NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 529 "Loyalty Killed Him" ​​(Daily Chapter)

On Tuesday, November 2007, 11, after the game ended that night, the Cavaliers once again became the focus of sports media attention.

After the start of the new season, Jeff Van Gundy did not change the team's tactics, zone defense, fast rotation and help defense, emphasis on transition offense, and appropriate development of the low post.

This tactic seemed unremarkable, and the team was a little slow to warm up, James and Howard's performance fluctuated, and their record was not as dominant as the previous two teams.

But tonight's game was completely different. Facing the "Big Four", the Cavaliers duo showed their talents and relied on tough defense to reverse the game in overtime!

102:110, in overtime, James relied on his strong body to tear through the opponent's defense, and scored 11 points with free throws, eventually securing the victory.

At the end of the game, the Quicken Loans Arena turned into a sea of ​​joy. No one questioned the record of 10 wins and 5 losses. They defeated "Old Man Basketball".

Nearing 23 p.m., when attending the press conference, James and Howard could not hold back the smiles on their faces. They ended their opponent's winning streak and successfully demonstrated their talents.

The sports media in Cleveland were somewhat excited. The "Big Four" put a lot of pressure on them. Although this was just a regular season game, it could explain a lot of problems.

If Larry Hughes can be sold, the Cavaliers will be stronger and everyone will feel that "the day has come."

The Cavaliers ranked third in preseason odds. Some people doubted it before, but now most reporters can only admire that these gamblers have really studied the NBA.
After a brief exchange with several ESPN reporters in the audience, they were given the opportunity to ask a question that everyone was concerned about:

"LeBron, what do you think of the 100 tactics that the Celtics have passed out? We rarely hear you introduce your own tactical system."

In fact, since Van Gundy took over the team, the Cavaliers have been a scaled-down version of the Knicks, continuing the original tactics from offense to defense.

After several seasons of polishing, the Cavaliers have become a veritable defensive powerhouse in the league. As for why they suffered a crushing defeat to the Knicks, it was actually Li You's problem.

Looking at the Cavaliers' record, they can hit hard against weak teams, and they usually show their dominance against teams on the edge of the playoffs.

Except for the worst season, James has a very high winning rate against teams in the lower half of the playoffs. Howard laughed at Kobe in the national team because they always won against the Lakers.

"Basketball games are not complicated. When we successfully complete a defense, we can get an easy scoring opportunity."

"The tactics must be adapted to the team. The Cavaliers' transition offense is second only to the defending champions in the league. I am not surprised that they beat the Celtics. In fact, the team still has a lot of room for improvement."

"I want to praise Dwight's performance tonight. He dominated the paint and made Garnett foul out. Our big men were better than the opponent."

After saying this, James tried hard to control his expression and appeared calm, but the upturned corners of his mouth showed that he was in a good mood. As long as they could get rid of the big brother, the Cavaliers would be even stronger.

The structure of the Eastern Conference was already revealed in November. The Celtics and Knicks have only lost one game each so far, and the Cavaliers are firmly in third place.

The records of the teams ranked behind are not impressive, and it can even be said that they have no chance of competing for the championship. Although the Pistons squeezed into fourth place, no one is optimistic about them winning the championship.

Unlike James who scored a game-high 38 points, Howard only got a big double-double of 16 points and 15 rebounds tonight. But after winning the game, he was very inflated and took over the conversation to mock his opponent:
"I don't care how many tactics they have, I just know that we restricted our opponent tonight!"

"They are too old. The league belongs to young people. We will catch up with them soon."

No one refuted Howard's words. The Cavaliers grabbed 49 rebounds tonight, while the opponent only had 39. The offensive rebounds were their secret to winning.

No matter how many wins Perkins wins, he can't stop the impact of the talented monster. Howard, whose condition is improving, has regained his confidence after being beaten badly at the beginning of the month.

