Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

The biggest problem in Chapter 408 is that Howard is too strong.

Rose Garden Stadium.

On December 5th, the Suns will play the Trail Blazers on the road.

Under the basket, Randolph, the agile short and stout guy, spun left and right, struggling to create a sliver of space under Howard's defense. He took a step forward and attempted a reverse layup.

With a whoosh, Howard leaped into the air like a spring.

Fake action!
At the last moment, Randolph faked out Howard's shot again, and only after Howard jumped did he leap up, slamming the basketball into the basket with one hand.

Howard cursed under his breath as he landed.

He disliked Randolph quite a bit during training camp.

Because of Tang Sen's training, this fat man was full of feints, and I, lacking experience, always fell for them, making him very difficult to fight.

Moreover, Randolph's strength is not much less than his own, and his core strength is also sufficient.

Matching up against him felt like facing a nimble Spanish bull; one wrong move and he could get a hard knock down.

The Suns are on the offensive.

Nash drove to the free-throw line, raised his hand, and pretended to pass to Howard under the basket.

Wallace turned around reflexively and lunged at Howard.

Randolph has a lot of offensive options, but his defense isn't that great. His athleticism and strength are not as good as Howard's, who is an explosive and athletic center.

On offense, he can rely on his skills to make an impact even when defended by Howard.

On the defensive end, he really couldn't stop Howard by himself.

Unexpectedly, Nash faked a shot, flicked his wrist, and the basketball flew to the wing.

Marion took a step to the side and received the ball perfectly.

Wallace turned around to defend, but it was too late.

On the sidelines, D'Antoni applauded Nash with satisfaction. This was exactly the kind of play he needed, allowing Nash to penetrate the defense and, while moving, use his passing imagination to break through the opponent's defense and find offensive opportunities.

However, this was just a flash of inspiration.

The tactics have just been practiced, and Nash is clearly not yet fully familiar with and understands his own style of play.

Therefore, even though Howard scored 30+ points again in this game, the Suns still lost.

Two more losses, they can only manage to win against a terrible team like the Cavaliers.

But a losing streak is like a flood; once it starts, it's hard to stop.

On the 7th, the Suns faced the Warriors at home, but unfortunately, they lost again.

The Warriors' Arenas dominated Nash, scoring a whopping 46 points, including a crucial three-pointer in the final minute of the game.

Howard scored 31 points and Ray Allen scored 29 points, but it still wasn't enough to help the team win the game.

After playing the Warriors, they will next play the Lakers on the road.

This match is a guaranteed loss.

Before we knew it, another four-game losing streak had begun.

If they keep losing like this, the Suns will soon be out of the playoffs.

Fans are dissatisfied, and even Howard has made subtle complaints.

At the Warriors' post-game press conference, he said, almost jokingly, that sometimes he felt lost on the court and didn't know what to do.

When these words reached D'Antoni's ears, he felt that Howard was complaining that his tactics did not suit his taste, and he could not understand it.

D'Antoni made up his mind and ignored it.

Whether you understand it or not, that's how we have to fight.

To D'Antoni's surprise, after several consecutive losses, even after winning later, the media still overwhelmingly criticized the team.

Now, after another losing streak, the media has strangely fallen silent.

Apart from local Phoenix media, the sun is nowhere to be seen in the newspapers.

The discussion was mostly about the Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki, who overtook Kobe Bryant to become second on the scoring list.

He kept proclaiming that he was the first in Europe.

"It's not that we're not being discussed, it's that I think we're not worth discussing anymore." Gentry made a self-deprecating remark during a pre-game chat at Staples Center, when the topic of the media's lack of coverage came up.

The sun these days doesn't even deserve to be discussed by the media.

Several assistant coaches gave wry smiles, but D'Antoni couldn't manage a smile; he frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment, D'Antoni gestured for his assistant coaches to be quiet, and then said, "I think I've figured out why our tactics always feel so awkward."

Seeing everyone looking at him, D'Antoni said, "I think the root cause is that Dwight is too strong."

Several people looked at each other.

Is it bad to be too strong?
D'Antoni said, "I'm not saying that being too strong is bad, but that it creates a problem."

After four consecutive losses, D'Antoni has been reflecting on the game, repeatedly studying the video footage of these games to figure out where the problem lies.

He felt that Nash could handle this tactic, and in four games, he frequently made brilliant passes and assists, getting the ball to the right positions.

But it only works occasionally, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

D'Antoni has only now realized that the problem lies with Howard.

“We’re asking you to cut the shot clock short and finish the game in seven seconds, so Steve doesn’t have much time to think. He has to rely on his instincts to spot the opportunity immediately and then pass the ball to him.”

“If we were an ordinary team with no star players, and anyone could score, then I think Steve could accomplish that task.”

Having returned from studying in Europe, D'Antoni talks about playing fast-paced, high-flying basketball, but deep down, he still believes in European team basketball.

Without star players, everyone shares the ball, and whoever has the opportunity takes the shot.

"But we have Dwight, who has a very strong scoring ability."

Aside from his height and weight, Howard is confident of scoring against any center, even Kwame Brown.

"So when Steve has the ball, he instinctively thinks about whether or not to pass it to Dwight."

"It's like having a Jordan on our team. We can share the ball, but there will always be an option: give the ball to Jordan."

“If we fight a positional war, at a slow pace, Steve will have plenty of time to think and weigh who has a better chance.”

“But we need to complete the attack in 7 seconds, so Dwight’s presence will interfere with Steve’s decision.”

In an instant, Nash might think that Ray Allen has an opportunity, but Howard also has an opportunity. If he passes the ball to Howard, Howard might have a better chance of scoring.

But if you hesitate, the opportunity may slip away.

In other words, Howard's exceptional individual offensive ability affected Nash's momentary judgment.

Gentry and the others exchanged glances, and they seemed to understand.

"So Mike, what should we do? We can't just let Dwight not attack," Gentry countered.

It would be a huge waste to not use such a top-class center.

It's even less likely that he would tell Nash, "Don't pass the ball to Howard, just ignore him."

D'Antoni said, "I think we had some problems with how we used Dwight; we didn't fully utilize his abilities."

He pulled the crowd aside and explained his ideas.

When transitioning to offense and entering the fast break phase, Howard should be encouraged to run more actively, utilizing his athleticism to find opportunities for cuts.

His athletic ability allowed him to do so.

Then, after the 7-second shot clock expires, the team should transition to a positional play, adjust the pace, and then focus on Howard to utilize his individual scoring ability.

"That is to say, it is two 7-second intervals, one 7-second interval that is fast and the other 7-second interval that is slow."

"I believe that in the future, we not only need to be fast enough, but also able to adapt to slow positional warfare."

"This way, when we get back to the playoffs, we won't lose our offensive ability after our opponents slow us down."

"In other words, Dwight is our safety net."

Howard guarantees the team's floor, while Nash will determine the Suns' ceiling.

D'Antoni speaks very fast, and the more he talks, the clearer his mind becomes.

After a month of being completely out of it, D'Antoni felt he finally understood how to lead this Suns team.

(End of this chapter)