NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 508 Those Guys Who Can’t Be Named (7700 Words Chapter)
At the beginning of June 2007, Aaron Goodwin, a well-known black agent, used Yahoo Sports to speak up for his players:

"No coach would waste the talent of a great big man."

"The Cavaliers should have gotten one win instead of four disastrous losses."

Although Yahoo's traffic has declined, the influence of the sports section is not small. Goodwin is obviously speaking for Dwight Howard, and his poor performance in the series even affected his new contract.

However, although the article sparked considerable discussion, most basketball critics remained rational and did not hold a criticism meeting against Van Gundy.

After all, the core players only made 30 of 10 shots, with a hit rate of less than %, which was the fundamental reason for the Cavaliers' loss. As the team leader, James naturally had to take the blame.

As for the invisible Howard, even if he scored a few more points, he still lost. No one expected this newbie to become O'Neal. If he had that kind of strength, the Cavaliers would not have lost three games in a row.
Complaining is still useful. At least the Cavaliers responded quickly. In an interview with Cleveland local media, owner Gilbert took the initiative to reassure Howard's team:
"We are not in a rush. After I came to the Cavaliers, I have a long-term plan for team building!"

"I assure the fans that the team will sign Howard, he is an indispensable member of the team, and he will become the best big man in the league in the future."

Gilbert was very satisfied that the team reached the divisional finals soon after taking over. Although he had some doubts, he believed that Van Gundy's team building ideas were undoubtedly correct.

As the youngest championship coach in NBA history and the youngest coach to win four consecutive championships, with such achievements, Van Gundy has no worries about work. On the contrary, it will be difficult for the Cavaliers to find a better head coach.

The same goes for Howard. Big men are still very high-quality assets in the league. Even if his technical characteristics are too single, this rookie will not have to worry about a big contract.

This is the current situation in the NBA. There are too few star players who are truly talented and can lead a team, and the entire league has been on a downward spiral.

Basketball critics have also noticed this. Look at the drama on the West Coast. Even when Kobe Bryant publicly demanded a transfer, old Buss did not make any strong statements except to leave him alone.

In this era when the quality of basketball stars is extremely poor, teams need more well-known stars. A group of players whose names are not even known to fans cannot drive the market, let alone expand box office revenue.

On Tuesday, June 6th, the finals G5 will be held at 21:1 p.m.

The Spurs arrived in Manhattan on Sunday, but their arrival did not affect the mood of New York fans. Many people have already started celebrating the arrival of the championship in advance.

Just like the division championship did not bring new talents to Li You, New York fans have never looked down upon the Spurs. In the Reddit section, young people who like to surf the Internet are making fun of their opponents again:
"I can't even name most of the Spurs players. I don't know why these guys always appear in the finals!"

There are many fans who hold this view. For those casual fans who only watch the finals, it is very difficult to get a deep understanding of the Argentine center who started for the Spurs.

As for the big man Francisco Elson and the small man Jacqui Vaughn on the bench, most fans had no impression of them.

A guy who has difficulty averaging 5 points per game cannot attract the attention of fans, so much so that when ABC was warming up for the finals last week, many fans wrote to ESPN to complain that there were too few highlights in the game!
Although they lost the divisional finals, Van Gundy, who led the team to good results this year, received an invitation from ABC to participate in the broadcast of the program.

As the former head coach of the Knicks and a former tactical master, Van Gundy, who once participated in the broadcasting work, is undoubtedly the best commentator.

The studio is in New York, which happens to be the place the former championship coach is most familiar with. Van Gundy readily accepted and agreed to do the on-site commentary work.

In the studio at the back that night, Dan Patrick perked up in front of the camera, his 3:7 hair was slicked back. Although the show was criticized by fans, the broadcast had to go on:
"We got news from front-line reporter Michelle Tafoya that the Knicks have already started warming up in advance."

"Li is about to have his fifth child. Although we rarely interview him recently, from the warm-up scene, he is in excellent condition."

As a well-known ESPN analyst, Jon Barry has always admired Li You as much as those basketball commentators who like Excel.

As the director cut back the camera, the bald analyst who was ready to "start the group" said with a smile:
"I insist that the Spurs' strength has declined compared to previous years. Ginobili can no longer play the role of a surprise player. Most teams in the league have adapted to his style of play."

