NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 388 The Rising New Generation (6000-word chapter)
On Sunday, May 2005, 5, when the Heat flew to Manhattan, TNT interviewed the fined head coach Larry Brown.

The Pistons encountered explosive penalties in the tiebreaker and ultimately lost the game 95:102.

Although the series has ended, Pistons fans are still clamoring that their team has encountered a black whistle. Larry Brown did not stop complaining after paying the money, and would get angry whenever he got the opportunity.

This year is an odd year, with TNT broadcasting the Eastern Conference finals and ESPN and ABC broadcasting Western Conference games.

Watching the excitement is not too big a deal. Before the start of the Eastern Conference finals, TNT found Larry Brown again, hoping that this famous coach can bring more popularity to the conference finals.

Due to health reasons, Larry Brown intended to step down as head coach, but Joe Dumars, as the general manager of the Pistons, tried his best to retain him.

After the series, the two sides were still discussing whether to coach next season. When TNT interviewed the famous coach, Larry Brown also talked about this matter:
"There's no doubt the Pistons have been successful this season! I'm proud of the boys."

"If my health permits, I will continue coaching and I want to stay in Detroit."

"We have a lot of work to do in the offseason. The team needs to replenish suitable forward players, and the bench also needs to be replenished."

"I don't want to talk about the G7 game anymore. Even if the Heat can beat us, they won't win the championship. Basketball doesn't lie!"

In addition, most fans wanted to see Wade and O'Neal appear on the conference finals stage, so individual whistles were ignored.

After reading the news in the newspaper, Li You finally sent Lewis another text message. Players in the contract year play very hard. If they really encounter a serious injury, it will definitely be a loss.
At 20 o'clock that night, G1 of the Eastern Conference Finals will officially begin. Under the tout of the sports media, Wade came to New York feeling a little elated.

Wade, who filled the stat column, shredded the Pistons' perimeter defense time and time again and completely dominated the game.

The Pistons lack topicality and the Heat are promoted. As a broadcaster, TNT also likes to see it.

关键比赛中，出场44分钟，16中9，三分线外2中0，罚球19中13，31分7篮板12助攻3抢断2盖帽5失误。

Although O'Neal was extremely tough-talking, he suddenly became somewhat silent after flying to a familiar away stadium.

The referee thought that Bowen had reformed because of the rules, but he didn't know that Bowen was smarter and only used his strength in key games.

"We never hurt players intentionally. Bruce is just trying to defend. He's a good guy and he's very connected to our community."

When attending the press conference, when talking about Bowen's defensive actions, Ray Allen showed a nonchalant look and took the initiative to defend:
"Maybe this was just an accident. After the league implemented the new rules, Bruce has standardized his defensive actions."

It's just that the development trend of the game is completely different from what Ray Allen expected.

Wade thought he had complete control of the team, and O'Neal was silent, so he could just show his leadership qualities.

Although Bowen has injured many players, Ray Allen was not "murdered" before, and the two even trained together.

The tough attitude is shown to the fans. No one likes a softie. Iverson is a typical example.

Larry Brown, who led the team to a loss, didn't want to be fined again, so he stopped talking about the game after getting angry.

Dumars took the opportunity to assure Detroit fans that they will continue to strengthen in the offseason and the Pistons will win the championship.
Commentators didn't comment much on this game. Although Wade was in an "untouchable" state at certain moments, in general, this can be regarded as the Heat's home court advantage.

Fans still like Iverson's unruly look, and the "answer" without edges is completely outdated.

Afterwards, he felt that the finals were already beckoning to him. Popovich, who was in a good mood, smiled and explained in the face of malicious questions:

Sports media also likes newcomers. If O'Neal doesn't cooperate, everyone wants to dig deeper into Wade's news.

Pistons striker Williams committed six fouls and left the game just at the beginning of the fourth quarter. In the end, the Heat relied on the outstanding performances of Wade and Eddie Jones to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Before the first half was over, Ray Allen went off to rest and never returned.

Wade, who was wearing a red and black away training uniform, was surrounded by sports reporters. This was the first time he had enjoyed the treatment of the protagonist.

