NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 492: The Celtics Sweeped into History (Daily Chapter)
Looking back at the long history of the NBA, the Celtics' eight consecutive championships and home record are topics that basketball critics cannot avoid.

Before that, no one believed that those outrageous records would be broken, but the changes in the league after the 21st century were astonishing.

In the 1985-86 season, the Celtics achieved an outrageous record of 40 wins and 1 loss at home. They only lost once at home, which was the pride of Boston fans.

After entering April, the Knicks have the opportunity to break this record, and they have already started working towards a perfect record!
In the two away games at the end of March, the coaching staff made large-scale rotations and gave the Mavericks and Hornets two wins.

In the first week of April, the Knicks have two home games, facing the 4ers and the Timberwolves with a full-strength attack.

On the evening of the 6th, at Madison Square Garden, as the Timberwolves fell into a scoring drought, the shouting in the arena rose a few points, and New York fans saw the dawn of victory.

It is not an easy thing to break the home record. The Bulls almost did it that year, but ultimately failed. Fortunately, the Knicks have won enough games, so they can reduce the burden appropriately in away games and back-to-back games.

With 3 minutes and 3 seconds left in the third quarter, the Timberwolves had not scored a single point in more than two minutes and were stuck at 06.

Seeing Garnett finally catch the ball in the low post on the left side, head coach Randy Whitman on the sidelines couldn't help but loudly remind his players to move away.

After McHale persuaded Casey to resign as head coach, the Timberwolves' record began to decline, with 30 wins and 44 losses. Even if they win the next few games, they still have to fish in advance.

Garnett's persistence in Minnesota was not rewarded. There was something wrong with the team's team-building strategy. He was fishing during his peak period. If the former MVP had not been loyal enough, he would have probably run away long ago.

Facing Gasol's low-post defense, Garnett chose to play one-on-one with his back to the basket. After two consecutive strong shots, he suddenly turned towards the baseline, turned over with great force and made a fadeaway jump shot, which missed the target, and was met with cheers.

Garnett had a blank expression on his face as he retreated. His energy in this game was visibly lacking. He did not mutter to himself, beat his chest or roar like he did in the past, but just watched his teammates perform.

He rarely attacked aggressively on offense and seemed absent-minded on defense. The noisy arena seemed to have affected Garnett's mood. When he returned to the right elbow, he could even hear the insulting shouts:
"Thief! You bring shame to the MVP trophy!"

"Go home and go fishing, you damn coward!"

"."

Garnett had a numb expression on the court. When he saw Li Youyun casually throwing the ball to Gasol across half court, he did not interfere with him as he did in the past. He just raised his left arm symbolically.

Gasol, who was standing in the right elbow area to receive the ball, did not rush to attack. In the left blocking area, JR Smith pretended to move up the line to cover Li You who was accelerating back.

Rookie Randy Foye was almost thrown off by Li You's lateral acceleration and counter-run, and at this time he loudly reminded Ricky Davis to switch defense.

When both of them rushed to defend Li You on the left wing, JR Smith suddenly cut to the basket. As Gasol made a ground pass, the latter easily dunked with both hands under the basket.

70:84, the score gap widened and cheers broke out again.

Garnett noticed that Ricky Davis complained to the newbie but didn't say anything. He watched Li You and others high-five in celebration in front of him. For a moment, he just wanted to go off the court and rest.

Even the most passionate players would feel frustrated after deciding to go fishing. Garnett saw head coach Randy Whitman, who had short gray-black hair, waving his hands in frustration on the sidelines and he let out a sigh of relief. He didn't like this decision.

"It seems that the Timberwolves were unable to withstand our counterattack in the third quarter. Maybe Garnett is considering leaving the team. He seemed to lack motivation tonight."

In the MSG commentary booth, Mike Breen was gossiping happily. He was shocked by the opponent's 58 points in the first half. He thought it would be a tough battle, but he didn't expect the opponent to collapse first.

Walter Frazier was also in a good mood. The two-game losing streak at the end of last month did not affect the team. The Knicks were full of energy at home:

"I respect McHale very much, but his dismissal of coach Casey is indeed questionable. The Timberwolves missed the playoffs early, which was a big blow to Garnett."

"Maybe they should have renewed Sprewell's contract and relied on his championship experience to help them almost reach the finals."

"Since then, the Timberwolves have fallen out of the playoff race, and I can only express my regret for Garnett's predicament."

The two were gossiping in the commentary booth. Mark Blount received a pass from Garnett and tried to dunk from the bottom right side of the basket, but was held down by Gadzuric.

"foul!"

The big man stumbled and complained to the baseline referee. Marko Jaric on the court was also speaking up for his teammate, but Artest started to speed up after picking up the rebound, and there were only cheers in the arena.

Randy Foye had been left behind by Li You at this time. The newbie tried hard to chase him but found himself being gradually left behind.

