NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 820 A Man Doesn't Easily Shed Tears. (Daily Life Chapter)
On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, just yesterday, Jeremy Lin appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated for the second time this month, with his personal popularity even surpassing that of the NCAA Tournament.

Even casual fans who only care about the Finals were drawn to Jeremy Lin's sudden breakout performance after the All-Star Game. As a result, the Rockets were overwhelmed with wins, and after Yao Ming, the team found a new "cash cow".

The schedule in March is exceptionally packed. Recently, five games a week has caused young players to complain. This schedule means everyone is constantly on the go, and almost all teams have canceled training sessions.

The quality of the games has also declined, with veteran teams like the Knicks simply going downhill. Apart from home games, most of their recent away games have been decided by rookies.

ESPN and TNT also noticed declining viewership, and in this context, Jeremy Lin's emergence solved a major problem, as the guard who suddenly broke out with the Rockets received a huge amount of attention.

With Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin both sidelined with injuries, the backcourt duo of Jeremy Lin and Goran Dragic, who started the game, shone brightly!
Yao Ming, who has recovered from his injury, has also shown excellent form. During the busy schedule, he won 12 consecutive games and successfully squeezed into the upper half of the bracket, which made fans across the ocean excited.

No matter how many wins the Knicks make, the Rockets will always be the true home team for Chinese fans. Even though Jeremy Lin's Mandarin is at the same level as an ABC (American-born Chinese), many fans still love this somewhat shy young man.

Meanwhile, in the United States, basketball commentators quickly began comparing Jeremy Lin and Lee Yu. The comparison revealed striking differences: the two players are almost completely different in personality and playing style.
After joining the league in 96, it was easy to see that Lee Yu was actually very confident, and at that time he was already proficient in multiple languages ​​and had a very mature personal style.

After leading the Knicks to success, his former teammates and head coach were purged, and his influence grew day by day. Coupled with his increasing personal wealth, most people overlooked Li You's skin color.

Jeremy Lin, who became the talk of the month, undoubtedly comes from a better background than Lee Yu-ho, with a complete family. However, his basketball career has not been smooth. According to Yahoo Sports, Lin was even ridiculed by his teammates when he was with the Warriors.

Just as Asian Americans in New York are increasingly unable to empathize with Lee Yu, even though the NYPD and City Hall have shown some concern for him in recent years, most people are not grateful. On the contrary, Lee Yu is more popular in other communities.

Jeremy Lin's rise resonated with many, and on social media, many Asian fans cheered for him. Before the game against the Lakers that night, Raymond Felton's Twitter account was flooded with comments.
"Lin will completely crush you tonight!"

"."

There were many similar comments. Although the game was not broadcast live across the United States, many mainstream sports media outlets had started to announce it early on, and many online fans bought tickets to support it.

Before the game, head coach McHale was very satisfied with the team's performance recently. When asked by reporters about the team's performance at home tonight, the legend responded with a smile:
"We need to maintain the current pace of the game. Yao will be more involved in pick-and-rolls, and Louis will step up when the opponent tries to slow the game down."

"Everyone has seen how outstanding our backcourt duo is. Both of them can handle the ball and attack the basket to initiate the offense!"

"Many people overlook the Rockets, but look at our record, third in the West, we've moved back into the top half of the standings."

"If Houston stays healthy, they can go further in the playoffs this year."

With such a successful first season as head coach of the Rockets, McHale has become a bit complacent. The fact that he was able to turn things around despite injuries to the starting backcourt is enough to demonstrate just how outstanding his coaching ability is!

The questions asked by mainstream sports media outlets such as ESPN and TNT are quite professional, and most of them revolve around data and player performance.
The Associated Press reporter, however, wasn't interested in these questions and asked one that made most of the people present laugh:
Will Lin become the next Li?

Upon hearing this last question, McHale couldn't hold back any longer. The old man chuckled, shook his head, and shrugged, jokingly telling the reporters present:
"This gentleman should learn some basic basketball knowledge!"

"Go look up what Lee achieved in the league at the age of 23: four consecutive championships. This is a height that most players in the league can never reach in their entire lives."

"There will never be another Lee. Neither Stephen Curry, whom the commentators love, nor Lin, who is currently in hot form, can play like Lee."

"What these young guys need to do now is not to catch up with Lee, but to establish themselves in the league. As a former Celtics player, I don't like the Knicks, but Lee is the true GOAT!"

