NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 383: Got the Wrong Script (5000-word chapter)
In many NBA games, plans usually do not change quickly.

D'Antoni didn't expect Gasol to be troubled by fouls, and Van Gundy also didn't expect his second team to make frequent mistakes.

After the Cavaliers got off to a relatively perfect start, Van Gundy showed a confident expression. In key games, he even shortened the rotation to basically seven players.

It's just that James, who made an accurate two-point jumper in the first quarter, failed to continue his shooting touch, and the well-designed defense also had problems as the game time went by.

With 3 minutes and 16 seconds left in the half, Van Gundy replaced Eric Snow, who failed to deal, and also replaced Ilgauskas.

McGinnis and Howard appeared again, and the Cavaliers always maintained mobility inside.

The Knicks still maintain a rotation lineup, and Fisher shows the temperament of a championship guard. Regardless of his shooting percentage, he will throw the ball whenever there is an opportunity from the outside!
In the last round of the three-point arc, Fisher assisted James for a fast break dunk. When receiving the ball from the baseline, he noticed that Li Youbi made the same tactical gesture, and the old fish began to control the court confidently again.

The starting lineup returned, and James once again played the No. 2 position. At this time, the Cavaliers still insisted on zone defense.

When Li You moved from right to left, he came to the left wing with the help of the cover of Kurt Thomas and Stoudemire. Prince has already run around the baseline towards the right corner.

According to the defensive requirements, James paid attention to the movements behind him and reminded his teammates to delay the defense.

At 43:54, the point difference returned to double digits.

Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, flew close to the ground, forced himself away from the defense, and combined the ball right in front of the basket with a sneak step to pick the basket!

James followed up the defense again, and the Cavaliers were forced to guard once. McGinnis followed Fisher and no longer intentionally left the ball open.

Running into Howard's arms, Li You increased his stride and squeezed past him.

When the latter received the ball close to the right wing, he pretended to pass the ball to the bottom corner.

"Wow!"

Amid cheers, Kurt Thomas twisted back to the basket and controlled the ball.

The top of the arc was close to the three-point line. Howard tried to delay his approach. As he was walking, Li You suddenly paused. As soon as his opponent stopped, he immediately dropped his shoulders and accelerated.

After Howard provided James with a ball-free screen under the basket, he took the initiative to go to the lower right side of the basket, leaned against Stoudemire, and asked for the ball with his back.

James subconsciously adjusted his center of gravity and instinctively slid to the right, but he could only watch Li You's crotch change direction, and once again used the screen to completely get rid of the defense.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The shooting percentage dropped and the point difference widened, and the Cavaliers involuntarily began to speed up the offensive rhythm.

Being stuck behind the opponent, Stoudemire did not force his way forward, but when Gooden sent the pass, he raised his left arm high while resisting the defense.

Close to the basket, Howard, who received the ball, put the ball with both hands and leaned toward the defense to try to take advantage of it.

3 out of 1. D'Antoni can accept this performance. Li You also high-fived Fisher in celebration.

The Knicks' rotation was in average shooting shape, and this was Fisher's first three-pointer of the game.

Squeezing to the basket, Howard jumped up directly, trying to dunk against the defense.

The basketball drew a huge arc and finally hit the net.

Newbell also strictly implemented the coaching staff's arrangements. When Li You received the ball, he took advantage of Stoudemire to come to the three-point line to pick and roll, and when he squeezed the screen, he loudly reminded McGinnis to double-team.

The basketball flew towards the backboard, and Howard raised his left arm awkwardly in the air. He missed the ball, but hit Li You's right forearm.
"squeak!"

The two briefly competed in the air, and eventually Howard lost control of the ball and Stoudemire completed the shot.

Howard's footstep failed to keep up with the rhythm. Li You took action early and followed behind him to subconsciously jump to block the shot.

Facing man-to-man defense, McGinnis gave the ball to Gooden at the right elbow early after halftime.

After releasing the ball with his right hand, Li You moved laterally with the help of a screen. Facing McGinnis' early delay, he returned the ball to Fisher early.

The two bottom corners are currently the sweet spot for James' outside shooting. Li You continues to pursue the defense, forcing the opponent to slip past the bottom line.

Putting the ball with his left hand, Li You led the ball forward, leaned on the defense and pretended to break through. When Stoudemire stood still and James squeezed the screen, he suddenly stopped and dribbled the ball behind his back.

After struggling to reach the top of the arc, Li You did not force the ball, but stopped suddenly and ran back again.

"Defense!."

