NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 470: Jump Shot Like a Layup (6300 words chapter)
On Thursday, November 2006, 11, the final four teams will officially debut tonight.

After the opening game, the Heat were ultimately ridiculed for two days, and even the basketball critics who had been optimistic about Pat Riley leading the team to the championship during the offseason remained silent.

The New York Times even kicked the Heat out of the championship race ahead of time, and several mainstream newspapers had the same opinion:
"Pat Riley can't adapt to modern basketball, the Heat's championship window has closed!"

These words were spoken bluntly. Led by the New York media, many basketball critics followed suit and dug up old accounts. Stan Van Gundy, who had not yet left the Heat, became a "good gun":
"Da Fan is doing well, why do you want to replace him?"

NBA games are all about results. Stan Van Gundy led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals, and Pat Riley didn't make any breakthroughs.

Considering that the Heat's current roster was traded by the greasy boss, and it has declined so much in just one year, Riley must take the blame for the disastrous defeat!
61:120, on the first day of the new season, the Knicks tied the record again and gave the Heat a 59-point defeat.

The reason for the big loss was mainly because the main lineup had too little playing time. Li You and O'Neal only played for 22 minutes, and Wade only played for 28 minutes.

Starting from the third quarter, the Knicks' rotation lineup struck hard, with Raja Bell and Michael Finley frequently firing from beyond the three-point line.

When the fourth quarter entered garbage time, JR Smith, who had been in a slump in the preseason, suddenly broke out and easily scored 4 points in a single quarter, and the final score was fixed at 10.
After the brutal game, the Heat players collectively broke down and no one accepted interviews that night. Just as November began, the NBA issued a fine of 11 US dollars.

TNT's program couldn't even comment on this game. It started off badly, the main lineup had too little playing time, the Heat had 30 points at halftime, and it was a one-sided beating that had no reference value.

The statistics have lost their meaning. If you have a calmer mentality, losing 59 points is not much different from losing 1 point.
There are only two games tonight, Spurs vs. Mavericks and Nuggets vs. Clippers.

As the Western Conference champions last season, the Mavericks are also attracting much attention in the new season. While retaining their main lineup, they traded for Austin Croshere from the Pacers.

The rotation lineup has been upgraded, and critics unanimously believe that the Mavericks have a chance to continue to reach the finals this year, and Dallas' championship window will last at least 2 years!
In contrast, the Spurs remained the same, adding undrafted player Fabricio Oberto from Argentina and 99 second-round pick Francisco Elson.

This is the big man who played next to Duncan this season. On the bench, Benno Yoder and Robert Horry are still the team's main rotation.

Such reinforcements made San Antonio fans despair. Compared with the Knicks' stable and well-armed lineup, the Spurs are wasting Duncan's peak period.
The team favored by the commentators lost again, 93:90. The two sides fought until the fourth quarter, and finally Ginobili's free throw helped the Spurs win the game.

In the first game of the new season, Duncan played 1 minutes, Parker and Ginobili also played 40 minutes. Although Popovich won, he was criticized after the game.

Another game that fans are paying attention to, the Nuggets unexpectedly lost to the Clippers 92:96. Iverson seems to be incompatible with Anthony.
萨姆-卡塞尔再次展现了自己“高端局”的实力，24中13，高效砍下全场最高的36分6篮板6助攻2失误！

On the bench, Tim Thomas and Corey Maggette combined to score 34 points, also destroying the Nuggets' rotation lineup.

The favorite team lost again, and after the game, many football commentators were silent.

Iverson scored 21 points with 9 of 32 shots, and Anthony scored 16 points with 7 of 21 shots. The two performed well. After the game, the losing "scoring champion combination" continued to boast:

"We just need a little time, and soon the Nuggets will get back to form as a championship team."

All the favored teams lost. Although it was just one game, when thinking of the Knicks, no one questioned Li You’s “big words” anymore. The opponents were indeed too weak!

If some people questioned Li You's failure to practice during the offseason in previous years, no one mentions this issue now. Since everyone wins anyway, the fans won't care even if Li You uses games as training.

On Friday, November 11, the Knicks flew to Atlanta, and the first back-to-back game of the new season was about to begin.

