NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 173 Old Rivals and Tour (7000 words chapter)
On April 2000, 4, the NBA announced this season's Sixth Man of the Year (SMOY):
Suns forward Rodney Rogers successfully won the award.

打满82场场均13.8分5.5篮板2.1助攻1.1抢断2.0失误；

With a vote rate as high as 85.95%, Rogers well deserved the award.

The Knicks' Kukic averaged 11.1 points per game this season, but ultimately failed to make the candidate list.

Not long ago, the league also announced this season's Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) and Most Improved Player (MIP):
Alonzo Mourning of the Heat and Jaylen Rose of the Pacers won awards.

The best coach and best manager this season eventually fell to the Magic.

Head coach Doc Rivers and general manager John Gabriel received the award.

Although head coach Rivers failed to lead the Magic to the playoffs, the 41-win record, which is only one victory away from the playoffs, is enough to illustrate Rivers' excellent coaching ability.

The Knicks didn't win a single award, which immediately made the New York media a little unhappy.

After all, the sportsmanship award has nothing to do with the team, and the MVP will most likely be taken away by O'Neal. This year, the Knicks are basically empty-handed.

There was only one game that night, 81:76, and the away 76ers also got the match point.

If nothing else happens, the next Eastern Conference semifinals will be the 76ers versus the Knicks. The two sides can barely be called old rivals.
今晚的比赛，艾弗森27中9，三分线外7中2，罚球7中4，砍下24分6篮板3助攻1盖帽5失误的数据。

Although the efficiency is not high, Philadelphia fans don't care. Everyone is in a state of winning and smiling.

It wasn't until the post-game press conference, when a Yahoo Sports reporter asked a question, that Iverson lost his smile.

"Allen, can you talk about your efficiency this season? Compared to your rookie season, your shooting percentage doesn't seem to have improved much."

Wearing a large black formal suit and a gold chain, Iverson adjusted the hat on his head, glanced at the white reporter, and answered casually:
"I don't care about statistics. I only play to win. You can criticize my style of play as you like. I don't care at all."

This season, Iverson's number of shots has increased to 24.8, with a field goal percentage of 42.0%, a three-pointer percentage of 34.1%, and a free throw percentage of 71.3%;

场均贡献28.4分3.8篮板4.7助攻2.1抢断3.3失误。

For a small shooting guard, this is already very good, but he is afraid of comparison in everything. After seeing too much of Li You's data, most sports media are not interested in such inefficient data.

Iverson averaged 8.9 free throws per game. Like Li You, he sometimes enjoyed star whistle treatment.

It's just that too many free throws didn't make the data beautiful. It's reasonable for sports reporters to question it.

Several consecutive questions questioned the data issue. Iverson suddenly became impatient. He did not like the media comparing him with Li You at all. The local media in Philadelphia quickly changed the subject and asked:

"Allen, what are the team's plans for this year's playoffs?"

Getting rid of the doubts of the media in the audience, Iverson smiled confidently at the Philadelphia reporter, and then immediately replied:

"Of course it's the championship. Compared with last season, everyone cooperates more tacitly. We have successfully integrated. It's time to realize our talents!"

In the press conference room, the Philadelphia media followed, the goal was very good, and everyone liked Iverson's spirit of not admitting defeat.

These words sounded familiar. Stephen A. Smith in the audience shook his head secretly, shouting slogans was useless.

On April 4, Eric Snow of the 29ers won the Sportsmanship Award for this season.

There were four games that night, and the Knicks' away game against the Bucks saw a sharp drop in attention.

Most commentators didn't believe the Bucks could come back against the odds. Coach George Karl seemed to have lost control of the team. Ray Allen didn't like sour chicken soup.

Milwaukee fans at the Bradley Center were very enthusiastic. Even though they were 2-0 behind, they still cheered loudly for the home team after the game started.

The Bucks played at a fast pace in the first half, with Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen in good form, scoring 29 points together.

In addition, there were only 4 turnovers in the first half, and Tim Thomas also played well on the bench. At halftime, the Milwaukee fans began to sway to the music.

At 51:58, the Knicks fell behind by another 7 points.

李佑三分球铁了，半场12中7，三分线外5中1，罚球4中3，砍下18分3篮板4助攻1抢断。

The Bucks changed their defensive strategy and used Cassel to defend alone instead of excessively assisting in defense. Larry Johnson was sluggish every day, shooting 8 of 2 in the half and scoring 4 points.
"Auntie" felt that her touch was not good and she had begun to take fewer shots, but when faced with some misplaced opportunities, she still failed to grasp them.

