NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 267 Are you here to teach me how to win the championship? (daily chapter)

At the end of September 2002, as the U.S. team lost consecutive games at the World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis, the sports media went crazy.

If the last Olympic Games lacked dominance, then this World Championships brought shame to the whole world.

The arrogant sports media borrowed the gold medal early, but the US team was defeated by Argentina 80:87 in the group stage;

In the quarter-finals, 1:4, they lost again to the Yugoslavia team, which exploded with three-pointers;

In the qualifying match for 5th to 6th place, the U.S. team lost again to the Spanish team of Navarro, Gasol, and Calderon, 75:81.

In the end, the result of this men's basketball world championship was settled at 6th place.
  Head coach George Karl is entirely to blame. On the surface, he takes the blame, but he probably has something to say in his heart:

"Who are the people I'm leading? Can you blame me for losing?"

Although the team has players on the best lineup and All-Star players, the hip performance in the international arena also illustrates a problem:
  "The strength of NBA players has declined!"

On Thursday, September 9, on TNT's program, the trio began to denounce the performance of the Men's Basketball World Championship again.

Charles Barkley stuck to his point of view as always and once again boasted nostalgically:

"Sixth place? This is simply unimaginable!"

"You know when we were in Barcelona, ​​playing cards and shopping every day, and then we won the gold medal!"

"As a result, a few years later, these guys can get higher salaries, but their strength has declined like this!"

"Perhaps they should allocate their salary to Michael Dunk. He created the most glorious NBA in the 90s, but the players behind him seem to have lost motivation. They only know how to get high salaries but don't want to polish their skills."

"They are not Li. They have only missed one finals in their career. They have more time and should use more time to train hard."

"Look at their crappy shooting! I don't blame Reggie Miller because he's too old. If this team is still counting on him to open things up, what are the young guys drafted doing?"

Charles Barkley put on an angry look again, Kenny Smith snickered on the sidelines, and then asked:

"Chuck, have you always trained hard throughout your career?"

"Hey! I won the MVP! I don't need to train like ordinary players to beat them."

"Don't compare me to these weaklings!"

Charles Barkley is naturally not a training freak. After saying these words, Ernie Johnson also laughed and tried to smooth things over for him:

"The objective fact is that our best players did not enter the national team, but the sixth place result is indeed not ideal."

“I’ve always wondered what would have been achieved if Lee had joined the team.”

Kenny Smith immediately picked up the topic when he heard it:
  "At least we don't have to worry about shooting. In international competitions, the venue is smaller. Although the game time is less and the pace is relatively fast, it shouldn't be a problem for Li to score 30 points in a game."

"Theoretically, he can provide more than 10 assists, of course, provided that head coach George Karl hands the game to him."

Seemingly hearing the flaw in his point of view, Charles Barkley pretended to be puzzled and asked deliberately:

"I want to hear the definition of handing the game to Lee!"

Kenny Smith glanced at his partner helplessly, and finally mentioned the old words again:

"Coach George Karl is not a talkative person, and Lee likes to control the game. If the two work together, I wouldn't be surprised if there are basketball differences."

Pouting his lips in boredom, Charles Barkley only felt that his partner was getting less and less courageous, and finally said loudly to the camera:
  "I'm too lazy to discuss Team USA's results anymore. What interests me now is how well does Lee get along with head coach Mike D'Antoni?"

"The best coach in the Italian league has yet to succeed in the NBA. This is really an interesting pairing!"

"."

Due to the Knicks' change of head coach and the departure of two assistant coaches, the coaching staff is still in the process of recruiting.

Boss Curly doesn't care about this. For the Knicks' management, changes in the broadcaster in the new season will affect local broadcasts.

MSG is bargaining with the three broadcasters, just like TNT and ESPN both gave up Saturday prime time to ABC. No one wants to give up some popular games.

If there is an exclusive agreement, the three broadcasters will definitely use it!

New York fans have also received good news recently. Marv Albert has returned and will become the commentator for MSG in the new season, partnered with the famous Walter Frazier.

Unlucky Mike Breen has become a broadcaster again, and New York fans can only hear "Bang" on the radio for the time being.
  ABC is also recruiting. In the first season after reaching the broadcast agreement, no one wants to lose the chain.

However, the current situation is a bit confusing. ABC and ESPN have not yet merged at this time, which has resulted in two versions of the pre-game program "NBA Countdown".

Bob Costas ultimately chose to stay at NBC, while Marv Albert not only returned to New York, but also signed a six-year contract with TNT.

