Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 281 The Lakers got a good deal.

"Muscle tension may cause him to miss Game 6."

Townsend received the news that the entire Knicks roster had returned to New York.

Although the Magic haven't updated their information or made an official announcement, reporters have confirmed that McGrady didn't come to New York at all.

Carlisle nodded, staring intently at Tang Sen.

Tang Sen understood his gaze; he wanted him to make a phone call to confirm.

Tang Sen really wanted to make that call.

Competition is competition, but health is more important.

Especially since McGrady also has scoliosis, I kept making him train his core and back muscles in order to alleviate the scoliosis problem.

Problems still arose.

They played five games with all their might, so you can imagine how much they were exhausted.

But upon closer reflection on Game 5, Townsend didn't find anything wrong with McGrady.

Is he just putting on a brave face?

Thinking of this, Tang Sen took out his phone and called McGrady.

The phone is switched off.

After thinking about it, Tang Sen called Brown again.

It's the same; it's turned off.

By this time, the entire Magic team should have arrived in New York and checked into their hotel.

It's about keeping information closed.

It's normal for a team's star player and absolute core member to keep news of their injury under wraps.

Carlisle crossed his arms, but his brows furrowed.

Logically, he should be happy that the opponent's key player is absent.

But how come...

Tang Sen's heart skipped a beat, and a possibility suddenly occurred to him: "Rick, you wouldn't be thinking about...?"

Tang Sen didn't continue.

Carlisle neither admitted nor denied it, but said with a complicated expression, "I don't know, but with the competition going this far, I can accept whatever the outcome is."

He sighed and turned to leave.

Tang Sen thought about it and realized that Carlisle was right.

Since we've come this far, let's just give it our all.

After finalizing the recovery training plan for tomorrow morning, Tang Sen went home early to rest.

Before going to Orlando, Tang Ling had already met with Stern on her behalf and discussed the specific plan.

"I think it's feasible."

Tang Ling pulled Tang Sen aside and explained the situation in detail.

The lottery has ended, the draft is imminent, and Stern is getting anxious.

His proposed plan was for Tang Sen to establish a company with a registered capital of ten million, and then the NBA would invest in the company at a valuation of fifty million, acquiring a 40% stake.

That is, an investment of 20 million.

"They clearly calculated this ratio correctly."

Stern's original plan for one player per city was for the team to fund training with Townsend for their key players.

Since the slogan of the Tangsen Million Club has already been proclaimed, let's charge one million for three months.

With 29 teams, Tang Sen could theoretically earn 29 million.

If Tang Sen didn't cooperate with the alliance and instead recruited clients on his own, he had considered that even if he recruited freely, he might only be able to recruit around twenty people.

Some star players, like Shaquille O'Neal, have no motivation to train, while others, with retirement contracts, have already started to slack off and pretend to be dead, unwilling to spend money to train.

If we remove those, about twenty people are enough.

In other words, injecting capital at a valuation of 50 million guarantees Tang Sen's revenue from this portion.

If Tang Sen isn't guaranteed these incomes first, why would he want to play along with them?

"I think the shareholding can be reduced further. I think the most valuable thing is that we can utilize the resources of the NBA."

"Publicity, operations, and some hidden resources."

In the future, this company will be considered a subsidiary of the NBA, which will certainly allow it to utilize the league's promotional resources, and even operational resources such as finance and law.

These things also represent costs.

"Moreover, the alliance is not just about telling a good story. Stern has other ambitions. He wants to use your fame to develop related products."

"What do you mean?"

Tang Sen didn't quite understand this point, and he hadn't heard Stern mention it before.

Tang Ling said, "It's sports-related products."

Tang Sen understood immediately.

That is, jerseys, wristbands, towels, water bottles, and so on.

The NBA gets a cut of the money as long as these things have the NBA logo printed on them.

The most unfortunate one was West. Alan Siegel made a silhouette of him, and he himself admitted that it was West, but the NBA refused to acknowledge it.

