NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 639 "Best Anti-Li Award!" (No protagonist chapter)
On Sunday, May 2009, 5, the Western Conference semifinals ushered in Game 10. After the Lakers regained the initiative, the calls for them to reach the finals became louder and louder!

Leading 2:1, the outstanding performance of Tim Duncan and Odom meant that Kobe no longer had to attack, and the triangle offense seemed to have regained new magic.

Phil Jackson, a well-known championship coach in the league, has had his reputation affected by losses in the past few years, but after Duncan joined the team, the old man is back on track.

Recently, the Los Angeles media has taken the lead in hyping up the team, and ESPN and other sports media have also begun to follow suit. More and more people are promoting Duncan and Phil Jackson, and even a columnist "shouts":
"If Tim Duncan had always been coached by Phil Jackson, he would have been even more successful!"

"."

Is Duncan, who has won the MVP, more successful? That can only be the championship and the Finals MVP. In this regard, the columnist in New York also followed the professional line and concluded through Excel and advanced data:
"Unless Tim Duncan comes to New York to assist Lee, he still won't win a championship."

To show respect for Duncan, New York's basketball critics gave the MVP extremely high praise, believing that he was one of the strongest opponents Li You had ever encountered in the finals!

Translated, it means "Best Anti-Li Award".
Duncan doesn't have many fans, so they didn't react to this kind of evaluation. Some complaints were "covered" by the voices of the people who were just joking, but Kobe's die-hard fans were unhappy when they saw the relevant reports:

"Why don't pigeons have 'trophies'?"

As the strongest shooting guard in the league, although Kobe has not won many honors and his Excel is not outstanding, he is still a "tall guy among short guys" and has accumulated a large number of fans in this era of domination.

More and more fans spoke out for Kobe, and finally Stephen A. Smith gave his response on First Take this morning:
"Everyone knows that Kobe has never been the best player on the Lakers!"

"Shaq was the centerpiece of that Lakers team, Duncan is the floor leader of this Lakers team, and when Kobe was really leading the team, he couldn't even get past the first round."

"When we look back at those games, we're going to think of Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan."

"I even think of Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller."

"As for Kobe, he can only play next to the MVP. He has no right to be called the 'best opponent'."

Stephen A. Smith, who loudly "scolded" Kobe on the show, was attacked in the afternoon. Fans left messages on his personal social media, but the big mouth in New York did not compromise, but updated Twitter:

“What about Kobe?”

As soon as the hottest meme in recent years appeared on Reddit, everyone was laughing. Kobe missed the "Best Anti-Lee Award". Many fans of the star expressed relief. No one likes the "Kobe fan" with the loudest voice.

Although the Mavericks lost the game and faced a life-and-death battle in the evening, the Dallas media did not care about the team's record because there were bigger things to do recently!
Early in the morning, the Dallas Daily News updated the latest news about Nowitzki's fraudulent fiancee. The onlookers read the newspaper and exclaimed that it was outrageous. This thing is simply a copy of an American TV series:
"After being arrested, Crystal Taylor claimed that she was pregnant. The prosecutor confirmed the news and Taylor insisted that the father of the child was Nowitzki."

This news was shocking when it was revealed this morning. It was outrageous enough that the fiancée of a superstar turned into a criminal. Now that the news has come out, the German may have cheated on him, which is even more shocking!
Regarding the issue of his children, although Nowitzki was sad, he still made a firm statement through his agent:
"The child is innocent. If this is true, Dirk will do whatever it takes to get custody of the child."

Nowitzki's honest attitude was naturally laughed at by many NBA players. Black people would not be bound by a child. His title of "softie" was completely established.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was very dissatisfied with these unscrupulous media, but he was even more angry about Nowitzki's choice. He also complained twice during an interview in the afternoon:

"I told Dirk a long time ago to leave that woman, but he was too kind!"

"Stop reporting these boring news and let's get our attention back to the game."

Games are not as interesting as gossip, just like the Eastern Conference semifinals that ended last night. The Knicks won, but the vast majority of sports media reported:
"Wade's knee injury recurred, and Union did not visit her boyfriend after the game, which suggests she has rekindled her old relationship with her ex-boyfriend."

Yankees captain Derek Jeter and Union were photographed having a cordial conversation after the game, which was in stark contrast to Wade, who had his head covered with a towel on the bench.

The Miami Herald's report was even more outrageous, using a photo of Li You and Union simply hugging and greeting each other, and also came up with an outrageous headline:
"Lee's black girlfriend?"

Fortunately, Li You is dedicated, and his children are about to form a football team, so his fans automatically filter out these eye-catching news.

