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A cote x hikigaya crossover.

Ryuga from Beyblade in Pokemon World.

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On March 12, 2001, the Heat and the Knicks were both heavily fined by the NBA.

The conflict before halftime ultimately led to the Knicks losing the game.

Tim Hardaway and Clay Lee were each suspended for one game and fined $7,500.

Ben Wallace was suspended for one game for rushing onto the court from the bench to participate in the brawl.

Bruce Bowen was also suspended after the game.

He received a 5-game suspension and a $12,500 fine for two malicious foot-trips and participating in the brawl.

Ron Artest was directly suspended for 7 games and fined $17,500 for a malicious elbow.

Both Head Coach Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy were also suspended for one game.

Even with the largest fines of the season, it couldn’t stop both sides from continuing to trash talk after the game.

Pat Riley appeared deeply aggrieved when interviewed post-game:

“Bruce is a good man who plays hard and is dedicated to his family. Ron Artest was trying to kill him! He might even ruin Bruce’s basketball career.”

Jeff Van Gundy didn’t consider Pat Riley’s feelings and was exceptionally angry after the game:

“It was definitely an intentional foul. That wasn’t a basketball play at all. I even suspect Bowen received special instructions. This isn’t the first time he’s done something like this.”

“The NBA should heavily penalize Bowen. Ron’s action was unintentional. This was an ugly victory!”

Bruce Bowen almost lost his job last year.

After rejoining the Heat, he seemed to have fully awakened.

His foot-trip on Carter last season caused huge controversy.

Allan Houston and Grant Hill both sprained their ankles and are highly unlikely to play in next week’s games.

Bruce Bowen fractured his ribs from Ron Artest’s elbow and will be out for at least a month.

The war of words between the two sides didn’t stop after the game ended.

Clay Lee, interviewed by the New York Times, also voiced his opinion:

“I’ll help Ron pay the fine. This way of pursuing victory is despicable!”

The 30-year-old Bruce Bowen had been struggling at the bottom of the league.

After joining the Heat this season, he achieved a career high.

Perhaps this is the way for small-time players to survive, relying on fierce Defense to make a living.

Someone will always appreciate his talent, and Bowen’s career has just begun.

(A/N: Popovich – Come, my love 😘)

With 10 technical fouls and multiple players ejected in one game, David Stern’s heavy-handed response sparked widespread discussion in the NBA.

The brawl at Madison Square Garden infuriated New York fans.

Grant Hill’s re-sprained left ankle hadn’t had its injury confirmed yet, but fans who bought tickets to the game knew it was a bad sprain.

Thinking of this “good guy” getting injured again, the New York Media pointed their fingers at the Heat’s leader:

“Jealousy has blinded Pat Riley!”

On the morning of March 12th, at the Tarrytown Training Center, Jeff Van Gundy sighed silently as he looked at the dejected Grant Hill.

“Kicking a man when he’s down” indeed had an effect.

Even with Grant Hill’s good temper, looking at his swollen ankle, he couldn’t help but curse a few times:

“Shit! He’s a fcker!”

Grant Hill felt a surge of anger remembering how Bowen always looked innocent and threw his hands up to the referee after committing a foul.

Allan Houston was fine.

His ankle was tightly wrapped, and he was wearing high-top shoes, so the problem wasn’t big, and he’d mostly recover after a few days of rest.

“It’s good that all of next week’s games are at home. That’s good news for us!”

Hearing Allan Houston’s words, Ron Artest felt a bit depressed. Being suspended meant losing another chance to prove himself.

Ewing, watching everyone surround Grant Hill, also began to quietly calculate the win-loss record.

In his final season, Gorilla also wanted to achieve 60 wins again.

When Lee heard that Grant Hill needed further examination, he knew that he would most likely miss the rest of March’s games.

“Ron, don’t worry about the fine. I’ll take care of it for you!”

Ron Artest also supported many relatives and friends, so his expenses were high.

With a salary of just over $1 million, he only kept half of it, and with his lavish spending, his wallet was empty again by the end of the season.

Ron Artest, who had been silent, smiled gratefully.

