NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 499: The Era of the Stars' Poor Performance (Daily Chapter)

On May 2007, 5, the NBA announced this season's Sportsmanship Award:

Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng won the award.

The best rookie award was just announced two days ago, and Brandon Roy of the Trail Blazers won the award overwhelmingly.

The awards for this season are coming to an end, and the most important MVP will be awarded in the first game of the second round, but the most embarrassing situation has occurred, the new winner is eliminated in the first round.
In the morning, two ESPN programs were frantically reviewing last night's game, and all major sports media outlets followed suit.

Even the online fans who only watched the finals were attracted. This situation is really rare. A team with 68 wins was eliminated so early?
The New York Times informed fans early in the morning how soft the new MVP is. New York fans were delighted that the Mavericks were eliminated. This was the biggest fun of the season!

As of 2007, the Mavericks are the second team in the long history of the NBA to win 2+ games but not win the championship.

Before this, only the Celtics in the 1972-73 season had achieved this achievement, but the Mavericks' record is too embarrassing. They are the first team with 1+ wins to lose in the first round.

The New York media naturally went all out to report this embarrassing record. Eye-catching headlines can be seen prominently in newspapers:

"The worst MVP in NBA history, Dirk Nowitzki has brought shame to Lee's trophy."

In Game 6, Nowitzki completely collapsed and kicked over a chair during the game. After the game, the player tunnel of the Oracle Arena was punched with a trash can by angry Germans, making a big hole in it.

The scene of complete defense breakdown was recorded, and the new MVP became the object of ridicule by the fans.

Compared with what happened to the Mavericks, Oracle Arena is very impressive, and the Warriors' golden "We believe" T-shirts will undoubtedly become a classic worth remembering.

It will be difficult for a team to make a comeback against a 68-win team even in the next few decades.

Nowitzki was nailed to the pillar of shame, while Stephen Jackson, who scored 6 points in a row in the third quarter of Game 13, made 7 three-pointers in a single game and scored 33 points, became popular again.

After the Pacers had been silent for a few years, through this series, the commentators realized that Jackson was also a player who had a brilliant performance in the finals.

Unlike Nowitzki who was absent from the press conference, Stephen Jackson talked about his championship experience after winning last night:

"When I was in Indiana, people seemed to forget that I was a championship player."

"I'm not Lee. I need a suitable system. Thanks to the Warriors and coach Nelson, they helped me get back the feeling of playing alongside Lee."

"After joining the team, Matt and I shared our championship experience with everyone without reservation. As you can see, we defeated the 68-win MVP."

"."

Not only Stephen Jackson, Baron Davis also blew X after winning the game, without considering the Germans' emotions at all:

"Small guys can dominate the game, and Lee led us!"

"I respect the Mavericks. They won 68 games, but we are not afraid of this team. Lee has already shown how to beat them in the finals."

"The Warriors have transformed themselves, and the championship experience brought by Stephen and Matt has laid the foundation for the team's winning culture."

The two sang the same tune and blew a lot of shit at the press conference, which made Mark Cuban so angry that he cursed the referee on his blog and criticized the MVP awarding process.
After a night and a morning of fermentation, the NBA's annual joke completely broke out, and Dirk Nowitzki's reputation as a "softie" spread throughout the United States.

Since the Rockets and the Jazz entered a Game 7, the MVP award ceremony was originally planned to be held at the home court of the No. Mavericks.

But after the Mavericks were eliminated, the league can only send the trophy to Dallas. Nowitzki seems to be autistic and did not accept any interviews after the game last night.

As for the MVP's speech, it has now become a joke and only the onlookers who are here for fun are looking forward to it.

That night, the Heat and the Raptors faced Game 6. Chris Bosh made a mistake in the final moments and missed the chance to score the winning goal. They lost the game away from home and were eliminated in the first round.

95:97, thanks to the performance of veterans, the Heat successfully advanced.

At the American Airlines Arena, 2 Miami fans celebrated with a big score of 4:2. They eliminated the playoff rookie with difficulty. Even with the core players playing with injuries, it is worth celebrating that they passed the first round.

The Raptors, who had taken the lead, eventually lost to the Old Man's team. Bosh felt the joyful atmosphere at the scene and became more and more depressed.

出场42分钟，21中8，三分线外3中1，罚球7中6，23分7篮板9助攻1抢断2盖帽3失误。

Facing the inside combination of Haslem and O'Neal, Bosh failed to take advantage and failed to perform efficiently in two key games. Instead, he was tied by the opponent for two consecutive games.

Not long ago, Bryan Colangelo of the Raptors won the Executive of the Year award, but after reaching the playoffs, the team's roster revealed big problems and the rookies lacked experience.

Brian Colangelo, wearing a black suit, a blue shirt, a dark blue tie, and with his hair parted in a 3:7 style, was clapping and encouraging his players at the entrance to the player tunnel.

The backcourt combination of Jose Calderon and Anthony Parker was unable to limit the injured Wade, but the No. 1 pick performed well.

