NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 333 Super Team (Daily Chapter)

On the night of May 2004, 5, in the Continental Airlines Center Arena, the Knicks and Nets teams witnessed the process of the basketball game turning into a "fighting competition."

A strong team never gives up the game easily!

Unlike the weak Celtics, the Nets have reached the conference finals for two consecutive seasons, and both sides have completely different mentality.

The rabbit bites when it is anxious. The Nets completely broke the defense after the score difference reached 15 points in the third quarter. Kenyon Martin started another way of playing.

At the end of the third quarter, on the defensive end, he first pulled Artest hard as he cut to the basket, and then on the offensive end, he attacked Kurt Thomas with an elbow.

Kenyon Martin's cool move got a quick response

On the defensive end, he received a flying knee from Li You. The furious Kenyon Martin was then blocked by Kurt Thomas on the offensive end.

In the last few minutes, Kidd, who was constantly hitting the ball, also lost his calm. The Knicks took the initiative to bump into Li You during the transition attack, and both of them fell to the ground at the midline.

Although the referee blew the whistle, as Li You hit the left wing outside the three-point line, Kidd, who picked up the long rebound, launched a transition attack and was knocked out of the baseline by Li You who was returning to defense. The situation became uncontrollable.

Before Jefferson even reached the baseline, Artest was pushed aside by Artest, who was returning to defense. The two had an argument and soon began to push each other.

The aggressive Kenyon Martin rushed to the baseline and tried to pull Kidd up, but instead he was sneak attacked from behind by Kurt Thomas and almost tripped to the floor.

Being pulled up by Nets fans in the front row, Kidd saw players from both sides crowding to the basket and pulling, and he couldn't help but hurried forward to grab Kenyon Martin.

The first line of defense is always easily broken through, and Kenyon Martin, who is responsible for assisting defense, always has problems with his positioning. There is almost no solution to this situation.

After receiving his fourth foul and taking a break between sections, Kidd also calmed down.

Kenyon Martin and Artest were the most emotional. Jefferson hugged his teammate tightly at this time. The two suddenly had a quarrel and almost got into a scuffle.

Collins, who didn't want to foul, could only watch Li You go straight to the basket, and subconsciously loudly reminded Kenyon Martin inside to pay attention to his defense.

88:70, a score difference of nearly 20 points, once again made the New York fans at the scene excited.

The roaring Stoudemire seemed extremely excited, shouting loudly at Kenyon Martin in front of him.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Hearing the shouts of his teammates, Kenyon Martin hesitated. After several encounters, he got to know Stoudemire next to him better.

However, the cheers of New York fans rang out in the arena, and Kidd, who was parked at the logo position, couldn't help but twitching at the corner of his eyes.

Kevin Harlan didn't see the spirit of the Nets. He just felt that the opponent had lost the defense:

"Boom!" Alley-oop dunk succeeded!

"what!"

In an anxious mood, Kenyon Martin immediately accelerated down the pass as soon as he completed the pass, failing to provide any cover.

"It turns out that the Knicks are not afraid of such a challenge, and the defense of Gasol and Thomas limited the Nets' breakthrough."

"Reaching the conference finals for two consecutive seasons, Kidd has shaped a new team culture for the Nets."

Stoudemire, who had been waiting for a long time, moved laterally near the baseline on the left side, jumped high, grabbed the ball with both hands in the air, and smashed the ball into the basket without giving his opponent a second chance to defend!

If more than half of the game has passed and the point difference still cannot be narrowed, it will not be too late to take a break at the end.

"Bichi! Shut your stinky mouth, how do you think you got your All-Star position!"

"I like their performance tonight. It doesn't matter whether they win or lose. What's important is that the team must show the desire to win."

Except for the small Knight who is easily hit by opponents, other rotation players do not have this problem.

Although they are behind by a big score, the game is not over yet. The shooting feeling tonight is really bad. Kidd knows very well that if the two main attackers are gone, the series can end early.

"The key to turning the game around is for Kidd to step up, the Nets need to hit those open jumpers, and they also need to speed up the game appropriately."

After Li You passed halftime with the ball in his right hand, he noticed that Kidd always maintained a defensive distance, and immediately realized that his opponent was still planning to change defense.

As long as he moved a little, Kenyon Martin could predict that Li You would definitely throw the ball to the upper left side of the basket.

If you hesitate, you will lose your position. When Kenyon Martin moved to the front of the basket, Li You, who had already taken three strides, threw the ball into the air.

Jefferson always scores points against him, and Artest wants to vent his frustration whenever he finds an opportunity.