"From another perspective, the Cavaliers' defense is not inferior to the Spurs. Recalling Lee's performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, where he averaged 38.5 points per game, he was still unstoppable tonight."

Recently, Michael Wilbon has been warming up for the finals on the PTI program every night at 17:30. In recent years, Li You has been the focus figure repeatedly mentioned in the program. He knows the strength of the GOAT too well.

Just for the sake of show effect, Michael Wilbon could only praise the Spurs, smiled softly at the camera and then shook his bald head:

"No, I think the key to the Spurs' success is Tim Duncan! When Tony Parker is restricted, Duncan will definitely stand out. Don't forget that he is the MVP."

"Popovich will liberate Duncan. Once Duncan gets 35+10+5+5, the Knicks will change their defensive strategy. This is the Spurs' chance."

"This is the fourth finals in his career. I believe Duncan is ready!"

According to previous statements, Michael Wilbon firmly believed that Duncan could lead the team to victory by scoring 35 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks, but this view was criticized by New York fans as "daydreaming".
The MVPs are competing against each other, which is a good gimmick. At least the fans who watched the show have high expectations.

The three people in the studio at the back made a messy analysis and almost made Duncan the greatest power forward in history. Finally, the time was up and the camera returned to the front.

"I have a bad feeling that this year's ratings will be a problem. We shouldn't exaggerate the strength of the Spurs."

Michael Wilbon sat in his chair and complained quietly to his partner. Jon Barry didn't care. He had been at ESPN longer and his ambition was long gone:
"If you don't talk about this, what do you want the fans to expect? Tell everyone that Lee's shooting percentage in the Eastern Conference Finals was 60.2%, which is higher than that of a big man like Duncan?"

"Or should I tell the fans that Lee's 51.7-point shooting percentage of % also exceeded Duncan's performance in the Western Conference Finals?"

The data came out easily, and Michael Wilbon slapped his forehead. Dan Patrick saw that the two were silent again, and for a moment he could only helplessly remind them:
"Please pray to God! Don't let the suspense of the game disappear at halftime. I don't want to have no topic to talk about during the halftime break."

"."

There was still nearly an hour before the game started and a large number of fans had already begun to enter the venue. Since there are very few boxes in Madison Square Garden, the most popular seats in the finals every year are actually the "screaming seats."

The big back rows are for the atmosphere, and usually sell for more than 60 dollars. Now they are sold for more than 200 dollars. If you move a few rows forward, it will be 500 dollars. As for the seats on the sidelines, if nothing unexpected happens, they will exceed again.

In fact, the front row seats had already been booked by major brokerage companies, and even die-hard fan Spike Lee had to pay extra.

At this time, most of the people in the stadium were media reporters and broadcasting staff. The floor in the center of the venue had been replaced with the O'Brien Cup pattern, and the NBA league was also working hard to package it.

The three people sitting on the high chairs in the middle of the venue were still warming up for the game. Mark Jackson and his new partner got along very well. Facing the camera, he smiled and joked:
"Jeff should have realized that zone defense is ineffective, which is why he insisted on man-to-man defense in the conference finals."

"I believe that coach Popovich will change the defensive strategy in individual rounds, but coach D'Antoni has too many cards in his hand. Raja Bell has been included in the 12-man activation list tonight."

Completely free of the anxiety he felt during the game, Van Gundy returned to the commentary booth looking radiant, his forehead shining brightly under the lights, and he smiled very happily:
"Mark is right, the Cavaliers' defense is very good, but we still don't have a good way to deal with the Knicks' ball handlers."

"Maybe some people think the Knicks' starting shooting will be a problem, but don't forget that Hill and Artest are also excellent breakthrough players."

"I believe D'Antoni will not change the game strategy. After the game starts, Lee will continue to attack Tim Duncan, and Gasol will benefit from it."

The two chatted happily, and Mike Brin did not hesitate to ask a more targeted question:

"If the Spurs want to win, what do they need to do? Should Parker put more pressure on Lee on the offensive end?"

