NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 488 Mental Health is a Big Issue (5300 Word Chapter)
Before the trade deadline, fans who follow the NBA were a little disappointed because those teams that claimed to be competing for the championship did not take any action.

The Lakers were interested in everyone before the All-Star weekend, but after the All-Star game, Buss' check still didn't come out as he wished.

Kobe's popularity began to dissipate after the end of the main game. The 81-point man once again became Li You's background board, and the tool man will not have the opportunity to play against him again this season.

On February 2, many players left Las Vegas reluctantly.

This year, apart from the All-Star Game, the excitement level is declining. But for role players, it is a rare vacation and they are too lazy to think about it. Relaxing the body is the most important thing.

Not only did a large number of Knicks players come here for vacation, other teams were also actively spending money.

Even after the shooting, David Stern repeatedly stressed the need to stay away from nightclubs, but the players, whose minds were controlled by pleasure and money, did not care and instead continued to have fun.

Not only the current players, but also the divorced Michael Jordan is letting himself go.

Not long ago, the deputy GOAT sent an open letter to the Bobcats fans, expressing his disappointment with the record in sincere words, and also made a big promise, continuing to claim that the team has not given up and will continue to work hard.

As a result, not long after, reporters photographed Michael Dunk, Barkley, Li You and others playing all night in Las Vegas.

As if his previous worried look was all fake, under the influence of alcohol, Maikou's eyes turned red and he laughed wildly, showing a different face in front of his familiar friends.
Just like what he said back then, "People in the Elephant Party also buy sneakers," Michael Dunk, who loves basketball, is actually a businessman, and his promise to the Bobcats is actually not very reliable.

Bobcats fans are probably used to disappointment, but Lakers fans are heartbroken. Although their star player made the front page of many sports media, the content was not right:

"Kobe Bryant fails again in Las Vegas."

"Overrated defense, Lee ended this matchup with 50 points."

"Kobe Bryant refuses to be interviewed, suspected of having psychological problems."

出场28分钟，24中18，三分线外16中12，罚球2中2，50分5篮板3助攻3抢断1盖帽，李佑一己之力三节打崩比赛。

With 50 points in three quarters and 12 three-pointers in the game, Li You set an outrageous record in the history of the All-Star Game.

ESPN placed the photo of Li You holding the AMVP crystal trophy in a prominent position on its website. The Eastern Conference All-Star players were smiling happily, and LeBron James even raised his hand and cheered.

Yahoo Sports took a different approach and fired at Kobe again through an interview with Stoudemire. The corresponding news also sparked heated discussions among the netizens:

"I'm glad to witness Lee set many records and win the AMVP trophy. I had a chance to win the award, but Kobe ruined our victory."

替补登场的斯塔德迈尔21中14，砍下28分9篮板3助攻1抢断2盖帽2失误的数据，如果西部联盟赢球，他确实有机会获奖。

148:132, the Eastern Conference All-Stars won easily. Except for Garnett and Stoudemire, the other big men on the opposing team were all slacking off, and Kobe could not carry the team alone.

On Tuesday, the 20th, the Lakers did not have a game, with 28 wins and 26 losses. In order to secure a playoff spot, Phil Jackson started training camp early.

Fisher and others naturally read the Los Angeles Times in the morning. Perhaps to attract attention, the news in the newspaper did not say anything good about Kobe. The column article repeated the previous point of view:
"If the Lakers want to rise again, they need a real leader."

The atmosphere on the training ground is not very good either. Parker and Bynum seem to have relaxed too much. The trade deadline is approaching, and if the team does not make any moves, they can continue to stay with the Lakers.

Parker, who was ready to show his cards, had already stopped pretending. Everyone knew about the conflict between him and Kobe. The unmotivated sixth man was still laughing at this moment. After finishing the video class, he deliberately shouted:
"I considered him a brother, but he wanted to trade me, and no one supported him, and I'm still here."

Under the glare of the old man from KFC, Parker left with his head held high. Now he is the sixth man, and the team cannot do without him if they want to achieve better results in the playoffs.

During his break, Fish went to New York to look after his daughter. Although he was elected chairman of the players' union, he is not in the mood to deal with the mess in the locker room.

"If we win 45 games we'll be in the playoffs, Kobe, don't pay attention to what that guy says, we have to get nervous."

