NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 474 The honeymoon period is over (6300 words chapter)
After the start of the new season, the team that disappointed fans the most should be the Nuggets.

After losing to the 76ers, they started with a 5-game losing streak and became the only team in the league without a win.
Before the fans broke down, George Karl was already anxious about losing. The suspension of the Knicks had little effect, but the Nuggets were really left with no one.

On Monday, November 11, ESPN's Sports Center announced the Nuggets' five-game losing streak to fans early in the morning, and also broadcast an interesting interview:

"I think the biggest mistake Philadelphia made was drafting Allen Iverson. I appreciate what he has done for the team, but we have to move on."

This is a picture of a local fan being interviewed after the game when Iverson returned to Philadelphia with the team for the first time after the trade.

The 76ers defeated the Nuggets that night. After the game, even head coach Cheeks did not say anything good about last season's core players. When interviewed, he just said indifferently:
"Allen is good, but he is not suitable to be a core player. It has nothing to do with attitude. It's just that his basketball level cannot support the team to enter a higher stage."

Even if there is a conflict between the two, these words broke the hearts of the son of Philadelphia and die-hard fans. Translated into words that everyone can understand:

"Iverson is a good basketball player, but he is just too bad"

Ever since being hit by Rondo's combination punch, Iverson not only did not receive any sympathy, but his status plummeted. In less than half a week, he had become the laughing stock of the league.

Not every player likes Iverson's behavior. You were a superstar before and everyone praised you. Now you are punched by a rookie, and more and more people are gloating and taking advantage of your misfortune.

After returning to New York on Sunday, Li You appeared on the Knicks' own show and once again praised his opponent.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. In this situation, Li You went against the tide and not only did not add insult to injury, but instead recognized Iverson's strength:

"I know Allen Iverson, he's a great scorer."

"Many times, statistics cannot measure a player's strength, and Iverson is a true fighter who will not be defeated by public opinion."

After watching the show, many fans praised Li You:

"The real GOAT", "God of Basketball", "Born to Win", "King of New York" and all kinds of fancy names came out from the fans' mouths. New York fans even shouted on Reddit:
"Lee has forgiven Iverson for his reckless behavior, he should be grateful!"

"."

On Monday morning, in a New York Times column, the basketball critic took the opportunity to praise Li You again, and also stepped on Anthony who remained silent:
"Anthony should feel guilty for his reckless behavior. His cowardly behavior is likely to ruin the Nuggets' record."

It is also wrong to keep silent. Several New York media even started to dig up the past and deprived Anthony of the few honors he had:

"Looking at it now, LeBron James should win the Rookie of the Year award. Anthony should be glad that he is in the Western Conference. He is overrated!"

Public opinion is changing too quickly and now it is the victim who must apologize.

The Cavaliers who flew to Manhattan last night witnessed the big turnaround in the fight. No one cared about Rondo's foul language anymore. The public opinion now was that Iverson needed to express his gratitude.
The usually happy Howard's mind was a mess after reading the newspaper and watching the program during breakfast time. If he remembered correctly, it was Iverson who was humiliated.

LeBron James doesn't care about these verbal battles. The Cavaliers have a record of 5 wins and 1 loss, second only to the Knicks. His era is coming soon, and outdated stars are not worth paying attention to.

"Larry, give it your all tonight. We have to keep up the momentum!"

The main players of the Cavaliers gathered together for breakfast. After hearing James' instructions, Larry Hughes felt unhappy, but he nodded calmly on the surface.

According to internal gossip, James plans to send him away, which makes Larry Hughes very disgusted.

His poor performance was due to injuries as well as tactical reasons. His new teammates' patience was worse than he imagined. What Larry Hughes regrets most at the moment is complaining to his former teammates during the offseason.

After being backstabbed, James and him were no longer "as close as brothers".
Eric Snow is also having a hard time as a fake starter. As the tactics become more centralized, his shooting flaws are magnified and the countdown to his departure has begun.

Among the starting lineup, only Ilgauskas and James have the best relationship. This former All-Star is a die-hard supporter of the Chosen One. Looking at James admonishing his teammates, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart:
“In the fourth year, maybe we can go further!”

