NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 622 "New York Bomb" (no protagonist chapter)
On Monday, March 2009, 3, ESPN's Sports Center morning show broke another big story:
"Metta World Peace refused to take on defensive duties during the game and warned Dwyane Wade 'that's what you do' during the game."

The host's mouth corners raised when he read out the news content. After a day of digging, the "lip-syncing expert" successfully interpreted the quarrel on the Heat bench.

On Saturday, the Knicks challenged the Heat away from home. This was the first conversation between the two teams after the trade, and it ended in a funny way.

First, in the second quarter, Artest was photographed covering his mouth and laughing on the bench. Then in the third quarter, head coach Spoelstra, Wade, and Artest were photographed arguing on the bench.

The originally dull game suddenly became lively. There was no nationwide live broadcast, but after seeing the news on social media after the game, the spectators spontaneously searched for it.

Miami's sports media also experienced the feeling of being "top stream". Regardless of the situation of the home team, they followed up with reports, and various rumors continued to come out, as if they were on the sidelines at the time.

Although the authenticity of the gossip news needs to be questioned, Artest's words after the game, who took the initiative to accept the interview with reporters, made the audience laugh:

"This is the first time in my career that I've heard such an outrageous request!"

"They told me to win the game and then let me guard Lee in the key rounds to relieve Wade's burden."

"I refused directly and told them that if they want to win, the core players have to do everything themselves. I am not the core of the team, so this is Wade's job!"

"Wade is a backcourt player, he is not a big man, this is a direct conversation, he has to handle everything by himself, this is my championship experience, I have 8 rings, don't question my decision."

"."

This interview clip took place in the player tunnel after the game. Artest did not deny the quarrel. Instead, he acted as if it was a matter of course and just kept talking with his mouth wide open.

In contrast, Wade, who was furious after the game, went to the player tunnel again. When he attended the press conference after the game, his face was also full of anger. Although he did not lose much in the game, he just felt angry.

In this situation, the media reporters fanned the flames, and Wade, who was unable to control his emotions, finally complained a few words:

“No one can enjoy privileges in the Heat. Everyone should obey the coach’s arrangements! This is our team culture.”

109:99, the game was not decided until the fourth quarter. The Knicks, who were in poor form, failed to score more than 4 points, and the Heat failed to seize the opportunity. Wade was suppressed almost throughout the game.

比赛中唯一的亮点是新援大卫-李砍下准三双，18分12篮板9助攻1抢断4失误。

In several games, the rookie and Wade cooperated well, and the Heat fans shouted "profitable" for this. But after a direct conversation, David Lee did not give the boss face at the press conference.

When asked why he performed so well, David Lee smiled brightly. In New York, he was a bag carrier, but in Miami, he was a potential rookie and a championship forward:
"Wade's skills are very similar to Lee's. Being with Lee, I learned how to lead the team properly."

"As for the triple-double, I'm not surprised. I have the ability to do that! After a period of running-in, I believe Wade will understand me better and the team will get better and better."

"."

Although Wade would wink at his new teammates from time to time, David Lee, whose statistics had exploded, had become more and more arrogant in the past half month. Coupled with the fact that he encountered a "weak rookie coach", he became more and more rude.

After the first few games, Wade hadn't fully felt anything. After this direct conversation, he finally understood why the veterans in the league all hated the players from New York:

"You all agreed to come here to assist me?"

The current situation of the Heat is that the two new players are capable and assist the core players in some aspects, but they also have their own demands and refuse to assist in some aspects.

As for the coach's requirements, they were basically achieved, but he did not give up on spreading championship experience, which led to some divisions within the team and Wade could only watch helplessly.

The Chicago fans who were watching the fun also laughed out loud. They were too familiar with this situation. Sprewell was even more excessive than Artest before. This championship guard was only good at making empty promises!
Many Bulls fans took this opportunity to revisit the past and began to popularize on social media how the "championship guard" harmed the team:
"Winning a game can inspire a month of praise!"

"Apart from watching the highlights, watching the game live is shit!"

"Lee weakened the opponent by sending these players away. The decline of the Bulls was caused by him."

"Don't make a deal with New York, they are all liars, these people will destroy our original team culture"

On Sunday, Chicago fans organized a protest event and began to empathize with the Heat fans. Then the Timberwolves fans also began to complain, while Philadelphia fans continued to "cry".

During one game, Reddit was flooded with comments from all sections protesting against the New York players. Only the Knicks fans who liked to have fun cheered for the champions. They wished they could see this kind of thing every day.

