NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 576: Teammates’ scraps? (Lakers chapter)

On Thursday, June 2008, 6, the "fun" of the NBA Finals continued to expand. Although the series has lost its suspense, the ratings are still rising!
When ESPN/ABC announced that the peak viewership for Game 3 exceeded 11.6, many industry insiders called it outrageous. How could a game with no suspense be so exciting?
It turns out that many Cloud fans only watch the finals once a year and don’t care at all about who wins the championship. They just want to participate in this topic to make themselves appear less out of date.

If there is more fun to be had while watching the game and the spectators have something to talk about, then the series will go viral!
Simple sports fans always talk about the past "Magic Bird Showdown" and always miss Michael Jordan's victory over the Bad Boys. The past was always good, but now it's always bad.

But in the final analysis, the above experiences are essentially "wonderful stories". The NBA is for entertaining the public, and competitiveness only accounts for a small part. If you want more people to pay attention, you have to "tell a good story."

Ever since the Lakers' "old F4" broke up and the Knicks continued to defeat their opponents, the entire league has gone downhill.

The broadcaster was changed, the ratings dropped, and advertisers left. Some practitioners shouted, "New York has ruined the league. No one wants to watch them win all the time!"

This year, the result was a slap in the face, as fans were not buying it because the game was "boring".

When outstanding supporting actors appear on the stage of the finals, the story is back, and people who don’t pay attention to basketball will join in the fun.

David Stern laughed about the success of this year's finals in front of reporters while preparing for the awards ceremony rehearsal this morning:

"Our brand once encountered a crisis, but now I can say with certainty that the NBA will get better and better in the future, and there will be more teams as successful as the New York Knicks!"

"Like all the fans, I really enjoyed the matchup between Kobe Bryant and Lee this year. It was a feast of basketball. Thanks to both teams for bringing us a wonderful game."

"."

During the finals, David Stern actually participated in many charity activities in New York, but most of the time he acted with the Knicks.

There were not many related reports, but it still triggered complaints from Lakers fans.

After just three beatings, the fans who were shouting about "shady dealings" disappeared. Anyone who knows a little about basketball can easily see the gap between the two teams.

A number of football commentators have also found the "traffic code" through their experiences this year. Through data analysis, it is not difficult to find that "pulling down and demoting" articles are more popular and will cause more controversy.

Professional football review articles are unlikely to gain the favor of more fans; emotional expression is the right way!
Under such circumstances, the day after G3 ended, the commentators split into two factions, with one continuing to support "the hard-working Kobe" and the other praising "the real GOAT Li You".

Both sides announced that the star they supported had won. If you don’t surf the Internet frequently, you will feel confused when you see these news:

“When did the NBA Finals award two O’Brien Trophies?”

Such abstract news caused fans to "fight fiercely", and Li You's die-hard fans were also confused. The Lakers lost like this and they can still brag about it. If they won, New York's championship would have to be cancelled!

New York fans stormed Reddit's Lakers section the night after Game 3, filling the screen with posts related to "Mr Best."

The crazy confrontation between the two sides has been featured in USA Today, proving once again that men also chase stars, and those who used to mock "American Stupid Girls" have been hit by a boomerang this time.
Whenever ESPN reports news about Kobe, there will always be fans of Li You and New York fans appearing below.

Coupled with the increasing number of Kobe fans, that is, Kobe's die-hard fans, the fighting power is quite good, otherwise the situation will be a one-sided ridicule.

TNT, which did not have the broadcasting rights for the finals, did not expect that this year's ratings would be so outstanding. Seeing that all the "heat" was sucked away by their opponents, the trio had to "strike hard" in the pre-match show.

ESPN has studios in Connecticut and Los Angeles, and TNT is currently in Atlanta. The original plan was to talk about the game, but most fans are not interested in just talking about that.

In order to make the show more exciting, the live commentator Reggie Miller appeared in the studio this time. As soon as the show started, the director played an interesting highlight.

Few sports media edit the performance of role players. TNT specially edited Vujacic's poor performance in Game 3, making 9 of 1 shots, 5 of 0 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 2 free throws, contributing 4 points to the team.