The broadcasters are in chaos, and the NBA is also a bit over the top. If the game ratings are low, it is not just the league's problem, everyone is responsible.

On Friday, September 9th, the Knicks’ training camp has started for more than a week.

At the end of this season, the team's head of medical department, Mr. Norman Scott, plans to retire.

The medical department is actually not complicated. It is mainly composed of team doctors, physical therapists, sports doctors, and chief trainers.

Scott retired and was succeeded by Lisa Callahan, but the internal personnel changes had little impact because the team's current head trainer Greg Brittenham is the one responsible for formulating the player training plan.

The chief trainer will listen to the professional opinions of the team medical team, but the team doctor can only give some reference opinions for specific plans, and it is up to him to implement them.

Anyone who can serve as the head of team doctors is naturally well-known in the medical community, just like Mr. Scott, who almost monopolizes the New York sports league.

There is no doubt about the professionalism of the medical team, and the reason why there is a situation like "vet" is largely related to the chief trainer.

After joining the Knicks in 95, Greg completed his job very well. Ewing was still healthy at the end of his career. As for the decline in athletic ability, that is something that no one can save.

The only real assistant coaches currently are Steve Crawford and Andy Grier.

These two people only joined the Knicks team in 2000. As the head coach of four consecutive championships, the bald young coach is still very attractive!

The earliest Knicks assistant coaches have found better jobs, and several have returned to college basketball.

As the chief trainer, Greg is best at core strength and physical fitness. Tim Grover gave direction to Li You's physical development, and Greg also gave great help in daily training.

At the Tarrytown Training Center, Mike D'Antoni was communicating with the assistant coaches to understand the physical condition of the players after this week's training camp in preparation for the preseason in October.

As the preseason approaches, the Knicks' 15-man roster has also seen a few changes.

Luke Longley was completely ruined, and in desperation, the team had no choice but to buy out the last year of his contract.

The champion center returned to Australia happily with his beautiful knife and enjoyed life.
  Last season's atmosphere team member Antonis Forsis also chose to return to his hometown in Greece. It was too difficult to play in the NBA, but the European league was more comfortable.

Jaylon Collins found a job with the Jazz after being waived by the Knicks, and his salary increased a little. It is said that his agent almost broke his leg.

The only atmosphere group that is still holding on is Trenton Hassell, but this one is about to die. According to the Knicks' practice, the last pick in the first round will automatically give up in the second year.

This season is considered his contract year. If he still can't play well and no longer has a guaranteed contract, he will most likely have to find a job again.

The Knicks are considered a rookie graveyard. So far, the only one who has been selected and can gain a foothold in the team is Rashard Lewis.

The other picks at the bottom of the first round left the team in two years, and the picks in the second round were eliminated in one year. The reason why the picks at the bottom of the round don't like New York is largely because they will most likely be benched when playing here.
  General manager Glenn Field is used to this situation. Rookie players don't like New York, but veterans who have been beaten up actually want to come and hang out.

It's a pity that Li You has no interest in cooperating with the old guy. These people are not even qualified to hug him.

The current 15-man roster of the Knicks has also been tentatively determined. Although there are many new players, the talent is pretty good:

Backcourt: Li You, Brevin Knight;

Frontcourt: Grant Hill, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Tayshaun Prince;
  Kurt Thomas, Pau Gasol, Glenzen Wright, Amar'e Stoudemire;
  Atmosphere group: Trenton Hassell, Matt Barnes, Dan Gazulic, Russell Butler, Randy Holcomb.

Players in the atmosphere group will most likely not get any playing time, and it is not easy to get into the 12-man roster.
  There are division championship banners and championship banners in the arena. D'Antoni was an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers before, so he naturally noticed the difference between the two teams.

Playing on a championship team, players automatically get involved, which is also related to the character of the team boss.

Li You is too lazy to get close to his superficial brothers. Ever since his good eldest brothers left the team, the Knicks have taken on a completely new look. Although the turnover of personnel is a bit large, newbies can still have some illusions after joining the team.

The Trail Blazers have entered a state of "you have the money, so what are you afraid of". The old Pippen did not regard himself as the boss. After losing for several years, he and his younger brothers began to lie flat.

D'Antoni was wearing a Knicks training uniform and watching the newbies running hard, he couldn't help but admire again:

"The Knicks are definitely the most enthusiastic team I have ever seen practice!"

Ewing quietly joined the coaching staff this year and became a glorious assistant coach. At this time, he was shouting on the sidelines and directing Gasol to get stuck.