Because once they admit it, wouldn't they have to give West a share of the money?

Tang Ling continued, "Sports and training are highly related. Stern wants to use your fame to develop training equipment and sports supplements, and then leverage the NBA's promotional channels and brand recognition to make the products a success."

Tang Sen sat up straight.

I hadn't really thought about that.

For example, this protein powder is personally recommended by world-class trainer Tang Sen, and Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady both praised it. It's the official sports supplement of the NBA. How could this product possibly have trouble selling?

Seeing that Tang Sen understood, Tang Ling said, "So I think there are advantages to cooperating with the NBA. They want to use your fame, and you can also use their influence to truly turn your fame into wealth."

Fame is money too.

If Tang Sen can become number one in the trainer industry, then he has the right to turn his fame into money.

"can!"

After considering it for a moment, Tang Sen nodded.

Tang Sen thought the cooperation proposal was feasible.

Tang Ling will handle the specific share allocation.

"By the way, find a good lawyer."

Tang Sen also pointed out that New York has no shortage of good lawyers.

Tang Sen felt that time was running out; the offseason was just a month away.

At this point, negotiating, starting a company, or setting up a trust would take an unknown amount of time just to go through the procedures.

And he also stood Jordan up.

Jordan's dream of becoming an owner may have to be postponed again.

Tang Ling nodded, then casually asked if the Knicks could win the championship this year.

"Who knows."

Tang Sen shook his head secretly.

If McGrady really doesn't play in Game 6, then Game 7 shouldn't be a problem.

But if it's a tiebreaker, and the two teams are back to square one, with the outcome decided in a single game, and it turns out to be the situation you're hoping for, then Tang Sen really can't say what the result will be.

Based on the first four games, when both teams' starters played at full strength, the Knicks were slightly weaker than the Magic.

The following day, the Magic confirmed that McGrady had back muscle tension and would miss Game 6. The Magic media was devastated.

The Sentinel, once again a fence-sitter, bluntly stated that Orlando's sky had fallen.

He also accused the Knicks of dirty play, saying that Kadrick Brown played too dirty and injured McGrady, and his fouling out was the best proof of that.

Meanwhile, people in New York were overjoyed, believing they had already won.

The New York Times went even further, stating that the Knicks could not only reach the Finals but also win the championship.

Because Carlisle has found the key to winning.

Analysts say the Knicks have many excellent role players, and Redden's plan is already showing results.

If the series goes to seven games, and they win just one of the first four, the Knicks will be unstoppable in the later stages, and no one can beat them.

But at the pre-game press conference, Rivers looked gloomy and had a dark expression, and Carlisle's expression was also extremely serious.

Back in the locker room, he immediately announced that Yao Ming would be brought in as a substitute.

Yao Ming looked somewhat surprised, his expression suggesting he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Tang Sen shook his head slightly.

It seems that Rivers' move caused Carlisle to change his plans.

Tang Sen knew that on the plane back to New York, Carlisle's plan was to play a one-star, four-shooter game in Game 6.

Reduce Yao Ming's shot attempts and let him pass the ball more often.

Then rotate the perimeter players more, shoot more three-pointers, and try to speed up the pace, with four players going on fast breaks to use speed to overwhelm the tired Magic.

They were still planning to take turns playing to wear down McGrady.

As a result, McGrady didn't play, saving his energy for Game 7.

Carlisle wouldn't dare to wear Yao Ming down any further; he needed to save Yao Ming's energy for Game 7.

Carlisle pulled everyone aside to explain the tactical arrangements. The game had changed; now the focus was on creating shooting opportunities for Houston.

We can't exhaust Yao Ming too much in this game, and we can't afford to lose; we have to win.

So we can only rely on Houston.

There's still Kwame Brown on the other side.

The match started at 7:30 p.m.

Rivers noticed the Knicks' lineup change.

