NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 285 The blessing of leading the sheep? (daily chapter)

On the morning of April 2003, 4, Magic fans got bad news.

The G3 game aggravated Houston's knee injury and he will not be able to play tonight.

McGrady was knocked down by a teammate during the game and suffered a lower back injury.

Fortunately, the Magic officially confirmed that McGrady will still start in tonight's game.

Although the series has lost its suspense, fans who bought tickets can see the stars perform, which is generally not a loss.

McGrady decided to play through the injury. In an interview before the game, he still encouraged his teammates:

"If you want to win a championship, you will always encounter difficulties. What we have to do now is to strengthen our faith!"

Although McGrady, known as the "second man" this season, has to stop in the first round, his performance in this year's playoffs has been recognized by football critics.

G4 between the two teams turned into a battle of honor, and many sports media also focused their attention on several other games.

On the night of the 27th, at the Waterhouse Center Arena, Magic fans witnessed McGrady's most ineffective performance in the series.

Once a player's injury is exposed, opponents usually hit hard.

The Knicks had no intention of letting go, and several people on the wings took turns to "take care of" McGrady.

The jump shot was inaccurate, and McGrady could only rely on free throws to score in most cases.

After playing 3 minutes in G47, the stubborn All-Star guard played another 45 minutes tonight.

At the end of the game, most Magic fans stood up and applauded McGrady for his best effort.

20中7，三分线外7中2，罚球16中10，26分4篮板6助攻1抢断3失误。

110:86, the series score reached 4:0, and the Magic were finally swept out.

The fans' applause could not appease the depressed McGrady.

After being substituted at the end of the game, McGrady remained on the bench wearing a towel.

Amid the comforting sounds of coach Doc Rivers and his teammates, McGrady finally stood up and shook hands with the Knicks players.

李佑今晚彻底摸鱼了，尽管打了35分，只拿到27分4篮板12助攻2抢断2失误的两双数据。

After 96, the two teams met for the first time in the playoffs, which made Magic fans relatively friendly and would cheer for Li You after the series.

If it were Philadelphia and was swept out in the first round, the fans would most likely break the defense early.

The Waterhouse Center Arena was still noisy, and a depressed McGrady and Li You hugged each other:

"Congratulations, Bro! You're the better team!"

The "second person" was obviously still a little unconvinced, and Li You didn't care about the other person's emotions, and immediately entered a business exchange mode:

"Bro! Keep this up, you are the most talented outside player I have ever played against!"

“Hopefully we can continue to meet each other in the playoffs next season.”

The players exchanged pleasantries. Houston was busy this offseason, and the knee problem was more serious than he thought.

Head coach D'Antoni, who was slowly walking towards the tunnel, was still smiling.

He knew the best coach on the other side didn't recognize his achievements, but he didn't care.

Turning to look at Li You who was taking photos with the fans, D'Antoni smiled quite proudly and said to the assistant coach next to him:

"We will win the championship!"

In this series, two games were broadcast live in China on the other side of the ocean. McGrady still doesn’t know that he has harvested a lot of “posture honey”.

Li You has added many "ten-year-old fans", while McGrady has left a deep impression on Chinese fans with his charming calves, graceful posture, charming sleepy eyes, and "white horse and silver gun skin"!

On the 28th, the Knicks coaching staff announced a two-day holiday. On May 5, the team will usher in G6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, sweeping their opponents and gaining a lot of rest time.

Li You did not follow the team back to Manhattan, but followed Ivana to Palm Beach for two days.

Part of the family estate has been turned into a private club. Li You paid the membership fee and came to this resort for the first time.

At the end of April, the temperature in Palm Beach was approaching 4 degrees.

In the morning, Li You followed two girls to a nearby golf club to play two rounds. In the afternoon, he chatted and had sex with familiar members of the club.

The main purpose of coming here to get familiar with each other was to attract some investors for Ax Capital. Ivana knew Li You's purpose, but she didn't care at all.

In the evening, after getting rid of Georgina's little tail, and returning to the private suite, Ivana complained twice:

"I know what she has in mind. She wants to compete with me in everything!"

