Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 413 Finding a Qualified Partner for Kobe
While the media was buzzing about it, the Suns had already traveled to New Orleans overnight to face the Hornets in a back-to-back game.

This time, the sun didn't let the wasps sting it again.

With seven players scoring in double figures, Howard and Ray Allen consistently contributed over 30 points each, leading the team to a comfortable 121-104 victory.

Two consecutive wins.

These two victories solidified D'Antoni's thinking.

We should make good use of Howard's defensive abilities.

In two games, Howard recorded a total of 11 blocks, proving himself to be an iron gate in the paint.

At the same time, the strategy of shifting the offensive focus to the perimeter is also correct.

Howard's role is defense; he's the anchor of the offense.

Outside shooting remains the Suns' most important scoring method.

Ray Allen's performance solidified D'Antoni's determination to build his tactics around him.

His off-ball movement, combined with Nash's imaginative passes, is a perfect match.

Before this, D'Antoni was only thinking about cultivating the chemistry between Nash and Howard. Now it seems that Nash and Ray Allen should also cooperate more.

The New Year has passed.

The Suns will face the Trail Blazers in their first game.

They lost to the Trail Blazers before, when the Suns had already begun to change, but weren't quite familiar with it yet.

Now, after a month of adjustment, the Suns are ready to face the Trail Blazers' challenge once again, looking brand new.

Nash immediately broke through the basket, rushed out of bounds, and in the instant he jumped out of bounds, he flicked the ball in mid-air toward the corner.

Ray Allen caught the ball and threw it, and unsurprisingly, it went in easily.

This shot opened the curtain on the Suns' offense.

Marion sets a screen, Nash drives to the basket again, crosses the free-throw line, and then suddenly stops and throws a high lob.

It wasn't a floater, it was a pass.

Behind Randolph, Howard soared into the air like Superman and completed an alley-oop.

D'Antoni was applauding and cheering from the sidelines.

Howard has strong individual skills, but unlike Yao Ming, he doesn't have the ability to facilitate passing and playmaking.

Ray Allen completely switched to an off-ball style of play, so the two are completely incompatible and cannot cooperate.

If the Suns only had two stars, one inside and one outside, it wouldn't be useful at all, and they wouldn't achieve the kind of chemistry that the OK combination had in terms of inside-outside connection.

But the Suns still have Nash.

His drives and passes made him the best facilitator between Howard and Ray Allen.

He single-handedly energized Howard and Ray Allen.

He himself still has enough offensive capabilities.

A player who can drive, shoot, and pass is terrifying.

In the first quarter, the sun's pace quickened.

Ray Allen scored 14 points in the quarter, making 3 of 5 three-pointers.

In the second quarter, Nash was off the court, and his offense was slightly hampered, but he still managed to score 9 points.

The score is 20 points at halftime.

Ray Allen became more and more confident with each shot, and he was playing very comfortably.

Now on the court, Ray Allen is not like he was with the SuperSonics, where he was the team's core player, but also had to handle the ball and share the playmaking burden.

Ray Allen now only needs to worry about one thing: finding open space on the field by running.

What's even more comfortable is that when I'm in an open position, Nash always notices and passes the ball to me.

It looks like this guy has eyes on the back of his head.

Throughout his entire career, Ray Allen never played with a point guard who was such a good passer.

Once he receives the ball, all he needs to do is one thing: shoot it into the basket.

This is precisely what Ray Allen excels at right now.

During last year's training camp, Tang Sen told himself directly to give up breakthroughs and one-on-one battles, and just focus on practicing three-pointers.

A three-pointer taken from an open spot, a three-pointer taken after taking a step to the side against the defender.

Try different ways to throw, and the more accurate the throw, the better.

At the time, Ray Allen had some concerns, fearing that even if he shot accurately, no one would pass him the ball after changing his playing style.

Looking back now, it's likely that Tangsen had already noticed Nash's passing ability during training camp.

Derek Anderson, who was matched up against Ray Allen, didn't have much defensive ability.

