NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 659: Battle of Honor? Humiliating Defeat! (Daily Chapter)
Every time the finals come, the ticket prices at Staples Center will go up. This year, the price of the screaming seats has reached $150, but after reselling, the price will be even more expensive.

Although the price is cheaper than Madison Square Garden, it still costs a lot to watch a game. As for the front row seats, most ordinary fans will not consider it, after all, the price is too expensive.

Although most of the commentators predicted the Knicks would win before the game, and the score was mostly 4:1, there were still many online fans who bet on the Lakers.

The reason for betting is also very simple. In case of an upset, you will win directly!

Unfortunately, there was no miracle in this year's finals. Although the Lakers played well for 3 and a half quarters in G2, they still lost in the end. The fans in Los Angeles also ushered in a familiar battle of honor!

The long-awaited finals ended in this way. Many fans could not accept it, especially Kobe's fans. They couldn't believe that their idol performed so poorly in the crucial game.

Although Kobe's regular season statistics were not very good and he was not efficient in the playoffs, most fans only watched the highlights and news. When they actually witnessed their idol's poor performance in person, they were all defeated.

On the evening of the 11th, after the game started at 20 p.m., the booing in the Staples Center never stopped. People were not booing the visiting team, but booing their own core players.

After the game started, Kobe entered the Mamba mode and tried to show his "lethal offense", but under the rotation defense of Li You and others, he lost his accuracy in the second quarter after his efficient performance in the first quarter.

Seeing that familiar scene, the Lakers fans at the scene really couldn't hold back, and many people chose to curse, saying that the battle of honor was a waste of time.
High-quality sports fans will also be infected when they arrive at the scene. Just as Madison Square Garden’s emphasis on civilized viewing does not work, Staples is no different.

If they are unhappy, they will curse. The difference between the two is that New York fans usually curse the visiting team and occasionally curse the referee, while Los Angeles fans may curse the home team more often. Everyone is fed up with the poor performance.

"shush"

With only a little time left in the first half and the last 40.2 seconds, the atmosphere group on the Knicks bench was jumping up and down, especially Chalmers, who was almost rushing into the court to celebrate.

Prince, who has always been low-key, also put on a towel and joined in the cheering with the crowd. The Knicks secured their victory in the second quarter and the expected difficulties did not occur at all.

"Shot! Shot!"

Thaddeus Young's face was full of excitement. He shouted at the top of his voice on the sidelines, constantly reminding Kobe to shoot. Gary Neal did the same, clapping rhythmically. Everyone was laughing at Mamba.

With little time left for the offense, at the top of the arc, Kobe, sweating profusely, made a series of tentative steps, but Li You in front of him was not moved at all.

Gritting his teeth and glaring, Kobe took a step sideways after releasing the ball with his right hand, then immediately stopped abruptly. Relying on his outstanding waist and abdominal strength, he twisted his body in the air, raised the arc, and forced a jump shot facing Li You's block!
"state"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and flew out again. After the long rebound was picked up by Marion, Ariza hurriedly retreated. The boos in the stadium became louder and louder. Kobe made 5 of 1 shots in this quarter.

The Lakers still stayed at 37 points. On the ABC commentary stand, Mark Jackson couldn't hold it anymore. He didn't expect that in the battle of honor, the Lakers played like shit:
"Unbelievable! I don't know what happened in the Lakers locker room, but they performed so badly that they almost gave the trophy to their opponents!"

"Kobe also failed to take on the responsibility of leadership, which reminded me of the game the night before."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li You had already received the ball on the left wing, a few steps away from the three-point line. Kobe had already begun to press. Mamba seemed to have forgotten the principles of defense and began to rely on physical instincts.

Noticing that Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, moved sideways to protect the ball, Van Gundy seemed to have a premonition of what would happen next and criticized the defense again:
"Bad defensive choice! Lee can easily get rid of Kobe. Now it seems that Ariza is more suitable for defensive tasks than him."

The championship coach was right. Li You lowered his center of gravity and slowly moved toward the top of the arc. When Kobe kept pulling and trying to cut the ball, he suddenly stopped and turned quickly.

The moment he switched to his left hand, Li You immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated. Kobe looked "ferocious" and kept confronting him with bared teeth, but his sudden stop under his hips when dribbling near the three-point line almost made Mamba lose his defensive position.

After creating space, Li You dribbled the ball continuously between his legs, with his body's center of gravity rising and falling slightly. Kobe was unable to predict the situation for a moment, and he just slid forward instinctively.

Seeing his opponent move, Li You switched to his left hand again and suddenly threw the ball hard. At the same time, he exerted force on his feet and took a step sideways, close to the left sideline. He tilted his body and drifted to make a jump shot!

"Oh"

Amidst a low cry, the basketball easily passed over Kobe's fingertips, drew a beautiful arc, and went into the net again.

