Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 321 Wade's New Technique: The Step Back

After defeating the Lakers, the Knicks face a tough schedule, starting with a back-to-back home and away game followed by a three-game road trip.

Therefore, Tang Sen was not in a hurry to talk to Wade about what techniques to practice next.

Tang Sen himself also needs time to consider it.

On the 21st, the Knicks will play the Pistons on the road.

Last season, the Pistons had already dropped out of the discussion about being a strong team in the Eastern Conference.

But this season, after drafting Anthony, they have shown some new promise.

During the intensive tryouts in June, Tang Sen had already studied Anthony.

This kid's playing style is primarily based on shooting, relying on his physicality and athleticism to overpower opponents and create mismatch advantages.

His playing style doesn't rely heavily on the team's system; he's somewhat plug-and-play and can be used in any tactical system.

Most importantly, his shooting is really good.

So far this season, he has averaged 19.2 points per game, which is no worse than James and Wade.

There are reports in Detroit that Dumars is preparing to trade Stackhouse in exchange for a better shooting guard.

That means they're going to officially promote Anthony.

Of course, the Pistons are still far from being a match for the Knicks.

Yao Ming dominated the paint like it was a lesson for a child, easily scoring 29 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists on 12-of-17 shooting.

He recorded another triple-double this season, leading his team to a 121-85, 36-point victory over the Pistons.

The media has even become accustomed to such a score difference.

Returning to their home court to play the 76ers, a back-to-back game, had no impact on the Knicks.

There are so many good players; if anyone needs a rest, someone can step up immediately.

117:91.

Iverson's 39-point outburst had no effect, and the team still lost by 26 points.

After a three-game road trip, including a back-to-back road game against the Timberwolves and then the Pacers, two strong teams, the Knicks remained undefeated.

He pushed his winning streak to 16 in one go.

They are now just two games away from their team's longest winning streak of 18 games.

At this point, even the media has stopped bothering to discuss when the Knicks will finally lose.

Winning by thirty points in a matter of minutes, with such a gap in strength, it's really hard to lose.

Sure enough, the Knicks easily defeated their opponents in the next two home games, extending their winning streak to 18 games.

It is also the longest undefeated season in NBA history.

Many media outlets believe that the Knicks have a chance to break the Lakers' record of 33 consecutive wins.

The key game is the one against the Lakers on the 9th, which is part of the next five-game road trip.

If the Knicks can beat the Lakers on the road again, then no one can stop them from breaking the record for the longest winning streak.

Carlisle never mentioned breaking the winning streak record.

But the players themselves value it.

Who doesn't want to be remembered in history!
So even though this five-game road trip included two back-to-back games, the Knicks still won all of them with a perfect record.

The game on the 9th is against the Lakers.

Los Angeles media outlets have been clamoring for the Knicks not to be allowed to break the Lakers' proudest record.

However, the gap in strength cannot be solved by simply shouting slogans.

Yao Ming played 30 minutes and scored 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, nearly achieving a triple-double.

Chandler, who came off the bench, scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, delivering an outstanding performance.

But the most eye-catching were Billups and Prince.

The former once again dominated Payton, making 4 of 6 three-point attempts and scoring a whopping 26 points.

Prince was also in superb form, scoring 21 points.

119-99, handing the Lakers another 20-point blowout.

In the past, when the media described a team as having a strong and balanced team spirit, they would say that several players on the team scored in double figures.

The Knicks today are no longer about how many players score in double figures, but rather how many players can score 20+ points.

Such strength prompted Jackson to ask the crucial question after the game: "What can we do?"

They're just that strong, what can you do about it?

After this five-game winning streak, the Knicks' winning streak has now reached 23 games.

The team finally got two days of respite.

Team number 11 was given a day off.

Tang Sen wasn't a player, so he wasn't that tired. He took some time that day to do some recovery training with Hamon using the ball.

She started her rehabilitation training early, so her condition recovered quickly.