Kobe, who was sitting in his seat, looked up at Fisher who was comforting him, was silent for a moment and just nodded slightly.

After leaving Paradise and returning to Los Angeles, Kobe became silent. Apart from reading the newspaper, he did not criticize lazy people in training sessions like he did before. He looked dispirited.

23中11，三分线外9中3，罚球2中2，27分5篮板2助攻3抢断4失误，科比在全明星赛表现还不错，但还是无奈输球。

Odom noticed that Kobe's condition was not easy to comfort. He watched the game highlights and saw that he was shot in one-on-one situations. The joy of the sports media was built on Kobe's pain.

"It was just an exhibition match. Don't read those boring newspapers. Everyone knows it."

"I'm the best scorer in the league!"

Kobe whispered firmly, stood up and squeezed past the two people with an expressionless face. Assistant coach Brian Shaw, as an old teammate, called out from behind, but Kobe only left a back of his head to the few people.

Confused by the boss's attitude, Odom looked at the frowning Brian Shaw, shrugged his shoulders, pointed at Kobe who was leaving and whispered again:

"We need a psychiatrist. It is said that Allen Iverson was like this, and the entire Eastern Conference knows it."

At 19:30 p.m., the Knicks played their first game after the All-Star Weekend.

D'Antoni reduced the playing time of Gasol and several other players in the All-Star Game. The mustache guy also has his own little ideas. The current excellent record allows the team to pursue records calmly.

Maybe it was the Texas Hold'em game from the previous two days that took away Li You's luck, and the Knicks were a little slow to warm up after the game started.

On the Magic side, Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling partnered in the backcourt. They were very active at the start of the game. Francis, who was sitting on the bench, had a sullen face as he was injured again.

Pat Garrity and Darko Milicic saw the Knicks miss several shots, so they became more alert and asked for the ball after cross-screening at the baseline.

The left wing Hedo Turkoglu also noticed that Artest in front of him was in poor condition. Seeing his teammate asking for the ball in the low post on the right, he made a high pass and suddenly accelerated to run back.

Moving sideways to the right corner, Turkoglu received the cross pass from Milicic, calmly raised the ball and faked it, which made Artest, who was defending, fly away and made a steady shot!

At 13:10, the Magic took the lead, but the atmosphere was not affected and the New York fans were still cheering loudly.

Jameer Nelson is on the rise. This weekend, he did not go to Las Vegas like the Knicks players and continued to focus on training during the holiday.

At this time, the small point guard was passionately defending Li You who received the ball at the baseline.

"Let's go Knicks!."

No one cared about Li You's missed shots at the beginning of the game. Instead, the cheers were louder than usual. Rajon Rondo on the bench was not very happy at this time. He did not relax himself, but no one cared about his extra practice.

Head coach Brian Hill on the sidelines shouted at his players, signaling Nelson to control the defensive distance.

The little guy on defense was inexplicably excited. He used his nimble steps to stick closely to the accelerating Li You.

When Hill and Artest ran to the left and right corners, Chandler at the right elbow immediately moved his feet and stepped on the three-point line to try to complete the screen.

Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, stopped and started quickly, accelerated again and squeezed past his teammate. Nelson slid nimbly from behind to defend him, but had no choice but to collide with Li You who slowed down again.

While his opponent was squeezing in front of him, Li You dribbled the ball behind his back. When he swayed his body to the left front, Nelson, who was too aggressive, slid again and bumped into Chandler, then he realized something was wrong.

The moment the defense lost its position, Li You quickly changed direction and easily shook off Nelson. Facing Milicic who came to assist in defense, he lowered his center of gravity while moving In and Out.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You pushed the ball out and suddenly accelerated, approaching the big man on the left wing and cutting into the basket in the blink of an eye.

Pat Garrity has been beaten up in the Magic over the years. When he saw Milicic lose his defensive position, he stepped forward to help. When he saw Li You throwing the ball high, he finally stopped helplessly.

At the bottom left of the basket, Gasol, who was unguarded, grabbed the ball in the air and pushed it into the basket!
"Excellent teamwork! It seems that Li is gradually finding his rhythm in the game."

Walter Frazier was watching Li You and Gasol high-five in the MSG commentary booth with a smile on his face. Mike Breen was not worried about the game and continued with the previous gossip:

"It is said that the Lakers are bringing in a psychologist for Kobe. I think this is the right choice!"

