NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 238 Enjoy the bonus (daily chapter)

2001年10月29号，随着01~02赛季常规即将开启，体育节目也渐渐恢复到正常状态。

In the preseason in October, the Knicks won all six games. Li You didn't play much, and Grant Hill led the team most of the time in the first half.

Compared to the two star players on the team, Pau Gasol gets more opportunities. Li You usually exerts his strength in the third quarter and then the game is over.

For rookie players who have just entered the NBA, in addition to physical condition, confidence is also extremely important!
It's not a metaphysical blessing. Confident players usually perform better. The obvious change is that Pau Gasol is more daring to make moves, and the completion of some technical moves is also very good.

The Knicks have the confidence to choose this fishing style because the Eastern Conference team is really not strong. Everyone trains through games and wins easily in the preseason.

There are 30 games on the 12th, and the Knicks’ opponent in the opening game is the Wizards.

The league wanted to save Mai's face, but the New York media were all gloating because the championship award ceremony was to be held that night.

In addition to the highlights of Michael Jordan and Li You, the duel between this year's No. [-] pick Kwame Brown and Pau Gasol also attracted the attention of many football commentators.

There haven't been many outstanding young big players in recent years, but Pau Gasol, the Spanish MVP, performed really well in the preseason and is naturally highly anticipated when he enters the regular season.

Kwame Brown is unlucky. Even in the preseason, he doesn't get much playing time. Christian Laettner, an old teammate of the McQueen Dreams first team, seems to be more trusted by everyone.
After the training session on the afternoon of the 29th, Pau Gasol began to accept the interview happily:
"I feel great and playing in Madison Square Garden is something I've been looking forward to."

The reporter from Yahoo Sports didn’t forget to tease this year’s No. [-] pick. At this time, he smiled and said:

"Pau, what do you think after playing against Kwame Brown!"

There is a small hole in the problem, because in that preseason game, Pau Gasol never faced off against the opponent.

"Kwame Brown is a talented player, and I learned a lot from playing against him."

Pau Gasol said the usual scene words, but hearing this answer made the surrounding sports media almost laugh out loud. They even felt that the big man in front of them didn't remember who Kwame Brown was.
Li You, who has long been accustomed to this kind of scene, did not remind Pau Gasol that the New York media had a lot of bad jokes. If it hadn't been for the previous high-rise collapse incident, there is a high probability that McDuck's leadership ability would have started to be mocked at this time.

Grant Hill has also received more attention. His playing time has returned to normal this season and he has returned from injury. Naturally, everyone has more expectations.

At the Tarrytown Training Center, Grant Hill, wearing a blue training uniform, was also being questioned by the sports media. Most people’s questions were just:

"How is your body recovering? What kind of data can you produce this season?"

Having lost some explosive power, Grant Hill knows that he cannot play like before, but for a 29-year-old player who is still on the rise, he can use other methods to make up for the lack of explosive power.

"I'm very grateful for last year's championship experience. You don't need to worry about my body. My ankle is currently very healthy."

"I don't care about statistics. I enjoy winning more. I can play any role in the team, but I do still have some problems with my shooting. This is also the direction I want to improve."

"."

In the preseason, the biggest problem exposed by the Knicks is that the three-point shot is stretched. Artest's shooting is very unstable, and the same is true for Grant Hill.

The two insiders also have no three-point shooting ability, which makes Li You have to become a pie-eating shooter in some offensive rounds.

In several games, the Knicks often used a tactic of three-person pick-and-roll cooperation. Li You was responsible for finishing most of these rounds.

The tactical effect is naturally excellent. No one can ignore Li You who is shooting outside. Grant Hill can often use the screen to penetrate directly to the basket and score easily.

After watching Grant Hill's performance in the preseason, the New York media were naturally very satisfied. They didn't ask for much, just 20+5+5.

The New York media is particularly tolerant of Artest, a player who grew up in Queens. His three-point shooting percentage in the early [-]s indicates a promising future, and his brutal defensive moves are also promoted as his "DPOY" potential.

As for the relatively single offensive method, it is even ignored by everyone. Just like most new players born in New York are overrated, Artest, who has won the starting position, has also been praised to the sky this month.

After several renovations in the past few years, Li You's house in Tarrytown Town has become more low-key and luxurious.

However, most girls still like to live in Manhattan because it is convenient to work. When living here, just being stuck in traffic is a headache.

