NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 703 "Media Trophy"? (8000-word chapter)
On Wednesday, March 2010, 3, the NBA suddenly announced new MVP selection rules:
"Fans will be able to vote for the league's most valuable player, and the combined fan selection will count as one vote on the official ballot."

"The other 124 votes will continue to be chosen by a panel of sports writers and commentators."

ESPN's morning show was the first to announce the news, and although there isn't much change overall, it's always a good thing for fans to participate in the judging, and it seems to make the trophy more convincing!
In the morning, sports commentators praised the change, but there were also those who disagreed, saying that fans' votes were useless.

A sports reporter in Los Angeles updated his Twitter about the rule change, and the New York fans responded immediately:

"Everyone knows that Lee has always been the All-Star vote leader. There is no suspense at all in the fan vote."

"."

Although what he said was the truth, the majority of fans who love winning don't like to hear it. Everyone just voted for the strongest player. Those crooked commentators should review their choices.

At first, some people in the comment section were seriously discussing the issue of fans' voting rights, but as more Li You fans joined in, the content of the discussion changed:

"Without the fans voting, Kobe will not be recognized. He has never been the best player on the Lakers. I would rather vote for Duncan."

Many people expressed their approval under this comment. Kobe has been squeezed to fourth place in the MVP rankings. Howard, who returned from injury, led the Cavaliers to a winning streak and successfully squeezed into third place.

The Lakers looked a bit tired on the road, having lost consecutive games this month and have been completely surpassed by the Cavaliers in terms of record.

The night before yesterday, when challenging the Hornets away, Kobe and Duncan both exploded, but they still lost regretfully.

101:109. Kobe, who scored a game-high 31 points, was unable to attend the press conference after the game.

Kobe was a little frustrated that being the No. 1 team in the Western Conference could not help Mamba win the MVP trophy. No matter how hard he tried, he could not gain recognition from basketball critics.

In contrast, the Knicks' record also fluctuated, and Li You's personal scoring declined, but the outside public opinion was full of praise.

After losing to the Jazz on the road the day before yesterday, Li You, who had 13 assists, was praised by ESPN after the game. In the column articles on the website, no one mentioned the loss, and most of the titles were:

"Activate the whole team, Li starts to accumulate strength for the playoffs!"

“Taking control of the game, Lee made the Jazz defense pay.”

"Crazy Gmsc! 32-year-old Lee is still improving!"

"."

Losing is to accumulate energy for the playoffs. If you don’t watch the games and only read the news, you will find that Li You has not lost a single game so far and is already very successful.

ESPN's articles have become more "high-end" in the past few years. After launching its own high-end data model, fans are even more impressed.

In "Spreadsheet Basketball", Li You is almost omnipotent. Interestingly, Kobe is extremely poor in Excel, not even as good as LeBron James, and his advanced data can be said to be lagging behind in all aspects.

Players who are not eligible to compete will naturally not pay attention to the changes in the award rules. The Lakers who came to Atlanta found that Kobe was "unhappy" again, and everyone has become accustomed to it.

Before the game that night, away head coach Rambis was surrounded by reporters. Vujacic had recently been in conflict with the coaching staff and was publicly criticized as a result.

Rambis does not have the same prestige as Phil Jackson. After Vujacic's playing time was taken away by Shannon Brown, he immediately complained publicly, and the conflict between the two has been brought to the surface.

"Kurt, can you talk about the rotation of the coaching staff? Is this the reason why you lose consecutive games?"

Hearing the ESPN reporter's question, Rambis just showed a helpless look, and then corrected the other party's words:
"The rotation had nothing to do with the loss, we just didn't make those shots!"

"I believe my players can adjust. The Lakers are still No. 1 in the Western Conference and we have the ability to maintain our record."

With 52 wins and 21 losses, after a winning streak in the second half of February, the Lakers' record has fluctuated more and more, and they have now lost the possibility of catching up with the first tier.

When asked about the change in the award method, Rambis didn't say much good things about Kobe. Mamba couldn't even compare to James and Howard. Fans' voting is useless:

"This is a good thing, fans should really be involved in the selection of awards"

After losing consecutive games, Duncan doesn't want to accept too many interviews. He is currently busy balancing the locker room. Vujacic's outbreak has given him a headache.