Assistant coach Steve Crawford on the other side touched his bald head and praised him, but secretly complained in his heart:

"Those who don't work hard are traded away."

In fact, the team's training content has not changed much. D'Antoni has already done his homework. The Knicks are the team that uses the "V" word offense most frequently in the league, which is exactly the same as some of his tactical concepts.

Standing on the sidelines, I watched Gasol collect the rebound and immediately pass the ball to Hill. At this time, Artest and Li You continued to accelerate along the left and right sidelines, quickly rushing across the half court to the bottom corner.

As Hill, who quickly rushed through the half court, slowed down at the three-point line, Gasol, who was trailing behind, took advantage of the situation and made a high pick-and-roll at the top of the key.

Faced with the retreating defense of the big man Wright, Hill accelerated the ball with all his strength after changing direction to his left hand. As he drove straight to the basket, Gasol followed suit.

Stoudemire originally stopped at the left elbow, but at this time he began to follow his body's instinctive reaction and suddenly shrank his defense towards the basket.

As soon as he moved, Grant Hill returned the ball to Kurt Thomas on the free throw line. The latter caught the ball and easily hit a mid-range jumper.

The two assistant coaches on the sidelines began to shake their heads. The new high school student had poor basketball habits and ran away with the ball when he was not paying attention to defense.

The same goes for the offensive end. Stoudemire always likes to rush to the basket after picking and rolling. As a result, when encountering Kurt Thomas' defense and Gasol's assisting defense, the offense always misses the basket.

This choice of completing the offense despite being defended by two people is really bad. It is not in line with the Knicks' basketball philosophy at all. Even the atmosphere team can see the flaws of this high school student.

As for guarding the pick-and-roll, Li You used the cover of Kurt Thomas to get rid of Knight's defense on the left wing.

There was still half a step away from the three-point line. After adjusting his pace, Li You immediately stopped and made an easy jump shot!
  Stoudemire, who watched the entire shooting process, could only subconsciously scratch his head and scratch his head. The coach's instructions to delay the pick-and-roll were ineffective for him.

D'Antoni smiled and clapped his hands, signaling the end of training, and then encouraged the newbie:

"Very good. It seems that everyone has memorized the tactical requirements. You must pay attention to the space during fast breaks, and the big man must follow up in time."

"Everyone will get a chance in the preseason!"

After hearing the head coach's plan, the players in the rotation and atmosphere group finally breathed a sigh of relief.

D'Antoni's tactical requirements are not complicated. This little old man who was successful in Italy advocates discipline more. During the fast break, two players must run towards the bottom corner. The player advancing with the ball must observe his teammates in the middle. The big man following up needs to pick and roll in time, and the other player needs to open up the space.

This kind of functional movement seems a bit rigid, but it is very useful for new players because the entire team has a clear division of labor.

For players who have played on the team for a season, everyone is familiar with this tactical routine, and they do not find the head coach's requirements very novel.

In the past, the Knicks didn't have a system. Everyone just followed Li You's instructions.

Basic UCLA cutting, basic Flex, more basic continuous pick-and-rolls, some Princeton high and low posts in individual rounds, and the "V-shaped" offense and three-man pick-and-roll that are often used when encountering big teams.

After the new coach came, he was still unable to change this style of play, and there were not even many substantive changes.

Basketball tactics are like this, especially after being polished in high school and the NCAA. Most basic tactics are naturally understood by players as long as they have a brain.

This kind of seemingly blind and unsystematic offense is often the secret to the Knicks' victory. Players don't know that they will get opportunities. Anyway, openings appear as they run.
  D'Antoni naturally also discovered Li You's strong control on the court, but he had no objection to this because in the NBA, he has never really led a team to play a high-end game.

Everyone dispersed in a hurry, preparing to have lunch and take a good rest. There was a training class in the afternoon.

"Li, what areas do you think the team should improve on? I mean winning the championship!"

D'Antoni asked the question with a smile and handed out the kettle at the same time, looking affable.

Li You simply replenished the water, then touched his chin, and finally said seriously:
  "I don't expect the team's shooting to improve, but I hope to reduce the opponent's shooting percentage through defense."

"In fact, regular season shooting data doesn't mean much in key games, but when everyone puts their energy into defense, there will be problems in the offense."

"The defeat in the finals was like this. We failed to consume O'Neal. In other words, we consumed too little of him."

"Every round, he can always reach his favorite position easily. Although there are some minor problems when receiving the ball, he can still easily reach the sweet spot where he is best."