Fox Sports had been broadcasting the Cavaliers' games. Seeing the two's confident appearance, they praised them and asked again:

"Coach Rivers believes that the penalty tonight was more in favor of the home team. Was there any controversy regarding the penalty for Garnett's sixth foul?"

"Go watch the game videos. Facing my offense, they can only foul! I am no longer a rookie. I have begun to realize my talent. Believe me, this is just the beginning."

Although it looks a bit lame, Howard is indeed working hard to hone his skills, and he looked proud when he said this.

James on the side just watched his partner's performance with a smile on his face. He and his agent had a bold idea.

The organizing wing style of play is not suitable for him. James has decided to become a ball-handling core like Li You. As for Howard, he will transform the opponent into a powerful "pie forward".

Howard, who is still planning to compete secretly within the team, is not aware of his partner's plan. Under healthy competition, he is confident that he can transform James into a "big magician."

After looking at each other, they both laughed. As long as they recruited another All-Star backcourt, time would be on their side again!
November is coming to an end. Before Thanksgiving, the Lakers lost to the Knicks 11:80 on the road, and then lost to the Celtics 120:90.

The turmoil of losing finally ended with a big home win over the Supersonics, but Lakers fans were not happy. The Cavaliers also rose, but they were the only ones who were still standing still.

Originally, the teams had no plans at this time, but on Thursday, the 29th, the Los Angeles Times broke the news first:
"GM Kupchak will do whatever it takes to bring Tim Duncan to Los Angeles!"

What is unbelievable to Lakers fans is that the team has confirmed that it has contacted Duncan's agent, who did not object and seemed to be in a wait-and-see period.

Basketball commentators had different reactions to this gossip. Spurs fans were immediately defeated, and Duncan seemed to really intend to opt out of the contract!

In just one day, the traffic to the Lakers section on Reddit skyrocketed. No one was discussing the record anymore, and young fans were all looking forward to the arrival of the former MVP.

Is Duncan suitable for the Lakers? The answer is of course yes, because Duncan can adapt to all teams in the league.
That night, during the TNT program, the director, as usual, first presented the fans with recent highlights, and then the audience in front of the TV discovered that Li You was dominating the screen.

When facing weak teams like the Lakers, they hit hard, and when facing Eastern Conference powerhouses like the Pistons and Bulls, they repeatedly made wonderful passes.

In the game against the Jazz on Monday, Li You, who played at home, set a season high in assists, with 21 assists in a single game. This was also the only game in recent times that went into the fourth quarter.

The No. 1 best shot was when the two big men of the Knicks screened each other at the top line, and then Lee Woo cut in from the right wing using Gasol's pick-and-roll.

Cloud fans who didn't follow the game almost dropped their jaws after watching the highlights. Li You threw the ball right in front of the basket, followed Chandler down the middle, jumped high, glided long distance, grabbed the ball with both hands and dunked!

The unlucky Boozer became a background board and was knocked out of the baseline. There is no doubt that this ball has a chance to be selected into the annual top 100 wonderful goals.

Just watching the highlights, Li You seemed to be very involved in the game, but the commentators could see that the real GOAT was just letting the game go in some games, and he was playing around the three-point line the entire game.
However, everyone sees this phenomenon but cannot blame it. Just look at the happy expressions of the role players on the Knicks and you will know that no one will refuse to eat cakes and brush up their stats.

Like ESPN next door, the trio rarely discussed Li You's personal data in the new season because it made no sense.

Facing Iverson who scored 50 points and Kobe who delivered a double-double of 40+12, even Charles Barkley could see that Li You preferred to "beat up" the stars and had no interest in getting entangled with other players.

"Seeing these wonderful goals makes me want to return to the court. The league is getting better and better!"

"The Knicks are no longer leading in November like they used to. This year they are in trouble and the Celtics have caught up."

"The two teams will face off for the first time in the new season on Christmas Day this year, and I am already looking forward to the performances of both teams."

