Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 362 I've never seen a center like this before

Knowing that the Knicks have a strong bench, the two regular season games proved one thing: if you try to compete with the Knicks in terms of bench strength, you'll be doomed without even realizing it.

Therefore, having the main players play more is Jackson's most basic arrangement for this series.

Kobe will play as much as he can; he's got incredible stamina anyway.

The two old guys gritted their teeth, thinking that the championship was right in front of them. If they didn't fight now, were they going to wait until they retired to fight?

Even Shaquille O'Neal, that lazy bum, played a full 11 minutes in the first quarter.

Yao Ming didn't even leave the court, how could O'Neal have the nerve to sit on the bench?
Even if I don't move, just standing under the basket on the court, that's intimidating.

However, O'Neal still felt powerless when faced with Yao Ming's 20 points in a single quarter.

He claims to be the most dominant center in NBA history, saying that no one can stop him from scoring under the basket if he wants to.

What about Yao Ming?
Even for me, scoring 20 points in a single quarter is very difficult.

Just as he was thinking this, Jackson squatted down in front of him.

"Shaq, you need to score more points," Jackson reminded him.

He went 4-for-7 in the first quarter, scoring 11 points including free throws, but that's not enough.

O'Neal rolled his eyes very quickly.

11 points in one quarter, 40 points in four quarters, that's really high, isn't it?

Looking across the entire league, any center who can score 11 points in a single quarter would be on a max contract.

O'Neal wanted to offer a defense.

You can't use Yao Ming's monstrous 20-point quarter as a benchmark for yourself.

Indeed, at that moment, in O'Neal's mind, Yao Ming was already synonymous with freak.

A 7-foot-5 center who can shoot threes and do skyhook, easily scoring 20 points in a single quarter—what else could that be but a monster?

Jackson then turned to remind Kobe and the others.

With the Knicks' entire roster fully utilized, it's unlikely they can completely stop the Knicks.

Previous regular season games have proven just how difficult it is to defend the Knicks.

Therefore, Jackson's idea for this series is simple: focus on offense.

Just like O'Neal said back then, we need four star players who can average 100 points per game.

But at the end of the first quarter, the score was 34-29, a score that Jackson was clearly not satisfied with.

While Jackson was making hasty arrangements, live media around the world were also intensely discussing the first quarter of the game.

Inside the TNT studio.

Kenny Smith's voice boomed: "Yao was insane, scoring 20 points in a single quarter, he was simply unstoppable."

Ernie Johnson nodded in agreement: "The Lakers didn't come up with enough ways to target and limit Yao; they let Yao score too easily."

I didn't see Yao Ming really put any effort into attacking the basket; he just floated around on the outside shooting, throwing down a few three-pointers, and he scored 20 points in a single quarter.

It really gives the impression that scoring was too easy.

Smith shook his head and said, "It's not that the Lakers didn't try to target Yao, but I think they simply couldn't do anything about it. Yao's playing style is too unique right now."

"There have been centers in the league before who could shoot three-pointers, but a center as tall as Yao is truly the first."

"Moreover, those centers who tend to shoot from the outside are those who can't score inside and have no scoring ability, so they have no choice but to shoot from the outside."

"But Yao is different. His scoring ability near the paint is also top-notch. He can score consistently with low-post footwork and skyhook, even against Shaq's defense."

"On this basis, he also developed a three-point shooting ability. He can move from any position and then shoot. A player like that makes it impossible for the Lakers to defend him, and they can't even double-team him."

Barkley nodded in agreement, saying, "Kenny is right. It's not that the Lakers don't want to defend Yao, but that they simply can't, and have no way to defend him."

“Shaq is hard to switch out on defense. Even if he does switch out, he and Karl will double-team Yao. The paint will be open, and Yao can still pass the ball to assist. That’s what makes him so terrifying.”

"He is practically everywhere, capable of creating threats from anywhere and shattering your defenses."

"This ability has only been possessed by Hakeem in history, and even Hakeem did not have Yao's accurate three-point shooting."

Hakeem Olajuwon could occasionally hit a three-pointer, but it was never one of his regular weapons.

"So in my opinion, Yao is more like a combination of Hakeem Olajuwon, Karim, and Patrick."

"He's also 7 feet 5 inches tall. A center like that is truly one of a kind in history. I can only say that Tang is amazing. He trained Yao into an all-around player."

Barkley believed Yao Ming was unique, and that no center like him had ever been seen in NBA history. A group of legendary stars in the arena shared the same thought.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon sat together.