The reason why Larry Brown believed that the referee ruined the game was mainly because of Wade's performance.

Fortunately, he sent a text message to Ray Allen before the game, but he was still injured.

As a good friend of Ray Allen, Bruce Bowen still takes good care of him. He has been honest for a season and specially prepared a big gift for Ray Allen.

On the morning of Monday the 23rd, Li You was speechless while reading the newspaper at his home on 82nd Street in the Upper East Side.

Naturally, Popovich and Duncan would not take the initiative to talk about this topic. They were also relieved that Ray Allen forgave Bowen.

After leading the team to the conference finals, Ray Allen also enjoyed far more attention than before.

The Western Conference Finals officially started that night. The Spurs and SuperSonics eliminated the Mavericks and Suns 4:2.

"I'm not surprised to lose an away game. We will find the game status as soon as possible. The series has just begun."

Wade was excited about reaching the conference finals for the first time, with a look of confidence on his young face.

"What we have to do now is to protect the home court and everyone is completely focused on the game."

Without the love of fans, the business side will also be affected. O'Neal is a smart man. He will not repeat the same mistakes, let alone provoke Li You foolishly in away games.

Naturally, Li You would not interfere too much in the relationship between his friend and Bowen. We are all adults, and it would be very disrespectful to say bad things behind his back.

O'Neal is no longer the protagonist. Wade, who was selected for the All-NBA First Team, seems to have been given a shot of blood and has become the most dazzling rookie in the 03 class!

Stretching his little foot helped the Spurs win the game easily!
At 81:103, the Spurs successfully protected their home court and ushered in a good start to the Western Conference Finals.

During the warm-up in the afternoon, Shark found an excuse to fool around with the TNT interview.

At the end of the game, Bowen went to visit his friend. Looking at his innocent eyes, Ray Allen chose to forgive.

After all, they won 59 games in the regular season and were taken care of by the referees, which is what they should be.

Losing in the finals for several consecutive years has caused a lot of harm to O'Neal.

This outdated All-Star guard never played in New York every time he played in preseason games. He lost games in the regular season and became even more silent when he lost.

The local community in San Antonio loves Bowen very much. Ray Allen believes that life is greater than basketball, and the warm-hearted Bowen must be a kind guy.

The reporter from Yahoo Sports saw Wade smiling brightly and seized the opportunity to dig in and ask:

"Wade, you will face off against Lee tonight. Your first matchup in the playoffs is in the conference finals. Does this make you feel any pressure?"

After eliminating the Pistons in the seventh game, Wade became even more inflated and answered the question immediately:

"There's no pressure, I'm a big-time player and I love performing at Madison Square Garden!"

"Also selected for the All-NBA First Team, Lee is very good, but I don't think I am worse than anyone else."

"I will prove myself in this series, I like to meet challenges!"

His confident answer made everyone flatter him wildly. Wade, who was in high spirits, blew harder and harder, his slightly green face showing excitement and confidence.

Alonzo Mourning is also happy to have reached the conference finals again, which proves that he made the right choice.

At the end of his career, after seeing Ewing and Mutombo winning rings one after another, Mourning also wanted to taste the championship.

O'Neal warmed up quietly and occasionally gave serious instructions to his teammates. After noticing the Kidney Fighter's mood, he stopped shouting loudly and continued to adjust his touch at the free throw line.

Stan Van Gundy was relieved to see that the players didn't show much nervousness.

At the end of the warm-up, Stan Van Gundy was interviewed and said frankly:
"We will continue the lineup from the semi-finals. At present, getting an away victory is the team's goal!"

"."

At 19:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden was already full and was about to tie the record set by the Celtics. The New York fans at the scene were particularly excited.

What makes everyone even more happy is that tonight it is old rival O'Neal again.

Although Lezi fans felt a bit regretful that they could not witness the opponent's slap in the face, there were also many Lezi people holding up the "thief" whiteboard.

After players from both sides came on the field, Madison Square Garden was in a frenzy. O'Neal had rich away experience and turned a deaf ear to the fans' taunts.

