NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 672 "The Last Fight?" (No Protagonist Chapter)
On Sunday, July 2009, 7, ESPN officially broadcast the ESPY Awards ceremony held on the 19th. Many sports fans stayed in front of the TV to review the sports events of the year.

Michael Phelps, who won a huge amount of gold medals, was undoubtedly the biggest winner, but Usain Bolt was equally impressive.

The Jamaican sprinter almost crushed the American tech giant with his incredible strength, and he deserved the Best International Male Athlete award.

Another impressive person was Maya Moore, a member of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team. When Li You came on stage to present the best female college athlete, he praised this alumna to the sky:

"Undefeated champion! I have watched all of Moore's games and her talent and hard work are impressive. I believe that the University of Connecticut will successfully defend its title under her leadership!"

"."

When receiving the trophy from Li You, the young black female basketball player was so excited that she held it for a long time on the stage, and everyone in the audience gave her friendly applause.

There had been gossip before that Li You was going to sign this alumnus as the first female basketball member of his brand. Now seeing the two of them praising each other commercially at the awards ceremony, this has basically been confirmed.

The girls have to make money too, and as long as Maya Moore leads the team to another championship and doesn’t get injured in the future, they are destined to be a huge success.

The most interesting scene at the award ceremony was the acceptance speeches of LeBron James, who won the Best NBA Player Award, and Candace Parker, who won the Best WNBA Player Award.

The former thanked his teammates and opponents as always. James also briefly reviewed the Eastern Conference Finals and praised Li You highly:
“For the young players, it’s an honor to be an opponent of Lee.”

After receiving the trophy, the latter first thanked his teammates and coaches, and then teased the Mamba, causing everyone at the scene to follow suit:

"Everyone knows that I am an Allen Iverson supporter, so I chose the No. 3 jersey."

"Some people tell me Kobe is a better player than Iverson because he went to the Finals so many times, but in my opinion, that's unfair."

"Iverson inspired me. He encouraged a generation of young players. He is a real fighter!"

"."

Many people at the scene cheered for Candace Parker. The young female basketball player received encouragement from Iverson in high school and has always kept it in mind.

When the Son of Philadelphia announced his departure from basketball, all the basketball critics were belittling him and comparing Iverson with Kobe's performance, believing that Mamba was only worse than Li You, but far better than other players in the 96 class.

In such an environment of public opinion, it is not easy for Candace Parker to speak up for her idol. Everyone likes to add icing on the cake and provide timely assistance, but so far she is the only one who has done it.

The bored sports media recently started discussing the rankings of the 96 players. Li You is undoubtedly number one, and the classic "competition for second place" segment appeared again.

ESPN pushed Kobe up, and some basketball critics took the opportunity to belittle Iverson, who had already left basketball. This created a classic scene at the award ceremony. The Son of Philadelphia also has die-hard fans!

Fans in front of the TV could see the director pointing the camera at Li You and Kobe. The former smiled and clapped repeatedly, while the latter had a long face and looked angry again.

But no matter how angry Kobe was, it was useless. He could only be a spectator throughout the award ceremony.

In the evaluation of the strength of active players, LeBron James also surpassed him to become the "second one", and this award is the best proof of this.

Reaching the finals six times and only winning one championship by relying on others, this is the impression of most basketball commentators and fans. When discussing the issue of strength, James and Wade received more preferential treatment.

Not having made it to the finals actually makes the two of them more well-known. Those who have never stepped onto the biggest stage always make people think more. As for Kobe and Duncan, they have completely become background members.

Since the video was edited before being released, there was also a party shot after the award ceremony. The most popular person at the scene was still Li You. It was not because of the explosive influence of the NBA, but because of the too many US dollars.

The Under Armour All-American Moment was also presented by Li You. As a major shareholder, he is also one of the sponsors of this awards ceremony.
Sports fans in front of the TV only remembered the red football capital when they saw Li You hugging Messi and taking photos with Cristiano Ronaldo;

Especially when seeing Ronaldo's grateful look, I realized that Li You's influence had already spread, and Real Madrid's pursuit of Ronaldo now seems to have been successful.

The circle of famous athletes is not large, and the ESPY has only been around for a few years. Li You has witnessed the growth of this award ceremony almost throughout its entire process. As an old veteran, he is naturally treated with preferential treatment, and almost everyone gathers around him.

