NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 62 The Unstoppable Record

On the night of January 1, the Phoenix fans who bought tickets to watch the game missed Charles Barkley a little bit.

Last season, the Suns had a record of 41 wins. Although they were easily won by the Spurs 3:1 in the first round of the playoffs, as long as there are Barkley and Kevin Johnson, everyone feels that they can make a comeback in the future.

At 58:45 in the half, the Suns had fallen behind by 13 points.

Kevin Johnson felt bad in the first half, 4 of 1, scored 8 points with free throws, sent 5 assists, and made 2 turnovers.

对位的李佑11中5，三分球6中3，罚球4中3，16分2篮板7助攻1失误。

The noisy arena seems to indicate that Phoenix fans have begun to lose confidence. Kevin Johnson failed to suppress Li You, which was unimaginable in the past.
Injuries will not be an excuse. In the third quarter, Kevin Johnson began to hit the basket desperately, constantly challenging Ewing's ability to protect the frame.

This situation made the Suns fans at the scene feel extremely sad. If Barkley was still there, Kevin Johnson would not be so tired.

Two free throws were made, Charles Oakley protected the backcourt rebound, Li You received the ball, and the Knicks launched another conversion attack.

At this time, Ewing was more active than in the first half. Li You was delayed and slowed down, and the gorilla had already rushed into the paint.

While getting sideways, Ewing didn't need to open his hands. The moment he approached the basket, Li You sent a half-lob pass.

Ewing, who received the ball, took advantage of the opportunity to use his body to push away the retreating Holt, twisted and grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, and came to the basket and easily put it down!
"Shhh!!"

The huge boos that broke out in the arena did not affect Ewing's good mood.

After less than half a quarter of the game, Ewing easily scored 8 points by relying on fast breaks, low throws after catching the ball, and mid-range jumpers after catching the ball near the baseline on the right.

The gorilla ran for a few rounds and wanted to shout:
"Quick attack is really fragrant!"

After the starting lineup reappeared in the third quarter of the game, Li You didn't throw three-pointers blindly. He defended honestly, pushed and changed offenses, and gave more balls to the basket.

The Suns, whose defensive discipline has declined, failed to withstand this wave of offensive. After a wave of 12:6, the point difference was widened again.

Cedric of the Suns didn't want to admit defeat either. After speeding up the offensive rhythm, he also began to hit the basket. For this, Larry Johnson, like Li You, had to pay for a foul.

"Auntie" received her fourth offender early, and could only be replaced depressed. It was a rare game to run and play, and Larry Johnson also wanted to take the opportunity to get more points.

Li You also received his fourth personal foul at the end of the third quarter. Kevin Johnson continued to hit the basket, and the Suns narrowed the point difference again.

84:74, after three quarters, the Knicks still lead by 10 points.

Li You was also a little helpless about his own foul troubles. He lacked defensive experience and was a common problem among rookies. This matter could only be accumulated slowly.

"Well done, Lee! Don't worry about fouls. Rookies will experience foul crises. What you have to do is to learn from the game. In many cases, you can rely more on teammates who help defend."

Assistant coach Thibodeau mentioned Li You's precautions on the defensive end.

Li You seldom gambles for steals, but when faced with a layup by a small guard, he always subconsciously jumps up to fight against the block.

This point was caught by Kevin Johnson. With his rich game experience, most of the free throws tonight were sent by Li You.

"I understand, I will control the number of fouls!"

Hearing Li You's words, assistant coach Thibodeau nodded. Coaches like smart players, and Li You can tell a lot of things.

Kevin Johnson did not rest in the fourth quarter and continued to play. Li You of the Knicks also followed suit. Both sides replaced the center for the last fight.

The Knicks took the lead in attacking, with the same tactic, Li You dribbled the ball quickly after halftime, and Starks received the ball at the top of the arc in rotation.

Moving laterally from left to right, Li You once again got rid of Kevin Johnson's pursuit with the help of McCarty and the veteran Barker's double screen.

The Suns played in rotation and Danny Manning switched defenses in time. Li You raised the ball on the right flank outside the three-point line and dangled.

Danny Manning subconsciously slid backwards to the left, but Li You just dribbled a step and immediately crossed and pulled back.

The simple shaking allowed Li You to easily gain enough space to shoot. He took advantage of the situation and made a jump shot from beyond the three-point line before the opponent jumped up to defend him!

"Shhh!!"

The ball was hollowed into the net, booing immediately everywhere, and Li You's clean three-pointer stimulated the Suns fans on the scene again.

Kevin Johnson didn't care either. While speeding up the offensive rhythm, he continued to rush to the basket. The clay figurine also had a three-pointer. Li You was frequently broken through, and it didn't work for three rounds, and he lost another foul.
The Suns, who hadn't recovered their touch, continued to hit the iron. On the Knicks side, Li You continued to push and switch offenses, giving cakes to his teammates.

With the last 4 minutes and 6 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Li You had just completed a free throw and returned to the half court. When he was on the line to defend, the referee whistled another hand-holding foul.

Sighing helplessly, Li You shrugged his shoulders and could only walk to the bench, graduating with 6 offenses for the first time in his career.

There was no joy for the Suns fans at the scene. They became the background board tonight.
The on-site commentator Al McCoy heard the director's prompt and praised Li You helplessly:

"19 years and 018 days, congratulations to Lee for becoming the youngest player in NBA history to get 15 assists in a single game."

