NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 145 Free throws and blacksmithing ([-]-word chapter)

On June 1999, 6, many sports media expressed shock after the game in G17 of the finals that just ended last night:
"Clay-Lee's era is coming!"

"Jeff Van Gundy deserves another NBA Coach of the Year award."

"Popovich is the team's final weakness, and Phil Jackson intends to take over the Spurs!"

"."

A lot of news appeared in the morning, and the New York print media was at a fever pitch. Many people thought that the finals were over.

The column articles after the game were even more bizarre. Since most of the Spurs interviews were mediocre, many sports columnists once again used their specialties to make something out of nothing.

Phil Jackson seems interested in returning to the league, but the Spurs are not his cup of tea.

Apart from other reasons, it is difficult for the Spurs to meet the salary and franchise requirements of the championship coach.
The 17th happened to be Thursday, and the TNT program specially invited Mike Fratello, a former Knicks assistant coach, as an analyst:
"Ben Wallace, a short center with no independent offensive ability, is the backcourt rebounding guarantee for the Knicks."

"Pay attention to this round in the third quarter. Ben Wallace first helped to interfere with Mario Elie's breakthrough to the basket, and then participated in the counterattack."

"The quality of the cover at the top of the arc is good. David Robinson quickly delayed in front of Lee. Pay attention to this pass!"

The director began to slow down Li You's angle of the ball and Ben Wallace's timing of receiving the ball.

"For an ordinary big man, it would be difficult for him to bend down and lower his center of gravity to catch the ball, but Ben Wallace did it easily. He caught the ball and dunked down. Duncan was slower to help defend this round."

Throughout his NBA coaching career, Mike Fratello has not been particularly successful, but analyzing video is his specialty:

"After watching the game, my biggest feeling is that Li may not need to partner with a super center. An insider with strong running and jumping ability like Ben Wallace is already qualified for the starting position."

After Mike Fratello said this, there was a look of yearning on his face. If he had met such a player back then, he might have become a championship coach.

Every head coach who becomes a championship coach will meet their superstar.

Tactics are important, but players are more important. Mike Fratello was a little lost for a while, and he didn't come back to his senses until Ernie Johnson spoke up in the studio:

"The Knicks have really changed our previous understanding of perimeter offense. Lee performed so well. It's hard to believe that this is only the third season of his career."

Kenny Smith did not show any surprise, but put on an expression that I had expected:
"Avery Johnson has a huge size disadvantage, and Mario Elie's lateral speed is too slow."

"I would choose to use Elliott against Lee, of course, which will give Alan Houston and Larry Johnson better offensive opportunities."

"Realistically speaking, this is a better defensive choice. Adjust in time for the next game and the Spurs have a chance to win."

85:105, the Knicks defeated the Spurs in G1.

Thinking of the huge 20-point difference, Mike Fratello finally said conservatively:
"If Tim Duncan and David Robinson continue this efficient performance, then the Spurs do have a chance to win the championship."

出场31分钟，16中9，罚球6中5，23分9篮板1助攻2盖帽2失误，尽管球队输球，但蒂姆-邓肯的数据却无可挑剔。

出场29分钟，14中7，罚球10中8，22分8篮板2助攻1盖帽3失误，大卫-罗宾逊杀伤力十足，同样打出高效表现。

The two scored 45 points together and got half of the team's points.

The G1 Spurs' offense also played at a normal level. The main reason for the loss was problems with the outside defense.

The finals G2 will officially start tomorrow night, and there is not much time to adjust. At this time, Ernie Johnson simply asked the two people next to him:

"What adjustments would be the most simple and effective if the Spurs want to win?"

Kenny Smith shook his head and said directly that there was no time to adjust in one day. Mike Fratello thought for a moment and finally said:
"Perhaps the Spurs coaching staff can tell Avery Johnson to improve the quality of passing to the big man. This may be the biggest help to the Spurs at the moment!"

Feeding cakes has always been a technical job, and after Avery Johnson was defended by Li You, the quality of his passing dropped a lot.

Kenny Smith continued to shake his head and made the most practical suggestion:
"The Spurs should probably consider home games in advance. For three consecutive home games, they have to seize the opportunity."

