NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 662: Fight for another 7 years? (Daily Chapter)
On Thursday, June 2009, 6, TNT's Inside the NBA welcomed its last episode of the season, and the gossip about "trade" attracted the attention of a large number of sports fans.

For the evening show, the trio had never expected that a casual remark they made a few days ago would actually lead to the Lakers’ trade information. This wonderful misunderstanding increased their ratings.

Charles Barkley was a big mouth before. He said that trading Kobe was a piece of cake and he had no inside information. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise and caused misunderstandings for the Lakers.

Since the show was broadcast a few days ago, not only Kobe's agent Pelinka was confused, but the Lakers also began to "catch the traitor" and send away their star player, but they will be boycotted by fans!
Under such circumstances, the Lakers officials had to come out to "refute the rumors" and declared that Kobe was not for sale, but people in the industry knew that old Buss had already thought about sending Mamba away.

The last time Kobe forced the abdication, the two sides parted ways unhappily. Old Buss chose to compromise, but he was obviously unhappy.

After acquiring MVP Tim Duncan in this trade, Buss lost the finals for two consecutive years. He stopped pretending and quietly sold the Mamba. Most teams understood this and began to actively ask for the price.

Many sports reporters started to break the news of the trade via Twitter. Among them, the reporter from the Chicago Tribune was the most active. Before the trade even happened, he already gave fans a big glimpse on social media:
"The combination of Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant will revive the Bulls!"

I thought the relevant news would trigger a warm response from Chicago fans, but in the end, there were few responses. After being beaten for many years, the Bulls fans have been completely numb. Some people even left a message in the comment section mockingly:
"For an older star, sacrifice the team's future, just to get into the playoffs and be humiliated by Lee?"

"We don't need a cancer like Kobe, we need the next Michael Jordan!"

"Chicago just needs a true superstar."

All the sports journalists who broke the news received no positive feedback, and Kobe's poor performance in the past two years has been deeply rooted in people's minds.

If Duncan's historical status is getting lower and lower, then Mamba has become a real joke.

During the show that night, the trio did not announce like ESPN that the trade was impossible. Instead, they once again followed the hot topics and enthusiastically discussed the "rebuilding" of the Lakers.

In the studio, the director listed the teams that were interested in Mamba recently. Except for the Knicks and the Cavaliers, almost all teams participated in inquiring about the price.

"Kobe, who is about to turn 31, is undoubtedly at the peak of his career. He is the best backcourt player in the league after Lee."

Ernie Johnson once again praised Kobe's strength, but Charles Barkley shook his head and immediately retorted:
"I think Kobe's peak is over. Look at his performance in the finals. For two consecutive years, his shooting percentage was less than 40%. Such offensive efficiency cannot make him an absolute core."

"If Kobe is willing to give up his core position, he will have a chance to succeed in the next few years."

"After watching the finals, I think Lee will continue to dominate Kobe in the future. This is also the difficulty of the trade. They have to make sure the player's wishes."

This is not the first time that the Mamba has been criticized. After two consecutive years of failure, Kobe not only lost his superstar status, but also lost his core tactical position.

After combining with Excel, ESPN's view of ranking Mamba 50th has been recognized by more basketball critics, and Kobe has been labeled as "overrated" and "cancer".

"I think Kobe's choice to leave may not be a bad thing. He may need a change of environment. The spotlight of Los Angeles makes him lost!"

Kenny Smith did not say anything bad about the Mamba. After seeing a star like Kobe being put on the shelf by the boss, he was even a little dissatisfied. Noticing that his partner was still shaking his head, he loudly refuted again:
"We should realize one thing, not every player can adapt to a big market like Lee!"

"Every season, the Lakers have locker room problems, but the Knicks never have these problems. We all know how important the locker room is."

"This is not college basketball. Everyone has their own demands. Obviously Kobe can't handle these things. He can't control the locker room like Lee can."

"I don't want to reveal my name, but someone sent me a text message saying that during the halftime break of Game 4, there was a fight between players in the Lakers locker room, which is why they set the record for the biggest point difference in the Finals."

