NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 99 Pretending X Losing Trophies (Daily Chapter)

"Sweeping opponents, Li set a new record in the three-point contest!"

"Dominated the three-point contest, a historic 25 points!"

"Historical rookie, New York's future!"

"."

On the morning of February 2th, the New York paper media finally stopped gossiping about Michael Jordan, and replaced it with the news about Li You breaking the record in the three-pointer contest.

The photos captured by the photographer are very interesting. Li You is wearing the Knicks' daily white training uniform, holding up the spherical trophy of the three-point shooting contest in the center of the field with a smile.

The other 7 players participating in the game were each wearing their own team uniforms, with long faces.

The New York Times put up a photo and did not forget to take the opportunity to mock Reggie Miller's 12 points:
"Miller is not magical. Every time he meets Lee, he plays badly."

"Miller lacks real talent. With the Knicks, the Pacers will never win a championship!"

Although the Knicks have always been Reggie Miller's background board in the past, most of the New York media are still confident and step on the opportunity.

Li You's 25 points just broke the record of 1994 points set by Mark Price in 24!

It seems that one championship is not enough, and many New York media helped Li You loan for the championship for the next three years at the end of the article.

Winning the championship for four consecutive years is just enough to break the three-pointer contest record set by Larry Bird and Craig Hodges.
In short, with a little sunshine, it will be brilliant, and the sloppy New York media has blown Li You into the sky again!

Li You didn't have time to read the newspaper at this time. He arrived at the Chelsea Piers Golf Club early in the morning. After having breakfast here, he played indoor golf with Ewing, Oakley and the others.
Li You, who was wearing a white polo shirt and beige trousers, looked boredly at several people blowing X.

"Oh! Compared with your poker skills, your golf skills are really bad!"

"Li, you need to practice more!"

Swinging happily and dressed professionally as a golfer, Michael Jordan was in a good mood. He shook his head and teased Li You for his poor golf skills.

Li You rubbed the center of his brows, he won less than 2 US dollars in poker last night, and now he will lose it all
This indoor golf club, which just opened in 95, was very happy with the arrival of the crowd. Mikou met some photo needs, and the members were free of charge.

Manhattan is still a few degrees below zero at this time, and Michael, who is addicted to golf, can't play outdoor golf, and enjoys playing the indoor simulation course as much.

"Energetic old guy! Get on drugs!"

Li You, who pulled out a smiling face, complained secretly in his heart, while Ewing, who was unable to swing on the other side, was complaining:
"There will be labor negotiations in March. These guys are crazy about making money! It is impossible for us to cut our salary!"

The gorilla was dressed in a formal suit and made a loud statement in the rest area. As the chairman of the players union, he had to show his position.

Oakley and Pippen couldn't help nodding, players should make more money, and if they want to cut their salaries, they are all enemies.

Everyone in the Knicks team, which is the atmosphere group, also supported Ewing one after another. The current salary is not enough to spend, so a salary cut?no way!
Larsa, who just married Pippen, was also present, also dressed as a golfer, but this one deliberately highlighted her figure.

Beside Pippen, he didn't care about everyone's eyes, and said in a coquettish voice:
"We need a big contract, who doesn't want a better life?"

As for his wife, Pippen also agrees that he has decided on a big contract, and it doesn't matter if he is the most conscientious second in charge in the league!

Larsa got up and made do with Li You and Maikou, twisting his waist and saying hello in a friendly way:
"Li, remember to come to my party when you have time, many little sisters want to meet you!"

Seeing Larsa winking at him, Li You nodded helplessly, and responded casually:

"No problem, anytime in New York!"

There is not much difference in age between the two, but Li You is not interested in getting into each other's circle. After all, he doesn't want to eat dumplings, and pure flesh and blood is not attractive to him.

Mai Kou heard that everyone was still discussing the salary issue, and at this time he also made a simple statement:
"Salary cuts are out of the question. It's the players who decide the games. The fans buy the tickets and watch the games. Pat is right. We should stand firm."

The superstar spoke, and the gorilla felt that the matter was stable. No matter how the management squeezed it, don't let them cut their salaries:

"Mike is right. We must unite. Taking advantage of this All-Star Weekend, I will contact everyone. The league should not try to threaten us with a lockout!"

Seeing Ewing's passionate speech, Li You immediately thought of the long suspension after the end of the season:
"It's true that wages should not be cut for workers, and I also need a big contract!"