"."

Although Jeff Van Gundy appeared confident in the press conference, the bald young coach was very cautious during the video session.

As a traditional coach, Jeff Van Gundy still trusts big men and believes in the truth of basketball from the bottom of his heart:
"The closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage!"

The bald young coach is afraid of fluctuations in outside shooting. For shooting feel, he can only pray to God. No one can predict the status of the players in the game:
"Under the premise of controlling fouls, we must try to limit the performance of the opponent's big man."

"I know this is difficult, but we must work hard to achieve this. We must be fast in assisting defense and remember to respond to each other."

Ben Wallace kept nodding. Although it was indeed difficult for him to guard Duncan alone, he readily complied with the head coach's request.

The same goes for Kurt Thomas. Being able to reach the finals and have a lot of playing time is like a dream for him, so he must go all out in the game.

Oakley said nothing on the sidelines. The old guy actually had no other solution. He could only make it difficult for Duncan to catch the ball. As for the opponent's offense, it depends on the state of the night.

Defense is still the guarantee for the Knicks to win. With Ewing injured, there is actually a lot of pressure on the inside.

At the end of the afternoon training session, Ewing continued to be the atmosphere team, cheering everyone on:

"If we win three more games, we can win the championship. Hold on and keep this state!"

While the gorilla was delivering chicken soup, he warned several insiders that he really didn't want to see David Robinson killing everyone at his home court.

Li You saw Jeff Van Gundy's lack of confidence, but one word of comfort was enough.

In the locker room, Larry Johnson smiled and made boxing gestures, and said casually:
"The Spurs made 13 of 4 three-pointers. In my impression, most of them were made in the fourth quarter."

“The game was much easier to play than I expected!”

Li You had already changed into a formal suit and had activities in the evening. He gestured with "Aunt" twice and joked with a smile:
"If we can fire from the three-point line in the next game, I guarantee we can win easily!"

Alan Houston on the side joked:
"Following the rules of the Eastern Conference finals, if you want to wait until Larry explodes from beyond the three-point line, you may get G4."

Bill Bradley, the famous Knicks player, is preparing to participate in the 2000 primary election. After retiring, he turned to politics. Although he received a lot of looks, he still has a wide range of friends.

At least at this dinner, Li You met many former officials.

Li You, who majored in history in college, actually got along well with Bradley. Hearing the other's eloquent views on medical insurance and financial reform, he secretly shook his head.

Having lived here for many years, the "three no's" American elite selection process is often an organized "party."

The Knicks legend may be okay in playing basketball and doing a pretty good job as a senator, but if he wants to go one step further and rely on this temporary plan, there is basically no chance.
Li You, who was drifting with the crowd, was throwing money out without any hesitation, while Ivana, who was wearing a white dress beside her, looked thoughtful.

About to graduate from high school, the blond White Rabbit has resumed her modeling career in the past six months, but Li You can clearly feel that she has gained weight again.

As the banquet came to an end, Li You hurriedly ate some food to relieve his empty stomach:

"Eat these at night and be careful not to gain weight the next day."

Ivana quietly glared at Li You, ate the dessert in small bites, and whispered in a low voice:
"You can burn off these calories by exercising!"

Thinking of the little follower getting slimmer and slimmer for his modeling career, and then looking at the blond white rabbit who has a tendency to develop into a tank, I can't help but sigh that it's great to have money.

It seemed that she had entered the rebellious stage, and overeating was Ivana's routine. Soon the two of them whispered again, and Li You knew that he would have to press F again tonight.

On the night of June 6th, G18 of the finals officially started.

Although many media before the game had one-sided predictions that the Knicks would once again protect their home court, the Spurs played something different at halftime.

Popovich made adjustments. In addition to sticking to Duncan, the three outside players all increased their aggressiveness on the offensive end.

Compared with G1, the Spurs accelerated their offensive pace tonight. At the end of the half, the score reached 48:46.

The Knicks fell behind. At Madison Square Garden, the New York fans present were in a bad mood and the arena became increasingly noisy.

At halftime, in the visiting team's locker room, Popovich was a little excited. If they could get an away victory, they would have a chance to win the championship at home.