Seeing Yao Ming's performance in the first quarter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shook his head, thinking to himself that he probably didn't have such dominance back then.

He nudged Hakeem Olajuwon next to him and whispered, "Did you give Yao Ming some pointers last summer?"

"Forget it," Olajuwon said, pursing his lips. "I'm not capable of giving him pointers."

What I can do, Yao Ming can do too. In terms of second and third threats, Yao Ming has a wider range of offensive skills and plays them better than I can.

"Then what can I use to guide Yao Ming?" Hakeem Olajuwon leaned over to look at Yao Ming on the bench and said with emotion, "I just didn't expect him to spend so much effort to improve his three-point shooting, and I didn't expect that after practicing his three-point shooting, his overall strength would improve so much."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nodded; he felt the same way.

Yao Ming's dominance in this quarter was largely due to his accurate three-pointers.

When he stands at the three-point line, no one can ignore him. Malone must immediately abandon Bender and run over to help defend.

At this point, Yao Ming can pass the ball.

If Malone is too late, Yao Ming can also punish O'Neal with a three-pointer, because O'Neal will also be unable to stop it.

Yao Ming's three-pointers instantly elevated his threat level on the court to a whole new level.

Thinking about this, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar couldn't help but sigh, saying, "To be honest, I never imagined that one day basketball would develop to the point where centers could also shoot three-pointers from the outside."

There have been such unconventional individuals before, but there are very few of them.

When three-pointers are combined with Yao Ming, a player whose inside skills are already dominant enough, it's like a nuclear weapon—the power is immense.

"That's right, basketball has become too fast." Hakeem Olajuwon nodded in deep agreement.

The old concept was that centers should stand under the basket, and going out of the paint was considered a loss of position.

You're out there shooting hoops, and they still call you a coward.

But today, Yao Ming has shown the world through his actions just how terrifying a monster it is when a dominant center also possesses an unparalleled three-point shooting ability.

In the second quarter, knowing that Yao Ming had a strong offensive desire today, Carlisle put him on the bench for less than four minutes before bringing the starters back onto the court.

O'Neal rested for two minutes, then wanted to go back on to play against Chandler, and took the opportunity to close the gap a bit.

Then Yao Ming arrived.

O'Neal immediately started to feel pain.

Yao Ming's absence from the restricted area forces him to follow Yao Ming around the clock.

The scope of activities increased exponentially.

For O'Neal, this was pure torture.

However, the effect was still limited.

At the high three-point line, Yao Ming held the basketball, while O'Neal looked on with alarm.

Two seven-foot giants were playing like guards, posting up for one-on-one situations.

Yao Ming reacted quickly, constantly guarding against Malone's double-team.

After receiving the ball, Yao Ming caught a glimpse of Ma Long rushing towards him and pretended to swing his arm behind Ma Long.

This one move startled Malone, who stopped abruptly and turned to defend Bender.

The result was a feint.

Even Ma Long wanted to curse. Yao Ming was simply treating him like a rookie.

But there was nothing that could be done; Yao Ming could really pass the ball, and Bender, who was open, could really score.

This feint inevitably drew O'Neal's attention, and he instinctively turned his head.

On defense, O'Neal wasn't focused enough, and Yao Ming's fake pass and shot was too deceptive.

Then, the instant O'Neal turned his head to look, Yao Ming pulled back, grabbed the ball, and threw it away.

Go in again.

Jackson was jumping up and down in frustration on the sidelines, but there was nothing he could do.

Shaquille O'Neal was just as helpless and all he wanted to do was curse.

I've never seen a center play like this.

Yao Ming didn't care; the more he shot, the more confident he became.

I've been practicing three-pointers all season, and why? I've been waiting for this moment.

Moreover, Yao Ming could quickly shoot from any position, not just three-pointers.

He can create his own position or receive passes from Wade's drives.

When the Knicks get the ball moving and when they run, they always get opportunities to shoot.

The Lakers' double-teaming strategy failed to work and instead disrupted their own defense.

In the second quarter, the point difference widened.

The Knicks outscored the Lakers 30-22 in a single quarter.

At halftime, the Knicks led by a full 13 points, 64-51.

Yao Ming made 2 of 3 three-pointers in the quarter, scoring 17 points in the quarter.

In the finals, he scored 37 points in the first half, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. Such a performance can no longer be described as terrifying.

(End of this chapter)