NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 382 The coach who knows Li best (6900 words chapter)
On Monday, May 2005, 5, Li You loaned the championship to the press conference in the morning, and LeBron James also did a big job in the afternoon.

Perhaps unwilling to become a little transparent when he came to Manhattan, James revealed to the media that his cooperation with his agents, the Goodwin brothers, was over.

This news immediately triggered a violent response. You must know that in only two years, Goodwin established an endorsement deal for James of more than 1.2 million US dollars.

In the sports world, only golfer Tiger Woods, F1 driver Michael Schumacher, football star David Beckham and current NBA player Li You earn more than this rookie.

As the fifth highest-paid athlete in the world, James' business success is naturally inseparable from the help of the Goodwin brothers.

The cooperation between the two parties can be said to have just begun, and James' decision shocked the Goodwin brothers.

"When entering the playoffs, kill your agent first." The choice of the chosen one was beyond everyone's expectations.

The news had just been released, and ESPN immediately interviewed Aaron Goodwin. This well-known agent was still in Cleveland, and his mood had stabilized during the interview:
"I'm shocked by what's going on!"

"We did everything for LeBron to help him build his image off the court and help him become the next icon in sports."

As if he didn't want to talk too much, Goodwin pondered for a moment before continuing:
"If what we've done over the past two years has convinced him that he doesn't need an agent anymore, then I think we've done a pretty good job."

LeBron James, who had taken off his training clothes and was adjusting the red headband on his head, did not show much emotion.

The home team's appearance ceremony ignited the atmosphere at the scene. As the lights in the arena went out, waves of cheers resounded throughout the arena.

Just looking at the two people under the spotlight in the center of the venue, James still showed an envious expression.

"Their defense was outstanding, but they took less than 13 shots from beyond the arc during the regular season."

In the second year of Li You's career, the Knicks defeated the Bulls, ending Michael Jordan's second three-peat.

"If I remember correctly, during the regular season, Lee averaged 9.5 attempts per game from beyond the three-point line."

"If he stays healthy, Lee should be the all-time scoring leader."

After following his mentor to Cleveland, Charlie Ward's playing time has been compressed again with the arrival of Eric Snow, and he has now been reduced to a member of the atmosphere team.

"The score difference is about 10 points. The Knicks can even rely on Lee's personal ability to even out the score difference in a very short period of time. Modern basketball has changed, and it is difficult to compete with the defending champion just relying on defense."

Seeing Li You lifting the trophy, loud shouts soon rang out in the arena:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

While James Dolan and Li You were taking photos, Van Gundy once again warned the players:

Hubie Brown spoke slowly and gave his opinions with a serious expression. Michaels nodded, changed the topic and continued:
"With the fifth MVP trophy in his career, Lee tied the record set by Michael Jordan at the age of 5."

On the visiting team's bench, Howard was still laughing and watching the excitement. The rookie was particularly happy to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

"Thank you for your blessings. I will achieve this record as soon as possible in the new season!"

"Li's three-point shooting output alone exceeds that of the entire Cavaliers team. This statistic is terrifying!"

"It's difficult to describe Lee's impact on the game in detail, but fortunately we still have this award."

LeBron James seems to have gotten the same script, with explosive statistics, an excellent team record, and the same encounter with the defending champion.

Unlike Cleveland, New York's fans are very swollen because of the blessing of the championship. While Cavaliers fans are still eager for the arrival of the championship, they have already won.

"This is really an incredible performance. I believe that Lee will surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is too young. It is conservatively estimated that Lee will still be a strong contender for MVP in the next five years!"

The melon-eaters made various speculations for a while, and the popularity of the news skyrocketed.

"It's difficult for LeBron to replicate Lee's experience. Ewing was still able to support interior defense on that Knicks team. It was a team with a balanced offense and defense."

"Reduce those stupid mistakes, we can miss the shot, but we must avoid low-level mistakes that allow the opponent to score easily."

At 19:30 that night, half an hour before the start of the game, Michaels also started gossiping about the fresh news in the ABC commentary box:
"There is no doubt that after entering the league, with the help of his agent Goodwin, LeBron James was successful!"

In the Madison Square Garden Arena, New York fans are extremely excited tonight. No one has any objections to Li You's loan.

"Lee's shooting makes up for the team's offensive deficiencies, and the Cavaliers currently have quite a problem with their offensive space."

"So far in his career, he has scored 19908 points. Next season, Lee will become the youngest player in NBA history to score 2 points."