Entering the regular season, Li You will live here as long as there are training sessions.

Not long ago, the Coen brothers' "The Absent Man" premiered, and the response was very good. The movie she participated in was not rejected, and the big lolita Scarlett was relieved.

Her birthday is coming up in November, and she can also get a formal driver's license. The girl receives some gifts every year, and this time she received a red Porsche 11 Turbo. In the past two days, she has unlocked more knowledge.

The sound of music in the room did not affect Li You's movements. He concentrated on applying rose essential oil. Soon, the girl's muffled voice came:

"You're such an asshole!"

As soon as Li You held onto the other person's slender waist, he was bitten on the shoulder by the girl hugging him.

His shoulders hurt slightly, and soon the two of them "struggled" into a ball.
When the girl turned red all over and buried herself in Li You's arms again, she said happily:

"My mother told me that the movie has been well received and may even win some awards!"

Li You didn't expect that the other party cared so much about the title of "box office poison", so he couldn't help but joke twice:

"What will happen if the final box office performance is not satisfactory? Maybe that is something the leading actor should consider."

After raising her upper body, Scarlett quickly bit Li You's shoulder hard. These words were the same as what his brother said, but she was still a child and couldn't listen to this.
After the fun, the girl completely ran out of energy, buried her chest again, and said happily:
"I love this gift!"

Li You has always been very generous when it comes to beautiful girls, and his consumption of luxury goods, cars, etc. is often not as good as his investment losses.

Ever since he received a large sum of money, Li You has never cared about spending on these things.

Of course the girl knows that Li You has many beautiful things. Just like her mother does not care about some things, precocious children always have more little thoughts:
"Lee, what do you want for your birthday this year?"

Trying to put on a more mature look, Li You chuckled and quickly joked:

"I want some kids!"

Subconsciously touching her flat belly, the girl then remembered that the two of them had not taken any safety precautions. Soon Li You whispered again, and his face couldn't help but turn redder.

Seeing that the other party was getting angry again, Li You stopped joking.

The 17-year-old lolita is about to enter a period of rapid development. Li You is indeed a beast, but it will not be the girl's turn to have children.

When the other person fell asleep peacefully in his arms, Li You caressed him gently and murmured subconsciously:
"The family does need a lot of people."

In the preseason game in early October, the New York media did not embarrass McNair. After all, the other party came to perform a "condolence performance."

On the afternoon of the 30th, the New York media stopped being polite and asked tough questions to Michael Jordan, who was visiting for the second time:
"Maikou, do you think Li has surpassed you?"

Michael Jordan, who had warmed up in advance in the afternoon, was already sweating a little. After being surrounded by everyone, he frowned when he heard this question and answered:
"Lee is great, he won four championships, but I have five rings."

With 0 wins and 6 losses in the preseason, TNT reporters took this opportunity to put some eye drops on Michael:

"What kind of record will the Wizards have this season? Mike Dunk, do you think the team can enter the playoffs?"

Thinking of the hip backcourt combination, Maikou couldn't help but sigh inwardly, but in front of the media, he still answered confidently on the surface:
"I will lead the team to the playoffs. My physical condition is very good. This is the source of my confidence. I know how to win!"

Although these words sounded more like bragging, everyone was hesitant at this time and still maintained a wait-and-see attitude and did not feel embarrassed to take action.

Since the awards ceremony was to be held in the evening, Li You had been in charge of receiving his old teammates since the morning. In the afternoon, everyone gathered at Madison Square Garden. In addition to chatting and spanking, they also took photos in front of the media.

Affected by this period of time, Ewing did not appear on sports programs for more than a month. As a result, he gained weight visibly to the naked eye.

The gorilla looked at his old teammates beside him and smiled very happily:
"When our careers are over, our jerseys will be retired by the Knicks, and then we will see the championship banner above the arena. This feels really great!"

In the locker room, everyone heard Ewing's words, smiled and nodded, and also chatted about gossip. Larry Johnson, who officially retired not long ago, suddenly asked Alan Houston:
"Allan, what's it like playing for the Magic? Has McGrady really started sharing the ball?"

Oakley, Starks, and Ewing also looked at Houston at this time. At their age, they prefer to pretend to tell stories.

"Tracy is a nice person, and the Magic team is also very active in training. There should be no problem with the ball. After all, all I need is the right to shoot."

"Coach Rivers is very interesting! Everyone on the team likes him. He is better than coach Van Gundy in uniting the locker room."