On the night of February 2th, the All-Star Game officially started.

The broadcaster NBC also made great efforts to actively interview every player before the game.

Famous NBC reporter Jim Gray had relatively thick hair at this time, and except for a little baldness on his forehead, he looked very personable.

As the starting player of the host All-Star team, Li You also created the youngest appearance record last year. At this time, he received the most interviews:
"This is the second All-Star game in your career, Li, how does it feel different from last year?"

Before entering the locker room, Li You, who was dressed in formal attire, was blocked by NBC's Jim Gray.

"The biggest difference is that I got the starting position. Thanks to the fans who voted for me, I will definitely go all out for tonight's game!"

Li You answered the question with a smile, then waved his hand at the camera, and then walked to the dressing room.

"It's so young, just turned 20, and it's incredible to be the core of the Knicks!"

The accompanying staff all sighed in a low voice, many of them were meeting Li You for the first time.

Jim Gray didn't care. He had already interviewed many times for the live broadcast of the game in the United States. At this time, he turned his head and said to the staff:
"Hurry up, let's interview Kobe Bryant of the Lakers again, who became the All-Star starter from the bench. I like this kind of story!"

Kobe Bryant is no longer the youngest All-Star player in NBA history, and his popularity has dropped by more than half.

More people want to have fun. Van Exel and Eddie Jones, who started the team, are both substitutes. If the Lakers have internal strife, everyone will applaud
In the Eastern All-Star locker room, Michael Jordan, who had changed into training clothes, was wearing X again:

"I have to teach that little guy on the opposite side a lesson, I will take the initiative to attack tonight!"

Everyone in the locker room agreed casually, seeing Michael Jordan showing a smug smile, Li You cursed inwardly:
"Pretending to be X is not good for you!"

When Jeff Van Gundy came into the locker room, Mike didn't even look at the All-Star head coach.

"Play as you please, we can go fast break and dunk more! Lee will send the pass in time, everyone runs more actively on the court!"

The bald young coach is in a good mood. The All-Star head coach always hangs up. It just so happens that he is very good at this skill.

Mutombo took the initiative to clap his hands, and Sean Kemp and Grant Hill also responded.

There are quite a few players who can fly and dunk well in the starting lineup of the Eastern Conference. It is not difficult to run and switch offenses and play alley-oop.

Michael Jordan didn't speak, the vengeful Michael didn't give Jeff Van Gundy any face, and quickly turned and walked out of the locker room.

Jeff Van Gundy was pissed off by such a move, but he was no longer the little follower he used to be. Finally, he patted Li You on the shoulder and said with a smile:

"Don't worry, Li! There's enough playing time tonight!"

Li You nodded with a smile. This is his biggest guarantee for this year's All-Star Game. The bald young coach is one of his own. In terms of stats, he can't lose to anyone!
In Li You's opinion, the appearance ceremony of the All-Star Game was not cool enough, but the players whose names were read came from the sidelines.

Although there are door-like decorations on both sides, it feels simple no matter how you look at it.

But for the fans, this way of playing is already cool, and the noise on the scene is getting louder and louder.

Li You was the fourth last player to play. Wearing the Knicks' training uniform, the noise instantly doubled after his debut.

Of course, the finale Michael Jordan is still the most popular. Many fans bought tickets to witness Michael Jordan's last All-Star.

"Oh!!"

Huge cheers resounded through the arena, and rumors of his retirement made Michael's popularity explode.
While the players on both sides were warming up, the live broadcaster also pointed the camera at the auditorium. Many Broadway stars came tonight.

During the intermission, the show is also very New York-style, a small show of Broadway All-Stars.

The camera did not forget to focus on Mr. Mayor and a certain real estate tycoon. The two were talking and laughing. They got mixed up in 98.
Gary Payton had a friendly exchange with Li You during warm-up:

"A rookie turned into an All-Star starter in the Eastern Conference? You should really thank those shitty New York media!"

Li You looked at Gary Payton who was crazy about lemons, patted the ball and said cheerfully:
"The rookie's scoring average almost surpasses yours, and the number of assists seems to be far ahead. If you can start in the West, I can start in the East!"

Since Li You joined the Knicks, he hasn't won against the Sonics yet, but this season, when the two played against each other, Gary Payton scored 13 of 3 and scored 9 points.