Li You was looking at the decoration style of the suite at this time. The manor was more luxurious than he imagined, and the taste of some furnishings was closer to Ivana's mother's preferences.

"She is only 20 years old. You can't argue with children. The equestrian club is very good. We can sponsor her in the future!"

Ivana deliberately permed her blond hair into a few waves, took off her earrings, and Ivana, who was wearing a dress, came up again, hugged Li You and said proactively:

"How about we just stay here in July?"

Li You inadvertently opened the zipper behind the blond white rabbit, causing the other party to chuckle. Ivana became more and more turbulent as an adult.

After removing the restraints, Ivana, who had unlocked a lot of knowledge, was not shy, but said in a tired voice:

"Want to experience the special bathroom here?"

Picking up the other person, with a sweet smile, Li You quickly hugged Ivana and started the journey of additional training.

On the morning of the 29th, while Li You was still practicing his ball-handling skills, the NBA also announced this season’s Sportsmanship Award:

Ray Allen of the SuperSonics won the award.

As a good brother of Li You, Ray Allen currently does not have many personal honors. In the past few years with the Bucks, his biggest gain may be the Eastern Conference semifinals.

What made Ray Allen feel depressed was that he also encountered a whistleblowing problem in the semifinals that year.

Ray Allen, who received the award, was particularly low-key and stopped talking loudly. Seeing the Knicks sweeping the Magic and winning easily, he had some mixed emotions recently.

The announcement of the MVP award is getting closer and closer, and many sports media have begun to build momentum for Li You. ESPN has recently made another strong boast.

Limited by the development of high-end data, data experts cannot come up with tricks and can only emphasize repeatedly:

"Lee represents the future of basketball!

Fans don't care what basketball will be like in the future. They prefer to watch TNT's recent programs.

The Knicks game had nothing to analyze, so the trio took a different approach and began analyzing another championship team, the Lakers.

On the 27th, the Lakers regained a victory at home, and the series score reached 2:2. The two sides will have a battle at Tianwang Mountain tonight. The current performance of the Timberwolves has exceeded many people's expectations.

In the G3 game, the two sides went through overtime, and the Timberwolves won an away game and successfully took back the initiative in the series.

Although they lost in G4, it was not easy for the Lakers to win, 97:102. The winner was decided in the fourth quarter.

O'Neal rebounded strongly, shooting 26 of 13 and scoring a double-double of 34 points and 23 rebounds. Kobe continued his sluggish state, shooting 25 of 7 and scoring 32 points.

One of the "OK" combination played 46 minutes, and the other played 47 minutes. Phil Jackson, who was stubbornly against the main team, was questioned again.

In order to warm up the game that night and catch up on Li You's popularity, the TNT trio compared the data of Li You, McGrady, Kobe and Iverson.

首轮系列赛，李佑场均34.0分4.5篮板11.0助攻3.0抢断2.3失误，投篮命中率来到了55.6%。

If it weren't for G4's shooting percentage of less than %, Excel would be particularly outrageous in this series.

After some comparison, McGrady's efficiency dropped a bit before he was injured compared to the regular season, while Iverson and Kobe have now become "inefficient brushes."

Charles Barkley has completely changed his tone recently and has completely transformed into a master of reasonable basketball. On the show, he frequently criticized the offensive choices of two inefficient players:

"Why don't you play smarter? They are not Maikou or Li. They always want to solve the problem alone."

As a champion defender, Kenny Smith took the initiative to interrupt his partner, showed a serious expression, and once again emphasized his point of view:

"Seeing is also a talent. Not every player can have the passing vision of Lee, Kidd, and Nash."

"There are not many guards in the league who can really play pick-and-roll well. You can't ask these players to use Lee. They are not MVPs."

These words sounded a little hurtful, and Ernie Johnson quickly took over:

"Kenny makes sense. Every player's technical style is different, and the same standard cannot be applied to everyone."

Charles Barkley is not afraid of offending players and continues to output with a big mouth for the sake of traffic:

"This is why Iverson and Kobe can't beat Lee!"