Although he is still wearing knee braces, his mobility has recovered to at least 70%.

Tang Sen personally sparred with his girlfriend, bringing her along to practice.

I didn't help her learn any new techniques; the main thing was to help her regain her former form.

It didn't last long; it stopped soon after.

Harmon took a swig of his drink, and seeing Tang Sen lost in thought with his arms crossed, he handed him a bottle of drink and asked Tang Sen what he was thinking about.

Tang Sen snapped out of his daze and asked, "You like taking a step back?"

Tang Sen hadn't watched Harmon play much, or rather, he hadn't formally paid attention to how his girlfriend played.

Women's basketball and men's basketball are completely different things.

But during today's practice, Tang Sen unexpectedly discovered that Hammon had quite a few step-back shots.

It's not the kind of step-back jump shot that's common in the NBA, like Paul Pierce's.

Women's basketball involves less physical contact.

And since Hamon is short, he is even less likely to actively seek physical confrontation.

Her step back was a deliberate one.

Without confrontation, there are many ways to utilize it.

For example, while dribbling, use a floating ball and take a step back to shoot.

Alternatively, you can use some feints to break through, mislead your opponent, and then step back and shoot in the opposite direction.

Even during her breakthroughs, she often uses crossover dribbling to pull back and step back while facing the defender.

Her rhythm is versatile; she can step back in any direction and then shoot.

Most importantly, she acted very quickly.

Because it was a single-stage pitch commonly used by women, and Tang Sen noticed that her launch point was very high.

Almost all of them completed the ball-raising action during the step-back movement.

Therefore, the speed of the attack is very fast.

Harmon nodded, though she didn't know why Tang Sen asked that, but she explained her reasons for doing so.

It was pretty much what Tang Sen had guessed.

Because of his height, he needs to use a step back to create space for his shot.

Combined with her own advantages of speed, low center of gravity, and large change of direction, a large number of misleading moves were added.

Harmon continued, "I also like to shoot threes because they're more efficient." Tang Sen nodded; making two threes is equivalent to making three twos, so the efficiency is definitely higher.

But Tang Sen believes the main reason is that Hamon is relatively short, making it difficult for him to break in and attack.

"What's wrong?" Hamon asked.

Tang Sen hugged his girlfriend and smiled, "It's nothing, I just thought of something."

These past few days, with the team playing away games, Townsend has been thinking about how to combine Wade's strengths to develop the most suitable offensive techniques for him.

This technique, to put it bluntly, is a secret weapon.

It has to be unleashed in a way that no one can defend against.

For Wade, who is 1.93 meters tall, to perform a turnaround fadeaway jump shot is quite difficult, and it is certainly unlikely that he will reach the same level of threat as McGrady.

With McGrady's height and wingspan, his back turn and fadeaway jumper are unstoppable.

Someone like Wade, if he encounters someone with long arms and good jumping ability, might be able to block their shot.

And it's not very efficient either.

Backing down and then leaning back, that's so tiring.

Just like Yao Ming, he gradually made turning and leaning back his most frequently used offensive move.

It's simple and efficient, and it also allows me to maximize my height advantage.

Seeing Hammon's playing style, Tang Sen thought that perhaps Wade could practice his step-back jumper.

This gives him three options when he has the ball and is playing one-on-one.

The options are: one, a jump shot; two, a drive to the basket; and three, a step-back jumper.

Especially the step-back move combined with various feints.

This gives him more options, and makes it harder for his opponents to defend against.

The step-back requires explosive power in the legs, and Wade happens to have a long Achilles tendon, strong calf explosiveness, and top-notch coordination.

When he retreats, it's easier for him to find that feeling of confrontation, like drawing a bow and shooting an arrow.

On the second day of practice, Tang Sen took Wade to a separate court.

"Tang, are you going to start teaching me how to back down?" Wade's eyes lit up.

