NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 528: Get together as soon as possible (6300 words chapter)
On Sunday, November 2007, 11, the Denver Post once again "fired" at Lee You on its sports page. A columnist pointed out the problems with last night's game in his article:
"Lee brought a personal vendetta into the game, and the referee helped New York humiliate us."

Only local fans agree with this view. You know, before this, they had beaten New York, but after Allen Iverson joined the team, they went 0-4 in two seasons.

What makes Iverson's loyal fans even more angry is that Li You obviously did it on purpose!

The Knicks had five games in a week and four consecutive away games in the Western Conference. They were almost living on the plane, and their condition was visibly getting worse.

After a big win over the Suns, New York unfortunately lost the game against the Kings on Friday as they scored less than 100 points for the first time this season. But when they came to Denver on Saturday, they were hit by a personal "heavy blow" from Li You.

108:83, although the loss was not big, the scene was extremely ugly. Iverson, who insisted on personal defense, was beaten. Many fans left the Pepsi Center early last night.

In the game against the Kings, perhaps because of the consecutive away games, Li You made 14 of 7 shots, 8 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 6 of 6 free throws. He was in a sluggish state and only got a double-double of 23 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists.

Iverson's die-hard fans were still looking forward to his "first win in his career", but Li You, who flew to Denver, exploded again.
出场36分钟，和对手同上同下，26中17，三分线外13中7，罚球10中9，怒砍50分8篮板8助攻4抢断3盖帽2失误。

The first 50-point game of the new season appeared. Li You's personal scoring highlights skyrocketed in number of views after the game, and ESPN's morning show was full of praise. Only Iverson's injury appeared again.

From Philadelphia to Denver, the fans who were able to stay were all true fans. After the game, many young people expressed their dissatisfaction on Reddit, believing that Li You "humiliated" their idol!
"Facing a respectable opponent, I will give it my all. This is my way of showing respect and speaking with basketball."

At the press conference, facing the questions from Denver sports reporters, Li You gave this reason with a natural look, which left the group of people speechless.

After all, in a basketball game, "going all out" is indeed the best respect, while "giving up the ball" is disrespectful to the opponent. They cannot refute it and can only complain secretly.

Many football commentators couldn't help but wonder, is there any grudge between the two?

When I think about it carefully, it’s true!
Iverson won the scoring title with fewer games and average points, while Li You played more games and scored more points, but he suffered a loss in the end.
It's almost been 10 years since this happened, but Iverson is still being targeted. It's really hard to evaluate this situation.
After the game, Iverson failed to attend the press conference and was fined $2 by the league on Monday morning. Then Tawanna spoke for her husband and took the initiative to accept an interview:

"My husband is a good man and I don't understand why anyone would want to hurt him."

"Basketball sometimes makes us feel miserable. Those fans even attack my daughter. She is isolated by other kids at school."

When talking about this, Tawanna even shed tears. She was not happy after moving, and because of the loss, the whole family had problems.

Carmelo Anthony saw what happened to Iverson but could do nothing to help. The feeling of playing with his idol was not that good as their technical styles could not complement each other.

As a new generation star, Anthony did not complain like a "loser". His start of 5 wins and 5 losses was barely acceptable.

After the afternoon practice session, head coach George Karl took Iverson to the team's psychologist for treatment. Anthony calmly told local sports reporters:
"Allen gave his all to this city, and I don't like seeing fans leave early."

"We don't care about any grudges. I just want to hear the fans cheering for the Nuggets. The atmosphere at the Pepsi Center shouldn't be like this."

No matter what the commentators say, it will not have any impact on Li You who has returned to New York. In his opinion, the heavy punch is to help the outdated Iverson.

There was no news about Iverson during the entire offseason except for being summoned by the court. After this "beating", the out-of-date star has once again attracted attention.

Although the process was not pleasant, the result was always good. Allen Iverson should be grateful. After all, being "hacked" is always better than being forgotten.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Manhattan becomes bustling again. Although the economy seems to be in trouble, for many people, consumption cannot stop.