"If they define themselves as All-Star players, that's no problem. If they think they are MVPs, they should perform even better."

"Stop talking nonsense in front of the media. Kobe should realize that Shaq is the core of the team and throw away those reckless shots, otherwise you may fall in the first round this year!"

Kenny Smith had no choice but to change the subject. He was not interested in explaining to the player’s agent:

"LeBron James chose to skip college and enter the NBA as a high school student. Man, what do you think of this choice?"

Not long ago, LeBron James just held a press conference to announce that he would bring his talents to the NBA, which attracted widespread attention.

Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse University to the NCAA championship this year.

Many football commentators thought that James would choose to prove himself in college, but they did not expect that the son of heaven would directly participate in the draft.

Charles Barkley doesn't like this topic when it comes to this talented high school student. He hasn't said enough yet:

"High school rookie? Let's talk about this again in two years. In the Eastern Conference, rookie players will not be able to break Lee's dominance in the next few years!"

On Thursday, May 5st, the NBA announced this season’s Rookie of the Year (Roy):

Amare Stoudemire of the Knicks won the award with 41.39% of the votes.

打满82场，场均出场26.8分钟，场均拿到12.6分8.4篮板1.0助攻0.8抢断1.1盖帽2.1失误；

He averaged 8.5 shots per game, shooting 49.4% from the field, and averaged 5.9 free throws per game, shooting 71.2% from the field.

Stoudemire's data is not eye-catching among rookies, but many media still voted for it.

Yao Ming received the other 13.5% of the votes, averaging 8.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 49.8 assists per game, shooting 81.1% from the field and % from the free throw line.

In his rookie season, Yao Ming also performed well, and the Chinese media followed suit.

However, for most voting media, when a high school rookie can score in double figures on a championship team, it means an explosion of talent.

Although this newbie cannot squeeze out Kurt Thomas' starting position, and he is not trusted in the playoffs so far, D'Antoni does have some preferences, otherwise he would not have won the Rookie of the Month for three consecutive months.

The Knicks have now resumed daily training. Stoudemire held the trophy at the Tarrytown Training Center in the morning and smiled from ear to ear during the afternoon training session.

Since the Hornets and Pacers currently have no winner, the coaching staff can only make two preparations at this time.

There is a possibility of a tiebreaker in this series, and the strength of the two sides is extremely close.

After Li You returned to Manhattan, he was preparing for the MVP award ceremony later.

So many friends and sponsors were invited that the press conference and gala dinner were combined into one, and were eventually held in the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center.

With the night view, traditional dinner, and a small band of 6 to 8 people, the awards ceremony was not traditional, but the NBA agreed.

At the end of the afternoon training session, everyone congratulated the rookie who won the award. Li You looked at the excited Stoudemire and encouraged him again:

"Amare, maintain your current training attitude and don't let down your outstanding physical talent!"

Stoudemire nodded in agreement, and then shouted loudly to the atmosphere team beside him:

"My treat tonight, thank you brothers for your support!"

When they heard that they could eat and drink, the atmosphere team was naturally happy, and started cheering and cheering.

Ewing has been very concerned about his old rivals recently. In the G5 game, the Lakers beat the Timberwolves away at 120:90 and successfully got the match point.

Winning is inseparable from Kobe's outburst, and the Timberwolves' ability to respond to the ball is still a bit poor.

"The Lakers may reach the Finals again. In the playoffs, it will be difficult for the Western Conference teams to limit their performance."

"O'Neal's free throw shooting percentage has indeed increased. This guy says he doesn't care. He has been practicing secretly in the past few years."

Among the top four centers in the past, Ewing is far ahead in terms of championships. If the Knicks can win the championship this year, the assistant coach can also get a ring:

"I was able to win championships as a player, and as an assistant coach, I can continue to win championships!"

Gorilla is currently in a state of "the Knicks can't live without me".

Even wearing training clothes couldn't hide his round figure. Li You looked at his old teammate and responded casually to give him reassurance:

"Their condition was not as good as expected and they encountered difficulties in the first round."