Rajon Rondo, Jose Barea, David Lee and JR Smith got up early in the morning to cooperate with the staff to distribute jerseys. The three of them not only carried bags, but also had to take care of the wake-up service.

Although it is a good thing that the team won, the fans did not care too much about the performance of the players in garbage time, which made Rondo a little disappointed. He did not receive much praise for organizing the team's offense.

The Lakers first defeated the Suns in the opening game without Kobe, and then with the return of Old Fish, they defeated the Warriors again.

Several teams that were highly expected have performed poorly. The Lakers have become the subject of heated discussion among basketball critics recently. With Kobe's return tonight, the 81-point man has become the focus again.

After finishing his work, JR Smith was in a bad mood. He saw that the newspapers were also discussing how many points Kobe could score this year, so he couldn't help but brag to the people around him:
"81 points. If I had more ball possession, I could have gotten that kind of data. Why are people talking about him?"

Rondo ignored the atmosphere group. David Lee, who was packing his backpack, stood up, glanced at Smith who was possessed by the lemon essence and said casually:

"Because the league needs to create an opponent, if we don't discuss the Lakers, should we discuss the Heat who lost by 59 points?"

"Games like the Hawks and tomorrow's Pacers won't generate any buzz. They are weak teams, and only losing is big news. Do you think we will lose?"

Stable bullying of weak teams is the hallmark of a strong team. JR Smith had not experienced this personally when he was with the Hornets. Thinking of the Knicks' past record, he could only shake his head.

The expected situation of getting the starting position easily did not happen, and he did not expect that he could only play garbage time. JR Smith felt that his future was bleak, and he now just wanted to integrate into the team as soon as possible.

Barea didn't complain about his treatment. As a 60th pick, being able to get playing time was already a perfect start. Thinking of the news during the offseason, he couldn't help but gossip:

"Maybe Stephon Marbury will explode tonight. His comments during the offseason sounded very confident."

David Lee glanced at the little guy and said nothing more. He pouted and complained in a low voice:

"This guy is crazy about being famous! Who cares what he says?"

After big man Wright came to the Hawks, he became the object of admiration of many players on the team, not because of how good he was, but mainly because he had too many rings.

The octagonal ring he just brought back from New York has made many people in the team envious. Tyronn Lue truly realized that choice is more important than hard work.

If he could join the Knicks, Tyronn Lue thinks he can win a championship too.
After years of slump, the Hawks' current lineup has changed a lot. Joe Johnson has become the undisputed core. If the team's performance is better, Marbury will not be in the plan.

This is also the reason why Marbury tried to get close to Li You during the offseason. He had to prepare for his next home in advance.

The game officially started at 19:30. With still half an hour to go, more than 1 fans had already poured into the Philips Arena.

Bob Rathbun, who had just taken over the TV broadcast, and Eagles legend Dominique Wilkins were chatting happily in the commentary booth. When commenting on the home team, they naturally had to praise X:

"I think the team is about to rise again, the rebuilding process is almost over, and trading for Joe Johnson from the Suns is the right choice."

Wilkins, wearing a black striped suit, naturally praised Joe Johnson. After the Heat and Pistons began to decline, the legend firmly believed that the Hawks would soon make it through.

Bob Rathbun, who has thick black hair and a slicked-back hairstyle, used to commentate on the Atlanta Braves. Although he had learned some basketball news, he still didn't quite understand Li You's style:
"In my opinion, as a fellow rookie in the 96 draft, Marbury lacked opportunities."

“Although he can’t reach the heights of Lee, he is also an outstanding defender. I hope he can play a leadership role as the team rises.”

The two of them made some jokes from time to time, and they were also full of praise for this year's high-draft rookie inside combination of Tyus Thomas and Zaza Pachulia.

The small win over the 76ers in the last game gave the two more confidence.

The two new partners in the commentary booth gave the Eagles fans in front of the TV great expectations, but after the game started, the situation was different from what was expected.

Head coach Mike Woodson hoped that Tyrus Thomas could penetrate the Knicks' No. 4 position and frequently passed the ball to the inside after the opening, but Williams failed to seize the opportunity.