Shark knows very well that as long as he has the slightest response, these fans who like to watch the excitement can burst into 200% enthusiasm.
In the live TNT commentary box, Kevin Harlan was chatting with Doug Collins about Wade's technical characteristics:
"In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Wade showed his ability as a combo guard."

"As long as he controls his mistakes, maybe Wade can become the next Lee. Faced with regional defenses, he can also score with his own speed."

In the last round of the game, Wade left a very deep impression on Kevin Harlan.

If the regular season data is watery, but he can still score points efficiently after the 7th game in the playoffs, which is enough to illustrate Wade's strength.

After hearing the high praise from his partner, Doug Collins took over and introduced with a smile:
"This season, more than 58.7% of Wade's shots have been concentrated at the basket, and his shooting percentage at the basket has reached %."

"This data has surpassed Allen Iverson. Compared with Lee, there is a big gap, but for a second-year rookie, it is already very good."

"Wade will face a huge test tonight, and I'm looking forward to his performance against Lee."

This season, Li You's finishing at the basket is as stable as ever, with a shooting percentage of 73.2%.

In this data, Li You ranks fourth in the league. The top three are Haywood, O'Neal, and Dalembert.

Most of the top 10 players in the league are backcourt players. When the frontcourt encounters a zone defense, it is difficult to finish efficiently.

LeBron James is highly praised because his shooting percentage at the basket this season is as high as 72.5%, ranking sixth in the league.

Wade's various statistics in the playoffs have improved a bit compared to the regular season, which is why he has been recognized by ball commentators.

Although he cannot finish as well as Li You, his current level is already considered the league's top backcourt.

The game was about to start. The two people in the commentary box shared some knowledge about Wade's performance in the playoffs. The referee called the players from both sides to the center of the field.

Li You, who was wearing the white No. 1 home jersey, was still fully equipped. He noticed Wade pretending to be doing pull-ups under the basket, smiled and greeted O'Neal on the opposite side:

"Shaq, this black and red jersey doesn't suit you at all. I'm glad to see you in the conference finals!" O'Neal was not as optimistic as Wade. He took the initiative to bump fists with Li You and said jokingly:

"The jersey is not important. I like to lead different teams to championships. This is something you can't do!"

The two joked with each other before the jump ball. O'Neal could not win the NBA's highest honor, the "One Man, One City Award", and Li You had no chance of winning the "Nomad Championship."

"Let's go Knicks!."

Amidst the cheers, O'Neal and Gasol in the center circle stared at the basketball in the referee's hands with serious expressions.

The two have played against each other many times and know each other well. They both know that tonight's game will encounter difficulties.

The referee threw the basketball in his hand, and Gasol finally reached it with his long arm.

As soon as Li You caught the ball in the backcourt, Wade, who was full of enthusiasm, rushed forward and led the defense early.

Damon Jones was in front of Raja Bell, and washed-up All-Star Eddie Jones was responsible for marking Prince.

Instead of a zone defense, head coach Stan Van Gundy confidently chose man-to-man coverage.

Wade has been guarding Li You's side. He believes in his explosive power and speed and is determined to squeeze through the screen.

Just as everyone in the Heat expected, the Knicks were in a "V-shape" position again, with Gasol taking the initiative to move up from the left elbow area.

Standing still on the extension line, Gasol's solid screen allowed Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, to briefly escape the defense.

O'Neal naturally retreated towards the basket. Wade squeezed past quickly. Li You just dropped his shoulders and accelerated. Feeling the confrontation on his side, he stopped decisively and dribbled the ball behind his back.

On the left wing, Li You stopped at the three-point line, and Raja Bell immediately slipped across the baseline from left to right.

Taking aim at O'Neal's defensive position, Gasol picked and rolled for the second time. Wade, who was closely guarding, took the initiative to move sideways and gave up his position, trying to let Li You get into the double team.
The opponent moved his feet and before the cover could occur, Li You suddenly changed direction and pretended to speed up the breakthrough.

Taking a big step forward, and taking advantage of Wade's sliding step again, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, quickly blasted the ball, and at the moment of a sudden stop, he exerted force on his feet and retreated.

