NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 571 "Mr. Best" Teaching Competition ( words chapter)

Thursday, June 2008, 6, the Democratic Party's "White House Nomination Battle" just ended yesterday, and all major mainstream media have ushered in a carnival moment.

Obama was in high spirits, and even though he lost the popular vote to his opponent, he still turned the tables. At a large rally in St. Paul, Minnesota, he was so excited that he was "overwhelmed" and shouted to the 17000 people:
“Yes we can!”

Relying on the party's votes to defeat the former first lady, Obama not only gave a victory speech after his victory, but also announced his next itinerary with a smile, and also warmed up for the NBA Finals.

"I knew Lee in '98, but I won't support him because he ruined Michael Jordan's perfect career."

"I will always stand on the side of Chicago. Like the local fans, I will support whoever can beat Lee. Now, I hope Kobe can beat him!"

"Kobe plays like Michael Jordan, I've always followed him, if the tickets in New York were cheaper, I might go to the scene to cheer for him."

The reason why the NBA was mentioned in the interview after the speech was mainly because Obama was going to Manhattan to raise funds for his campaign.

As we all know, most black players are his supporters and have the same skin color. Who can refuse a black president who likes to play basketball?
Sports Illustrated also joined in the fun today and announced the "Fortunate 50", a ranking of the income of American athletes last year, which has attracted much attention from the public.

Woods successfully topped the list with $127902706, including $1.05 million in endorsement fees, far ahead of other athletes;
Li You ranked second. Unlike the detailed income of Woods, who ranked first, Sports Illustrated only gave an estimated value of 1 million US dollars.

In order to increase its persuasiveness, Sports Illustrated explained that apart from salary, it was unable to obtain Hook's specific contract and other endorsement information.

Upper Deck, American Express, McDonald's, and Pepsi may exceed 2500 million. 2K Sport's is still confidential. The advertising revenue of streaming media is difficult to calculate, and we can only make reasonable guesses in the end.

In fact, this valuation is a conservative number. Last year, Li You earned 5000 million US dollars from Hook with his own brand. The 5% share is still very stable and will increase every year.

Of course, Michael Jordan still makes the most money in the Hook camp. Since he sold his stocks, his income has been increasing year by year, and he earned about 6000 million last year.

This data was also leaked by the media. The divorce lawsuit let the onlookers know how rich Maikou is!

Since 02, the royalty income has been increasing year by year. According to the current trend, by 2012, Michael Jordan will be able to earn a total of 4.8 million US dollars from royalty sharing, which is truly "making money without doing anything"!
Ranked third is another golfer. Phil Mickelson left the subsequent players behind with US$3. After defeating Woods, his career started to go uphill.

In fourth place is the "chosen one" LeBron James, with US$4. Although he has left the veteran agent, his income has not decreased. Everyone is looking forward to the "Cleveland era".

Although Floyd Mayweather is ranked fifth, his income is also not small, 5 US dollars. This boxing champion often shows off his wealth. After the list came out, many fans expressed dissatisfaction.
Tied for sixth place are baseball player Alex Rodriguez and the outdated Shaquille O'Neal, both of whom are on the list with $6 million.

Kobe Bryant, who returned to the finals this year, ranked 3000th with 10 million US dollars. After completely getting rid of the "illegal invasion", his commercial value began to rise.

As long as Kobe maintains his current momentum in the next few years, it will be easy for him to surpass his old partner.

Among other famous athletes, Vince Carter ranked 1800nd with 32 million US dollars, and the 50th place was football player Eli Manning with 1545 million US dollars.

After the list was announced, many people felt jealous, thinking that the top players earned too much. Just take a look at the NBA's minimum salary, which is $32. The latter can't even earn a fraction of that.

According to current NBA league statistics, the vast majority of players' professional careers last less than four years, and many times they become unemployed before their rookie contracts expire.

Sports Illustrated did not mention the income of Manchester United. Through the group stage and knockout stage, the Champions League can earn 2340 million euros, and UEFA market profits can also share 2000 million;
Sponsorship contracts, TV broadcasting rights, and peripheral merchandise income, as well as the subsequent European Super Cup revenue sharing can even be ignored, the club has made a lot of money this year.

The World Cup qualifiers have been going on recently, and the US team has not performed well, causing many football fans to gossip about the bonds that Li You has announced.

Manchester United will start issuing it before the start of the new season. In the context of an economic downturn, this is a gift for families!

Although Li You's playoff numbers have declined this year, after the disclosure of his income, fans of the online game were excited. When they thought of other income such as investment, many people on Reddit "shout" that the after-tax income has exceeded 100 million.
Even if you don’t care about basketball, 100 million yuan can make people crazy!
Perhaps it was because the Mavericks had a poor record this year that Mark Cuban was sarcastic on his personal blog this afternoon:

"The referee is in place, and the annual basketball game begins again"

Having made it to the finals again, James Dolan recently talked a lot about his "championship experience" at MSG, and by the way, he also made sarcastic remarks about Mark Cuban, who has spent a lot of US dollars in recent years.

After head coach Carlisle moved into Dallas, local sports reporters revealed in detail that in the first round of the playoffs, a player on the team held a birthday party and had fun all night long even though the team was trailing 1:3.

The curly-haired boss obviously watched the news. Not only did he laugh a lot during the show, he also mocked the Mavericks for their lack of "championship heritage" and "winning culture". In the end, he even slapped them in the face:
“You can’t win a championship with dollars alone!”

Although the Los Angeles media shouted that the "best players" had been dispatched, there was no reaction in New York. No one believed that the Lakers could win the championship. Not even the "Big Four" could win, and certainly not the "double team"!
The finals officially started at 21 p.m. that night. There were still three hours before the game started. The Lakers got on the bus. They needed to go to the stadium early to complete the second warm-up.

Kobe has been sulking since he came to New York. This city lacks respect for him!
There was little news about the Lakers in the newspapers. All the columnists in New York were writing about the championship. Apart from these articles, the rest of the sports section was mostly about Li You's personal income.