The offensive role of the outside line has been increased, and the inside line is no longer relied on to drive the offense. Popovich pointed at the whiteboard and shouted:

"Great performance Sean, we need to respond on the outside."

"Mario, continue attacking in the low post, everyone move!"

In the first half of the game, Duncan played a total of 22 minutes and 44 seconds and only rested for more than 1 minute.

Seeing the somewhat agitated head coach constantly emphasizing the precautions for the second half, Duncan just nodded slightly without any major reaction.

13中6，罚球2中2，14分7篮板1盖帽，邓肯打出了一份平平无奇的半场数据。

Avery Johnson was not as relaxed as rookie Duncan. He only rested for 2 minutes at halftime. In addition, he continued to lead the defense. He returned to the locker room and took a small breath.

When David Robinson saw that Popovich had almost said it, he immediately clapped his hands and reminded loudly with a serious look:

"Hang in there, don't worry about shooting, I'm going to rebound the ball even though I'm shooting from the outside."

The "General" who focused on offensive rebounds tonight has grabbed 4 offensive rebounds, and his offensive role has been reduced, but David Robinson has no complaints.

Popovich is very satisfied with the current atmosphere in the locker room and has a smile on his face:
“This is real logging fatigue!”

As the second half of the game was about to begin, everyone in the Knicks walked out of the locker room. Larry Johnson was so depressed that he didn't want to speak.

8 of 2, 4 points in the half. After the Spurs added interior defense, the post-ups in the low post were blocked and the three-pointers were not opened.

Before walking out of the tunnel, Li You patted Larry Johnson and gave another simple reminder:
"Don't worry, Larry, keep shrinking the defense. Just like Coach Van Gundy said, they won't always be accurate!"

Elliott, who was left open, made 5 of 2 from beyond the three-point line in the half. Larry Johnson's defense was a little shaken and almost caused the opponent to blossom inside and outside.

Nodding gloomily, Larry Johnson said he understood.

Oakley was no longer in the mood to taunt his opponent at this time. The rookie on the opposite side just drove to the basket during the half, and he really couldn't guard him.
The players from both sides returned to the field. In the NBC commentary box, Bob Costas continued to introduce with a smile:
“李在半场9中4，三分线外5中2，半场拿到了14分。”

"The core players of both teams performed very efficiently. We can pay attention to coach Van Gundy's adjustments at halftime!"

Doug Collins didn't say much. "Big Mom" ​​didn't feel well in the first half and would definitely concentrate on the ball in the second half. He has seen this situation too many times:

"Avery Johnson needs to be careful. Like I said, the Spurs' perimeter must maintain the defensive intensity of the first half."

In the first half of the game, except for "Auntie"'s failure to eat cake, the Knicks' egalitarianism was still very successful.

"Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks!"

Before the baseline kick was taken, the New York fans at the scene followed the DJ and shouted loudly.

Ben Wallace quickly gave the ball to Li You, and Avery Johnson squeezed to his side.

The referee's penalty standards were very loose tonight. Avery Johnson started to interfere when Li You advanced with the ball.

Oakley was already at the top of the arc at this time, and the old guy's role was to pull Duncan out and keep the rookie away from the basket.

Moving up two steps again, Oakley stopped and made a high pick-and-roll for Li You.

Avery Johnson failed to squeeze through, but was staggered due to the cooperation of Li You and Oakley.

Holding the ball with his left hand, Li You noticed that Duncan had already defended the three-point line. He paused slightly at first, then lowered his center of gravity and turned his hips to accelerate the breakthrough.

Raising his right hand high, Duncan quickly slid back to the right to delay. The moment Li You rushed into the opponent's arms, he suddenly stopped and quickly crossed and pulled back.

Shifting out of position, Li You immediately combined the ball and pretended to shoot.

Avery Johnson, who was chasing behind him, rushed forward. Duncan in front of him adjusted his steps and jumped to block the shot. Li You was flanked from front to back, but he took advantage of the situation and sent a pass.

Oakley, who was unguarded, just started and caught the ball in the paint. The three players rushed up and easily broke through to the basket and put the basket with his left hand!

At 48:48, in the first round, the Knicks easily equalized the score.