Shaking out the space, Li You swayed his body to the right and forward, while in and out slightly.

In the right corner, James first pretended to move up to catch the ball, and then suddenly ran back.

After the body collision, Stoudemire still did not lose his position. When he saw his opponent take off, he came first and placed his left hand firmly on the basketball.

Fisher simply made a ball-free screen on the right wing and ran towards the bottom corner. Li You still did not get rid of the defense and continued to move toward the top of the key.

Hubie Brown was more concerned about the point difference. He observed that Van Gundy had no intention of requesting a timeout and commented simply:

After handing over the ball, he ran to the left corner. At the same time, Li You, who had arrived at the right corner early, accelerated and moved up the line.

The right wing was far away from the three-point line and the moment he got rid of the defense, Li You received the pass.

In the commentary box, Michaels felt that everything happened too fast, and subconsciously sighed:
"Lee is faster than Wade, and he can seize these one-on-one opportunities without even noticing."

James, who was chasing, tried to break the hand-off and squeezed into Li You's side.

Amidst the cheers, James glanced behind him from time to time, noticed that Stoudemire was raising the pick and roll again, and hurriedly defended and tried to squeeze through.

Taking advantage of James moving back to cut off the passing line, McGinnis failed to defend in time, and Fisher adjusted and continued to fire from outside the three-point line.

The referee blew the whistle, the basketball hit the board and went into the basket, and Madison Square Garden boiled again.

Howard waved his hand in frustration. He had indeed managed to get close to the basket. He was still annoyed when he returned to defense. He felt that he should have waved a few more times.
After receiving the ball, Prince dribbled across the half court along the left sideline. Without any interference, he immediately gave the ball to Stoudemire at the top of the key.

"The time to test the Cavaliers has arrived, and they must respond as soon as possible!"

"So far they have only taken one shot from outside the three-point line. If they want to equalize this point difference, in addition to defense, the core players also need to score."

Li You looked calm as he walked to the free throw line, and his patience was rewarded.

At 43:57, Van Gundy on the sidelines was a little anxious and reminded James at the top of his voice to catch the ball and attack.

The Cavaliers' two big men covered the baseline and slipped across the baseline from right to left. James bounced out to the left block to receive the pass.

Although he got rid of Li You's pursuit, because of his previous jump shot, James released the ball with his right hand and then rolled towards the basket.

Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas both contracted at the same time, James still forced a layup, and the referee finally called a foul on the thug.

Stoudemire, who bounced around after landing and completed the block, was a little dissatisfied and was still explaining to the bottom line referee:

"I swear it was a good shot! I hit the ball first."

Standing on the free throw line, James ignored the shouts of the fans behind the basket, received the ball and made the free throw steadily.

On the second free throw, when the rebound was caught by Stoudemire, James immediately stepped forward to delay Li You who was catching the ball.

Li You continued to accelerate along the right sideline. Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, did not waver at all and rushed through the half court leaning on James.

Fisher trailed in the middle, ready to respond at any time. Prince opened up the space on the other side, and the big man ran to the basket early.

The Cavaliers, who had retreated in time, had just stopped, completed the matchup, and approached the right flank, when Li You also began to slow down.

Stepping on the three-point line to establish a defensive position, James lowered his center of gravity and once again defended in front of Li You, controlling the defensive distance and focusing on the basketball in his hands.

Noticing that the opponent's feet were standing parallel, Li You straightened up after decelerating and immediately changed the direction of his hips, quickly lowered his center of gravity, led the ball forward, lowered his shoulders and accelerated.

At the three-point line, James hurriedly slid to the right and back, still keeping his distance and guarding against breakthroughs.

Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, slowed down again when he dropped the ball. Without giving the opponent time to react, he suddenly accelerated his dribbling speed. When the basketball came in front of him, his hips suddenly changed direction.

Seeing that Li You was about to break through from the other side, James adjusted his center of gravity and was attacked and supported in front of the defense. He forcibly twisted around and quickly slid to the left and back.

Li You leaned forward and pretended to break through, but suddenly used his right hand to blast the ball, and with the help of the rebound force, he retreated significantly.

On the right wing, Li You returned to the three-point line and took a slight fadeaway jumper.

James worked hard to block the shot, but after continuously adjusting his center of gravity, it was difficult to exert force, and finally watched the basketball pass through his fingertips.

Trying hard to control his body didn't have much effect. James, who was falling in the air, had no choice but to crash into Li You.

"squeak!"

Li You took advantage of the situation and slid to the floor, sliding to the sideline. The referee blew the whistle again.

