NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 237 NBA games are not difficult either (daily chapter)

On October 2001, 10, affected by the collapse of a high-rise building last month, most entertainment programs had not resumed production.

Turn on the TV, and mainstream channels are discussing the attack. At the same time, New Yorkers who have lost their sense of security are extremely supportive of the war.

The random street interviews in the program also exposed the thoughts of many ordinary people. Most people are worried about whether similar incidents will happen again.

Many financial companies have already taken action to express their position, leaving Manhattan and heading to New Jersey or Connecticut.

Under this circumstance, Li You's personal documentary, training camp plan, and new sneaker launch conference were all postponed until around Christmas.

The NBA has also been affected. Preseason games can only be held domestically. Most stars are strongly opposed to playing cross-border games. During this sensitive period, many people are trying their best to avoid flying.

David Stern was also very helpless about this. According to the plan, he originally arranged for several teams to play in Spain, Russia, and Mexico, but all the plans fell through.
At this time, no one cares about the so-called team gossip anymore, and ESPN no longer reports internal information about the Lakers. No one wants to read this.

On the contrary, Michael Jordan's comeback received a lot of praise, and Michael Jordan seemed to have become a so-called hero at this time.

The Knicks training camp officially opened on October 10st. In the past few days, Jeff Van Gundy has been in a bad mood. Winning four consecutive championships did not earn him much respect within the team.

General manager Glenfield will still just notify him of the transaction. The curly boss is busy improving New York's favorability and frequently appears at charity events.

The team's locker room is firmly controlled by Li You. Most of the new players are trying to adapt to Li You. The coaching staff is still the same and has not been able to obtain more rights.

Although he was unhappy in his heart, Jeff Van Gundy still showed his famous coach style most of the time when he was interviewed by media reporters:
"Although the training camp started very late, I think the team is in very good shape!"

"Gasol is a young player who has experienced professional leagues. Age is not a problem. I am very excited to coach such a big man."

"."

When faced with questions from the New York media, Jeff Van Gundy would mostly praise Gasol. Everyone has great expectations for the "next Ewing."

The bald young coach said good things, but he was not satisfied in his heart. Gasol has a pair of long arms, coupled with his height, his static talent is very good.

But compared to most "black and hard" insiders in the league, Gasol's shortcomings are also obvious:
"The body is thin, not strong enough, weak"

As the No. 5 position, Gasol showed many problems in training, but this is a common problem for rookies. It is never easy for big men to gain a foothold in the NBA.

Of course, what makes Jeff Van Gundy even more uncomfortable is that Li You's tactics for the team are always completely opposite to what he expected.

The bald young coach hopes Gasol will add more low-post offense after entering the league and try to gain muscle at the same time.

And Li You doesn't attack in the low post at all. After 3 seconds of defense, everyone has to make way for him. This season, there will be more finishes at the basket.

In and out?One dozen four looks?
This situation does not exist at all on the Knicks. The center's role is to support and play limited mismatches, and the rest is pick-and-roll.
Kurt Thomas has long been accustomed to this style of play. In the contract year, he worked hard on jump shots near the free throw line during the offseason, just to eat pie and get data!

Regarding the head coach's opinions, I listened to them in one ear and didn't take them seriously at all.

As for Gasol, he is still a bit thin and does not expect to attack in the low post. Simply eating the cake and gaining more playing time is the goal in the first season.

One week after the training camp started, Jeff Van Gundy, who thought that the team would be able to re-inject his tactical ideas after the team was updated, found that hanging up was still his best option.
After the training session on the afternoon of the 8th, the players went home obediently and did not go out for fun. Manhattan was still in a state of grief.

The excavation work of the collapsed high-rise building is still going on. When you turn on the TV, you can see some family members crying loudly. Under such circumstances, everyone is naturally not in the mood to have fun.

Learning empathy is a compulsory course for NBA players. If you don’t want to be criticized, returning home and entertaining yourself behind closed doors is the best choice during this special period.

Li You greeted every staff member with a hug, and equipment manager Old Mike smiled and issued an invitation:
"Li, come to my house and have a few drinks. I'm obsessed with white wine recently."

"Next time, Mike. There is a preseason game tomorrow, and I have to prepare well. This year, I have a little less training time, and my physical condition is not at its best."

Li You hugged Old Mike and joked about how he always hit the iron in recent training. The latter didn't take it seriously and still had great confidence in him:

"It doesn't matter, Li! You have won 4 championships. It's time to learn to enjoy life, adjust your physical condition and take advantage of the regular season."