Although the Sonics won the game, they were ridiculed by the New York media after the game, and then Gary Payton took revenge
A large part of the reason why the Knicks have too many rivals is caused by these fun-loving media.

Kobe Bryant has become a little transparent on the court, but fortunately, the Lakers teammates are still there, so they will not be isolated.

Michael Jordan smiled and hugged the Western All-Stars, and patted Kobe on the shoulder by the way. This performance immediately made Kobe very excited.
When the two sides came to the middle circle and prepared to jump the ball, cheers began to sound at Madison Square Garden.

Mutombo easily jumped to the ball. After Li You received the ball, the five members of the new western team retreated quickly.

Every year in the All-Star Game, everyone will relax their defense, but there will also be a real contest.

In the first offensive round, Michael Jordan asked for the ball with his back in the left block, and he dunked an aggressive card position, firmly stuck Kobe behind him.

As soon as Maikou stretched out his hand, Li You, the left winger, sent a pass.

Throwing away the defense, Maikou left the position near the bottom line and made a fallback jumper!

"Shua!" A steady hit in the middle distance!

After scoring the goal, Michael Jordan did not forget to pretend to be X. He took a special look at the camera under the basket, shook his head and quickly retreated.

The iconic fadeaway jump shot made the fans shout excitedly, and he drove the baseline ball. Gary Payton dribbled the ball halfway and quickly passed the ball to O'Neal, who was in the low post on the left and asked for the ball.

The latter received the pass, approached the basket with two hits, and also turned towards the baseline. O'Neal pushed Mutombo away and switched to his left hand to shoot successfully.

The head coach of the Western All-Stars is George Karl of the Supersonics. At this time, like Jeff Van Gundy, he stood on the sidelines and applauded.

The same fast ground ball, after Li You dribbled halfway, the left flank outside the three-point line, seeing Gary Payton's lowered center sticking to the defense, his left hand dribbled the ball under the crotch and stopped suddenly.

Taking advantage of Gary Payton's move, Li You quickly dribbled the ball behind his back with his right hand, paused slightly while catching the ball with his left hand, and then immediately swung the ball vigorously with one hand.

The extremely penetrating pass immediately made the fans on the scene exclaim.

Sean Kemp, who just moved to the lower left of the basket, turned around after receiving the ball, facing Kyle Malone, who was chasing and defending, with a one-handed dunk!
"Wow!!"

With a powerful dunk, the fans immediately cheered loudly.

"Wonderful assist! Kemp's running position is also very timely. This tactic was also used by Ewing in the past. It can be seen that Kemp knows the Knicks very well."

On the NBC commentary seat, Isiah Thomas interpreted the round with a smile.

Bill Wharton on the side saw Malone's response and added with a smile:

"The players know each other very well. I believe that every team will study the Knicks. The league's first team is indeed worthy of attention."

After Mutombo grabbed the rebound, he gave the ball to Li You. On the other side, Grant Hill was already accelerating along the left sideline.

Garnett, who was on the matchup, was completely thrown away without paying attention. He looked up and saw the basketball flying to the upper left of the basket, so he gave up defending helplessly.
Before halftime, Li You, who was accelerating along the right sideline, suddenly sent a long pass.

Grant Hill, who rushed to the paint area, leaped high, caught the ball in the air unguarded, and then directly slammed into the basket with both hands!

"Boom!" The empty catch dunk was successful!
Under the huge inertia, Grant Hill grabbed the basket to relieve the force, swayed on the basket, and then landed steadily.

Thumbs up, Grant Hill quickly returned to defense, indicating that Li You made a beautiful pass.

The game quickly fell into the rhythm of Li You, the Eastern All-Star team switched quickly, and Grant Hill and Sean Kemp performed actively.

Falling into position to attack, Michael Jordan will play back singles near the block.

For the Western Conference All-Star team, Garnett performed very well. After the opening, he hit two consecutive iron-blooded jumpers, and O'Neal also made a strong attack at the basket.

Consecutive assists were sent out, this time taking advantage of Gary Payton's iron strike, Li You, who just received the rebound, rushed after taking the ball.

Seeing that the Eastern Conference All-Star team was defensively counterattacking again, Gary Payton retreated extremely quickly.

