Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 381: My First Experience – Playing a Max-Level Character Was So Fun

Nowitzki was only just beginning to work on the technical details; he gained some insights, but his improvement was limited.

However, seeing the change in him, Tang Sen felt that he still had to watch the video.

There was also the Olympics in between, and some players had to leave, so the time was actually quite tight.

After evening training, Tang Sen decided to keep all the inside players behind.

Then I took them to the media room and showed them a video.

Some of the material was even taken from their own work.

In such cases, Tang Sen would call on individuals to explain how he chose to attack in that particular situation.

Most importantly, showing it to everyone can be seen as training, allowing the badge to take effect and increasing their understanding.

Tang Sen planned to bring the inside players to watch one day and the outside players to watch the other day.

Every day, after the third training session, I would set aside about half an hour.

Moreover, it's not just about looking at the offense, but also at the defense, teaching them how to defend better.

With so many star players gathered together, it's not just about watching, but also about discussing them.

Every star player has their own unique style, and being able to share it in this context is a valuable learning experience.

Especially for newbies like Howard and Okafor, starting from scratch, they really need to learn a lot.

With the addition of extracurricular activities like surfing and beach volleyball, everyone's schedule was packed.

In this situation, time flies by.

Soon, it was mid-August.

Players like Nowitzki, Gasol, and Parker are leaving.

The 15th is the first day of competition for the Olympic men's basketball team.

Nowitzki and his teammates didn't leave the United States until August 10th, before rushing to Athens to join the national team.

The Dream Team has also set off.

Basketball Association President Tom Jernstatt once subtly complained to the media that star players like Kobe Bryant lacked a sense of honor and were unwilling to play for the national team.

In the process, she also complained about Tang Sen, saying that Tang Sen had destroyed the Dream Team.

Especially after the crushing defeat to Indiana in 02.

But he only dared to complain vaguely that it wasn't the first or second time that star athletes had refused to participate in the Olympics.

Moreover, their reasons are perfectly legitimate, stemming from safety concerns.

As the chairman of the basketball association, he can only complain a few times.

As for Dream Team head coach Larry Brown, he wouldn't dare.

The Pistons' hopes, Carmelo Anthony, and Stackhouse, are all training with Townsend in training camp.

He dares to say anything.

So in the end, when there was really no other way, they had no choice but to follow the media's advice and directly call up Knicks players.

Finally, they assembled a 12-man lineup: Chandler, Harvey, Bender, Swift, Wallace, Prince, Wade, Stevenson, Billups, Dooling, Jones, and Caderick Brown.

The team only assembled on August 1st.

We'll depart for Athens on the 10th.

That means they only trained for ten days.

The media jokingly called this the most lackluster Dream Team in history.

There isn't even a single top-tier star player.

However, before departing for Athens after the training camp ended, Larry Brown unexpectedly changed his tune in a media interview.

He used to look very worried.

Now, he seems to be enjoying a bit of success.

When asked by reporters what his goal was, the old man replied without hesitation: "A gold medal, of course, a gold medal."

His tone and the confidence radiating from his face aroused the reporter's suspicion.

Ignoring the reporters' reactions, Larry Brown continued, "Believe me, this year's Dream Team is no worse than any previous Dream Team. We are much stronger than anyone imagines."

As for how powerful he became, he refused to say.

Even a fool could see that he was in a great mood.

Larry Brown was certainly in a good mood.

It wasn't until he actually took over this Knicks Dream Team that he realized just how great Rick Carlisle was.

No wonder this kid always sits on the bench; his butt looks like it's glued on.

The team is too strong.

The players' individual abilities and their teamwork were all so perfect.

Larry Brown experienced for the first time how awesome it was to play a max-level character.

Only then did I realize that the Knicks' undefeated championship win last season was not due to luck, but to their genuine strength.

With this confidence, Larry Brown led the entire team onto a plane bound for Athens.

The previous Dream Team consisted entirely of big-name stars, and they were very selective.

The Olympic Village is terrible; I can't get used to living there.

But Knicks players are different. Even though Billups has already received a max contract, he doesn't yet consider himself a top star.

Wade, who averages 25 points per game, is even less likely to do so; he's still a freshman.

Not to mention that several players' rookie contracts haven't expired yet; they can stay in luxury hotels, and the Olympic Village isn't out of the question either.

For safety reasons, I decided to stay in the Olympic Village.

Experience what it's like to be an ordinary person.

Wade and the others didn't mind; staying in the Olympic Village meant they could see Yao Ming often, which was great.

The men's basketball team's first day of competition was on the 15th. There were a total of six games that day.

