NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 480 "Christmas Gift" (5000-word chapter)
"0 points! 81 points sir!"

“You’re the clown of Los Angeles!”

"Go lick O'Neal's a**"

"Oh! Chicago doesn't need copycats either!"

At Madison Square Garden, the Christmas game that had been promoted for more than half a month was held as scheduled, but the Lakers had a poor start and when Kobe fell out of the baseline, he was filled with mocking voices.

As the Knicks launched another counterattack, the stadium was boiling again. The Lakers players wearing purple and gold away jerseys were already numb. In order to retreat quickly, no one tried to pull the boss.

Phil Jackson was still roaring on the sidelines. The old man was really anxious and chased the referee and yelled:
"Just announce the result of the match! Are you blind? My player was knocked out of the baseline!"

This eagerness did not help the team, but instead made the New York fans at the scene even more excited. Many of them raised their beers and laughed at Phil Jackson. No one here respected the outdated championship coach.

Kobe finally paid the price for his mistake and Li You quickly advanced through the middle, approaching the three-point line from the top of the arc, and made a ground pass to Hill who cut into the basket from the right wing.

With no one guarding him, Hill took off immediately after receiving the ball, grabbed the ball with his right hand and dunked with one arm to easily end the counterattack.

6:14, with 7 minutes and 38 seconds left in the first quarter, the Lakers hadn't scored for half a day.

Luke Walton, Brian Cook and Kwame Brown, who were returning to defense, stopped in frustration. This was more difficult than the coaching staff said, as they were defeated by continuous counterattacks.

Fisher, who was lagging behind, did not say anything, but just clapped his hands continuously to remind his teammates to quickly serve the ball from the baseline.

"It seems that the Lakers are in trouble. Kobe has not scored a goal in open play so far. He only got 2 points from free throws. He must step up and hit these response shots in time."

On the ABC commentary stand, Hubie Brown could only comment truthfully that Kobe's performance was really poor and he seemed completely lost facing the Knicks' perimeter defense.

"I think the Lakers should make adjustments as soon as possible. They had problems protecting the rim after the start of the game. Bynum should get more playing time."

Mike Breen briefly questioned the starting lineup after seeing it. He believed that having two 210cm tall guys would be more beneficial for the Lakers in protecting the rim.

"Defense!."

Amid the defensive shouts, Fisher dribbled across half court and when he came to the right wing, Kobe, who was running to the right corner, immediately jumped up with a baseline cross screen.

When switching defense, Artest noticed Li You's gesture and did not chase him. Instead, he switched defense again and followed Old Fish to the right corner.

The Knicks players are very familiar with the starting position of the triangle offense. As Brian Cook in the low post on the right side came to the three-point line to prepare for a pick-and-roll, Kobe suddenly lowered his center of gravity without waiting for his teammates to stand beside him.

While moving, he quickly went in and out with his left hand, and at the same time pushed the ball outward, Kobe took a big step and suddenly stopped, ignoring Li You who was defending on the side, and forced a jump shot using the defense on the wing!
Li You's interference on the side did work. Kobe's shot was a little too crooked and hit the backboard before bouncing back quickly.

Kwame Brown finally squeezed to Chandler's side, but before he could reach out, the ball hit his face directly at the lower left side of the basket.
Amidst the laughter, Kwame Brown instinctively reached out to grab the ball and groaned. Before he could control the ball, Chandler reacted and immediately snatched the ball away from the opponent.

"What the hell!"

Phil Jackson on the sidelines was so angry that he turned around and cursed, saying that the offensive choices were poor and the offensive rebounds were outrageous. There was no strategy at all in this offense.

The sideline referee thought the old man from KFC was still attacking him, so after giving him a verbal warning, he quickly ran to the other end of the field following Hill who had received the ball.

The Lakers retreated at a fast speed and completed the defensive matchup in time. As the basketball returned to Li You at the top of the arc, the Knicks were in 131 position again.

Kobe, with his shorts pulled up, pursed his lips and stared at Li You's movements. He noticed that Gasol quickly came to the three-point line, so he quickly moved his feet, trying to squeeze through the screen.

