NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 278 False “white-hot space” (-word chapter)

On February 2003, 2, at the end of the All-Star Weekend, Michael Jordan sealed the victory with an iconic fadeaway jumper and received a custom trophy!

He said he didn't care, but Maikun, who won the game, smiled brightly when he was being interviewed while holding the golden trophy that was several times bigger.

The bad things about the Wizards seemed to have been put aside. For Michael Jordan, it was very honorable to say goodbye in front of the public eye!

But the McDuck wasn't the only hot spot during the All-Star Weekend. ESPN broke the news that after the game, Kobe and O'Neal got into a quarrel in the Western Conference All-Star locker room, and the Sharks almost took action.

I originally thought this was false news, but Gary Payton, who was not too concerned about the excitement, took the initiative to speak out to prove the authenticity of the news:

"Yes, Kobe Bryant seems to want to win the game, but he picked the wrong person. Shaq will not give face to the rookie."

"I made one of the last two free throws. I don't think that was intentional. That was Shaq's normal level of free throws. And Mike Dunk made the shot and Lee completed the steal. We didn't complain. If we lose, we lose."

"I believe the fans love to see this scene. As for Kobe, there is nothing wrong with him. I admire his desire to win!"

This news is much more interesting than when Michael won the award. People who are interested in watching me just regret that there are no photos of the scene. O'Neal angrily punched Kobe. This scene is exciting just thinking about it.

Of course, there are fans who support Kobe. This season the Lakers have a poor record and a slow start, largely because O'Neal chose to have toe surgery only after the start of the regular season.

There was a 2000 million superstar lying on the bench. Kobe led the team to lose games one after another. Some Lakers fans only expressed sympathy:

"Boss, you tried your best!"

Sports commentators believe that Kobe's team lost because of too many singles and the inability of role players to integrate into the team. However, this argument has long been denied by Phil Jackson.

After the All-Star Weekend, the sports media came to New York to eat!

Tomorrow is the Lakers' away game against the Knicks. Everyone on the Lakers has flown to New York, and everyone wants to interview Phil Jackson.

The two parties involved were not interviewed by the sports media, and the Lakers did not want to be exposed to internal conflicts at this time.

Phil Jackson looked calm. After checking in, he just smiled during the interview:

"I have long said that every team has internal conflicts. Kobe and Shaq just want to win too much."

"It's normal to have disagreements during the game. In fact, the two often disagree during training!"

"Kobe is very similar to McQueen. He likes to be strict with himself and also motivates his teammates."

"But Shaq is different. His body needs more maintenance. I understand his choice. The Lakers will work hard in the later stages, and soon we will be back in the top half!"

"We have gotten rid of the injuries now, and Shaq and Kobe are fine!"

The words of the old KFC man are naturally unconvincing. The sports media do not believe that the two have a simple basketball conflict.

It is well known that the team has only one boss. Just like Iverson and Stackhouse, Ray Allen and "Big Dog" Robinson cannot coexist, this problem also occurs with Kobe and O'Neal.

Fortunately, the two of them won a championship, so it was not a loss if they parted ways!

After the All-Star Weekend, Hook also started a new round of advertising.

The advertising space outside Madison Square Garden is once again covered by ads for Lee Yoho’s new sneakers.

That night, at Rockefeller Center, Hook invited a large number of sports media, and Li You, dressed in black formalwear, entertained everyone present.

Due to the new technology in the sneakers, the price is not as friendly as the previous generation. In addition, they are low-top basketball shoes. This is a way to show off their muscles to their peers.

Li You didn't care about the aerospace materials in the promotion. He only knew that the new sneakers were indeed much lighter and had good grip. As for the shock absorption and torque resistance, they both met the standards, which was enough.

Most of the invited sports media held MVP voting rights. After arriving at the bar on the 65th floor, everyone agreed tacitly that as long as the league had no objections, there was no need to continue to struggle.

Sports Illustrated has many photographers and main editors here. Every time Li You’s new sneakers are released, Hook will place advertisements in mainstream media.

"If you have money, you are a master." As long as the money is in place, magazines, newspapers, and even emerging Internet portals will buy it.

In the bar, the melodious music continued, and some party girls were busy taking photos.