"Ron has been able to effectively control his emotions with the help of a psychiatrist. His mental health issues should have been taken seriously long ago."

The two were still gossiping in the commentary booth. In the offensive round, the Magic passed the ball repeatedly. When Nelson received the ball again, he did not pass it to Turkoglu again. He pushed the ball and changed direction on the left wing and rushed forward confidently. He cut in with the ball in his right hand, leaning against Li You. Nelson rushed into the paint area with three steps and took the initiative to exert force. After the collision, he was forced to slow down. He screamed and barely threw the ball with his right hand.
The basketball had just left his hand and Li You, who kept adjusting his steps, was not affected by the collision. He jumped high and swung his left arm to block the shot!
"Oh!"

Amid cheers, the basketball flew straight to the right sideline and was eventually caught by Hill. The Knicks launched another transition attack.

Keyon Dooling gritted his teeth and chased after him, but Hill who rushed to the left wing immediately threw the ball in front of the basket. Li You followed up with no one chasing him, and after catching the ball in the air, he stretched out his right arm and slammed it with one hand!

"boom!"

The basket made a loud bang, and Nelson, who stood up from the back to symbolically chase and defend, opened his mouth and looked at Li You who ignored his retreat, feeling a little uncomfortable for a moment.

After overtaking the score, the Knicks' shooting was still the same, giving the Magic plenty of opportunities, but after several rounds, the opponent failed to play a decent transition offense.

Watching Chandler block Turkoglu's low layup at the basket, the consecutive successful defense made Madison Square Garden boil again.

In the transition offense, Li You received a pass from Hill near the left wing, and without waiting for Nelson to defend, he made another confident jump shot.

"Whoa!" The basketball hit the net hollowly.

"28-foot three-pointer! Li hit the first jump shot of the game. It seems that victory is not far away! We will continue our home winning streak!"

After Mike Breen praised loudly, he began to educate the fans. This is also the reason why the New York fans at the scene were so devoted. This year they have the hope of breaking the record set by the Celtics.

The Magic team is indeed fighting hard. Although their record is not good, the goal of every team that comes to New York to play is to end the winning streak.

On the right wing, Turkoglu accelerated against Artest's defense, dribbled the ball behind his back, and then stepped back, but missed a three-point shot.

The long rebound was picked up by Li You, the atmosphere group on the Magic bench also lost their emotions, the Knicks continued to counterattack, and the game returned to the familiar rhythm
Nelson's tough foul didn't make Li You show too much emotion on his face. When he stood on the free throw line, the gym once again rang out in unison:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Head coach Brian Hill tried to disrupt Li You's offensive rhythm by fouling, but the Magic's offense had problems and they only broke the scoring drought with Milicic's free throws.

In the last attack of the first quarter, Pat Garrity sent Li You to the free throw line again. The Magic team's pulling and dragging defense did not play much role, and both free throws were made steadily.

17:32, the score difference is still within the catchable range.

Li You, who played the entire first quarter, was in poor condition, making 7 of 4 shots, 3 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, and 6 of 6 free throws, scoring only 15 points.

In the boiling arena, Rondo, who was preparing to play on the Knicks' bench, felt inexplicably sad. Since entering the league, he has never scored 15 points. He worked so hard, but was not as good as Li You who was in mediocre form.

"Don't let Carlos Arroyo control the tempo of the game, stick to him!"

Assistant coach Mike Malone specifically reminded Rondo that both teams played at a very fast pace, and even if it was a weak team, the coaching staff did not want to see the opponent play at the desired rhythm.

The Knicks made full rotations in the second quarter, with Raja Bell, Prince, Dio and Gazuric all appearing on the court.

As the game progressed, head coach Brian Hill became more and more helpless. Even if the opponent's shooting was not good, they could still expand their lead by relying on defense.

At the end of the first half, the game was basically over, 40:60, the score difference was exactly 20 points, and Madison Square Garden was filled with cheers.

On Sunday, February 2, the Knicks won three straight games in the first week after the All-Star break.

The three bottom-ranked teams, the Magic, 76ers and Bucks, did not cause any trouble, and Li You's data also began to show an upward trend.

The only thing that makes New York fans depressed is that Rondo seems to have hit the rookie wall. In three games, he was either 7 of 2 or 8 of 3. He is a fast break dragon but a positional worm.