He lost the ball with his back to the basket, and then missed the jump shot in the left blocking zone. The rookie Tyus Thomas, who was highly expected, was silent at the beginning of the game.

This kind of performance made Marbury a little angry. He didn't like leveling up with the rookies at all.

"Defense!."

Amid the cheers from the defense, Marbury retreated back to half court and stared at Li You who was slowly dribbling across half court with the ball in his right hand.

The Hawks, who had long been tired of losing, had problems with defensive discipline. Marbury was too lazy to direct his teammates' matchups and just stood on the three-point line to establish a defensive position.

With the cross screen at the baseline, Artest didn't pay attention to Joe Johnson who switched defense behind him, and ran to the left side near the baseline to continue accelerating and shooting outwards.

In the left blocking area, Chandler stood still in advance and provided off-ball screen for his teammates. As Artest came to the three-point line, Chandler immediately accelerated and cut into the basket.

There was no one interfering outside the three-point line. Li You casually threw the ball to the upper left side of the basket. Chandler, who was blocking Pachulia behind him, jumped in front of the opponent, grabbed the ball in the air and pushed it into the basket!
"Shh!"

There were boos in the arena. In the commentary booth, Wilkins looked at Chandler beating his chest and yelling. He couldn't comment on this defense and could only say euphemistically:

"We should limit Lee's passing and at least make some effective interference."

In fact, this happens every season. The Knicks have a strong ability to bully weak opponents and can always take the lead inadvertently.

The game seemed to have entered the rhythm familiar to the Hawks fans. The noise drowned out the cheers. Marbury, who received the ball at the baseline, did not think there was anything wrong with his defense and accelerated again to cross half court.

In many previous rounds, the ball was passed according to the coach's instructions. This time, Marbury took the initiative to call for a pick-and-roll, and without waiting for Pachulia to stand at the top of the arc, he immediately changed direction in front of his body.

Switching to the right hand, Marbury lowered his shoulders and accelerated, ignoring Li You who squeezed through the screen, and rushed forward in the middle.

When Li You chased to the paint area, he slowed down actively. Marbury tried to lean on the defense to complete the jump step and actively exerted force to hit Li You.
The collision happened as expected. Marbury wanted to use the force of the rebound to jump and lean forward to make a layup, but he didn't expect that this would give Li You the opportunity to fully exert his strength.

"And one!"

At the bottom right of the basket, Marbury leaned forward to avoid being blocked. He yelled in advance, and the basketball just slipped out of his hand, and then it was stuck on the backboard with a "snap". He fell out of the baseline, lying on the floor and complaining to the referee, while Li You, who had regained control of the ball, rushed forward with the ball.

Patria at the top of the arc wanted to reach out, but was instantly thrown away by Li You's change of direction.

Joe Johnson, who was retreating quickly, had no choice but to change the direction of his pursuit and rushed across half court. He just got close and then had to watch helplessly as Li You threw the ball out with his left hand.

After bouncing on the floor, the basketball fell accurately into the hands of the unguarded Hill. The latter received the ball, took three steps forward and slammed it with one hand!
14:6, the score difference was suddenly widened. These three rounds were so fast that the Eagles fans at the scene seemed unable to react.

After the opening, the team was barely able to go back and forth. Trailing by 8 points, Mike Woodson requested a timeout. The sloppy coach crossed his arms helplessly. The gap was obvious.

D'Antoni just croaked for a while. Facing a weak team, the coaching staff was able to remain stable. The atmosphere group was very excited. Perhaps they will be on the field again soon.

Bob Rathbun was commentating on the Knicks game for the first time. Although he was well prepared, he couldn't help but admire Li You's ease and comfort.
“Maybe this is why everyone likes to watch Lee play. I hope we can play such a smooth offense in the future!”

"Marbury needs to calm down and be more careful with his offensive choices."

Amid the noise, in the first round after the timeout, Marbury became a tool again, and Joe Johnson came to the left wing to receive the ball as soon as possible.

Facing Hill's defense, after releasing the ball with his left hand, Joe Johnson cut in from the left wing against the defense, suddenly stopped in the blocking area, crossed to his right hand without pulling back, and then immediately dribbled behind his back.