Li You held champagne and chatted with Matt Parker, but the two did not discuss the topic of MVP much.

"Is Hook interested in becoming a sponsor of Manchester United? You don't seem to invest much in the field of football?"

When this topic was brought up, Matt Parker looked at the founder not far away, then shook his head slightly and briefly introduced:

"As for the group's strategic issues, we can obtain stable income through the AJ brand. Compared with the unknown risks involved in football, most people are currently satisfied."

"Our sales are increasing year by year, and this is the result of the decline in the influence of Mykou."

"But it's just a simple sponsorship. This matter still needs to be discussed."

Li You nodded. When the acquisition is completed in the future, in addition to cutting leeks on the market, other marketing must also keep up.

Watching several designers in the distance introducing the new hook technology to the interested sports media, Matt Parker took a sip of champagne and began to sigh again:

"No matter how good the design is, it needs stars to promote it. We plan to sign LeBron James. Everyone thinks highly of him and his physical condition is very good."

I often hear this name from the sports media recently. The son of Akron is indeed popular in the United States. Li You didn't care about this signing, because the rookie can't affect his income:

"Reebok and Adidas will probably compete with you, but ultimately he will choose hooks."

Matt Parker just raised his eyebrows and chuckled. He didn't care about the signing. It takes time for rookies to grow, but Li You has entered his peak period:

"Wish us good luck. It is said that coach Van Gundy plans to coach this talented player. Maybe he will become your opponent in the future!"

Although I don’t know whether LeBron James will start brother basketball in the future, Li You is full of confidence in the Knicks:

"No one can compete with us in the Eastern Conference. James Dolan doesn't care about the luxury tax. The Knicks' ticket prices are still going up. This guy is making a lot of money!"

"It's not easy to make a name for yourself in Cleveland. No one likes to play there."

Matt Parker didn’t think too much about the subsequent development of the Sons of Akron. For sponsors, it’s enough to have enough exposure to sell products.

The two no longer discussed work matters. Some bold girls saw the opportunity and quickly crowded here. The nightlife in New York had just begun.

On the night of the 11th, the Knicks played the Lakers for the first time this season at Madison Square Garden, and the tickets were sold out early.

Tuesday happened to be the TNT broadcast. After the game started, Mike Fratello in the commentary box kept exclaiming.

The Knicks' wings kept chasing Kobe Bryant, and every player on the court worked very hard.

There are 7 minutes and 58 seconds left in the half. At this time, the Knicks are still on the bench, and the Lakers have returned to the starting lineup early. Phil Jackson seems to be destined to win this game.

In the offensive round, Stoudemire rushed inside and was cut by Samaki Walker.

After successfully controlling the ball, Samaki-Walker hurriedly threw the ball toward the front court. After Kobe grabbed the ball, he rushed faster and faster with the ball in his right hand.

Arriving in the paint, Kobe took three long steps and jumped into the air. He grabbed the ball with his right hand and swung his arm for a dunk!

Kobe, who was still in the air, only heard a scream in his ears, and then saw the basketball covered by his palms.

He wanted to twist around and continue to exert force, but Kobe found himself in the air and lost control of the basketball.

"Snapped!"

After the block was blocked, the basketball hit the backboard and rebounded. The little Knight, who came back from the defense, regained control of the ball.

"Oh!"

The exclamations still did not stop. Prince, who rushed from half court to complete the chasing block, and Kobe both rushed to the audience.

Due to the inertia, both of them fell into the crowd, and for a while, the screams could not stop at all.

In a 4-on-4 frontcourt, Knight once again completed a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire near the left elbow area, getting rid of Fisher, who was chasing him, and sent a ground pass while traveling.

Stoudemire caught the ball in the paint, took a step forward and flew towards the basket.

This time, O'Neal interfered under the basket and bumped into the fat man. Stoudemire failed to complete the dunk and could only throw the ball to the backboard.

Just after the interference, O'Neal had not had time to take off after landing. As if possessed by Spring Man, Stoudemire exploded again.

He grabbed the rebound and was not affected much by the physical confrontation. Stoudemire took off three times and pressed the ball into the basket with both hands!

"Wow!"