At the top of the arc, Li You was forced to slow down, and without waiting for Mutombo to raise the pick-and-roll, he quickly lowered his center of gravity, held the ball in his right hand, and suddenly in and out by a small amount.

Swaying left and right, taking advantage of the opponent's slip, Li You quickly changed direction with his crotch, and Gary Payton didn't relax, and immediately rushed to Li You's left hand.

Quickly completed a large behind-the-back dribble, Li You dodged the opponent's cut ball, grabbed the ball again with his right hand, saw the opponent slide back again, took advantage of the situation to complete the back dribble, and at the same time quickly retreated with his feet.

The defensive prediction made a mistake, and Gary Payton was swayed to the free throw line. Li You, who was outside the three-point line, quickly combined the ball and made a quick jumper for a three-pointer at the top of the arc!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

"Wow!!"

Shaking away the opponent one-on-one to complete the attack, the beautiful shaking made the fans cheer again.

Gary Payton felt ashamed, and followed suit.

Forcibly breaking through at the top of the arc, Gary Payton rushed into the paint, dodged Mutombo's block, pulled the bar and picked the basket with his right hand!

In the next round, Mutombo picked and rolled on the left flank. Li You stopped and started quickly, and after blowing up the ball, he held the ball in his left hand and accelerated his breakthrough from the three-point line.

Attracting O'Neal's defensive attention, Li You took advantage of the situation and threw the ball high.

Mutombo, who went straight to the basket, caught the ball in the air, and then completed a strong dunk with both hands!

"Oh! What a beautiful pass. It can be seen that Li is very adaptable to the All-Star Game. He has already sent 3 assists in less than half a quarter."

In the NBC commentary booth, Bob Costas watched happily and dunked a lot, making the atmosphere even hotter.

"Lee made the right choice. Mike should have less post-ups and more off-ball cuts. I think the fans want to see his dunks more!"

The smiling Isiah Thomas didn't forget to take a smack at Michael at this time.
Michael Jordan once again succeeded in post-up singles against Kobe, with a relaxed smile on his face.

12:17，东部全明星队领先5分，第1节比赛还剩6分58秒。

Kobe Bryant finally receives a pass from Gary Payton.

The Eastern All-Star team's shooting rate is too high, and there are very few conversion attacks, which makes Kobe, who can't catch the ball for half a day, a little impatient.

After receiving the ball this time, he accelerated his breakthrough on the right wing. After taking two big steps, Kobe quickly changed direction in front of his body, and then completed a drift jumper!

"state!"

After Grant Hill got the rebound, he quickly dribbled across the half court with the ball. Gary Payton didn't care about Li You, who followed up from the right wing outside the three-point line.

Stepping on the three-point line to defend, the next second Gary Payton saw Li You in front of him receive a cross pass and throw the ball!

"Shua!" Three-pointer and then scored!

"Long-range three-pointer! This is Lee's range! Beautiful transition attack!"

The commentator Bob Costas also raised the volume and yelled.

After finishing the goal, Li You also shook his head with a smile, and quickly paced back to defend. As a result, such a performance also made Gary Payton excited.

As if returning to the regular season, the two did not skimp on their physical strength in the first quarter, and began to continuously lead and defend each other.

Of course, in order to ensure viewing, if you lose your defensive position, you will not foul. After all, fans are not here to watch free throws.

Michael Jordan continued the education of love, several rounds were post-up singles, leaving Kobe with nothing to do
With 3 minutes and 46 seconds left in the first quarter, O'Neal was delayed in defending the pick-and-roll and followed from the left wing to the right baseline.

The fans booed loudly, and Li You, who was accelerating along the baseline with the ball in his left hand, could naturally sense the defensive pressure behind him.

While O'Neal was still catching the ball, his left hand suddenly blew the ball on the spot, and then Li You quickly turned around, and when he caught the ball with his right hand, he immediately led the ball forward, and then squeezed from O'Neal's side to the bottom of the basket, and easily picked the basket!

"Oh!!"

Seeing the shark being shaken in place, the fun-loving audience booed loudly.

In the next round, Mutombo suffered a disaster. Unexpectedly, O'Neal suddenly strengthened his back attack and was fouled at the basket.

The two sides took the opportunity to start lineup rotation, Li You went to the bench, and the New York fans began to applaud his performance again.

Unlike the Western All-Stars who have too many singles, led by Li You, the Eastern All-Stars have more transition attacks and more dunks.

