NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 106 Passively Become a Tool Man

On May 1998, 5, after the Knicks ended the Eastern Conference semifinals with the Hornets that night, the fans ushered in another good news:

"Patrick Ewing will return from injury in the next game and officially return!"

For New York fans, this is definitely a surprise!
This season, the Knicks have been struggling in rebounding. Although Chris Dudley has height, there is a clear gap with Ewing.

Therefore, when Gorilla personally announced the news at the post-match press conference after G1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the New York media in the audience also got excited.

Some people frowned secretly, but they couldn't talk nonsense at this time. Generally speaking, most people were still optimistic about the return of the gorilla from injury.

Ewing, who was dressed in a black formal suit on the stage, felt quite relieved after announcing the news. He didn't want to wait any longer. It was time to lead the team to the top!

At 72:102, because the Knicks won the Eastern Conference semifinal G1 so easily, the New York media didn't bother to mock the Hornets after the game, and most of them asked questions around Ewing:

"Pat, will the coaching staff limit your playing time? How is your body recovering?"

Ewing showed his right arm, moved his wrist, and replied confidently:

"There is no playing time limit, and the body has fully recovered!"

"The team needs me, and I will go all out when I return to the game. After sitting on the bench for a few months, I can't wait to play!"

Li You, who was sitting by the side, was a little surprised. According to the plan, the gorilla should not return to the team until the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, superstars do have the right to decide their own playing time. The coaching staff's plan is not important. Li You kept his face and answered the questions with a smile and followed suit:

"We have the advantage of the schedule, so the whole team will strive to end this round of the series as soon as possible!"

"Pat is back, rebounding will be our advantage!"

Everyone was praising Ewing, and the gorilla was completely inflated. At this moment, he even forgot that it was his shooter who was injured. He just thought triumphantly in his heart:

"The Knicks are still my team!"

On the morning of the 6th, the "King of New York" announced his comeback and occupied the headlines of the sports sections of major New York print media.

Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff couldn't say anything. After all, Ewing is a superstar. If he wants to make an early comeback, he will naturally have to meet the requirements.

It's just that after the video class in the morning, seeing the confident Ewing, the bald young marshal shook his head secretly. He was not optimistic about the performance of the gorilla on the offensive end.

Right wrist injury, although no nerve injury, but shooting will definitely be affected.

Considering Ewing's offensive choices, it may take some time to get used to jump shots.
"Buck has a physical problem, and Pat's early comeback is also a good thing for the team!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau didn't think so much. From a defensive point of view, Ewing must be better than Buck Williams and Dudley.

Don Chaney on the side didn't speak, but just looked at Jeff Van Gundy. The bald young marshal knew that he couldn't continue to talk to each other at this time, so he said with a serious expression:

"Until Pat recovers, we will not change our tactics. Victory is the most important thing. To get the match point in one go is the only goal of the team."

"."

The coaching staff was still discussing how to integrate the gorilla into the team. In the training session in the afternoon, Li You took the initiative to greet his teammates and then looked for the gorilla.

The familiar left block singles reappeared, but in the face of Dudley's defense, the gorilla failed to finish at the basket for several consecutive rounds.

This is not the first time this phenomenon has happened. After Ewing participated in the joint training, there was a problem with the end.

Maybe the old guys will comfort themselves, thinking that the gorilla is still looking for form, but Li You and the others have already seen that the injury has taken away part of Ewing's shooting touch.

In the more than a month of participating in the training class, Ewing's state has not been able to recover, and even the mid-range jumper that eats cakes is no longer stable.

The more times he received the ball, the uglier Ewing's face became. It wasn't until Dudley started to defend symbolically that the gorilla finally regained his face.

The afternoon training class did not run too many routines. After the training, everyone was still talking and laughing, only Ewing was not in a good mood.

When Li You and the others had changed their clothes and were about to go home, they realized that the gorilla was gone.

"Pat went to shoot more, I believe he will find his form!"

Charlie Ward didn't change his clothes either. He put on an attitude that the boss and I would advance and retreat together, and prepared to practice with the gorilla.