Wade was deceived and could only jump to defend, but the two were not in the same rhythm. When Li You took action, the opponent had already begun to fall.

Without being affected too much, the basketball drew a graceful arc and accurately fell into the net!

Hearing the cheers erupting in the arena, Wade was a little depressed. He had to properly protect O'Neal. The coaching staff was worried that the Sharks would foul prematurely and emphasized the need to limit Li You's breakthrough.

"Defense!."

Seeing Li You easily hit the shot and retreating with Wade, the defensive cheers soon started one after another.

Damon Jones, who received the ball from the baseline, did not advance very quickly. When he passed the middle line, the Heat were at 131.

Haslem stopped at the free throw line, and O'Neal tried to get a position under the basket. Gasol was already prepared and struggled to prevent the opponent from receiving the ball easily.

Instead of forcing the pass, Damon Jones quickly signaled his teammates to move and start running tactics.

Moving from the right wing toward the bottom corner, Wade suddenly accelerated and slipped across the baseline from right to left.

O'Neal tried to cover without the ball near the baseline on the right, but he didn't expect Li You to accelerate from the top line and go straight to the left corner.

Eddie Jones on the left wing just crossed the line and came to the other side. In the left corner, Li You and Wade arrived at the corresponding position almost at the same time.

Unable to pass the ball immediately, Damon Jones called on Wade to move up the line.

In order to avoid mistakes, Haslem first came to the left wing to receive the ball and tried to hand it over to Wade.

It's just that the offensive intention was too obvious, Li You defended, and although Wade squeezed into his teammate's side, he still didn't catch the ball.

The poor quality of the screen made Wade's counter run useless, and Li You squeezed through again.

When the two bodies collided, the anxious Wade tried to pull, but Li You slapped his arm off.

The offense suddenly stalled. Wade started again and came to the top line again. Haslem barely sent a pass.

The moment Wade released the ball with his right hand, Li You, who squeezed through the screen, once again engaged in physical confrontation and began to slow down before he reached the free throw line.

Seeing that Li You was about to get in front of him, Wade, who was stepping on the free throw line, quickly turned around.

Switching to his left hand and trying to slow down his shoulders to accelerate, Wade was chased to his side by Li You who slipped in time before he could charge forward.

Relying on the defense, Wade decelerated and rushed to the basket. He completed a jump step with Li You in the paint. The defensive pressure on his side suddenly decreased. He hurriedly leaned forward to grab the ball with his left hand and leaned forward to pick the basket.

As soon as the basketball was released, Wade, who was still in the air, saw Li You's outstretched right arm and swatted the ball away.
He lost his center of gravity and fell off the baseline. Before Wade could stand up, Li You, who had completed the block, had already controlled the ball and accelerated with the ball in his right hand.

"Wow!"

Wade's breakthrough process was very slow. He made a lot of fake moves, but the fans at the scene could not feel it. Everyone only saw the two pulling and running back, and then Li You completed the block.

New York fans felt that Li You completed this defense so easily, and their applause became louder and louder.

Haslem hurriedly retreated. Since he still had to take the foul count for O'Neal, he did not choose to delay Li You with a tactical foul at this time.

Li You, who was temporarily unguarded, rushed further and further along the right sideline to the other side. O'Neal quickly ran back to defend.

Just after retreating to the basket, O'Neal stood firm and subconsciously turned his head to look beyond the three-point line.

There was no time to greet his teammates. O'Neal watched Li You make an emergency stop and accelerate a second time to get rid of Damon Jones, and instinctively moved to the lower right side of the basket.

In the blink of an eye, Li You had broken through to the right block, approached the basket and threw the ball casually.

O'Neal subconsciously jumped up to block the shot, only to realize it was a pass when he saw the basketball flying to the other side.

At the bottom left of the basket, the unguarded Gasol jumped up to catch the ball, and then pressed the ball into the basket with both hands!

At 0:5, the alley-oop in the transition attack instantly ignited the atmosphere of the stadium.

Wade, who was running back at half-court, had just switched defense in front of Laga Bell. He was embarrassed at the beginning and couldn't help but slap his thigh in frustration.