While Kobe is not back, Odom, who has been performing poorly recently, has started gossiping again. He is the only one with the best mentality among the Lakers:
"I think Lee will definitely win another unanimous MVP. The fans will vote for him. No one else on the list has any chance. Kobe should give up this award sooner."

Perhaps because he was drained by the big-butt girl, Odom's shooting percentage was less than 40% in several consecutive games. Compared with basketball, he put more energy on the reality show.
Barnes, who had also been undercover for several times, thought of Kobe's sullen face and curled his lips, looking at Duncan and complaining in a low voice:

"He should control his emotions. No one wants to see his ugly face!"

"Lee will not bring this kind of emotion into the locker room. This has nothing to do with role players. We can't always expect us to help him win trophies. He earns the most and should take care of us."

Fisher knows his old teammate. In the last game, Fisher shot 13 of 3 and 7 of 1 from beyond the three-point line. He was also to blame for the loss. After hearing Barnes' words, he whispered to comfort him:

"Kobe has no ill intentions, he just wants that trophy too badly."

In recent seasons, Mamba has been emotional every time this time comes, and Duncan can understand his partner. After all, the award selection is indeed very flexible.

If we only look at the record, whether it is him, Garnett or Nowitzki, the award is somewhat controversial, but that's how the award is judged. Karl Malone also won the award that year, beating Michael Jordan.

"Sasha, I'll talk to the coach. The team needs you, man. Don't pay attention to those reports."

Duncan, who did not participate in the gossip, patted the sulking Vujacic, who still gave face to the leader on the court. After a moment of contemplation, he said self-deprecatingly:

"I don't want to play for 20 minutes when the team is down 3 points!"

Shannon Brown remained silent. His condition has declined recently, but the boss recognized that he can still get at least 15 minutes of playing time. In Bowen's words:
"No one works harder on defense than Brown"

When Kobe returned to the locker room, he was still sullen and found Odom still gossiping. He interrupted him and said in a deep voice:
"We can't keep losing. I'm tired of those boring criticisms. Listen, first place is not a reason to relax!"

"."

The consecutive away games made everyone a little tired. After hearing Kobe's tough statement, they could only respond casually that there was no hope of being first in the league, being first in the Western Conference was already good enough, and there was no need to continue to roll up the record.

Kobe was a little angry when he found out that his teammates did not have a strong desire to win. He wanted to say something, but was suppressed by Fisher. Veteran Joe Smith also acted as a peacemaker:
"Relax, man! There's no need to be so nervous. As for the trophy, it's already been reserved by Lee."

"Think about Karl Malone, believe me, you still have a chance!"

Kobe stopped talking, but his mood became worse and worse. The trophy was getting further and further away from him. No matter how the rules were changed, he could not see any hope.

At 19 p.m. that evening, 2 fans poured into the Philips Arena. After the Hawks secured a playoff spot, Atlanta fans burst into great enthusiasm.

An unhappy Kobe made 15 of 9 shots in the first half and scored 20 points efficiently, but the score was fixed at 45:55 and the Lakers were suppressed by the Hawks throughout the game.

Although Farmar performed well off the bench in the second half, the response from Joe Johnson and Al Horford left the Lakers helpless.

After three quarters, the score difference had reached 16 points. Although Kobe still wanted to try hard in the fourth quarter, Rambis replaced the atmosphere team early and announced his surrender.

In the end, the Hawks easily won the game 94:109, and their record came to 46 wins and 27 losses. Relying on the win-loss record, they continued to suppress the Celtics.

The Atlanta fans at the scene were very happy and continued to cheer for the victory after the game. Joe Johnson clenched his fist in celebration in front of the camera and kept praising his teammates during an interview.

Soon, local reporters asked about today's hot news. When talking about the new selection rules, Joe Johnson smiled and praised Li You again:

"The new rules are great! I don't think it will affect Lee getting the trophy!"

"After coming to the Eastern Conference, I know Lee better! I don't want to brag, you know, because Lee can handle all the backcourt players in the league, including me."

"If we judge by ability, all the trophies have belonged to Lee over the years, and no one else has the right to complain. I think this is the consensus of all the players!"

"."

