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***
On Thursday, November 30, 2006, a month after Red Auerbach's death, the New York Daily News still chose to capitalize on the trending topic.
There weren't many nationally televised games this month.
Major sports programs focused more on commemorating the legend, and retired stars gathered in Washington at the beginning of the month to attend the funeral.
Since the Celtics' current record is poor, everyone at this time was reminiscing about the past, and Red Auerbach indeed dominated for many years in the long history of the NBA.
However, for New York's sports media, that was old news:
"The Celtics' championships benefited from the early development of the NBA."
"Modern basketball is a completely different product from the past. After the rules were perfected, the most dominant team in NBA history is undoubtedly the New York Knicks."
"We can commemorate Mr. Auerbach, but the Celtics are just an ordinary team now. Their winning culture has long since disappeared!"
There was more than one related column article, and the New York Times recently also popularized the differences between modern basketball and the past, with this trend peaking at the end of the month.
Newspaper articles, of course, were designed to cater to New York fans.
If you paid attention to Reddit, which has seen an explosion of traffic recently, you'd find New York fans collectively mocking their opponents.
After the new season began, although the Chicago Bulls' record was mediocre, the overall environment in the Eastern Conference was poor, so the playoffs were still within reach.
Many Chicago Bulls fans began to envision the team rising again, restoring Michael Jordan's glory.
"Who would like to watch basketball from the early 90s? Those recordings make me want to fall asleep."
"Pay money to watch them methodically fight for the ball in the paint? That was the worst era."
Most of the sarcastic remarks came from young New York Knicks fans.
Many young people started watching basketball only after Mike D'Antoni took over the team, and even had reservations about their own team's first four consecutive championships.
After getting used to today's games with 90 possessions, young people are not buying into the 75-80 possession slugfests of the New York Knicks' past.
After Reddit officially launched its sports section, it has basically been a free-for-all every day, with gamblers and armchair fans increasing day by day, and those who rely on impressions without watching games or checking data arguing happily.
Even real basketball critics would go there for inspiration, after all, whether it was their personal blogs, website column articles, or professional content in newspapers, they all served the fans.
Whatever people like to watch, that's what needs to be written.
As for the truth, that's not important.
The New York Knicks recently launched a Facebook account, adding a new task for their operations staff: taking photos and posting daily updates, and occasionally providing benefits for young fans.
Currently, this social software's user count has surpassed 12 million, and after Clay Lee posted family photos on Thanksgiving, his followers reached exactly 3 million.
This is an extremely terrifying statistic; 1/4 of users followed Clay Lee.
Considering that the previously accumulated users were young college students, many people saw a "business opportunity."
Lee also didn't put on airs like some big stars, occasionally replying to comments and affectionately calling his fans "family."
Even those who just wanted to see pretty girls had nothing to say about this.
At least Lee showed respect to those who followed him.
On Thursday's TNT program, the trio hadn't done anything outlandish recently, dutifully joining in the remembrance.
After a month of holding back, Charles Barkley finally couldn't help but start complaining.
The show was originally expected to review yesterday's game and discuss tonight's Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers matchup, but Barkley instead attacked the Bobcats, pointing the finger at Michael Jordan:
"4 wins and 11 losses, Adam Morrison's performance is a disaster! I respect his basketball attitude, but the Bobcats shouldn't have picked him second overall."
"They had the chance to accumulate excellent talent and then make a run in the playoffs, but now they can only continue to tank."
"Michael Jordan shouldn't interfere too much with team operations. He seems to have forgotten his failure with the Washington Wizards. Professional matters should be left to professionals."
As the former GOAT, Michael Jordan is an object of consumption whenever he appears in public.
Kenny Smith glanced at his partner sitting on the far left and suddenly felt that if they continued to consume him like this, their friendship would eventually break.
Michael Jordan was not Clay Lee.
He didn't have that much entertainment spirit:
"It's only 15 games. We need to give young players some time. Even Clay Lee started from the bench."
"Operating a team is a long-term plan. We don't need to draw conclusions so early."
No longer giving Barkley a chance to interject, Ernie Johnson proactively changed the subject, discussing last night's second matchup between the Cavaliers and the New York Knicks:
"If this year's Eastern Conference Finals is the Cavaliers against the New York Knicks, I think Cleveland has a chance to make it to the Finals."
"Their roster depth is one of the few teams that can match the New York Knicks."
