NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 617 "Reconciliation"? Hype√ (Daily Chapter)

On Saturday, February 2009, 2, in last night's Rookie Challenge, Thunder sophomore Kevin Durant led his team to victory over the rookies and won the first MVP of his career!

Although the award does not have much gold content, it is always a good thing to get a trophy. The Thunder lacked nationally televised games, and Durant took this opportunity to gain extra attention.

Early in the morning, major sports media cheered for Durant. Although the Thunder lost the game, his talent that was visible to the naked eye deserves respect.

Many basketball critics believe that Durant will have a successful career. Many well-known writers quoted Li You's comments during the game in their articles:

"Kevin Durant represents the future, the perfect combination of height and skill."

"."

Durant, who is still leveling up, has been shooting aggressively this season. Compared with last year when he missed a lot of shots, his scoring efficiency has increased significantly.

His outstanding athletic ability is visible to the naked eye. Fans watching the Rookie Challenge in front of TV are also attracted by the newcomer's ability to score easily. Even the bottom-ranked teams have masters!
In comparison, the Knicks' second-year rookie Thaddeus Young performed well but not brilliantly. Durant is taller, faster, and has better ball-handling skills.

New York fans always feel that Thaddeus Young will shine as long as he has stable playing time. After comparing the two again in the same competition this year, most fans remained silent, and the talented freak is obviously better.

Li You was not stingy with his praise for his younger brother during the game. Kenny Smith just brought up this topic when he was joking about the trade:
"Playing on a championship team is really a pressure for rookie players. They have to work harder to get playing time."

"David is already very good. His finishing ability at the basket has improved significantly. His rebounding is even better. In some rounds, he can even dominate the ball;"

"I like Thaddeus Young's attitude towards the game. He works very hard. For a second-year rookie, he rarely makes mistakes in the game and seizes opportunities very well."

"Trade rumors are part of working in the NBA. It's the job of the agents and the teams, and we can handle it."

"."

Last night, this statement was interpreted as Li You not wanting to see the newbie leave. At the same time, some relevant commentators also revealed that Gasol's recovery was not ideal. The combination of the two was finally "translated" into:

"Halfway through the season, the defending champions are in first place in the league, but are already showing signs of fatigue."

When mentioning the Knicks' trade rumors, naturally some people also discussed the Lakers' decision to send Radmanovic away.

Shannon Brown was not selected high in the draft, but Adam Morrison was the designated candidate by Michael Jordan. The sports media in Los Angeles expressed regret while imagining the changes that would happen to the team after the arrival of the new players.

Western Conference All-Stars head coach Phil Jackson also came to the Phoenix Convention Center last night. The old man from KFC gave a positive attitude towards the trade and even imagined the future with the fans:
"The Lakers need energy. I know you don't think highly of Adam, but basketball games require more desire, a desire for victory!"

"We talked briefly, and I could see that in them, and that was enough."

"I don't like to use technical statistics to comment on players after the game, and I'm not interested in looking at those so-called advanced data. If everyone unites together, we will definitely win."

The Los Angeles sports media was delighted with the KFC old man's confident attitude. In the morning newspaper, this statement was interpreted as:

"Halfway through the season, the Lakers are temporarily behind, but the team is more united, and the balance of victory has tipped towards Los Angeles."

The two cities started to "win" again, and everyone claimed that they had won. In response, the fans of both sides naturally fought each other again. New York mocked, and Los Angeles pretended to be cool:

"The reason why he didn't perform better in the Bobcats is that the team lacks a winning culture. Coming to the Lakers, Adam Morrison will be able to realize his talent!"

"Where is Kwame Brown? Has he fulfilled his talent in Los Angeles? Kobe is a cancer, and only Lee can make his teammates better."

"."

There is constant online debate, Reddit's user base has recently started to increase, and Twitter has also seen a small explosion. The louder the fans argue, the happier the sports media are. It's a win-win situation!

Durant was only happy for one night after receiving the trophy. In the afternoon, he and Westbrook, who was also participating in the Rookie Challenge, found out helplessly that they had become invisible again and most fans still did not pay attention to them.

"Thanks to my teammates and family. At this moment, I want to give the trophy to my goddess!"

Durant, who loves surfing the Internet, specially sent a tweet yesterday to celebrate winning the trophy. This move touched his temporary girlfriend during the All-Star weekend, and Oklahoma City fans also sent their blessings.

It was just that the black girl broke up in the afternoon, and Durant was afraid of being misunderstood, so he asked his good brother to accompany him. Westbrook and Jeff Green had no objection to this.