In the noisy arena, David Stern stood in the middle of the field, looked at Li You beside him, and said with a smile:

"Expensive endorsement contracts, excellent coaching staff, and talented team."

"Hit 361 three-pointers in a single season and once again set a new efficiency record."

“连续5个赛季进入到180俱乐部，NBA历史上首个35+5+10的球员！”

The two men boasted loudly in the commentary box. There were too many small records. The playoff fans in front of the TV were filled with excitement. Li You was a walking humanoid record.

As long as he can defeat the Knicks, the popularity of the chosen one is very likely to surpass Li You in one fell swoop.

On the Cavaliers bench, Charlie Ward felt uncomfortable for a moment when he heard Li You starting to thank the fans.

Hearing that David Stern had advanced the loan, Li You also laughed. After receiving the trophy, the president next to him hugged him in greeting:

In the past few days, sports commentators have been discussing the possibility of the Cavaliers counterattacking the Knicks. However, Hubie Brown is not Barkley's loudmouth. The old coach still said truthfully:

James realizes the completely different basketball atmospheres in the two cities and understands why so many teams don't like to come to New York to play in the playoffs.

Until the start of the game in the evening, Goodwin did not mention the reason for his dismissal during the interview, and LeBron James also remained silent about the matter.

Taking the trophy from the staff, David Sturt paused and continued:
"Congratulations to Lee, the 2004-05 regular season MVP and the fifth career trophy. Let us wish the youngest 5-point man in NBA history!"

This city ignored the "small role". After the Lakers disintegrated, they even shouted that no one could compete with the Knicks. It was not until injuries and accidents occurred this season that they restrained themselves.

"With the support of his hometown fans, James is on the playoff stage again this season. Does he have a chance to replicate Lee's experience and lead the team to win the championship in the second year of his career?"

Hubie Brown seemed to be reminded of another of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s records and added confidently:

"Believe in your talent, seize every opportunity to switch offense, McGinnis, pay attention to the rhythm of the game, and take care of the big man."

Tonight, McGinnis and James partnered in the backcourt. After hearing the coach's instructions, he quickly nodded seriously.

The starting three frontcourt players are still Ira Nubell, Dwight Howard, and Ilgauskas.

Everyone gathered around Van Gundy, listening carefully to the head coach's arrangements and the assistant coach's reminders. James was very motivated and firmly believed that he was the protagonist.

The players from both sides were doing their final warm-up, and soon the referee motioned for everyone to come to the center of the field, and the DJ started shouting:
"Let's go Knicks!."

Amidst the cheers, Li You briefly fist bumped with everyone on the Cavaliers and then returned to the half court to wait for the ball.

Ilgauskas may have been a little nervous and jumped too early, and Gasol took the opportunity to move the ball to half court.

In the first offensive round, after Li Youyun passed halftime, everyone in the Knicks had already settled down early.

The Cavaliers were obviously well prepared, with McGinnis leading the defense and Howard struggling with Kurt Thomas at the free throw line.

At the same time, James and Newbell lined up on the left and right wings, observing the line and cutting off passes.

On the lower right side of the basket, Ilgauskas squeezed next to Gasol.

Positioned 131 to protect the area defense of the penalty area, Li You stopped and saw the opponent's defensive position, knowing that Van Gundy wanted to control the paint area and properly test outside shooting.

There is no doubt about LeBron James' athletic ability. Li You did not pass the ball hard. He waved to Prince first, indicating that the opponent should go to the right corner to open up the offensive space.

While protecting the ball sideways, Li You called Kurt Thomas to come to the three-point line to respond.

When the command was in place, the offense was somewhat stagnant. In the commentary box, Hubie Brown saw the Cavaliers' defense and praised with a smile:
"In the first round, the Cavaliers defeated the Bulls with their rebounding advantage, and they did a very good job defending in the paint."

At the top of the arc, Li You was still protecting the ball sideways. It wasn't until Prince slipped across the baseline from right to left and came to the left near the baseline to stand still that he called on Laga Bell to raise his hand to pass the ball.

When Li You sent the pass and ran to the right corner, the Cavaliers' defense immediately changed to a 32 zone defense.

Howard moved up near the free throw line, and McGinnis, who was chasing him, ran to the bottom corner. Newbell followed Prince to the top line and at the same time called Howard to position on the other side.

After receiving the pass, Laga Bell immediately gave the ball to Kurt Thomas at the top of the key.

After Prince completed the off-ball screen, he moved to the free throw line. When he caught the ball, he noticed that Howard failed to get into position in time and immediately turned around and swung the ball to the left wing.