"Don't worry, no one is our opponent this year. In the next round, there is a high probability that we will meet the Pacers again. I like this kind of Eastern Conference semifinals."

Thinking of what happened to Reggie Miller, Ewing also felt that the opponent was extremely unlucky. He was repeatedly rubbed against him at the end of his career. If it was him, there is a high probability that he would choose to retire directly. Grant Hill's singer wife had outstanding single sales last year and made a lot of money. She is expected to win the championship this season, and Hill's income will also increase accordingly.

There are still a few days left before the semi-finals, and Hill also extended an invitation to everyone at this time:

"Come to my place on the weekend, Tamia is going to have a party! There will be some singers that everyone likes!"

In terms of popularity, Tamia, who was nominated for a Grammy last year, can surpass Hill. Naturally, everyone will not miss the party of the famous female singer.

Artest is fast-talking and likes music very much. When he heard the invitation, he subconsciously said:

"Hill, Tamia's income must have exceeded yours last year. Stranger In My House's single performance was so outstanding!"

Grant Hill smiled slightly awkwardly. Although he has not yet passed away, he really couldn't compare to his wife last year.

On the night of the 1st, Philadelphia fans witnessed Kidd’s triple-double performance.

113:102, the series score was finally fixed at 4:2. The Nets eliminated the 76ers and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

22分12篮板13助攻3抢断6失误，出场38分钟的基德用三双表现带领球队强势晋级！

肯扬-马丁21中11，轰下了全队最高的29分，杰弗森12中8，也有16分入账。

The three outstanding performances have become the current "Big Three" of the Nets.

The 76ers stopped in the first round, and head coach Larry Brown stopped blaming the players. In an interview after the game, he simply said:

"The Nets are the better team. Kidd used his assists to activate his teammates. They performed very well in this series."

"I want to stay in the team. I know that we have failed to fulfill our talent. The 76ers' window to win the championship is still not closed!"

"If we want to continue to compete for the championship, maybe we should rethink a team-building strategy."

When the 76ers team reporter heard such comments, his heart dropped again. Although the famous coach said he wanted to stay with the team, he was actually not optimistic about the team's configuration.

Even if he leaves in the summer, no one will be surprised. Everyone knows that Iverson and Larry Brown still have not been able to resolve their conflicts.

这轮系列赛中，艾弗森场均拿到28.5分4.3篮板9.2助攻2.5抢断4.6失误；

He averaged 26.3 shots per game, shooting 38.6% from the field, 30% from three-point range, and 74.1% from free throws.

Compared with the regular season's shooting percentage of just over 40%, Iverson's efficiency has dropped a bit.

The Nets' defense is still very good. Kidd's dispatching of the ball made the 76ers' "four guarantees and one" useless.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, Kidd will most likely encounter his old rivals the Pistons. He is very confident about this series!

After winning the game, Kidd did not talk about the following games, but continued to cheer for the team:

"Thank you Nets fans for your support. I hope everyone can support the team as always in the following series!"

"."

In the Western Conference game that night, 85:101, the Lakers returned home and defeated the Timberwolves and successfully advanced. Their opponent in the semifinals will be the Spurs.

加内特在关键比赛还是拉胯了，21中9，拿到了18分12篮板5助攻3抢断1盖帽3失误的数据。

Last season, he was eliminated due to Nowitzki's superb performance. This year, facing the defending champion, Garnett, a tough guy, couldn't resist the ball in response.

However, most commentators did not criticize Garnett after losing to the Lakers. This tough guy even received the evaluation of "he can't stand alone."

Kobe's performance in this series was unstable and unpredictable.

系列赛场均拿到31.8分5.2篮板6.7助攻1.3抢断3.8失误；

He averaged 26.3 shots per game, shooting 43.0% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range, and 86.5% from free throws.

Kobe's efficiency has dropped compared to the regular season, and his reviews after winning have been mixed.

However, after advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, Kobe was quite confident when interviewed after the game. He frowned when answering questions, once again showing his somewhat stubborn attitude:

"You can say whatever you want about my numbers, but the Lakers just won the series."