The basketball hit the net, and cheers instantly echoed throughout the arena:

"Wow!"

Li You, who was in the shape of "Tai", was pulled up by his teammates. James stood up and looked at the scoreboard.

"What an amazing athletic ability. Lee's combination ball is so good!" "LeBron can also block shots. Maybe what he lacks is just game experience."

After saying these words, Hubie Brown fell silent, seeming to think of his experience coaching the Grizzlies.

When Jason Williams first entered the league, he was compared with Li You. Now no one pays attention to this white point guard anymore.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Li Youjia made a free throw, shouts resounded throughout the arena, and the score difference reached the largest 17 points in the game.

Halftime was about to end, and Van Gundy frowned on the sidelines.

As Gooden and Stoudemire both made two free throws, the score reached 45:62.

The Cavaliers' zone defense really worked, and Stoudemire's finishing suffered.

The Knicks' patience paid off. Their opponents committed five turnovers in a single quarter and relied on fast break counterattacks to seal the victory.

James was depressed as he walked towards the tunnel. Unlike the Bulls, he would pay the price for his mistakes tonight.

What made him feel even more uncomfortable was that the Knicks were throwing three-pointers wildly and were still ahead in rebounds.
Howard was not affected by the point difference. He received three fouls in the half, which was in line with expectations. The "big boy" walked into the locker room and shouted:

"We should also try to take shots from the outside and leave the rebounds to me!"

"."

Returning to his seat, James said nothing. If the three-pointer was a hit, the game might have collapsed long ago.

半场比赛李佑14中9，三分线外7中4，罚球6中6，拿到28分3篮板6助攻1抢断1失误。

As Hubie Brown said before the game, Li You's output from beyond the three-point line exceeded that of the entire Cavaliers team.

Michaels looked at the technical statistics and commented briefly:

"To equalize the point difference, not only must they limit the opponent's scoring on the defensive end, the Cavaliers must also respond from the outside."

The Knicks shot 14 of 6 from beyond the three-point line in the half, while their opponents only took three shots from beyond the three-point line, without making any hits.

Hubie Brown laughed and repeated his pre-game views:
"With a score difference of 17 points, if the opponent is not accurate on the outside, according to Li's current state, the game may soon lose suspense."

"Most of the points lost come from transition attacks. This is the personal ability of the superstar."

Facing a rookie team with a big lead, the New York fans at the scene began to celebrate the victory in advance.

After the start of the second half, James remained calm and was not in a hurry to score points from the outside.

In the first round, using a screen, James caught the ball in the right block and released the ball with his left hand, relying on Laga Bell to go straight to the basket.

Right in front of the basket, James tilted his body to face Kurt Thomas, who was coming to help defend him, and forced a throw.

The referee blew the whistle and the basketball stumbled and fell into the basket.

With a 2+1 opportunity, James shook his shoulders, patted his chest and stood at the free throw line.

It was just an extra penalty. Gasol grabbed the basketball. James didn't hold back. When he returned to defense, he cursed:
"Shet!"

Every point is extremely important. Seeing Li You dribbling unhurriedly through the half court, although McGinnis was anxious, he could only carefully control the defensive distance.

Noticing that Ilgauskas was standing near the baseline on the left, Li You waved his hand to Prince and Laga Bell in the left corner to change positions.

Newbell followed the baseline and continued to pursue the defense. James followed the defense to the right corner and then moved up, continuing to maintain the zone defense position.

Li You, who was dawdling at the top of the arc, switched to his left hand to protect the ball and moved to the left wing.

Gasol's fake screen did not change the opponent's interior defense, and Ilgauskas still guarded the basket.

James cooperated with McGinnis to quickly double-team. Gasol, who followed the pass, attracted the attention of the inside defense. Li You immediately gave the ball to Laga Bell in the left corner.

Ilgauskas was a little slower. Although he tried hard to defend, Laga Bell did not make any adjustments and just threw the ball after the ball.

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

47:65, the score difference is still widening.
Speeding up the offensive tempo again, McGinnis handed over the ball early, on the left wing, James held the ball with his left hand and Ilgauskas initiated a pick-and-roll.

Seeing Raja Bell go around the line, Gasol continued to retreat to defend. James, who was left open, adjusted slightly after joining the ball and made a jumper.

The long rebound was picked up by Li You in the paint area, and McGinnis made a decisive tactical foul.
"Shh!"

The New York fans at the scene booed. At the beginning of each quarter, the Cavaliers would use fouls to disrupt the transition attack, which made everyone very dissatisfied.

