Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 90 I'm Observing Him

in the living room.

Wesley yelled at the top of his lungs, "That's amazing! He's 38 years old, and he can still score 31 points!"

On TV, the NBC live broadcast of the Wizards and Hawks game had just ended.

Jordan scored 31 points in the game, leading the team to a 98-88 victory with a 10-point advantage from Atlanta.

"Tang, aren't you even more powerful? You even beat Jordan in a one-on-one duel, and you won twice!"

Wesley said to Tang Sen again.

Tang Sen didn't say anything. He frowned slightly as he watched Jordan being interviewed by reporters immediately after the game ended on TV.

Jordan's 31 points were certainly amazing.

He was incredibly strong today, scoring 11 points in the first quarter.

It feels like he is holding back some energy.

The problem is that in the current interview, he took the initiative to mention Brendan Haywood.

This rookie was sent to the Wizards because of the Brown trade.

"He's so good, really. I don't think he should be a 20th pick in the first round. He should be a top-10 pick. Did you see his defense? He's everywhere. He's like Dennis, an excellent low-post defender."

He directly compared Haywood to Rodman.

"I believe in my vision, he will become a good player, and most importantly, he is the player we need."

Haywood came off the bench in this game, played for 18 minutes, scored 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks, almost stealing the limelight from Laettner.

The key is that Jordan praised him almost to the sky.

Tang Sen felt that after losing Brown and being madly criticized by the media, Jordan not only chose to respond by scoring high points himself, but also intended to promote a new player.

It just happened to be Haywood who was traded at the same time.

If Haywood plays well, it will prove that his vision is correct, and giving up Brown is not a loss, which can give an explanation to the Wizards fans.

The idea is good. Tang Sen watched Haywood play during the summer league.

He is an older rookie, very mature, and good at defense. He caused some trouble to Brown at the time.

But Tang Sen felt a little childish.

There is a feeling of refusing to admit mistakes and trying every possible way to prove that one is not wrong.

All Tang Sen could do was let him go.

All of this was hyped up by the media. Not to mention Townsend, even Brown has already put his unpleasantness with the Wizards behind him.

As long as this guy doesn't come to Orlando for no reason again.

Atlanta is not far from Orlando, just around the corner.

The next day, Jordan's impressive 31-point performance made headlines in the newspapers.

Brown, who was preparing for the game in Indiana, was inevitably asked by reporters when the locker room was opened before the game what he thought of Jordan scoring 31 points.

Brown is almost depressed.

He felt that if he continued like this, he would have a nightmare one day, and the dream would be about Jordan.

Brown decisively shook his head and shut up, choosing not to answer the question.

He answered the reporter's question and said that he was unhappy with Jordan.

If I don't answer, the reporter might write that I am hostile to Jordan.

Neither the left nor the right works, so I just pretend to be deaf and dumb.

After the reporter was kicked out of the locker room, Grant next to him couldn't help but say: "Brown, this is what reporters are like. They make a living by doing this."

How many fans like to watch the meticulous reporting of games every day, including who scored how many points?

What fans prefer to watch are the trivial gossips on and off the field.

"And you can think about the problem from a different perspective, even though it might be a bit annoying."

Ewing, who was standing next to him, was silently sad.

Who put the hat of the uncrowned king on him?

Grant said, "But there's a good side to it. At least the media has been reporting on you. We've even added a nationwide live broadcast of your show. This has increased your exposure and boosted your commercial value."

"Unlike us, no one cares about us anymore."

Grant sighed.

As soon as the locker room opened, a group of reporters, 70% of whom surrounded Brown.

The remaining 30% surrounded McGrady.

As for myself, who cares!

Even Ewing has become a yellow-faced woman and no one cares about her anymore.

"You are still young, and it is the time for you to become famous and make money. This may not be a bad thing for you." Grant said again.

With more media coverage, the whole United States will know you, and commercial endorsements will naturally come.

An advertising slogan popped up in his mind.