"This has to do with the game experience and technical characteristics of Wright and Gasol. When our outside shots were about the same level as the Lakers, O'Neal's response ball ultimately had a huge effect."

"Controlling mistakes, more rebounds, and more oppressive defense are the keys to winning the championship."

"I never think about offense because I can support the offensive system, but as long as the opponent can easily score a response, it makes no sense for me to score 80 points in a game."

D'Antoni was stunned when he heard this. The translation of Li You's words was "I am the system, and the championship depends on defense."

On the other side, the increasingly mellow Ewing laughed and introduced rather proudly:

"We have been playing a 'V-shaped' offense since the 96-97 season, and no one is more familiar with this offensive system than the Knicks."

"But offense alone cannot defeat the 98 Bulls. Pressuring defense and quick rotations are the keys to our final victory."

“When opponents can’t make those easy shots in response, the game goes our way.”

"The Knicks' secret to victory is to rely on strong defense to make those weaklings miss, and Lee's stable offense will eventually lead the team to victory."

The gorilla who joined the coaching staff naturally supported Li You. D'Antoni put forward many tactical requirements, but the team quickly adapted to it, or in other words, they have always played like this.

After the three of them talked for a while, D'Antoni crossed his arms and subconsciously touched his mustache. He always felt that Li You had already understood his tactical system and was even one version ahead of him.
  After the "V-shaped" offense, the Knicks will randomly play Flex. This tactic was used frequently last season and was originally designed by Li You for himself.

Later, the two strikers Grant Hill and Artest frequently used this tactic to create mismatches and cut hard towards the basket.

After observing it for a week, D'Antoni felt that the tactics were really easy to use, and he also fully understood why the Knicks averaged 104 points per game last season, far ahead of other teams.

Assistant coach Steve Crawford looked at the new arrival and reminded him meaningfully:

"Lee is a real genius. I even think he handles the ball faster than last season!"

"After spending time together, you will find that his memory is exceptionally good. He can even determine what kind of coordination the opponent wants to play in the offensive round."

"Mike, you have to learn to let go and don't worry about the team's record. If nothing else happens, our record should still be No. [-] in the Eastern Conference."

"If you have novel tactics, you can discuss them with Lee. The combination of V and Flex was originally conceived by Chaney and then perfected by Lee."

"Although I don't know what happened with the Knicks in the 96-97 season, Ewing once said that in his rookie season, Lee designed tactics for himself and the team."

"Everyone didn't believe it in the past, but as long as I stayed with the Knicks for two seasons, everyone knew the news must be true."

The bald assistant coach patted D'Antoni on the shoulder. The latter was speechless, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind:

"Are you teaching me to win the championship?"

On Sunday, September 9, the sports media stopped condemning the "Dream Team". Although they lost a World Championship championship, they only needed to earn face in the subsequent Olympics.

For New York fans, the latest hot news is that streetball king Alston has volunteered and expressed through the media that he wants to play for his hometown team.

Alston was just laid off by the Warriors and is still unemployed. However, after this news broke, many street ball players were disappointed:
  "What about the strength of the street ball king?"

The response from New York fans was mediocre. They even disliked Knight, who is currently on the bench. Naturally, they were not interested in Alston, who could not even get a contract.

Alston, who wanted to play for his hometown team, waited for almost a week. In the end, the Knicks had no response and he could only continue to wander.

Although it was a rare Sunday, Kristen-Litte was the only one left in Li You's home.

During September Fashion Week, the little follower has completely given up, so he doesn’t have to worry about it during this period. He can just watch TV series at home without work.
  During dinner, Scarlett and her brother also came over to share the meal. Hunter didn't care about his sister's mood and happily shared his senior year life with Li You:

"The teacher thinks I can get admitted to New York University. As long as I work hard these two semesters, I can realize my wish!"

Hunter's grades improved due to his hard work. After school started, he was praised by the teacher, which made him feel happy.

Scarlett watched her brother talk non-stop, and took the opportunity to quietly hit him twice to vent her depression.

Always being the doormat of his sister, Hunter complained while cutting the steak:
  "Obviously that "Eight-Legged Monster" was very good at the box office, but you haven't been happy in the past two months."

The two siblings have similar faces. When Hunter curled his lips, Kristen Little chuckled and then comforted:

“It’s amazing to be able to take on so many movies!”

Of course, what the little follower said was true. She also worked hard for some small roles, but in the end she couldn't win over her competitors.