Colangelo looked at the dejected players and suddenly felt that he should bring in a veteran with experience in winning games:

"Don't be discouraged, we have succeeded!"

After saying goodbye to his friend, Bosh walked into the player tunnel and felt better after hearing the encouragement from the general manager. Thinking about the Heat facing the Knicks again, he couldn't help but think to himself:

"It's another match without any suspense."

Although Wade fought so hard that he almost fell to the floor, sports reporters went to interview O'Neal after the game. Most media didn't care about this series at all. Instead, the old Shark's big mouth was worth reporting.

O'Neal was in a good mood when attending the press conference. He almost got eliminated in the first round, but fortunately everything is over.

"Shaq, do you think Nowitzki should accept the trophy? What do you think of this season's MVP?"

Although O'Neal is no longer popular, the old Shark still won't give up such a show-off moment. He looked serious in front of a group of reporters, and only after hearing the questions did a painful expression gradually appear on his face:
"Nowitzki should certainly accept the trophy as a reward for his 68 regular season wins."

"But as a player who has won the MVP, I can only express regret for what has happened now."

"Kevin Garnett was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals. I defeated him myself. Tim Duncan lost in the semifinals. There have been problems with the selection process in recent years."

"I respect the winners, but they lowered the standard for MVP. The league's ratings are down because most of the stars are not good enough."

"I opposed Charles Barkley's remarks a long time ago, but now it seems that he is the only one who speaks the truth."

O'Neal answered the question in a deep voice, showing an attitude of "I don't care to be compared with fake stars". Noting the Los Angeles reporters, he adjusted the microphone and added:
"Don't refute me, look at what Kobe has done since I left the Lakers."

"He performed well in the regular season, 81 points, but in the playoffs, he could only be eliminated in the first round."

"In this era, only Lee and I are real superstars. In the future, Dwyane will be the next Lee, but he has to take care of his body. My little brother will definitely succeed."

Wade smiled shyly. O'Neal had always been belittling Kobe and praising him. He was used to it. He wanted to "finish the fight", but the Fox Sports reporter suddenly gossiped:
"Wade, we got the news that you seem to be experiencing an emotional crisis? Will you end this marriage in the future?"

Wade and his childhood sweetheart are now married. They have been called the "golden boy and jade girl" in the league and can be said to be a model couple! The Miami Herald used to tease Li You for having too rich a love life, but Wade seems to be about to fall out of favor. No one mentions his previous image of being devoted anymore.
I thought the reporters would talk about the game, but I noticed that the people in the audience were more concerned about their own affairs. Wade's eyes twitched slightly. He almost worked himself to death to get through the first round, and now they are asking him these questions?

"We have a good relationship and will have our second child soon. I don't want to explain anything. Now I will just focus on the game."

"."

Wade will be welcoming a new family member at the end of May, but recently there have been rumors that "The Flash" cheated during pregnancy. His denial at this time did not stop the gossip from sports reporters.

Faced with questions that were getting increasingly off topic, Wade soon lost his patience. No one cared about the semi-finals, as if everyone had already determined that they were going to lose.

For fans on the other side of the ocean, the Mavericks' upset was naturally a welcome news.

When the Mavericks eliminated the Rockets, many fans were very angry. Although McGrady's die-hard fans often look back on their idol's performance back then, no matter how good the statistics were, the fact was that they were eliminated in the first round.

The "soft and hard battle" seems to have come to an end. As MVPs, Kevin Garnett relied on Sprewell's championship experience to reach the Western Conference Finals!

Many Chinese fans were happy when Nowitzki was eliminated this time. However, after the Rockets and the Jazz played a seventh game, most fans were defeated again.

Damon Jones, who was acquired from the Cavaliers before the trade deadline, hit a key three-pointer in the seventh game.

106:99, the Jazz defeated the Rockets away and eliminated their opponents with a score of 4:3. They will face the Warriors in the semifinals.

Fans watching this game on TV on the other side of the ocean don’t know how to evaluate this series, “Yao Ming tried his best, his teammates are CBA”?
McGrady, who played with an injury, tried his best, but the three-pointers from Damon Jones and Okur in the final moments made his efforts in vain. So far in his career, he still has not been able to break through the first round.

25中12，三分线外4中0，罚球9中5，29分5篮板13助攻3盖帽2失误，拿到两双数据的麦克格雷迪赛后差点落泪。

19中9，罚球13中11，29分6篮板1盖帽4失误，输球的姚明也只能叉腰看着对手在丰田中心球馆尽情庆祝。

After losing this game, head coach Mike Brown's coaching career with the Rockets came to an end.

面对火箭队的内线组合，布泽尔23中13，砍下35分14篮板5助攻1抢断1盖帽4失误的两双数据，奥库也高效拿到16分11篮板。

Yao Ming, who was always pulled to the outside in offense, became the target. He was unable to protect the basket better after losing weight. Deron Williams, who was selected to the All-Star team, performed very well in this series.