In today's news, apart from Obama's swiping of the pages, the hottest news in New York is the "confrontation" between Ax Capital and Lehman Brothers.

Lehman Brothers' stock price fell nearly 20% this week, continuing the short selling trend last week.

The two sides' CEOs, Bobby Akers and Dick Fuld, each held their own opinions and the two sides quarreled on TV.

Even the Financial Times of the United Kingdom joined in the fun and reported on it. This event received much more attention in New York than the visiting Lakers.
When ABC was warming up for the finals, it also interviewed New York fans. When the reporter asked about the increasingly popular joke, the commentators all laughed:

“What about Kobe?”

"Loser"

Thinking of the young fans wearing Knicks jerseys making serious comments in front of the camera, Kobe felt furious as he got on the bus, and his face turned even darker.

It was quite quiet in the slowly moving car. Manhattan had turned blue in the past few days. The Knicks' championship T-shirts this year were changed to blue and went on sale in advance. Almost everyone who follows basketball had one.

People wearing Knicks jerseys can be seen everywhere. Maybe these people are not basketball fans, but it does not affect their participation in the annual finals party.

Phil Jackson, who was sitting in the front row, had been communicating with the coaching staff until this afternoon when they officially confirmed the starting lineup, with Odom set to start at the No. 4 position.

The Lakers' current assistant coach lineup is very luxurious. Maurice Winter returned to help Duncan sort out the triangle offense, and the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined halfway to give the team some spiritual chicken soup.

Kurt Rambis, a favorite player of Lakers fans, also returned to the coaching bench this year. Local sports reporters said that he injected strong defense into the team!

Phil Jackson, who likes to play tricks, has been paying attention to the players' mental state recently. Noticing Kobe's silence, he felt helpless and could only quietly remind a few people:

"Kobe needs help, to relax, to get back into the game as soon as possible tonight."

The old Winter had wrinkles all over his face. The two of them were old partners who had achieved success together in the Bulls. Seeing the serious look on the old man's face, he immediately whispered a suggestion:
"You have to keep him calm. This is not Los Angeles. The New York fans will go crazy and provoke him."

According to the pre-match game plan, Kobe's number of shots tonight should be controlled at around 22 times, but everyone knows that once emotions fluctuate, plans cannot keep up with changes.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had been leaning back in his seat, was very satisfied with Duncan's performance. The two had been communicating since Duncan joined the team. Perhaps because he had full confidence in the game, he suddenly suggested:

"As long as we can do a good job defensively, we have a chance to win away from home. Tim is in very good form recently."

Kurt Rambis shrugged his shoulders subconsciously without saying anything. The Buss family was very dissatisfied with Kobe's "betrayal". In this finals, Kobe became a perimeter defensive tool:

"Just like we planned, we used our defense to drive the offense, and I trusted Kobe."

After a brief exchange, a few people stopped talking again. Only some new players were left in the bus, chatting excitedly. This was the first time they experienced the finals in their careers, and everyone was very happy.

"I think the Los Angeles Times is right! Maybe Lee is starting to decline. His average points per game in the playoffs are a little lower than in the regular season."

"The Celtics' defense can do its job and we'll be better."

Ariza turned his head and communicated with the atmosphere group behind him, and he couldn't hold back the smile on his face. The "Wanderers" entered the finals and he served as the starting forward. He never thought that he could achieve such an achievement.

PJ Brown didn't want to talk. The finals were good, but the championship was better. Unfortunately, the Knicks rejected him, which made him feel a little resentful. After hearing several people discussing, he couldn't help but say:
"Don't read the newspapers, their reports are bullshit. It is said that Hook has already prepared Lee's championship color scheme in advance!"

"."

Turiaf was speechless, while Farmar and Vujacic looked at each other. Hearing that the other side had opened champagne in advance made them feel a little unconfident.

Odom and Duncan were sitting together in the front. Neither of them participated in the discussion. One of them was wearing headphones and shaking his head to the music, while the other was leaning back in his chair, staring straight at the seat in front of him.

When the bus arrived at the destination, Duncan looked at the familiar scene and came to his senses. He was not a rookie in the finals, but he suddenly felt a little nervous at this time.

Kobe, who had already gotten off the car, was wearing a black suit and kept high-fiving his teammates. Although the boss had a sullen face, everyone still responded positively. After seeing Duncan, they forced a smile on their faces:
"We will win!"

Odom, humming a little tune, didn't even look at what was happening behind him. Duncan also calmed down after fist-bumping with his new partner. He calmly repeated:
"Yes, we will win."

With one and a half hours left before the game started, in the back studio of ABC, host Stuart Scott and the three people all laughed when they talked about Li You's Eastern Conference Finals data.

After joining ESPN, Grant Hill occasionally appeared on the Sports Center program. This time, he served as a backstage analyst and brought different experiences to several people when he exported his championship experience:

"In fact, we rarely pay attention to Li's statistics internally, because scoring is too easy for him. There is no easier task than this!"

"Hit two three-pointers in each quarter, complete one fast break and two free throws, and if you do the math, that's 40 points."

"That's not difficult, I'm sure you'll agree!"

When talking about data issues, Grant Hill analyzed seriously, which made Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon on the other side laugh and keep saying "I believe".
Instead, the host Stuart Scott pushed his glasses, pretended to be serious, and refuted seriously:
"Lee's regular season scoring average has never reached 40 points, and the Los Angeles Times believes that he has begun to decline. This year, he averaged only 29.3 points in the Eastern Conference Finals."

The director also showed Li You's statistics in the four games against the Celtics:

场均29.3分5.3篮板10.5助攻3.0抢断1.0盖帽1.5失误；

The shooting rate was 55.0%, the three-point shooting rate was 46.5%, and the free throw shooting rate was 93.3%.