Unemployment in New York seems to be rising again. City Hall has given many responses to this, but layoffs on Wall Street have not stopped, and there is not much content in the newspapers except appeals.

There are many ways to divert attention, including celebrity gossip, transfer news in the sports market, speeches by presidential candidates, the "collapse of personality" of a White House official, and so on.

On Monday the 19th, Li You, who attended Tang Nade's "family dinner" that evening, felt the other party's anxiety.

After several years of getting along and observing each other, Li You discovered that Tang Nade was very "traditional" in some aspects. At home, everyone had to listen to him, and his eldest son was even scolded to the point that he couldn't even raise his head.

The growth rate of wealth is getting slower and slower. If compared with Bloomberg's Bloomberg, Donald's is like a "turtle crawling".

Ivana secretly told Li You the above feelings. The successive births of new lives have stabilized the "old man"'s emotions a lot, but the recent situation in the financial market has made Tang Nade a little unable to eat.

The main course that night was still steak. The invited chef introduced his specialty to everyone with a smile on his face, and left happily after receiving praise.

Li You didn't come to the newly renovated top floor building very often. At the dining table, Vanessa, who was sitting opposite Ivana, kept her head down when she heard her husband being scolded.

While cutting the steak, he glared at his youngest son. Thanksgiving was approaching and the whole family was reunited, but Donard was not in a good mood. He sat in the main seat and continued to nag:

"Incompetence is sometimes a good thing. At least we are not in trouble now!"

"Eric! Same with you, don't let me hear anyone complain about work again. You've already graduated, and you've got a higher starting point than 90% of Americans."

Li You, who was enjoying the food, didn't care about the tense atmosphere. He was even in the mood to play some "small games" under the table with Ivana, who was getting plumper next to him.

Ivana, who was entangled by Li You, lowered her head and pretended to be well-behaved, but her ears were red from being teased. It was not until Tang Nade changed the subject that she came back to her senses:
"Lee, I hope you can take over the Western City Casino. You can ask a professional to evaluate it. I'm not in a hurry to make a move, but we have to prepare for the worst."

The relevant casinos and resort hotels have gone through multiple bankruptcy reorganizations. Li You is still unclear about the specific situation, but when he saw the other party looking at him, he finally nodded and agreed:
"I'll have Ax Capital follow up. What are everyone's plans for Thanksgiving? How about going skiing?"

"."

Tang Nade breathed a sigh of relief. When he heard Li You change the subject, the atmosphere became lively again. In the end, he stopped talking and just secretly winked at Ivana.

The third wife, who acted as a vase, never participated in these company-related topics, but she always pricked up her ears and tried hard to digest the information she received.

In July, Donald just got his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was full of energy and ambition. However, just a few months later, he wanted to sell part of his assets. This signal made her a little anxious.

After the "warm" dinner, Ivana returned to her room, changed into a loose nightgown, showed off her beautiful figure, and then went to Li You to watch TV series together.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Dancing with the Stars, House MD, CBS, ABC, and FOX occupy the prime time in the evening.

Although the TV show was good, Ivana was soon out of breath. After an intense confrontation, she couldn't help but blush when she thought of the feeling of being out of control of her body just now.

As it approached midnight, Li You gently stroked the other's smooth back while continuing to kiss her, and whispered in her ear:
"Honey, you seem to have forgotten something."

She raised her upper body and tucked her wet blonde hair behind her ears. After noticing the situation below her, Ivana nestled back into Li You's arms a little embarrassedly, and finally said in a muffled voice:
"It's about prohibiting investors from withdrawing their capital. My father is worried about that part of the funds."

Since 06, Ax Capital has provided some specific services to some specific customers. This time, investors were banned from withdrawing funds for 11 months. Naturally, some people could not hold on any longer.

Li You did not answer the question directly, but quietly controlled the ball with one hand again, looking at Ivana, whose temperament was becoming more and more mature, and whispered:
"Family members should help each other, dear, believe me."