In the afternoon, a Detroit fan suddenly broke the news on social media, and soon news about Iverson began to appear in people's vision again.

"Allen Iverson cut his hair!"

Someone shared a photo of Iverson with a flat head on Facebook. Fans naturally didn't believe it, but as more and more news broke, they could only accept the fact:

"The rebellious Iverson of those days has disappeared, and so has our youth."

Just cutting his hair can spark discussion. With the support of Li You, Iverson is still very popular. Even in the evening, the PTI program reported the related news, which is also a kind of "face".

Iverson, who was interviewed by an ESPN reporter, seemed to have really turned into a "good kid". In front of the camera, he showed a humble look in his big eyes and whispered the reason why he changed his hairstyle:
"I just want to start over. I love basketball and I want to lead the team to the playoffs."

"."

Although he was not selected for the All-Star game again, Iverson's statement still made many of his die-hard fans "heartbroken". The rebellious boy was completely smoothed over, which was not what they wanted to see.

That night, the Heat faced the Cavaliers at home. There was a lot of fun over the weekend, and this game naturally attracted more attention from the crowd.

Before the game, both LeBron James and Dwight Howard were in good mood. With a record of 48 wins and 10 losses, they have the right to hold their heads high. As the second in the league, they are the strongest duo in active service!

The Cavaliers have transformed from a defensive team to an "offensive monster". Under the coaching of head coach Mike Brown, the game is played extremely unrestrained, and the defense is entirely supported by Howard.

At the beginning of the season, some commentators believed that this system would not last long and had huge flaws. However, they did not expect Howard to be in great form this year, playing the role of two players and demonstrating superb rim protection on the defensive end.

Thanks to the performance of star players, as the season progressed, the Cavaliers' defensive data actually rushed into the top 10. "Excellent offense and defense" is the current status of this team.

Mike Brown, who won the Coach of the Month award again, was also in high spirits, and many fans even shouted:

“Black coaches are the best!”

There are more and more such voices, and former head coach Jeff Van Gundy is naturally unhappy. Defense is the basic foundation, and in his opinion, Brown Bread is just enjoying his "team legacy."

In an ESPN column, Van Gundy updated his views before the game, pouring cold water on the Cavaliers:
"Defense is never a one-man show. Maybe Howard's talent can help the team reach the conference finals, but at present, it is still difficult for them to challenge the defending champions with this system." "The Knicks have experienced a more dominant center era. No one in the league knows better than them how to defend big men."

"LeBron James is very good, but he still needs to continue to hone his skills. He still has some gaps in his understanding of the game compared to Lee when he was a rookie."

"."

The former coach's bad words about the Cavaliers made Cleveland fans unhappy because they were too eager for the championship. The injuries to the Celtics and Knicks were seen by everyone as "God's will."

If the duo, who have entered their peak years, can seize this opportunity, Cleveland will be able to break the championship curse. The fans are excited at the thought of this.

When good friends get together again, LeBron James was not polite and was very aggressive since the start of the game. When facing two short backcourt players, Wade also went all out.

Howard, who frequently grabbed offensive rebounds, was another protagonist. The Beast once again relied on his personal ability to dominate the inside, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds in the first half, giving the Cavaliers a greater advantage.

In the second half of the game, Artest, who had been guarding James, failed to control his fouls and left the game early in the fourth quarter with six fouls;
Michael Beasley, who came on as a substitute, became an ATM. The Heat were defeated by a counterattack within three minutes. On the bench, Artest began to shake his head again, and head coach Spoelstra on the sidelines was so angry that his face turned red.

In the end, the score was 109:100. The Heat only scored 4 points in the fourth quarter. Howard turned the Cavaliers' inside into a no-fly zone. After winning the game, Howard jumped and shouted:

"Come on, you can't stop me!"

14中8，罚球10中6，22分16篮板1助攻3盖帽3失误，拿到大号两双，霍华德再次展现出强大的“个人防守体系”。

Faced with this provocation, the Heat fans at the scene did not make much noise. Those in the screaming seats left silently, while the fans in the front row turned their eyes to the bench. They came to watch the fun.

LeBron James performed extremely well tonight, playing 44 minutes, making 22 of 13 shots, 9 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 10 of 10 free throws, scoring 42 points efficiently!
During an interview on the sidelines, when a reporter asked about Van Gundy's column, James smiled confidently. He liked his change:

"Maybe Coach Van Gundy is right, but in today's league, you can't win a championship just by relying on defense."