Li You, who also noticed the loopholes in the opponent's defense, used Gasol's screen on the lower right side of the basket to accelerate the outside shot.

Prince sent a cross pass, and Li You just came to the right wing. When he caught the ball, Ilgauska inside and Howard, who was moving towards the top of the arc, both knew they had made a mistake and tried to defend but it was too late.

He raised the ball and feinted, Li You caught the ball and faced the frame. Howard, who was out of position, did pounce from the side, but it was only when the newbie flew into the air that he realized that he had been deceived.

Li You released the ball with his left hand and moved a step laterally. Howard just landed, seizing the time difference, and easily made a jump shot!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

Hubie Brown was praising his opponent just now, but then he immediately changed his tune:
"A textbook dismantling tactic. It seems that the Knicks are also well prepared."

Michaels saw the Knicks also surrounding the paint area after returning to defense, and then added:
"It seems that both sides of tonight's game intend to test each other's outside shooting."

"Defense!."

Li You scored easily in the first round, which made the New York fans at the scene very enthusiastic. After sitting in their seats, the defensive cheers became louder and louder.

Seeing such a zone defense, McGinnis gave the ball to James on the left wing early with a big head.

When the latter received the ball, McGinnis took Li You and ran to the right wing, and Newbell stopped in the right corner early to open up space.

Because Howard's shooting is so bad, Ilgauskas is mainly responsible for the Cavaliers' pick-and-roll offense.

Near the baseline on the right, Ilgauskas came to the three-point line early.

Li You waved to Prince in the right corner, who immediately moved closer to the paint area, ready to help defend at any time.

Gasol, who followed the defense, quickly retreated to the defense when the two initiated a pick-and-roll.

James, holding the ball in his left hand, observed Gasol's movements and used the screen to get rid of Laga Bell. After completely attracting the defense, he broke through to the left block and quickly passed the ball to his teammates.

The timing of the pass was just right. Laga Bell had no time to turn around to help defend. Prince paid attention to the opponent's passing route while pounced upward to defend.

Relying on his height advantage, Ilgauskas, who received the ball at the left elbow, ignored the block and made a steady jump shot.

Van Gundy on the sidelines was very satisfied with this offense and repeatedly clapped his players to retreat.

Li You, who caught the ball at the baseline, accelerated his advance. After crossing the half court, he noticed that the Cavaliers continued the defensive strategy from the previous round and continued to deploy defense near the free throw line, quickly passing the ball to Prince on the right wing. .

After receiving the ball, Prince gave the ball to Gasol who was looking for the ball in the low post on the right. The moment the latter caught the ball, James immediately helped defend to the left near the baseline to cut off the passing route.

The Cavaliers changed their defensive formation, and Howard also began to move toward the paint, preventing Gasol from throwing the ball into the hands of the open Raja Bell on the right wing.

On the line, Li You accelerated and moved to the left flank. Prince covered and ran towards the top of the arc.

Taking advantage of the gap in the screen, Gasol returned the ball to Li You on the right wing again.

After catching the ball, he immediately released the ball with his right hand. Li You broke through and took advantage of Newbel, who was switching defenses, to slide to the left and back and circle the ball behind his back.

Li Youshen, who switched to his left hand, accelerated with his shoulder. The moment he approached the paint area, several members of the Cavaliers immediately shrank to the basket.

Howard and James tried to complete the encirclement in the paint area, and Laga Bell, who was left empty, ran towards the right corner.

Li You passed the ball accurately in the paint and found his teammates. Kurt Thomas took advantage of the situation and provided an off-ball screen to Laga Bell.

James tried to defend, but was delayed, and finally watched as Raja Bell succeeded in an open jumper in the right corner.

After hitting consecutive three-pointers in the opening game, Van Gundy on the sidelines loudly reminded his players to hold on.

After McGinnis passed the half court, facing the Knicks' shrinking defense, he gave the ball to Newbell early in the right block, who was asking for the ball with his back.

After handing over the ball, he immediately ran to the right wing to open up space. McGinnis waited for the ball and Ilgauskas also moved to the free throw line.

Taking advantage of his weight, Newbell caught the ball and continued to hit it with his left hand. When Prince moved backward, he immediately turned towards the baseline.

Ignoring Prince's block, Newbell drifted back to the right and hit the ball with a jumper.

Although Howard struggled to get stuck on the lower left side of the basket, the basketball hit the front edge.

