NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 685 True Locker Room Culture (No Protagonist Chapter)

On Monday, October 2009, 10, the preseason games were all over and TNT began to warm up for the opening game tomorrow night.

Contrary to many fans' expectations, in several preseason games, many teams showed excellent form. The Celtics had the biggest change, and Rondo became a true on-court leader.

After Marbury "went crazy", it was thought that the Celtics would give up this out-of-date star, but at Garnett's strong request, they finally gave him a contract.

Many teams were busy laying off players, but the Celtics welcomed back Marbury. Head coach Rivers praised him verbally, but did not give the son of New York playing time in the past few games.

It’s no wonder that the management didn’t want to sign the contract. The main reason is that Marbury’s physical condition is too bad. He has obviously gained weight, which is in stark contrast to his thick muscles last season.

In addition, Marbury is still receiving psychological treatment, so this contract is more like a "handout" and Garnett wants to help his old teammate.
Many fans find it hard to understand why Marbury suddenly became like this, and some are confused by the stubbornness of the Son of New York.

Marbury always wants to prove himself to his hometown, but anyone with a discerning eye can see that there is no comparison between his achievements and those of Li You. In the eyes of some people, the son of New York is just asking for trouble.

Some spectators took photos of Marbury coming to watch the preseason game between the Knicks and the Nets, and he also live-broadcasted it for a while.

The Nets were 40 points behind after three quarters and lost badly. Marbury was so angry that he yelled at the Nets players and even quarreled with local fans. He was finally driven away by security guards.
When major sports media reported this news last week, fans who read the news called it "outrageous" and Marbury looked really "crazy."

When he was kicked out of the arena, the son of New York was still shouting excitedly, completely immersed in his emotions:
"You are a bunch of softies, softies who can only lick Lee*. Sign me and I will return to Brooklyn to prove myself!"

"."

Such clownish behavior made the commentators at a loss as to how to comment. They did not want to ridicule the "mentally ill patients". Who knew what else Marbury would do after being provoked.

Someone has dug out that Marbury's own sneaker brand is close to bankruptcy. Coupled with investment losses, he has spent a lot of money in the past two years and is currently facing financial difficulties.

Being abandoned by the team at this time, some fans sympathized with the son of New York. Fortunately, Garnett helped in the end and Marbury got a relatively stable job.

The Heat will face the Heat at home tomorrow night. After the morning training session, Marbury calmed down from his frenzy. However, he felt bad for a moment when he saw Rondo getting along with everyone else:

"Hey, Bro, you need to calm down and keep a low profile. Don't embarrass Kevin and the coach. You know, a lot of people don't like to see you back."

As the original leader of the team, the real tough guy Pierce still has a lot of prestige in the locker room. At this time, he deliberately came up to Marbury and gave him instructions. While staring at him, he was also observing Marbury's reaction.

"I know, I swear, I'm fully recovered!"

Garnett also came over, with a serious look on his face. Ever since Ray Allen and Rondo got closer and closer and began to affect the locker room, Garnett was in a bad mood. He really hoped that his old teammate could cheer up:

"I helped you reject the interview, Bro. Now all you have to do is get back in shape. I'll talk to the coach about your playing time."

Marbury was very touched when he heard Garnett's caring words. He regretted throwing leaves. Ever since he started smoking, he couldn't control his emotions:

"Thanks, Bro! I can handle this."

Rondo and Ray Allen didn't care about the three of them. At this time, they were discussing tactical issues with head coach Rivers.

After joining the team for a few months and having watched a lot of game videos when he was with the Knicks, Rondo knew the Celtics very well. After discovering Rivers' "chicken soup" attributes, he quietly took over the tactical board.

Great point guards need to develop game strategies. Rondo recently discussed with the coaching staff how to use Garnett:

"We have to reduce the low-post offense and let Kevin participate more in the pick-and-roll. Initiating offense in the low post will affect the rhythm of the game."

"."

Rivers showed a probing look on his dark face, and Rondo began to write and draw on the tactical board, explaining the positions from time to time, and once again emphasized that Perkins must participate in more screens to create opportunities for shooters.

