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Dragon Emperor in Pokemon World.
The return of Itachi
I am Sasuke. Why should I defect from Konoha.
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***
On Saturday, January 21, 2006, the Oklahoma City Hornets, who had begun their Eastern Conference road trip, suffered two consecutive losses.
With a score of 96:110, the New York Knicks defeated the Hornets, concluding their intense schedule of five gas in one week.
In the previous ga against the Washington Wizards, Chris Paul faced Gilbert Arenas, shooting 11-of-17, achieving a double-double with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover.
Playing back-to-back at Madison Square Garden, Paul's performance faltered.
Shooting 5-of-12, 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line, Paul's sowhat sluggish performance of 14 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers ultimately led to a regrettable loss.
With a record of 19 wins and 21 losses, the Hornets, now relocated to Oklahoma City, were still striving for a playoff spot.
During the post-ga press conference, the young Chris Paul, as always, praised Clay Lee.
As the most famous Rookie from the training camp, he had always been a devoted fan.
"As a point guard, I prefer 20 10 stats. This has been my goal since I was very young."
"Clay Lee is the historical template for the point guard position. He taught
many skills, and I've been imitating his play since I was a child."
"In my opinion, championships are the standard for asuring a player's greatness. Regardless of what others say, Clay Lee is the greatest of all ti. He made the combo guard mainstream!"
A few days prior, the Minnesota Timberwolves visited Manhattan to challenge the New York Knicks but ultimately failed to win the ga.
Garnett, who lost the ga, was sowhat unconvinced afterward.
While other scorers saw their stats surge, he could only attract attention through trade rumors.
Facing the mockery from the New York dia, Garnett ultimately broke down again during the post-ga interview:
"Championships cannot define greatness, nor are they the sole standard for asuring a player."
"I will not leave Minnesota, nor do I want to team up with other players for a championship."
"I am not as lucky as Lee. I accept this outco. This is my basketball journey. It's enough if the Minnesota Timberwolves fans can understand ."
With slightly reddened eyes, Garnett's genuine emotional outpouring earned the recognition of many players, with Reggie Miller highly praising him on TNT's program:
"Why should we evaluate a player based on statistics and honors? We should return to the essence of basketball."
Paul had clearly watched the show and followed the newspaper reports.
As a Rookie, he could only express his support for Lee.
The league was developing too quickly, and he was struggling to keep up.
In another ga on the sa day, the Cavaliers defeated the Utah Jazz 108:90.
LeBron Jas played 42 minutes, shooting 19-of-35, 4-of-8 from three-point range, and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line, efficiently scoring 51 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers.
Since the nationally televised crushing defeat to the New York Knicks, Jas has received the "Clay Lee Recognition Award," and his recent post-ga extra training has been widely praised.
Having scored 50
points, Jas also discussed the week's hot topics during the post-ga press conference:
"Stats objectively reflect a player's strength, and championships are the standard for asuring a player's greatness."
"In the NBA, everyone strives for stats and honors; we all want to succeed like Clay Lee."
LeBron Jas clearly has absolute confidence in his future.
He wants both stats and honors!
On sunday, January 22, the New York Knicks canceled their afternoon practice.
With a record of 3 wins and 2 losses, the team's performance fluctuated this week.
They lost back-to-back gas to the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons, and at Auburn Hills Palace, Ron Artest was even boycotted by fans.
The jeering during the ga on the evening of the 19th lasted the entire match.
After the ga, the league issued a fine, and Detroit Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars even publicly apologized to the dia.
Coach DAntoni only allowed Ron Artest to play 28 minutes, and the New York Knicks entered the rotation phase early.
As the video session concluded and lunch began, sports reporters crowded into the dia room, attempting to interview Ron Artest again.
Through psychological treatnt, Ron Artest's emotions have been extrely stable recently, and he has been actively performing since December in pursuit of an All-Star starting spot.
With Jermaine O'Neal suffering a torn left groin, Ron Artest has a chance to overtake his opponents in the third round of voting among Eastern Conference forwards.
