Hill called me the boss... Felton puffed up his chest and ran off to chat with his teammates, urging them on.
Standing by and watching, Zhang San saw Little Fatty the boss strut with his head held high, as if the whole person had grown a size larger, and truly understood what ’swelling’ meant.
Hill, watching Felton jump into action, admired the youngster’s vitality for a moment, then turned to speak to Zhang Yang, "Jack, you don’t seem to care much about this? I’ve never seen you actively talk about this, do you think Rick’s ’suppressing’ coaching method is wrong?"
Zhang Yang shook his head, "Rick’s approach is definitely not wrong, and Raymond wanting to help him is fine too, I just believe it won’t have much effect."
Zhang Yang instead questioned, "Grant, do you think the teammates don’t know that the opponents we’ve defeated are weak?"
Hill thought for a moment, "I suppose they do know."
Zhang Yang: "Yes, everyone knows, like last night, we were leading by more than 20 points, nearly 30, but towards the end, everyone’s concentration slackened, not caring about losing points. After all, it was garbage time, losing points or the opponent’s outburst, we could still win."
Zhang Yang thought of the scoring king who chose the ’hardest path’.
Joining a team with 73 wins, did the scoring king not know that they were bound to win the championship next? Of course, he knew, but he would still be smug about winning, secretly delighted in taking the most difficult step that others found challenging, and the rest would be smooth sailing.
Zhang Yang’s view gave Hill a fresh perspective; it was the first time he considered the issue from this angle. Initially, he wanted to object, but after pondering, he found nothing to refute.
Hill asked, "Do we not have any solution to this problem?"
Zhang Yang: "I don’t have a way, but we can look at the problem from another angle, not to fret too much, to reduce mental expenditure."
Hill: "Mental expenditure? That’s an interesting phrase, which indeed suits my current state of mind... Tell me how you see this issue."
Zhang Yang: "The problem we are currently facing is quite simple; our schedule is too easy, we’re winning too smoothly with no pressure driving us to progress, to perfect the team’s system. And these are not the core reasons for our anxiety; it lies in the worry about the tougher schedule ahead."
Hill thought and said, "That indeed is the core reason."
Zhang Yang: "Then it’s simple, since the future challenges are inevitable, we should strive to win more during the easy part of the schedule, creating enough buffer space to prepare for the more difficult stage."
Hill: "Your thoughts are really... unique, but I think you’re right."
So that’s it, so Jack, your training has been particularly rigorous recently, and you’ve been more proactive in developing new techniques to enrich your scoring methods, preparing in your own way for the difficult schedule next month?
Work hard in secret for a month to astonish everyone?
Thinking about this phrase, Zhang Yang shivered and said, "The coach is working hard, the boss is working hard, teammates are actually trying too, of course, I have to work hard as well."
Hill: "I don’t know why, but despite your tone being so calm, I feel a rush of fervor, I need to work hard too!"
Zhang Yang: "Is your body okay now?"
Hill: "During the last check-up, I asked Thomas if I could increase my shooting practice, and he said my recovery and physical condition were both very good, so it’s no problem to step up on spot shooting."
Zhang Yang: "Three-pointers?"
Hill: "Whoa, worthy of the top genius in history, yes, I plan to develop my three-point shot, do you think it’s possible?"
Zhang Yang: "You’re so accurate with two-pointers, you’re naturally suited to develop three-pointers."
Hill: "Chip said the same, it’s a pity that during my rookie years in the NBA, aside from a very few players, nobody valued three-pointers, and during the years I was out due to injury, I didn’t think of practicing three-pointers. But it’s useless to regret now. I’ll seize the present and not waste time on regrets; the sooner I start, the sooner I’ll see the fruits."
Zhang Yang: "Seize the present, I like that phrase, enjoy every game."
Hill pursed his lips and complained, "Just a casual chat and you gain insights... By the way, why didn’t you talk to Rick and Raymond about these thoughts? They would listen to what you say, and wouldn’t be so anxious anymore."
Zhang Yang: "Talking won’t help, they will still be anxious. People are different; they don’t have my self-awareness, nor are they as open-minded as you after going through the hardships and setbacks."
Zhang Yang: "Moreover, telling them might make their thoughts even more complicated, better let them have a clear direction. The ’suppression’ strategy is worth trying, what if it succeeds?"
Hill: "I’m worried that too much suppression will lead to dissatisfaction among the teammates."
Zhang Yang: "Don’t worry, Rick has a sense of measure. We’re continuously winning, so his ’suppressing’ style of coaching won’t cause too many complaints. Plus, we have Raymond to help, and Raymond carries more weight in the eyes of the teammates than him... Once we start facing setbacks, Rick will probably change his tune immediately to encourage us."
Hill: "Okay, I was planning to talk to them after training, but if you say so, I’ll let it go. I’ll focus on my three-pointer training, striving in my own way."
In the afternoon, Zhang Yang went through four sets of practice with the team, two offensive and two defensive drills.
Carlisle was becoming stricter during the practice, but not as aggressive as during the training camp and preseason; he did not rashly adjust the training content but demanded a higher quality in training.