Basketball: The Chosen Victim

Chapter 115
The game was over, and Riley looked at the black screen of the computer screen for a long time without saying a word.

As a former champion coach and the general manager of the godfather-level team, he knows too well the impact that such a lore shot will have on a rookie player.

If you hit the game, you win, if you miss the game, you lose!

No matter how much you lead in the first two quarters, no matter how many twists and turns happened in the middle of the game, in the last 20 seconds or so, there is only the last attack, only the last goal...

One ball decides the fate of the game, one ball decides the life and death of the team!

This unprecedented crisis, this overwhelming pressure, let alone rookies, even most of the young and middle-aged players who have been in the league for many years cannot bear it.

But it was also at this critical moment that Jordan, Kobe, Iverson and others chose to stand up, so they became legends.

Back then, Wade relied on his first playoff game in his life to hit the game-winning shot against the Hornets in the last few seconds to complete his rebirth and quickly grow into a true superstar and team leader.

And Wu Di, in the 20th game of his career, accomplished this feat!

Moreover, the whole process of his shot lore also made Riley gasp.

Wu Di missed the first ball he threw just now.

This is actually quite normal, but even though he has scored more than 50 points before and has proved that he is good, but this is a lore shot, and the difficulty is unmatched by all his previous points plus one.

Just like Brandon Jennings of the Bucks, he also scored 56 points in his rookie season last year and was established as the core by the team early, but he has never hit a lore in his career so far.

But Wu Di changed his life against the sky. When he missed the first shot, with only more than ten seconds left in the game, and when the situation on the field was chaotic, he completed the steal from Howard and gave himself a hard time. Created a second chance for lore!
Overlord posture ah!
This kind of domineering arrogance to turn the tide, made Riley feel instinctively trembling!

"Maybe this is the number of days!"

Riley looked up to the sky and sighed. He entered the NBA with the 1967th overall pick in 7, and took over the Lakers, Knicks, and Heat coaches for 81 consecutive years since 30. He has gone through 43 years of NBA career so far.

In 43 years, he has witnessed the talent of the basketball emperor Chamberlain, encountered the dark rule of the Lord of the Rings Bill Russell, created the much-talked-about Show Time dynasty, and felt the power of Jordan for three consecutive years. The helplessness of the broken halberd has experienced the heroism of re-emerging and leading the Heat to become the new giants in the East.

But facing Wu Di and the knights this time, he felt an unprecedented challenge.

He knew very well that if Wu Di led the Cavaliers to defeat them in the playoffs, his decades of fame would be ruined, and he was no longer nor worthy to be the godfather of the NBA...

"No, I can't just sit and wait!"

After pondering for a moment, Riley showed an astonishing desire to win!
After all, he is a person who has experienced many ups and downs. Riley did not flinch at this time, but pressed a button on the table:
"Inform the media that I will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce my comeback as the coach of the Heat!"

"...Are you sure? What about Spoelstra? You know, Stan Van Gundy had an impact on your reputation before, why don't you let him continue to take the blame in that position? You continue to be behind the scenes... ..."

"No need! In the world of great contention, don't look forward and backward!"

He paused and said:
"Let him continue to retain this position this time, and I will be in charge of the coach together with him, and jointly coach!"

"it is good!"

"Also, call me David Stern!"

"David, do you think my comeback at this time is a good idea to help you attract traffic?"

"...Hehe, yes, you guessed it right! I do have a condition..."

……

At the same time, Wu Di's last 3-pointer to kill the Magic made Wu Di and the Cavaliers rush to the hot search again.

The highlights of Wu Di's 51 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals received millions of clicks, and the topic of Cavaliers' revenge was once again heated up.

Now Cavaliers fans and Heat fans can't sleep.

The Cavaliers fans couldn't sleep because they were so happy. In this game, Wu Di slashed 50+ and turned into a human weapon. While once again confirming his status as an absolute superstar, he also led the Cavaliers to end their losing streak!

Now the Cavaliers' ranking has risen by one place to fifth in the Eastern Conference, once again beating the pre-match predictions that the Cavaliers will lose the game and drop their rankings.

And Heat fans can't sleep because the Magic beat the Heat this season!

Or the Heat who won by nearly 95 points at 104-10...

In addition, Jamison did not play this time due to injury, and the Cavaliers have not fully demonstrated their strength...

