NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 736: The Birth of the Mamba Mentality (No Protagonist Chapter)

Chapter 736: The Birth of the Mamba Mentality. (No protagonist chapter)

On Tuesday, June 2010, 6, after a long wait of half a month, the finals finally returned to New York.

Tickets for Game 6 were sold out long ago, and even the prices for the Screaming Seats doubled. It has to be said that the Knicks made more money from playoff ticket sales this year than in previous years.

The game basically lost its suspense. Due to a concussion, Tim Duncan was still in a coma, and according to league regulations, the relevant procedures could not be completed.

In addition, there was only one day of rest time in between, and flying from the west coast to the east coast across half of the United States was a long journey, so it was difficult for the two teams to make effective adjustments in a very short time.

After the decisive battle on Sunday, the Los Angeles sports media broke the news that Kobe has been playing with injuries this year.

"Fingers, shoulders, knees, Kobe Bryant has been fighting with his body. Fans should not laugh at such a team leader who gives everything for basketball."

"."

The Los Angeles Times column spoke up for Kobe and released a photo of Mamba unable to walk after the game and being carried back to the locker room in tears by his teammates.

It has to be said that the intensity of the interior confrontation in this year's finals was extremely high, and both sides spared no effort in fighting for rebounds.

So far in the series, the Knicks are only leading by 10 rebounds, which is data accumulated from 5 games. Without the twin towers, the defending champions have also lost some of their dominance.

The problem of losing rebounds appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals. Fortunately, the three-pointer solved this problem. As long as the Knicks play efficient offense, they can always win the game.

For three consecutive away games, many New York fans chose to watch the games in Times Square. Although it was almost midnight after each game, the fans didn't care and cursed their opponents every day.
There is already a Knicks fan channel on YouTube. There is no tactical analysis, no advanced data reports, only crazy shouting and cursing:
“Fuck Kobe!”

"Fuck Duncan!"

In addition to this daily output, various "Fathers" are also the favorites of New York fans. Not only opponents are criticized, but also their own players.

Such a carnival reached its climax today. The Knicks returned home, and the New York fans who were accustomed to loans had begun to celebrate the arrival of the championship.

The defending champions' return to New York also saves the NBA a lot of trouble. After all, the headquarters is here, and it is convenient for ABC staff. The rehearsal for the award ceremony started yesterday.

Winning the championship at home means ribbons are a must. The Knicks have officially shared through MSG the team’s preparations for the awards ceremony over the past two days, with many surprises added above the arena.

The whole city is excited about tonight's award ceremony, and fans from neighboring cities have also come to join in the fun. After all, they are not far away, and it is also nice to watch the game from outside the stadium.

TNT does not have the broadcasting rights, so the trio can only continue their live show in the afternoon. Although O'Neal, who accepted the invitation, has not officially signed the contract, he has already assumed the posture of a basketball commentator.

The director showed the scene of New York fans partying after 23pm last night. After the Knicks clocked out after three quarters, everyone celebrated until late at night.

As for ESPN's famous basketball commentator Stephen A. Smith, it was even more outrageous. This loyal fan cried for several days and was moved to tears many times.
The trio lagged behind in all aspects of the whole life until O'Neal joined, and then they found their direction again.

The petty-minded O'Neal was so scared after seeing the Lakers win two games in a row that he didn't tweet for a few days. But after the Knicks won a landslide victory over their opponents last night, the old Shark became active again and updated several posts in a row last night.

Aside from the shady little brother’s poor performance, O’Neal immediately changed the subject after the Knicks’ win:

"GOAT!"

After getting the match point, O'Neal accepted TNT's invitation. The old shark also knew that the game was in hand and it was his turn to strike hard!

"It was an impressive finals. The big men from both teams fought till the end."

"But I still don't like Tim Duncan's action. I don't want to judge whether he did it on purpose, nor do I want to talk about the difficulties he encountered in life. MVP shouldn't do this."