Except for Kobe who left early, most of the people were familiar with each other. The short Shawn Johnson-East was the "leader". The Olympic all-around champion seemed to want to get more attention with his blond hair.
There was laughter and joy after the award ceremony, and only Kobe's fans felt sad that Mamba was ridiculed again at his "home doorstep".

On Monday the 20th, after ESPN officially released the content of the awards ceremony, Kobe suddenly received attention again. Early in the morning, Sports Center broke the news that Mamba was injured again:
"The Lakers officially confirmed Kobe's injury, a sprained right wrist. It is said that after the award ceremony, Kobe has been throwing himself in the training hall."

This is not the first time that he has trained himself to the point of injury. Kobe's efforts have not been respected, but instead more people have begun to laugh at him. Big Mouth Arenas was the first to tweet:

"This is the deadly Mamba. We are all working hard, but only Kobe gets the attention. I really hope to see him play in the Eastern Conference."

Ever since James shared his training photos on social media, Arenas, who was plagued by injuries and actively recovering, was not willing to lag behind and also updated photos on Facebook, but no one discussed him.

Vince Carter, who was just traded to the Magic, also updated his Twitter this morning, and he updated several times. In addition to showing goodwill to the Orlando fans, he also made some sarcastic comments:
"I want everyone to call me 'Black Mamba'!"

Carter is very popular and naturally has loyal fans. Taking advantage of their idol's voice, they all explained the "Birth of the Mamba" to the Orlando fans. This was Li You's earliest recognition of Vince Carter.

Now when we mention Mamba, we think of Kobe. It was he who stole the title.
Kidd, who just renewed his contract with the Mavericks, also joined in the fun. The old guy has been particularly active recently for his contract. After achieving his goal, in addition to expressing his loyalty to Dallas, he also spoke up for his former teammates:

"In my mind, Vince Carter is the real Black Mamba. A lot of people forget our rivalry with Lee."

When Arenas saw everyone making a fuss on Twitter, he suddenly became completely excited and started calling his friends, taking the opportunity to attack Mamba online and gossip about the player's stories.

He is not good at playing basketball, but he is a good at fanning the flames. Arenas made full use of his big mouth attribute, belittling Kobe while praising Iverson and singing the praises of the competition between the Son of Philadelphia and Li You.

As more players joined in, no one spoke up for Kobe, which made Lakers fans feel disheartened. Where was Tim Duncan?
By Tuesday, attentive fans finally spotted Duncan in San Antonio. The MVP had gone back early to visit Popovich, who was recuperating, but he kept a low profile and no one paid attention to him.

The Spurs recently signed free agent Theo Ratliff, the outdated shot-blocking king, and this signing naturally did not cause more discussion. The Spurs were not ideal in the playoffs. In addition to the young head coach, the more important reason was the lineup. The Western Conference was also polarized, and it was not easy to get a playoff spot.

In a local Mexican restaurant, the owner took a photo with Duncan with a smile. They have been supporters of the Spurs since the restaurant opened in 92, and they do not hate Duncan like extreme fans do.

There weren't many people at lunch time, but everyone who came to the restaurant was friendly. Some even comforted Duncan. When the two of them officially sat down, Popovich, with his gray hair, sighed:
"Tim, everyone still supports you. No matter what, you are the pride of this city. David misses you too."

After the trade happened that year, David Robinson expressed his incomprehension, but as Duncan lost consecutive games, the Spurs legend began to speak up for his old teammate and was considered one of the few people who truly supported him.

After "returning home", Duncan no longer dressed elegantly like he did in Los Angeles. He had a beard and messy hair. He wore a gray T-shirt and baggy jeans, and looked like he had lost the aura of a big star.

His wife Amy was still in Los Angeles. When Duncan tasted the familiar taste, he felt nostalgic for a moment. He missed the past more and more:

"I know. I don't blame David. I just wanted to win the championship. I don't regret that decision. As for those extreme fans, I can understand their feelings."

Hearing Duncan's relieved expression, Popovich immediately laughed. The old man finally saw hope. He had never given up on getting his big man back home, so he quickly struck while the iron was hot:
"Come back, Tim. I don't want to promise anything, but in the basketball world, there are more important things than championships!"

"I believe that with Tony and Manu, as long as we persist, we will achieve greater success. Together, we have shaped the Spurs' team culture."

Perhaps recalling the happy times in the past, Duncan did not deny that although he won 67 games in Los Angeles, he was not happy and he was not suitable for Los Angeles.