On the lower right side of the basket, Ben Wallace's blocking also played a huge role. Oakley patted "Little Ben" and bumped fists with Li You to celebrate when retreating from defense.

After successfully eating the cake, cheers rang out again in the arena. Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines also clapped his hands at this time. After falling behind at halftime, the bald young coach couldn't hold himself any longer.

Mario Elie performed very well in the low post in the first half, and the veteran's tendons helped.

Avery Johnson, led by Li You, tried to speed up and rushed across the half court. When he came to the left wing, Mario Elie was already in the blocking area asking for the ball with his back.

After Mario Eli received the pass, everyone on the Spurs pulled away to make room for the veteran to play in isolation.

David Robinson stood at the free throw line again, and Duncan moved to the right near the baseline.

Elliott moved on the right flank, ready to respond.

Alan Houston fought hard to defend, Mario Elie released the ball with his right hand and hit it hard, then quickly turned toward the baseline and shot toward the basket against the defense.

It's just that this kind of offensive routine was used too much in the first half. Alan Houston, who had been on guard for a long time, successfully predicted the opponent's breakthrough route. After the two had a physical confrontation, Mario Elie fired a shot.

At this time, Duncan and David Robinson had already squeezed to the basket, and the two big men struggled to grab the offensive rebounds.

David Robinson grabbed the rebound, but Ben Wallace jumped up a second time, got ahead of the two of them, and successfully protected the backcourt rebound.

"Wow!"

In the first half, the opponent was robbed, but a successful backcourt rebound made the New York fans cheer loudly.

Unable to make a transition attack, after Li You advanced with the ball, the Spurs had already retreated.

Due to Larry Johnson's inaccuracy in the half, Alan Houston stood on the wing to receive the ball after the start of the second half.

When Li You came to the right wing, Ben Wallace immediately stepped forward to cover the screen. At the same time, Oakley also moved to the top of the arc to stand still.

Quickly dribbling the ball behind his back, Li You switched to his left hand and began to move laterally.

First, he pretended to break through with his left hand to attract the attention of David Robinson. Then Li You accelerated laterally again and reached the top of the arc. With the help of Oakley's screen, he got rid of Avery Johnson's pursuit.

When Duncan switched defense, Li You suddenly jumped and dribbled. Then with a flick of his left wrist, the basketball passed directly through Duncan's right side.

The basketball bounced on the floor and flew straight to the basket. Ben Wallace got in front of David Robinson, scooped up the ball and went to the lower left side of the basket for a reverse layup!

In the commentary box, Bob Costas shouted in a brisk tone:
"Oh!"

"Wonderful cooperation! Continuously sent assists, and the Spurs' interior defense was penetrated!"

After scoring the goal, "Little Ben" shouted excitedly, while David Robinson looked on and frowned.

At 48:50, the Knicks regained the lead, making the New York fans at the scene roar with joy.

Li You clapped his hands and reminded everyone to pay attention to defense. Soon Avery Johnson led the defense to the left wing, and David Robinson moved to the left elbow.

Realizing that the opponent was about to start a pick-and-roll, Li You quickly walked down the line and squeezed through to gain passing space. Avery Johnson held the ball in his right hand and came to the free throw line, and immediately hit the ground and passed the ball back to David Robinson.

The latter caught the ball and immediately made a jump shot without giving "Little Ben" much time to react!

"state!"

The rebound popped up and was caught by Larry Johnson who was retreating to the basket. Then he quickly threw the ball forward. Li You grabbed the ball in front of Avery Johnson and immediately launched a transition attack.

In the first half, David Robinson's shooting touch was excellent, but David Robinson was secretly annoyed. At this time, he could only rush forward and retreat quickly.

Avery Johnson continued to provide physical confrontation on Li You's side, and the two entangled to the left wing.

Noticing that David Robinson was already rushing back to the basket and approaching the paint area, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, slowed down slightly, leaned on Avery Johnson, and quickly circled the ball with one hand.

While changing the rhythm, Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand and leaned forward to pick the basket!
Unable to make any defensive reaction, Avery Johnson watched the basketball fly toward the backboard. David Robinson, who retreated quickly, jumped to block the shot, only to find that the basketball flew high.
"Boom!"