Compared to Fish's good three-point shooting, Rondo's performance outside the three-point line is simply a disaster.

Every team in the league is studying the Knicks, as the backup guard's shooting flaws are being magnified as the season progresses.

Li You was in a good mood when he came to the Continental Airlines Arena to warm up in the afternoon. The distances for the recent games were not far, and even if they were back-to-back games, he had time to practice his ball-handling skills.

With 54 wins and 2 losses, the Knicks have already secured a playoff spot, while the Nets, with 26 wins and 30 losses, still have to work hard and must exert their strength in the second half.

The New York media never holds back on their words. Rondo's shooting status is often ridiculed. Many basketball commentators think that Donnie Walsh made a mistake and it was a blessing from God that he could pick Prince with a low pick.

During the warm-up, Rondo did not accept any interviews. It was difficult for the newbie to deal with the picky New York reporters. If his bold words were refuted, he would still be ridiculed.

Gasol saw that the new player was not in the right state and seemed to have psychological problems. When interviewed, he took the initiative to speak well of his teammates:

"Rajon's execution and understanding of tactics surpass many rookies, and his performance on the defensive end is also very good."

"As for his shooting, he's going to figure it out, and I promise you, he's the hardest working player on the team."

The smiling Gasol is already accustomed to the media environment in New York. He has to brag when answering questions. Having been with the Knicks for many years, he knows that Rondo's poor performance is also related to the tactical system.

The team's 12-man active roster, as long as Finley is not injured, David Lee and JR Smith will be at the end, and Barea can't squeeze in at all.

The veteran's knee has been uncomfortable recently and he has been resting for so many days. Finley has recovered recently. He didn't pay attention to the newbies. When he heard the reporter ask about Rondo, he could only say polite words:
"He'll be fine, and the fact is the Knicks need a more accurate passer."

"I think Rajon would be a perfect fit for this team, and he could even partner with Lee in the backcourt."

Finley's dark face has a serious expression most of the time, but this time he hurt the newbie's self-esteem. After all, D'Antoni is developing him towards a core guard.

In that night's game, Rondo partnered with Li You in the backcourt for the first time.

Carter and Li You both exploded, Kidd and Rondo flicked their wrists and got assists, the two teams were unguarded and lived up to the extremely high attendance rate.

115:101, the game rarely went into the fourth quarter, and the Knicks easily got revenge.

出场40分钟，27中12，三分线外9中3，罚球12中11，38分8篮板8助攻1抢断4失误，卡特延续了自己的高光表现。

The Continental Airlines Arena was still bustling after the game. A bunch of New York fans came to the scene and shouted Li You's name loudly, trying to get the attention of their idol.

Although they lost the game, Carter was in a good mood. He took the initiative to pass the ball to Li You at the All-Star Game. Naturally, the two of them would praise each other commercially at this time.

"Kidd is very lucky. Partnering with the Black Mamba, he can easily get assists!"

Li You, who was being interviewed on the sidelines, teased his old rival with a smile, then hugged Carter in front of the reporters and praised him again:
"I know you guys are going to talk about shooting percentages, but I don't pay attention to that. If it weren't for Carter's performance, maybe the game would have ended in three quarters."

"Hey! Bro, there's nothing to say about losing. I don't want to meet you guys in the first round."

Carter was a little embarrassed by the praise, and he interrupted with a big grin, and then continued to brag to the reporter:

"Lee is in a different state in the playoffs. He is averaging 35 points per game now, and then it will become 40 points! Lee is the best scorer in the league, and I have nothing but respect for him!"

After the business talk ended, the New York reporter looked at Carter waving goodbye and suddenly changed the subject, asking again:

"Lee, how do you think Rajon Rondo will perform in our system?"

Li You seldom communicates with new players. After all, the Knicks are always in the right place, so the bench lineup doesn't have much pressure and the game has a high tolerance rate:
"For a first-year rookie, he performed quite well!"

"We have the best shooters in the league. For now, it's enough for him to focus on passing and defense!"

On Monday, the 26th, Rondo was in a very bad mood after reading the newspaper at home early in the morning. The New York Times described him as a "severely bankrupt version of Li You."

This was totally inconsistent with the position D'Antoni had given him, and Rondo made up his mind for a moment:

"I will prove myself!"

(End of this chapter)