Since the Knicks have four games this week and four games before and after Thanksgiving, the tight schedule forced the coaching staff to cancel training sessions on game days.

After Li You sent Jin to work in the morning, he returned home. It was almost noon when Scarlett, who was about to have breakfast, came to the study.

Before Thanksgiving, she celebrated her 22nd birthday. They happened to celebrate together. The little succubus indulged herself a little on the weekend. At this time, she squeezed into his arms and said in a muffled voice without even looking at the content of the email on the computer:

"Honey, the movie might lose money. I think the cheesy scripts nowadays are terrible!"

Ever since Downey was chosen, Li You no longer paid attention to Marvel's progress. Merrill Lynch and Marvel shareholders had strictly controlled the budget, and he agreed to this, after all, this was only the first film.

However, if the movie really flopped and Marvel's stock price was affected, Li You would most likely lose more. Scarlett felt heartbroken when she thought of the 6500 million yuan, and she has been paying attention to the news about the movie every day during this period.

The content of the emails was mostly about the progress of Ax Capital and the acquisition of neighbors. There were no unexpected problems during the change of leadership. As Li You carefully read through them, Scarlett in his arms was also complaining about the movie:
"A cheesy love story", "a third-rate comedy", "a fight between tin cans".
Li You also received an email about the script and the shooting progress. After reading it, the little succubus felt that things were going to be tough. She was still worried about the stock price plummeting. It was not until Li You held her huge, soft hands that she smiled and kissed him.

"Don't worry about this movie. Even if we lose money, we'll have to continue filming in the future. We have to go take care of Milinda and get you lunch while we're at it."

Li You helped the succubus in his arms fasten the shoulder straps. Scarlett, whose breathing was a little rapid, simply adjusted her posture, sat astride her and started whispering.

Soon, sweet laughter could be heard in the study. Li You strictly demanded himself, took the initiative to practice more, and persevered in honing his skills.

At 19 p.m. that evening, half an hour before the game was to start, Jeff Van Gundy was in a particularly good mood when he returned to New York.

After the Heat achieved a record of 2 wins and 5 losses, more and more basketball critics began to speak out for Stan Van Gundy. Whenever Jeff Van Gundy saw these news, he felt like he had let out a grudge:
"Van Gundy cannot be insulted lightly!"

Although the slick-haired tycoon was the leader of the two, Van Gundy felt that he had surpassed his master and should now be on equal terms with him.

Tonight's game was not broadcast live across the country, but the New York reporters on the sidelines were still very considerate and took the initiative to interview Van Gundy, who has been in the limelight since the start of the new season:

"We've delivered on our talent! In fact, it's earlier than I expected!"

"I believe the combination of LeBron and Dwight can be successful, and the boys will achieve more honors this season."

The dark circles under Van Gundy's eyes have faded a lot recently. His outstanding performance has made his bald head shiny again. Looking at James warming up, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

With a dunk from time to time, Howard strives to express himself and show his loyalty whenever he gets the chance. The rookie's desire for a big contract is basically known to everyone.

On the other hand, D'Antoni did not AFK as usual. The suspension still affected the team's rotation. Fortunately, Gazuric returned and solved the rebounding problem.

"7 consecutive wins are great, but I want to praise everyone's condition. The boys didn't relax during the offseason. We can establish a record advantage early!"

The man with a mustache showed his style as a famous coach. He looked calm when talking about the game record. The Mavericks started with 3 wins and 4 losses, and now the Knicks are getting more and more likely to win the championship.

Walter Frazier was also canvassing for Hill before the game. If this is Hill's last season with the Knicks, everyone wants to send this outdated "Jordan successor" to the All-Stars:
"Grant's performance after the start of the game was very good. He was another engine on the court, providing strength for the team on both offense and defense."

"I think New York fans will not be stingy with their votes. Before the end of the first phase of voting, everyone needs to work harder!"

"."

After Mike Breen became the chief commentator of ESPN, he still did not give up his work for the Knicks. After hearing the words of the veteran, he was not worried about Hill losing the selection.