He took a step back, then quickly passed the ball, facing Hill's defense, Joe Johnson scored 2 points again!
"Oh!"

Cheers reappeared in the stadium. Looking at Joe Johnson pumping his fist in celebration, Marbury was secretly annoyed that his position as the boss had been taken away.

"Defense!."

The uniform shouts rang out again. Li You received the ball at the baseline very quickly and only started to slow down at the top of the arc.

Without Gasol, the Knicks' hand-off tactics were mostly missing. Marbury glanced at the movements behind him and saw that there was no pick-and-roll, so he decisively chose to step forward to defend and interfere at the same time.

Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent was trying to steal the ball, Li You suddenly lowered his center of gravity, dribbled the ball between his legs and switched to his left hand, without giving Marbury time to react, and suddenly turned around nimbly.

Although he failed to shake off the defense, Li You managed to gain half a body position, holding the ball in his right hand and making a strong breakthrough in the middle while hanging on Marbury.

The moment he approached the free throw line, Li You stopped suddenly, pulled back his hips, and Marbury, gritting his teeth and sliding, wanted to defend immediately, but was pushed secretly by the ball protector, which just destroyed his center of gravity.

Everyone at the scene only saw Marbury staggering and almost falling in the paint area. Li You, who was unguarded, easily passed the ball and made a steady jump shot from mid-range.

"Swish" the two-point ball hit the target steadily.

16:8, the score difference returned to 8 points again.

Marbury was on the verge of breaking down defense, and when he received the ball he kept complaining to the baseline referee until head coach Mike Woodson on the sidelines shouted at him, and then he stopped.

Li You, who had already retreated to the half court, watched Marbury pass the ball early this time, and when he stopped at the top of the arc, he joked to the "Son of New York":
"The best dribbling guard in the league?"

Marbury, who was fast and steady when he crossed half court, was so angry that he yelled loudly, but Joe Johnson ignored the outdated boss, and set a pick-and-roll with Josh Smith on the left wing, and immediately passed the ball to his teammates.

Josh Smith, who was running down the court, finally missed a jump shot in the left blocking area against Hill who was switching defense.

Chandler grabbed the rebound, and amid scattered boos, Li You received the ball again, and the Knicks team began to accelerate across half court.

Marbury, who was working hard on defense, followed Li You and stopped on the left wing. He noticed that Chandler at the top of the arc began to move towards him and was distracted for a moment.

Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, did not wait for his teammates to squeeze to his side. He shook his shoulders backward quickly, then suddenly leaned forward to take the ball and accelerated.

"Oh!"

Seeing Marbury lose his defensive position in an instant, the fans at the scene exclaimed again, and the latter reacted and slid immediately.

Marbury, who was desperately chasing and defending, thought that Li You, who had shaken off the defense, would attack the basket, but he didn't expect that the speed was much slower than he imagined.

On the left elbow near the paint, Marbury successfully chased him to the side, but lost his center of gravity due to inertia, and was then pulled back by Li You's crossover step after an emergency stop and flew away again.
Stumbling and unable to make a defensive move, Marbury stood in the paint area, watching Li You pass the ball again, and make a steady jump shot near the basket.

At 18:8, the score difference reached double digits.

Li You, who was retreating, moved his right hand with a smile, looked at Marbury, pointed to the free throw line, and indicated that he would jump shot there in the next round.

Cheers gradually appeared in the Philips Arena. If you can't beat them, just join in. This is not the first time such a situation has occurred. The home fans' defection made Marbury smash the ball hard.

In the next round, he ignored his teammates' requests for the ball, changed direction in front of his body at the top of the arc, switched to his right hand, and pushed through the middle again against Li You.

The jump step in the paint area failed to break through the defense, and Marbury tried to dodge the block in the air, but was finally blocked by Prince who came to the basket.
Marbury, who almost fell to the ground, shouted for a foul. He only had eyes for the basket and didn't notice that the Knicks were retreating early.

"This is a really bad offensive choice. Play more pick-and-rolls and Pachulia can finish jump shots from mid-range."