Doesn't that mean that the Cavaliers really have hope of winning at home?

All of a sudden, Heat fans found a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. They could no longer sit back and relax. Not to mention the 23vs24 Finals, the 23vs46 Eastern Conference playoffs may be a hurdle...

"The Heat won the Cavaliers last game because they have the home field advantage. Next time at the Cavaliers' home court, it is not certain who will win!"

Netizens are discussing in full swing.

"I didn't dare to watch the Cavaliers' games this season. A good championship team was ruined by Baotuan Zhan. I was afraid that such a poor team as the Cavaliers would lose, but I didn't expect to be led by Wu Di all the way to fifth place in the Eastern Conference! I won't miss a single game, just waiting for the revenge heat!"

"The media in Miami is so funny. A few days ago, they were saying that the Cavaliers would fall to the bottom because of the loss against the Heat, and they would be completely reduced to a poor team. As a result, when they turned around, they were slapped and their faces were swollen!"

"Hehe, although I'm not a Cavaliers fan, I'm really looking forward to seeing the Big Three of the Heat suffer. If the Cavaliers can really defeat the Big Three and win the championship, it will definitely be the most valuable championship in NBA history!"

"It's been a long time since I've been unhappy with the grouping. There are the Celtics in front and the Heat in the back. Now someone can finally stand up and rectify the NBA!"

"Being ruthlessly abandoned by the Heat to a team in ruins, and then quickly rising to become a superstar...Wu Di is the most inspirational NBA story I have ever seen!"

"If Wu Di can really lead the team to complete revenge and win the championship, then the battle for the throne between him and LeBron will be completely settled!"

"Riley really misjudged this time. The talent I chose, but the so-called giants handed over the talent. It's a great loss! If the Heat lose to the Cavaliers in the playoffs, I wonder if there is any team that dares to form a team in the future. , If you dare to hold together again, you may be the next Heat!"

While netizens were talking about it, the "Miami Herald" released a big piece of news in the middle of the night, which instantly changed the direction of public opinion:
"Exclusive news from this newspaper, Pat Riley will come out for the third time, and will be in charge of the Heat coach together with Shuai!"

Now, whether it is a Heat fan, a Cavaliers fan or a passer-by fan, or even a netizen who doesn't watch basketball very much, they can't sit still:
"My God! Riley is so stimulated...he is 65 years old, and he has to coach the Heat himself..."

"...although it sounds exciting, but can you really be the coach of the team at the age of 65?"

"You don't understand this. After all, Riley was born as an athlete. He is always strong and healthy. Now he is in good spirits! Popovich is also in his 60s, and he coached the Spurs very well!"

"That's right, and Riley is co-coaching with Shuai. The combination of one old and one young, one master and one apprentice, will definitely make the Heat's Big Three work better and improve their strength to a higher level!"

"Two people co-coach a team, which is unprecedented in NBA history. I don't know if the league will allow this approach..."

"It's not a big problem. It doesn't need to be approved by the league. After all, Riley is the president of the Heat who monopolizes power, and it is estimated that Stern will wake up laughing in his dreams. Tomorrow, this topic will probably go out of the circle. If this wave of traffic If used well, the NBA can even take it to the next level..."

"Gah, it really shocked me. Riley has already achieved great success and is firmly seated in the godfather position. He actually came out again for Wu Di and the knight... There is no one else with the courage to break the boat!"

"I really gambled everything. I have to admire the courage of the old man. He is almost 70 years old, and he dares to gamble. He is worthy of the person who created the Show Time dynasty. One word, capitalized bull!"

"OMG!! Absolutely historical duel, the final battle! The new emperor Wu Di challenged the old emperor James, rebelled against Scott to avenge his godfather Riley, the Ruin Knight revenged the giants Heat, when did the NBA become so good at writing scripts?!"

In fact, don't wait until tomorrow, this topic has exploded that night, and even the official NBA account has been blown out to collect traffic!

Countless sports bloggers compiled a series of topics overnight, introduced the careers of several people, introduced the grievances and grievances of several companies, and predicted the direction of things...

……

The next day, the Cavaliers training base.

After participating in the team's daily training, Wu Di came to the team meeting room.

On the seats on both sides, Grant and Scott were staring intently at the TV set in the center of the conference room.

It was replaying the Heat's morning press conference.

