NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 444: All of this belongs to Li Gan? (Daily Chapter)
On the evening of May 2006, 5, at the Gund Center, the Eastern Conference semifinals were drawing to a close and the atmosphere was growing quieter.

LeBron James, who had a fractured rib, was sitting on the bench in a brown suit, leaning on his knees with his hands covering his mouth, as if he couldn't believe what was happening.

The Cavaliers' offensive core was absent due to injury, and Game 4 lost its suspense early on. The fans who came to the scene were mentally prepared, but at this time they also had their eyes wide open.

The Knicks entered the rotation very early, the atmosphere group was getting better and better, the Cavaliers' offense was constipated, and they fell into a scoring drought from time to time.

Cleveland fans were expecting Howard to show his No. 1 pick talent, but unfortunately they watched an "ugly" game!

Apart from some alley-oops at the basket and dunks after cross-screens, Howard's back-to-the-basket singles left a deep impression on everyone.

With 3 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game, Van Gundy requested a timeout. The championship coach's face turned black. He was humiliated again!
"Shh!"

The boos reappeared in the arena. Howard returned to his seat and felt so wronged that he wanted to cry. Why was everyone targeting him? !

Howard took the towel handed to him by his teammate and covered his face with it, as if he didn't want others to see his emotions. The second-year rookie simply hugged the towel and lowered his head in silence.

Van Gundy couldn't even say the chicken soup that was about to come to his mouth. He really couldn't comfort his players, and his heart was also filled with anger.

"Hold your head high and face failure like a man!"

"There is no difference between losing 100 points and losing 1 point! All you have to do is remember tonight's game and then work harder on your skills and body!"

"One day, we will win back"

Sitting in front of everyone, Van Gundy held the tactical board and loudly gave Howard some encouragement, but Howard still didn't look up. After all, he was just a 20-year-old kid and really couldn't accept such a game.

Ilgauskas sighed and patted his teammates beside him. The veteran felt that what the coach said made sense. Losing is losing, it's no big deal.

Snow was also unable to accept such an outcome. Although he left the 76ers, he still could not escape the fate of being beaten.

It seemed as if someone was cursing them. Ever since Iverson won the scoring title, the 76ers have never recovered, and the players back then also started to have bad luck.

Snow covered his face with his hands and almost burst into tears. He was about to collapse. He had lost so much in these years.
No one on the Knicks bench sympathized with their opponents. Everyone was smiling. So far in the playoffs, they have won all the games by a large margin and made it to the divisional finals again. A championship is within reach!
"If we work harder, we will have a chance to break the previous record!"

Fisher still didn't relax. He had a serious expression on his face and kept high-fiving to encourage his opponent, not caring at all whether he was bullying the weaker players or not.

On the contrary, veteran Finley felt a little sympathetic towards his opponent, and a conflicted look appeared on his dark face. However, he also had no chance to play, so he could only remind him tactfully:
"Pay attention to the opponent's fouls. We have already won. Health is more important at this time."

Raja Bell and Dio didn't care about this. The game was about to end, and it was time to relax. Barnes and Varejao were obviously playing hard and responded:
"Give me the ball, I want to score more points!"

"I can continue to set screens and get rebounds and make more fast breaks."

After hearing what the two said, everyone on the bench laughed quietly. Compared to winning simply, they prefer to see the team set records.

The substitute lineups of both teams came on the court again. Li You and others sat quietly in their seats waiting for the game to end. The semi-final was easier than everyone expected.

As time went by, the score difference continued to widen, and the noise became louder and louder. Kevin Harlan, on the TNT commentary booth, was already talking about the next round of games:

“It’s hard to imagine who can break the reigning champion’s dominance!”

"There is no doubt that the current Knicks are a historically strong team, and their excellent lineup depth even surpasses that of the Celtics back then."

"If the Knicks meet the Heat in the next round, maybe coach Pat Riley will have a headache, as they still can't limit Lee."

Feeling the sad atmosphere at the scene, Doug Collins took over the topic and gave his own opinion:

"Like Kevin said, this Knicks team is too strong, there is always someone who can stand out in every game!"

