Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 254: The Storm
Starting in November, the Clippers will have three consecutive home games, the first of which will be against the Dallas Mavericks.

Chen Fang was also fortunate enough to play on the same court with Nowitzki. Standing on the court and seeing Nowitzki entering the end of his career, Chen Fang did not feel too sad. This is a lion entering his old age, but no one dares to underestimate him.

He inadvertently glanced at Rivers on the bench, the head coach who always wanted to be a good person but did some bad things.

If it weren't for him, Nowitzki might have to continue playing in the league. After all, his skills and body can still support him to average 10 points per game, and he is willing to reduce his salary. This is a great benefit for the entire Mavericks team. They would like Nowitzki to play for a few more years.

However, Rivers called a timeout before the end of the game without authorization and called on all fans to pay tribute to Nowitzki, which prompted teams across the league to follow suit and forced Nowitzki to retire.

What a speechless operation.

Nowitzki's professional ethics and personality are supreme treasures for any team.

From the season he won the championship to the season he retired, compared to the salary of the league's top-paid players, Nowitzki saved the Mavericks $8700 million. What does this mean? It means that the Mavericks can use this money to sign at least one superstar and renew the contracts of all the championship puzzle players.

Although it was wasted due to the Mavericks management's stupid operations in the player market, this behavior is extremely valuable in the league.

If every player makes sacrifices for the championship and the team, then the dynasty team will not collapse so easily.

This unsolvable vicious cycle is always caused by people, but King Nuo broke this cycle and provided an example for future generations.

Although he admired Nowitzki very much, Chen Fang showed no mercy at the beginning of the game. Rivers carefully set up a new tactic for Chen Fang.

Misalignment tactics!

This is a very typical NBA tactic, using pick-and-roll cooperation to open up and single out a certain player.

It looks easy, but it's actually full of twists and turns.

First of all, there must be a misalignment of positions, with the big one beating the smaller one, or vice versa.

The second is the area dislocation, either playing outside or inside.

Finally, the person who executes this tactic must have good ball-holding and one-on-one skills and must be able to absolutely restrain the defender's weaknesses and strengths.

The Mavericks starting lineup is: Seth Curry, Wesley Matthews, Harrison Barnes, Dirk Nowitzki, and Dwight Powell.

Clippers: Chen Fang, Rivers Jr., Kuzma, Gallinari, and Jordan Jr.

In the Mavericks' lineup, except for Barnes who can defend Chen Fang, the rest are completely crushed and targeted by Chen Fang.

After Gallinari pulled out consecutive pick-and-rolls at the top of the arc, he quickly cut inside and took away the defending Barnes, creating a mismatch for Chen Fang to play against Nowitzki.

Chen Fang was cold-blooded. He took advantage of Nowitzki's old lateral steps and used a dragging step to create distance between them and hit a long two-point shot.

In the next round, he did the same thing, breaking through Nowitzki and passing the ball to Gallinari, who made a layup.

The Mavericks made a defensive adjustment. Barnes and Nowitzki double-teamed Chen Fang at the top of the arc, but Chen Fang jumped up and threw the ball to Gallinari who was cutting to the basket, and the latter made another layup.

There is no solution, no solution.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was forced to replace Nowitzki with Josh McRoberts five minutes into the game.

But Chen Fang's misdirected calling of names continued. He began to cooperate with Kuzma on the wing and gave Matthews, who is 196cm tall, two facial cumshots.

Carlisle continued to deploy his troops, but the Mavericks' lineup this year had fatal flaws. There was no 3D defender on the wing and no top-of-the-arc defender. The lack of defense made Chen Fang feel at ease.

If you are double-teamed, use your vision to pass the ball. If you are tall, break through. If you are short, shoot.

At the end of the first half, Chen Fang had scored 18 points and 5 assists.

The Clippers led by 56 points, 42-14, entering the second half.

In the second half, Carlisle decided to give it a try and launch an offensive against the Clippers, but at this moment, Chen Fang of the Clippers had already penetrated deep into the core position of the defensive system, strong defense on the wing, and even intercepted Seth Curry twice in double-teaming and assisting defense, completely blocking the Mavericks' scoring system.

The entire third quarter turned into an offensive and defensive show for the Clippers.

