NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 320 Passive Promotion (Daily Chapter)

On February 2004, 2, the NBA announced the substitute lineup for the Los Angeles All-Star Game:

The seven Eastern Conference All-Star substitutes are:

Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady, Kenyon Martin, Ben Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal;

The seven Western Conference All-Star substitutes are:

Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrei Kirilenko, Brad Miller, Shaquille - O'Neill.

After the substitute lineup was announced, some people were naturally dissatisfied. On the Eastern All-Star team, McGrady and Iverson's team record was so poor that they could still make the All-Stars after losing like this. Naturally, some people were dissatisfied!

Although the Bucks are missing some star players this season, with Van Horn and Reid, their record is much better than the two "traffic teams".

After announcing the list, Ray Allen, who recently returned from injury, began to output again in an interview:

"I think Reid deserves an All-Star spot. I know him. He works very hard in practice."

"If we had left George Karl earlier last season, maybe the Bucks would have done better!"

The person involved, Michael Reid, had not yet spoken, but Ray Allen seized the opportunity and made another wave of output.

Bucks fans are a little sad to think that they sent away their star player and a first-round pick and only received the short-term use rights of Gary Payton.

George Karl's dismissal still couldn't calm the fans' emotions.

However, at this time, all the heat of the All-Star Game was sucked away by the "leaky milk" incident of the Super Bowl two days ago.

At the end of Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's duet, with a pulling action, the audience in front of the TV briefly admired the queen's black breasts encrusted with jewels.

CBS later issued a statement, and producers clarified that the move was not part of the rehearsal plan.

The two parties also apologized. Neither party admitted that this was a hype and insisted that the leaking milk was just an accident!

In just two days, Janet Jackson's official website received a large number of angry messages, and the US Federal Communications Commission also received numerous protest emails.

In short, the Super Bowl leakage incident has recently sparked a heated discussion across the United States.

On the night of the 3rd, people were in high spirits after happy events. Artest, who was selected as an All-Star, performed well in the game against the Suns:

出场35分钟，15中8，三分线外5中2，罚球5中3，砍下21分6篮板3助攻1抢断1盖帽1失误的全能数据。

88:110, the Knicks easily defeated the Suns and avoided a losing streak.

In back-to-back games against the Pacers at the end of January, the winning streak was ended. As the All-Star weekend approached, the Knicks were far ahead in the record, and the Knicks began to rotate extensively again.

After two days of rest, it was natural to hit hard, and Madison Square Garden was still noisy after the game.

This season, four of the Knicks' starting lineup were selected as All-Stars, and New York fans were delighted.

During the interview, Artest also smiled from ear to ear:

"It feels so good to have a dream come true! I want to thank my teammates and Lee for recognizing me."

"."

After the Suns lost this game, their record fell to 17 wins and 33 losses. After head coach Alvin Gentry took over the team, their record still did not improve.

Anfernee Hardaway has not suffered too many injuries this season, and his attendance rate is also very good, but his strength has dropped sharply.

Marbury is also in great shape and has good statistics, but he just can't lead the team to win.

Before the All-Star Game, the Knicks' schedule is not tight. Among all teams in the league, D'Antoni is the first head coach to prepare for the second half of the game.

In the first week of February, the Knicks had only two games to play and took three days to rest. On Saturday, they had another away game against the Heat.

The scout's draft report is very accurate. Wade, who is missing his meniscus, does have a huge injury risk. The bankrupt version of Li You deserves the title.

On the night of the 7th, Wade missed the game again due to injury, and Heat fans were also a little disappointed.

No one in the 03 class of rookies can be selected for the All-Star Game. No matter how much they are praised, these rookies are still adapting to competition like ordinary players who have just entered the league.

Before the game started, Li You also accepted an interview in the visiting team’s locker room:

"Injuries are the natural enemy of athletes. If you want to pursue greatness, a healthy body is the most important."

"Of course the regular season is important, and it involves the playoffs, but the Heat should not have to think about the playoffs at the moment."

"Maybe they should think about how to complete the rebuilding like the Cavaliers. Losing is not necessarily a bad thing."

With 20 wins and 30 losses, halfway through the schedule, the Heat still retain hope of the playoffs. Li You's words were more of a joke. After all, before the start of the new season, Pat Riley was pretty good at bragging.