"The only weakness right now is that there are some issues with Pau Gasol's rebounding in the starting lineup, and it's hard to make up for the absence of Kurt Thomas."

"But when D'Antoni uses the twin towers lineup, it is enough to survive most games. This is the impact brought by Lee. The Cavaliers have to defend seriously from the beginning of the half."

Doug Collins noticed Reggie Miller's unconvinced mood and paused for a moment before saying with a smile:

"I have always emphasized a point that Lee changed modern basketball. No one played like him in the past. I think Miller deeply understands this."

Also known for his three-point shooting, unfortunately, Reggie Miller can only match rookie Li You in his peak season.
"That's why a lot of people don't like the Knicks. They can spend money to build the best roster in the league."

"The Cavaliers can only add talent through the draft!"

"I want to congratulate the Knicks for reaching the conference finals again, but I believe that many fans are like me. We can't empathize with Lee. He lacks a pure love for basketball."

"Maybe he only has victory in his eyes."

Kevin Harlan interrupted Miller's complaints. What he said didn't make sense. At least he knew that New York fans were already very happy. They didn't like the losing days:

"It seems like we have witnessed history again tonight. It's a shame that the Cavaliers can only end their season this way."

Old Miller was a little unhappy. He just didn't like Li You. He always thought that the emergence of the Knicks ruined the Pacers' championship.
The boos in the arena were getting louder and louder, and in the last two rounds, Damon Jones was still missing shots.

As the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, Van Gundy was stunned and stood on the sidelines, as if he couldn't believe that he would see such a score.

70:129, five Cavaliers players sat down on the floor, holding their heads in their hands, and soon they heard the excited shouts of the Knicks players.

Miller remained silent in the commentary booth, but Kevin Harlan remained calm and spoke his prepared remarks with a smile:

"Congratulations to the New York Knicks for reaching the conference finals again. We also witnessed the biggest point difference in NBA playoff history."

"Not long ago, the Knicks defeated the 58ers by 76 points. In less than half a month, they broke the record again!"

"Under Lee's leadership, the Knicks once again demonstrated the dominance of the defending champions!"

The boos from the scene were the best reward. The Cavaliers fans at the scene looked at Li You, who was smiling and clapping in celebration, and they all spoke well of him.

After this year's semifinals, Cleveland will also join the "anti-Lee alliance". Unlike Philadelphia, which has become numb, their emotions are even more excited.
TNT reporter Greg Sager, wearing a red and white plaid suit tonight, approached Li You and asked a simple question with a smile:

"Lee, congratulations on reaching the conference finals for 10 consecutive seasons. This is an incredible record!"

"So far in this year's playoffs, the Knicks have been winning by a large margin. Talk about how you feel now."

The particularly noisy gym made Li You look nostalgic. Since his old opponent lost, such scenes have appeared less and less frequently:
"I love Cleveland. Hearing the shouts of these passionate fans brings back some memories for me."

"I'm very fortunate to lead the Knicks to the conference finals again. Our work is not yet done. Everyone can have a good rest in the next week."

Sager could only laugh dryly. He didn't quite understand Li You's emotions. More and more fans were upset at the scene. Maybe after the game, the die-hard fans would even attack the bus.
The interview was still going on, but Van Gundy was still standing on the sidelines in a daze. He was humiliated again, and history will always remember him.

Seeing the champion coach whose face suddenly darkened, the bald Thibodeau felt somewhat relieved. Being a head coach was indeed not easy. With his mind full of thoughts, he stepped forward and reminded him:
"Jeff, don't forget to say hello to Mike!"

Van Gundy came to his senses and lowered his head to straighten his wrinkled black suit. He tried to calm down and came to the technical table. Looking at the smiling face of the man with a mustache, he almost lost his temper and broke down on the spot.

"It's a shame, our rotation is in great shape! The guys are just playing hard."

Hearing this, Van Gundy almost turned around and left, cursing in his heart, "What is the puppet so proud of?", and forced a smile on his face:

"No one cares about those boring records. Losing in this way can help young players grow better."

"Congratulations, you are the better team in this round!"