Chauncey Billups, looking at the schedule, felt his opportunity had arrived.

Too little playing time made it difficult for Chauncey Billups to have outstanding performances.

Unlike Luc Longley, who was just coasting, he still wanted to showcase his abilities.

On the evening of the 13th, the Knicks hosted the Cavaliers at home.

With many players missing, the game was a bit ugly.

Chauncey Billups didn’t perform particularly well against Andre Miller, and the Knicks narrowly won 79:85.

Losing this game, the Cavaliers were highly likely to miss the playoffs.

At 23 wins and 40 losses, unless they won all their remaining games, they would soon be fishing.

Lewis became the team’s primary scorer.

Compared to Chauncey Billups, this completely ‘analytics-driven’ Rookie could still put up good numbers.

On March 23rd, the Knicks lost to the Nets on the road.

The two-week ‘easy’ schedule ultimately resulted in a 4-1 record.

Ewing’s “tour” was also affected.

Gorilla was forced to take on some of the ball-handling duties again, and as a result, his efficiency plummeted, completely exposing his flaws.

The MVP competition reached a critical point.

Compared to Clay Lee and Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson played through injuries in recent games, taking an insane number of shots!

Not long ago, in a game against the Atlanta Hawks, he shot 16-of-30, scoring a whopping 47 points.

Playing back-and-forth games with bottom-feeder teams, most basketball commentators found it hard to evaluate, apart from the Philadelphia Media cheering him on.

On Saturday the 24th, on TNT’s show, while the Heat hadn’t dissipated, the three again began discussing the performance of the MVP candidates over the past half-month.

Charles Barkley didn’t hold back.

When discussing Allen Iverson, he adopted the demeanor of an elder in the studio and seriously commented:

“As a team leader, against weaker teams, he should lead his team to crush opponents, not play back-and-forth with them.”

“The 76ers have a good record, but I don’t think they can win a championship. As I said, they haven’t shown their dominance.”

“The Knicks are short-handed, but Lee can still dominate opponents. Kobe of the Lakers is injured, and Shaq can score 40 points in 36 minutes.”

“They also lose games, but more often than not, they show absolute dominance!”

Kenny Smith was helpless hearing his partner’s nitpicking.

Did victory need to be further categorized?

They had never done this before:

“I don’t think Allen Iverson’s excessive shooting is a problem. The 76ers don’t have anyone else who can handle the ball.”

“Allen Iverson isn’t Michael Jordan, nor is he Clay Lee. He might not be as efficient as them, but leading this 76ers team to such a record is absolutely an MVP-level performance.”

Hearing this opinion, Charles Barkley immediately retorted:

“The 76ers have the best big man in the Eastern Conference!”

“The team traded Stackhouse, Larry Hughes, and Theo Ratliff for Allen Iverson. The front office has mortgaged the future. The roster is no excuse for his inefficient performance.”

“Look at his game against the Sacramento Kings. The 76ers lost by 21 points, only scoring 79 points in the entire game.”

“We all know what kind of performance Lee put up against the Sacramento Kings!”

“If there were no Lee, I would vote for Iverson, but now, the best player in the Eastern Conference is not him. I can’t find any reason to vote for him.”

“If the Lakers’ record can catch up, I will also vote for Shaq. MVP selection doesn’t need excuses. Whoever has better individual performance and a better team record, I will vote for them.”

Ernie Johnson noticed that they wanted to continue arguing and suddenly interjected with a smile:

“Perhaps we should pay more attention to Tim Duncan. Injuries haven’t affected this big man.”

“The San Antonio Spurs are currently in first place in the Western Conference. Head Coach Popovich and the team have grown together. I think they have a chance to reach the Finals again.”

In games against weaker teams, Duncan’s playing time significantly decreased.

This was an area where Head Coach Popovich improved this season.

If he continued to overwork his star player, he would likely be fired.

Perhaps the Excel sheets weren’t flashy enough, and 20+10 couldn’t satisfy everyone’s appetite.

Although the two in the studio cheered along, they avoided mentioning anything about voting.

