NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 347 How long is the peak period? (daily chapter)

On June 2004, 6, the Los Angeles Times reported in depth the content of last night's long awards ceremony.

Many Lakers fans who left the game early and switched channels after three quarters were depressed after reading the newspaper.

Since moving into Staples Arena, the new venue has always had the "champagne smell" of the Knicks' celebrations.

The year they won the championship, they were on the road again. Lakers fans were looking forward to participating in a grand awards ceremony at home, but unfortunately, it seems that this matter will have to wait for many more years.

Of course, it's very easy to participate in the celebration. If you become a Knicks fan, you can enjoy the joy of victory.

After the long awards ceremony last night, the New York fans who came to watch the game left the arena and started to get together outside the arena. There were many people participating in the event. Apparently, some people had "rebelled."

On Facebook, many young Los Angeles fans shared last night's celebrations, scolding the "thieves" Lakers, and taking a look at O'Neal.
Everyone will continue to enjoy this victory in the next few months. The happiness of young people is so simple.

In addition to some regular reports, there are also some column articles mentioning the blessings of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson to Li You:
"Although we watched a terrible game last night, we witnessed new history. Lee surpassed Michael Jordan and became the best player in NBA history!"

After the FMVP award was born, Michael Jordan won it 5 times, which is enough to illustrate his dominance.

In the studio, Kenny Smith, as always, said good things to the players. Although Kobe Bryant's performance was extremely hip-stretching, he still sent out words of praise:

"When O'Neal lost his dominance and faced the Knicks' perimeter defense, Kobe proved that he was just an ordinary star player."

"I used to praise Kobe because his statistics were better than Iverson. Now it seems that there is no difference between Kobe and Iverson."

Being suddenly interrupted, Charles Barkley was a little dissatisfied. Hearing this question, he grinned and continued:

"I don't quite agree with what coach Phil Jackson said. The average margin of victory is 29 points per game. This shows that the strength gap between the two teams is huge."

He averaged 16.5 shots per game, shooting 62.5% from the field, and averaged 9.5 free throws per game, shooting 48.8% from the field.

"After Karl Malone was injured, pick-and-rolls gradually decreased. Instead, Kobe played more singles with the ball alone. He destroyed the Lakers' offensive rhythm."

场均出场36.3分钟，场均拿到25.0分9.8篮板2.0助攻1.3抢断1.0盖帽3.0失误；

"Soul? There is no doubt that it refers to the triangle offense. In the 4 games this year, I did not see the shadow of the triangle offense, only some crappy pick-and-rolls."

There are fewer "chanting" elements. I chose this place mainly because of James Dolan.

Curly Boss brought his band to perform in a nightclub last night. The Knicks poured champagne in the visiting team's locker room and then went to the nightclub to celebrate wildly.
Naturally, the New York Times will not "reflect" like the Los Angeles sports media. In addition to reporting on James Dolan's wonderful performance, it also praises Li You's dominance in this year's playoffs!
The morning's front page headline also released last night's group photo:
Li You sat on the podium with the five fingers of his right hand spread apart and the fingers of his left hand raised. On the left and right sides, Artest and Hill held up the trophy and cheered. The Knicks behind him also raised their hands high;
The league's management and the Knicks' management also cheered on both sides. Coupled with the golden ribbons falling over the arena, it was not obvious that the award ceremony was taking place on the road.

Averaged 20.5 shots per game, shooting 39.0% from the field, 5.0 shots from beyond the three-point line, and 20.0% shooting from the field;

"Such a failure is unacceptable. The Lakers have lost their soul these two seasons. We did not play the right way."

He averaged 8.0 free throws per game and made 87.8% of his free throws.

Although the regular season data was mediocre, entering the playoffs, Li You's data skyrocketed. Several mainstream media outlets in the New York Times gave the following comments:
"GOAT!"

The 13th happened to be Sunday, and the TNT program showed a scene from last night’s interview with Phil Jackson:

Li You won another trophy this year, breaking the record and becoming the first player in history to win 6 FMVP trophies. For this reason, even the NBA league changed the trophy style and made an "exclusive customization".

After entering the new century and officially changing its name, the nightclub became even more popular in the West Coast music scene.

The Lakers' F4 became the biggest joke of the 03-04 season!
Last night, everyone on the Lakers team went back to their homes after a hasty interview without saying much.

"."

No one in the Lakers locker room spoke, and several members of the coaching staff were also at a loss.

