Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 365 The Larry O'Brien Trophy, here we come!

Many fans are unaware of how the players spend those 48 hours when the Finals reach match point.

The first 24 hours.

From the coaching staff's perspective, adjustments will be made to the pre-match training.

Training intensity: Reduced by 40%, but additional training will be conducted for specific tactics.

The Clippers coaching staff focused on replaying their tactics for coming back from a deficit.

First, the whole team watched the two close games, G4 and G5. The highlights of the games where they were behind were reviewed and analyzed by Mazura, who also gave suggestions for improvement.

Then, the entire team was immediately brought to the court, and the second lineup was used to simulate the Raptors, while the starting lineup was used to break through their defense.

If you are down by 10 points, how can you catch up and overtake the opponent within 4-6 minutes?

If you are down by 6 points, how can you catch up or take the lead within 3 minutes?

Assuming the score is close, with a difference of 2-3 points, how should the game proceed?

The aim is to simulate the heart-pounding journey of a comeback, so that you can be fully prepared mentally.

Subsequently, the team engaged in eight high-intensity offensive and defensive transitions, quickly moving into the free-throw phase. After everyone passed the free-throw line, they entered another four-round offensive and defensive transitions, all ending with spot-up three-point shots or quick three-point attempts.

In the final stage of training, each player focused on practicing their best scoring method, finishing with 100 free throws.

The next 24 hours.

Entering the final training session before the competition.

This lesson focuses more on tactical and psychological training.

The coaching staff will compile all the players' scoring highlights from the playoffs and provide one-on-one explanations. Coaches Rivers, Brian, Mazura, and others will select several players to provide psychological counseling and confidence rebuilding.

This training content is also known as: activation script.

Every role player will find the power of confidence in highlight reels specially made for them, and the coach will tell them where their contribution to the team lies in this defensive play or scoring performance.

For example, when praising Jaren, the emphasis was on his delays and disruptions to Siakam and Ibaka's cuts and rebounds.

Other key players like Rose, Beverley, Lou Williams, and Richaun will also have their performances reinforced, enhancing their understanding and confidence in the game.

After doing all that, the coaching staff reassembled the team to conduct a catastrophic hypothetical scenario.

For example, if Chen Wang gets injured and has to leave the field, how should we respond? Which players should step up and take over the game duties that should have been Chen Wang's?

Furthermore, if an inside player is subject to biased officiating and commits too many fouls, how can the rest of the team work together to address the defensive gaps caused by that player's absence?

In short, the coaching staff will anticipate all potential problems, prepare the players in advance, and ensure that the preparation work is done to the best of their ability.

Four hours before the match, all players enter the meeting room, where the coaching staff gives each player a small sticky note that reiterates their match duties.

Furthermore, they will pose hypothetical questions for the players to answer themselves.

For example, the question given to Brunson was: if you're down by 10 points, what do you, as the point guard, need to do?

Brunson replied: "I'll take a three-pointer."

Question for Jaren: Siakam frequently drops out to set screens for the ball handler, then cuts to the basket to receive the ball. How would you handle this?

Jaren's response: "Retreat to switch on defense, chase to protect the rim, call for teammates in the paint, and get up early to secure defensive positions."

The question for Bridges: When you're behind, with open three-pointers and a weak paint, do you choose to go for a layup or shoot?

Bridges replied: Believe in yourself, and shoot threes.

All Clippers players received a note, including the most peripheral Evans and Thornwell.

These two sheets were actually written by Chen Fang, which many players are unaware of. Some of the questions were actually raised by Chen Fang.

The message to Sandwell is: What should you do if you are only given two chances to play, with a total of five minutes of playing time?
Thornwell's answer: Defense, do everything you can to prevent the opponent from scoring, not even a single point.

The message to Evans reads: "You may not get a single minute of playing time, but please remember your contributions to the team; we will always remember them."

Evans wrote on the note: I am prepared every day, I am ready at any time.

Two hours before the match, the whole team enters the pre-match warm-up environment, and each person conducts individual warm-up training. The coaching staff will provide guidance to each player individually to boost their confidence and give them psychological cues to ensure emotional stability.

Don't underestimate the power of psychological suggestion; it's a winning formula that NBA coaches must master.

In tactical meetings, psychological suggestion is not an "extra ritual," but rather the final compressed package that encodes tactical information into emotional memory.

The core problem it solves is: how to enable players to instantly recall the tactical keywords that the coach mentioned just 3 minutes ago, even when they are extremely tired or under high pressure.

Psychological suggestion is not "chicken soup for the soul," but rather a "tactical plug-in" implanted with precise timing, wording, and media.

