NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 698 "I'm old-school" (7500 words chapter)
On Thursday, January 2010, 1, TNT announced the Dallas All-Star Game reserve lineup on its show:

The seven players selected for the Eastern Conference All-Stars are:

Derrick Rose, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Chris Bosh, David Lee, Kevin Garnett.

The seven players selected for the Western Conference All-Stars are:

Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Zach Randolph, Tim Duncan.

After the roster was announced, there was not much discussion about the trio, but many fans complained on social media. The New York side was the loudest and as a result, they were besieged by fans of other teams.

The Eastern Conference coaches' selection of players is also very interesting, ensuring that each team has no more than two players selected. Perhaps this is the league's wish, to ensure that everyone benefits, so Rose, Wallace and Bosh are all beneficiaries.

The Hawks quietly made it to fifth place this season, and Al Horford was eligible for selection, but unfortunately, not many coaches chose him.

In comparison, the Western Conference's selection strategy is extremely obvious. Apart from the Lakers' dominance and the Suns' "script requirements", the majority of the team is promoting newcomers.

"Old Dengs" like Billups and Kidd have basically been screened out. Even if the two are dissatisfied, they have to make way for newcomers.

After announcing the list, the trio did not forget to touch upon recent hot news. Although the second match between the Knicks and the Lakers is worth discussing, the Wizards' "explosive performance" has already broken the circle!

On Tuesday, the Wizards played at home against the Lakers who were missing Kobe. While the commentators were expecting Arenas to recover, the out-of-date star did something big before the game.

According to the recollections of rookies McGee and Nick Young, Arenas placed four unloaded pistols in the locker when he returned to the locker room. After seeing his teammate Crittenton, he "faded back" and invited:
"Nigo, I brought the gun you asked for, come and choose one!"

"."

The two had an argument two days ago over a card game. Crittenton lost nearly $1000 playing cards and wanted to ask McGee for it back. Arenas was unhappy with McGee's attitude, and an argument ensued.

Arenas, in a state of emotional excitement, directly acted cool and warned his teammates fiercely:
"Niko, I can put you in the car and send you straight to see God!"

Crittenton had no money to begin with, and after being confronted, he ignored the boss's boasting and warning, and instead glared at him and said:
"Fuck! Why don't you just come with a gun and tell me to shut up!"

The two exchanged harsh words and quarreled. As a result, the Wizards only scored 76 points in the game that night and were blown away by the Clippers. After the game, Jamal Crawford did not forget to tease his opponent:
"They just seemed to hate each other. I don't know what was going on."

After the game on Sunday, although the atmosphere in the Wizards locker room was not right, no one took it seriously. After all, the problem was not big and the harsh words could be ignored.

As a result, a day later, everyone witnessed Arenas' four guns, and what made them even more outrageous was that Crittenton seemed to have placed guns in the locker a long time ago, and without saying a word, he also turned around and took out a gun!
Pointing a loaded gun at Arenas, Crittenton seemed ready to strike, responding calmly:
"Old dog! Put away your tricks!"

The confrontation with guns frightened the Wizards and they ran out of the locker room one after another.

Finally, under the protection of security personnel, this ridiculous "gunfight" came to an end. Arenas returned to people's attention in another way. The out-of-date star is now popular all over the United States!
This scandal broke out before the All-Star Game, and David Stern was so angry that he threatened severe punishment at a press conference. The spectators were just watching the fun and even took the initiative to add drama to the "gunfight".

Some people said that Arenas' gun had no bullets, while others said that Crittenton took out a golden Desert Eagle pistol as if they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
It only took one day to go from discussing the rights and wrongs of gun ownership to discussing which guns perform better. A certain association even secretly advertised, and Sports Illustrated changed the advertising slogan for the magazine to be published next week:
"Prepare For Combat!"

The double entendre is trying to ride on the popularity of the game. Even the upcoming All-Star Weekend cannot compare to the "gun gate incident." The supremacy of entertainment is reflected vividly, and only the league has expressed its intention to launch an investigation.