The noise did not affect the mood of the two people in the commentary box. Rivers even praised loudly:

86:70, the point difference is still within the catchable range, but the content of the Nets game makes fans despair.

The New York fans at the scene also yelled and cursed loudly. The reminder that civilized language is needed to watch the game has long been forgotten.

"Who do you think you are?? MF! If you leave New York, you are nothing!"

Although the big man Collins came up with a big delay, his effect was limited, and Li You squeezed past him with his speed.

At the top of the arc, Kidd tried his best to squeeze through after Li You changed the ball, but Mutombo's screen quality was very high and he failed to pursue the defense in time.

The beast's power forward has good physical fitness. He took the lead in the charge in this half of the game and took a few hits. He didn't care. He was pulled back to the bench and was still shouting curses.

The opponent did not rotate, but the Knicks completed substitutions step by step.

After receiving the ball from the baseline and passing half court, Kidd handed over the ball quickly. Kenyon Martin took the ball from the right elbow area and handed it over to Jefferson who started in the right corner.

The two analyzed it in the commentary box, but unfortunately, Kidd, who planned to travel at a staggered time in the fourth quarter of the game, encountered Li You again.

The Nets are really working hard and don't need to rotate the lineup. The starting five will continue.

The big man Collins saw Mutombo moving to prepare to raise the screen, so he could only bite the bullet and defend.

There is a high probability that the game will be lost. Kenyon Martin completely let himself go. No matter what the result is, he just wants to vent his anger.

The referee pulled Li You aside early. Anyway, they have completed their task without the star player being ejected. As for other situations, there is a high probability that they can increase some ratings.

"As for Lee, he is stronger than we thought, and receiving four fouls is not a calm approach."

Coach Frank on the sidelines watched Li Youhe simply give a high five to celebrate, and lost all emotion for a moment.

Head coach Frank, who was crossing his arms, suddenly found that he could only pray that the Knicks' screen was of poor quality and that Kidd could complete the pursuit.

"As the leader of the team, Kidd did not perform well at the data level tonight, but he showed his sportsmanship!"

Artest, who was hugged by Grant Hill, also calmed down at this time. He just didn't like the referee's call tonight.

Most of the players on both sides committed four fouls. The game was stop-and-go in the third quarter. The scene was not pretty, but the atmosphere became more and more heated.

Before Jefferson, who was releasing the ball with his left hand, had time to accelerate the breakthrough, Prince, who was not hindered, came up from the side to defend.

Although the opponent was half a body ahead, Prince used his long arm and his left hand to finish the ball behind Jefferson.

The moment the ball dropped, before Jefferson could control the ball, Prince took the ball away and rushed forward.

It was 1 versus 0 in the frontcourt. As Prince rushed faster and faster, the gap gradually widened. Jefferson, who was chasing after him, stopped helplessly and patted his thigh in frustration.

Grabbing the ball with his right hand, Prince took three long strides and made a gliding dunk!

At 90:70, the score difference reached 20 points, and the Continental Airlines Arena was completely boiling. The New York fans at the scene cheered and shouted:

"You'll never beat the Knicks!"

Soon some civilized words appeared before this sentence, the yelling became louder and louder, and Nets fans also began to fight back.

Before the ball was served from the bottom line, a conflict broke out in the back row of spectators. Fans on both sides had another round of boxing matches, and security personnel rushed up.

The game continued, and the Nets fans at the scene were still cheering for the home team, but Kidd failed to live up to their expectations again and still handed over the ball after halftime.

This is almost a microcosm of the entire game. Kidd will only pull Li You to stand on the left and right wings and watch his teammates complete the offense.

Li You followed Kidd to the right wing, noticed that Collins completed a hand-off pass to Kidders on the left elbow area, and immediately shouted to Stoudemire inside.

After catching the ball, he released the ball with his right hand and broke through smoothly. Kidders played extremely resolutely tonight, driving straight to the basket from the center.

After being reminded, Stoudemire just happened to be lying in front of Kenyon Martin, cutting off the opponent's passing route and jumping high to interfere.

Kidders did not choose to pass the ball, but completed a change of hands in the air, switched to his left hand and then collided in the air. He lost his center of gravity and barely threw the ball towards the basket.

Kenyon Martin struggled to hit the offensive rebound, but as Mutombo retreated to the basket, he hit the ball again. After landing, Stoudemire took off a second time and firmly protected the backcourt rebound.

The limited opportunity failed to finish. When Kidders fell to the floor and got up, the Knicks had already launched a counterattack.

After receiving the ball, Li You accelerated across the center line, and then immediately passed the ball to Laga Bell who ran towards the right corner.