In 4 games, the true shooting percentage was 49.5%. Considering that Kobe played most of the game in the 4th quarter of G4, this data is still a little underwhelming.
Charles Barkley looked at his partner with an "are you kidding me" expression:

This interview was in the home team's locker room. Phil Jackson looked particularly angry. He turned around and left after saying these two sentences.

The Knicks, who went 16-0 in the playoffs and won 72 games, once again had an undefeated record, tying the record set last season.

"Kobe never gave up during the game. I could see his desire to win. I admire his competitive spirit very much."

"Regardless of player performance, I'm thinking about what coach Phil Jackson said, what is the soul of the Lakers?"

场均出场40分钟，场均达到24.0分3.5篮板3.5助攻1.5抢断0.3盖帽3.5失误；

O'Neal took fewer shots than Kobe, and his rebounds did not reach double figures.

Unlike previous years, the Knicks went to the famous nightclub Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles to celebrate the championship soon after the game last night.

In the 4 finals games, the Knicks outscored their opponents by an average of 29 points per game, creating the largest margin of victory in the finals!

"If Kobe Bryant's name was covered up, I would think it was Allen Iverson!"

Since the data is really stretched, Kenny Smith can only boast about Kobe's persistence:

The voice got louder and louder, and Charles Barkley became a little emotional, until Ernie Johnson interrupted from the side:

The league congratulated Li You again early in the morning, and also posted the detailed style of the exclusive trophy. Without discussing ancient basketball, Li You has become the true GOAT!

"He can't do anything, and his offensive choices are extremely poor. He is the biggest reason why the Lakers lost a big score."

The director gave O'Neal's data from four games in a timely manner:

This was formerly the Hollywood Theater that opened in 1927 and only officially changed its name two years ago. In the 80s, it was a favorite place for British bands. In the 90s, it was the early performance venue for well-known rock bands.

"They have won championships and the OK combination has been successful. They lost to the Spurs last season. Judging from this year's regular season record, the Lakers are successful."

Naturally, someone must be held responsible for the failure, and the commentators will naturally hold a scapegoating meeting. After last night's game, Kobe became the biggest scapegoat.

They lost in the finals so much that they couldn't even accept it. They lost face in such a way.

"Such a gap cannot be solved by just one player!"

Judging from the data, the Fat Shark seems to lack fighting spirit and failed to support the Lakers' offense more.

Kenny Smith disagreed with this view, but he was embarrassed to throw the blame on Payton, who averaged 4.0 points per game, so he could only say euphemistically:
"The Lakers lack scorers. Don't forget that basketball belongs to five people. Karl Malone's injury has had a great impact on the Lakers."

When it comes to the performance of veterans, Charles Barkley has nothing to say. No one expected that Payton would gradually stretch his hips this season, and even more so in the finals.
Veterans chasing championships do deserve respect, but they should not continue to start when their abilities decline. The Lakers use their own experience to serve as a reminder to all teams in the league:

"Times have changed, and the old man can't do it anymore."

The Knicks also have veterans. Mutombo plays less than 20 minutes in each game. After coming on the court, he does not have many tasks, such as protecting rebounds and picking up fouls as appropriate.

Thanks to the Knicks' scoring ability, Mutombo, whose age is unknown, completed the task very well, quietly squeezing out Wright, who was in a stable rotation.

After receiving the championship ring, this veteran can pat his chest and say proudly:
"I played for the Knicks!"

The three people in the studio suddenly lost interest in discussing it. Kobe did have to take the blame, but Kupchak also had to take responsibility as the team's general manager.

The Knicks clearly rejected the veteran who wanted to save face, while the Lakers chose to believe that the veteran can play a dominant role.

Charles Barkley seemed to have thought of the conflict between O'Neal and Kobe this season, and finally concluded seriously:
"Perhaps in the next few years, we will no longer be able to see the Lakers on the stage of the Finals!"

"."

Compared to peers who always like to "criticize players," ESPN prefers to use data to speak. Data expert Hollinger praised Li You's performance in his column last night:
"Lee, who has entered his prime, showed us the future of basketball!"

“16场季后赛，场均36.9分5.4篮板10.2助攻2.6抢断0.6盖帽1.1失误。”

"Averaging 20.1 shots per game, shooting 63.7% from the field, averaging 7.8 shots per game from beyond the three-point line, shooting 52.9% from three-point range, averaging 7.7 free throws per game, and shooting 96.7% from the field."

"The true hit rate is as high as 79.2%, and the efficiency value is an inhuman 46.9!"

"Although the opponents in the first round and finals were not strong, Lee's performance told us that big men are no longer the masters of basketball games, he represents the future!"

This article uses more detailed data to illustrate how outrageous Li You's performance in the playoffs this season is.