The basketball hit the board high into the basket, and Li You looked calm and retreated quickly. At 48:52, seeing the Knicks widening the point difference in just a few rounds, Popovich on the sidelines quickly made tactical gestures and loudly reminded his players.

Li You, who retreated to half-time, also whispered to his teammates to defend:
"Charles, don't let him catch the ball easily!"

Every time the Spurs fall behind, there is a high probability that the ball will be given to Duncan. Li You has already noticed this, so he naturally wants to remind him.

The Spurs' tactics are very clear. Duncan once again started to ask for the ball in the right block in this attack.

Oakley, who was prepared for the defense, kept pulling and trying to go forward to defend. Li You also covered Avery Johnson with his right wing and kept interfering.

After pulling and pulling, Oakley even concealed his elbow when he went around. Duncan was a little annoyed by these little moves, so he simply took advantage of the old guy to go forward and pushed him covertly into the basket.

Oakley's defense was out of position, but Avery Johnson's pass was interfered by Li You.

Duncan found that the ball was passed too big and tried hard to save it, but he almost jumped directly to the camera under the basket.
"Oh!"

The Spurs made a mistake, cheers rang out again, the fans once again shook their orange handkerchiefs, and Madison Square Garden was boiling again.

Seeing Avery Johnson with an ugly face, Doug Collins shook his head slightly:
"The offensive intention is too obvious, Avery Johnson should be more patient."

Popovich on the sidelines also found that something was wrong, and the quality of passing tonight dropped a lot.

In the commentary box, Doug Collins was still sighing, but Bob Costas shouted:
"Oh! God! Lee broke through the double-team defense of the two!"

Suddenly speeding up, after Li You passed half court, Ben Wallace set a high pick-and-roll at the top of the arc.

The quality of the cover was not high. Li You dribbled behind his back and switched to his left hand to lead the ball forward quickly.

David Robinson was still moving laterally, but found that the basketball had flown to his left front. He subconsciously wanted to step forward to intercept the ball, but Li You suddenly squeezed between the two and immediately accelerated in a straight line after grabbing the ball with his right hand.

Avery Johnson almost ran into his teammate and had completely lost his defensive position at this time.

In the blink of an eye, he saw that Li You had broken through to the paint area, near the baseline on the left side. Just as Duncan was about to move, he saw Li You pulling the ball back sharply with his right hand.

Duncan stopped subconsciously and realized something was wrong. When he wanted to complete the defense, he could only watch as Li You made an easy layup.

Huge cheers erupted in the arena, and Bob Costas subconsciously raised his voice:
"What a beautiful goal! A fake move on the move deceived Duncan, and Lee tricked the Spurs' defense!"

48:54，打出一波8:0后，尼克斯队取得了6分的领先优势。

Popovich immediately requested a timeout, and the Spurs bench, which was smiling in the first half, was silent.

Jeff Van Gundy kept high-fiving and patting Li You off the court, and the atmosphere team also regained its vitality.

At this time, Ewing also stood up to encourage everyone. Seeing David Robinson hitting the iron, the gorilla burst into laughter:

"That's it, don't let them catch the ball easily. If they make a mistake, we will counterattack!"

Waving his arms, Ewing did Jeff Van Gundy's job and kept delivering chicken soup.
Compared with the Eastern Conference finals, Ben Wallace's coverage was better, and Li You was less likely to be double-teamed during the pick-and-roll.

"Good job, Ben! Watch the rebound."

After the timeout, before going on the field, Li You patted "Xiao Ben" again and gave simple instructions.

Ben Wallace nodded quickly. The loss of boards in the first half was indeed his problem.

The Spurs returned to the court and continued to let Duncan catch the ball in the blocking area.

The offense was much more patient this time. The left side had no chance, so it moved to the right side. Finally, David Robinson caught the ball at the free throw line and played a high and low post before sending the ball to Duncan.

With 24 seconds approaching again, Duncan caught the ball in the low post on the right side and hit the basket, causing Oakley's thug to foul.

He was pulled down directly and there was no chance of 2+1. Seeing Duncan shaking his right hand, Popovich started to complain loudly to the referee again.
After Duncan made two free throws, the game entered the rhythm that the Knicks liked again.