Ivana, whose breathing became increasingly rapid, did not say anything, but showed her support with her actions. She took the initiative to help Li You review his dribbling skills behind his back, and finally gave up on defense in the face of the continuous physical confrontation behind him:

"Ok!"

Before Thanksgiving, the Lakers started their Eastern Conference away trip. This year, they were "kicked out" of the Christmas game and encountered the Knicks early on.

Kobe is still unhappy when he comes to New York. Although his old rival is currently ranked second in the Eastern Conference due to the loss, the Lakers' overall strength is still inferior to that of the opponent.

The Celtics currently have an undefeated record, and the relatively easy schedule allows the old guys to give it their all in November.

New York sports reporters were at full steam, and the two cities, which were not far apart, were arguing wildly, which also caused the Lakers, who came to New York, to be ignored.

No one takes their former opponents seriously. With the current Lakers lineup, they are likely to be eliminated in the first round this season.
On the evening of the 20th, with one hour left before the game started, Phil Jackson, who was being interviewed, announced in front of a group of sports media that Andrew Bynum would be in the starting lineup tonight.

When hearing the news, many reporters were a little surprised, knowing that the relationship between Kobe and Bynum had already deteriorated to the extreme.

After the "video incident" ended, he was ridiculed by the newbies. Now Bynum is the starter, which seems to be a slap in the face to Kobe.

"Tyson Chandler has been in great form recently. We must protect the rebounds and use offensive rebounds to limit the opponent's transition offense during the game."

When talking about the reason, Phil Jackson looked calm. The old man ignored those angry looks and continued to say with a smile:
"Maybe you think there is a problem between Kobe and Bynum, but what I want to say is that we are all adults. In a basketball game, every player will give his all once he enters the court."

"I have no doubt about their professionalism. They will become the new 'OK combination'."

"."

The fierce praise before the game did not affect the good mood of the New York reporters. After the start of the new season, the number of connections between Li You and Chandler increased significantly. After a season of polishing, the forward has become even stronger!

Everyone believed that Chandler was capable of dealing with the rookies on the opposing team, that Bynum was not O'Neal, and that the opponents could not penetrate the Knicks' defense.

As for Kobe, sports reporters are very confident that even if he scores 81 points again, he will not be able to win at Madison Square Garden.

During the regular season, TNT's nationwide live broadcast is usually scheduled on Wednesdays or Fridays, with only a few important games appearing on Tuesdays.

The Lakers are not very strong, but their ability to organize things is among the best in the league. Tonight, Madison Square Garden hosted another nationally broadcast game, and the dialogue between the old rivals attracted a lot of attention.

At 19:28, the game was about to start. The atmosphere was lively and even had an inexplicable sense of joy. Bynum, who had entered the starting lineup, was in high spirits. The rookie's eyes seemed to be filled with fire as he stood in the center circle, staring intently at the basketball in the referee's hand.

Odom and Ronny Turiaf, who has recovered from heart surgery, will partner in the frontcourt, while the backcourt will still be the old duo of Fisher and Kobe.

The game was about to begin. Kobe, who was standing at half court, watched Fish and his opponent laughing and fist-bumping with an expressionless face. For a moment, he felt that there was a traitor in the team and he didn't like such behavior.

It's a pity that Fisher was too lazy to pay attention to Kobe's emotions. His daughter was taken care of by Li You when she was hospitalized in New York. As a member of the championship, he would not show opposition.

As the basketball was thrown into the air, Bynum got the ball first and the Lakers took the lead in attacking. The rookie who successfully jumped the ball rushed across half court.

"Defense!."

Amid the uniform defensive cheers, Fisher dribbled across half court and passed the ball early to Odom in the right elbow area.

Under the basket, Turiaf tried to complete a cross screen with Bynum, but Gasol and Chandler's tacit switching of defense prevented Bynum from easily receiving the ball in the low post on the right side.

Forced to squeeze out of the sweet spot, when Bynum caught the ball, he had to release the ball immediately and hit it hard to try to get closer to the basket.

In the first round after the opening, the Lakers arranged a low-post single play by a big man, obviously to stimulate the players' enthusiasm.