The rookie's job is to guide children to participate in basketball in the carnival. Westbrook looked at the spectators who covered their mouths and exclaimed from time to time, feeling helpless for a moment.

Durant, who blocked the kid's shot, relieved his depression. He pulled Jeff Green to play games with everyone. Westbrook, who was wearing a sports suit, came over and whispered again:

"Don't pay attention to those reports, they only go after the big stars, we just lack some opportunities."

"Yee! You're right. I'm just a little unhappy. Kobe wasn't there yesterday, and O'Neal didn't show up either, but now everyone is talking about them."

Durant had a depressed look on his face. In fact, in addition to these, he was also a little angry with himself. He sent a tweet in excitement, but there was no response, which made him look like a "dog".

After hearing this, Westbrook fell silent. The Thunder's poor performance on the national live broadcast made him lose his temper.

I thought the All-Star Weekend would get some attention, but it was instead robbed of its attention by the "Old Dunn feud." After personally participating in it, Westbrook completely realized that the Celebrity Game and the Rookie Challenge were not that popular.

"Arm enemy" Derrick Rose is also out of luck. Although Rose performed well in the first half of the season, he failed to live up to the fans' expectations. He is not Michael Jordan, let alone Li You. The gap is too big.
"I don't know when this situation will end. I thought there would be rookies who would make the All-Star team."

Westbrook, with his hands on his hips, looked up and sighed. This complaint also made Durant shake his head. It is difficult for a rookie to be selected as an All-Star in the first year. This kind of fantasy can only be understood by personal experience.

In a Mexican restaurant not far from the American Airlines Arena, Li Youzheng was sitting at the bar and chatting and laughing loudly with a couple who came from Mexico.

The couple who came to Phoenix are also Li You’s “clients”. Not only does he provide wiring services, but as long as they are willing to integrate into the “family”, they can even receive loan subsidies.

Many people choose to settle in New Mexico, and some go to other cities. The couple has four children, and the eldest son and the second son both work under Nacho.

Over the years, the number of family members has increased, and many have escaped poverty.

"Life in Manhattan is good. There are many people there who come from Mexico. If the company needs security personnel, they can also choose to work in the UK."

"Don't worry about them. I promise, our lives will get better. Mateo, do you want to go to New York?"

Li You looked at the curly-haired boy who brought him snacks. The boy showed a yearning look, but turned his head to look at his parents and finally shook his head reluctantly:

“I’m going to stay home.”

The male owner was mostly bald and looked old due to his hard life. He was relieved when he heard his youngest son's words. Li You, who was wearing a black printed T-shirt in front of him, always made him nervous. That was a man's sixth sense. No matter how good the news was, it was useless. He didn't believe that the work content would be "simple".

After rubbing the little guy's hair, Li You smiled again. The hostess wanted to ask about her son's condition, but the door of the restaurant was pushed open, and then O'Neal's "huge" body squeezed in.

"I love Mexican food, little guy, do you want a picture? You can hang it on the wall, I guarantee it will attract more people."

"."

O'Neal, wearing sunglasses and a gray shirt, unbuttoned a few buttons and greeted Li You while blowing some blows.

This restaurant, which has been open for a few years, has become somewhat famous. Many football fans choose to dine here. The large portions and delicious taste of the food, coupled with the improved flavor, have made it a well-established restaurant in the local area.

O'Neal didn't care what to eat. The old shark took off his sunglasses, confirmed that Kobe and Bill Russell had not arrived yet, and immediately complained in a low voice:
"Lee, what do they want to do? Kobe wants me to forgive him for Russell's sake? Shit! I never said anything bad about them in front of reporters!"

"."

Having not been selected for the All-Star Game for two consecutive years, this is likely to be the last time he will be selected for the All-Star Game at the end of his career. O'Neal takes it very seriously and has been busy practicing dancing recently.

If Li You and Russell hadn't called him, the old shark would not have been interested in paying attention to his little brother.

Li You ignored O'Neal's shamelessness. He was lying with his eyes open. With his own popularity declining, O'Neal has been trying to take advantage of Kobe's popularity in the past two years:
"You shouldn't ask me. Mr. Russell tried to ease your relationship a few years ago. I don't know how he did it."

"I got the call and I said yes, it's that simple."

Seeing the old shark leaning on the large chair, Li You sat opposite him and gave a brief explanation, which made the latter curl his lips. O'Neal was not stupid. Without his little brother, he might be finished:

"He shouldn't get involved in this! Participating in a show or shooting a commercial is an income! Li, you can understand me. I have a lot of expenses and I need attention."