In the studio, the latest developments were explained to the fans, and Charles Barkley finally made fun of the Wizards' poor locker room atmosphere:
"Every team has its own unique 'rookie culture', and Arenas' leadership is terrible!"

"He's the highest earner on the team, maybe he should understand the players on the minimum salary."

"Two crazy guys bringing guns into the locker room? That's inexcusable. Real men can put on boxing gloves and have a fight."

Kenny Smith is not interested in talking about this matter. Players carrying guns has damaged the brand image of the NBA. Some mainstream media have already begun to attack the league's security policy. The impact of this incident is really bad:

"I think some of the players should ask Lee for advice on the locker room issues."

"Every player who left New York said that playing in New York was the best experience, and there has never been any conflict in the Knicks locker room."

"During last year's finals, someone broke the news that Gerald Green punched Kobe. To be honest, I just felt incredible after hearing the news. A team entering the finals should not be like this."

"The old-school locker room culture should be banned."

Before Ernie Johnson could say anything, Charles Barkley pouted and interrupted:
"When your football team's leader is in the top 100 of the Forbes wealth list, there will be no problem of "dollars"!"

"The rookies on the Knicks don't have to spend money, at least during the game. Lee pays for the whole team. It was not like this when I played. The rookies were the ones who paid the bills."

"Maybe Crittenton maxed out his credit card, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case."

Hearing his partner change the subject again, Ernie Johnson had to interrupt their discussion and talk about the latest news:

"The Lakers ended the Knicks' winning streak last Friday after Kobe and Prince were both injured."

"I got the latest news that Kobe may miss this year's All-Star Weekend due to an ankle injury, and Prince's back injury seems to be more serious than expected, and he is likely to miss the remaining games."

The director once again played the footage of last Friday's focus game. In a transition offense, Li You made a ground pass across half court to find Prince, and Kobe, who quickly retreated, chased up and fiercely blocked the shot.

The collision in the air caused both of them to lose their balance. Kobe lost his balance when he landed and his left foot flipped over, while Prince fell sideways on the ground.

Both of them left the court shortly after the start of the fourth quarter. Surprisingly, in the following game, Odom and Duncan performed well, the Lakers' three-point shooting recovered, and they won the game with a crazy double-team strategy.

106:112, the Lakers ended the Knicks' 40-game winning streak. At the end of the game, Los Angeles fans celebrated wildly in the Staples Center.

After the game, Odom gave the big-butt girl a passionate hug in front of the camera. The left-handed magician scored a triple-double and stole the show. If it weren't for the "gun incident", there would definitely be more basketball commentators discussing him now.

Kenny Smith sighed inwardly when he heard that Kobe would miss the All-Stars. The second game between the two teams was too "intense" and the Knicks, who had been winning streak, showed signs of fatigue:
"This is definitely not good news for the fans!"

Talking about the Knicks, the three naturally made a preview for tonight's game. In the previous matchups, although the Raptors lost consecutively, the opponent's reduction in players was also an opportunity for them.

There is very little news about the rookie Thaddeus Young. The rookie has been practicing hard but has not had much playing time. Now that Marion is in the starting lineup, it can be said that "hard work has paid off". He will definitely be in the 8-man rotation tonight.

When talking about the Knicks' roster depth, the three people in the studio felt it was boring. There were too many people playing, and a high-ranking rookie was actually excluded from the 8-man rotation.

At 19:30 p.m. that evening, Madison Square Garden was packed. Although the team had lost to the Mavericks in their last home game, the loss did not affect the fans' mood.

23 wins and 23 losses, compared with the same period last season, the Raptors' current record is not bad, but tonight Bosh was booed when he received the ball. Most New York fans think he stole the All-Star spot:

"You're not a real all-star!"

Some people were jumping and dancing with white boards in their hands, while some fans started shouting as soon as the game started. Bosh was a little angry because the fans here had never respected him.