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and Van Gundy became increasingly unhappy as he watched D'Antoni triumphantly leave the court. The other team's "red scarf" was also imitating him.

After letting out a long sigh, the championship coach walked towards the player tunnel and soon saw Howard crying in front of the locker room. The rookie's dream of becoming the core player was completely shattered tonight.

Howard kept wiping away tears with a grin on his face. Such a tragic defeat made him collapse. Thinking that the commentators would ridicule him for a while in the future, he couldn't stop crying for a while.

LeBron James, who was a little hunched over, endured the pain in his body and kept comforting his teammates. He was thankful that his partner did not cry when he shook hands with Li You.

"It's okay, Dwight, the coach is right, we just lost the semifinals, think about our age!"

Hearing James's consolation, Howard felt even more sad. He felt that his future was bleak and he might lose more in the future.
James pulled his teammates back to the locker room, looked at the quiet crowd, sighed secretly in his heart, and at the same time felt fortunate that he saw everyone's strength clearly.

Snow, Ronald Murray and Damon Jones are no longer his brothers, Marshall is half, and big brother Ilgauskas is still his right-hand man.

Gooden also performed well off the bench. Considering that steals leader Hughes lost his brother, James thinks his form should be able to improve next season.

Watching Van Gundy return to the locker room and start serving chicken soup again, James frowned slightly as he sat in his seat. An idea emerged in his mind that he could not help but think:
"There must be something wrong with the champion coach!"

On Tuesday, May 5, the New York Times did not forget to continue mocking its opponents.

The crying Iverson, the sighing Webber with his hands on his hips, the crying Howard with his hands covering his face, the smiling faces of James and Li You curled up on the floor were all put together in one photo, and the corresponding column article became:

"Shaq and Wade, you're next!"

The above four core players were all beaten by the Knicks, and the biggest point difference in playoff history is the best proof! ESPN and several mainstream sports media were not so straightforward, but instead questioned the coaching abilities of Van Gundy and Popovich.

The former was swept 4:0 very easily, and the latter is currently trailing 1:3 and is also about to be eliminated.

In Game 4 held last night, after an overtime, the Spurs unfortunately lost 118:123. Jason Terry and Devin Harris performed well throughout the game and helped the Mavericks get the match point.

The combination of a championship coach and the biggest point difference in playoff history is really shocking. What is even more outrageous to some basketball commentators is that Howard's offense is so rough!
13中4，罚球7中3，11分12篮板1助攻2盖帽5失误，受到重点照顾的霍华德没能展现出核心球员的水平。

Fortunately, he is only a sophomore and still has a promising future. Otherwise, after this game, his value would have been lost by half.
Popovich has also been questioned, and the doubts about him have never stopped over the years. Duncan now has no shortage of helpers around him, but he is instead controlled by a rookie coach.

作为新任MVP，邓肯已经拼尽全力，出场47分钟，23中12，罚球8中7，31分13篮板6助攻1抢断3盖帽3失误；

Parker contributed a game-high 33 points and Ginobili also scored 26 points. The trio played steadily, but they still lost.

"No help" cannot be a reason for failure. Seeing that Duncan was about to be eliminated, Kevin Garnett became the biggest beneficiary for a while.

Both are MVPs. With the help of Sprewell and Cassell, Garnett at least made it to the divisional finals. In comparison, Duncan was so weak!
In the afternoon TNT program, the three were also discussing the new MVP who was about to be eliminated. When talking about their expectations for the Eastern Conference Finals, Ernie Johnson suddenly sighed:
"Philadelphia media broke the news that Tawanna was accompanying Allen Iverson to seek help from a psychiatrist."

"After losing for many consecutive years, Iverson seems to be suffering from a serious mental illness, most likely Yu Yu syndrome."

The director timely played a clip of Iverson's family appearing in a medical institution for the audience in front of the TV. The former Son of Philadelphia has completely lost his high-spirited temperament.

Charles Barkley did not add insult to injury, but frowned and repeated the old words:

"I've said it before, Lee shouldn't humiliate his opponents, they didn't need to win by so many points!"

"Philadelphia fans may vent their anger on Iverson's family, and the same goes for Cleveland fans. No one likes to lose by a big score."

