Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 409 A false alarm?
The specific adjustment is that it changes from one 7 seconds to two 7 seconds.

Nash is easy to handle. D'Antoni just needs to have a brief chat with him, and he should know what to do.

The problem is Howard.

It's hard for 53-year-old D'Antoni to understand what's going on in the head of a 19-year-old.

It's even less likely that he could guide Howard with the same gentle and loving fatherly approach.

They can't even manage their own children.

When he had a headache, teaching assistant Mark Jafaroni said, "Mike, I think it's easy."

"Dwight is basically just a kid. He likes to perform, he likes cool things, he's happy when he gets high scores, and he's even happier if he can dunk in a game."

In the Suns' locker room, Howard was a real character, always cheerful and happy.

"And you know what? He's already planning to participate in the dunk contest, bragging that he used to live with two dunk champions and he wants to come up with the coolest dunk move."

While training in New York, Howard's apartment also housed two dunk champions, Swift and Jones.

"We told him to work together with Steve during the first seven seconds and try to dunk."

"Then in the second seven seconds, tell him that we need him to be our last trump card, make him understand how important he is to us, and I think he will accept it."

Switch to offense, unleash Howard's natural instincts, and just go for it with a dunk.

Once they're in position, they should focus on Howard and utilize his scoring ability.

Jaffaroni felt that by guiding Howard in this way, Howard would definitely be willing to adapt to the role he played in the first 7 seconds.

D'Antoni's eyes darted around, he nodded, and then decisively sent Jaffaroni to talk to Howard.

Jaffaroni quickly rolled his eyes and turned to talk to Howard.

D'Antoni then went to Nash to discuss his ideas.

To his surprise, Nash had the same idea as him.

He has the deepest understanding of ball control on the court and clearly feels that when he is on a fast break, he hesitates and considers whether to pass the ball to Howard, wondering if Howard has a better chance of winning in a one-on-one situation.

Now that D'Antoni has made this adjustment, Nash himself is fine.

The only problem is Howard.

Is he willing to adapt to this change?

Nash and D'Antoni both turned to look at a corner of the locker room.

Jaffaroni must have just finished talking; as he turned around, he gave D'Antoni a thumbs-up, indicating "OK."

Howard looked excited. When he left the locker room, he went to Nash and asked Nash to pass him a few good balls so he could dunk them.

The match started at 8 p.m.

Standing in the center circle, seeing the monstrous O'Neal, Howard couldn't help but feel intimidated.

But then his fighting spirit surged again.

Shaquille O'Neal is already 32 years old. Let's see if he can still play in five years.

In five years, I will be 24, right at the peak of my life.

So if we can't beat them now, let's see next year, and try the year after.

Most importantly, I can train with Tang Sen every year and make progress every time.

What about O'Neal?

Thinking about the hardships he had endured in New York, Howard's fighting spirit was ignited.

The Lakers took the initiative on offense.

Kobe backs down in the low post, fakes a shot, points at Ray Allen, and scores with a step-back move.

Howard quickly inbounded the ball, and the four Suns players rushed out in a flash.

Joe Johnson and Ray Allen flew down the flanks at high speed, while Marion and Nash charged into the middle.

Howard lagged behind, but quickly caught up.

Nash's eyes quickly scanned the situation on the court, and he dribbled the ball directly into the paint.

Kobe quickly moved laterally to block the shot.

The moment he lunged forward, Nash delivered a graceful behind-the-back bounce pass to the left, accurately finding Ray Allen on the left wing.

With a swift stroke, the three-pointer hits.

It only takes five or six seconds to go from the backcourt to the frontcourt, which is so fast it makes your scalp tingle.

Jackson, sitting on the sidelines, frowned slightly.

The intelligence gathering department of the uniformed group had already told him that the Suns were speeding up their offensive pace and practicing fast-paced whirlwind tactics.

The Lakers will still play around O'Neal and Kobe.

With O'Neal having an advantage in the paint, the ball naturally ended up in his hands.

O'Neal pushed Howard aside with a post-up move, immediately turned around, and stepped into the paint to dunk.