108:98, the New York Knicks narrowly defeated the Cavaliers on the road, which was also the second time Lee fought hard in the fourth quarter since the start of the new season.
In 38 minutes, he shot 13-of-21 from the field, 4-of-10 from three-point range, and 10-of-11 from the free-throw line, tallying 40 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover.
ESPN's evaluation of Clay Lee's performance was that he was in mediocre form; his 1-of-6 three-point shooting in the first three quarters gave the opponent too many opportunities.
Speaking of this game, Charles Barkley again targeted LeBron James, and didn't have good things to say about Lee either:
"I can't understand why LeBron James would be smiling after a loss, going to hug and greet Clay Lee after the game. He even helped promote Lee's shoes at the press conference!"
"Clay Lee is now like Michael Jordan. He only has business in his eyes. They never speak out about other things. They only use their personal influence to make money."
"LeBron James should learn from his good friend Dwyane Wade. He should compete, not laugh and chat with opponents after the game."
"."
Due to playing back-to-back road games last night, Lee started slowly, and the team's shooting was generally poor.
In the first three quarters, the Cavaliers frequently executed transition offenses, and LeBron James also delivered a splendid stat line.
In 44 minutes, he shot 12-of-23 from the field, 3-of-8 from three-point range, and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line, tallying 36 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and 3 turnovers.
Aside from his poor long-two-point jump shots, LeBron James frequently scored on drives after pick-and-rolls and fast breaks in transition.
ESPN highly praised this, considering it LeBron James' best performance of the new season.
After Red Auerbach passed away, Michael Jordan also reminisced about his competition with the Celtics in front of the media, and expressed his respect.
Aside from some polite remarks, Lee made no other moves this month.
He didn't even attend the funeral in Washington.
When the topic of Red Auerbach breaking racial discrimination and heavily utilizing black players came up, Lee also remained silent.
Many basketball critics joined in the commotion, and comments about his "inflated arrogance" never ceased.
Watching his constantly spouting partner, Ernie Johnson raised an eyebrow at Kenny Smith, signaling that they hadn't discussed the Los Angeles Lakers yet, and young fans didn't care about historical legends.
"Alright, Chuck, times have changed. Don't hold young people to your standards."
"The Utah Jazz are currently 13-3 and in excellent form. Last night, the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, with Kobe scoring only 27 points on 7-of-23 shooting. I'm looking forward to his performance tonight."
As soon as Kenny Smith finished speaking, Barkley on the other side fell silent.
There was nothing to talk about with the Los Angeles Lakers.
They were simply not a championship-caliber team.
As for Kobe, his feud with Shaquille O'Neal was also outdated.
75:83, the Utah Jazz, who had a perfect start, secured their position as second in the NBA after defeating the San Antonio Spurs last night.
Although this game was criticized by fans, Head Coach Jerry Sloan was completely unfazed.
The old man is also keeping up with the times, in addition to continuing the pick-and-roll, he has also given more freedom to Deron Williams, the core guard.
Deron Williams could be said to have benefited from Clay Lee.
If it weren't for the dual-threat guard trend sweeping the NBA in recent years, a second-year Rookie would have found it difficult to gain the full trust of the veteran coach.
9 wins and 5 losses, the Los Angeles Lakers' record was pretty good, at least better than many fans expected.
Derek Fisher's return to the team made him a hero in the hearts of many fans:
"Derek is a true Los Angeles Laker."
Unlike most owners in the NBA, the Buss Family focused more on the team.
When Jerry Buss bought the Los Angeles Lakers back then, he almost emptied his family's savings, and the team's success also brought him more wealth.
Magic Johnson and Jerry Buss shared a deep friendship, which is also part of the Los Angeles Lakers' team culture.
The Buss Family enjoys forging deep friendships with superstars.
Translated into simple terms, it means they are willing to be "sycophants" to show respect.
The New York Knicks' rise in recent years also caused the Los Angeles Lakers to lose some of their market share.
The champions were even mocked as "thieves," and anyone would feel bad about that.
The Los Angeles Times couldn't out-argue New York, ESPN was data-driven, and the Los Angeles Lakers were no longer "noble".
Like the Celtics, they were past their prime.
At 7:30 PM that evening, Staples Center was not full.
After the game began, although Kobe strongly rebounded and continuously scored, Jerry Buss on the sidelines frowned deeply.
Phil Jackson, standing beside him with his arms crossed, also didn't show much joy on his face.
Clearly, this was not the game content the coaching staff expected.
