NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 125 Disharmonious team atmosphere
On February 1999, 2, the regular season will officially start the day after tomorrow, and the Knicks uniform team is busy preparing for the championship award ceremony.

Jeff Van Gundy has been a bit big-headed these days. Although he became the youngest champion coach in the NBA, Sprewell, who came to the team, didn't buy it.

The 29-year-old Sprewell is at the peak of his career. He was suspended for a long time last season and his form has declined, but he still has the level of an All-Star defender.

Joining the Knicks, Sprewell was not happy, and even publicly shouted to the media at the press conference of joining the team:
"Have you ever seen an All-Star guard serve as a backup?"

The New York media was not polite either and gave an example with a smile:
"Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, an All-Star guard, was the backup last season."

A sentence was choked at the press conference, and Sprewell was in a particularly unhappy mood:

"Who is Kobe Bryant? Can a rookie be compared to a three-time All-Star?"

The first meeting between the two parties broke up on bad terms. The New York media hoped that this player would replace Starks and serve as a super scorer in the substitute lineup.

And Sprewell didn't like playing as a substitute at all, and vowed to ask the coaching staff for a starting position.

But after coming to the Knicks locker room, Sprewell also became honest. Apart from making a face every day, his training was not compromised.

Players are not stupid. They were suspended for so long last season. They must get more good data this season to win trust.

General manager Grunfeld's trade has received unanimous praise. He exchanged the declining Starks and rotation players for an All-Star guard in his prime. This deal is a bloody profit!
As for whether the players are suitable, that is the problem of the head coach. Jeff Van Gundy is already numb about this. He looks at Sprewell's stinky face every day, and he doesn't know what kind of chicken soup will be effective.

The Knicks' lineup also had some problems. Veteran Buck Williams finally chose to retire, which resulted in only Chris Dudley and Ben Wallace remaining in the interior rotation.

In the afternoon training session, Li Youzheng helped Ewing lose weight. The fat gorilla had to take a break after playing several fast breaks throughout the game.

"Speed ​​up, Pat! Go faster, and after the pick-and-roll, go down immediately!"

Quickly holding the ball and advancing to half-court, Ewing had just stood at the top of the arc. Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, quickly blasted the ball, grabbed the ball with his left hand and turned around, squeezing past Ewing's left side.

Sprewell pursued the defense with all his strength, taking advantage of the gorilla's descent and pounced directly on Li You's side.

Li You, who was carrying the defense and holding the ball with his left hand, saw that Ewing could not reach the position in time. He paused slightly at the free throw line. He relied on Sprewell to penetrate inside, broke through to the lower left side of the basket, and easily picked the basket. succeed!
After running back and forth for several consecutive rounds, the gorilla gasped for breath and stopped:

"Take a break and let me drink some water, Shet! I have to replenish my water."

Last season, he completed a high pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, and Ewing was able to quickly slide down to the basket and get stuck in a crazy position, but now he directly pulls across.

He has gained weight, and not only has his low-post offense not returned, but his finishing at the basket has also not improved. Ewing's salary this season is as high as 1850 million U.S. dollars. With such performance, Jeff Van Gundy has begun to lose his hair recently.
The longer the training session, the more overdrawn the gorilla's physical fitness.

Ewing was most likely drained of energy by the banshees during the offseason. In the past few days of training, he had been particularly irritable, and he often felt weak.

Assistant coach Thibodeau immediately called for a stop. Everyone in the Knicks team didn't care and comforted the gorilla's state:
"Don't worry, Pat! We'll play the Bulls at home the night after tomorrow. You know, they're falling apart. You still have time to get back in shape."

Oakley carelessly comforted Ewing from the sidelines, seeming to think that the Knicks had won the game.

Due to the shortened season, not only is the schedule extremely tight throughout the season, but in many cases some teams will not meet each other at all.

In theory, these situations do help the Knicks, but Li You looked at Sprewell, who turned his head to practice more, and then looked at Ewing, who was still laughing, and was speechless for a moment:

"The atmosphere in the team is extremely "harmonious""

The Bulls were completely disbanded. Before the start of the regular season, many sports media were discussing the operation of general manager Klaus.