Kenny Smith, with a big smile on his face, warmed up for the game early. After repeated publicity, the anticipation for this game has reached its peak, and the ticket price for Madison Square Garden on that day has skyrocketed again.
Sitting in the middle of the studio, Ernie Johnson noticed that his partner on the other side was silent, so he immediately turned around and asked with a smile:

"Chuck, you don't seem to care much about the performance of these two teams?"

Charles Barkley shook his head, looking a little depressed, and then faced the camera with a heavy face and said the conclusion he had drawn from his recent thinking:

"I've been thinking about a question. Why did Tim Duncan, who made it to the finals four times, always fail? You know, the Lakers also won once."

"A few years ago, I questioned Duncan's personal ability, but after careful consideration, I think it was loyalty that ruined him!"

"The Spurs didn't do their best to strengthen the roster every year, and they failed Duncan's efforts, which is why he failed."

Thinking of Charles Barkley's own career resume, Kenny Smith always felt that this remark was a way of "whitewashing" himself, after all, "Chuck did it too".
"But you can't deny that, judging from his personal statistics, Duncan didn't reach O'Neal's level. His failure can also be attributed to his lack of personal strength."

"Duncan had almost no way to deal with the pick-and-roll. He was always targeted on the defensive end and could not respond in time on the offensive end."

"I don't like the current trend. Many players want to recruit All-Star teammates. This was unimaginable in the past. Players rarely left their cities!"

Kenny Smith was the first to refute, which made Barkley a little embarrassed. If his home team could win the championship, he didn't want to "wander".

"Players should not let loyalty become a bondage. I understand Duncan. If he chooses to leave, I hope to see him win a championship."

Adding dryly, Ernie Johnson also noticed that Barkley was a little embarrassed and couldn't help but tease:
"I was thinking about one thing. If I leave my city and fail to win the championship, will I feel regretful?"

"."

Charles Barkley is silent. He won the MVP but no championship. He is the “next him”.

On Friday the 30th, the last day of November, the Knicks once again faced back-to-back games. They had just seen off their "brother team" the Warriors last night and faced the Bucks tonight.

The Bucks have performed well in the new season with 7 wins and 7 losses, which has also attracted the attention of fans across the ocean. Michael Redd was previously considered a "little transparent" and Mo Williams was not very famous among the fan community.

Yi Jianlian's arrival made the two well-known to Chinese fans, and many fans suddenly became fans of Reed.

The Rockets had a hard time winning against the Knicks, and the first big loss Yao Ming experienced after entering the league happened in New York.

After several years of observation, Chinese sports media no longer ask pre-match questions. All reporters stationed in the United States know that in the eyes of the Knicks, the Bucks and Rockets are both weak teams.
Facing a bottom-ranked team, Li You will most likely not have any outstanding performance. After all, the Bucks don't even have an All-Star player, and tonight is the stage for role players.

ESPN was very considerate and gave the Knicks' third national live broadcast this month to the Bucks. Many fans are still curious about Yi Jianlian.

At 19:30, the game officially began. The enthusiastic New York fans were infected by the festive atmosphere and did not hesitate to cheer. They were particularly engaged after the opening.

Li You, who attended the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center in New York on Wednesday, seemed to lack offensive desire. Just like in the previous game against the Warriors, he always stopped at the three-point line.

In contrast, it was Raja Bell who was particularly active. He tried hard to harass Reed on the defensive end, and he did not skimp on his physical strength on the offensive end, using screens to constantly move and pull the defense.

Chinese fans in front of the TV on the other side of the ocean soon discovered that something was wrong. Reed was too iron. After he hit a three-pointer at the beginning of the game, the basket seemed to be covered and kept rejecting his shots.

This kept the Bucks' score at 5 points, and head coach Larry Kriskowiak had to request a timeout early.

"I must praise Raja Bell's recent game state. It can be seen that he has fully recovered from his calf injury. Every shot is full of power and he is very confident!"

