NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 533: The Veteran Who Lets Himself Go (Daily Chapter)
On Christmas Eve, the Lakers lost to the Cavaliers again on the road and suffered a double defeat.

General Manager Kupchak made a trade before this, but the fans didn't like it.

They sent away Brian Cook and Maurice Evans, who were completely out of date and had big contracts, and traded for Trevor Ariza, a member of the atmosphere group, from the Magic.

This second-round pick almost didn't make it to the NBA. He wandered around the bottom leagues for a few years and made a name for himself before finding an opportunity in Orlando.

However, the Magic are still in a semi-rebuilding period in the new season, and the coaching staff did not give Ariza time, so the Lakers finally extended an olive branch.

This deal cannot stop the Lakers fans from complaining that they have always lost more than they have won against the Cavaliers in recent years and have been humiliated by young players, which is really not in line with the standards of a top team.
Although Howard's free throw shooting has been getting worse in recent games, making 13 of 5 in New York and 16 of 6 in Los Angeles, the big man's dominance is visible to the naked eye. Bynum fouled out tonight.

This year, the Cavaliers and the Heat also got the opportunity to play against each other on Christmas Day. Howard was so excited to participate in such a major event again that he was outspoken after the game:
"Tonight's game is a warm-up game for me before the Christmas game. You always like to overestimate the Lakers, but in fact they are not competitive at all."

"I love seeing Kobe take shots, he always gives me more rebounds!"

"81 points can only happen to the Raptors. We are a team in the conference finals. Hey! The Cavaliers will play the Christmas game in a few days. Kobe can watch this game on TV."

Since the national team, Howard has looked down on Kobe's style. Everyone was training normally, but he insisted on being the king of curlers.

After training, everyone gathered together to gamble, and Kobe scolded them, treating himself as the leader of the team.

Howard was particularly unhappy about this. He just loved to have fun partying with his friends. It would be better to kill him if he had to get up at 4:30 in the morning. Mr. Billionaire should enjoy his life!
Cleveland's sports media has become immune to such talk. More importantly, they have no interest in respecting the Lakers. A first-round bottom team is not even in the fans' considerations.

After a lot of chatter, Howard, who was laughing, indulged himself in talking nonsense, mocking Kobe, the outdated player, in a sarcastic way. He was fed up with the special Mamba who was bossing him around and pretending to be cool all the time.

James is actually very much looking forward to the upcoming Christmas game, but he is too lazy to laugh at his opponent because he is already out of date.

Even with Tim Duncan joining, the Lakers are just a dual-core team.

Not to mention that if the Cavaliers want to go further, they have to overcome two big obstacles first, and the media has never created a showdown between him and Kobe.

Both of them are players under Hook, and they have more resources. For James, Kobe is a "negative example" in a sense. His two former agents have warned him not to follow Kobe.

"I'm very happy to see my good brother return from injury and return to the team. I can play against him on Christmas Day. This is something we have been looking forward to for a long time!"

"I will be waiting for them in Cleveland. Shaq is in good shape recently. I hope we can present wonderful games to the fans."

In front of the reporters, James on the court smiled happily. He was very satisfied with the league's hype. Duo vs. Duo, he was confident that he could beat Wade this time.

The Christmas game also made the commentators no longer pay attention to the internal conflicts of the Cavaliers. Larry Hughes finally returned to the bench. This was a victory for James, and the star player regained his voice.

Sports reporters naturally sang praises for the two Cavaliers players, but when Kobe appeared at the press conference, many reporters lost their smiles.

James is easy to deal with, but Kobe never cooperates. ESPN deliberately puts Kobe at the back in every ranking. In the new season's MVP rankings, James is also ahead of Kobe.

On this list, Li You, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Kevin Garnett took the top five spots.

In sixth place is Stoudemire, followed by Tim Duncan, Nowitzki, Deron Williams and Boozer. Kobe didn't even make it into the top 6. This is the respect ESPN gives him.

The Lakers and the Jazz have the same record, but Kobe is not on the list. Naturally, he had a gloomy face when he attended the press conference. He would not compromise with the media!
"Kobe, it is said that Shaq is unhappy about not being able to come to LA to play in the Christmas game, and he thinks that the subsequent trade will not help you"

The Heat lost so badly, but O'Neal always managed to make things happen. The Christmas game provided some jokes for the fans. Recently, they mocked Kobe for being abandoned by the league and not being able to participate in such a major event.

Kobe interrupted the other party. He was still a little dissatisfied that he could not participate in the Christmas game. He is a champion guard:
"You can report all you want, come June, the Lakers will be in the Finals!"

"Remember, no one wants to run into us this year!"

Such bold words stunned many reporters. No one refuted it at the scene, but everyone took note of it.

Seemingly satisfied with everyone's reaction, Kobe felt much better. Thinking that the trade would most likely happen before the All-Star Weekend, he couldn't wait:
"We should have sent these lazy bums away earlier!"

On Friday the 21st, the Knicks played their last game before Christmas, beating the Pacers at home.

The current record is 24 wins and 2 losses. With the Celtics losing to the Pistons, the two teams are back to the same starting line.

The Pistons selected Wilson Chandler in this year's draft, which just filled their third position. They started the new season slowly, but are now quietly catching up with the Cavaliers.

比卢普斯17中8，三分线外5中2，罚球11中10，面对四巨头怒砍28分1篮板8助攻1抢断3失误；

Hamilton was extremely efficient, making 11 of 9 shots, 4 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 21 points, the second highest on the team.

Although the inside combination of Rasheed Wallace and McDyess was a bit sluggish in offense, the two of them combined to grab 23 rebounds and successfully suppressed their opponents.

After defeating the Celtics, Rasheed Wallace made bold statements and openly mocked the behavior of "grouping" at a press conference:

"Only losers like to gather together and pray for victory in this way."

"But they forgot one thing, basketball doesn't lie, just like that shitty referee is going to jail, the losers will end up with nothing."

"Yes, I admit that I am no match for Lee. He beat me up in the match, but these cowards tonight will never gain my respect!"

If that was all he said, perhaps only the local sports media and fans in Detroit would be happy. But after a Yahoo Sports reporter fanned the flames, Wallace made even more outrageous remarks:
"Champion? I'd rather join the Knicks with a minimum salary and throw in the towel than recruit some All-Stars to pretend to be a winner!"

"I don't like Lee. He's not a dollar or a pretty chick, but when it comes to basketball, he's the GOAT. If I want a ring, I'll give him a call."

The photo of Wallace with a big grin appeared in the sports sections of several mainstream newspapers in Detroit the next day. Pistons fans were outraged, and Garnett was also furious. The two eventually started a verbal fight.

92:119, when the game ended, it was almost 22 p.m., but Madison Square Garden was still bustling, and the Christmas atmosphere had already swept the place.

Holding up a white board that said "Promise Him", a large group of New York fans sitting in the back row were still shouting and yelling. Someone took the lead in making a fuss, and young people who had drunk beer joined in.

This is not a proposal ceremony, and fans hope that Li You can agree to Rasheed Wallace's request to wave the towel. For those who like to have fun, they just want to watch the fun!
Li You, wearing the Knicks' white home training suit, waved to the group of fans who were jumping and dancing with a smile on his face, and the atmosphere at the scene became even more lively.

“Lee! Lee! Lee!”

The fans kept shouting for a while, and the MSG staff in charge of the interview was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He knew very well that Wallace had some grudges with the Knicks.

The situation in the league is incomprehensible. Veterans over 30 seem to have "collapsed". This kind of blatant surrender to the enemy was unimaginable in the past.