While Wilkins was still sighing, Li You, who had controlled the ball, ignored Marbury's counter-attack, accelerated straight ahead, and rushed across half court against the defense.

In the commentary booth, Bob Rathbun was somewhat helpless when he heard the booing from the audience. He did not like this kind of home atmosphere. Seeing Marbury still cutting the ball, he subconsciously complained:
"I think Marbury should control his defensive distance."

Li You, who was protecting the ball sideways, suddenly leaned forward and accelerated when the opponent pressed again. Marbury slid in time and tried to cut off the basketball in his left hand.

At the top of the arc on the three-point line, Li You stopped abruptly and suddenly pulled back, the basketball instantly switched to his right hand. Marbury had no time to adjust his center of gravity and was passed over again in one step.

Marbury gritted his teeth and continued to chase and defend. He soon squeezed to the side of Li You again, realized something was wrong, and faced the crotch dribble after an abrupt stop, but he still staggered.

As Li You stepped back to pass the ball, Marbury glared and rushed to defend. The moment his right forearm was hit, the referee immediately blew the whistle!

"Squeak! Shua!"

The basketball went into the net and Li You, who was knocked down, was quickly pulled up by his teammates. However, Marbury, who propped up his upper body, shook off his teammates' arms and stared straight at the "enemy" who stole his New York identity.

When Li You made the free throw, Wilkins and Bob Rathbun in the commentary booth almost sighed. After a few rounds, the situation on the court took a sharp turn for the worse.

21:8, the Hawks, led by the furious Marbury, officially started to fight recklessly.

The two core players just got the ball and started working. The Knicks quickly scored from multiple points and made easy transition attacks from time to time. Chandler easily scored after the pick-and-roll.

Tyrus Thomas foolishly followed the return run, and it was not until the open Prince easily hit an open three-pointer in the right corner that the newbie realized his mistake.

In the second half of the first quarter, the Eagles were full of loopholes. Although they scored points in singles, the score gap kept widening.

Fortunately, this is not the first year that such a situation has occurred. Atlanta fans who bought tickets to watch the game also began to enjoy the game and continued to cheer for the exciting offense.

The joy of beating the 76ers gradually faded, and Mike Woodson, standing on the sidelines, realized that the team's situation had not changed much, and diving for the No. pick might be a better choice.

Artest hit two consecutive three-pointers from the left wing. On the Hawks bench, big man Wright almost threw up his towel instinctively.
40:18, the game ended as it started. The Hawks are still the bottom team, they haven't changed at all.

During the intermission, the Philips Arena was filled with jubilation.

Bob Rathbun, who was commentating on the Knicks game for the first time, noticed that Lee Woo had put on his training uniform and was high-fiving his teammates. He sighed inwardly and commented in admiration:
"Lee is in great shape and will lead the Knicks to challenge the historical record."

"I don't think any team can be their opponent. After watching tonight's game, I think Lee is still improving. His pull-up jump shot is undefended!"

6中6，罚球3中3，15分2篮板5助攻1抢断1盖帽，填满数据栏的李佑让威尔金斯只能发出赞美声：
"This is a true leader. Maybe we can also refer to the Knicks' team-building ideas!"

"."

这场虐菜的比赛，最终马布里9中2，砍下8分3篮板4助攻3失误，唯一值得赞美的地方就是没在垃圾时间敢打敢拼。

118:80, the Knicks continued their winning streak without making any noise.

On Sunday, November 11, the NBA announced the players of the week for the first week of the new season:
Lee Woo of the New York Knicks and Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz won the award.

After back-to-back wins over the injury-plagued Pacers on Sunday, the Knicks are 3-0;
场均出场26分钟，场均拿到30.7分4.3篮板9.0助攻3.0抢断0.3盖帽；

The shooting rate was 71.9%, the three-point shooting rate was 58.9%, and the free throw shooting rate was 95.8%.

Seeing Li You's bullying data, all the commentators were silent. This seems to have reached an inhuman level.
What’s even more terrifying is that with the sharp drop in three-point shooting, Li You’s mid-range jump shot is ridiculously accurate. The New York Times column gave high praise to this:

"Jump shots are like layups"

(End of this chapter)