Chapter 616 - 616: They Don't Have That Ability?! (4074 words)

On Saturday, November 1, 2008, the NBA featured 14 games.

The "new team," the Thunder, challenged the Houston Rockets on the road.

It was sunday in China, so they naturally wouldn't miss this game.

The Thunder's schedule for the first week of the new season was relatively friendly, with only two games.

However, their first home game was a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, which somewhat disappointed the eager Oklahoma City fans.

Kevin Durant hadn't changed his temporary girlfriend recently, but he was increasingly immersed in browsing Twitter, with an intensity that even surpassed many entertainment-seeking fans!

However, this behavior actually brought the big star closer to ordinary fans.

Coupled with the fact that Kevin Durant's main account focused only on games, his high-intensity browsing received a lot of positive feedback.

In the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Kevin Durant shot 5-for-14, scoring only 12 points at home.

They lost 98-87, and he began self-reflecting on Twitter after the game.

After flying to Houston for Halloween, Kevin Durant pulled another stunt, making bold statements before the game and reminiscing about "childhood memories":

"When I was a kid, I always imitated Tracy McGrady's playing style, but after entering the NBA, I realized I was wrong."

"Modern basketball has changed. I will play the right kind of basketball, like Clay Lee."

With two consecutive tweets before the game, Kevin Durant, in the locker room, looked through the comments on his phone, happily replying to his loyal fans.

He enjoyed these interactive moments.

When Russell Westbrook, dressed in denim overalls, entered the locker room, he saw his teammate typing away and couldn't help but complain again:

"How much longer do I have to be a substitute? The coach doesn't trust me at all!"

Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo kept the Rookie on the bench.

Their main goal for the new season was to accumulate talent, so the game strategy was to let Kevin Durant keep shooting.

The Thunder had no objections to this, but Russell Westbrook was impatient.

He was among the first to arrive at practice every day and almost the last to leave, yet the coach had no special arrangements for him.

"Say less, Bro! Don't complain in the NBA. At least you still have stable playing time. Anyway, things will definitely get better in the future."

Kevin Durant looked up and appeased the Rookie, but he didn't take it seriously.

It was normal for a defensive guard to be a substitute.

He skillfully switched to a secondary account and started browsing Facebook again.

Russell Westbrook, who was about to change, was still muttering.

During the pre-game warm-up today, he was the last to arrive, not only for photos but also to express his dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately, Kevin Durant was too busy looking at pictures and had no mind to guess his teammate's thoughts.

When he browsed to his goddess's latest Halloween photos, his heart suddenly sank:

"I really want to eat his heart!"

In the photo, Scarlett, dressed as a vampire maid, was sprawled on the sofa, her slender waist held, and she was "biting" Lee's neck.

Due to the shooting angle, the two looked "tightly pressed together."

The day before Halloween was the liveliest, and they thought the carnival was over, but they didn't expect another "surprise" tonight.

After lurking for several months, his beautiful fantasy was suddenly shattered.

Kevin Durant, feeling inexplicably down, typed furiously, completely ignoring his teammates in the locker room:

"No! This is a festival for children!"

"..."

Across the Pacific, the Houston Rockets remained very popular.

At the beginning of each season, fans held beautiful expectations, hoping the "Yao-Mac" duo could break through the first round.

During the preseason, Tracy McGrady did not participate due to injury.

Fortunately, he officially recovered and returned when the regular season began, which made fans overjoyed.

Yao Ming was the same.

He suffered a toe injury during the Olympics and actively sought treatment after returning to the United States, finally receiving clearance from the medical team before the regular season began.

No one was late at the Toyota Center on Saturday, and it was very lively before the game.

However, when the game officially started at 7:30 PM, the fans' enthusiasm began to wane as time passed.

By halftime, Tracy McGrady walked towards the player tunnel with a grim expression.

He shot 3-for-9 in the first half, scoring 12 points.

Against a Rookie team, he did not display his dominance.

41-42. Although they were only down by one point, Kevin Durant was also unhappy.

He entered the player tunnel early, leaving his teammates with questioning looks.

Was he dissatisfied with their performance?

After watching too many New York Knicks highlights, many fans found these low-scoring, high-free-throw games unpleasant.

In the second half, both teams continued their low shooting percentages.

Ultimately, the score was fixed at 77-84, and the Houston Rockets joyfully secured their third consecutive win!

The Houston Rockets fans present finally cheered aloud!

Tracy McGrady shot 6-for-15, and Yao Ming also shot 6-for-15.

They scored 22 points and 16 points respectively.

Such a performance naturally wouldn't receive much praise.