Andrea Bargnani is already numb. Every time he comes to play in Madison Square Garden, it is an unpleasant experience. The nickname "Pasta" is a favorite of New York fans. He was ridiculed to the point of almost crying on the spot in the past two years.

Jarrett Jack was also booed by the fans. Since he rejected the New York contract during the offseason, he is no longer welcome in this arena.
Second-year rookie Clarence Wims was invisible as usual, and only Hedo Turkoglu, who had just joined the team, performed stably and barely prevented the score gap from widening.

The first quarter was almost over, and Chris Bosh had been silent except for consecutive jump shots at the beginning of the game. In this offensive round, he attacked facing the basket in the left blocking area.

After receiving the ball and turning around, facing Chandler, after a series of tentative steps, Bosh released the ball with his left hand, forced a breakthrough, continued to exert force after encountering obstruction, and quickly turned like a gyroscope when approaching the paint area.

In an instant, he came to the paint area right in front of the basket. Before Bosh had time to lift the ball, Li You, who had retreated from the top of the arc to the inside, had already cut the ball.

"Pah! Ah!"

The moment the ball fell, Bosh jumped up and screamed, and his "instant noodle head" flew in the air with a painful expression on his face, but the referee still did not make any statement and the game continued.

Bosh, glaring at the referee, was still arguing loudly. Li You had already launched a transition offense. Although Jarrett Jack, who retreated to the free throw line, was fully alert, he was still deceived.

While moving, Li You first pretended to swing the ball to the right, and then passed the ball in the air. Tekoglu, who was retreating to the left, thought the ball was passed to this side, but the result was the same as his teammates. When he turned his head, the basketball still flew to the right.

Marion followed up and took the ball and started directly, easily shaking off Wims on his side, and made a layup with his right hand!
"Nice pass!"

In the commentary booth, Mike Breen praised loudly. At 16:29, the Raptors still had not scored a point after the timeout. Within a few possessions, the Knicks widened the gap to double digits.

The three people who were actively retreating were a little frustrated. It was difficult for them to divert their attention away from Li You, and as a result, their defense was repeatedly penetrated in the counterattack.

"Double-teaming is still the best strategy to limit Lee, but the Raptors didn't seize the opportunity. Maybe Bargnani should consider a psychiatrist."

Walter Frazier once again mocked his opponent. "Spaghetti" is currently 4 of 0, and his two three-pointers were a bit off, making him look like a complete "softie".

Bosh, who failed to retreat in time, was furious. The opponent scored too easily and the score gap was widened. He lacked help!
"Defense!."

Amid the cheers of the defense, there was another cross screen at the baseline. Although Bosh tried hard to get the ball, Jarrett Jack on the left wing was suddenly restricted by Li You's defense and was unable to pass the ball.

By the time Turkoglu received the ball again at the top of the arc to organize the offense, Bosh's counter-run and cut was in vain, and his teammates did not take the risk of passing the ball.

After the pick-and-roll, Turkoglu failed to get rid of Marion and passed the ball back to Bargnani, but the latter had no intention of shooting and was left open by Gasol, who still chose to pass the ball hand-to-hand.

Seeing that there was little time left for the attack, Jarrett Jack made a final attempt to break through by changing direction. After being delayed, he had no choice but to stop abruptly. After the fake shot, he failed to fool Li You, and finally tilted his body and forced the ball out.

The shot was awfully crooked and hit the backboard and bounced back quickly. Bosh, who wanted to grab the rebound, could only watch JR Smith pick up the ball, and the Knicks counterattacked again.

"Oh!"

Amid cheers, Jarrett Jack, who was retreating with all his strength, just twisted his body on the three-point line, and then his eyes widened. Li You, who was accelerating along the left sideline, had stopped.

Although Jack was still two steps away from him, he subconsciously rushed to defend. Li You, who raised the ball and threw it, was not disturbed too much and threw the ball calmly.

