Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 316 Let's do some addition, and we'll win!
Madison's insults and taunts swept over Pacers head coach Dick Hart like a tsunami.

The 73-year-old man had thinning, completely white hair and was dressed in a sharp suit. He stood there while Spike Lee frantically gave him the middle finger from a distance, but his expression remained unchanged.

To Hart, a former Marine Corps officer, such mockery and insults were nothing more than child's play.

He used to be able to berate those burly soldiers until they cried like little girls; what is this compared to that?

Hart glanced at the scoreboard above his head.

109:88.

The Knicks still won.

But surprisingly, they only won by 21 points.

Compared to the Magic and Spurs being crushed by nearly 40 points, the Pacers, who only lost by 21 points, seem to have won.

Hart took a deep breath, turned and walked towards Carlisle, then smiled and gave him a warm hug.

"Rick, is Gerrard alright?"

He asked with concern.

Not long into the third quarter, Artest and Wallace, two muscle-bound guys, were locked in a battle that lasted the entire first half. Finally, Artest couldn't hold back and elbowed Wallace in the nose.

Wallace was immediately sent off the field, blood spurting everywhere.

Carlisle shook his head and said it was nothing; he knew this old friend of over ten years, from the Trail Blazers to the Pacers.

His basketball philosophy can be summarized in one sentence: If you don't beat your opponent, then I'll kill you.

He took defense to an extreme, playing it to the fullest.

Larry Bird searched around but couldn't find a head coach he liked. Too lazy to take the job himself, he poached Hart from the Celtics.

The goal is to develop the Pacers into a team with a strong defense.

So when Wallace got hit, Carlisle couldn't say anything, and he certainly didn't hold a grudge against Hart, because he knew that was just the kind of person Hart was.

"It's good that you're alright." Hart nodded, then said, "Rick, I read your comments yesterday. Are you sure you want to go down this path? That's like making enemies of all the teams in the league."

The Knicks are playing back-to-back home and away games; they just played the Nets yesterday.

After yesterday's match, Carlisle said that he would give his all in every game from now on. Hart saw this in the newspaper when he woke up this morning.

The Big Apple has never had the confidence to be so arrogant and unrestrained.

So the New York media went wild, proclaiming that the Knicks would crush every opponent.

Hart believes that if the Knicks beat every opponent by 30 or 40 points, they will be making enemies of the entire league.

Show no mercy to others.

Paul Silas is fragile and prone to tantrums, but the others aren't.

We'll be in the same league again in the future, and if we do this, people will definitely feel uncomfortable, even if they don't say anything.

Hart continued, "I know you have your reasons, but have you really thought this through?"

He looked concerned.

They've been friends for years and get along well; he didn't want Carlisle to make too many enemies in the league.

Carlisle knew his old friend was simply concerned about him, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Dick, don't worry, I'm fine, and besides, they were enemies to begin with."

If the Knicks want to win the championship, and there can only be one champion, then all the other teams are the enemy.

The Knicks' path to glory was destined to be lonely, without any friends.

"Ok."

Hart sighed and said no more. He shook hands with Carlisle and turned to leave, adding, "By the way, we must beat the Lakers later. I can't stand them either."

These days, the Knicks are so dominant, like the sun god descending upon the league.

Surprisingly, no media outlets or fans compared or discussed the Knicks and Lakers.

When discussing the Lakers, everyone's opinion is that the Lakers are shameless for assembling four All-Stars at once, leaving no room for other teams to compete.

Discussions about the Knicks are simply about how strong they are and how terrifying Townsend is.

They didn't mock the Knicks for being shameless like the Lakers just because all five of their starters were star players.

Hart believes it's because the Lakers are a team of several star players who have teamed up, making them even stronger.

The Knicks, on the other hand, went from being a weak team that struggled to win a single game to gradually becoming stronger through hard work and dedication.

His current strength is entirely due to his own hard work, without any exaggeration.

For a team like that, everyone may be jealous and think that you are unreasonably strong, but deep down they will only admire you.

In particular, the broadcast of the documentary "Road to Glory" last year recorded the growth process of each player.

Others become stronger through hard work, but you can't. First, ask yourself if you're working hard enough.

Therefore, Hart looks down on the Lakers, but he only has respect for the Knicks.

Carlisle nodded slightly and gave an OK sign.

He's also looking forward to next week's game against the Lakers.

The only team missing that has the potential to win the championship is the Lakers.

A 30-point blowout against the Lakers seems unlikely, but if he can win by 20 points, then Carlisle feels like he's got the championship in the bag this season.

There's no need to mention any playoff experience bonus.

The Knicks made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, experiencing a grueling Game 7, just like any other Finals game.

Carlisle was looking forward to the game on the 19th, and Phil Jackson was doing the same, counting down the days until the game arrived.

In the words of the Los Angeles Times, this game could directly determine who will win next year's championship.

And it's a real decision, unlike the polite formalities of the past.