Compared with previous years, Li You's data in the Eastern Conference Finals has declined a bit, and his true shooting percentage has dropped to 70.7%.
"We have to pay attention to our playing time. He only played 4 minutes in G27, and the average for this series is 34.5 minutes per game."

"Many times, playing time is the key factor that limits Lee's statistics, and of course the opponent! The Celtics were too tired after two rounds of tiebreakers."

Grant Hill explained with a smile, while Jon Barry praised Kobe's statistics in the Western Conference Finals:

"I think Kobe's performance in the playoffs this year will not be inferior to Lee. If we only look at the conference finals, he can indeed be called the best player in the league right now!"

"Averaging 31.8 points per game, 53.3% shooting, 33.3% three-point shooting, and 90.9% free throw shooting, Kobe performed impeccably against the Suns."

Unlike Li You's double-doubles that filled up the data column, when the director showed Kobe's data, the first impression given was that of an old-school, efficient scorer. Mid-range shots accounted for a large proportion, and many rounds were finished with back-to-the-basket shots.

The three of them had different opinions when discussing the data. Jon Barry insisted that Kobe's pure strength was close to Li You. Michael Wilbon did not refute it, but instead made fun of the recent player interview:

"Hill, I want to know more about how you evaluated your opponents in the locker room after the Lakers won the championship. Artest's recent interview surprised us!"

Different from the Lakers' interview mode of "recalling the past and thinking of the present" and mobilizing the whole family, the Knicks' pre-game packaging is mostly about imagining the future and teasing opponents.

Artest then laughed at Kobe's comments after being guided, when the "best player" had not yet officially appeared:
"New York fans are right, the Lakers are thieves, they stole the Knicks championship, Kobe is a clown, he only knows how to brag about himself!"

"He scored 81 points against a bottom-ranked team. So far in his career, his shooting percentage has never exceeded 50% in any year!"

"He's just copying Michael Jordan, but his stats aren't anything like Michael Jordan."

"I don't like him. Kobe gave many fans a misconception. In fact, he has never been close to Lee. He is not even the best player of the Lakers. He should not be discussed with GOAT."

After the interview was released yesterday, the onlookers were delighted. A few years ago, Ray Allen publicly mocked Kobe for "becoming selfish and focusing on statistics" after O'Neal left, and now Artest brought up the old matter again.

As a former teammate, Grant Hill would not say that Artest has been mocking his opponents over the years. He immediately responded with polite words after hearing the question:
"Knowing Ron, sometimes that's his defensive strategy, you know, he'll be responsible for guarding the other team's top scorer."

"According to the information I received, coach D'Antoni seems to have changed the defensive matchup, and we are likely to see a direct dialogue between Kobe and Lee!"

Michael Wilbon interrupted the polite talk with a smile. Seeing Grant Hill shrugged helplessly, the others laughed again. Jon Barry then added fuel to the fire:
"Facing Lee's defense, maybe Kobe will average 40 points per game. I think he is ready. He has been looking forward to this moment for too long!"

"."

By 20:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden was already packed. The New York fans at the scene all put on the prepared blue cheering T-shirts and danced and shouted to the music.

The home team's entrance ceremony lit up the old stadium. The director kept chasing Li You. When several people noticed the direction of movement, they suddenly became excited and the camera shook a little.

In front of the technical table, Mike Breen and Mark Jackson also saw Li Youzheng walking towards the three of them. The two of them teased Jeff Van Gundy, who also looked a little unnatural.

With messy black short hair and a smile in his eyes, Li You seems to have not changed much except for the obvious stubble on his face:
"Welcome back, Coach! You're always welcome in New York, and I'm really happy for you to see you bounce back!"

Van Gundy was hugged by Li You as he just stood up. He thought ESPN's pursuit of him was "too fierce" and the other party gave too much. In addition, he also wanted to prove himself again, so he finally accepted the invitation.

The former champion coach was a little embarrassed by the "really good" comment, but after hearing Li You's encouragement, he was moved and smiled:
“I’m so proud of you for coming to the finals again!”

"."

Seeing Li You hugging Van Gundy, the New York fans who wanted to "be on TV" started to cheer loudly, leaning forward and shouting "Jeff".

The atmosphere was very cheerful, and most of the players on both sides who were still warming up had smiles on their faces.

For the Knicks atmosphere team, the finals means exposure and income. The Lakers have more "newbies", and the warm atmosphere and more media make them nervous and excited.

When Li You took off his coat and started the final warm-up "fully armed", the cheers became louder. The most conspicuous person in the front row was O'Neal. The old shark was wearing a white printed T-shirt, which made him particularly eye-catching.

Many fans around were interacting with O'Neal. When the camera was pointed at him, the old shark twisted his mouth, pounded his chest with his right fist, and actively showed the pattern on his chest.

There are no complicated phrases. The T-shirt shows O'Neal wearing a Lakers jersey and the MVP and FMVP trophies.
Perhaps the atmosphere at the scene infected O'Neal, and regardless of whether the broadcaster could hear his voice, he took advantage of Kobe shooting near the three-point line to warm up and immediately shouted at the top of his voice:

"Go win a real championship! I know you can't do it!"

The spectators were even happier when they heard O'Neal's shouting, and they all joined in the cheering. Kobe, who was shooting, wanted to ignore the provocations, but his emotions were still affected, and his face turned even darker.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines kept reminding his players to stay calm. The current environment was too unfriendly and he began to worry whether the game could go as expected.

Kobe seemed a little nervous when he returned to the finals. He missed many shots in his warm-up. Over the past few years, the atmosphere of the finals in Madison Square Garden has become completely different from what it was before.

Kobe Bryant could hardly feel the passion of New York fans for basketball. The screaming people in the back seats seemed to be there for fun. They held up whiteboards and jumped around before the game even started, trying to attract his attention:
"Mr Best?!"