"."

Jeff Van Gundy heard this conversation and watched the two people leave, feeling sad in his heart. After four consecutive championships, he was still the same character as before.

Assistant coach Thibodeau didn't understand the bald young coach's thoughts. Regarding the team's defensive state, he tactfully suggested:
"We may lose more points in the low post this season, but this is expected. Gasol is still very good, at least not worse than those high school students."

Perhaps thinking that he failed to renew his contract with the team, Jeff Van Gundy suddenly became unmotivated when he heard these words. In the end, he just waved his hands and said helplessly:
"Don't worry about this. There have always been problems with interior defense. After Kurt comes to the starting lineup, the defensive end can play more roles."

"."

Seemingly sensing that the bald young coach was not in a high mood, Thibodeau said nothing more. He also knew something about the internal situation of the Knicks.

I wanted to persuade Jeff Van Gundy to focus on defense and hang up, but when he saw the opponent waving his hands and leaving, Thibodeau could only sigh helplessly:

"Isn't it a good choice to give the offensive power to the players?"

On the evening of October 10th, the Knicks will play their first preseason game at Madison Square Garden.

The NBA specially arranged for the Wizards to play in New York, and asked Mike to greet the injured New York fans.

In the afternoon, the two teams jointly held a charity event and visited many families of victims.

MyKun, who sold his shares and changed his jersey again, is still very popular.

Before the game started at 19:[-] that night, in an interview, in addition to expressing greetings to New York, Mai also expressed his feelings about returning to the court:
"I'm so excited. It feels like I'm back in my youth when I just entered the league."

"Old Oak and Doug are here, everything seems to be back to the past, and I feel the joy that basketball brings me again!"

Wearing a Wizards training uniform, McNair spoke to the media, and his happiness was truly genuine.

In the locker room, the media and reporters were all surrounding Michael. On the other side, Kwame Brown was like a little transparent, and few people paid attention to him.

If he can't play with the old guys on the team, head coach Doug Collins will flatter him. No one tells him how to work hard or how to integrate into the team.

Agent Mark Bartelstein gave a lot of advice, but Kwame Brown didn't think it was helpful. He really had nothing in common with those old guys.
Hamilton is not in a good mood, McNamara is not a good teammate, and the so-called "high-pressure management" has become outdated with the development of the times.

Those incentives that look like anger cannot arouse the fighting spirit of rational players, but instead make people feel a lack of respect. The old-school players are not suitable for the Wizards.

Everyone was circling around Maidun, while in the home team's locker room, Li You introduced his new teammate to the New York media with a smile.

Except for Gasol, the new players who joined this year did not hold a press conference.

The reason is that the player is really not famous and has no outstanding statistics. Stephen Jackson's experience is indeed very painful, but that is the case for most low-level players, and this experience is not unusual.

As for the fact that the big center with the top 96 picks in the 10 class has become a blue-collar player, everyone has known for a long time that these players cannot arouse the attention of the sports media.

"Stephen is a good guy with a tough style of play. I think New York fans will definitely like him!"

"Although Knight doesn't talk much, don't underestimate him. He can always fulfill the tactical requirements of the coaching staff."

"."

After hearing Li You's words, Stephen Jackson happily greeted sports reporters, and Brevin Knight also spoke seriously about the situation.

Madison Square Garden's attendance tonight has not been affected, and a large number of fans are here to watch McDuck play.

Before the game, in the MSG live commentary box, Mike Breen was introducing the Wizards' starting lineup:

"I'm very happy to see McQueen on the court. It is said that the physical condition he showed in the training camp is very good!"

"The Wizards' starting backcourt tonight is Courtney Alexander and Richard Hamilton, and the three frontcourt players are Michael Jordan, Charles Oakley, and Christian Laettner."

Walter Frazier did not comment on the Wizards' lineup. As a team star, he didn't care about this opponent at all. He was more concerned about the state of the Knicks:
"This year's training camp started very late, so maybe the team will be a little slow to warm up."

"But I still have a lot of confidence in the Knicks. Lee always makes the game easier."

"It's good that McDunner is back, but the Wizards can't cause us much trouble this season. Maybe the Nets next door can perform well."

"The other side has accumulated enough talent, and Jason Kidd is also an excellent leader."

The two chatted a lot in the commentary box, and James Dolan donated another US dollar to the victims on behalf of the Knicks.

The New York stars who are here tonight are also here to donate money. Rather than saying it is a preseason game, it is more appropriate to call it an exhibition game.