At the press conference, the ESPN reporter once again acted as a mouthpiece. Where there is Mamba, there is them. Without even noticing Kobe's sullen face, he once again asked a pointed question:
"Joe Johnson thinks Lee can take home the MVP award."

Halfway through his words, the sensitive Kobe immediately interrupted, shook his head, and retorted in a deep voice:

"I know what you want to say, but I'm not interested in talking about it. MVP? That's just an award selected by the media. I don't care about it at all."

"I play for the fans who support me! I'm not interested in putting on a show or putting up stats just to please the trophy. You can discuss it all you want, but basketball doesn't lie."

"How many people voted just by looking at the form? They haven't even watched a few full games!"

Kobe's shocking statement left many reporters looking at each other in surprise. Maybe this is indeed the case, but Mamba is the first to say it so bluntly.

On Thursday, April 4, April Fools' Day, the trio once again began to take advantage of the Mamba craze on the TNT show.

Kobe's "media trophy" made a number of basketball critics extremely angry. Twitter was full of updates cursing Mamba. Starting from last night, almost all well-known basketball critics spoke out on social media.

The Knicks continued their road trip, and after flying to San Francisco, Li You was warmly welcomed by local fans.

With 66 wins and 8 losses, in the games they lost last month, only the Celtics were considered a strong playoff opponent, so there is no need to question the Knicks' dominance.

There were only two games that day. Before the game, TNT reported on Lee You's participation in a hook fan event in San Francisco. When the screen returned to the studio, Charles Barkley followed up with a sour remark:
"Maybe Warriors fans have started celebrating Lee's MVP! This has never happened in the past. Can you believe that local fans will cheer for their opponents?"

Noticing his partner's gaze, Kenny Smith laughed. He noticed that most of the fans at the event were young people, and responded meaningfully:
"In the past we all read newspapers and watched TV, but now young people prefer social media."

"Not long ago, Li's personal channel has reached 300 million subscribers, which is the highest number of followers on the entire platform. I am not surprised at all that it is popular in San Francisco."

Kobe Bryant, the representative of old-school basketball, doesn't even use social media, but Li You is just the opposite. The contrasting performances of the two are often compared by basketball commentators.

Ernie Johnson had supported Mamba before. After all, the big mouth always outputs. But this time Kobe mentioned the "media trophy" which made him a little depressed. He said with emotion in the show:

"I've always admired Kobe's attitude towards basketball, but last night's 'media trophy' made me uncomfortable."

"We are all working hard. I can't guarantee that everyone will watch the game, but most of the commentators who have the right to vote are definitely competent."

"I will continue to support Kobe, but he should apologize to those hard-working basketball analysts."

It was rare to hear his partner criticize Mamba. Charles Barkley almost laughed out loud on the spot. After controlling his emotions, he pretended to be serious and continued:

"I'm with you, man! Kobe always complains about how he's been treated unfairly, but he should think about how bad he was in the Finals."

"If he can beat Lee this year, next season, the MVP will be his!"

"I even doubt whether he can make it to the finals again? At present, he seems unable to activate his teammates. Shannon Brown is a surprise, but he can't decide the outcome of the game."

Although Kobe did not receive recognition from basketball critics, his die-hard fans were impressed by his idol's tough performance. On social media, after the "champion overflow theory", the MVP also became a "media trophy."

The director did not forget to release some comments during the show. Kobe's die-hard fans have already flooded Charles Barkley's social media, and the comment section is full of curses:

"You ruined Kobe's pure basketball!"

"Give the 'Media Trophy' to Lee. Kobe doesn't need this boring award."

"TNT, like ESPN, only knows how to lick Lee's ass"

"."

Kenny Smith read a few comments and said "Shit" and looked confused in front of the camera. He couldn't understand why Kobe still had such a die-hard supporter:
"Maybe Kobe should pay attention to social media. How to deal with the media is also something superstars should think about!"

On Friday the 2nd, at 19:30 that night, the Oracle Arena was packed. Despite the team's poor record, Warriors fans showed great enthusiasm. In the black eighth season, the Warriors reshaped the locker room culture thanks to the performance of Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and others.

Although Barnes and Jackson were traded one after another, New York's championship experience remained here. Jackson believed that the Knicks are the Warriors' brother team, which is also the view of many fans.