When the usage rate exceeds 35%, achieve the ultimate help-loss ratio!
In addition to adding some off-ball offense in the Eastern Conference finals, Li You, with the ball in hand, played a style of play that most academic coaches don't like.

Since PER has been blown up, the current data can no longer reflect Li You's influence on the game. ESPN is working on developing another high-end data.

Football commentators are eager to use a more accurate way to evaluate Li You's performance.

On Monday, June 6, the Los Angeles Times broke another piece of news:
"The Lakers are about to enter a rebuilding period."

Related articles directly dumbfounded Lakers fans. Although O'Neal has declined a bit, he is still the best big man in the league.

Entering the rebuilding period means that the Lakers will most likely trade away the league's top center.

Fortunately, at noon, Lakers boss Buss personally refuted the rumors, and general manager Kupchak made it clear:
"We will retain the core players, and next season, the Lakers will still challenge for the championship!"

However, many fans do not buy this rhetoric. As we all know, every team will shout this slogan during the offseason. If the pie is eaten too much, everyone will be able to resist.

After this year's finals, no Lakers player made any bold words to reassure fans.

After all, conflicts have arisen. After a season of fermentation, no one can guarantee that they will still play for the Lakers next season.

O'Neal, who always likes to brag to the media, also remained silent. There are various signs that the Lakers do not seem to be planning to provide him with a big contract.

O'Neal needs to be prepared on both sides, so he has not been interviewed by the Los Angeles media in the past two days.

The Knicks didn't care about their opponents. They celebrated in Los Angeles for two days and flew back to Manhattan on Monday afternoon.

At JFK Airport, when I saw Li You holding the trophy and waving to everyone, the scene was filled with excitement and the shouting couldn't stop.

After two days of reversing day and night, everyone was a little tired, but Li You was not affected too much. As long as he took a nap, he would immediately return to full health.

It wasn't until we boarded the bus that everyone got rid of the enthusiastic fans.

Everyone must first return to the Tarrytown Training Center for a physical examination. The training team will give some suggestions. More importantly, ensure good health.

Stoudemire will undergo minimally invasive knee surgery. The rookie will not get many opportunities in this year's playoffs. The main reason is that the coaching staff trusts the veterans.

After getting in the car, Stoudemire, who was sitting in the back, saw Prince smiling and reading the magazine, and immediately complained:
"This year our opponents are so weak, we should have more opportunities, no one has reported on us these two days!"

Fidgeting with the Sports Illustrated magazine in his hand, Prince turned his head and said:
"Isn't there an exclusive interview with the team this week? Sports Illustrated will publish a special issue on the Knicks next Monday. Other teams don't have such an opportunity." Unlike Stoudemire, Prince is quite satisfied. This year’s playoff experience.

If you enter the activation list, you can get at least a bonus of US$10.

Depending on the player's contribution, the most may be divided into 50 US dollars. Head coach D'Antoni will not only receive 50 US dollars, but also sign another big contract during the offseason.

Since Li You personally gave up this reward, Knicks staff will also receive more generous rewards.

After winning the championship, the team will also shoot some team advertisements for food, and there will be some profits at that time, and the atmosphere team will also have a share.

This is the benefit of a championship team. Generally speaking, although playing for the Knicks is a bit expensive, you definitely make more money.

Laga Bell's salary is only US$70, and the bonus he receives is half of his salary. Although tax issues have to be taken into consideration, hard work will eventually pay off.

Everyone in the atmosphere group was all smiles. After winning the championship, they could get attention and share money. Who doesn't like this?

Li You, who is sitting in the front, is also reading Sports Illustrated. As the draft approaches, there is more and more news about Dwight Howard.

Mark Bartelstein is also building momentum for Okafor. Although it is not a big year for the draft, Li You saw many familiar names and realized that this rookie class is of high quality.

Gasol, who has changed into a tough guy "skin" this season, saw an explosion of efficiency in this year's playoffs, with a PER of 30.4, making him the player with the highest efficiency after Li You.

Not to discuss the issue of playing style, he can steadily eat the pie and organize the offense simply. After collecting a series of data, from an Excel perspective, Gasol is the strongest center in the playoffs.

The Knicks can even set up a "twin tower" lineup for positional offense and play at the 4th position. Gasol still has a considerable advantage.

ESPN has praised Gasol to the sky. If it weren't for the poor performance of defending O'Neal in the finals, Gasol would have been praised as the league's No. 1 center.
Gasol was in a good mood after winning the championship. After confirming that he had received a big contract, he shifted more attention to the national team:

"Hill, when will you officially start training? Has USA Basketball confirmed the time?"

