NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 554: Sharing the Pot (Daily Chapter)
Since the beginning of the 21st century, a strange phenomenon has emerged in the NBA. Whenever a team's record is not ideal, they will start to blame others.

This has almost become a fixed drama. First, the core players express their dissatisfaction, then the head coach declares that the team is on the right track, and finally, they swoop for the top pick and the management imagines the future.

After going through the entire process, the faster teams may not take two years, while the slower teams may be able to last until the head coach's contract expires.

Loyal fans always believe the management's colorful pie, and with the sports media hyping up the team's new stars, "believing in the process" has been recognized by many people.

With the advent of television and the Internet, the situation has changed again. Paying for "good reviews" has become a routine operation, and most columnists have no psychological pressure to make money.

A reporter from the Detroit Free Press broke a shocking news before the start of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals:
"General Manager Joe Dumars has trade dealings with well-known Yahoo columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, who has been thoroughly publicized."

This news before the game started became popular throughout the NBA circle. For the team general manager, reputation is very important. If the fans do not support the team, he may be directly blamed.

For relevant practitioners, this is actually an open secret. Paying the media to say good things is not a new thing, but it is rare for such a situation to be exposed in the open.

In this situation, during the Eastern Conference semifinals that night, TNT's camera frequently focused on head coach Saunders on the sidelines.

Some people suspected that he was just giving up. Everyone knew that the "regular season coach" was going to be fired. Sanders would become the second head coach to be fired in the East after Cheeks.

At the beginning of the third quarter, the director will also focus the camera on Li You. Over the years, the Knicks have fired many head coaches, and he can definitely be called a coach killer.

"Oh"

The New York fans at the scene were too lazy to pay attention to such gossip. The victory of the game was determined in the first half of the game. Now everyone was cheering and shouting, just wanting to see Li You "beat up" the newbie.

Tonight's game was not as intense as the commentators predicted. Just 5 minutes into the game, Billups strained his right hamstring during a slide and had to leave the court to rest.

This meant that the Pistons only scored 16 points in the first quarter, and the score at halftime was fixed at 39:59. New York fans once again celebrated the victory in advance.

The noise from more than 18000 fans put pressure on Rodney Stuckey, who had just crossed half court. He was not good at organizing offense, but at this time he had to bite the bullet and take on this task.

The basketball in his hand seemed to be out of control. He protected the ball with his back to the basket at the top of the arc, and Rodney Stuckey shook his shoulders, trying to switch the ball to his right hand after shaking it, but Li You almost poked the ball away.

Rodney Stuckey, who was called the "future core" by Detroit sports reporters, is also a combo guard, but his performance tonight was disappointing.

It was difficult to organize an effective offense in the first half. Individual attacks were either blocked or missed. Rodney Stuckey's performance was completely different from the first round and he showed his rookie qualities.

"Defense!."

Seeing the rookie on the opposite side stop the ball at the top of the arc, the noise suddenly became louder. When Hamilton came to the right wing three-point line to receive the ball, the Pistons were once again caught in a singles game.

From the first quarter onwards, Hamilton was able to catch the ball less and less in the sweet spot as Raja Bell was chasing and blocking him.

Although he shot 13 of 5 in the first half and scored a team-high 11 points, Hamilton's offensive threat was greatly reduced when he received the ball far away from the three-point line, and Raja Bell didn't care about the pick-and-roll initiated by his opponent at all.

Rasheed Wallace's screen was squeezed again, and although his teammates found him with a ground pass, his jump shot in the right blocking zone missed again.

"Shet!!"

The cheers made Wallace even more uncomfortable. Seeing Gasol grab the rebound, he could only retreat quickly. The Knicks' counterattack became more and more fierce.

Head coach Saunders on the sidelines did not yell like he did in the previous game. His players did a good job of retreating, but completing the matchup does not mean that they can make effective defense.

Wallace had just rushed to the lower left side of the basket and noticed that Gasol stopped at the top of the arc. Li You just moved the ball behind his back in a big way, and his teammate lost his defensive position. He cursed again for a moment.