As the regular season drew to a close, TNT and ESPN began frequently featuring the MVP candidates, and sports columnists in print media also started their Excel-based analyses.

In widely circulated daily newspapers like USA Today, most of the sports section featured articles about Allen Iverson and Clay Lee.

Besides the hype, Lee had a better overall image, with no chains or tattoos, and no flashy hairstyles.

Allen Iverson, who had let himself go, was also very popular.

With the motto “Black people should help black people,” many people liked this rebellious short player.

Reebok also worked hard to promote Allen Iverson, and Nike was not stingy with advertising, with sports media, having received money, repeatedly hyping up the two.

After a week of three games and a week of two games, at the end of March, the Knicks began their road trip, facing five games in one week.

In the first back-to-back road game, although Ron Artest was still suspended, with Allan Houston’s return from injury, the team regained its usual offensive firepower.

The Sacramento Kings, known for “See you in Sacramento,” were fully prepared at home.

The two sides battled into overtime, and the Knicks ultimately emerged victorious, thanks to Clay Lee’s 14 points alone in overtime.

121:114, the Knicks narrowly defeated their opponent.

Ewing only played two quarters again, and the Gorilla, smiling happily after the win, even exchanged jerseys with Webber after the game.

Clay Lee played 45 minutes, shooting 17 of 30 from the field, 7 of 15 from three-point range, and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line, tallying 54 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, and 4 turnovers.

His 54 points just tied Allen Iverson’s season high, and after the game, the New York Post reporter accompanying the team was ecstatic.

At the post-game press conference, as soon as Houston and Lee sat down, a New York Post reporter from the audience eagerly asked:

“Lee, congratulations on your career-high 54 points. Can you talk about your performance in overtime?”

Hearing the question, Lee just smiled and shook his head, making fun of his inefficient performance in the last quarter:

“Actually, what I want to talk about more is my performance in the last quarter. If I had made the last shot, the game wouldn’t have gone into overtime.”

“As for the 54 points, I just want to thank my teammates. We almost lost, and they are my strong support.”

Also smiling happily after the win, Allan Houston was in a great mood and joked along:

“I like seeing Lee miss shots. It motivates us even more!”

“It feels great to save the MVP!”

Watching the two groups of people on and off the stage engage in mutual flattery, some local Sacramento reporters secretly sneered.

Webber shot 16 of 27 from the field and 7 of 12 from the free-throw line, getting a big double-double of 39 points and 15 rebounds!

He dominated the Knicks’ interior, but the loss made the stats meaningless.

In the last two games of March, the Knicks first narrowly defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, and then gave a warm welcome to the Grizzlies.

With a record of 55 wins and 17 losses, the Knicks continued to lead the entire NBA.

Although some games were lost inexplicably, Jeff Van Gundy was very satisfied with such a record.

On sunday, April 1st, April Fool’s Day, the Knicks continued their road trip, challenging the Lakers on the road.

With five road games in one week, the players were a bit tired, and Jeff Van Gundy even considered giving up on this game.

Kobe, affected by elbow bursitis, had been out for a week, and despite not being fully recovered, he forced his return, wanting to prove himself.

However, playing with an injury is never a wise choice.

After playing only 9 minutes, Kobe couldn’t hold on and had to leave the game.

Ultimately, this game turned into the Knicks collectively besieging Shaq.

84:78, despite poor shooting, the Knicks still defeated their opponent, sweeping the Lakers this season!

In the 4th quarter, the score was 22:13 in a single quarter, and O’Neal couldn’t get the ball in the low post for a long time.

After the loss, Shaq’s face was dark with anger, shooting 1 of 2 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, scoring only 4 points.

The Lakers’ record came to 48 wins and 27 losses, and Phil Jackson also looked grim after the game, repeatedly emphasizing at the post-game press conference:

“This is not the true strength of the Lakers. Tonight, we just couldn’t make our shots!”

Shooting 6 of 22 from three-point range, the Lakers’ three-point shooting percentage was less than 30%, such a poor shooting performance meant that O’Neal was triple-teamed as soon as he received the ball.