It seems that more and more stars are willing to let go of their pride. The emergence of the "Big Four" has allowed some people to let go of themselves. Li You is happy to see this and took the initiative to joke about the recent gossip in front of the camera:

"I read the newspapers. Wallace is a tough guy. We respect each other!"

"He underestimated himself. All teams in the league would welcome a veteran like him, and the Knicks are no exception."

The young reporter didn't expect Li You to say this. You know, Gary Payton still remembers it until now. Whenever he has the opportunity to be interviewed, he complains about some teams' lack of respect for veterans.

Although everyone in the NBA league circle knew that Payton was being sarcastic to the Knicks, no one would say it out loud.

It took some basketball critics several years to realize the signs. In his rookie season, Li You suffered a double-kill by the Supersonics and performed mediocrely against Payton. Perhaps this is the grudge between the two.

However, when you think about the fact that this incident happened almost 10 years ago, many fans don't believe it. But no matter what the result is, Li You still ruined the veteran's championship dream, so Payton's complaint is understandable.

The Knicks can celebrate Christmas happily, but Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers is in an increasingly bad mood. He kicked over the ice bucket when he returned to the visiting team's locker room.

"Damn Alliance!!"

Jermaine O'Neal returned to his seat with an angry face, tore off his headband, cursed, and then felt unsatisfied, so he threw the towel beside him away.

Losing will affect his emotions, but more importantly, he may not be selected for the All-Star game this year, while Tyson Chandler is likely to be selected.

In Jermaine O'Neal's view, the opponent took away his position. No matter how hard he tried, he would most likely not be selected. This made him extremely unhappy. Can a blue-collar player become an All-Star?

Mike Dunleavy, with messy hair, saw his teammates venting their emotions and shrugged helplessly to everyone. He was in trouble tonight, shooting 18 of 6, 5 of 0 three-pointers, and the basket was blocked.

"Maybe the fans will vote for you and you may even become a starter."

Dunleavy's words of comfort seemed extremely perfunctory. The competition for the forward position was too fierce and O'Neal Jr. had no chance.

Danny Granger, who just secured his starting position, also performed mediocrely tonight. Although Artest was a tough guy, he worked very hard on the defensive end.

The newbie also wanted to offer some comfort, but didn't know what to say. Finally, Granger looked at Jamal Tinsley and motioned for the veteran to say a few words. Hearing complaints about losing seriously affected the atmosphere in the locker room.

"Jermaine, don't mind the boring All-Star Game, it's just an exhibition game and it's held in New Orleans."

"If you want to go to the game, everyone will follow you. We have a great chance to return to the playoffs this year. We have to be nervous during the two-day break on Christmas." Jamal Tinsley was considered an early "anti-Lee" pioneer and was used to being beaten. Jermaine O'Neal calmed down after hearing the veteran's words:
"It's my fault. I just wanted to win too much. I just wanted to let them know that we are not nameless opponents!"

"These fucking New York fans make me sick and their lack of respect is unbelievable."

O'Neal complained non-stop, venting his dissatisfaction. Thinking of the news he had seen recently, he couldn't help but feel sour:
“Maybe I should just go to Los Angeles!”

When Li You became the representative of the "One Person, One City Award", the award was no longer so important. After all, everyone was "banding together" and no one should laugh at anyone else!

The more O'Neal thought about it, the more he regretted it. If he had known the league would become like this, he would not have insisted. Although the Pacers are good, they are not his home team. If he went to Los Angeles, perhaps he wouldn't have to endure the bullying.

Marquis Daniels sat in the corner without saying a word. Many people had forgotten that he was once a member of the Spurs and was the first backcourt player to compete against Li You in the finals.

Former Spurs players couldn't believe it when they saw the news that Tim Duncan wanted to leave the team, and Marquis Daniels was shocked.

Troy Murphy and others also joined the condemnation. When everyone talked about Rasheed Wallace's intention to throw in the towel, Marquis Daniels suddenly spoke up and said with frustration:

“Maybe in the future more players will consider the Knicks as their first choice”

The locker room suddenly became quiet, and many players realized one thing: since "banding together" has become a fact, the veterans who put on airs no longer have the psychological burden.