Because both teams are exceptionally strong.

The Knicks dominate the Eastern Conference, seemingly unbeatable.

In the Western Conference, the Lakers have only lost one game this season due to a four-game road trip, and have been winless ever since.

After the Lakers easily defeated the Heat at home on the 16th, Jackson planned to rotate his starters, reduce their playing time, and then try to get them in good form to face the Knicks. This was a tactic he learned from Carlisle last season.

Jackson wanted to skip the away game against the Pistons on the 18th.

Because we're playing the Knicks on the 19th, which is a back-to-back away game.

Jackson doesn't care about the media hype, but he really wants to have a good match with the Knicks at the beginning of the season.

Let's see who's truly stronger.

Before heading to Detroit, Jackson held a meeting with his assistant coach to discuss a game that wasn't against the Pistons, but against the Knicks.

"There's no need to consider the substitute lineup."

Jackson set the tone right from the start: in this one game, he would try to play all the starters to minimize the Knicks' strong bench advantage.

Kobe, in particular, played for 48 minutes straight; he was a stamina monster.

Then he began to calculate the matchup advantages of the five starting positions.

After discussing it with a few others, he concluded that the starting lineups of both teams had their own advantages.

The Lakers lost because of their small forward position.

However, the Lakers, with Kobe Bryant at the shooting guard position, are clearly stronger.

As for the crucial inside players, Jackson is about as good as them.

But I feel a bit weak.

Because that big guy on the east side got a triple-double again.

Against the Pacers, Yao Ming had 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists.

That's incredible! A center who got a triple-double in two consecutive games is even better than many guards.

In this respect, Jackson felt that Yao Ming had surpassed O'Neal.

You can't expect O'Neal to pass the ball, assist his teammates, or drive the team's offense.

The problem is that Yao Ming's offensive ability is not much worse than O'Neal's.

This guy is really scary.

For a fleeting moment, Jackson couldn't help but think how great it would be for the Lakers to swap Shaq and Yao Ming.

He and Kobe could have complemented each other perfectly without any conflict.

Thinking about the two people on the team, Jackson suddenly felt a headache coming on.

During the last practice of the day, Jackson directly pulled the Lakers players aside to demonstrate the tactics for playing against the Knicks.

Jackson had no choice but to leave the small forward position to fate.

There's really no one available.

With Fox injured, Devin George was simply a last resort, a choice made out of necessity.

His offense is inconsistent, but he has some defensive skills and excellent athleticism.

Jackson mainly practiced switching on defense for the power forward and center positions.

He anticipated that Yao Ming would frequently pull out to set screens and deal cards from a high position.

In these few games, Yao Ming, who has been racking up assists, has often done this.

Jackson couldn't expect O'Neal to follow him out, so he had to ask Malone to switch and follow him out.

With Malone's elbows, his power, and his defensive experience, he should have no problem limiting Yao Ming.

As for O'Neal, he can't just stand there; he has to switch onto McDyess.

McDyess has a mid-range shot that can't be completely left open.

However, the timing of this change needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Don't let Yao Ming fake a shot, otherwise you'll leave someone open when you switch defenses.

Therefore, we need to practice our teamwork.

Malone practiced very seriously, following Brian Cook, his imaginary opponent, and running towards the edge of the penalty area step by step.

Only O'Neal.

Jackson was at his wits' end. He wouldn't let you go out with him anymore. He only wanted you to help defend McDyess in the low post. It was just a matter of walking a few steps, but you were dragging your feet.

He was still not satisfied after practicing until the very end, and he stood there complaining to Jackson.

"Phil, I don't think it's necessary to train like this at all."

"Aren't you putting too much emphasis on the Knicks? I know the media says they are very strong, but they are only strong in terms of role players. If we only talk about the starters, I don't think we are worse than them."

He pointed at Malone, then at Payton.

In terms of star power, they're not even in the same league.

These are all legendary players.

"Instead of spending time training us, you might as well give us a break and let us rest properly."

"Only when we're well-rested will we have the energy to play the whole game, just like you said."

With just a few words, Jackson was rendered speechless.

Suppressing his anger, Jackson retorted, "Shaq, the Knicks are far stronger than we think, and we have to take them seriously."

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Kobe, who was practicing his shooting diligently not far away.

I really want to remind Shaq, look at Kobe, his clothes are all soaked, and you haven't even broken a sweat yet, and you're already complaining to me.

O'Neal wasn't so easily persuaded. He patted his chest and said, "Phil, it's simple if you want to win. In the next game against the Pistons, I won't play a single minute. Let me rest for a few days."

"Then on the 19th, I guarantee you'll get 50 points."

"By then, I'll have 50 points, Kobe 30, Karl 20, and Gary 20, that's already 120 points. Then the others can just score a few points, and we'll win."

Jackson's eyes widened. Could they really just add up the numbers regardless of whether they won or lost?

(End of this chapter)