NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 653: The boss didn't try hard, teammates "CBA" (no protagonist chapter)
On Saturday, June 2009, 6, there was more and more news about whether Kobe could play in Game 6. Mamba was "dunked", which was beyond the expectations of many people.

100:121, after the Lakers' crushing defeat on Thursday, Kobe did not attend the press conference due to a back injury.

In addition, the Lakers have not officially announced the specific details of the injury, and commentators have predicted that subsequent games will show a one-sided trend.

The Los Angeles Times recently complained about the disastrous defeat in Game 1. Many basketball commentators believed that Phil Jackson's tactics had serious problems, while others complained about Li You's dunk.

"Every playoffs, the teams that play against the Knicks always suffer injuries"

In the first round of this year, Allen Iverson was "smashed". In the semi-finals, Wade's knee became inflamed and edema, and his old injury recurred, so he retired directly.

The conference finals are no problem, as Howard and James' physical fitness far exceeds that of most players in the league. This is also the only difficulty the Knicks have encountered.

In the finals, Li You dunked over two core players, Duncan and Kobe, but now he is injured again. His die-hard fans feel sorry for the Mamba, and no one wants to see Kobe's finals end like this.

The good news is that there are more than two days of rest time between G1 and G2, but the bad news is that there is only one day between subsequent games, and the Lakers are very likely to face a life-and-death battle again in G3.

This situation has almost become a fixed drama every year. At this time, many basketball commentators once again remembered the recently "famous" quote from Lynch Hunter:

"The NBA has become a basketball game where you can only lose, not win"

Li You has caused great "harm" to the Eastern Conference. He has consistently bullied the weaker teams every year, and the teams behind him have been losing. In the playoffs, there are only a few teams that can still fight back, and currently only the Cavaliers and Celtics are left.

I thought the defending champions would be able to deal a heavy blow as their strength declined this year, but they performed poorly in just one game. Even the most confident fans would feel desperate.

The ESPN program this morning reviewed Kobe's performance, with 10 of 4 shots, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 turnovers. It's hard to make a highlight reel of Mamba. If you change the name, such Excel is the performance of a role player.

Kobe's participation in the game is in doubt, but the show did not criticize the Mamba for his absence. Instead, they sent their blessings. As the broadcaster, they need important supporting actors to appear in the game.

Without the broadcasting rights for the finals, TNT has been performing analysis and commentary every afternoon recently. The program will provide a detailed breakdown of the two teams' tactical changes and breakdowns of the exciting offense and defense.

In fact, Charles Barkley started to criticize Kobe in the post-game show after Game 1. Now, more than a day has passed, and Kobe has not yet confirmed whether he will play in Game 2, so Barkley is even more critical.

The fans who watched the show were mainly to get official first-hand information. There were too many fake news on Twitter, and some even vowed that "Kobe will retire".
After the show started at 2 pm, the game analysis continued. It was the turn to analyze the Knicks' three-point shooting tactics. Kenny Smith praised the defending champions' shooters:

"Compared to the Lakers, the Knicks' role players were more confident, and their performance from beyond the three-point line ultimately caused opponents to change their defensive strategies."

"JR Smith has made great progress this season and has supported the team's three-point shooting after Raja Bell was injured."

"The Lakers' role players failed to respond, shooting a combined 12-of-3 from beyond the three-point line. They seemed to have lost confidence."

When the director gave the data comparison of the two teams, the Knicks made a total of 28 of 13 three-pointers, crushing their opponents in all aspects whether in terms of number of shots or hit rate.

The tactical coordination analyzed was that JR Smith and Marion made a fake screen and then shot from outside. Li You's behind-the-back ground pass looked particularly chic, fancy and accurate.

As if there was a mysterious bonus, both of them performed very well in three-point shooting in this game. The former made 8 of 4 and the latter made 5 of 2. Just with this simple tactic, the Lakers paid a huge price on the defensive end.

"This is not the key to winning the game. You know, the Lakers were only 3 points behind in the first half! We all know the reason for the loss, and Kobe failed to respond."

“Like Lee said, he was scared, and I saw fear in his eyes in some rounds!”

In the studio, Charles Barkley turned into a psychologist again, seriously analyzing Kobe's mental state in front of the camera. Seeing his partner return to the seat on the far right, he turned around and added loudly:
"Kobe doesn't even dare to defend Lee. If this is his performance, he should give up his position in the best defensive team."

