NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 694: A Different “Veteran” (Competition Chapter)

On Friday, December 2009, 12, the Christmas game between the Lakers and the Knicks began first.

Watching the game at noon did not affect the enthusiasm of the fans, but after the game started, Reggie Miller on the TNT commentary stand couldn't hold it in anymore, which was completely different from what he predicted before the game.

Reggie Miller has been sulking ever since Li You blessed Miller's personal documentary for great success.

It is impossible to output against the odds, after all, the Knicks have not lost yet in the new season, but it is easy for old Miller to encourage another team.

The Lakers just happened to be on a winning streak, and taking advantage of the Christmas game, Reggie Miller called for Mamba to win the MVP, and even expressed his opinion on the show more than once:
"Kobe Bryant has reached the peak of his career this season. I see the perfect combination of skills and experience!"

"."

Old fans all know that Reggie Miller and Kobe did not have a good relationship back then, and the two of them had exchanged fistfights. However, a few years later, the old guy suddenly became a Mamba fan, which surprised many people.

Perhaps due to excessive hype and Kobe's poor Excel, Mamba's reputation has collapsed again, and some fans have even started to spread the word on social media:
"For the trophy, Kobe publicized Reggie Miller!"

No matter how Mamba explained, some fans didn't believe it. In their opinion, Miller must have received money, otherwise why would he blow such an inefficient data brush?

ESPN took the lead in questioning and adding fuel to the fire, TNT fought back several times, and the two media outlets earned traffic, but no one cared that Kobe's reputation collapsed again.

This Christmas game just happened to coincide with Reggie Miller's promotion of his personal documentary. He had been praising the Mamba a lot recently, but the game ended up slapping him in the face. Old Miller really can't praise anymore!

During the halftime break, Madison Square Garden became even more lively. In addition to talent shows, there were also basketball shooting events for fans.

Reggie Miller felt bad for seeing this scene, but thinking about the recent public opinion and looking at the technical statistics in his hand, he finally chose to tell the truth:

"This was not the game I expected. Kobe seemed to be in some kind of mood. In my opinion, his performance was really bad."

Whenever the stats looked good, Reggie Miller would have praised them as usual. Unfortunately, Mamba was a bit weak in the first half and had a poor performance, which made this big mouth change his opinion.

The unhappy look on his partner made Kevin Harlan laugh softly. Facing the camera, the commentator turned his head and joked:
"I think Kobe's current performance is much better than in the finals! Facing the DPOY's defense, he delivered an outstanding data!"

"."

The fans watching the game on TV soon saw the statistics given by the director after hearing the two's summary:

出场23分钟，16中6，三分线外2中0，罚球4中4，16分4篮板3助攻2失误，科比半场拿到了全队最高分；

出场17分钟，13中9，三分线外8中4，罚球5中5，27分4篮板7助攻3抢断1盖帽1失误，李佑填满数据栏，个人得分不敌湖人队。

46:59, the Knicks only led by 13 points at halftime, and the Lakers, who were winning streak, showed their strong strength.

Judging from the score alone, the Lakers still have a chance, but when discussing the content of the first half of the game, Reggie Miller didn't want to continue to be optimistic about the Mamba. He didn't know why Kobe lost his cool.

Before the start of the third quarter, Kevin Harlan once again started the "vote canvassing mode":
"The second phase of All-Star voting is about to end. Fans in front of the TV can continue to vote for their favorite stars. Currently, Lee is still ranked first."

At this time in the visiting team's locker room, the Lakers players were in a bad mood. Matt Barnes did not expect Mamba to start "making trouble" again. Although the old man from KFC praised Kobe's performance, everyone felt uncomfortable.

The "being himself" Mamba also had a sullen face. Until now, he was still angry. Li You's attitude towards the "MVP battle" was simply a humiliation to him!
Kobe was well prepared for this Christmas battle before the start of the new season. The Lakers' winning streak has already demonstrated his strength, but his "mortal enemy" showed no respect for him.

Not only did he participate in a lot of team activities before the game, but he also often "smoked on the wing" during the game. If it weren't for his fast fast break, Kobe would even suspect that his opponent was fixing the game.
As for why the opponent scored 27 points, Kobe automatically ignored this matter in his mind. His "arch-enemy" had a very good touch and all the goals he made were "easy shots"!
"You can't ask for the ball so often!"

Before leaving the locker room, Barnes made a serious request, and when he found that Kobe did not respond, he added angrily:
"We all knew that you couldn't get rid of Lee's defense. We had a chance to reduce the point difference to single digits! You wasted everyone's efforts."

Veteran Joe Smith was about to speak when Duncan, who had been silent before, shook his head and once again supported his partner and said seriously:

"Coach is right, we have to trust each other, Matt, that's how Kobe plays, we do our job."