After all, the NBA is also about human relationships. As long as the Knicks have a good record, even if Hill can't squeeze into the starting lineup, he can be selected by coaches into the bench lineup.

"In the Cavaliers' last game against the Celtics, Howard scored a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds."

"He is growing faster than we expected. With the Heat showing signs of falling behind, this year's Cavaliers may become our biggest rival!"

The two began to talk about the Cavaliers' bench lineup in the commentary booth. Drew Gooden, Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall have been in excellent form recently.

David Wesley joined the Cavaliers on a minimum salary, and the veteran is also using his rich experience to help the team.

When Li You was warming up, he accidentally discovered a familiar figure in the Cavaliers coaching staff. Charlie Ward was pulling Eric Snow and giving him instructions.

After retiring and being rehired, Li You felt for the first time that his loss in the competition for the starting position was not unfair, and Charlie Ward was definitely Van Gundy's true love.
The game officially started at 19:30. As Howard successfully jumped the ball, defensive shouts soon rang out in the arena:
"Defense!."

Eric Snow passed the ball early after crossing half court and ran to the right wing with Li You. James at the top of the arc had a serious expression and shouted to his teammates. Soon Larry Hughes started to slide out from the baseline.

In the left blocking area, with the help of Howard's screen, Larry Hughes briefly broke away from the defense. After receiving the pass, he did not make any adjustments, drifted to the right and missed the jump shot.

The Knicks' starting twin tower lineup still worked, with Howard and Gazuric pulling at the bottom left of the basket, and finally the rebound was taken by Chandler.

Ilgauskas did not fight for the ball with all his strength, but retreated early. As the tallest player on the court, he had to establish a defensive position in advance.

The Cavaliers got off to a perfect start, relying on their excellent defense. When Li You accelerated across half court, the opponent had already completed the defensive position.

Following Prince's run to the right corner, the Cavaliers began to defend man-to-man. James, who was fully engaged, loudly reminded his teammates to switch defense and kept shouting Howard's name:
"Howard!!"

Standing in a "V-shaped" position and under the double screen on the line, Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, accelerated laterally and with the help of two big men, easily got rid of Snow.

Facing Howard who was switching defense, Li You on the left wing suddenly stopped, changed direction between his legs and pretended to break through. While raising his center of gravity, he took advantage of his opponent's sliding step and dribbled between his legs again.

Howard, who raised his right arm, had no time to adjust his center of gravity before Li You, who suddenly increased his stride, forced his way through from the right side of his body.

Larry Hughes, who was guarding the left corner, had just moved his feet, and Li You, who had gained half a body position, passed the ball in advance while moving, leaned forward, grabbed the ball with his left hand, and leaned forward to make a layup!
Howard didn't have time to block the shot, and Gazuric, who was running down the court, also squeezed into a favorable position under the basket. As the basketball hit the backboard and went into the net, cheers immediately filled the arena. Howard, who was eager to perform, clapped his hands under the basket, with a regretful expression on his face, and muttered:

"Damn it! Just a little bit!"

Wearing blue arm guards on both arms and with his muscular body, Howard has been loved by many fans this year.

When the Cavaliers attacked again, James received the ball on the left wing with the help of his teammates' screen. The inside was crowded after the opening, so when Howard successfully positioned himself in the low post on the left, he immediately lifted the ball into the inside.

Prince did not relax and continued to stick to James. However, Howard, who received the ball, did not intend to pass it. He released the ball with his left hand and hit it hard, then jumped sideways into the paint area.

Gazuric was not completely out of position, and Chandler, who was assisting in defense at the basket, also jumped up to interfere, and the basketball eventually hit the rim and bounced out.

Chandler easily caught the rebound again. Howard punched in frustration and continued his performance when he soon heard James' shouting again.

The Knicks counterattacked very quickly. When Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, came to the left wing, Gazuric, who was lagging behind, immediately stepped forward to provide cover.

Despite the reminder, Li You quickly moved in and out, swaying right and left, easily fooling Snow. Howard hurriedly raised his right arm again and slid to the right rear.

When breaking through to the left blocking area, Li You suddenly slowed down, and while Snow was chasing him, he pulled the ball back slightly and twisted his shoulders backwards.