But Wade seemed to have a mental breakdown. Not only did he not attend the press conference after the game, he also did not accept any interviews in the morning. The official response from the Heat was that he was "focusing on recovering from his knee injury."

It is difficult to get fans to focus on the game. The league is polarized, with entertainment attributes accounting for an increasing proportion. When the spectators watch the NBA, they often just watch the "performances" of the stars.

Before the game started in the evening, reporters in Los Angeles were not to be outdone. Several reporters suddenly broke the news on Twitter:
"Kobe and Vanessa will sue the former housekeeper Maria Jimenez for defamation of them."

Two months ago, TMZ website first broke the news that Kobe's butler filed a lawsuit with the Superior Court of Orange County in Los Angeles because he could not bear the humiliation, which sparked some discussion at the time.

The former housekeeper Maria Jimenez accused the Bryant family of refusing to provide health insurance, overwork, using insulting words to belittle and insult, and invading privacy;
Now the situation has reversed, Kobe's lawyer has formally filed a false accusation, and the crowd has become excited again. This game is really not as interesting as gossip.
The troubled Kobe did not show any emotion in front of reporters. When asked about related matters, he only said that lawyers and the law would give the answer.

In the locker room, Duncan was as quiet as ever. Although the commentators were praising him and even awarded him the "Best Anti-Lee Award", he only felt that such comments were a humiliation!
Duncan also watches ESPN, and Stephen A. Smith's attitude of "it's great to lose to Lee" only makes him angry.

Although he recognized Li You's hard work in training, Duncan really couldn't accept the bad taste of his old rival. Just like when he heard "Mamba" at this moment, he just wanted to leave immediately.

"Stats? I don't care about that. Mamba will deliver the fatal blow at the critical moment! This is my basketball philosophy."

"Team comes first, I know how to win!"

The Lakers don't have many fast breaks and the game tempo is not fast. When Kobe gives up his shooting rights, his statistics will naturally decline. After all, he can't easily hand over a 60% shooting percentage like Li You.

Hearing Kobe express his basketball views again, most sports reporters agreed, but ESPN once again added fuel to the fire:
"Kobe, Lee never listed you as his best opponent, what do you think about that?"

"."

Kobe's face darkened when he heard the news about his "mortal enemy". Although he knew it was probably fake news, he was still a little angry. He always didn't get the respect he deserved:

"I'm not interested in discussing that. I just want to win the game and go back to Los Angeles to prepare for the conference finals."

Many basketball commentators call this series a showdown between Duncan and Nowitzki. After all, both of them are MVPs. Reporting in this way can also add fuel to the fire and let's see the fun of the Lakers.

Kobe has been very low-key. He doesn't like such news and doesn't want to destroy the team's chemistry. He started sharing the ball after losing G1.

Unfortunately, such a choice is seen as "cowardly" by the sports media. They don't like Kobe like this, nor do they like the Lakers' team basketball.

Before the visiting team took the field, Phil Jackson ignored the staff around him in the locker room. This was a crucial game, and he didn't want to be dragged down to the decisive moment, so he warned everyone in an uncharacteristic way:

“Be patient, just like the game plan we had, share the ball and everybody has to be ready.”

"." After repeated instructions, Phil Jackson patted Duncan on the shoulder, then left with the assistant coach, leaving the final time to the players.

Perhaps the pre-game interview aroused the anger hidden in his heart, and Kobe took the initiative to speak again. Under the surprised gaze of Fisher and others, he said seriously:

"I want to finish the game tonight."

Although Kobe's words were a little euphemistic, everyone could hear that he was hoping for support. Odom subconsciously looked at Duncan, who didn't say anything, but took the lead in raising his right arm.

The Lakers players gathered together, and Barnes noticed that everyone had different expressions. After shouting slogans, everyone began to move towards the player tunnel.

"Lee would never ask us to do this. I think we did a good job in the first few games!"

Barnes has been sharing his championship experience. Although this tough guy has a hard time getting much playing time on the Knicks, he highly praises Li You's move to share data.

Everyone in the atmosphere group was silent, only the outdated dunk champion Gerald Green whispered sarcastically:

"So Lee will be successful, and everyone around him will get a big contract. Look at David Lee, he will be an All-Star next season, and the Heat will pay him a lot of money!"

Except for Ariza and Vujacic, most of the atmosphere group members did not completely stand on Kobe's side. Although Shannon Brown squeezed into the rotation, he still said enviously when talking about New York basketball:

"If I were in New York, I would also be willing to make 'sacrifices' for Lee. Their regular season numbers are so great that the French guy could get a multi-million contract."