On the defensive end, Oakley and Ben Wallace on the offensive line continued to move forward, and Li You and several others on the offensive line pressed hard on the passer.

Although in some rounds, hanging the ball inside was an easy dunk, in most rounds, the Spurs' offense became stagnant.

Relying on his personal ability, Duncan made consecutive shots and free throws to help the team score points.

As time passed, after Alan Houston and Oakley hit consecutive mid-range jumpers from the elbow area, the Spurs could no longer stand it:

The Knicks' offensive possession count is on the rise.
Trying to use the outside to drive the inside, Mario Elie played a post-up single, hanging on Alan Houston to break through to the basket.

He wanted to pass the ball to David Robinson, who was cutting in, but Ben Wallace poked the ball away.

During the half-switch, Li You accelerated his breakthrough on the left wing, carried Avery Johnson's defense, cut to the basket, met David Robinson who was assisting in defense, and completed the throw with his left hand!

"state!"

Under the interference, the basketball knocked out of the frame. Before David Robinson could turn around to protect the backboard, Ben Wallace jumped high and pushed the ball into the basket!

"Boom!" A successful dunk at the basket!
"what!"

After completing the dunk, Ben Wallace yelled and Popovich asked for a timeout again.

60:66，第3节比赛还剩3分01秒，尼克斯队依旧保持着领先。

After noticing that the Knicks replaced Larry Johnson with Sprewell after the timeout, Isiah Thomas said with a smile in the commentary box:
"Head coach Van Gundy is a little conservative, but it's not too late to make a substitution at this time!"

"The Knicks almost cut off the Spurs in the second half tonight, and I love that defense."

The Spurs also made substitution adjustments, with Elliott staying in front of Li You.

Daniels, who came off the bench, was responsible for marking Sprewell, and Mario Elie continued to guard Alan Houston.

Popovich on the sidelines was still hoping that the defense would work, but after Elliott defended, Li You easily broke through.

Mario Elie of the Spurs had just succeeded in a single in the left block. Looking back, Li You, the right wing, broke through and scored the ball. Oakley, who was unguarded at the elbow, scored again from the mid-range!
After completing the attack, the old guy pumped his fists excitedly.

The scores of both sides increased alternately again, and by the end of the third quarter, the score reached 68:75.

Noting that the Spurs only took 3 shots but committed 18 turnovers in the third quarter, Doug Collins said helplessly:
"Being able to comfortably give the ball to the big man inside is not an easy task. Several mistakes were caused by internal and external cooperation."

Bob Costas experienced this tonight. The intention of passing the ball was too obvious. The Knicks restricted the Spurs' outside passes:
"I hope the Spurs can control their mistakes in the fourth quarter!"

The three people in the commentary box discussed the trend of the game again. After the last quarter of the game started, none of them expected that Ben Wallace would become the protagonist in the early part of the fourth quarter.

The Spurs learned their lesson and began to use David Robinson to support the low post.

Mario Elie's sudden cut made Alan Houston lose his defensive position. He received the ball in the paint and broke through to the lower left side of the basket. Just as he was about to complete a layup, he was blocked by Ben Wallace who turned around to help defend. .

"Oh!"

The solid big hat caused huge cheers to erupt in the stadium.

Alan Houston took control of the ball and rushed forward. The Spurs were unable to complete the defensive matchup in time.

Elliott retreated slowly, and Li You feinted to catch the ball from the right wing outside the three-point line, causing the opponent to immediately jump up from his side to block the shot.

After deceiving the opponent's defense, Li You released the ball, took a step back, and took advantage of the time difference to convert a three-point jumper quickly!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

At 68:78, the Knicks atmosphere team followed Li You and raised his right hand, raised three fingers, and shouted happily.

Subconsciously speeding up the offensive rhythm, this time the outside lob pass was of high quality, but after Duncan caught the ball under the basket, Sprewell blocked it and continued to interfere.

Quickly throwing the ball to the left corner, Elliott hit an open three-pointer!
Kurt Thomas, who came on the bench, protected the long rebound. After receiving the ball, Li You launched another transition attack.