The environment in the Eastern Conference will become a competition among super teams. Thinking of this, no one wanted to discuss it anymore.

When head coach Jim O'Brien returned to the locker room, he found that the players were all looking at him quietly. He thought everyone was frustrated about the loss. While distributing the technical statistics, he smiled and said:

"Remember, this is just a regular season game. With 12 wins and 13 losses, we are not behind!"

"December is almost over, and we must stay tense before the All-Star Weekend. We will return to the playoffs this year. Think about the fans who support the Pacers. We have to be responsible to everyone."

"."

O'Neal Jr. didn't listen to what the head coach said. He just sat there leaning back in his seat without moving.

2007 is coming to an end, which also means that the results of the second round of All-Star voting will be announced. Thinking of his own experience, O'Neal could only mutter in his heart:
"In the bottom half of the playoffs?"

Before Christmas, the Celtics finished their schedule after defeating the Magic. After the Christmas game, it will be decided which team will top the league.

According to statistics from the past 10 years, the team that can get the first place in the first two months of the season has more than 90% probability of winning the championship!
ESPN's report is actually nonsense, because in the past 10 years, the Knicks have been winning a lot, they are always first in the league at the end of the year, and this statistic has no effect.
However, for Celtics fans, many people are superstitious about this view, as if getting first place can increase the probability of winning the championship.

The Christmas game has not yet begun, but the atmosphere at the NDRC Garden is very hot every night.

Before Christmas Eve on the 23rd, the Celtics also organized an event to bring warmth to the community. They don’t have to worry about traveling for the Christmas game. After all, the two cities are very close, so they can just enjoy the holiday for now.

Fans are sometimes very realistic. A few years ago, the team lost a lot and Pierce took the lead in sending warmth, but everyone was not in a good mood. Now that the Celtics have made a comeback, the fans have regained their enthusiasm.

They donated gifts, toys and food to poor families, and then visited the hospital in person to comfort the sick children.

NBA teams have very close ties with the community. Bruce Bowen of the Spurs is a good guy off the court. The Celtics were not taken seriously in the past, but this year's condolences were very loud.

In the ward, Marbury smiled brightly. After giving a gift, he took a friendly photo with the sick little boy on the bed. Ray Allen also smiled on the other side.

When in Seattle, since the team changed owners and planned to move, the relationship between the team and the local municipal government and community has been very tense. Coupled with last year's poor record, Ray Allen has been feeling frustrated.

It has been almost 10 years since Marbury had a good win. He has been so happy in the past two months that his jade syndrome has been cured. Looking at the expectant eyes of the children, he immediately made a promise:

"We will bring the championship back to Boston! You can come and watch the finals. I promise I will give you front row tickets."

"."

Ray Allen's smile froze. He was not that confident, or you could say he was more realistic. In last year's playoffs, in 16 games, Li You's true shooting percentage was 79%.

All NBA players know what this data means. Ray Allen doesn't want to deceive himself and say that the data is useless and can't reflect the value, so he subconsciously took over the conversation:

"Everything will be fine. Do you still like baseball? It seems like you must be a Red Sox supporter."

The little guy happily shared his limited baseball experience along with Ray Allen's topic. Such a warm scene made some people unhappy. Pierce, who was inflated by winning too much, couldn't help but complain outside the ward:
"What is he worried about? Damn it, now's the time to show your confidence. We've been preparing for an offseason!"

"I'm not Allen Iverson. I've beaten Lee. We didn't have much talent in our lineup back then, but we could still win with me and Antoine."

"Look at the situation now. We are almost ahead of our opponent. I can play 48 minutes. Those reporters have no idea what a real basketball game is like."

Every time Rivers gave everyone a boost, Ray Allen would calmly analyze the data, and then everyone would look at each other in bewilderment.

