NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 807 Can This "Game" Be Lost? (Daily Chapter)

Wednesday, September 6, 2011. Last night, HBO's Real Sports program went viral, with Bryant Gambel publicly mocking and discussing the "true nature" of the NBA:
“The NBA today is like a plantation, and Lee is the plantation owner who likes to play the ‘hunting’ game.”

"David Stern was like an excellent plantation overseer, constantly providing new games to satisfy Lee's championship desire!"

"Stern's contempt for players is obvious and pathetic, but many players are still unaware of this. They are so caught up in the desire for money that they have long forgotten the essence of basketball."

"I don't want to watch the NBA anymore because I know the outcome is already decided. Just like Lynch Hunter said, it's a championship game that can only be lost."

"Players are still fighting for their salaries, but they have strayed from the essence. The league needs young people, young people who dare to take on challenges. The collective bargaining agreement is not important to me."

Years ago, some people criticized Bryant Gambler as a racist, and last night's show seemed to confirm that.

The show's viewership exploded, and many industry professionals are still condemning "real sports" on social media. Bryant Gambler, caught in the storm, hasn't apologized; instead, he continues to speak out.

"Don't argue with me, I'm just stating the facts. Lee is having a great time with his friends in Connecticut, and he will win the championship again next season."

"Go take a look at the betting odds. The actuaries know more about football than you do. At 34, Li still has no rivals."

After posting two tweets in a row, the comment section was filled with insults, and some extreme sports commentators agreed with this view and joined in:

“Stern’s dress code and orders to question officials, which he issued in the past for his own benefit, were all tricks he used to demonstrate his status.”

"Everyone knows that Lee likes formal attire, while most Black players hate this rule!"

"."

Bill Simmons, who has recently become a Twitter whiz, also jumped on the bandwagon, posting a column on ESPN around noon.

The content mainly recounts Li You's dominance in the NBA over the years and Stern's antics, not only mocking the referees' officiating standards but also criticizing recent negotiations:
"I don't believe the players are capable of making the right choices because their intelligence is limited. (Sorry, it's true.)"

“Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Garnett did some negotiations for the league, but the three of them only had three years of college combined.”

“The investors are well aware of Li’s abilities and influence, but the union does not trust him, believing that he has too close ties with the Dolan family.”

"These stupid moves are the reason for the league's shutdown. A group of people are jealous of Li's achievements, want to limit him but can't, so they can only turn to the game."

"Perhaps Lee will still be able to dominate the NBA when he is 38 years old. I think the championship game will continue until Lee retires."

The article was so explosive that NBA players who read it started criticizing Bill Simmons.

Two prominent figures in the sports world seem to want to escalate the conflict between the players and Lee Woo, but many members of the championship team don't see it that way. Sprewell immediately posted on Twitter:
"Two bullshit opinions. Li cares about the players in the league more than anyone else. Off the court, we're always one family."

It wasn't just Knicks players; many of their former rivals also spoke out. Even Stephen Curry himself shared his experiences on Twitter to refute these outrageous claims.
"Stephen underwent ankle surgery in July, and Lee helped us contact the best doctors in the country for it."

"All the players in the league are family, and people who haven't experienced the NBA shouldn't be pointing fingers at us."

Fisher immediately refuted the two, and Old Fish took the opportunity to offer some words of encouragement, while also revealing some inside information about the negotiations:
"In fact, the Knicks, Heat, Mavericks and Lakers have agreed to our terms, but more small-market teams now hold the power."

“Our demands are simple: Adam Silver is lying, and the union has not refused to start negotiations from 52.5%.”

"."

The players were united, but many NBA fans realized after a while that the two men's views seemed to make sense; Li You had indeed been winning all these years.

Not only did he win on the field, but he also won big off the field. After a financial crisis, Li You entered the Forbes Global Rich List, and his ranking continued to rise steadily.

The US unemployment rate has not decreased recently, and many people are unemployed after graduating from college. People no longer empathize with successful people as they used to, but instead begin to hate these "super-rich".

There are problems with the distribution of wealth, and even Obama is not trusted. Polls show that Hillary Clinton is currently more popular.

