NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 545: Fear before the battle. (Daily chapter)
Every year's March Madness attracts a lot of attention. This year, the talented guard Derrick Rose from Chicago has become the focus of media attention.

No one is shouting "the next Li You" this time. Although Derrick Rose has the technical style of a modern guard, his shooting is visibly unstable.

After nearly 10 years of exploration, scouts have determined that Li You's shooting talent is extraordinary, and it is difficult to find similar players with this God-favored shooting touch.

After so many years of scratching lottery tickets, there are more and more "bankrupt versions of Li You". Fans are tired of hearing about them. This thing is just like the "successor to Jordan" in the past, they are all beautiful wishes.

Another rookie, Kevin Durant's childhood sweetheart, super scorer Michael Beasley is also very popular.

The Heat, who are aiming for the No. 1 pick, are currently targeting the two. After Wade suffered another injury, head coach Pat Riley simply prepared for next season in advance. The remaining regular season is no longer important to them.

On Wednesday, March 3, the Heat visited New York again, and without Wade, the game became one-sided from the start.

Wade, sitting on the bench, had a calm expression, dressed in a black suit. He watched his teammates miss more and more shots without any reaction. The coaching staff had already told him the team's plan in advance.

The camera was rarely pointed at him, and Wade felt a little sad for a moment. He became out of fashion too quickly, and his rookie season turned out to be his peak. Now he was going to experience fishing again.

10 wins and 52 losses, this is the current record of the Heat. Wade wanted to win a trophy in the All-Star Game, but he didn't say it out loud for the sake of face.

Nothing is the portrayal of Wade this season. The departure of the big brother and frequent injuries have made many fans begin to forget him. Even the New York fans were particularly friendly to their old rival tonight.
At the end of the first quarter, Madison Square Garden was filled with jubilation. Wade, who was sitting on the bench, did not stand up, but instead lowered his head and stared at the floor. He would have to watch such a game for another month.

When Marion returned to his seat in his training suit, he saw Wade's frustrated look and immediately tilted his head and said self-deprecatingly:
"I feel like I'm back to my rookie season, 10 wins! It's hard to imagine joining the team and it will turn out like this."

Behind the bench, New York fans have already started celebrating the victory of the game. At 21:37, the Knicks helped their old rivals to win the No. pick.

The game had to continue. Wade came to his senses and didn't say anything for a long time. He looked at the Knicks' rotation lineup, which was full of energy. He held it in for a long time before saying something sour:
"The coach is right, we have to accumulate talent, this is a team decision."

Leaning on his knees, his chin supported by his hands, Marion glanced at the young core again, curled his lips and stopped talking. He found that Wade respected Pat Riley too much and the atmosphere in the team was a bit weird.

The greasy-haired guy who was hanging up on the sidelines was not affected by the results and was still concentrating on the game, as if winning only 10 games was not a problem for him at all:
"Jason, use the same tactics again!"

Pat Riley yelled at the top of his lungs as he entered the rotation. Many New York fans couldn't even name the opposing players. This bottom-feeder of the bottom teams was not worth paying attention to.

On the other side, D'Antoni was also strolling on the sidelines. After losing back-to-back to the Pistons last week, the Celtics also lost, and the two teams slowed down at the same time.

Since the matchup with the Hornets, Rajon Rondo has preferred to show off himself, and has mastered the trick of "brushing stats" when leading by a large margin.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Amid shouts that echoed throughout the arena, Rondo seized the opportunity when his opponent's concentration dropped, stopped at the top of the arc, and took advantage of Dio's screen for J.R. Smith to suddenly make a ground pass.

At 45 degrees on the left, he suddenly accelerated and ran back, going straight to the basket, shaking off the defending JR Smith, dribbled one step near the blocking area and took off directly.

Amid the cheers of the fans, big man Mark Blount, who came up to help defend, just stretched out his hand, but JR Smith in the air quickly turned around.

After 360 degrees, he came to the lower left side of the basket. Before landing, JR Smith twisted his left wrist and threw the ball towards the backboard. As the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket, Madison Square Garden was boiling again.

"God! What a wonderful goal! After the All-Star Weekend, JR Smith is getting better and better."

"If he can play in a few more games, I think he will win the best sixth man award this season!"