This game was not broadcast live across the United States. The TNT reporter did not care about the outcome. Instead, he asked Li You:

"Li, why did you refuse the invitation to the league's individual challenge in this year's All-Star Game?"

The three-point shooting competition record and skills challenge record currently belong to Li You. When he heard this question, he couldn't help but smile on his face:

"No player likes to compete for second place. Obviously, as long as I participate in the game, the championship is mine!"

"I want to leave some opportunities for other players. If someone can break my record in the future, I will compete again."

The sports reporters surrounding Li You heard this somewhat arrogant statement but could not refute it. The record is indeed difficult to break.

Grant Hill recently attended the Grammys with his singer wife and missed two games, but this did not affect his popularity.

In the past, the Knicks' collective silver party was revealed and it did have some impact. Hill's image as a good husband is more in line with the taste of some fans.

Talking about this year's All-Star starting position, Grant Hill couldn't help but pretend to be X:

"Our record has been leading since the beginning of the new season, and I think Kurt should also be selected as an All-Star."

"The Knicks' record is definitely much better than the Magic and 76ers, and Kurt deserves a starting position."

Recently, I often hear Li You and Hill taking turns bragging about each other. Kurt Thomas, who was sorting out his sneakers, said with a smile:

"Actually, I just don't want to play against those big guys in the Western Conference!"

The Western Conference All-Star starting lineup is still the same, with a huge height advantage.

The New York reporter who accompanied the team also had some regrets. He really wanted to see all five starting players selected to the All-Stars.

In the locker room, Stoudemire also felt a little sad. Recently, he had some minor knee problems, and the coaching staff decisively sent him to the injured list.

Mutombo's playing time has increased a lot. Compared with young people, the veteran has a very strong body and has not suffered any injuries since joining the Knicks.

After the game started that night, the two sides started a battle!

The Heat, led by Odom, trailed by 59 points at 36:23 at halftime.

The left-handed magician shot 10 of 2 and only scored 8 points in the half. Odom's performance completely stunned the Heat fans at the scene.

In the end, with the core players stretching their hips, the Heat suffered another disastrous defeat.

115:76, the Knicks defeated their opponents, ending the schedule in the first week of February.

Mutombo, who came off the bench, blocked 4 shots. During the interview in the locker room after the game, he joked about himself:

"The little guys on the other side think I'm old, but I feel like I'm in better shape this season."

"I feel that I am still young. Maybe my age registration is wrong. I should be 30 years old!"

The Knicks entered a state of rest early, but everyone on the losing Heat was not in a good mood.

Injuries always occur when encountering the defending champion. Although Wade is really injured, many football commentators are still criticizing such "avoidance behavior":

"Lee destroyed Wade in just one game!"

"What a coward. Wade is destined not to become the next Lee."

"I didn't see the desire to win in him. Maybe Pat Riley made a mistake. Wade is not the cornerstone of the Heat."

On Sunday the 8th, the Heat challenged the Pacers away from home, and a lot of criticism made Wade numb.

伤愈复出替补登场的韦德表现还不错，7中5，罚球10中5，砍下15分4篮板2助攻1抢断2失误的数据。

At 91:97, the Heat lost again.

This performance failed to receive praise. Instead, when attending the press conference after the game, Wade was ridiculed again:

"Wade, why did you choose to come back in an away game? Does this mean you are afraid of facing off against Lee?"

When an ESPN reporter asked a question, low laughter could be heard in the background. Wade, who was new to the league, was so frightened by such a straightforward ridicule that he couldn't help but stare at the opponent and said loudly:

"I just got permission from the team doctor for this game!"

"No one wants to get back on the court and help the team more than me. I swear, we will make the playoffs!"

Before the start of the All-Star Weekend, the Knicks finally achieved a record of 2 wins and 1 loss.

After easily defeating the Clippers and Hornets, on the night of the 11th, the coaching staff rotated early in back-to-back away games against the Mavericks.

As a result, the little Knight, whose playing time increased, suffered another ankle injury.

Knight is also a little helpless about this. Whenever he recovers, injuries will interrupt his momentum. So far in the new season, his attendance rate is very poor.

