NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 561 The Dark Ages of the Coach (Daily Chapter)
On Wednesday, May 2008, 5, a large number of sports reporters gathered in Cleveland, and the championship coach who had been silent for half a week would announce his "decision."

Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert still respects Jeff Van Gundy very much. After the reversal, he has always stood on the coach's side and also fired shots at the league.

"We've been through one of the darkest moments in Cleveland sports. This is an unfair series. We deserve to be in the conference finals."

In the past few days, Gilbert repeated the same point every time he was interviewed, but many fans did not buy it. They were too disappointed and could not accept the reversal.

After a Chicago sports reporter broke the news that Tom Thibodeau will take over the team next season, Bulls fans are also dissatisfied!

They were hurt too deeply by the championship guard and lacked a good impression of players and coaches from the Knicks. In addition, Thibodeau's resume did not seem good enough, so many fans were also protesting.

Whether Van Gundy stays or leaves has become the biggest hot topic in the league. The popularity has even overshadowed the divisional finals. The "appeal" of the championship coach is terrifying!
At 10 a.m., Van Gundy, who chose the hotel as the venue for the press conference, was dressed in a black suit, white shirt, red scarf, and classic "skin", and looked particularly serious.

Since the audience did not get the opportunity to be interviewed in advance, the scene quickly became agitated when they saw Van Gundy come on stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet. Coach Van Gundy will patiently answer all your questions at the press conference!"

The Cavaliers staff began to greet everyone, and as Van Gundy took his seat, Gilbert, who was greeting the media, also sat next to the championship coach, which was a sign of respect.

On the first night after the loss, the commentators only doubted his tactical arrangement;
The day after the loss, more people began discussing his coaching record;
On the third day after the loss, the championship coach has been labeled "incompetent" and has done nothing but suck up to others. Some fans even called him "Lucky Van Gundy."

Public opinion is sometimes a double-edged sword. When you succeed, everyone will praise you. Once you fail, most people will leave you, and some will even belittle you.

As the youngest head coach in history to win four consecutive championships, Van Gundy did not expect that many people had no respect for him. Every time he saw the "clinging thigh" remarks, he felt extremely painful.

Fortunately, it's all over. After the humiliating reversal, Van Gundy felt exhausted both physically and mentally. He straightened the microphone and said in a hoarse voice:

"I am sorry to end this season in this way. I don't want to make any excuses or make boring reasons for the team's failure."

"We had the best talent in the league and we should have been on a higher level, but I failed the fans' trust."

"I have decided to end my contract early and have no plans to coach again in the next few years."

As soon as Van Gundy finished speaking, the reporters in the audience almost exploded. Although they ridiculed the championship coach, they didn't want him to actually leave the league, which would take away a lot of fun.

Some people looked regretful, some were excited, and some looked a little sad. Van Gundy looked at the "all kinds of people" in the audience and suddenly felt much better. He comforted himself in his heart:
"At least I'm still a championship coach."

Gilbert, who had short black hair, sighed pretentiously and did not immediately give the reporter a chance to ask questions. He took the microphone and said regretfully in front of everyone:
"In recent days, we have repeatedly asked coach Van Gundy to stay, but unfortunately, we cannot change his decision."

"Coach Van Gundy will always be our family. He laid the foundation for the Cavaliers to win championships and led the team to 50+ wins in a row. This is a sweet memory."

"I hate those commentators who question Coach Van Gundy. From the bottom of the league to a stable 50 wins, how many teams in the league can do this?"

"Don't use one series to judge the entire season. The Cavaliers will be Coach Van Gundy's eternal home, and the door will always be open for him!"

Gilbert once again emphasized his "consolation", which made Van Gundy feel a little uncomfortable. In fact, he did not get the support of the management, otherwise he would not have made such a decision.

The management did not trust him and the chief assistant coach was poached. After much deliberation, Van Gundys finally chose to retire while the world was at its best. He could not bear to become the object of ridicule by basketball commentators.

ESPN reporters did not expect Van Gundy to be so "tough" that he ended his coaching career after only one reversal. When they got the chance to ask questions, they couldn't wait to say:
"It is said that San Antonio has invited you? Do you have no plans to coach the Spurs in the future?"