When they returned to the locker room at midfield, Larry Johnson and Li You fist bumped. Needless to say, everyone was familiar with this situation.

In the final game, Jeff Van Gundy shortened the rotation. Although he was behind at halftime, the bald young coach was able to hold on to the team and continued to deliver chicken soup:
"Don't worry about the opponent's offense. Just as we expected before the game, the Bucks will always rebound."

"Be patient, we did a good job in the first half of the game, believe in our shooting, and rotate faster!"

"We only booked a hotel for one day. I want to go back to New York tonight, and I think you do too!"

Everyone laughed when they heard the bald marshal's joke, "10 points is nothing." No one paid attention to this point difference.

Ewing only played 13 minutes in the first half. The gorilla didn't like to follow the opponent, so he also grinned and didn't mention increasing playing time at all.

The Bucks took 44 shots in the half. The extremely fast pace of the game made the old guys a little uncomfortable.

If he encounters a team that focuses on the inside, Li You will choose to slow down with the opponent. Positional offense is not a problem for him currently.

But when facing an opponent like the Bucks who plays a lot of singles and frequently jumps, Li You can't take care of Ewing, and more often he cooperates with Alan Houston to throw.

Oakley's playing time was similar to Ewing's. Before the start of the second half, he patted Artest on the shoulder:

"Give that guy some hard time, don't worry about the foul!"

In the first half, Glenn Robinson made 10 of 7 shots and scored 16 points from inside and outside shots. He performed extremely efficiently.

Glancing at the technical statistics, Artest nodded, he knows this well!

In the live NBC commentary box, Dick Stockton was still talking about the differences between Li You and other rookies in the 96 class:
"At 22 years old, Li is the most special in my experience of watching games. Technology aside, his mentality is the most mature I have ever witnessed."

"Man, do you remember when Mike Dunton got into some off-court troubles in 93 and got tired of facing the media and refused to be interviewed?"

"The pressure of the game, the pressure of the media, the expectations of the fans, not every player can adapt to such an environment. Ray should not complain in front of the New York media."

"Lee has always supported coach Van Gundy since he entered the league, and the players who left the Knicks also like him."

"Maybe he was born to be a superstar!"

When Matt Guokas saw his partner bragging about Li You, he seriously suspected that the other party had been recharged. However, as an old-school coach, he also agreed with this view:

"There needs to be mutual respect between coaches and players, and star players should also abide by such rules."

"Lee is a smart guy and there aren't many players like him left in the league!"

Matt Guokas coached Charles Barkley during the 76ers, and later coached O'Neal with the Magic.

For this old-school coach, the privilege of a superstar cannot be greater than that of a head coach.
After the game started, the two focused their attention on the court.

In the first round, Artest pulled and pulled while preventing Glenn Robinson from catching the ball in the left block.

When Cassel sent the pass, Artest pushed the opponent hard and cut the ball with all his strength.

After receiving the ball, Glenn Robinson turned around, took a tentative step and suddenly swept across. Then he released the ball with his left hand and rushed towards the basket.

Soon the two collided, Glenn Robinson dropped the ball, and the referee blew the whistle.

Artest ignored the whistle and continued to cling to each other with an expressionless face, and the two soon began to push each other again.
When the Bucks fans at the scene saw this situation, they immediately began to yell and curse.

After taking the sideline kick, Cassell reorganized the offense. As a result, he continuously passed the ball from the outside and almost got a 24-second violation.

In the end, Cassell broke through with the ball at the top of the arc, and his emergency stop jumper from the free throw line was interfered by Li You and hit the edge of the basket. The rebound was grabbed by Ben Wallace.

"Shet!"

Cassell, who was retreating, cursed secretly and quickly called his teammates to retreat and get into position.

On the Knicks bench, Oakley was standing on the sidelines, applauding Artest's defense. After practicing for a season, he was pretty good at it.

Noticing that Li You handed over the ball after halftime, Cassel quickly called Hamm to prepare for a defense change after seeing the position of the elbow area.

At the top of the arc, Alan Houston received the ball, and Li You quickly moved up the line from left to right and crossed.

After passing the screen of Kurt Thomas in the right elbow area, Li You noticed that Ham had followed up.