"As a team leader, he failed to complete his task. If I were Kobe, I would choose to play with an injury. This is the finals, and he cannot guarantee that he will be on this stage next season."

"."

There are more and more calls for Kobe to play with injuries, but Ernie Johnson is not in a position to express his support. He cannot say which is more important, health or championship. Hearing that Big Mouth is still speaking, he has to interrupt:
"We should discuss whether the Lakers will change their defensive strategy. Ariza performed well in this playoffs, but he can't limit Lee."

"Putting too much energy on the defensive end also caused problems on his offense. Li got a triple-double in just three quarters. The Lakers' defense in Game 1 was a complete failure."

The director gave the data of the core players of the two teams to help fans review the performance of both teams:
出场36分钟，20中11，罚球10中7，29分12篮板5助攻1抢断1盖帽2失误，邓肯稳定贡献两双；
出场33分钟，21中14，三分线外8中4，罚球11中11，43分10篮板12助攻3抢断2盖帽2失误，李佑高效填满数据栏。

Kenny Smith felt that it was not good to criticize Kobe too much. He was not interested in arguing with fans. He took the opportunity to change the topic while comparing the core players:

"That's the way basketball is, I think Duncan found a way to crack the zone defense, but unfortunately those passes didn't turn into points."

"In the next game, the Lakers are likely to rebound strongly. They have the ability to solve the problem from the outside."

The three-point shooting opportunities of the Lakers were specially edited, and there were open spaces on the wing and in the bottom corner, but most of the rounds were missed and passed, and the role players who appeared on the court seemed to lack confidence.

"You can't let role players take on the task of chasing points! We all know how difficult it is to play under pressure."

"That's Kobe's job. If he watches our show, he should step up in the next game."

"Maybe he hasn't realized yet that Lee won't waste this matchup opportunity. Kobe can't escape at all. He will be finished again!"

Charles Barkley made a solemn promise, as if he had seen through everything and firmly believed that Li You would deliberately target Kobe. The two partners on the side did not respond, but everyone thought so in their hearts.

Kobe, who was "kidnapped" by the sports media, also appeared in the training hall in the afternoon. He did not "suffer serious injuries" as gossip from the outside world said. The reason why he did not accept interviews was mainly because of the disagreement with the coaching staff.

Phil Jackson insisted that Kobe should play less in the low post and not match up with Li You on the defensive end. He hoped that Mamba could focus on offense and try to be more efficient and stable.

But Kobe, who had been ridiculed for many days, could no longer hold back. After being "dunked", he became popular again. Not only did he appear on Sports Center and YouTube again, but the NBA official took the lead in "charging forward":
“Kobe vs. The Dunk—He Lost”

Many young players also praised the dunk on Twitter after the game, and some players who were trying to attract attention directly mocked Kobe's performance. Although Mamba didn't pay attention to these, some people in the locker room were gossiping.

The sports reporters around the stadium all pointed their cameras at Kobe. Everyone was relieved to see that there was nothing wrong with the Mamba's activities. If he really missed the game due to injury, then G2 would have been boring.

Phil Jackson was in a bad mood as he was unable to convince Kobe. The old KFC man thought this was a "trap" and he no longer believed in Kobe's ability. The two had serious disagreements again.

The training session was over, and Kobe's extra practice was also completed. The long-awaited sports reporters gathered around, and everyone wanted to know whether Mamba would play in Game 2. "I'm in good physical condition! Back injury? I just feel some pain now, and I've recovered."

"This is the finals, I'm not going to miss any game, you know, the series has just begun."

Kobe showed a resolute look and gave a direct answer. He didn't like the team's "smoke bomb" behavior at all. Thinking of the game tomorrow night, he added again:
"You'll see my performance! Statistics? I don't think about that at all, I just want to get an away win."

Most sports journalists don't care about Kobe's statistics. Everyone has already accepted that Mamba Excel is lame. Now everyone just wants to watch the show.
After careful observation, the ESPN reporter felt that there was indeed no problem, so he asked in a deep voice:

"Kobe, if Lee gets a triple-double in the first game, will you change your defensive strategy?"

There were more and more calls for him to take over the defense. Kobe knew that the coaching staff hoped he would obey the arrangement, but thinking of those ridicules, Mamba decided to save face:
"This will be a long series, we will try different defensive methods, as the team leader, I will take over the game on both offense and defense!"

"."

Kobe briefly explained the team's defensive adjustments to reporters, and also revealed that some "details" he mastered would play a role in one-on-one situations.