Although Kidders in the back struggled to catch up, Laga Bell, who caught the ball, did not make any adjustments and just threw the ball!

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

On the Knicks bench, everyone cheered, and Matt Barnes even threw the towel in his hand.

Seeing the point difference widening again, Nets fans became silent again. In the noisy arena, only the New York fans were left celebrating wildly.

Kidd began to work hard to speed up the offensive rhythm. This time after picking up Kenyon Martin on the right elbow, he immediately held the ball with his right hand and accelerated the breakthrough.

The quality of the cover stretched his hips, allowing Li You to squeeze through nimbly and easily chased to Kidd's side.

During the march, Kidd noticed that Li You was pursuing the defense again. After the end, he suddenly turned around and secretly distributed the ball to Kenyon Martin down the middle.

The latter may have declined in physical fitness. After catching the ball, he failed to attack the basket directly. Instead, he took a step and took off with the help of strength!

Just a beat later, when Kenyon Martin grabbed the ball with his right hand and wanted to dunk, he was blocked by Mutombo, who helped defend to the basket.

The two competed in the air, and eventually both fell to the ground. Kenyon Martin, who lost his center of gravity, fell to the lower right side of the basket, and Mutombo staggered to sit on the baseline.

"Oh!"

The beautiful block made the fans scream again. Li You stuck Kidd behind him, and the basketball jumped high when it hit the back edge of the basket and flew into the air.

Li You grabbed the rebound and after landing, turned his back to Kidd and swung the ball backwards with his right hand.

The ball flew directly over the center line without looking at anyone. Prince grabbed the ball in front of Jefferson and then accelerated across the half court.

Although Stoudemire had just been out of position defensively, he was as fierce as a tiger on the fast break at this time, following behind him and striding straight to the basket.

Prince noticed the movement of his teammates behind him, leaned on the defense and threw the ball toward the backboard.

Jefferson sensed something was wrong, and before he could turn his head, a powerful attack came from behind him!

Stoudemire jumped high, grabbed the ball with his right hand after reaching the air, collided with Jefferson and slammed the ball into the basket!

"Boom!" The conversion dunk was successful!

"what!"

Jefferson, who almost fell to the street, stumbled and hit the basketball stand. When he turned his head, he saw Stoudemire yelling at him, and he immediately rushed forward to ask for an explanation.

Prince reacted quickly and hugged Jefferson from behind, and the linesman stepped forward to block it, so no conflict occurred.

Coach Frank on the sidelines jumped anxiously and loudly reminded his players to stay calm and that they must chase points as soon as possible.

Jefferson, whose mentality exploded, turned around and made a pass error in the offensive round. The breakthrough ball was directly intercepted by Prince.

At the bottom left of the basket, Prince completed the steal and threw the ball forward.

Kidra's pull failed to prevent Li You from catching the ball. Players from both sides quickly rushed through the half court. This time the Nets completed the defensive matchup in time.

Li You, who was on the left wing and held the ball in his left hand, also slowed down.

Just as Stoudemire moved up the line, Li You suddenly dribbled the ball with his hips, and then immediately changed direction in front of his body.

In order to prevent breakthroughs, Kidd always maintained a defensive distance, which allowed Li You to swing with great ease.

The sudden acceleration of the dribbling rhythm forced Kidd to follow his body's instinct and slide continuously to the right.

Li You, who only grabbed half of his body but still had plenty of physical energy, faced the defense and sprinted towards the basket with a tank breakthrough.

As he approached the paint area, he immediately jumped with both feet. As he jumped, Li You knocked away Kidd who was guarding him. Without even making a move to block the shot, Kidd was knocked back slightly and watched as Li You held the ball with his left hand and easily picked the basket!

"Bang!" The basketball hit the board and went into the basket.

At 97:70, coach Frank turned pale and reluctantly requested a timeout.

"You have to work harder!"

Li You smiled and patted Kidd, who was glaring at him. This kind of game is indeed very interesting.

"Shet!"

Looking at Li You's back, Kidd cursed again, returned to the bench, took the towel and threw it on the floor, feeling extremely depressed.

Losing G3 means the series is over. Coming back from 0:3 behind is something that can only happen in a dream.

Kenyon Martin stopped shouting and kept his head down without saying a word.

For Li You, breaking through the upper-line defense has never been a problem. If you want to effectively restrict him, the second line of defense is extremely important.

Despite repeated emphasis from the coaching staff, Kenyon Martin is inexperienced and seems to lack talent. Most defensive rounds will appear in the wrong defensive position.