The New York fans at the scene cheered again when they saw this situation. Samaki Walker, who returned to the basket, looked helplessly at his boss. This kind of loss of points was completely due to his physical inability to keep up.

O'Neal, who was in a particularly bad mood recently, watched the Knicks crowd surrounding Stoudemire and started shouting, and was so angry that he cursed:

"Shet! You can still miss a fast break dunk!"

Coach D'Antoni on the sidelines kept clapping his hands, and gave Prince a thumbs up as he returned from defense. Although the offense was simple and rough, as long as he could score a response goal, there would be no problem.

In the commentary box, watching Stoudemire stand on the free throw line again, Mike Fratello praised loudly again:

"What an outstanding physical talent. Stoudemire has performed well recently. It can be seen that he has adapted to the intensity of the league's confrontation!"

Groom Albert also felt happy when he saw this scene. The game seemed to be easier than he thought:

"Kobe had a bad shooting touch tonight. It can be seen that he is still adapting to the Knicks' defense. Maybe he should move the ball faster!"

Stoudemire made a solid free throw, and head coach Phil Jackson immediately requested a timeout.

The old man from KFC lost the smile on his face at this time. He was very dissatisfied with the team's performance.

At 30:35, although the score difference was not big, seeing the defending champion unable to fight back, New York fans became excited again.

"Good job!"

Li You, who was wearing a towel, also stood up and encouraged several people in the rotation. Everyone performed well tonight.

D'Antoni saw the problem of O'Neal's inactivity in guarding the pick-and-roll. While calling the main lineup to come on the stage, he did not forget to briefly remind:

"The more times you pass the ball, the better your shooting opportunities will be!"

"Li, keep playing the pick-and-roll, the opponent has almost lost his defensive patience!"

After the timeout, when the Lakers were attacking, O'Neal made a gesture to his teammates. After Kobe came to the right wing, no one passed the ball to him.

Fox and Fisher first communicated with each other on the left wing. After the baseline crossed to cover, O'Neal also came to the left low post to ask for the ball with his back.

Fisher was interfered by Li You, and the quality of the pass he sent was average, which forced O'Neal to move up to catch the ball.

After receiving the pass, O'Neal immediately released the ball with his right hand. He didn't care about Gasol's top defense and relied heavily on the shot to get close to the basket.

When Kurt Thomas came to the paint area to help defend, O'Neal relied on the defense to turn towards the baseline, and immediately completed the throw when he switched to his left hand.

Although O'Neal turned around very quickly, Gasol was already prepared and immediately jumped to interfere.

The basketball knocked twice on the rim and fell out again. Kurt Thomas got stuck on Samaki Walker under the rim, and after protecting the backboard, he didn't rush to throw the ball away.

Li You stepped forward to respond, and the New York fans cheered and cheered again in the arena:

"Let's go Knicks!."

Seeing Kobe step forward to lead the defense, Li You accelerated across the half court and immediately gave the ball to Grant Hill on the left wing.

At the same time, Gasol came to the left block and asked for the ball with his back.

Grant Hill took advantage of the situation and threw the ball to Gasol. Fisher didn't dare to be careless and pulled and pulled, trying to influence Hill to cut into the basket without the ball.

Due to the height difference between the two, they were beaten several times by such simple coordination in the first quarter.

Having learned from his experience, Fisher did not forget to look behind him while pursuing the defense, ready to cut off Gasol's passing route at any time.

Grant Hill accelerated towards the right corner. At this time, Li You also came to the left wing, a partial two-on-two. Gasol did not force the attack, but observed the movements of Li You on the line.

Fox was standing near the right elbow of the free throw line. While looking at Li You, he also prevented Gasol from throwing the ball to the right wing. Artest made a gesture to catch the ball early, stood still and waited. Eat cake.

Kobe, who was guarding in front of Li You, had his back to the basket. Although he was very focused on the defensive end, Li You swayed to the right and pretended to cut in from the middle before suddenly running back. Kobe still failed to complete the defense immediately.

The opportunity passed in a flash. Kobe failed to defend in time, but Gasol successfully sent the pass.

On the left wing, Li You received the ball, Gasol moved up the pick-and-roll, and O'Neal hesitated for a moment before swaying his body to defend.