Brown held the product and said to the camera: "Jordan could choose me a hundred times instead of me, but I will only choose me once, and this is it."

Simply perfect!
Brown was amused by what he said and asked, "Should I thank him?"

"Correct."

Ewing's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed at Brown and said, "Brown, you have to thank him. The more you thank him, the worse he'll feel."

As he said this, he couldn't help laughing, and then asked Grant if he was being too mean.

After all, I have a good relationship with Jordan.

Grant shook his head, thinking that even if there was no loss, it would still be far from enough.

Brown nodded thoughtfully, then said, "I've decided. I'm going to score 31 points tonight."

You got 31 points, so I want one too.

Grant's eyebrows were about to rise.

Just imagine Brown scoring 31 points and thanking Jordan for the trade at the post-game press conference. He felt excited just thinking about that scene.

Ewing also nodded. "That's possible. The Pacers' main center, Jeff Foster, is only good at rebounding, but he plays terribly. He's definitely no match for you."

The two are of similar height, with Brown having the advantage in weight. Brown also possesses the athletic ability that Foster, the white center, lacks the most.

Most importantly, Foster is still young in his third year.

This year he was promoted to the starting position by Isaiah Thomas, but in the first two games, he grabbed a lot of rebounds, but only scored 4 points in both games. He really can't do anything except grabbing rebounds.

It shouldn't be easy for Brown to deal with such a white center.

The idea was good, but unexpectedly, Thomas adjusted the starting lineup before the game.

Moved O'Neal Jr. to center and then replaced him with Al Harrington.

Jermaine O'Neal also entered the league as a high school student. He started school early and participated in the draft at the age of 17 and a half, making him the youngest player in NBA history.

But in 96, the league had not yet begun to pay attention to high school students.

In the Trail Blazers, O'Neal guarded the water cooler for four years in a row.

It wasn't until last year when he came to the Pacers that he really took off, improving his averages from 3.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season to 12.9 points and 9.8 rebounds, a near 10+10 statistic.

Quickly became the Pacers' third star.

He almost snatched away McGrady's Most Improved Player award.

He is an excellent defender and has great speed. Obviously, Thomas knew that Foster could not defend Brown, so he chose to put O'Neal Jr. at the five position.

Last season, O'Neal Jr. was actually the starting center, and only returned to the power forward position this season.

In terms of pre-game tactical arrangements, Rivers still used the same old routine.

He emphasized the passion for the game and said that the Pacers have declined. Their record last season was worse than the Magic's, and they almost didn't make the playoffs, so there is no need to take them seriously. With the Magic's current strength, they can easily defeat them.

Although it was a cliché, he had his own way of saying it, waving his hands and speaking in a passionate tone.

Anyway, Brown's blood boiled after hearing this.

It was Davis who spoke the final few words.

When it comes to paying attention to perimeter defense, at least they still have Miller.

In the interior, Grant needs to come over to assist in defending O'Neal and help Brown share the pressure.

"Brown, use your strength well, just like you did against Olajuwon." He gave his final advice.

Brown weighs 115 kilograms, which is not enough to compete with O'Neal, but he has a considerable advantage when facing inside players like O'Neal Jr. who play at the power forward position.

O'Neal Jr. weighs only 102 kilograms.

If he were Brown's weight, it would be difficult for him to be flexible.

Surprisingly, Bird, who had resigned almost two years ago, also showed up at the scene.

Because old friend Ewing is here.

Before the game, the two stood on the sidelines and chatted for a while.

But after the conversation, Ewing patted Brown on the shoulder and said, "Although I don't like Larry's big mouth, you still have to work hard and get 31 points."

It turned out that Wang Bird was unwilling to be lonely and even had a verbal attack with reporters before the game.

Before the game, he proudly predicted Brown's score, saying it would definitely be above 31 points.

If Brown doesn't get that score, he'll go on TV and admit he's worse than a piece of shit.

This is a very pretentious style.

Anyway, it scared a bunch of reporters.