Ron Artest entered the dia room with a smile on his face.
Despite the fluctuations in their record, the New York Knicks were still the league leaders, which greatly benefited him.
"Ron, Detroit fans are still boycotting you online, and many people have participated in protest activities. Have these fans' actions hurt you?"
Ron Artest rubbed his bald head.
He indeed disliked being boycotted, but to garner votes, he could only say pleasant things:
"It's okay. That's the fans' freedom. Fortunately, most New York fans support ."
"The New York Knicks are still the league leaders, and I believe I deserve an All-Star starting spot!"
Their excellent record led the New York dia to consistently advocate for all five starters to be selected for this year's All-Star Ga.
Detroit Pistons fans disagreed, as their record was also good.
As the voting results drew near, fans from both sides began to argue again, with the dia constantly fanning the flas, which was why the atmosphere in the previous ga was so poor.
The Yahoo Sports reporter was clearly not satisfied with this answer and, after a mont of thought, steered the conversation back to the hot topic:
"Many players agree with Garnett's words, and Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady even claid that the New York Knicks were just lucky."
Ron Artest interrupted him, eyes wide.
Everyone seed to sense a big scoop, and microphones and recording devices were quickly pointed at him:
"Only losers would say that! They've never won a championship, so they don't know how to win!"
"Garnett should know how he got his MVP; he's not even that good. Everyone just didn't want Lee to monopolize the award."
"As for Iverson, the 76ers will trade him sooner or later. He's just a stat-padder and has never beaten the New York Knicks in his career."
"Who is Tracy McGrady? He hasn't even played in the semifinals. These clowns should focus on how to win gas. What right does he have to point fingers!"
With a fierce outburst, Ron Artest's words thrilled everyone, and they couldn't wait to edit the news imdiately.
When Gasol arrived, he noticed the reporters' excited mood and was montarily bewildered.
When New York reporters asked about the All-Star vote, Gasol could only shrug regretfully.
Being second among centers ant he couldn't start:
"It's hard to surpass Shaq's votes. You know, he's still the league's best center, but I believe I can make the reserve roster."
"We had a perfect start, and I'm proud of the team's depth!"
The Miami Heat's record also began to climb.
Statistically, Gasol and Shaq were similar, but Shaq was more popular.
The veteran was still a favorite among many fans.
With his flowing long hair and beard, Gasol looked like a tough guy, but on the court, he was a skilled technical center, occasionally even shooting three-pointers this year.
This style of play affected the perception of so gas, and basketball critics who preferred tough-guy basketball usually didn't speak highly of Gasol.
The interview went smoothly.
The New York Knicks had no gas in the coming days, but that wouldn't stop the argunts from continuing until the last round of voting concluded, with the dia constantly fueling the fire.
On the 22nd, several scorers had explosive performances!
Tracy McGrady, returning from injury, unfortunately lost the ga, but he put up a brilliant stat line of 43 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 block, and 4 turnovers against the Detroit Pistons.
The Seattle SuperSonics and the Phoenix Suns battled through two overtis, with the Seattle SuperSonics winning 152:146, thanks to Ray Allen's performance of 42 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 3 turnovers.
The most explosive ga was between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers.
At Staples Center, MVP chants were constant, and Los Angeles Lakers fans witnessed a scoring feast that night!
Playing 42 minutes, shooting 28-of-46, 7-of-13 from beyond the arc, and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line, Kobe Bryant led the team to a coback victory with 81 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, and 3 turnovers!
After an efficient 51-point performance in the previous ga that resulted in a loss to the Kings, Kobe secured a victory tonight with 81 points.
During the post-ga interview, Kobe also smiled.
With a record of 22 wins and 19 losses, the Los Angeles Lakers were no longer falling behind:
"This was a fantastic ga for . I wasn't thinking about records. I was just focused on the task at hand!"
81 points, the second-highest individual scoring performance in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point night for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in 1962!