Sensing the movement behind him, Gasol passed the fake screen, and Li You also released the ball with his left hand to accelerate the breakthrough.

After a delay, Kobe lost his best defensive position. When O'Neal retreated to defend, Li You easily broke through to the left block.

Kobe continued to chase, O'Neal continued to retreat, Gasol had already squeezed to the basket, and Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, was still accelerating.

The four of them moved in sync, approaching the baseline position on the left side. Li You suddenly exerted force laterally, colliding with Kobe and completing a step back, completely shaking off the defense. He drifted toward the baseline toward the basket and shot a jumper!

"Whoa!" The two-point ball hit the net.

30:37. The tactics are not complicated, but they test the tacit understanding of the two on the defensive end.

Of course O'Neal was not satisfied with Kobe's defense. He thought he had protected the basket and shouted at his younger brother when he was serving:

"Keep your defender safe!"

Kobe believed that O'Neal should double-team earlier, and Samaki Walker inside would take turns to defend and complete the replacement, so he immediately responded:

"Shet, you have to help defend me!"

The two choked, and the rest of the Lakers seemed to be used to this scene. After O'Neal made a gesture, Kobe failed to catch the ball again.

Changing the direction, this time O'Neal scored 2 points with a low-post turn shot from the right side. The Shark shook his head pretending to be X, expressing his disdain for Gasol's defense.

The Knicks also played the same tactic, but in a different direction. This time Gasol did not pass forward in advance. After completing the pass, he stood firmly at the three-point line.

Li You, who released the ball with his right hand, first got rid of Kobe's pursuit with the help of a screen. Facing the hesitant O'Neal on the defensive end, Li You quickly in and out with his right hand while moving.

As his body swayed forward to the left, his center of gravity suddenly dropped. Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, accelerated directly and quickly squeezed past O'Neal.

Being shaken to the spot, O'Neal heard cheers before he could make a pulling action.

Li You passed the defense and took two steps. He jumped with his right foot and grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand, sneaking a step to pick the basket!

Samaki-Walker, who had already helped defend inside, watched the basketball fly high. In the end, he could only stand under the basket and watch the basketball hit the board and then fall into the basket.

"Wow!"

Li You scored smartly, causing many New York fans to stand up and applaud, and the cheers echoed throughout the arena.

Of course, O'Neal would not admit that this was his defensive problem. He immediately turned his head and glared at his younger brother, and then ran towards the half court angrily.

Kobe was also embarrassed. He could naturally sense that his teammates were not passing the ball to him, so this time he simply asked for the ball from the baseline and dribbled it across half the court by himself.

Coming to the right wing, O'Neal was not ready to pick and roll, and stayed on the left side near the baseline.

Only Samaki Walker immediately came to the three-point line to cover Kobe.

The screen position was too high, and Artest chose to go down the line to defend. Kobe did not choose to take a shot from outside the three-point line, but put the ball with his right hand in an attempt to speed up the breakthrough.

After the screen, Samaki Walker moved laterally and came to the free throw line to try to open up space.

Artest blocked Kobe's breakthrough route. The two collided and Kobe had no choice but to slow down.

During the march, Kobe suddenly stopped suddenly, only to find that Kurt Thomas was also surrounding him. Faced with the double-team that had not yet formed, Kobe did not choose to stop for a jump shot. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity and continued to concentrate on breakthrough.

Even emergency stops and starts failed to get rid of Artest. In the end, Kobe was surrounded by the two and blocked near the right side of the baseline.

With hands all around him, Kobe couldn't see the basket or his teammates. Under such circumstances, he feinted and forced his back to shoot while hanging on the defense!

"state!"

With the two of them surrounded, Kobe still took the shot, and the basketball naturally hit the basket. Gasol successfully collected the backboard. Soon Li You responded at the baseline, and then rushed with the ball.

While moving, he quickly circled the ball behind his back and switched to his right hand. At the same time, Li You watched Fisher on his side continue to accelerate along the right sideline and crossed the half court in the blink of an eye.

Fisher, who was gritting his teeth and retreating, found that Li You showed no signs of slowing down. When he came to the right wing, he accelerated and rushed toward the basket with Li You on his back.