"With 13 points, we still have a good chance of winning the game."

Seeing Duncan stand up, Barnes shrugged helplessly. On the other side, Odom clapped his hands and reminded:
“We have to be smarter.”

Everyone responded, but Kobe still had a sullen face and didn't say anything. Mamba seemed to be still immersed in his own emotions, with a dark face full of unhappiness.

It was not until everyone returned to the court that Kobe, who was about to receive the ball, once again reminded his old teammates:
"I can do it, give me the ball!"

Fisher, who was preparing to serve the ball from the baseline, said nothing. After kicking the ball out, he quickly ran towards the half court. Fisher had no interest in interfering with Mamba's offensive choices.

"Defense!."

The defensive cheers gradually rose, and Phil Jackson on the sidelines crossed his arms. Although Kobe was playing recklessly, he still did not give clear instructions. The old man wanted to make Mamba realize a truth:
"Not every player is suitable to be a core player."

After crossing half court and looking at Li You who was controlling the distance in front of him, Kobe simply picked up his jersey and waved to veteran Joe Smith to provide screen.

When the two wings of the Lakers began to move towards the bottom corner, the veteran also moved to the top of the arc to perform a pick-and-roll.

Faced with the choice of his "mortal enemy" to strictly guard his right hand, Kobe quickly changed direction in front of his body, and immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated the moment his left hand touched the ball. However, the veteran who was covering him was not in sync enough and was separated too early, allowing Li You to find an opportunity.

Gasol did not chase Joe Smith who was running to the right elbow, but stepped forward in time to delay Kobe's breakthrough.

Mamba stopped and started suddenly, controlling the ball with his left hand, trying to change the rhythm of the attack. In the instant he stopped, Li You, who had squeezed through nimbly, had already caught up with Kobe.

Taking advantage of the opponent's slowdown, Li You pounced on him from behind and then cut the ball accurately from behind with his left hand.

In a flash, the basketball was knocked away, Kobe lost control of the ball, and Li You made another steal. When Mamba gritted his teeth and rushed back, he found that his "mortal enemy" had already controlled the ball and began to accelerate.

The ball was lost near the logo, and the other Lakers players had no time to return to defense. For a moment, there were only cheers in Madison Square Garden.

Li You rushed across half court and completely shook off the defense. He ignored the ferocious-looking Mamba behind him, jumped calmly in the paint area, and easily completed a one-arm dunk!
Seeing Kobe's angry face as he returned to defense with gritted teeth, Reggie Miller was speechless and no longer showed mercy:

"This is not the first time this has happened! Kobe should hold the ball less and realize the gap between him and Lee."

"I don't like this offensive choice. Someone on the Lakers must stand up and remind him that a 15-point difference is very dangerous!"

Near the baseline, Li You, who had just completed a dunk, did not forget to shake his head at the camera to show off. This kind of game was much easier than planned, and he just needed to wait patiently for the opportunity.

"MVP doesn't lag behind in every statistic! I swear, Bro, our advanced stats are never against anyone."

While Kobe was catching the ball, Li You also took the opportunity to friendly explain the recent ranking made by reference.com. Excel showed that Mamba's performance was not worthy of being ranked second in the MVP ranking.

When Kobe saw Li You’s smiling face and thought of the unfair treatment he had suffered, he felt furious. It was these statistics that ruined basketball!

He wanted to continue attacking and show his tough attitude, but when he saw the tactical gestures made by Duncan, Kobe finally chose to pass the ball. After a simple pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, he immediately returned the ball to his partner.

After receiving the ball in the left blocking zone, he faced Chandler who was returning to defense. He raised the ball and faked a shot. When the opponent took a step back, Duncan made a mid-range jump shot.

For a moment, the atmosphere group on the Lakers bench stood up and cheered. Catching up points still depends on the big guys!
When the Knicks attacked again, Barnes was too lazy to pay attention to Kobe's inexplicable self-esteem, and the championship forward chose to double-team in advance.

Prince received the ball at the top of the arc and decisively broke through Joe Smith who was rotating. He stopped suddenly near the free throw line, and took a simple step back jump shot. Although he was not disturbed, he still missed the shot.

Although Duncan tried hard to position himself under the basket, he was unable to grab the rebound immediately facing two big men. Chandler tipped the ball away, and Gasol used his long arms to grab the rebound over his old rival's head.

"Oh!!"

The successful assist made the New York fans at the scene cheer loudly. Veteran Joe Smith had already returned to the basket, but Gasol did not force a layup against the defense. Instead, he quickly rushed out of the paint area and dribbled towards the sideline.