Alan Houston, wearing a light gray casual suit, generously introduced the Magic team's situation. Rivers' chicken soup was very good and successfully twisted the locker room into a rope.

Ewing didn't care about the Magic. He started to brag about it during the offseason. Thinking of the Knicks' lineup structure, he felt a little unsure and suddenly asked Li You:

"Lee, how is the Knicks doing this year? Do they have a chance to win first place in the Eastern Conference?"

Before Li You could speak, Starks responded cheerfully:

"No one in the entire Eastern Conference can limit Lee. Even if the team's overall strength declines, it's no problem to win No. 1!"

The locker room was full of his own people, and Li You was not polite and told everyone directly:

"It's definitely not difficult to win 50 games. After all, most of our opponents are Eastern Conference teams."

Ewing secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He had already blown his reputation. If he was suddenly slapped in the face at the end of the season, he would lose face.

Oakley has also been in a very good mood recently. McDuck's return and the change of head coach to Doug Collins have also allowed him to regain some of his former happiness:

"If the Knicks can get the No. [-] spot and the Wizards make the playoffs, maybe they can meet again in the first round."

Larry Johnson laughed, pointed at Li You, and joked loudly:
"Lee is about to be 24 years old and is gradually entering his peak period. The 38-year-old Michael Jordan had better recognize the reality early. To be honest, I am not optimistic about his comeback at all."

As if thinking that McQueen, an old rival, would be unlucky this season, even Oakley laughed along with everyone.

The fun of watching Michael Jordan has become a source of joy for many people this season.

The championship award ceremony that night was also very different. Taking this opportunity, the NBA and the Knicks once again prayed for the victims.

David Stern and James Dolan also gave touching speeches and also made promises:

"Families of victims can watch the game for free at Madison Square Garden!"

When sports and charity activities are linked, the championship award ceremony is more like a blessing.Many deceased firefighters were Knicks fans, and it was the children of these people who presented rings to everyone that night.

The children ranged in age, with the oldest being 12 years old. Watching the little ones handing the rings to the Knicks champions, the audience burst into warm applause.

After the 7-year-old kid handed the last ring to Li You, the New York fans at the scene watched the two fist bump, and the cheers became louder and louder.

The ring for the four consecutive championships is expensive to make. On the front is a large trophy composed of four small trophies. The white and orange diamonds are particularly eye-catching.

The most conspicuous thing on the side is the four trophies and Li You's name. The championship ring with a strong personal style also shows the team's recognition of Li You.

This year's award ceremony did not include boasting or exaggerated speeches, but only the best wishes from the league and the Knicks.

Michael Jordan was also very suitable for this scene. The charity event lasted for almost an hour before the game officially started.

The new teammates looked at the beautiful championship rings and the sixth championship flag raised above the arena, and their hearts felt hot for a moment.

Putting aside the Hall of Fame, the championship is the highest honor for an NBA player.

Pau Gasol attaches great importance to tonight's game. This is his first official game, and he is fully prepared to encounter difficulties before the game.

But what he didn't expect was that the game was really the same as what Li You said before, "the preseason is no different from the regular season."
With 1 minutes and 3 seconds left in the first quarter, McDuck hit a jump shot from Artest on the right elbow. After Pau Gasol grabbed the rebound, he immediately swung the ball hard and found his way past the halfway mark. Li You of the field.

Fans in the front row could clearly hear McDunner's shouts, constantly reminding his teammates to defend.

In the new season, the half-time dribbling time has been reduced to 8 seconds, and the pace of the game seems to be a little faster. The Knicks have played extremely unrestrainedly since the beginning.

Quickly retreating from the defense and completing the defensive confrontation immediately, Oakley had just caught up with Kurt Thomas, and the two stopped near the baseline on the right side.

On the other side, Mike Dunk, who retreated from defense, returned to the three-point line and seemed to be planning to let go of Artest, who was starting to move from the left wing.

After Li You slowed down, he waited for Gasol to stand at the top of the arc. The opposing Courtney Alexander wanted to squeeze through the screen, but in the end he could only be firmly blocked by him.

In the semi-transition attack, Christian Laettner, who followed him across the half court, was ready.

Watching the change of push, Li You shifted his weight to his right hand and lowered his center of gravity. He changed the direction of the push again. Leitner failed to keep up with the rhythm in the end and was unable to slide quickly due to the huge delay.
Li You walked out of an "S" shape and squeezed through the crowd to grab the ball with his left hand. Cheers instantly echoed throughout the arena.