Many old-school media figures have a habit of hyping up "the next Michael Jordan" in the past. Now that Li You is older, he has started hyping up "the next Li" without thinking.

However, this topic was collectively boycotted by New York fans and media a long time ago, and the up-to-date Excel commentator was also not interested in it, because Lee Woo-chung was so ridiculously strong that he was almost "inhuman".

The young Fox Sports reporter chuckled, saying that asking such a question clearly showed he was just jumping on the bandwagon and didn't actually follow the NBA closely.

After answering all the questions, McHale, having straightened his black suit, smiled and stood up, once again giving everyone his instructions:
"Don't put too much pressure on young people! His career has just begun."

"."

Dirk Nowitzki, the German, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated twice last season, and going back further, it's easy to see that they were all superstars!

Jeremy Lin was naturally a little nervous about receiving so much attention, but the tight schedule made the young man quickly forget about these off-court matters, as he was already exhausted just dealing with the games.

At 19 p.m., the Toyota Center was packed. With Yao Ming there, tickets are never hard to sell, but during this time, demand far exceeded supply, and prices for some seats rose accordingly.

During warm-up, many Lakers players were holding their breath, and Felton kept glancing at the other end of the court with a displeased look on his face.

Odom, who finally regained his physique at the end of the season, seemed listless. Too many games, plus his daily practice with his wife Kim Kardashian, caused his performance to decline sharply this season, with his stats shrinking across the board.

Stoudemire's physical condition is getting better and better, but his performance on the defensive end has always been poor, and even though head coach Byron Scott has repeatedly emphasized it, his rim protection has not improved.

Before the game, Rockets' starting small forward Chase Budinger excitedly dunked repeatedly. He was thrilled by the team's recent surge in attention and the many high-profile performances they had experienced.

Yao Ming would occasionally look down and exchange brief conversations with the two guards. After successfully squeezing into the upper half of the draw, he was no longer content with just finding his form for the Olympics.

As long as there is a glimmer of hope, Yao Ming wants to go even further!
After the game started, the Lakers were clearly prepared, blocking Lin's driving lanes when faced with pick-and-rolls, giving him space to shoot.

For the first two minutes, this strategy seemed to work, but as Yao Ming waved to signal that he would increase the aggressiveness of the pick-and-roll to create more shooting space for his teammates, Jeremy Lin started hitting jump shots from the free-throw line one after another.

While Evan Turner effectively contained Dragic, he started missing shots on offense again. The Lakers' attempt to slow down the game was quickly met with a barrage of attacks in the low post, and Odom once again became a sitting duck, watching the score go by.

Despite strong performances from Iguodala and Stoudemire, the Rockets managed to take an easy lead at the end of the first quarter, with the score at 23-28.

In the subsequent game, Jeremy Lin completely dominated Felton with his pick-and-roll pull-up jumper, his spin layup while moving, and his quick passes and assists on fast breaks. The Toyota Center erupted in cheers!

Towards the end of the third quarter, Yao Ming and Scola's steady performance extended the lead to 18 points. Courtney Lee and Patrick Patterson off the bench also contributed, and the Rockets successfully sealed the victory in three quarters.

Many fans at the stadium were wearing Jeremy Lin masks and cheered joyfully during the final quarter. Rockets merchandise has been selling like hotcakes for the past month!
"Oh!!"

Amid cheers, Jeremy Lin's fast break layup sealed the game. As the Lakers called a timeout, the Rockets players rushed over to pat Lin on the head and cheered him on.

The final score of this crucial game was 94-111, with the Rockets extending their winning streak. Houston fans at the Toyota Center were ecstatic, with many even chanting loudly.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Kyle Lowry felt a pang of jealousy, but he wasn't envious of Jeremy Lin. He knew how difficult it was for a player to establish himself in the league, so he patted Lin on the shoulder and encouraged him:
"Bro, go interact with the fans, everyone is cheering for you."

Such a scene used to only appear in dreams. Jeremy Lin, who scored 30 points with 11 of 17 field goals, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and 6 of 8 free throws, waved his hand reservedly.

Seeing fans wearing his jersey jumping and screaming, Jeremy Lin's eyes welled up with tears, and he excitedly responded loudly:

"Thank you all, thank you for your support!"

出场27分钟的姚明14中9，罚球4中4，高效砍下22分8篮板3助攻1盖帽，此时接受新浪体育采访时，同样笑开了花。

The long-awaited attention put Yao Ming in a great mood. Ultimately, basketball is all about results. After discussing the playoffs, the Sina reporter changed the subject and asked about the CBA finals.