After the game started, the two sides played relatively politely, and the intensity was not high.
Maidun was in good form. Before halftime, facing Grant Hill's defense, he posted up in the right block, turned towards the baseline and completed a signature fadeaway jumper.

"Shua" hit the mid-range jumper steadily.

Everyone could see that Michael Jordan was very happy after scoring the goal. Coupled with the cheers from the scene, Michael Jordan was smiling from ear to ear for a while.

Li You only played 1 minutes in the first quarter, and then 6 minutes in the first half of the second quarter. During this time, he was sitting on the bench waving a towel.

In the first half, it was mainly for Grant Hill and Gasol to adapt to the game.

With 12 seconds left in the half, Grant Hill held the ball at the top of the arc. After picking and rolling with Gasol, he failed to get rid of McDunner's pursuit.

When he came to the left wing, Maikun had already lowered his center of gravity and interfered with his hand at the same time. Grant Hill, who was holding the ball in his left hand, only turned slightly sideways, pulled the ball backwards, shook it, and then quickly twisted forward.

Perhaps he was very confident in his physical condition. He quickly slid to the back and right while facing physical confrontation. As a result, Grant Hill suddenly dropped his shoulders and accelerated, leaned against the opponent, and adjusted his stride at the same time. After two dribbles, Just grab half of your body.

After losing his defensive position, McDunner wanted to jump to block the shot, but Grant Hill did not force a layup. After attracting the defense of the opposite center Laettner, he jumped close to the lower left position of the basket and passed the ball.

Gasol saw the opportunity and passed the ball. After receiving the ball, he leaned on his long arm, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and easily swung his arm and smashed it!

"Wow!"

The fans at the scene cheered loudly. The time was just right, and the Wizards only had 1.2 seconds of attack time left.

As if he was very dissatisfied with his teammates' defense, McQueen shouted a few times at the top of his lungs. Hamilton casually threw the ball to the half court, and the half game was officially over.

At 43:46, the Knicks only led by 3 points.

Grant Hill, who completed the assist, smiled and high-fived Gasol in celebration.

Li You also fist bumped with his teammates who were walking to the side. Although he was a bit tough in the half, he was still able to handle the Wizards easily.With 13 of 5 free throws and 4 of 2 free throws in the half, McQueen scored a team-high 12 points.

The lively atmosphere at Madison Square Garden seemed to have completely activated McNuckle. He was extremely serious at this time. When walking towards the tunnel, he did not forget to say a few words to his teammates.

Doug Collins, who was also on the phone, showed an excited expression. He didn't expect that Maikou was in such good condition, so he just applauded while walking.
Not much can be seen from the half-time game. After all, Li You played too little time and was also fishing during the game.

In the commentary box, Walter Frazier did not comment too much on the game, but touched his chin and sighed:
"We also need to add a shooting guard and a powerful scorer on the bench!"

Mike Breen also noticed some problems, but as the home commentator, he only said good things at this time:

"The big man Wright performed well and made several beautiful finishes at the basket."

"."

When the second half started, the Knicks regained their main lineup, with Li You and Grant Hill in the backcourt, and Artest, Kurt Thomas, and Gasol in the frontcourt.

The Wizards took the lead in attacking, and another defensive shout rang out from Madison Square Garden:

"Defense!."

In the first round, the Wizards used a dunk curling tactic.

On the right side near the baseline, Artest was guarding McDuck's side. The opponent started and immediately accelerated to pursue the defense.

At the right elbow, Oakley stood still, dunked quickly, and with the help of a screen, came to the free throw line to catch the ball.

Although Courtney Alexander sent a pass, the quality was average and the position was slightly lower, which prevented McDuck from completing the catch and jump shot.

With just a slight adjustment, Artest, who did not choose to squeeze through the screen, stepped off the line and blocked the dunk.

Oakley hurriedly pulled away, moved to the right blocking area, and took away Kurt Thomas. Taking this opportunity, he took a quick test step with his right foot and suddenly released the ball with his left hand, crossing the ball and breaking through.

Working hard to press his shoulders, Maidun tried to use his explosive power to get rid of Artest's defense, but he broke through in the middle and finally had no choice but to stop the ball after only two dribbles.

As a last resort, Mai dunks to an emergency stop, then suddenly turns around quickly and takes advantage of the situation to complete a fadeaway jumper!

Artest did not lose his defensive position at all, and made excellent predictions, almost completing the block.

"state!"

Under the interference, the jump shot in the paint area was directly hit.