Michael Jordan, who was shrinking his defense, had no time to pursue him. In the blink of an eye, Li You had already rushed into the paint area.

Oakley looked at Li You soaring into the air right in front of the basket. His feet felt heavy. In the end, he failed to block the shot. He watched Li You grab the ball with his right hand and slam the basket with one arm!

"Boom!" The breakthrough dunk was successful!
Seeing Li You spread his legs and dunk with one hand, showing a "flying man" dunk posture, Marv Albert loudly praised in the TNT commentary box:
"In front of the 38-year-old Maikun, Li showed his talent to the fullest. No one could limit him. Li dominated tonight's game!"

Partner Mike Fratello exclaimed again:
"Too fast! Lee's breakthrough was like lightning, giving the Wizards no time for defense to react!"

At 12:22, while the offense was weak, they relied on conversion opportunities to easily score points. The point difference became wider and wider.

Fans who like to have fun will shout happily after the McDuck hits the iron. Head coach Doug Collins on the sidelines can fully understand the feeling of the Knicks' opponents in the past:
"Can we get in here? How can we defend against this?"

Seeing his opponent pretending to be X, McDunner wanted to respond, but once he fell into a positional attack, it would be difficult to pass the ball out of the backcourt. Every time he caught the ball in the blocking area, he would be brutally defended by Artest.

This time in the right block, while Artest was coming around, Maidun suddenly turned around deftly and went straight to the basket.

It was a great opportunity, but Alexander, who was at the top of the arc, passed the ball too high due to Li You's interference, and there was something wrong with the direction, and he actually threw the ball directly out of the baseline.
"Oh!"

The fans sitting behind the basketball stand were so happy that they all stood up for a while. While clapping and cheering, they did not forget to laugh and taunt:

"You're too old to dunk! You can't win at Madison Square Garden!"

After the opening, it was 7 for 1 again. Michael Jordan pursed his lips, ignored the fans, and glared at Alexander who made an outrageous pass.

"Let's go Knicks!."

After seeing the baseline serve, Grant Hill held the ball through half court, and Doug Collins on the sidelines quickly reminded the players loudly:
"Pay attention to defense!"

Everyone on the Wizards naturally knows that the Knicks will most likely play a three-man pick-and-roll. At this time, they can only respond to each other and try to defend tacitly.

Li You stood near the free throw line. Grant Hill just passed the half court and immediately shouted loudly, while directing Kurt Thomas to make a cross screen on the baseline.

At this time, Gasol started on the left near the baseline. After crossing the screen, he immediately accelerated his pace and bounced from the outside of the center to stand at the top of the arc.

Grant Hill dribbled the ball from behind to his right hand and used the screen to accelerate the breakthrough. Pau Gasol quickly followed the fake screen and McDunk pursued the defense in time.

At this time, Li You did not choose to delay Michael Jordan, but moved slightly and quickly backed up the screen to cover the pursuing Leitner.

Alexander, who was following Li You, was blinded at this time. Gasol went down to the paint area. Li You screened and bounced to the top of the arc. His teammates were delayed and he was unable to make the correct defensive choice at the first time.

Leitner subconsciously followed Li You and stopped outside the three-point line. Gasol followed him completely unguarded. Grant Hill dunked and threw the ball directly to the upper left side of the basket.

Although there were some problems with the height of the pass, Gasol, who had fully taken off without any defense, still successfully grabbed the ball in the air, then twisted his body and easily pushed the ball into the basket!

"Boom!" The empty catch dunk was successful!
"Wow!"

The wonderful dunk once again ignited the atmosphere of the scene. Pau Gasol did not expect to score so easily in the regular season, and he excitedly celebrated with high-fives with his teammates one by one.

Doug Collins reluctantly requested a timeout. The game was about to collapse. Li You strangled Alexander, and the Wizards were unable to organize many effective offenses at all.

A large number of one-on-ones, but McDunner did not solve the problem. Everyone can see that compared with the energetic Li You, Michael Jordan is really old.

As one of the commentators who is most familiar with Li You, Marv Albert knew that Li You didn't care about the opponent's defense when he saw how frequently he used forward changes after the start.

The defensive contact rules have been relaxed this season, but due to Li You's outstanding explosiveness, the opponent's defensive stance has no effect at all.