Popovich retired. Although the old man recommended an assistant coach, the team did not make a formal decision. When Van Gundy was about to be fired, San Antonio announced that they had sent an invitation.

Speaking of this old rival, Van Gundy immediately shook his head. The Spurs' shabby lineup did not fit his coaching philosophy, and he quickly gave his answer:
"No, now I just want to go back to my family. I need to rethink basketball. Maybe I will consider writing a book, but there is no plan to coach a team at the moment."

Reporters from Yahoo Sports also felt sorry because they had not written 10 articles when the person involved ran away. This made them reflect on whether they had gone too far.
"Putting aside the refereeing factors, what do you think is the biggest reason for the Cavaliers' loss? Why was the Knicks able to defeat their opponents so easily? They had 8 players scoring in double digits in last night's game."

83:116, in last night's game, the Celtics, who had experienced a tiebreak, showed signs of fatigue, and there was no suspense at halftime, which was completely different from the tense situation in the semifinals.

Van Gundy's eyes twitched slightly when he heard the question from the Yahoo Sports reporter, "Putting aside the refereeing factor", can this be "put aside"?
"We didn't play well enough and missed some easy scoring opportunities."

"The Knicks played very perfectly in the game, which is their advantage. Don't forget that Lee has played in the conference finals for 12 years. In terms of game experience, no one in the league can compare to him."

"LeBron and Dwight are still too young. They need to continue to hone their shortcomings. I believe the future belongs to them."

After hearing this, many reporters nodded subconsciously. The championship coach still has some class. At least he didn't pass the buck. The two young players performed averagely in this series and could only be considered passing.

The TNT reporter quickly gave Van Gundy a "knife", without any regard for the championship coach's feelings, and asked about Thibodeau:

"We noticed that assistant coach Thibodeau seemed to have received an invitation from the Bulls very early. Does this mean that he has always wanted to leave?"

Coaches also have their own factions. Van Gundy was angry a few days ago. After all, Thibodeau is the person he trusts the most. But after thinking about it for a few days, he reluctantly accepted the fact:

"Tom is an excellent player and the invitation from the Bulls is obviously a recognition of him, and I can only be happy about it!"

"In fact, I got the news a long time ago. I have nothing but blessings for his decision. We have been through a lot together, and I believe he will be successful in Chicago."

Van Gundy did not answer this question directly, and by the way, he lied to everyone. The termination of the contract this time was also closely related to Thibodeau's departure. He needed his old partner too much.

The press conference continued. Van Gundy was a little nervous at first, but gradually relaxed until a Fox Sports reporter asked a question he didn't expect:
"Coach Van Gundy, after you leave the coaching booth, will you consider Lee's suggestion and participate more in commentary work?"

When Van Gundy thought that Li You was laughing at him, he felt angry. He was not interested in being a background board, so he answered without hesitation: "No, I just want to stay with my family. It's time to start the next stage of my life."

Hearing Van Gundy's rejection, many reporters laughed secretly. They felt that Li You's suggestion was very pertinent, but everyone was also happy to see this "contradictory" scene.

When the press conference ended, Van Gundy was expecting to see fans spontaneously trying to keep him, but in the end only the Cavaliers came to "see him off."

Van Gundy hugged and greeted every player without saying much. After a brief encouragement, he and Gilbert left first. LeBron James, wearing a gray suit, quickly became the focus of the scene.

"James, what do you think about the next head coach of the Cavaliers?"

"Do you support the decision of head coach Van Gundy?"

"."

With the help of the staff, James sorted out the problem, showed a confident smile in front of the reporter, expressed his regret and said seriously:
"I haven't thought about these issues yet. You know, I was shocked by the departure of Coach Van Gundy, who taught me how to be a great player in these five years."

"I support whatever Mr. Gilbert and management decide, and I have no interest in complaining about the series, but Dwight and I did suppress our opponents."

Howard has been partying all night recently and looks listless. When asked the same question, he immediately showed his white teeth and said with a smile:

"LeBron is too modest. We all know that the Cavaliers' opponents will only get older, and we will continue to improve."

"Although the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers, they don't get my respect at all. I will teach them a lesson next year!"