After Prince landed, he twisted around to collect the rebound. The Cavaliers did not delay, but responded to each other and retreated quickly.

Li You, who caught the ball, chased the opponent's butt and rushed across the half court. Before the Cavaliers could complete the matchup, he immediately started a pick-and-roll with Gasol who stopped at the top of the arc.

After decelerating and suddenly stopping, Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, dribbled the ball behind his back and moved laterally.

McGinnis struggled to squeeze through after being delayed. Ilgauskas saw Li You move away from the defensive three-point line to increase his center of gravity and subconsciously moved to delay.

When the two men were about to encircle each other, Li You suddenly pushed the ball in a different direction. McGinnis just caught up with him, but lost his defensive position again.

With a solid screen, Li You, who regained the ball with his right hand, squeezed past Ilgauskas and drove straight to the basket from the middle.

At the bottom left of the basket, Howard had just retreated and had not yet established his footing. He had no time to help defend. He watched Li Yousan sprint up, hold the ball with his right hand, and throw the ball towards the basket before Ilgauskas retreated. .

The high-arc throw just passed Ilgauskas's left arm and accurately fell into the basket amid the cheers of the fans.

At 2:8, shouts rang through the arena, and Van Gundy once again reminded the players to hold on.

Suddenly switching to man-to-man defense, Li You led the defense and delayed McGinnis' advancement.

James saw the defensive formation change, called for Newbell to move across the line, and he accelerated to the right corner and slipped across the baseline from right to left.

When Newbell came to the right wing, Howard's off-ball screen on the left side near the baseline allowed James to temporarily get rid of Laga Bell's pursuit.

In the left blocking area, James failed to receive the pass immediately and had to move laterally again.

McGinnis was interfered by Li You, and when the card failed to be dealt, he immediately turned around to protect the ball, switched to his right hand and sent the ball to James near the free throw line.

When the latter caught the ball, Laga Bell was already chasing him. James released the ball with his right hand and broke through the middle of the defense.

At the moment when the Knicks' defense shrank, James, who came directly in front of the basket, pushed away Raja Bell and succeeded in a one-handed throw with his right hand.

In the commentary box, Michaels saw James knocking away Raja Bell and immediately said with a smile:

"Maybe Coach D'Antoni will miss Artest and Hill at this time."

"The Cavaliers are very strong on the wing and obviously Coach Van Gundy is going to respond in the paint."

McGinnis, who retreated from defense, responded loudly. Li You and Gasol initiated a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc and then moved laterally with the ball in their left hands. They were quickly defended by James.

The ball was released early, and Raja Bell received the ball in the left corner. Howard rotated in time and pounced on the ball immediately, and James immediately returned to defend.

The basketball returned to outside the three-point line. Li You caught the ball away from the basket and threw the ball to Gasol near the free throw line. He swayed to the left and then ran back and cut in.

Ilgauskas' defensive attention was attracted by Li You. Without paying attention, he could only watch Gasol throw the ball to the upper right side of the basket.

When the ball arrived, Li You, who jumped high into the air, stretched out his right arm, firmly grasped the ball, hovered briefly, and smashed the ball into the basket!

"Wow!"

The cheers started again, and McGinnis, who was chasing the basket, felt helpless. The opponent's offense was more patient than they imagined.

The Cavaliers' offense was simple and crude, with another pick-and-roll between James and Ilgauskas on the right wing.

Laga Bell bypassed, Gasol retreated to the defense, and James held the ball in his right hand and rushed to the basket, attracting double-teams and passing to his teammates in the middle.

Ilgauskas made a layup and the Cavaliers continued to respond.

As the game progressed, both sides showed extremely high shooting percentages.

Relying on his physical advantage, James can always squeeze into the paint area, or force his way to the basket, or attract the defense to give the ball to the inside.

This time Howard succeeded in eating the cake on the lower right side of the basket, scoring in a sports game in the semifinals for the first time in his career.

Looking back, Howard and James failed to cooperate. After the double screen on the line, Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, came to the right wing to break away from the defense and drive to the basket.

James failed to shrink in time, and Howard couldn't get under the basket. In desperation, he could only pull the foul and send Li You a free throw.

The Cavaliers attacked with a simple pick-and-roll on the left wing. McGinnis assisted Ilgauskas and succeeded in a long two-point jumper.

Quickly serving the baseline ball, he once again played a double screen on the top line. Li You, who moved laterally with the ball in his left hand, encountered a big delay from Howard.