As a former "second-best player," Tracy McGrady was highly anticipated at the start of every new season.

When he attended the post-game press conference, the out-of-date, overweight star still exuded confidence:

"You know, I'm only 60% recovered. Head Coach Adelman is right, the team's condition will get better and better!"

"We've never set breaking through the first round as our goal. Since coming to Houston, I've said more than once that I only want to lead the team to win a championship."

To this, Yao Ming could only smile.

Having heard too many empty promises, he had developed immunity.

After so many years in the NBA, he had deeply realized that winning a championship was much harder than the big-mouthed people claimed.

"The team's shooting was a bit poor! But we won the rebounds. We won't be satisfied with this. I'll get back in form as soon as possible."

Compared to Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming could already communicate easily and knew some memes.

While New Jersey was still teasing "Yi," the Houston media was praising the Chinese big man.

During routine questions, both spoke very nicely in front of reporters, until an ESPN reporter suddenly asked the former "second-best player":

"Tracy, have you ever thought about playing like Lee? This new season, he's focusing more on three-pointers. In his first two games, he scored 42 points and 41 points respectively, both double-doubles."

As one of Kobe's few good friends, Tracy McGrady also disliked Lee.

He frowned sleepily, staring at the reporter and interrupting in a low voice:

"I'm not interested in following Clay Lee, and I certainly won't imitate his playing. Remember, I'm a unique scorer in the NBA!"

"..."

Some reporters covered their mouths and whispered to each other, all with schadenfreude on their faces.

Tracy McGrady's team performance was poor, and his stats weren't good, yet he had a mysterious confidence.

"Your career three-point percentage has never exceeded 40%. Last season, it even reached a recent low, with a three-point percentage of only 29.2%."

The ESPN reporter began to remind Tracy McGrady how bad his stats were.

Hearing their argument, Yao Ming barely maintained a smile, but could only sigh inwardly:

"Hope everything goes well."

When the Thunder players, who had lost the game, boarded the bus back to the hotel, everyone was a bit dejected.

The start was unfavorable, and more importantly, they had too few exposure opportunities this season.

TNT would broadcast 53 games in the new season, with the New York Knicks and the Lakers each accounting for 10, leading all teams.

The Hornets had the fewest, with only 3.

These national televised games usually took place on Thursdays, and occasionally on Tuesdays.

ESPN and ABC had a total of 90 games, with the New York Knicks getting another 16, leading all teams, while the Thunder only got 1.

Friday belonged to ESPN's time, with occasional broadcasts on Wednesdays.

Sundays were ABC's broadcasts.

The Thunder's only national televised game was scheduled for Friday, the 21st.

This was the dilemma of playing in a small market.

It was difficult to get positive feedback.

Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo also didn't offer much motivational talk, which made everyone, having lost two straight games, even more depressed.

After getting on the bus and putting down his backpack, Kevin Durant immediately started arguing on Twitter, while also intensely browsing his goddess's updates. Russell Westbrook, who got 16 minutes of playing time and shot 2-for-7, was holding his breath.

"We have to earn respect through our own efforts. I don't like being pitied!"

Hearing the complaints from the fading Dunk King Desmond Mason and veteran Joe Smith behind him, Russell Westbrook retorted, but the veteran quickly chuckled:

"Rookie, this is the NBA! Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, there's no result! You like Kobe Bryant? If he didn't play in Los Angeles, he wouldn't get any of that attention!"

Noticing the Rookie's unconvinced gaze, Joe Smith, as the former first overall pick, pouted and finally rapped:

"Kobe Bryant isn't Clay Lee. He doesn't have that ability to dominate games. Without those national broadcasts, who would know him? A clown imitating Michael Jordan?"

"..."

Under the persuasion of a few people, Russell Westbrook stopped "retaliating."

His NBA dream was further shattered.

The entire league was full of commercial flavor.

In a way, it was more like a basketball reality show.

The assistant coaches noticed the situation and began to calm the players' emotions.

Not everyone liked moving to Oklahoma City, which was one of the difficulties to face in the new season.

Kevin Durant had no intention of uniting his teammates.

He didn't think that much.

The big Nike contract and being the tactical core had basically met his current needs.

Seeing his goddess update Twitter, the keyboard was pressed again:

"Maybe the family needs a little princess. The bad boys are growing up and starting to tear the house down! I'm a bit nervous about participating in the marathon tomorrow."

"That will definitely be as beautiful as you."

On sunday, November 2nd, the NBA announced the Players of the Week for the first week:

Clay Lee from the Eastern Conference and Chris Paul from the Western Conference successfully won the awards.

The New York Knicks and the Hornets currently have no losses.

