NBA: Miracle Workers

On Sunday, February 8, 2015, ESPN previewed LeBron James and Dwight Howard's "homecoming" trip.

Unlike previous years, the two players are representing the Lakers against Cleveland tonight, and Cavaliers fans are especially furious given the team's poor record!
Deron Williams has been sidelined for more than half a month due to an ankle injury. Although team owner Gilbert posted a "thank you letter" on the official website to vent his frustration, fans have lost interest after seeing it so often.

Just yesterday, during an ESPN interview, an elderly Cavaliers fan broke down in tears while discussing the "Cleveland curse," and, prompted by the reporter, emotionally recounted:
"We shouldn't have questioned Coach Van Gundy back then. If we had stuck to it until now, things might be completely different."

"If the Cavaliers keep LeBron and Dwight, we will definitely have a chance to break the curse in the next few years."

"Short-sightedness and ignorance have affected us. The management should have strengthened the team step by step through the draft, just like New York did. The Cavaliers should have achieved more."

Although they haven't officially been crowned number one draft pick this season, Cleveland fans have completely given up hope. Everyone knows that the home team has no chance, and the Cavaliers are not even a match for the Hawks!

During the Hawks' winning streak last month, the Cavaliers suffered a crushing 28-point defeat on the road, followed by an injury to their star guard, making the first half of the season a nightmare.

Especially after seeing the Lakers' impressive run, Cavaliers fans were extremely envious, and even LeBron James's reputation improved slightly.
Although the chosen one is still an absolute softie, unlike other "softies" in the league, James is stronger individually.

At 3 p.m., half an hour before the game started, the Quicken Loans Arena was already boiling. The chosen one was "home" for the first time this season. There were no boos, and many fans were just excitedly chanting James' name.

In the ESPN commentary booth, Van Gundy also showed a complicated expression. The championship coach had seen the recent reports and, recalling the defeat, could only sigh helplessly:

"I feel sorry for the Cavaliers' injuries this season; they could have achieved much better results."

"But that's the NBA. Injuries are part of the game, and the process of chasing a championship is also important. I hope the fans here can be patient."

Every team in the Eastern Conference "believes in the process." After all these years, this slogan has proven to be the most effective. In the past, some people mocked Philadelphia for this, but now everyone understands.
Perhaps because Li You is about to retire, more and more commentators are starting to revisit past "classic matches." Mike Breen was also deeply influenced, taking the opportunity to talk about the competition back then, and reminiscing a few times:
"LeBron James' decision changed the basketball landscape of this city. If he had stayed in Cleveland, perhaps the original duo could have achieved something in 2011."

"Perhaps this is the meaning of perseverance: 'loyalty' never fades."

During the final warm-up, James's smile vanished as he heard the fans' shouts. Since "The Decision," his hometown fans had been constantly hurling insults at him, and this atmosphere now made him feel inexplicably sad.

The same goes for Howard; the MVP award requires a story, and after being overshadowed by the Warriors, he has always been ranked behind Stephen Curry.

In the impression vote, "Happy Beast" is no match for Curry, who has the highest honor of "One Man, One City Award". The media likes to vote for loyal stars, while Howard and James are the representatives of "utilitarianism".

Kobe, who had just returned from injury, was not in a good mood either. Compared to the treatment of his two teammates, he became the "scapegoat" in Los Angeles.

The wins were all thanks to LeBron James and Dwight Howard, while the losses were attributed to Mamba disrupting team chemistry; this locker room cancer should be removed.
The outstanding record couldn't stop the big mouths of the Los Angeles sports media, and fans who wanted to have fun were also fueling the fire. No one was carefully considering what the truth was.

In a somewhat subdued atmosphere, the game officially began at 15:30 PM. After the champion center Mozgov successfully jumped for the ball, the entire stadium erupted once again.

Afflalo has clearly become the team's leader, and starting point guard Dellavedova is working very hard, passing the ball to Bynum in the low post early on.

"Oh!"

Amid cheers from the fans, Bynum made a series of post-up moves, then forcefully turned around, ignoring Boozer's interference, and scored with a layup under the basket.

Alonzo Gibson, the Cavaliers' self-developed "James," looked excited and immediately went up to high-five Bynum in celebration. Coach Mike Brown's twin towers were still quite dominant in some possessions.

Bynum, retreating on defense, wore a disdainful expression and shouted at Kobe, who was running towards half-court:
"Poor bastards who're back in Los Angeles! They should leave the league as soon as possible."

The feud between the two has a long history. Bynum has always believed that the Mamba ruined him, and that if there hadn't been a trade with Duncan, he wouldn't have left a big market like Los Angeles.

Every time they met, they would argue. When Kobe was with the 76ers, the two even got into a physical fight during a game.

Bynum's prestige is long gone, but the young man successfully brought Mamba down with a "boxing" move. Kobe's experience in Philadelphia made him lose all respect.

"Don't defend him! That softie only misses shots!"

"That's it, keep him out of the way, he won't dare come in, I guarantee I'll make him lie on the floor!"