The two partners on the side heard the news for the first time and exclaimed in surprise. Charles Barkley laughed gossipingly and asked inquiringly:
"Man, you have to say it so people will believe us!"

"I personally want to believe what you said is true, but after hearing this news, I think Kobe will not choose to leave. He has the right to veto a trade and he can decide whether to stay or go."

Hearing the two gossiping again, Ernie Johnson took the initiative to interrupt the topic, cooperated with the director to play an interview, and explained with a smile:

"This is our interview process in Manhattan this morning. New York fans went to the airport to welcome back the 13th championship trophy in team history!"

"At present, they have officially surpassed Los Angeles. In the next few years, the Knicks even have a great chance to surpass the Celtics and become the biggest winner in NBA history!"

Although they were unable to witness the award ceremony at home this year, New York fans were still very excited. The cheers never stopped from the moment Li You and others got off the plane.

There were more and more voices of "Fuck Los Angeles", and many young fans were shouting and cheering excitedly, which made it almost impossible for the following buses to get out.

There were many people "borrowing money" on the spot. Now that the Lakers have been stepped on, it is only a matter of time before they surpass the Celtics' 16 trophies. They are only 3 away. If they grit their teeth, they can surpass them with four consecutive championships!

During "Devils Dance", there was another exclusive interview after returning to New York. The TNT reporter did not interview Li You, but Rondo and JR Smith who were interviewed also maximized the program effect.

After winning the championship, the two of them were naked, one holding a trophy, and seemed to be drunk during the interview, and once again ridiculed him:

"That clown must know my name by now! But I have no interest in competing with him anymore. I have three rings and more to come, while Kobe only performs on the practice court."

"A guy who only knew how to attract attention finally got the recognition he deserves. This is the happiest thing for me after winning the championship!"

Rondo was obsessed with Mamba and chased Kobe in the finals, but the other party ignored him completely, obviously thinking that the rookie was not qualified to talk to a superstar.

Combined with his previous remarks, this move made Rondo very angry. He was just trying to curry favor with others. He thought that his future achievements would not be inferior to Kobe's, so he took this opportunity to add insult to injury.

After reading the news reports in recent days, JR Smith has become very inflated. In Game 4, he made 14 of 8 shots, 7 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 23 points efficiently.

JR Smith has gained a large number of fans for his wonderful dunks. When interviewed, he has already put himself in the position of an All-Star:
"Lee will lead us to keep winning. I am not interested in the opponent's reconstruction problem. As for Kobe, he is out of fashion!"

"Lee and I are the strongest backcourt combination in the league. No one can match us. Kobe is destined to become a joke no matter who he partners with."

"Now we celebrate our 13th championship with our fans! The Knicks have surpassed the Lakers."

As the interview was about to end, the scene was in chaos. New York fans were yelling and cursing wildly. After cursing the Lakers, they also criticized the Celtics. In the end, no one knew who started it, but they started to laugh at the Bulls and 76ers.
Even after the bus left, the gathered fans did not disperse. Instead, their numbers grew. The number of championships surpassed that of the Lakers, and New York sports fans were overjoyed.

After watching this interview, Charles Barkley was speechless. When discussing the number of championships, he was really powerless to refute the New York fans' loan. After Li You, who is about to turn 32, wins a trophy next year, the Knicks will usher in the 14th championship in team history, and surpassing the Celtics in the future will no longer be a fantasy.

"It's incredible! Lee is still creating miracles. No one would have expected this to happen in the early 90s."

"Maybe this is why the Lakers want to change. They still have a glorious history, but they are no longer the first choice for players. No one will refuse to play in Madison Square Garden."

Kenny Smith couldn't help but exclaim in admiration when he saw this scene. In the past, New York fans didn't treat Ewing very well, but now they have become extremely loyal to him. It's a bit outrageous no matter how you think about it.

"The Lakers will indeed be in trouble. They made it to the finals again, but lost because of the strength of their core players."

"Their draft pick is still in the hands of the Spurs, and this offseason is very important for the Lakers."

