NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 695 "New Role, What's the Price?" (No Protagonist Chapter)
On Saturday, December 2009, 12, the Christmas holiday was still going on. Early in the morning, ESPN reviewed yesterday's Christmas game in its program.

Although the game between the Lakers and the Knicks was the focus of the game, Mamba's performance was poor and the game lost suspense in the third quarter. If we only look at the content of the game, the most exciting one is the matchup between the Cavaliers and the Celtics.

Completely different from New York's offensive frenzy, Boston next door showed an iron-blooded defense. The game was very intense, which put the Cavaliers, who were unable to speed up, into a tough battle.

Dwight Howard was repeatedly guarded in the low post. The "Happy Beast" was restricted by the front defense and even his best low-post attack was inaccurate.
Kevin Garnett was also restricted by the young players to only be able to make accurate jump shots. Although Harden performed well on the defensive end, his offensive end was poor again, which caused many fans to start a criticism meeting after the game.

99:88, neither team scored over points, and the Cavaliers had the last laugh thanks to the outstanding performance of LeBron James and his group of shooters!
During the morning show, Sports Center played a highlight clip of James dunking over Garnett. The Chosen One beat his chest and roared, forming a sharp contrast between the confident young man and the lonely veteran.

This morning, Garnett was fined $1 for refusing to attend a press conference, which resulted in the interview clips of Rondo and Ray Allen being shown on the show:
"It's hard to win when we're 16-of-4 from -point range, and the Cavs were just better and they played the right basketball."

Although Rondo did not publicly complain about tactical issues, his remarks were blunt. The Celtics are somewhat divided now, and the team's low-post tactics still account for a large proportion, and Garnett is still the absolute core.

In contrast, Ray Allen was very calm. The veteran even spoke well of Garnett, who only scored 9 points with 3 of 10 shots:

"20 wins and 8 losses. Although we lost, our record has reached our expectations. This is inseparable from Kevin's efforts. He is still recovering. We trust him and will continue to help him recover before the All-Star Game."

Although reports that Rondo and Ray Allen have "split" with Pierce and Garnett are out there, within the Celtics, the two sides are only at odds over basketball, and there has been no "fist-fighting" as reported in the media.
The Cavaliers won the game with a smile. Although it was difficult for them to win the game, James felt that "Old Deng is really not good enough". At the press conference, when talking about the victory, the Chosen One jokingly said:

"The TD Garden is not Madison Square Garden. I don't feel any pressure playing here. I have gradually learned to enjoy the game. This is a victory for the Cavaliers!"

19中9，三分线外7中2，罚球11中7，27分4篮板9助攻2抢断1盖帽5失误，詹姆斯没拿到全队最高分，莫-威廉姆斯爆发，拿到全场最高的29分。

While his partner was in a good mood, Howard was in a bad mood. He shot 10 of 3 and only scored 10 points in the whole game. Fortunately, he had 16 rebounds to save face. After the game, the "Happy Beast" found an excuse for himself:

"The Celtics can only stop me by fouling. Garnett is already scared. I respect him, but he is really old."

When reviewing Howard's "ridicule", ESPN also did not forget to introduce the sarcastic remarks made by many veterans such as Garnett and O'Neal towards the "Happy Beast" in the past.

Now the veterans are out of the game and are being directly talked to. In front of the TV, fans who like the "Happy Beast" have started voting again. They want to help their idol suppress those "Old Dengs". Old guys like Garnett should give up their positions!

After reviewing this most exciting game, the matchup between the Bulls and the Heat could not attract much attention. Rookie Rose made big statements, but led his team to defeat and his record was not as good as that of the Heat, who had rich championship experience.

94:85, back in his hometown of Chicago, Wade blew up his opponent, stole the show in front of his "fellow villagers", and his personal performance was impeccable.

He made 21 of 11 shots and scored 5 points with a hit rate of over 30%. He also had a wonderful round of face-to-face steals from Rose during the game. 10 rebounds and 4 steals were enough to prove how hard the Flash worked last night.

After winning the Christmas game, the Heat's record reached 17 wins and 10 losses, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, Wade is unpopular in the MVP rankings, and the championship forward has affected his reputation.

However, when talking about this issue after the game, Wade seemed very calm and seemed to really not care about the award:
"I just want to win. As for other honors, I believe I will get fair evaluation."