"Charlie, don't force yourself too much, and let Pat pay attention to rest! Relax, we will always win!"

Li You greeted with a smile, and then left the locker room with Larry Johnson.

Alan Houston patted Charlie Ward in support before turning away too.

Chris Childs shrugged. Although he is a little transparent, his statistics have also increased this season. He glanced at Charlie Ward and followed quickly, ready to go home
The "boss" practiced extra, but only a few people accompanied him. Charlie Ward expected the coaching staff to say something, but found that Jeff Van Gundy didn't say anything.

The atmosphere group also followed Li You back to each house, and in the end only Oakley, Starks, Charlie Ward, and Ben Wallace stayed with the gorilla for extra practice.
Starks, who has received a big contract this season, has not changed much in the regular season, but his efficiency has dropped a lot.

The shooting percentage was 39.7%, and the three-point shooting percentage was 31.7%. Starks can maintain good data, mainly due to the increase in the number of rounds of the team.

After receiving the team's bonus, Starks will not act like a doormat like Charlie Ward.

"Give yourself some time! Pat, I don't think the semifinals will bother the team too much."

"Gradually increase some playing time, and slowly find the state."

Hearing what Starks said, Ewing, who was still making spot-up shots, didn't speak, but the smile disappeared from his face, and his good mood disappeared.

Oakley didn't care about the mess in the locker room at all. He was happy to win the championship. The old guy cared more about the big contract. When he saw Ben Wallace, who was a transparent person, he said hello:
"Ben, take a lesson from Pat! Your shot sucks."

"Xiao Ben" smiled awkwardly. He is really not very good at technical work, so he can only act as the atmosphere group at this time.

Just thinking about the situation of the team, "Xiao Ben" thought it would be good to be a rebounding tool, at least Li You promised that if he can grab rebounds, he can start:

"Starting center, will it be my turn?"

That night, in G2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when the Bulls fell behind at halftime, the Bulls broke out in the third quarter and reversed the game again.

At 98:104, the Pacers dominated the rebound, but made 19 turnovers in the game, and finally lost the game regrettably.

The old guys of the Bulls are not fast-paced, but they only made 6 turnovers in the game. Relying on defense and opponents to send points, they played a wave and established the victory.

出场42分钟，迈克尔-乔丹22中13，罚球18中15，砍下41分4篮板5助攻4抢断的数据；
皮蓬状态回暖，18中6，三分线外6中2，罚球10中7，贡献了21分6篮板5助攻5抢断3盖帽2失误。

The number of steals was 2:15, and the Pacers were robbed by the Bulls.

The Bulls' dual-core performance was outstanding, while Reggie Miller continued to slump, making 13 of 4 and scoring 19 points with free throws.

After this game, no one underestimated the Bulls anymore. With rich game experience and excellent execution, there are more and more calls for a championship!

The media in New York will not advocate the Bulls, and everyone is still in a state of self-indulgence.
On May 5, after more than a day of rest, the Hornets and Knicks fought again in G7.

Before the game, Ewing had attracted much attention, and the cameras were all over the place.

The New York media are all looking forward to tonight's team blooming inside and outside, and once again blowing up the Hornets!
The gorilla's return to the starting lineup did not have much impact on Li You personally, because the ball was in his hands.

Therefore, when interviewed in the locker room before the game, Li You also kept advocating Ewing:
"When Pat comes back, we will completely improve our paint defense. Divac is very good, but tonight he can't play an efficient offense anymore!"

"The rhythm of the game? We have absolute strength and can adjust at any time. We will still beat our opponents tonight."

A lot of New York media surrounded Li You. Everyone noticed that Ewing's offense was not mentioned in the several answers. At this time, everyone realized something and didn't ask too many questions.

In the appearance ceremony before the game, when Ewing appeared on the stage, the New York fans at the scene also cheered loudly:

"Wow!"

Ewing, who has played hard in New York for many years, has a deep fan base. The young people of the new generation may not like the gorillas who always fail, but the old fans will support Ewing.