When the Heat are attacking, Wade is still trying to catch the ball on the left wing, which is his sweet spot.

As long as the right hand changes direction in front of the body, Wade believes that he can use his excellent explosive power to throw off the defense.

Sliding across the baseline from right to left, Wade was pulled and entangled by Li You in a hidden way;

Outside the three-point line and close to the left sideline, Wade's reverse run was seen through by Li You, and Haslem failed to send the pass in time;

In desperation, he came to the top line again to catch the ball hand-to-hand. Wade swung right and left. At the moment of catching the ball, he released the ball with his left hand and tried to break through with a cross step.

Wade, who wanted to speed up, found out that Li You, who had just gone around the line to pursue the defense, suddenly turned around with the help of his teammates and instantly blocked his breakthrough route.
Excellent defensive agility allowed Li You to continue to challenge while sliding. Wade, who failed to rush forward, could only rely on defense to bury his head and rush forward.

Approaching the baseline on the left side, Wade suddenly stopped while traveling, and then used his left foot as an axis to quickly pull the ball backwards and pretend to turn around.

Taking advantage of Li You to adjust his center of gravity, Wade turned around again, faced the block, and barely made a fadeaway jumper!
The basketball came out of the frame. Gasol was still struggling with O'Neal on the lower right side of the basket. In the end, Kurt Thomas grabbed the backboard in front of Haslem and protected it.

Li You immediately stepped forward to respond. Li You caught the ball near the baseline. He observed that everyone on the Heat team retreated in time and took the initiative to slow down the advancement.

The cheers and laughter from the fans in the front row made Wade lose his excitement.

He was almost blown away in the past two days. At this time, Wade recalled the tragic matchup experience in the first season.
Seeing Li You coming to the right wing, Wade quickly concentrated his attention, noticed that Kurt Thomas behind him was moving, and took the initiative to defend again.

Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly lowered his center of gravity. Without waiting for the screen to occur, he leaned forward and accelerated against Wade, who was coming up on defense.

When approaching the free throw line while traveling, Li You took the initiative to increase his stride and quickly in and out with his left hand.

Li You's body swayed to the right in the paint area, and Li You showed no signs of slowing down. Haslem, who was preparing to help defend, was shaken to the spot.
Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You, who was flying close to the ground, shook off Wade beside him, took three long steps and rushed straight to the basket.

At the bottom left of the basket, O'Neal also tried to block the shot, but Li You was too fast. Before he could take off, he had already thrown the ball towards the backboard with his left hand.

"squeak!"

O'Neal stretched out his arm symbolically. Only after hearing the whistle did O'Neal realize that he had been hit. As the basketball hit the board and entered the basket, the shark turned his head in anger and complained to the referee at the bottom line:
"Hey! Look clearly! I'm raising my hand where I am!"

Li You walked to the free throw line with a smile and high-fived his teammates in celebration.

Seeing Wade with his arms akimbo and no longer smiling face outside the three-point line, Kevin Harlan briefly commented on these rounds:
"Bad offensive choice. Wade encountered Lee's strict defense. Maybe he shouldn't force the attack."

"I like Wade's courage. Young people should rise to the challenge, but the Heat should get the ball to O'Neal as soon as possible at this time."

Doug Collins is obviously watching the fun, he prefers to see the stars competing.

As Li Youjia made the free throw, Stan Van Gundy on the sidelines was a little anxious and shouted at Wade:

"Wade, calm down!"

Wade saw the head coach making tactical gestures, indicating that the ball should be given to the inside, and he was depressed for a while.

However, the game had just begun and he was still actively running in the offensive round.

O'Neal caught the ball at the lower right side of the basket, with no one to defend him, and helped the team get 2 points with a low single.

While serving from the baseline, Li You noticed that Wade still chose to lead the defense, and immediately teased the inflated rookie:
"Guess how many points you'll score tonight?"

"."

Wade said nothing, but when he saw Li Youlian's teasing smile, he was so angry that he cursed in his heart:
"Damn defense!"

(End of this chapter)