NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 829 The New Generation "Leader" (Chapter without a main character)

On Thursday, May 31, 2012, the Dallas American Airlines Arena was packed to capacity. Mavericks fans were extremely excited about the game, and the rising ticket prices couldn't deter their enthusiastic support.

After securing an away victory, and fueled by various basketball commentators, the Mavericks suddenly became a top contender for the championship, and everyone forgot about their lackluster regular season record.

At the same time, fans fully supported Artest's championship experience, and no one questioned him anymore.

Even though the championship striker's performance in the last two games has been mediocre, his supporters remain steadfast in their belief that he will definitely have a breakout game in the upcoming matches.
Even Mark Cuban has become more confident. Analysts have been praising the Thunder's roster depth, but after watching the first two games, he feels that the Thunder are not that great and that the Mavericks have a chance to win the series!

With everyone inflated by hype, the Dallas Morning News also jumped on the bandwagon, even resorting to "mystical" explanations. This morning's article left many onlookers completely baffled:
"Historically, MVPs don't perform well in the playoffs. Kevin Durant is excellent, but he too couldn't escape the 'curse'."

"."

Without analyzing data or revealing specific player information, the article is entirely driven by emotion. Dallas fans are overjoyed; with two home games and a series lead secured, the series is practically won!
At 20:30 p.m., after the game started, the frenzied atmosphere in the arena left the young Thunder players somewhat bewildered.

If they remember correctly, the Mavericks lost Game 2 by 26 points, but with a strong comeback, their opponent's veteran James Harden proved no match.
Although the atmosphere was a bit strange, the players on the court were not affected too much. The young men firmly believed that they were stronger than their opponents and that as long as they sped up, the Mavericks would have no chance.

Amidst the cheers that echoed throughout the arena, the Mavericks' offense still started from Nowitzki. In the right-side blocking area, the German passed the ball and made several consecutive post-up moves. Facing Kenyon Martin's defense, he calmly turned towards the baseline.

The wide-angle fadeaway jump shot forced Martin to only extend his arm symbolically. After releasing the ball, Nowitzki smiled slightly, and then the basketball swished through the net!
"Oh!!"

Cheers erupted again, and even Kevin Harlan, in the TNT commentary booth, couldn't help but sigh:
"The Thunder still can't find many solutions in this matchup. As long as the Mavericks can find their shooting touch from the outside, they have a great chance to take the series lead in one fell swoop."

New MVP Kevin Durant's performance in the first two games was inconsistent. Looking at the statistics alone, Dirk Nowitzki was even better. After the German turned the tide, he received more and more praise.

"The Mavericks' performance did surprise many people, but basketball is a team sport, and the Thunder are clearly the better team!"

Reggie Miller continues to support young players, and even on a personal level, he would prefer to see a matchup between Durant and James; the German's success also leaves him with a bitter taste.
As if hearing praise, on the offensive possession, Durant no longer insisted on holding the ball, but instead accelerated and cut across from left to right along the top line.

With the help of his teammates' screens, when Durant came to the right wing, Artest was a step too slow in his pursuit. He caught the ball outside the three-point line and immediately shot it, leaving the championship forward with no choice but to reach out.

"Good job!"

The three-pointer swished through the net, and on the Thunder's bench, Fisher and Carter both high-fived in celebration. The two veterans were delighted to see that Durant had taken their advice.

Durant, retreating on defense, shook his head repeatedly, his dark face full of excitement. He had seen the opponent's weakness; as long as he made more off-ball movements, it would be difficult for Old James to keep up with his pace.

Nowitzki, who had drawn a double team, decisively passed the ball out from the left low post. Kidd had just received the ball outside the three-point line when Westbrook, who had just helped defend the paint, was already back in front of him.

The young man moved with lightning speed, and Kidd, unable to find many opportunities, could only continue to pass the ball across to Terry, who was there to receive it.

Although Chandler arrived to set a screen, Terry, with the ball in his right hand, accelerated laterally and shook off Soflosa. He then made a sudden stop near the right wing and quickly jumped to shoot from beyond the three-point line, but missed!
Durant grabbed the rebound again, and as the young man advanced the ball, boos finally broke out in the arena. The Mavericks fans, having calmed down, realized something was wrong.
Despite Artest's early positioning on defense, Durant, with his lightning-fast pace, didn't make contact with the championship forward. Before reaching the right wing, he suddenly stopped and made a long-range three-point jump shot!

"Kevin Durant's signature shot! More and more young people are starting to play like Lee; this kind of offense is simply unstoppable."

Kevin Harlan praised Durant, saying that he has been taking more and more of these long-range pull-up three-pointers this season, and with his tall stature, it's difficult for defenders to effectively contest them.

When Artest's drive was blocked by Durant, head coach Carlisle hurriedly signaled his players to retreat on defense, but the veterans' legs went sluggish, and they could only watch as Westbrook received the ball and accelerated wildly.