In this environment, some extreme fans have even begun to resist Lee's dominance in the NBA, while fans in neighboring Philadelphia and Boston have launched a barrage of questions, intensely monitoring the situation on Twitter.

"Why does Li still need to win? Can't we afford to lose this 'game'? We need the champion even more!"

-

On Thursday, September 8th, both Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry West began promoting their latest autobiographies.

Players can also make money by writing books; as long as the content is exciting, most fans will buy them!
The old shark, who came to the Dan Patrick Show this afternoon, knew exactly how to sell books and provided the show with a juicy excerpt from the book as today's highlight:

"After losing the Finals in 00, Kobe told me he would take down Lee. At that time, I trusted my little brother a lot and supported him even more in the locker room."

"But after that, we lost to Lee, and that's when I realized that Kobe was just an average player, while Lee is the greatest of all time."

"So I started working hard. I knew I had to make those free throws. Facing such a strong opponent, I could only focus on training."

"In the end, I brought the championship to the Lakers. I even felt like I had defeated God. It wasn't until I lifted the trophy that I believed Lee had lost the game."

"The championship also gave my little brother a false sense of security. He started to seek more. I can't forget the look in his eyes when he looked at the FMVP trophy. Because of this, I also made a mistake."

"."

In the studio, Dan Patrick read the passage aloud with great intonation, looked at the smiling old shark, and asked again:
“Shaq, I think the viewers at home, like me, are curious about what kind of mistake you made back then.”

Wearing a baggy black suit, O'Neal shook his head dismissively, a look of regret on his face, and said in a deep voice:

“I shouldn’t have given Kobe the wrong impression that he is not a good leader but always tries to prove himself in this regard.”

"He began to crave data because of this, but Kobe didn't realize he wasn't Lee and couldn't guarantee his efficiency. Some bad shooting habits were formed at that time."

"Kobe had the opportunity to perform better with me, but unfortunately I failed to guide him onto the right path."

Upon hearing these words, everyone in the studio almost lost their composure. As always, O'Neal belittled Kobe, even though Kobe always considered himself a leader.
"I noticed that the book also touches on the management and coaching staff. Did you later lack sufficient trust in the team's tactics?"

Dan Patrick's question was directed at the old man from KFC, who pointed out that the Lakers' triangle offense only worked in the Western Conference and completely failed in the Finals. The old man didn't give a direct answer, but rather stated indirectly:

"That's the limitation of the times. I don't blame the coaching staff. Back then, I was just like them and preferred that retro style of play. Kobe imitated Jordan for the same reason."

"But basketball will not stop. Lee changed modern basketball, and we should have made changes much earlier."

"As for whether the changes will lead to more championships, I think it's no. Li Yuan is more dominant than people think. Michael Jordan couldn't make those crazy shots."

The promotional materials were full of praise for Li You. According to the old shark, Li You scored almost every time he shot, and the basket seemed to be several points bigger.

During the interactive segment at the end of the show, an audience member asked for his opinion on O'Neal's performance in the CBA. Unlike his recent sarcastic remarks, O'Neal sincerely offered advice to his partner:

“Playing in the Chinese league would be an excellent choice for Kobe.”

"We should understand our own strength; we have no chance of defeating Li in the next few years."

"."

In the afternoon, after O'Neal briefly promoted his new book on a TV show, the Los Angeles Times released a brief interview with Jerry West in the evening.

When simply asked if the Lakers had a chance to win the championship, West, who joined the Warriors as a consultant, bluntly replied:
"Give the players and teams some time. Through this suspension, we will eventually realize that basketball is more than just championships."

The reporter wanted to discuss other parts of the book, but West didn't give them the chance. He simply greeted his girlfriend, Phil Jackson, who had come to visit, and left quickly.

The old man from KFC didn't give the Los Angeles reporters a friendly look either, spending most of his time discussing personal matters with head coach Byron Scott.

Jim Buss, who has completely turned things around, has gradually taken control of the team. Jeanie Buss is having a hard time, and most of the management has "betrayed" them. At present, it can be said that the team's fate is sealed.

In response to West's recent autobiography excerpt stating that "the Buss family completely lost trust in me in 00," Jeanie Buss, in a brief interview, thoughtfully replied:
“My father did come to the training facility less often after 00, but the Buss family still has great respect for Jerry West.”