Hill, who was also looking through the magazine, did not hide anything after hearing the inquiry, and simply introduced:

"On July 7st, many players need to report to the training camp. I should be participating in joint training on the 1th. The time is a bit tight."

Players who have participated in the Finals will not get much rest time if they continue to participate in the Olympics. This is the reason why Hook and the Knicks do not want players to participate in international events.

Ewing seemed to have not sobered up yet. The gorilla was blinded by drunkenness and immediately said after hearing the words of the two people:
"Grant, there is no need to agree to the Basketball Association's invitation. We have no shortage of players in every position."

For ordinary players, being selected for the US men's basketball team is a decent thing, but Hill has won a gold medal and has a championship, so he no longer needs to prove himself.

"Duncan also accepted the invitation. We have a good relationship. Let's work together once and try to win a gold medal! I think he will like this honor."

Hill spoke in a brisk tone when talking about Duncan, obviously making fun of the unlucky guy who always loses in the Finals.

Li You thought about Iverson on this year's roster, and suddenly realized that the Olympic lineup was the "league of losers."
The American Basketball Association sent Li You a symbolic invitation, but after he declined, he didn't bother him anymore, probably because of the atmosphere within the team.

"The training will start at the beginning of the month. At that time, I should prepare for this year's Asia trip. When the time comes, I will bring you some gifts."

"Remember not to force yourself, I'm still not optimistic about Larry Brown's coaching."

Li You put down the magazine and simply reminded that the international arena is not very friendly to lineups that do not have projections. The addition of Hill cannot change the team structure. There is a high probability that it will still be bad.
After hearing the reminder, no one paid attention. This year's U.S. men's basketball team is full of stars. In everyone's opinion, the gold medal has long been determined!

D'Antoni hopes that all his players will refuse the invitation. With three consecutive championships around the corner, he hopes that the team can continue to dominate the league next season.

However, the most he could say about this in front of the management was a few words. Thinking of this offseason, Mustache felt that he should work harder.

Knight, whose contract has expired, is no longer in his plan, and some atmosphere groups also need to be replaced. D'Antoni quietly glanced back and secretly said sorry:

"For the sake of the championship, you have no choice but to leave."

Before the draft starts at the end of the month, the Charlotte Bobcats will conduct an expansion draft on the 22nd. Due to salary cap restrictions, they can only select some players with unprotected contracts.

This is not good news for the Knicks, but fortunately they can put Lagar Bell on the eight-man protection list.

The Knicks must produce high-quality products, and both the Sonics and Timberwolves have experienced this.

The Bobcats have been gaining popularity recently, and the New York media is extremely disgusted with this. Some columnists have already called the Bobcats "thieves."
On the morning of the 15th, Li You was eating breakfast at his home on No. 82 Street and reading the newspaper.

The New York Times sports section is still the same as before, boasting and belittling each team.

The Bobcats have been taking most of the firepower recently. The opponent publicly admitted a few months ago that they wanted to poach players, and even New York fans have no good impressions of this team.

The agent of the little Knight also revealed some news to the media. Next season, they will most likely play in Charlotte, and the Bobcats will give Knight a starting position!
The New York media didn't know that the little Knight was not in D'Antoni's plan. He was poached by two players in a row, and he went all out after the finals.
Milinda and Jin were both dressed in blue shirts and trousers. When they came to the dining table, they looked at Li You who didn't even raise his head and said with a smile:
"It is said that many celebrities will participate in the championship parade the day after tomorrow?"

"Mr. Bill Bradley has been looking for you for a long time, and now you definitely can't hide!"

Jin sat at the dining table, thanked the butler who handed him the breakfast, and ate the muffin with a smile, pretending that he was not too concerned about the fuss.

Milinda came behind her, hugged Li You with a smile, kissed her hard, and kneaded her shoulders:

"Bradley joined the camp of Howard Dean, who gave up on being re-elected as governor and lost the primary, but Dean had a chance to be elected chairman of the Donkey Party."

"Perhaps Mr. Bradley would like to introduce you to the future chairman!"

Milinda has long helped Li You sort out his interpersonal relationships. However, although this big girl has grown up a lot, her personality is still the same as when she was in college. She always likes to see Li You looking deflated.

Jin on the side saw Li You holding Milinda in his arms, and then added:
"Dean is said to have also served as a stockbroker. Maybe you will have some common topics. This is a good thing and can alleviate some awkward atmosphere."