Scottie Pippen eventually left the Bulls. When Barkley chose to take a salary cut, the conscientious second-in-command was traded to the Rockets to play Big Three basketball.

Longley was also traded to the Suns for a rotation player and a 1999 first-round pick.

The Bulls' main lineup was reduced to only Cooke and Harper, and the dynasty team eventually disintegrated.

On the night of February 2th, New York fans arrived early at Madison Square Garden after waiting for half a year. Everyone wanted to witness the championship flag rising over the arena.

Due to the big change in the Bulls' lineup, everyone didn't pay attention to their opponents. Tonight's game has turned into a grand party.

Before the game officially started at 20 o'clock, the atmosphere on the scene became more and more noisy.On the sidelines, Spike Lee is greeting Coach Calhoun and the freshmen from the University of Connecticut:

"This is definitely a historic moment. Knicks fans have waited too long. Boys, in the future, you can also join the team like Lee."

"It's dangerous and we're tired of logging! The Knicks are the best choice!"

Head coach Calhoun nodded with a smile. Behind him, Hamilton and several newbies were infected by the atmosphere and cheered along with the fans.

Charles Sr. has invited many New York city officials and celebrities to watch the game in the box tonight. He is also the protagonist tonight and will jointly present championship rings to everyone on the Knicks together with President David Stern.

When the time came to 19:30, David Stern, who had just formally reached an agreement with the players union not long ago, returned to his previous appearance, shaved off his beard, and appeared on the stage with a smile:

"I'm excited to witness the Knicks' third championship in franchise history tonight at Madison Square Garden!"

"Thanks to the New York municipal government for their strong support to the league, it's time to welcome our champion players!"

Old Charles didn't steal the show, and stood cheerfully in the center of the field, with championship rings on the table beside him.

The Knicks team name is spelled out in diamonds on the front.

The regular season record of 63 wins and 19 losses is printed on one side, and the playoff record of 15 wins and 2 losses is printed on the other side.

Above the records on both sides, there are the names of Li You and Ewing respectively, indicating that this ring is a tribute to the two.

The whole body is mainly gold and white, which is more gorgeous than the rings in the 70s.

When the on-site DJ called out their names, the players who stepped forward to receive the rings would be warmly cheered by the fans.

Although Ewing became fatter than a ball, no one cared at this moment, the third from the bottom appeared on the stage, cheers continued, Old Charles presented the ring, and the gorilla put it on his right hand, his eyes were red with excitement.

Li You, who appeared second to last, was smiling. After receiving the ring, Charles Sr. hugged him in greeting.

"Wow!!"

Starks was the last player to appear on the stage. Everyone on the Knicks applauded, and the New York fans at the scene also got up and gave the biggest cheers for the veteran.

Starks, in formal attire, was also very excited. He didn't want to leave New York or play for the Warriors, but business is business.

As compensation, the Knicks chose to let the veteran appear last, and by the way bid farewell to the New York fans at the scene.

Starks finally shed tears after receiving the ring. Old Charles patted the veteran who shaped the culture of the Knicks locker room and handed the microphone to him:
"John, I'm sorry you left the team, but I promise you will always be welcome in the Knicks and New York fans will never forget your contribution."

After adjusting his mood, Starks, dressed in formal attire, took the microphone and said excitedly:

"Thank you for your blessings. I love New York. It will always be my home. I will never forget the experience of winning this championship."

"."

Jeff Van Gundy watched Starks give an emotional speech, wear a championship ring, and the coaching staff kept applauding.

Allan Houston, Larry Johnson and Oakley joked and showed off each other, and the staff of the Knicks also got a ring.

On the other side, Sprewell, who was wearing the Knicks home white training uniform, was also a little envious when he saw this moment, and felt sour for a while.

Li You noticed the gaze of this new aid, and said in a low voice with a smile:
"If you want to win a championship, you always need to sacrifice something!"

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(End of this chapter)