NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 776 The Champion's Experience Isn't So Great Anymore. (Chapter without Main Character)

On Wednesday, February 16, 2011, the last nationally televised event before All-Star Weekend saw Dwight Howard return from injury.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, "Happy Beast's" back injury was more serious than imagined, and he had to rest for two whole weeks before returning to the field.

According to the team's plan, Howard should have rested until after the All-Star Weekend. The reason for his early return is mainly because tonight's opponent is the Lakers.

The Lakers, who recently embarked on an Eastern Conference road trip, suffered consecutive losses to the Celtics, Knicks, Magic, and Bobcats.

After a four-game losing streak, Kobe almost fell out of the top eight. The continuous losses, coupled with Li You awarding his younger teammate the "recognition award" again, finally caused Kobe's reputation to plummet.

In this situation, Howard also wanted to "give Mamba a good whack" to prove his own strength. Taking a jab at a championship guard has always been something he likes to do.

This morning, ESPN's program previewed tonight's game and also held a meeting with Kobe to discuss recent trade rumors:

"The Lakers have given up on Kobe Bryant, and the management is willing to listen to any offers as long as the player agrees!"

"."

The news is quite explosive. This time, Jim Buss has completely broken ties and is no longer considering Kobe's feelings, directly revealing his hand.

This announcement essentially tells interested teams that a trade is possible as long as they can "impress Kobe," and any offer is open to negotiation, as long as a trade is possible.

Kobe, who had the veto power over trades, looked extremely embarrassed. No matter how you looked at it, he seemed more like a player who had "clung on" to stay, and his teammates had completely isolated him.

After arriving in Cleveland, Kobe made a clear statement denying previous reports and insisting that he would not leave the team. However, the commentators did not let the Mamba off the hook and launched a new round of media attacks.

The Lakers' attempt to trade Kobe Bryant in this manner was extremely undignified. As the All-Star host, Kobe had lost all face, and several conflicts even broke out in the locker room.

Despite his deteriorating health, Jerry Buss remained silent, seemingly uninterested in the family feud and offering no support for Kobe.

Recalling Kobe's trade request a few years ago, which backfired, the commentator ultimately gave his prediction:

"Unless they win the championship this year, Kobe's career with the Lakers is coming to an end, and the Buss family has given up on the Mamba."

While no insiders have confirmed the reports, most players in the league have lost respect for Kobe. During the Eastern Conference road trip, apart from Garnett speaking up for his friend, no one supported the Mamba.

On the contrary, Stoudemire has become a favorite of the sports media after receiving the new "Li You Recognition Award". In recent days, he has been praised to the skies and almost everyone is complimenting him!
Amid the latest wave of criticism against the Mamba, Cleveland did not participate much, not because people didn't want to follow the trend, but because problems were also arising in the Cavaliers' locker room.

Reports have surfaced that Artest and Howard had another verbal altercation during recent training sessions, sparked by Kenyon Martin's flagrant foul.

Artest did not stand up for his teammate at the time, and even chatted and laughed with the opponent in the later game, which greatly aroused Howard's dissatisfaction.

Fortunately, information from the locker room has been kept relatively confidential, and no one knows the specifics yet, so everyone is looking forward to tonight's game.

At 20 p.m., the Quicken Loans Arena was packed. Howard, who had just recovered from his injury, was as high-profile as ever, ignoring his opponents and continuing to dance in front of the scorer's table.

After the game started, "Happy Beast" visibly reduced his low-post offense, and mostly acted as a screener on offensive possessions.

However, Howard remained a strong presence on the defensive end, disrupting both of Kobe's drives to the basket. The Mamba missed his shots, and the cheers from the crowd never stopped.

During the Lakers' offense, seeing Kobe Bryant crouching in the corner, Mark Jackson, the ESPN commentator, voiced his concerns and offered his unvarnished analysis of the situation:
"Kobe seems to be marginalized. I don't like his current role in the team. If he's just a shooter, it's a huge waste of his talent."

On the left wing, Odom received the ball and made a quick break through with his left hand. As he approached the paint, he quickly turned around and then made a fake pass in front of the basket, assisting the championship forward to dunk!
Seeing this scene, Van Gundy felt a strong sense of familiarity. Back then, the Knicks, led by Li You, had gradually eroded their original tactical system in the same way. Recalling past experiences, the championship coach sighed:
"The Lakers have established a completely new tactical system. If Kobe can't integrate into the team, leaving is a good option."

Kobe's attempt to take over the game was ignored by several players on the court, which made Howard, who was running towards half-court, grin and tease him relentlessly:

"What's up, bro!"

"I remember you only made two moves, buddy. You can challenge me again! I'll show you what true dominance is."

This wasn't the first time Howard had teased Kobe. Halfway through the first quarter, "Happy Beast" hadn't stopped talking.