This time the Lakers had completed their defensive matchup. Although Kobe was chasing closely, Li You still managed to receive the ball at the left baseline.

Facing Mamba's close defense, Li You quickly swept the ball, released it with his right hand, then turned his body sideways to protect the ball steadily.

Kobe tried to push Li You out of the sideline without looking behind him and took the initiative to exert force, but he did not dare to move his hands too much because the referee was too close.

Physical pressure seemed to be completely ineffective. Kobe leaned on Li You angrily. The two of them were in a stalemate for a few seconds. After hearing his teammates' reminders, he noticed that Gasol had moved over behind him.

Without waiting for the screen to happen, Li You, who was protecting the ball, suddenly took the initiative to exert force, blew the ball on the spot and leaned towards the defense. After the confrontation, Kobe involuntarily moved back, and seeing Gasol had come to his side, he hurriedly lowered his center of gravity.

Kobe thought Li You would use the screen to get back to the top line. Just when he was about to call his teammates, he saw his old rival dribbling the ball quickly behind his back, twisting his body right in front of him and completing a step back.

Cheers rang out again, and Li You performed extreme operations in a small area. He ignored Kobe who was trying to defend him again, and in the left corner, he tilted his body and forced a jump shot!

"OH——! What a shot!"

The high-arc shot made the basketball draw a huge arc. Kevin Harlan exclaimed and watched the basketball go into the net. For a moment, many fans in the front row stood up and interacted happily with Li You again.

Kobe was almost walking on the sideline to complete a series of actions. He was stunned on the spot. He couldn't understand why such an extreme shot could be made.
48:64, Phil Jackson on the sidelines remained silent.

In the positional offense, Duncan attracted the defense in the low post on the left and rotated quickly. Kobe received the ball on the right wing, broke through, stopped quickly, faked several times, twisted his body, and forced a jump shot that missed.

"Kobe seemed unable to escape Lee's defense. He was a few months younger than Lee, but their physical conditions were completely different."

Old Miller remained silent, and Kevin Harlan smiled and praised Li You's defense. In his opinion, Mamba was lagging behind in all aspects.

In the transition offense, the Lakers' two big men stopped at the top line, and the double screen allowed Duncan to loudly remind his teammates, but Joe Smith was still a step slow.

The veteran watched Li You use Gasol's screen to get rid of Kobe, then change direction in front of his body between the two big men and dodge Duncan's cut ball.

Joe Smith stopped at the three-point line and watched Li You suddenly appear in front of him. He could only subconsciously raise his right arm. He had no time to jump. He watched Li You lean forward and made a steady jump shot while he was still one step away from him.

"Oh!"

Amid the cheers, Kobe, who was still trying to block the shot from behind, had no choice but to give up. It was as if his "mortal enemy" was pressed on the accelerator, and his personal rhythm was completely different from everyone else on the court.

The boiling atmosphere in the stadium caused Fisher to miss his quick stop jump shot with nearly 24 seconds left. The long rebound was caught by Li You, and the Lakers quickly returned to defense and completed the defensive matchup in time again.

There was no opportunity for transition offense. JR Smith continuously participated in passing the ball at the top of the arc. Fish and several other players repeatedly slid, disrupting the three-point shooting tactics.

When the ball returned to Li You's hands, Kobe began to exert his strength again, trying to push his old opponent to the right sideline.
The fierce defense did not play any role. Li You, who was protecting the ball with his back, suddenly lowered his center of gravity, and turned quickly while dribbling the ball.

"boom"

The moment he scooped up the ball with his left hand, Li You lowered his shoulders and accelerated, dribbling with great force and making noises, and the Mamba beside him disappeared immediately.

Before Kobe could start, Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, had already broken through to the free throw line. Duncan under the basket wanted to move, but in the blink of an eye, his old rival bumped into him.

Duncan instinctively raised his arms and fought on the spot. Li You hovered in the air, grabbed the ball with his left hand, pulled his arm sideways, easily dodged the defense, and used the time difference to throw the ball to the backboard, shouting:
"And one!"

"squeak!"

The referee blew the whistle, and Duncan staggered. He held onto the basket behind him. When he heard the whistle, he immediately glared and spread his hands to complain:
"I didn't do anything!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The New York fans at the scene began to shout happily again. Mamba looked vulnerable, while Duncan looked "old and frail". So far in the game, his movements have been a beat slower.

Before the game started, some eye-catching commentators discussed that the 32-year-old Li You's crazy three-point shooting from the wing was a sign of physical decline. Now, in comparison, the two Lakers players are the old men!

There is no harm without comparison. Kobe was still standing on the three-point line at this time. Li You turned around and accelerated too quickly. An expression of disbelief appeared on his dark face:

"Why is he still improving?!"

"."

(End of this chapter)