NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 700 "Does the Lake Have Gravity?" (No Protagonist Chapter)
Tomorrow is Thursday, February 2010, 2. The Dallas All-Star Weekend will begin, and the league has only scheduled two games today.

George Karl, who was elected as the Western Conference All-Star head coach, has been in a good mood recently. The old man has led his team to second place in the Western Conference. Although he was sarcastic to Allen Iverson in the past two years, the victory quickly made the fans forget about it.

The Nuggets do not have any contract renewal issues. Carmelo Anthony did not sign a short-term contract like his friends from the same class, so there is no chance for him in this year's free market.

This is a good thing for the team, but for Anthony himself, his failure to enter the free market has led to a sharp drop in attention.

Looking at the two "brothers" who continue to appear in major sports media, Anthony feels a little regretful that he should have received such attention as well.

Ranked second in the Western Conference with an excellent record, Anthony has a hard time making it into the top four in the MVP rankings, and commentators rarely discuss him. His fiancée Lala often complains about this.

The two plan to hold their wedding in July this year. As a well-known host, Lala does not want to get married in Denver. She has decided that the wedding will be held in New York.

Pillow talk is still useful. Under Lala's encouragement, Anthony also wants to move.

Unfortunately, the Knicks have closed the door to him, and the Nets, who are preparing to move to New York, seem to be the best choice.

The Nets, who are aiming for the No. 1 pick, have no problem with salary space and have a good draft pick. In addition, Anthony was tempted by the invitations from Jay-Z and others.

It’s just that the reputation of the “second team” is really bad, so Anthony finally did not agree to it immediately. After all, he still has a few years left on his contract and can think about it in the long run.

When they came to the Pepsi Center for warm-up in the afternoon, Anthony, who was selected as an All-Star, had a constant smile on his face, and George Karl was also very relaxed. Neither the master nor the apprentice took the Spurs to heart.

As the warm-up was about to end, a Denver sports reporter interviewed his star player again and asked about the All-Star Game in two days. Anthony said with a longing look on his face:
"LeBron called me, Wade talked to me, and it was really fun to be on the court against them both at the same time!"

"The main game will be held at Cowboys Stadium, and it is said that more than 10 people will watch the game. It is really amazing."

"."

Anthony was in a good mood and wanted to continue to act cool, but soon the young reporter's question made him frown slightly:
"Lala said on the show that she is willing to live in Los Angeles. Melo, are you considering joining the Lakers?"

Originally, he wanted to deny it outright, but thinking about the issue of attention, Anthony hesitated for a moment and just shook his head, responding briskly:

"I only focus on the current game. You know, the free market in the offseason is none of my business. I just want to win the championship!"

Denver reporters were somewhat disappointed to not get the answer to "loyalty". There are fewer and fewer "loyal" players like Li You, and some young people no longer seem to desire the highest honor of the "One Man One City Award".

Since Kobe is confirmed to miss the All-Star Weekend due to an ankle injury, David Stern selected Jason Kidd to replace Mamba.

This made Billups, who replaced Chris Paul, a little unhappy. According to the record, he should be in the starting lineup, and it would be reasonable for Kidd to be on the bench.

Although people complained several times, no one discussed it. Most commentators were more concerned about Paul's injury. As for Billups' selection to the All-Star Game, the attention only lasted for one day, and only Denver fans were the happiest.

When asked about tonight's game, Billups took the opportunity to complain a few more times:

"We are ranked second in the Western Conference, but we don't get the respect we deserve. I don't care about that. In the game tonight, we will continue to expand our lead."

Regardless of whether anyone discusses it or not, the fact that two Nuggets players were selected for the All-Star Game is something worth celebrating. In the game at 20 p.m. that night, Denver fans cheered for the home team early on.

The camera occasionally focused on the Spurs' rookie coach Budenholzer, and Tony Parker, who was dressed in casual formal attire, was also the focus of the director.

Bynum kept shouting loudly to remind his teammates and frequently asked for the ball in the low post. The Spurs took good care of this big man and rookie George Hill almost always responded to his requests.

Richard Jefferson has become the second offensive option, and the Spurs, who are playing the twin tower tactics, seem to want to recreate their past glorious moments, but their record this season is not ideal.

In the second half of the first quarter, Manu Ginobili came off the bench. The Argentine has been out of fashion in the past two years, and fewer and fewer people are talking about him. The only good news is that he is not bald.
Perhaps some players were not in the mood to play, and the first quarter was uneventful. With the score at 32:29, the Spurs took the lead thanks to Bynum's strong performance.

During the intermission, Parker stood up and listened to the coach's arrangements with his teammates. Without any words of encouragement, the Frenchman quickly sat back in his seat quietly.

Although basketball is good, he wants to go back and take care of his older brother Barry's family. During this All-Star weekend, Parker does not intend to waste this hard-earned rest time.

