Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 277 It's Not Impossible to Turn the Tide
Magic bench.

As soon as McGrady sat down, Shea Wheeler immediately came over, squatted down in front of him, and helped him relax his leg muscles.

On the other side, Huang Xunen did the same, helping Brown relax his shoulder muscles.

The effect of such a short break and a couple of massages is negligible, and it's not something one would intentionally do on a regular basis.

But Rivers called this game the decisive moment, so he wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to win it.

"Tracy, take a break. Focus your energy on organizing and supporting the team. Conserve your energy. We need you in the second half."

"Kwame, it's all up to you in the first half. I need you to score 30 points in the first half."

Rivers just spouts off without considering whether scoring 30 points in the first half is realistic.

Anyway, I've made my request, you understand what I mean.

Brown understood and nodded silently.

Rivers had repeatedly emphasized the importance of this game to them before the match.

Once the Magic take a 3-1 lead, they've already won.

There is absolutely no chance that the Knicks will win three straight games.

Not to mention the Magic also have home-court advantage.

So even if we have to give up one game to let Brown and McGrady get some rest, we have to grit our teeth and fight for this one.

The comeback is temporarily suspended.

The Magic not only focused their offensive efforts on Brown, but also began double-teaming Yao Ming.

And the method has changed.

PJ Brown was assigned to defend Yao Ming, while Brown would go around the front of the defense, sweeping inside and outside the paint. Whenever Yao Ming received the ball, Brown would double-team him at an even faster pace.

This was done to reduce Brown's unnecessary physical exertion in key positions in the paint.

Anyway, PJ Brown is 2.11 meters tall and can occasionally play center.

Kwame couldn't keep up with Yao Ming, and neither could PJ, so it's better to let PJ wear them down.

This adjustment really worked.

Brown is much more athletic than PJ, so he'll be much more effective at sweeping attacks.

On the offensive end, Brown also continued to employ Garnett's low-post jump shot style.

This kid still has enough awareness.

When the Magic needed him, he decisively took on the offensive duties.

He played the entire first quarter, scoring 14 points in that quarter alone.

He only rested for 2 minutes in the second quarter before returning to the court and scoring 12 points in the quarter.

Moreover, 5 of those points were scored from free throws.

So much so that Tederski specifically asked Townsend if he had taught Brown how to draw fouls.

In the second quarter, Brown, whether due to fatigue or some other reason, tried to draw fouls from Yao Ming repeatedly.

The method was also quite clever; instead of a strong drive to the basket, he chose to dribble past Yao Ming from about 10 feet in the paint.

Using his speed, he pushed Yao Ming towards the basket, and as he released the shot, he leaned against Yao Ming again, looking for an opportunity to foul.

Moving and not moving make completely different situations.

Yao Ming suffered twice, and his foul count has now reached three.

Moreover, the foul itself wasn't a big problem; it's just that Brown had good acting skills, athleticism, and strong impact.

Tang Sen shook his head and said no.

I had never taught him this style of play before.

I reckon he learned this season from a seasoned veteran like Grant.

At halftime, the Knicks led 49-45, a four-point advantage.

Yao Ming scored 18 points in the first half, which was a decent performance.

However, compared to the previous three games, the shooting percentage has declined.

Being double-teamed was one reason, and I also felt that my performance fluctuated.

The two opponents fought fiercely for three games, so Yao Ming is about the same.

He's averaging 40 points per game, which shows how hard he's playing.

As for the Magic, they're really relying on Kwame Brown alone.

With 26 points in the first half, this kid really gave it his all.

Tang Sen noticed that when this guy walked off the field, he put his arm around Mike Miller.

It was obvious that he was exhausted.

The atmosphere inside the home team's locker room was not relaxed.

Yao Ming was lying on a soft mat, and Guo Yonglin was massaging him to help him relax.

This was Tedeschi's idea; he said that the halftime break should also be utilized.

Carlisle crossed his arms, his eyebrows furrowed.

He was leading, but he sensed a crisis.

With three fouls already committed, Yao Ming will definitely be more cautious in the second half.

Before the series began, Carlisle had anticipated that the Magic would play the foul card.

However, the Magic didn't use it much in the first three games.

Carlisle lowered his guard, not expecting Rivers to use this in such a crucial game.

Moreover, Carlisle didn't know Brown had this ability to draw fouls; he hadn't seen Brown play like this during the regular season.

He drives past you with the ball, then fakes a shot at the last moment, making you jump, and then leans in on you to try and draw a foul.

So skillful, it's obvious she's had special training.

What's more troublesome is that McGrady only scored 9 points in the first half and hadn't really made a significant impact yet.

This is what worries Carlisle the most.

Both Yao Ming and Brown were exhausted in the first half. If Yao Ming can't hold up the score in the second half, Houston doesn't have McGrady's scoring ability.

Carlisle glanced at the players, gritted his teeth, and made a decision.

He decided to drop Billups.

Billups' main role now is still controlling the tempo and connecting the team.

He has scoring ability, but it's limited.

The Knicks no longer need to control the pace of the game or connect the team.

At this stage of the game, it's entirely up to the team's core player to carry the team.

Even if Yao Ming is having a bad day, the ball will still go to him first, drawing the defense before being passed to someone else to score.

So in this situation, it's not a big problem to not have a point guard.

Carlisle brought Prince in, letting Houston handle the ball at point guard.

Then you need to use two people to limit McGrady.

In the end, he bluntly stated that if the Knicks could stop McGrady in the second half, they would win.

This substitution once again reminded me of Rivers.

However, the course of the game did not entirely go as Carlisle had hoped.

