Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 404 Keep Dreaming

It was already quite chilly in Los Angeles at the end of November.

After moving to a new home by the sea, Chen Fang began to feel that the sea-view villa wasn't all good; the wind was so strong every day that he didn't want to step out the door.

Fortunately, the villa also has a side yard, which is sheltered from the wind. Whenever Chen Fang is at home and the weather is nice, he will lie there.

Wu Zi raised a Chinese rural dog, and Chen Fang fell in love with the little guy at first sight when he came home.

Because Wu Zi bought it as a surprise gift for Chen Fang on the day he received the ring, Chen Fang named it "Champion".

In their spare time, the two would sunbathe in the courtyard, drink some tea, and then tease the champion.

Chen Fang enjoyed this kind of life: playing ball at work, spending time with his wife and dog after get off work, having endless money in his pocket, and being the center of attention wherever he went.

Who wouldn't want this kind of life? And all of this has fallen on Chen Fang. It's unreal, so unreal.

Chen Fang is now a little afraid to sleep, fearing that if he wakes up, he will return to his past life.

He still has many things left to do and many goals left to achieve.

The regular season has been going on for over a month. Since winning the opening game against the Lakers, the Clippers have been on the right track. Visiting the Golden State Warriors, they crushed the crippled Warriors by 31 points at Chase Center, which can be considered a way to vent their frustration and bring an end to the classic Clippers-Warriors rivalry.

The current Warriors, relying solely on Curry, are no longer competitive.

This game also allowed Porter Jr., who had a poor performance in the first game, to finally get his revenge.

Porter Jr., who was benched by Rivers after two consecutive turnovers in the first game, quickly recovered.

Facing the Warriors, who had no one to match up against or suppress him, Porter Jr. made 6 of 9 three-pointers, scoring 21 points, a rookie performance that left the league in disbelief. They said the Clippers had made no mistakes for three consecutive years, and that every rookie they selected was a gem.

Not only Porter Jr., but Yi Jianlian, who has been a source of concern for Chinese fans, is also beginning to show his talent.

His three-point shooting has returned, and the Clippers now have a true power forward. In defense, Yi Jianlian's help defense is also effective, putting pressure on Jaren and creating a healthy competitive environment for players in the same position.

Butler has begun to enjoy his status as a key player on the team. He has become the Clippers' number one ball-dominant player. As the team's leader, Chen Fang doesn't mind at all. As long as Butler can score in transition, he will not stop sharing the ball.

Suns, Hornets, Jazz, Spurs.

The Clippers started the season with a six-game winning streak, securing their position as the league's best team.

On November 6, the Clippers hosted the Bucks. With Butler absent, the Clippers and Bucks went into double overtime before a winner was decided.

Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up a super double-double of 51 points and 21 rebounds, narrowly securing a victory and handing the Clippers their first loss.

At the post-game press conference, Chen Fang highly praised Giannis Antetokounmpo's all-around abilities, believing that he is already the best center in the league.

At the same time, we should reflect on the problems exposed by the Clippers.

"We still lacked the desire to win, especially after becoming the defending champions. We didn't realize that many teams would be proud and aim to beat us, the Clippers."

"Including myself, we lacked enough focus in this game against the Bucks."

"Next, we need to rebuild our winning culture and do what a defending champion should do."

As Chen Fang said, the game against the Bucks woke up the arrogant Clippers players, and in the next 12 games, they showed a strength that made the league tremble.

These 12 games included home and away matches against Eastern Conference powerhouses like the Rockets, Celtics, and Raptors.

The Clippers won 10 out of 12 games, losing only to the Rockets and the Thunder.

The reason for the loss was simple: Chen Fang rested for one game, and Butler rested for two games.

The Clippers won every game when Chen Fang and Butler played together, which finally made the media bow down and highly recognize the strength of the Clippers' two stars.

The concept of "King and Queen" was thus promoted by the league and became a new symbol of the Clippers.

With a record of 15 wins and 3 losses, the Clippers continue to lead the league, and Rivers and Butler were named Coach of the Month and Player of the Month, respectively.

Porter Jr. also leads this year's rookie class, averaging 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, making him the Rookie of the Month for November.

Chen Fang, the true leader and boss of the Clippers, is so low-key that he is almost overlooked.

His average of 18 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds per game might not seem like much for Chen Wang's position on the team, but if you add in 24 minutes of playing time, it becomes quite impressive.