Hubie Brown, who was commentating on the Knicks game for the first time in the new season, gave his praise. His partner Mike Breen was still the same, and became a "Lee fan" when he returned to New York:
"Lee always makes his teammates better. Compared to statistics, he only pursues victory."

"The Knicks guys all have smiles on their faces. They are enjoying the pure joy of basketball. This is the team culture that Lee has established in New York!"

"."

The old coach almost rolled his eyes when he heard the word "slacking off" sound so nice, but he couldn't refute it. After all, the Knicks' record was there.

During the timeout, the director focused the camera on the Knicks bench. Li You was writing and drawing on the tactical board and communicating with his teammates from time to time. He looked very engaged.

Gasol and Chandler nodded repeatedly, and the atmosphere team surrounding them shouted loudly, each of them looking very motivated.

In this situation, no one can accuse Li You of letting the team win. He even took away part of the coach's work. Isn't this a manifestation of his love for basketball?

Perhaps it was because the outside shooting was too strong, and after the timeout, the Bucks arranged a low-post singles tactic for Bogut in their offensive round.

"Defense!."

Amid the cheers of the defense, Mo Williams' lob from the left wing was too powerful, and due to the interference of Li You, Bogut, who received the ball in the back, almost made a mistake.

Chandler seized the opportunity and squeezed out, which caused Bogut to try to shoot with his right hand too high and was interfered by Li You's assist defense. He nervously passed the ball early.

For a moment, the tactic failed again, and many fans in the stadium began to cheer loudly. Mo Williams received the ball from his teammate, and had no choice but to move away from the three-point line and quickly passed the ball to Reed who was waiting at the top of the arc.

Yi Jianlian still wanted to go forward for screen and roll at this time, but Reed stopped the newbie with a wave of his hand. Gasol's positioning for defending the screen and roll made him uncomfortable, and his long arms always interfered with his shot.

The Bucks' tactics eventually turned into Reed's individual singles at the top of the arc. Desmond Mason still wanted the ball, but the team leader was confident and dribbled between his legs continuously.

When he switched to his left hand, he slightly raised his body center of gravity, and suddenly lowered his center of gravity to pretend to break through. When Raja Bell slid to the right and back, he stopped decisively, stepped back, carried the ball, and shot a jump shot.
"Oh!"

Amid cheers, the long rebound was picked up by Prince. It was clearly an open opportunity, but he missed the shot again. Reed, who was retreating, could only shout, vent his emotions, and secretly pat his thigh.

In the transition offense, Prince passed the ball early and immediately found Li You near the right wing. Mo Williams stopped on the three-point line, and then saw Li You suddenly make a jump shot.

The ball was two steps away from him. Mo Williams didn't even raise his hand. He just turned his head subconsciously and watched the basketball go into the net helplessly.

5:19, 7 minutes and 46 seconds left in the first quarter, the score difference was getting bigger and bigger, which made many Chinese sports reporters feel a little embarrassed. They lost too much.
As the game progressed, Li You dealt the ball from the top of the arc and occasionally threw the ball randomly in the transition offense. The game became more and more lively, but the Bucks became more and more painful.

It was not until 4 minutes and 22 seconds left in the first quarter that Mo Williams finally hit a long two-point shot off the backboard despite the interference of Li You, helping the team break the scoring drought.

Yi Jianlian has been invisible. During the intermission, the Bucks bench was silent. It would be better not to play this live broadcast across the United States.
11:39, 8 of 2, 5 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, Reed, who scored 5 points, almost threw the towel on the spot. He didn't understand why his opponents were fighting so bravely.

For Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean, watching such a game on Saturday morning was naturally unpleasant. Fans who insisted on watching the game to the end couldn't help but feel a little resentful. It was really too "ugly"!

CCTV Sports' noon news did not emphasize Yi Jianlian's performance as in the past, but only briefly reported the score in the program.

78:128, facing the Knicks for the first time in his career, Yi Jianlian suffered a 50-point defeat.