The Los Angeles sports dia seed to want to hear more from Kobe, but Brian Cook's remark, "Kobe and I combined for 83 points," made many people laugh.
The MVP chants echoing through the arena made Kobe realize he had shed the shadows of the past.
His leadership journey had just begun.
The insane Excel completely reversed Kobe's public image, and this ga earned him countless fans, with the Associated Press and many other dia outlets reporting on it, incidentally giving him a new title:
"The 81-point scorer!"
On Wednesday, the 25th, the New York Knicks hosted the Phoenix Suns, and in the ho team's locker room before the ga, many reporters surrounded Clay Lee.
The buzz around the 81-point performance hadn't died down, and many were still eager to hear Lee's response:
"Lee, Kobe Bryant set the second-highest scoring record in history. In future gas, will you score even more points?"
After three days of rest, Lee was in a good mood.
Leaning back in his seat, he saw the expectant gazes of the crowd and imdiately smiled, saying:
"Everyone knows I'm not a scorer. 81 points, it's really hard to break."
"I have too many excellent players around . I don't worry about scoring. Compared to scoring, I prefer to make assists and help everyone find their ga rhythm."
"In fact, if we had fewer back-to-back gas, I wouldn't even know how to lose."
"Coach DAntoni worries about everyone's playing ti every night. It's a pity, I can't break the record."
These words left many reporters unsure how to comnt.
Kobe Bryant played his heart out, striving for the playoffs, while Lee checked out after three quarters and won big.
A TNT reporter, recalling his previous comnts about Kobe, asked Lee again:
"Compared to the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers roster has a considerable gap. Clay, do you think Kobe lacks help around him?"
Sports dia were portraying Kobe as a lone hero, and Lee had no objection to that:
"No team in the league can compare to our roster. That's why the New York Knicks can win championships."
"It's not just Kobe. Many players lack help around them, but unfortunately, that's the NBA."
"Leading these New York Knicks, all I can do is keep winning. If a team offers a big contract to take one of my brothers, I'll gladly accept."
"Sharing championship experience with competitors is undoubtedly a good thing. I love competition. It brings out the best in !"
In the locker room, the atmosphere crew started laughing and flattering wildly.
If Lee started taking 30
shots, there really wouldn't be much left for them.
As Kobe's forr teammate, Fisher seized the opportunity to boast to everyone:
"Kobe is indeed an excellent scorer, but Lee is a better leader! After Shaq left, Kobe still needs to prove his leadership ability."
"Since coming to the New York Knicks, with Lee's help, my understanding of basketball has been elevated!"
"I've started to re-examine the ga. Lee changed my career."
"..."
Old Fish's sincere boasting made the locker room suddenly quiet.
Anderson Varej??o, stretching his arms, gaped, completely dumbfounded.
He had never seen anyone boast so much.
David Lee and the atmosphere crew cursed him as a "suck-up" under their breath, while Ron Artest and the others, after realizing, also joined in the praise:
Words like "selfless leader" and "born winner" began to appear in the locker room.
Veteran Finley could only force a dry laugh. Grant Hill, in a full suit, felt his hairs stand on end.
Seeing Lee accept the praise with a smile, he could only sigh inwardly:
"Being able to withstand such praise is not a simple matter."
In that night's ga, the Phoenix Suns, free from injuries and guided by Alvin Gentry, put out their strongest lineup:
Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa ford the backcourt, with Quentin Richardson and Shawn Marion at forward, and champion center Maciej Lampe also in the starting lineup.
The Phoenix Suns players also gained championship experience from the New York Knicks, and by fully mimicking their tactics, they currently held a record of 26 wins and 15 losses.
After an unexpected loss to the Orlando Magic last night, Nash was again questioned by basketball comntators.
After the ga began, the Phoenix Suns adopted conventional matchups.
Nash was responsible for guarding Lee.
Alvin Gentry tried to use offense to drive Defense, and the ga pace beca faster and faster.
With 7 minutes and 17 seconds left in the first quarter, Nash had just crossed half-court and ca to the left wing.
