On sunday, November 18, 2007, the sports section of the Denver Post once again "fired" at Clay Lee.
An article by a columnist pointed out the problems with last night's game:
"Clay Lee brought personal grudges into the game, and the referees helped New York humiliate us."
Such a view was only recognized by local fans.
Before this, they had won against New York, but after Allen Iverson joined the team, they suffered a 0-4 record in two seasons.
What angered Allen Iverson's loyal fans even more was that Clay Lee was clearly doing it on purpose!
The Knicks had a five-game week, including four consecutive road games in the West, practically living on planes.
Their condition was visibly deteriorating.
After a big win against the Phoenix Suns, New York regrettably lost their Friday game against the Sacramento Kings, failing to score over 100 points for the first time this season.
But upon arriving in Denver on Saturday, they were met with Lee's personal "heavy punch."
108:83. Although the loss wasn't by much, the scene was extremely ugly.
Allen Iverson, who insisted on personal Defense, was blown out.
Many fans at the Pepsi Center left early last night.
In the game against the Sacramento Kings, perhaps due to continuous road trips, Clay Lee shot 7-of-14, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
His performance was sluggish, only getting a double-double with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Allen Iverson's die-hard fans were still hoping for his "first career win," but Clay Lee, who flew to Denver, exploded again.
He played 36 minutes, matching his opponent's time on court, shooting 17-of-26, 7-of-13 from three-point range, and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, furiously scoring 50 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and 2 turnovers.
The first 50-point game of the new season appeared.
Clay Lee's personal scoring highlights soared in viewership after the game, and ESPN's morning show was full of praise, while Allen Iverson's injury situation reappeared.
From Philadelphia to Denver, the fans who remained were true fans.
After the game, many young people expressed their dissatisfaction on Reddit, believing that Lee "humiliated" their idol!
"Facing a respectable opponent, I will go all out. This is how I show respect, by letting basketball do the talking."
At the press conference, facing questions from Denver sports reporters, Lee calmly gave this reason, leaving a group of people speechless.
After all, in a basketball game, "going all out" is indeed the best form of respect.
"Letting the ball" would instead be disrespectful to the opponent.
They couldn't refute him, so they could only secretly complain.
Many basketball commentators couldn't help but wonder, was there any grudge between the two?
Upon careful recollection, there truly was!
Allen Iverson's scoring title was won based on average points over fewer games.
At that time, Clay Lee had more games and more total points, but he ended up suffering a hidden loss.
This matter is almost 10 years old, yet Allen Iverson is still being targeted.
Such a situation is truly difficult to evaluate.
After the game, Allen Iverson was unable to attend the press conference.
On Monday morning, he was fined $25,000 by the league.
Then Tawana spoke up for her husband, voluntarily accepting an interview:
"My husband is a good man. I don't understand why there are always people who want to hurt him."
"Basketball sometimes causes us pain. Those fans even attack my daughter. She's being isolated by kids at school."
When speaking of this, Tawana even shed tears.
After moving, she wasn't happy, and due to the losses, the entire family was having problems.
Carmelo Anthony saw Allen Iverson's plight but couldn't help.
Playing with his idol didn't feel great, as their playing styles couldn't complement each other.
As a new generation star, Carmelo Anthony didn't complain like a "loser."
A 5-5 start was barely acceptable.
After the afternoon practice, Head Coach George Karl took Allen Iverson to the team's psychologist for treatment.
Carmelo Anthony calmly told local sports reporters:
"Allen has given his loyalty to this city. He has given his all. I don't like seeing fans leave early anymore."
"We don't care about any grudges. I just want to hear fans cheer for the Denver Nuggets. The atmosphere at the Pepsi Center shouldn't be like this."
No matter what basketball commentators said, it wouldn't affect Lee, who had already returned to New York.
In his opinion, striking hard was helping the faded Allen Iverson.
Throughout the offseason, aside from being summoned to court, there was no news about Allen Iverson.
After this "beating," the faded star once again gained attention.
Although the process wasn't pleasant, the outcome was always good.
Allen Iverson should be grateful, after all, "being hated" is better than being forgotten.
As Thanksgiving approached, Manhattan began to buzz with activity again.
Although the economy seemed to be having problems, for many, spending couldn't stop.