"I will continue to take action in the following games, and I will fulfill my promise. The playoffs are my stage. I promise the fans that we will successfully defend the title this year!"

ESPN has questioned Bryant's numbers in recent seasons.

Data expert Hollinger has mentioned in columns many times that Kobe Bryant is an overrated player. After the regular season this year, he ranked McGrady ahead of Kobe.

Kobe, who desperately needs to prove himself, actually cares about these external comments. In addition, ESPN always gossips about his personal life, so the relationship between the two parties will naturally not be harmonious.

The number of shots surpassed O'Neal, and Phil Jackson also expressed his support:

"I have said it very early on that Kobe is our outside core, and the data cannot reflect his role. The players trust each other, and everyone believes in Kobe!"

"Shaq knows how to win, and we've gotten back into shape."

Compared to the Spurs, who eliminated the Suns 4:1, the Lakers did not show dominance in the first round, but the Los Angeles media was loud and the Spurs became boring again.

Popovich has been questioned by the San Antonio sports media, and naturally they will not have good words for him when they encounter the Lakers in the semifinals.

No one is optimistic about being No. 60 in the Western Conference. Football commentators seem to have forgotten that the Spurs won games in the regular season.

On Saturday, May 5, the NBA announced this season’s Most Valuable Player (MVP):

Li You of the Knicks won the award without any suspense!

After Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird, Li You became the fourth player in NBA history to win the MVP for three consecutive years.

Perhaps the propaganda from major sports media played a role. None of the journalists holding votes stood out, but all voted for Li You obediently.

After receiving 122 first-choice votes, the NBA also supplemented the selection results:

"Congratulations to Clay-Lee for becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history!"

President David Stern said very naturally when asked about voting in an interview:

"The NBA league's award selections are all objective and fair. With 73 wins, the highest efficiency value in history, and leading the league in many statistics this season, Lee is undoubtedly the best player currently in service."

"We couldn't ask for more from him. He was unanimously elected MVP. This is an achievement he deserves!"

Although many sports media expected such a result, witnessing the unanimous MVP still made everyone excited.

A reporter from the Chicago Tribune interviewed Michael Jordan, who recently returned to his "old home" in a low-key manner.

McQueen is still at odds with the Wizards' management. Although he has officially retired, he still has not given up the idea of ​​owning a team.

He failed to realize his management talents with the Wizards, perhaps because he was quite confident in his talents. McQueen was still working hard for the team.

During the interview, Michael Jordan didn’t have much comment, he just said meaningfully:

"I'm very happy to see this result. There are a lot less idiot reporters, which is a good thing for the players!"

"."

On May 5, several mainstream print media in the New York Times coincidentally used the same front page headline:

"The only one in history! The NBA will enter the Clay-Lee era!"

Some columns clearly listed five championships when listing honors. After the loan, Li You has tied Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, the two modern basketball GOATs.

As for the historical scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who holds 6 championships, he has been ignored by everyone. The reason is also very simple: there are too few FMVPs.

For China's sports media, everyone has once again witnessed Li You's influence.

Active sponsors seem to have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Upper Deck can’t wait to advertise and will issue Li You’s collector’s star card during the offseason.

While Hook congratulated Li You, he also did not forget to complete the work and revealed the gossip that Li You would receive a lifetime contract.

After returning to New York, in addition to the brand's advertisements, the most outrageous thing for Chinese media reporters was that there were also advertisements for Li You's Husky.

On the evening of the 4th, the Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center.

Those invited to the banquet were all dressed in formal attire. Unlike previous press conferences, tonight was more like a personal party.

Sponsors, sports media, NBA league management, Knicks management, New York City Hall staff, players and families, Li You's friends, plus New York celebrities who like to join in the fun.

About 200 people came to the scene and formed several circles to chat and laugh with each other.

Reporters from the Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair were also present. Several reporters did not forget their work. In addition to taking photos, they also handed out business cards.