Without directly addressing the issue of West being "robbed of power," Phil Jackson also evaded the question of the championship, offering a similarly vague response:

“I’ve seen recent reports, and it seems that many people, like those sports commentators, are starting to consider extreme scenarios.”

"Basketball shouldn't be judged solely on championships. There are many aspects of this sport that deserve praise, and learning to appreciate it is what some fans should do."

"."

The old man from KFC who visited the Lakers' office eventually left quickly with his girlfriend, clearly not optimistic about winning the championship!
Extreme fans are shifting blame again, blaming West and the old man from KFC for the Lakers' past failures.

As for appreciating the other side of basketball, most fans simply can't do that; all they want to see is the Lakers lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy in the new season and narrow the gap with New York.

-

Over the weekend, Kobe set off again, where he will spend the next few months in the CBA. Before boarding the plane, the Mamba also expressed his support for the team's new owner via Twitter.

The 76ers have officially changed hands, and there will be further changes in management. Kobe Bryant declined to comment, while Thaddeus Young, the championship-winning forward who joined the team, has been making grand promises.

"Trust the process. The 76ers will return to the conference finals in the next few years. As a young leader, this will be a wonderful start."

When asked about the championship by Philadelphia fans, Thaddeus Young directly addressed the future, sarcastically suggesting that the best time for Philadelphia to pursue a championship would be after the big contracts disappeared.

The big contract refers to Kobe; considering the Mamba's age, this young leader took out a loan until 2016.
New York is also bustling recently, with protests on Wall Street growing increasingly intense and the number of participants increasing daily.

The people who lost their jobs tried to express their anger in this way, and the latest report from the Wall Street Journal has also plunged Li You into a "fire pit".

After Nrtflix announced the expansion of its South American operations, its stock price briefly broke through $300!

In July, the DVD business was separated from streaming, and the new brand Qwikster treated users terribly, raising prices by 60% and resulting in over 800,000 users canceling their subscriptions.
The stock price then began to plummet, which experts considered a major strategic blunder by Nrtflix.

Interestingly, back in July, Li You had already purchased put options through Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, Citibank, and several market makers.

Despite the recent rise in option premiums, there is no doubt that Li You has made a fortune again, with reports suggesting his earnings may exceed $5 million!

On one hand, people are struggling to pay their mortgage and credit card bills even after working their hardest; on the other hand, they can earn more wealth in just a few months with a few clicks than the average person could earn in a lifetime.

With deliberate manipulation, many people on Wall Street joined the protests against Li You.

On Monday, September 12th, the University of Connecticut's training facility was packed with young people as usual in the afternoon.

The protests didn't affect this area. Everyone knows that Li You's purchase of options also involved huge risks; any hindsight analysis now is just emotional outbursts.
Andre Drummond is the new core of the Huskies, and the talented big man has long been recognized by many scouts.

While he may not be as talented as Kentucky's Anthony Davis, being selected in the top ten next year shouldn't be a problem.

The series of matches over the past few days has left Andre Drummond with a lot of unspeakable suffering. At first, the big man was very excited, then he began to question his life, and now he is completely numb.

Amid the jeers, Drummond quickly adjusted his center of gravity after setting a screen at the top of the key, but when he saw Li You, who was holding the ball with his left hand, slow down and dribble between his legs, the big man seemed a little lost.
"Oh!"

Amid cheers, Drummond, still hesitant, watched as Li Youhe stepped back with the ball, drifted behind the three-point line, and launched a fadeaway jump shot. He instinctively jumped to block the shot, but to no avail.

The basketball swished through the net, and the big guy's dark face was full of helplessness; the coach hadn't taught him how to handle this situation.

Fortunately, this was an internal closed training match, and the opponent was Li You; otherwise, Drummond would have started to doubt his ability to establish himself in the NBA, as that kind of shooting was simply too exaggerated.

The practice match was one-sided, and the young players cheered happily afterward. In high spirits, Li You generously signed autographs and, at the end, gave a brief reminder:

"Andre, you need to get used to this pace. The NBA will still be dominated by three-pointers for the next few years!"

"."

(End of this chapter)