Even if the Knicks have always lost to the Bulls in the past, but that experience is the youth of the old fans
After the game started, Ewing successfully jumped to the ball, and Madison Square Garden followed suit!
In the first round, Li You didn't steal the show either. When he came to the left flank, he lobbed the ball to Ewing, who was in the low post and asked for the ball.

The Knicks opened up one by one, Li You and Alan Houston were on the left and right flanks to respond, Oakley opened up space at the free throw line, and Larry Johnson moved back and forth on the right baseline.

Compared with the excellent singles space, Ewing did not hesitate. After receiving the ball, he immediately put the ball with his right hand, hit it with a bang, and approached the paint area, and immediately jumped a step toward the line.

Divac was prepared and immediately moved to block. In front of the basket in the paint, Ewing leaned on his opponent and completed the throw with his right hand!
"state!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the rim and bounced high, and everyone on the Hornets immediately got stuck. In the end, Glenn Rice successfully received the rebound.

"Oh!"

The New York fans at the scene sighed and almost scored.

Ewing clapped his hands in annoyance, and then followed the crowd to retreat quickly.

The same defense in the pit, with the gorilla on the court, Oakley is much easier.

Li You started to lead the defense after David Wesley dribbled halfway, and the other 4 were almost near the paint area, giving the Hornets a mid-range opportunity.

Drawing lessons from the previous game, David Wesley immediately gave the ball to Glenn Rice on the left wing of the free throw after halftime, and then kicked outside the three-point line to open up space.

Divac came to the free throw line for the first time. The future All-Star center was sober-minded. After receiving the ball, he saw Ewing follow him and immediately gave the ball to Ball Fiers on the right wing. .

Anthony Mason Jr. asked for the ball with his back in the right block. After receiving the ball, Phils didn't stop the ball and sent a lob pass again.

All 5 players on the Hornets passed. After catching the ball, Mason turned around, feinted and released the ball with his right hand, making a breakthrough with a cross step.

Relying on his muscles, Mason rushed to the bottom right of the basket against Oakley's defense.

After closing the ball, he feinted and tricked Oakley's defense. Mason made a shot under the basket, but was interfered by Ewing who was helping to defend, and he put the basket close at hand and knocked out of the frame.

Ewing grabbed the rebound and immediately threw the ball to Li You, who was responding from the right wing.

Everyone on the Knicks team didn't need to say hello, everyone followed suit and rushed towards the opponent's half.

The head coach Dave Cowens next to him kept calling everyone for defensive matchups. After a day's rest, his physical fitness also recovered a lot, and the Hornets retreated quickly.

David Wesley has been giving physical confrontation beside Li You, trying to delay the advancement speed.

After crossing the half court, he came to the right flank and noticed that his teammates had completed the defensive positioning. David Wesley also breathed a sigh of relief.

Approaching the three-point line, Li You observed the position on the field and noticed that Ewing had just rushed to the top of the arc and Divac was still near the serving line, so he immediately dribbled the ball behind his back with his right hand.

The moment he switched to his left hand, Li You lowered his center of gravity, facing David Wesley's defense, and cut in at a 45-degree speed on the right.

Didn't lose his defensive position, David Wesley kept swipe to the rear right, Divac noticed Li You's cut, and subconsciously moved back.

Breaking through to the right block and close to the paint area, Li You immediately turned around relying on the defensive speed top, switched to his right hand while approaching the basket, and picked the ball to the backboard against the defense!

"Boom!"

Divas, who retreated quickly, jumped up to interfere but did not play any role. After hitting the board high, the basketball fell into the basket accurately.

"Wow!"

The crisp conversion attack made the New York fans cheer loudly.

Every time he encounters a small guard with insufficient defensive aggression, Li You will choose to finish near the paint area more often.

David Wesley cursed secretly, and quickly raised his hand to indicate that it was his problem.

Ewing had just reached the free throw line, and at this time followed his teammates to retreat quickly.

After several rounds, the cheers at Madison Square Garden grew louder.