Hearing this, Kenny Smith frowned slightly and reminded in a low voice:
"In fact, in the few games where we won by a large margin, Lee's playing time was not much. This is the NBA. Superstars will receive more attention and will also bear more pressure."

"Lee is a good role model. He did not squander his wealth and rarely appeared on TV shows in recent years."

"He just keeps working on his body and his skills day in and day out. Obviously, Lee is stronger. If it was a normal guard, LeBron James would knock him into the audience."

Ernie Johnson didn't want his partner to make any more outrageous remarks, so he took the opportunity to change the subject and talk about tonight's game:
"Lee has set a new record, but of course I think the fans are used to it, and in fact he has had so many little records over the years."

"This year, the Knicks' opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals is likely to be the Heat. The Pistons have already shown signs of decline, and the impact of the new rules is beginning to ferment."

The director quickly turned the screen to Rasheed Wallace who was being interviewed. During the interview, Roaring God complained loudly again:
"This is an unfair series. I don't want to discuss the free throw issue, but the fact is that the Heat are too far ahead at this point."

"I even think that blowing on Wade would be a foul! We backed off and gave him a huge amount of space to shoot!"

"The referee didn't allow us to play against him, that's why we fell behind."

Trailing 1:3 in the series, the Pistons returned to their home court and put pressure on the referee. They had had enough of the previous calls and they had to win this life-and-death battle.

The three people in the back studio did not comment too much. In fact, the Pistons could not stop Wade's breakthrough. The "one through five" scene also appeared in Li You's game.

After a brief interview, Charles Barkley did not say anything good about the Pistons. Instead, he gloated and joked:
"I'm looking forward to what kind of data Wade will hand over against the Knicks' defense. If Lee comes to defend, this will be the biggest difficulty he has encountered in recent years!"

The director gave Li You's personal statistics after two rounds of playoffs:
场均出场35.0分钟，场均拿到36.3分5.6篮板11.1助攻2.5抢断1.3盖帽1.6失误；

Averaged 18.0 shots per game, shooting 67.2% from the field, 7.6 shots from beyond the three-point line, and 52.6% shooting from the field;

He averaged 8.1 free throws per game and his free throw percentage was 95.5%. After 8 games, Li You's true shooting percentage reached 83.8%, which is sky-high.
No matter how many times he has watched it, Kenny Smith would always be amazed, with an expression of admiration on his face, and brag very naturally:
"No one can come close to Lee, this is the best in history, 4 wins away from 8 consecutive championships!"

"Perhaps time is his enemy. Lee will get old, but he will continue to dominate the league until his physical condition declines."

"."

At 17:30 in the evening, ESPN's Pardon the Interrupt program discussed the mistakes Van Gundy made in this series.

Michael Wilbon did not hold back and did not give the championship coach any face, pointing the finger directly at Van Gundy:

"The Cavaliers obviously have a big problem with their roster. They lack outside shooters. I don't understand why Damon Jones, a three-point shooter, suddenly declined when he arrived in Cleveland."

"He was like a kid scared by Lee, and he didn't even dare to change direction during the game."

"We can't blame LeBron James. In fact, if he leaves Cleveland and plays in a big city, he will gain more."

"Looking at the contract that Lee signed, I can't even estimate how much he will make in a year. He really deserves it, but New York also made him."

"I respect coach Van Gundy, but don't forget that he can decide who the team signs! Excessive trust has led to the current result. The Cavaliers should hire a more competent general manager!"

The black bald man spoke very fast, but Tony Kornheiser was used to it. The show time was limited, so he took this opportunity to add fuel to the fire:
"You mean to take back the power from coach Van Gundy?"

"He won four consecutive championships in New York. He is the first coach to achieve this in modern basketball. We should not question such a success."

Wilbon did not deny it immediately, but just shrugged his shoulders in front of the camera and said meaningfully:

"Phil Jackson met Michael Jordan and they succeeded, and now he coaches Kobe and he keeps failing."

"Young Jeff Van Gundy met Lee, and they ended the Bulls dynasty, but after coming to Cleveland, he has not won against the Knicks."