After saying this, both of them laughed. Ever since Bradley started supporting Dean in early January this year, the Knicks star wanted to bring Li You on board.
Fortunately, Dean lost the Donkey Party primary election not long ago, but the matter is not over yet. Li You, who has no excuses, can only accept the kindness of veteran Bill Bradley at this time.

Last night's competition did not affect Li You. He patted Milinda's butt and saw that the other party was still smiling in his arms, so he said helplessly:

"I am just an athlete and have no political leanings at all. Mr. Bradley must have misunderstood me."

"It's not easy to make some money. If I had known better, I shouldn't have suggested shorting Enron!"

Milinda rolled her eyes at Li You. If she didn't short Enron, how could she have the huge amount of cash now? Without the huge amount of cash, how could she further cooperate with Akers Capital.

Although the stock had profits, it was too slow. Girl Dabo didn't care about Li You's quibbles, but said to Jin opposite:

"We'll go back to Greenwich in a few days. Alyce has picked out a few yachts and we'll take a look."

"Honey, where is your special trophy? If I had known, we would have gone to watch the game live this year!"

Thinking of the experience of the two of them "touching the trophy" last night, Li You kissed the girl in his arms fiercely, and finally said depressedly:
"The day after tomorrow the championship parade ends, I will take the trophy home. This year there are many celebrities participating in the event, which is also a troublesome matter."

"."

The Knicks have an active GOAT, and the seniors of the team also want to express their congratulations.

Unfortunately, one of the seniors likes to participate in political activities, and Li You is in trouble this time.

On Thursday, June 6, at 17 a.m., Manhattan was boiling again.

After boarding the parade bus from Madison Square Garden Arena, fans participating in the parade gathered around. There were especially many fans holding "GOAT" whiteboards, and everyone was enjoying the joy of victory.

Several celebrities who had their jerseys retired also participated in the parade this year. Amid cheers, the bus drove slowly to Times Square.

The championship parade in June has almost become the same as the New Year's Eve event in December. After winning consecutive championships, New York fans have become completely accustomed to such big parties.

As the Knicks' home commentator, Walter Frazier has witnessed Li You's growth with his own eyes.

Instead of standing in the same car with the old men, Walter Fred deliberately came to Li You's side to mingle with the young people.

After arriving at the stage set up in Times Square, Walter Frazier, who was also wearing a championship T-shirt, asked with concern before the event started:

"You have entered the finals for 7 consecutive seasons. Li, how is your body feeling?"

"Maybe you can reduce some penetration. Guards usually have a shorter peak period than big men. This is something I have experienced firsthand."

Also a 6-foot-4 championship guard, Walter Frazier began to suffer injuries and decline in the ninth season of his career.

However, he was already 31 years old at the time. Considering the more scientific and healthy training conditions in modern times, the famous player believed that Li You's peak period could last longer.

The premise is that you have to use your body sparingly. After all, Li You plays too many games.
The two have known each other for many years, and Li You hugged the old man and gave him reassurance:

"I know my body well and I won't have any problems in the next few years. I'm in great shape now!"

"But I do have to take a good rest during the offseason. The main thing is to adjust my mental state!"

Walter Fraser patted Li You's chest, felt the thick muscles, smiled and stopped talking about this issue.

As the Knicks players took their seats on the stage, Willis Reed appeared on the stage wearing a championship T-shirt, and the fans surrounding him were excited again.

Old fans will never forget Willis Reed's contribution to the Knicks, and everyone cheers heartily.

Behind a group of famous players, the fat Ewing also smiled and waved to the fans. He is the youngest among the retired jerseys.

Walter Frazier handed the microphone to James Dolan, and Li You sat in rows on the stage with his teammates, listening to the curly boss introduce the celebrities who came to the scene tonight.

According to the previously established process, after completing the introduction, the microphone should be handed over to Walter Frazier, but at this time James Dolan temporarily added:

"This is a moment worth remembering. Lee became the first player in NBA history to win 1 FMVP trophies!"

"The best player in history, the strongest team in history, we will continue to dominate this era!"

"Now let me sing a song for you."

Everyone in the audience started cheering loudly, and Li You on the stage twitched his eyes slightly and was speechless. Boss Curly Hair brought his band to the scene again.

This situation gave Li You the feeling of an "annual party" in his memory, and the sound of music made his thoughts wander.

Thinking that the sports media have recently been concerned about when he will decline, Li You was secretly proud:

[Kobe Bryant’s extraordinary coordination]

The finals once again allowed him to gain a good talent. Without the absolute physical advantage, he can still maintain a good competitive state with his shooting and outstanding skills:
"Expecting decline? Wait another 10 years!"

(End of this chapter)