"Lee's speed is faster. Judging from the situation on the court, it doesn't look like he didn't train during the offseason."

After hearing his partner's words, Mike Fratello could only shake his head slightly and sigh:

"This is talent. Lee has played a lot more games than most players over the years. If he relaxes in the offseason, I don't think there is any problem."

The harder the opponent fought, the more fierce the Knicks' counterattack became. Pau Gasol even felt that the game was over before he even had time to make a few tactical moves.
With 3 minutes and 4 seconds left in the third quarter, the Knicks already led by 31 points.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines only felt that there was no sense of accomplishment. Because there were too many new players, Li You not only shouted instructions on the court, but now returned to the bench and also kept shouting reminders from the sidelines.
"Nate! Another pick-and-roll!"

"Move! Move!."

"Speed ​​up! Stephen goes to catch the ball, a beautiful counterattack!"

Seeing Li You wearing a towel and clapping his hands and shouting, the bald young handsome man sitting on the bench had straight eyes.
Spike Lee on the sidelines is also the same as Li You, but this one is not directing the team, but watching McQuack hitting the iron.

In the first game of the regular season, they got a lot of playing time. The new players naturally played hard and tried their best to leave a good impression on the boss.

After being in the team for a month, everyone knows that Li You has the final say on the court.
With 3 minutes and 01 seconds left in the game, McQueen was replaced with a face. Madison Square Garden first applauded and then booed loudly.

The fans who made a special trip to see their old rivals felt comfortable, Maikou felt uncomfortable, and everyone was happy!
In the end, 86:108, on the night of the awards ceremony, the Knicks defeated the Wizards.

出场33分钟，保罗-加索尔13中8，砍下20分8篮板2助攻4失误1盖帽。

Although most of the points were scored by eating cake and putting baskets, New York fans were naturally satisfied with this data. After the game, some young fans were shouting Gasol's name loudly.

奇才队的小透明夸梅-布朗只拿到了11分钟的上场时间，3中1，怒砍2分3篮板1失误。

Watching Gasol being interviewed on the sidelines with a bright smile, Kwame Brown once again realized that being drafted by the Wizards might not be a good thing.
Li You and Grant Hill were both up and down tonight, playing 27 minutes.

14中9，三分线外6中3，罚球4中4，李佑高效砍下25分4篮板8助攻2抢断，没有失误；
13中7，三分线外2中0，罚球4中3，17分5篮板5助攻1抢断3失误，格兰特-希尔几乎填满数据栏。

In the locker room after the game, when Li You was interviewed, he did not hesitate to praise:
"Although this is just an ordinary regular season game, everyone performed very well."

"I don't care about shooting. I like the attitude everyone showed. Ron limited the dunk and Pau had two offensive rebounds."

"Grant's several assists show our team spirit!"

"."

Grant Hill also started the business exchange mode, and everyone was smiling for a while, and they all felt that they had a great time playing tonight!

Jeff Van Gundy found out that his job was still to brag after the game. After four consecutive championships, his treatment was no different from before.
In the first game, McDuck scored 21 points on 7 of 19 shots. For a 38-year-old man, this performance was already very good.

Most sports media did not add insult to injury, after all, the regular season has just begun.

In the first week of the new season, the Knicks have three games to play.

After two days of rest, there was a back-to-back away game, and Pau Gasol finally realized what the "Eastern Conference Bonus" is.

On November 11, the Knicks challenged the Bulls away from home, 2:92. Even with a tight perimeter, they still easily defeated their opponents.

On the night of the 3rd, the Knicks challenged the Cavaliers away from home. Their outside shooting performance was still poor, 90:71, a small victory of 19 points.
On Sunday the 4th, after returning to New York, Pau Gasol was a little confused.

In these two games, the team performed poorly and failed to score in many rounds, giving their opponents plenty of opportunities.

As a result, the opponent was playing blindly, relying on counterattacks and fast breaks to win the game.
He scored in double figures in three consecutive games, and even scored 20+10 in a game against the Cavaliers. The beautiful data made the New York media excited. In the morning, the New York Post published an article:
"Pau Gasol - the best center in the league in the future!"

After reading the newspaper, Pau Gasol couldn't concentrate during the afternoon training session because he was blowing too hard!

After the tactical training session, Li You noticed Pau Gasol's condition and just patted him on the shoulder and whispered meaningfully:

"Pau! Enjoy the dividends brought by the Eastern Conference!"

"."

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(End of this chapter)