Using Lampe's high screen, he dribbled behind his back to his right hand and pulled up for a jump shot from beyond the three-point line.
"Bang!"
The simple and crude offense missed again.
The long rebound bounced out and was collected by Ron Artest in the right restricted area.
With a lineup of one big and four small players, the Phoenix Suns' transition Defense was incredibly fast.
Amidst the cheers of the fans, Lee, receiving the pass, chased his opponent across the mid-court line.
Retreating to the top of the arc, Nash established his defensive position early.
Lee, nearing the three-point line, began to slow down, dribbling behind his back to his left hand.
About a step away from the three-point line, Lee looked up at the rim, faking a gather with his right hand.
The realistic fake made Nash instinctively shift his feet and close out.
At this mont, Lee suddenly lowered his center of gravity, quickly pushed the ball for a change of direction, and accelerated with a shoulder drop as his right hand touched the ball.
In the semi-transition offense, Gasol was still trailing behind.
When Lee blew past Nash in one step, easily breaking through to the paint directly in front of the basket, Marion was forced to help defend.
Moving his feet reluctantly into the paint, Marion saw Lee take a large stride forward and to the right, and quickly adjusted his center of gravity.
Having faked out his opponent, Lee changed direction and gathered the ball during the drive.
A wide Euro step completely shook off the Defense.
As his left foot took off, he scooped the ball with his left hand for a layup!
"Oh!"
Seeing Marion frozen like a statue, the cheers wouldn't stop.
The Phoenix Suns were completely torn apart at the start.
8:14, the gap threatened to widen.
Alvin Gentry simply called a tiout, clapping his hands in encouragent with a serious expression.
At the Madison Square Garden comntary table, Mike Breen found it difficult to comnt on Nash's Defense and could only continue to discuss his strengths:
"Last season, Nash was just shy of entering the 180 Club."
"But offense alone cannot defeat us. Against Lee's Defense, Nash hasn't found his shooting touch tonight."
Walt Frazier liked flashy guards, and he also had high praise for Nash:
"Nash's control over the ga's tempo is excellent, but tonight they are playing too haphazardly. Now they need to hit a response shot quickly."
"We have many advantages. Gasol has been in excellent form recently, and the Phoenix Suns' interior will find it difficult to limit his performance."
The two comntators at the table thought the Phoenix Suns would slow down.
After the tiout, on the first possession, Nash quickly dribbled across half-court, then imdiately passed the ball to Barbosa, who had cut along the baseline to the right restricted area.
The latter used Maciej Lampe's screen to briefly shake off his defender, received the ball, and made a mid-range jump shot!
The entire process took only 8 seconds.
Clearly, Alvin Gentry did not intend to slow down; the Phoenix Suns insisted on offense.
"Let's go Knicks!"
Amidst the cheers, Lee, receiving the ball on the baseline, also started to pick up speed.
He quickly dashed across half-court and was imdiately double-tead by Barbosa at the top of the arc.
When Raja Bell received the ball near the right sideline, Marion from the interior rushed out to defend.
To the surprise of the Phoenix Suns players, Raja Bell, upon receiving the ball, made little adjustnt and quickly shot over the block!
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net.
High-fiving Lee in celebration, Raja Bell, who had just made the jump shot, appeared very confident.
The New York fans present also didn't hold back their cheers, loudly applauding the fluid offense.
10:17, the New York Knicks responded with ease.
The Phoenix Suns still didn't slow down.
As Richardson cut from left to right along the baseline, Marion set an off-ball screen for his teammate, then accelerated to run towards the left wing.
Diao, who had just subbed in, failed to follow his man in ti, and Marion's jump shot from a cross-court pass beyond the three-point line clanked off the rim.
The long rebound was collected by Lee at the free-throw line.
Marion imdiately moved up to delay, then twisted his body and quickly retreated on Defense.
The ball moved faster than the man. Before he could cross half-court, Lee, slowing down, imdiately flung the ball to the frontcourt.
