Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 336 Shooting Master, Bruce Frazier

Grover said, "Honestly, last summer I thought you would invite me, but I didn't expect you to not hold a training camp."

"Instead, they focused their energy on the Knicks. Don, the Knicks are really scary."

The Knicks' success was unbelievable even to Grover, the former top trainer in the league.

This is also a major reason why he was willing to accept Tangsen's invitation. He was really curious about what kind of magic Tangsen possessed that could train the Knicks players to this level.

Tang Sen didn't expect things to go so smoothly.

Taking the opportunity, Tang Sen chatted with Grover for a while longer.

The fees weren't discussed; he has his own team, so ensuring their income is sufficient.

Tang Sen asked him if he had any trainers he could recommend.

Tang Sen is the team leader, responsible for the overall development planning of the players.

Tang Sen has extensive experience in this area.

However, in specific training sessions, some sub-categories can be made based on the trainer's characteristics.

Each trainer has a different focus.

For example, Tedeschi is more skilled in sports medicine, ensuring players' recovery and health during training.

Grover, on the other hand, is better at physical training.

He rose to fame through Jordan's influence, but he didn't improve Jordan's skills; rather, he helped Jordan develop a superhuman physique.

His ability and experience in physical training far surpass Hall's.

"What about shooting?" Tang Sen asked.

Tang Sen can teach shooting, but he focuses more on training with the most successful role models, such as Jordan.

However, Tang Sen's shooting training was very rough, essentially starting from scratch.

If it's a rookie like Brown or Wade, it shouldn't be a big problem.

However, the players we're training this time are all seasoned stars, and it would be too risky to drastically change their shooting form, which they've been accustomed to for so many years.

Therefore, Tang Sen is considering finding an experienced shooting coach to assist him in his work.

"How is Dave Hope?" Tangsen asked.

This guy has become quite famous in recent years; media reports describe him as the best shooting trainer.

He also attempted to break the Guinness World Record, setting a record of 211 consecutive three-pointers made.

However, its connections with the NBA, the core circle of basketball, are generally limited.

He mentored some college students, and, as he himself said, he collaborated with Ray Allen.

But I don't know if it's true or not.

"Him?" Grover shook his head slightly, a hint of disdain flashing across his face, and then said, "A show-off with no real professional experience."

"His methods might be okay to teach ordinary people, but they're far from sufficient for NBA stars."

Tang Sen glanced at Grover, sensing that his words were directed at him.

Not having much professional experience—isn't that just describing myself?

His subsequent sarcastic remarks about Hopra's shooting philosophy felt like he was talking about himself.

Because Hopra and Townsend share similar philosophies, both emphasizing standard shooting.

Three 90-degree angles, elbows raised, etc.

These ideas coincided perfectly with Tang Sen's.

Tang Sen just thought about it casually; Grover himself wasn't a professional either.

Grover continued, "Don, we're training star players. Hopra is really not suitable. Do you expect Hopra to teach these top stars three 90-degree angles?"

"What star players need is to refine and adjust based on their existing abilities, rather than making drastic changes."

Tang Sen nodded; Grover's idea was also his own.

I just suddenly thought of this name and said it offhand.

Hopra runs training camps and has done a lot of self-promotion through the media, so Tang Sen remembers him.

Tang Sen asked Grover if he had any recommendations.

Grover thought for a moment and said, "Don, do you know Bruce Frazier?"

Tang Sen shook his head.

NBA's well-known trainers, especially the head trainers of each team, are all known by name.

Grover said, "That's normal, he doesn't work much in the league."

"He and Kerr were college classmates, and like you, he didn't make it to the NBA, and then stayed with the Wildcats as an assistant coach."

"In 94, he went to the Pacers and worked with Larry Brown, where he was Reggie's shooting coach."

“That was Michael’s first comeback, so I knew about this situation. He’s someone who’s very good at adjusting a player’s shot selection and form based on their characteristics.”

Grover was quite familiar with Frazier's situation.

After a year with the Pacers, he returned to the NCAA, playing for the Missouri Tigers under Quin Snyder.

He later switched careers and went to work in marketing for the sports brand Oakley.

He left his job last year and worked with some NBA players during the summer.

For example, Miller, and Marion.