Use colored ink pen to bold. Ever since Li You called Kobe "Mr. Best" in an interview with ABC, this nickname has been circulated among fans.
As the game got closer, the noise got louder and louder. Everyone stood up. The joyful atmosphere made Kobe, who had returned to the bench and taken off his training clothes, even angrier:
"Fake!"

The old man at KFC heard Kobe's curse and pulled him back, constantly reminding him. When the Lakers approached the center circle, Duncan saw a familiar opponent on the opposite side and reminded his partner before the jump ball:

"clam down."

"Let's go Knicks!."

The shouts gradually became uniform. Chandler smiled when he saw Duncan. Gasol took the initiative to greet his old rival. Even Artest was like the other two, with an obvious smile on his face:
"Look at this rookie, he's in the finals! How many points do you plan to get?"

Artest, who was near the midline, twisted his neck and yelled at Ariza on the opposite side. Fisher was still the same, and he took the initiative to help the "newbie":
"His only job is to defend. I promise he will surprise you!"

Artest stopped looking at Ariza who looked nervous. He burst into laughter when he heard what Fish said, grinning and shaking his head. In his opinion, this was the easiest matchup in all these years.

The Knicks' starting lineup is exactly the same as last year. On the Lakers side, Odom started. On the commentary stand, Van Gundy once again commented on the KFC old man's change of lineup:
"I think this is the right choice. The Lakers must go all out after the game starts. Once the Knicks find their form, the game will enter another rhythm!"

"The most important thing in the finals is response, and in this regard, the current duo is better able to shoulder this responsibility."

When the camera switched to Kobe and Li You, the two showed completely opposite emotions, one stared at his opponent fiercely, and the other moved his body casually with a smile on his face as if reminding his teammates.

"We can pay attention to the specific matchup situation. I believe the Lakers can currently handle the opponent's pick-and-roll!"

"They also have Radmanovic and Turiaf on the bench, and Vujacic and Farmar also performed well in the previous divisional finals."

Mark Jackson is still advocating the depth of the Lakers' lineup, which also makes the cloud fans in front of the TV have great expectations. The Lakers are very strong on paper!

The referee tonight was Dick Bavetta, who was involved in a betting scandal. The 68-year-old referee was not affected by the reports. At 21: p.m., he threw the ball into the air with a blank expression.

When Chandler passed the ball to half court, Madison Square Garden suddenly boiled over. Seeing Kobe rushing to Li You, the shouting became louder.

Rushing across half court quickly, Raja Bell, who was defending the wing, didn't expect that Fish would actually guard him. He felt better and teased his former teammate:
"This is a terrible matchup! Do you believe what the Los Angeles Times reported? Lee will beat that Mamba."

"."

Old Fish was in no mood to respond. He knew the Knicks' tactics very well. When he saw D'Antoni smiling and hanging up, he knew that it would most likely be Li You who would take the lead tonight.

Noticing Gasol stopped near the top of the arc, Fisher secretly pulled the defense while loudly reminding Odom:

“Move!”

Duncan, who was parked near the lower right side of the basket, also paid more attention to the top line. When Artest slipped across the baseline from left to right, he realized that his old rival seemed to be clearing one side, and he also shouted a reminder.

With the help of two teammates, Odom, who was defending near the left wing, lowered his center of gravity in advance, and showed a posture ready to delay at any time.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Amid the cheers, Kobe tried to use his body to disrupt Li You's dribbling rhythm, stealing the ball from time to time and pretending to cut the ball after collisions, but these actions didn't seem to have much effect.

Li You, who held the ball with his left hand, was not very fast. When Gasol started to move upward from the left elbow area, he suddenly increased his dribbling speed. After dribbling the ball, he turned quickly and switched to his right hand at the moment when his teammates just stood still.

Kobe, who had been disturbed by Li You's ball protection, failed to squeeze through the screen in time. Amid cheers, as Odom delayed towards the top of the arc, Li You made a ground pass while moving without waiting for the defense to be in place.

Kobe, who was chasing and defending, failed to interfere in time, and when the double-team was formed, the basketball broke through the defense. Gasol, who was following the screen, received the ball in the left blocking area. There was no one guarding him, and he made a steady mid-range jump shot.

"Defense!."

Such an easy score also made the noise at the scene louder. The New York fans who were seated in the seats shouted for defense along with the beat. Phil Jackson on the sidelines frowned. The defense failed in the first round.

On the Lakers bench, several assistant coaches frowned when they saw the matchup on the court, and Li You stayed beside Kobe.

Kobe quickly ran across half court and came to the left blocking area. After his teammates were in position, he suddenly accelerated and slipped across the baseline. Odom also followed and stopped on the left wing.

When Fisher passed the ball to Ariza outside the three-point line, facing Artest's close defense, he finally gave the ball back to his teammate for safety.

After passing the ball, Ariza tried to screen for Kobe and stopped near the left blocking area, but the two of them did not cooperate well. Kobe, who was jumping out, was faster, which made it easy for Li You to squeeze through.

Odom's symbolic screen on the three-point line failed to help Kobe escape the defense, and Li You's timely pursuit successfully changed the Lakers' offensive choice.

As Ariza ran to the left corner, Odom squeezed to the basket, and Duncan received the ball with his back in the right elbow area, moved upward, and completed a hand-to-hand pass.

Old Fish didn't even look at Kobe who was reaching out for the ball outside the three-point line on the other side. After receiving the ball, he immediately let go of it with his left hand and used a short screen to break into the basket.

Although the high-quality screen slowed down Raja Bell, Fisher was not fast either.
Gasol adjusted his defensive position at the bottom left of the basket, Fish was disturbed, Raja Bell also successfully chased him, Chandler subconsciously chose to move to the basket, and the opponent quickly seized this opportunity.

As Fish bounced the ball to Duncan before being surrounded, there were boos in the arena.

After receiving the ball, Duncan immediately released it with his right hand. Without making any fake moves, he pulled Chandler to adjust his center of gravity and decisively drove to the basket with the ball.