The Chinese men's basketball team will also be playing, facing Spain, led by Gasol, at 2:30 pm.

There is a lot of confidence in this Olympic Games in China.

After all, Yao Ming has become the undisputed world's best center.

A ruthless player who broke scoring records in the finals and led his team to a perfect championship.

With such a formidable center, if you just play around Yao Ming and mindlessly pass the ball to him, wouldn't it be a sure win?

Therefore, before heading to Athens, the slogan had already been raised domestically: at least a top-eight finish and strive for a medal.

However, at the pre-game press conference, men's basketball head coach Harris was surprisingly humble.

"Yao is very strong, there is no doubt about that. In the NBA, he can dominate any player."

When Yao Ming is mentioned, Harris can only offer praise.

But after praising him, he changed the subject and said, "But we only have one Yao. I hope he can become an all-powerful superman, but unfortunately, he is not."

Harris also made a joke.

But the large number of Chinese journalists in the audience couldn't laugh.

"Su Qun, what does he mean by this?" A colleague patted Su Qun next to him and complained.

What is this? Fear before the battle even begins?
Su Qun shook his head and didn't say anything.

Deep down, Su Qun felt that Harris was right; it was time to give the excited domestic fans a heads-up.

Yao Ming is certainly strong, but in FIBA ​​competitions, the paint is crowded, and he is ultimately just one person.

Su Qun wasn't actually worried about how to pass the ball to Yao Ming, or how Yao Ming should play.

After all, Yao Ming is the most complete center in the world.

He can play both inside and outside the paint, and can launch an attack from any position in the half of the court.

Harris himself had jokingly said before that if all else failed, they should just let Yao Ming play point guard.

Anyway, Yao Ming has already won the assist title, so what difference would it make if he were to become a point guard?

Su Qun's only concern is the over-reliance on Yao Ming.

As Harris is saying now, Yao Ming is not a superman after all, and you can't rely on him to score for the entire game.

Play freely and get 40 or 50 points, or even 50 or 60 points. So what? Does that guarantee a win?
The national team is not the Knicks after all; Yao Ming was surrounded by a bunch of star players.

The competition began at 2:30 PM.

Due to the time difference, it's 7:30 AM on the 15th in New York.

The morning training session is almost over.

Tang Sen took some time to watch the live broadcast in his office.

When I turned on the TV, the game had just started.

On the Chinese team's side, besides Yao Ming, Tang Sen only remembered their starting point guard, Liu Wei, who seemed to be Yao Ming's teammate on the Eastern team.

On the Spanish side, their head coach Mario Pesquera opted to put Gasol at the center position.

Clearly, the goal is to use Gasol's agility to keep up with Yao Ming.

Pau Gasol is a player that Townsend knows very well, especially during training camp.

His static talent is astonishing.

He is 2.13 meters tall with shoes on, has an astonishing wingspan of 2.3 meters, has large hands, and weighs around 115 kilograms.

However, in terms of athletic talent, he can't be considered top-tier; he's just adequate.

Like Nowitzki, he has certain weaknesses typical of tall, white men.

His strength lies in his solid fundamentals, and compared to power forwards of similar size, his athleticism is passable.

Having played soccer since childhood, he has excellent coordination.

Tang Sen had given serious consideration to his training direction.

He can't be as tough as Duncan.

They also can't rely on athleticism and interior toughness like Brown.

And he doesn't have Yao Ming's extraordinary height.

In terms of athleticism, he's not as good as Garnett, one of only two players in history who can effectively counter smaller perimeter players.

But all things considered, he is not weak in any aspect and has no major weaknesses.

Tang Sen's idea is to utilize his coordination and wingspan, practice his hook shot, and even his skyhook, to extend his shooting range and follow the same technical style as Yao Ming.

During the month and ten days of training camp, he built muscle and improved his strength.

Then I practiced low-post hook shots and footwork diligently.

I didn't rush to have him practice three-pointers, as that would distract him.

He has a good learning ability and learns very quickly.

However, it's clearly far from enough to reach Yao Ming's level.

Therefore, Yao Ming would have no problem facing him.

Sure enough, in the first round, Yao Ming rushed up from the paint to the high post to set a screen for Liu Wei, then received the pass back and pulled up for a three-pointer.

Gasol must have guessed that Yao Ming was going to shoot a three-pointer, so he rushed in.

The movements were fierce, but still too slow.

Yao Ming flicked the ball out with his elbow almost pointing forward.

The ball went in, and it also drew a foul from Gasol.

Right off the bat, Yao Ming scored a 3+1.

Gasol instantly felt a headache coming on. This was the oppressive presence of the world's best center; it was too strong.

(End of this chapter)