Fox sensed that his teammate was about to lose position, accelerated his retreat and quickly retreated to the basket.

When cutting in from the right wing and approaching the paint area, Li You passed the ball from behind while moving. Following Grant Hill, who cut in from the center, he took off with both feet unguarded. Fox grabbed the ball with his left hand from behind the basket and succeeded with a one-handed dunk!

"Wow!"

The beautiful transition attack once again ignited the atmosphere of the arena. Fisher watched Li You and Hill high-five in celebration. Standing under the basket, Fisher became more and more depressed.

In the next game, Kobe "faced the difficulties", creating difficulties even if there were no difficulties, and the difficulty of his shots gradually increased!

O'Neal was almost angered by his younger brother. He made gestures for several rounds to indicate that he would not pass the ball to Kobe.

On the defensive end, Fatty was too lazy to delay his exit and gave up treatment completely. Phil Jackson on the sidelines kept reminding him loudly.

With 1 minute and 58 seconds left in the first half, O'Neal, who had just missed a free throw, was retreating desperately. Gasol observed that the Lakers had completed their defensive position and simply stopped at the right elbow area.

Although Kobe continued to provide physical confrontation, Li You advanced very quickly and reached the top of the arc when his opponent completed his position.

Kurt Thomas did not stand at the left elbow as usual, but ran directly from the baseline to the three-point line to catch the ball.

After Li You sent the pass, Horry, who had just appeared on the field, did not guard Kurt Thomas, but stayed inside the three-point line, always paying attention to the movements behind him.

Li You, who completed the pass and accelerated his cut from the center, immediately attracted the attention of the Lakers' defense.

Instead of going straight to the basket, he suddenly stopped at the free throw line. Li You took advantage of the situation and made a back screen for Gasol.

When O'Neal noticed Li You's movements behind him, it was too late to catch Gasol, who was moving laterally and accelerating to cut towards the basket.

Kobe reacted quickly. He immediately raised his hands and moved to the passing route to help defend.

At this time, Li You seized the opportunity and quickly bounced out. O'Neal was still stopped near the free throw line, watching Kurt Thomas at the top of the arc easily send a cross pass.

Completely unguarded, Li You adjusted slightly after receiving the ball, and then made a jump shot!

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net!

Thanks to the smooth coordination, cheers resounded throughout the arena. In the commentary box, Mike Fratello praised him repeatedly and couldn't stop for a while:

"Wonderful cooperation! Just one screen gave Lee an open shot. The Lakers' defense is collapsing!"

"Coach D'Antoni was too well prepared for this game. The Knicks completely suppressed their opponents tonight!"

Marv Albert saw Kobe Bryant receiving the ball from the baseline break through from the left wing and dive into the basket. Before he could respond to his partner, he subconsciously shouted:

"I like this offensive option! Pau, wonderful block!"

After blocking Kobe Bryant under the basket, Gasol punched the ground continuously and roared on the spot:

"what!"

Artest twisted around to control the ball and immediately flicked the ball forward.

Although Fisher was well prepared, when he saw Li You grabbing the ball with his left hand, he accelerated and rushed forward, with a look of pain on his face for a moment.

Near the three-point line, Li You completed the push and changed direction. When he picked up the ball with his right hand and accelerated again, Fisher, who adjusted his center of gravity, tried to pull, but was completely knocked away when he reached the paint area.

Almost knocked out of his body, Fisher failed to react defensively. He watched Li You holding the ball with his right hand, taking three strides and rushing up to dunk with an arm swing!

"OH——! Too big! Too fast! Too strong!"

“It’s showtime for the Knicks!”

Groom Albert was so pleased with himself that he seemed to have forgotten that this was a TNT broadcast, and the commentary suddenly became biased.

Fortunately, Mike Fratello responded quickly and quickly added:

"The Lakers have to solve the problem on the offensive end at halftime. They think the game is too simple."

"When your offense is predictable, you will naturally get into trouble!"

Fisher was no longer passing the ball to Kobe. O'Neal wanted to organize an offense, but Horry made two open jumpers and suffered two more counterattacks.

After running back and forth continuously, Fox had no choice but to send Grant Hill to the free throw line, and also received his third personal foul.