In the third quarter, the Clippers scored 32 points and completely ruined the game.

Chen Fang already had a luxurious stats of 31 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Rivers wanted Chen Fang to continue to break his own scoring record in the fourth quarter, but when he told Chen Fang, the latter shook his head and refused.

"I don't care about this, I need to rest." Chen Fang gasped.

Throughout the fourth quarter, Chen Fang stood by and watched. On the surface, he seemed to be chatting and laughing with his teammates, but deep down, his worry was deepening.

In the end, the Clippers beat the Mavericks 114-88 by 26 points, winning seven consecutive games and topping the Western Conference.

At the post-match press conference, facing reporters' questions about McGrady's remarks, Chen Fang shook his head: "MVP? This is not something I can do at the moment. Yes, I really want to, but I also know I don't have it yet."

“Can I be seen as unconfident?”

"Based on our strength and the current situation in all aspects, I don't like to make empty prophetic remarks. We will play one game after another. As for the MVP selection, it is just a tangible reward produced in this process."

"We need to do more and face more challenges. It's too early to mention this."

But Chen Fang's modesty did not dampen the media's hype. With two consecutive scores of 30+, Chen Fang has become the new darling of Los Angeles. His performance has attracted a large number of attention from Chinese in California. It can be said that he has greatly increased the pride of Chinese in California. Statistics show that a large number of Clippers home game tickets for the next month have been pre-ordered, and season tickets have also increased significantly.

Chen Fang's ability to attract money is showing explosive growth.

According to professional assessment, the Clippers' valuation has increased by 4.5% in the past month. This is a terrifying growth rate. In this month alone, Ballmer has doubled Chen Fang's contract salary.

Chen Fang returned to the locker room and made a very covert gesture to Lawrence who was sitting there. Ten minutes later, the two met in a remote and deserted place.

"I feel very tired," Chen Fang admitted.

Lawrence frowned as he realized what Chen Fang wanted to say.

"Yes, with a game almost every two days, I feel like I can't keep up physically." Chen Fang further replied.

"Let's test it first, and don't jump to any conclusions yet." Lawrence comforted calmly.

Today's game against the Mavericks started at 10:30 in the morning, and it is just afternoon now.

After a series of tests, Lawrence got the results. After whispering to the expert, he looked calm. However, Chen Fang, who was waiting on the side, was a little nervous.

Afterwards, physical test experts Rupert and Lawrence came to Chen Fang together.

"Humans have two kinds of sugar, liver glycogen and muscle glycogen." Rupert first explained it to Chen Fang.

"Glycogen is the core guarantee of our exercise. At high intensity, muscle glycogen is consumed first, followed by liver glycogen."

"They are found in the blood and muscles, respectively."

"The test data shows that your glycogen is low, so you feel tired."

"Usually, glycogen can be replenished through carbohydrates, but the absorption and conversion process of the human body varies from person to person. When the absorption conversion is not proportional to the consumption, obvious drowsiness and weakness will occur."

"That's how you feel now."

Chen Fang nodded: "Yes, I'm not very motivated now."

Lawrence said: "Chen Fang did not do any physical training in the summer, and his body has not yet adapted to the intensity of the NBA. Is that right?"

"Yes, that should be the reason."

"It's okay, go home and rest first. Don't worry, it's a very small problem." Lawrence comforted Chen Fang with a smile.

After Chen Fang left, Lawrence asked Rupert seriously, "Does this have anything to do with race?"

"No, relatively speaking, the yellow race is not bad in endurance. The ratio of their red and white muscles is higher than that of ordinary people, which causes the consumption of muscle glycogen to be faster than that of ordinary people. This also leads to the earlier stage of liver glycogen breaking down glucose." Rupert explained.

"Is there any way to solve this problem?" Lawrence asked with concern.

"Strengthen liver function, balance the ratio of red and white muscles, reduce his playing time, and give him a proper rest."

Lawrence's eyes changed, and he nodded: "This test is confidential and cannot be disclosed to anyone, including your family and friends."

"There's no need to remind me of this. I have my professional ethics," Rupert replied.

Lawrence walked out of the physical examination center, he called Wenger, and then after getting a confirmed reply, he called Rivers.

Half an hour later, the three of them sat in the office.

