章節 20: 19. Things on Race Day
"It's not about speeding up the change of direction, but what if the defender isn't fooled? Then you're blocked and might even get stopped... I'll demonstrate for you like this..."
"No, that's not how it's done. You can't lift your foot before making the dribbling move forward, or you'll be called for traveling. Your hand movements must be faster..."
"Right, that's it. Prepare to exert force but don't actually do it, ready to switch between pulling sideways and starting any time. Control the rhythm well..."
"You need to practice slowly, better control your body..."
Seeing Zhang Yang finally 'get it', Nash taught with even more care and attention... yet he still wanted to criticize a bit.
Despite being such a quick learner, he insisted on struggling with one or two techniques, wasting so much time!
But as Zhang Yang had just 'gotten it', Nash chose to hold back.
Under Nash's guidance, Zhang Yang began to refine his starting habits.
These starting habits had been maintained for 5 years and had already become muscle memory, making it difficult for Zhang Yang to adjust, but he was very diligent in learning and practicing.
He didn't care much about the effects he could achieve in this short time, but rather wanted to remember how to practice properly, so he could develop better habits when he went back to the basics.
The first day of his experience, Zhang Yang spent in training.
After a day of training, in addition to getting accustomed to the existing techniques, gaining a preliminary understanding of fast-break strategies, and learning the basics of ball control, he also understood his physical fitness now that he was an adult.
At 21, his speed was top-tier in the NBA!
Currently, only Nash and Dragic were faster than him in the team. From Nash, he learned that Barbosa was the fastest in the team; all three players were known for their speed, and being slightly slower than these three didn't mean his speed was slow.
His strength was average among the team's guards. He was at a disadvantage when confronting Jason Richardson and Hill, had an advantage over Dragic, and was about even with Dudley.
His jumping ability was also decent. Compared to the likes of Dunk King and powerhouse athletes, he couldn't compare, but he was much better than Nash...
Plus, with a height of 196 cm, his physical fitness as an adult in the NBA, though not outstanding, was certainly not poor, perhaps even first-class?
This gave him more confidence in his basketball career; physical fitness is the foundation of competitive sports.
...
May 2nd, game day arrived, and today, the Suns would start their series at home against the Spurs.
In the morning, after just a short training session, Zhang Yang was stopped by Nash, who told him to conserve his energy for tonight's game... then he was called to make breakfast, this time for three more people.
Last night, Nash's wife, Alejandra Nash, returned from her parents' home with their two daughters.
Zhang Yang learned from Nash that a few days ago was Alejandra's father's birthday, but since Nash was playing in the first round at that time, she went alone with their daughters to celebrate her father's birthday.
Alejandra seemed not to take a liking to Zhang Yang, not offering him the warm hospitality one might expect, but he didn't mind. Being someone who was staying for free and even carpooling, it was a bit much to expect a warm welcome.
However, the relationship between Nash and Alejandra appeared to be quite delicate, even in front of an outsider staying with them – Zhang Yang didn't inquire, as it was their private matter.
Nash's two daughters, however, were quite adorable, though slightly superficial, always chattering about their days at their grandparents' house.
After breakfast, Zhang Yang joined Nash in watching video clips from the Spurs' first-round series against the Mavericks.
Nash had watched this video montage many times before, mainly to explain to Zhang Yang what needed to be done on both offense and defense, essentially studying the video in a different way.
Nash's professional explanations received Zhang Yang's attentive listening, as he tried to understand a top star's approach to the game.
As noon approached, Nash didn't ask Zhang Yang to cook but instead took him to the US West Arena for a nutritional meal.
Upon taking the first bite, Zhang Yang felt a bit nauseous.
How to describe it, the ingredients were definitely top-notch, but the taste... it could only be said to accentuate the natural flavors of the ingredients.
However, seeing Nash wolf it down, Zhang Yang also followed suit and finished the nutritional meal.
After lunch, Zhang Yang felt a bit drowsy and slept for an hour in the lounge. When he woke up, he wanted to ask Nash about some tactical matters, but saw that Nash had already started warming up; Hill had also arrived. He greeted them and then walked into the locker room.
Zhang Yang asked, "Did I sleep that long? Have you already started warming up?"
Nash stopped what he was doing, smiled, and said, "It's still early for you to warm up, you might want to check out the video clips of Leandro and Jared's positioning, learn their running techniques. I'm old, not like you young players. You might get your body in optimal condition in an hour, but I need at least twice or three times that long, and I need breaks to conserve energy, gradually getting my body moving."
Zhang Yang expressed his understanding and did not disturb Nash as he prepared for the game.
Being able to win the assist champion and perform as the league's number one point guard at the age of 36, the hardships involved were unimaginable to others.
Hill had probably also come early to start warming up a few hours before the 8:00 PM game.
With 82 games just in the regular season, doing such pre-game preparations for each match is a feat achieved by only a few, even in the NBA.
Zhang Yang watched the videos for a while; the positioning and counterattacks of the two players Nash mentioned seemed quite ordinary to him. The choices in their running paths were standard; their in-play positioning was just tactic following, merely playing at the level of executing strategies, nothing outstanding tactically.
The two excelled in their rich game experience, understanding the passing habits of Nash, Hill, Richardson, and others, allowing for seamless coordination.
Especially Barbosa, with such exceptional physical qualities, the top-tier speed, quickness, and leaping ability, and strong finishing skills at the basket, along with an outstanding long shot... yet he had not become a star player. Only in the Suns' highest offensive season did he average 18 points a game, but after that, his performance declined each year. Yesterday, when Zhang Yang was looking at the team's stats, he saw that the 28-year-old Barbosa had dropped to an average of 9.5 points per game this regular season.
The decline in Barbosa's scoring was likely due to the head coach changing from D'Antoni to Gentry. The difference between these two coaches was significant. Although Zhang Yang was unclear on the specifics, he could clearly see the differences in the Suns' style between the two periods during the games. Barbosa's tactical adaptability was obviously not strong enough, even though both head coaches followed a fast-pace style.
However, although those two had average tactical sense, their years of playing experience were still valuable for learning.
By 3 PM, teammates gradually arrived at the arena, and Zhang Yang stopped watching videos to join in the teammates' pre-game activities, mingling around.
He felt again the positive atmosphere of the team, which he guessed was influenced by the personalities of the team leaders.
Nash was not a dominant leader; Stoudemire was loud and easily agitated, giving a straightforward impression without malice; elder brother Hill was gentle and refined; the Dunk King Richardson, a student of child psychology, was kind-hearted and generous...
With these people as the team leaders, the atmosphere could hardly be bad.
By 6 PM, Zhang Yang ate a carb-loaded meal prepared by the team for quick energy release, then started the pre-game warm-up with everyone under the trainer's guidance.
At 7:30 PM, Zhang Yang, having changed into his uniform and training suit, followed his teammates to the player's tunnel.
Coach Gentry, lagging behind, wanted to say a few words to ease the younger player's pre-game nerves. He was quite optimistic about Zhang Yang: he was physically gifted and worked hard. Moreover, Gentry had heard from Nash that Zhang Yang had recently had an epiphany and started expanding his skills.
However, Zhang Yang's demeanor showed no signs of nervousness, but rather was filled with excitement!
Had he gained confidence after scoring 10 points against the Trail Blazers?
While being overly excited wasn't necessarily good, it was still better than being so nervous that he couldn't perform at his best. Gentry shifted his focus back to the upcoming game.
Zhang Yang followed his teammates to the entrance of the player's tunnel, where the noise of twenty thousand fans surged into his ears.
He didn't find it noisy, nor was he too nervous, just excited to be stepping onto the NBA court!
...
...
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