NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 372 "Star within a Star" (Daily Chapter)

On Sunday, February 2005, 2, Magic Johnson, who appeared at the Masters Game last night, talked about Lakers gossip again during the morning event.

In the individual challenge matches, not many stars came to watch the game, almost all of them were Eastern Conference All-Star players.

However, O'Neal was not there, and he and Kobe did not even show up for the past two days. Neither of them seemed to plan to meet, and no one came to the scene, which disappointed the sports media.

When the All-Star players began taking this year's makeup photos in the morning, Kobe and O'Neal did not communicate at all, and even met face to face without even saying hello.

The two people who won the championship together became enemies, which is not common in the NBA.

When Ben Wallace joined the Pistons, he would still greet his old Knicks teammates cordially. Even if the Pistons and the Knicks had some unpleasantness, it would not affect the relationship between the players.

Also on hand were Julius Erving and James Worthy, who also appeared at the Pepsi Center last night and guest-starred as announcers.

After taking the makeup photos, most of the players left the field with greetings. It was the main game in the evening, so there were no fancy costumes today.

David Stern first warned the rookies participating in the Rookie Challenge to make the game more enjoyable, and then asked the players to wear formal clothes before the main game.

After a lot of beating, no one stopped dressing up, and just put on large formal clothes to cope with the scene.

Magic Johnson smiled brightly when talking about Lakers gossip:

"Winning a championship together doesn't mean they are good friends."

"Shaq and Kobe are both professional players. As long as they can provide wonderful games for the fans, it is enough."

"This is my opinion. If you can't be friends, it's not bad to become rivals!"

ESPN is well-informed, and recently Jeanie Buss seems to be planning to let her boyfriend Phil Jackson return to the Lakers.

After the dismissal of head coach Tomjanovich, the assistant coach is currently coaching on his behalf.

"Maji, can you talk about the choice of Lakers head coach? Will Phil Jackson return to the Lakers?"

"We all know that he published a book against the Lakers last year. If Phil comes back, will he have a more serious conflict with Kobe."

"You know, Phil called Kobe 'uncoachable,' and the relationship between the two seemed very bad."

The ESPN reporter obviously wanted to have fun. Magic Johnson didn’t want to know too much about this topic and emphasized again with a smile:
"Kobe was a great professional, and I don't think a book would affect his relationship with Phil."

"They have won championships together, and Phil is one of the most successful coaches in the league. If he chooses to return to Los Angeles, I believe Kobe and the fans will welcome him."

No one in the sports media believed this. Phil Jackson was already showing off, and Kobe would definitely not be able to bear it. At least this season, it would be difficult for Phil Jackson to return.

During the afternoon fan event, Kobe looked listless. His grandfather passed away and he needed to go to Philadelphia to attend the funeral after the game.

In addition to family matters, Denver fans did not welcome him. Fans yelled at him from time to time and made contemptuous gestures.

The Pepsi Center Arena is only 45 minutes away from Igor's hotel in Colorado. Although the two parties reached a settlement in early February, fans believed that Kobe, the "illegal intruder", used a knife to settle the law.

After surviving the fan activities, Kobe was in a better mood. However, when asked about Phil Jackson's return during the interview, his face was still a little ugly:
"Frank did a good job and now we're focused on the playoffs."

"As for the choice of head coach, I respect the team's choice."

At this time, Kobe only felt that there was "no good person" in the Lakers. Naturally, he would not agree to the return of the old KFC man!
Before the start of the All-Star game, in the locker room, the sports media finally interviewed O'Neal.

Still completely ignoring Kobe, O'Neal took out his huge sneaker phone, pulled out the antenna, interrupted the reporter's interview, and said matter-of-factly:

"I have to take a call first, Kevin seems to be provoking me!"

Seeing O'Neal grunting and handing the sneakers to Wade, the latter was not good at acting, said a few words in a stiff tone, and hurriedly returned the sneakers to the boss.

O'Neal, who was holding the sneakers, nodded pretendingly, and then called to Li You who was signing autographs:

"Lee! Tim Duncan said he will beat you to win the MVP this year!"

After signing LeBron James' sneakers, Li You patted the newbie, and then took the huge sneakers from O'Neal with a solemn expression:

"Okay, I know! I agree with this view!"

"Kobe told me to tell you, without him, you would never have won the championship."

