The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 75: Utterly Inhumane

"I recently got a nice red wine, are you interested in coming over to my place to taste it?" James invited Hansen as they left the news conference.

It was clear he hadn’t caught the hidden meaning in Hansen’s words.

"No, I have training later," Hansen declined quite bluntly.

James might not have understood those words right now, but it’d be really awkward if someone from the James Team figured out he was calling James a bigger Pippen.

James wasn’t angry, he just smiled and left first.

Hansen went to the locker room, called up Conningham whom he had asked to stay earlier, and then headed to the training gym.

Tonight’s game was of great significance to him.

Not because of the points he scored, but because of the Celtics’ second-half defense against him.

Because he was confident in both "driving" and "shooting," it was difficult for opponents to defend him, and that’s why he had led three teams to consecutively defeat the first and second teams.

But that day was a surprise; if Brown had time to arrange tactics specifically against him, it would be tough to handle.

In the end, his assured offensive tactics were still too few.

"Passing" and "controlling" were skills he had been training since his NCAA days, but aside from training time, these skills also related to talent.

There were many who trained their whole lives and still couldn’t pass or control the ball well.

With his current level of passing and controlling, it would be difficult to play a leading role in NBA games.

Moreover, he didn’t have that kind of opportunity in the Cavaliers.

Tonight’s game was just an exception; it wasn’t possible for the Cavaliers, or rather James, to play like this every night.

In the eyes of the James Team, data was the most important.

Thus, his role was still as initially planned, to be like Irving, a powerful finisher.

From this perspective, he needed to enhance not his passing and controlling abilities but his finishing ability.

That was also why he had Conningham train with him now.

His breakthroughs had been restricted tonight.

He asked Conningham to defend him the way the Celtics did, and then he tried to counter it.

After training for a while, he gradually found his approach.

Strictly speaking, breakthrough should be divided into two parts, one is the breakthrough, the other is the finishing.

Take the most representative Austin Rivers (son of Doug Rivers) as an example; elite first step, strong breakthrough ability, but poor finishing ability, ultimately unable to make a mark.

His current problem was also in the finishing.

When opponents pushed him under the basket and then interfered, it was very difficult to make a conventional layup.

At such times, either he needed to master stable mid-range shooting capability, using a quick stop mid-range shot as punishment when the defender retreated under the basket, or some in-motion finishing moves like floaters, bank shots, hooks, spins, etc.

Mid-range shooting seemed the simplest technique, but it was the most complex in practice.

Compared to scoring inside, it had a lower shooting percentage, and compared to outside three-point efficiency, it was lower, hence the saying "mid-range won’t kill anyone."

To make it powerful, there was only one way, which was to increase its accuracy to an unstoppable level.

As long as the opponent gave you a bit of space, you’d be able to punish them.

Yet, that was not enough, as mid-range was also the easiest to defend against; one big step forward by an inside big man and he was already in your face.

Therefore, it was also related to the player’s footwork, spin technique, step back jump shooting, and even physical control ability, agility, etc.

That’s why, even though everyone could do mid-range shots, only a few could truly make a stand in the League with it.

For Hansen, if he really wanted to exchange black fan points for mid-range talent, it had to be for the best, a First Tier talent.

So comparatively, it was more appropriate to increase the offensive tactics during progression.

Thus, there were several options to choose from, and ideally, it was best to master them all since having multiple skills was never a burden.

After exploring with Conningham in training, Hansen updated his season plans.

Simultaneous training was unrealistic because training time was ultimately limited, and biting off more than you could chew was unwise.

His final choice was the most commonly used by breaking through players, and besides layups, it was the most effective way to capitalize on breakthroughs: the floater.

The training method he chose was to conduct basic training in the ways he knew as a Trainer, and then to look online for videos of floater masters to analyze technical details.

This definitely wasn’t as effective as Wade’s method of direct instruction, but there wasn’t so-called floater master within the Cavaliers, so this was a makeshift solution.

The next day there was no game; it was a routine training day for the team.

Having completed the double victory over the Celtics, the Cavaliers’ training atmosphere was quite good.

O’Neal also invited Hansen over to his house again after training.

Hansen’s second visit to O’Neal’s house was once again captivated by the cars in his garage at first glance.

Cars meant to men what cosmetics meant to women— the basics sufficed in theory, but if one could afford it, they would want something better.

Now there were six cars in O’Neal’s garage, and a new one covered with a cloth had been added.

Although the specific details of the car were not visible, its shape indicated it was another luxury vehicle.

This time O’Neal didn’t invite him for a drink but instead gave him a tour of his house.

This was also a signal; when someone shows you around their house, it means they consider you a friend.

A private swimming pool, private cinema, an open-plan large dining area, and even an indoor boxing ring.

Hansen truly saw what it meant to live lavishly.

After touring O’Neal’s mansion, Hansen couldn’t help but entertain some new thoughts.

Previously, he had focused on resolving the regrets from his past life, which was basketball, and owing to the competitive environment in the Cavaliers, he hadn’t considered how to make himself wealthier.

Now that he had some money, he should indeed take advantage of the transmigrator’s benefits to improve his life.

O’Neal also had dinner prepared for Hansen, though at this point, Hansen figured it should be considered supper.

For basketball players like them, this was nothing strange because their training and games burned far more energy than ordinary people could fathom.

Take O’Neal, for instance, his size required six basic meals a day.

After eating, O’Neal led Hansen outside.

"I mentioned before I owed you a birthday gift."

O’Neal’s words unexpectedly moved Hansen, who had thought it was just something O’Neal had said casually, not expecting him to truly prepare something.

Hansen followed O’Neal outside and then went directly to O’Neal’s garage.

Upon entering, Hansen instinctively felt that the gift O’Neal was giving him must be that luxury car covered with cloth.

And Hansen’s intuition proved right.

O’Neal walked up to the car and with one swift motion, removed the cover.

A white, brand-new 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI was revealed in front of Hansen.

The distinctive shell-shaped front grille and the overwhelming sense of luxury.

Hansen had a Ford for everyday use now, but compared to this, it was nothing.

Cars were somewhat cheaper in the United States than at East University, but this one would still start at at least 400,000 US dollars.

O’Neal’s gift was ridiculously extravagant!