NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 241 New “Old Enemy”

In the last game in November 2001, the focus battle that many fans were looking forward to finally appeared.

68:100, after the Nets defeated the Bulls, the record reached 10 wins and 5 losses. Although they are still behind the Knicks, the gap between the two teams is indeed very small.

Compared with the poor start of last season, the Nets have a completely new look. Therefore, before playing against the Knicks, Kidd, who has a poor record, also swelled and expressed his position directly in front of the sports media:
"It turns out that my arrival has caused a 360-degree turn for the Nets."

On the 28th, before the game started, Kidd's words reached Li You's ears through the microphone.

Playing away games in New Jersey is not much different from playing at home. After Li You warmed up in advance, when he was interviewed by the media, someone naturally said:

"God! Turn 360 degrees, Kidd should still be where he is!"

"The Nets are indeed a good opponent, and I like to face such challenges!"

Li You sat in his seat and jokingly said these words. Only then did everyone realize that Kidd was "standing still 360 degrees".

Many people laughed and said, "Several sex." When Kidd said this, he probably lost his mind.

Regarding the superficial brothers, Li You did not further ridicule each other. In the last game, the attendance at the Continental Airlines Arena was only more than 5300.

The tickets for the back row really cannot be sold.
With more than 9000 seats, the occupancy rate is less than half. This has been the case for many years.

The tickets are cheap and the distance is not far. Many New York fans come to support them when they have time.

Kidd's bragging can't save ticket sales. Although the Nets lineup is very talented, the fans just don't buy it.

The New York sports media has recently been ridiculing this sluggish opponent:

"Tickets in the back row of Madison Square Garden are in short supply. No matter how you look at it, the Nets are no match for the Knicks!"

Fans who spend real money to buy tickets to watch the game are the most powerful supporters, and if the Nets want to return to normal conditions, it will most likely have to wait a few years.

On the night of the 28th, the Continental Airlines Arena was finally full, and the scene became very noisy. Compared with the previous game, the atmosphere was completely different.

After the home team finished playing, Kidd's eyes twitched slightly, and some anger welled up in his heart.

There are a large number of Knicks fans. Looking around, a large area is filled with No. 1 jerseys.
No matter how good-tempered the players are, they still feel angry at this time. Is this still their home court?

The last time this happened was against the Wizards not long ago. Although McDuck lost, the people who bought tickets to watch the game didn't care at all. There were even more people cheering for the Wizards than the Nets throughout the game.

This game was also broadcast live nationwide by the Nets. In the live TNT commentary box, Marv Albert was introducing the starting lineups of both sides:
"The Nets' backcourt combination is Jason Kidd and Corey Kidders, and the frontcourt trio is Keith Van Horn, Kenyon Martin, and Todd McCulloch."

"Kidd's arrival seems to have completely activated the team's talent. This season, the Nets' performance really surprised us!"

The entire starting lineup, except for center McCloch, who is a second-round pick, the other four players are all top 4 picks.

Mike Fratello began to praise Nets head coach Byron Scott:
"Last season the Nets only achieved 26 wins. As long as they maintain their current competitive state, I believe they can win 50 games."

"Coach Scott is now in complete control of the team. It can be seen that the boys are very convinced of him!"

Byron Scott, who also has a hang-up habit, is somewhat envious of Jeff Van Gundy and even has the urge to replace him.

During this period, the bald young coach seemed to have adjusted his mentality. It was difficult to see too many expressions on his face on the court. Most of the time, he smiled and clapped his hands to send encouragement.

The gossip about Jeff Van Gundy's dismissal has become much less frequent. The Knicks' record is excellent. Under such circumstances, no one believes that Van Gundy will suddenly resign.

On the contrary, assistant coach Thibodeau has been frequently inattentive recently and seems to have been thinking about something.

After the game started, both sides unanimously chose to attack.

The extremely unrestrained shots, quick counterattacks, and fast-paced offense made the fans at the scene scream in surprise. Everyone just felt like the players were running back and forth on the court.

With 30 seconds left in the first half, Kidd finally began to control the time.