Kobe Bryant shot 10-of-16 from the field in the first half, 2-of-5 from the free-throw line, efficiently scoring 22 points.
At 41:53, the Los Angeles Lakers led by double digits at halftime.
The theory of sharing the ball from the beginning of the season was once again forgotten by Kobe.
After losing, he just wanted to do what he was best at.
Hollywood's big and small stars still appeared in the front row to watch the game, and Jack Nicholson wasn't as engrossed in the game or celebrating happily as he used to be in earlier years.
The Lakers cheerleaders were still performing energetically during halftime, and Jerry Buss, who stood up to accept an interview, again showed his knowing smile.
"That's Kobe! No one can stop him when he wants to score, and we all know that 81 points isn't his limit!"
"We played very well. The Utah Jazz is a strong opponent!"
The 73-year-old Jerry Buss was already paving the way for his family's future, and with declining box office and revenue, the old man still had to show his face and brag.
In the eyes of the ESPN reporter, Jerry Buss's smile was full of age, and the Lakers had started to avoid taxes.
No matter how well he spoke, it couldn't change the fact that they relied on Kobe to sell tickets.
The once spirited playboy had turned into an old man.
After a brief interview, the ESPN staff could only sigh in a low voice:
"Everything is over. The Lakers have finally become an ordinary team."
When recalling the Celtics, the Lakers would naturally be mentioned, but unfortunately, the recent buzz hasn't changed the declining attendance.
This powerhouse team has begun its decline.
After the third quarter began, Kobe Bryant went all out, shooting 9-for-9 from the field, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, exploding for 30 points in a single quarter, and the game entered garbage time.
At Staples Center, the home Lakers fans cheered loudly for Kobe's performance.
In 34 minutes of play, Kobe delivered a perfect stat line of 52 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and 1 turnover.
Ultimately, the Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 132-102, concluding their November schedule.
Although they lost, Deron Williams still looked confident.
During a post-game interview on the sidelines, when asked about Kobe's 52 points, he even joked:
"We all know Kobe can score. On some nights, he's truly unstoppable."
"But I don't want to play like him. After I entered the NBA, Coach Jerry Sloan showed me a lot of Lee's tapes. Young players all know that playing like Clay Lee is how you win championships."
"Kobe is excellent, but after Michael Jordan lost, the era of pure scorers ended!"
Kobe, also being interviewed, wasn't aware that he was being mocked by the Rookie.
Although he scored 52 points, there was no smile on his face at this moment.
He looked at the ESPN reporter, pulled a long face, and said in a deep voice:
"It's just an ordinary game. I still have a lot of work to do."
Kobe, in a good mood after the win, embraced Jerry Buss as he left the court, not even looking at the serious-faced Phil Jackson behind him.
When attending the post-game press conference, Kobe was greatly angered by the words of the "mouthpieces."
He gave a few perfunctory replies and promptly added Deron and the Utah Jazz to his "hostile list."
Phil Jackson, in a bad mood, said a few words to the players in the locker room before heading to Jerry Buss's office.
Although it was nearly 11 PM, attendance had been an issue since the start of the new season, so Kupchak, the General Manager, could only report the team's situation to the old man.
Behind the massive desk was a row of trophies.
Staples Center wasn't full tonight, and Jerry Buss was in a bad mood.
He stood up to find a drink and muttered:
"I have to spend 77.1 million dollars on these players! Fuck! 77 million, and now you're telling me ticket prices have to be lowered!"
Although the Lakers had previously waived Brian Grant, they still had to pay him $14.85 million this year.
They didn't have to pay the luxury tax, but they still spent a lot of money.
The gray-haired Kupchak understood his boss's personality and kept quiet at this moment.
Phil Jackson, also full of anger, watched the old man drink and complained directly:
"I told you long ago, keep Shaq. The chaos started with that contract."
"You want me to pay 30 million to keep a declining fat man? Shit! I've been following the news. He's been constantly injured these past few years!"
"..."
Jerry Buss's face was flushed after his outburst.
When he saw that both of them were silent, he calmed down.
Following the Knicks' lead in raising ticket prices, the fans didn't buy it, which truly angered him:
"What do you want me to do? I want to see fans buy tickets. I want to see the team return to the Finals."
"I don't know. It's almost impossible to expect Kobe to lead the team to a championship this year. We need more talented players!"
Kupchak noticed Phil Jackson staring at him after saying this, and he was also a bit annoyed.
