Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 268 They were taught by the same master, so who's worse than whom?

May 16, TD Water House Center.

In the cramped away team's locker room, Carlisle found a whiteboard and drew tactical runs for all the players.

Defensive.

He drew and erased, then drew again, meticulously explaining to everyone how to defend.

Especially their defense against McGrady.

Tang Sen knew why he did this.

After all, Tang Sen would occasionally listen in when the coaching staff met for meetings.

So Tangsen knew exactly how Carlisle wanted to play in this series.

In Carlisle's plan, defense is of paramount importance.

In particular, they need to defend against Brown and McGrady, the two key players.

This season, the Magic's playing style has become somewhat chaotic due to the absence of Chauncey Billups, a top-tier point guard who excels at orchestrating and controlling the pace of the game.

In Carlisle's view, this season's Magic are very similar to the Lakers.

It has two superstars, one inside and one outside.

We have a few useful role players, but that's about it; the bench is a complete mess.

Tactics can also be said to be non-tactical.

Jackson always touted the triangle offense, but the Lakers today hardly have one.

It was just O'Neal and Kobe playing one-on-one, doing some simple plays.

To deal with a team like this, it's crucial to defend against them.

The Magic's championship win last year was partly due to their ability to contain Kobe Bryant on the perimeter.

Carlisle believed that Yao Ming alone was enough to handle Brown in the paint.

Brown's range of movement covers the paint, which is considered large for an inside player.

However, Yao Ming has a wider range of movement, so there won't be a situation where he can't defend out of the area and needs others to help him clean up the mess.

Yao Ming has an advantage in height and weight in every aspect, so by any measure, he can defend against Brown.

That leaves only McGrady as the core player on the perimeter.

Wallace alone cannot stop McGrady; Carlisle needs to use his tactical skills to find a way to limit McGrady.

He believes that as long as he can handle McGrady, he can win this series.

Then they can continue this successful experience and continue to challenge the Lakers in the Finals.

Carlyle had a lot more to say, but seeing that time was running out, he had to give up.

"Yao!"

He then suddenly named Yao Ming.

When Yao Ming looked at him, Carlisle said, "My requirement for you is very simple: just score four goals for me in each quarter."

Yao Ming was taken aback.

In a 12-minute quarter, they scored 4 goals, averaging one goal every 3 minutes.

It doesn't seem like there are many.

So he just said "oh" and nodded slightly.

The others didn't react much, but Houston was tense, fearing that Carlisle would make the same request of him.

Let alone scoring 4 goals per quarter, even scoring 3 is not easy.

Fortunately, Carlisle didn't mention it, and clapped his hands to signal everyone to prepare for their entrance.

Tang Sen glanced at Yao Ming.

Carlisle was secretly thinking that he was really using Yao Ming like an omnipotent Monkey King.

Scoring four goals in each quarter? That's really bold!
If Tang Sen remembers correctly, something similar was said by Jackson to Jordan.

Back then, Jackson wanted Jordan to give up some ball possession.

Jordan said it was no problem, it wouldn't affect him, saying that he could easily score 30+ points with 3 jump shots and 2 free throws per quarter, and he would still be the scoring champion.

With that kind of attitude, who dares to say that Bird is the king of pretentiousness?

Players from both sides enter the field.

The stands were packed, and the cheers were deafening.

Since the Magic won the championship last year, the Orlando basketball market has improved significantly.

To Tang Sen's surprise, a video was played during the pre-match activities.

Thank you, myself!
An interview in the form of a segment.

Brown was the first to appear on camera, smiling as he recalled the first time he met Tang Sen.

He said that Tangsen, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, then conquered himself with a Penny Hardaway technique.

He exaggeratedly said that the shot was really cool, and at that moment his only thought was that he had to learn from Tang Sen no matter what.

On the Knicks' side, everyone looked at Tang Sen.

On the Magic's bench, Brown playfully waved to Tangsen.

Then, scattered applause broke out in the stands, and then more and more people started clapping.

Rivers happened to appear in the video, saying sincerely, "Tang is very important. He deserves a lot of credit for our championship victory."

"Honestly, we should all give him a championship ring."

His words resonated with many more Orlando fans in the stands.

Many people know that Tang Sen is from Orlando.

They also knew that the Magic's championship win last year was inseparable from Townsend's help.

From Brown to McGrady, from Billups to Sasser.

Without Townsend, the Magic's path to the championship wouldn't have been so smooth.

Therefore, a year later, taking advantage of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic management specially produced this video to express their gratitude to Tangsen.

Even the magic mascot, that incredibly ugly magic dragon, went up to Tang Sen and bowed to him in a funny manner to express its gratitude.

Tang Sen waved to the stands.

They were met with even louder cheers.

Regardless, Tang Sen was quite touched by this gesture.

After all, strictly speaking, I wasn't a magician at all last year.

This scene also sparked heated discussion among Barkley and his two companions.

The three of them were just discussing it.

This duel was practically a free-for-all among Tang Sen's disciples.

Almost all the players on both sides were trained by Tang Sen.

And then the magician pulled this stunt.

Smith remarked, "Orlando fans should thank Townsend. He played a big part in the Magic's championship win last year."

“Not just big, but extremely big,” Barkley interjected. “Without Don, Kwame might have needed several more years to grow up.”