He didn't think too much about it anymore; he just wanted to go for Game 7 and then rely on McGrady to save the Magic.

Outsiders may not be able to see through this kind of covert confrontation.

Therefore, Barkley sighed with emotion after seeing Chandler replace Yao Ming in the starting lineup.

"I really think the Eastern Conference Finals are more exciting than the Western Conference Finals."

In the Western Conference, the Lakers are already leading 2-1.

Moreover, both of their wins were by a margin of more than ten points.

Shaquille O'Neal dominated the Mavericks' interior, unstoppable.

Kobe, on the perimeter, also averaged 34 points per game.

Van Gundy didn't go crazy; even Don Nelson had to use Raja Bell, a third-year rookie, to defend Kobe.

"Yao, Kwame, and Tracy, especially Yao, they really delivered top-notch performances."

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the average score was 30 points or more. Yao Ming scored 51 points, and McGrady also scored a high of 47 points.

This series featured both high-scoring duels between star players and a miraculous comeback by the Knicks' bench.

It's far more exciting than the one-sided situation in the West.

The fact that the Eastern Conference Finals had higher viewership than the Western Conference Finals is the best proof of this.

"So you see, Tracy is injured, and Yao's performance has also suffered. Both teams have been too exhausted."

Smith on the other side nodded in agreement.

The series was exciting, but it was also incredibly taxing on the players.

"Last year, the Magic had plenty of rest and ultimately defeated the Lakers to win the championship. This year, it's the other way around."

"If the Knicks win again today, and the two teams go to Game 7, then whoever emerges from the East will be exhausted."

This means the Lakers got a good deal.

Such a situation would have been unimaginable in the past.

The West is fighting tooth and nail, allowing the East to gain some advantage.

The three chatted idly as the competition began.

Carlisle opted to start Chandler and Swift.

Therefore, the tactics were clear from the start: to charge forward, launch a fast attack, and quickly switch to offense.

McGrady didn't play and rested, but weren't the others tired too?

So we still need to be fast and use our physical strength to challenge the magic.

This style of play made things very difficult for the Magic.

Rivers even fantasized that Brown might be able to lead the Magic to victory by himself.

But after seeing that Brown had only scored 5 points in 10 minutes of the first quarter, Rivers decisively abandoned this unrealistic fantasy.

He replaced Brown and the starters, and began the normal rotation.

He glanced across at the other side.

Carlisle stood expressionless on the sidelines and made a substitution, replacing Chandler but not Yao Ming; instead, he brought on Bender.

Billups and Wallace were also substituted.

The Knicks were leading in the score, and Carlisle didn't want to play Yao Ming yet.

The more you play, the more energy you expend.

Brown sat on the bench until four minutes remained in the second quarter before finally coming on.

He suddenly erupted, scoring 6 points in a row, helping the Magic close the gap.

Carlisle wasn't worried; as long as he was leading, he didn't want to touch Yao Ming.

In his mind, the ideal situation right now is to win the game without Yao Ming having to play, so that he can save his energy for Game 7.

But that's just an ideal scenario.

Brown came on early in the fourth quarter and led his team on an 8-0 run against the Knicks, taking the lead.

Carlisle then put Yao Ming on the court.

Doing this is actually quite dangerous.

Because players need time to adapt after they get on the field and gradually find their form.

However, Yao Ming is clearly not among them.

As soon as he stepped onto the court, he faced Brown, turned around, and hit a fadeaway jumper.

It feels amazing.

With less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Yao Ming scored 11 points, shooting 5-for-8 from the field and including free throws, helping the Knicks maintain their lead until the end of the game.

87:83.

The Knicks won the game, successfully turning a 1-3 deficit into a Game 7.

Madison was in an uproar.

But Carlisle, standing on the sidelines, was anything but happy.

McGrady, who stayed in Orlando and rested for three and a half days, who knows what kind of performance he'll be able to deliver.

(End of this chapter)