He didn't like that Jim Buss had rehired this Zen Master:
"We drafted Andrew Bynum, but you let him sit on the bench. Why do the Knicks' Rookies always perform well?"
"They picked a guy under 6 feet at 60th overall, and now he can be Clay Lee's backup! Our 7-foot genius still isn't trusted!"
"Fuck! What do you want me to do?!"
In fact, Bynum had already started playing as a starter this season, and his playing time was increasing.
Phil Jackson's team was doing well, but the fans were no longer buying into it.
The two vented their emotions, spewing at each other, which gave Jerry Buss a headache.
Finally, he shouted, interrupting them:
"OK! Trades! We need superstars. Tell the fans we're returning to the Finals."
The office suddenly fell silent.
Phil Jackson and Kupchak were quiet again.
The boss's request was a fantasy to them.
Lakers fans had already seen the current situation of the NBA.
"McHale won't agree to our chips unless we put Kobe in the trade. The best players are all in New York. We have no choice."
After a long wait, Kupchak said, and then there was another silence.
Jerry Buss looked at the twinkling Los Angeles night outside the window, feeling a bit dejected for a moment:
"Maybe lowering the price is the right thing to do?"
On December 1st, the NBA announced the Players of the Month for the first month of the new season:
Clay Lee of the Knicks and Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets successfully won the awards.
Clay Lee led the team to a 16-0 record in November, averaging 30.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 1.1 turnovers in 32.0 minutes per game.
He averaged 16.9 field goal attempts with a 60.4% shooting percentage, and 6.5 three-point attempts with a 47.7% shooting percentage.
He averaged 7.6 free throws per game with a 94.6% free throw percentage.
After an efficient performance early in the month, Lee's stats declined, visibly dropping in a few games, but he still delivered a double-double.
The Houston Rockets achieved a 10-5 record in November, performing very well overall, except for consecutive losses to the Knicks.
He averaged 25.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 3.8 turnovers in 35.6 minutes per game.
He averaged 16.5 field goal attempts with a 54.4% shooting percentage, and 9.1 free throws per game with an 84.7% free throw percentage.
Yao Ming's excellent performance temporarily earned him the title of "NBA's No. 1 Center," and some Lakers fans even started dreaming on the internet, trying to recruit the Houston Rockets' cash cow.
New York entered the Christmas atmosphere early.
On Saturday, they gave this year's top draft pick a lesson, and New York fans madly mocked "bust" Andrea Bargnani.
With an 83-111 loss, the Raptors' record fell to 5-12, and Chris Bosh still had to continue struggling with the team.
On Monday, the 4th, the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony was held at Rockefeller Center that evening.
The cold weather couldn't deter the enthusiastic New York City residents, and a large number of tourists also joined the fun.
The Christmas tree was nearly 27 meters tall, decorated with over 30,000 colorful LED lights, and topped with a huge Swarovski crystal star.
After a brief speech by Mayor Bloomberg, the tree began to sparkle amidst cheers, and famous singers like Christina Aguilera started waving to the dense crowd.
NBC would broadcast this free performance, and the Christmas carnival officially began at this moment.
MSG underwent a major overhaul this year.
After introducing new logos and graphics packages, the Dolan Family also decided to add more entertainment programs.
Of course, sports remained the focus.
MSG Sportsdesk viewership was increasing year by year, giving the Knicks' Rookie more opportunities to appear on television.
James Dolan was also present at the scene.
Unlike Lee, who was surrounded by onlookers, the curly-haired boss bragged wildly to his own reporters:
"I received news that the Lakers plan to lower ticket prices in the future. They are still performing like clowns!"
"What can they offer fans? To watch Kobe's scoring show? Forget it, their offense struggles to even get 100 points."
"We can offer fans everything they want to see. If those teams don't double-team Clay Lee, he can score 60 points every night!"
"Beautiful dribbles, magical passes, powerful dunks! That's what fans want to see. Our tickets are great value, and our season tickets are in high demand."
Lee, wearing a black trench coat, squeezed out of the crowd at this moment.
Georgina left her father aside and quickly squeezed over, wrapping her arm around Lee's right arm, and said loudly, looking up:
"Why don't you go over to my father? Mr. David Paterson, the future Deputy Governor, just mentioned you!"
Reporters around them were still taking photos.
Lee exhaled a puff of white air, looking at the girl beside him and whispering helplessly:
"I don't want to deal with big shots during the holidays. You know, Ivanka is still waiting for me."
"How about we have a child too?"
"?"
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