Through three games, Chris's stats were still decent: 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 3.0 turnovers per game, with a 50% field goal percentage and 87.7% free throw percentage.

In comparison, Clay Lee's 41.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 2.0 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 2.0 turnovers left critics speechless.

The sample size for his 62.3% field goal percentage and 51.9% three-point percentage was too small, leading to no commentary after the award announcement, only praise.

There were only two games that day, with the Milwaukee Bucks challenging the New York Knicks on the road, just in time to witness Lee receive his small trophy at home.

After the failure of the meeting, old rival Richard Jefferson was traded to Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Bucks' lineup underwent significant changes, with Lee's alumnus Charlie Villanueva officially taking a prominent role.

Adding Ramon Sessions and Andrew Bogut, the starting lineup Head Coach Bill skiles put out looked very competitive!

However, in that night's game, the Milwaukee Bucks completely lost their touch in the first half, not only going 1-for-7 from beyond the arc but also making only 5 of 12 free throws.

The opponent failed to capitalize on easy scoring opportunities, which made Mike D'Antoni, who was idling on the sidelines, smile.

At 41:58, the game quickly entered the New York Knicks' rhythm.

During halftime, Madison Square Garden was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

At the MSG commentary table, Mike Breen and Walt Frazier were deep in conversation:

"I've noticed that since the new season began, the Lakers still insist on the Triangle Offense, and most teams haven't adopted our tactical system. Why is this happening?"

As a team legend, Walt Frazier also enjoyed disparaging opponents during his own broadcasts.

Upon hearing the question, he answered without hesitation:

"Any tactic requires players to execute it. I know many professionals believe the New York Knicks' tactics are too simple, but they've never considered one thing."

"If Clay Lee's three-point percentage was only 30%, would Coach DAntoni still insist on using such tactics?"

"I think most teams want to imitate us, but unfortunately, their core players can't play like Lee."

"I respect Kobe, but he doesn't have the ability to dominate the game from beyond the arc. He's more suited to playing in a Triangle Offense system, but Lee is different. He has completely changed the sport!"

The Milwaukee Bucks only attempted 7 three-pointers in the first half, making 1, while Clay Lee alone attempted 8 three-pointers, with a 50% success rate.

The two teams' tactical approaches were completely different..

One was still pursuing low-post play, while the other aggressively pushed fast breaks, launching three-pointers whenever an opportunity arose.

Mike Breen nodded repeatedly, looking at the statistics while continuing to tease the team's old rivals from recent years:

"I think New York fans all appreciate Richard Jefferson, but it's a shame that after coming to the Milwaukee Bucks, he still finds it difficult to defeat Clay Lee!"

"..."

After the second half began, towards the end of the third quarter, Tyronn Lue was substituted in, and the Milwaukee Bucks conceded early.

Back in the familiar Madison Square Garden, Rookie Joe Alexander's layup attempt was unsuccessful.

Tyronn Lue quickly retreated to defend, but the New York Knicks successfully boxed out.

After Lee "charged" for the defensive rebound, he continuously accelerated.

Near the Logo, a slowing Tyronn Lue tried to get tight on Defense early to disrupt Lee's dribbling rhythm, but with just a slight pause in his steps, Lee in front of him executed a push-dribble change of direction while moving.

Watching Lee's center of gravity drop as he switched to his left hand, Tyronn Lue couldn't afford to "foul" and began to shuffle desperately.

In the blink of an eye, the two rushed past the three-point line.

Amidst the fans' laughter, Lee's speed didn't decrease, and he drove directly towards the basket, challenging the Defense.

Tyronn Lue, near the free-throw line, tried to jump up and block, but he overestimated his athleticism.

The moment he jumped, he was shoved out of bounds by the airborne Lee.

"Oh!!"

With the ball in his left hand, Lee pulled his arm back in mid-air, his body instantly forming a reverse "C" shape, and he slammed the ball into the hoop amidst cheers!

Stumbling into the basket support, Tyronn Lue, after being patted twice by Lee in a friendly gesture, managed to force a smile.

Perhaps it stirred up memories, as Tyronn Lue, upon receiving the ball again at the baseline, looked at Lee directing the Defense on the court and couldn't help but ask himself:

"Can time truly defeat him?"

"..."

At 84:118, the Milwaukee Bucks suffered their third consecutive loss.

Since the start of the new season, they have only defeated the Thunder, and the offseason trades seem to have had no effect.

Easily scoring 44 points, Clay Lee appeared in the media room wearing a dark gray suit, and all the sports reporters applauded and cheered.