Kenny Smith, as always, criticized Duncan's "clumsiness". He is not one of those reporters who have never played basketball, so he naturally knows that there are people in the locker room who will play such a role.

But there are indeed not many MVPs who use small moves, which is why Kenny Smith thinks Duncan has lost his status.

"This year's finals is indeed Tim Duncan's best performance since joining the Lakers!"

Charles Barkley took over the conversation and said something serious, but soon changed the subject and talked about Li You's data:
"Unfortunately, Duncan met Lee. It is hard for me to imagine that in the three games he played, Lee's shooting percentage reached an astonishing 78%, and his three-point shooting percentage exceeded %."

"I also despise Duncan's gimmicks, but this guy knows how to win."

关键的G5,李佑仅仅出场29分钟,19中15,三分线外11中9,罚球6中6,高效轰下45分5篮板7助攻2抢断1盖帽的全能数据。

Without mentioning Duncan who was "knocked down", just look at Kobe's performance and you will understand that the Lakers can't win at all:

18中5,三分线外7中2,罚球8中4,16分6篮板2助攻4失误,曼巴的表现实在拉胯,湖人队只拿到80分离不开他的努力。

“It was hard for my little brother to carry the team, but I still have to commend him for his efforts.”

Seeing the director give Kobe's statistics, O'Neal was delighted and praised his old partner as soon as he opened his mouth, but he quickly added a few words:

"The Lakers need a true MVP to lead the team. Kobe should step aside. I find it hard to imagine the management team offering him a big contract."

"Maybe at this time Kobe will remember my departure and be thankful that he still has the right to veto a trade."

Although the finals have not yet ended, there are more and more news about the Lakers' rebuilding. Ernie Johnson is very rational. Speaking of trade rumors, he asked curiously:
"I don't think Kobe will leave, but the Lakers do have a chance to sign a star player in free agency."

"James, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, and even Paul Pierce. I just got the news that Pierce also chose to enter the free market."

Not only these people, most of the players facing player options will also try the waters. In theory, this is indeed the best time for reconstruction.

"No one likes playing with Kobe. In recent years, there have always been problems in the Lakers' locker room!"

"Apparently my little brother has no leadership!"

O'Neal responded by saying that he firmly believed Kobe would exercise his player option and that Mamba would never leave Los Angeles, just like the trade rumors with the Bulls. Kobe only pursued a championship team.

"I'm more curious about whether the Knicks will disintegrate, Gasol will renew his contract early, and Lee's salary will swell again. The two will undoubtedly get contracts."

"But whether to stick with this lineup is debatable. The players' union has already started preparing for the second version of the labor agreement, and the league also has its own demands. The defending champion may face disintegration."

Kenny Smith, who made a rational analysis, put it more tactfully, but people in the industry all know that eight consecutive championships is the limit, and a monopoly by one team will hurt the entire league.

"I'm more concerned about whether Lee still has a passion for basketball! He's won too much!"

A somewhat sad Charles Barkley grinned and questioned every day. He really could not empathize with Li You because he didn't even have a ring. In this regard, he empathized with Duncan and others.

Hearing the sour remarks, the other three people in the studio laughed out loud, and O'Neal shook his head and said:

"If you let me win all the time! I can keep doing this until I'm 40, winning always makes me feel good!"

"Who would refuse victory? Man, the joy of being a champion is beyond your imagination."

Charles Barkley, who had never experienced this, was irritated by the old shark and immediately responded without caring about the topic being discussed:
"Damn it! You just stole a championship!"

The two started arguing again, and the studio was filled with a joyful atmosphere for a while. O'Neal, who was boasting, repeatedly emphasized that he had MVP and FMVP, which made Barkley so angry that he had to bring up old issues.

-

At 19:2, two hours before the game, a large number of sports reporters crowded into Madison Square Garden. The team store lined up early, and a large number of fans gathered outside the arena. Everyone came to watch the award ceremony. After so many years, they were finally able to witness the trophy at home. Everyone was very happy.