At the press conference after the game, McGrady complained frustratedly about the team's elimination in the first round because the Rockets lost 8 rebounds:

"Not only were we unable to limit our opponent's scoring, we also didn't have an advantage in rebounding."

"Boozer grabbed 4 rebounds in the game. I don't know why he made such a low-level mistake when we obviously had a height advantage."

Perhaps realizing that he had said something wrong, McGrady took the initiative to change the subject, but Yao Ming on the side was in a bad mood. After all, he was the tallest player on the court, and 6 rebounds in a game was really ugly.
Fortunately, the Houston sports reporter did not embarrass Yao Ming. When asked about his expectations for the next season, he only got polite words:
"We won't be eliminated in the first round again."

Yao Ming, who was just speaking politely, was in a terrible mood. Basketball is a game for five people, and the Rockets, who rotated almost seven players, did not deserve to lose.

On Sunday, May 5, the Knicks faced their first semifinal game. Li You, who was expecting the birth of his child, gave a rare interview before the game.

Just this morning, Nowitzki attended his MVP press conference. The whole speech was very awkward. The German seemed to have not slept for several days, his eyes were red, and he had not shaved.

Winning the MVP award should have been a big deal, but as he was eliminated in the first round, the league had to keep the matter low-key.

According to convention, Nowitzki should accept the cheers of fans at his home court. The league suggested moving this part to the Suns' home court, but Mark Cuban ultimately rejected it.

If he really goes to Phoenix to raise a toast, it will be an on-the-spot execution. Nowitzki might die on the spot.
The Knicks held a grand press conference before the game, which was in stark contrast to the Mavericks' low-key approach. The New York media's bad taste sometimes makes people laugh.

Fortunately, Li You did not wear formal clothes to cooperate with the performance, otherwise at the end of the season, Nowitzki would become his mortal enemy. The German would have been compared repeatedly and his mentality would have exploded long ago.

When Lee You appeared on the stage wearing the Knicks' home white training uniform, a group of sports reporters couldn't wait to raise their hands to ask questions. The team's press officer chose the friendly New York Times:

"Lee, what do you think of Nowitzki's refusal to go to Phoenix to receive the award?"

"I understand Dirk. For him, what he wants more at this moment is the encouragement from the Dallas fans. It is enough to raise a toast with his teammates. There is no need to deliberately fly to the opponent's home court."

The situation at the award ceremony was really terrible. Although Li You did not add insult to injury, Nowitzki was still ridiculed by many basketball critics in the following week.

As if thinking that Li You's answer was not explosive enough, the ESPN reporter took the lead and acted as a mouthpiece again:

"O'Neal believes that the league lacks true superstars. Lee, do you think Nowitzki, who won the MVP award, is not as good as he said?"

The Heat kept a low profile after arriving in Manhattan. Pat Riley turned down most interviews, and Li You didn't pay much attention to the opponent's movements tonight. He heard the old opponent's big mouth respond with a smile:
"Although the Mavericks lost the first round, they achieved a historic record of 68 wins in the regular season."

"As a team leader, Dirk is of course a superstar. Basketball games are not only about strength, but also about mentality."

"The Heat may suffer a crushing defeat in tonight's game. Don't define a player by one series."

"."

The pre-game press conference seemed to be a signal that no matter how low-key the Heat were, they could not prevent tonight's defeat.

Having only rested for more than a day, the Heat's starting lineup was not in good shape when the game started at 19:30 that night. Wade only played for 6 minutes before returning to the locker room with a recurrence of his shoulder injury.

At Madison Square Garden, New York fans cheered as they saw Li You easily tear through the Heat's defense.

Gary Payton came on in the second half of the first quarter, but he couldn't defend or score, and such performance made Pat Riley on the sidelines sit back on the bench early.

15:36, O'Neal, who was substituted out early, had a sullen face. All the points were scored by him and Alonzo Mourning. This game was unplayable.
The game entered garbage time early and the greasy-haired guy simply gave up the game early. Wade did not return and O'Neal did not appear in the second half.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals seemed to have turned into a warm-up match, and time passed quickly amid cheers.

In the end, the Knicks easily won the game 75:123.

Li You played for only 26 minutes. Among the Knicks' starting lineup, only Hill played for more than 30 minutes. The rotation lineup and atmosphere group had a great time.

On the ABC commentary booth, Mike Breen noticed that O'Neal had left the player tunnel early, and for a moment he could only sigh:
"If we use Lee's standards to judge the MVP, I think there will be no suspense about this award every year."

"In the eyes of New York fans, Lee is the only superstar in the league. Congratulations to the Knicks for winning this game. I hope the Heat can adjust in time."

The joyful atmosphere in the arena also affected Hubie Brown. The old coach thought of the press conference for the new MVP in the morning and used this topic to comment again:
"Lee made the league what it is today, but in some ways, most of the stars are facing a tougher test."

"Every winner will be compared to Lee, and if there is no suitable candidate in the future, I hope the award can return to Lee's hands."

"Lee doesn't need a trophy, but the MVP needs Lee"

(End of this chapter)