The Boston media was praising the team to their heart's content, and the fanatical fans brought out the best in everyone on the team, but Ray Allen still ran the tactics calmly and completed his tasks meticulously.

This made Pierce very unhappy. He liked heroic ball and would do it when he was in the mood, but Ray Allen was the exact opposite of him, as if he was still playing in college.

Garnett didn't want to spoil the fun, so he bumped into his partner, told Pierce to shut up, took off his own Santa hat, put it on Pierce, and then glared and whispered:

"We are brothers! It's dangerous and tiring to cut wood! Ray is right sometimes, someone has to keep calm."

"I've played in conference finals. Talent alone won't do. We have to unite as a team and win the game the day after tomorrow."

"."

Pierce, wearing a hat, stopped talking and adjusted his green sweatshirt. Only Garnett and Ray Allen had experienced big scenes on the team, and he was still a first-round "rookie."

This is also the reason why many basketball critics are not optimistic about them. Li You has too much experience in the game. He has stepped on the old man's dunk, defeated the middle-aged O'Neal, and beat the peak Duncan.
In the past, some people talked about the "gold content of the championship", but after we won so much, no one mentioned it anymore.

"I know that once we win, he'll find his confidence and Steph will be better than him."

Pierce muttered something in a low voice and stopped talking. On the other side, head coach Rivers was surrounded by reporters. This year's All-Star head coach position is likely to be the one in front of him:
"I heard that the team will have extra practice every day. Doug, what are your plans for the Christmas holiday?"

Rivers looked at the Boston Globe reporter with a look of "I've been discovered by you" on his face, then looked in Garnett's direction and said with praise:

"Kevin is so outstanding. His energy affects the team and makes everyone unite around him!"

"We have to take a break during Christmas so that we can prepare better. You know, my coaching staff has reviewed hundreds of Knicks game videos over the past 10 years!"

When Rivers said this, he paused for a moment. The sports reporters around him couldn't help but exclaimed when they heard the numbers. This made the former best coach very proud, and he continued in a hoarse voice:

"No player is perfect, including Lee, and we have found a way to solve it!"

"Basketball is about five people. You have witnessed a completely different Celtics team. Now we will continue to move forward to victory."

"."

With Rivers' inspiring encouragement, the condolence event ended successfully. Boston sports reporters couldn't wait to go back and write articles. Everyone was full of confidence in the home team.

On Christmas Eve, the 24th, the Knicks also provided warmth to fans in the morning. A young girl from a poor family received a $1 scholarship, and some children received tickets to the All-Star Game.

The unfortunate Rangers were almost "ruined" by James Dolan, which led some sports fans to denounce this "successful owner."

It was a rare opportunity for James Dolan to participate in team activities, but he was criticized by some sports fans. This made him feel a little embarrassed. Before returning to the bus, he quietly called Li You.

Both of them were wearing black woolen coats. The curly-haired boss hugged Li You affectionately, proving that he cared about the team, and took the initiative to talk about the recent news he had received:

"Lee, you can also recruit All-Star players. Salary is not a problem. I don't mind spending more on luxury taxes."

The weather in New York is not very good in December. Looking at the white air he exhaled, Li You smiled and shook his head. He patted the other person's shoulder affectionately and talked about his plan:

"I don't need all-star players to win. The Knicks just need people who work hard!"

"It's just a group of players in their 30s who have little or no experience in winning."

"If we play according to plan, we will eventually surpass the next door. Listen to Donny's opinions and his experience can help the team."

JR Smith, who was already on the bus, was full of joy just now, but when he noticed the scene outside the bus, his heart suddenly sank. He was really scared this time and he didn't want to be traded.

Pulling Artest beside him, JR Smith pursed his lips quietly, and when he looked at his "big brother", his eyes seemed to speak, and Artest immediately understood what his younger brother meant:
“Very spicy.”

(End of this chapter)