Wallace moved his feet, not caring about Chandler who was on his opposite side. When he saw Li You accelerating from the middle and breaking through to the front of the basket, he immediately jumped up with all his might.

Jason Maxiell's symbolic reach near the free throw line did nothing. Li You took a step calmly, collided with Wallace in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and hovered to the side for a layup!

The basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket. After landing, Wallace was completely desperate. He stared at the basket with his mouth wide open. There was no way to make up for it. The defense on the line was broken with one poke.
"Oh!!"

Cheers and applause resounded throughout the arena again. On the TNT commentary stand, Doug Collins could only sigh:

"Billups' injury and retirement is a huge blow to the Pistons. Now we can only hope that others can step up and try to narrow the gap to within 4 points before the fourth quarter."

39:61, with such a score difference, Kevin Harlan thought that the opponent had no chance:
"Lee was in very good shape tonight. Although Rodney Stuckey was working hard on defense, his positioning was always problematic and he had difficulty getting through the screen in most rounds."

"The future core still has a lot to learn, and the Pistons need his offense even more now."

Rodney Stuckey's dark face showed impatience, but no matter how he accelerated, stopped, and even physically confronted Li You, he could not get rid of Li You.

Not every player can play pick-and-roll well. Rodney Stuckey tried it in the first half and made two mistakes, so he stopped looking for cooperation and didn't have many good opportunities. In the end, he just handed the ball over.

In the left blocking area, Wilson Chandler was pressed by Artest behind him when he received the ball with his back to the basket. He failed to turn around and break through. He hurriedly protected the ball on the right side of his body and then observed the movements on the court.

The Pistons cleared one side, and the two big men stood at the free throw line and the lower right side of the basket respectively. After Wilson Chandler took a series of tentative steps with his right foot, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and arched towards the baseline with the ball in his left hand.

The confusing sweeping shot did not affect Artest's defense. Both players were not fast, and they were half a body length behind but successfully forced their opponent to stop near the left baseline.

After protecting the ball, he continued to play. As Wilson Chandler passed the ball and turned toward the upper line, his jump shot near the frame was finally easily interfered by Artest.

The basketball flew over the basket and fell straight into Chandler's arms. Laughter broke out in the gym. Wilson Chandler's face turned even darker and he could only lower his head to retreat.

As both teams crossed half court, Wallace realized that his opponent was using a double-screen tactic and immediately reminded his teammates loudly. Jason Maxiell received the reminder and immediately stepped on the three-point line.

Rodney Stuckey was squeezed in the middle by two big guys. Li You just paused slightly while moving, and moved in and out with his left hand very quickly. After pushing the ball outward, he immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated.

Jason Maxiell, who tried to delay the game, failed to limit Li You's speed in the first place. Seeing that he was about to be squeezed through, he could only slide desperately and shout to his teammates.

Wilson

After receiving the reminder, the newbie hurriedly retreated from the left corner towards the paint area. Just as he moved closer to Li You, the basketball passed in front of him.

Artest, who was quietly staying at the baseline, took three steps forward when he received the pass. With no one guarding him, he jumped high and dunked the ball with both hands!

Noticing Artest yelling at the top of his lungs, Wallace felt even worse and waved his fist in anger. When he looked at the head coach, he found no instructions.

"Give me the ball!"

Neither of the two rookies could break the deadlock, and their veteran teammates were tightly guarded. In this situation, Wallace shouted for the ball, and after crossing half court, he turned his back to the basket and asked for the ball in the left blocking zone.

Chandler worked hard on defense, and after receiving the high pass from the rookie, Wallace had to bend down to adjust. After he had completely gained his footing, he immediately released the ball with his right hand and hit it hard.

Muscles collided, Chandler refused to retreat, and Wallace had no intention of passing the ball. After another shot, he suddenly turned towards the baseline, passed the ball, turned around and shot a jump shot!
The straight-arm shot made Wallace's shooting point very high, and Chandler was unable to interfere effectively, and the basketball finally went into the net.

41:63, Wallace's +2 could hardly change the situation.

The Knicks' offense was running at a very fast tempo, and when Wallace saw Chandler preparing to set a screen outside the three-point line, he completely lost control and immediately rushed forward, while also calling on his teammates to double-team him.