The right wing twisted to catch the ball. Li You first raised the ball and feinted, then quickly took a test step with his left foot. Ham subconsciously took a step back, and then saw Li You raise the ball and throw it.
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

The scene was filled with boos. Looking at Li You who was retreating with a smile, Dick Stockton in the commentary box smiled and joked:
"In the early 90s, how would the head coach feel if he shot a three-pointer like that?"

Matt Guokas smiled and replied without hesitation:
"Within two rounds, I would have replaced him immediately. This is definitely a bad offensive choice!"

The two laughed and joked, and the Bucks, who felt explosive in the first half, started to strike again.
Head coach George Karl kept shouting from the sidelines, trying to get his players to step up their defense.

As long as they can hold on to the Knicks' offense, the Bucks have a chance to win the game.

After just a few rounds, apart from using rough fouls to limit Li You's breakthrough, there was nothing the defense could do to face the Knicks, who were about to recover.

The offensive misfire that occurred in the first two games happened again, and Glenn Robinson suddenly couldn't make a shot.
Head coach George Karl did not hesitate to time out or make personnel adjustments. The battle of life and death will naturally involve fighting the main force.

But by the end of the third quarter, the Bucks fans at the scene were also a little confused.
30:20 in a single quarter, and after three quarters, 81:78, the Knicks reversed the game again.

On the Knicks bench, everyone laughed and high-fived Li You and Alan Houston in celebration.

10中5，三分线外4中2，罚球4中4，李佑单节砍下16分；
Alan Houston made 5 of 4 shots and scored 8 points, and the other three also scored.

On the other side, head coach George Karl once again realized the issue of "star quality".

In one-on-one defense, Li You was not polite and continued to take shots. Looking at the frustrated Glenn Robinson sitting on the bench, George Karl could only make chicken soup:
"Hang on, we are only behind by 3 points! Defend well!"

After 8 of 2 in a single quarter, Glenn Robinson did not continue to take shots, and the offense began to become hesitant. The Bucks played slower and slower. As a result, the Knicks were dragged into a positional offense in the last quarter.

Ewing, who had rested for most of the game, finally found a weak point. Taking advantage of the opponent's big man's physical decline, he returned to the basket attack.

Seeing that the score difference was gradually widening, the two people in the commentary box began to chat about gossip again.

"If the Lakers had selected Lee with the 13th pick in the draft, maybe they would have rushed out of the Western Conference!"

Dick Stockton talked about the "what ifs" of many sports commentators recently, and Matt Guokas also followed the "if" at this time:
"With two MVP-level players joining forces, the league will indeed enter the era of the Lakers!"

"Kobe is great, but he is still far behind the MVP." "."

Ray Allen looked helplessly at the Knicks' third-line fast break. He was stopped in his tracks by Li You's fake pass in the paint.

Cassel, who retreated from defense, was turned into a wooden stake in the paint area by Li You's sharp right and left European step.

On the bench of the Bucks, the atmosphere team who had been standing up to watch the ball and cheer for their teammates subconsciously held their heads.

Coming to the lower left side of the basket, Li You easily picked the basket with his left hand, and the basketball hit the board into the basket!
The Bradley Center was completely quiet, and Bucks fans could only watch in silence as Li You opened his arms and pretended to be gliding to retreat quickly after completing the goal.
105:94, 53 seconds left in the game, and the game time is no longer enough.

On the Knicks bench, Lewis was jumping up and down with the atmosphere team and waving towels, and Kukic was also smiling and applauding. There is no need to book a hotel tonight.

Ray Allen missed the final three-pointer. Li You quickly counterattacked after collecting the rebound, causing Cassell to foul, and finally stood at the free throw line.

Coach George Karl didn't ask for a timeout and watched the game clock tick by.

At the last moment before the end, the Bucks' big man Johnson made a tip-in under the basket, and there were only boos in the arena.

107:96, a big score of 3:0, the Knicks swept the Bucks and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

In the commentary box, Dick Stockton had been blowing the whole game, and after looking at the technical statistics, he continued to sigh:

"With 41 points in a single game, I don't think the opponents behind me will choose to defend alone. Li once again showed his scoring ability."

出场41分钟，27中14，三分线外11中4，罚球10中9，41分6篮板7助攻1抢断2失误。

Li You's data made Matt Guokas feel that he had fallen behind.

Unknowingly, he scored 40+ points. No matter how many times he watched it, Li You's scoring ability still surprised him:
"Free throws and three-pointers are indeed more efficient means of scoring, but they place high demands on players."

"This is MVP, Lee changes people's inherent impression of offense."