Everyone laughed, and O'Neal took the sneakers and pretended to curse:
"Kobe is a pathetic guy, he will only play next to me!"

"I have MVP and FMVP. He will never reach my height. Even if he prays to God, the sharks will not pity him."

After holding up his sneakers and yelling, O'Neal, who was in a good mood, laughed loudly, hugged his little brother Wade, and said loudly:
"I'm not interested in getting the trophy, but I don't want to see Kobe win either!"

As soon as Li You heard this, he knew that O'Neal was going to fish. Considering that there are more than 20 games left in the regular season, the Heat obviously have to fight for the record:
"As long as you can win, just fight back more. Everyone knows how to perform."

After hearing Li You's words, everyone knew that they should try their best to attack the basket.

Most of the players selected for the All-Stars this year can enter the playoffs. Everyone has to play hard in this exhibition game. The remaining regular seasons will determine the final ranking.

LeBron James collected everyone's signatures and realized that Li You and O'Neal didn't have much interest in the trophy, and he was secretly happy for a while.

After D'Antoni appeared in the locker room, he laughed and said a few words about chicken soup. He did not increase his presence and did not mention the victory or defeat at all.

This year the Western All-Stars wear white jerseys, while the Eastern All-Stars wear blue jerseys.

During the appearance ceremony, the players will wear their team's training uniforms.

Every player received cheers from the fans when they came out, except Kobe.

Kobe, wearing a purple training uniform, looked serious and didn't make any moves. More than 18000 fans began to boo.

Yao Ming was still a little nervous and just waved to the fans after coming out.

The players who were selected for the first time were very excited. Arenas even took off his training clothes and shook them in his hands. He had a bright smile on his face and enjoyed this moment very much.

O'Neal also received a lot of cheers when he came on the court, which made Kobe frown and feel particularly unhappy.

Li You, who was the last to appear, received the loudest cheers. Without the home team players, the vast majority of fans chose to support the biggest winner.

Players from both sides greeted each other when they came to the center of the field. O'Neal and Kobe both regarded each other as nothing, and there was no communication throughout the process.

As O'Neal succeeded in jumping the ball, Carter took control of the ball and threw the ball to Li You, and the Pepsi Center Arena once again burst into cheers.

Western Conference All-Stars, Kobe and McGrady partnered up and were forced to play the 1 position.

In the first offensive round, O'Neal watched as Kobe, who was leading the defense, stopped, stood close to the left wing, and waved to Li You.

Swirling the ball behind his back, Li You deftly squeezed past O'Neal.

Kobe still wanted to pursue the defense, but was staggered by O'Neal's small movement in the screen.
When Yao Ming came up to help defend, Li You paused slightly, then turned his hips to accelerate, adjusted his stride, lowered his shoulders and accelerated.

Li You, who was leaning forward to accelerate, didn't wait to complete the pass. He noticed O'Neal who was passing down. He flicked his left wrist and the basketball flew horizontally.

When the ball arrives, O'Neal grabs the basketball in front of him. Right in front of the basket, O'Neal takes advantage of the situation and slams the basket with both hands!

Kobe, who was chasing behind him, was unhappy again. The cheers of the fans were piercing his ears. It was obvious that the petty O'Neal's action just now was intentional.
In the TNT commentary booth, Groom Albert couldn't help but smile and joked when he saw the two people's little moves:
"It seems that O'Neal still failed to ease the tense relationship with Kobe, but many fans should like this round."

Doug Collins noticed that Kobe seemed to want to regain face in singles, and added:
"Kobe also wants to prove himself, and I like his offensive choices."

After dribbling the ball with his hips, Kobe's graceful posture was fiercely booed by the fans at the scene. He switched to his right hand again, and Kobe slumped his shoulders and accelerated.

The very obvious offensive intention allowed Li You to predict easily. Before reaching the elbow area, Kobe began to slow down after the body collision.

Duncan took the initiative to come to the right elbow area to respond. Kobe, who originally wanted to post up, gave the ball to his teammate.

After handing over the ball, Kobe accelerated his lateral movement and stepped forward to receive Duncan's hand-to-hand pass.

After the fake screen, Duncan moved to the free throw line, taking away O'Neal's defense and allowing Li You to squeeze through easily.