Diaw, actively participating in the fast break, had already crossed the three-point line.
Charging forward with his head down, Diaw took off directly upon receiving the ball in the paint, and after three large strides, he soared for a thunderous dunk!
The continuous fast-paced offense from both teams completely ignited the atmosphere in the arena, turning the ga into a back-and-forth scoring battle.
Richardson made a tough three-pointer from beyond the arc.
On the return, Ron Artest drove hard from the left wing, shouldering Richardson for a basket under the rim.
At the left elbow, Lampe received the ball and passed it back to a cutting Nash.
Nash then put the ball down with his right hand and drove hard up the middle.
Suddenly stopping short in the paint, Nash spun with the montum.
His fake didn't fool Lee, and he managed to bank in a tough fadeaway shot.
Having just gotten up from the floor, Nash desperately chased after Lee, who was accelerating faster and faster on Defense.
In the semi-transition offense, the Phoenix Suns players barely made it back to half-court.
Before they could even complete their defensive matchups, Lee, after a sudden stop at the top of the arc, executed a wide crossover to blow past Nash again.
Despite making the correct defensive read, Nash couldn't stop Lee, who was accelerating and driving with the ball in his left hand.
Losing half a step, Nash had no choice but to pull.
Just as he reached out, Lee gathered the ball.
At the sa ti the whistle blew, he casually tossed the ball towards the basket with his left hand.
"Bang! Swish!"
The basketball hit the backboard and went in.
Cheers once again echoed through the Madison Square Garden.
On the sidelines, Alvin Gentry helplessly crossed his arms.
His team lacked defensive resources.
Rotating his shoulders, Lee walked casually to the free-throw line, patting the champion center, Maciej Lampe, on the way:
"This rhythm is truly nostalgic, isn't it a bit like our practice gas?"
Maciej Lampe could only hum awkwardly.
He had to consider Nash's pride.
Champion experience sotis couldn't be shared indiscriminately.
15:24, Lee made the free throw, and the lead continued to widen.
In the final few minutes, Quentin Richardson's drive was directly stolen by Ron Artest.
Nash tried to use a screen to lean on Lee in the paint to draw a double team, but instead, the ball was stolen from behind, resulting in another turnover.
Gasol, participating in the fast break again, sprinted past half-court and dunked an open basket.
As he celebrated with a fist pump, Madison Square Garden erupted.
Towards the end of the first quarter, the Phoenix Suns, experiencing a scoring drought, scored points through free throws from Marion and Barbosa.
Raja Bell, coming up to double-team Lee, attacked from both sides, hitting consecutive three-pointers.
Gasol seized the opportunity, easily scoring with a strong low-post move.
On the final possession, Nash's deep three-pointer missed.
On the Phoenix Suns' bench, Amare Stoudemire sighed inwardly.
Just as he had predicted, a shootout would lead to a quicker loss.
20:38, the first quarter ended, and the ga lost its suspense.
The New York Knicks' bench was jubilant.
The veteran Finley suddenly felt that the sycophantic Fisher's words made so sense—Clay Lee always made the ga simpler.
4-of-5 from the field, 3-of-3 from the free-throw line, 11 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal.
Mike Breen saw Lee's stats and continued to praise him from the comntary booth:
"Perhaps Nash can enter the 180 Club, but he can't beco the next Clay Lee!"
"Clay Lee's understanding of the ga has surpassed all active players. He has shown us what a true leader is!"
On Thursday, January 26th, TNT's program, reviewing yesterday's ga, couldn't help but praise the New York Knicks' performance.
90:126, the Phoenix Suns were brutally beaten, suffering their second consecutive loss.
Clay Lee played 31 minutes, shooting 10-of-15 from the field, 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, efficiently scoring 29 points, 6 rebounds, 16 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover.
Raja Bell also had an impressive performance, shooting 8-of-10 from the field, 5-of-7 from three-point range, and tallying 21 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.
After the ga, the New York fans gathered outside the Madison Square Garden, jumping and shouting "Champions!
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