Gasol under the basket easily protected the backboard, but his past playing habits did not allow him to throw the ball directly in the first half, but instead waited for his teammates to respond.

He failed to complete the counterattack immediately, but Grant Hill, who received the ball, was not slow either. He carried Hamilton's defense and quickly rushed across the half court along the right sideline.

The Wizards players naturally retreated quickly at this time. After Gasol rushed across the half court, he did not ask for the ball in the low post. Instead, he stopped at the top of the arc. After receiving the pass, he immediately turned sideways, released the ball with his left hand, and eased toward the left wing. Move slowly.

Li You, who had arrived on the left wing long ago, first moved toward the top of the arc, then suddenly stopped, pretended to run in reverse, and then accelerated a second time.

After successfully receiving a pass from Gasol, the latter faked a pick-and-roll and immediately followed it. At the same time, Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, paused slightly at the three-point line after getting rid of Alexander Alexander, and then immediately accelerated to break through. .

Although Courtney Alexander, who was pursuing the defense, reacted quickly and slid desperately, he transferred his body center of gravity prematurely and did not notice that Li You's stride was very short.

Just after he dribbled past the three-point line, Li Youxing suddenly dribbled the ball with his hips. When he switched to his left hand, he quickly retreated and immediately returned to the three-point line.

Courtney Alexander was swayed a meter away while sliding desperately. When he saw Li You making a calm jump shot, he could only jump up on the spot and block the shot.
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

Cheers resounded throughout the arena, and in the commentary box, commentator Mike Breen said happily:

"This is the first three-pointer that Lee hit in this game. Gasol's finishing at the basket is pretty good, which should reduce some opponents' delayed defense against Lee."

Everyone on the Wizards team could clearly feel that the Knicks were getting serious.

In this round, Maidun wanted to continue to ask for the ball comfortably from behind in the left block, but Artest's extremely aggressive circling and concealed pull prevented Alexander at the top of the arc from completing the ball immediately.

His teammate stopped the ball at the top of the arc, and Hamilton on the other side rushed to the right wing to connect.

Alexander turned around and wanted to complete a cross pass, but Li You had already seen the opponent's passing intention, and before the basketball was released, he took advantage of the situation and cut the ball with his left hand.

"Ugh!"

Alexander yelled, and then saw Li You grabbing the ball and squeezing past him. He was staggered and had no time to return to defense.
However, Maidun reacted quickly and vigorously pursued the defense. Soon, the 38-year-old man discovered that Li You was rushing faster and faster, and he took off as soon as he reached the paint area.

Li You glided in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and succeeded in a one-arm dunk!

The moment he landed, Li You glanced at Mai Dun, who was retreating to the basket, shrugged his shoulders, and retreated quickly.

"Oh!"

Courtney Alexander's face turned darker when he heard the fans' cheers. Such low-level mistakes rarely occur in NCAA games.
Walter Frazier almost laughed out loud in the commentary box. At this time, he commented tactfully:

"It seems that the Wizards lack an organizer. Through half the game, Lee found the opponent's weakness."

Li You, the shooting guard with the 2000th overall pick in 13, watched as he passed half the court and suddenly stepped forward to lead the defense. While giving physical confrontation, he whispered:
"Man, just go and play the No. 2 position!"

Alexander, who was sticking up to protect the ball, just tried to turn around and switched to his right hand. The moment he turned around, Li You suddenly stepped forward and completed the steal again in almost the same position.

After losing the ball, Alexander tried to complete the pursuit, but after crossing the center line, he found that the distance between the two had been widened. In the end, he simply stopped outside the three-point line and watched as Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand and succeeded in a gliding dunk!

At 43:53, with two consecutive steals, the point difference was instantly widened to 10 points.

"Wow!"

Li You exerted his strength, and the New York fans cheered. McDuck was so embarrassed that he simply held the ball for half the court. As a result, he encountered Artest's brutal defense and finally organized a lonely game.
Laettner took the blame right in front of the basket and leaned on Gasol to twist and throw.

Li You loudly called on his teammates to retreat, and then rushed directly to catch the ball. Li You originally wanted to delay the advancement, but was staggered by the large circle of the ball from behind.

Li You suddenly jumped forward to the left, and immediately accelerated when he picked up the ball with his left hand. He completely lost his defensive position with his dunk.
With the cheers of the fans, he quickly rushed through the half court. Facing Hamilton who was moving to help defend at the three-point line, Li You made a large in and out, stopped slightly and then accelerated again.