Someone stole the show!
McGrady drove toward Sather, who had the ball, and Kwame Brown set a screen to block Wallace, who was guarding him.

Prince had already started his attack, abandoning Mike Miller and rushing towards McGrady.

Sasser passed the ball, but not to McGrady; instead, he flicked it to Mike Miller on the weak side. Prince's heart pounded; it was too late for a run.

Amidst the suffocating gasps of the New York fans, Mike Miller caught the ball and pulled up for his fourth three-pointer of the second half.

The Magic led by 4 points, 81 to 85.

There are 1 minute and 17 seconds left in the game.

These 3 points are crucial.

Carlisle hugged his arms tightly, his heart pounding.

Tang Sen had already stood up to watch the game, his expression extremely serious.

The two-man strategy against McGrady worked in the second half.

McGrady tried to explode in the third quarter, but he didn't quite manage to do so, scoring only 9 points in that quarter.

However, the Knicks failed to capitalize on the opportunity to widen the gap.

The Magic continued their strategy of double-teaming Yao Ming. Under these circumstances, Yao Ming's ability to score 8 points was already exceptional.

Throughout the third quarter, both teams' offenses fell short of expectations, with the Knicks outscoring their opponents 17-19.

None of them scored more than 20 points.

As a result, in the fourth quarter, the Magic made adjustments and focused on McGrady.

Make full use of McGrady's passing ability.

Most importantly, someone took responsibility, namely Mike Miller.

Including that last basket, Miller hit three three-pointers in the fourth quarter.

The media always says that the Knicks have a lot of excellent role players.

Actually, the Magic do have that too, at least in their starting lineup.

Mike Miller was the 5th overall pick. In three seasons, he has also developed and has a decent three-point shot.

Then, with Yao Ming going cold, the Knicks' offense failed to pick up.

Billups' fate did have an impact.

So far, the Knicks have only scored 14 points in the entire fourth quarter.

The Magic reversed the score.

With just over a minute left and a four-point deficit, of course they can still fight.

But Carlisle was at a loss and didn't know how to proceed.

He felt that the tactics of the two teams were essentially the same, both focusing on utilizing the abilities of their superstars.

Even if you don't let superstars play, you still let them act as the focal point on the court, helping others to make plays.

The problem is that the Knicks only have one and a half superstars, while the Magic have two.

Both Yao Ming and Brown are currently exhausted and unable to play as well.

But it's still unknown whether McGrady has any fuel left in his tank.

Houston has played normally so far, scoring 21 points, which is already a good performance. In the final moments, Carlisle dared not put all his eggs in one basket.

After calling a timeout and debating the entire duration, Carlisle decided to take a gamble.

Without making any adjustments, grit your teeth and hold on a little longer.

The result of trying to hold on was that it couldn't hold.

The comeback is temporarily suspended.

Yao Ming turned and leaned back to shoot first, but missed.

Bender made a crucial play, driving to the basket, stealing the ball, and grabbing the key offensive rebound.

Reorganizing, Yao Ming facilitated the play, drawing the defense, and then passed the ball to Houston.

Houston didn't falter; despite Sather's defense, they made a mid-range jumper.

The point difference has narrowed to 2 points.

There are 53 seconds left in the game.

Then came the fatal attack.

The Magic's 24-second shot clock was almost up, and the ball eventually ended up in McGrady's hands.

Wallace cornered him on the flank, and Prince pounced on him.

McGrady opted to force a shot.

He even set a rhythm, first shaking Wallace up before jumping, leaning on Wallace's arm, and throwing out a 3-pointer.

Tang Sen could see it clearly from the sidelines; McGrady's move was clearly aimed at drawing a foul.

He casually tossed the ball in, and it actually went in.

The whistle blew immediately.

With 34 seconds left, McGrady made an incredible three-point play.

Madison was as silent as a tomb.

Carlisle clutched his head in frustration, his face filled with disbelief.

McGrady himself was incredulous, and then excitedly shouted at the stands.

It's as if it's shouting: Who else is there!

No one responded.

McGrady calmly made the free throw, and with 34 seconds left, the score difference was back to 6 points.

His attack almost killed the game.

Sure enough, as the Knicks launched a fast break, Houston missed a three-pointer, and the game was no longer in doubt.

The magician won.

After losing two home games, the Knicks are down 1-3 and are on the brink of elimination.

Rivers proudly raised his arms, as if he had won the whole world.

McGrady and Brown embraced in celebration, freely expressing their excitement.

They wanted to show the world that even without Chauncey Billups, a championship-caliber point guard, the Magic still had championship potential this season.

After a moment of silence at Madison Square Garden, the New York fans still gave the team a warm round of applause.

Today, the Knicks had no weak players, no one underperformed; they only lost because their opponents were stronger.

The fans forgave the team, but Carlisle could not forgive himself.

He didn't show up for the post-match press conference until the very last minute.

After seeing the players off, he didn't leave Madison, but locked himself in the head coach's office, lost in thought.

Outside the door, Tang Sen and the others exchanged glances, sensing that Carlisle was not in a good mood, and considered whether they should try to persuade him.

"I'll go."

Seeing that the group was in a difficult situation, Tang Sen stepped forward and pushed open Carlisle's door.

No lock.

Inside the room, Carlisle didn't do anything; he simply stood in front of the television and started watching the replay of the match.

Seeing this, Tang Sen felt a little relieved.

Without disturbing him, I closed the door again.

This man hasn't given up or been defeated by failure yet.

The series isn't over yet; it's only 1-3. There's always a chance for a comeback.

(End of this chapter)