After the game started, the Warriors home commentator Bob Fitzgerald couldn't hold it in anymore. It seemed that the brother team was hitting hard tonight, which didn't look very decent.

During the transition offense, Stephen Curry, who retreated to the right wing, looked very nervous. He had just lowered his center of gravity and was squeezed directly past Li You, who slowed down and changed direction.

"Bad defense! Curry doesn't look like he's in the game yet!"

Fitzgerald found an excuse for his rookie in the commentary booth, while head coach Don Nelson crossed his arms expressionlessly on the sidelines, as if he had expected this scene.

Li You made a strong breakthrough from the wing and in the blink of an eye he shook off Curry who was staggering beside him. Ronny Turiaf under the basket saw this and stepped out of the way, watching Li You grab the ball with his right hand and dunk it!

"Oh!!"

The cheers resounded throughout the arena again. Seeing this, Corey Maggette took the opportunity to glare at the newbie and kept yelling:
"Damn you rookie! You're too soft for a Nico!"

Looking at Li You patting his chest in front of the camera, Curry felt a little aggrieved when he was complained by the veterans. He had tried his best, but these old players would laugh at him.

Curry didn't say "If you can do it, go for it", and his backcourt partner CJ Watson never mentioned the position switch.

Another rookie, Reggie Williams, was stunned. Turiaf didn't even reach out.
The Warriors, who used a small lineup, played at a fast pace, which made the scene extremely exciting. It was a rare occasion without a forward defender, so Li You entered the game state early.

The fans cheered for him as he "shifted gears and accelerated" all over the court. He attacked in position and encountered Curry's single defense. He rushed forward with the ball as if he was in an empty space.
With 1 minutes and 3 seconds left in the first quarter, it was another transition offense. Curry was already numb at this time and seemed at a loss on the defensive end. While he was still controlling the defensive distance, Li You in front of him suddenly stopped.

Before the shot was taken, some fans began to cheer. On the left wing three-point line, Curry watched Li You take a long jump shot. He subconsciously turned his head and saw the basketball go into the net.

Starting player Dio saw the rookie standing there in a daze, and shook his head as he retreated. Tonight the Knicks played with one big and four small lineups, so offense was the easiest way to play.

Old Nelson seemed not to notice Curry's predicament, and was still reminding the newbie to relax during the offensive round.

The Warriors, who missed the playoffs, have recently let Curry attack freely, but the newbie had a hard time tonight as Turiaf's poor screen quality allowed Li You to squeeze through easily.

After the screen, Curry came to the right wing and hurriedly stopped, dribbled the ball from behind to his left hand, and tried to pull the ball in and out. Before he could complete the change of direction, he was directly intercepted by Li You.

At the moment the ball fell, Curry wanted to defend, but Li You started very quickly and the pulling not only failed to work, but made him lose his balance and fall to the floor again.

"God! Lee is so fast!"

As soon as Fitzgerald finished speaking, Li You, who was 1 vs. 0 in the frontcourt, completed a windmill dunk. The powerful dunk ignited the atmosphere in the stadium. Curry stood up from the floor and looked helplessly at the head coach.

Still waving his hand to signal attack, old Nelson continued to ignore Curry's performance until the Warriors were defended for 24 seconds. The old man's eyes twitched slightly and he cursed angrily.

In the final few minutes, Curry had difficulty dribbling away the ball, his breakthrough was blocked, his mid-range jump shot missed, and his three-point shots continued to miss.

On the defensive end, no one helped. Facing Li You, who kept accelerating with the ball without any fake moves, Curry could only slide awkwardly. Fortunately, the referee took care of the home players, otherwise the newbie would have been sent off early.

Curry's lateral pass was directly intercepted by Marion. Maggette was still scolding the newbie, but the Knicks had already launched a counterattack.

It was 2 against 1 in the frontcourt. Marion casually threw the ball to the upper left side of the basket while moving. Curry, who was actively retreating, watched Li You take off beside him again, his head level with the basket, he scooped up the ball with his left hand, and slammed it in an alley-oop!
"Oh!"

The cheers became particularly harsh, and Curry, who was gasping for breath under the basket, was completely stunned.

The last time at Madison Square Garden, he could only watch Monta Ellis being "taught a lesson" on the bench. Now he understands the boss' feelings. The "tank" is simply impossible to defend.

