Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 265 A Surprise Weapon on the Bench, New York's New Prince

Boston.

Rivers got up early at the hotel where Magic was staying.

While eating at a restaurant, I casually picked up a copy of The New York Times.

Last night, the Magic team arrived in Boston.

Today we will play Game 3 of the semifinals against the Celtics.

This season, the Pacers were in superb form and ultimately managed to climb to third place in the Eastern Conference.

Looking back now, last year's Jalen Rose trade was the right one.

The arrival of Brad Miller allowed Jermaine O'Neal to return to his most proficient position, the power forward.

Artest's arrival has also strengthened the frontcourt.

However, in the first round of the series, they ran into the Celtics, a team known for its three-point shooting.

The Pacers have a strong interior defense, but their perimeter defense is terrible.

The Celtics capitalized on their shooting advantage, pulling off an upset by defeating the Pacers with three-pointers, and advancing to the semifinals to face the Magic 4-1.

Rivers doesn't think there will be much of a problem with the Celtics.

Last season, beating the Celtics was too easy.

But as it turns out, the Celtics' firm decision to shoot three-pointers was not without reason.

When you're in form, you can still score devastating goals.

After the Magic won the first game, Pierce exploded in the second game, shooting 5-for-6 from three-point range and scoring a whopping 41 points, single-handedly snatching a victory from Orlando.

Rivers, however, remained calm.

He has always felt that teams like the Celtics, which rely heavily on shooting, depend too much on their touch.

In a series, we still need to rely on the inside game.

Therefore, Rivers' sights are already set on the future, on the Eastern Conference Finals.

He was very concerned about the games in New York.

Yesterday, the Knicks and Nets played their second game. He arrived in Boston too late to watch the game.

Open the New York Times and turn to the sports section.

The color photo on the page wasn't of Yao Ming, but of a thin player.

Rivers paused for a moment before realizing who this kid was: Tysean Prince.

The headline was: "[Bottomboard Surprise, New York's New Prince]".

Prince, Prince's surname, also happens to mean "prince".

Rivers gets a headache just seeing the word "surprise weapon".

This season's Knicks are simply a stage for miracles!

Every now and then, there's always that one player who suddenly emerges, gets promoted to the starting lineup, makes a name for himself, and gets wildly hyped up by the New York media.

This has happened more than once or twice.

New York fans are used to it, and so are the teams.

After all, everyone knows that on the Knicks' bench sits Townsend, the training master who can turn stones into gold.

That means it's Prince's turn this time.

Rivers remembered that Prince, who had been promoted to the starting lineup in the previous few games, had performed well.

I also got 20 points.

So this match...

First of all, the Nets have definitely lost again.

102:84.

Rivers grinned; it was another 18-point difference.

He was a little annoyed. "Nets, you're the top team in the East, why don't you step up a bit?"

They lost both home games by nearly 20 points each. Isn't the gap in strength a bit too big?

Rivers' ideal scenario is a Game 7 between the Nets and the Knicks.

Then it would be best if the Nets won.

No team wants to touch the Knicks this year.

Rivers didn't want to either; he knew how formidable Yao Ming was.

Rivers took a bite of his pancake and carefully read the report.

Sure enough, it was Prince who erupted.

The report also mentioned the Nets' tactical adjustment, choosing to double-team Yao Ming without thinking.

Then, in a sarcastic tone, he said that Scott's tactics had essentially turned Yao Ming into a point guard.

Yao Ming achieved his first career triple-double.

14 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists!

Rivers gasped.

Damn it, you're a 7-foot-5 center!
11 assists? That's incredible!

Then there's Prince.

The New York Times stated that when Yao Ming was double-teamed and locked down in the paint, Prince stepped up and took on the team's offensive duties.

Throughout the game, Prince scored a career-high 27 points, shooting 11-for-19 from the field, 2-for-4 from three-point range, and including free throws.

Rivers noticed the number of shots Prince took.

19 times!
This number of shot attempts is typical of a core player.

Its efficiency is also extremely high.

What followed was a barrage of taunts and close-range attacks.

The Nets' team basketball has become a joke, and Kenyon Martin is like a bird with its wings clipped, unable to fly anymore.

Kidd's shooting was off track under Billups' defense.

Most importantly, no matter how the Nets choose to adjust, the Knicks have ways to cope and players who can step up and help the team win games.

Rivers put down the newspaper, quickly ate his breakfast, and immediately returned to his room to find the video analyst, asking him to retrieve the video of yesterday's Knicks game.

Not long after, the match video was posted online.

They grabbed a few assistant coaches, including Johnny Davis, and quickly watched the game video.

Seeing Yao Ming make beautiful passes time and time again after being double-teamed, the expressions of the players became increasingly serious.

"How can this guy be so well-rounded?"

Paul Price frowned and couldn't help but complain.

In any case, no center in the league can still have such excellent passing ability when double-teamed.

So it's true that you can see further just because you stand tall?
Rivers waved his hand and said, "I didn't mean for you to see Yao Ming."

Rivers had already figured out how to deal with Yao Ming.

Let Brown and Yao Ming go head-to-head.