"I don't think Phoenix fans want to see this, 19 years old? It's unbelievable. It's a really great record."

出场35分钟，17中8，三分线外7中4，罚球6中5，25分3篮板15助攻1抢断2失误6犯规。

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere team stood up and gave Li You a high-five to celebrate. At this time, the Suns still did not give up. The inside Lauren Mayer broke out at the last moment and stood on the free throw line in a row.

Fortunately, both sides have entered into a penalty state, and Ewing also made free throws. This situation suffered for the Suns fans on the scene, and the game time was lengthened.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines was a little nervous at this time, and he also started to get up and direct, signaling everyone to hold on.

In the end, at 110:103, the Knicks successfully withstood the explosive power of the Suns and won the tug-of-war.

There were constant boos in the arena. Kevin Johnson, who played 44 minutes, had his hands on his hips and looked a little lonely looking at the scoreboard.

14中4，14罚13中，21分3篮板10助攻1抢断2失误。

After hitting 20+10, Kevin Johnson felt that he had done his best.

Everyone on the Knicks quickly walked towards the player tunnel. The Suns made 41 free throws tonight, and anyone would feel a little upset.

Li Youhe didn't care about the shouting and scolding of the fans. After walking into the tunnel, he saw the staff of the Suns looking at him. He shook his head with a smile and said loudly:
"Free throws? It doesn't matter. I'll keep winning in Phoenix. This city will never win a championship!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau hurried forward and hugged Li You's shoulders and walked quickly to the locker room. This is not New York, and the coaching staff doesn't want to make trouble.

After returning to the locker room, Ewing looked at the technical statistics, only to realize that Li You broke the record again, and his heart was full of lemons.

Charles Oakley doesn't care about these things. The old guy is very satisfied with Li You's performance. Ewing's shots are still the first in the team. It's good to have the boss in your heart.
Jeff Van Gundy also showed a smile after entering the locker room, clapped his hands and concluded loudly:
"Excellent game! We showed our training results, this is logging, we want to play for each other!"

"Next week, we will usher in a schedule of 7 games in 5 days. Therefore, after returning to New York, the training session will be cancelled, so take a good rest. I don't want to see the news of you appearing in the nightclub in the newspaper!"

"Finally, congratulations to Li, the youngest 20+15 player in NBA history. I think no one can break this record!"

Everyone in the Knicks booed loudly. Finally, the equipment manager Old Mike handed the game ball to Li You, and said with a smile:
"Li, accept the game ball. This record will hardly be broken in a short period of time. Don't be polite this time!"

The previous scoring record was broken by Trail Blazers high school rookie Jermaine O'Neal a few days ago. Considering that 15 assists is very difficult, Li You finally took over the game ball:

"The record belongs to everyone! It's dangerous and tired of logging!"

The atmosphere group and several newcomers started shouting again. Li You was in a good mood and smiled. He will definitely be on TV again:

"If you can limit the number of shots, can you also limit the number of assists?"

In less than a day, after Li You returned to New York with the team, the new record swept the NBA, and the sports media followed suit.

The New York media praised Li You as a flower, and the sports section of several paper media, the new record became the front page headlines.

For fans in New York, this year is a double blessing!
Without O'Neal in the Eastern Conference, Ewing, who was selected as one of the top 50 superstars, will undoubtedly be selected as the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Li You, the team's 18th overall pick, came to a record every three to five times. Coupled with the frequent adjustment of the style of play, the supply of home tickets was in short supply.
On the morning of the 19th, a rare rest day, manager Mark Bartelstein came to visit Li You again.

On the TV, TNT's program, the hosts Ernie Johnson and McHale were also talking about the record, and by the way, they also analyzed Li You's technical characteristics.

"It's a pity, if you can be selected as an All-Star in your rookie year, this will definitely make your popularity go further!"

"Jeff Van Gundy's qualifications are too poor, otherwise, with the record of the Knicks, you can be selected."

"Heat's Tim Hardaway doesn't get the fan vote like you!"

Mark Bartelstein looked at the TV show and showed a regretful expression. He really hoped that Li You would be selected as an All-Star in his rookie year, and with the cooperation of the media in New York, he would blow it up immediately!

Li You was also watching the TNT program. McHale analyzed well, and introduced his lack of confrontation and unsatisfactory finishing at the basket:
"This year's All-Star game, the 50 biggest stars are the highlight!"

"The Rookie Challenge has also been exposed. The sneaker contract is our phased goal. I think there will be new offers."

It has never been easy for players to get a big sneaker contract, and Mark Bartelstein knows it's the most important thing, and that's a lot of money.

"Michael Jordan is ranked 46th. There are indeed some problems with the ranking, but there is some truth to it."

The voice from the TV made Mark Bartelstein shake his head helplessly:
"Li, this is the media. For the sake of ratings and sales, they can always lower their lower limit."

"If you don't perform well and the media in New York starts questioning you, remember to throw those newspapers and magazines in the trash."

Li You nodded indifferently, he really likes watching outrageous news:
"Jordan ranked 46th? Maybe this year's Cleveland All-Stars can witness history again."

　Thank you book friends for your collection ￣￢￣*
　　
　
(End of this chapter)