"Matthew, keep making him suffer."

Bynum, who was actively positioning and switching on defense under the basket, kept giving instructions loudly. The fading star center, who had grown a braid this season, was particularly hardworking tonight. When he saw Kobe break through to the left side of the defense, he immediately went to help defend.

Dellavedova, who recently joined the starting lineup, was also playing exceptionally hard, tackled Kobe to the ground on the very first defensive possession.

The Australian "vicious dog" pinned Kobe down on his leg. Kobe cried out in pain and tried to push the dog away, but the rest of the Cavaliers surrounded him. In the end, it was James who separated them.

The Cavaliers set the tone for the game in the first possession, and the Lakers struggled in the following minutes.

In response to the provocation, James would occasionally pass the ball to Kobe. Midway through the first quarter, the Mamba placed the ball with his left hand on the right wing and made a step-back drive, quickly eliciting gasps from the arena.
"Oh"

Inside the paint, Kobe attempted a left-handed layup against Dellavedova, but Bynum, who was helping on defense, found an opportunity to swing his right arm and block the shot with a volleyball-like motion over the head.

After slapping Kobe across the face, Bynum slid his arm down, hooked his neck, and flipped the Mamba to the ground.

Bynum, who had choked Kobe in mid-air, looked at the fallen Kobe and shouted excitedly, ignoring the referee's whistle and continuing to yell:
"Don't provoke me!"

Bynum, unfazed by the flagrant foul, loudly praised his teammate. Kobe, covering his nose, stood up, and before he could even yell, Howard rushed over to protect him.

"Calm down, Bro! That idiot did it on purpose!"

Howard held onto Kobe tightly, and while the two were arguing, a smile appeared on "Happy Beast's" face again. Then, with a serious expression, he sent Mamba back to the bench.

When Kobe finished dealing with his nose problem and stepped up to the free-throw line, Howard, leaning on his knees beyond the three-point line, looked at Bynum with a grin and egged him on:
"I swear, Kobe will make you pay, Bro! You've angered the Deadly Mamba!"

Behind him, LeBron James, hands on his hips, watched Kobe take the free throw and added with a serious expression:
"You shouldn't have used that non-basketball move, man. Provoking Kobe was clearly not the right choice."

Suddenly, the Lakers became "one family," a fact that Bynum scoffed at. After Kobe made his free throws, he continued to boast:
"Let that softie keep attacking, he won't be able to score against me!"

In the following minutes, tensions escalated again. When Kobe went for a layup, he elbowed Bynum, who was on guard but still almost got elbowed to the floor.

As the two players escalated their actions, the referees blew their whistles one after another. For a moment, Cavaliers fans forgot about missing the chosen one and more and more people began to cheer for Bynum.

Late in the first quarter, Kobe and Bynum tangled and fell to the ground, ignoring the referee and exchanging punches. The physically stronger Bynum seized the opportunity and threw Mamba right into the camera's view. Amid gasps from the fans, the big man rushed forward, attempting to punch Mamba.

The referee tried desperately to stop him, and the front-row fans failed to leave in time. In the end, Kobe was protected after taking two punches. After they were separated, Mamba tried to get revenge, but both of them were ejected from the game.

"I'm going to destroy that coward! He'll be sorry!"

An emotional Bynum continued to shout as staff tried to pull him away, a situation that had occurred frequently over the past two seasons, with each encounter between him and Kobe resulting in a major battle.

Perhaps Kobe's "homecoming" this time provoked the fading star center, who went even harder than before. The Mamba, still bleeding from the corner of his eye as he left the court, was shouting even after being pulled away by staff.
"Let me go, you son of a bitch! You piece of dog shit!"

The electrifying scene completely set the Quicken Loans Arena ablaze. Tonight's tickets were a steal, as everyone got to enjoy a free "boxing" match.

Without Bynum, the Cavaliers gradually collapsed in the first half, and Howard successfully demonstrated his dominance, leading the Lakers to a 62-49 lead. The Lakers then erupted during their rotation, easily securing the victory.

In the fourth quarter, head coach Mike Brown substituted in the atmosphere-building squad early, while Byron Scott on the sidelines smiled slightly, another "idle" victory!
Perhaps seeing a reflection of himself in the Lakers' head coach, Jeff Van Gundy, in the ESPN commentary booth, rarely spoke his mind:
"The Lakers are on a good 'spot,' and Coach Scott clearly realizes he needs to give the game more to the players."

"Often, superstars have a better understanding of the situation on the court than coaches, and James can obviously do that too, which is one of the reasons why the Lakers have been so successful this season."

"."

The winner takes all. For the past few years, Byron Scott had not received recognition, but now that his performance has improved, he has transformed into a star coach in the league.

At the end of the game, the score was 120-95, with the Lakers easily defeating the Cavaliers and ending their recent road trip.

LeBron James, who had changed into his training gear early, stood up and gave a high-five to the Cavaliers fans in attendance. There were boos and cheers. The success of the three teams allowed the Chosen One to regain the approval of his hometown fans.