On the defensive end, both players stopped at the same time. The next second, Li You lowered his center of gravity, turned quickly, led the ball forward, and instantly squeezed past Howard.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You suddenly stopped and started, broke free from the defense, and easily came to the lower right side of the basket under the pursuit of Howard. He grabbed the ball with his right hand and made a reverse layup!
0:4, the boiling atmosphere in the stadium made Van Gundy frown on the sidelines.

On the Cavaliers bench, assistant coach Charlie Ward was extremely excited. He wished he could go up and play, and kept clapping and shouting.

Howard didn't act this time. He frowned, realizing that something was wrong. It seemed that the other side was targeting him?

After the start of the new season, this situation has never happened. Howard's growth is obvious to all, and sometimes the teams he plays against will avoid him.
James asked for the ball in advance, and the moment he came to the right wing, Ilgauskas immediately stepped up to provide a screen.

James changed direction and switched to his left hand, trying to cut into the basket, but he noticed that Chandler had retreated early and the two big men were moving in the penalty area. When he approached the free throw line, he simply made a ground pass.

In the right blocking area, there was no one in front of Ilgauskas when he received the ball and he made a mid-range jump shot.

Feeling relieved, James took the initiative to high-five his good brother to celebrate. He is the most reliable helper!
"Let's go Knicks!."

The familiar cheers of encouragement made the Cavaliers players who were returning to defense very alert. Snow, who was leading the defense, passed the ball as soon as he saw Li You cross the center line and immediately called on his teammates to switch defense.

Larry Hughes immediately stuck to Li You who had completed a hand-off with Hill, and slid to the right continuously, trying to block Li You to the left sideline.

When approaching the sideline, Li You immediately dribbled the ball behind his back, and Larry Hughes quickly adjusted his center of gravity.

While observing the defense, Li You switched to his right hand and suddenly went in and out. His body swayed to the right front and he changed direction in an instant.

Larry Hughes instinctively slid to the left and felt the basketball suddenly disappear in front of him. Before he could adjust his center of gravity, Li You squeezed past him from the right side of his body.

His teammate was broken through, and Howard was in an awkward position at the bottom left of the basket. He wanted to move forward to delay, but was worried that Gazuric would miss the ball next to him.

After hesitating, Howard finally watched Li You make a quick stop and fake a dribble near the blocking area, and then he blew away the defending Larry Hughes and made a steady jump shot from mid-range!

"Whoa!" Another 2-point goal was scored.

"It looks like the Cavaliers' DPOY is in trouble. Howard really needs help. They still can't limit Lee!"

There was constant cheering in the arena, Mike Breen was in a good mood, and the Cleveland sports media praised the defense to the sky, but it was easily broken at this time.

Walter Frazier noticed that the opponent had accelerated the pace of the offense. When he saw James pull up and throw the ball from outside the three-point line after setting a screen on the left wing, he couldn't help but sigh:
"It looks like Coach Van Gundy has also made changes!"

The three-pointer missed and Van Gundy on the sidelines looked a little unhappy. He was feeling troubled. Actively speeding up the offensive tempo was not in the game plan made before the game.

Unfortunately, as the ball is centralized, James is no longer an obedient rookie. Victory can cover up some problems, but Van Gundy has been forced to hang up.
After picking up a long rebound, Li You accelerated along the left sideline. Before he approached the left wing, Larry Hughes had caught up with him.

Snow tried to establish a defensive position on the three-point line, but Li You's ground pass accurately found Hill who was running down the middle.

The latter received the ball, followed James who retreated to the right corner, and strode straight to the basket. As Hill passed the ball to Prince who was in an open position, he made a steady three-point jump shot with no one defending him!

2:9, the Cavaliers fell behind again at the start.

Van Gundy, who was shouting loudly on the sidelines, did not request a timeout. The Cavaliers fell into a scoring drought. Facing the retreating big men and the crowded inside, all the outside jump shots were silent.

The Knicks' shooting percentage also began to decline, but the score gap was gradually widened.