Quickly advancing to the right flank, Li You noticed that Elliott behind him was also chasing after him, and immediately realized that Sprewell had an opportunity.

When the two were about to close up, Li You suddenly jumped up and swung the ball, and the basketball flew straight to the left corner.

Mario Elie, who followed Alan Houston to the paint area, realized there was a defensive error and rushed to defend Sprewell.

It's just that it was too far away, and Mario Elie's block had no effect. After adjustment, Sprewell made an easy jumper with an open three-pointer!

"Shua!" Converted to a three-pointer and then advanced!
After hitting a three-pointer for the first time in the finals, Sprewell jumped up and down and screamed.

The Spurs requested a timeout, and Madison Square Garden was completely elated. They shook their handkerchiefs wildly, and the New York fans in attendance began to celebrate the victory of the game.

68:81, two consecutive three-pointers, the score difference came to 13 points.

Seeing Popovich angrily yelling at his players, Doug Collins sighed in a low voice again:
"Perfect offensive rhythm! Lee always sensed opportunities on the court, and the Spurs paid the price for their low-level mistakes."

The three discussed it again and basically reached a common point of view:
"The Spurs couldn't come back."

The double-digit point difference naturally would not let the Spurs give up. They actively accelerated the offensive rhythm and caught the ball away from the basket. Duncan and David Robinson simply rushed in with the ball in their arms.

The referee began to blow the whistle repeatedly, and the Knicks' inside line really couldn't withstand such an impact.

Several consecutive rounds were free throws, which also angered the fans at the scene. When they saw Mario Elie also standing on the free throw line, they simply cursed the referee!
It started to rain on both sides, and Avery Johnson couldn't withstand Li You's breakthrough. He stepped in and the whistle also sounded.
Popovich complained at first, but as the game time passed, the point difference did not narrow at all.

Li You, Larry Johnson, and Sprewell followed up with a fierce penalty, and the Spurs coaching staff also knew that the game was over.

With 3 minutes and 32 seconds left in the game, Li You made his second free throw and Oakley rushed to the offensive rebound.

Soon, Li You caught the ball again at the top of the arc, which lasted 24 seconds.
Steve Kerr, who came on the bench, was a little anxious and kept cutting the ball to interfere, but Li You, who was sideways to protect the ball, was not affected in any way.

After being double-teamed on the line, Li You quickly returned the ball to Alan Houston who returned to the court.

Elliott immediately let go of Larry Johnson in the left corner for a defensive rotation.

Quickly moving the ball, Larry Johnson was unguarded when he received the ball. He took aim for a while before shooting a jump shot.

"Shua!" Three-pointer and then scored!

The iron tree bloomed, and he made 5 of 1 shots. He let out a sigh of relief, and Larry Johnson beat his chest and shouted.

76:88, the score difference is back to double digits!

After completely letting out his breath, Elliot looked helplessly at the scoreboard with his hands on his hips. Time was running out.

In the last 3 minutes, the Spurs could still get to the free throw line and score in the penalty area, but the point difference always jumped around 10 points.

Steve Kerr made a strong three-point shot, turned around, and Li You, who grabbed a long rebound, took the ball and rushed forward again.

There was no time to complete the tactical foul, the pull failed, and Cole, who lost his defensive position, watched Li You rush through the half court.

1 vs 0 in the frontcourt, Li You rushed into the paint area, took off with both feet and swung the ball around. He grabbed the ball with his right hand and made a dunk!

"Wow!!"

The cheers of the fans were particularly harsh and they asked for a timeout again. After Popovich angrily criticized Cole, he still did not give up the game.

After the timeout, Li You began to control the rhythm, and the game time flew by.

In the end, the Spurs still failed to complete the counterattack. The final buzzer sounded and the score was fixed at 88:99.

After protecting two home games, the score reached 2:0. Jeff Van Gundy smiled broadly and immediately shook hands with the serious-looking Popovich.

Jim Gray immediately came to Li You's side and started the post-match interview with a smile:
"Li, congratulations on winning the game again. What are the team's plans for the next three away games?"