New York stars also caught up with the popularity. Tonight's singer is Christie Aguilera. The girl who just separated from her husband has been wearing Li You's peripherals and showing off her beautiful photos on social media for several days.
Everyone loves victory. Compared to Nicholson in Los Angeles, the stars in New York are all smiling. Maybe everyone doesn’t understand basketball, but it is enough to share the joy of winning together.

No one paid any attention to the Lakers players who were warming up, Kobe's knee was heavily sprained and Mamba was still limping during warm-ups, and he hadn't recovered at all from the last game.

Kobe had a long face and didn't talk to his teammates. Odom made him angry again the day before yesterday:

"Return to life?"

When he thought about this, Mamba wanted to send the wimp away. Although his big brother Michael Jordan said the same thing, Kobe would never accept it.

The almost 32-year-old Mamba firmly believes that his window to win the championship is still there. As long as he can find more outstanding role players, Kobe is sure that he can return to the finals.

When they returned to the locker room, the atmosphere was still dull. Odom didn't know that Kobe had labeled him a "softie". When he saw Mamba sitting down, he immediately suggested:

"Kobe, you should call home. Those reporters are still using the TMZ rumors as an excuse."

"I don't want to see your life become a mess for the next few months."

TMZ predicts that Vanessa may file for divorce. Kobe has too many female teammates, and once the two really separate, the custody issue will cost a lot of money.

In addition to the division of property, Kobe may have to pay 5000 million US dollars. Odom was worried that his brother would be "exploded with gold coins", so he reminded Mamba when he saw the news on Twitter.

Kobe, who doesn't pay attention to social media, naturally didn't see the TMZ gossip. After losing the game, he locked himself in the room and ignored everyone. When he heard the reminder, he didn't care, but instead said with a stern face:

"You think we're doomed? Soft!"

"Anyone who thinks so should go and ask the coaching staff. I'm not interested in playing with wimps!"

"Shit! The game isn't even over yet and you're already planning a vacation!"

Kobe glared and yelled loudly, getting angrier and angrier, and his face became darker and darker. He played with an injury just to win, but these people just surrendered. He couldn't accept it.

"Who do you think you are? Lamar is helping you out of kindness. Life is bigger than basketball."

Barnes also glared at this time, turned his head to look at Kobe, interrupted his opponent's output, and then scolded him angrily, and finally added:
"Don't come and lecture me if you have a hard time scoring 20 points, Nico! I know how to win, and I have more championship experience than you!"

"."

The two quarreled again, and Fisher had to stand up and separate the two. Fisher also felt that Mamba should focus on his family. After all, they were doomed to lose:
"Kobe, Lamar is right, we have to accept reality, life is bigger than basketball, everyone just wants you to be happy."

Kobe sat back in his seat angrily, still not grateful. He just wanted to drag the game to a seventh game, and women would only affect his performance.

Rob Pelinka is still unclear about what happened in the locker room, but as Kobe's agent, he noticed something was wrong after the poor performance in Game 5:
"The Lakers are planning to sell Kobe!"

After getting the news from Linda Rambis, Pelinka was a little confused. The insider told him that Kobe was no longer in the Lakers' plan. Jim Buss tried to part ways amicably through talks.

The other party will try hard to meet Kobe's requirements and send him to the team of his choice, and Mamba also needs to understand the team and leave with dignity.

As for the players the Lakers are eager to get, they are naturally the young people headed by LeBron James. Jim Buss is fed up with Kobe's poor performance in key games.

Since receiving the news yesterday, Pelinka didn't know how to explain it to Kobe. After arriving at the stadium early, he sat in his seat in a daze.

Nick Harrison is the person in charge of Kobe's brand operations within the company. With the increase in sales of the Mamba series of sneakers in the past two years, he has also been promoted and given a pay raise within the company.

After receiving the news of the trade, Nick Harrison didn't believe it at first, but after repeated confirmation, he had no choice but to accept the reality that Kobe might leave Los Angeles.