Duncan took a big step from the right blocking area, forced his way through with his body, and broke through to the lower right side of the basket. He was very determined. Facing the encirclement of two big men, he tilted his body and threw the ball towards the backboard with his right hand.

The crooked goal made the Lakers' atmosphere team cheer and celebrate. It was a powerful response!

"Boo!" Phil Jackson's thumbs-up made the New York fans boo. In the commentary booth, Van Gundy looked at Kobe who was constantly sliding, with a puzzled look on his face, and commented euphemistically:

"Kobe seems to have lost some of his explosiveness, which made him less agile against Lee."

"The Lakers chose to double-team at the start, but this really tested their tacit understanding on the defensive end. In my opinion, Lee has fully adapted to this situation!"

It seemed like the same tactics, but Li You passed the ball early, Gasol received the ball, Artest in the left corner came to the upper line to provide screen, and Li You on the left wing accelerated with the help of his teammates.

Kobe, who was chasing relentlessly, had no time to observe the defense, and the huge noise also made it difficult for him to hear his teammates' reminders.

As Li You accelerated from left to right and slid across the baseline, the pass to the top line was also happening quickly, and Gasol passed the ball to Raja Bell on the right wing.

Near the baseline on the right side, Chandler's screen delayed Kobe briefly. Li You seized the opportunity and began to slow down when he bounced out to the right blocking area, preparing to steadily block Kobe who was chasing him behind him.

The two were still fighting, but Raja Bell, who was on the line, made a seemingly risky high pass. Li You jumped up to catch the ball, and his shoulders suddenly swayed to the right as his feet landed.

It was difficult to predict the offensive choice, and Kobe, who was defending, moved instinctively. When he realized that he was deceived, Li You suddenly turned towards the baseline, without any pause, leaned back, and threw the ball!
Fisher, who was preparing to help defend, had not yet had time to slide, and Kobe was stunned in place. Seeing the two people turning their heads, Mike Breen in the commentary booth said in a light tone:

"OH! Lee nails it! What a shot!"

The basketball went into the net. Li You's neat goal made the Knicks bench cheer. JR Smith even squeezed to the sidelines and shouted to Kobe who was running across half the court:

“You can’t do it!”

At one point, the atmosphere group all shouted "You can't do it", and Kobe was so angry that he stopped in the right blocking area early. Odom, who was preparing for high and low post cooperation, also quickly heard the boss's instructions:

“Go catch the ball!”

Raja Bell has a height advantage, and his tough defense makes Fisher a little uncomfortable. The Knicks are still the same as before, never skimping on physical strength.
Kobe passed the ball to Odom on the left wing and tried to go deeper, but Li You's top defense kept pushing him out.

Gasol continued to interfere with his long arms, and Odom finally chose to pass the ball on the ground. Li You, who was well prepared, followed up to steal the ball, and the low-quality pass almost forced Kobe to adjust.

The position where he received the ball was far away from the paint area. He turned around and faced the basket. Kobe finally chose to release the ball with his left hand. He continued to hit the ball and made a fierce push, but he did not attract any help defense. Instead, his offensive rhythm was disrupted by Li You.

Due to the collision of muscles and continuous confrontation, Kobe almost lost control of the ball and failed to get close to the basket as he wished. Taking this opportunity, he decisively turned towards the baseline.

When Kobe tried to fade away to complete the attack, Li You also jumped up at the same time. The two of them hovered in the air for a short time, and then the fans cheered:
"Oh!"

Kobe, who almost fell to the ground, watched the basketball hit the rim and bounce into Chandler's hands. He cursed and chased after him again, with a "ferocious" look on his face.

Seeing Kobe like this, the fans in the front row were even happier. After receiving the ball, Li You dribbled behind his back and dodged the cut. When he advanced near the left sideline, the booing became even louder.

Li You suddenly stopped and started, changing the rhythm of his dribbling, suddenly accelerating and crushing, rushing across half court, and slowing down again when approaching the left wing. Under inertia, Kobe could only watch his opponent easily complete the behind-the-back dribble.

Odom's loud reminder made Kobe pay attention to the movement behind him. Gasol seemed to be preparing to set a screen.

Seeing Li You lower his center of gravity and sway his body to the right front, Kobe hurriedly slid to the left. The expected screen did not appear, but the basketball disappeared from in front of him in an instant.

The extremely quick change of direction in front of his body allowed Li You to get rid of Kobe's defense again. Gasol set a fake screen and forced Odom to fail to delay.

There was no time to defend. From outside the three-point line on the left wing, Li You changed direction and passed the ball, then made a quick stop and jump shot in one go. Kobe was stunned again, and then a huge cheer rang in his ears.

"Deadly change of direction! Lee is too fast! Kobe seems to have a hard time keeping up with this pace!"

After two rounds, Mark Jackson became a fence-sitter and began to praise Li You's goal, implicitly expressing that Kobe was at a disadvantage.

2:7, the first quarter just started, the Knicks entered the game state early, which made Phil Jackson feel bad, and he hurriedly signaled loudly to pass the ball to the inside.

The Lakers once again played their best tactical coordination. Kobe received the ball on the left wing, and Fisher ran to the left corner after handing it to him.

The cross screen at the baseline allowed Duncan to squeeze to the low post on the left, but Chandler's top defense prevented him from catching the ball immediately. Kobe, who was soon on the line, was entangled by Li You.

Facing the unreserved defense, Kobe, who was preparing to pass the ball outside the three-point line, kept sweeping the ball. Noticing that Li You still did not change his defensive strategy, he finally let go of the ball with his right hand and tried to force a breakthrough.

"Kobe seems to have lost his previous explosiveness!"

Seeing Li You sliding continuously and constantly confronting Kobe, forcing him to stop at the free throw line, Van Gundy subconsciously exclaimed, and then Mike Breen quickly added:

"Bad offensive choice! Kobe doesn't seem to have an absolute physical advantage."