Noticing the opponent's defensive focus, Chandler accelerated and broke up the defense. Li You first dribbled the ball from behind to his left hand, and when Wallace rushed up, he pretended to accelerate laterally, and then suddenly pushed the ball and changed direction.

The center of gravity was instantly lowered to an extremely low level. Rodney Stuckey seemed to be dumbfounded and stood there in a daze. Wallace just instinctively stretched out his right arm, but it didn't have any effect.

In the blink of an eye, he passed through the encirclement of the two. Cheers rose again. Li You once again tried his best. Wallace, who tried to chase him, had no choice but to bump into Chandler and watch his opponent step forward to make a layup. Although Hamilton, who was guarding the left corner, returned to defense in time, Li You relied on his absolute speed to first knock Maxiell away in the air and threw the ball to the backboard in the lower right corner of the basket.

The basketball still hit the rebound and went into the basket even when the two of them were surrounding it. There was jubilation on the Knicks bench, but it was getting quieter on the Pistons bench.

Billups sat in his seat with a frustrated look on his face. A strained hamstring in his right leg meant that it would be difficult for him to return to the court in the next home game.

Seeing the rookie being beaten into a sieve by Li You, and the old teammates having to fill in frequently, Billups finally complained:
"Rodney has lost control of the game."

Antonio McDyess looked at the head coach standing quietly beside him, and at this time he also covered his mouth and took over the conversation, saying in a muffled voice:

"In the playoffs, rookies are always unreliable!"

In tonight's game, both rookies got more opportunities to attack independently. Head coach Saunders did not emphasize defense too much, nor did he put out a double tower lineup.

This seems to send a signal to the players that the team is going to start rebuilding and the veterans are not part of the plan.

The game had to continue. Hamilton cut to the basket near the free throw line, but was eventually blocked by Raja Bell. Wallace wanted to step forward to argue, but the referee grabbed him in the first place.

As the focus of attention during the game, the referee will intervene immediately if Wallace shows signs of "explosion".

"After returning to their home court, how should the Pistons adjust? Should coach Saunders change the starting lineup?"

While shooting free throws, Kevin Harlan simply talked about the next game. Doug Collins shook his head subconsciously when he heard the question. After taking a look at the technical statistics, he said confidently:

"The Pistons were behind in all aspects: rebounds, assists, steals.

"They can't solve the matchup problem. Even if they are double-teamed, Lee can break through their defense. Only by expecting Hamilton and Wallace to explode can the Pistons have hope of protecting their home court."

43:65, Hamilton made two free throws, but still couldn't help the team narrow the gap.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The New York fans at the scene were still enthusiastic about watching the game. They saw Li You advance quickly and then suddenly stop at the top of the arc. After dribbling the ball between his legs continuously on the spot, he suddenly pretended to pass the ball, and they cheered again.

Rodney Stuckey was completely stunned. He moved his feet involuntarily and raised his right arm to defend. However, he was shaken by Li You's sudden change of direction and finally lost his position completely.

The defender staggered and slid behind him, and Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, instantly rushed into the paint area. While attracting help from the inside defense, he immediately threw the ball to the upper left side of the basket.

Gasol jumped easily, stretched out his long arms over Jason Maxiell who was returning to defense, grabbed the ball in the air and pushed it directly into the basket!
"what!!"

The beautiful aerial relay ignited the atmosphere again. On the bench of the Pistons, Billups could hear the happy shouts of the fans. The game was over, so he simply covered his head with a towel.
The Pistons found it difficult to respond continuously, but the Knicks became more and more courageous. Chandler's frontcourt rebounds completely broke Wallace's defense, but he still received his fourth foul before half a quarter.

"Shhh!!"

Amid the boos, Wallace pulled off his headband and turned to look at the head coach. Sanders just shook his head slightly, indicating that he would not make a substitution. The Pistons on the court immediately understood that they were going to surrender.

In the remaining time of the third quarter, Wallace failed to hit a field goal. On the contrary, on the Knicks side, Raja Bell made two consecutive open three-pointers to completely ineffective the double-team.