In this highlight reel, Vujacic missed open shots on offense, dropped the ball when he broke through the crowd with the ball, and made a high pass error;
The defense was very sloppy. Vujacic was hit by Raja Bell, blocked the ball, and missed the three-pointer by switching defense without thinking.
When the screen returned to the studio, Reggie Miller, who was wearing a black suit, spread his hands in front of the camera, showing a helpless expression on his face, and then said meaningfully:

"I respect every player, but this is the Finals and Kobe shouldn't have a backcourt partner like this."

"Looking at Lee's partners and substitutes, Raja Bell should be selected to the All-Defensive Team this season. JR Smith had a bad performance in G3, but he is still a player at the level of the best sixth man."

"Rondo has technical flaws, but he plays very smartly. Considering that this is only his second season, he has a chance to grow to an All-Star level in the future."

"Note that this is just the backcourt of the lineup! Prince can swing from the 1st position to the 4th position, and Dio can even play from the 1st position to the 5th position."

When Charles Barkley heard this, he tilted his head and interrupted Reggie Miller's long speech, and asked in a gruff voice:
"So what do you want to prove? Prove that Kobe lacks help?"

"Come on! He is teaming up with MVP. Lee has never met an MVP teammate in his career!"

"The league will not allow two MVPs to play on the same team! We all know this. Kobe just lost in the lineup. New York spent nearly 1 million US dollars this season. This is the gap!"

After presenting the data, Reggie Miller turned around and loudly refuted. The two of them had a fierce "confrontation" at the beginning, showing which players they supported.

"Kobe was on our show, and we talked face to face. I questioned his shot selection, but I also respected the way he played."

"I'm not interested in talking about role players. I watched the game and I believe my own eyes. Lee beat Kobe. He beat him in all aspects. Kobe couldn't even dribble the ball steadily during the game!"

"Get 40 points and then blame everyone else! Kobe is the reason the Lakers lost. Best player? He looks like a joke!"

Charles Barkley also started to speak out loudly, blaming Kobe for the loss and stripping him of the "Best Player Award".
As if to increase the persuasiveness, the director cooperated very well and showed the data of the two people, which made Kenny Smith on the side shake his head repeatedly.

“26中8，三分线外5中1，罚球14中9，26分6篮板2助攻1抢断3失误；”

“22中16，三分线外9中5，罚球9中9，46分11篮板12助攻3抢断2盖帽1失误。”

ABC chose the photo of the two celebrating with fists raised in the broadcast, while TNT chose the comparison photo of Kobe Bryant spreading his hands in frustration and Li You shaking his head and retreating.
"No matter how many times I watch it, I still find it unbelievable! Facing the Lakers' double-team and help defense, Lee's true shooting percentage reached 88.6%!"

"This is not the best data in the series, but it also means that every time Li You took a shot, he scored, and most of the Knicks' points were related to him."

"You know, Lee only played 34 minutes, while Kobe played 41 minutes. The gap between the two is too big!"

Kenny Smith usually doesn't have a clear position, but this time he also thinks that Li You beat Kobe in all aspects.
Seeing Reggie Miller shaking his head helplessly, Ernie Johnson didn't want the topic to end there, and added fuel to the fire again:
"It seems we can't reach an agreement, Reggie. We all know about your conflict with Kobe. Why do you still call him the best player?"

At the end of their careers, Miller and Kobe exchanged fistfights. Their relationship was never very good, but after Miller retired, he always liked to praise Kobe's performance.
"I don't think championship is the standard for everything! Lee is a natural winner, God has given him unparalleled talent."

"But for ordinary basketball players, Kobe is a good role model! He trains hard, is very focused on basketball, is loyal to his family, and is loyal to his city!"

"In Game 3, almost half of the fans in Los Angeles left, but Kobe still insisted on playing in the fourth quarter. We all know how difficult it is. He has given everything."

"Hard work, loyalty, and Kobe's championship history make him the best player in my opinion! He lets young people know that hard work can lead to the highest stage of basketball!"

