paint, making it impossible for them to break through.

Therefore, they can only rely on shooting.

"Michael, you need to attack more."

Collins then looked at Jordan.

Jordan didn't say anything, he just nodded slightly.

But I couldn't help feeling discouraged.

Is it a bit much to pin your hopes of winning on a 40-year-old veteran?

There was no time to think, the pause ended.

As the two teams returned to the court, Wizards fans in the stands erupted in cheers, encouraging their home team.

However, the effect was minimal.

The Wizards still couldn't break through the Knicks' impenetrable defense.

They started to score slowly, but they couldn't stop the Knicks, and the point difference continued to widen.

Eight minutes in, the Knicks made their first substitution. As usual, they kept Billups on the court and led the bench players.

This time, Carlisle fielded a reserve lineup of Xavi, Bender, Prince, and Stevenson.

On the Wizards' side, Collins gritted his teeth and didn't make any rotations.

Trailing by 13 points, what right do they have to be rotated in?

He also wants to take advantage of the Knicks' rotation to try and catch up in points.

But it doesn't seem that easy.

Hill turned with his back to the goal, faked a move, and crashed directly into Prince.

It didn't break open.

Prince looks quite thin, but is surprisingly strong.

Moreover, its lateral movement is fast and its predictions are extremely accurate.

Hill cursed under his breath, bent down to push Prince aside, and took a step back to strike.

Prince leaped up in sync, his long arm sealing Hill's eyes.

The ball went in!
Hill, however, felt heavy-hearted. He thought that if every shot had to be this difficult, he would be exhausted.

Jordan shared the same idea.

Houston was substituted out, and Stevenson, the so-called next Jordan, came in.

Jordan felt even stronger defensive pressure from him than he did from Houston.

This kid was as strong as an ox, constantly challenging and physically confronting him, making Jordan feel like there was a bull nudging him.

I tried to push it open, but it didn't get through. I glanced at it and pretended to pass it.

Such feints have always been effective.

But Stevenson didn't fall for the fake and jumped up with Jordan.

Despite such tight defense, the ball still went in.

He is, after all, Jordan.

But then, the Knicks rallied.

Stevenson was as fast as a little train, blocking Jordan on the wing and actively reaching out for the ball.

He wants to repay one.

Stevenson gets especially excited when playing against Jordan.

Over two months, Tang Sen tried his best to develop an effective offensive strategy tailored to each individual's physical condition.

Stevenson also has it.

Moreover, among all role players, his offensive style is the most difficult to master.

He dribbled with his right hand, slammed the ball in, and then slammed his left shoulder into Jordan's chest, using the rebound force to leap backward in an instant.

Extend your left foot to maintain balance.

He smashed the ball with force, and in the instant of the close-range shot, the ball bounced back to his waist. He then smoothly brought the ball back with his hand, and as he jumped, he began to lift it up.

Therefore, he acted very quickly.

In addition, the impact created a counter-attack, and most people wouldn't have time to jump and block it.

The only problem is that it's difficult to make that shot; it's very dependent on feel.

Therefore, his accuracy has always been low.

This move wasn't actually designed or developed by Tang Sen; he came up with it himself.

This guy has broad shoulders, a wild heart, and a love for confrontation.

I don't know what they were thinking, but they chose such a difficult way to attack.

Although it is difficult, it is foreseeable that once mastered, its power will be great.

It's very difficult to defend against.

As a role player, Tang Sen let him be and labeled him with the "high-difficulty shot" tag, telling him to practice it first.

Surprisingly, my training went quite well.

On the court, his shooting percentage is around 30%, which is barely usable.

However, now that he has the Jordan buff, his shooting touch has returned like crazy. This shot was awkward, but it still went in.

Jordan frowned slightly.

No, are we going to have to go all out on points?
Stevenson previously scored against himself and became famous overnight.

Jordan felt a surge of anger, but after feeling the weight on his legs, he chose to ignore Stevenson's provocative gaze.

After playing for almost a whole quarter, his stamina was starting to wane.

Collins had already noticed the issue of physical stamina.

But he couldn't help it.

The Knicks' bench played quite well.

Just then, Prince came over again. Right in front of Hill, he dribbled to the left, slid a step, and shot.

Prince has three advantages with this style of play.

He is 2.06 meters tall, which is close to the height of a standard power forward.

With a wingspan of 2.18 meters, his release point is higher.

Most importantly, he is a left-handed player.

He slid to the left, and the ball was on his left shoulder. The defender lunged to the side, but was further away from the ball.

Hill's defense was undoubtedly top-notch, but it still couldn't stop Prince from getting a shot off.

The ball goes in, making it 28-15, with the score difference still at 13 points.

Collins paced restlessly on the sidelines, having discovered yet another advantage for the Knicks.

That is, there are too many useful role players.

This means that the key players not only have ample rest time, but can also adopt a more proactive attitude in defense when they are on the field.

Maintaining a high level of defense is very physically demanding.

Especially in the playoffs, when the defensive intensity increases and the series goes on for a long time, many teams can't keep up defensively until the very end because they're too exhausted.

But the Knicks didn't have that concern.

Ten men on the bench are more than enough.

Therefore, the longer the game goes on, the more disadvantageous it is for the Wizards.

The same pattern applies throughout the series: the longer it goes on, the more likely the Wizards are to run into fatigue issues.

Most importantly, Yao Ming hasn't scored yet.

This is the sword of Damocles hanging over Collins' head!
In the first quarter, Yao Ming scored 4 points in 8 minutes.

4 points!

This is a super center who can score 49 points against O'Neal.

His personal scoring record has long been broken.

In a game against the Raptors in March, he scored a whopping 53 points.

He only scored 4 points, but if he starts to exert himself, the Wizards' weak interior defense simply cannot withstand him.

Unfortunately, Collins won't get to see Yao Ming perform.

In front of nearly 20,000 Washington fans at the Verizon Center, the Knicks maintained a lead of more than 10 points throughout the game, winning 109-97 without much effort, securing the first victory in the series.

Yao Ming had 17 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

The Knicks had a balanced attack, with seven players scoring in double figures.

Sitting at the press conference after the game, Collins' face was full of bitterness.

The Wizards couldn't even force Yao Ming to play at full strength.

(End of this chapter)