The score difference was still widening. At the end of the third quarter, head coach Sanders requested a timeout. Without struggling any more, he took the initiative to replace the atmosphere team and announced his surrender.

60:93, during the intermission, according to this year's broadcast regulations, TNT reporters interviewed D'Antoni. The mustache was smiling, but he was still very humble:

"It's a pity to see Chauncey injured, which disrupted the opponent's game plan. Now I just want to thank the goddess of luck for her favor!"

"The Pistons' young players are very talented. It's not easy to play against Lee. Rodney Stuckey performed very well."

出场28分钟，18中12，三分线外4中2，罚球6中6，32分4篮板10助攻2抢断2盖帽，李佑面对萌新三节打卡，交出了一份两双数据。

The recognition from his opponent did not make Rodney Stuckey feel any joy. The rookie stared straight at the assistant coach's tactical board and nodded numbly. He just wanted the game to end early.

Unfortunately, during garbage time, Rajon Rondo, who came on as a substitute, did not like to "brush each other", his defensive intensity did not decrease at all, and he continued to play tactics in a rigid manner.

When Rodney Stuckey was repeatedly penetrated by Rondo's defense during the game, the laughter in the stadium became louder, and it had turned into an entertainment game.

JR Smith did not miss this opportunity to strike hard. After coming off the bench, he quickly found his shooting touch, shooting from inside and outside, and fully demonstrated his physical talent in front of the fans.
In the end, the score was fixed at 84:123, and the Pistons suffered another defeat.

The cheers in the arena could not be stopped. Doug Collins watched the two head coaches shaking hands in front of the technical desk and commented with emotion:
"In my opinion, the Pistons have tried their best and Coach Saunders has done his best, but unfortunately they met Lee!"

"The Knicks' big men completely dominated the glass, and they didn't have to do more than Rasheed Wallace did."

"Wing players just have to play defense, and Lee makes everyone better. He is undoubtedly the best player alive."

The difference in the lineup is visible to the naked eye. The Knicks have a big-contract player like Dio on the bench. Kevin Harlan can only speak for the Pistons:

"Game 3 is extremely important. I think the fans in Detroit are ready. The two teams will face off again at the Palace of Auburn Hills!"

"I hope Billups can recover from his injury as soon as possible. The Pistons need his leadership."

After two consecutive big losses, Hamilton remained silent after entering the player tunnel. He only asked about the injury in a low voice after returning to the locker room:
"How's it feeling, Bro?"

Billups didn't try to show off, nor did he say anything about sacrificing his life for the team. He just leaned back in his seat and responded in frustration:

"It's all over. I wouldn't expect Rodney to limit Lee, look at the state he's in now."

Hamilton turned his head subconsciously and soon discovered that the newbie seemed to be autistic, with dull eyes and no longer the vitality he had before.

12中3，三分线外4中0，罚球4中2，8分3篮板2助攻4失误，正式担任首发后卫，罗德尼-斯塔基迎来了噩梦般的比赛。

When Wallace, who was in a depressed mood, saw his coach return to the locker room, he expected the other party to say something, but he didn't expect that coach Sanders would tell everyone to pack their equipment after a simple chicken soup.

Thinking of the general manager Dumars spending money on "PR", Wallace, who has been in the league for many years, realized that after the series, Sanders would have to take the blame and leave:
"What a damn season, what a shitty management!"

The core guard was injured, the head coach and management blamed each other, the Pistons were divided, and for this series, the New York media had already begun to celebrate the victory in advance.

"Lee, you have led the team to the conference finals for 12 consecutive seasons and created an unsurpassed record!"

"I think fans are curious, how long will this record last?"

Naturally, no one refuted the New York reporter's loan behavior. After Li You, who was attending the press conference, sat down, he laughed when he heard the first question and said in a joking tone:

"The record will continue for at least the next two years. I am in good physical shape and I even feel like I am back to my 20s!"

"."

[LeBron James' extraordinary physique] has been transformed into physical power. To some extent, Li You did not lie.

The reporters in the audience all laughed in good faith, and some even praised aloud:

"I believe Lee can still perform well at the age of 40, just like Stockton."

(End of this chapter)