A TNT reporter eagerly stood up and asked:

"Lee, congratulations on another 40+10 game! Can you talk about your shot selection in the recent games?"

"Currently, only the New York Knicks and the Lakers remain undefeated in the NBA. Will you two meet again in the Finals this season?"

"Vampire Succubus" almost caused him to be physically exhausted on Halloween, so Lee, who was "randomly shooting," naturally wouldn't say that playing this way saved energy.

Hearing the two questions, he put on a "serious expression":

"The team's data analysis team told us that three-pointers can help us win, so I increased my attempts."

"The results are pretty good. I don't care how many shots the whole team takes. Victory is the best proof."

"As for the Finals, it's too early. The regular season is long, and I just want to bring exciting games to the fans and enjoy the fun of basketball."

Seeing that provoking a reaction wasn't working, an ESPN reporter seized the opportunity, actively "revealing enemy intelligence," and quickly asked:

"The Lakers plan to claim the top spot in the NBA. Lee, will you respond to this challenge?"

Having only played three games, Lee raised an eyebrow, and seeing everyone's expectant gazes, he joked:

"I hope the team can stay healthy. Record isn't the top priority this season. Perhaps New York fans prefer to celebrate the championship at Madison Square Garden."

Some New York reporters started to cheer.

In fact, Lee wasn't talking nonsense.

Fans had already started petitioning, as they desperately wanted to win the championship at home.

Soon, the press conference turned into a bragging session.

If it had been a few years ago, Lee's "random shooting" would have been questioned, but now, even if a critic called it stat-padding, more people would retort:

"How can something a GOAT does be called stat-padding!"

On Monday, November 3rd, a major trade that day caught the attention of fans: Allen Iverson was traded.

The Denver Nuggets sent "The Answer" to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheikh Samb.

In the final year of his contract, Allen Iverson did not receive an extension offer from the Denver Nuggets.

Ultimately, the Detroit Pistons, who decided to rebuild, extended an "olive branch," bringing the Son of Philadelphia back to the Eastern Conference.

Chauncey Billups seemed calm about this trade.

Ever since Lindsey Hunter made those remarks, the Detroit Pistons' locker room had completely collapsed.

No one organized training during the offseason, and after the new season began, most players, except Hamilton, were out of shape, indicating a complete commitment to tanking.

Therefore, when interviewed, Chauncey Billups did not explain his decision, but simply gave his answer:

"I just want a different competitive environment. Perhaps in the Western Conference, I can lead the team to better results."

"In the Eastern Conference, no one wants to face Clay Lee in the playoffs. In fact, I was one of the first players to mimic Lee's offensive choices. It's a shame. I let down the Detroit fans' expectations."

"Sorry, I couldn't integrate the championship experience into the team. No matter where I go, I still deeply love this city."

The other protagonist in this trade, however, refused to be interviewed.

Allen Iverson seemed to have completely lost it, and only his entourage were defending their brother, cursing the Denver Nuggets' management for being "inhumane."

The new season had just begun, and Tracy McGrady, plagued by injuries, was inefficient as usual.

Vince Carter had lost most of his ticket-selling appeal, leading his team to a 1-3 record.

Allen Iverson was sent back to the Eastern Conference.

Considering the Detroit Pistons hadn't played the New York Knicks yet this season, some die-hard fans were once again frustrated, fearing another four beatings in the future.

Across the ocean, among the four players dubbed the "Four Great Shooting Guards," only Kobe seemed to remain competitive.

However, thinking back to the Finals a few months ago, fans were also a bit anxious:

"It's about time we won one."

The New York Knicks only had three games this week, with the Hornets and Washington Wizards posing little pressure later on.

The Lakers, on the other hand, only had one local game against the Clippers this week, which was also an easy schedule.

On Wednesday the 5th, that evening, Zach Randolph suddenly exploded, single-handedly carrying the Clippers to the very end.

At 102:106, the Lakers won a tough game, fortunately, Kobe's free throws were accurate tonight.

Kobe, who scored a game-high 27 points (8-for-21 from the field, 0-for-2 from three-point range, 11-for-14 from the free-throw line) along with 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 2 turnovers, smiled again after the game, as the Lakers extended their undefeated streak.

Staples Center was packed, and the Lakers' attendance remained impressive in the new season.

After a hard-fought victory, the fans present were still cheering for Kobe.

Sweating profusely, Kobe expected praise, but he underestimated the reporters who loved to stir up trouble:

"Kobe, why aren't you increasing your three-point attempts? Lee has already scored 40+ in four consecutive games."

Kobe, with a bewildered expression, felt utterly confused.

Staring at the reporter, he said fiercely:

"I never play for stats!"

....

By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)