Mark Jackson extended his hand in a friendly manner, indicating that Van Gundy was more qualified to answer this question than himself. The latter faced the camera and pondered for a moment, then said self-deprecatingly:

"Just pray to God! I don't think the Spurs have a better backcourt defense than James and Larry."

"Unless God responds, Lee will not suddenly fail to perform well. His condition is incredibly good. As he gets older, his experience and skills allow him to cope with all difficulties."

"."

As the competition time approached, Li You's girls in the top box took their positions. The whole family was mobilized tonight, and except for the two pregnant women, everyone came to the scene to kill time.

The four girls were all dressed the same, in jeans and oversized blue Knicks T-shirts. Scarlett, who had dyed her hair red, was somewhat disgusted with the old environment. She slumped down on the sofa and complained in a low voice:
"Eva Longoria really loves the spotlight! She always pushes to the front every time she comes to New York."

After the engagement, Eva took Parker to many shows, and the two showed their affection, becoming a model couple in the NBA.
Melinda, who had her hair in a ponytail, shook her blonde hair and looked around the box, which had not changed much from the past. When she saw the little succubus curled her lips, she teased:
"Scarlett has become possessive now that she has grown up. Does our little darling regret this?"

Jin sat next to the little succubus, hugged her, looked at Catherine who was staring at the game guide on the other side, and whispered:

"Is there something wrong? Even though we've been here many times to watch the game, we never seem to notice these things."

Katherine Winnick tied a knot in her oversized T-shirt. She was the same age as Li You, almost 30 years old, but she looked very young. She waved the guidebook in her hand and said in confusion:
"There is a lack of information about the opponent. I watched the ABC program and the propaganda was very different from what they said."

Scarlett, nestled in Kim's arms, straightened up again, looking at Catherine, whose waist was slender and full of strength, and suddenly remembered the intense multiplayer competition in the past few days. For a moment, she said with some envy:
"I can't name them anyway, but Katheryn has a great figure."

Catherine, who pursued the big screen, shrugged. She envied the little succubus in front of her. No matter how hard she tried, she could only make bad movies. Milinda saw what she was thinking and immediately hugged her shoulders and comforted her:
“We found another partner in the UK, and they are also starting to get involved in Hollywood investments.”

"If you still want to be on the big screen, there will be opportunities in the future. But I think TV series are also good. Eva became popular all over the United States through a TV series."

Catherine will be 30 years old at the end of the year. She shook her head and felt that her acting career was likely to fail. She had entered the next stage of her life:

"Forget it, there are more and more beautiful young girls in Hollywood"

Scarlett didn't care about that. After the four of them sat together, the little succubus began to share the gossip she had recently received from her "Plastic Sisters":
"Rebecca Hall is dating Sam Mendes. I knew they were not right at the Rome Film Festival last year. Kate Winslet will get divorced soon."

After hearing this gossip, the three of them started to complain and almost forgot that the game was about to start.
With less than half an hour left before the game started, the home team's entrance ceremony ignited the atmosphere, and New York fans wearing orange and blue cheering T-shirts cheered loudly.

When D'Antoni was finally introduced, he was wearing a striped black suit, a white shirt, a red scarf and a small mustache. He smiled at the camera and showed his style as a championship coach.

He was idle as soon as he came on the court, which was in stark contrast to Popovich, who was expressionless and kept giving instructions to the players on the other side. Van Gundy in the commentary booth was mesmerized by what he saw and even felt nostalgic.

Michelle Tafoya was conducting an interview and immediately found Li You who was preparing for the final warm-up. She smiled and asked in front of the camera:
"Lee, this is your fourth time meeting Tim Duncan in the Finals. Compared with the previous times, how would you evaluate this year's Spurs team?"

"31 years old is the best stage of his career, a perfect combination of experience and skills. I watched a lot of Spurs game videos and Duncan is more comprehensive than in the past."

Li You spoke these words very sincerely, with a solemn look on his face. When he saw Michelle Tafoya nodding, he suddenly changed the subject:
"Fortunately, I will soon be 30 years old. You know, I entered the league earlier than Duncan. I will not lose to him in terms of game experience."

"Basketball is a game for five people. My teammates are even better. The Knicks, who are pursuing great goals, will not stop here. Everyone is ready to welcome the 5th trophy."