Ewing's return has indeed changed the team's defense. The Knicks switched offense and easily scored points in a few rounds.

After two missed baskets, the Hornets began to try more jumpers, and only Divac still attacked in the low post.

In the low position on the right, Divac turned towards the bottom line. After switching to his right hand, his throw was interfered by Ewing again. Oakley grabbed the backboard in front of Mason.

Alan Houston rushed after receiving the ball, and just after half court, he immediately gave the ball to Li You on the left wing.

After receiving the ball, he released the ball with his left hand and quickly dribbled the ball behind his back. At the same time as he switched to his right hand, Li You swayed to the left to probe.

David Wesley, who had just gained a foothold, subconsciously slid to the right, and then noticed that he was shaking. Li You paused for a moment, and immediately took a big step forward. He suddenly stopped on the three-point line and switched Quick three-point jump shot!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

"Excellent transition attack! The Hornets didn't feel good after the start, and we managed to seize the opportunity!"

In the MSG commentary booth, Mike Breen saw the Knicks scoring consecutive points, and his tone became more brisk.

Walter Frazier also felt that the Knicks played very well in these few minutes:

"After Pat came back, the defense and rebounding have improved, which is a huge help for the team!"

At 2:11, with 1 minutes and 8 seconds left in the first quarter, Li You's three-pointer helped the team continue to expand the point difference.

Coach Dave Cowens was forced to request a timeout, and there was only one field goal, which was Divac's basket attack.
It seems to have continued the bad feel of the last game. The first few players were banging on the iron, and David Wesley was completely invisible on the offensive end.

On the Knicks side, the atmosphere group on the bench began to shout excitedly again, and they took the lead at the beginning. This game is stable!

Oakley's putback, Larry Johnson's cut, and Alan Houston's free throw in transition.

In the starting lineup, except for Ewing, all scored. The gorillas were not used to the rhythm of the game. After a few rounds, the Knicks scored before halftime.
"Very good! Maintain this rhythm of the game, protect the rebounds, and seize the opportunity to counterattack, and the point difference will be widened in one go!"

Jeff Van Gundy didn't expect the game to go so smoothly, so he exhorted everyone loudly.

Li You nodded slightly. As the point guard on the court, he was mainly responsible for controlling the rhythm of the game. When an opportunity arises, he must attack decisively.

As for the gorilla who wants to play in the low post, that's up to him.

Ewing didn't speak, but he was in a bad mood. According to the past, the Knicks would pass his hand every time they attacked.

But now the gorilla feels like a blue-collar utility man
After the timeout, the Hornets did not find the touch immediately, but took turns to hit the iron.

Mason made a long two-pointer from the bottom line on the left, and Li You made a long rebound. In the third-line fast break, he assisted Alan Houston to score an easy layup;
Glenn Rice made a long two-pointer on the left wing, and Alan Houston received a long rebound and gave it to Li You to continue the third-line fast break.

Li You, who broke through with the ball in the middle, finally attracted Glenn Rice, who returned to the defense.

After coming to the paint area and rushing up in three strides, Li Youkong threw the ball behind his head with his left hand, David Wesley and Glenn Rice jumped up to block the block, and Larry Johnson followed up with an easy layup succeed!
The game was played fast, and the Hornets didn't find their touch until the second half of the first quarter.

But at this time, the Knicks had a big lead, and everyone became more and more relaxed.

Walking to the right side of the free throw line, Oakley passed the ball hand-in-hand and made a screen.

Li You, who received the ball, held the ball in his right hand and faced Mason and moved laterally. After attracting the chasing David Wesley, he immediately sent a ground pass.

The basketball passed between the two, Oakley didn't move at all, the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line was unguarded, and a mid-range jumper succeeded!
8:21，第1节比赛还剩2分47秒，现场的纽约球迷提前庆祝比赛的胜利。

While playing excellent defense, the Knicks also played a smooth offense.

Oakley scored another 2 points, and when he retreated, he showed a smile and bumped fists with Li You.