He stopped and started quickly, grabbing most of his body. When Li You was close to the free throw line, he took advantage of the opponent's contraction and passed the ball to Artest, who was moving towards the left sideline.

The latter caught the ball, no one was guarding him, converted a three-pointer and quickly made a jump shot!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

At 43:56, the point difference continued to widen. In Madison Square Garden, the New York fans felt comfortable and couldn't stop cheering.

Seizing the weaknesses of the Wizards' backcourt players who are weak with the ball and slow to release the ball, Li You, Grant Hill, and Artest each performed their duties. For half a quarter of the game, they did not allow the opponent to have a comfortable offense.
Doug Collins on the sidelines didn't call a timeout and watched McQuack hit the ball alone.

On the court, Gasol just felt like he was running back and forth with his teammates. Every now and then, an opportunity would suddenly appear, and he would easily put the basket up and score.

With 3 minutes and 2 seconds left in the third quarter, Li You advanced slowly from the left wing and stopped outside the three-point line. Gasol quickly stepped forward to pick and roll.

Li You didn't wait for Gasol to stand still, slightly raised his center of gravity, and suddenly changed direction quickly. The moment he switched to his left hand, he immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated.

Alexander couldn't even make any defensive reaction. He opened his mouth and turned his head, watching Li You flying close to the ground and driving straight to the basket.

Laettner reacted quickly, relying on the big man's huge strides to quickly rush to the basket and prepare to help defend.

Near the bottom left of the basket, Li You jumped up and looked like he was throwing a ball, but the basketball flew directly in front of the basket. Gasol, who was following the ball, fished the ball in the air, faced Oakley who was assisting in defense, and easily pushed the ball in. Basket!
"Boom!" The empty catch dunk was successful!
Although it was just a "reluctant dunk", the other person's dunk still ignited the atmosphere of the scene.

"Wow!"

Maikou looked ugly, and then noticed that Li You was not sweating, so he took the initiative to ask for a timeout.
In sharp contrast to the sweaty Maidan, Li You leisurely bumped fists with the excited Gasol, returned to his seat, and simply put on a towel to express that he was not interested in playing.

59:75, with a slight exertion, the game lost its suspense.

The considerate Jeff Van Gundy took the initiative to change into the rotation lineup. In McDuck's first game, he couldn't lose too ugly, so as to give the opponent face.

Returning to the bench, Artest showed a proud expression and seemed to enjoy the defensive dunk very much. He shouted:
"Maybe after this season, I can get the title of 'Michael Jordan Terminator'."

6-for-1. Under Artest's hard defense, McDunner was the best in this quarter.

Gasol felt Li You's influence on the court firsthand. It was not some illusory leadership spirit, but his physical crushing.
By covering the screen and grabbing half of the body, you can easily carry the opponent's defender to the basket, widen the defensive distance, accelerate from the front to the back, and completely get rid of the defense.

"Are we winning now? We only led by 3 points at halftime."

Asking Grant Hill in a low voice, Gasol didn't seem to expect that the game would be so easy.

In the first half, Grant Hill led the team. The "Jordan successor" was also a little embarrassed, and then he quickly said with relief:
"No one on the other side can limit Lee. The Wizards have never been in our consideration range. Pau, you will gradually get used to it. NBA games are not difficult either."

After stretching his body, Li You felt comfortable. He also patted the newbie and gave him another reassurance:

"This is the general strength of the Eastern Conference teams. In the new season, we can use games as training!"

Gasol could only smile and nod. At this moment, he understood what Kukic told him about the Knicks’ secret to winning.
The fourth quarter of the game was completely reduced to a time to adjust the lineup. In the end, McNugget lost the exhibition match at 4:91.

In Madison Square Garden, New York fans stood up and applauded, which was a consolation for McQueen.

Although it was only a preseason game, McQueen severely criticized his teammates after the game:
"I don't want to see the situation in the third quarter again. Our backcourt performance was a disaster. The team is not ready yet. Fortunately, we still have time to adjust the lineup."

".."

When Mike returned to the game, he became the dynasty builder who hated losing and pursued victory.

It's just that times have quietly changed, and the old guy no longer has dominance.

Throughout October, the Knicks had a total of 10 preseason games.

After defeating the Bulls at home on the 25th, Pau Gasol saw the losing Sprewell laughing and hugging Li You in greeting, and he couldn't help but sigh again:

"Playing in the Eastern Conference is indeed a good thing!"

　Thank you book friends for your subscription support (﹃)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)