The young man charged faster and faster, and by the time he reached the three-point line, Kidd was already left behind. Westbrook, without slowing down, took off early, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and glided down the dunk!
"what!!"

After landing, Westbrook pounded his chest and yelled. He had also seen through James Harden's weakness and switched to offense, charging in.

The Thunder players seemed to have fully adapted to the intensity of the conference finals, and as time went on, the young players played with increasing abandon.

Durant's screens and subsequent jump shots forced Artest to reach out, allowing Westbrook to capitalize on the opportunities and push the offense into transition, denying the veterans a chance to get into half-court situations.

The two players would swing the ball as soon as they got it. After attracting double teams in some rounds, Soflosa would catch the ball and throw it away. As for the big man in the paint, he would do his best to grab the rebounds and be completely "tooled".

With two offensive moves and quick rotations on defense, the young players' tireless movement completely suppressed the Mavericks' offense, making it difficult for Nowitzki to easily take on opponents one-on-one.

Fortunately, Chandler's rim protection remained strong, and his excellent defense prevented the point difference from widening completely. However, the situation changed again after the opponent substituted James Harden at the end of the first quarter.

As soon as he stepped onto the court, Harden seemed to have been unleashed, stepping back and shooting from the left wing against Barea's defense!

The three-pointer swished through the net, and American Airlines Arena fell silent, with only the Thunder's bench celebrating wildly.

Barea responded with a pick-and-roll and a floater, and on the other hand, Harden initiated a similar pick-and-roll, sinking a left-handed floater from the middle.
As if the pass button had been removed, Harden took every opportunity to attack tonight, and the pace of the game became faster and faster under the influence of the young players.

After being substituted off the field, Nowitzki returned to his seat and gasped for breath. The German knew that things were not going well, but looking at his tired teammates beside him, he swallowed the words that were about to come out.

The tireless Thunder finally overwhelmed their opponents with just over a minute left, making it 34-24. Seeing the double-digit score difference, the Mavericks fans in the arena fell silent.

During the rotation phase, Harden remained in excellent form. When the best sixth man stepped to the free-throw line, even Miller loudly praised him.

"The Thunder have a chance to build their own dynasty. These young players are outstanding. Unlike previous teams, they have fully embraced the philosophy of modern basketball!"

"."

With more pick-and-rolls targeting big men, more three-pointers, and fewer inefficient mid-range shots, the Thunder displayed a better game than the Mavericks. In comparison, James Harden and his teammates are truly past their prime.

Jason Terry's magic has faded, and he's become a target. Before halftime, watching Westbrook forcefully drive past the veteran to the free-throw line again, Kevin Harlan sighed:
"We're both 34 years old, and I think after seeing Terry's performance, everyone will understand how difficult it is to maintain a high level of performance."

"In last night's Eastern Conference Finals, Lee once again set a new playoff high of 54 points, and his playoff assists also reached 2343. A new record is about to be set!"

"." Having lost two home games in a row, the Heat had already been eliminated. Nobody believed that the trio could pull off a comeback. Winning even one more game would be considered a victory for the young players.

If the Thunder regain home-court advantage, most commentators believe that the new MVP will lead the team to the Finals, and the attracted casual fans also want to see Durant's performance against the Knicks.

The point difference gradually widened, and Carter's three-pointer before the end of the first half forced Coach Carlisle to turn his head in frustration. The opponent was "killing" the game in their familiar way.

With the score at 66:50, Durant strode confidently toward the player tunnel, his dark face radiating confidence. With a 16-point lead, the Thunder would regain home-court advantage.

和昨晚漫长的东部决赛不同，西部决赛G3仅仅用时2小时就结束，118:101，雷霆队大胜对手让大比分来到2:1。

Durant wore black-rimmed glasses again at the press conference. Although his pink plaid T-shirt didn't look very good on him, most of the sports reporters present were used to the young man's attire.

Durant couldn't hide his smile; he was in a great mood after the win, having built absolute confidence against James Harden.

A TNT reporter seized the opportunity to ask a question that everyone was interested in, and jokingly fanned the flames:

"Kevin, congratulations on regaining home-court advantage? I wonder if you've been following the Eastern Conference Finals? James is down 0-2. Does this mean you've completely replaced him as the new generation leader?"

Despite Durant winning the MVP award, some commentators still believe that James is the stronger player in terms of pure ability, and that his failure to win the award this time was mainly due to his team forming superteams, which lowered his overall impression.

Both players belong to the hook team and are small forwards. Coincidentally, they both played the power forward position this season, so they are naturally compared to each other.

Although Durant internally agreed with this statement, he responded with great humility when answering the question:

“I know LeBron, he won’t give up easily. Of course, it’s really difficult to reverse the Knicks led by Lee under these circumstances.”

"As a new generation player, I will support him. As for leadership, to be honest, I haven't thought about that. Even now, I still can't believe I actually won the MVP."