This makes once Kidd is broken through, the Nets' inside line will be wide open most of the time. Except for bad fouls, no one can find a more suitable defensive method.

Jefferson and Kidders didn't talk either. With a score difference of nearly 30 points, the game almost lost its suspense. After all, the Nets' offense was so stretched that it was difficult to score 24 points in a game.

On the Knicks bench, D'Antoni, who was hanging up, also knew that the game was stable and handed the tactical board to the assistant coach.

With a smile on his face, D'Antoni gave a few words of encouragement and started to retreat tactically. They will reach the conference finals again!

After the timeout, the Nets still did not give up. Kidd worked hard to speed up the offensive rhythm, but his physical ability declined in a large number of confrontations, and the result was that the more shots he made, the harder he shot.

In some of the inside attack rounds, the Knicks did not defend, and the two sides entered into a state of stabbing each other. Nets fans could only watch the game time passing by.

With 2 minutes and 21 seconds left in the game, as Li You took a pass from Gasol on the right wing and hit another long-range three-pointer, the cheers at the Continental Airlines Arena couldn't stop!

The Nets requested a timeout again. Kidd returned to his seat with his head lowered and covered his face with his hands, as if he didn't believe he was about to be swept again.

In the commentary box, Kevin Harlan thought tonight's game was very interesting. He glanced at the technical statistics and sighed again:

"When Lee is hot and can hit those difficult three-pointers, there's nothing the Nets can do!"

"I believe the fans will be very satisfied with tonight's game. This should be what everyone is looking forward to!"

Rivers seemed to be touched again. He noticed the appearance of the Nets atmosphere team and said thoughtfully:

"If you want to fight against superstars, you must form a luxurious lineup!"

"The Nets still have a lot of work to do. They need to find a scorer for Kidd and let the players do what they are good at. This is the correct way to build a team."

Kevin Harlan laughed immediately when he heard his partner's words, and then started joking again:

"Do you think the Nets should find an All-Star partner for Kidd?"

"He is only 31 years old and his body is still at the peak of his career. This is not a good idea!"

Rivers knew that his partner was saying that All-Star players in their prime should not take the initiative to work together as a team, but he had a different idea:

"The Knicks have four All-Star players, and this year they have two All-Defensive First Team players on the perimeter."

"If you want to fight against a team like this, you have to have enough star players."

The two held different views, and as the pause ended, they stopped delving further into the topic.

In the last two minutes, the Nets substitute players did not show much energy, the referee stopped blowing the whistle, and the game time ran out quickly.

At 114:92, the final buzzer sounded, and the Continental Airlines Arena became the home court of the Knicks again.

"Wow!"

The team got the match point and watched a wonderful game. The emotional New York fans cheered loudly and celebrated.

Everyone in the Nets entered the tunnel early. Li You was wearing training clothes and waved to the fans before he came to Craig Sagel.

As a sideline reporter for TNT, Craig Sagel has also been concerned about ratings issues recently. When he saw Li You's wet hair, he immediately joked:

"If I could see you in this state in every game, no one would have to worry about the ratings!"

"43 points, a new high in the playoffs this season. Li, congratulations on getting the match point. How would you evaluate tonight's opponent?"

出场40分钟，24中15，三分线外12中7，罚7中6，43分6篮板12助攻1抢断1失误。

After getting the double-double data, Li You was in a good mood. When he heard such a question, he answered seriously:

"The Nets are a strong opponent! I'm very happy to experience such a game in the semifinals."

"Winning or losing is not important. This is the third time we have met in the playoffs. I like this tough opponent. If possible, I still hope to play against the Nets next season!"

Craig Sagel felt that Kidd definitely didn’t want to encounter Li You again. Thinking of the subsequent conference finals, he couldn’t help but ask again:

"Lee, what are your expectations for the next conference finals?"

Li You smiled. He knew that the Knicks would most likely encounter a strong defensive team:

"Just stay healthy and we will win the championship this year!"

On Sunday, May 5, when the sports media reviewed last night's game, they also discussed the points made by Rivers during the game:

"How to fight a super team?"

The conclusion given by the sports commentator in the ESPN program is:

"Find another superstar and then build a lineup around that superstar."

Stephen A. Smith was the only commentator on the show who disagreed with this view:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to realize a problem. In the history of the NBA, no one has played like Lee."

"Lee can hit shots from 26 feet, and he can also use his excellent dribbling skills to get to his sweet spot and score."

"The most important thing is that Li is physically strong. He is no longer the thin young man who first entered the league. He is not afraid of confrontation and his shooting percentage at the basket exceeds 70%."