Naturally, no one questioned it at the scene, and most people didn't believe it. Now everyone just wants to coax Mamba to defend. Without direct dialogue between the stars, the finals lack highlights.

There were also reporters interviewing everyone in the Lakers locker room. Fisher only spoke politely, which made Barnes more popular.

"Three-point shooting percentage? Honestly, I don't want to look at the data. It doesn't reflect the true situation of the game at all."

When talking about his poor outside shooting in the second half, Barnes denied the accusations of the sports reporter and lost his smile. After a little thought, he continued to add:
"I want to share my championship experience. In the Knicks, role players rarely take on the task of chasing points and playing key shots."

"All we have to do is get the ball to Lee. Once the team takes the lead, it's our job as role players to expand the lead."

"Now you should understand why our three-point shooting percentage has not reached the normal level. During the game, everyone took too much pressure, which is not our task."

It is now popular to hold a "meeting" after a loss. Kobe has many fans, so he naturally doesn't take the blame. Duncan performed well, so no one blames him. In the end, the reason for the loss is blamed on role players.

Barnes, with his body naked, spoke up for his teammates, then shrugged his shoulders and said nothing more. In fact, everyone in the locker room was a little dissatisfied. They didn't get high salaries, so they shouldn't be blamed for the loss.

Ariza was a little embarrassed, and the "lip-reading expert" interpreted what he said to Kobe during the game.

After the news was revealed, he was attacked by fans. In addition, since he had not made a loyalty declaration before, Lakers fans clamored to trade him, which made Ariza feel a little aggrieved.

Although the locker room leader Fisher kept reminding him, Ariza still couldn't help but complain a few words when talking about his defense:

"A lot of people don't understand what it means to defend Lee. I can still feel the soreness in my muscles."

"Listen, man, you can't ask a role player to limit Lee on defense and hit those shots on offense."

"."

Duncan could feel the emotions of his teammates. After just one game, all the confidence they had built up before disappeared, and disagreements arose in tactical arrangements, which made him a little disappointed.

When Kobe returned to the locker room, Duncan was no longer as humble as before, and took the initiative to speak when explaining the game strategy:
“I can get involved in more pick-and-rolls and I have the confidence to hit those jump shots!”

Duncan not only showed his confidence, but also stood up and supplemented the tactics arranged by Phil Jackson, indicating that he could receive the ball in the left or right blocking area or at the free throw line after the pick-and-roll.

"Lamar and I will take care of the rebounding, we need some three pointers!"

Duncan looked around at his teammates with a serious expression. Odom was the first to say that he would obey the arrangement and rush for the rebound. Fisher agreed immediately and said seriously:
"We gotta do our job! Look, don't overthink it, like Matt said, don't put too much pressure on yourself."

The leaders on the field and in the locker room expressed their opinions, and the atmosphere group spoke up, and the atmosphere in the locker room was no longer as dull as yesterday.

Sun Yue, a little transparent, glanced at Kobe and found that the leader of the training ground was silent. Thinking of the news he had seen recently, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind:

“The gap turned out to be so huge.”

On Tuesday, June 6, the Lakers officially confirmed that Kobe would start the game. O'Neal, who came to Manhattan to watch Game 7, took the initiative to accept an interview before the game and sent his blessings to his little brother:

"I know my little brother, he's not going to run away, a lot of people forget he's a championship guard, he knows how to play next to an MVP."

"Injuries can't bother him. Kobe will respond."

Two hours before the game started, O'Neal came to the stadium early to visit Kobe. The old shark acted like a brother in front of the reporters, but his words were a bit sarcastic.

Kobe didn't like O'Neal's behavior at all. If he had performed well in G1, he felt that his old partner would definitely not be here.

Artest and David Lee also came to the stadium early tonight to cheer for the Knicks. They are having a good time in Miami. The championship forward who never participates in hard training has gained some weight recently.

Facing the familiar reporters from ESPN and ABC, Artest, wearing a Knicks jersey, grinned as if he had heard a joke, and commented on his old rival with a smile:
"This is why the Lakers have been losing. Kobe is simply unable to take on the responsibility of a leader."

"Championship experience can't help them, these guys are too soft and can't match Li's confrontation at all!"

"."

Due to recent rumors that the Heat are going to trade Artest, coupled with Ariza's contract issues, the championship forward has also been linked to the Lakers.

When Artest heard the relevant questions, he seemed indifferent and even joked:

"I wouldn't mind injecting some tough-guy vibes into the Lakers!"

"."

(End of this chapter)