In the MSG commentary booth, Mike Breen excitedly commented that some teams' games were boring, but the Knicks always managed to make something lively.

Role players break out from time to time, which is rare in the league.

"In terms of lineup depth, I don't think any team can match us at the moment. I respect the Heat, but their talent right now is not enough to support the team to win the championship."

"Lee can make his teammates better and better. Although Wade has good passing ability, it is not an easy task to rebuild the team around him."

Walter Frazier almost said that "the Heat have withdrawn from the championship race." For nearly 12 years, Eastern Conference teams have been rebuilding over and over again, and only the Knicks have remained competitive.

The old rival has fallen silent again, and it is unknown how many years it will take for the next comeback. Watching the Heat's Jason Williams jump and throw the ball but get intercepted, Mike Breen could only sigh:
"This year's draft is very important for the Heat. I wish our old rivals the best and hope to see them again in the conference finals in the future."

"."

Pat Riley seemed not to hear the fans' ridicule. After the offensive mistake, he took the initiative to comfort the players with a smile on his face.

No one knows what this former championship coach is thinking. After trading Stan Van Gundy away, his reputation has become worse and worse.

If he had not led the Knicks to the finals, the New York media would have attacked him heavily long ago. Now Pat Riley's status as a championship coach is almost gone.

This game once again turned into a carnival moment for the Knicks' role players. Everyone who appeared on the court was able to score something, and in the end all 12 players scored, and even the referee was too lazy to call a foul.

84:128, at the end of the game, Wade on the bench covered his face again, thinking that this year's loss was really a shame.

Li You played for only 26 minutes tonight, and his statistics declined when facing a bottom-ranked team. The commentators have gotten used to it, and some columnists can even guess Li You's statistics based on the score. "Slacking off" has become the norm.

He waved his towel 8 times, cheered several times with the atmosphere group, finished half a bucket of popcorn, and ate the love orange prepared by his little follower.
This is a true portrayal of some of Li You's games. He goes on the court to stretch his body, watches the game from a VIP seat, takes a group photo after the game, brags to his opponents, and finally answers questions at the press conference.

"oh!!"

Seeing Wade move to Li You's side, the New York fans at the scene began to make noises. The "fake fans" no longer had the desire to fight back, and after being beaten for several years, they became smooth:
"Congratulations in advance, Lee! The MVP is a foregone conclusion. I feel bad for Chris."

Wade stepped forward to give a fist bump and smiled, actively complimenting. Li You, who had changed into his training clothes early, looked relaxed. Noticing the other party's forced smile, he joked again:

"He is still young, man, at 26 years old, the next few years may be the best time for your physical condition. If you want to pursue honors, you have to be prepared!"

Wade obviously also watched the ESPN program. The other side recently talked about the old-fashioned age of famous stars who won championships, and those around 28 years old accounted for a large part.

Just thinking about his physical condition and the current team conditions, Wade felt a little uncomfortable. In addition, the relationship with his childhood sweetheart broke down, and the bad things made him feel exhausted:

"I know, maybe next season we can get back to the playoffs"

After responding reluctantly, Wade was in no mood to talk any more. He still believed in Pat Riley's promise that the greasy-haired boss would recruit helpers for him and he could lead the Heat to win their first championship.

Artest did not play tonight due to injury. He strained his calf last week and his physical condition seems to have shown signs of decline this season.

An undisciplined life will eventually affect the body. Artest has no good solution for this. It is impossible for a professional player to stay at his peak forever.

Marion, who was about to leave the court, noticed Artest's forced smile and took the initiative to greet him. His bad mood also improved:

"What's up! Bro!"

"Shit! Just prepare to keep losing in Miami!"

Seeing the other party's teasing smile, Artest grinned and output. He has been a substitute too many times this season and almost became a bargaining chip in the trade of Marion, which made him lose face.

Marion didn't care about Artest's big mouth. He smiled and argued with him for a few words. Finally, he looked in the direction of Li You, then looked up at the championship flag in the sky for a while, and then slowly walked away.

At the entrance of the tunnel, Alonzo Mourning kept high-fiving his teammates. The veteran didn't show much expression on his face. He knew his career was over after he injured his knee before Christmas. The friendly New York fans were still shouting his name loudly. Mourning could only smile in response and wait until everyone entered the player tunnel before walking towards the locker room dejectedly.