New York's unemployment rate seemed to be rising again.
City Hall gave many responses to this, but Wall Street's layoffs continued unabated, and the newspapers contained little more than appeals.
There are many ways to divert attention: celebrity gossip, sports market transfer news, presidential candidate speeches, a certain White House official's "persona collapse," and so on.
On Monday the 19th, Lee, who attended Donald's "family dinner" that evening, felt his host's anxious mood.
After several years of getting along and observing, Lee found that Donald was very "traditional" in some aspects.
At home, everyone had to listen to him, and his eldest son was even scolded until he couldn't lift his head.
The rate of wealth growth was getting slower and slower.
If compared to Bloomberg's Bloomberg News, Donald's side was like "crawling like a turtle."
All these feelings were secretly told to Lee by Ivanka.
The continuous birth of new lives had stabilized the "old man's" mood quite a bit, but the recent situation in the financial market made Donald lose his appetite.
The main course that night was still steak.
The invited chef, with a smile on his face, introduced his specialty to everyone and left happily after receiving praise.
Lee hadn't been to the newly renovated penthouse many times.
At the dinner table, Vanessa, across from Ivanka, kept her head down upon hearing her husband being scolded.
While cutting his steak, he glared at his youngest son again.
With Thanksgiving approaching and the whole family gathered, Donald was not in a good mood.
He sat at the head of the table and continued to grumble:
"Sometimes incompetence is a good thing. At least we haven't run into trouble yet!"
"Erik! The same goes for you. Don't let me hear anyone complain to me about work again. You've graduated, and your starting point is higher than 90% of Americans."
Lee, enjoying his meal, didn't mind the tense atmosphere.
He even had the inclination to play some "little games" under the table with Ivanka, who was becoming increasingly voluptuous.
Ivanka, entangled by Lee, lowered her head and pretended to be docile, her ears flushing from the teasing, until Donald shifted the conversation to their side, and she snapped back to reality:
"Lee, I hope you can take over the Atlantic City casino. You can find professionals to evaluate it. I'm not in a hurry to sell, but we have to prepare for the worst."
The relevant casino and resort hotel had undergone multiple bankruptcies and reorganizations.
Lee was still unclear about the specific situation, but seeing the other party look at him, he finally nodded in agreement:
"I'll have Axe Capital follow up. What are everyone's plans for Thanksgiving? How about skiing?"
"..."
Donald breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Lee change the subject, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Finally, he stopped talking, but quietly gave Ivanka another look.
His third wife, who served as a trophy wife, never participated in these company-related discussions, but she always kept her ears open, trying to digest the information she received.
In July, Donald had just been honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, full of ambition.
However, only a few months later, he wanted to sell off some of his assets, a signal that made her somewhat anxious.
After the "warm" dinner, Ivanka returned to her room, changed into a loose nightgown to showcase her beautiful figure, then snuggled up next to Lee to binge-watch TV shows together.
Crime Scene Investigation, Dancing with the Stars, and House M.D.—CBS, ABC, and FOX dominated the prime-time slots.
Although the TV shows were good, Ivanka quickly became breathless.
After an intense match, she recalled the feeling of her body losing control just now, and her face couldn't help but flush even redder.
Close to midnight, Lee gently stroked her smooth back while continuing to kiss her, and quietly reminded her in her ear:
"My dear, you seem to have forgotten something."
She propped herself up, tucked her slightly damp blonde hair behind her ear, and upon realizing the situation beneath her, Ivanka somewhat shyly snuggled back into Lee's arms, finally saying in a muffled voice:
"It's about prohibiting investors from withdrawing funds. Father is worried about that portion of the capital."
Since 2006, Axe Capital has been providing specific services to certain clients.
This time, prohibiting investors from withdrawing funds for 11 months naturally led to some people being unable to hold on.
Lee did not directly answer the question, but silently controlled the ball with one hand again, looking at the increasingly mature Ivanka, and whispered:
"Family should help each other, my dear, trust me."
Ivanka, whose breathing became more rapid, didn't make a sound, but showed her support with actions, actively helping Lee practice his behind-the-back dribbling skills.
Facing the continuous body contact from behind, she finally completely gave up on Defense:
"Mm!"
Before Thanksgiving, the Lakers began their East Coast road trip.