The 65-year-old Riley combed his hair back, was hale and hearty, with a straight waist, and on the ring finger of his right hand, the 06 Heat championship ring was dazzling.

Instead of a formal suit, he wore a Heat coach shirt, as if declaring his new identity:

"Today is December 12th, and starting today, I will be co-coaching the Miami Heat with Erik Spoelstra!"

Although they already knew the news, the reporters at the scene couldn't help exclaiming when they heard Riley's confirmation.

"The Heat are determined to win the championship in 2011!"

Riley said impassionedly:

"We have Dwyane, the most outstanding shooting guard in the league, LeBron, the best small forward in the league, and Chris, the best power forward in the league. They are all members of the 03 Platinum Generation, known as the "Big Three" combination by the outside world. , However, their running-in is far from meeting expectations! The Heat's running-in is far from meeting expectations!"

"Basketball is a team sport. It is possible to achieve certain results in a short period of time by relying on individual strength alone, but to win a championship on a world-class stage like the NBA, you must rely on the team's concerted efforts! It’s easy, dreams are achieved with all your strength, and I’m also a professional basketball player, so I’m very clear about this!”

"I believe that my rich coaching experience will definitely help them enter the state faster! I am also very grateful to them for allowing me to find the joy of coaching again!"

"I have noticed that there are some noises in the outside world, some noises that slander us, but we are a team that wants to create a dynasty. No matter how loud these noises are, they will eventually become the jewels embedded in the crown of the Heat!"

……

After the press conference, Riley did not answer the reporters' questions, but turned directly into the team's daily training.

"Damn it! You're talking like a white lotus flower to yourself! It's really shameless, it's nothing more than the same as before, seeing that the Heat have the hope of winning the championship this time, it's just a trick to steal gold for my face!"

Grant pointed at the screen and cursed, but his trembling hands betrayed his fear.

The big villain Pat Riley actually ended up in person!

Although on the bright side, Riley said that his comeback is only for the Big Three to better run in, to strive for the championship with all their strength, and even to experience the fun of being in charge again.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that Riley's comeback is definitely aimed at the Cavaliers!
Scott didn't laugh at Grant. Facing such a ruthless Riley, it's normal to be frightened.

Scott entered the NBA with the fourth pick in 83, and Riley was his head coach for the first seven years of his career.

How cruel is Riley?
On the eve of the 89 Finals, Riley, as the head coach of the Lakers, directly overwhelmed the amount of training he had with Magician, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and others, until all players were injured and directly reimbursed for the season, resulting in the original playoffs The undefeated team was swept 4-0 in the finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired early...

However, under such circumstances, Riley can still ruthlessly throw the pot away, refusing to admit the mistakes he made!

However, at this age, Riley can still be so decisive, so resolutely announcing his comeback again, which also makes him admire.

To be honest, Riley is really good at coaching the team. His iron-blooded coaching style, although he doesn't treat the players as human beings, can greatly stimulate the potential of the players...

I'm afraid, as Riley said, now that he joins the coaching staff, the Big Three will get along faster, the Heat's tactics will be smoother, and the Heat's strength will rise to a higher level...

The knight's road to revenge is even more difficult!

"It's really good, just catch them all in one go, and save me a comeback in the second year!"

Wu Di said with a smile that he had expected this result, but Riley's action was earlier than he expected.

Scott and Grant looked at each other. Could this be the legendary "newborn calves are not afraid of tigers"?
"Are you really...not afraid?"

Grant's eyes widened. Now that the outside world has such high expectations for the Cavaliers, if the Cavaliers are swept by the Heat 0-4 in the playoffs, Wu Di's reputation will definitely be seriously affected.

"It's nothing to be afraid of! From indifference, to passive response, to the official announcement of his comeback, Riley's actions just confirm that our strength is growing by leaps and bounds?"

Wu Di continued to laugh.

In fact, he has many reasons to be afraid. Riley's personal exit will undoubtedly bring the Heat's strength to a higher level, change the fate of the Heat's failure to win the championship in 11 years, and even directly kill his main task and deprive him of the no-injury badge ...

But one reason not to be afraid is enough, that is, he is now the spiritual leader of the Cavaliers!

Grandpa Mao once instructed that we should despise the enemy strategically and pay attention to the enemy tactically!
Since Riley's comeback is caused by the butterfly effect caused by him, he must also affect the direction of the playoffs.