Akers Capital and several cooperating hedge funds brought girls with very little fabrics that made people unable to take their eyes away. As soon as the music started playing, the atmosphere became lively.

Before the banquet officially started, David Stern and Li You appeared on the small stage next to the band with a smile.

Both of them were wearing black formal suits and seemed satisfied with the atmosphere of the scene. After everyone quieted down, David Stern held the trophy and said simply:

“I’m very happy to be able to witness such a historical moment with everyone!”

"The NBA needs superstars like Lee. We will regain the glory of the early 90s. I believe that in the next few years, the league's influence will expand to the world."

"The fourth MVP trophy in your career, Lee, this is the achievement you deserve!"

Li You took the trophy casually with a smile on his face. For him, the trophy is just a collection, and the influence it brings is what he hopes to see.

On the other side, Mayor Bloomberg kept clapping beside Li You, and soon there was a round of applause:

"Lee changed the basketball culture in New York. He created many jobs in the city, which greatly relieved the pressure on our public finances."

"I like the New York Times's evaluation. The three things to do in the United States in the 21st century are to visit the Statue of Liberty, go to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and come to New York to watch a Knicks game!"

"This city needs superstars like Lee, and we love winning every night at Madison Square Garden!"

"Lee, I hope we can keep winning!"

Li You noticed that many people from the Elephant Party came tonight. When he saw the billionaire mayor winking at him, he immediately raised the trophy in his hand and said simply:

"Yes, we will keep winning! This is my promise to everyone, now, enjoy this wonderful night!"

The music became cheerful, everyone laughed, and the guy who wanted to watch the night view and chat with the beautiful girls also started to take action.

Milinda and Jin were both wearing black dresses. At this time, they took the initiative to help Li You greet the staff of the city hall and the Xiang Party members.

Li You personally greeted sponsors and sports media. If he could win the unanimous MVP, he naturally had to give back to everyone.

After agreeing to a bunch of interviews and receiving a large number of business cards, Li You was finally able to rest for a while, came to the bar, and motioned for a steak for himself.

He hadn't eaten since the afternoon. While Li You was waiting, he walked to a deserted area, and Old Mike and Nacho came over.

From Albuquerque to Manhattan, life has changed dramatically, but Nacho is still the same. He is mainly responsible for helping Bobby with the finishing touches.

The two of them were also wearing formal attire. Old Mike drank the cocktail in his hand, glanced at some people who had mixed into the banquet, and whispered:

"Gangs and criminal groups in the Bronx have been very active recently, and King plans to formally prosecute them. This matter is very dangerous!"

The two of them had discussed this matter many times. Li You glanced at Jin who was smiling brightly, and then said seriously:

"If successful, she should be offered the position of deputy chief of the Violent Crimes Unit of the Southern District Attorney's Office."

"In a few years, she can continue to be promoted!"

Nacho also noticed a few gang members. Thinking of his current life, he said nonchalantly:

"I don't understand those hedge funds, but I know that this way of making money is risky. Selling leaves also requires internal support. The promotion money can help us."

Li You put his arm around Nacho's shoulders, and the two looked at Old Mike and smiled without saying a word to express their approval of Jin's choice. Insider trading naturally requires someone to protect him.

On the other side, Charles Sr. and his eldest son James Dolan were hanging out with friends. The father and son were very happy and seemed to have drank a lot.

When Li You was about to enjoy the steak, James Dolan's face turned red, he grabbed Li You and shouted:

"Li, we have prepared a special gift for you tonight, I promise you will like it!"

Before Li You could say anything, MSG staff led a goat wearing a Knicks jersey out.

"GOAT!"

"What do you think? This is what everyone wants! You are the GOAT in basketball history!"

“I’ve thought about tomorrow’s front page headlines for you, let’s take a photo together!”

Curly Boss was quite excited. He found the beautiful goat with horns specially.

Li You looked around, but fortunately no one paid attention to the situation here. The corners of his mouth twitched twice and he said helplessly:

"I appreciate the kindness! Let's keep this sheep and give us extra food tomorrow!"

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(End of this chapter)