"Oh"

Before the end of the first half, a cry of surprise was heard in the Pepsi Center as Bynum elbowed Anthony who was about to grab a rebound.

Anthony, who fell to the ground holding his ribs, looked extremely painful, but Bynum on the side didn't care. He even took the opportunity to spread his hands to the referee and kept muttering:

"I swear! I was just trying to get a spot!"

Ever since he elbowed Gerald Wallace into the hospital, Bynum has fallen in love with this feeling, and his elbowing technique has become better and better as he has continued to hone it.

Seeing the referee signaling to the team doctor to check, head coach George Karl on the sidelines waved his hands angrily and cursed several times. The old man didn't expect that there would be an injury in the last game before the All-Star Game.

Facing the boos from the fans, Richard Jefferson helped explain to the referee and calmed Anthony. Seeing Bynum's indifferent look, Jefferson couldn't help but whispered:
"Don't use that dangerous move again!"

Bynum shook his hand and turned away, with a look of indifference on his dark face. The coach allowed him to play tough, so what qualifications do you, a second-rate guy, have to lecture him?

"Shhh!!"

When Anthony was elbowed back to the locker room, the booing in the arena could not stop.

58:52, after the first half, the Denver fans at the scene began to worry about Anthony's injury. When the third quarter started, they saw that the core player still did not appear, and boos started again.

Chris Anderson and Bynum had another conflict, but this situation did not affect the Spurs' performance. Under Ginobili's instigation, the score difference gradually widened.

By the time Anthony returned to his seat on the sidelines in the fourth quarter, the Nuggets were already 4 points behind and there was no hope of catching up, so head coach George Karl had no choice but to surrender early.

113:99, after winning this game, the Spurs' record came to 25 wins and 26 losses, still ranking 9th.

Anthony, who was holding his ribs, did not accept the referee's apology after the game. He even angrily criticized the referee's whistle during an interview:
"I don't understand why the referees always target us?"

"Being too strong is not an excuse! Look at the Lakers and Knicks, their players are always protected by the referees."

"This is unfair, the league should respect all teams!"

The whistle issue has never been balanced. Although Li You did not "study the rules overnight", as long as he increased the number of breakthroughs, it would be easy for him to make 8 free throws in a game, and many times he could not even touch it.

Kobe's treatment was not bad either. In many games, his shooting percentage was less than 30%, and he scored + points. His free throw burst was also among the best in the league.

Anthony didn't want to complain about the above two people, but compared with James and Wade, he was always "ignored" in some games. This time he was elbowed, which completely angered him.

While the opponents kept complaining, the Spurs were celebrating happily. If they work harder, they will have a chance to enter the playoffs.

At the post-game press conference, neither Bynum nor Ginobili talked about the refereeing. The former complained that he should be selected as an All-Star, and the latter was asked whether Duncan was interested in returning, and just laughed and changed the subject:

"We haven't talked about it, but I believe that the San Antonio fans who have calmed down no longer have any resentment!" "There's nothing wrong with pursuing a championship, although in my opinion, basketball is more than just trophies, but we have no reason to blame Tim."

"I hope he can have a good time during this All-Star weekend. Tony and I plan to take a good rest for a few days. This season, our goal is to return to the playoffs."

Stroking his black medium-length hair, Ginobili still missed his old teammates. Bynum was more like a willful child, and everyone in the locker room did not get along well with him.

After finishing all the games before the All-Star Weekend, Parker looked relaxed when he left the arena. Ginobili saw him like this and complained in a low voice as he got on the bus:

"You can't go on like this. We have to prove our strength."

Seeing that Parker didn't take his words to heart, Ginobili had to remind him again, saying meaningfully:

"Tony, Coach Popovich will be back next season, you'd better not act like this in front of him."

"Damn it! Who told you this?"

Speaking of the old man, Parker cursed under his breath. If the old guy got angry, he would really attack him. But Budenholzer could only smile. The Frenchman, who was immersed in a love triangle, did not want to ruin his current life.

Ginobili didn't say anything, but just flipped through the text messages between him, Duncan, and Popovich. Parker took a look and found Bowen's reply. He was a little surprised, but his face remained calm:

"Are you coming back so soon?"

On Friday, February 2, the All-Star Weekend officially begins. The players have their vacation and those selected for the All-Stars also have to start their travels.

This year's free market is full of big fish, so before the trade deadline, the teams did not make many moves. Media reporters who could not find any news began to "make up stories out of nothing".

Yahoo Sports was the first to break the news that Carmelo Anthony and LaLa are interested in moving to a big city, and Los Angeles is the best place.

Basketball commentators read the news without caring whether it is true or not. An "insider" on Twitter began to reveal that the Lakers are indeed planning to form a Big Three, and Carmelo Anthony is the future target!