The figure of 1888 was achieved with Chen Wang exerting almost no effort; even a casual mention of it seems a bit exaggerated.

With so many talented players on the Clippers, Chen Fang no longer needs to prove himself with statistics, but everyone knows that as long as Chen Wang is there, the team will not lose.

Chen Fang's 24 minutes of playing time also ensured that he was in good health. Since the beginning of this year, he has significantly reduced his post-match dinners, handing the stage over to Butler and spending more time at home with Wu Zi, enjoying a happy family life.

Chen Fang gave more playing time and initiative to others, especially Holiday.

Julius Erdoğan's outstanding offensive and defensive abilities have always been overshadowed by Chen Fang, or rather, his talents have been overshadowed.

As a player with a balanced offensive and defensive ability, Holiday's role with the Clippers is more about defense, offense organization, and scoring. His importance is secondary to Chen Fang, and he is more often seen as a playmaker rather than an offensive initiator.

The starting point is Chen Fang.

At the start of this season, Chen Fang gradually handed the job back to Holiday. Now he is more of a playmaker, taking on more of the setting duties. Whether it's setting or attacking depends on him.

Holiday, on the other hand, returned to the point guard role, taking on some outside shooting and offensive duties.

This is one of the adjustments Rivers has made this season; he hopes to create more scoring options to alleviate the defensive pressure.

The November Players of the Month list sparked a lively discussion.

The Clippers' unstoppable regular season performance has also made everyone take a serious look at this defending champion team.

People no longer view those around Chen Wang as lucky people; instead, they view them with respect.

"Hollardy, Butler, Jaren Jr., Dillon, Bridges, Zubac."

"With the addition of Chen Wang, the Clippers have seven players who are well-rounded on both offense and defense and whose defense is solid. To put that into perspective, you won't find another team like that in the entire league."

"The best perimeter trio, the most mobile interior combination, and the best bench rotation—that's why the Clippers lead the league."

"Even without Butler, is there any team that can stop him?"

"The Rockets won a game because Harden and Westbrook recorded an unprecedented triple-double, using their extreme individual performances to offset the Clippers' team strength."

"But the Clippers aren't this strong in the playoffs."

"What frightens us the most is that Chen Wang, as the Clippers' strongest player, has not yet exerted his full strength. If he were the same man as last season, the Clippers would be as terrifying as the 73-win Warriors. Maybe not as good as the 72-win Bulls in 96, but it would still be scary enough."

So after the media hype, fans launched a poll asking which team in history could be compared to this season's Clippers.

The Bulls, Warriors, and Lakers from different eras are all on the list.

But Chen Fang didn't care about any of this.

After playing his last game in November, Chen Fang had a short 3-day break.

Upon arriving at the rock, the three boys had been waiting for a long time.

"Come to the conference room," Chen Fang called out.

In the conference room, Sun Lexian had already set up the large screen. The video recordings of Zeng Fanbo, Cui Yongxi, and Wang Junjie's matches this month had all been compiled into video analyses, and now it was time for a major review.

In the Los Angeles area, high school athletic events are typically organized by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

Therefore, California American High School is also known as the CIF League.

CIF is divided into 4 levels: Division 1-4.

Division 1 is the highest level, typically including the largest schools with the most resources and the best athletes.

Within this category, there are two major alliances that are the most competitive.

Western Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) and Southern Section.

Abbreviated as WCAL Alliance and SS Alliance.

Within these two leagues, there are further sub-leagues of three levels: upper, middle, and lower.

The Southern California Conference encompasses numerous high schools in Southern California, and Trinity College is one of the top conferences within the Southern California Conference, considered one of the most competitive conferences in California and even the United States.

The schools in the league are very strong in athletics, and their teams are highly competitive in the Southern California Conference and even in national high school sports competitions.

After the Trinity Conference teams compete within the conference, the winners will participate in the Southern California Conference, competing against teams from other conferences to strive for honors such as the Southern California championship.

Among the Trinity League high schools, St. John Bosque High School is the most famous, having produced several NBA-caliber high school players, including Tyler Dorsey, who is currently an NBA player and plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Zeng Fanbo attends this high school.

Chen Fang's considerations were straightforward: Zeng Fanbo was already 17 years old, at the most crucial time, his strongest year to break into Division I. Placing him in the Trinity League was a comprehensive consideration of how the league's exposure would benefit him, and St. John's Bosco High School was also one of the best high schools in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area.