Fortunately, he can rest for another week during the All-Star Weekend. There is no structural damage and Knight can re-adjust his physical condition.

With 49 wins and 5 losses, the Knicks are far ahead halfway through the schedule. Even if back-to-back games are eliminated in the subsequent schedule, there is a high probability that they can still lock in the league's first position.

Wade did not receive many votes in this year's All-Star voting stage due to injuries.

On the contrary, LeBron James received 72 votes. Although he missed the All-Star Game, his poor performance did not have much impact on his popularity.

The Cavaliers lost to the Nets in their last game before the All-Star break.

105:85, a clean loss, also brought the Cavaliers' record to 12 wins and 41 losses, continuing to rank last!

篮网队的防守非常出色，今晚天选之子又拉胯了，13中2，拿到9分2篮板5助攻1抢断5失误的数据。

Due to conflicts between Kidd and Byron Scott, the Nets fired their head coach at the end of January, and Lawrence Frank eventually took over.

This is not the first time that Kidd has had conflicts with coaches. After a rookie coach was replaced, it was obvious that the Nets made a compromise.

LeBron James does not like to control the team as much as Kidd. Under the guidance of the championship coach, this newbie plays hard and can be said to be the most motivated player on the Cavaliers.

Especially when playing at home, James spared no effort on the court. As for his poor performance, it was just because of his lack of strength.

In this regard, Cavaliers fans, like Jeff Van Gundy, expressed support for James, and everyone is in a state of "trusting the process."

After the game, the bald young coach gave James another can of thick chicken soup in an interview:

"In his rookie season, all LeBron has to do is adapt to the intensity of the league and the relatively intensive schedule."

"In the long regular season, he needs to learn to adjust himself!"

"Success is never a fluke. I see a future in him. Compared to the beginning of the season, his improvement on the defensive end is obvious to all."

"I like the current performance of the team. We all need to be patient with LeBron, and eventually he will realize his talent!"

Jeff Van Gundy always has good things to say about his players during interviews, but most sports media think his words make sense.

No one doubts the coaching ability of the bald young coach. In the current Eastern Conference, instead of stumbling into the playoffs and then being eliminated in the first round, it is better to continue to accumulate talent and complete reconstruction in a few years. The local sports reporter in Cleveland supported the team as always and couldn't help shouting after the interview:

"Coach Van Gundy, we support you. You will definitely lead the Cavaliers to break the curse and win the championship!"

I can always hear these words. Jeff Van Gundy waved to everyone, showing a famous coach style. He could pretend to be X when he lost. The bald young coach was also a little proud:

"What does a champion coach mean?"

On February 2th, most NBA teams have entered a state of vacation, and Hook also released Li You’s iterative signature shoes on this day.

That night, Hook held a pop concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in the center of Manhattan on the pretext of a "new product" launch, and invited some well-known singers.

A dry new product launch conference will not attract leeks, but young people still like lively scenes.

There is no new technology this time, Li You’s sneakers are just normal iterations, returning to the Hyperdunk series again.

In recent years, Hook seems to be trying to open up two sneaker routes for Li You. New technologies will increase the price, and normal iterations will sell them at low prices.

Coupled with the color change and re-engraving of old sneakers, Li You's signature shoes have been highly praised, which can be regarded as satisfying the needs of all fans.

Compared with the Shox series endorsed by Carter, Li You's signature shoes have been fully covered, and the price of Shox is getting lower year by year.

Hook believed that the poor sales were due to Carter's imminent retirement, and never mentioned that the shoes in this series were as hard as bricks.

Li You's shoes look cool in appearance. In addition to using new technology in the uppers and midsoles, they are mainly air cushions. There is nothing to boast about these shoes. In the past two years, they can only work hard on design.

The atmosphere at the scene gradually heated up as the singer took the stage. Media reporters were interviewing designer Eric Ewa, who designed all of Li You's shoes.

Li You, who had been interviewed, quickly came to the corner, where Matt Parker and Hook's CFO Blair were.

Blair served as the chief financial officer of Pepsi-Cola's Asian branch before 99. After joining Hook, he has established a firm foothold in the past few years.