"Even in another 10 years, there will never be another superstar playing like Lee!"

In the studio, Tim Legler, who had just joined the program during the playoffs, wanted to speak. Smith glanced at him, smiled and said slowly:

"Don't question my conclusion, Legler, you are an excellent three-point shooter, but Lee is different. He is more of a three-pointer with the ball."

"You should know the difference, no one can play like Lee!"

Tim Legler, who won the Three-Point Contest, was indeed an excellent shooter in his career. He also knew the difference between catching and shooting and shooting with the ball:

"Of course I know! But basketball belongs to 5 people, and the Nets just responded that there was a problem with the ball."

"Kidd made 14 of 3 shots and only scored 12 points. Although he sent 12 assists, the performance of the core players is destined to fail to win."

"I insist that the Nets should replace their core players if they want to go further!"

Host Stuart Scott heard the topic change and quickly reminded him:

"We're talking about how the Nets can beat the Knicks in this series."

Smith laughed again. Legler, who had just joined the show, was no match for him. He leaned back tactically and raised his voice:

"No one can beat the Knicks this season. Lee is unstoppable and Coach D'Antoni brings out the best in this team."

"We're going to see the Knicks dominate the league again!"

"."

In the simultaneous game last night, at 89:94, the Timberwolves came back with a big score of 1:1.

The Big Three all performed well in this game, but there was not much discussion after the game.

The Kings only scored 12 points in the first quarter. Chris Webber made 7 of 1 and scored 2 points, which set the tone for the game.

加内特表现出色，16中8，砍下28分11篮板4助攻1抢断6盖帽4失误的数据。

Although he scored the highest score in the game, no one discussed his MVP performance the next day.

About to fly to the away game, Garnett also accepted an interview before leaving.

Regarding the discussion among sports commentators on whether to form a super team to fight the Knicks, the tough guy expressed his disdainful attitude:

"Real superstars don't need to join forces with others to win the championship!"

"Only a weakling would choose to take shortcuts. I will never leave the Timberwolves for a championship."

Garnett's words offended a lot of people, and several people on the Lakers felt that he was mocking them!

There was also G3 between the Spurs and Lakers that night. In an interview before the game, O'Neal, who was asked the same question, did not deny it.

After all, he recruited two outdated veterans during the offseason. O'Neal hopes to defeat his opponents with more star players.

During the afternoon warm-up, O'Neal was particularly focused because he could not lose the game tonight. When interviewed by the Los Angeles Times, he simply responded:

"I don't know the definition of a super team. The Lakers once had many All-Star players, but I don't think we are a super team."

When asked whether the Lakers would recruit more young All-Star players in the future, O'Neal only said vaguely:

"I just want to win the championship, and if I can work with star players, that's a good thing too!"

"I won't refuse to share the ball because I know I'm not getting any younger."

"I want to seize the last chance to win more championships, and for that, I'm willing to make sacrifices."

After several years of severe beatings, O'Neal is the player who knows Li You's strength best.

Compared to Garnett, who showed his tough attitude, the Sharks seemed to be taking shortcuts!

The Los Angeles Times reporter felt a little unhappy when he heard O'Neal's answer. Fortunately, the Lakers also have tough guys. Kobe held his head high during the interview and dismissed the super team:

"I'm not interested in sharing the ball because I'm the best shooting guard in the league!"

"I can lead the Lakers to win the championship without forming a super team!"

In that night's game, Kobe kept his word and once again destroyed the Spurs' perimeter:

13中7，三分线外7中4，罚球8中4，高效砍下22分6篮板6助攻2抢断5失误的数据。

奥尼尔更是13中11，罚球11中6，砍下28分15篮板5助攻8盖帽2失误，展现了自己在内线的统治力。

In addition, Payton and Malone did not hold back, F4 played together, and the Lakers regained a victory.

At 81:105, with Duncan shooting 14 of 4 and scoring 10 points, the Spurs defeated their opponents miserably.

On May 5th, after more than a day of rest, the Nets and Knicks ushered in the G10 game.

In the battle of honor that night, Kidd still couldn't find his shooting touch.

Coupled with the decline in defensive intensity, at the end of the first quarter, Continental Airlines Arena became the home court of the Knicks.

34:21, a double-digit point difference, seemed to indicate that the Nets were about to be swept.

During the break, Kidd remained silent. He never accepted interviews and stopped communicating with the coaching staff. He was in a state of isolation.

The cheers in the arena made Kidd a little uncomfortable. Thinking of the topics discussed by the football commentators in the past two days, he was also a little undecided:

"Super team? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it."

(End of this chapter)