Faced with the arrogant faces of the young man, Kobe could only use the "death stare". Unfortunately, Felton failed to squeeze through the screen in time on the defensive possession and seized the opportunity, allowing Mo Williams to drive straight to the basket through the middle.

Facing the collapsing Odom, Mo Williams easily passed the ball to Channing Frye in the right corner, who calmly put the ball into the basket against Odom's twisting defense!

The three-pointer swished through the net, sending the Quicken Loans Arena into a frenzy once more. 15-22, the Cavaliers extended their lead.

Perhaps due to the upcoming All-Star Weekend, Stoudemire relied more on jump shots tonight, receiving the ball in the right elbow area and shooting a two-pointer that swished through the net.

The Cavaliers had multiple players contributing, and Artest was even able to draw fouls and get to the free-throw line in all sorts of unorthodox ways;
The Lakers rely heavily on pick-and-rolls, and Stoudemire, who moves well in the elbow area, has a good touch. His strong drives to the basket also frequently get him to the free-throw line.

When Kobe was substituted off the court late in the first quarter, he had only scored 2 points on 1-of-3 shooting.
Amid cheers, Howard completed an alley-oop, pounding his chest and roaring as he taunted Mamba as he returned to the bench.

The director frequently focused the camera on Kobe, as everyone seemed to be anticipating the Mamba's response rather than the game's outcome.

At 24:30, the Cavaliers led by 6 points at the end of the first quarter, successfully controlling the pace of the game.

Stoudemire scored 14 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, and committed 1 turnover, shooting 4-for-8 from the field and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Mike Breen praised him in the comments section.

“Stoudemire has been the most consistent player on this Eastern tour! However, he needs help; it’s difficult for him to win games on his own.”

While Van Gundy felt the Lakers relied too heavily on pick-and-rolls, he added after seeing the championship forward's statistics:

"The Lakers need to better utilize this absolute advantage, and Coach Scott also needs to activate Kobe's potential."

The three analyzed the situation, but unexpectedly, the second quarter saw a dramatic turn of events. Faced with the opponent's constant provocations, Kobe finally showed his "fangs" and blocked Raja Bell's shot in a transition offense.

"oh!!"

A gasp rang out as the champion defender landed, his palms braced against the ground, and Raja Bell clutched his right wrist in pain as he hit the floor.

Kobe, expressionless and not even looking at his opponent, had just turned around when he was pushed out of bounds by Artest, who rushed up. The referee tried to stop the championship forward, but the Mamba also launched a charge.

The shouts and jeering grew louder and louder until Kobe was finally pushed down in front of the cameras, suffering a crushing blow from Artest, and then surrounded by the Cavaliers players and taken several punches.
Barnes, who was biased, didn't step in to help immediately, and it was Odom who eventually "rescued" his old teammate.

Fucks echoed throughout Quicken Loans Arena. Seeing Raja Bell clutch his wrist as he left the court, the Cavaliers fans were particularly enraged. Howard, watching the spectacle, grinned broadly. When the players returned to the court, seeing Kobe still glaring at him, he immediately approached and taunted him again:
"Nobody's going to stand up for you! Dude, we all know you're going to be traded!"

He wanted to say a few more words, but Artest came over and pulled "Happy Beast" away, and while the opponent was shooting free throws, he angrily warned him:
"Playing seriously isn't your job!"

Howard, who was being lectured again, showed an impatient expression. Ever since winning the vote and receiving the referee's star call, "Happy Beast" has been a little tired of this situation.

Harden rarely praised him, let alone flattered him. After the honeymoon period between the two sides ended, Howard began to look down on the unpredictable championship forward.

Of course, the biggest conflict is that Artest didn't stand up for him when he was injured not long ago. Now, seeing this situation, "Happy Beast" felt a pang of sadness and muttered to himself as he walked towards halfway.

Don't tell me what to do.

After the conflict, Kobe entered "Blood Mamba" mode, relentlessly fighting for rebounds whenever no one passed him the ball, and frequently leading the Cavaliers to launch transition offenses when given limited opportunities.

As the battle intensified, the game became chaotic. In the midst of the chaos, Cavaliers substitute Arron Afflalo hit consecutive three-pointers, quietly helping his team widen the gap.

At halftime, the score was 49-58, and the shouting and jeers at Quicken Loans Arena continued unabated. Raja Bell was confirmed to be unable to return for the game.

Losing a key member before the All-Star Game, Cavaliers fans, unable to contain their anger, vented their frustration on Kobe. Along the player tunnel, many people leaned on the railings and shouted their opinions.

"Get out of Cleveland!"

"Clown! Trash that only hurts players."

"You made the national broadcast ugly, you don't deserve to be a champion!"

"."

