NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 481: Targeting the First Center (Daily Chapter)
On Tuesday, December 2006, 12, it was a carnival moment for NBA fans.

In addition to the end of the first stage of the All-Star voting, the Lakers' performance in the Christmas game brought endless joy to the general public.

ESPN reviewed three classic moments in its morning show: "The Snickering Moment", "Internal Fighting and War of Words", and "Breaking Defense and 6 Fouls", among which the protagonist was the 81-point man.

Bynum watched Kobe "one against four" while Parker argued with Kobe on the bench. With the team trailing by a large margin, Kobe fouled out before the end of the third quarter.

These shots really brought endless joy to the fans, and Kobe's extremely poor performance could not even make up a 1-minute highlight.

What was even more difficult for the Lakers to accept was that ESPN reporters also recorded Smush Parker's gloating look at the end of the game.

As the Lakers walked toward the player tunnel, not only did the New York fans smile, but Parker even looked up and shouted at the top of his lungs as he walked:

"Tell me, who needs to prove themselves more?!"

What's outrageous is that in the footage captured by ESPN, the New York fans who were having fun cooperated with Parker. The former yelled at the top of his lungs, and the fans on both sides followed suit:

"Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!"

Because there were so many funny moments in the Christmas game last night, Stuart Scott appeared on the morning show and joked with a smile after the Lakers-related news ended:
"Maybe Kobe should see a psychiatrist after he pays the fine."

"Lee has once again destroyed the confidence of Lakers fans. The Los Angeles Times is right. The Lakers locker room is out of control and they must make a trade."

74:136, after the overwhelming first quarter, Li You still struck hard. The game ended in the afternoon and Manhattan was boiling in the evening.

The 62-point difference tied the record for the largest score difference in a Christmas game set by the Syracuse Nationals in 1960!
Interestingly, it was the Knicks who lost by 62 points that year, and they were outscored by 162 points.
During the game, Lakers fans had to turn off the TV after watching half of the game, and those who liked Kobe might not be able to eat.

Kobe only scored four goals in the entire game. Considering that the outcome of the game was no longer in suspense after the first quarter, the 4-point man basically kept fighting hard in garbage time.

出场33分钟，17中4，三分线外4中0，罚球9中8，16分2篮板4助攻1抢断3失误，科比在圣诞大战彻底迷失。

During this period, the flu swept through many teams, and Kobe's poor condition was also affected by his body.

Kobe was eventually fined 2 US dollars for refusing to attend the press conference after the game. On Christmas, the Lakers brought such joy to fans across the United States that other news media followed suit.

ABC took the lead in teasing last night's game on its Good Morning America news program:

"It is said that Lee planned to win by 40 points. Obviously he overestimated his opponent, but New York fans will definitely like this gift more!"

The Lakers, who were preparing to fly to Orlando to continue their Eastern Conference road trip early in the morning, once again felt the malice of the city while having breakfast in the hotel.

They were mocked in newspapers, on television, and on the radio. The New York Times even published a photo of Lee Yoo-hook slamming Kobe Bryant:
"Lee destroyed the league's fake scoring champion!"

Except for Parker who was planning to leave the team, the other players avoided Kobe with a dark complexion. Fisher was the only one at the table. He read the newspaper and whispered to him:
"It doesn't matter, Kobe, we all know that losing by 1 point is the same as losing by 100 points."

"This is New York, they always like to belittle their opponents, we"

Kobe tore the newspaper in his hand into pieces just when he was halfway through his words. His expression became even uglier. Old Fish, who was also halfway through his words, also stopped talking. He felt that from now on, there was no room for maneuver in their relationship.

"I won't lose again, Shit! Those lazy bastards must get out of the team!"

Kobe was furious when he thought of this. Phil Jackson also had no appetite. He looked at the angry core player and said in a deep voice:
"We will complete the deal during the All-Star Weekend, and we will at least make the playoffs this year!"

Attendance is down, and Buss has issued a strict order to the management, at the very least they must be picked in the first round, and if the record drops after the trade, the coaching staff will have to take the blame.
Obvious dark circles could be seen behind his glasses. Phil Jackson not only had an untidy beard, but the sparse hair on his head was also frizzy. Losing by 62 points was the biggest humiliation for him.

"I know! I can do better!"

Kobe, who was eating a bagel, agreed with hatred. He wanted to give those lazy guys a few elbows. He vowed to return the humiliation!

Smush Parker is already fearless. Kobe didn't like him after he joined the team, and he was too lazy to respect the boss. Now he has a big appetite and even brags to Kwame Brown:

"That rookie on the Knicks is no match for me. This is the NBA. There are always some lucky guys who get to win the championship."