Everyone in the Bucks said hello and walked to the tunnel. They reversed the loss and went home to fish. No one was in the mood to exchange pleasantries.
At the press conference after the game, Li You and Alan Houston appeared in front of everyone in formal attire.

出场40分钟，17中11，三分线外5中2，罚球4中3，阿兰-休斯顿高效砍下了27分。

With a smile on his face after winning the game, the New York reporter who followed the team to Milwaukee smiled and asked:
"What a great series! What was everyone talking about in the locker room at halftime when we were down at halftime?"

Li You gestured. Alan Houston thought for a moment, then smiled and answered truthfully:
"The coach told us that we only booked the hotel for one day, which motivated everyone. Li took control of the game, it was that simple!"

When the Milwaukee media heard this, they were immediately furious. Thinking about how the Knicks' rotation was blown away in the last quarter of the game, they could only secretly scold the players for not living up to expectations.
22中10，三分线外8中2，雷-阿伦贡献了26分，格伦-罗宾逊21中11，同样也有26分入账。

When the two appeared at the press conference, the Milwaukee media reporters still looked ugly. Ray Allen didn't say much, but Glenn Robinson had a better attitude:
"We just can't shoot as accurately as our opponents. The basketball game is that simple. There's nothing to complain about!"

Smiling after losing, looking at Glenn Robinson's nonchalant look, some Milwaukee media reporters only felt that the team's future was not bright.

With 41 points in the playoffs, Li You broke his own playoff scoring record.

On the morning of the 30th, the New York paper media began to brag again in the sports section:
"Point God!"

Two days ago, the Lakers beat the Kings 89:113. Kobe made 20 of 12 shots and scored 32 points. The Los Angeles media once again promoted the title of "Jordan's successor".

The enduring title makes Lakers fans comfortable.

In an era before statistics exploded, 30+ was already rare. This is why most ball commentators recognized Li You's scoring ability in the past few seasons.

On the morning of the 30th, the NBA announced this season’s Rookie of the Year (ROY):
Elton Brand of the Bulls finally won the award.

Chicago fans are still very satisfied with Brand. In his rookie season, he averaged 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Even if there is some moisture, in general, Brand meets the status of the No. [-] pick!

But Chicago fans are very dissatisfied with the Knicks' undercover Sprewell.

The champion guards teamed up to put on a powerful show, but the team dived for the No. [-] pick again
On the night of the 30th, Kobe once again showed good competitive form, shooting 25 of 13 and scoring 35 points with a shooting rate of over [-]%.

At 91:99, the Kings regained a victory at home, and O'Neal's 15-0 playoff victory was blown away.
22中8，罚球14中5，21分17篮板3助攻1盖帽1失误，面对包夹，鲨鱼也会出现低效状态。

The Knicks had the day off, but Jeff Van Gundy and Thibodeau watched the game at the Tarrytown Training Center.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Knicks will most likely face their old rivals, the 76ers.

Facing the "four guarantees and one" tactic, the team is not under much pressure. After all, the opponent is not a fast-paced team.

"18 offensive rebounds, 17 assists, 12 turnovers, the Lakers' data is very good, but the Kings' rotation played too well."

Thibodeau looked at the technical statistics. Peja made 11 of 7 shots and scored 19 points. For a while, he missed Sprewell from last season.

What Jeff Van Gundy noticed was the number of shots taken by the Lakers. With a large number of offensive rebounds, they took a total of 86 shots. He pondered for a while and whispered:

"Let Pat get ready!"

The team is my home. The two of them continued their discussion after watching the game and simply stayed at the training center.
As the NBA announced its major awards, as time has entered May, the one that has attracted much attention is this season's MVP.

The New York media who have already received the news know that O'Neal won the award, and they have been looking forward to the Lakers losing every day recently.

New York fans love to see their opponents suffer misfortune. If they lose a game, they can sell more newspapers.
A clean ending to the first round gave the Knicks a week of rest.

In the first round of this year's Eastern Conference, the Heat swept the Raptors 3-0.

Facing the rookies in the playoffs, the Heat taught their opponents another lesson with their iron-blooded defense.

The Pacers swept the Pistons 3:0. Grant Hill was injured and had no playoff status. Reggie Miller and Jaylen Rose blasted their opponents.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, Pat Riley met Larry Bird again. The conversation between the two was also a highlight. The league has begun to warm up for the game in the past few days.

On May 5, the Knicks resumed daily training. At the Tarrytown Training Center, there were still more reporters than staff.