While being interviewed by an ESPN reporter on the sidelines, an excited young fan wearing a "LBJ Come back" T-shirt rushed to James' side.

Faced with the unexpected situation, James put his arm around the young man, refused the security personnel's request, and in front of the cameras, fans shouted "Go home!" The chosen one was deeply moved and made a promise:
"I will always be a son of Akron, and I will definitely bring my championship experience back here!"

"."

The staff around him looked puzzled. After a moment of thought, they realized that James was "borrowing" the championship in Los Angeles. For a moment, everyone was speechless. This promise might be a long way off!
-

Tuesday, February 10th, marks the start of All-Star Weekend, and teams are slowing down to prepare for the second half of the season.

The feud between Kobe and Bynum has become the focus of this week. Although the two have often fought in the past two years, the fact that Mamba's nose was broken again this time still shocked many onlookers.

Andrew Bynum, who was suspended, not only did not apologize in an interview but continued to criticize, with the big man angrily rebuking the Mamba:
"I don't understand why no one questions Kobe Bryant's 'decision.' He and Tim Duncan were both softies; guys who only knew how to take shortcuts were ultimately punished by the basketball god!"

"That trade changed the Western Conference and my career. Without Kobe, maybe I could have brought a championship to the Lakers in 2011."

"."

This statement was refuted by Dallas fans, but some people agreed with Bynum's point of view, saying that Kobe and Duncan's super team did indeed affect the course of the Western Conference.

Former Denver Nuggets head coach George Karl has been making outrageous statements on Twitter lately, and the veteran didn't miss this trending topic, joining in with his own comments:

"The Nuggets were very close to the Finals, but the combination of Kobe and Duncan ruined everything."

"The two were so afraid of Lee's dominance that they had to team up. When commentators criticize the 'superstar model,' they always forget about this duo. In my opinion, players who make such decisions do not deserve to be called superstars."

Even after Duncan retired, he was "purged." Not long ago, some netizens dug up the Spurs' defensive blunders, revealing that the former MVP actively took advantage of his injury and formed a super team, completely losing his prestige.

After the Rockets' game against the Suns that night, head coach Lynch Hunter, who won at home, was all smiles. With a record of 29 wins and 25 losses, the team had a chance to make the playoffs.

As the originator of the "Championship Game" theory, Lynch Hunter has always been a favorite of the media. At the post-game press conference, someone from Yahoo Sports asked him:
"Phil Jackson believes that Lee and the Knicks' championship influenced the development of the league and indirectly contributed to 'Big Three basketball.' Coach Hunter, what do you think of this view?"

The old man from KFC has recently been speaking out for Mamba and Duncan. He said the current atmosphere is not right, and some people are picking on the weak. He doesn't want that Lakers team's achievements to be negated.

Upon hearing the question, Lynch Hunter's dark face broke into a smile. He shook his head slightly, then raised an eyebrow, adopting an air of "knowing everything," before replying:

"Li's championship makes the NBA great again! We have emerged from the ratings slump, and more and more young people are starting to pay attention to the NBA."

"In fact, Lee never made decisions for anyone. The greatest player in history simply enjoyed the game. The GOAT never complained about his opponents; he just calmly dealt with all kinds of challenges."

"It was those star players in the league who backed down. They knew they couldn't beat Lee, so they made those weak decisions."

"In my opinion, players like Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan who benefited from the Western Conference should thank Lee, because Lee covered up their 'shortcut basketball'!"

"."

Many reporters were completely baffled. Li You had dominated Kobe and Duncan, causing them so much pain for so many years, and now he had to say "thank you"?
Some reporters, listening to Lynch Hunter's presentation, suddenly found it very reasonable, and after the press conference, many of them updated their Twitter accounts simultaneously.
"Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, who made a weak decision, should thank Lee."

-

On Wednesday the 11th, in the last game before the All-Star Weekend, the Lakers will play against the Trail Blazers on the road. James and Howard will rest that night.

With Anthony Davis withdrawing from the All-Star game due to injury, Byron Scott seized the opportunity to rest the starting lineup in order to ensure the health of star players.

Damian Lillard didn't play much either. After leading the team to score 34 points in the third quarter, the young man didn't return to the court in the final quarter.

Ultimately, the score was 96-112. Kobe, who had lost, walked away quickly. Lillard, who saw this, was a little unhappy, as James Harden was still putting on airs in front of him.

Portland sports reporters weren't trying to stir things up, but when they interviewed Aldridge, they didn't expect the young man to suddenly unleash his full potential:
"This isn't the first time Kobe has refused to shake hands with us. Damian is a big fan of Lee, but that shouldn't affect some basic etiquette in the game."

“I’m a little disappointed. You know, I used to be a fan of Tim Duncan and the Spurs, but after entering the league, I really came to understand some things.”

"Kobe and Duncan should definitely thank Lee; it was Lee who brought them to the attention of young people." (End of Chapter)