Li You waved to his friends in the audience, and then replied in a relaxed tone:

"Everyone hopes to end the series as soon as possible. After all, the Spurs are very strong and we don't want to drag out the series for too long!"

As if he didn’t think this question was a big deal, Jim Gray asked again with a smile:

"In the fourth quarter, the Spurs got 4 free throws. What do you think of the whistleblowing in this game?"

Before looking at the technical statistics, Li You was stunned when he heard 18 times, and then quickly joked:
"No problem, we should have taken a lot of free throws. You can't beat the Knicks with free throws!"

"."

出场42分钟，21中10，三分线外8中3，罚球10中9，32分4篮板10助攻2失误。

Li You did pay a lot of penalties. Jim Gray finally smiled and patted his shoulder and stopped asking the troublesome questions.

About to return home, at the post-game press conference, Tim Duncan was also asked about free throws:

"Tim, are you going to get more free throws back in San Antonio?"

The New York Post reporter was not polite at all. Many media were very dissatisfied with the whistle in the fourth quarter.

19中9，罚球12中10，28分13篮板1助攻2盖帽2失误，第四节，邓肯也罚了很多
Seemingly unaware of the provocation, Duncan just replied calmly:
"I'm just playing, and I don't care about the referee's calls. We had some problems with the details of the game tonight, but after that, we will protect our home court."

After taking turns to provoke him, Tim Duncan failed to make any progress and instead made the New York media in the audience very angry.

On the morning of June 6, the Spurs, who had lost two games in a row, once again became the target of sports columnists making up stories out of thin air:
"Phil Jackson is coming to San Antonio!"

But this news was slapped in the face in the afternoon. A reporter from the Los Angeles Times broke the news that the Lakers are interested in Phil Jackson, and the championship coach will choose the City of Angels!

In the afternoon training session, everyone in the Knicks team was also gossiping. Ewing, who serves as the atmosphere team, didn't like hearing "Lakers championship":
"The Lakers will not make any improvement. The Spurs can beat them. This already shows the strength of the opponent!"

Everyone knows the little gorilla's little thinking. Of the four major centers, only Olajuwon and he have the championship. If O'Neal really wants to win the championship, this big mouth will not stop.

Jeff Van Gundy interrupted everyone's gossip, clapped his hands and said loudly:
"We have to focus on the finals. In the next game, we may have more offense without the ball."

"Larry, Houston, and Sprewell must also be prepared. We have to make the opponent's double team pay the price!"

Li You, who followed his teammates in gossiping, heard the bald marshal’s instructions and responded immediately:
"Don't worry, coach, we will win the championship!"

Soon everyone started to boo, and Jeff Van Gundy touched his forehead, still feeling worried.

Assistant coach Thibodeau saw what Van Gundy was thinking, and while everyone resumed training, he comforted him in a low voice:

"Without three-pointers, it would be difficult for the Spurs to widen the point difference in a short period of time."

"Even if we are behind, as long as we hit a climax, we can get the game back!"

Assistant coach Don Chaney on the side also felt that Van Gundy was thinking too much, and comforted him in a relaxed tone:

"Jeff, have some confidence in our shooting. We have the strongest backcourt combination in the league."

"."

On June 6st, after two days of rest, the finals G21 officially started.

After returning home, Popovich suddenly adjusted the rotation, and Jaren Jackson entered the active list.

The Spurs, who were in a desperate posture, suddenly ate dumplings outside the three-point line.

在大卫-罗宾逊10中3的情况下，贾伦-杰克逊12中6，三分线外10中5，怒砍17分！
In the end, at 83:89, the Spurs pulled one back.

In the fourth quarter of the game, the Knicks scored 4 points in a single quarter and almost smashed the basket.

When Jeff Van Gundy and Li You appeared at the press conference, San Antonio reporters naturally would not give up such an opportunity:

"Lee, how would you evaluate the team's performance in the 4th quarter?"

Jeff Van Gundy looked ugly. The bald young coach thought something was wrong with the whistle tonight and was still sulking.
Wearing a dark gray formal suit, Li You looked calm. Seeing everyone in the audience looking at him, he shook his head and responded simply:
"We just can't make it"

　Thank you book friends for your subscription support ￣﹣￣
　　
　
(End of this chapter)