Li You went straight to the basket from the left wing, and after receiving the through ball from Artest, he immediately took off into the air, glided in the air to the front of the basket, grabbed the ball with his right hand, swung his arm sideways and slammed it down with great force!

"Oh!"

Cheers filled the arena again, and these easy counterattack dunks showed that the opponent had collapsed.

As time went by, head coach Randy Whitman became more and more angry on the sidelines. His players had no fighting spirit on the court until the end of the third quarter, when Ricky Davis' free throw broke the scoring drought.

72:92, seeing the Knicks, who were trailing by 2 points at halftime, lead by 20 points, the Timberwolves bench atmosphere group was silent.

Garnett took only 6 shots in the three quarters. Anyone could see that the Wolf King was not in good shape and seriously lacked the desire to win tonight.

The last quarter of the game entered garbage time. After the main lineup played for more than 3 minutes, the expressionless Randy Whitman began to rotate and surrendered in less than half a quarter.

The camera was focused on the jubilant Knicks bench, where Lee Woo-jung high-fived everyone to celebrate the home victory.

When he looked to the other side, Garnett wiped it roughly with a towel, and then stared straight at his teammates on the court.

After the timeout, the Wolf King did not listen to the coaching staff's instructions. He just sat in his seat, as if thinking about life.
At Madison Square Garden, the game was about to end, the cheers were getting louder and louder, and when the final buzzer sounded, Garnett, with his head covered with a towel, subconsciously covered his head, as if trying to block out the noise.

96:119, the Knicks easily defeated the Timberwolves and continued their home winning streak.

The New York fans holding up the 39-0 mark were jumping and dancing in the back. As long as the Knicks continued to win the remaining two home games, they would break the Celtics' record.

With an outrageous record of 70 wins and 5 losses, Garnett had to maintain his composure and pay tribute to Li You.

JR Smith happily rushed to the court and bumped his chest with his teammates to celebrate. He didn't care about the mood of the Timberwolves players and shouted at the top of his voice from time to time:

"They can't stop us! These fishing wimps are no match for us!"

"."

Garnett, wearing a towel, gave J.R. Smith a "death stare", staring without saying a word, suppressing his dissatisfaction, and turned to walk towards Li You.

"Congratulations, Bro! Another record! Congratulations in advance."

Li You, wearing the home white and orange training uniform, smiled and bumped fists with Garnett. He saw the dissatisfaction in the other party's heart but didn't care. Instead, he joked again:

"It's just a small record, nothing to praise!"

"You know, players like us only chase championships. Those awards and records can only serve as embellishments. After all, fans are forgetful. Only championships are worth remembering."

Garnett felt bad when he heard what Li You said. The Timberwolves' wins this season are not even as good as the Knicks' home record.
The sports media only cares about whether he will leave Minnesota. As for the topics of MVP and championship, he has long been forgotten.

"Kevin, I've always told you, don't let loyalty get the better of you. You shouldn't go fishing every year."

"." Li You teased the silent Garnett again. The latter came back to his senses, forced a smile on his face and said nothing more. He hugged him, patted his shoulder and left with a pursed mouth.

As Garnett walked quickly towards the player tunnel, he could still hear the laughter of New York fans on both sides. The team's predicament made him feel powerless.

In the visiting team's locker room, Trenton Hassell, a former member of the Knicks' atmosphere team, laughed and shared the treatment in New York with his teammates:
"There should be a reward for breaking the record. I guarantee that this year, Lee and Grant will give up their championship rewards."

“Every year the Tarrytown training center changes, and other than being a little far from here, life there is pretty good.”

"Lee won't force us to train. He is a real talent. Kevin is sometimes too strict."

Seeing Garnett with a sullen face, Trenton Hassell stopped sharing. The Wolf King is a training maniac, and everyone had a chance to slack off only after he went fishing in advance.

Randy Foye noticed the ugly look on the boss's face and quickly stopped smiling. After all, Garnett had experience beating up rookies and he had no interest in provoking the other party.

"If you don't want to play in Minnesota, get the f*ck out of here!"

"."

Garnett, with a dark face, began to swear to vent his anger. What he hated most were the former Knicks players. Those championship experiences still bothered him until now.

Garnett stopped his encouragement only after head coach Randy Whitman entered the locker room. The coaching staff's chicken soup had no effect on him, and he remained sitting in his seat with his head down and silent.

When the Timberwolves got on the bus, the happy New York fans outside the arena were still celebrating passionately. Perhaps because they were about to break the record, many young people were shouting at the top of their lungs:

"Fuck Boston!"

The bus was moving slowly. Kevin Garnett, who was sitting at the back, felt depressed. This prosperous city didn't even bother to show any ill will towards him. He was almost forgotten by the fans.

Garnett was looking through his phone and sent a text message to Kobe on a whim, but he didn't receive a response when he returned to the hotel.

Unlike the Knicks, many teams are still working hard for a playoff spot. In the Eastern Conference, the Nets, Wizards, Heat, Bulls and Raptors are still preparing intensively.