Shooting 8 of 15 from the field and 15 of 22 from the free-throw line, with 31 points and 11 rebounds, he still got a double-double, but O’Neal didn’t stand up for Phil Jackson after the game, just saying platitudes with a long face:

“The regular season doesn’t tell us too much. We are ready, and I just want to see the team enter the playoffs healthy.”

“…”

Although Lee was possessed by the “Blacksmith” tonight, he still delivered a double-double of 24 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, and 3 turnovers.

On Easter, April 2nd, the Knicks returned to New York, and with only three games next week, everyone could enjoy the holiday in peace.

After defeating two MVP candidates, Clay Lee once again topped the rankings.

On April 15th, the Knicks will challenge the 76ers on the road, and although there is still half a month to go, many sports media outlets have already started to hype up this game.

With 51 wins and 22 losses, the 76ers are firmly in second place in the Eastern Conference, and although their record is a bit worse, the Philadelphia media is still working hard to promote them.

Stephen A. Smith, despite being a die-hard Knicks fan, wanted to help his younger brother at this time, actively campaigning for Allen Iverson on ESPN’s program:

“I don’t want to discuss who is better between Allen and Clay. I just want to state a fact: the 76ers had been dormant for many years before this.”

“The day Allen Iverson joined the team, everything changed. He changed the team culture, he made the 76ers rise again, that’s what I saw.”

“…”

The MVP needs a compelling story, and Allen Iverson indeed has a great advantage in this regard, after all, everyone loves a comeback!

When records are similar, the selection result depends more on the personal preferences of media reporters.

No one has stipulated that the player with the better record will necessarily win the award.

The Knicks, who had already entered playoff preparation mode, began to take it easy on back-to-back games.

The Eastern Conference’s favorable schedule virtually guaranteed the team the top spot in the league, and Jeff Van Gundy, wanting to enter the playoffs healthy, also began to rotate the lineup more frequently.

Upon arriving in Philadelphia on the 15th, the Knicks’ record was 60 wins and 19 losses.

“MVP Showdown!”

The NBA had been promoting it for half a month, and before the game, Allen Iverson confidently stated again:

“With Erik back from injury and the team getting better, I don’t care about being first in the league. I will lead the team to win the game!”

“…”

Although Allen Iverson no longer guarded Clay Lee in the game, both sides frequently played against each other, and everyone knew each other’s playing style by heart.

That night, Philadelphia fans arrived early at the First Union Center, eagerly anticipating the game.

However, after the first quarter ended, many fans fell silent…

It was still the familiar four-on-one strategy, and Allen Iverson was on fire, scoring 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting in a single quarter.

26:19, the Knicks took a 7-point lead.

As the game progressed, only the noise gradually remained in the stadium, and disappointed Philadelphia fans didn’t expect the game to lose its suspense after the first half.

54:44, looking at the 10-point difference, Iverson could only purse his lips and walk towards the player tunnel.

After the second half began, the Knicks didn’t have many offensive surges.

They played methodically, and the lead gradually widened.

Finally, 106:90, the Knicks narrowly defeated the 76ers, bringing their record to 61 wins.

Shooting 11 of 25 from the field, with 29 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers, Allen Iverson remained silent after the game.

The noise in the American Airlines Arena grew louder and louder. After the game, Clay Lee stood relaxed next to NBC reporter Jim Gray, accepting an interview:

“I’m very happy to win the game. With 61 wins, we have secured the top spot in the league.”

“This achievement exceeded my expectations. I just want to thank the coaching staff and my teammates. They are truly outstanding!”

Jim Gray had already heard the boos from the fans, and at this moment, he also smiled and asked:

“Lee, the regular season is almost over. Let’s talk about the MVP again. Everyone is very interested in this game!”

Hearing this question, Lee, wearing the blue away jersey, just shook his head and then smiled, repeating his previous view:

“I maintain my previous view: in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have no opponents.”

“In my opinion, there isn’t much competition between Allen and me. He is excellent, but he is still a long way from a championship.”

“As I said before, I am the best perimeter player in the league, and the MVP is no longer in suspense!”

“…”

…..

By the way, don’t forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me 🙂

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep