Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 403 This kind of victory is not the victory I wanted.

In 1909, in the small town of Mullans, West Virginia.

A young man named Andrés de António immigrated here from Italy.

His wife died of kidney failure when she was 36, leaving him with four children.

A middle-aged man, taking care of four children, making a living by mining coal, undoubtedly led an extremely difficult life.

But Andres possessed an unwavering spirit, and he managed to raise all four of his children.

One of his sons, Louis DeAntoni, inherited his father's fine qualities.

Louis always used his father's example to educate his three sons.

He later became a basketball coach, and he taught his son the same way, setting a good example in basketball.

Be diligent and hardworking, never give up, and strive for victory with all your might.

It was under Louis's influence that D'Antoni developed his indomitable character.

But some things can't be achieved simply by hard work.

In the NBA, he gave it his all; if his shooting wasn't good, he turned himself into a defensive expert.

He still couldn't establish himself in the NBA. In his last season with the Spurs, he played only two games before being released.

He went to Europe and returned to his homeland.

In Milan, he regained his confidence.

In 13 seasons, he won 5 league titles and 2 European titles. After switching to coaching, he also won numerous championships.

But deep down, D'Antoni still wants to go back to the United States and back to the NBA.

Because here, he has always been a loser.

In 97, he finally made up his mind and returned to the NBA.

D'Antoni wants to showcase what he learned in Europe from his mentor Dan Peterson on the NBA court.

Tell everyone that you can succeed.

So when he had the opportunity to coach a team, D'Antoni really wanted to implement his own system.

The fast-paced style of play from Dan Peterson.

Peterson tried to play like Magic Johnson and Byron Scott.

He said that if you're on a fast break and there's no one in front of you at the three-point line, then you should shoot.

He needs speed, fast breaks, and shooting.

If you get 9 out of 12, he won't say a word, but if you get 1 out of 11, he'll have a serious talk with you because you didn't make 12 attempts.

This philosophy is even shared by his own father, Louis D'Antoni.

When Louis was a coach, he also advocated speed and fast offense.

But D'Antoni built upon this foundation and developed his own new ideas.

He remembered an Italian proverb his grandfather had once told him.

It is said that once the game ends, the king and the pawns return to the same box.

This statement perfectly encapsulates D'Antoni's basketball philosophy.

All the players started running, passing the ball around, and shooting continuously while moving around, making the shots.

This was his pride, but this pride gradually eroded with each victory.

11 month 6 number.

After defeating the 76ers, the Suns had no time to adjust and rushed to New Jersey overnight to face the Nets in a back-to-back game.

In the first quarter, the sun struggled terribly.

Under Kidd's defense, Nash was locked down. Despite his age, Kidd, after Townsend's rest, was able to run as fast as Nash for a time.

With Nash locked down, the Suns' transition offense couldn't get going.

However, at the end of the first quarter, the Suns led 29-28, a one-point advantage.

Howard scored 12 points in a single quarter despite being guarded by Mourning.

Kwame Brown made a name for himself by defeating Alonzo Mourning in his prime.

Now, facing the aging Mourning, Howard has once again experienced what it means to be young and impetuous.

Without smooth fast breaks or brilliant tactical coordination, relying solely on isolation plays and individual skill, the Suns took the lead.

What can D'Antoni do but sacrifice victory for his own tactics?
impossible.

The Suns created space, leaving the paint open for Howard.

With such a simple yet outrageous tactic, the Suns led by 6 points at halftime.

Howard scored 11 points in the second quarter and also had 3 blocks.

23 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the first half.

If he plays like this, he'll get a triple-double.

And it wasn't just him; Ray Allen also exploded in the third quarter, making 5 of 6 three-pointers in that quarter, leaving Lawrence Frank trembling.

The Suns defeated the Nets by 9 points, 112 to 103.

Howard had a breakout game, putting up a near 40+ triple-double in his third career game with 41 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 blocks.

His reputation as the number one draft pick made him famous throughout the NBA.

The media began to report on Howard extensively.

The NBA's official website even featured a photo of Dwight Howard, using the phrase "a supernova has arrived."

But that's not all. In the third game of their four-game road trip, the Suns will face the Bulls on the road.

Howard struggled against Eddie Curry, scoring only 24 points.

But the sun's outer rays burst forth.

The four players combined for 17 three-point attempts, making 12 of them, for a 70% success rate.
A barrage of three-pointers rained down in Chicago.

Undoubtedly, the Bulls' perimeter defense had problems, but the bigger reason was that Nash and his three-point shooters were accurate enough.

Especially when they spread out and everyone can make a shot, it's hard to decide who to defend.

The Suns won 109-102, taking another victory.

Then they played the Cavaliers back-to-back.

Because of Boozer's treachery, the Cavaliers suffered a major blow, losing not only a key player but also wasting a valuable training camp spot.

LeBron James has returned from training camp with a significant skill explosion.

Before this game, in the previous four games, he averaged 28.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Omnipotent and unsolvable.

But it was no use; the Cavaliers remained at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a record of 1 win and 3 losses.

In this game, facing the combined defensive lines of Howard and Marion, James failed to break through.

At halftime, he was blocked twice by Howard.

He immediately changed his playing style.

After just one training camp, James' improvement was absolutely phenomenal.

He's stronger, has a longer shooting range, and can shoot three-pointers.

I've also mastered low-post back-to-the-basket moves; although I don't have many, I've at least got them.

He no longer makes mindless drives and pull-up jumpers; he has more offensive options.

In this game, James scored a whopping 42 points.

But it didn't work.

Howard, also a top draft pick, was already highly motivated by the media hype surrounding the competition for the top pick.

Facing the tall but slow-moving Big Z, he maximized his mobility.

He only has one move: a jump shot close to the basket.

He followed up and attacked the basket, giving Big Z another leg, and even he couldn't keep up with Howard.

If they don't follow, then just throw it.

The pain he suffered against Eddie Curry in the last game was all vented on Zydrunas Ilgauskas in this one.

He scored a whopping 39 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots.

Joe Johnson also had a breakout game, scoring 31 points with unstoppable isolation plays on the wing.

The Suns defeated the Phoenix Suns 110-99, ending their Eastern Conference road trip with a perfect 4-0 record.

By the 10th, the new season will have been underway for exactly one week.

With a record of 5 wins and 0 losses, the Suns have managed to remain undefeated and hold the top spot in the Western Conference.

Second is the Spurs, who have won all four of their games.

Third is the Lakers, who have a record of 5 wins and 1 loss, and the only game the Lakers lost was a narrow defeat to the Spurs.

The problem is that last season, the Suns were second to last in the Western Conference.

Now, after just one summer, they've gone from being at the bottom of the standings to first place in the Western Conference.

Howard, in particular, had an explosive performance, proving himself to be a super center.

In ESPN's latest power rankings, the Suns have jumped to sixth place in the league.

The nickname "Little Knicks" is becoming increasingly well-known.

Because this Suns team looks exactly like last season's Knicks.

There were no tactics whatsoever, the head coach was just a mascot on the bench, and the team relied entirely on individual player abilities to win.

Unfortunately, all five starters are strong in one-on-one situations, and they still manage to win games.

The media has started to get restless.

The Arizona Republic even cautiously concluded its report by stating that if the Suns can maintain their current strength, they will become a championship-caliber team.

Everything was going well, but D'Antoni was becoming increasingly frustrated and uncomfortable.

This kind of victory is not the victory I wanted.

If players are mindlessly playing one-on-one and there's no strategy involved, then what's the point of having a head coach?

Even if I achieve good results in the future, it will have nothing to do with me.

At that moment, D'Antoni suddenly felt a connection with Carlisle.

Meanwhile, Tang Sen, far away in Europe, was also somewhat bewildered after receiving a report from his assistant on the league's situation for the first week.

He was also calculating that the Suns' first month of games would be tough, and they would lose a lot of games.

Then let the media hype it up, bring the sun down to the bottom, and let them bounce back.

The plan was good, but who knew the Suns would go on a losing streak.

Tang Sen couldn't help but sigh, realizing he had completely underestimated his training abilities and had inadvertently created another strong team.

(End of this chapter)