NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 546: Another Year of West Strong and East Weak (Daily Chapter)

On Sunday, March 2008, 3, 30:62, with the Heat's crushing defeat to the Celtics, Pat Riley was basically certain to lead his team to the last place in the league.

The number of wins in a season may be less than 20. This outrageous record has caused many basketball commentators to criticize this exaggerated tanking. The scene is really ugly!
However, what makes the Heat players feel embarrassed is that sometimes they also want to win a game, but their strength does not allow it.

Ever since the Eastern Conference teams realized that they have a chance of entering the playoffs if they win 30+ games, some teams that were playing badly and losing to their opponents have started to make efforts, and the Hawks are one of them.

The Hawks have been wavering throughout the season, and even though they acquired a core guard before the trade deadline, they have always been at the bottom of the playoff race.

But the following teams proved with their actual actions that they are professional at tanking, which makes the mediocre records of the Hawks, 76ers and Pacers even more embarrassing.

As March was almost over, some fans discovered that their home team actually had a chance to make the playoffs, and the calls grew louder and louder, ultimately leading to a strange situation in the Eastern Conference.

On the contrary, in the competition in the Western Conference, even if you want to enter the playoffs, getting 45+ wins is not a guarantee!

Except for the Clippers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, and SuperSonics, other teams are working hard. They can no longer catch up with these four teams by playing badly, and getting a playoff spot has become a better option.

The outrageous competitive environment makes the game more and more stressful, and the difference in wins between teams is very small, and every victory can affect the ranking.

In this case, in order to maintain the home advantage, the Lakers had to fight hard with the main force. Duncan, who was resting in the Spurs before, increased his playing time sharply, reaching 40 minutes.
That night, the game between the Lakers and the Wizards went into overtime before the winner was decided.

118:123, with better performance in overtime, the Lakers won the game with difficulty, and their record came to 48 wins and 26 losses, returning to the first place in the Western Conference.

In the Staples Center, all the Lakers fans cheered for this hard-earned victory.

Although the Wizards lost the game, their record of 35 wins and 38 losses gives them a high probability of entering the playoffs, which also makes the game attitudes of the players on both sides completely different.

Nick Young played for 31 minutes, made 16 of 10 shots, 4 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring a game-high 27 points. He grinned after the loss and kept fist-bumping with the Lakers players.

When he saw Kobe, the newbie deliberately joked, shook hands with a smile, turned his head to look at Arenas on the other side, and jokingly complained:

"The boss said I performed better than you tonight, but this guy is talking bullshit, you know, Bro, I respect you a lot!"

Arenas, who was injured, was basically ruled out for the regular season after a second surgery, but when the team flies to away games, he will still go with the team to show that he is with his teammates.

Kobe was too lazy to pay attention to such boring provocation. He patted his opponent and walked away quickly. He couldn't relax on the schedule in April. He had to make sure that his home court for the playoffs was in Los Angeles.

"Shh!"

Amid the boos, Nick Young was even in the mood to wink at the girl sitting in the front row when he left the court. He likes the competitive environment in the Eastern Conference, where he can make it to the playoffs with just a few plays.

As a former teammate, Caron Butler always respected Kobe and glared at the newbie. But Arenas spoke up for the rookie:

"Good job tonight, Yang! You should laugh at that cocky guy again, he always thinks he's a big star!"

"Bring your new girl with you, I'll treat you when you get back!"

Nick Young didn't know that the boss had taken a fancy to his girlfriend. When he heard that he could get a free party, he immediately laughed and put his arm around Arenas' shoulders and laughed:
"Yee, I love this kind of life!"

Arenas chuckled and said that they could still make the playoffs even if they played badly. When he recovered from his injury and delivered similar data, the Wizards would offer him a contract.

Arenas, who was once keen on training, was eventually defeated by the cruel reality. No matter how hard he practiced, he could not catch up with a genius like Li You. The team in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference was sent to the playoffs.

When his efforts failed to make up for the gap, Arenas chose to give up. At the same time, he looked down on those who were still working hard. When he thought about the Lakers' possibility of making it out of the West, his heart suddenly soured:
“What a lucky guy”

When attending the press conference after the game, Kobe was still the same. He had a bad relationship with the media and it was difficult for him to look good to reporters.

When ESPN questioned his data again, Kobe, who was sitting on the stage, became angry and couldn't help but refute again:
"I never play for statistics. I don't care how many shots I take or how many goals I make. I only care about the score!"

“The rookie did well, but we won, and that’s the result I wanted.”

24中7，三分线外2中0，罚球15中12，26分4篮板13助攻1抢断1盖帽1失误，在邓肯只打了24分钟的情况下，科比交出了一份两双数据。

But such performance still cannot satisfy sports journalists, who are accustomed to questioning inefficiency and even label such players as "brush".

Duncan is still adapting to the atmosphere of the press conference when he arrived in Los Angeles. In San Antonio, no one would confront them.

"Tim, you left the game early in the third quarter. Did you have any problems with your physical condition? Will this affect the subsequent schedule?"