"."

Michelle Tafoya was speechless and could only smile again, hug Li You and send her blessings. She felt a little sympathetic towards Duncan, as even time was not on his side.

Hill, who has already confirmed that he will join ESPN, came to the center of the field and kept fist-bumping his opponents, saying hello in a friendly manner. Seeing Duncan's expressionless face, he immediately gave his blessing:
"Enjoy the game, man! Relax."

Duncan simply responded, still the same as before. Except for Parker who was "smiling", most of the Spurs players had sullen faces and looked bitter and resentful.

Ginobili, who came to the starting lineup, also had a solemn expression. The noise in the stadium was getting louder and louder. The Argentine thought of the preparations these days and looked at Bruce Bowen again.

Li You was moving his body near the free throw line in his own half. In front of him, Gasol greeted his old rival with a smile. Chandler, who made it to the finals for the first time, waved his arms continuously and interacted passionately with the fans.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The cheers were getting louder and louder. Standing in the center circle on the floor printed with the O'Brien Cup, Argentine big man Fabricio Oberto stared at the basketball in the referee's hand.

As 21 o'clock came, the game officially began, and Chandler pushed the thrown basketball away. The Spurs team retreated tacitly. Popovich, who was standing on the sidelines, saw Li You's tactical gestures and immediately reminded the players loudly. After watching the video for almost a week, he knew all the opponent's routines.

The two big men stopped in the elbow area early. Seeing the change in the Knicks' formation, Parker hurried to defend. At the same time, without waiting for the double screen to happen, Chandler suddenly moved to the basket.

When the two wings moved to the bottom corner, Gasol raised his screen position and moved closer to the left wing. The moment he stood still, Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly pushed the ball and changed direction.

The perfect timing made Parker miss the chance to cut the ball, and Duncan slid early to establish a defensive position, standing with both feet on the three-point line and supporting his left arm.

Amid the fans' exclamations, Li You touched the ball with his left hand without any pause. He pressed down his wrist and the basketball instantly passed under Duncan's crotch.

Although Parker quickly squeezed through the screen, Li You, who did not have the ball in his hands, moved faster. He exerted force with his feet, turned his body sideways, and quickly squeezed through the three people.

"Oh!"

Cheers rang out again. Bowen wanted to assist in defense, but he saw Li You chasing the ball easily near the left blocking area. As soon as he moved his feet, the opponent had already caught the ball and shot it with his right hand.

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket. Oberto was also stunned there. He was still struggling with Chandler under the basket, and the attack was over.

"It's hard to imagine how Li developed such excellent ball-handling skills. The basketball seems to have become a part of Li's body."

After Mark Jackson said this, he looked at Van Gundy on the side. The latter didn't know what to say for a moment. He got the news that Li You had been reducing his workload and had not been training more in recent years.

"Sure enough, the Spurs' offense starts with Duncan. Parker is likely to give up his position as the main attacker tonight."

In the commentary booth, as soon as Mike Breen finished speaking, Duncan, who received the ball with his back to the basket in the left blocking area, immediately turned around and attacked facing the basket, swaying right and left, releasing the ball with his left hand, and carrying Gasol to try to squeeze to the basket.

Facing such a low-post attack, Gasol was naturally fully prepared. He raised his right arm, slid quickly, and while giving physical confrontation, let Duncan stop the ball at the bottom left of the basket.

After faking the ball and dribbling it, he failed to fool the defense. Noticing Chandler also started to move, Duncan immediately leaned forward, swung the ball with his left hand, and tried to find his teammate with a baseline pass.

Near the right baseline, Oberto was in an open position, but Duncan's pass was directly blocked by Chandler who stretched out his right arm because of his faster reaction.

The basketball flew out of the baseline, and Chandler clapped his hands repeatedly, excitedly encouraging himself.

"Defense!."

The opponent's first attack was successfully disrupted, and the defensive cheers became louder and louder. Li You outside the three-point line pointed at Ginobili on the other side, and Hill began to pull with the opponent tacitly.

After failing to steal the ball, Ginobili simply switched positions with Bowen, took the basketball from the referee, and immediately threw the ball outside the three-point line.

