Reborn in 96, I started by taking charge of the Dallas Mavericks.

Kobe's legend continues, and so does the Mavericks' winning streak.

In the following preseason games, the Mavericks faced relatively weak opponents and unsurprisingly defeated all of them.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for leading the Mavericks to a preseason victory and earning 20 points!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for leading the Mavericks to a perfect preseason record and earning 100 points!]

After the Mavericks defeated their last preseason opponent, the Sacramento Kings, Chen Fang immediately heard a notification from the system.

With the preseason over, the new NBA regular season is about to begin.

In the past six preseason games, the Mavericks have been undefeated, making them the only undefeated team in the league.

Meanwhile, Mavericks' star player Kobe Bryant leads the entire league with an average of 40+10 per game.

The six-game winning streak not only greatly encouraged everyone on the team, but also brought Chen Fang a lot of points in the in-game store.

"Finally, I've collected enough!"

The moment the system notification sounded, Chen Fang opened the system shop without hesitation and decisively redeemed the much-anticipated beginner shooting guide.

[Basic Shooting Instruction: This skill uses the most scientific and reasonable training methods to improve players' shooting ability. Using this skill will increase training effectiveness by 30%.]

After reading the system's introduction to basic shooting instruction, Chen Fang immediately showed a surprised expression.

Unexpectedly, even a basic shooting instruction can increase the training effect of players by 30%.

If this is intermediate level, how much would it take to improve to reach advanced level?

However, Chen Fang can only dream about it now. He has accumulated so many points just to exchange for the basic shooting guide. Who knows when he will be able to exchange for the more advanced one?

Right now, the most important thing for Chen Fang is to improve Kobe's shooting ability, which is why she is so eager to exchange for the basic shooting skill.

After all, Kobe's shooting ability was notoriously poor in the early part of his career, and airballs were a common occurrence.

Don't be fooled by Kobe's dominance in the preseason, scoring 40+ points in every game. That was the result of Chen Fang giving Kobe unlimited shooting opportunities.

Besides, this is just a preseason game, and the opponents haven't even gone all out.

But once the regular season or even the playoffs begin, the intensity of the opponent's defense will be different.

By then, with Kobe's current ability, scoring 40+ points will be an impossible task.

Therefore, Chen Fang needs to help Kobe develop as quickly as possible.

If you don't move forward, you fall behind. You have to know that countless eyes are watching Kobe now, all wanting to see if this 18-year-old genius really has real skills or is just a flash in the pan.

There is a one-week buffer period between the preseason and the regular season, and Chen Fang very humanely gave everyone a day off.

After a day off, everyone threw themselves back into intense training.

……

Reunion Stadium.

"Today's training schedule is as follows: physical training in the morning, tactical training in the afternoon, and each person will also have 100 extra free throws and 100 extra three-point shots. Only shots that make count. Let's start warming up now!"

Amidst the groans of the crowd, Chen Fang waved his hand and began today's training.

"Boss, has the schedule for the new season been released yet? Who is our first opponent?"

While the players were warming up, Buzdelik chatted with Chen Fang.

"It's out! We're playing the Spurs at home in the opening game."

When Coach Bu heard that the game was against the Spurs, he immediately frowned. "The Spurs are not easy to beat. They were the second seed in the West last season."

"Difficult to beat? I don't think so." Chen Fang shook his head with a smile. "I guarantee that this year's Spurs will definitely be the worst team in the league."

"Bottom? Impossible!"

Seeing Buzdelik's disbelieving look, Chen Fang explained, "Do you know Tim Duncan?"

Coach Bu nodded and said, "I've heard of it, but I don't know much about it."

"I can tell you with certainty that Duncan will be the greatest power forward in NBA history, and he will definitely be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future."

"Is he really that good? But what's his connection to the Spurs?"

Seeing that the old man still didn't understand, Chen Fang slapped his forehead and said speechlessly, "Playing it safe, getting the top scholar's ticket, understand?"

"I get it, the Spurs are going for the number one draft pick."

Chen Fang had put it so bluntly that Buzdelik finally realized what was going on.

"Boss, since Duncan is so good, shouldn't we just tank?" Coach Bu asked the probing question.

"Slack off? Not a chance!"

Chen Fang smiled mysteriously and said, "I already had Old Nelson start making moves. We have several first-round picks for next year in our hands."

What Chen Fang really wanted to say was that even if he didn't get the number one draft pick in the end, it wouldn't matter. His goal was never Duncan, but the only man who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Kobe.

The 1996-1997 NBA season officially began on November 1.

The NBA has scheduled 14 games today, and the Mavericks will host the San Antonio Spurs, also from Texas, at 8 p.m.

The Spurs have always been a strong team in the league, making the playoffs for seven consecutive years.

Last season, they entered the playoffs with the second-best record in the Western Conference, but were defeated by the Utah Jazz 2-4 in the second round, ending their run in the Western Conference semifinals.

This year, while retaining their original roster, they have also brought in many veterans. The outside world is particularly optimistic about the Spurs this year, and everyone believes that they can at least reach the Western Conference Finals.

Before this game, the Mavericks had already defeated the Rockets and Lakers, both teams boasting one of the four great centers, in the preseason.

The Spurs also have one of the four great centers, David Robinson, who is known as the "Admiral".

Therefore, before the game, the media contacted Gregg Popovich, who was then the general manager of the Spurs.

"Mr. Greg, what are your thoughts on this game? Do you think the Spurs will be able to win and get off to a winning start?"

Popovich smiled and said, "There's no doubt that the Mavericks are coming on strong this year, but I believe the final victory belongs to us."

"What are your thoughts on the Mavericks' rookie Kobe Bryant this year? Do you think this young man can really become Jordan's successor?"

Clearly, the reporter was not satisfied with Popovich's answer and asked an even more pointed question.

When faced with even more pointed questions, Popovich still smiled and said, "Kobe is an excellent player, but he is still young and has a long way to go."

Popovich's answer was as impeccable as ever, but the curious reporters weren't about to let him off so easily.

"Mr. Greg, one last question, what are your thoughts on Chen Fang, the owner, general manager, and head coach of the Mavericks?"