Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 363 One match, two historical firsts
The atmosphere in Madison can be described as frenzied.

The deafening cheers were like a hundred subway cars speeding past below, making the entire stadium tremble.

Stern even came to watch the game from the penthouse box.

This is a script I wrote myself, and now it has reached its climax and is about to end, so I must be there in person.

Even Stern found Yao Ming's performance terrifying.

He felt he hadn't seen a player who could dominate the field like that in many, many years.

Vice President Lars Granick whispered to David, "Isn't Yao too strong?"

A center who can hook shot, with footwork comparable to the Dream Shake, is unstoppable in low post offense.

He was facing O'Neal again.

Wouldn't it be easier to play if we replaced them with other centers?

Then there's the skyhook, and from mid-range, you can turn and fadeaway for a direct shot.

Any center who masters either of these two skills could become a star.

Yao Ming, however, knows two different things.

Finally, Yao Ming could also shoot three-pointers from the outside, and his accuracy was frightening.

With his 7-foot-5 height, he can block all sorts of shots when he stands under the basket.

His weight is astonishing; apart from O'Neal, he could easily defend any center in the league.

He also has excellent passing skills, can set screens, and facilitate plays.

Such a player made Granic feel so powerful that he was somewhat afraid.

So shouldn't we impose some restrictions?

The last center this powerful was Shaquille O'Neal, who directly changed the league, making physical centers extremely sought after.

This forced the league to constantly adjust its rules and impose restrictions.

Granick believes that Yao Ming has now reached such a level that he is so powerful that rules are needed to limit him.

Stern was a shrewd man; he knew what Grannick was thinking the moment Grannick opened his mouth.

After a moment's thought, Stern countered, "Then how do you think we should restrain him?"

This question stumped Grannick.

Looking back, the league's efforts to limit O'Neal have focused on exploiting his weaknesses.

Once O'Neal receives the ball near the basket, there's no way to stop him.

So the league implemented the five-second rule for back-to-the-basket play, loosened the zone defense, and established the three-second rule, targeting O'Neal's weaknesses one by one.

But Yao Ming is different.

If Grannick can't see Yao Ming's weaknesses, how can he limit him?

You can't stipulate that centers aren't allowed to shoot three-pointers.

Stern said, "So, you can't control him at all."

"He's a genius. He's hardworking and diligent, he's met the best trainers, and he's figured out a way to maximize his strengths, which is why he's so powerful."

Despite being a CEO and a lawyer, Stern actually knows a lot about football.

In Stern's view, Yao Ming, like all other superstars, maximized his greatest strengths.

For example, O'Neal, in Stern's view, his biggest advantage was that his body could still withstand the weight gain.

Historic-level iron knees and ankles.

If we look at Yao Ming, his greatest talent is his height, and the agility he possesses for his height.

Whether it was Tang Sen who discovered it or Yao Ming who figured it out on his own, Stern didn't know, but in any case, Yao Ming found the thing that best utilized his height advantage.

That is, shooting.

Having a higher vantage point and a higher starting point is a natural advantage.

Standing tall allows for a broader view, which is why they can pass the ball well.

Because of his height, he can practice his skyhook.

Yao Ming's entire playing style revolves around his efforts to improve his height.

When he shoots accurately enough, he can become the most dominant player, scoring at will.

It's difficult to restrict such players through the rules.

At this point, Stern calmly said, "Rass, every era has its dominant players, that's okay. Fans will only ever care about and discuss the strongest players."

"This is a good thing for us. If we didn't even have players like this, it would be a disaster for us."

"Most importantly, players like this can be replicated because we have Tang."

Stern's gaze swept across the stands and landed on the Knicks' bench.

"Yao's success is due to his own talent, but it is also inseparable from Tang's help."

"Players can retire, but Tang can keep working."

At this rate, Yao Ming could only dominate the league for a maximum of ten years.

Ten years is a lot; being able to rule for five years is already quite remarkable.

Tang Sen, on the other hand, can work until he's old. He's only 30 now, so he can work for another 30 or 40 years.

"With Tang's help in the future, he can continue to train such dominant players for us, which can make the league shine forever."

Stern wasn't that concerned about a player's success.

What Stern cared about most was having a constant stream of dominant players.

"And that moment will come very soon."

Stern's eyes were shining.

This summer, the star training camp is about to begin. With so many stars, who will be next? Stern is really looking forward to it.

As they were talking, Stern's phone vibrated.

He specifically asked someone to send him a message after the initial ratings came out.

The data is now available.

22.4, far surpassing the Battle of the Century in 98.

Compared to last year's 11.5 rating, it has more than doubled.

Ratings are king, and Stern thinks he can raise endorsement fees for next season.

Not to mention that Yao Ming has a huge Chinese market waiting to be developed.

Therefore, making Yao Ming the most dominant player in the league and developing China, the second largest market after the United States, is not a problem at all.

Tangsen was unaware of these thoughts Stern was having.

At this moment in the locker room, Tang Sen was also thinking about Yao Ming's playing style in the first half.

Tang Sen himself did not expect that Yao Ming, who had worked hard to practice three-pointers and developed them, could pose such a threat on the court.

Or rather, his playing style somewhat overturned Tang Sen's understanding.

Tang Sen's ideal center is like Ewing: methodical, capable of strong drives to the basket, and with a mid-range shot.

The reason Yao Ming was asked to shoot three-pointers was simply because they discovered he had the ability, and more and more people in the league were shooting three-pointers.

It's surprising that Yao Ming has been able to persevere on this path and reach his current level.