Before McGinnis, who was pursuing him behind him, could complete the double-team, Li You accelerated his pace, grabbed half of Howard's body, leaned forward, accelerated, and then sent a through ball.

Kurt Thomas dunked with both hands to help the Knicks continue to score points.

The Cavaliers continued to pass the ball. James and Ilgauskas' pick-and-roll failed. Lagar Bell squeezed through and completed a double attack with Gasol.

Ilgauskas, who caught the ball at the top of the arc, could only complete the hand-off with McGinnis again and reorganize the offense.

Just before 24 seconds, McGinnis made a jump shot from outside the three-point line. Poor offensive choice allowed Li You to pick up a long rebound, and Newbell immediately committed a tactical foul.

In positional attack, Li You's breakthrough on the right wing once again attracted a double-team, and Prince made a jumper from the right corner.

Unable to execute a transition attack, James took a hand-to-hand pass from Ilgauskas and missed a jumper from the free throw line.

In the semi-transition attack, Li You, who was being defended, came to the left wing and immediately passed the ball to Gasol in the blocking area, who was asking for the ball with his back.

As Li You cut to the basket without the ball, he once again attracted the attention of the opponent's defense. Gasol turned around and faced the frame to attack, and suddenly released the ball with his right hand.

After breaking through the line, he took two big steps and quickly turned toward the baseline. While switching to his left hand, Gasol came to the lower left side of the basket to hit the board and lay up.

The game progressed smoothly, and James once again responded by driving to the basket. For a while, it was difficult for the Knicks to widen the point difference.

Except for the official timeout, the coaching staff of both sides allowed the game to develop and did not request any more timeouts.

The desperate Cavaliers kept delaying and did not give Li You an opportunity to easily attack from beyond the three-point line.

The Knicks got smaller and smaller, and James had to start shooting jumpers to help the team stabilize the situation.

With 1 minute and 42 seconds left in the first quarter, Ilgauskas dropped the ball and the Cavaliers made their first mistake.

After completing the steal, Gasol strode across half court with the ball.

"Oh!"

Amid the exclamations of the fans, Gasol dribbled from behind and dodged McGinnis who was trying to steal.

Passing through the midline, Gasol, holding the ball in his left hand, passed the ball to Li You on the left wing.

It was too late for McGinnis to try to defend. He watched Li You stop and made a jump shot from outside the three-point line in transition!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

19:26, the score difference came to 7 points again.

Both sides entered extra penalty mode. Howard, who was fighting for rebounds, caused Kurt Thomas to foul and stood on the free throw line.

Unexpectedly, he made two free throws. Seeing that the point difference was narrowed again, Hubie Brown commented with a smile:

"Van Gundy should be the coach who knows Lee best in the league. Except for some defensive holes in a few rounds, the Cavaliers performed very well in the first quarter."

Michaels was also surprised. LeBron and Ilgauskas were both accurate in their jump shots, which was beyond his expectation:
"It seems that this game will be a tug-of-war. If LeBron can continue this offensive state, I believe the Cavaliers have a chance to win an away victory."

The Knicks rotated, Li You was replaced by Fisher, and the Cavaliers replaced Howard, who committed two fouls, with Gooden.

Returning to the bench, Li You had just sat down when he saw the Cavaliers changing their defensive strategy, switching to man-to-man marking, and no longer delaying double-teaming.

Van Gundy and Thibodeau really trained the Cavaliers' defense well. Ewing on the side also sighed in a low voice:
"It looks like they're taking the Knicks' defensive strategy from the past and moving it to the Cavaliers."

"We used to double-team you in the block, now they double-team you on two wings outside the three-point line."

Hearing Ewing's whisper, Li You just raised his eyebrows and said nonchalantly:
"They're going to make the first mistake, and all we have to do is be patient."

Newbell and Prince made free throws, and when they saw James hitting a single at the top of the arc, he suddenly stopped just one step past the three-point line and made another jump shot. There were boos for a while.

At the last moment, Gasol caused another foul on Gooden under the basket. Van Gundy on the sidelines clapped his hands in encouragement with some regret.

At 25:31, the first quarter ended. The Knicks lost their previous fast-paced offense and only led by 6 points.

李佑7中5，三分线外3中2，罚球2中2，砍下14分2篮板4助攻。

James made 7 of 5 shots from inside and outside, scoring 10 points.

In the commentary box, Hubie Brown couldn't help but sigh again after seeing the technical statistics:
"As expected of a championship coach, Coach Van Gundy seems to have found the key to winning!"

"."

(End of this chapter)