Wade was not carried away by the victory. In his opinion, a rookie is a rookie after all, and it is difficult for him to get much sense of accomplishment by defeating such an opponent.

Championship forward Artest also attended the press conference, but his attitude was completely different from Wade's. Big Mouth took this opportunity to preach again:

"This is the role of championship experience. I can't help him reach the level of Lee, but I can help Wade win the game!"

"."

Perhaps because of the decent record and the inspirational words from Artest, Wade no longer rejects Artest's championship experience. However, when talking about these, his smile was still a little forced.

In the harmonious interview, Wade did not forget to campaign for himself at the end, and also boasted that the team will continue to pursue a better ranking. The Flash had a comfortable Christmas.

In the other two games that were not paid attention to, the Clippers lost to the Suns 90:120, and the last Christmas game of the old Shark's career ended perfectly;
In another game, the Nuggets lost unexpectedly 91:106. Brandon Roy of the Trail Blazers made 26 of 16 shots and scored 41 points efficiently, which made Anthony, who scored a team-high 32 points, lose his smile.

At this point, the new season's Christmas battle has come to an end. Although the ratings did not meet expectations, most fans expressed satisfaction. This was the game everyone expected.

In the afternoon, the Lakers players who flew back to Los Angeles overnight also went on vacation. Although they lost by a large margin, the defeat did not affect their lives.

Odom had no intention of competing, and immediately attended a party with the Kardashian family when he returned to Los Angeles, and also advertised the last few episodes of the reality show;

The same goes for Shannon Brown and Vujacic, who both dated celebrity girlfriends. The former continued his underground relationship, while the latter began to show off photos on social media.

Veteran Joe Smith also brought his family to enjoy the warm weather in the City of Angels. Fisher and Barnes had no reaction to the end of the winning streak and both took their families out for a trip.

Phil Jackson did not make excuses after the loss, and away coach Rambis even said in front of the media that "ending the winning streak will help relieve pressure";
Only Kobe and Duncan broke through the defense again in the entire team. The two were very quiet after the game, and after returning home, there was no sound either, as if Christmas did not exist.

Duncan refused all interviews and returned home in a depressed mood. He thought his wife Amy would comfort him as she did in the past, but she was busy socializing and didn't mention the game at all.

Fortunately, Amy finally remembered her husband during dinner and consoled him a few times, but soon she started talking about the recent business situation:

"We can speed up the process! Honey, maybe we can create a nationwide chain brand!"

"."

The gym's business was indeed better than expected, but Duncan didn't pay much attention to it. It was all taken care of by his agent and wife. Amy became happier and happier as she talked, and finally suggested:
"Honey, you can continue to invite your teammates to our place! Maybe we can open a restaurant." His wife reminded him to continue investing. Duncan nodded without showing much interest on his face. He didn't like these businesses very much, but he had too much time to practice basketball, so he agreed out of guilt:
"As long as you are happy, how was your Christmas?"

Hearing her husband's agreement, Amy's mood became even better. She shared the interesting things that happened in the past two days, which finally made Duncan smile. He suddenly felt that it was the right choice not to let his wife go to New York. The competition would only bring pain.

After dinner, Duncan looked at the radiant Amy and had an illusion in a trance. Thinking of the fact that he had not yet told Amy about his plan to "go home", he sighed secretly for a moment.

The program on the TV could not attract Duncan's attention until he heard the sound of a text message. He finally came to his senses and noticed that it was from Bruce Bowen. He immediately clicked it:

"Bro, Shannon Brown is ready."

Thinking of Kobe's poor performance in the Christmas game, where he shot 33 of 10, 4 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, 8 of 6 free throws, and scored 27 points, Duncan completely gave up his fantasy.

Popovich was right. Someone on the team had to take on special responsibilities. Duncan quickly typed a response:
"Win the championship and we'll go home."

On Sunday, the 27th, at 7 a.m., the Los Angeles sports media once again spotted Kobe, sweating profusely, outside the Toyota Center training hall. The Mamba had just finished his morning exercise.

The Los Angeles Times has been questioning the situation since the beginning of the new season. After losing the Christmas game 98:128, they even criticized the Mamba and criticized Kobe, who took 33 shots and dared to fight in garbage time:
"The Lakers can't win when our core player is an inefficient stat-gambler."