The loud-mouthed Howard completely let himself go. Without the supervision of the coaching staff, he became more and more inflated. He kept belittling the Celtics, which made everyone smile.

When the two core players finished the interview, James did not walk with the Cavaliers, but greeted Howard and said seriously:
"The team needs a coach who listens to us! Remember to let Goodwin put pressure on the management. I don't want to work with a successful coach like Van Gundy anymore."

"What do you think, Bro?"

The two had discussed this matter in text messages before, and Howard did not object. Van Gundy was too strict, and he didn't even have a chance to have fun. This time, he would never look for the old guy again:

"You're right, we really need a head coach who can listen to everyone's opinions!"

"I don't want to train so hard anymore. As long as those damn referees don't help our opponents, we have enough talent to win the championship."

A consensus was easily reached, and James immediately smiled and patted his partner on the shoulder. He began to further control the team from that moment on. Perhaps he could even participate in this year's draft.

The feeling of controlling the team is wonderful. The more James thinks about it, the more excited he becomes. However, Howard on the side doesn't think so much. He is just happy when fishing:

"Bro, do you want to come to my party? There are a lot of hip-hop singers there, and there will be hot chicks all night long!"

Seeing the silver smile on Howard's face, James hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed. Under Van Gundy's supervision, he rarely went to nightclubs in recent years:

"Yee! But it's better to keep a low profile. I don't want to be in the newspaper the next day."

When it was afternoon in New York, the night had already begun in Moscow. In front of nearly 7 fans at the Luzhniki Stadium, the Champions League final started on time at 20:45.

Compared to the NBA, the attention paid to the Champions League is several orders of magnitude higher, and sports journalists from around the world will join in the fun whenever they have the chance.

Interestingly, this year's Champions League final was a civil war in the Premier League. Manchester United won the championship again with 87 points, beating Chelsea's 85 points. The Champions League final was called a battle of revenge by Chelsea fans.

After the league ended, Red Football Capital offered subsidies to the Manchester United Fan Club to watch the game, and a large number of British fans received the funding and "rushed" to Moscow.

Li You gained more support from fans by spending money. Red Football Capital spent a lot of money after acquiring the club, including building buildings, renovating stadiums, and expanding stadium seats.

It's a good deal to spend the bank's money, and although it can't be compared with the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, winning two consecutive championships has already satisfied most Manchester United fans.

After the opening, the players on both sides were too nervous, resulting in the game becoming a state of a fight between two weak teams. Manchester United was the first to find their game form, and several cooperation in front of the goal made the fans on the scene cheer again and again.

In the 26th minute of the game, on the right side, with Wes Brown making a precise cross, Ronaldo jumped high in the penalty area.

The powerful header made it impossible for Chelsea goalkeeper Cech to react much. When the ball flew into the goal frame, Manchester United fans jumped and celebrated wildly!

The director quickly turned the camera to Ronaldo and did not forget to take care of Abramovich who had returned home. The latter waved in front of his female companion, obviously very dissatisfied with the game.

Outside the box on the other side, Li Youzheng, dressed in a black suit, hugged David Gill and punched the air repeatedly to celebrate. Several board members laughed and applauded. Although they didn't have that much money, they had a champion.
Ken Griffin also wore a "Red Neighbor Scarf" tonight, and several of them wore classic Red Devil skins. The crazy fans made this American who doesn't pay much attention to football exclaim loudly:
"Unbelievable! We are going to win? If we keep this ball, can we win the Champions League?"

David Gill almost rolled his eyes. Such unprofessional words really shouldn't appear in Manchester United. Fortunately, Li You knows football well. He smiled and bumped fists with him, saying:
"Although Chelsea lost the league title, their lineup is really good. There is Andriy Shevchenko sitting on the bench. This guy is worth more than our boy!"

"We might lose the ball at halftime. I like Drogba"

"God! Lee, don't say that. You said last night that there might be a penalty kick in the game. Ferguson was very unhappy. The boys even had a fight during training a few days ago."

David Gill, who was a bit superstitious, couldn't help but grumble in a low voice. He hoped that Manchester United would win the game, but Li You didn't care about that. He glanced at his female companions in the back, and said with a smile after returning to the box:
"Don't worry, David, we will win the championship and our bond will be successful!"

(End of this chapter)