When asked about the Kobe vs. Marbury showdown, Yao Ming didn't know what to say, and could only smile and offer his blessings:
"Regardless of who wins the championship, this will be an extraordinary season for the CBA!"

"Actually, I support the Shanghai team more; they've performed quite well this year."

-

At the end of March, Jeremy Lin's popularity was still sweeping the NBA league, and his amazing performance attracted more online fans. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, the CBA also ushered in the season's climax!

On Friday the 30th, tickets for the Dongguan Gymnasium were in high demand due to the 1-2-2-2 format. The final match, Game 5, started as scheduled at 20 p.m., and the frenzied shouts were unstoppable from the very beginning.

Not long ago, enthusiastic BJ fans rallied at his home stadium to support the Mamba, but upon returning to Guangdong, Marbury faced a boycott.

With the score at 3-1 and the opponent holding match point, the fading New York star was desperate and unleashed his signature "flying knee" move once again on the road.
Seeing Kobe Bryant kicked to the ground, head coach Li Chunjiang on the sidelines started cursing on the spot. He not only criticized the referees, but also cursed his own players during the timeout. Finally, his face turned red and he shouted loudly:

"If he kicks you, elbow him back! Anyone who doesn't want to win the championship at home, get the hell off here!"

"."

Seeing the head coach so angry, Kobe went over to comfort him. In order to show his pure basketball skills, the Mamba didn't make any big moves throughout the series, which won him even more fans.

Towards the end of the first quarter, the Guangdong team launched a counterattack. Just as the referee was about to blow the balance whistle, Yi Jianlian stepped up and pulled Marbury down while he was going for a layup, causing the New York native to fall heavily to the floor.

After the referee blew the whistle repeatedly, Yi Jianlian, who was already dissatisfied with the officiating, was given a technical foul and simply made a strong statement:
"OK, OK, you can brag all you want, I can ruin him!"

In the end, Kobe acted as a peacemaker, first showing concern for Marbury's health, and then calling on his teammates to give him a loud pep talk. This performance drove the fans in the arena completely wild!

In the second quarter, Mamba really stepped up his game. He made strong shots after pick-and-rolls, made a strong save after the 24-second shot clock, made a fadeaway jumper with two defenders in the low post, and drove hard into the paint for a one-handed dunk.

Scoring 10 points in a row left the BJ team in despair; they simply couldn't defend against it, and Morris's eyes widened in disbelief.
In the following games, Kobe continued to explode, and he worked hard to guard Marbury on the defensive end. Every time the two collided, it would cause the fans in the arena to shout.

After three quarters, the Guangdong team had already taken a 16-point lead, and the final quarter almost became Kobe's show.

Although the BJ team never gave up, the gap in strength between the two sides was too great. Yi Jianlian, who scored one alley-oop after another, dominated the paint under Kobe's guidance. His teammates from the Guangdong team also intentionally gave up the rebounds, and Mamba's stats continued to rise.

With 1 minute and 08 seconds remaining in the game, Kobe Bryant secured a defensive rebound, achieving a triple-double. The roar of the fans in the arena erupted, culminating in a unified chant: "MVP! MVP! MVP!!"

When Kobe Bryant dribbled past half-court and suddenly stopped to sink a long-range three-pointer, even commentator Zhang Weiping in the commentary booth celebrated joyfully:

"Champions! Kobe is amazing! This is what a superstar is like, a complete game-changer!"

At the end of the game, the buzzing was drowned out by the shouts. 114:128, a total score of 4:1, Kobe led the Guangdong team to a gentlemanly sweep of their opponents and easily win the championship!
As the frenzied fans swarmed and surrounded Kobe, Marbury, sitting on the floor, shed tears of grievance.

For the first time, he found a long-lost sense of belonging with the BJ team. He really wanted to bring a championship to the city, but his opponents showed no sportsmanship.
The sports media at the scene also recorded this scene: on one side, Marbury was sitting on the floor crying, and on the other side, Kobe was laughing and being tossed into the air by his teammates. The extraordinary CBA season came to an end.

At the awards ceremony, everyone in Guangdong thanked Kobe. Although the translator was slow, Mamba nodded with emotion.

Although Kobe was unable to be nominated for Finals MVP due to rule restrictions, Yi Jianlian still offered his sincere congratulations when he received the award.