With no worries about food and clothing, Kristen Ritter finally chose to be a graphic model and just take beautiful photos. She was still a little envious of Scarlett for being able to star in so many movies.

"Death by drought, death by waterlogging." Catherine is 24 years old and is still an 18th-tier actress on the small screen. Scarlett, who is about to become an adult, has no shortage of scripts and has already established a firm foothold on the big screen.

Cutting the steak absentmindedly, Scarlett said depressedly:

"I only played a small role, and the box office of the movie had little to do with me. On the contrary, the box office results of the first two movies were very unsatisfactory."

Li You enjoyed the delicious indulgent meal, looked at the sullen girl, raised his eyebrows, and said pointedly:

"At 18 years old, you must know that some directors are looking forward to your transformation. Everyone likes beautiful girls, right?"

Tonight, the two siblings came to Li You's place for dinner. They dressed up specially, wearing black slim-fitting denim shorts and white short-sleeved T-shirts. The flat-chested lolita already looked a little choppy at this time.

Li You was still eating the steak happily. Scarlett's face turned red after she fully reacted. She stepped hard on the table with her foot, and then laughed and cursed:
  "Asshole! I don't want to make that kind of movie!"

At the age of 18, Scarlett can come alone to Li You in the future. At the same time, film shooting can also be more open. Hollywood LSPs are looking forward to beautiful girls taking off their clothes.
  Li You's villa on Street 82 has many rooms, and friends who usually visit here will choose to spend the night here.

After chatting in the evening, Scarlett was in a much better mood. After returning to the room, she waited until after midnight before quietly moving to the room on the fourth floor.

Noticing that the door to the master bedroom was unlocked, Scarlett chuckled. Wearing only her pajamas, she tiptoed towards the big bed.

But when she was halfway there, she heard some blushing sounds. The girl wanted to turn around and leave, but the dim lights in the room suddenly turned on.

Looking at the two people "doggy style", the girl's face turned red and she subconsciously wanted to leave:

"Sorry, maybe I came at the wrong time!"

Christen-Litte didn't care about this scene at all, lying lazily on the big bed, and then pushed Li You under the bed with a coquettish smile.

Looking at Scarlett who hadn't moved for a long time, Li You's eyes shone with an inexplicable light. He walked over and hugged her slowly, then leaned into her ear and whispered:

"No, you came just in time!"

On October 10, the Los Angeles media broke the news about O'Neal's toe injury. What made Lakers fans feel helpless was that the swollen shark did not choose to undergo surgery in the offseason.

Even in an interview with the media, O'Neal expressed his position quite proudly:
  "I am a champion! If you get injured at work, you need to use your working time to recuperate!"

"."

After these words were revealed, Lakers fans were confused. Even if the sports media noticed it in advance, O'Neal had no intention of changing his mind.

The Lakers' opening game will also present rings, and O'Neal will most likely miss this game.

Kobe naturally looked down upon such an attitude, and he did not forget to mock the "good big brother" during the interview:
  "Shaq seems to be satisfied. It's hard for me to understand such a choice!"

"But Lakers fans don't have to worry, I'm in good physical condition and I will lead the team to win the opening game!"

"It was a glorious moment for the team and no one can take away our victory."

When it comes to championships, Kobe looks serious and serious, in sharp contrast to O'Neal.

It's just that many Lakers don't buy it. In everyone's opinion, the Sharks are the deserved boss. Last season, Kobe's performance in leading the team was not very good.
  In contrast, everyone on the Knicks team is healthy. Although Gasol has played many games, he has no physical problems.

Longley, who has retired, has also been bought out, and the team has returned to its involution state. Everyone is waiting for the preseason to show themselves well and strive to get more playing time.

October 10st is the NBA’s media open day. On this day, the Knicks were also being interviewed and taking makeup photos.

Grant Hill completed the filming task and was also being interviewed. When asked about the team's status, he immediately expressed his stance confidently:
  “There are a lot of rookies coming to the team, which makes me very excited!”

"I believe the Knicks can reach the Finals again. Compared to last year, we are more experienced and have better talent on the bench."

As a high-ranking rookie, Stoudemire's overwhelming performance in the summer league attracted much attention, and he was very excited when he took his makeup photos.

Posing with a big grin on his face, Stoudemire watched as the reporters in New York surrounded him, and he also boasted during the interview:

"I love playing in New York, Lee is incredible, and playing next to him makes the game easier."

"Yes, I'm ready, I will win Rookie of the Year!"

"."

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  (End of this chapter)