Pat Riley, who was at the back, looked at the figure of the Kidney Fighter and felt guilty. When he was about to enter the locker room, he suddenly whispered:

"Sorry, Zo! Injury destroyed our last hope."

Thinking of his good friend Ewing who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, Mourning looked around the old arena facilities, patted the championship coach on the shoulder, and said with some regret:

"I don't regret the decisions I made in the past few years. I am willing to play for the Heat. Boss, this is not your fault. Maybe this is God's will!"

"."

Thinking back to Ewing's experience, Pat Riley was speechless for a moment. The gorilla almost lost his career without a championship. No one expected that he would make a comeback in the end and become the big winner.

All of this was the influence of Li You. Since 96, the league has changed. Pat Riley returned to the locker room and was a little absent-minded. When he woke up from his memories, he regained his confidence:
"We performed very well, and we need to be nervous in the next away games!"

On Thursday, March 3, the Knicks, who had two games in a week, went on vacation again. As long as they could ensure the home advantage, the coaching staff focused more on health.

The same goes for the Celtics. Head coach Rivers has already started to rest. The two teams will have a direct dialogue next week, but the outdated best coach no longer makes big statements.

Before the match even started, Boston showed signs of backing down, which made the commentators very dissatisfied!
There are not many games every Thursday, and the TNT program gave a brief summary after the game, praising the performances of James and Howard, and criticizing Kidd's shooting state after joining the Mavericks.

When talking about next week's focus game, Charles Barkley immediately expressed his dissatisfaction and praised Chris Paul's competitive spirit:
"Look at the competitive spirit that Chris Paul has shown after consecutive away games. The Celtics shouldn't make excuses for themselves in advance. They are not too old to play four games a week!"

84:126, direct dialogue between MVPs. Paul did show himself actively, but unfortunately he was crushed throughout the whole process.

肯尼-史密斯实在不想再点评那场比赛，21中15，三分线外7中4，罚球12中12，李佑交出一份46分5篮板6助攻3抢断2盖帽1失误的数据。

"Maybe Garnett's abdominal muscle strain has not fully recovered. They are already multiple wins ahead of the third-place Cavaliers. They really need to stay healthy in the subsequent games."

Hearing his partner make a case for Boston, Charles Barkley wanted to refute, but fortunately Ernie Johnson took over in time and stopped the big mouth from talking nonsense:
"Stephen Marbury suffered an ankle injury, and I think that's why coach Rivers has recently started to expand the rotation."

"Cassell may need to get back into the game. He also suffered a strain in the Clippers. The veteran also needs time to adjust his body."

Free agent PJ Brown eventually joined the Lakers, and Cassell accepted Garnett's invitation, ready to help his old friend again and continue playing old man basketball.

Both partners spoke for Boston, so Charles Barkley could only stop his output, think about it, and criticize LeBron James again:
"Young people nowadays are overly concerned with statistics. I don't like LeBron's recent actions. He only scored 23 points in the loss to the Knicks, but his shots increased in the following games."

"I know what he's thinking, scoring champion! But I want to tell him not to play for the trophy, that's not how basketball should be!"

Through continuous learning, James has completely turned into a magic ball this season. With the improvement of Howard's screen quality, he has completely abandoned the long two-pointer and concentrated a large number of shots in the paint and outside the three-point line.

Coupled with the Cavaliers' defensive system, James' fast break is as fierce as a tiger, and like Li You, he frequently appears in the Sports Center's best goals.

As the season progressed, Li You's statistics steadily declined due to consecutive back-to-back games and matches against bottom-ranked teams, while James' statistics rose again.

30 shots have occurred many times. In some games, LeBron James basically let go and threw the ball, and assisted Howard with rebounds. The two young men had a lot of fun.
With a helpless smile on his face, Kenny Smith also knew that James was brushing his stats, but that was how scoring champions were. A long time ago, everyone had been brushing their stats openly. At this time, he could only say it in a euphemistic way:
"I don't think taking more shots is a mistake, but obviously James has taken on more responsibility."

"Lee called him the 'Cleveland Mamba' a long time ago. I think he saw James' potential at that time. As for the scoring title, I think fans don't mind seeing the competition between the two."