For a moment, the Staples Center fell silent again, with only some fans in the front row watching Li You so close and shouting happily.

56:37, Li You made a three-pointer and smiled brightly. With a score difference of nearly 20 points, it was really hard to lose. This even made him feel like teasing the referee next to him:

"Sir, there are no more miracles!"

Scott Foster was still serious after the start, but the situation was already decided, and he was too lazy to look at Kobe's angry face. He followed Li You who was retreating and jogged along, and began to explain:

"I promise I won't take sides in the second half. You know Lee, none of us want ratings to suffer."

There was no cheering, and the angry Lakers fans started shouting and cursing again. Li You was defended alone tonight and almost every shot he made was accurate from outside the three-point line. Kobe, who was on the All-Defensive First Team, performed worse than Ariza.

When JR Smith saw Fisher throw the ball to Duncan in the low post on the left side, he immediately slid quickly and double-teamed him immediately.

Faced with a double-team, Duncan had no time to release the ball and passed it back to Fisher. The score difference was too big and Fisher did not hesitate. Facing JR Smith's block, he made a decisive jump shot and missed!
Seeing the long rebound being picked up by Li You near the free throw line, JR Smith sprinted with all his strength after landing. The God of War ran so fast that he left Fisher behind in the blink of an eye.

Kobe tried to foul, but Li You led the ball forward with his right hand, and when the basketball flew out from the opponent's side, he suddenly dodged and passed the ball to the opponent.

Li You was able to break free from the defense despite being pulled, and his beautiful dribble made the referee ignore Kobe's complaints, and he waved his arms again, signaling the game to continue.

At this time, JR Smith, who cut into the basket from the right wing, was still accelerating. Amid the exclamations of the fans, near the center line, Li You directly threw the ball, and the basketball passed over Fisher who was retreating and flew accurately into the paint area.

"Oh!!"

Screams rang out again, and JR Smith, who rushed into the paint area, jumped high. The moment he caught the ball in the air, his body rotated 360 degrees before he dunked the ball with both hands!
Looking at JR Smith swinging on the basket, the Knicks' atmosphere team shouted continuously on the bench. After completing the aerial relay, JR Smith patted his chest after landing, with excitement on his face.

As a frequent visitor to the top ten plays, JR Smith always comes up with some fancy moves. The Lakers fans who witnessed this scene were completely silent, watching Li You and his teammates bump chests in celebration at midfield.

"Don't be a wimp, man!"

JR Smith, grinning from ear to ear, continued to taunt Kobe as he ran back to half court. The latter's face was dark, and his eyes turned red with anger as he received the ball and executed the final attack.

Amid the noise, Kobe changed direction to his right hand, then immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated, trying to force a breakthrough, but was stopped by Li You near the free throw line.

After a fake pass, Kobe just raised the ball when Li You cut it off. As the two fought for the ball, the first half was over and boos resounded throughout the Staples Center again.

58:37, the Knicks led by 21 points at halftime, there was no miracle.

Kobe, who had grabbed the ball, just stood up and glared at Li You when he was pushed by Rondo who rushed into the court and staggered.

"Stop acting, Nico!"

Rondo squeezed to the side of Kobe and glared at him and started to attack again. Players from both teams hurried over. Those from the Knicks were all watching the fun. Only Fisher from the Lakers was protecting Mamba, and the rest were just watching the show.

By the time the referee ran over, the farce was over. Kobe used the "death stare" to make the Knicks laugh, and Li You left early, leaving only the back of his head. Gasol felt that Duncan was not in good shape tonight and wanted to comfort him, but the MVP lowered his head and walked quickly towards the player channel, not giving him a chance to speak.

"They're done! I can't believe we won so easily."

Marion followed the big guys and shouted excitedly. He thought his opponent would still struggle, but he didn't expect him to be pulled all the way to the bottom.

"Kobe is really overrated. His defense is not even as good as Wade's. I knew it when I was in college. This guy is just a show!"

Chalmers, who entered the player tunnel, also grinned and talked a lot, mocking Mamba, which made him feel like he was also a big star. They both had a ring and were flattering each other, so he could look Mamba in the eye.

"Kill those wimps!"

"Let that guy take it easy"

The morale of the atmosphere group was boosted and everyone spoke up. Gazuric also felt that he was full of energy and had the loudest voice. He had a lot of rings and his championship experience was far ahead of his opponents.

D'Antoni and the coaching staff were all grinning when they returned to the locker room. The awards for this game could be presented in advance. The mustache guy simply made a victory declaration with a smile:

"I hope you stay healthy while enjoying your victory, and remember, our work is not over yet!"

"."