This year, they were "kicked out" of the Christmas War and encountered the New York Knicks early on.
Kobe, who came to New York, was still unhappy.
Although his old rival was currently second in the Eastern Conference due to losing games, the Lakers' overall strength was still inferior to theirs.
The Celtics currently maintained an undefeated record, and a relatively easy schedule allowed the old guys to fully exert themselves in November.
New York's sports reporters were in full force, and the two nearby cities were engaged in a lively war of words, which also caused the Lakers, who came to New York, to be largely ignored.
No one took their former rivals seriously.
With the current Lakers roster, they were highly likely to be eliminated in the first round this season.
On the evening of the 20th, an hour before the game, Phil Jackson announced to a group of sports media that Andrew Bynum would be starting tonight.
Many reporters were surprised to hear this news, knowing that the relationship between Kobe and Bynum had already deteriorated to an extreme.
After the "video incident" ended, the Rookie was ridiculed face-to-face.
Now that Bynum was starting, it certainly seemed like a slap in Kobe's face.
"Tyson Chandler's recent form has been too outstanding. We must protect the rebounds, and we need to use offensive rebounds in the game to limit the opponent's transition offense."
When explaining the reasons, Phil Jackson's expression was calm.
The Kentucky Fried Chicken Old Man ignored the fiery glances and continued to say with a smile:
"Perhaps you think Kobe and Bynum have issues in their relationship, but what I want to say is that everyone is an adult. In a basketball game, every player will give their all once they step onto the court."
"I will not doubt their professionalism. They will become the new 'OK Combo'."
"..."
The pre-game hype did not affect the good mood of the New York reporters.
Since the start of the new season, the number of connections between Lee and Chandler has significantly increased.
After a season of refinement, the "pie-eater" has become stronger!
Everyone believed that Chandler was more than capable of handling the Rookie on the other side.
Bynum was not Shaquille O'Neal, and the opponent would not be able to penetrate the Knicks' Defense.
As for Kobe, even another 81-point game wouldn't bring victory at Madison Square Garden.
Sports reporters were very confident about this.
During the regular season, TNT's national broadcasts were usually scheduled for Wednesday or Friday, with only a few important games appearing on tuesday.
The Lakers' strength was not great, but their ability to create drama was among the best in the league.
Tonight, Madison Square Garden welcomed another national broadcast, and the dialogue between old rivals attracted a lot of attention.
At 7:28 PM, the game was about to begin, and the atmosphere in the arena was enthusiastic, even with a strange sense of joy.
Bynum, who entered the starting lineup, was exceptionally excited.
Fire seemed to burn in the Rookie's eyes as he stood at mid-court, intensely staring at the basketball in the referee's hand.
Lamar Odom and Ronnie Turiaf, who had recovered from heart surgery, partnered in the frontcourt, while Derek Fisher and Kobe, the veteran backcourt duo, remained.
As the game was about to start, Kobe, standing expressionless at half-court, watched Old Fish and his opponent laugh and bump fists.
For a moment, he felt like there was a traitor on the team.
He didn't like such behavior.
Unfortunately, Derek Fisher couldn't be bothered with Kobe's emotions.
Hia daughter had received care from Lee during her hospitalization in New York, and as a member of the championship team, he wouldn't show any antagonism.
As the basketball was tossed into the air, Bynum tipped the ball first, and the Lakers initiated the offense.
The Rookie, who successfully won the tip-off, diligently rushed past half-court.
"Defense!"
Amidst the unified cheers for Defense, Derek Fisher dribbled past half-court and quickly passed the ball to Lamar Odom in the right elbow area.
Under the basket, Turiaf attempted to execute a cross-screen with Bynum, but Pau Gasol and Chandler's seamless switch prevented Bynum from easily receiving the ball in the right low post.
Forced out of his sweet spot, by the time Bynum received the ball, he had no choice but to immediately put it down, drive hard, and try to get closer to the basket.
In the first possession after the tip-off, the Lakers set up a low-post isolation play for a big man, clearly to motivate the players.
Kobe, who was standing on the left wing, didn't actively demand the ball.
He just watched Bynum back his way to directly in front of the basket.
His left-handed floater was interfered with by Pau Gasol's long arm, and he immediately turned to retreat on Defense.