Kwame Brown was overwhelmed by rebounds last night. Although he scored 7 points efficiently, he couldn't help but complain in a low voice when he heard that Big Mouth had no intention of stopping:

"WF! Keep your voice down, I still want to play in Los Angeles."

"."

There were 26 games on the 11th. Yao Ming recently suffered a knee injury, and McGrady, who returned from injury, received extra attention. It was time for him to lead the team alone.

The Rockets are also on an away trip in the East. After arriving in Polis, they saw the news here also following the trend of mocking Kobe. After the afternoon warm-up training, McGrady took the initiative to help his friend speak out:

"I don't know what's so funny about this. These media reporters shouldn't laugh at players who are working hard!"

"Look at the Lakers' lineup. They are missing Odom. Kobe has no help in the game."

"The Knicks have the highest salary in the league and they paid a lot of luxury tax. You always ignore Lee's teammates. Don't forget that basketball belongs to five people."

Still suffering from his back injury, McGrady seemed to remember what happened to him and his sleepy look was gone.

Coach Mike Brown didn't care about the players being interviewed, and Yao Ming was injured again, which made the Chinese media very dissatisfied. The Basketball Association also protested to the Rockets during the offseason, and the two sides were somewhat unhappy:
"Yao is recovering very well. I believe in our medical level. Whether it is conservative treatment or surgery, professional medical staff will give the best plan."

"Playing time? The coaching staff has been protecting Yao's health. We have a reasonable game plan."

Facing the questions from Chinese reporters, Mike Brown also felt a lot of pressure. He was the cash cow designated by the boss and he didn't want to lose his job.
In the first game after McGrady returned from injury, the Rockets suffered two consecutive losses, 1:76. Although the Pacers made 81 of 20 three-pointers, they still won the game.

出场38分钟，22中7，三分线外5中1，罚球7中4，麦克格雷迪砍下19分3篮板5助攻1抢断7失误的数据。

Such a performance is hard to satisfy people, which made many Chinese reporters dig up old accounts, and the voices of teammates CBA also reappeared.

After the Rockets lost, the Los Angeles Times spread a rumor the next day that the Lakers would target Yao Ming, the top center in the Western Conference. As for the bargaining chips for the transaction, everyone knew it.

On Wednesday, the 27th, the Nuggets had their revenge moment as the two teams faced off again after the suspension.

When the Nuggets arrived in Manhattan, they found themselves being ignored. The relevant reports were still on the Christmas game, and it seemed that they had not yet recovered from the big victory.

With 10 wins and 15 losses, the Nuggets have long been out of the playoffs, and their record is not even as good as that of the poor Supersonics.

The reason for the big loss has a lot to do with Iverson's ups and downs. There are too few games to run in. As the core of the team, he is still adapting to George Karl's tactical system. Carmelo Anthony has naturally noticed the news in the past few days. Although the team's record is not good, the newcomer is mysteriously confident. When he heard the relevant questions during the interview, he couldn't help but belittle the Lakers:

"We are not the Lakers. Recently, we have been on a winning streak and everyone is getting better and better."

"50 points? Allen and I can easily get such data, but you never report it like this."

出场32分钟，20中15，三分线外9中6，罚球14中14，50分5篮板13助攻4抢断2盖帽2失误，圣诞大战李佑交出了一份完美数据。

Iverson was also in a good mood. The winning streak has helped the team get better. Although they still have a long way to go, the Nuggets fans are very supportive of him. This is a long-lost trust:
"As a veteran, I don't care about those fancy statistics!"

"I said I can be a combo guard. As the brain of the team, I prefer to drive my teammates to score."

The two boasted, but most sports media didn't react much. The Nuggets don't have championship qualities, just as an ESPN commentator said:
"Carmelo Anthony prefers scoring 30 points to winning."

Although the two players' rough style of play has improved, they can still bully weak teams, but it is difficult for them to win against strong teams in the playoffs. This is also the reason why their record has not yet caught up with the big teams.

At 19:30, Madison Square Garden was still packed. Most New York fans were still immersed in the joy of the Christmas game and cheered loudly as soon as the game started.

The Nuggets' roster has not changed, and although Earl Boykins is caught up in trade rumors, the deal may not be officially confirmed until the All-Star Weekend.

The Nuggets performed well after the opening, but after Nene made a jump shot at 8 minutes and 48 seconds, they suddenly fell into a scoring drought again.

There was no score for almost three minutes, and George Karl's timeout had no effect.

As Iverson dribbled the ball between his legs continuously at the top of the arc, changed direction drastically in front of his body, and missed another jump shot in the right elbow area, Anthony on the court was somewhat broken.