He has also worked with players from last year's draft, such as Adam Morrison and JJ Redick. In Grover's words, he is a shooting expert and is also good at optimizing players' shots based on their characteristics.

Tang Sen nodded and noted the name down.

Grover has been in this business for so long, he knows exactly what kind of people he wants, and his recommendations should be trustworthy.

There was a match that evening, so the two didn't talk much.

Having agreed that Grover would contact Frazier, Townsend went with the team to the arena to prepare.

I thought the Bulls were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and should be able to win easily.

Unexpectedly, the Bulls almost ruined the Knicks' grand plan.

Sprewell!
He still harbors a grudge against the Knicks, and gets really into playing against them.

Taking advantage of Wade's absence from the starting lineup, and with DeShawn Stevenson being a player whose performance is unpredictable and whose form is always inconsistent, he seized the opportunity and exploded in the first quarter, scoring 16 points in that quarter alone.

At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls were down by only one point, with the score at 29-28.

This situation is rare.

The Knicks often crush their opponents in the first quarter.

Carlisle couldn't sit still any longer and hurriedly made changes to his lineup, bringing on Prince and sending Wallace, the defensive stalwart, to defend Sprewell.

Then let Wade replace Billups in controlling the ball.

This adjustment is already a bit late.

Sprewell is in form, and in the second quarter, he scored several incredible shots over Wallace.

One of them was almost two meters from the three-point line. Before Wallace could pounce, he pulled up and threw the ball.

It was brought in hollow.

Upon seeing this situation, Carlisle knew that there was a serious problem.

They immediately called a timeout, trying to cool down Sprewell's shooting touch, and then demanded a stronger offensive response.

After this pause, Sprewell's performance declined.

Not only did they call a timeout and increase their help defense on him, but the referee also started to steal the show, calling a somewhat controversial foul.

Sprewell attempted a layup but was blocked by Chandler's lateral movement.

In Tangsen's view, it's ambiguous whether Chandler came over to help defend or whether he established a defensive position beforehand.

But the referee called an offensive foul on Sprewell.

He completely lost it and ran over to argue with the referee.

The referee didn't tolerate him and immediately gave him a technical foul.

Those two fouls disrupted Sprewell's rhythm.

This was just a minor incident in the context of the entire match.

Moreover, Tang Sen felt that the final outcome wouldn't have that much of an impact.

Sprewell is in superb form, but Carlisle is not without options, such as double-teaming him; there are plenty of ways to limit Sprewell.

The gap in strength is huge, and the Knicks will definitely win in the end.

But Tang Sen realized that the league might give the Knicks a hand at the right time.

So it's clear that the league, like the fans and media, also hopes the Knicks will have a perfect season and create an incredible miracle.

Stern had made it clear to him that he thought it was a good thing for the Knicks to be undefeated.

In that case, they would probably instruct the referee to provide some assistance.

Even if the Knicks don't need this kind of help.

Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Bulls 113-97, a 16-point victory.

In the second half, Wade stepped up and scored a team-high 35 points.

After this game, the Knicks' winning streak reached 70.

Only two games remain to reach the Bulls' 72-win record.

The next three opponents are the Hawks, Grizzlies, and Raptors, all of whom will play at home.

It's safe to say that the Knicks will break the record set by the Bulls.

New York media outlets have already begun celebrating in advance, eagerly anticipating the big day.

On March 26, the Knicks will host the Raptors.

Hubie Brown still wanted to fight back, saying at the pre-game press conference that the Raptors would not give up easily and would try their best to take a victory from New York.

They lost today, but history will remember that the Knicks won 73 games against the Raptors, against Hubie Brown.

This is not a good record.

But if the Raptors win today, history will forever remember that on this day, Hubie Brown led the Raptors to end the Knicks' New York miracle.

The idea is commendable, but the reality is that the gap in strength between the Raptors and the Knicks is too large.

To secure victory, Yao Ming focused on offense in the first half, racking up a whopping 27 points and leaving rookie Bosh bewildered.

At halftime, the Knicks had built a 13-point lead, 59-46.

As the second half shifted into Yao Ming's favorite assist-farming phase, the game completely lost its suspense.

The Knicks defeated the Raptors as expected, breaking the Bulls' record of 72 wins.

(End of this chapter)