When Kobe Bryant finally raised the trophy, symbolizing the championship, standing at the very front of the crowd, he held it high and, upon hearing the deafening roar of "MVP," his eyes immediately welled up with tears.

The frenzied atmosphere made even the CCTV interview difficult. When Zhang Weiping and his team found Kobe in the locker room, the Mamba was already hugging Vanessa and crying.

Yu Jia was so surprised by this scene that he couldn't speak. Zhang Weiping also didn't expect that Mamba would actually cry. It wasn't until the old man came close to his side that Kobe finally composed himself.

"Kobe, I think these are tears of joy. Talk about how you feel about winning the championship. I think many fans want to understand how you feel right now."

Upon hearing Zhang Weiping's question, Kobe breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes still glistening with tears, and opened his heart, saying:
"It's hard for me to describe how I feel right now. You know, after losing in the finals, I almost gave up."

"My knee was in a lot of pain at the time. I couldn't do anything on the court. I couldn't get away, I couldn't score, and I could only watch as the opponents destroyed my team."

"In the United States, no one can understand me. The Lakers' trade made me doubt my past persistence. If I hadn't received proper treatment in Germany and then come to China to play, I might have said goodbye to basketball."

"."

As Kobe recounted this experience, Yu Jia glanced at Zhang Weiping. If he remembered correctly, the old man cheered loudly when he saw Kobe looking so pathetic in front of Li You.

At this moment, Zhang Weiping had already transformed into a "Kobe fan," nodding along with a serious expression. This impressed Kobe, who, holding Vanessa's hand, continued:

"It was the support of Chinese fans that rekindled my love for basketball. I will never forget this season with the Guangdong team. I am so glad that I was able to rediscover that feeling."

"To repay the fans who have always supported me, I will continue to pursue championships in the coming years. I think that will be the best gift for the fans!"

When the translator relayed this message to the Guangdong team members, everyone felt how difficult Kobe's journey had been, and their admiration for the Mamba grew even stronger.

However, as the interview progressed and Kobe regained his smile, many people inevitably had doubts amidst the joyful atmosphere.

Wang Shipeng, whose performance in the finals was mediocre, thought to himself after Kobe Bryant's "divine intervention," glanced at Yi Jianlian, but ultimately didn't voice his doubts:
"Kobe was so good, just how good is Li You?"

-

On Saturday, March 31, the Knicks played their last game of the month at home, which was broadcast live across the United States by ESPN. Before the game, many reporters noticed that Li You seemed to be in a good mood.

Considering the recent gossip, everyone can be certain that the news of Ivana's pregnancy is most likely true.

The New York fan club has recently been busy criticizing Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, Chandler Parsons, and Markieff Morris, arguing that while these rookies have had a lot of playing time, their performances in most games have been lackluster.

Compared to those rookies who dominated in the G League but underperformed in the regular season, Lance Stephenson had a more impressive performance and earned the praise of New York fans.

An hour before the game, during warm-up, many reporters were watching and taking pictures. Li You always manages to pull off some fancy moves, and recently he's been showing off his back-to-the-basket floater.
Amid a gasp of surprise, after adjusting the ball twice, Li You suddenly seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, hitting all six of his throws in a row, and even more incredibly, he threw them further and further each time.

The absurd feel of the shot left Irving and his teammates clutching their heads, standing to the side with expressions of disbelief on their faces, muttering to themselves:
"God! Incredible!"

After a brief warm-up, Li You took off his jacket. This was a technique he had explored over the past two years from his [Sharpshooter] talent, similar to "Power of My Thoughts"—as long as you believe, you can hit the target.

However, turning your back to the body is still too difficult. To maintain a stable shooting percentage, you need to continue training and practice actively every day when you get home.

This week only has one back-to-back game, making it the easiest schedule of the month. Ray Allen and the others breathed a sigh of relief, as there were no injuries, and everyone was in a very good mood.

"Li, Kobe has officially become a two-time world champion. Are you following his achievements in China?"

During the warm-up break, an ESPN reporter eagerly asked questions. Li You paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and praised him with a smile:
"Winning any league title is no easy feat. Congratulations to Kobe on achieving this. It's the best gift to give back to the fans."

The sports reporters, sensing the change in mood, automatically ignored the answer; everyone else started filling in the blanks with their own imaginations and began drafting their own essays.
TNT's programs have been closely following Kobe's activities. Shaquille O'Neal, seeing the crazy Chinese fans, sarcastically remarked on social media that nobody cares about such a championship.