Kobe, his face dark with anger, had become completely accustomed to this kind of attack after his experience in New York. He quickly returned to the locker room, sat down in his seat, and remained silent with a long face.

Stoudemire and the others didn't even look at Mamba. Only Odom tried to mediate, saying a few words but finding his old teammate silent, he was secretly annoyed.

In the Cavaliers' locker room, Howard didn't seem too happy either, while Artest continued to share his championship experience, loudly giving instructions:
"If you can't let basketball speak for itself, then shut your big mouth!"

"Don't go around provoking those black guys. Nobody's going to let you off easy. You haven't achieved anything in the league, and now these guys will give you a taste of your own medicine."

"Think about your back injury. Kenyon Martin is a brainless idiot. What's the point of trash-talking him? Don't act like a moron and show off on the court."

Mo Williams agreed, also feeling that Howard was becoming too arrogant, and chimed in with his own comments:

"If no one on the other side passes the ball to Kobe, just let him keep running back and forth on the court. Don't provoke him. If there's an opportunity, we'll help Bell teach him a lesson."

Artest was like this at the beginning of the season. After joining the team, he quickly took over the role of locker room leader, and everyone expressed their support.

At the time, Howard didn't think there was anything wrong with the lectures, but after Artest dragged some games into a "deep and difficult" situation, "Happy Beast" became a little resentful.

Noticing that Channing Frye also wanted to say something, Howard couldn't hold back and immediately interrupted loudly:

Hey! I know how to play ball.

"No, you know nothing about winning a championship. You're like a child who's just received a delicious candy; don't talk big in front of those reporters."

Sitting in his seat, Artest glared and interrupted "Happy Beast" again, and the two started arguing again. Mike Brown returned to the locker room, also feeling overwhelmed.

At the urging of "Black Bread," the two sides reconciled, and this has become increasingly frequent recently. Not long ago, Artest angrily criticized Howard for not reporting on time, and Mike Brown could only "play peacemaker."

After the start of the second half, Felton, Barnes and Odom hit three-pointers in succession, helping the team narrow the score in less than two minutes.

Howard, whose physical condition was not ideal, struggled to finish at the rim, and Artest suddenly missed a shot, allowing the Lakers to take the lead in the latter part of the third quarter.

Kobe, who was invisible, and Howard, who kept complaining about being fouled, both got angry. During the Lakers' offensive possession, Mamba used his old teammate's screen to break into the paint and knocked Howard out of bounds with a flying knee.

Despite the referee's call of a foul, the "Happy Beast," who had suffered a great loss, became even angrier.

The fourth quarter became extremely close, with Cavaliers fans in the arena shouting loudly. They thought the Lakers would be an easy opponent, but unexpectedly, thanks to Stoudemire's outstanding performance, they held on until the very end.

With 3 minutes and 46 seconds left in the game, Kobe grabbed an offensive rebound, and Howard, unable to collect the ball in time, immediately chased after him to defend.

With constant physical pressure and relentless hand movements, Kobe dribbled behind his back to his right hand in the face of Howard's aggressive defense. Then, he lowered his center of gravity and immediately accelerated to break through on the left wing.

Kobe couldn't shake off his opponent's pull, and Howard slid while also using his body to forcefully push against the wall. The referee still didn't call a foul, and the furious Mamba immediately swung his left elbow forcefully.

"what!"

With a painful cry, Howard stumbled and tripped Kobe, causing both of them to fall into the paint. Soon, the court was in chaos again.

When the "Happy Beast" was seen clutching his left side and being carried back to the locker room by staff, the Quicken Loans Arena erupted. Cavaliers fans in the arena cursed at Mamba, and the noise almost broke out of the arena.

With a fierce expression and pursed lips, Kobe sent the ball to the free-throw line, helping the Cavaliers take the lead.

JJ Hickson, who came off the bench, made tough rebounds in the final few possessions, while Artest and Mo Williams also hit difficult three-pointers.

Stoudemire's jump shot and free throws failed to help the Lakers regain the lead. When Felton and Kobe missed consecutive three-pointers, Coach Scott on the sidelines helplessly crossed his arms.

The Cavaliers narrowly won 101-105, handing their opponents their fifth consecutive loss.

24中13，罚球11中9，斯塔德迈尔砍下全场最高的35分13篮板两双数据，科比14中6，贡献了16分，三分线外5投0中.
Even after the game, the shouting and jeers at Quicken Loans Arena continued unabated, with Cavaliers fans becoming increasingly angry and unleashing their fury on Mamba.

Stoudemire bid farewell to his former teammates, let out a long, dejected sigh, and entered the player tunnel. Without even looking at Kobe Bryant ahead, he loudly proclaimed:
"This isn't the game I want! Man, if you don't like the way I lead the team, then leave this team."

"."

(End of this chapter)