Although Dio's contract is overpriced, it is worth the money. At least in the team's advanced data, the Frenchman can rank in the top 8.

In this year's playoffs, the statistics are not good, but Dio can still get stable playing time. In the eyes of several people in the atmosphere group of the Lakers, this is definitely currying favor!

After everyone entered the all-staff channel, they were still whispering. Although Kobe didn't know what his teammates were saying, when he saw Barnes whispering, he knew it must be another "championship experience."

At some point, the Lakers' locker room was also invaded, and there were more and more calls for "conscious training". Kobe thought this was "lazy guys trying to be lazy", so he naturally didn't give them a good face:

"Damn New York!"

Cursing in his heart, Kobe began to understand why his good friend Garnett had a fight with his teammates when he was on the Timberwolves. All the players from New York are "cancer"!
After the game started at 20:, Nowitzki was not affected by the gossip news. He showed his aggressiveness right after the opening and helped the team through back-to-back singles many times.

Tim Duncan was not to be outdone. As the initiator of the play, he also had plenty of opportunities to handle the ball, despite Kobe's requests.

He assisted in the high post to find Odom who was cutting in, and after handing off to Fisher, he blocked the ball to the left and right of the defense, received the ball and completed a mid-range jump shot. In some rounds, he also caused fouls in the low post. Duncan's performance was also outstanding.

Especially when the game entered the fourth quarter, Duncan made a strong low-post shot, accurate mid-range jump shot, 4 of 9 shots in a single quarter, 7 of 6 free throws, a wave of 4 points, turning the American Airlines Arena into a library.

With 1 minute and 04 seconds left in the game, Nowitzki missed a three-pointer from the right wing, and Ariza made a counterattack dunk to secure the victory.

"Shh!"

Amid the boos that echoed throughout the arena, a buzzing sound was heard, 108:99, the Lakers won another game, the score was 3:1, and they successfully got the match point.

出场40分钟，18中11，罚球13中8，30分12篮板4助攻2盖帽1失误，邓肯下半场爆发，交出了一份完美数据。

As the broadcaster, ESPN early on focused the camera on Duncan who was hugging and greeting Nowitzki. Although Kobe had a smile on his face as he walked towards the player tunnel, he looked a little depressed.

He made 17 of 7 shots and scored 15 points. The Mavericks guarded him tightly and Phil Jackson kept reminding him to pass the ball. Kobe completely became a supporting role tonight.

At the post-match press conference, the sad Nowitzki did not appear on the scene, and old Kidd sat on the stage. Although he was a bit iron, he performed well tonight.

Deliberately avoiding the issue of contract, Kidd kept silent about the contract extension. Instead, when talking about the "Best Anti-Lee Award", the veteran looked pleased:
"Best opponent? I like this title. It's always a good thing to be remembered by the fans!"

Unlike Kobe, Kidd did not show hostility. He looked calm and completely calm. When talking about the past confrontation with Li You in the Nets, he repeatedly praised:

"Lee is the strongest opponent I have ever met in my career! His understanding of basketball is far beyond people's imagination!"

"I think Lee is the most perfect No. 1 in history. Unfortunately, I am still pursuing a championship. I have always looked forward to working with Lee. We will become the best backcourt combination in history."

"."

Kidd was praising Li You so much that he almost praised him to the sky. It was not until someone asked about the next game that the old guy changed his tone and started praising Duncan again:

"Tim and Dirk are equally good, they are MVPs!"

"We won't give up. As the leader of the team, I have to provide some help to Dirk in the next game."

On Monday, May 5, early in the morning, ESPN first reported that the Cavaliers swept the Celtics, and LeBron James and Dwight Howard completed their "revenge"!
In the crushing G4, 108:93, in all four games, the Cavaliers won by more than 4 points over their opponents, leading in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

Although all the attention of yesterday's game was taken away by gossip news, Cleveland's sports media has begun to celebrate and fans are also wildly celebrating the Cavaliers' return to the Eastern Conference Finals.

After the Cavaliers "returned home" in the morning, they were warmly welcomed by the fans. Howard screamed after getting off the plane. He was very happy to defeat the "Big Four".

LeBron James affectionately hugged the high-spirited Mike Brown in front of the Cleveland media. The two of them couldn't hold back the smiles on their faces. They have won so much this season!

Although the Chosen One was happy, he did not forget to send his blessings when talking about his friend's game, but added at the end:

“As much as I hope to see my good friend in the conference finals, I want to face Lee again even more!”

"I think I am qualified to be Lee's best opponent among the young players. You know, past failures will not affect me."

"."

(End of this chapter)