The moment Gasol stood still, Li You first took a tentative step sideways with his right foot, then suddenly released the ball with his left hand while his body swayed, and immediately broke through with a cross step.

Although Kobe made the correct defensive choice, Li You had a very low center of gravity, and with his instant burst of the first step he easily gained half a body position. He sprinted with big strides and shook off the defense when he reached the three-point line.

Fish knew that Kobe could not defend him at all, so he retreated early and tried to disrupt the offense in the left elbow area.

Without waiting for the opponent to complete the encirclement, Li You suddenly passed the ball while moving. As soon as Lao Yu raised his left arm, the basketball flew straight to the left corner.

"Artest for three! That's good!"

Mike Breen praised loudly in the commentary booth, Artest grinned after hitting the three-pointer easily, and patted Old Fish after he landed again:

"Don't leave me alone, Bro! You know our strength!"

Fisher turned his head to look at Li You, who was smiling and giving his teammates a thumbs-up. He then glanced at Kobe, who was silent and had a death stare on his face. He subconsciously muttered:
"Don't look at me, I tried my best."

At 6:17, Phil Jackson requested a timeout. The Lakers atmosphere team was listless. This was not the game they wanted.

"Calm down! Stop shooting blindly! We have to move the ball!"

The old KFC man shouted at the top of his lungs while staring at Kobe and saying this. When he saw Kobe nod, he wrote and drew on the tactical board and called out to Bynum:

"Rebound! Don't let me see you miss those chances again!"

Before going on the court, the Lakers gathered together, and Fish took the lead in shouting "Team", but when Kobe heard the shouts from the fans in the front row, he became even more unhappy:
"Mr. 0 is about to cry!"

"How dare you show off that ring, you thief!"

The publicity that lasted for more than half a month obviously had a counterproductive effect. Many young fans were disgusted by Kobe's fraud, and the Lakers' poor performance made it difficult for them to respect their opponents.

After the timeout, the Lakers used the same routine in their first offensive round. Watching Bynum receive Kobe's lob in the low post on the right side, D'Antoni on the sidelines shrugged towards the bench with a smile on his face.

It was exactly the same as what the mustache guy had guessed. Fortunately, Bynum performed well and continued to attack against Chandler. Finally, he turned towards the baseline and sent the ball into the basket despite the defense.

The atmosphere on the scene was not affected. The Knicks quickly served the ball from the baseline. When Li You approached the center line, Kobe suddenly stepped forward to assist in double-teaming him.

The Lakers switched defense again after a bounce pass to Hill near the logo, and Fish pounced directly on his former teammate who was accelerating with the ball.

When Li You ran to the left corner without the ball, Hill had already rushed into the paint area. Noticing that the Lakers' defense had shrunk, he stopped, dribbled behind his back, switched to his left hand, and took the initiative to move back.

Fisher had been controlling his defensive position, allowing shots to be taken and defending against breakthroughs, while also looking at Gasol who was preparing for a pick-and-roll behind him. Suddenly, he saw Hill passing the ball and subconsciously reached out to grab it.

The basketball passed by his side and accurately found Li You who cut into the basket from the left corner.

Kobe, who was defending behind him, gritted his teeth and tried to pull him away, but Li You, who received the ball, was very fast. He rushed to the basket in two steps and jumped into the air.

Grabbing the ball with his right hand in the air and pulling his arm sideways, Li You glided to the front of the basket amid the cheers of the fans, stretched his body, hovered briefly in the air, and then turned his arm to dunk!

"what!"

Looking at Kobe staggering in pursuit, the New York fans behind the basket stood up and screamed loudly.

8:19, the score difference is still in double digits.

"Grant has been able to deliver assists like this this year. Lee's assists have declined recently, but his offensive efficiency is still rising."

"Kobe had problems on both ends of the floor, and he seemed to have lost his focus."

Hubie Brown didn't expect the Lakers to be in such a bad state, so he subconsciously held a small meeting with Kobe. Mike Breen was happy to see this, so he subconsciously took over the conversation and said with gloating:
“Maybe that’s the Lakers’ strength, they just can’t get past the Knicks’ defense.”

Changing direction, Bynum tried to receive the ball in the low post on the left side, but Chandler's top defense prevented the newbie from getting deeper.