After the handoff, Kobe made a series of fake shots at the free throw line, but he did not choose to pass the ball. Instead, he faced Li You's defense, twisted his body, and forced a jump shot, but it missed.

The shooting action was completely distorted, which gave Duncan and Odom a headache. Both of them were stuck behind him and could only watch Li You turn around and return to the paint area to grab the rebound.

In the blink of an eye, the offense and defense were out of position. Seeing Li You push the ball and change direction to get rid of Kobe, Ariza directly pulled him and destroyed the counterattack with a foul.
The "newbie" was confused. For Ariza, this was completely different from what he had imagined. Kobe was visibly slow, but Li You was faster than in the video!

The cheers resounding throughout the arena made Duncan raise his voice as he returned to defense. He noticed that Li You was not in a hurry to attack and did not know how to play the pick-and-roll against him, and he became a little anxious for a moment.

It seemed like it was the same tactic again. Ariza in the left corner was confused. Artest stood still, suddenly accelerated and slipped across the baseline, then hurriedly chased after him.

The movement at the baseline attracted the Lakers' defensive attention. Odom was not paying attention and Gasol at the free throw line turned and cut into the basket!

On the left wing, far away from the three-point line, Kobe controlled his defensive distance, allowing Li You to throw the ball calmly.

The big man has a huge stride, and Odom, who was chasing him, had no choice but to stop in the paint area. The basketball flew to the upper right side of the basket. Gasol stretched out his right arm, flicked the ball with his right hand, and the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket.

The aerial connection made Gasol smile and give a thumbs up. Looking at the Knicks players retreating, Kobe gave his teammates instructions again with a dark face.

Ariza cooperated with his teammates to pass the ball outside the three-point line, and Odom's hand-off failed to create many good opportunities. From left to right, in and out, the offensive time was soon consumed by half.

Duncan finally received the ball in the left blocking area. Facing Chandler's defense, he released the ball with his left hand and attacked the basket again, but this time Gasol saw the opportunity and double-teamed him immediately.

At the bottom left of the basket, Duncan was surrounded by two big men. Seeing that the offensive time was about to expire, he still found the best opportunity.

When Odom moved to the right near the baseline, Duncan passed the ball and shot. The offensive time was up. With a buzzing sound, the basketball bounced high and flew behind the backboard.
The ball was played from the baseline, and laughter began to break out in the arena. The Lakers tried to slow down the pace of their offense, but ended up scoring 3 points in nearly 2 minutes.
"Let's go Knicks!."

The noise was getting louder and louder. Seeing Li You stop at the logo position, Kobe rolled up his shorts, glanced at the movement behind him, tried to control his body, and prepared to squeeze through the screen as soon as possible.

It seemed like the same tactic, but this time Gasol raised the screen position. Without waiting for his teammates to stand still, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly lowered his center of gravity and pushed the ball to change direction.

When Kobe Bryant reacted, he slid hard. Although Gasol was only delayed briefly, Li You was too fast. The moment his right hand touched the ball, he led the ball forward and changed direction.

"Oh!"

Amid cheers, Odom, who was delayed, could only reach out his hand symbolically, and Kobe, who was trying hard to defend, staggered and almost bumped into his teammates.

When the basketball passed through the gap between people and Li You completely got rid of the defense and accelerated with full speed, he rushed across the three-point line in the blink of an eye and broke through the basket from the middle!
Duncan, who was helping to defend the lower left side of the basket, had no time to jump up, and Li You in the paint area jumped into the air. Duncan felt a tightness in his chest, and his eyes went dark, followed by a "boom".
Li You grabbed the ball with his right hand and pulled it back. He smashed the ball into the basket through the defense. Madison Square Garden was completely boiling. The fans in the back stood up and shouted excitedly:

"what!!"

Looking at Duncan lying on the ground, Chandler hugged Li You who was still posing and yelled at the top of his voice. All the Knicks players crowded near the baseline and high-fived to celebrate.

Phil Jackson immediately requested a timeout. The game seemed to be out of control and Kobe failed to show the expected defense.

Watching Kobe walking towards the bench with his lips pursed, O'Neal's smile grew even brighter, and he imitated the Knicks' atmosphere group and shouted loudly:
“You can’t do it!”

2:11, such a start made it difficult for the three commentators to comment. Van Gundy felt more relaxed when he saw the old man from KFC frowning nervously. He knew his old opponent:
"If the Lakers don't respond quickly, then they can just run the game."

"Believe me, once Lee leads the team's offense, the game may lose suspense very early. Facing the defending champion, no team can reverse the game after falling behind by double digits!"

Mark Jackson found that his partner had no more worries, so he just smiled and cooperated:
"How do you think the Lakers will adjust? Fisher can't limit Lee either. I don't expect Ariza to take over the defensive task!"

"The Lakers will bring in Radmanovic! They need to create better offensive space for Duncan outside the three-point line."

After hearing the question, Van Gundy answered it immediately with confidence. He was very confident and the feeling of seeing the game clearly was back!
At the end of the timeout, Mike Breen showed admiration when he saw the invisible Ariza being replaced:

"Is this the consensus of championship coaches?"

Van Gundy didn't say anything. At this moment, he just felt that the "red scarf" on his chest became brighter. He became the "all-powerful" coach again.
In the Lakers' offensive round, Kobe was not given the tactical coordination this time. Duncan angrily attacked the basket in the low post on the left side, causing Chandler to commit a foul.

"Shh!"

Amid the boos that resounded throughout the arena, Duncan made one of two free throws. The rebound was caught by Gasol, and Li You received the ball and found Raja Bell who rushed to the left wing before crossing half court.

Fisher was a little anxious, and was called out. As the referee whistled, Raja Bell threw the ball towards the basket and was fouled on a three-pointer, which made Phil Jackson on the sidelines shake his head.

At 3:13, Raja Bell made two of three free throws, but the score difference still reached double digits, and the atmosphere on the scene became increasingly heated.