"Whoa!" The basketball hit the net hollowly.

Bosh, who ran to the midline, stopped immediately after seeing this. He could not suppress his frustration. He noticed that Li You and the fans in the front row were clapping one after another. He was so angry that he cursed:
"Damn game!"

At 16:32, the Raptors requested a timeout, and the Knicks atmosphere team came to the venue to high-five and celebrate, and the New York fans at the scene began to celebrate the victory of the game in advance.

No one said anything on the bench. Bosh threw his drink in anger. Being selected as an All-Star should have been a good thing, but he was "humiliated" instead.

Bald head coach Jay Triano could only pat the tactical board when he saw this scene. It was useless to watch more videos. Many times, the opponent's offense was completely unreasonable.

"Focus!" the head coach reminded loudly. Bosh stared at the tactical board, but the result was the same old routine. He had difficulty catching the ball in the blocking zone, but no one in the team could help him.

Belinelli replaced the rookie. Although the performance of "Pasta" was poor, he still stayed on the court. The coaching staff hoped that Bargnani could overcome his "inner demon".
In the next two minutes, no one on the Raptors scored. On the Knicks side, Thaddeus Young, who came on as a substitute, was about to shoot a free throw, and Dio quietly fired from beyond the three-point line.

When Bosh, who had broken through the defense, was pushed out of the baseline by Li You and was fouled, the "Dragon King" could not hold back and rushed directly to the referee, angrily scolding the other party:

"Where are your eyes!?!"

With a few shouts, Scott Foster waved his arms and called a technical foul. Head coach Triano had to replace Bosh. On this night worth celebrating, the "Dragon King" was hurt again.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The constant shouting made Bosh cover his face with his hands when he returned to the bench. He couldn't help but think of the scene if he ranked 8th and met the Knicks in the playoffs.

Bosh felt worse when he thought about how he had worked hard to get into the playoffs but was "humiliated" by New York fans and commentators. He finally understood what his "predecessor" Lynch Hunter said:

“This is a basketball game where you can only lose, not win”

At the end of the first quarter, the score was fixed at 18:43. Bargnani's eyes were wide open. The "No. 5 pick" made 0 of shots and scored zero points. He was "badly beaten" again.

The following game basically became an exhibition game. Thaddeus Young, who rarely entered the rotation, was extremely active and full of energy on both offense and defense. The bigger the score difference, the better his condition.
The starting lineup returned to the bench in the second half of the third quarter. During the rotation phase, the Raptors failed to narrow the gap and played worse and worse. Bosh on the bench was so anxious that he covered his head with a towel.

When the game was over, cheers resounded throughout the stadium again. After a crushing defeat of 87:131, Bosh lost the demeanor of an All-Star player and stood up and turned away.

"Joker! You stole our All-Star!"

"Go cry to Wade! Softie!"

"You've brought shame to the All-Stars! Go back and thank Lee!"

"."

On both sides of the player tunnel, a group of young people wearing No. 1 jerseys were shouting crazily, pointing at Bosh and cursing.

Bosh, with a dark face, wanted to fight back, but the team's security personnel held back the core player. David Stern has been "cracking down" recently, and no one wants to get into trouble at this time.

场边，正在接受MSG采访的赛迪斯-杨喜笑颜开，9中6，三分线外3中1，罚球4中4，17分5篮板2助攻1抢断1盖帽2失误。

The outstanding performance after coming off the bench made Thaddeus Young a little excited. When asked about his performance, the newbie couldn't help but speak out his true feelings:

"Prince is our brother, I hope he gets well soon!"

"It's an opportunity for me to be in the eight-man rotation. I don't want to waste it. I will do my best to show myself."

Chalmers, who was passing by, was also happy for the "licking dog brother". The two cooperated well, controlled the game in garbage time, and suppressed Matthews' performance by the way:

"I swear! He's ready! This guy's performance inspires the whole team!"

