NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 624 "Details" and "Talent" (no protagonist chapter)
Monday, March 2009, 3. As time came to the end of March, the heat of Michael Jordan being officially confirmed to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was getting higher and higher.

Michael Dunk was nominated in mid-December last year. Everyone knew that he would definitely be selected, and since it was close to the Christmas game, he did not receive much attention.

At this time, the regular season was approaching its end, and March Madness was also underway, so attention on the NBA began to decline. Soon, the sports media began to do old things in a new way and pushed out McDunk again.

According to official news, Michael Jordan has not been officially selected yet, but this does not affect the warm-up of related programs at this time. ESPN keeps up with current affairs and starts interviewing retired veterans!

Karl Malone had a scandal in the Lakers, so he is naturally not suitable to be interviewed. In comparison, the loudmouthed Gary Payton is much more suitable, and he can also take advantage of Li You's popularity.

After all, in his rookie season, Gary Payton defeated the Knicks twice, and his personal performance in the game almost completely suppressed Li You.

Old fans still remember this vividly, and new fans will also be curious. "The Glove" Payton became the perfect interview candidate at this time. After the preview was released over the weekend, PTI and Sports Center attracted much attention.

At 17:30 in the afternoon, after the program started, the fans in front of the TV saw Gary Payton for the first time in a long time. Having never won a championship in his entire career, "The Glove" can be said to be a tragic figure.

As the guest of the night, Gary Payton was dressed in a black suit. When talking about the confrontation with the Bulls, the old guy looked proud and even did not forget to belittle some old opponents:
"It's true that I didn't win a championship, nor did I leave behind an exaggerated record, but everyone in the league knows that I'm better than some players!"

"Statistics? That's never something I consider. In my basketball philosophy, I only pursue victory!"

Because of the Excel explosion this year, the ancient fans looked at the data and talked about the backcourt players, and naturally talked about the outrageous record set by John Stockton:
"15806 assists, 3265 steals."

These two statistics are difficult to break, so when talking about the ancient backcourt, Stockton overpowers Payton and becomes the stronger player in the eyes of some fans.

Gary Payton was the first one to disagree. He participated in the show more than once to belittle Stockton, and each time he was merciless. Beating the opponent was his best topic!

Unfortunately, no matter how many times the debate goes on, the data and records are there, and no matter how the old "Glove" belittles him, Stockton's ranking is firmly in the top 30.

Excel is so important. After all, great players always leave records. If a player cannot set records at all, how can he achieve greatness?
The sour old Payton was once again promoting himself with the same old clichés, and by the way complained that the current league is too soft. To this, the bald Michael Wilbon did not care, but continued to add fuel to the fire with a smile:

"Gary, you have played against both Michael Dunk and Lee. In your opinion, who is the better player?"

In the studio, Kornheiser also tilted his head to look at Payton. This question was very interesting. Everyone knew that Li You rejected the veteran's advances and their relationship had always been bad.

Gary Payton's voice was a little shrill and he spoke quickly, but when answering this question, he hesitated and looked reluctant:

"For me, it's a completely different feeling to play against Lee and Michael Dunk. The playing styles of the two of them are very different."

"Maybe the triangle offense sounded perfect to the fans, but we had completely cracked it at the time because the ball always came back to Michael Dunk."

"He's very agile, like a black panther, and when he goes to the line to catch the ball, everyone knows he's going to break through, so we develop a targeted defense."

"Lee is different. He wasn't very strong as a rookie and relied more on pick-and-rolls, which sounds simple, but many teams couldn't defend because his shooting was incredible."

"If it's a one-on-one, I would choose Michael Dunk because he is taller and he is a shooting guard. As for personal achievements, Lee has surpassed everyone. He is a nearly perfect point guard."

Payton compromised with reality again. If it were two years ago, he would definitely seize the opportunity to denounce Li You for the harm he did to him and the league, but now the public opinion environment has changed, and if he doesn't praise him, he would be a "clown"!
The two people on the side nodded. This issue has been discussed in the program Around the Horn. The roundtable debate is very popular among fans. It is basically a brawl among historical stars.

"Gary, you've played with Kobe before. In your opinion, how has Kobe performed this season? The Lakers have a chance to take first place in the Western Conference this year."

Michael Wilbon's question was more tactful, but Gary Payton was blunt when he mentioned his former teammate, returning to his usual tone and making a sharp comment:
"Kobe? He is not the best player on the Lakers. It was like this before and it is still like this now!"