As a result, Kobe himself, who rarely uses Twitter, responded, almost infuriating the old Shaq:

"In China, at least 2 million people care about this championship trophy!"

Two hundred million people—a massive number that left O'Neal speechless. After all, he didn't want to offend Chinese fans, so he could only disappear on social media.

The TNT reporter, prone to overthinking and making things up, started stirring things up again, asking a pointed question:
"After winning the championship, Kobe revealed his plans for the next few years to his supporters, saying that he would be in top form to win another championship."

"Guys, we all know this is impossible!"

Baron Davis, shaking his head, interrupted the question. The bearded man had no interest in learning about Kobe's achievements. Seeing that the reporter still wanted to say something, he confidently said:

"After Lee's three-peat, Kobe should retire. This guy can't last long in the NBA; he'll just lead the 76ers to create some more embarrassing records."

Ray Allen used to frequently criticize Kobe when he was younger, but after years of tough times, he came to understand the Mamba and changed the subject, saying:
"A three-peat is still too difficult. I believe in my good brother, but time is really not kind to veterans."

"Focusing on the current game is what we need to do, and the Knicks will soon be back in third place."

Being fourth in the East and facing the Heat in the semifinals is still risky. Ray Allen is determined to work harder and surpass the Cavaliers.

When it came to tonight's opponents, the sports reporters stopped talking about Kobe. After all, the national broadcast was more important, and compared to the CBA, everyone was more interested in seeing the clash between the younger generation and the veterans like James Harden.

The Knicks' record has slipped this month, while the Cavaliers have climbed to third place, but players like Jamario Moon and Leon Powell have been injured.

Tonight, head coach Mike Brown had no choice but to have Raja Bell and Arron Afflalo play the 2 and 3 positions, while Channing Frye continued to play the stretch 4.

After the game started at 19:30 p.m., it became one-sided. With Deron Williams being suppressed, Howard once again had difficulty receiving the ball.

"Happy Beast" had to come to the elbow area to facilitate, and even tried to show off his dream footwork, but all he did was miss shots and make mistakes. In the end, he still scored by attacking the basket and finishing with easy baskets.

Late in the first quarter, Howard was substituted out, and JJ Hickson, who came on, had problems defending pick-and-rolls again. When Li You accelerated laterally and stopped abruptly, he took the ball and threw it away. Mike Brown could only shake his head helplessly.

Just as the commentators predicted before the game, the Cavaliers couldn't kill the game with their inside game and had to pull their starters in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers, desperate for an end to injuries, suffered a crushing defeat, 85-119. Dwight Howard was no longer all smiles after the game.
Raja Bell, whose physical condition has declined this season, didn't seem to care much about winning or losing. After the game, he chatted with his former teammates, and Deron Williams, in an interview, spoke calmly about his poor performance.
"Nobody wants to play against Li, even though he's already 34 years old!"

-

In the first week of April, the Knicks had their easiest schedule of the season, winning two away games against the Pacers and Magic, easily overtaking the Cavaliers and returning to third place in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers changed owners this season, and with Kobe leaving, the team was in turmoil, so they simply went for the number one draft pick.

On Saturday the 7th, Kobe, who had returned to the United States, watched the game at home. As the game progressed, the Mamba's face darkened, and it was clear to everyone that he was in a bad mood.

With the score at 86-81, and neither team particularly eager to win, the 76ers prevailed. The game ended amidst boos from the crowd.

New team leader Thaddeus Young was also in a bad mood after seeing Kobe. He ended his intense period in New York and is now enjoying the current team environment.

In a post-match interview, Thaddeus Young, who only played 28 minutes, showed genuine concern for the local sports media's criticism and reiterated his points amidst boos:

"Rebuilding takes time, but I know how to win championships!"

"After arriving in Philadelphia, I shared my championship experience without reservation. Now the locker room is very united, and everyone believes in the process. In a few years, we will be back in the conference finals!"

"I will not shy away from the team's low point. As a young leader, I will grow together with the team!"

During the offseason, the 76ers' top priority is to re-sign Kobe Bryant. Although the Mamba has agreed, the management is still not entirely at ease.

In response, head coach Doug Collins was tasked with chatting with Kobe Bryant after the game about the 76ers' recent situation. However, after only a few words, Kobe angrily retorted:

"I didn't sense any desire in them! Their performance was like dog shit!"

"."

(End of this chapter)