"Good job!"

Jeff Van Gundy patted Li You on the shoulder with satisfaction, 3 of 3, 8 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. The bald young coach knew it well, and the two planned to cooperate to score
Of course Michael Jordan also wanted to win the MVP. He played extremely hard in the first quarter, and he did not forget to educate Kobe about love, and by the way, he finished pretending to be X
In the All-Star Game, each player's playing time will not be too much, around 26 minutes is almost the same.

But in the subsequent games, Jeff Van Gundy increased Li You's playing time openly and deliberately staggered the dunks.

This makes the situation on the field very interesting.

When the game progressed to the third quarter, when the main lineup returned again, Michael Jordan played a post-up single, then broke through Kobe Bryant's defense, and made a layup under the basket!

Mike also made a mid-range pull-up jumper
What followed was a sudden change in style. During the transition, Li You accelerated with the ball in his right hand, approaching the paint with three strides.

Attracting Kobe and Malone's attention quickly, he grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand. Li You paused for a moment, then flicked the ball behind his head.

Sean Kemp, who caught the half-conversion offense and cut laterally, received the ball and went to the bottom of the basket to complete a two-handed dunk again!
Beautiful goal, and the fans cheered loudly,

Gary Payton hit the iron, and Li You received a pass from Sean Kemp and continued to accelerate along the middle.

Grant Hill, who was unable to follow up, settled down and was close to the free throw line. Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, immediately pretended to pass the ball behind his back.

Just after following up to the left flank, Maikou subconsciously compared the movement of catching the ball, only to find that the ball flew straight to the right sideline.
"God! How did Lee pass the ball!"

Commentator Bill Walton exclaimed, everyone was fooled.

The right flank was close to the sideline. After receiving the ball, Grant Hill was a little dazed. Fortunately, there was no defense in front of him. After aiming for a while, he shot a jumper!

"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

"Oh!!"

Some fans in the front row could see clearly that the marching Li You used his left elbow to change the direction of the basketball. Such a beautiful cooperation made everyone shout excitedly.

He didn't care whether Grant Hill could send the ball to the basket, Li You ran to the baseline after completing the pass, raised his hands and slid around before quickly retreating to the defense

"X was installed by you!"

Grant Hill, who made a three-pointer, shook his head helplessly. If he didn't make the shot, he would probably be sprayed to death by New York fans after the game!

The All-Star team in the Eastern Conference crushed all the way, and Michael Jordan was in a good mood. It was not until the fourth quarter of the game that the cheers on the scene became louder and louder, and he realized that something was wrong.

Fans seem to like to watch Li You play more, and Midu, who didn't calculate the statistics at all, realized that his scoring seemed to be not as efficient as the opponent's.
With 2 minutes and 58 seconds left in the game, the main lineups of both sides sat on the bench, and the game lost suspense in the last quarter.

Jeff Van Gundy looked at Michael Jordan cheerfully, feeling refreshed~
The rotation lineup is still playing hard on the court, and Tim Duncan, who entered the All-Star Game for the first time, finally hit the sports game goal.

Michael Jordan restrained the smile on his face, he realized that he was being calculated by the bald man.
At the end of the game, the score was fixed at 116:134, and the Eastern All-Star team beat their opponents!
Li You, who changed into his training uniform, smiled and hugged everyone, and the New York fans cheered louder and louder.

When the league staff rolled out the MVP crystal trophy for the All-Star Game, David Stern took the microphone with a smile:
"Thank you for the strong support of the New York City Council, and thank you for the enthusiastic New York fans present!"

"It's great to see new faces in this year's All-Star Game, it's a perfect All-Star Weekend!"

"Herein, I announce that the MVP winner of the 1998 All-Star Game is Clay-Lee!"

The stern Michael Jordan watched Li You accept the trophy with a smile, and hugged the president by the way.

杰夫-范甘迪也在一旁微笑拍手，出场32分钟，14中10，三分线外7中4，罚球2中2，26分5篮板13助攻。

Taking advantage of Maikou's education of love to Kobe, the bald young coach let Li You get the highest score in the game without saying a word.

Li You didn't look at the faces of the people behind him, and held up the trophy with a smile. Hearing the loud cheers from Madison Square Garden again, he was in a good mood for a while:

"This is the treatment of the host!"

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(End of this chapter)