After listening to Lawrence's introduction, Rivers felt as if the mystery had been solved. He confirmed again: "Red and white skin?"

"Yes, the more white muscles you have, the more your athletic performance will be enhanced. Red muscles represent strength and endurance. Chen Fang's physique is the same as McGrady's. Gaining muscle will reduce his athletic performance." Lawrence replied.

"The problem now is to arrange his playing time reasonably." Rivers understood that this was the reason for calling him.

"Yes, his playing time needs to be arranged within 30 minutes at best. Rupert believes that this season, Chen Fang should not play back-to-back games or four games a week as much as possible." "In the 4 regular season games, he should be rested for at least 82-10 games."

"That's no problem. Both the second half and the first half can be fine-tuned depending on the results." Rivers doesn't think these are difficult problems.

"OK, then take a rest in the next game," Wenger said.

Glancing at him, Rivers tacitly agreed.

"I think we can do this. For the next three home games and three away games, we should match Chen Fang with a professional nutritionist as soon as possible, especially one with unique expertise in carbohydrates." Lawrence made a suggestion.

"Okay, you can ask the headhunter to look for it this afternoon." Wenger did not hesitate.

Rivers thought he was done, but Wenger looked at him sideways and said, "You played very well today, with proper tactics. It seems that you are beginning to find the right way to use Chen Fang. I pay tribute to you."

Rivers smiled faintly: "It's all thanks to the entire coaching staff."

"There is just one problem at the moment. With the rookies taking a rest, will there be any problems with the atmosphere in the locker room?" Wenger said.

Rivers was confident: "No, I know how to calm it down and put an end to it."

"Okay. That's it." Wenger ended the meeting.

After Rivers left, Wenger and Lawrence walked to the balcony, where they could see the entire Silicon Beach (Silicon Beach is in Los Angeles, and Silicon Valley is in San Francisco).

The sea breeze had turned cold, which made the mind clearer, and the two were silent for a moment.

"This affects our plans." Wenger said after a while.

"I am more optimistic. This can be improved during the offseason, and I think it is a good thing. Chen Fang's athletic performance will give us a trump card to accumulate power. In important games, giving him more physical rest will have a miraculous effect." Lawrence gave his own insights.

"You haven't even considered injuries yet. Once you have to play, your physical fatigue will greatly increase your risk of injury."

"Also, don't forget, he has his own medical team."

Lawrence retorted: "Doesn't that prove that he is on the same page with the team? He was able to inform the team immediately. He is not a fool and would not make such a mistake."

Wenger was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "You think more carefully than I do."

"We will do our best to protect him. His value has been demonstrated. I will not allow any negative reports about his rest. You should also pay attention to this aspect."

"clear."

Just as the two of them were enjoying the sea breeze on the balcony, Chen Fang drove to Panshi, where his team was waiting for him in the conference room.

Carl, Wick, Hannon, Mary and Jack Smith, Lindsay, Duffy, this is the first time that the complete team has gathered here.

After Chen Fang explained the results of the physical examination, there was silence in the conference room. Duffy and Lindsay were latecomers and were not aware of the situation, but that did not affect their professionalism as it was not yet their turn to speak.

"This is an old problem. It has been two years, and the boss's physical reserves have been increasing. Our plan itself will take 3-5 years to solve, and we are only in the early and middle stages now." Wick spoke first. He is the first person in charge.

Mary added, "I have already sought help from my friends and colleagues in Europe. There are a lot of papers and data on improving athletic performance. I found some useful data plans from football in Germany and Spain."

She paused, and waited for everyone to look at her before continuing, "This is the data from a three-month physical training test, which can effectively increase the glycogen conversion rate. In fact, there is no difference between football and basketball. Both are high-explosive, high-intensity intermittent exercises."

"So the problem has to wait until tomorrow summer to be solved?" Duffy asked.

"Yes, it's the regular season now, there is no room for adjustment." Mary said.

"So what's the urgent need now?" Duffy asked.

“Mitigation and prevention,” Wick replied.

"We need to take reasonable rest and smarter energy saving measures on the field. We need you to do this." Wick looked at Carl and the others.

"Yes, we studied the Clippers' seven games." Carl looked directly at Chen Fang and said seriously, "You didn't play smart."

