NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 142 He is just a rookie (daily chapter)
On June 1999, 6, the Knicks returned to New York with the division championship trophy, and many fans who came to pick them up began to enjoy themselves again.

Holding a small whiteboard with "Fight for Ewing", many old fans grew up watching Gorilla Ball. For them, they all hope that Ewing can get a decent ending.

Before boarding the bus, Ewing took a group photo with the fans while holding the trophy. The atmosphere was so warm that some people thought it was a farewell party for the gorilla.
The old New York fans are overly enthusiastic, but they actually want to help the gorilla. The Achilles tendon of his right foot is torn. Although he does not need surgery, his athletic ability will inevitably decline.

Considering that most of the team's current main lineup are under 30 years old, everyone is trying their best to hope that Ewing can retire in New York.

General Manager Glenn Field was also on the bus at this time.

Most of the time, he doesn't get along with the players, and he has no interest in going to the stage to claim credit like Krause of the Bulls.

The general manager and management need to maintain a strong character, and the division of power must be clear. Grunfield did this, and Jeff Van Gundy was speechless in front of him.

"Come on! Pat, you will definitely win two championships like Olajuwon!"

“Pat, we’re all rooting for you!”

"."

Grunfield, who was sitting at the front of the bus, shook his head secretly when he saw this scene.

It is not difficult to trade an older center with serious injuries, a big contract, a little out of shape, and declining independent offensive ability, but the bargaining chips that can be exchanged are limited.

Li You was looking at the Sports Illustrated in his hand in the back of the bus. The main content of this issue was Tim Duncan.

Oakley, who was sitting in the front, was wearing headphones, bobbing his head and humming along to the music.

The old guy has almost become a defensive tool in this year's playoffs, but Oakley doesn't care.

Li You divides the ball possession cake very well. As long as he has good touch, he can still get eight or nine shots in a game.

Oakley, who was shaking his head, noticed the magazine in Li You's hand, took off his headphones, and said loudly:
"Never mind the Spurs, David Robinson is a wimp and Tim Duncan is a rookie."

"Hey! We're going to win the championship. Li, come to my place tonight and let's have another party!"

When the atmosphere team heard that there would be overtime, they all responded positively. Li You closed the magazine in his hand and said loudly:
"It's time to relax, I'm treating you tonight!"

Back at the training center in Tarrytown, the players went home for the holidays, but Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff couldn't rest.

The Spurs crushed them all the way, and the Western Conference insiders fell under the Twin Towers. However, after watching the video, Jeff Van Gundy didn't have much reaction:
"But so."

In most games, the Spurs' offensive routine is that the defender dribbles the ball across half court, Tim Duncan catches the ball with his back in the blocking area, and then scores and plays.

Another trick is to catch the ball at David Robinson's elbow, make a jump shot or attack the inside.

There are also connections between the twin towers, but there are not many internal connections.

Assistant coach Thibodeau's favorite thing to watch on tape is to see the Spurs' defense.

In the paint area, two highly mobile big men can complete sweeps, cover and switch defenses at extremely fast speeds.

Assistant coach Don Chaney looked at the technical statistics in his hand. After the video ended, he said in a relaxed tone:
"In the playoffs, averaging about 70 shots per game, they are slower than the Hawks. I don't think it will affect our offense."

"Houston can relax a lot, at least he no longer has to chase the opponent."

"Sprewell should be able to teach Daniels, the rookie on the opposite bench, a lesson."

The coaching staff began to communicate in low voices, but Jeff Van Gundy began to wander.

Assistant coach Thibodeau poked the bald young coach, and then Jeff Van Gundy said:
"In the past few days, I have to remind Kurt and Ben to control the fouls. We don't need to make too many adjustments. We can just prepare for the game step by step."

As soon as they heard Van Gundy's words, they knew they were going to hang up again. After thinking about it, they really had nothing to prepare.

The 34-year-old "Little General" Avery Johnson, 35-year-old Mario Elie, and 31-year-old Sean Elliott form the Spurs' outside line.

After watching the video, the coaching staff didn’t mention the Spurs’ outside line at all. Everyone subconsciously reached a consensus:
"These people won't cause any trouble to Lee at all!"

As for interior defense, the Pacers' Rick Schmitz and Dale Davis performed well, beating Kurt and Ben, but the Knicks won.

It is destined to be impossible to limit the Spurs' interior, and it is enough to defend as hard as possible.

NBC is still responsible for broadcasting the finals this year. In the past few days, in addition to training as usual, everyone on the Knicks team also had to be interviewed, which was regarded as packaging for the finals.

On the morning of the 13th, Ewing wore a black formal suit and was interviewed in the media room of the Tarrytown Training Center.

"Pat, congratulations, this is the third time in your career that you have reached the finals!"

"It's a pity that you will miss this series due to injury. This is also a pity for the fans. Many people want to see the duel between you and David Robinson."

Hearing this, Ewing laughed out loud, shook his head, and said seriously:
"Young people no longer like us old guys. David is a very nice person, but it's a pity that we will still win the championship this year."

Jim Gray, the famous reporter sitting opposite, smiled when he heard the gorilla's confident response and asked again:

"We all know that Lee won the MVP this year. What kind of performance do you think he will perform in the finals?"

Hearing the MVP, the gorilla felt sad, and then continued to boast confidently:

"Lee will beat all the defenders on the other side. I'm serious. Maybe a lot of people don't realize what we went through last year."

"Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, facing the best perimeter defense in the league, Lee can still average 29 points per game."

"Some people may question his efficiency. The 44% shooting rate is indeed not high, but imagine what kind of performance they can perform if replaced by any defender in the league?"

"I will always remember last year's Eastern Conference Finals. I remember every possession on the court. In the past, the Knicks had the best interior defense in the league. Now, we have the strongest backcourt combination in the league!"

"."

Every player was given the opportunity to be interviewed, and Ben Davis from the atmosphere team was as crazy as ever;
Rashard Lewis, who has been carrying the Knicks for most of the year, recalled the bittersweet moments and talked about the atmosphere within the Knicks.The newbie Lewis is indeed capable, but Oakley doesn't make it too difficult for him. The old guy is very accurate in judging people and thinks that this big shooter with a soft-ball style can at least get a contract in the league.

Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace are not transparent either. Even if they don't have many roles on the offensive end, they definitely have a lot of roles on the defensive end.

"I don't care about statistics or what other people think of me. I just want to win. I've seen big scenes. Don't let the opponent score easily from me!"

Looking at Ben Wallace's excited answer, Jim Gray realized that the man in front of him also won the championship with the team last year.

Oakley, who was being interviewed, once again expressed his disdain when he heard the question about Tim Duncan and just emphasized:
"He's just a rookie! A rookie playing in the finals for the first time!"

Alan Houston still greeted his opponents in a friendly manner and behaved very humbly, while Larry Johnson and Sprewell both meant the same thing:
"We're going to beat the shit out of Spurs!"

It was obvious to the naked eye that they looked down on each other. These two former All-Star players did not take the Spurs perimeter players seriously at all.
Jim Gray rubbed his eyebrows. These interview clips will be released one by one before the finals. He can already predict the reactions of the fans on both sides.

When Li You came to the media room in training clothes, Jim Gray breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, shook hands, and asked with a smile:
"Lee, congratulations on winning the MVP and reaching the finals for two consecutive years in your rookie season. This is really an amazing achievement!"

"What are your expectations for this year's finals?"

Hearing such a question, Li You also confidently answered:

"The Spurs are a good team and I'm excited to face such an opponent in the Finals!"

"I want to thank the fans in New York for supporting us and the Knicks for being so tired in what has been a difficult season for us."

"The intensive schedule and Pat's injury also affected our condition a bit, but in the end we overcame the difficulties."

Jim Gray was still smiling at first, but he felt that these words sounded familiar to him. Then he realized it immediately and was speechless for a moment:

"Did you tell me your acceptance speech in advance?"

"."

Since the Spurs swept their opponents and had a longer rest, the NBC interview ended early.

In the past few days, fans can see the humble expressions of the Spurs on TV.

David Robinson is indeed a good man. After blessing Ewing, he thought about the sweetness and continued to praise Tim Duncan:

"Lee won the FMVP in his second year as a rookie, and now Tim also has the opportunity to achieve such an achievement."

"In my heart, Tim is the MVP of the Spurs this season. He is better than you think."

"I don't care about statistics, now I just want to win the first championship in franchise history for the Spurs!"

"."

TNT is also warming up for the finals. McHale and Kenny Smith represent Tim Duncan and Li You respectively. In the programs in recent days, the two have different opinions:
"I respect Avery Johnson, but we all saw what Mookie Blaylock did against Lee."

"I don't think the Spurs' perimeter defense is going to be that much better than the Hawks'."

Kenny Smith has made it very clear these days that the Knicks' three guards will overwhelm their opponents.

McHale shook his head and insisted on his point of view:

"The two teams are not comparable. Mutombo cannot take on too many offensive tasks, but Tim can carry the team's offense."

"Defensively, the Spurs' two big men are also very flexible, and the Knicks' guards cannot score efficiently in the paint."

"The closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage. This is a basketball truth. No one on the Knicks can limit Tim Duncan."

"."

Li You didn't pay attention to these media reports. He was busy entertaining Ray Allen and several college teammates these days.

Because it is so close to New York, many students from Connecticut also join in the fun.

Coach Calhoun led the team to win the championship, and the University of Connecticut won the second championship in team history.

Unfortunately, the Knicks played too many games in March and April, and Li You didn't have time to watch the games.

On the evening of the 14th, Li You held a small party at his home in Tarrytown to entertain his college friends.

The party company arranged cold meals and barbecues on site, and also planted some small Huskies flags.

Coach Calhoun was smiling and stroking the dog's head at this time, and Husky Happy was not afraid of people, and smiled at everyone in a familiar way.

Ray Allen and his girlfriend were laughing and listening to their friends blowing sex.

The Bucks performed well in the playoffs this year. Although they were swept by the Pacers, he was the best player on the team.

Travis Knight, who works as the atmosphere team for the Lakers, is blowing the whistle:
"Tim Duncan is indeed very strong, but Lee will definitely win the championship again!"

"Believe me, if the Lakers had a point guard like Lee, they would never lose to the Spurs this year."

When Hamilton on the other side heard this, he immediately joked:
"O'Neal will definitely not like to partner with Lee. There is only one MVP!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and Li You on the side also smiled and shook his head.

Although Hamilton got the MOP, at this time he looked at Li You with envy and asked loudly:
"Lee, will you win the championship again this year?"

Li You raised the champagne in his hand, saluted everyone, and responded confidently:
"Of course, this month, everyone can come and participate in the championship parade at the end of the month!"

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(End of this chapter)