After Li You started cooperating with Dele Accounting Firm, he also established some friendship with the CFO who was born in Dele.

Wearing a well-dressed black formal suit, a well-groomed beard, and some short gray hair, Blair's first impression of his appearance is that of an energetic old white man.

Seeing Li You, Blair immediately said with a smile:

"Li, last year our international sales surpassed domestic sales for the first time, and your influence in Asia even surpassed Michael Jordan."

Most of the people around him were the staff of Hook, and there were no reporters. Li You, who was wearing a dark blue formal suit, jokingly said after hearing these words:

"You have to pay more attention to my signature shoes so that the fans can feel the sincerity. Remember not to reduce the size when changing colors or re-engraving shoes, otherwise you will be sued."

"I stand with the fans on this point. There is no problem with high prices, but there must be some sincerity!"

Hooks has always been hit with accusations of labor exploitation in recent years, and despite regulating factory labor standards, here in the United States, labor associations feel they are being squeezed.

In the past two years, Hook has started his own acquisition journey again, and he is not too concerned about the technology of sneakers. Because Li You and Michael Jordan have a stable ability to carry goods, they gradually have a bad attitude.

Matt Parker failed to get a promotion and salary increase to become CEO. He didn't care when he heard Li You's ridicule. Instead, he gloated and said:

"Then you have to ask our future CEO, Mr. William Perez, this is a strategic question for him!"

Blair didn't care about the sinister tone next to him.

Perez, a marathon runner and avid golfer, has spent more than 30 years as CEO of consumer products companies.

Most of the people inside Hook expressed support for this personnel change. Blair was not involved in these changes. At this time, he took the initiative to tell Li You some good news:

"The board of directors is fine with things like lifetime contracts and personal branding, as long as they don't involve shares. Let your agent and legal team be prepared."

"We just acquired Converse last year, and this year the company plans to make another big push in the international market!"

"Li, this is your opportunity. There will be a trip to Asia in the offseason. This is all planned."

Seeing Blair wink at him and Matt Parker also smile, Li You knew that he could talk more about the split.

Hook didn't reveal anything to Li You until the new product launch conference was held. This kind of behavior that didn't catch the rabbit but didn't let the hawk still have a hint of airs.

"Looks like I have to prepare a celebration party in advance!"

Li You didn't appear ecstatic, but just smiled. For both parties, this was a win-win situation.

But business is business. Although the two have a good relationship with Li You, the two parties still have to continue to argue when finalizing the contract. This kind of work is the turn of the agent and lawyer team.

Blair thought about his summer trip to Asia and suddenly showed a look of nostalgia. After all, when he worked at Pepsi-Cola, he also lived in Japan and China for a period of time.

Matt Parker patted Li You on the shoulder and asked very naturally:

"How about another championship? I think Asian fans will like the number 6 very much!"

Seeing both of them laughing, Li You was not modest and nodded confidently and said:

"Of course, no one is a rival to the Knicks this year. They have more championships than McQueen. I think the fans will love this event."

Before the start of the All-Star Weekend, it was the trade between the Hawks and Trail Blazers that aroused heated discussion among football commentators.

The Hawks sent out Eddie Curry, Dan Dickau, and Theo Ratliff, and acquired Wesley Pearl and Rasheed Wallace from the Trail Blazers.

The Hawks, who had been rebuilt for many years, had a poor record. In the end, the team no longer believed in the process and sent away the "cornerstone" Eddie Curry in the contract year.

After Rasheed Wallace left the Trail Blazers, it seemed to mean that the team no longer wanted to spend money and was beaten and was ready to rebuild.

The Trail Blazers have been an old rival of the Lakers in the past few years. Although the "OK Combination" only has one championship, they have reached the conference finals for several consecutive years and have been very successful.

The old rival has disintegrated, and the Lakers have not been having a good time recently. Before the start of the All-Star Weekend, the Lakers lost again in a duel between "Shark Yao".

87:102, losing this game, the Lakers' record came to 31 wins and 19 losses.

In the first half of the game, the Lakers were relatively relaxed, but their record gradually declined. The old KFC man lost his position as All-Star head coach again this season.

This year, the head coach of the Western Conference All-Stars is Flip Saunders of the Timberwolves. In the Eastern Conference, D'Antoni has moved on, and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has won the head coaching position.