Duncan, who regained his composure, received the ball in the right elbow area and successfully found Radmanovic who was shooting from the outside. The latter received the ball on the left wing and made a three-pointer against Artest's defense!
The Lakers' bench finally cheered, but only 10 seconds later, Gasol assisted Artest, who was slipping to the baseline, to make a layup in the lower right side of the basket from the right elbow area.

Duncan involuntarily accelerated the offensive rhythm. He received the ball in the left elbow and wanted to assist his teammate to complete a UCLA cut. Fisher was about to get rid of the defense, but his pass was touched by Chandler.

Watching the basketball change direction, Duncan rushed to the sideline, but he fell to the ground and slipped out, and was called for a backcourt ball.

Waving his hands in frustration, Duncan had just completed the position on the defensive end, and Li You at the top of the arc made a drastic change of direction and dribbled past Kobe again, flying close to the ground and going straight to the basket!
Duncan jumped up to block the shot, and Kobe, who was chasing behind, also tried to interfere, but Li You passed the ball early and the basketball just passed his fingertips.

Chandler, who was lurking at the bottom left of the basket, scooped the ball from mid-air and slammed it down with both hands!
"oh!!"

The joyful shouts of New York fans brought back bad memories for Duncan, and he took the initiative to ask for the ball in the offensive rounds, trying to respond in time.

In the left blocking zone, Duncan received the ball with his back to the basket and took a tentative step towards the basket. He made a jump shot in front of Chandler, turned around, and slipped across the baseline from right to left. Artest quickly cut in the left blocking zone.

Li You's advance pass allowed his teammate to rush forward in three steps. Radmanovic pulled decisively, but Artest tilted his body and threw the ball into the basket.

"Where's Mr. Best?"

Artest stared at Kobe and kept yelling, which ignited the atmosphere again. Li You retreated to the half court early and tilted his head and spread his hands to the fans in the front row near the free throw line:
"It's too easy! Do you want to see how many points Mr. Best gets?"

"."

The cheers continued and the atmosphere became more joyful. During the Lakers' offensive round, an angry Kobe dribbled the ball between his legs on the left wing and missed a two-point jump shot against Li You's long defense.

The moment Chandler protected the rebound, Phil Jackson on the sidelines kept shouting at everyone to retreat.

Chandler, who was lagging behind, stood on the right wing after rushing across half court. Kobe was unable to squeeze through the screen in time. Duncan, who had just come out to defend, saw Li You holding the ball in his right hand and taking the ball forward.

Seeing the basketball flying towards him, Duncan subconsciously lowered his center of gravity and instinctively stretched out his left arm, but he was still a step too slow.

While moving, Li You pulled the ball in front of him with his left hand, changed direction in front of his body with one hand, and then squeezed past Duncan and broke through to the basket from the wing.

"Oh my god, Lee broke through Duncan's defense! How did he do that!"

Mike Breen felt awkward watching this and could only sigh. Li You had already gathered the ball in the paint area. Without waiting for Odom to assist in defense, he jumped with his right foot, held the ball with his right hand, and made a high lob!
Seeing the basketball hit the backboard and go into the basket, Mark Jackson and Van Gundy also began to exclaim loudly:
"An artist on the court, with perfect rhythm!"

"This reminds me of last year's Finals, when Tim Duncan still seemed to have some issues unresolved. Lee was outstanding tonight!"

On the offensive end, Kobe was unable to escape Li You's pursuit and defense. After breaking through the middle, he deformed his body in the paint area and finally missed the drifting shot near the lower right side of the basket.

After landing, he took the rebound and Li You turned around and made a long pass. Amid exclamations, Artest received the ball in the opposite paint area and finally carried Radmanovic and made a layup!
The ever-widening score gap forced the old man from KFC to call a timeout again, but in the next few minutes, Kobe continued to lead the Knicks to counterattack, and the game gradually turned into fouls and free throws.

When Prince was substituted, the Knicks' defense remained intense, Radmanovic failed to maintain his previous shooting touch, and Phil Jackson replaced him with Vujacic.

When Kobe missed a pull-up jump shot near the left sideline, Odom's rebounding foul made New York fans even more dissatisfied:
"Shhh!!"

"The best player shouldn't get 0 points!"

Gasol served the ball. As Li You walked towards the other half of the court, he took advantage of the boos to subside and teased Kobe, who had a dark complexion. Perhaps because he couldn't save face, Kobe responded in a sullen voice:
"I never pay attention to statistics! We all know who puts more energy into basketball! I am the best!"

The broadcast camera quickly caught up with the two of them. Li You didn't seem to be sweating at all, and was communicating with his opponent with a smile. In contrast, Kobe, who was sweating profusely, seemed to have broken down his defense, and kept attacking with his eyes wide open.

What helped the Lakers stabilize the situation was Vujacic's three-pointer and Fisher's free throws. At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks' shooting rate dropped and D'Antoni rotated step by step.

Kobe finally made a jump shot in the left elbow area despite Li You's block and completed a running goal, but when he returned to the defensive end, he chased Li You and squeezed the screen and fouled him directly.

Phil Jackson noticed that time was running out and simply substituted Kobe:
"Patience! Mark my words! Be patient and stay calm on both offense and defense!"

肯德基老头跟着科比身后大声叮嘱，不过此时怒火攻心的核心根本听不进去，8中1，三分线外1中0，2分2篮板1助攻1失误。

Whenever Kobe thinks of his own statistics, he can't wait to get back on the court. He must prove himself!

Looking at the sweaty and angry boss, everyone on the Lakers bench was silent, feeling suppressed in all aspects.
In front of the technical table, Rondo, who was about to go on stage, smiled and high-fived Li You. After watching most of the game, he had a clearer understanding of Kobe's strength:

"Boss! This is a teaching match! Maybe I can teach him how to play!"