When James found Ilgauskas again, the latter was unguarded in the left blocking area, and faced with Chandler's symbolic interference, he missed again.
“Why can’t I make the open jump shot?”

James cursed in his heart and tried his best to retreat. After Gazuric got the rebound, he found Li You to receive the ball.

All the players from both teams ran towards the half court, at the top of the arc. Snow had just stopped, and Li You did not wait for the big man behind him to follow up. He slowed down slightly and suddenly changed direction in front of his body.

The moment he lowered his center of gravity, the basketball switched to his left hand. Li You gained half of his body space and flew close to the ground to break into the basket.

As James rushed to the paint area, Li You slowed down slightly while moving, rushed to the basket and circled with the two people who were chasing him.

When he came to the lower right side of the basket, while the players who were returning to defense were also focusing their attention on him, Li You pretended to return to the paint area with the help of defense, but the basketball secretly flew to the right bottom corner.

Hill, who was left open, took a brief look at the frame after receiving the ball and successfully seized the jump shot!
"Whoa!" The basketball hit the net hollowly.

"Oh!"

Amid the cheers that broke through the arena, the Cavaliers finally requested a timeout. James walked towards the bench with a blank expression, and returned to his seat, with another question in his mind:

“Why do opponents always make shots?”

2:16, 6 minutes and 58 seconds left in the first quarter.

On the Cavaliers bench, Van Gundy drew a few lines on the tactical board, briefly explained, looked around at everyone, and said loudly:

"We played well, we created a lot of open shots and trusted each other."

According to the original game plan, James needed to take the lead in leading his teammates. His breakthrough threat could create more offensive space, but both Big Brother and Larry Hughes were possessed by the blacksmith.

In the first round after the timeout, James did not continue to pass the ball according to the planned tactics, but called on Gooden who came off the bench, and made a long two-point jump shot after a pick-and-roll on the right wing.

At 4:16, the Cavaliers finally broke the scoring drought.

Damon Jones, who came on as a substitute, watched Li You rush across half court and took the initiative to step forward to interfere with him. He defended actively but was unable to squeeze through the double screen on the line.

Gooden, who had just come on the court, seemed to have not yet entered the game. He huddled inside the three-point line and watched Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand and moving sideways, make a quick stop and jump shot outside the three-point line!

Watching the basketball go into the net, James, who had just scored, couldn't help but curse, 8 seconds?
In the following minutes, D'Antoni saw that his opponent could not find his touch, so he replaced Dio in advance and made the lineup smaller.

With a big lead, the tempo of the game was firmly controlled by Li You. James failed to find an opportunity to switch offense and his face was drawn when he was sent to the free throw line.

After Raja Bell and Finley came on the court, the Cavaliers were forced to speed up, and Howard's second rebound and Damon Jones' strong three-pointer barely kept the score close.

Seeing Li You slow down at the top of the arc, dribble between his legs, change direction in front of his body and dribble past Damon Jones again, Howard under the basket couldn't hold it anymore and moved his feet early.

Li You broke into the paint area and threw the ball casually. Howard turned his head helplessly. Chandler finally caught the ball at the bottom right side of the basket. He dunked the ball with both hands and then pulled hard. After landing, he beat his chest and roared.

The baseline referee seemed unable to bear it anymore and finally called a violation, giving the Cavaliers a free throw.

In the last few rounds, Larry Hughes finally found his shooting touch and hit a mid-range jumper;

The angry Howard began to delay mindlessly, allowing Li You to easily break through the right wing after the pick-and-roll and connect with Chandler in the air again.

The consecutive alley-oop slam dunks completely ignited Madison Square Garden. When Damon Jones missed a long three-pointer, the cheers almost broke through the stadium.

At 15:37, the game returned to the rhythm that the fans were most familiar with.

5中5，10分2篮板7助攻1抢断，在骑士队首节25中6的情况下，李佑的表现被衬托得格外抢眼。

James, who returned to the bench, gasped for breath. His physical condition was fine, but he felt tired. Looking at Van Gundy who kept giving him chicken soup, he couldn't help but feel a different emotion in his heart:

"Sure enough, the bottleneck lies in the coaching staff"

(End of this chapter)