The question is whether he can adapt to the unfamiliar environment after transferring schools and perform at a high level with unfamiliar teammates and coaches.

In Chen Fang's eyes, Zeng Fanbo was almost the most talented and best in terms of skills and tactics among the three. He was a player who fit the modern style of basketball, capable of playing both the 3-point and 4-point ranges, and while being a stretch big man, he also fulfilled the role of an excellent 3D player.

It's already the end of November, and the Trinity League has already played 6 games. There are fewer high school games because the league is very competitive; there are only 8 teams in this league.

The league uses a cross-league home-and-away format, and will determine the league rankings through 32 games at the end of the year. The top six teams will qualify for a spring season matchup with other leagues in a larger league, and then compete for a ranking against the top teams from other major leagues in the state leagues to determine the 19-20 California Division 1 champion.

The schedule is tough and challenging.

Of course, the pressure was also unprecedented. Chen Fang intended to let Zeng Fanbo experience this level of difficulty. Compared to the 3A League in Florida in his previous life, the California League was of a higher standard.

In fact, Zeng Fanbo's problem has never been his basketball skills, but his choices. Not going to Gonzaga University in the NCAA was a major turning point, and going to the Ignite team was a huge mistake.

With his basketball attitude and talent, after three years of training in Gonzaga, he's guaranteed a second-round pick, and reaching the end of the first round isn't out of the question.

What Chen Fang needs to do now is to be a good mentor to him and make sure he doesn't go down the wrong path.

The video being played now is a recording of Zeng Fanbo's match. Sun Lexian has made necessary edits, only showing highlights of Zeng Fanbo's offensive and defensive plays.

After pausing, Chen Fang said to Zeng Fanbo, "You need to develop the habit of reviewing and recording videos, learn to edit them yourself, record the gains and losses in a notebook, and save the problems and highlights to your hard drive."

“You should also develop this habit.” He then said to Wang Junjie and Cui Yongxi.

"The biggest benefit of watching videos is like practicing dribbling in front of a mirror. You'll know whether your dribbling looks good or bad, and you'll also focus on more things beyond dribbling."

"In the video, you'll see how bad your choices were at that moment in the game, your open offensive options, your wrong fouls during rotations, and whether you were aggressive on both ends of the court. Don't think your performance didn't exist just because you didn't watch the video."

"Scouts, coaches, and even ordinary fans on the sidelines will all make their own evaluations of what you do in this game."

"Self-discipline is not about training on time or doing extra practice. In my opinion, the core of self-discipline is more about being strict with oneself mentally."

"You need to break free from this body and become the most demanding person in the world, constantly pushing yourself to improve."

"The standards you set for yourself today will determine what level of player you will be in the future."

"Are you an elite player or a rotation player in D1, a starter or a fringe player? Don't think about the NBA, that's not something you should be thinking about during training."

"Today's training tasks, tomorrow's opponents, next week's formidable rivals, and the upcoming knockout stage—these are what I need to focus on and keep in mind."

Chen Fang's words made the three boys solemn, and they nodded repeatedly.

Before them stood a man who, without any prior experience or assistance, had single-handedly navigated the high school, college, and NBA stages to become a league superstar. His words were sacred decrees, the truth.

Chen Fang doesn't try to persuade them with words; he knows all three of them very well, and their passion and love for basketball are absolute.

Then Chen Fang began to analyze Zeng Fanbo's problems and highlights in the competition last month one by one.

"For example, this ball." Chen Fang pressed the pause button.

"Fanbo, you've made a positional mistake again. You're the power forward, but that doesn't mean you can't go anywhere else. Don't be too rigid about your position on offense."

"Move up from the short corner to the wing, set a screen, and immediately roll down. Whether the ball comes to you or not, you've already done your part for this offensive possession."

"Instead of using his weak body to desperately box out and demand the ball just because he plays the power forward position."

What do you think the probability is that the point guard will give it to you?

Zeng Fanbo shook his head: "Very small."

"If I tell you to come out and set a screen, then make a cut to create an open space, will the passing probability increase?"

"Yes."

"So tell me now, if you play like this, what will the coach think?" Chen Fang asked, trying to provoke the coach.

Zeng Fanbo asked somewhat uncertainly, "Will I get more playing time?"

"That's only part of it. Once you score like that multiple times, the coach will start to seriously develop tactical arrangements for you and require the point guard to pass the ball."