The impetuous team atmosphere and the attention that far exceeded that of other teams did not bring happiness to Duncan, but instead added a lot of troubles to his life.

"I don't know what will happen in the future, we can discuss it when the contract ends."

"But I should be very old by then, and I may not be able to play a core role anymore. Maybe this is God's will. He is punishing me. I have really let down the fans of this city."

Duncan has been unable to get over the loss in Game 3 of the Finals. Almost two months have passed, and he still can't forget those missed free throws.

Victory was clearly in sight, and as long as they could hold on for one more quarter, they would have a chance to change the course of the series. However, they were defeated by Li You in an 8-on-5 situation, and Duncan could not accept such a result.

The contract issue made Popovich hesitate to speak. He didn't like Bynum. This big man was very talented, but his personality did not meet the requirements of the Spurs.

"It's okay, Tim, you're always welcome, give me some time and I'll be back in the coaching booth."

Popovich did not make things difficult for his player, but instead revealed some of his own plans. The old man's physical condition has improved, and as long as there is a suitable opportunity, he will coach the team again.

It seems that everything is back, a coach who is both a teacher and a friend, teammates with similar personalities, and a city that supports him. Duncan is in a good mood. If he cannot pursue the championship, then he must go home at the end of his career:

"Do I still have a chance to win the championship? We tried almost everything in the finals, but Li always managed to put the ball into the basket."

"Until now I still can't understand why his physical condition is getting better and better. At the age of 32, most defenders have begun to decline at this time and start to rely on experience and skills."

"We even thought about protesting to the league and completing a raid like the Heat did, but I knew it would be pointless!"

When he was on the Lakers, Duncan couldn't share his thoughts. He was a leader on the court and he needed to show his confident attitude, but after "returning home", he had no scruples.

Hearing Duncan constantly complaining about Li You's incomprehensible yet incredible performance, the old man nodded, occasionally responded, and finally suddenly sighed and said with emotion:
"I always think that letting Bruce defend Lee is the best choice. Basketball is sometimes a psychological game!"

"The Lakers lack a character like Bruce. If you want to win, you have to be tougher than your opponents!"

"."

Everyone who does the "dirty work" has been recognized by the coach and core players. There are less than 400 players in the league, and the circle is not large. Everyone cares about reputation, and only if there is enough benefit will someone do this job.

This is also part of the Spurs' team culture. Popovich did not hide his feelings in front of Duncan and even encouraged him. He hoped that Duncan could win the championship.

Duncan's eyes twitched slightly when talking about the past. He was a victim at the beginning. Li You's reputation has been getting better and better in recent years. Some young people have forgotten the "flying knee" and "iron elbow" in the past, but he was deeply impressed.

The two ate lunch quietly and no longer talked about basketball, but Duncan kept Popovich's advice in mind and thought that maybe he should talk to Phil Jackson about this.

"Tim, to succeed, someone has to make sacrifices. That's how this league works. No one remembers the losers."

"Basketball should bring happiness to people, and I want to see you succeed"

Popovich started nagging again. He looked down on Phil Jackson's triangle offense, but it was not easy to belittle him directly. He hoped to take this opportunity to wake up his opponent.

During the offseason, the Lakers and the Knicks were just as focused on contract renewal. After hearing the guidance, Duncan couldn't think of anyone who could take on such a responsibility, and finally could only remember this in his mind:
"Maybe this is my last chance?!"

On Thursday, the 23rd, a large number of New York fans flocked to the Tarrytown Training Center. Today is the day Ben Wallace officially "goes home".

If we only consider physical and competitive condition, Big Ben has run out of energy, otherwise he would not have been directly abandoned by the 76ers. The opponent does not want to see the championship center affect the team's chemistry.

The Knicks were the only team in the league that didn't have such concerns. Li You updated his Twitter, and the team immediately announced that the championship center was returning home. Ben Wallace also announced that this would be the last season of his career.

The summer league just ended, and the Knicks atmosphere team brought back the trophy again. At this time, several players have not officially entered their vacation, and in order to get playing time in the new season, the newbies plan to fight for it.

Ibaka and Matthews were at the training hall to witness Ben Wallace's return home. However, they were in the weight room, looking at Ben Wallace, who had an afro, punching the sandbag.
After finishing the beating, Daben showed a nostalgic look on his face, and introduced it to the newbie seriously:
"Listen, rookie, boxing is also an important part of the Knicks' heritage!"

"."

(End of this chapter)