Before halftime, the Lakers relied on O'Neal's strong attack under the basket to regain some face, but the game was over.

50:66, in the second quarter, the Knicks scored 36 points and successfully expanded their lead.

Kobe's face was dark as he walked towards the tunnel. He shot 13 of 4 in the half and 8 of 2 in the second quarter, single-handedly leading the team to collapse.

O'Neal seemed to be angry with his younger brother. Regardless of his teammates' obstruction, he entered the players' tunnel and yelled:

"You play like shit! If you don't want to win, don't play. I can win the game without you!"

In the half, he made 12 of 7 shots and 6 of 4 free throws. O'Neal performed normally and scored 18 points. Unfortunately, he failed to send out an assist.

Everyone on the Lakers gathered around O'Neal, and the atmosphere team was worried about the angry shark punching him.

If there was an intra-squad boxing match broadcast live across the United States, it would be laughed at for a season.

Phil Jackson only felt a headache. This season the Knicks have a lot of tactical coordination and the players are more mature than last season.

It was expected that the OK combination, which was still at its peak, would be able to kill everyone, but the old man from KFC never expected that the conflict between the two would completely break out.

The Knicks took a big lead, and the two people in the commentary box chatted about the gossip from the All-Star Game.

Marv Albert and Mike Fratello also happened to be the commentators for the All-Star Game, and they gave fans some insight into the reasons for the quarrel between the OK team.

The on-site director also felt that the Knicks were sure to win, and the camera began to focus on the blonde girl in Li You's exclusive seat.

Catherine was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt tonight. She just waved and smiled when facing the camera. This 18th-tier Canadian actor is really not well-known in the United States.

After the start of the second half, the Lakers failed to adjust. O'Neal was yelling fiercely, and the defensive end was gone.

Phil Jackson, who was on the sidelines, watched Li You receive Gasol's hand from the right wing and then throw the ball away, and simply walked directly to the bench.

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

The old KFC man no longer asked for a timeout. He returned to his seat and folded his arms without saying a word, seeming to have entered a state of contemplation.

On the other side of the Knicks bench, D'Antoni smiled and narrowed his eyes again. In addition to clapping and applauding, he occasionally raised his hands in joyful celebration with the audience.

Li You could naturally sense the frustration of several members of the Lakers team. This time, taking advantage of O'Neal's free throw, he joked with a smile:

"You have declined so severely? A dynasty team? Did you drink too much champagne last year?"

O'Neal stopped gesturing to shoot. He first turned his head and glared at Kobe, then curled his lips at Li You and said in a deep voice:

"It's just the regular season. Even if we are ranked eighth, we can still enter the finals. In the Western Conference, no one is our opponent!"

"You name it, I can dominate the game!"

After saying these words, O'Neal missed two free throws, cursed in anger, and started to turn back and run again.

Kobe didn't get many chances in the third quarter. Obviously, during the halftime break, the Lakers made it clear that they wanted to give the ball to the boss.

The Lakers have never been able to hit a climax. O'Neal is indeed still +2, but the problem on the defensive end cannot be solved.

At 26:28 in a single quarter, after three quarters, the point difference was still widened by a little bit.

In the last quarter of the game, the Knicks rotated step by step, and the Lakers did not insist on the main force. Phil Jackson seemed to have given up, and the entire bench was silent.

The main lineups of both sides only played for more than 4 minutes in the 4th quarter, and then the atmosphere team completely took over the game.

In the end, 100:117, the Knicks defeated the Lakers at home!

After the game, Kobe was the first to go to the all-hands tunnel, wearing a towel and not saying hello to anyone.

The New York fans on both sides were very happy to see such a scene, and everyone cheered and shouted:

"Shaq wants to trade you!"

The news compiled by the New York Post is very popular among local fans. The fans at the scene don't care about the authenticity of the news. They just want to have fun!

If there is a conflict with the boss, according to the practice of NBA teams, it is natural to trade the younger brother.

Kobe's face darkened when he heard this, he quickened his pace, and soon walked to the locker room and disappeared.