Without further comment on the trade, Ernie Johnson summarized the Lakers' recent farce with a smile. Charles Barkley on the side stopped teasing Mamba and gave a serious suggestion:

"Kobe, if you watch our show, relax and stop being Mr. Nice Guy!"

"Find out your position. Hopefully, we can still see you on the Lakers next season."

"."

That evening, at 0:35, NBC channel broadcast Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on time. Since the host was changed in March, the popularity of this show has gradually stabilized.

Jimmy Fallon, who failed in Los Angeles, returned to New York. After taking over the show, his friends came to support him. Li You, who had not appeared on TV shows for many years, finally came to the screen.

The show was recorded in advance in Studio 30B at 6 Rockefeller Center. NBC gave a preview early on, and the number of people discussing the related topic on Twitter has also skyrocketed recently.

The opening segment was the Tonight Show's comment reading session. Jimmy Fallon, dressed in a black suit, looked at the comments selected from the relevant topics on Twitter and read out the "bad comments" seriously:
"Brick city!"

"West Coast busts!"

"Hollywood team, soft players!"

“Fake fans!”

"."

The relevant topic in this issue is to evaluate the Knicks' opponent in this year's finals, and what follows is full of personal attacks.

When Jimmy Fallon read faster and faster and said "Where's the Mamba", there was laughter in the studio. It was obvious that these malicious comments were from New York sports fans.

"I don't know where Kobe is now, but I know Lee is here. Welcome our great super winner God-Lee!"

"Oh!!"

Kobe, who had trouble sleeping late at night, was also watching the show at home. After the transaction information was revealed, the Lakers chose to deal with it coldly and refused to admit it to the outside world, but the team kept communicating with him.

The cheers from the TV made Kobe lose his mind for a moment. He remembered how glorious he was at the ESPY Awards ceremony after winning the championship. That was his happiest moment.

Putting this year aside, basketball seemed to have brought him nothing but pain in his career so far, and the root of all this was Li You. Kobe stared at the TV, heartbroken by the trade.

"I want to announce one thing to you all first. Lee's number of fans on Twitter and Facebook has exceeded 400 million, which is also an incredible number!"

Pulling out the prepared pictures from under the table, Jimmy Fallon led the applause with a smile. On the other side, Li You, who had just sat down on the sofa in a black casual outfit, patted his chest with a smile amid the boos of the crowd:

"I thought you were going to stay in Los Angeles. Someone told me that you were going to experience the Lakers championship parade. I was stunned to hear that. You won't be able to achieve this goal in the next few years."

Li You laughed and teased his friend who had been working in the film industry for many years and kept failing. The latter grinned and then shared his own story:

"So I came back, and you know, I had a pretty good relationship with Kobe, and we had drinks together in '96."

"I never thought I would see this one day. The fans in Los Angeles were boycotting him. I could hear the boos in front of the TV."

"I mean, if Kobe wanted to come to New York to play, would you work with him? You guys seem like a good match?"

Laughter broke out in the studio again. It would never happen that Kobe and Li You would work together. New York fans don't like Mamba, and until now many people still think that the Lakers stole their championship.

"It's difficult! It's really difficult. Everyone knows that there is only one leader in a team and only one boss in the locker room."

"I respect Kobe, and I feel sad for what happened to him, but we won't cooperate. He will only be my opponent. Maybe next season, we will meet him in the finals."

When a group of basketball commentators belittled Kobe, Li You once again stood up and took this opportunity to praise the Mamba's strength.

Kobe Bryant, who was watching TV, was somewhat moved by what he heard. As an opponent, Li You's recognition was very important. In the entire league, only his "mortal enemy" understood him.

But the next question made Kobe stunned. When asked about future plans, Li You gave a specific time for the first time, no longer being vague like in the past:

"7 years! I plan to end my career in 2016. I need to return to my family and take care of my little ones!"

Kobe's eyes widened, and indescribable emotions surged from the bottom of his heart. All his fantasies were shattered:

"?"

(End of this chapter)