The extremely fast pace of the game allowed D'Antoni to make bold rotations. In subsequent games, the greater the score difference, the better the condition of the Knicks' role players.

In the second quarter, Li You, who was double-teamed, made assists from time to time, and after the pick-and-roll, he repeatedly broke through the defense and under the basket.

Before the end of the first half, the Warriors' rebounding problem collapsed. Ibaka, who came off the bench, actively picked up offensive rebounds in several rounds. Head coach Nelson went back to the bench and ignored the whole thing.

70:41, some fans were still cheering, but Warriors fans already felt something was wrong.

When the third quarter started, Curry, with a frustrated mentality, stopped attacking. As a result, he not only failed to regain his shooting touch, but also made two low-level mistakes.

The score difference was getting bigger and bigger. Fitzgerald couldn't hold it anymore. He saw JR Smith throw the ball on the three-point line in transition offense and complained helplessly:

"No doubt about it! This is a disaster for the Warriors! The boys were completely beaten"

When the third quarter was over, Curry, sweating profusely, walked towards the bench with his eyes wide open. Although Monta Ellis didn't like the treatment of a rookie, he still took the initiative to comfort him:
"Rookie, welcome to the NBA, don't take tonight's game seriously."

"."

Without saying a word, Curry returned to his seat and stared blankly at the floor. He shot 15 of 3, 4 of 0 from beyond the three-point line, 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers. He only took 3 shots in the third quarter, which was completely different from previous games.

Chalmers and Gary Neal had no intention of slacking off, Matthews and Thaddeus Young were also actively defending, and Ibaka was full of energy, and he even slid hard when he switched defense on the smaller guy.

Anthony Morrow, who wanted to make a big splash in garbage time, felt confused. CJ Watson, who missed the shot, was also stunned. Where was the agreed-upon scoring period?
With 18.7 seconds left in the game, Chalmers stopped attacking. Thaddeus Young grinned and turned around to high-five Ibaka in celebration. Gary Neal also clenched his fist to encourage himself.

"shush"

The buzzing sound rang out, and the Oracle Arena erupted in boos. The score was fixed at 138:80, and the Warriors were beaten by their "brother team" by 58 points.

On the bench, Curry covered his face with his hands and couldn't control his emotions when he saw the score difference. He was so frustrated that he burst into tears.

He had planned to ask Li You for a signed jersey before the game, and get a "Li You Recognition Award" after his outstanding performance. But now he is so embarrassed that he led his team to a 58-point loss.
Li You, who clocked in for the third quarter, changed into his training suit early. He smiled and high-fived everyone to celebrate. Facing the Warriors, he also comforted them:
"Don't take it to heart, man! It's dangerous to cut wood!"

"."

Corey Maggette was completely speechless. Without Jackson, they were beaten by 58 points. This brother can't do this anymore!
出场29分钟，21中17，三分线外6中4，罚球5中5，43分4篮板10助攻4抢断2盖帽，李佑的数据让解说席的菲茨杰拉德不得不称赞一番：
"Indescribable game! Lee once again showed why he is considered the best of all time!"

"No media person would refuse to vote for Lee, 'Media Trophy'? Everyone just respects basketball!"

"."

At the post-match press conference, facing the San Francisco sports reporters, Li You did not laugh at Curry. When asked about the rookie's performance, he said encouragingly:
"I see a unique talent in Stephen. Give him some time and he will become an MVP-level player in the future!"

"Hopefully he'll enjoy this 'media trophy'."

Many reporters laughed along. No one would refuse the MVP. Li You seemed to admire Curry very much, which was beyond many people's expectations.

Although he was mocked by reporters at the press conference, Curry still managed to calm down. When asked about his feelings when facing Li You, the newbie said helplessly:
"I have always been a Knicks fan. When I was little, I watched Lee's games live."

"But it was terrible to play against my idol. I didn't know how to defend effectively. I was afraid to dribble during the game. God! I should go back and watch the video."

"But I still fulfilled my dream. Next time we play, I want to win back."

The games between the two teams this season have come to an end, and no one takes Curry's words seriously. After all, he looks weak and doesn't look like a leader who can lead the Warriors to a "turnaround."