The Knicks attacked and faced the same zone defense as in the first quarter. Li You called for double cover again.

As Li You changed direction from his crotch to his right hand and accelerated laterally, Newbell came forward decisively and with great delay.

Prince, who ran to the right corner, was left open. He received a pass from Li You and made a jumper.

There was just a sigh in the arena. Li You got in front of Newbell and McGinnis and picked up an offensive rebound in the left block.
Watching Li You break through to the basket and start circling, even Howard followed suit and cursed lowly.

Going around to the right blocking area, Li You suddenly sent a cross pass. Gasol grabbed the ball with his left hand and pulled his arm sideways, facing Howard who came up to help defend and completed the throw.

The referee blew the whistle, the basketball hit the basket, and Gasol pumped his fist in celebration.

The cheers started again, and in the commentary box, Hubie Brown noticed the mood of everyone on the Cavaliers and commented briefly again:

"This is the dominance of the Knicks. In the past few years, they have never lost when they are leading by more than 15 points."

"The points difference is getting bigger and bigger, and the game will soon return to Lee's favorite rhythm!"

Just as the old coach predicted, the Cavaliers couldn't help but enter a state of getting the ball and doing it.

A simple pick-and-roll, and Ilgauskas hit a jump shot from the free throw line;

In a semi-conversion attack, Li You once again found Prince in the left corner, who finally hit a jumper from beyond the three-point line.

With the help of the screen, James, holding the ball in his right hand, burst through the middle. As Li You shrank towards the paint area, the latter immediately gave the ball to McGinnis on the right wing.

An open three-pointer hit the iron, and the rebound was picked up by Laga Bell. Li You responded and accelerated across the half court.

There was an emergency stop at the top of the arc. Li You pulled his crotch back and then switched to his left hand. Taking advantage of McGinnis' defense, he turned around gracefully.

Li You deceived the defense and led the ball forward. Li You, who held the ball in his right hand, regained control of the ball and broke into the paint area and immediately attracted the attention of the two people under the basket.

After three strides, Li You held the ball with his right hand, faked a real pass, and found Gasol on the lower right side of the basket before landing. The latter caught the ball and dunked with one hand!
"what!"

The roaring Gasol completely ignited the atmosphere of the scene. As the Cavaliers continued to strike, the New York fans became more and more enthusiastic.

McGinnis, who was left out, continued his good form. Less than half a quarter later, Van Gundy had no choice but to replace Vershko.

Ilgauskas was also replaced after a tip-in under the basket. The big man had problems retreating from defense.

Facing the Knicks' shrinking defense, James' breakthrough goals were turned into irons.

The two people who came on the bench were also possessed by blacksmiths and failed to provide help in times of need.

In the second half of the third quarter, in addition to scoring two points with a fast-break dunk, James continued to hit two three-pointers from the wing.

The zone defense unknowingly turned into man-to-man marking, and the Knicks played a transition attack. Under the control of Li You, they blossomed more than once and scored consecutively easily.

At 18:32 of a single quarter, at the end of the third quarter, the game lost its suspense.

At 63:94, James returned to the bench without saying a word. Howard also lost his smile and his eyes went straight. This was completely different from what he expected.

When he needed to score the most, James failed to step forward. He made 6 of 2 in a single quarter, 3 of 0 from beyond the three-point line, and 3 of 2 free throws, scoring 6 points.
On the Knicks bench, everyone was smiling, and the game was easier than expected.

李佑出场30分钟，20中12，三分线外10中5，罚球8中8，37分5篮板11助攻1抢断1失误。

D'Antoni is very satisfied with the mediocre double-double data.

Taking advantage of the atmosphere group's appearance, Mustache stood up symbolically and gave instructions twice, then returned to his seat and communicated in a low voice:

"Zone defense, it seems that the opponent will stick to this game strategy in this series."

"Lee, we have to get ready!"

Li You, who has already changed into training clothes, knows what D'Antoni means. Prince and Laja Bell may miss the open space:
"Maybe the opponent can't make the same shot. I'm not worried about the offensive problem."

Rebounding was what Li You cared more about. After a brief exchange, the two settled down to watch the game.

The game time passed quickly, and at the end of the game, the score was fixed at 90:118.

The cheers became particularly harsh, and James looked solemn in the tunnel after losing.

When Van Gundy came to the technical stage and saw the smiling D'Antoni, he felt depressed:
"This is not the game I wanted"

(End of this chapter)