Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 398 Stern: I think the Solars will win the championship

Far away in San Antonio.

Popovich left the post-match press conference in high spirits.

Today is the Spurs' first game, hosting the Kings who are playing back-to-back games.

Popovich watched yesterday's game between the Kings and the Mavericks.

Webber's resurgence, the change in his playing style, and Peja—that guy's shooting accuracy has clearly improved, and he's been taking more one-on-one shots with the ball.

The changes in these two individuals inevitably put Popovich on alert.

I can't help but exclaim that it's definitely a product of Tang Sen.

However, today's match was won relatively smoothly.

Duncan's athleticism has really recovered somewhat, and his range of movement has obviously increased. He followed Webber the whole game and hardly missed anyone.

Despite this defensive pressure, Webber still managed to score 21 points, but his field goal percentage was only slightly over 40%.

In the past, facing Webber would have required help defense from the forwards.

Now, it's enough to leave it to Duncan alone.

Moreover, facing the defensively weak Webber, Duncan not only limited his opponent but also scored a high number of points himself.

36 points, 11 rebounds.

Not only did he have a 60% shooting percentage, but he also miraculously made two three-pointers.

The wish I made to Tang Sen that summer has actually come true.

When Duncan was able to pull up to the high post and shoot three-pointers, it was a significant improvement for the Spurs' offensive strategy.

With Duncan's high screen, Parker's offense becomes much more effective.

His breakthroughs remain sharp, and he moves like the wind. Most importantly, he has developed a mid-range shot.

Throughout the game, Parker repeatedly drove to the mid-range after setting screens and made jump shots.

The old Parker, once he got going, could only drive straight to the end, and didn't have the ability to stop and work in the mid-range.

But now Parker has it.

He had excellent rhythm; after a drive, he would pull up and shoot near the free-throw line if the Kings' interior defense couldn't block him in time.

If the interception is timely and the inside player is pulled out of the paint, he can pass the ball to the wing player to cut along the baseline, or coordinate with Duncan to screen for Duncan to cut to the basket.

It can only be said that the more skills one has, the more playing styles one can choose, and the more effectively the team's strength can be improved.

The Spurs won 107-98, securing their first victory of the season by nine points.

At the post-game press conference, Popovich praised Duncan and Parker quite a bit.

However, Popovich is more concerned about something else right now.

Back in the locker room, he quickly found Joe Prunty and asked if the Suns' game was over.

"Did you win or lose?"

Popovich wasn't surprised to learn that the Suns had won.

That's perfectly normal, after all, they were shooting at the eagles.

Popovich told Pranty to prepare the game video and stay behind for the coaching staff to watch it.

Popovich is very wary of the Suns.

It wasn't just because the Suns got the number one draft pick, but also because all five of their starters received training from Tang Sen.

Popovich was well aware of Tangsen's abilities.

Therefore, this Suns team could very well become the next Little Knicks.

The Knicks are in the East, so they don't have much of an impact on the Spurs.

The Suns are in the West, a direct competitor.

Prunty nodded and noted it down, adding in advance, "Greg, that number one draft pick, he got a triple-double, a triple-double in blocks."

"Fuck, are you sure?"

Popovich swore and his eyes widened.

To achieve a triple-double in his professional debut is a bit terrifying.

With 10 blocks, Ratliff, the former leader in blocks, is probably going to get a slap in the face.

After seeing the players off, Popovich immediately led his coaching staff to the conference room.

The pizza has been ordered; let's start playing the video.

"Pay attention to their playing style."

Popovich is not only concerned that all five of the Suns' starters have received training from Townsend, but also about the playing style that D'Antoni has repeatedly mentioned to reporters.

He made it clear that the Suns will change their playing style in the new season.

It's called Fast & Furious, but it's also a different kind of Fast & Furious.

The Suns have assembled a bunch of shooters, and Duncan has also told me that in Townsend's training camp, a large number of players are practicing three-pointers hard and have even changed their shooting form.

Especially Ray Allen.

Kidd has even mastered the three-pointer; he's one of the league's top sharpshooters. Tang Sen specifically asked him to change his shooting form.

That only means that Ray Allen will be stronger and shoot more accurately after the changes.

At the start of the game, Howard made two big blocks, which made the people in the audience exclaim in surprise.

"Lucky Sun".

Popovich muttered, "With that kind of jumping ability, who would believe he's an inside player?"

However, after watching the game, PJ Carlesimo said, "Greg, I don't think the Suns' playing style is anything special."

"Their three-pointers were just a bit too far. Apart from Dwight, everyone else was camping out on the perimeter. To put it bluntly, it was one star and four shooters."

"They did some brilliant plays thanks to Nash's passes, but I don't think they're very relevant."

Budenholzer on the other side nodded in agreement, believing that D'Antoni's so-called "different fast-paced style" was simply a combination of a one-star-four-shooter style of play, plus the fast pace of the fast-paced style.

The Suns didn't seem to be throwing up three-pointers like crazy; they mostly focused on Howard in the paint.

Ray Allen scored a team-high 25 points, but he didn't seem to be unstoppable at all.