出场34分钟，20中12，三分线外8中4，罚球6中6，34分5篮板11助攻2抢断2失误。

Li You easily got a double-double. When he was interviewed after the game, the cheers in the arena still couldn't stop:

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Craig Sagel looked at the New York fans who were shouting and jumping up and down, and he also laughed:

"Lee, 45 wins and 4 losses, incredible! I even think you have a chance to break the best record in history set by the Bulls!"

Hearing the opponent's emotion, Li You didn't brag about it. Later, the Knicks ushered in consecutive away games in the Western Conference, and the schedule was not friendly:

"Breaking records is of course a good thing, but our goal is still the championship!"

“We’re going to bring the O’Brien Trophy back to New York this season.”

"We currently have a huge lead, so the team's first goal is to stay healthy, and the bench will get more opportunities!"

"."

On February 2, the headlines in the New York Times sports section began to mock opponents again:

"The thief will return the O'Brien Cup to New York soon!"

"The Knicks are not interested in Kobe Bryant!"

"New York will not welcome Michael Jordan imitators."

"Shaquille O'Neal will continue to be swept in the playoffs!"

Most columns don't analyze tactics at all. Fans don't like to read professional analysis. Everyone just outputs emotions.

On the morning of the 12th, Li You was eating breakfast in Catherine's apartment. He saw the news in the newspaper and shook his head boredly.

From 96 to 03, he witnessed with his own eyes the changes in these columns in the sports section.

In the past, there were rigorous tactical analyses, but now, most articles have become short essays catering to the preferences of fans.

Just as TNT's programs began to develop in the direction of revitalization, as the influence of print media gradually decreased, columnists also had to compromise with traffic.

After taking a shower, Catherine, who was wearing a large white T-shirt, rubbed her messy blond hair and sat down at the dining table, still looking like she hadn't woken up:

"Are you leaving New York tomorrow? I just realized that you have to take so many flights every year."

The Knicks have six Western away games to play, and Li You won't be able to return to Manhattan until the end of the month. The blonde girl's recent auditions have not gone well, and she didn't even get a small role. She has been in a bad mood these days.

Li You took a sip of milk, hooked his fingers, and soon Catherine sat in his arms, looking at the other person's somewhat depressed eyes, and whispered:

"You don't need to wrong yourself, and you don't need to compromise with anyone. I'll support you by playing ball!"

Catherine laughed immediately after hearing these words, kissed Li You hard, hugged his neck and giggled again:

“The little man’s promise is unreliable!”

Their birthdays were both in December, and Catherine was a few days older. Li You noticed that the other party was twisting in his arms again, and immediately kissed the other party hard:

"I always keep my word!"

The two soon had an in-depth exchange on the chair. Li You's balanced ball control skills with his left and right hands soon allowed him to find the opportunity to penetrate with his long body!

On February 2th, Valentine’s Day, the Knicks challenged the Suns away from home.

In this game, Stoudemire broke out again. With the help of Li You and Knight, he made 13 of 9 goals and scored a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds!

118:98, the Knicks successfully got a good start on the road.

Many times, talent can really do anything. All of Stoudemire's goals came from the paint area directly in front of the basket.

Marbury enjoyed a core treatment and was led by the Knicks' perimeter defenders throughout the game.

In the whole game, he made 27 of 10 shots and scored 28 points. Although the statistics were not bad, Marbury was somewhat defensive after the game. He complained in an interview:

"I even got double-teamed by two people. Our pre-game preparation was really bad!"

Marbury's experience is the epitome of the core players of the team behind him. In the next few Western away games, the Knicks consciously began to double-team defense.

After defeating the SuperSonics and Warriors, the Knicks ushered in a second battle with the Lakers.

On the night of the 20th, O'Neal was sitting on the bench in formal attire at Staples Arena.

Seeing Kobe constantly being double-teamed and the Lakers making mistakes in two consecutive rounds, O'Neal twitched the corners of his mouth, as if suppressing his smile.

O'Neal took a truce due to injury, and without restraints, Kobe completely let himself go.

Two people on defense, shoot!

Three-man defense, throw!

Driving into the basket, with everyone in the paint area, Kobe was still fearless, relying on his excellent flexibility to complete the shot again and again while lying down!

Excel has long been forgotten by Kobe. He doesn't care about the data at all. He only has eyes for the basket. After catching the ball, he just wants to tear the Knicks' defense apart!