The two of them praised each other in front of the camera, but Wesley Matthews, who had just greeted his opponent, didn't care. His shooting became more and more stable, and he had won the trust of the coaching staff.

In terms of Excel, Matthews is already ahead of his competitors, and as long as he maintains his form, stable rotation will not be a problem.

Bosh was angry and failed to attend the press conference. Li You, who had clocked out early, appeared in front of the media on time. As soon as he sat down, a Yahoo Sports reporter in the audience couldn't wait to ask:

"Lee, after the Lakers' big win over the Pacers last night, Kobe insisted that his defense was fine."

The young sports reporter acted as a mouthpiece, describing what happened at last night's press conference and even imitated Kobe's tone by saying "I'm old-school."

Some New York reporters laughed quietly and started to complain in a low voice, saying that the winning streak was ended and Prince was injured, which were all "good things" done by the Lakers.

The Lakers, without Kobe, scored 118 points last night. After the game, Mamba personally confirmed his injury and showed his tough guy temperament when talking about the victory:
"I'm an old-school player! I like confrontation and I want to go back to the old rules!"

"Zone defense should not exist, defend back to man, let the hand defense rules return, that's better basketball."

Kobe, who played fierce defense, didn't care about his ankle injury and even showed his finger injury in front of everyone. Mamba's tough performance touched many people, which led to the problems on the scene.

"I entered the league in '96, and those rules were not new to me."

When people heard Li You making fun of "old-school basketball", others soon followed suit. His handsome face that hasn't changed much and his thick hair always give some people the illusion that he is no longer young at the age of 32.

"The league is getting younger, and a lot of the young guys are better than past players, at least in terms of shooting."

"The Knicks players run the most distance in the league. The winners will just adapt to the rules. From the perspective of viewing, I think fans will like the current basketball."

Seeing everyone's expectant gazes, Li You shrugged his shoulders and added:
"Let's discuss the issue of basketball style after the finals. Isn't the winner more convincing?"

"Don't forget, I can be old-fashioned sometimes."

New York reporters who are used to "loans" responded to Li You's "winner theory" one after another. New York fans like the current basketball, and whoever disagrees can only win first!

Subsequent sports reporters also added fuel to the fire. The Lakers won the regular season and were said to have to strengthen their team. Some people couldn't wait for the All-Star Weekend, and the gossip was more exciting than the recent games.

When the press conference ended, Li You shook his head, stood up, and said, "I'm old-school", which made the New York reporters laugh.

The people from the Los Angeles Times looked unhappy. No matter what kind of record the Lakers achieved, they would be the object of ridicule in New York.

ESPN reporters tracked down Chris Bosh when the Raptors left the stadium. The "Dragon King" still had a sullen face, and glared at Wade when he heard whether he would meet him at the All-Star weekend.

After getting on the bus, still no one spoke. Bosh, with a sullen face, became more and more dissatisfied. In his opinion, his current teammates have lost the fighting spirit to win, and they even showed resistance when talking about the 8th place.

Pulling out his phone and sending another text message to his agent, Bosh secretly decided that he wanted to "return home" and leave the Raptors:
"I will never accept this 'game'!"

On Saturday, January 1, the Knicks flew to Washington. After the "gun incident", the Wizards have been divided and have lost consecutive games recently.

The NBA announced the punishment, which is not a lifetime ban as previously circulated, but a 50-game ban. Arenas, the Holy Spear Ranger, can forget about getting a salary this season. It’s a big loss for him to pretend to be cool!
Although the players' union has intervened, the Wizards have a "moral clause" in the contract, and with the support of the league, a 50-game suspension is already lenient for the two parties involved in the "gun gate."

Before the game started, a reporter from the Washington Post suddenly broke the news on Twitter that Arenas suppressed the newbies and even "slept with" Nick Young's girlfriend!
After this news was revealed, the onlookers were delighted, and the ex-girlfriend quickly came out to admit that she did play a friendly match with the Holy Lancer, and that the opponent had good shooting skills, but the game was not for money:

"I just hope Nick is taken care of by the team when he needs playing time."