After Carlisle established himself as the team's second-leading scorer, Wade's stats began to rise.

So far this season, he has averaged 20.2 points per game.

But that's not enough. Those two guys from the Cavaliers and Pistons, especially LeBron James, have the ball in their hands and their stats are exceptionally good.

James averages 22 points per game.

Last month's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award was snatched away by LeBron James.

There's no way around it, the competition is too fierce, the top three picks in the draft are all in the Eastern Conference.

Wade has already sensed that he has reached his limit.

Firstly, the technology has reached a certain level, and efficiency can no longer be improved.

Secondly, my teammates are too strong, so I can't get more possession of the ball.

Even so, this was because Yao Ming sacrificed some offensive possessions and focused on assists.

Yao Ming is fully capable of challenging for the scoring title.

So Wade was hoping that Townsend would teach him more techniques, namely post-up play.

Can a guard who can't post up be called a guard?

Tang Sen shook his head and said, "No, I'll teach you something else."

With that, he picked up the ball and immediately began offensive and defensive drills.

On the first play, Tang Sen dribbled closer, passed the ball to his left hand, and simultaneously took a sideways step to the left while suspending the ball in his left hand.

While moving the body, I reset my steps in accordance with the body's dynamics.

Then, he slammed the ball down, pushed off with his right foot, and took a sharp step back diagonally.

When he first pulled to the side, he had already created some space for a shot, and Wade instinctively moved to the side to follow up.

But he was slow on this next step.

Because it requires continuous lateral movement with a large range of motion, it cannot be done quickly.

They stepped back again, so the space was completely cleared.

While retreating, Tang Sen had already gathered the ball and shot directly.

With a thud, it missed.

After all, it was a three-pointer that came from behind.

Moreover, Tang Sen felt that he didn't have enough strength in his legs, so his movements were already somewhat inaccurate.

This set of movements is a routine that Hamon often uses.

It tests the explosive power of the legs and the coordination of a series of movements, especially the final strike, which requires adjusting the strike while retreating, making it quite difficult.

But Tang Sen doesn't actually play; his presence is enough.

"Well, do you understand now?" Tang Sen asked.

Wade nodded thoughtfully.

Tang Sen gestured for him to come again.

It was Hammon's trick again: Tangsen dribbled, actively seeking contact, pushing Wade forward to the right, then suddenly stopped and pulled back between his legs.

Wade instinctively stopped abruptly, but the difference in speed had already created space between them.

He knew Tang Sen was going to throw, so he quickly moved up to press.

There's a detail in Tangsen's pull-back: he stopped abruptly with his left foot, then stepped back with his right foot and dribbled between his legs.

While pulling the body back, the right foot exerts force simultaneously, and the left foot pulls back.

In other words, it connects to another step back.

This way, the space is expanded even more.

Finally, he combined the balls and made a shot.

Wade's explosive speed was astonishing; he stretched out his arm, but he still couldn't stop Tang Sen.

There was a clang, but it still didn't go in.

But as I said before, as long as the meaning is conveyed, that's enough.

Tang Sen asked Wade if he understood.

Having learned how top players play from Hakeem Olajuwon, Wade has a keen eye for detail and thoughtfully said, "Tang, do you want me to use a step-back jumper to create space for my shot and combine it with my drive?"

In the summer, Wade followed Townsend to learn various rhythm changes for breakthroughs.

The unpredictable start makes it difficult for opponents to defend, and when combined with various reverse retreats, who can stop it?

Wade gasped, his eyes lighting up with excitement, and asked Tang Sen curiously how he had come up with the idea.

If he remembers correctly, Pierce is the only player in the league who likes to use the step-back jumper.

Of course, the creator of the step-back jumper was definitely not Pierce, but Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe.

For a long time, this step-back shot was named after Vandeweghe.

Could Tang Sen have been inspired by this?

Tang Sen did not say who it was.

You can't exactly say you learned it from your girlfriend, can you?

(End of this chapter)