To Curry's surprise, after the press conference, Li You presented his signed jersey to the player in the player channel.

"You only played 3 minutes in New York, but you played 31 minutes tonight. You have already succeeded, Stephen. Your career has just begun!"

Li You patted Curry who looked excited, but when the latter opened his mouth, Maggette who followed him was speechless.

"Thank you, Uncle Lee! I've been practicing my shooting. I want to play like you."

Curry also showed off Li You's first-generation signature shoes on his feet. The newbie who regained the "Li You Recognition Award" smiled happily and immediately forgot about the 58 points.

When the two of them took a photo holding up their jerseys, Curry smiled brightly. When they returned to the locker room again, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.

"Rookie! Don't be too happy too soon. You don't know Lee at all. Every player who gets close to him will get beaten badly!"

"When I was in Los Angeles, I witnessed what Kobe went through. You have no idea what he went through."

"Think about Iverson. Does anyone still remember him? Iverson only won a scoring title and was almost sent to the hospital by those New Yorkers in the playoffs."

The veteran Maggette is not like Stephen Jackson who only boasts about his championship experience in the locker room. He took this opportunity to complain about Li You's playing style.

Everyone in the locker room was silent, but Curry didn't care about the veteran's words. He acted like a young fan and retorted without thinking:
"Kobe is just an egomaniac! Uncle Lee never picked on him."

"Iverson left the league because of his declining physical condition. If he had been more self-disciplined, he would still be playing in the league now."

“When I finish my rookie season, Uncle Lee will be retiring soon, so maybe I can join the tour, which would be awesome!”

"."

Curry, who rarely talks about his future in the locker room, talks endlessly about his idol. For a newbie, the peak periods of both sides are perfectly staggered, and there is no competition between him and his idol.

On Wednesday, April 4, the Knicks faced off in a back-to-back game this week.

After defeating the Celtics at home last night, some commentators believed that the Knicks were going to break the best record in history. Unfortunately, the Pacers put up a tenacious resistance that night, shattering many people's fantasies.

The two teams can be considered rivals, and Danny Granger lived up to the expectations of Indiana fans and played his best game of the season.

107:115，背靠背李佑仅仅出场28分钟，尼克斯队战绩来到了68胜9负。

On the ESPN commentary booth, considering that the Knicks have already secured the top spot in the league, Mike Breen once again smiled and commented:
"For the Knicks, they performed perfectly in the regular season. Lee has a chance to win the scoring, assists and steals titles again!"

"Not only MVP, I think Lee will also win his first DPOY trophy in his career."

Jeff Van Gundy nodded. With 62 wins and 15 losses, although the Cavaliers also had an excellent record, in terms of Excel, Li You's defensive data was no worse than Howard's, and the championship coach also followed suit:

"At 32, Lee has the perfect combination of skills, experience and physicality. In the playoffs, we will witness greatness together!"

"."

The Lakers, who have already flown to Denver, are still preparing for tomorrow night's game against the Nuggets. With 53 wins and 23 losses, they are only three wins ahead of their opponents, so a direct dialogue is very important.

Kobe has been in a bad mood because of the recent losses. The commentators criticize him every day.
In contrast, the Knicks lost the game and Li You "won an award" after the game. Seeing this scene, Kobe was angry again. These commentators are so hypocritical!

A man cursed in the room a few times. Mamba, who was really angry, slammed the door and walked out. He found Rambis and made an angry request:
"I don't want to rest tomorrow night!"

Rambis was a little overwhelmed. At this time, even a strong player like Li You had his playing time reduced, and Kobe had a finger injury. There was no need to fight hard.

Without waiting for Rambis to comfort him, Mamba glared and cursed again:

"I want to make those damn basketball commentators realize what real defense is!"

Kobe, who has the "Defensive Starter Award", was anxious again when he saw Li You booked for DPOY. Rambis couldn't comment on this and could only remind him tactfully:

"Now most coaches in the league also pay attention to defensive data. Kobe, we have to focus on the playoffs."

The ubiquitous forms left Kobe speechless. Looking at the suddenly silent Mamba, Rambis patted his shoulder and comforted him again:
"Rest well, maybe we can turn everything around with just one win!"

"."

(End of this chapter)