After the black girl posted the tweet, the number of followers exploded. Only Nick Young was furious. Even though they were just blood relatives, he was caught off guard by the cuckoldry and was so embarrassed!

With 15 wins and 30 losses, the Wizards had to go on a winning streak to enter the playoffs. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to have not recovered from the "shock" that night and almost smashed the basket after the game started.

Jamison and Caron Butler seemed to have no interest in the game. Although Mike Miller and big man Haywood tried hard, they could not keep up with the Knicks' pace.

Randy Foye was silenced again when he encountered the "template". After half a quarter, the Verizon Center was filled with cheers. It was rare that the venue was full, and it turned out that the audience was full of fans supporting the Knicks.

The game lost its suspense early on, and Kobe in front of the TV felt bored.

The team flew to Boston. Tomorrow is the game against the Celtics. Rambis will continue to coach, and Kobe hopes to take this opportunity to continue to speak out.

35 wins and 11 losses, the team has an excellent record. The visiting coach Rambis was in a good mood. When he came to the Mamba's room, he did not forget to comfort him:

"I know you care about the award selection. Everyone supports you, Kobe. You have to believe in your teammates."

After winning the second match, Matt Barnes "accidentally" spoke out his true feelings in an interview after the game:

"After Kobe's injury, we became more united and everyone was actively sharing the ball. I hope we can maintain this state in the next games!"

"."

These words have different meanings to different people. Mamba turned hostile after the game and gave a "death stare" in the locker room. After everyone's persuasion, no conflict broke out.

Kobe respected Rambis for many years in the Lakers, but he could not forgive Barnes' "inside ghost" behavior and once again made a strong statement:
"The management has assured me that the team will be built according to my requirements!"

"I'm not interested in knowing what he wants to say. He should come out and apologize."

Every season, they have to catch the "traitor". Rambis can't comment on this. Many players in the league lack respect for Kobe, and he is powerless to change this:
"We'll talk about it when we get back to Los Angeles. Kobe, you know, the team needs this win."

Kobe nodded with a sullen face. Beating the Celtics is always a good thing. After all, the two teams are historical rivals.

Feeling relieved, Rambis didn't want to see Kobe start a locker room fight at this time. He hoped to leave the trouble to the old man at KFC.

On Sunday, the 31st, ABC broadcast the afternoon's "Yellow-Green Battle". Although Kobe was absent, the game was still very interesting.

Before the game started, the broadcaster did not forget to review the recent record. With 44 wins and 2 losses, after finishing the January schedule, the Knicks are firmly in first place in the league.

With 40 wins and 9 losses, the Cavaliers are still second in the league, their two stars are becoming more stable, and Mike Brown has been officially elected as the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

With 29 wins and 15 losses, the Celtics are only two games ahead and ranked third in the Eastern Conference. The Heat behind them have seen some fluctuations in form, but the Hawks still need four wins to squeeze into the upper half.

In the Western Conference, the Nuggets ranked second with a record of 31 wins and 15 losses. George Karl was officially elected as the Western Conference All-Star head coach today.

Following behind are the Mavericks at 30-17 and the Trail Blazers at 28-21.

Among the teams in the upper half, except for the Knicks and the Cavaliers, the record gap between the other teams is not too big. After the All-Star Weekend, the competition in the second half of the game will still be very fierce.

In the focus battle, championship guard Rondo performed well and repeatedly instigated attacks after the start of the game. Unfortunately, Garnett had a poor touch and missed consecutive mid-range jump shots.

At the end of the first quarter, contrary to the expectations of many commentators, the Lakers completely suppressed their opponents with a score of 31:19.

When the camera turned to Kobe on the bench, Mamba had a blank expression on his face. Winning was supposed to be a good thing, but without him, it was a little awkward. Seeing the energetic Odom, he muttered to himself:
"Do you have a problem too?"

(End of this chapter)