The basketball bounced off the rim. With his height advantage, Chandler instantly grabbed the rebound on the other side.
Turiaf had no chance to contest, and Lee had already successfully received the ball near the free-throw line.
"Kobe wants to trade you!"
Bynum, still clapping his hands in frustration, suddenly heard the fans behind the basket joyfully shouting.
He slapped his thigh in anger, took long strides to retreat on Defense, and felt even more displeased seeing Kobe establish his defensive position early.
In the semi-transition offense, Lee didn't need to make tactical hand gestures.
Observing the opponent's man-to-man Defense, the two big men who stopped at half-court simultaneously came to the arc to screen.
Although Old Fish was familiar with the tactics, as Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, lowered his center of gravity and quickly went behind his back, Derek Fisher ultimately couldn't squeeze past and could only warn his teammates.
The shouts roused Turiaf's spirits, but his defensive position left too much space for Lee.
As he moved his feet, the attacker in front of him had already completed a push-dribble change of direction.
Showing no signs of slowing down, Lee's speed was incredibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, he switched the ball to his right hand, then easily squeezed past Turiaf, extending his stride and driving straight to the basket.
"Oh!"
The moment Clay Lee soared into the air, cheers echoed through the Madison Square Garden, and a powerful one-handed dunk instantly ignited the atmosphere.
"Poor defensive positioning. We can't blame Turiaf. He rarely faces a guard like Lee and lacks defensive experience."
From the commentary booth, Doug Collins casually offered an excuse for the Lakers, while Marv Albert beside him said mockingly:
"I'm more excited for Kobe to take over the Defense. Derek Fisher is excellent, but I think fans definitely don't want to see tonight's game turn into a practice session."
No sooner had he spoken than the Lakers' offense suddenly sped up.
Old Fish quickly crossed half-court, then passed the ball again to Lamar Odom in the right elbow area.
The Knicks had just completed their defensive positioning when Lamar Odom, receiving the ball, turned with the momentum, shouldering Tayshaun Prince and forcefully breaking through with the ball in his right hand.
After two large dribbles, he immediately spun like a top, crushing his way into the paint.
The series of offensive moves was smooth and fluid, but at the moment of gathering the ball, Tayshaun Prince, seizing the opportunity, cleanly stripped the ball away.
"Ah!"
Shouting, Lamar Odom made a shooting motion, but the referee didn't react.
As Raja Bell received the ball, it was quickly transferred, and Lee soon rushed past the mid-court line again.
On the left wing, Chandler stepped up for a screen, faked, and immediately rolled down.
Bynum failed to keep up in the first instance, instantly falling behind by more than half a body length.
At the same time, Lee, stopping his steps, quickly performed an In and out with his left hand, faking right and driving left, swaying his body, then suddenly leading the ball forward.
Old Fish misjudged, losing his defensive position again.
Before reaching the left block area, Lee had already thrown the ball towards the rim while still in motion.
Bynum, still moving, watched Chandler in front of him suddenly jump up.
Before he could make a defensive move, Chandler had already caught the ball with both hands in the air, firmly pressing it into the rim!
The smooth cooperation made Phil Jackson on the sidelines frown again.
Bynum's defensive positioning had been problematic several times.
"Oh!"
When the Lakers attacked again, Kobe finally received the ball in the right elbow area.
Many New York fans in the Madison Square Garden started to jeer.
Raja Bell constantly applied physical pressure, but Kobe's jab step still shifted his defensive center of gravity.
Releasing the ball with his left hand, Kobe seized the opportunity to dribble one step horizontally, then immediately pulled up sharply at the free-throw line.
He faked a shot, deceiving the Defense again, and used the time difference for a stylish jump shot that clanked off the rim.
"Damn it!"
The offensive pace was too fast, and Bynum couldn't get into a favorable position.
He cursed under his breath, stuck behind Chandler, and watched Pau Gasol easily grab the rebound.
At Kobe's call, the Lakers' players retreated quickly on Defense.
Derek Fisher received instructions and ran to Raja Bell's side.
The boss was about to take over the Defense.
When Lee slowed down and leisurely arrived at the arc, Kobe had already rolled up his shorts.
Pau Gasol's fake screen failed to deceive him, and he quickly slid to a position closer to the sideline.