Trying hard to squeeze to the basket, Artest and Anthony pulled each other, and finally the referee blew the whistle and called a foul on Anthony for pulling at the bottom left of the basket.

"It seems that coach George Karl has not yet found a solution to the problem of the two coexisting."

"If you want to compete for the championship, you must identify a core and have a clear division of labor within the team. The Knicks have done a good job in this regard."

"Lee is such a selfless leader, and it's hard to imagine the Knicks making the same joke that the Lakers did."

Looking at Li You catching the ball at the baseline, Walter Frazier in the MSG commentary booth began to tease his old rival again. This Christmas, the Lakers became everyone's happy pill.

Anthony was dissatisfied with the referee's decision and continued to complain after retreating. Artest, who ran to the right corner, also added fuel to the fire and said with a smile while looking at the line:

"You know why no one in the Eastern Conference wants to take Iverson? Because he will become the biggest weakness of the team."

"From now on, the referee will not take care of you!"

He wanted to retort, but before Anthony could say anything, Li You at the top of the arc didn't wait for the two big guys to stand still for screen, he suddenly dribbled the ball between his legs and changed direction in front of his body in an instant.

The moment he switched to his left hand, Li You deceived Iverson's center of gravity, lowered his shoulders and accelerated, and immediately squeezed through the right side of the opponent's body. Marcus Camby, who was defending, hurriedly adjusted his steps and tried to return to the basket to assist in defense.

Iverson, who was chasing and defending, wanted to reach out and pull, but Li You received the ball in advance, jumped up with his left foot and leaned forward, then casually threw the ball towards the backboard with his left hand.

Marcus Camby jumped up as well, but found that the basketball flew too high and his block was useless. He watched the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket.

"The game was easier than we expected. Li has been in excellent form recently. In his last home game in 2006, he lived up to the fans' expectations!"

Mike Breen continued to brag with a smile, and the Nuggets players on the court were in a bad mood, and the score gap was getting bigger and bigger.

At 8:18, with 5 minutes and 57 seconds left in the first quarter, the score difference reached double digits.

The Nuggets attacked again. Iverson came to the right wing and wanted to pass the ball to Anthony who was looking for the ball with his back to the basket in the right blocking area, but Artest's frequent front defense ruined the opportunity to pass the ball.

Guarding the ball sideways, Iverson wanted to pass the ball horizontally to Edondo Najera for transition, but Hill seized the opportunity and stole the ball the moment the opponent received the ball.

Watching Hill's dunk in the frontcourt with 1 on 0, George Karl on the sidelines frowned. He didn't expect that there would be problems with the team's ball control.

In the following minutes, Anthony missed his individual jump shot, and Marcus Camby received the ball and attacked at the basket, but was blocked by Chandler.

Facing the Knicks' increasingly shrinking defense, the Nuggets had no way to deal with it. This time, they watched Li You force his way past Iverson and onto the free throw line in the transition offense.

D'Antoni smiled on the sidelines, returned to his seat, and casually said to Mike Malone next to him:

"Free throws are also an effective way to score. I didn't expect that so many opponents still insist on jump shots close to the three-point line."

The Knicks' data analysis team gave advice early on, and Hill is the biggest beneficiary. As for Li You, he will only go full throttle in important games.

"I think more young players will accept this way of playing in the future."

"Iverson, like many veterans, has a hard time stepping out of his comfort zone. Those young teams are the challenge we face."

Mike Malone looked at Iverson who continued to miss shots, made a brief comment, and then focused on watching his own team's performance.

Relying on defensive counterattacks and tough frontcourt rebounds, the Knicks gradually surpassed their opponents in the number of possessions until Edondo Najera made two consecutive three-pointers, which alleviated the Nuggets' embarrassing situation.

Anthony was somewhat broken by Artest's entanglement, but no matter how he complained, the referee didn't blow the whistle.

At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets made their last attack, and Anthony finally got a free throw. Prince, who came off the bench, leaned on his knees next to the paint and joked:
“No one will take care of you!”

"."

At 16:36, the first quarter ended, Iverson fell silent early, contributing 8 points with 2 of 4 shots, and it was the familiar rhythm of the game.

Although the game lost its suspense early on, as the last home game in 2006, Li You came on the court early in the second quarter and once again struck hard to give back to the fans.

During the halftime break, Madison Square Garden couldn't stop cheering. Li You was in a good mood during the interview and once again painted a big picture for the fans:

"We will have 6 players enter the All-Star Game this year. This is the Showtime era for the Knicks!"

"."

(End of this chapter)