During intense competition, players' brains are in a state of oxygen deficiency. At this time, it is difficult to recall tactical instructions clearly and they are easily forgotten. This is when psychological suggestion is needed.

For example, a coach's sharp whistle, a specific gesture, or a strange movement can instantly remind a player of the details of a tactic, allowing them to execute it perfectly.

There are also some classic cases that illustrate the importance of psychological suggestion.

Before Game 7 of the 2013 Heat, Spoelstra had Ray Allen close his eyes and recall the echo of the game-tying three-pointer in Game 6 of 2013, then whispered, "Take a half step back with your right foot."

As expected, with 5 seconds left in the game, Allen received the ball in the corner, took a half step back, and then shot.

Additionally, the player's previous scoring actions can be used as psychological cues to help the player quickly enter a certain state.

For example, in Game 5 of the 2025 Thunder season, DeGnott only told Alexander, "Take over like you did in the regular season game against the Clippers."

In a post-game interview, Alexander replied, "I didn't recall the specific tactics. I only remember how I breathed and dribbled that day, and my body just followed suit."

A coach's job always starts off the field, laying the groundwork for the team to shine on the field.

An hour before the match, everyone returned to the locker room and entered a collective meditation mode.

During this phase, everyone is prohibited from talking or making eye contact, and the lights in the locker room will be dimmed to allow the players to quickly enter a state of calm.

Players can lower their heart rate to a sleep state by listening to music or other means, which helps them to be more alert and focused when the game starts.

Chen Fang also began his own meditation. He had rarely meditated in the past two years because he believed that too much meditation would create psychological dependence and gradually reduce its effectiveness.

Now, except for extremely important matches, Chen Fang doesn't meditate; he just faces things in his normal state.

Even in the crucial Game 3, he didn't do that.

But today, Chen Fang needs to meditate.

Chen Fang's meditation was different from the others. While everyone else simply closed their eyes and listened to music, Chen Fang sat cross-legged on the carpet, his hands forming lotus fingers and resting naturally on his knees. His upper body was straight, his head slightly lowered, his eyes downcast, and his lips moved slightly, as if he were reciting something.

The process was so long that by the time everyone else had finished, Chen Fang was still motionless.

The coach gestured for the players to leave the field first, leaving only Ilya waiting in the locker room.

Time ticked by, and the Raptors fans, media reporters, and commentators waited until the game was about to start, but Chen Wang still hadn't appeared.

This caused a stir; some people showed joy, while others looked worried.

The widely circulated rumors began to exert their power.

"Wang Chen isn't playing in this match?" "Impossible, I saw him during pre-match training."

Something must have happened, what should we do?

The reporter checked the lineup but found nothing.

The narrators looked at each other, puzzled.

At this moment, Ilya was already restless; Chen Fang's meditation today far exceeded that of before.

The door was quietly pushed open a crack, and noise from the stadium seeped into the locker room through the passageway.

It was Mazura; he was sent over to ask about the situation.

Ilya shook his head, his face full of helplessness.

Just then, Chen Fang slowly opened his eyes. He exhaled a long breath until his chest visibly deflated, then took a deep breath.

He repeated this three times before standing up.

Today is an auspicious day, a good time to conquer all directions!

"Let's go." Chen Fang rubbed his wrist and walked out of the locker room.

The moment he emerged, the reporters accompanying him in the passageway began snapping photos frantically. Chen Fang remained calm and composed, his steps firm and powerful. As he walked out of the passageway, the entire venue erupted in a violent uproar.

It is a sigh, a howl, and a cry of despair.

No Raptors fan wants to see Chen Wang!

The Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy is in a private room at the Scotiabank Center.

The NBA considers the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy to be "top secret of the Finals," and the league has established a security chain for it, including "armed escort, two keys, and 24-hour silence."

Before the champion is actually crowned, no team, player, or fan can touch the real trophy.

The trophy is cast by Tiffany & Co. every March at their Rhode Island workshop. Each trophy is individually numbered, and the engraving process is completed on the day of the final match to prevent premature leaks.

Once completed, it was immediately packed into a double-layer aviation aluminum case (the inner lining can absorb 50G impact). The case looks no different from an ordinary equipment case, except for the "Property of NBA Events" seal.

Upon arrival at the stadium, an aluminum box was pushed into an access control room accessible to only three people. There were two keys: key A was kept by the league's vice president of events, and key B was kept by the chief referee on duty. Both of them had to be present at the same time to unlock the box.

Only when the game enters the fourth quarter and there is an official timeout and the leading team has a margin of 8 points or more, are staff members allowed to push the real trophy from the secret room to the black curtain behind the podium to wait.

In short, apart from the 11 people designated by the league, nobody knows where the trophy is right now.