As an old friend, Ewing couldn't bear to see his old friend make such a fool of himself, so he could only ask Brown to work harder.

Brown nodded vigorously, full of confidence.

Unexpectedly, at the beginning of the game, O'Neal Jr. gave himself a warning.

More than a minute into the game, O'Neal Jr. received the ball at the waist in the penalty area, turned his back to the left and right, turned toward the baseline and jumped up to shoot.

Brown didn't lose his position at all. He jumped up synchronously with O'Neal and his hand almost covered his face.

But it was no use, the basketball went into the net.

"Rookie, welcome to the NBA."

O'Neal Jr. left a provocative remark and ran away with a grin. Although four years of guarding the water cooler with the Trail Blazers had worn off some of his high school prodigy pride, the rebellious nature of this "star-caliber" family remained unchangeable.

Just look at the tattoos on his arm.

Brown, who has been well protected by his brothers since childhood, does not even have a tattoo on his body, which makes him an outlier among black players.

O'Neal's provocation is not over yet.

In the next round, he received the ball on the right side of the basket in the low post, sat on Brown with his back, and shot the ball upward with his left hand, pretending to turn, but pulled back in an instant, received the ball with his right hand, and with an extremely agile turn, he cut along the baseline from Brown's side to the basket, and then made a chic backhand layup.

He is indeed skilled in low-post footwork and is frighteningly flexible.

After scoring the goal, he still ran away with his back to the goal, shaking his head, spreading his hands and shrugging his shoulders as if to say, "That's it?"

Maybe they are both high school rookies, but when he heard this word, O'Neal felt uncomfortable.

Even a little jealous of Brown.

Why should I, a high school student, sit on the bench for four years just to enter the NBA?

Especially last summer, the Trail Blazers reached the finals and fought a seven-game series with the Lakers.

In Game 7, Kobe scored 25 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists, helping the team reach the finals.

As for myself, I played for 6 minutes and committed 2 fouls.

The rookies of that year were all high school students. Seeing Kobe's success, O'Neal Jr.'s mentality was completely unbalanced.

So even though the Trail Blazers offered him a big contract, he still applied for a trade without hesitation.

Now that he has met Brown, what with the top draft pick in high school, chosen by Jordan, O'Neal Jr. feels annoyed just thinking about it.

He wants to tell the world that when talking about high school geniuses, please don't forget yourself!

"Brown, are you all right?"

Grant moved closer and asked in a low voice.

At the beginning, Brown not only did not take the initiative to attack, but also seemed a little distracted on defense, allowing O'Neal Jr. to score two consecutive goals.

Don't let that bastard Ewing put too much pressure on us.

"Nothing." Brown was still wondering why Grant asked that, and said, "I'm fine. I was just observing him."

Observe O'Neal's playing style, sweet spot, and defensive intensity.

"observe?"

Grant was stunned and said blankly, "It was Tang who taught you this again."

Brown nodded.

As Tang Sen said, don't fight an unprepared battle. Sharpening the knife does not delay the chopping of wood. It's never too late to take action after you understand the opponent's strength.

Grant was at a loss for words and asked, "So what about now? Have you finished observing?"

Three minutes.

"All right."

Brown nodded, ran into the penalty area quickly, and then took the initiative to seek confrontation.

O'Neal, who had a smile on his face just now, suddenly changed his expression.

Brown was like a gentle sheep, but suddenly the sheepskin was torn off, revealing his ferocious wolf form.

He pushed himself to the basket as if he wanted to fight with himself, and then reached out for the ball.

Grant relayed and threw the ball in.

At this moment, veins popped out on O'Neal's forehead just from holding Brown back, but that was not the end yet. After receiving the ball, Brown lowered his waist and used his shoulders to clear the way.

During one play, O'Neal Jr. felt like his feet were about to leave the ground.

Before he could stand firm, Brown had already lowered his body, stepped in to squeeze out O'Neal, and made a layup.

After scoring the goal, he ran away without looking back.

Only O'Neal Jr. was left standing there in confusion.