Wall Street Journal reporter Robert Frank spent every day in the training center after Li You returned to New York.

At the beginning of the year, Frank created a rich column, the content of which is to explore the phenomenon of wealth, tell stories about wealth, and finally show some luxurious life.
This column is quite boring, because the experiences of most successful people cannot be copied. Generally speaking, this is a high-end chicken soup column that deceives the middle class to work hard and work hard.

In time for lunch, I finally managed to squeeze in next to Li You:

"Li, believe me, our exclusive interview will never reveal too much information. I just want everyone to know more about you in life!"

Unlike the sports reporter, this white Jewish man with gray hair, wearing a black formal suit and a blue tie, looks more scholarly.

Coupled with a pair of black-rimmed glasses, covering his blue eyes, Frank looks much more approachable.

Li You was a little helpless about the other party's perseverance. Obviously, after estimating his harvest, many people wanted to dig out more stories behind it.
After looking at the numerous sports media around him, Li You shrugged his shoulders, did not refuse the interview, and said with a smile:

"Currently I am only focusing on the playoffs, so you can make an appointment in advance for interviews and my agent will give you an answer."

Throughout April, the stock index was still falling, and many people had already lost money.
Many sports reporters didn't look kindly on this financial figure, and the Wall Street Journal's chicken soup didn't work anymore.

Frank nodded helplessly, and soon, the sports media surrounded Li You again.

There is only one game tonight, the Hornets face the 76ers at home.

"Li, what are your expectations for the next round of competition? Will you continue to score 40+?"

There are a lot of reporters from Yahoo Sports. In the first round of games, the Eastern Conference was swept. There are not enough news hot topics. Recently, everyone can only consume Li You.

Having become accustomed to all kinds of weird questions, Li You still kept a smile on his face, patted the other person and joked:

"40+? I can't predict my own data. All I pursue is victory!"

"Of course, you can also write like this. In fact, I don't care about it. As long as the fans like it!"

Li You blinked, and many people chuckled. Yahoo Sports also began to make something out of nothing. In the past two days, they have been talking about the "grievances" between Li You and Iverson.

Although the two have played against each other many times, the 76ers used to be weak and were swept last year. Iverson performed inefficiently and there was no "grievance" at all.
A few people smiled awkwardly, and the story that their editor came up with was seen by the real owner.

Li You greeted the reporters beside him and was about to take everyone to have dinner together. Thinking of the messy reports on the Internet, he suddenly came up with the idea of ​​buying a media:

"You still have to be true to yourself to be reliable!"

That night, at 106:99, the 76ers successfully advanced, and Iverson met Li You again.

On the evening of the 6th, the Eastern Conference semifinals will officially begin, leaving the 76ers with 4 days to rest.

After reaching the semifinals for the first time in his career, Iverson looked particularly excited at the end of the game.

The good mood did not last long. After the game, Iverson was asked another question about Li You:

"Allen, who do you think should win the MVP award between Lee and Shaq this season?"

The question from a local reporter in Charlotte immediately put Iverson in a bad mood. This matter had nothing to do with him.

"No matter who wins the MVP, I don't care. My goal is to beat them. I don't want to answer questions that have nothing to do with the 76ers!"

Larry Brown on the side frowned. Iverson has become even more disobedient this season, but the two are still in the honeymoon period. As long as they win, everything will be easy.

Soon, Larry Brown was also asked about the MVP question. What the famous coach could only say was:

"Both are very good. I can't compare them. Lee is the core defender and Shaq is the super center. They are both very good players."

"."

Time came to May 5, and the NBA officially announced the most valuable player of this season’s regular season:
Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers won the first MVP trophy of his career!

Last season, he also expressed his disdain for the award, but after actually winning the award, O'Neal almost cried during his speech at the press conference.
Seeing O'Neal excitedly raising the bronze figure after thanking everyone, Kobe, who was sitting on the right hand side and acted as the atmosphere group throughout the whole process, was a little envious.

Thinking that the competition between Li You and O'Neal was mostly promoted by media reporters throughout the season, Kobe once again had some thoughts in his heart:
"I should be standing there too!"

On the night of the 6th, G1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals officially started. For a week, the Knicks were bombarded by media reporters every day.

Ewing enjoyed this kind of treatment very much. The gorilla kept smiling every day. In the locker room before the game, when he was asked again about the end of the contract, he suddenly let it slip:

"I'm going to do a retirement tour next season, well, I'm not thinking about it at the moment!"

"."

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(End of this chapter)