After Parker received the ball, Duncan immediately stepped on the three-point line to set a screen. At the top of the arc, facing the lateral movement of the small man holding the ball with his left hand, Gasol was also greatly delayed.

By the time Duncan was running down the court, Li You had already chased him to the side, and Gasol also switched defense tacitly, not giving the opponent a chance to pass the ball.

Near the left blocking area, Parker, who was being chased, suddenly stopped, leaned close to Li You, and then turned around quickly.

Parker lowered his center of gravity and instantly switched to his right hand. He then forced himself to accelerate laterally. Realizing that he still hadn't gotten rid of Li You, he cursed in his heart but didn't stop.

Rushing across the free throw line against the defense, Parker exerted force again while moving and actively bumped into Li You. After the collision, his body tilted, and then he grabbed the ball with his right hand and shot it with a step.

Li You stretched out his left arm and jumped up to interfere, and the arc of the basketball was deliberately raised. After Parker shot, he shouted "rebound", and the basketball finally hit the side edge and was grabbed by Chandler who jumped high.

Parker, who was very good at shooting, missed the shot and kept muttering to himself as he retreated. He was used to the bullying games in the Western Conference and was a little uncomfortable with this kind of confrontation for a while.

The two teams only faced each other in the early stages of the regular season, and the feeling of watching the video and the actual game are completely different.

The orderly retreat prevented Li You from launching a transition offense. As the Knicks were in a 131 position again, Duncan had to follow Gasol to the top of the arc.

After slowing down, he leaned against Parker, stopped and started quickly, and with the ball in his right hand, Li You used the screen to briefly get rid of the defense. Facing Duncan's assisting defense, he paused slightly on the three-point line, then suddenly lowered his shoulders and accelerated.

With a big step of his right foot, Li You protected the ball and shook off Duncan's hidden pull. The big man slid desperately, and Gasol, seeing the opportunity, immediately followed.

Parker was about to cooperate with his teammates to complete the double-team, but Li You suddenly passed the ball from behind while moving.

He instinctively stretched out his arm, but caught nothing. When Duncan realized something was wrong, the basketball bounced on the floor and fell accurately into Gasol's hands. Without stopping the ball, he grabbed the ball with both hands and dunked it!
"boom!"

Looking at Gasol hanging in the frame, the arena was filled with shouts of joy. In the commentary booth, Mike Breen praised him repeatedly:

"Fantastic offense! This is why everyone loves to buy tickets to support the Knicks. Lee continues his show in the Finals!"

"."

Popovich did not blame his players. There was no better way to deal with this situation. He could only continue to ask Parker to speed up the attack.

The Spurs attacked quickly and passed the ball across half court. Ginobili received the ball on the left wing and immediately threw it to Duncan who asked for the ball again.

In the same position, Duncan received the ball and turned quickly. Without any help defense, he attacked facing the basket, swaying left and right, releasing the ball with his right hand, and carrying Gasol into the paint area with big strides.

Before Duncan had time to look at the basket, Chandler rushed to help defend. He was blocked by two big men and forced a shot to try to cause a foul. The basketball flew out, but the referee did not make any comment.

After staggering, he almost fell to the floor. Oberto was a beat slow to react and was grabbed over the head by Li You who quickly retreated into the paint area.

He rushed forward as soon as he got the ball. As Li You bypassed the big man and accelerated closer to the right sideline, the two wingers of the Knicks also sprinted at full speed.

Parker was shaken by a sudden ball from behind and lost half of his body position in an instant. He watched Li You switch to his left hand and rush faster and faster, and could only shout to his teammates.

In the blink of an eye, Li You rushed across the three-point line at the top of the arc. Bowen hurriedly retreated to the basket. As soon as he moved his feet, the basketball in the paint area flew straight to the right corner.

After successfully receiving Li You's jumping pass, Artest faced Bowen's block and made a quick jump shot but missed!
"Oh!"

With a sigh, the basketball hit the rim and bounced out. Parker was about to chase the ball, but Li You under the basket got ahead of him, suddenly accelerated, and picked up the ball near the left blocking area.

Ginobili also wanted to pick up the ball, and when he saw Li You dribbling to the outside of the three-point line near the left sideline, he simply cooperated with his teammates to double-team him.