There was a loud "Defense" sound in his ears, and for a moment, Kidd was so angry with the atmosphere of his home court.
Falling into position to attack, after picking and rolling with Kenyon Martin at the top of the key, Kidd noticed Li You coming off the line to block the breakthrough route. Kidd hesitated for a moment. This was indeed an excellent shooting opportunity.

Kidd, who gained space to shoot, did not choose to shoot, but pretended to shoot after combining the ball.

Sensing Li You's upward attack, Kidd did not look in the direction of Kenyon Martin, looked up at the frame, and then quickly sent a ground pass.

Li You, who had just raised his hands to prepare to pounce to block the shot, reacted quickly at this time. Suddenly moving back, he flicked his left hand, just in the passing path, and the basketball was directly stolen.

"Oh!"

Many fans started cheering. Seeing Li You who had completed the steal and led the ball forward, Kidd wanted to pull him immediately, but in the end he was passed by a deft dribble from behind.

Ignoring Kidd, who was desperately chasing after him, Li You, who grabbed the ball with his left hand, rushed faster and faster, and before the defense was in place, he rushed up in three strides and dunked with both hands!
The second mistake in the first half of the game, Kidd, who was chasing the baseline position, smashed the ball in frustration. Looking at Li You's back quickly retreating, he felt even more upset.

At 54:54, with the last attack, Kidders made a pull-up jumper at the right elbow area. Kenyon Martin's tip-in under the basket was interfered with and missed, and the half game officially ended.

Head coach Byron Scott frowned secretly when he walked to the tunnel. It was no different from last season. Even if he deployed heavy defense lines, he still could not restrict his opponent.

After the third quarter of the game started, the cheers in the arena became louder and louder, but the fans at the scene did not cheer for the Nets.
McCloch, who played efficiently in the first half, suddenly missed consecutive baskets in the third quarter.

Fortunately, the Knicks did not seize the opportunity, and the scores of both sides slowly increased.

In this offensive round, Artest had just poked the ball out of the baseline, and Kidders, who was serving from the sideline, did not become nervous. He saw Kidd running to the top of the arc to catch the ball and casually threw the ball over.

As soon as Kidders walked into the court after completing the serve, Li You suddenly rose up and poked the slow pass over Kidd's head.

"Wow!"

The cheers of the fans were heard again in his ears. Kidd immediately wanted to pull the foul, but Li You reacted faster than him. The moment he stabbed the ball, he led the ball forward again, completely throwing away the defense, and rushed past the halfway mark in the blink of an eye. field.

1 vs 0 in the frontcourt, Li You grabbed the ball with his right hand and rushed into the paint area. After taking off with both feet, he grabbed the ball with his right hand, swung the ball around in the air, and succeeded in a windmill dunk!
"Excellent prediction, beautiful steal! Li has completed such defense many times this season. Obviously he has a deeper understanding of the game!"

Marv Albert can't stop bragging. As long as you follow Li You, you can find that there will be at least two such wonderful steals in every game.

Mike Fratello saw the Nets' offensive misfire and subconsciously commented:

"When no one else can score, maybe Kidd should step up and complete some responses!"

"Defense!."

Fans spontaneously began to cheer for the Knicks defense.

After several consecutive rounds, Kidd made up his mind. After passing the half court, he noticed that the Knicks were still man-to-man defense, and immediately called McCloch to initiate a pick-and-roll at the top of the key.

Gasol received the instruction and did not choose a big delay. Instead, he stayed in the paint. Li You even stepped off the line and went around the screen, completely letting go of the opponent's shot.

Facing the big gap after the pick-and-roll, Kidd didn't hesitate. He stopped at the top of the arc and then quickly shot a jumper!
"state!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket again. Kenyon Martin was stuck with Kurt Thomas under the basket. Van Horn, who rushed to the basket from the baseline, was also stuck behind Artest.

In the end, the high-bouncing basketball was successfully protected by Kurt Thomas. Grant Hill, who received the ball, quickly advanced along the left sideline after receiving the ball.

Byron Scott on the sidelines kept shouting to the players. The Nets retreated quickly, and Kidd then directed his teammates to complete the matchup.