This kid is so excited, why is he so fierce all of a sudden!
Grant took in his expression, chuckled, and ran away.

He felt that he was worrying too much!
Think about how Brown and Mourning competed in the preseason.

How can O'Neal, who is 15 kilograms lighter and relies on his flexibility, be able to compete with a tough guy like Mourning in the penalty area and compete with Brown?

"This boy."

Grant shook his head secretly, feeling that Brown was frighteningly mature.

The offense started to show its strength, and the defense did not let go either.

In three minutes, Brown saw how O'Neal Jr. moved, where he stopped, and his intention to ask for the ball.

He has roughly figured out O'Neal's sweet spot.

For example, mid-range shots near the waist of the restricted area, and low shots near the baseline on both sides of the basket.

O'Neal Jr. plays at the standard power forward position.

Then Brown knew what to do.

Since you are flexible, I will increase the intensity for you.

Brown once again burst out with the momentum of a lion on the grassland. He wanted to position himself in the penalty area, but he had to take two hits first.

This sudden increase in defensive intensity made O'Neal feel uncomfortable.

He is not afraid of confrontation, but he also does not like confrontation.

Last season, in the playoffs with increased intensity, he was criticized by the media for being soft in the playoffs when facing the digital crowd.

So this season, he made up his mind to return to the No. 4 position.

Not to mention that the intensity of the confrontation Brown is now comparable to that of the African uncle Mutombo.

After receiving the ball, O'Neal Jr. was pushed so hard that he had difficulty turning around, so he could only pass the ball again.

Miller made a mid-range shot.

O'Neal Jr. finally escaped from the predicament and turned around to run away without saying another harsh word.

His brows were furrowed, his mind in turmoil.

When did high school rookies become so valuable?

On the sidelines, Rivers stood up involuntarily.

He didn't care about Brown's performance.

He has confidence in Brown.

Rivers felt that Townsend had definitely thought seriously and put in a lot of effort in Brown's training.

How is Brown playing now?
The defense is mainly based on top defense. If you have a strong body, the top defense will definitely not be bad.

They also have to take into account some backup defense. As long as the No. 4 position does not perform poorly, the cooperation between the two is enough to support the Magic's inside line.

On offense, Brown's style of play is very simple.

Don't rely on mid-range shots, just attack close to the basket.

It’s not mainly about eating bread.

Brown has strong independent offensive capabilities due to his physical advantages and solid low-post footwork.

This style of play may not be like that of an outside player who can score 30 or 40 points when he is in good form, but the lower limit is very high.

It is not so dependent on the feel and is very stable.

The only thing that affects the score is your own status.

So Rivers is not worried about whether the Pacers can limit Brown by putting O'Neal Jr. at center.

Brown can fight with Mourning back and forth, but with O'Neal's physique, how can he be defended?

Rivers is now worried about the outside line.

The Pacers' strategy today was very clear, which was to lock down McGrady.

Jalen Rose led the defense. As one of the former Michigan Big Five, he had excellent athletic ability and was strong enough to make it difficult for McGrady to defend.

Even so, Miller would come over to double-team him at any time.

In this situation, the disadvantages of using McGrady as the starting point of the offense began to be exposed.

Last season, Hill was ruled out for the season, and when McGrady was double-teamed, the Magic's only scoring support was the young Miller and Armstrong.

But both of them are not scoring stably enough.

That's it for today.

So now the Magic are 6 to 11, already 5 points behind.

As McGrady ran past him, Rivers gestured, indicating that he should cooperate more.

Since the opponent is double-teaming you and you have attracted the defense, you should cooperate with Brown more.

Or just let Brown play solo.

Maddie understood, nodded slightly and ran away.

In the next round, he slipped out from the baseline.

Brown also provided a timely low-post screen to help McGrady delay Rose.

McGrady caught the ball and turned around to shoot.

O'Neal Jr. has excellent defensive awareness and immediately rushed forward to block the ball.

At this moment, McGrady, after a feint, passed the ball to Brown.