Even if you're sitting in the first row, you'll only see it for the first time during the 30 seconds when the curtain rises.

Chen Fang didn't go to the bench, but went straight onto the court. He and Zubac high-fived each other and he instructed, "Rebounds, I need to make sure we don't lose a single defensive rebound."

"Yes, sir." Chen Fang replied in a commanding tone, and Zubac answered in the same tone.

Then, Chen Fang gave instructions one by one, and finally came to Di Long.

"Man, if we can keep Leonard at only 20 points, we'll start celebrating in two hours."

“How wonderful!” Dillon murmured to himself, then shrugged. “I will defend with my life on the line, don’t worry, my captain.”

"This is the most glorious match of my career, and I will not allow anyone to ruin it." Chen Fang's words made Dillon laugh out loud.

“That’s what I wanted to say too,” Dillon said, beaming.

Chen Fang hugged Di Lung's head close, their foreheads touching and their noses touching.

“Listen, brother! Here, our will is the strongest. The reason I recruited you is that I don’t want to see you one day isolated and helpless.”

Dillon's eyes lit up, and he replied, "Yes, of course I know. Come on, let's take this damn championship and create our miracle."

“That’s right. In his second year as a rookie, he won the championship as the main core player. After that, no one in the league dared to speak loudly to us!” Chen Fang grinned.

"Hahahaha!" The two of them burst into laughter.

"Get to work!" Chen Fang casually pushed Dillon aside and went to his own spot.

Leonard is one meter away from the center line.

Chen Fang turned his head to look over and was met with Leonard's almost emotionless eyes.

His response was met with an equally expressionless face from Chen Fang.

"Game 6 of the Grand Finals is about to begin. This will be the most watched match on Earth today. Let's go crazy!" David shouted, holding the microphone and standing with one foot on the commentary booth. His colleagues around him ignored him. David's madness was already well-known in the commentary world. With the rise of Chen Wang, David also rose like a comet in the commentary world.

Duan Ran and Ke Fan were positioned at a high vantage point, giving them a view of the field. The players, like Little Potato, could only rely on the monitors and the director's cut-out footage for commentary.

At this moment, both of them were also very nervous, talking about some news they had received before the match to fill the time of waiting.

"It seems that Prince Chen's lateness was just a false alarm." Ke Fan was also relieved.

"It seems he received special care, given the extent of Chen Wang's injuries. From what we know, he has injuries of varying degrees on his left ankle, jaw, left arm, and right calf," Duan Ran replied.

"These injuries all occurred during the playoffs. The intensity of the NBA playoffs gets harder and harder as you progress."

"Every step is fraught with challenges. We need to understand that winning the championship is an extremely difficult task. Tenacity and resilience are essential attributes. Teams with weak will cannot get this far."

"The sixth game!" Duan Ran exclaimed.

“4比0赢下马刺，4比0又赢下掘金，4比3抢七赢下勇士，除了今天这一场。”

"From April 13th to today, June 21st, exactly 70 days, the Clippers have used 20 games to reach Game 6 of the Finals and have a match point."

"It was extremely difficult, and the whole process can only be described as epic! I know that many fans are looking forward to this historic moment, but I have to pour cold water on that. This game is also very important for the Raptors."

"This will not be a one-sided competition; the process will be full of endless variables, and only the most resilient will have the last laugh."

"Perhaps this is the charm of basketball talk."

As Duan Ran watched the referee Mark Davis walk onto the field with the ball on the monitor, he quickly gave a brief explanation.

"The Finals referees are on a 12-person rotation system, with 3 officiating per game. The list of referees is only announced on the day of the game. Today's referee for Game 6 is Mark Davis."

"His officiating style can be summarized as communicative authority, and he dares to blow the whistle at critical moments. He has strong control, dares to make decisions, values ​​communication over technical fouls, does not shy away from key rounds, has rich body language, and plays at a fast pace. He often uses large gestures and eye contact to remind players that 'if you keep arguing, you'll get a technical foul.'"

"He officiates fairly and is recognized by the league's players as one of the three referees with a perfect score of 100 in satisfaction. He is praised for his fair calls in the final moments and for his courage to suppress the home crowd atmosphere."

"This is his second game officiated today. The first game was Game 3, the one where Chen Wang delivered a superb performance."

"This is a good omen!"

As Duan Ran provided his rapid commentary, Mark Davis moved to the center of the court.

He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of Leonard, then finally looked at Chen Wang, nodded slightly, and said, "Enjoy the game, kids."

"Wish ya'll good luck!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the basketball was tossed into the air, and the commentators, who had been waiting intently, started shouting in various ways.

In the end, David's voice won!
He yelled, "Larry O'Brien Trophy, here we come!"

(End of this chapter)