Noticing that Li You suddenly moved to the left flank, Grant Hill also began to accelerate laterally after switching to his right hand.

Kidders thought it was a hand-to-hand pass, but he didn't expect that Li You didn't catch the ball at all, but suddenly accelerated and quickly moved to the left flank.Kidd, who was following the defense, was just beckoning his teammates to double-team. Both of them followed Li You and moved. As a result, Grant Hill was unguarded at the top of the arc. After a short circle, he suddenly accelerated and rushed into the paint area.

Before McCloch and Kenyon Martin, who came back from defense, had time to shrink, Grant Hill had already cut to the basket, grabbed the ball with his right hand, hit the board and put the basket successfully.

At 70:66, the Knicks suddenly scored 4 points in a row, widening the point difference.

At this time, there were 3 minutes and 6 seconds left in the third quarter, and head coach Byron Scott did not request a timeout.

Continuously falling into position to attack, Kidd simply called a low post tactic as a last resort, trying to let McCloch continue to control Gasol.

But this round still failed to go as expected. After receiving the ball in the low post on the right side, McCulloch put the ball with his left hand and hit it with his left hand. When he saw that no one was double-teaming him, when he was close to the basket, he leaned against Gasol and turned around quickly.

He wanted to use his body to drive away his opponent, but McCloch found that he had no strength and suddenly lost his offensive rhythm. He subconsciously threw the ball towards the backboard with his right hand. As a result, as soon as the basketball was released, Gasol, who had been prepared for it, nailed it. Big hat.

"Oh!"

The beautiful block once again ignited the atmosphere. Gasol, who controlled the ball, immediately threw the ball forward.

Li You had already crossed the center line and did not slow down after catching the ball. While releasing the ball with his right hand, he noticed that Kidd was twisting and sliding, and he immediately pushed the ball to change direction.

The moment he switched to his left hand, Li You lowered his center of gravity, lowered his shoulders and accelerated. Ignoring Kidd who was defending sideways, he held the ball close to the free throw line and rushed forward.

Seeing Li You starting to put the ball together, Kidd immediately started to cut the ball. He hit his arm but found that the basketball was not moving at all. When the referee blew the whistle, Li You, who rushed up in three strides, leaned against Kidd, tilted his body, and grabbed the ball casually with his left hand. Throw the ball toward the backboard.

"Boom!"

As the basketball hit the board high into the basket, the Continental Airlines Arena was boiling again.

Kidd, gasping for air, stood under the basket with his hands on his hips, watching helplessly as Li You walked to the free throw line, still unable to believe that he failed to cut the ball.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The Nets players' expressions became even more ugly as they listened to the shouts that echoed through the arena. It was useless to turn around. Everyone still liked to watch the Knicks play.

At 73:66, after making an extra free throw, head coach Byron Scott folded his arms and asked for a timeout.

Although the outside shooting performance was still poor, after the timeout, they relied on the opponent's mistakes to gradually open up the score.

With 3 minute and 1 seconds left in the third quarter, the Knicks used a simple three-man pick-and-roll. Kidd cut off Kurt Thomas's passing route, and Grant Hill jumped back from the free throw line. Throw the ball.

The moment Li You caught the ball at the top of the arc, Kenyon Martin defended the ball.

Li You raised the ball and feinted. Kenyon Martin subconsciously moved up. Noticing the opponent's change of defensive focus, Li You suddenly took a quick test step forward with his right foot.

The sensitive Kenyon Martin immediately stepped to the left and back, retracted his feet and aimed at the basket. Li You didn't give the opponent a chance to adjust his defense, and quickly shot a jumper from the top of the arc!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

At 86:73, seeing the point difference widening again, the cheers couldn't stop for a while.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines didn't feel much joy in his heart. At this time, he just smiled and mechanically clapped his hands to express his praise.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was fixed at 3:88. Returning to the bench, everyone on the Nets was silent again. This seemed to be no different from before.

In the last quarter of the game, fans who expected Kidd to turn the tide were also disappointed. The team fell behind. Kidd, who had a poor feel tonight, chose to pass the ball.