After losing to the Rockets, O'Neal was ridiculed by the crowd again after the game. Not long ago, he was complaining in a strange way. In direct dialogue, Yao Ming won.

出场41分钟，12中5，罚球19中14，砍下湖人队全队最高的24分，同时还有9篮板4助攻1抢断4盖帽3失误。

姚明出场37分钟，21中10，罚球11中9，拿到全场最高的29分！

This time the Lakers lost without so many excuses. Payton made 11 of 8 shots and efficiently scored 19 points. Kobe Bryant made 7 of 4 shots, including 5 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 14 points.

Medvedenko made 13 of 1 shots and only scored 3 points, but the role players did not take the blame. After the game, O'Neal could only emphasize repeatedly:

"We are still looking for match fitness, and injuries have affected the team's strength! I am still the strongest big man in the league."

Shark has repeatedly emphasized that he is the strongest, and this is mainly for the Lakers management to hear!

The old KFC man and O'Neal are united. Neither side likes Kobe. The Sharks want a big contract. Phil Jackson wants to clean up the players he hates and gain more rights.

Kobe is also a player in a contract year, but he always has to fly to Denver during the regular season, which has affected his condition to some extent, but he also essentially needs data.

Kobe didn't complain after losing, but he was ridiculed by sharks repeatedly, and the guilt in his heart had long since disappeared:

"The whole team was trying to get Shaq the ball and we lost."

"Obviously, Yao performed better. He has no problem getting the All-Star starting center."

Kobe is still the All-Star starter, while O'Neal, who received more votes, can only play as a substitute.

After O'Neal learned of these remarks, ESPN broke the news that a scuffle broke out in the Lakers locker room, and the two sides stopped only after veteran Karl Malone dissuaded them.

After flying to Los Angeles on the 13th, Li You saw the gossip about the Lakers.

The Lakers also seem to have an insider. The ESPN columnist described this civil war very vividly.

Throughout the whole day, Li You had to participate in activities with the hook staff.

In addition to taking photos and signing autographs, I also spent some time in the afternoon attending the NBA press conference to answer relevant questions.

Scarlett has been preparing for the Oscars in Los Angeles recently. At night, the girl took Li You to her apartment.

Perhaps because she was annoyed by her mother's nagging, Scarlett had just moved out recently and spent most of her time in New York after filming her last movie.

After a rare meal of high-calorie "junk food", Li You was in a good mood. When he saw the girl happily playing with her pearl earrings in front of the mirror, he immediately came forward and hugged her and said:

"It should be paired with a pearl necklace. This is your first time winning an award. It's worth remembering! Maybe you should buy another pair of black pearl earrings."

Because the two of them often shoot short videos, they both know each other very well. They were held softly and whispered in their ears, and the girl's breathing became a little rapid:

"It's not an Oscar. Winning the award won't increase my pay! My appearance in the movie is ugly."

"But I like this gift. Do you think it would be more beautiful with accessories in front of you?"

Although the gift was not expensive, it was very memorable. Scarlett was in a good mood and took the initiative to offer the white rabbit.

Looking at the softness being rubbed in front of the mirror, the girl's voice became hoarse again.

"Why do you want to hurt this beautiful body? I like pink pearls!"

Li You leaned over and buried his head in front of the other party. He really didn't like unnecessary accessories.

The next morning, Li You got up early and started calling the girls to send sweet messages.

Nearing noon, the girl woke up in a daze, and after some frolics in the bathroom, she finally lay limp in Li You's arms without moving.

Li You, who was naked, didn't care about the other party's rudeness, and was processing the emails in the mailbox on his laptop.

Scarlett groped the strong muscles and kissed the stubble on her face:

"Clay, you seem to be very happy today!"

The girl hugged Li You from behind. She could feel that Li You was very excited early in the morning.

"I'm just happy for you! You're getting more and more beautiful!"

Turning around and kissing the other party, Li You's thoughts were racing. This morning, the talent panel finally changed:

[Michael Jordan's extraordinary core strength] has disappeared.

Another top talent has been completely digested, which means that his body has become stronger again:

"It feels really good to passively increase the ball!"

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(End of this chapter)