The two chased to the three-point line, and Li You, with his back to the basket, suddenly dribbled the ball behind him. The moment he turned around, he threw the ball to the bottom corner with his left hand.

Hill, who was unguarded, received the ball and strode straight to the basket. Duncan, who had just retreated, hurriedly moved his feet, but the basketball flew towards Gasol who started to move in the paint area.

The moment he received the ball, he jumped up immediately without any pause. Gasol grabbed the ball with his right hand and dunked with one arm!
"what!"

Gasol, with a beard, roared loudly in front of Duncan. The atmosphere group on the Knicks bench also cheered loudly. D'Antoni laughed so hard that he couldn't stop and clapped his hands.

It was Ginobili who opened the scoring for the Spurs, and Parker, who took the initiative to speed up the offensive tempo, rushed across half court and quickly changed direction in front of his body.

Unable to shake off Li You, Parker, holding the ball in his right hand, broke through to the free throw line and was almost stopped. He had no choice but to pass the ball to his teammate on the left wing and then immediately shot out.

Ginobili received the ball without shaking. He released the ball with his left hand and broke through. After rushing into the paint area, he changed his rhythm and made a shot while moving, causing Hill to foul and getting a free throw.

"Shh!"

Amid the boos, Van Gundy in the commentary booth saw the Spurs' simple and rough offensive style and immediately gave his own opinion:

"In the first few attacks after the opening, the individual ability failed to change the Knicks' defensive style and failed to break through the man-to-man defense. It was difficult for the Spurs to create absolute open opportunities."

"It's time to test the core players. Someone from the Spurs trio must step up. I believe Deng will definitely respond."

Mark Jackson laughed and said sarcastically that it was obvious that Duncan would be assisted by the big men and even +2 would become a difficult task.

2:6, two free throws were made, and Popovich shouted loudly to retreat.

Facing the Knicks' sudden double screen, Oberto was not prepared. He went online and watched Parker disappear. When he moved his feet, he found that Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, had already rushed into his arms.

Bowen just retreated in the right corner, Li You passed the ball again, Artest received the ball in an open position again, and made a decisive jump shot in the same position!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

Watching Artest jumping and high-fiving Li You to celebrate after scoring the goal, Duncan under the basket had a blank expression on his face, but he slammed the basketball in his hand hard.

Duncan increased his speed in handling the ball, received the ball at the same position in the left blocking zone, and made a mid-range jump shot from behind the basket.

Looking back, the Spurs had just retreated and Gasol received the ball outside the three-point line. His first hand-to-hand pass was blocked, so he took advantage of the momentum to pass the ball and then immediately gave the ball to Li You who was running back.

On the left wing, far away from the three-point line, Li You successfully received the ball and made a fake move, tricking Parker into jumping as well.

When Li Youyun took a step closer to the three-point line and stopped again, raising the ball and shaking it again, Parker, who was chasing him, failed to control his center of gravity and directly rear-ended him. The basketball flew towards the basket and the referee blew the whistle.

"Lee for three Bang! And the foul!"

Li You leaned forward and shot the ball into the net. Mike Breen shouted with joy. When Steve Jarvy on the sideline indicated that the goal was valid, Popovich on the sidelines complained loudly:
"My player fouled first! You can't call it like that! This is the finals!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The old man's voice was soon drowned out by the uniform shouting, and when Li You made the free throw, the Spurs bench was silent.

At 4:13, the referee did not take care of the weaker side, and assistant coach Budenholzer hurriedly grabbed Popovich and whispered a reminder.

The tight defense forced the Spurs to fight alone. The offense of the trio was not efficient, and they were unable to change the Knicks' defensive strategy. From time to time, the offense was interrupted and they were quickly counterattacked.

Li You frequently provided assists within a few minutes, allowing Gasol to score easily. The Knicks' score increased, and Popovich sat back on the bench with a sullen face.

With 2 minutes and 01 second left in the first quarter, Duncan was substituted, which was not the game strategy formulated before the game.

At 12:24, Popovich frowned and took the initiative to comfort the thigh who left the court:
"Don't worry, Tim, it's the first game!"

"."

(End of this chapter)