"Coach Brown wants to play to the team's strengths. I know a lot of people don't like talented basketball, but the fact is that the Cavaliers are getting better and better. We make the game simple. I like this tactic."

"Dwight supports the defense, and I can lead the offense. I am proud of everyone's performance. We have a chance to get the first place in the league, and we will not relax for this!"

"."

LeBron James was particularly happy. He smiled brightly when he hugged Wade and joked with his friend, which almost made Wade's face turn even darker.

When Wade was interviewed about the turning point of the game, he naturally did not mention Artest's six fouls and leaving the game. In the player tunnel, the championship forward started his performance again:

"Without me, they can't do anything!"

"Some people don't know how to win, don't make me train like a fool!"

"."

Haslem, who was following behind, was so angry that his eyes were wide open. After David Lee began to adapt to the team, his rebounding data continued to rise. In addition, he also participated in hand-to-hand cooperation and dealt with more players from time to time, so his assists were also sucked away.

What made him feel even more outrageous was that the two new players also brought Excel into the locker room. Coach Spoelstra learned from the championship experience, which made Haslem, whose statistics were declining, even more dissatisfied.

"I hate New York players! Shet! I'm going to report this to Mr. Riley. He ruined our locker room!"

Haslem complained to Michael Beasley beside him in a low voice, but there was a look of longing in his eyes. He liked the New York basketball described by David Lee, and Madison Square Garden was very attractive:

"The Knicks have won so many championships, maybe they have a point."

After entering the locker room, Michael Beasley, who had just said something, had to spread his hands and added again:

"I just think Wade really needs to change the way he leads the team."

韦德今晚30中16，高效砍下41分7篮板9助攻7抢断1盖帽8失误的数据，持球核心的打法让Excel很好看，但并不是每个人都喜欢这种战术。

David Lee told everyone during the chat that Li You seldom took crazy shots and was willing to "share the cake", so rookies were also taken care of, which made Michael Beasley very envious.

Newbies ask about New York every day. Even though the girls in Miami are hot, Michael Beasley's desire for data makes him rebel.
"Don't listen to them! Damn it, I'm going to text Mr. Riley in a minute!"

The angry Haslem glared again, and after whispering a warning to the newbie, he still felt angry and had a serious sense of crisis. He always felt that David Lee would become the future of the team, and Excel was no match for him at all.

When coach Spoelstra returned to the locker room, he saw several players still arguing loudly. He suddenly felt overwhelmed and he was about to lose control of the team.

The rookie coach finally realized one thing: Artest's move of wearing eight rings when he joined the team shocked everyone.

In the past, everyone would see the cover of Sports Illustrated with Li You wearing rings on his hands and 10 golden trophies behind him, but that was just a magazine. In reality, no one had ever come into contact with him or witnessed it with their own eyes.

After Artest really showed the ring, the Heat team finally felt the "charm of the champion" firsthand. When the two began to spread their championship experience, no one could refute it.
To briefly summarize the game, head coach Spoelstra, standing in front of the players, had a grim look on his face. Wade seemed increasingly dissatisfied with him, believing that the coaching staff was unable to control the new players.

When the players finished their physical therapy and were ready to go home, Pat Riley quietly came to the locker room, looked at Eric Spoelstra, who was sitting in his chair with his face covered, and whispered his own chicken soup:

"Eric, in my opinion, what the team is experiencing is just a happy trouble!"

"I started out as a commentator for the Lakers and then joined the coaching staff. No player respected me at the time. Magic Johnson was still a rookie and everyone had to look up to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar."

“He has a bit of a weird temper and is difficult to get along with, but in the end, we succeeded because the right tactics speak for you!”

After finishing the chicken soup, head coach Spoelstra breathed a sigh of relief. This was the worst locker room he had ever experienced. He couldn't imagine how the Knicks could succeed. This kind of individual player was simply a time bomb:
"What should I do? The recent losing streak has made many people lose confidence."

Seeing Spoelstra looking up and asking in a low voice, Pat Riley shook his head. He did not expect Marion to fit in so seamlessly, and even had no complaints when he was a substitute. He became Li You's "licker":
"I saw the chance, but it failed. Don't pay attention to the news, Eric, you are the future of the team."

"They're starting to get injured, aren't they? I've been through this, and the era of New York is almost over. All we have to do is wait."

"."

Head coach Spoelstra nodded in confusion. He didn't know what Pat Riley was expecting, but thinking of Li You's recent good form, he finally kept the question in his mind:
"Can we really defeat them?"

(End of this chapter)