"The Lakers had two MVPs at the time, and we did well, but the finals were a nightmare. Now that Tim Duncan has joined the team, I still don't think they'll win!"

"Kobe is not Dunk. He doesn't have the ability to tear apart the defense. We all saw how Lee limited him last year."

"I respect them very much, but this Lakers team is a regular season team. They can't limit Lee. Unless something unexpected happens, they can't win the championship relying only on Duncan."

"."

In the subsequent programs, the three of them quickly began to praise Michael Jordan's achievements, as a warm-up for the official confirmation of the candidates.

Michael Wilbon also revealed a little gossip on the show that in a few months, he will interview Michael Dunk, and the two will talk about the championship they lost in 98.

The Lakers have had a relatively easy schedule recently, also playing four games a week, but unlike the Knicks, who have to face consecutive back-to-back games, their form still fluctuated at the end of the season.

Last Tuesday, the 76ers challenged the Lakers away. They were leading in three quarters, but Iguodala made the buzzer beater. Kobe was so angry that he didn't speak for several days.
After flying to Oklahoma City today, the team rarely conducted too many training sessions and had dinner in the hotel. After watching the show, Kobe was so angry that he went back to his room early. His former teammate actually commented on him like this, which made him very unhappy!

With 56 wins and 13 losses, it would not be a problem for Kobe to get 60 wins this season. He believed that he was qualified to win the MVP. However, he was not even as good as LeBron James, and even lagged behind Dwight Howard.

On the list, Kobe firmly occupies the fifth place. Every time he is interviewed, he says he doesn't care, but in his heart he feels that it is a humiliation to him.

However, most basketball critics think that there is nothing wrong with this ranking. In the direct dialogue between Kobe and James, the two ended in a tie and each won their home court.

However, in terms of personal data, the Chosen One wins. In terms of Excel alone, Kobe is no match at all. He is basically an ordinary All-Star, while the opponent is a superstar.
Phil Jackson has had a hard time recently facing players with unique personalities. He is the only team that stands out in the Western Conference, but his opponents have a better record and his chances of regaining home-court advantage are slim.

The coaching staff watched the Knicks' away game against the Cavaliers on Sunday. Everyone was silent after watching the video. The old rivals were in excellent form. They faced a crazy double-team and still scored a big triple-double.

23中14，三分线外10中5，罚球10中8，41分13篮板13助攻3抢断2盖帽2失误，李佑如此表现，再次刺激到了科比
In this nationally broadcast event, ABC called the game a "preview of the championship" and hyped it up before the game. The game did not disappoint the fans, with the two sides fighting until the fourth quarter to decide the winner.

108:101, although the Cavaliers lost the game, they received unanimous praise after the game. James, who also scored a triple-double, was praised heavily and became the "successor to the face of the team."

The players can rest, but the coaching staff still has to prepare. Assistant coach Kurt Rambis is a veteran Laker, and he is a bit worried when he finds Kobe is not in a good mood. In the room, Brian Shaw, who has become an assistant coach, is a bit helpless. When he talks about the problems in the locker room, his voice is lowered a few notches:
"Some players were dissatisfied with Kobe's offensive choices. Duncan didn't like to get involved in these things. Derrick had several exchanges, but to no avail."

"I talked to Kobe about this, and you all know the result."

Rambis, who was walking around with his shirt sleeves rolled up, looked unhappy when he heard about "player dissatisfaction". The Knicks' championship experience spread here, and role players began to desire more data.

"Is it Lamar's problem? Sometimes I really wish Duncan could be stronger. We haven't made it to the finals yet."

Phil Jackson, who was sitting on the sofa, interrupted the complaint. He was often put on the "shelf", and he lost his starting position for a while. Odom made some sarcastic remarks, which he could understand:

"I'm not interested in paying attention to this. Tell Trevor Ariza's agent to stop complaining to the media. We have to stabilize the team."

"Brian, go talk to Kobe tonight. Don't let his emotions affect others. He has already won the AMVP. Now he must focus on the next game."

The old man from KFC said this slowly, and Brian Shaw nodded in agreement but gave a wry smile. He understood Kobe, because that was the MVP, an award that every player desired.

"Maybe we should adjust our defensive strategy and let Ariza be the leader to free Kobe from the matchup."