Since the birth of the Black Mamba Vince Carter, many players will take a lot of shots in some games to demonstrate their abilities.

Ernie Johnson couldn't comment on this trend, after all, it was Li You who took the lead in praising it, but thinking of James who let himself go, he finally added:
"Maybe this is Coach Van Gundy's arrangement. The Cavaliers have already entered the playoffs early!"

"."

On Friday, March 3, the Celtics were resting at home and ultimately lost to the Jazz, widening the gap in wins between them and the Knicks again.

After the game, head coach Rivers, who attended the press conference, confirmed that Garnett and Marbury would be absent from Sunday's game against the Knicks:
"Kevin wants to get back on the court as soon as possible and his energy is infectious to the team, but I have to take responsibility for his health."

"We don't care about the results of the regular season. Although we may lose the home-court advantage, the veterans on the team can solve these problems. They don't mind playing in Madison Square Garden."

With a low and hoarse voice, Rivers seemed extremely confident when he said this. He did not take the devil's home court seriously, and even joked at the end:
"Lee should worry about his condition at the TD Garden. The energy that this city has accumulated for many years will be fully released this year!"

"Our fans will become the best sixth man of the team. This is the essence of a championship!"

This remark was obviously an attempt to change the subject and also showed an inexplicable sense of superiority. The New York sports reporters were furious, but the Celtics' press officer did not give them a chance.

In the game that ended that night, the Hornets defeated the Lakers at home 100:104, and the two teams returned to the same starting line.

Kurt Thomas has extensive experience defending Duncan, and the veteran once again helped the team get a crucial victory.

19中9，三分线外5中2，罚球12中7，27分4篮板17助攻4抢断2失误，交出两双数据的保罗在出席新闻发布会时聊起了在纽约的表现：

"I participated in Lee's training camp when I was very young, and most of the basketball skills I have now were taught to me by Lee."

"Maybe this was the first time he played against me seriously. It's hard to describe the feeling. It was a sense of oppression that prevented me from showing my strength calmly."

After hearing this answer, ESPN quickly added a question to add fuel to the fire, once again pointing the finger at Kobe:
"Let's talk about playing against Kobe. How is that different than Lee? You had an outstanding performance tonight, 17 assists!"

Although Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 23 points on 10 of 36 shots, the sports reporters at the scene still wanted to give the special Mamba a slap on the wrist for not respecting them.
"Kobe is also very good, but he is not the No. 1 player. Lee is faster and more agile. He can shoot at any time, which brings me great defensive pressure."

“It’s hard to compare the two. Lee is on another level. It’s a perfect combination of technique and physicality!”

Chris Paul boasted very naturally and obviously did not take Kobe seriously. The two teams had the same record and there was senior Duncan on the opposite side, so he also lost some respect for the championship guard.

Many people in the audience were laughing. If the Celtics had rested their players later, this news would have attracted more attention.

The third meeting between the Knicks and Celtics on Sunday, March 3, attracted a lot of attention.

However, after the starting lineup was announced, a large number of sports reporters cursed in their hearts, Boston really surrendered early!

Even Ray Allen was not included in the active list, and only Pierce was left in the "Big Four", which made the ABC broadcasters speechless.
At the TD Garden, when Cassell, Tony Allen, Pierce, Brian Scalabrine, and Kendrick Perkins appeared, Hubie Brown in the commentary booth complained helplessly:

"It seems that the Celtics have suffered a wave of injuries, which is not good news for them. The regular season will soon be over."

"."

The old coach's complaints did not affect the mood of Boston fans. Just as Rivers said, this city has accumulated energy for many years, and it all burst out this year!
Amid the boos of the fans, the first half of the game ended quickly, 65:35. Facing the old man and the little guy, Li You punched hard again.
The broadcast standard of tonight's game was very high, and there were reporters interviewing at halftime. As Li You was about to enter the player tunnel, the boos in his ears became louder and louder.

"Lee, congratulations on leading your opponent by a large margin at halftime! The TD Garden tonight seems to be very different from the past. Did this have any impact on you?"

The young reporter was obviously asking routine questions. The shouting and cursing behind him made him feel uncomfortable, but Li You chuckled and said jokingly:
"Compared to the atmosphere at the United Center, there is still some gap here. You know, the Celtics haven't won a championship for many years."

"."

(End of this chapter)