"And then there's Tracy. Without Tang helping him improve his skills, his strength wouldn't have improved so quickly."

"So the people of Orlando did the right thing; this is a city with a human touch."

"Even if Tang went to New York later, I don't think it would be a problem, because Tang had already helped his hometown win the championship."

Last season, the Lakers weren't the only team that wanted to poach Townsend.

But Tang Sen never left.

He stayed in Orlando as an unofficial member and helped his hometown team win the championship.

That's when he left Orlando to make big money in New York.

Therefore, Barkley felt that Townsend had done right by Orlando and deserved Orlando's gratitude.

Smith nodded and returned to the previous topic, which was who would win the Eastern Conference Finals and advance from the East.

Smith still believes the Magic have a better chance.

Brown and McGrady seem to have more star power.

Barkley didn't simply support the Knicks either, offering a more balanced perspective, saying that they'd know after a few games.

He didn't know who would win, but he knew the Eastern Conference Finals were generating a lot of buzz.

Who can blame them when the Knicks get so much attention?

Not to mention Yao Ming, the viewership ratings in China exploded.

The game officially started at 7 p.m. Central Time.

"Yao, what are you muttering about?"

Standing in the center circle, Brown noticed Yao Ming muttering something and asked him curiously.

Yao Ming snapped out of his reverie and said, "I was thinking about how to score four baskets in one quarter against your defense."

Brown was taken aback.

If you score 4 points in one quarter, then you're guaranteed at least 32 points over four quarters.

Add in the free throws, and he'll be close to 40 points, right?
Given their close personal relationship, Brown naturally wouldn't mock Yao Ming for being arrogant or having unrealistic dreams; he simply jokingly said it wasn't that easy.

Then he said he also wanted to score 4 points in each quarter.

Who told me to be the eldest disciple!
Yao Ming nodded slightly, his smile fading.

Off the field, they were off the field; now, the two were standing on the field.

That's the opponent!
Yao Ming felt the pressure during the jump ball.

Brown jumped very high and timed it perfectly, almost stealing the basketball.

Before the game, Tangsen specifically told himself not to underestimate Brown.

Then be careful of Brown's explosiveness.

He said that he should have learned something from their several encounters during the season, and that Brown would only fight harder in the playoffs.

Now, Yao Ming has seen it for himself.

The contest between the two began right from the three-point line.

Brown brought the same defensive attitude he used against O'Neal in last year's Finals.

It's all about entanglement and desperately fighting back.

Trying to receive the ball isn't so easy; trying to get into the penalty area will get you a couple of elbows first.

Brown tried to turn the contest into a physical clash.

In the past, Yao Ming might have passed the ball to his teammates to create opportunities, perhaps due to tactical reasons or Carlisle's needs, when faced with tough confrontations or double-teams.

But today is different.

Before the match, Tang Sen said he wanted to be Sun Wukong (the Monkey King).

Therefore, one must be tough, possessing the spirit of causing havoc in the heavens and overcoming difficulties head-on.

Moreover, Yao Ming possesses the tenacity and excellent qualities that are characteristic of the Chinese people.

Confrontation? He's not afraid at all.

Arms tangled, feet erratic, forces exerted themselves, and after a struggle, Yao Ming managed to get Brown in the low post.

The two men engaged in a power struggle.

The ball was lobbed in.

Yao Ming held firm, not giving Brown the chance to push himself outwards when he received the ball.

Both were taught by the same mentor, and Yao Ming knew perfectly well what Brown's abilities were.

The ball bounces backward.

It didn't create much space.

Brown's lower body was very stable, like the kickstand of a bicycle, firmly holding on.

Yao Ming dribbled the ball again with great force, and at the moment of contact, there was a motion as if he was about to spin towards the baseline.

He had a plan to suddenly turn around and brush past Brown in a stalemate.

Brown instinctively shifts his center of gravity.

Then, realizing he had been tricked, Yao Ming feinted, pulled back to the baseline, and then turned and jumped in one smooth motion.

It remains his sharpest weapon right now: turning and leaning back.

Yao Ming knew very well that Brown was quick on his feet, and even if he managed to cut inside, Brown could quickly catch up and use his explosiveness to block and interfere.

Although Brown was momentarily shaken, his excellent core, quick reaction and explosiveness allowed him to regain control of his body and jump to block Yao Ming.

It's a pity it's useless.

At 2.26 meters tall, he still tries to lean back; it's simply shameless.

The basketball hit the net.

Yao Ming excitedly pumped his fist and gave Brown a finger up.

See that? It's a ball now.

Brown understood, and knew what he needed to do.

That's one more.

Brown has his own methods for dealing with big men like Yao Ming who have an advantage in weight and height.

He backed down on the right side of the basket, slightly raised his shoulders, and pretended to fake a move, but instead turned and cut across the basket directly to the top line.

The pace of his steps was not slow.

Most importantly, when you take the final step and turn to face the basket, this step is an outward step.

Therefore, Brown created enough space that even if Yao Ming, who is 7 feet 5 inches tall, stretched out his arms, he could not interfere with him.

The basketball went in smoothly.

Brown, upon landing, also raised a finger at Yao Ming, as if to say, "See? I can do it too."

They were taught by the same master, so who's worse than whom?
(End of this chapter)