"The game was over at halftime! I'm not interested in spending two hours against an opponent like this. He's in terrible shape."

Li You patted Rondo on the shoulder and gave him final instructions. After three hours of playing in TD Garden, his passion for basketball was greatly depleted. The foul tactics were practical, but no one liked this pace of the game.

When Duncan made one of two free throws again, the score finally came to 19:37. Madison Square Garden was filled with jubilation, and the Knicks atmosphere team was ready to go. The outcome of the game was decided!

Before the second quarter, the visiting team's head coach was interviewed. Phil Jackson's smile was completely gone. When he heard Michelle Tafoya's question, he felt even more uncomfortable:

"Lee made 6 of 6 shots in the first quarter. How will the Lakers adjust for the next game?"

The old man at KFC doesn't want to change his defender at all. In order to take care of Kobe's emotions, he simply avoids talking about it and changes the subject:

"We just want to narrow the gap as quickly as possible, so everyone will focus more on offense in the next game!"

"I believe the Lakers still have a chance. Of course, losing an away game won't have too much impact on us. Don't forget that the Lakers also have championship qualities."

6中6，三分线外1中1，罚球4中4，17分2篮板4助攻，首节湖人队小胜李佑
After the start of the second quarter, the good news for the Lakers was that they still made few mistakes, but the bad news was that Kobe returned early and started scoring.

With 7 minutes and 46 seconds left in the first half, Kobe suddenly found his touch and responded to Li You in three consecutive offensive rounds. Driven by the two of them, the game entered its climax!

It's just that Kobe's touch cooled down too quickly, and in the following time, too much physical confrontation made him lost again. He made crazy shots and led the Knicks to a series of counterattacks.

At the end of the first half, Kobe finally made a jump shot in the right blocking area, twisting his body, but no one on the Lakers bench cheered, the game was completely over.
41:67, Kobe Bryant felt that everyone was laughing at him as he walked towards the player tunnel. He tore off his jersey before entering the locker room:

"Damn game!"

Kobe yelled angrily, and when he returned to his seat he bared his teeth, looking even darker. No one spoke in the locker room for a while. Everyone could see that the boss had tried his best!
18中5，三分线外2中0，罚球2中2，科比第2节状态回暖，半场贡献了12分。

Many people looked at Duncan. The silent leader took 6 shots in the first quarter and only got three chances in the second quarter. He made 9 of 5 shots in the first half and 6 of 4 free throws, scoring 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 turnover.

"Focus on tonight's game, we will find the problem and solve it!"

Duncan said these words calmly, and there were voices in the locker room. The atmosphere group responded one after another. The invisible Ariza was particularly disappointed. It seemed that the head coach had lost trust in him.

What is even more difficult for Ariza to understand is why Li You can always easily pass Kobe. In one-on-one situations, the big man is suppressed on both offense and defense. This is completely different from the feeling in the regular season.

Kobe calmed down and started talking about tactics. Everyone listened carefully. Ariza nodded silently and subconsciously looked at Vujacic. After the two looked at each other, they seemed to have the same idea:

“Can these problems really be solved?”

Although the game had entered garbage time, the referee was still trying to add drama. The Lakers' tough fouls made the game ugly and also increased the game time.

Nearing 23 p.m., the buzzer sounded at the end of the game. The Knicks defeated their opponents 84:128 and easily won Game 1.

Seeing his old partner walk away, O'Neal, who was sitting in the front row, almost laughed his ass off. This was his happiest moment since the direct conversation after losing the game:

“You can’t do it!”

Yelling loudly in Kobe's direction, O'Neal wanted to catch up with him to interview him. He made 25 of 8 shots, with a hit rate of less than %. Such performance was a huge gap compared to the Western Conference Finals.

The music and cheers never stopped. In front of the technical table, Phil Jackson still maintained his composure and shook hands with D'Antoni with a smile.

The two posed in front of the camera for a while, and the mustache smiled more and more brightly, and took the initiative to tease each other:

"Your best player looks like he's in trouble! I actually don't like asking Lee to focus on defense, it wastes his offensive abilities."

"."

Thinking of Kobe's inefficient 22 points, the old man from KFC wanted to replay the game immediately. This was not his game plan at all. His personal show ruined a victory:
"Never underestimate a championship team, see you on Sunday!"

Phil Jackson responded with a smile that after more than two days of rest, he firmly believed that his team still had hope of winning an away game.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Seeing Li You being interviewed on the sidelines, many fans who had not seen enough started shouting again. Michelle Tafoya is also an old acquaintance and will not dig traps at all. Most of the questions can be answered with polite words.

Perhaps the lively atmosphere in the arena affected this veteran reporter, or more likely he was preparing to leave ESPN and was letting himself go. Michelle Tafoya asked with a smile:

"Lee, do you think Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league? He seemed to be playing a bit bad tonight."

"Everyone thinks he is the best player. I admire Kobe's confidence. This confidence has made him achieve his current achievements!"

Li You, who was wearing the Knicks' white training uniform, first answered the previous question seriously, then smiled again, looked at the other party, raised his eyebrows, and added again:
"I don't like to make a comment, so I won't judge his performance now!"

"Maybe Kobe wants to prove that he is the best player in the finals. For me, I enjoy the process of sending the best player home. This is the task entrusted to me by New York fans!"

"."

Dio and his teammates came to the camera and shouted. JR Smith dared to fight in garbage time. He was in high spirits and took the opportunity to shout happily at the camera:

"Where's Mr. Best?"

The joyful atmosphere of Madison Square Garden failed to infect the Lakers' family members. Waiting to leave, Vanessa hugged her eldest daughter and felt sad when she thought that Kobe might have psychological problems.

"Will Dad get the trophy? The golden trophy!"

Vanessa noticed her daughter looking at her, and seeing her expectant eyes, she didn't have the heart to say anything for a moment. She just lowered her head, patted her head, and smiled to comfort her:

“Everything will be fine.”

(End of this chapter)