O'Neal, who was under the basket, watched Kobe holding the ball with his left hand and trying to break through again. He simply gave up on Yao Ming and took the initiative to change directions and guard the basket.

Observing the defensive movement, Kobe held the ball in his left hand and suddenly stopped in the left block. After a feint, he failed to deceive Li You.

Instead of passing the ball, Kobe finally twisted his body, faced Li You's block, and forced a jump shot!

James shrank to the basket in advance, controlled the backboard, and returned the ball to Li You again. Everyone in the Eastern All-Star team accelerated towards the half court.

Advancing quickly, Li You noticed the speed of the opponent's retreat and simply slowed down.

O'Neal, who was lagging behind, quickly surpassed Li You and came to the left elbow area to ask for the ball.

After halftime, Li You threw the ball directly to O'Neal.

When Kobe was still turning his head to observe what was going on behind him, Li You suddenly accelerated and broke away from Kobe on the left wing and went straight to the basket.

O'Neal turned his body sideways and sent a ground pass, close to the blocking area. After receiving the ball, Li You stepped directly into the air and flew close to the paint area.

Duncan, who was helping to defend the basket, also moved ahead of time and raised his hands in an attempt to block the shot.

Li You held the ball in the air with his right hand, dodged the block, and then glided to the lower right side of the basket. Before landing, he threw the ball toward the backboard with one hand with his right hand.

"Bang!" Cut into the layup and made a solid hit.

The beautiful goal ignited the atmosphere at the scene. Li You and O'Neal high-fived in celebration. Both of them understood each other's abilities and cooperated very well with each other.

Kobe received the ball on the baseline and observed the defense. Duncan felt that he was watching him and took the initiative to come to the free throw line to try to respond.

Li You glanced back, and while he was still observing the defense, Kobe, who was dribbling across the half court, did not choose to pass the ball. Instead, he suddenly stopped at the top of the arc, and after joining the ball, he made a long three-pointer.
Yao Ming also felt that Kobe was looking at him. At this time, he was still stuck with O'Neal in the low post on the left side.

The long rebound popped up, James picked it up in the right block, and then immediately threw the ball forward.

Li You started early. After crossing the half court, he noticed that Kobe was still chasing after him. He held the ball in his right hand without losing speed. He reached the top of the arc and threw the ball to the upper left side of the basket.

James, who had been adjusting his steps, jumped up and the basketball just fell into his hands. When it reached the highest point, he grabbed the ball with his left hand and hovered briefly, then swung his arm and smashed it down!

"Boom!" The alley-oop dunk was successful.

"Wow!"

The continuous dunks also made everyone on the bench cheer, and McGrady, who retreated to half court, took the initiative to ask for the ball. When Kobe, who was no longer organizing the offense, came to the left wing, McGrady did not choose to return the ball, but took the initiative to ask Yao Ming for a pick-and-roll.

James failed to squeeze through the screen, and noticed O'Neal retreating to the defense. McGrady took a step laterally and immediately joined the ball, making a three-point jumper after an emergency stop.

When O'Neal collected the rebound under the basket and Li You caught the ball, Popovich, who was sitting on the bench, couldn't sit still and loudly reminded the players not to play too casually.

The defensive speed was very fast, but this time Garnett habitually shrank, and Li You saw the opportunity and dumped the ball into Carter's hands before halftime.

After receiving the ball from the right wing, Carter didn't make many adjustments. Without any interference, he converted to a three-pointer and hit it steadily!

At 9:0, the Western Conference All-Stars, who were obsessed with shooting, fell behind at the start.

After Kevin Garnett scored two points, Yao Ming grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket and made a tip-in to help the team break the scoring drought.

Looking back, O'Neal Jr. passed a fake screen on the right wing and received Li You's high throw. Although he failed to complete the dunk, he finally put the ball into the basket through Duncan.

All five players on the field scored. Driven by Li You's right pass, the Eastern Conference All-Star offense was simple and efficient.

The Western Conference All-Stars, under the control of McGrady, also played simple pick-and-rolls. Duncan and Garnett found their shooting touch and helped the team score points.

As the game time went by, every time Kobe touched the ball, a burst of boos erupted in the arena, which made Kobe's mood worse and worse.

Kobe, who was receiving the ball on the left wing, was filled with anger when he heard the boos. Without shaking too much, he took a tentative step with his right foot, suddenly released the ball with his left hand, and accelerated again with his shoulders down.