"This is everyone's recognition of me, and for that, I will do my best to show all my energy in every game."

Although these words sounded rather modest, Durant's smile widened when he mentioned the MVP. Unlike Rose, who was a bust, he is the real MVP who is about to lead his team to the Finals!

Sports reporters, sensing the underlying message, began to tout the young players' outstanding performance. Unfortunately, Durant didn't make any bold pronouncements about securing a spot in the Finals.
Things are going even more smoothly than expected. With a big contract and an MVP award, Durant feels like he's about to reach the pinnacle of his life!
When the Thunder team returned to the hotel by bus, Carter was all smiles. The veterans mingled with the young players, singing and dancing on the bus.

While swaying his head, Durant didn't forget to pull out his phone to update his Twitter status, then skillfully switched to a secondary account to organize fans on Reddit to vote for their idol.
"We'll break box office records soon! Don't worry, guys, we have super-rich people backing us. We'll bring our families to see it a few more times this weekend."

The Avengers broke box office records in its opening week after its release earlier this month. However, due to Scarlett Johansson's absence from promotional activities, rumors have surfaced that she has "broken up with her husband due to family reasons."

This news story has almost become a recurring plot, but some people still believe it.

Fisher didn't notice that Durant had started surfing the internet again. After browsing the post-game press conference, the veteran Fisher gave the young man some advice:

"Kevin, you did a great job. If we make it to the finals, don't go around bragging to the media about 'full power mode'."

"."

Old Fish is good in every way, except that he is too cautious. Westbrook secretly grimaced. He is not Wade without his meniscus. As long as he gets to the Finals, he is confident that he can go toe-to-toe with Old James!
-

On Friday, June 1st, the Heat players, who had already arrived in New York, had mixed feelings. Meanwhile, Knicks fans were already celebrating their conference finals championship and were busy creating drama.

Since news broke that Garnett was considering retirement, the New York fan club has completely changed its attitude from the playoffs, turning into hardcore Garnett fans and chanting "Stay!" near the Barclays Center!
Some fans even chanted "New York needs Garnett" during the event.
At first, some normal New York fans were fooled, but after several days of shouting without any response, members of the New York fan club couldn't hold back any longer and started a new program - "role-playing".

Lately, every night I've been able to witness dramas like "Garnett begs to join New York but is rejected by Li You" and "Garnett tearfully returns the MVP trophy to Li You."

In addition, there are many other programs such as "Nets locker room game" and "Anthony vs. Garnett boxing match".

As for the "fighting and retreating" tactic, it has become a regular source of amusement. New York fans will create shows on YouTube to relentlessly mock Garnett, fearing that they will lose the opportunity to entertain him once he retires.

James has also become a source of amusement. Ever since he said "full power mode" the night before last, New Yorkers who saw the news were all laughing. Everyone wanted to see how the chosen one would go "full power" in Game 3!
Considering that the "Chosen One" is also a top Wade fan, the New York fan club members didn't pull any stunts, but Wade once again became the target of attacks. In the latest episode, several veteran Black fans led the call to action:

"Apologize to Lee, and stop wearing that Joker #3 outfit!"

As one of the few players in the league who supports Iverson, Wade has long been considered the number one enemy of New York fans. Anyone who supports Philadelphia or Boston is seen as a clown.

The distorted basketball environment in New York left the Heat players dumbfounded. The schedule this season was too packed, and everyone was busy with games. They hadn't paid attention for a while, and East Coast basketball had become incredible.
The abdominal injury was very troublesome; even now, Bosh hasn't fully recovered. At breakfast, everyone's spirits were low. The former "Dragon King" naturally noticed this and spoke up:
"A professional player may only experience a few division finals in his lifetime. Tonight I will be back on the court, regardless of my physical condition. I just want to leave no regrets."

"The medical team's advice is good, but I don't want to listen to it. I just want to seize the opportunity and put the basketball in the damn hoop!"

With Bosh at center and James at power forward, the Heat had been training their "complete" lineup for a season. This was a tactical system specifically designed to counter the Knicks, and Pat Riley was involved in its development.

Upon hearing Bosh's words, Haslem was visibly excited. In a do-or-die game, the team needed its star players to step up.

McGrady knew the consequences of playing injured; his experience with the Rockets told him it wasn't a good choice. But after a moment's thought, he whispered:
"Bro, you can play, but don't push yourself. If things don't go your way, go back to the bench. No one will blame you."

Everyone on the Heat praised Bosh's actions. Wade, who had been matched up against Li You for two games, was starting to doubt himself and was about to offer Bosh some more advice when James, who had been focused on eating, suddenly spoke up:

"Give me the ball tonight! We'll win the game, and the counterattack starts tonight!"

This was the first time the chosen one, who loves to handle the ball and orchestrate the offense, had made a strong statement within the team. Seeing his good friend's determined eyes, Wade glanced at Bosh and then spoke up:
"Yes, the counterattack begins tonight!"

(End of this chapter)