Mike Malone, a well-known assistant coach in the league, has received many invitations. However, he has already mastered the secret of winning. If you want him to leave, you have to pay more!
Thinking that everything about him was related to his thighs, after the chicken soup was over, Mike Malone smiled and flattered:

"Lee, what do you want to say? You led everyone to defeat the opponent in the first half of the game. We were only two quarters away from victory."

Li You, who was wearing a towel, saw everyone's gaze, smiled again, and said encouragingly:

"Since the opponent only scored 37 points in the first half, what we have to do is to defeat them thoroughly and let them understand what a true winning culture is!"

The Lakers have become a team of "three fat guys" again, so Li You naturally has to seize the opportunity to give the opponent another "hit".

Hearing that the boss was going to go all out and strike hard, everyone responded. This kind of experience might only come once in the entire career, and no one wanted to miss this opportunity.

In the Lakers locker room, Phil Jackson was already numb. Kobe made 12 of 5 shots in the first half, 2 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, and 5 of 5 free throws, scoring a team-high 16 points, but this was not his game plan.

The inefficient long two-point challenge is completely outdated, and the old man from KFC is aware of this, but his performance of only 10 out of 1 from beyond the three-point line in the first half has completely disappointed him.

"Listen, we need to find more opportunities outside the three-point line, and we have to seize every transition offense."

"."

Phil Jackson tried hard to control his emotions and spoke out the arrangements for the second half of the game in a deep voice, but no one in the locker room responded. It seemed that everyone was in despair. With a 21-point difference, it was a waste of time.

"Give me the ball!"

In the end, it was Kobe who stepped forward and took on the responsibility of leadership again. Seeing the boss's angry face, Gerald Green turned his head and sneered, which completely angered Mamba.

"Fuck, get out of here!"

"Who the hell do you think you are? You're acting like shit."

Before everyone could react, the two started yelling and cursing. Gerald Green, who had been holding back for a season, charged forward fiercely and rushed to Mamba's side, punching him continuously.

Fortunately, Barnes and his teammates reacted quickly enough and pulled their teammates who had lost their composure back to their side in time. The staff also rushed forward and completely controlled the outdated dunk king.

"I'd rather go to New York and hand out towels than play with shit like you. You're the real cancer of the team! Shit, let me go."

Gerald Green's crazy output stunned everyone, and Kobe also started yelling and cursing, and the locker room was in chaos for a while.

The old man from KFC was so angry that his face turned red. He directly overturned the whiteboard. With a loud noise, the locker room became quiet again. Then everyone heard Phil Jackson's roar:

"Don't let your opponents see your joke! Damn it!"

Sun Yue, a little unknown person, was completely stunned. Seeing Kobe, whose face was dark with anger, he felt a little sympathetic to Mamba. Then he looked at Duncan, who lowered his head and said nothing, and could only sigh in his heart:
“Being a champion is really hard”

After the second half of the game started, the Staples Center continued to boo. Li You didn't know what happened in the Lakers locker room, but he noticed that Kobe seemed to have a big emotional problem.

The Lakers took the lead in attacking. Mamba had a frown on his face and a dark complexion. He seemed very anxious when asking for the ball. When Li You saw this, he simply added fuel to the fire.

Kobe received the ball in the right blocking zone and released it directly with his right hand, then accelerated with all his strength. Li You not only slid in time, but also called on Prince to double-team him.

"Oh"

Faced with the sudden double-team situation, Kobe did not choose to pass the ball. Instead, he stopped immediately, faced the two people's block, and drifted to the right rear for a layup.

Looking at Kobe's body deforming in the air, Phil Jackson on the sidelines was so angry that he slapped his head, cursed under his breath and shouted continuously.

There was no miracle. The basketball was so lopsided that it hit the backboard and barely touched the rim. Duncan didn't even have time to fight for the ball before it flew into Chandler's arms.

It was JR Smith who seized the opportunity to counterattack again. He seemed to be using all his strength. Not only did he get down early, but he also rushed faster and faster after crossing half court.

Although Chandler's pass was not accurate, there was no one defending in the frontcourt. After JR Smith successfully chased the ball, he jumped with both feet in the paint area, turned like a gyroscope in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and slammed it with one arm!
"what!!"

There was a cheer from the Knicks bench. When the Lakers attacked and Kobe made a mistake in passing the ball to the basket and was intercepted by Li You, clear shouts and curses finally appeared in the Staples Center:

"Fuck! Kobe!!"

As time went by, the stubborn Mamba led the Knicks to counterattack with one difficult attack after another. On the bench, Rondo and others were grinning. The scene was really funny.

The old man from KFC also gave up completely. After a timeout, he simply returned to the bench and sat down steadily.

By the end of the third quarter, the Staples Center turned into a library again, 3:90, Kobe made 57 of 8 shots in the quarter and led the Knicks to end the game!

The trio watching this scene in the ABC commentary booth were speechless, and finally Mark Jackson sighed helplessly:
“No more miracles”

(End of this chapter)