O'Neal only won one championship. Although he was hailed as the strongest center, his off-court income, apart from his salary, was declining year by year.

The Suns have mediocre performance and are not a championship-contending team. If it weren't for all the grudges and gossip, fewer and fewer people would pay attention to the old Shark.

Such straightforward remarks made Li You grin. O'Neal was not angry. The NBA circle was not big, and he was also aware of Barkley's borrowing of money. Although he was good at asset management, who knew what would happen in the future.

"It's been a long time since this happened. If you can agree to it, maybe I can let you win a trophy together tomorrow, and then you can get some attention."

When O'Neal heard what Li You said, he couldn't help but curl his lips again, but he also realized that Russell had been framed by the media recently, and the old man was a little overwhelmed.

At this time, he is trying to use "reconciliation" to demonstrate his influence, and everyone really needs to give him face.

"What do you think about me going to TNT? ESPN also offered me a contract, but they didn't agree to create a show for me."

The old shark changed the subject. Showing up on time meant that he agreed to reconcile. His previous complaints were just because he didn't want to lose face. Li You didn't expose him. He shrugged his shoulders and gave his own opinion:

"It's better to go to TNT. Stephen A. Smith also encountered difficulties at ESPN. There are PTI, Sports Center, NBA TV and cooperative projects there. They have no shortage of commentators."

"You know, TNT's ratings have been down recently and they need help. I can give you news. This is a good choice."

O'Neal, who was no longer focused on basketball, nodded slightly. He also felt that going to TNT was not bad. Although he had to work in Atlanta, he had the opportunity to become a top host, which was definitely better than being treated as a basketball commentator.

While the two were still exchanging TNT's internal gossip, Kobe had already pushed the door open. Bill Russell, who was wearing a black casual suit and was a little hunched over, entered the restaurant and saw the two people standing up at the table and immediately smiled.

"Lee, Shaq, I hope you don't mind my invitation. Kobe is an outstanding guy and you are one of his few friends in the league."

Russell's voice was a little low. After Kobe sat down, he began his "little composition". In order to ease the relationship between the two, he put in a lot of effort this time.

A similar situation happened in the previous All-Star Game, but O'Neal agreed at the time, and the two had a fierce quarrel afterwards. This time when the "OK combination" reunited, Russell hoped that the two sides could truly reconcile.

Listening to the explanation of his senior, Kobe, who was wearing a gray sports suit, pursed his lips. He didn't want to bow his head, but he couldn't refuse Russell's invitation.

Seeing that the two parties remained silent and neither was willing to bow their heads first, Li You smiled and nodded, then gave his own suggestions, showing an attitude of full cooperation:

"It should still be in time for the league to change the trophy style and engrave their names on it. I believe the fans will enjoy seeing such a game."

"."

Russell was relieved when he heard Li You start to add details. In fact, the customized trophy had happened before. Li You had helped Michael Dunk win the award that year, which was why he invited him.

“I can win the game.”

Upon hearing Li You's plan, Kobe couldn't help but say something with a sullen face. Then O'Neal laughed and added with a gloating look:
"What I saw was the Lakers losing miserably."

Seeing the mocking smile on his old partner's fat face, Kobe wanted to leave immediately, but Russell waved his hand, which made the two of them quiet down again:
"Lee is helping you. Stop letting those reporters report nonsense. The NBA shouldn't be like this. You have to set a good example instead of becoming a laughing stock."

"Kobe, it's time to end this farce. You won a championship together."

"."

After hearing the essay, Li You showed an expression of approval on his face. Russell felt happy after receiving the feedback, and for a moment the old man even forgot that it was Li You who had fanned the flames.

The four of them started the conversation. Li You was responsible for arranging the Eastern Conference All-Star team, the old man contacted the league, and Kobe and O'Neal were responsible for showing their "reconciliation" to the media.

After dinner, Li Youde had to leave early because he had to participate in the commentary work of the individual challenge competition that night. O'Neal also didn't want to stay any longer, so the two of them said goodbye first.

It seemed that the old shark was unwilling to let it end like this. Li You naturally saw what he was thinking and immediately said with a smile:

"Shaq, this is your last All-Star game. Maybe this is the best outcome. As for the future, you go to TNT. That's what the show needs!"

"."

The old shark smiled again after hearing the voice-over. The two funny guys had no psychological burden about "bullying" the little brother:

“Yes, I am serving the audience.”

(End of this chapter)