No one wants to get the 8th place, especially the Nets. Kidd has had enough of facing Li You in the playoffs.

On Saturday, April 4, the Knicks challenged the Bucks back-to-back. This game was a "free game" and head coach D'Antoni started the rotation early.

The Bucks, who were fishing, were not polite either. They fought a fierce battle and won the victory at home with a score of 110:118.

The Wizards and the Nets fought a hard overtime in their direct dialogue, and finally the Nets defeated their opponents thanks to the outstanding performances of Kidd and Carter!

114:120, Kidd and Carter celebrated passionately after winning the game, setting a new record.

出场47分钟，28中16，三分线外13中7，罚球9中7，46分16篮板10助攻1抢断3盖帽5失误，黑曼巴卡特砍下华丽三双；

出场40分钟，12中4，三分线外6中1，罚球2中1，10分16篮板18助攻4抢断9失误，基德的准四双同样引人注目。

After the Wizards lost this game, their record was 39 wins and 37 losses. Arenas was absent due to injury. Feeling the lively atmosphere of the Continental Airlines Arena, he couldn't help but curl his lips.

At the press conference, Arenas was not polite. When the sports reporter praised Kidd and Carter's triple-double records, he said sarcastically:
"I don't know what's commendable about this! Everyone in the league knows that Kidd is running away. He is afraid of meeting Lee in the first round!"

"Carter is indeed an excellent scorer, but he is not as deadly as Lee said. Look up the data. Maybe I can also be called a Mamba. I don't see any difference between us."

"I am a real big-game guy. Even if I drop to 8th place, I am confident that I can beat the Knicks."

"."

Carter and Kidd, who were originally very happy, felt embarrassed when they heard the words of the microphones after attending the press conference. They were indeed trying their best to escape the 8th position.

Carter has been a little sensitive since Kobe "robbed the Mamba". When he heard Arenas's boast, he couldn't hold it in for a moment and couldn't help but taunt him:
"Arenas doesn't know what he's talking about! We really don't like No. 8 because we don't want to disappoint the fans."

"I hope he meets Lee in the playoffs, then he will understand the meaning of 'Mamba'. I don't think he can challenge Lee."

When asked about the ranking by an ESPN reporter, Kidd did not deny that the team he least wanted to face was the Knicks, as they would lose their home-court advantage:

"Like you said, we don't want to lose in the first round. Compared with the Knicks, the Cavaliers and the Pistons are better opponents."

"At least in these two sets of matchups, we have three home games."

Kidd's self-deprecation made the sports reporters in the audience laugh out loud. The New York media was very satisfied with this answer. The second team should be so honest.

On April 4, after a day of rest, the Knicks once again struck hard at home against the Pistons.

Billups was completely silent in the first half. Facing Li You's pursuit and defense, the former substitute had a hard time. He made 3 of 1 shots in the first half and scored 4 points from free throws.

38:57, the Knicks led by 19 points at halftime, and head coach Philip Saunders shook his head repeatedly before the end of the second quarter.

In the end, the Pistons were defended to 22 of 3 from beyond the three-point line. This Eastern Conference powerhouse that has transformed into an offensive team has suffered four defeats this season.

85:114, after winning this game, the Knicks only have one home win left.

With 46 wins and 31 losses, under the influence of the new rules, the Pistons are still ranked third in the Eastern Conference after the loss, and the situation in the upper half is basically clear.

If the Heat can maintain their Southeast Division title, they will be able to secure the fourth spot.

In comparison, the Bulls are the most unlucky. With the Cavaliers and the Pistons in the Central Division, they have no chance of winning the division title.
At the post-match press conference, all sports reporters no longer cared about the remaining two games this week, and the match against the Nets on the 16th became the focus of everyone's attention.

Li You was in a good mood when attending the press conference. He can continue to rest after flying to Chicago for back-to-back games tomorrow.

"Lee, do you feel pressure for the game on the 16th? The Nets are still working hard for the postseason ranking, and they have extra motivation!"

ESPN reporters were not concerned about other games either. Everyone could see that the Knicks were focusing on their home court.

"Pressure? I believe in my teammates. In the face of absolute strength, we can win as long as we perform normally."

"More importantly, we had a lot of time to prepare. I don't want to be second. This record will belong to the Knicks."

Li You's confident answer made many New York reporters smile. What everyone hopes is to sweep the Celtics into history.

After providing continuous warmth, on Monday the 16th, the Knicks faced the Nets back-to-back at home.

After the Nets won a tough game last week and officially secured a playoff spot, Kidd and Carter were visibly relaxed.

Thanks to Kidd's 9-of-2 performance in the first half, the Knicks took a double-digit lead at 48:60.

Carter felt a little disappointed as he walked toward the player tunnel. The cheers from the crowd were not for him. The basketball atmosphere in New York was so desirable that he couldn't help but think of his agent's words:

"Perhaps I should consider Schwartz's suggestion."

(End of this chapter)