During the march, ignoring Li You's defense, Kobe barely squeezed through and then leaped high. Before he reached the highest point, O'Neal, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately refused!
After landing, Kobe couldn't stand firm and sat down on the floor. Seeing Li You take control of the ball and immediately throw the ball away, he cursed in anger.

Carter caught the ball in the frontcourt, approached the right wing, and immediately threw the ball toward the basket. James, who was flying down the field, caught the ball right in front, glided in the air, and pressed the ball into the basket with both hands!
"Wonderful cooperation! It seems that the Eastern All-Star team has a better understanding of each other than we thought!"

Groom Albert praised loudly, and Doug Collins joked again:
"I think what the teams in the Eastern Conference watch the most is the Knicks game tape!"

"Everyone on the court should be very familiar with Li You's playing habits and the Knicks' corresponding tactics."

"Maybe that's why they can always play smoothly together."

At 19:12, halfway through the first quarter, Popovich took the initiative to request a timeout and the two sides were preparing to make substitutions.

Western Conference, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Marion, Lewis, Nowitzki appear;
In the Eastern Conference, Arenas, Wade, Jamison, Stoudemire, and Ilgauskas also followed.

Both sides chose five ups and five downs, and in the second half of the game it was the Western All-Stars' turn to play a smooth attack.

O'Neal, who was sitting on the bench, did not pay attention to the situation on the court, but turned his head and whispered:

"I'm sure none of the three at Spurs will get much playing time."

Neither Parker nor Ginobili appeared. Li You heard O'Neal's words and responded nonchalantly:

"Even if you get the home field advantage, it can't change the final result. 60 wins is never easy."

The first-time All-Star player naturally performed hard, but Nash had no desire to attack, and Arenas was playing hard.

Wade and Marion performed well, and their fast breaks were particularly efficient.

At the end of the first quarter, at 34:27, the Eastern All-Stars only led by 7 points.

After playing half a quarter of the game, Kobe made 4 of 1 goals and scored 2 points. In addition, the fans booed from time to time, and he sat on the bench with a long face.

After Ginobili played a few minutes, Popovich replaced Kobe.

As the starting lineups of both sides gradually returned, under the leadership of Kobe Bryant, the Eastern All-Stars played a 23:3
In the semi-transition offense, Li You assisted Carter at the top of the arc to complete the alley-oop, and the dunk king who landed on the ground grinned at his opponent:

"Hey! You guys are just sleepwalking!"

Although the Eastern All-Stars relaxed later, Kobe finally hit a three-pointer, and the Western All-Stars continued to fill in the holes, the point difference was still huge.

At 69:53, there was a 16-point difference at halftime, and the fans at the scene began to boo Kobe again.

Duncan only played 9 minutes in the first half of the game. Popovich strictly controlled the playing time of the Spurs trio and was determined to let his players fish.

Li You played 12 minutes, which was slightly better than Duncan. D'Antoni evenly distributed the playing time. For this, the first-time All-Star player welcomed it with a raised hand.

The home fans thought that the Western Conference All-Stars would catch up in the second half. Unfortunately, due to frequent rotations, the players on the field were averagely efficient.

McGrady and Ray Allen were possessed by blacksmiths. Coupled with constant mistakes and relying on counterattacks, the Eastern All-Stars always firmly controlled the game.

After entering the 4th quarter, Kobe stopped struggling and sat on the bench expressionlessly. He really wanted to hit hard, but unfortunately his playing time was limited and he was never able to find his shooting touch.

The game time passed, and the Western Conference All-Stars showed no signs of counterattack. In the commentary box, Doug Collins said helplessly:

"Lewis and Ray Allen are out of shape, maybe Popovich should make adjustments."

Nowitzki, who appeared on the court, had no intention of defending at all. With his current state, there is a high probability that the game will be lost in the end.

Groom Albert also found it difficult to comment on such a scene, so he could only talk about the scene:
"Reduce some outside shooting, Wade and Lee counterattack too fast."

Until the end of the game, the Western Conference All-Stars failed to hit a climax and lost the game.

At 129:112, at the end of the game, the AMVP selection became a big issue.
李佑只出场了26分钟，12中7，三分线外2中1，拿到15分3篮板12助攻2抢断2失误的数据。

The players came to the center of the field, and Li You smiled and hugged everyone he met.