Kobe, who was standing on the left wing, did not actively ask for the ball. He just watched Bynum arch his way to the front of the basket. His left-handed shot was blocked by Gasol's long arms, so he immediately turned around and retreated.

The basketball hit the rim and bounced out. With his height advantage, Chandler instantly grabbed the rebound on the other side. Turiaf had no chance to fight for the ball, and Li You had already successfully received the ball near the free throw line.

"Kobe wants to trade you!"

Bynum, who was still clapping his hands in frustration, suddenly heard the fans behind the basket shouting with joy. He slapped his thigh in anger and continued to retreat with big strides. Seeing Kobe establish a defensive position early, he felt even more unhappy.

In the semi-transition offense, Li You did not need to make tactical gestures. He observed the opponent's man-to-man defense and the two big men who ran to the half court and stopped came to the top of the arc to provide screen at the same time.

Although Fisher was familiar with the tactics, as Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, lowered his center of gravity and quickly passed the ball behind his back, Fisher was ultimately unable to squeeze through and could only remind his teammates.

The shouting alerted Turiaf, but his defensive position left too much space for Li You. When he moved his feet, the attacker in front of him had already changed direction by pushing the ball.

Without any sign of slowing down, Li You was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he switched to his right hand, then easily squeezed past Turiaf and took a bigger stride to get straight to the basket.

"Oh!"

The moment Li You took off into the air, cheers resounded throughout the arena, and a powerful one-handed slam dunk instantly ignited the atmosphere.

"Poor defensive positioning. This cannot be blamed on Turiaf. He rarely faces a defender like Lee and lacks defensive experience."

In the commentary booth, Doug Collins casually helped the Lakers find a reason, but the groom Albert next to him said in a joking tone:

"I'm more looking forward to Kobe taking over the defense. Fisher is outstanding, but I think the fans definitely don't want to see tonight's game turn into a practice game."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Lakers' offense suddenly accelerated. Fish quickly rushed across half court and then passed the ball to Odom in the right elbow area again.

The Knicks had just finished getting into their defensive positions when Odom, who received the ball, turned around, carried Prince and forced a breakthrough with the ball in his right hand. He took two big steps and immediately turned like a gyroscope and crushed into the paint area.

The series of offensive moves were smooth and fluid, but at the final moment of the ball connection, Prince saw the opportunity and cut the ball away.

"what!"

With a loud shout, Odom made a shooting gesture, but the referee did not react. As Raja Bell caught the ball, the basketball was quickly transferred and Li You quickly rushed across the center line again.

On the left wing, Chandler came forward for a screen, faked a dribble and then immediately went down. Bynum failed to follow up immediately and fell behind by half a body length in an instant.

At the same time, Li You stopped and quickly moved in and out with his left hand, swayed right and left, and then suddenly led the ball forward. Lao Yu made a mistake in prediction and lost his defensive position again.

Before reaching the left blocking area, Li You had already thrown the ball into the basket while moving.

Bynum, who was still moving, saw Chandler in front of him suddenly jump up. Before he could make any defensive moves, Chandler had already grabbed the ball with both hands in the air and steadily pressed the ball into the basket!

The smooth cooperation made Phil Jackson on the sidelines frown again, and Bynum had problems with his defensive positioning several times.

"Oh!"

When the Lakers attacked again, Kobe finally received the ball in the right elbow area. Many fans at the scene began to boo. Raja Bell continued to give physical confrontation, but the tentative step still changed his defensive focus.

With the ball in his left hand, Kobe seized the opportunity to dribble sideways, then immediately stopped at the free throw line, raised the ball and faked a shot to fool the defense again, then used the time difference to make a smart jump shot but missed.

"What the hell!"

The offensive pace was too fast, and Bynum failed to get a favorable position. He cursed and was trapped behind by Chandler, watching Gasol easily grab the rebound.

At Kobe's call, the Lakers retreated quickly. Fisher received instructions and ran to Raja Bell. The boss was about to take over the defense.