He knew Brown couldn't defend Yao Ming, but similarly, it wouldn't be easy for Yao Ming to completely defend Brown either.

Just like last year when we played the Lakers, we just traded kills one-on-one and that was it.

“I’ll show you him.” Rivers pointed to Prince on the screen.

Rivers believes that Yao Ming can be replaced by Brown, while the key to the Magic's victory is McGrady.

McGrady's offensive ability far surpasses that of Houston.

The two are simply not in the same league.

Therefore, the Magic have an advantage on the perimeter. As long as McGrady can consistently deliver output, the Magic will win.

But Prince's unexpected outburst made Rivers wary.

He noticed that Carlisle brought on Chandler and helped Prince with many tactics.

Moreover, Prince's playing style is also very threatening.

This kid can defend and he can also attack.

So Rivers had a gut feeling that Carlisle was giving Prince opportunities to train, perhaps because he was after McGrady.

“Collect his videos, organize them, and then show them to Tracy. We have to get to know this kid.”

Rivers gave a few words of advice, his mood somewhat heavy.

Because he also saw a huge advantage for the Knicks.

Substitute lineup.

In this game, the Knicks' bench scored a total of 37 points, far surpassing the Nets.

In other words, the Nets' bench players being overwhelmed was a major reason for their loss.

The problem is, the Magic's bench isn't that great either.

There are few good players, mostly old, weak, sick, or disabled.

If they run into the Knicks, are they just going to have to rely on their starters?

Rivers didn't want to do that; last year, Townsend had reminded him that McGrady's body was rather fragile.

……

With a 2-0 lead and both victories being decisive, the New York media considers the Nets insignificant, their focus now shifting to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Let's discuss who has the advantage, the defending champion Magic or the Orlando Magic.

The focus was also on the finals.

The discussion revolves around which team will emerge from the Western Conference.

The situation in the west is tense.

The top four teams in the West have all advanced to the semifinals.

The Mavericks and the Kings staged an unprecedented offensive battle.

In the previous three games, both teams scored over 100 points.

The third game was especially terrifying, going into double overtime and ending with a score of 141 to 137.

The Mavericks are currently leading 2-1.

Meanwhile, the Lakers and Spurs will meet.

The two teams were tied 2-2, a close contest.

In a place like the West, it's really hard to say who will break through the encirclement.

The next day, the Knicks and Nets played their third game.

Today's New York fans love the surprises the Knicks' bench brings.

Most importantly, they are never stingy with their support.

Right there at Madison Square Garden, as Prince ran out of the players' tunnel, the stands erupted in unison a cheer for "The Prince."

Prince was stunned, looking at the stands in bewilderment.

On the sidelines, Spike Lee proudly took off his jacket, revealing Prince's number 22 jersey, and swayed and twisted with all the fans, cheering "Prince" in wave after wave.

"What are you staring at? Wave back!"

Next to Prince, Houston smiled and nudged him with his elbow to remind him.

Prince then realized what was happening and hurriedly waved in response.

His response was met with an even louder cheer from the prince.

Prince looked up, surveyed the entire stands, and listened to the thunderous cheers, his heart pounding with excitement.

This is the scene from his dream!
To win over the fans' support, Prince can only respond with even better performances.

At the start of the game, he received a pass from Billups, faced Jefferson, and made a tough three-pointer.

It can be described as having an extremely hot feel.

This basket opened the curtain on the Knicks' offense.

Carlisle changed his formation again in this match.

He chose to start Bender.

In the locker room before the game, he had already set the tone for this match.

Defense can be put aside for now; focus on offense.

One-on-one, outside shooting, it doesn't matter, as long as I can score, anything goes.

He wanted to take advantage of the matchup against the weak Nets to test the Knicks' offensive potential.

Because when it comes to the decisive moment, focusing on offense is also a tactic.

When it comes to offense, Yao Ming is undoubtedly the most reliable.

With a reverse run, he charged straight for the basket; at 7 feet 5 inches, he was even more agile and nimble than Collins.

Billups, as if on cue, flicked the ball toward the basket.

Yao Ming jumped up and, like an alley-oop, put the ball into the basket.

In the next round, it's still Yao Ming.

He receives the ball on the wing, takes a jab step, pulls it up, and throws it.

Their playing style was so casual that they didn't take Collins seriously at all.

But no matter how hard Collins stretched out his arm, he couldn't get the ball in.

And Houston.

In this game, the Knicks played very casually, without much tactical planning, just the simplest teamwork, and when the opportunity was right, they took the shot directly.

Houston's triple threat, a steady shot that went in.

And then there's Bender, who cuts to the three-point line, catches the ball, and makes a three-pointer.

They relaxed their defense slightly, but went all out on offense.

In the first quarter, the Nets scored 23 points.

Scott might have been quite satisfied with other competitions.

Because that's the Nets' offensive level; they only average a little over 90 points per game.

However, the Knicks scored a whopping 34 points in the first quarter.

Scott's face was shockingly dark. How was this different from the previous two games?
Once again, they fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter, then dominated the entire game, and ultimately lost by a whopping 20 points.

With this loss, the Nets are now out of the competition, down 3-0 in the series.

(End of this chapter)