The Los Angeles Times is more concerned about the health of the home team players. The current record gives them hope of winning the championship again, which makes many people look at Duncan with anticipation.

"I just had some discomfort in my knee. To be on the safe side, the coach didn't arrange for me to play again."

"."

Some people nodded solemnly. At this point in the regular season, Lakers fans couldn't deceive themselves.

The Knicks have too many players, and no other team can match the quality of their role players. Those players who were picked at the end of the first round or the end of the second round have a different vitality when they arrive in New York.

This strange phenomenon is incomprehensible to many football commentators, but data analysts believe that this is the effect of Li You’s own system.

The Lakers actually have some role players who have performed well this season. The deal that was not favored at the beginning has produced a wonderful chemical reaction, and Trevor Ariza is getting better and better!
Regardless of Kobe's gloomy expression, the Yahoo Sports reporter quickly asked another question that fans were concerned about:

"Kobe, the Lakers have been performing very well since February. It is said that some commentators support you to win the MVP. What do you think about this?"

As we all know, this year's awards have already been decided. Every player who was asked the same question would express his opinion modestly. Paul and James both claimed that they were not good enough.

But Kobe hasn't said anything like this since the beginning of the season. As the regular season is coming to an end, the reporter who wanted to have some fun brought up the old words again, poking at his sensitive self-esteem:
"I don't think anyone in the league works harder than me. I fight injuries every day! You know the competitive environment between the East and the West better than me."

"As for the MVP, I think I deserve this award. No matter how you report it, I am the best player in the league."

The best record in the Western Conference does qualify Kobe for the selection, but considering the difference in wins between the Lakers and the Knicks, he will most likely only get some sympathy votes in the end.

Sports reporters had different expressions on their faces regarding Kobe's confident statement. Some looked gloating, some lowered their heads to hide their smiles, and occasionally glanced at Kobe, who had a serious expression.

It was a trap, but the special Mamba jumped in without hesitation, once again demonstrating his unparalleled confidence.

When leaving the press conference, Duncan noticed that Kobe was still sulking, and thinking about tomorrow's newspaper, he finally whispered to comfort him:

"No need to answer some boring questions. They don't understand basketball at all."

Some media people who can't even hit the ball well hold the right to vote. They may seldom watch the game, at most they look at the table and then imagine the performance of the players.

Kobe knew about this situation, and his agent Pelinka reminded him more than once to build a good relationship with reporters, but thinking of the ridicule and questioning of him by these people, he finally chose to confront:

"No, I want to make it clear to them that I am the best player in the league!"

"."

On the evening of April 4, after defeating the Hornets in New Orleans, the Knicks finally ended their four away games this week and completed their recent "plane life". Since Howard started to "rebound", Chandler's rebounding data also began to rise with the support of the whole team, and the competition for the rebounding champion has become more and more fierce.

Regarding the scoring title trophy, although James has increased his number of shots, sometimes the basketball is not obedient and his form is fluctuating. The statistics are still a little bit behind Li You.

This situation is very unfavorable for James because Li You may have played fewer games than him this season. Once the data lead is not much, the trophy will most likely fly away.

Young people still want to save face. With only a few minutes left in the regular season, James did not let go of his game, which made the Cleveland sports media very anxious.
With 3 wins and 1 loss, plus back-to-back losses to the Timberwolves last week, the Knicks currently have a record of 66 wins and 10 losses, just 6 wins ahead of the Celtics.

After getting on the plane overnight, some players showed tired looks on their faces. Unlike the new players, their enthusiasm for the game will wane after playing in the league for only 5 years.

Of course, there are also people who are full of energy. JR Smith has mastered the essence of playing in New York, and his reputation has been getting better and better recently.

Not long ago, the New York Giants won the championship. Some people who participated in the championship parade even sang praises for him after getting drunk, which is enough to show his popularity in this city.

Data: 10 out of 3, Jordan in the highlights!

JR Smith is not stable, which is why the Knicks sometimes lose suddenly. After missing a lot of shots, they suddenly fall behind.

Especially when facing a three-point shooting team, once the opponent finds the touch, if they want to turn the game around, they will most likely have to fight hard against the main force.
Of course, there is a good side. If JR Smith is in great form on a certain night, the game will become a nightmare for the opponent. It will be difficult to lose by 30 points when faced with unreasonable shooting.

JR Smith was still energetic walking back and forth in the corridor late at night, occasionally chatting with his teammates. When he came to Chandler, he said confidently:

"I checked the stats! That rookie is only 26 rebounds ahead, Tyson, there are still 6 games left, you will definitely be able to surpass him!"

Gasol, who has become a "front man", was just discussing rebounding experience with Chandler. Seeing his teammates coming over, the Spanish big man couldn't help but teased:

"If you cut back on the three-point shots, maybe Tyson could get more rebounds!"

Chandler's rebounding data skyrocketed after the All-Star Weekend, which was inseparable from the support of Li You. As the Knicks' number one three-point shooter, he took the initiative to change some offensive methods, which successfully "assisted in rebounding."