When Li You slowed down and slowly came to the top of the arc, Kobe had already rolled up his shorts. Gasol's fake screen failed to fool him, and he quickly slid to a position near the sideline.

Although the defense in front of him seemed tight, Li You didn't care. When he approached the sideline, the fans sitting in the front row even clapped and cheered.

Kobe, with eyes wide open, saw Li You suddenly dribble the ball between his legs but he didn't react. When Li You's body swayed to the right and suddenly stepped back in the opposite direction, it was too late for him to reach out his hand and he ended up watching the shot.

After taking a three-point shot with a slight backward movement, Li You twisted his body, without even looking at his glaring opponent, and winked at the booing fans in the front row, then paced back to defend.

"Oh!"

The basketball went into the net, and the shouts got louder. Fans in front of them high-fived each other, and some shouted joyfully at Kobe:

"Chicago doesn't need you!"

0:7, the Lakers fell behind at the start, which made Bynum, who wanted to show himself, a little anxious.

In the offensive round, Bynum actively asked for the ball and started his performance in the low post on the left side. Facing Chandler's defense, he was eventually called for an offensive foul because of his elbow when he was releasing the ball.

Perhaps his complaints to the baseline referee affected his mood, and on the defensive end, Bynum was not paying attention and subconsciously retreated to defend.

Chandler's solid screen at the top of the arc made it difficult for Kobe to squeeze through. He was just a beat late. Li You, who got rid of the defense and had no one to interfere with him in front of him, made another powerful shot, took a step sideways, and made another long-range three-point jump shot!

"Lee! From distance Yes!"

Accustomed to Li You's shooting choices, Marv Albert gave timely feedback and added very naturally amid the cheers of the fans:
"It seems that Kobe has a hard time limiting Lee's offense. The Lakers got into trouble right from the start of tonight's game."

In less than two minutes, the Lakers were already trailing by double digits. Such a poor performance was in line with the expectations of the New York fans at the scene, and for a moment even more fans were cheering.

Various noises gradually disrupted the Lakers' offensive rhythm. After Turiaf was separated from the free throw line, he received the pass and made a hasty jump shot, but it missed again.

Facing the Knicks' transition offense, Odom had no choice but to commit a foul, sending Prince to the free throw line.
After falling into positional offense again and passing the ball continuously, Kobe finally played a single game on the right wing, broke through into the crowd, assisted Gasol at the basket, made a long pass, and Li You slammed it with one hand!

Madison Square Garden was in a state of complete chaos. Phil Jackson had to request a timeout. The team had not scored a single point and was 14 points behind. A tragedy might have happened tonight.

"Keep the pace steady, don't run around after the other side, show your tough attitude!"

"."

The old man from KFC stared at everyone, then looked at Kobe, drew a few strokes on the tactical board, indicating that he would give his thigh a low post single play.

Bynum was a little frustrated because he failed to seize the opportunity. The tactical focus shifted to Kobe, and he returned to the blue-collar role again.
On the other side, D'Antoni had already started to retreat tactically. The man with the mustache raised his eyebrows in the direction of Li You and said proudly to the assistant coach beside him:
"As long as Lee's three-point shooting percentage is over 45%, we only need to use one tactic!"

Mike Malone could only smile along. He also read the newspaper next door. He had some respect for Rivers' 100 tactics, but when he thought about the situation of the Knicks, he could only mutter in his heart:
“This is truly God’s favor.”

The remaining time in the first quarter quickly turned into a one-on-one show by Kobe. The Lakers failed to play an effective tactic and instead suffered wave after wave of counterattacks.

The Knicks played more and more easily, and the score rose rapidly. By the time of the intermission, the New York fans in the stadium had already started celebrating the victory.

16:38, tonight is destined to be a tragedy.
Kobe was sweating profusely while sitting in his seat. He made 8 of 3 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring half of the team's points. The 22-point difference made him feel desperate, and the laughter from the back made him even more furious.

Thinking about the fact that he had sent a text message to Duncan a few days ago but received no response, Kobe didn't even look at his teammates, staring at the floor and making up his mind:

“Something has to change.”

(End of this chapter)