Jeff Van Gundy saw the situation on the court, took advantage of Divac's free throw, replaced Ewing in advance, and Dudley appeared on the court.

"Pat, you're doing really well! Take a break first!"

The bald young coach took the initiative to pat the gorilla to express his encouragement. Everyone in the coaching staff was very satisfied with Ewing's performance.

2 of 0, 0 points and 4 rebounds. Although Ewing didn't score, his influence on the defensive end is visible to the naked eye.

Back on the bench, Ewing took the towel from the atmosphere group, his face was slightly gloomy, and he sat in his seat sulking secretly.

At the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were on the bench, and the atmosphere team cheered with the fans, and the game was completely stable.

At 13:27, the Knicks had led by 14 points!
打满首节比赛，李佑3中2，三分线外2中1，罚球2中2，拿到7分1篮板5助攻。

Walking to the bench, the atmosphere team came forward to give Li You a high-five to celebrate.

"In the first quarter of the game, we showed our dominance on both offense and defense!"

"Lee successfully activated his teammates. Compared with the Hornets, our offense played too well."

In the commentary seat, Walter Fraser blew again, and Mike Breen didn't care, but added with a smile:

"It's a good thing that Pat is focused on defense when he comes back! As the game increases, I'm sure he'll find his touch too."

In the first quarter of the game, the Hornets started with 5 players and played a bunch of embarrassing performances of 5 for 1.

When it came to the rotation stage, no one on the Knicks cared about the Hornets anymore. Ewing took the initiative to apply for an early appearance, trying to travel at the wrong peak to find a hand.

Sitting on the bench, Li You watched Ewing, who appeared again on the stage near the baseline, attack with his back, turn around towards the baseline and miss the basket, and shook his head inwardly:

"Too impatient, he can choose a simpler and more efficient scoring method!"

Hearing Li You's whisper, Alan Houston raised his eyebrows, then covered his mouth with a towel, and said in a low voice:

"Pat wants to re-prove his dominance around the basket, and he won't compromise easily."

Of course Li You knew this situation, and it was difficult to expect the gorilla to be willing to become a pie front or a defensive tool man.

Thinking that the ball is in his hands, Li You secretly complained:

"Passively becoming a tool person is already very decent"

In the second quarter of the game, Chris Childs, Starks, and Chris Mills were in good condition. Veteran Buck Williams did not fight or grab, and tried his best to assist Ewing.

In and out, both inside and outside, under the transfer of Chris Childs, the Knicks continued to score points.

In individual rounds, Ewing will strengthen his singles, but facing the Hornets' backup center Matt Geiger, he didn't take advantage of it and continued to fight.

Jeff Van Gundy naturally understood the gorilla's mind. Seeing that the Hornets still couldn't find the touch, he gave the gorilla enough face. He didn't get back the main lineup until 4 minutes and 12 seconds left in the half.

The substitutes played with Big Brother for most of the quarter, and the score came to 24:40.

For most of the game, both sides had just scored in double figures in a single quarter, and the atmosphere on the scene was no longer as hot as it was at the beginning.

Fortunately, after Li You came on the field, Ewing took a rest, the Hornets continued to fight, and the familiar game returned.

"Wow!"

In the first round after his debut, Li You switched offense and rushed into the paint area, relying on David Wesley's right hand in the paint area to pick the basket successfully, cheers together!
The small lineup came on the stage, and the Knicks suddenly strengthened the double-teaming of Divac. After several mistakes by the opponent, the halftime game ended quickly.

At 30:50, the Knicks took a 20-point lead at halftime, and the game was basically over.

At Madison Square Garden, everyone began to celebrate the victory of the game. Seeing the Knicks walking towards the player tunnel, fans on both sides cheered loudly.

Ewing, who walked into the player tunnel, looked down. He scored 7 of 1 in the half and scored 4 points. He realized that there was a problem with his finish.

Seeing Li You talking and laughing with everyone in front of him about the next match, the gorilla felt even more depressed, and could only secretly cheer himself up:

"I'll find the touch!."

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(End of this chapter)