"You all need to remember one thing: you are not cold pieces on the coach's tactical chessboard. Most coaches always arrange tactics based on the characteristics of the players' performance on the field."

"The more well-rounded you are and the better you are at changing possession, the higher your tactical role will be."

"Starters, substitutes, and fringe players – the framework of a team with three levels – is how you gradually move to the core by demonstrating your understanding of the game."

"Don't be blinded by the idea that you can earn the coach's appreciation by working hard, striving, and fighting."

"Only through struggle can one reach the pinnacle of life, and this is especially true in competitive sports. These are just the most basic things you need to enter this sport, not the highest requirements or standards."

"When playing basketball, use your brain, use your game reading ability to show your basketball IQ, and let the coach and teammates automatically promote you to a higher position."

"understand?"

"Got it, got it." The three of them were all practically adults, and their minds were sharp. Chen Fang immediately enlightened them, and they understood.

Chen Fang taught them the most difficult part of basketball: how to please the coach, win over teammates, and how to develop basketball IQ and improve game reading.

"From now on, keep watching videos and doing post-game analysis. This is far more important than shooting hundreds of balls at the training ground."

"Everyone understands the principles of using their brain when playing ball, but they haven't taught how to actually use their brain."

"I hope that in next month's review, I can see more and more of your shining moments on the field."

Seeing that all three understood, Chen Fang continued his comments. Cui Yongxi had been assigned by Chen Fang to Upenosera High School of the Western Church Sports League. This school was no less prestigious than St. John Bosque High School. Cui Yongxi was still in the transitional phase, and Chen Fang hoped that today's conversation would help him understand something.

In contrast, Wang Junjie in 05 was still in his first year of high school. Chen Fang did not put pressure on him, but instead made an unexpected decision.

Chen Fang personally escorted Wang Junjie to Montgomery High School. In front of Coach Doug, Chen Fang said, "Wu Zhen has been delayed by you for a year. I really hope he won't be delayed again."

The old man was surprised and asked, "Why did you send it over?"

"Because you have the skill."

Chen Fang is incredibly skilled at winning people over. With just one sentence, he got Doug to take him seriously and started personally teaching Wang Junjie to rebuild his foundation and correct his various mistakes in the competition. You can see from the video that although Wang Junjie was participating in a very low-level competition, he was very meticulous and followed the rules very well.

Chen Fang even judged that, given time, Wang Junjie would be the most American-style player among the three, playing the 3-4 position.

Although the three are only two years apart, the difference between them over those two years can be enormous.

Fortunately, Zeng Fanbo and Cui Yongxi can be brought back in terms of talent. Chen Fang has high expectations for them and is confident enough to train them to be qualified for the talent show.

Chen Fang finds his current pace of life fulfilling.

The regular season is given to teammates to practice and build confidence. Off the court, they take time to nurture future stars, hoping that in five years, all five of China's starting five will be NBA players.

After finishing the debriefing, it was almost noon. During lunch, the bolder Cui Yongxi asked, "Brother Fang, the Clippers are really strong this year."

"The real power is yet to come." Chen Fang smiled. He hadn't even exerted his full strength, so how could he be considered strong?

"Brother Fang, let's win another championship this year!" Cui Yongxi exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Okay, I'll invite you all to come to the event then."

"Yay, haha, I'm going to tell my teammates how jealous they are."

"Alright, stop being so conceited. You'll have the nerve to say that once you've made it into the starting lineup!"

"It's only a matter of time; I'll be a key player next month."

"I'm already a key player in the first year of high school at Montgomery," Wang Junjie grinned and happily compared.

"Go to the kids' table. Why are you interrupting when the adults are talking?" Cui Yongxi got angry. He was the least respected member of the team among the three, and he immediately lost his temper.

Chen Fang watched the three of them playfully bickering with a smile, and he couldn't help but recall his high school days and the happy times he had with Wang Zhen.

Time flies, and the sixth year is almost over. Soon it will be the seventh year of my rebirth.

The initial dream has already been realized, but why do I find that I have more and more dreams to pursue?

He wanted to build a Clippers dynasty and lead the national team to win Olympic and World Championship medals.

I want to see China have the best league in Asia, with basketball talents from all Asian countries coming to the CBA if they don't make it to the NBA, and I want to see the CBA draft be star-studded.

There are too many dreams to realize, and it's not time for me to slack off yet.

"I have to keep having this dream!" Chen Fang leaned back in his chair and muttered to himself.

(End of this chapter)