Phil Jackson's words also fell on deaf ears. Kobe, who was obsessed with the game, seemed to have entered a "white-hot space", and everything unrelated to basketball completely disappeared.

It wasn't until there were 3 minutes and 26 seconds left in the game that Kobe was replaced, returned to his seat, and heard the faint boos in the arena, and then he completely woke up.

106:86, the Knicks have already replaced the bench lineup, and the game is no longer suspense.

出场41分钟，31中12，三分线外8中3，罚球10中8，35分4篮板3助攻1抢断4失误。

Kobe, who was wearing a towel, was a little confused when he saw his technical statistics:

"Is it all an illusion? I didn't enter the "white hot space"?"

At the end of the game, Kobe was still sitting on the bench, seemingly unable to accept the result.

This time it was O'Neal's turn to walk to the tunnel early, shaking his head as he walked. Although he did not appear, the fans could clearly see who was the boss!

D'Antoni came to the technical stage and shook hands with Phil Jackson. Of course, there was no grudge between the two, but the old KFC man felt angry when he looked at the mustache's smiling face.

"It's a pity that the Lakers have suffered injuries. I hope we can meet on a higher stage this year!"

Upon hearing the compliment, Phil Jackson just said a few words and then turned away.

The Lakers fans on both sides of the tunnel were not in a high mood. Phil Jackson glanced at it, quickened his pace and cursed in his heart:

"Damn rookie!"

The championship coach was double-killed by a rookie coach. After the game, the Los Angeles Times also expressed dissatisfaction and criticized the old KFC man and Kobe:

"The tactics are suppressed and the core players are performing inefficiently. Maybe we really should make changes!"

On the 21st, the melon-eaters finally received the news, and a blockbuster deal attracted everyone’s attention:

The Bucks traded Ray Allen, Ronald Murray, Kevin Ollie, and a 2003 first-round pick to the SuperSonics.

In the end, Gary Payton and Desmond Mason were exchanged.

The trade really happened, and the public was dumbfounded. A player in his prime was replaced by an old man at the end of his career. Did the Bucks take the wrong medicine?

The Knicks had back-to-back games that night and continued to challenge the Trail Blazers away from home.

Although Blacksmith Possession lost the game, the sports media after the game did not focus on the outcome of the game, but took the initiative to ask Li You about his views on the transaction.

ESPN reporters were the most direct and asked the questions everyone wanted to ask immediately:

"Lee, after Ray Allen's contract expires, will you recruit your friends?"

Seeing everyone bringing the recording equipment in front of them, Li You, who was leaning on the chair in the locker room, answered seriously:

"I respect Ray's personal choice. The Sonics also have good talent. Rashad is an underrated guy. I know his strength."

"If Ray wants to come to New York to play, of course I would welcome him, but I know he would prefer to beat me!"

"He's going to be successful in Seattle and the Bucks are going to be out of the playoff picture pretty quickly."

"I'm looking forward to playing against my friends on a higher stage, but for now we have to continue our road trip, and I want to focus on the next games!"

On the 23rd, the Knicks ushered in their last Western away game of the month.

Chris Webber has recently returned from injury. The Kings just defeated the Celtics the day before yesterday and is currently in good shape.

The Knicks had injuries in the first half. During a scramble for a rebound, Grant Hill injured his foot and had no choice but to leave the game.

Artest seemed to have strained his shoulder during the fight with Christie, and he was also injured in the third quarter.

In the end, 92:86, relying on stronger defense, the Knicks won the iron war.

There were injuries in the starting lineup, and D'Antoni also complained twice in the post-game interview:

"I don't like the call tonight, Christie and Ron's injuries could have been avoided!"

There was indeed some tension between the two sides. When a TNT reporter asked about the record, D'Antoni finally said modestly:

"The best record in history? That's not what I, a rookie coach, should be thinking about."

"Our goal this season is only to win the championship. I believe in Lee, he will lead the team to win the O'Brien Cup again!"

"."

　Thank you book friends for your subscription support (﹃)

　　I still have to save my manuscripts, and I have to go out for QAQ on New Year’s Day.

　　Updates have been added since Thursday, just in time to enter the playoffs~

　　

　

(End of this chapter)