The Suns' most outstanding player was undoubtedly Dwight Howard, who recorded a triple-double with blocks.

He's practically a defensive anchor in the paint, a defensive ace.

Furthermore, since we're playing a fast-paced, whirlwind style, we're winning through offense.

He only managed 109 points in the entire game, a scoring ability far less explosive than the Knicks. Last season, the Knicks averaged 120 points per game, dominating the entire league.

Popovich crossed his arms, his gaze deep.

He felt that what they all said was right.

The sun before me doesn't seem to be what I expected.

Howard is quite strong, but he's facing an old guy like Ratliff.

To deal with him, the inside players can double-team him. Popovich didn't see that Howard had the same passing ability as Yao Ming.

Furthermore, they won't be able to shoot three-pointers, which will significantly reduce their offensive threat on the court.

As for outside shooting.

The Celtics were just as accurate shooters back then, but in the playoffs, when the defensive intensity increased, if they lost their shooting touch, the team was doomed.

Popovich said, "Compared to this, the Knicks are still more terrifying."

The Knicks were truly powerful from every angle.

Although Popovich still had some concerns, he felt that the Suns wouldn't pose much of a problem for the Spurs based on this game.

"The Lakers are strong, Kobe is strong, and Dirk is strong, but they only have one or two players, so guys, we have a chance to make it to the Finals this season."

Popovich looked at the crowd, his tone inevitably agitated.

Looking at the current strength of the Western Conference, Popovich truly believes there is hope for next year.

The Spurs haven't reached the NBA Finals in several years.

The only problem is the Knicks.

Popovich gets a headache just thinking about the Knicks.

That big guy is too strong.

Popovich isn't the only one paying attention to the Suns' performance.

Any Western Conference team aiming for the Finals isn't afraid of the Suns turning into a mini-Knicks.

After the Lakers narrowly defeated the Jazz in a back-to-back game, Jackson also watched the Suns' game footage.

Then they reached the same conclusion as Popovich.

The current sun is not enough to affect the landscape of the West.

However, even though they were both experts, none of them could make a more accurate judgment than a layman.

The following day, Tang Sen went to NBA headquarters for a meeting.

The new season has started, and after two days, the relevant data has been released.

The league naturally doesn't care about team wins or losses; it only cares about attendance and viewership.

There's also the online buzz surrounding the topic.

The internet is becoming increasingly popular, almost rivaling traditional television and newspapers.

Tang Sen and others listened to the statistics department's data.

The data is much better than last year.

It's not just Los Angeles, but also popular big-market teams like the Knicks.

The Lakers and Knicks games never lack viewers and attention.

The smaller markets have room for improvement.

Their attendance has increased significantly, and most importantly, season ticket sales have also increased by 14% overall.

If the NBA were a company, a 14% increase in business would be no small improvement.

Online, topics about the NBA are generating significantly more buzz.

Because a large number of star players delivered amazing performances.

Kobe scored 59 points, and Nowitzki scored 51 points.

Yesterday, the 76ers played the Celtics on the road, and Pierce scored 47 points.

On the other side, Iverson went toe-to-toe with him, scoring 49 points.

This amazing performance naturally ignited the online fan community and sparked a lot of discussion.

Even Kidd's development of a three-pointer sparked considerable discussion.

Most importantly, it's not just these already popular stars who are attracting attention; stars from smaller markets are also drawing attention.

Yesterday, Warriors' Arenas scored a whopping 41 points.

On the opposing Trail Blazers roster, Randolph and Rasheed Wallace combined for a whopping 80 points.

These performances deserve extensive discussion from the media and fans.

"So Tang, our plan has succeeded."

After the meeting, Stern and Townsend chatted casually in the office, their tone inevitably becoming agitated.

If a team is already in a small market and doesn't have any outstanding star players, who would buy tickets to watch the game?

In big markets like Los Angeles and New York, incomes are high, but that's where the ceiling is; how much more can it be improved?

On the contrary, it is the increase in revenue of most ordinary teams that leads to a significant increase in the league's revenue.

All of this is inseparable from the outstanding performance of star players.

Therefore, Stern believed that the "one city, one star" plan had been successful.

At this point, Stern changed his tone and suddenly asked Tangsen what he thought of the Suns team.

"David, what do you mean?" Tang Sen didn't quite understand what Stern was trying to say.

Stern got up to pour Tangsen a drink, then said, "I made a point of watching the Suns vs. Hawks game yesterday. I think the Suns' roster and tactics have a lot of potential."

"Tang, I think they have a chance to win the championship."

Stern leaned forward, a glint of intelligence gleaming behind his glasses.

Seeing Tang Sen's surprise, Stern said, "Tang, I'm not a professional player, and I don't know how to play basketball, but I know how to do business."

"If you want to do a good job in a business, the key is to have a product that others don't have, and the Suns' tactics, or rather, tactics that increase the three-point range, are something that has never appeared in the league before."

"I think something like that must have a lot of potential."

"Tang, I really think loosening handchecks is a good idea."

Stern believes that if handchecks are eliminated, the Suns' shooting-oriented style of play will only become more lethal.

(End of this chapter)