When Marbury started, the Celtics were somewhat like the Timberwolves on the offensive end, with Garnett making a lot of turnaround jump shots, the Son of New York making strong dribbling runs and Pierce playing one-on-one on the wing.

Initiating the offense from the inside to the outside, Ray Allen is more of a space point, but now Rondo points out that Garnett should be "blue-collar", giving the ball more to the two outside main attackers, and it is enough for Garnett to catch the ball.

"We can try it. Kevin won't care about the statistics. I think he can play a greater role on the defensive end."

"It just so happens that he is still in the recovery period, coach, we can make appropriate adjustments."

Ray Allen looked at Rivers and expressed his thoughts. After hearing their suggestions and looking at the tactical board, Rivers nodded and pretended to be like, "I do plan to do that."

"Yee, I'll talk to Kevin, keep it up."

Rivers agreed and began to encourage the two of them. They had won all the preseason games and Rondo's performance was better than he expected!

When it was lunchtime and the players were leaving, Rivers shook his head in front of the coaching staff and looked at the team's sports injury protection specialist Ed Leathert. He said something inexplicably:
"New York actually sent us Rajon Rondo? What were they thinking?"

After a detailed physical examination, Ed Leatherett and the medical team believe that Rondo is very healthy and does not have any hidden injury risks as the Chicago media said:
“Maybe they have a better option?”

Ed Leatherett asked back, and no one said anything. By sending away an excellent backup point guard, in their opinion, the Knicks were helping the Celtics strengthen their team.

The Lakers, who also participated in the opening game, also performed well in the preseason. Kobe, who had been training hard during the offseason, was in very good shape. Perhaps the technological equipment was really useful, and Mamba was very efficient in several games.

What made Los Angeles fans even happier was the performance of Matt Barnes. The championship forward not only showed good defense, but his shooting from beyond the three-point line was also impressive.

Without Ariza, it seems that there is not much impact. Shannon Brown also played well on the bench. The hard work paid off.

In the eyes of basketball critics, the Lakers' defense in the preseason was more praiseworthy. Duncan, who was wearing knee braces, did not show himself too much on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, he seemed to have a very good understanding with veteran Joe Smith.

As for Odom, who was relegated to the bench again, he was in equally good shape. The big-butt girl did not affect him, and the left-handed magician supported the Lakers' rotation.

In the afternoon at the Toyota Center training hall, as the training session ended, Phil Jackson clapped his hands and officially announced to everyone:
"Kurt will take over the command on the road. You all know him very well. He is a real 'Laker'." "I want to tell you this news early. This is my last year coaching. I hope to see everyone unite together."

"."

He wanted to coach outside during the offseason, but the old man at KFC tried his best to keep him and even made a big promise. In the end, Kurt Rambis accepted the position of away coach, and he will officially take over next season.

Bruce Bowen, who joined the coaching staff, didn't have any ideas. No matter who coached, it would not affect him much. However, Duncan frowned secretly. Rambis took good care of him, but he couldn't understand the away coach.

"I'm rooting for Kurt, like Phil said, he knows everything about the Lakers!"

"Listen, we have to be strict with ourselves and we need to work harder than our opponents"

Kobe took over the conversation with a serious expression. In addition to expressing his support, he once again reminded his teammates not to relax and repeatedly emphasized the importance of focusing on the game and training. Odom, who was standing beside him, secretly curled his lips when he heard this.

With the support of the training ground leader, Rambis, who was wearing black-framed glasses, nodded secretly. When the locker room leader Fisher also expressed his opinion, the visiting coach immediately smiled slightly. He had won the trust of the core players!

The training session officially ended, and when Duncan returned to the locker room, he didn't say much. He felt that the Lakers' way of changing coaches was not rigorous enough, and it was difficult for him to trust the rookie coach.

Vujacic laughed and shared his love affair, saying that he planned to get engaged to Sharapova, and everyone followed suit.

Odom, who has already married Khloe Kardashian, did not envy his teammates' love affairs, but instead shared his own news in a boastful manner:
"I will be joining the next season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and the spin-off has been confirmed!"

"Oh!!"