The Trail Blazers have also gotten used to playing inside.

This allowed Ray Allen to play exceptionally well, given his already excellent shooting consistency.

Before this season, Ray Allen's three-point shooting form was standard. His ability to shoot so quickly was largely due to his exceptional body control.

He's like a cold-blooded shooting machine, with his shooting technique programmed so that he can maintain a consistent shooting form even in the later stages of a game.

Now I've changed to a flick shot, which makes it easier to shoot further while consuming less energy.

Therefore, Ray Allen's shooting endurance has been further enhanced.

In the first half, Ray Allen hit five three-pointers.

In the second half, the opponent's stamina dropped, but his three-pointers remained as consistent as ever.

Throughout the second half, Ray Allen went on a scoring spree, hitting six more three-pointers.

He made 11 three-pointers in a single game, tying Dennis Scott's record for most three-pointers made in a single game.

This performance undoubtedly secured a victory for the Suns.

At the post-game press conference, D'Antoni praised Ray Allen to the skies.

The media quickly followed suit.

It is said that Ray Allen is now undoubtedly the best player in the league when it comes to three-point shooting.

The New York Times also published a special report analyzing the Suns' current strength.

It is said that Howard has already proven his potential to become a superstar center by winning Rookie of the Month twice.

Ray Allen has also proven himself to be a super scorer with his recent performances.

Although Ray Allen's scoring methods seem somewhat limited now.

However, under the Suns' offensive system, Ray Allen was able to get a lot of shooting opportunities.

Therefore, the sun should not be underestimated these days.

Although the sun is in the west, the New York Times still specifically reminded Carlisle not to underestimate it.

In their first season of rebuilding, the Suns have already shown this level of strength. Who knows how powerful they will become after another season or two of integration and roster improvements?

They might actually be able to break through the encirclement from the west.

After all, O'Neal is visibly declining, and the Lakers' good days may not last much longer.

This New York Times report was not written at Tang Sen's behest.

The sun has returned to the right path and emerged from its slump, and Tang Sen did indeed have the media help them create hype.

The fact that the New York Times took the initiative to report on the Suns only shows that the Suns' strength has now risen to a point where no media outlet dares to underestimate them.

Meanwhile, Tang Sen noticed the last sentence in the New York Times.

The Lakers' good days may be numbered.

Routine sarcasm?

With the deliberate hype this season, the Knicks and Lakers have become destined rivals.

It also involves the East and West coasts of the United States, and the rivalry between the two major cities of New York and Los Angeles.

Naturally, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times would occasionally clash and engage in verbal sparring.

Tang Sen felt that wasn't entirely true.

Because this season, O'Neal's performance has indeed visibly declined.

He's almost 33 years old.

This season, star players from all teams have had explosive performances, but O'Neal couldn't even crack the top ten in scoring.

So far this season, he's averaging 22.4 points per game, far below his peak performance.

He remains as overweight as ever, and online, many Lakers fans are still complaining about when O'Neal will finally lose weight.

Jackson still couldn't handle O'Neal.

O'Neal himself seems to have become lazy. In several interviews, when asked about competing with Yao Ming, he directly admitted that he is not as good as Yao Ming now.

Then he said that if he were ten years younger, he would have a chance to beat Yao Ming.

He's even started reminiscing about the past; that's a sign he's getting old.

If he maintains his current weight, his weight loss will only increase.

Tang Sen suddenly remembered Stern's suggestion.

He wanted to train a prodigy player known as "Little Shark" in advance.

Could this be a move to succeed O'Neal and be prepared for the Lakers?
He probably wouldn't give the Lakers the number one draft pick outright, but he could trade his aging Shaquille O'Neal for it.

Kobe is still young; he has at least five more years in his prime.

From Stern's perspective, that was Los Angeles, the Lakers, and the league's revenue guarantee.

An era must eventually come to an end, and when O'Neal is in the old district, he will definitely have to find a reliable partner for Kobe.

Find a suitable successor for the Lakers.

(End of this chapter)