More than one basketball commentator criticized Kobe in their columns. Compared with Li You's 21 of 14 shots in three quarters, 12 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, 8 of 8 free throws, and an efficient 43 points, Mamba's performance disappointed his die-hard fans.

If it were during the previous winning streak, Kobe would not have paid attention to these people. It was his style to just drive away. But after being "broken" again in the Christmas game, he had to establish a good relationship with the media.

As it concerns the MVP, Kobe urgently needs some positive comments, and he rarely gave a good face when facing the reporter from the Los Angeles Times.

"Kobe, can you talk about the game the day before yesterday? I believe your fans need an explanation. You looked a little embarrassed in the matchup with Lee."

At 4 a.m., Kobe won the respect of some reporters with his basketball attitude, and the questions he asked were relatively friendly. However, recalling that his body was crushed in all directions during the game, Mamba could only make a pie in the sky again:
"I'm sorry I didn't get back in the game early. You know, there are always times when the basket will reject your shot, and all I have to do is hold on!"

"This is how I play. I will adjust some training plans recently. I am still adapting my muscles. The Lakers will start a winning streak again."

He did not deny his poor performance and simply found an excuse. Everyone can accept this. We still need to promote the MVP and take responsibility, which is also what a team leader should do.

Fortunately, there were not many people interviewing, and no one deliberately made things difficult for Mamba. Kobe finished the interview with a smile, but when he drove back home, the smile disappeared from his face.

Breakfast had just ended, and without even looking at Vanessa and his two daughters, Kobe called his agent directly. When he heard Pelinka's voice, he immediately gritted his teeth and asked:

"Hook is participating in the MVP selection again? Why not give me a chance?"

On the other end of the phone, Pelinka looked puzzled. He thought Kobe had already understood these rules, but now it sounded like his employer still had some illusions:
"Kobe, the hook has customized your signature shoes for you. This is the best effort I have made. The trophy? That's not something we can interfere with."

"They even prepared the advertisements. You need to accept the reality. Everyone is looking forward to repeating the eight consecutive championships. An era is coming to an end and no one wants to ruin this perfect ending."

Although Pelinka's words were rather euphemistic, the implication was that some trophies had been pre-determined. Thinking about how he led the team to a winning streak but still didn't get any respect, Kobe complained:

"Shit! Just give him an award right now! How can they do this to basketball?"

"Because Lee keeps winning! Give up the fantasy, we have to prepare for the contract issue. If you still want to play in Los Angeles, listen to me, finish this season in a low profile, and don't complain to anyone anymore."

Having to interrupt Kobe, Pelinka gave a solemn warning. There was no response from the other end of the line, and then he added two more sentences:

"I know you want to prove yourself. There are still opportunities in the future. In the Western Conference, as long as you keep the current lineup, you will still make it to the finals."

"Life is bigger than basketball. You are more successful than 90% of the players in the league."

Kobe's agent's advice made him feel even worse. Although he didn't refute it at the first time, he ended the call early in the end.

When he thought that the trophy had been predetermined, Mamba was filled with anger. His "mortal enemy" had turned him into a clown, and he could not accept this predetermined ending.

As the Lakers will fly to Phoenix tomorrow to challenge the Suns away, the team also started training sessions in the afternoon, mainly to help the players find their physical condition.

In the crucial Christmas battle, Shannon Brown was not trusted and could only play in garbage time. On the way back, under Bowen's persuasion, he thought of his singer girlfriend and agreed to the contract for the big contract.

Everyone was practicing shooting casually. Barnes was still sighing at Li You's physical condition and sharing his championship experience again:

"Lee is right. We don't need to force our bodies. A championship requires the efforts of everyone. Sometimes, we have to be smarter."

Fisher's lateral speed has declined again this season. Although his muscles are still not afraid of confrontation, his speed has been lost by half. When he heard his good brother encourage him to reduce the amount of training, he immediately praised:
"Bro, you're right! We can also train more scientifically."

The atmosphere group participated in this topic. On the other hand, Duncan took this opportunity to invite Shannon Brown, who has been lifting weights recently:
"Hey man, come to my gym sometime. I'm planning to bring in some physical therapy equipment."

Shannon Brown wanted to refuse, but when he saw Duncan's goodwill and thought about his new role, he immediately smiled and patted his chest and agreed:
"No problem, Bro!"

(End of this chapter)