Brian Cook's screen for Kobe at the free throw line didn't work either. Artest chased after him, and the two of them bounced out to the top of the arc. Fish finally chose to safely lob the ball to the big man. Near the left blocking area, Bynum received the ball without any fake moves. He put the ball in his right hand and wanted to squeeze to the basket, but Chandler didn't let the newbie succeed.

He wanted to dribble the ball, but Bynum noticed that Li You was retreating and was a little flustered for a moment, and the ball was cut off the moment he passed it.

"hey-hey!!"

Li You, who successfully stole the ball, rushed forward with it. Bynum, who lost the ball, was still complaining loudly to the referee, and cheers broke out of the stadium again.

Seeing Li Youkong making a fake pass to the free throw line and about to be surrounded by Kobe and Fisher, Mike Breen shouted excitedly again:
"OH! Beautiful Pass!"

Artest followed up and received the ball without being guarded. He rushed to the lower left side of the basket and shot the ball in to get another 2 points.

The Lakers accelerated the offensive tempo, Bynum scored in and out, Kobe received the ball again on the left wing, and after releasing the ball with his right hand, he broke through but failed to shake off Artest.

Noticing that Li You retreated from the right wing to the elbow area, Kobe finally passed the ball to Fish, who received the ball and made a forced jump shot against the defense.

At 10:21, Fisher stepped on the line and missed the Lakers' first three-pointer.

Facing the fast-moving Li You, Kobe established a defensive position early, but he also did not forget to direct his teammates. He needed the big man to remind him.

After slowing down and dribbling between his legs, Li You pulled the ball slightly backwards when switching to his right hand, then suddenly lowered his center of gravity and instantly changed direction in front of his body.

Kobe stood with his feet apart and was easily broken through by Li You from the right side of his body before he could slide. He gritted his teeth and chased after him to the three-point line, but was suddenly pulled back by Li You and staggered, and rushed into the three-point line.

Seeing Li You resetting his steps and passing the ball at the top of the arc with no one defending in front of him, the Knicks players raised their hands to celebrate and moved back.

"Shua!" The three-pointer went into the net, and Kobe stood up with his eyes wide open.
Kobe received the ball in the blocking area on the right side. The moment he received the ball, he immediately let go of the ball with his left hand, made a series of shots and turned towards the baseline, but was blocked by Artest. After a series of false moves, he made a strong shot and missed.

Gasol grabbed the rebound and the Lakers retreated quickly. As soon as the players from both teams stopped, Li You slowed down at the top of the arc, dribbled the ball between his legs and changed direction quickly in front of his body.

Fisher had no reaction. He turned his head and watched Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, break through from the side.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You made another sudden stop at the top of the arc, with no one guarding him, and made a steady jump shot for a three-pointer!

"Perfect arc! Lee has taken control of the game and the Lakers are falling apart!"

The three-pointer went in, Mike Breen shouted happily, and the boiling arena made Hubie Brown raise his voice involuntarily. The old coach once again criticized Kobe's offensive choice:

"The score difference was 17 points. Kobe paid the price for his bad offensive choice. As a leader, he should be more patient."

At 10:27, two three-pointers instantly widened the gap.

When Kobe Bryant missed another long two-point shot from the top of the arc after Bynum's pick-and-roll, Phil Jackson on the sidelines couldn't help but cover his head with one hand. The old man couldn't hold it anymore.

In the semi-transition offense, Kobe, with a grim look on his face, gasped and retreated in time, focusing his attention completely on Li You, without paying any attention to the movements behind him.

When Gasol and Chandler raised their screen positions, Li You circled the ball behind him and watched the basketball fly to the right side of his body. Kobe suddenly lunged forward and hit Chandler.

Bynum who was defending him did not react at all. He watched Li You chase the ball and then stopped suddenly, and then made another long-range three-pointer!

The basketball flew towards the basket. Li You turned his body and looked at Kobe, who was staring at him, and said with a smile:
"40 points! I hope you like this Christmas gift!"

"Shet!"

Kobe heard cheers again and knew the ball went in again. The familiar smiling face in front of him made him break through the defense. He rushed forward and wanted to punch, but was locked by Chandler beside him.