As he spoke, Reggie Miller couldn't help but raise his voice. He even believed that the TNT script was well designed. At least this passage could make Kobe's die-hard fans burst into tears.

TNT's pre-game show quickly sparked heated discussions. Not everyone liked Li You, and not everyone liked the winner.

Rebellious young people sometimes like to be in the minority. The more people question Kobe, the more firmly they will support him. Reggie Miller has become their "boss"!
Soon, fans expressed their support for Kobe on Facebook and Twitter. In their hearts, Kobe who plays hard is the best player in the league.

This year's hot rookie Russell Westbrook expressed his support for his idol on his Twitter:
"Kobe taught me how to face failure! I will always support him!"

The SuperSonics are preparing to move, and Durant has heard from management that they are interested in this defensive guard. After the tryout, the two also exchanged contact information and social media. Durant, who has been addicted to Twitter recently, saw Westbrook's tweet and couldn't help but express his true nature, joking below:
"Man, I just want to be a winner like Lee! Lee taught me how to win!"

"."

All the rookies who are expected to enter the NBA this year are joining in the fun, and the NCAA players are also split into two factions. But no matter how everyone lines up, the expectations for Game 4 are full.
While praising Kobe, his "marginal teammates" all suffered. TNT's editing made Vujacic "explosive", and the blame for G3 was directly put on him.

Many fans of the Lakers did not know the inside story. Comparing the Lakers with the Knicks and then watching the poor performances of the Lakers' role players, they began to sympathize with Kobe for a while.

Before Game 4 started, public opinion about Kobe's poor performance suddenly reversed.

Most of the players in the NBA league are influenced by external public opinion. Sometimes, the explosion in the locker room is always the fault of the team's reporters and local media. In order to attract attention, the media people have a very low bottom line.

For the new players in the finals, it is naturally unpleasant to see the award ceremony rehearsal at home during training. Coupled with many commentators assigning blame, the atmosphere in the locker room has become even worse.

The game officially started at 18:. In the afternoon, many die-hard fans of Kobe showed their support in front of the stadium, and some extreme fans even insulted Vujacic.
In the last game, everyone got the spotlight, and the questions from reporters were all about their thoughts on the game, but today the situation was completely different. The most frequently asked questions were:
"Are you going to give Kobe more help tonight?"

Vujacic, who had prepared for warm-up early, cursed as soon as he entered the locker room, with an angry expression on his face. In just one day, he became the culprit of the loss.

Thinking of the TNT clip, Vujacic looked at his teammates, shook his medium-length hair, and complained loudly:

"These people are crazy! We were so far behind in the first quarter. How can we catch up if I don't shoot three-pointers? Do they know that this is the coach's arrangement? Fuck! They are all reporting nonsense!"

"You guys have to help me explain this! Everyone is blaming me, damn it! I only played for 1 minute in the first quarter."

PJ Brown is a veteran who had some unpleasantness with the Hornets in Charlotte. He is used to the media's fabrications. Looking at his angry teammates, he joked casually:

"No one will listen to our explanation. This league has special care for superstars!"

"Would you buy a loser's sneakers? Get it, man! Sometimes the game is also a business. The fans want what the reporters want. Who cares about the truth?"

"How many players are abandoned by their teams when they are injured? White players are even given preferential treatment! We are just small characters, and no one cares about our feelings."

PJ Brown, leaning back in his seat, spoke in a sarcastic tone like a veteran. He was also a player under Matt Bartelstein, so naturally he knew something about the commercial value of a superstar like Li You.

Odom, who had just taken off his shirt, also came out and saw Vujacic's helpless and furious look. He also laughed and joked to himself:

"I bet $1000 that after the finals, there will be trade rumors about me again!"

"Does anyone care about my feelings? You'll get used to it, Bro. At least now a lot of people know your name, and you're getting attention, which may be a good thing!"

Luke Walton and Ariza remained silent. The former only played in garbage time and had no chance to take the blame, while the latter was "crashed" by Li You and instead received sympathy from the fans.

After hearing Odom talk endlessly about the history of how he was traded by the Lakers, everyone gradually began to laugh and make fun of their "unlucky" teammate.