Nick Harrison doesn't want Kobe to lose the highest honor, the "One Man, One City Award", and he is still trying to give advice:
"Why not talk to Jim Buss? I don't think James or Wade can succeed. We still have the right to veto trades. The Lakers won't really do anything stupid."

Pelinka doesn't want to make it known to everyone. It was not decent for him to use the trade veto last time, which is why old Buss changed his attitude.

Hearing the other party talking about the disagreements in the Lakers management, Pelinka became excited. The insider might be able to help them, and Hook also needs to make an effort:
"Maybe we can use this year's finals as an opportunity to completely change Kobe's image!"

"NBA is full of losers, Kobe is the most successful among the losers, we should not be questioned, what do you think of the 'Mamba Mentality'?"

The two had discussed brand development in emails before, and Nick Harrison's eyes lit up when he heard the "Mamba Mentality."

The most successful among losers, Kobe always loves basketball and pursues victory. He can make a perfect turn and make those doubters shut up!

“Maybe we can start a ‘Mamba Academy.’”

The two whispered to each other that as long as the Lakers fans also accepted this setting, then Jim Buss would not be able to send Kobe away easily. Of course, the plan was still not safe, and Pelinka was still secretly calculating:
“Maybe I can talk to Jeanie Buss and the others.”

-

Due to the time difference between Los Angeles and New York, the 21 o'clock game starts at 18 o'clock here.

At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Duncan, who was groggy in bed, had just come to his senses and turned his head subconsciously when he heard the medical staff's voices.

Bruce Bowen stayed here with his old teammates. Extreme fans in New York issued death threats on social media, and he was not interested in going to New York to play offline real games.

Following Bowen into the room were Popovich and David Robinson. When they saw Duncan open his mouth and one of his teeth fell out, their eyes turned red for a moment.

"God! How could this happen! Did he want to kill you?"

The emotional old man couldn't help but raise his voice. David Robinson couldn't help but sigh as he looked at Duncan who looked confused:
"Tim, go home! I swear, the fans in San Antonio will always welcome you. It's just basketball. Your life shouldn't be like this."

Duncan, who was dazed, only heard a rough outline of what was said. Seeing the excited expressions on the two people's faces, he was silent for a moment and then whispered:
“Guys, I want to watch the game.”

Bowen turned on the TV and switched to the ABC channel. At this time, the first quarter of Game 6 of the Finals was already halfway through. In addition to the familiar commentary voices of the three people, the only sound coming from the TV was a huge wave of sound.

At 6:18, in the broadcast footage, Li You was smiling and waving in the middle of the court. The official timeout was called and the Lakers were already 12 points behind.

The four people in the room were silent, and Jeff Van Gundy's voice with an excited tone came out again:
"Lee will achieve his 8th consecutive championship tonight! I must remind everyone that this is an incredible miracle. Considering the current competitive environment, this achievement undoubtedly surpasses that Celtics team!"

"We will soon experience a great historical moment with Lee"

Duncan, lying on the bed, remained silent. Popovich turned his head and found that his beloved disciple was in tears.

Duncan, unable to control his frustration any longer, covered his face and burst into tears. He had lost his reputation, his championship, his family was broken, and the outdated MVP could no longer bear it. He choked and whispered:
"Basketball is just making me miserable. I screwed up. God is punishing me."

Infected by the emotions, Popovich also cried, and the old man couldn't stop tears from flowing down. He still remembered Duncan when he first entered the league. At that time, almost all teams wanted to play badly to get him.

David Robinson also recalled the scene where he and Duncan promised the fans "big wins". The two should have won the championship, but they were repeatedly "beaten" by Li You's team.

The three grown men finally cried and hugged each other. Bruce Bowen, feeling guilty, also started crying. Looking at Duncan who couldn't stop crying, he whispered to comfort him:
"Tim, the championship game is over, everything will be fine."

(End of this chapter)

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