Howard stared wide-eyed, completely at a loss.

He ran away headlong. The sun remained unchanged, its two wings flying in unison, advancing through the middle.

This is the first tier of D'Antoni's tactical philosophy.

During fast breaks or transition offense after securing a rebound, maintain this formation and quickly penetrate the defense.

If the opponent defends the middle, then pass the ball to the shooters on the wings.

If the opponent defends the wings, Nash also has enough ability to penetrate and coordinate with the inside player who follows the drive down the middle.

This offensive strategy relies on high-speed advancement and exploiting weaknesses created by the opponent's delayed positioning.

If the opponent recovers and positions themselves in time, then it's time to move to the second tier.

Bulls attack.

Howard and Marion set a screen at the high post, creating an opportunity for Nash to drive, and then both rolled to the basket for a play.

It is now.

Howard came up to set a screen for Nash, and then immediately drove to the basket.

Nash tossed the ball behind him and sped out of bounds like a whirlwind.

As soon as O'Neal turned around, he saw Howard flying through the air with the ball in his hand.

With a resounding thud, he received the ball and slammed it home.

Howard slammed the rim shut before landing.

That's exactly the kind of cooperation he wants.

With such strong athleticism and explosive jumping ability, it would be such a waste not to dunk.

D'Antoni on the sidelines was also clapping excitedly.

The attack time remains around 7 seconds.

This is exactly the two-down offense that D'Antoni wanted: to test the point guard's ability to make quick judgments and find opportunities in a very short time.

Now, there's a third tier, which is the inside-outside coordination tactics centered around Howard after the team falls into position.

D'Antoni has prepared many such tactics in his tactics manual.

So while he says he plays a fast-paced, whirlwind style, that's not what D'Antoni really thinks.

The Quick Fighters were just randomly attacking, while I was using a very methodical and disciplined tactic.

Three levels of attack, progressing step by step.

Praised by Jaffaroni and obsessed with finding dunking opportunities, Howard actively participated in the offense.

In the first quarter, Howard completed three dunks, scoring 9 points.

He was very satisfied because he scored on O'Neal.

There are a few interior players who can dunk when matched up against O'Neal.

The Suns trailed the Lakers 27-30, by only 3 points.

In the second quarter, with Nash off the court, D'Antoni began to rely on Ray Allen's outside shooting.

While Kobe Bryant was resting, Ray Allen used a three-pointer to not only keep the score close but also take the lead.

After letting the starters rest for a few minutes, D'Antoni hurriedly sent them back onto the court.

Without Howard's interference, Nash is quickly getting used to this style of play.

His grasp of openings and timing is becoming increasingly accurate.

The Suns' starting five, with their shooting abilities honed in training camp, did not waste Nash's passes.

Nash, who dished out 8 assists in the first half, led the Suns to a 61-58 comeback victory.

At this point, Jackson was still not sufficiently alert.

It wasn't until the third quarter, when the Suns hit three consecutive three-pointers, raining down threes and extending the lead to eight points, that Jackson realized the extraordinary nature of the Suns team before him.

If they can compete with the Lakers, that's incredible!
Jackson immediately got up and went to the sidelines to direct the defense, especially by using Karim Rush to lock down Nash.

When making a wish at the training camp, Jackson's request was very clear: he hoped that Townsend would train Rush to become the next Sasser.

The Lakers need a defensive specialist on the perimeter to relieve Kobe's defensive burden.

With increased defensive intensity, the Suns' offense became stagnant, relying solely on the individual abilities of Howard and Ray Allen.

The Lakers gradually caught up in the score difference, only to reverse it again.

Ultimately, the Lakers won the game 116-109, a 7-point advantage.

Jackson turned his head to look across the street.

A false alarm?
No.

Jackson's brow furrowed slowly; he vaguely sensed the power of the Suns' playing style.

Right now, it's just that I'm not proficient enough, I haven't honed my skills, and I'm not focused enough on defense.

If these problems can be solved, then this year's sun might give everyone a pleasant surprise.

(End of this chapter)