After several strikes, the Knicks seized the opportunity and rushed forward, and the point difference quickly widened again.
Watching Kidd break through with the ball with his left hand after the pick-and-roll, Li You blocked him at the free throw line to complete the steal. On the Nets bench, the atmosphere team was completely silent.

With 5 minutes and 01 seconds left in the game, following Kidd's pulling foul, the Nets entered extra penalty mode.

There will naturally be a price to pay for premature fouls, and soon the 1-point rain completely extinguished several counterattacks by the Nets.

When Artest caught the ball in the right corner and bulldozed the ball along the baseline to the basket, causing a foul on the player, everyone on the Knicks bench screamed with joy.

With 58 seconds left in the game, Kidd was also replaced. When he returned to the sidelines, Byron Scott could only pat his shoulders and whisper comfort:

"The regular season has just begun, we all believe in you!"

In the last quarter of the game, 2 of 0, Kidd scored 2 points on free throws and sent 3 assists, but also made 2 turnovers.

出场39分钟，10中4，12分6篮板13助攻1抢断5失误，基德的表现一如既往地稳定.
When the final buzzer sounded, 112:97, it was an offensive battle and the Knicks successfully won their 5th consecutive victory.

Li You wore a towel and fist bumped with everyone on the Nets team one by one. After the game, his high momentum disappeared.

Kidd was naturally aware of the emotional changes of his teammates. Finally, he hugged Li You and said a few words helplessly:
"Damn rebuilding! Those sports media should come and watch your games."

After the game, Li You stopped talking about the outcome. This was just a regular season game. Seeing the long faces of his superficial brothers, he smiled and comforted:
"You are still second in the Eastern Conference, don't worry about boring comments, Bro, I like your current hairstyle!"

"."

Kidd has become bald but not stronger. Walking towards the tunnel, Kidd watched the fans pulling Li You to laugh and take photos, and suddenly felt that coming to the Eastern Conference was not the right choice.

39分钟，出场时间来到赛季新高，李佑22中13，三分线外9中4，罚球8中7，砍下37分4篮板10助攻4抢断2失误的数据。

格兰特-希尔出场时间也来到了36分钟，18中9，24分5篮板4助攻1抢断1盖帽3失误。

Regardless of whether the opponent is man-to-man defense or zone defense, the two of them basically take turns breaking through and pulling on the defense.

If the shot is weak, rely on the opponent's mistakes and score on the fast break.

The style of play is simple and rough, and the 13-3 record also shows that there is no big problem with the team's tactics.

On December 12st, the NBA announced last month’s Player of the Month:
Li You of the Knicks and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers successfully won the award.

After the start of the game, the Lakers achieved a record of 14 wins and 1 loss;

科比场均出场39.0分钟，场均拿到27.6分5.7篮板6.5助攻2.1抢断2.9失误；

He averaged 18.3 shots per game, shooting 52.2% from the field, 1.7 shots from beyond the three-point line, 42.3% from three-pointers, 9.2 free throws per game, and 84.8% from free throws.

对比之下，李佑场均出场33.1分钟，场均29.1分4.6篮板9.4助攻2.4抢断2.6失误；

The shooting percentage was 53.0%, the three-point shooting percentage was 40.6%, and the free throw percentage was 91.9%.

The numbers were lowered at the beginning of the month, but generally speaking, the two took almost the same number of shots, and their shooting percentages were also about the same.

After winning the Player of the Month Award, Li You only smiled politely when receiving the trophy against the Rockets on the night of the 1st.

When Kobe saw this data, he became completely energetic. After receiving the trophy at Staples Arena, he expressed his stance confidently:
"I am very happy to receive the best of the month. This is how I lead the team. I will not change my playing style. I firmly believe that the next shot will always hit!"

"."

After Iverson completely faded out of the sight of football commentators, Kobe became Li You's old enemy again.

"Love knows no bounds" O'Neal found that he was no longer the only focus of the team. In the Staples Arena, the cheers of the Lakers fans at this moment were also dedicated to his little brother.

On the bench, Phil Jackson seemed to see O'Neal's little thoughts. Thinking of the team's reinforcements, he could only clap his hands and comfort him in a low voice:

"Shaq, this season is our best chance to win a championship."

"."

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