On Saturday, December 12, the NBA announced the players of the month for the first month of the new season:
Lee You from the Eastern Conference and Carlos Boozer from the Western Conference won the award.

The Knicks maintained a good game state, reduced the number of interviews, and transformed the restlessness brought about by the premium contract into game motivation. With 15 wins and 1 loss, their dominance was undoubtedly demonstrated.

The Jazz had a record of 11 wins and 5 losses in the first month. Except for a slightly embarrassing game in New York, they also showed good strength against the Western Conference powerhouses.

场均31.8分4.7篮板11.5助攻2.8抢断0.6盖帽1.6失误，李佑在场均出场34.3分钟的情况下，交出了一份平平无奇的两双数据。

The shooting percentage is 58.1%, the three-point shooting percentage is 46.5%, and the free throw shooting percentage is 93.7%. If we only look at the shooting percentage, Li You is the same as Boozer, the inside player.
The award did not attract much attention, but instead a piece of news made the entire league excited: the Lakers are expected to complete the deal during the All-Star Weekend!
This news was not leaked by a Los Angeles sports reporter. A columnist for the San Antonio Express-News posted the relevant content on Twitter, and it was eventually discovered by Spurs fans.

On Sunday, the 2nd, the Knicks will have their last home game in recent times.

There was still more than an hour before the game started, and Li You took a photo with the trophy in advance. After the reporters attending the press conference expressed their blessings, they couldn't wait to start gossiping:
"We have received accurate information that Kobe Bryant will join forces with Duncan, and the Spurs ultimately failed to get the MVP to renew his contract."

"Lee, if this deal is really reached, how would you evaluate Duncan's choice? He left his own city!"

It takes a lot of courage to give up the "One Person, One City Award". Li You was inexplicably emotional when he heard the news. This feeling of "personality collapse" was quite interesting to him:

"No one stipulates that players must end their careers in one city. In many cases, this is a beautiful wish!"

"I understand Duncan's choice. We are not young anymore, and working hard for the championship deserves recognition."

When the reporters heard this response, they began to whisper to each other again. They obviously didn't like this answer. After all, "loyalty" is also a kind of honor:
"Lee, why didn't Duncan betray his city? He failed to fulfill his promise."

The ESPN reporter was blunt. They have always advocated "one man, one city". Li You seemed to have thought of something. With a smile on his face, he said again in a relaxed tone:

"Loyalty is difficult for some players. You know, to achieve such an achievement, it actually requires absolute strength."

"Duncan is free next offseason and can even ignore the Spurs."

"What I want to say is, don't let loyalty hurt you. I said this to Kevin, and now he has made the right choice. So, I support Duncan. I know his strength and he is underestimated."

This statement seemed to stir up a hornet's nest. The issue of "loyalty" made many people feel uncomfortable. The reporter from Yahoo Sports asked again in an inexplicable tone:

"Lee, will you leave New York?"

Li You didn't wait for the other party to finish speaking, he looked at him with an "idiot" look, and then interrupted in a teasing tone:

"Don't put me on the same level as them, I won nine championships."

"Super teams may have the possibility to defeat me, but they have no chance if they rely on their personal ability alone. As for my next eight years, there is no doubt that I will still be in New York."

"I am loyal to my fans. Loyalty is a mutual achievement for us and I will be proud of it!"

"."

Many people were speechless after hearing the answer of "blocking both ends". The Phoenix reporters who came to New York with the team secretly curled their lips when they heard it. It was obvious that Li You was mocking these stars who "banded together", but no one knew what to say.

When the New York reporter took over the conversation, the atmosphere became more joyful. Super teams seemed to be a new fun. When the press conference ended, the TNT reporter complained:

"This kind of All-Star team-up will ruin the league! Some future games will become boring."

Some people have different opinions. If they don't join forces, there will be nothing to watch now. Those who like to watch the fun and not mind the trouble quickly found a reason for "banding together":

"Tim Duncan is about to turn 32, and we should understand the choice of the veteran."

"."

(End of this chapter)