Now everyone was completely excited. At the end of last month, Odom and Julian Cheshire Oakley had their wedding live broadcast, and many people went to congratulate them. Although it was a flash marriage, the two seemed to be very much in love.

Kobe and Duncan also attended the wedding with their wives, and Odom was even more popular than Mamba in terms of gossip traffic.

When everyone started gossiping, Kobe, who had returned to the locker room, said, "Focus on the game tomorrow night." Odom sighed helplessly. In his opinion, Mamba was a little "crazy":
"Bro, it's just the Clippers! They don't stand a chance!"

"."

Odom complained a few words, but Kobe remained unmoved. Although Blake Griffin was out for the season due to a fracture and Zach Randolph was sent away by the Clippers, Mamba was still very cautious when facing Jamal Crawford.

As everyone left the locker room talking and laughing, Duncan and Bowen walked towards the parking lot together. The management did not inform them about the away coach, and both of them had some ideas.

“Tim, this is Los Angeles, and to me, this is more like a show.”

Bowen was talking about Phil Jackson's physical problem. The old man obviously couldn't hold on any longer, but in choosing Rambis, the Buss family considered loyalty more.

"I don't care about any of that, man, I just want to win for once!"

Duncan responded expressionlessly and then waved his hand. In his opinion, no matter how the team adjusted, it would ultimately depend on the performance of the core players. He wanted to go home, so it didn't matter who coached.

On Tuesday the 27th, the Knicks will have another awards ceremony. In recent days, a number of sports media have been reporting on the "8th consecutive championship" every day to take advantage of the popularity.

MSG also reported team news intensively through its own channel. Although the Yankees won the championship again, New York sports fans are still more concerned about the historical moments of the new season.

Being on TV every day made the new Knicks players a little uncomfortable, especially the three who had just joined the team. This locker room was completely different from what they had imagined.

Ibaka's English is not very good, but he can hide it. However, Danny Green was dumbfounded. He really didn't expect that serving the boss is actually a sought-after job!
It was almost 18: and there were still two hours before the game started. As required, the players had to enter the stadium early.

Danny Green thought he had arrived early enough to help the staff prepare drinks and food, but when he entered the locker room, he found Chalmers playing music and happily peeling oranges.
Although this was not the first time he had seen this scene, the newbie still found it outrageous. He doubted that Chalmers would be so serious when taking care of his girlfriend.

"Hey! Bro, you should have come earlier! Listen, the staff's impression of you will also affect your appearance time."

"Many people have been working for the team since Lee joined. Maybe they will mention it during a chat, and then the boss will think of you!"

Chalmers' dark face showed a "veteran" look, and he shared his experience of getting along with the team. Danny Green scratched his head subconsciously and asked in a low voice with some confusion:
"Didn't you tell me that the boss only looks at statistics and performance on the field?"

"Since we both have championship experience, let me remind you again that you have to compete for garbage time with Wesley Matthews who came in from the back door."

Speaking of championship experience, Chalmers stood up involuntarily, and seeing that Danny Green was silent, he added again:
"Your statistics will definitely not be too different, unless you can't even grasp the open space. At this time, the attitude of the boss is very important."

"That guy carries Li's bag every day and even took away his shoeshine job!"

"Every time I take a video class, I squeeze in next to Li. Now I am also a security guard, helping Li park his car every day."

Danny Green felt his scalp tingling when he thought of Wesley Matthews turning into a veteran bootlicker under the guidance of Ben Wallace. He was too white and lost the first battle in terms of skin color.

Chalmers was madly complaining about the new rookie. He didn't expect to meet a strong opponent. At this time, he had to help Danny Green. Both of them came from famous basketball schools and were in the same camp.

"It gets cold fast in New York, man, you gotta learn how to make tea."

"For some back-to-back games, remember to bring some blueberry jam. Lee might need it when he eats cookies on the plane. Don't let the staff take away what you should be doing."

"."

Listening to the endless suggestions, Danny Green was annoyed. There was no "chicken soup" in this locker room, and he had to compete for the job to be a bootlicker, which completely shattered his fantasy from watching the documentary before:
“So the documentary only contains one tenth of the content?”

"."

(End of this chapter)