"Fuck! What the hell do you want to do? Show some respect!"

Bynum watched Kobe and Chandler wrestling with each other, but instead of going over to help, he lowered his head and laughed. Parker on the bench followed suit and cheered loudly, but showed no intention of standing up.

Kobe, who was surrounded by the Knicks players, was almost alone against four people until Fisher and the referee rushed over and separated the two.

Kobe, who was pulled away, looked at Li You who was waving and cheering at the fans at the other end of the court. He almost got angry for a moment, but at this time Phil Jackson was still yelling:
"Calm down! Calm the fuck down!"

The old man at KFC was very dissatisfied with Bynum's performance, but he still gave face to the player in the nationwide live broadcast.

He waved his hands vigorously, calling the big guy to his front, and after he attacked him head-on, the game continued.

Vanessa, who received a ticket from Li You before the game, sat in the front row. She was in a good mood at first, but as the game progressed, she began to cover her mouth involuntarily.

The Lakers attacked Kobe but missed the shot. In the semi-transition offense, Li You quickly went in and out while moving, pushed the ball outward with his right hand, lowered his center of gravity, and broke through Kobe's defense again.

Kobe, who was desperately chasing and defending, had no time to call on his teammates for help. The two big men of the Lakers watched Li You break through the middle and perform a tomahawk slam dunk!
"boom!"

The basket exploded, and Brian Cook was numb when he saw the basketball deform violently. How much strength does it take?
The Lakers missed shots again and again, Li You kept breaking through Kobe's defense, and the score kept rising, making Madison Square Garden completely boiling, and the excited fans began to taunt their opponents crazily.

Kobe, who broke through the defense, eventually committed consecutive fouls. In the second half of the first quarter, Li You kept standing on the free throw line.

The invisible Luke Walton used the cover of his teammates to hit a shot in the right elbow area, helping the Lakers break the scoring drought. Looking back, Li You missed the three-pointer and the rebound was snatched away by Chandler.

Fisher was fouled again when facing Li You's strong straight-line attack at the top of the arc, and boos and shouts began to be heard in the stadium.

"A clown who only knows how to break the rules!"

"Go back to Los Angeles, you shameless bastard don't deserve to play in Madison Square Garden!"

"Stop showing off your ring! You know how it was stolen!"

Kobe Bryant, leaning on his knees outside the three-point line, panted and stared at the New York fans who were swearing at him. As a result, everyone cursed even harder until Li You started shooting free throws. The shouting became unified:

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Vanessa, who was dressed in a gorgeous dress, covered her mouth with her hands. The rude shouting made her feel particularly uncomfortable. As Li You's score increased, a crazy atmosphere filled the gym.

In the final moments of the first quarter, Kobe made consecutive mistakes, and Li You easily assisted Raja Bell and Prince who came off the bench to score.

Thanks to Turiaf's free throw, the score was fixed at 14:43, and the Christmas battle completely turned into an exhibition game.

Li You, who played the entire first quarter, raised his arms high as he walked to the bench, constantly high-fiving the fans and shouting non-stop. The fans in the back row were jumping and screaming wildly.

8中7，三分线外4中3，罚球8中8，25分2篮板6助攻2抢断，李佑首节爆发带走了比赛
"It's crazy! Li once again proved to us that as long as he wants to score, no one can limit him!"

“It was a great show and I think New York fans will love this Christmas gift!”

Mike Breen was so happy that he couldn't stop talking. Hubie Brown looked at the dejected Lakers players and stopped commenting on the game. He sighed helplessly:
"Odom's injury has had a huge impact. The Lakers still have a lot of work to do if they want to chase the championship."

6 of 0, 2 of 0 from beyond the three-point line, 2 of 2 free throws, Kobe did not score any field goals, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 turnovers, missed shots one after another, ruining the game
Kobe, who was furious, couldn't hear anything in his seat at this time. Seeing Parker with a smile on his face, jumping up and down to warm up, he couldn't help but break his defense again:
"Fuck! What the hell are you so happy about! We are being humiliated!"

"Hey! What right do you have to lose your temper with me? Fuck you! You got beaten up by Lee!"

"."

(End of this chapter)