Nash and Parker played 18 minutes and 14 minutes respectively, both scoring 2 points and 6 assists.

科比在西部全明星队出场时间最多来到了29分钟，13中5，三分线外6中2，砍下12分4篮板5助攻1抢断3失误的数据。

Everyone was in a good mood, and O'Neal was smiling happily. Although he made 11 of 6 shots and only scored 12 points, looking at Kobe's big face, he felt particularly beautiful.
After everyone chatted for a while, the staff pushed the crystal trophy to the center of the field with David Ste.

勒布朗-詹姆斯有些激动，今晚他出场31分钟，12中6，三分线外3中1，罚球2中2，拿到15分8篮板5助攻2抢断2失误的数据。

Like Li You, who scored the highest score on the Eastern Conference All-Star team, James felt that the trophy was waving to him.

Seeing David Stern take the microphone, the Pepsi Center Arena erupted in cheers again.

"Thank you to the city of Denver for supporting the league and allowing us to have a wonderful All-Star Weekend with fans around the world!"

"15 points."

James, who was standing at the front looking eagerly at the trophy, perked up when he heard this word. When he heard 3 rebounds and 12 assists, he was extremely disappointed for a moment.

"The player who won the 2005 Denver All-Star Most Valuable Player Award was Clay-Lee!"

Li You, who was standing behind with Ray Allen in a towel, was a little surprised when he heard his name. He thought that this award would be given to a new player as an encouragement.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You came to the front and received the crystal trophy from David Stern.

"Congratulations, Lee! The league loved your performance during the All-Star Game. Young players need quality role models!"

"."

A smile appeared on Li You's face, and he complained secretly in his heart. He always had a feeling of powerlessness that "all depends on the support of his peers."

Seeing Li You win the trophy again, Ben Wallace turned into a flatterer and asked several Eastern Conference All-Stars to follow him.

Garnett, who only played 16 minutes, felt a little unhappy when he saw such a scene, but he really didn't want to waste too much energy on the All-Star Game. The Timberwolves still need to work hard for the playoffs.

Kobe suddenly thought that no one cheered with him when he won the award a few years ago, and his heart began to sour again.

Walking to the player tunnel in advance, Kobe was quickly booed by fans on both sides. After hearing some words, his face became even more ugly, and he cursed secretly in anger:
"The Denver All-Stars are like shit!"

On Monday, February 2, the players could continue to rest. In addition to praising Li You's performance during the All-Star Weekend, the New York Post also reported Ray Allen's honest evaluation:

"The West had a chance to win the game, but Kobe ended up losing us for the sake of numbers."

"His offensive choices are terrible and he seems to be addicted to the public opinion with O'Neal."

"Actually, we all know that without O'Neal, the Lakers would not be able to win the championship."

"26 wins and 24 losses. Looking at the Lakers' record, maybe they won't be able to enter the playoffs this year."

雷阿伦15中6，三分线外10中5，拿到全场最高的17分。

If the Western Conference All-Stars win, the AMVP should be his.

After the game, Ray Allen was not polite. During the interview, he directly pointed the finger at Kobe. By the way, he also angrily criticized McGrady for his similarly inefficient performance of 13-for-4.

Kobe did not respond. In addition to family matters, the news of the transaction also made him unhappy.

The Lakers appear to be planning to send Lamar Odom to the Kings in exchange for Peja.

Caron Bart, Devin George, and Divac were also put on the shelf, and Kupchak planned to use three people to exchange for Boozer.

After this news was exposed in the morning, Lakers fans became excited. Everyone expected that the transaction could change the team's current decline.

Li You flew back to Manhattan in the afternoon and went directly to the Tarrytown Training Center.

After the All-Star Weekend, in addition to the trophy, two talents were also completely digested.

[Jason Kidd’s extraordinary passing vision] and [Jason Kidd’s extraordinary passing IQ] have disappeared.

MSG President Steve Mills and Li You sat in the back row together, looking at the trophy in their hands, and then joked with a smile:
"Star within a star! New York fans will love seeing you win."

"Lee, thank you for standing with the team!"

The Knicks' boycott of the Jets actually annoyed some New York fans, but Li You didn't care about it:

"This is the right choice, we all know the impact of the NFL!"

"."

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