Before Chen Fang could refute, Carl said, "I understand your desire to show your omnipotence, but your physical condition cannot support you to be omnipotent."

"At least not now."

"You consumed too much energy on defense. According to the plan, you play 25-30 minutes, and you play a game every two days, so your energy won't run out so quickly."

Chen Fang was ashamed, he knew his problem clearly, everything Carl said was right, but he had his own reasons for doing so.

"Griffin's injury is an accident, but also an opportunity. I fully approve of Chen Fang's choice. If he plays well, the boss will be the new boss of the Clippers. This opportunity is too rare." Duffy stood up and refuted from a business perspective and management thinking, and then he continued: "This matter should not have been told to the management. This is not the right choice."

Chen Fang explained the reason: "I have thought deeply about it. I am not in a position to change the head coach Rivers. I can only be a member of the management team."

"I definitely need to take a rest to adjust. I have an away game coming up. I looked at the schedule. The next two home games are on the 2th and 5th. Two of the three away games are on the 6th and 3th. The 11th is also a home game. I simply can't handle it."

“It’s better to be open and honest than to disappoint management and undermine their confidence due to poor performance.”

Duffy gave up and said to Chen Fang very seriously: "Please call me before making such a decision in the future."

"Okay, I promise."

"For this matter, we should solve the current dilemma first. We have done a simple review and found that the data will not drop if energy is saved on the field." Carl said.

"Very well, I'm all ears."

"First of all, in terms of blocking and assisting defense, you move too much laterally over a large area. You need more precise defensive training to reduce unnecessary movements."

"Secondly, when you are defending alone, you need to focus on defense. The death entanglement of not allowing breakthroughs, shots, and movements is too frequent and needs to be reduced."

“Offensively, the option after the pick-and-roll, if you penetrate too much, shooting should be a more energy-efficient option.”

Chen Fang listened quietly. Karl said a lot more. Finally, he agreed with Karl and others' views: "Okay, I accept it all. I have to make a choice."

"Don't worry. When the score is close to falling behind, you can still give your all. All NBA stars play like this. Playing hard even when you are ahead is childish in itself."

"You made a very wise choice by clocking in for three quarters today."

"The problem now is about truce and rest. You have to be prepared for both situations." Wick said seriously.

"Okay, I will." Looking at the people in the room, Chen felt relieved and satisfied. His energy and money were worth it. A reliable team was very useful.

"Thank you all, I am lucky to have you."

After the meeting, Chen Fang sent Lindsay out alone, and the two had a brief conversation in the parking lot.

"What do you think?" Chen Fang asked.

Lindsay had been writing on the memo during the meeting. At this time, she took it out and handed it to Chen Fang.

Chen Fang quickly glanced through it and was very satisfied: "That's it, I agree."

"I have already dealt with a few reporters. They will guide public opinion for you. Don't worry. Media issues will not hinder you, at least not now." Lindsay said confidently.

"Regarding MVP, my opinion is that it can be said, but not excessively. What do you think?" Chen Fang asked.

"In fact, if it weren't for what happened today, I would be against it. The NBA is an exposure league, and exposure means fame. MVP is the best exposure weapon, which allows you to continue to be a hot topic. But now, you really need to be low-key."

"You know your body well. You need to tell me more about yourself in the future."

"I have added you to the Panshi email group. Come when you are free. If you are not free, I will also send you a copy of the meeting content."

Lindsay was satisfied. She extended her hand: "This is the right way to cooperate."

After shaking hands, Chen Fang watched Lindsay drive away, then turned around and found Elijah standing at the door.

Walking over, Chen Fang said, “If you want to come to the meeting in the future, I’ll tell Karl.”

"I see. That's what I thought at first, but I felt like I couldn't help. I don't understand anything." Elijah explained awkwardly.

"Why do you think so? You are my most trusted black brother!"

"Thank you. You are also my most trusted Chinese brother." Then Ilya asked with a worried look on his face, "Are you okay?"

"No, it's just a small problem. Nothing in the NBA is smooth sailing. It has been dealt with. You know, it's you who guarantee my progress!" Chen Fang said sincerely.

"Of course, no matter what happens, I won't leave you," Ilya vowed.

"Good brother, we are in this together!"

(End of this chapter)