The rumor was so realistic that even the trading chips had been arranged. The unlucky Odom was arranged again. Many Los Angeles fans believed it to be true after checking Twitter.

The Lakers always get superstars, and with Anthony's ambiguous attitude in the reports, the possibility of "joining if you can't beat him" is very high!
Taking family factors into consideration, if Anthony and LaLa have children, it is normal to arrange "school district basketball" in advance. After all, Ray Allen has already "done it", so there is nothing wrong with following suit.

After coming to Los Angeles, Duncan chose to buy a house in Manhattan Beach, which is very close to Los Angeles International Airport and the Lakers training hall, so he can better devote himself to his basketball career.

However, after a year, his wife Amy wanted to move. Beverly Hills and Bel Air were both her favorite areas. The two even argued about it. Finally, Duncan compromised and bought a "small house."

Because he was busy with training, Duncan lived in this side of the training hall most of the time, while Amy was busy developing the gym and often lived in the other side.

On a rare day off, Duncan, feeling somewhat guilty, took the initiative to invite his wife to prepare breakfast for him early in the morning:
"Would you like to come to Dallas with me? The halftime show guest is Shakira. This year's All-Stars will be more interesting than previous years."

Shaking her blonde hair, Amy thought for a moment and shook her head, then looked at her husband and explained softly:

"You can bring Sidney there. She's really looking forward to the All-Star Weekend. By the way, get her an autograph from Lee."

Duncan smiled bitterly and shook his head. After losing so many games, his daughter began to admire their opponents. He didn't want his daughter to have an in-depth understanding of Li You's life. Those were not the values ​​he advocated.

Seeing that her husband did not refuse, Amy smiled and then praised the Lakers for their promotion of the gym. She was impressed by the enthusiasm of Shannon Brown:

"Brown also brought that big singer here."

"."

When talking about business, Duncan lost interest. He kept Shannon Brown's courtesy in mind. Now he was more concerned about whether he could get something before the trade deadline.

After dropping her husband off on the plane, Amy drove to the city center, unaware that a vehicle was following her.

After arriving at a coffee shop, Amy, with a bright smile, had a cordial conversation with a man with a good figure. The reporter who followed her pressed the shutter and successfully recorded this scene.

The two of them didn't realize they were being photographed. Amy seemed to be in a good mood and soon got into the car with the other person and left.

The two young reporters who wanted to make a big news story were still happy about the footage they had taken, but when they were leaving the cafe, they were bumped into by Shannon Brown and were stopped before they could leave:

"What did you capture?!"

Shannon Brown, who wanted to show his courtesy, had planned to visit the boss today, but he woke up late and found himself having to go to the gym to advertise, but he didn't expect to see this scene.

Naturally, the two would not admit to taking the photos secretly. After the quarrel, Shannon Brown was afraid of attracting attention, so he finally used a tried and tested method and went to the parking lot and threw out two rolls of US dollars.

For the sake of money, the two agreed to give the photos. After the deal was concluded, one of the strong men with a full beard said with a smile:

“Man, we have more pictures than you can imagine!”

That evening, the Dallas Convention Center welcomed the NBA weekend All-Star Celebrity Game. Magic Johnson, who served as the coach of the Western Conference, showed his white teeth in front of the media and spoke highly of the Lakers' record:
"We have completely dominated the Western Conference, and I believe the Lakers can once again make it to the Finals for three consecutive seasons."

"."

While praising Duncan, Magic Johnson also made a special introduction to Sidney. Chris Mullin, Rick Fox and Robert Horry, who were participating in the game, also laughed along. The little guy looked very cute.

The coach of the Eastern Conference is "Kidney Fighter" Alonzo Mourning. Although this tough guy has a smile on his face, it looks a bit forced.

Wade came here early to cheer for his big brother, but the two had an unpleasant conversation. For the offseason, Mourning hopes that his younger brother can stay with the Heat and pass on the locker room culture.

Whenever they meet Wade, most sports reporters will ask about the free market. Whether there will be any changes before the trading deadline is also a matter of concern to everyone.

Wade, who was wearing overalls, shrugged his shoulders after hearing these questions, and without even looking at Mourning beside him, he said in a firm tone:
"I will not change my mind. My agent has made a statement long ago that no matter how the season turns out, I will enter the free market."

"."

The game was about to begin, and the atmosphere was getting more and more heated. Mourning hugged Wade again. He was a greasy-haired lobbyist, and he still said:

"Thinking about our experiences over the past few years, Pat Riley did not deceive us. Next season will definitely be the best time to win the championship."

“You can stay.”

Thinking of the scene where Artest and David Lee spread their championship experience in the locker room every day, Wade interrupted the big brother and forced a smile on his dark face:
"Maybe he's telling the truth, but I made my request long ago, Bro, business is business!"

"."

(End of this chapter)