Wu Di tapped the table with his knuckles:
"Aren't we going to discuss the transaction today? Let's start. After the discussion, I will continue to go back to participate in training!"

Only then did Grant and Scott come to their senses, yes, only by reaching a deal as soon as possible can they strengthen the lineup and continue wrestling with Riley!
Now the Cavaliers lineup can't compete with the Heat.

Although the strength of Wu Di and Jr. Jordan is rapidly improving, but at the same time the Big Three are also rapidly running in, and they have playoff experience that the Cavaliers currently do not have.

In addition, what has to be guarded against is that their fault tolerance rate is too small now. If the Heat resort to unscrupulous tactics to reimburse Wu Di, Jamison, and Jr. Jordan, the Cavaliers' system will collapse in an instant.

Therefore, we must continue to strengthen!
Grant distributed the materials in the folder in his hand to two people:

"Because Williams was in poor form after returning from injury in the last game, and the value of the transaction has declined. The Timberwolves do not plan to loosen the offer. They are still Kevin Love and Jonny Flynn for Williams and Jr. Jordan's first-round pick with the Clippers."

As he spoke, he glanced at Wu Di pretending to admire and continued:

"In addition, recently Love has a tendency to explode. The Timberwolves played against the Knicks at home a few days ago. Love scored 31 points and 31 rebounds. I communicated with the general managers of other teams. Now Love is trading. The quotations in the market are getting higher and higher, and there is not much time left for us to make a decision..."

Wu Di's vision is really unique. There is Jordan in the front and Love in the back. They are all players who are improving rapidly!

But in fact, Love is still more suitable for the Cavaliers' current system than Jordan. After being traded, he can play a center and can also serve as a support point that Jordan cannot serve...

Wu Di is also a headache. The first-round picks of Jordan and the Clippers are not for sale. It is okay to replace them with the first-round picks of Hickson and the Cavaliers, but the Timberwolves disagree!
But today Grant deliberately held a meeting, indicating that there are other directions of progress...

Sure enough, seeing the two shake their heads, Grant continued:

"The Magic have changed the offer. They are willing to trade Vince Carter and Rashad Lewis for Williams and Jamison!"

Wu Di shook his head again. Although Lewis is more accurate than Jamison in three-pointers and has more experience in the playoffs, Jamison has adapted to the Cavaliers' tactics and has returned to the superstar level. There is no need to make such a deal.

In addition, according to the trajectory of the previous life, Carter will be bought out and become a free agent next year, and it will not be too late to recruit Carter at that time.

"For the Nuggets, Nene Hilario, who we were interested in before, has also been added to the deal. They want to use JR Smith and Nene Hilario for Williams and Jordan!"

Although Jordan has not yet been recognized as a superstar in the system category, Wu Di decisively refused again.

"Huh? Nene's skills are much more delicate than Jordan's, and JR Smith can also strengthen our defense line. Really don't think about it?"

Grant looked at Scott, hoping that the latter could persuade Wu Di.

After all, in his opinion, Nene, a quasi-All-Star big center, is still much better than Jordan Jr., and JR Smith's replacement for Williams is basically a substitute for a combat power that can cooperate with Wu Di.

If Wu Di does not agree, it is entirely because of his personal friendship with Jordan, but now that the enemy is at hand, this kind of personal friendship must be put aside.

Scott remained silent, and Jordan and Jamison would go either way, which would not be good for the fault tolerance rate.

Although he didn't lead the team to many playoff games when he was a coach, he has more than ten years of experience in the playoffs as a player. There are great risks.

This guy Grant is really inferior, he is not qualified to be a general manager at all...

Wu Di frowned, and he also found that something was wrong with Grant.

After so many days, the key deal with the Timberwolves has made no progress at all, but a bunch of offers that seem to have improved but are actually useless...

And it's not about trading Jamison, it's about trading Jr. Jordan. Except for Scott and Gibson, these two are the two with the best relationship with him in the team. Could it be that Grant is trying to destroy his position in the team?
Ma De, it's really not enough to succeed but more to fail!

"Grant, find a way to facilitate a deal with the Timberwolves, without trading Jordan and Jamison! Otherwise, it will be your dereliction of duty!"

After saying this, Wu Di pushed his chair away and stood up, ignoring Grant's livid face, and left the conference room.

(End of this chapter)