So Tang Sen suddenly realized that having inside players shoot three-pointers was actually quite imaginative.

Because of their height inside, that's a natural advantage.

As for whether the inside players can develop a three-point shot, that's not even a question.

They're all human, and they both use the same shooting technique. Short guards can practice three-pointers, and so can centers.

It's just that the previous inside players didn't practice anymore. Or even if they did, they couldn't establish themselves on the court.

Therefore, even now, when Tang Sen trains Howard, he is still following the old path of training his inside skills.

So, could we change things up and have Howard practice three-pointers too?

Tang Sen couldn't help but think about this question.

Anyway, when Tang Sen trains players now, he focuses on the core players and the most basic things.

In other words, how to create an advantage on the field.

If an inside player runs to the outside and uses their height to shoot three-pointers, they can create an advantage, so that's something to practice.

But the next moment, Tang Sen rejected his own idea.

You can't just practice three-pointers.

There are prerequisites and foundations. That is, I must first have the ability to dominate in the paint before I can practice three-pointers and expand my skill set.

Don't try to do the work of a guard when you can't even handle the basic things in the paint.

Tang Sen looked Yao Ming over; the guy's performance today had really inspired him.

Tang Sen couldn't help but want to elaborate further.

If inside players can do the things outside players do, can outside players do the things inside players do?

For example, have the perimeter players rush to the basket to grab rebounds.

So, a short center?

Tang Sen shook his head inwardly. The image of a 1.9-meter point guard rushing to the basket to grab a rebound and battling a 7-foot center was too beautiful to contemplate.

During halftime, Carlisle didn't make many arrangements.

If they continue playing at the current pace, the Lakers won't win.

Moreover, Yao Ming had found his rhythm, and Carlisle didn't want to make any hasty adjustments to disrupt him.

With 37 points in the first half, Carlisle couldn't help but wonder what kind of performance Yao Ming would deliver in the second half.

Can we break Baylor's record of 61 points?

Even more impressively, by halftime, thanks to his teammates' strong performance, Yao Ming had racked up 4 assists.

What if, by accident, I get another 10 assists?

Then a triple-double with a score of 60+.

Carlisle shuddered violently; such a record truly left no room for future generations to succeed.

After a half-game break, Yao Ming's form improved.

Most importantly, Yao Ming maintained his shooting touch from the first half.

At the start of the third quarter, he set a high screen, pretending to pass Wade a handoff, drawing the defense's attention before pulling up and throwing the ball himself.

Another goal, 40 points now.

Jackson had no way to deal with this kind of play. He could have his guards switch onto Yao Ming to defend his three-pointers.

However, the height difference was too great, and Yao Ming's strange, catapult-like shooting form made it impossible for anyone to block his shot.

Moreover, Yao Ming was constantly moving, running back and forth between the high and low posts, and always managed to get a chance to shoot.

If you can't hit three-pointers, you still have mid-range shots.

There's only one way to limit this style of play: have two players relentlessly double-team Yao Ming.

But doing it this way is not as good as surrendering as soon as possible.

The third quarter ended as Jackson struggled with his decision.

The Knicks went on a scoring spree, racking up a new high of 37 points in a single quarter.

Yao Ming then hit two more three-pointers, scoring 18 points in the quarter.

Compared to O'Neal's 9 points in a single quarter, it was a complete domination.

The Lakers scored 28 points in the third quarter, which is not a low number.

Kobe even scored 13 points in that quarter.

It's no use.

At the end of the third quarter, the Knicks led 101-77, a full 24 points.

Jackson was so frustrated that he kept pulling out his hair.

Scoring 100 points in three quarters? Is this even human?

Yao Ming's score has reached a terrifying 55 points.

Breaking Baylor's single-game scoring record in the Finals is practically a foregone conclusion.

In the fourth quarter, Yao Ming sat for five minutes straight before returning to the court.

They played too aggressively in the first three quarters, and even though they attacked the basket less, their stamina was still incredibly depleted.

With 7 minutes left in the game, 7 points away from breaking the record is enough.

On the contrary, it was an assist.

When he went on the court, Yao Ming specifically asked him about it and found out that he had already gotten 7 assists.

He was just 3 assists away from a triple-double.

Still three points.

Yao Ming stood at the high post three-point line, pretending to shoot, which startled O'Neal, who jumped up to block him.

Jackson said, "Just grit your teeth and stick with it, don't worry about the inside game for now."

As a result, Yao Ming passed the ball.

With a flick of the wrist, the basketball was sent straight into the paint.

Bender cuts to the basket and slams it home with a one-handed dunk.

In the next possession, after Yao Ming set a screen, he stood near the three-point line again.

O'Neal learned his lesson and didn't immediately rush to intercept the pass, instead focusing on preventing Yao Ming from passing the ball.

Then Yao Ming pulled it up and threw it away.

One is two points long.

At that moment, O'Neal really had the urge to give up entirely. With this kind of playing style, what's the point of defending him?

He relaxed for a moment, and Yao Ming turned around and made a jump shot.

O'Neal could only stare helplessly, completely at a loss, and just wanted this damn game to end as soon as possible.

With just over a minute remaining in the game, Yao Ming scored a layup in the low post, bringing the score to 63 points.

That broke the record.

Moreover, he has already recorded 10 assists.

My teammates are so great, getting assists is really not a problem.

Yao Ming made a gesture and voluntarily substituted off the court.

Tang Sen stood up and applauded along with the entire audience.

63 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists.

Break the single-game scoring record in the Finals.

At the same time, he also created the only 60+ triple-double in history.

One match, two historic firsts.

(End of this chapter)