The Defense in front of him seemed tight, but Lee didn't care.
As he got closer to the sideline, the New York fans sitting in the front row even clapped and cheered.
Kobe, wide-eyed, hadn't reacted when Lee suddenly dribbled between his legs.
By the time Lee's body swayed to the right and then suddenly took a cross-step in the opposite direction, he had no time to reach out and ultimately watched the shot go up.
After releasing the slightly fading-away three-pointer, Lee twisted his body, not even looking at his wide-eyed opponent.
He winked at the New York fans cheering in the front row, then strolled back on Defense.
"Wow!"
The basketball swished through the net, and the shouts grew louder.
The New York fans in front high-fived each other, and some happily yelled at Kobe:
"Chicago doesn't need you!"
0:7. The Lakers were already trailing at the start, which made Bynum, who wanted to prove himself, a little anxious.
In the offensive possession, he aggressively demanded the ball.
In the left low post, Bynum began his performance again.
Facing Chandler's Defense, he was ultimately called for an offensive foul for elbowing when laying up the ball.
Perhaps complaining to the baseline referee affected his mood.
On the defensive end, Bynum inadvertently dropped back in Defense.
Chandler's solid screen at the arc made it difficult for Kobe to squeeze through.
Just a beat late, Lee, free from Defense, with no one in front to interfere, again powerfully bounced the ball, took a cross-step, and launched another long-range three-pointer!
"Clay Lee! From distance! Yes!"
Accustomed to Lee's shot selection, Marv Albert provided timely commentary, and amidst the New York fans' cheers, he very naturally added,
"It seems Kobe Bryant will have a hard time limiting Clay Lee's offense. Tonight's game, the Lakers are in trouble from the start."
In less than two minutes, the Lakers were already down by double digits.
Such a fish-out-of-water performance met the expectations of the New York fans in the Madison Square Garden, and more New York fans started to get hyped up.
Various noises gradually disrupted the Lakers' offensive rhythm.
After Turiaf broke away at the free-throw line, he received the pass and hastily took a jump shot, which also clanked off the rim.
Facing the Knicks' transition offense, Lamar Odom reluctantly committed a foul, sending Tayshaun Prince to the free-throw line.
Falling into a half-court offense again, after continuous ball movement, Kobe finally isolated on the right wing, forcefully broke through into the crowd, assisted Pau Gasol under the basket, a long pass, and Lee again with a one-handed dunk!
Madison Square Garden completely erupted.
Phil Jackson had no choice but to call a timeout.
With zero points scored and trailing by 14 points, a "tragedy" might unfold tonight.
"Steady the rhythm, don't run around wildly following the opponent. Show your tough attitude!"
"..."
The Kentucky Fried Chicken Old Man stared at everyone, then looked at Kobe, drawing a few strokes on the whiteboard, indicating to give the ball to the star for a low-post isolation.
Bynum, who failed to seize the opportunity, was a bit frustrated.
The tactical focus shifted back to Kobe, and he returned to his blue-collar role.
On the other side, Mike D'Antoni had already begun to lean back tactically.
He raised an eyebrow in Lee's direction and proudly said to his assistant coach beside him:
"As long as Lee's three-point shooting percentage can exceed 45%, we only need to use one tactic!"
Mike Malone could only force a smile. He had also read the newspaper next door and felt some admiration for Rivers' 100 tactics, but thinking about the Knicks' situation, he could only mutter to himself:
"This is truly God's favor..."
For the remainder of the first quarter, it quickly turned into a Kobe isolation show.
The Lakers failed to execute effective tactics and instead constantly faced wave after wave of counterattacks.
The Knicks played more and more relaxed, and their score also rose rapidly.
By the time of the quarter break, the New York fans in the Madison Square Garden had already begun celebrating the victory in advance.
16:38. Tonight was destined to be a "tragedy."
Kobe Bryant, sitting in his seat, was drenched in sweat.
3-for-8 from the field, 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, scoring half of the team's points.
The 22-point deficit made him feel despair, and the mocking shouts from behind him fueled his anger.
Thinking about how he had messaged Duncan a few days ago with no response, Kobe didn't even look at his teammates.
He stared at the floor and secretly made up his mind,
"Changes must be made."
....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)