After Fisher and Kobe appeared in the locker room one after another, the joyful atmosphere suddenly disappeared.

As the chairman of the players' union, Fish actually has a good relationship with everyone. He has been responsible for communicating with Duncan these two days. This MVP teammate lost and broke the defense.
“I know it’s hard right now, everyone is laughing at us”

"They're laughing at me, man! You should watch that TNT show!"

Vujacic, who was angry, interrupted Fisher. Kobe had been trying to calm down these two days, but he still looked unhappy at this time, looking at everyone with a dark face.

No one looked at him, and Kobe was very satisfied with this. As a leader, he naturally had to appease the locker room:

"The Lakers will not reject players who work hard. As long as you give your all on the court, I promise no one will blame you. Losing is my responsibility!"

"We have to win the game tonight, the series is not over yet! Don't read those boring newspapers, as long as you practice hard, the team will not give up on anyone."

"."

Everyone responded to Kobe's chicken soup, but Vujacic was still very dissatisfied. Kobe's extreme fans kept attacking him. He muttered in frustration:
"Nobody cares about me, why don't they show your matchup highlights."

The locker room, which was already somewhat quiet, suddenly became completely silent. Kobe, who was still fist-bumping with everyone, pursed his lips and his face became even darker.

Under the "death stare", Vujacic still backed down, spread his hands in frustration, and bowed his head to apologize:

"Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood. You know, those reporters are laughing at me. I will always support you!"

Kobe stared at Vujacic for a while, which made the atmosphere in the locker room a little tense. Fortunately, the boss just said calmly in the end:

"I hope you can perform better. Remember! We have to win the game tonight."

Chris Mihm, who has been injured, saw Kobe leave, forced a smile on his face, spread his hands, and said helplessly:

"I think everyone can contact agents in advance. In recent years, deals are usually finalized after the free market opens."

"Just want to remind you, if the Lakers want to win the championship, they may also bring in All-Star players, the Big Three? Maybe someone has already taken action."

Jordan Farmar was in charge of the atmosphere and had very little playing time. Although he did not have to take the blame, the bad locker room atmosphere still made the newbie very uncomfortable and all his fantasies were shattered.

Without "brotherhood", the team would only trade mercilessly for the championship. Farmar touched his short hair and didn't see "good brother" Duncan, so he immediately asked in a low voice:

"Tim used to be the first one to arrive at the gym. What happened to him? He didn't speak during training sessions and didn't accept interviews."

Turiaf was fixing his braids. He curled his lips at the newbie's question. After observing for a while and not noticing the boss, he immediately whispered:
"Kobe was beaten by Lee! Maybe Tim had high expectations before, and the Spurs lost on the outside in the finals. Maybe he couldn't accept such a result."

"There were also problems with ball possession. Anyway, if it was me, it would be hard to accept such a result."

The boss was away, and everyone started gossiping. Fisher also joined in the conversation with a smile, and a group of people exclaimed:
"Li is incredibly strong, this guy is like a superman! Maybe he is a mutant, like the X-Men"

"God is so unfair, why don't I have such a talent!"

"O'Neal is such a jerk. This guy is planning to book out the entire place for a treat."

Duncan was not in the mood to pay attention to the situation in the locker room. In fact, he arrived very early, but he was just sitting in the car. He came to Los Angeles and bought a Cadillac SUV. It was his wife's suggestion.

From San Antonio to Los Angeles, his food, clothing, housing and transportation began to upgrade, but after losing the finals, Duncan found that he was not happy, and his wife's transformation even made him feel unfamiliar.

Duncan, who was already hurt, was completely overwhelmed by the vague complaints he heard from his partner. Problems suddenly arose in his career and family, and the double blow made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

I took out a group photo of the Spurs from the storage in the co-pilot's seat. It was a photo taken when everyone was shooting a commercial. Everyone was smiling happily.

After losing the finals, no one sent him a text message. Bruce Bowen publicly questioned him not long ago. His friends turned against each other. Duncan took out his phone, but Popovich did not respond. This made him reflect:
“Did I make the wrong choice?”

(End of this chapter)