JR Smith shook his head when he heard this. The three-point shots that were given up were all absorbed by him and Raja Bell. The three-point shot is a powerful tool for brushing stats, so he naturally won't give up:

"I believe in Tyson, he will definitely get the trophy."

"More and more teams are starting to increase the number of three-point shots, damn long rebounds!"

Chandler also laughed and cursed at this time. The Hornets designed many three-point tactics for Peja, and Paul could also shoot three-pointers with the ball. The last away game made him very depressed.

After working hard for the entire game, he only got 13 rebounds. If he wants to catch up with Howard, he still needs to work harder.
Rondo was covered with a blanket and wearing headphones, watching game videos. He never participated in the topic of "brushing stats" and was somewhat resistant to the Knicks' culture of brushing honors.

Although the trophy is nice, Rondo firmly believes that it should be won by strength. Noticing Barea next to him holding his phone and "smiling obscenely", he couldn't help but turn his head to take a look:
"Shit! Where did you find that girl?"

The phone Baria was holding was Apple’s first generation mobile phone. After it came out last year, Li You changed to another one, and then everyone followed suit.

Not minding sharing the breast photo in his hand, Baria shrugged, pointed to the computer, shook the phone, and shared his experience:

"You should learn to enjoy life. You can find beautiful girls from all over the world in New York. As long as you spend a little money to chat with them, you can gain friendship."

"You should think about how to get into a stable rotation!"

Hearing Rondo's disappointing words, Barea curled his lips and muttered in his heart, "I will be stable if you leave me," and no longer paid attention to his teammates who were not tactful.

The Knicks traveled on chartered planes and prepared midnight snacks on the plane. Li You sat near the coaching staff. Although D'Antoni was old, he had more energy than his peers with his mustache.

Noticing that Artest fell asleep tiredly after getting on the plane, D'Antoni sighed in his heart and said with some regret:
"Ron's physical condition has been very problematic this year, and the medical team believes that the effectiveness of conservative treatment is waning and that it is likely to continue to decline in the future."

The decline refers to the difficulty in regaining the defensive level of DPOY, from an elite defender to an ordinary forward defender. Li You didn't say anything about this. This is not something that can be compensated by hard training:

"Relying on offense to make up for defense, the number of possessions of all teams in the league has increased this season, which is a good thing for us."

When the two teams have more than 85 rounds, the Knicks have never lost this season. Compared with the past, the defensive intensity is declining and they are no longer leading all teams.

Perhaps out of concern for the Celtics, the mustache shared some data with Li You and reminded him quietly:
"The other team has done in-depth research on us. The Celtics played around 75 possessions in most games. They are aware of the problem."

The head coach can be outsourced, but the coaching staff has never relaxed its research on each team. The data in most cases can truly reflect the content on the court. Boston seems to have "completely defeated" New York.

Li You looked through the data and saw the key points drawn. The data showed that the Celtics' defensive intensity was increasing, and the recent games were all about "iron shots":
"Regular season data, rest assured, coach! They lack championship experience."

D'Antoni couldn't help but chuckle. New York newspapers have been mocking the Celtics' championship recently. The view that "ancient basketball is not worthy of praise" has completely irritated the celebrities next door.

Thinking of the verbal battle in the newspaper, the mustache guy couldn't help but look forward to it with gloating:

“It’s hard to imagine what will happen if they lose this year!”

Li You pulled the blanket over, smiled and said nothing. In fact, the same goes for the Knicks. Once they lose a game and are hit by a boomerang, New York reporters will definitely attack their own people.

There is not much time left in the regular season. As time goes by, the competition in the Western Conference becomes more and more fierce, and teams hoping to make the playoffs are launching their final sprint.

The Knicks have already entered the game preparation state in advance. After returning to New York, the new week will be another four games. After defeating the Bobcats back to back on Wednesday, the 9th, they finally secured the first place in the league.

The team has been making large-scale rotations since Friday, with Chandler the only player still struggling in the main lineup, and the rotation players' playing time increasing.

On Monday, the 14th, the Celtics faced the Knicks for the last time in the regular season. Unfortunately, there was no collision of the two teams.

The main lineups of both teams were rested during the game, and with the help of JR Smith, Boston fans finally won a victory.

"Oh!!"

96:110, the Celtics fans at the scene celebrated wildly, and head coach Rivers came to the technical table immediately after the game to shake hands with D'Antoni.

The two exchanged pleasantries as usual, but Rivers was a little proud after winning the game. After taking his hand back, he couldn't help but tilt his head and whispered:
"We'll continue to leave him open. How long will Lee play?"

D'Antoni showed a surprised expression, as if to say "what are you talking about". The mustache man knew that the other party was talking about leaving Rajon Rondo open, but he didn't care:

"Maybe you should worry about the Cavaliers. Rich game experience is sometimes not as good as absolute talent."

D'Antoni responded with a smile, patted Rivers on the shoulder for the last time, and then walked away slowly.

In order to show his tough attitude, Garnett refused to greet Li You after the game. The tough guy pursed his lips and went to the player tunnel early. When he heard the shouts of fans on both sides, he couldn't help but pat his chest and shouted:

"Champion, are you ready?"

"what!!!"

(End of this chapter)