"Maybe Coach D'Antoni is right. It's the players on the court who decide the game. Why can't we question it?"

ESPN's programs have a wider audience. They not only talk about recent hot sports news, but also gossip about social news. The image of Van Gundy getting angry and yelling was directed and broadcasted, leaving some online fans dumbfounded.

The team was swept again this year, and Van Gundy's reputation plummeted. He has lost half of his status as a championship coach. Perhaps the Cavaliers will take back some of his power during the offseason.

Van Gundy, who was still at home in Cleveland, also watched the show and was almost furious. He was also a little worried:
“Will the Cavaliers still trust me?”

However, when he thought of LeBron James who always spoke well of him, Van Gundy breathed a sigh of relief. This trusted and beloved general would not believe in slander!

In the Eastern Conference semifinals that night, the Pistons put pressure on the referees and it worked, but unfortunately, they were too weak.
94:76, the Heat won the game with a crushing score of 4:1. The gentlemen swept their opponents and advanced to the divisional finals.

Hamilton shot 28 of 12 and scored a game-high 33 points, but the Heat team was too efficient and the Pistons were unable to stop them.

奥尼尔14中12，罚球9中4，砍下28分16篮板1助攻5盖帽5失误的大号两双；
杰森-威廉姆斯12中10，三分线外2中1，贡献了21分1篮板6助攻1抢断1失误的数据。

韦德15中6，14分4篮板10助攻1抢断1盖帽3失误，效率不高，但很好地串联了进攻。

At the Palace of Auburn Hills, Pistons fans are extremely disappointed. Recently, there are more and more news about Ben Wallace wanting to leave the team to pursue a big contract. Maybe they won't be able to wait for the championship.
Sanders looked at Pat Riley, who was in high spirits in front of the technical table, and felt depressed. It was not a glorious thing to be defeated by the opponent.

"Good luck, hope to see the Heat finish off the Knicks!"

Noticing the other party's insincere expression, the oily-haired boss smiled slightly. The current situation was completely in line with his plan:
"We're going to do it, no one can win all the time."

The two teams in the Eastern Conference Finals have been determined. The Knicks will once again face their old rival, the Heat. This is also another showdown between Li You and O'Neal.

O'Neal and Wade naturally spoke boldly in the post-match press conference, as if they were talking to each other from a distance. Unfortunately, they were not aware that Li You had rarely paid attention to his opponents' games in recent years.

Taking advantage of the team's holiday, Li You returned to Peninsula Manor in a low-key manner. In addition to visiting the two little ones, he also had to reward Scarlett who had been looking after the house recently.

It was almost 23pm, during the half-time break, and the young girl, who was completely limp, was being served by two men.

The fragrant liquid was smeared on the body. Christen Ritter, who was kneeling beside her, took care of the huge white breasts with a wicked smile. Li You also went forward to knead it from time to time.

Scarlett, with a ruddy face, hummed a few times involuntarily, as if inviting the second half of the competition.

The blonde hair on her head was wet with sweat. She stood up, as if trying to adjust her knowledge. The young girl took the initiative to lean into Li You's arms. Suddenly she remembered something. She tilted her head back and whispered in a hoarse voice:

"Honey, I lent LiLo 20 yuan. She seems to be in trouble recently."

The little follower looked at the cow succubus and started to act like a spoiled child again, and added unhappily:
"Lindsay Lohan used to look down on Rachel, but in recent years she has fallen into drug abuse and frequent parties. This bitch doesn't deserve sympathy. Don't expect her to pay back the money in the next few years."

When filming Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan was still a good girl and she didn't get on Li You's big ship. Instead, Rachel was like a green tea.

As time went by, the opposite happened. Rachel became an honest person, but she played more extravagantly.

Most of Scarlett's salary was invested, and Li You didn't care about pocket money at all. He helped the other party adjust his posture and smiled at the two of them and said:

"Don't worry about these little things. We still have to continue practicing. This is a rare holiday!"

"what!"

The old rival was in bad luck, the former coach was questioned, and the happy Li You soon became addicted to double-teaming. Greenwich at 4 a.m. was the best proof of his hard work in practicing!

(End of this chapter)