"In Sunday's game, the Cavaliers' double-team worked. On the defensive end, we can also get more help defense on the line and let Tim receive the ball more in the low post on offense. This is a huge mismatch advantage!"

This is not the first time such a suggestion has been made. After seeing the Knicks' reduced height in the interior, Rambis insisted that Duncan should carry the offense. He firmly believed that this could change the course of the game.

The Cavaliers adopted such a tactic, but Howard lacked experience and encountered outside defense in some rounds and failed to pass the ball in time. Duncan was different. The MVP was able to take advantage of this.

Gary Vitti has worked for the Lakers for many years. As a team doctor and trainer, he rarely directly participates in tactical discussions. But when he heard that Kobe's core position was being deprived, the old man couldn't help but speak up:

"You have to take care of Kobe's emotions. Those reporters will not let him go. If he gives up the matchup, he will be described as a 'coward'. Do you think Kobe will accept it?"

"Maybe we should let Tim talk to him himself, it's a player matter and they have to sort it out themselves"

Soon, several people started arguing again. The Lakers no longer had the chance to play against the Knicks, and they could only keep watching videos.

Except for some missed shots from the outside in some games, the Knicks have been very stable.

The team changed its playing style at the beginning of the season, with more transition offense and less positional offense. It looked like a team from the 80s. The only difference was that the number of three-point shots was even more outrageous.

Although Phil Jackson is a veteran championship coach, he is not omnipotent. After witnessing the transformation of the Knicks, he thought about it over and over again, but could not come up with a good solution and could only be a "riddler" every day.

The old man from KFC cannot predict what will happen when the two teams meet again, but the game is ultimately played by the players, and it always helps to give the ball to the big players.

In order to help Kobe get into better shape, Phil Jackson, who had been silent, spoke again, looked at Brian Shaw, and said tactfully:
"Don't forget to tell Kobe that everyone is rooting for him to win another MVP trophy. Statistics are not everything."

"."

After drawing a pie in the sky again, Brian Shaw showed a forced smile on his face. He really didn't want to do this job.

Sometimes the "temperament" of a team will be affected by its core players. The Lakers used to be very active, but after Duncan came, they became "quiet" and their tactical routines became rigid.

The Knicks are a "fun team". Not only do they have superstar performances, but their players can continue to bring joy to fans even after they leave the team.

When someone knocked on Kobe's door at night, Brian Shaw thought back to his experiences over the years and felt a little sympathy for his little brother. He didn't blame the commentators, as everyone could see the impact Duncan had on the team.

"Everyone, let me see you, Kobe, don't pay attention to what Payton said. On the TV show, this guy is a big mouth. Away from the camera, maybe he himself doesn't know what he said!"

Brian Shaw followed Kobe into the room, trying to comfort him. But when he found out that his little brother was still watching the highlights of Li You edited by the videographer, he couldn't help but sigh again.

"I know he was recruited by Shaq back then, I don't care what he said!"

"Man, I've been watching Lee's ball protector over and over again. He has a habit of always giving hidden confrontations. I think I can take advantage of that."

"When he tries to accelerate by dribbling between his legs, his power foot has a hidden step, which can help us predict his offensive intentions."

Kobe clicked the play button on the computer and introduced his findings by repeatedly replaying the video. Li You's skillful ball-handling skills did conceal some details, and Brian Shaw nodded repeatedly.

"He is not as unstoppable as everyone thinks. Many times he has to use step-back jump shots to gain space for himself. We just need to master his offensive rhythm to successfully defend."

"."

The younger brother talked more and more, with an excited look on his face, but Brian Shaw suddenly calmed down. He always felt that the teams in the East might have discovered this a long time ago, after all, they were beaten every year.

Immersed in his own world, Kobe didn't notice Brian Shaw's sympathetic eyes at all. These "details" made him excited:
"I'll get him. Everyone used to be scared by that shot. I've got his rhythm!"

After talking for a while, Kobe just felt relaxed and a confident smile appeared on his face again. He turned his head to look at the stunned Brian Shaw, who quickly exclaimed in praise. Then the two began to discuss tactical issues again.

When leaving the room, Brian Shaw recalled Kobe's excited expression, and the smile disappeared from his dark face. He felt bad when he thought that his little brother might be "self-hypnotizing":

“Do ‘details’ really make a difference?”

(End of this chapter)