NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 147 The damn future ([-]-word chapter)

On June 1999, 6, the day after G24 of the Finals, the major sports media did not miss the hot topic of "penalties", and all their columns pointed the finger at the referee on duty.

Li You did not attend the post-game press conference last night. Alan Houston and Jeff Van Gundy answered questions from some media reporters.

Compared to Houston's gentle words, Van Gundy couldn't stand it for a long time. He asked questions and sarcastically mocked:
"The home advantage is understandable, but the number of free throws at 20:35 is unacceptable."

"Neither Lee nor Sprewell received a fair call."

The New York Times quoted the bald young coach's complaints in the morning article. Instead of celebrating the match point, he continued to criticize the Spurs and the referee's problems.

The New York Post released a passage from an interview with Li You in the locker room after the game:

"I never complain about whistleblowing problems because I have always encountered these problems since I was a child."

"As a team leader, I will not complain about these things on the court. This will seriously affect the emotions of my teammates."

"I'm not interested in competing with each other or trying to prove myself by getting to the basket. What the game of basketball ultimately requires is getting the ball into the basket, and I can hit shots from anywhere in the half court."

"It's a pity that free throws can't beat the Knicks. We're going to win the championship!"

When the team boss keeps complaining to the referee about the whistleblowing problem, the control whistle is already half the battle.

After all, Li You is not a "young man". He certainly knows the purpose of the whistle. If the opponent just doesn't whistle, the players can't twist the referee's thigh.

The NBA will not admit the failure to control the field. As a high-level league, referees will not make such low-level mistakes.

There were a lot of doubts, but the league didn't give any response. They could only pretend to be dead, make up for it in later games, and balance it out.

The decline in discussion of this year's finals is mainly due to the impact of the shortened season.

However, the "penalty" issue has attracted the attention of many people who are interested in melons, and the league has still achieved its goal.
In addition to the hot news of the finals, the most eye-catching thing is the arrival of champion coach Phil Jackson in the City of Angels.

After the news came out in mid-June, perhaps in order to show off as a championship coach, Phil Jackson had to wait for a week before he was finally impressed by the Lakers' "sincerity."

On the morning of the 24th, after Phil Jackson became the 21st head coach of the Lakers, the Los Angeles media reached another climax:

"In the new season, the Lakers will realize their talent!"

Lakers fans like the hot-button Phil Jackson very much, and his humorous answers at the press conference made many media in the audience smile.

"In my opinion, the Lakers already have enough talent."

"Shaq has shown dominance, and Kobe will catch up in Lee's footsteps. They are both rookies in the 96 class. I think Kobe's talent is even better!"

"Kobe has a chance to become as great a player as McQueen, and he and Shaq will become the strongest duo in history."

Good words were given out for free, and Phil Jackson basically praised everyone he met, but many New York reporters at the scene scoffed.

The youngest MVP and the youngest FMVP in NBA history, and is about to win his second career championship at the age of 21!
Coupled with the youngest scoring champion and various scoring records, Li You's current achievements should be compared with Magic Johnson.

In order to support Li You and demonstrate the dominance of the Knicks, while angrily criticizing the Spurs, the New York paper media also did not forget to mock the daydreaming Lakers:

"There are people who only imitate Michael Jordan, and Lee has defeated that high school idol."

After getting the match point and about to win the fourth championship in team history, the inflated New York media basically fired the map cannon, and other teams were just like idiots.

The Knicks' front office also dropped what they were doing and flew to San Antonio.

Since the 30 draft is about to start on the 1999th, even though the Knicks have the 29th overall pick, they cannot be careless about inviting players for workouts.

Old Charles took his eldest son Dolan to express condolences to everyone on the Knicks team, and by the way made a promise:
"We will file a complaint with the league and the team will get an explanation!"

Ewing was in a good mood and took the lead in chirping, and soon everyone was cheering and cheering.

Although we haven't won the championship yet, it was still a small party during lunch.

James Dolan is about to become the real talker of the Knicks, taking over a team that is about to complete two consecutive championships. This can be regarded as the most perfect start.

During the buffet-style lunch in the hotel, James Dolan began to get familiar with everyone again.

Moving to Li Youhe and general manager Glenfield, James Dolan, who was wearing a black formal suit, smiled and raised the juice in his hand:
"Congratulations, Li! The second FMVP trophy in your career, we have prepared everything for you!"

Li You clinked glasses with the other party and complimented with a smile:
"I love the Knicks, it's like my second home!"

Still not mentioning the contract, Li You also put on airs.

Grunfield, who was standing aside, felt helpless when he saw the talker pouring out chicken soup and drawing cakes.

When James Dolan moved to Ewing's side, the two continued to chat about the previous topic:

"Sprewell will leave the team and his agent has expressed his wishes."

"The team wants to complete three consecutive championships, and the bench lineup needs scorers."

"Lee, we all want to hear your opinion!"

Seeing the curly-haired Grenfield smiling, Li You was not fooled and just responded with a smile:
"That's not my job. I want to focus on things on the court. At the moment, we still have to prepare for the G5 game."

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Grunfield smiled and raised his glass. The two clinked their glasses and suddenly said:
"Ron loves playing with you, he loves the Knicks so much, we tried out with him not long ago!"

"Except for some family problems, he is indeed a nice young man. What do you think of him?"

Li You shrugged his shoulders and still did not give a definite answer. He just joked:

"He did well in my camp last year and Ron grew up in Queens, so I can tell he really wants to play for his hometown."

Ewing and Oakley followed James Dolan to play X, and newbie Rashard Lewis also wanted to show his face in front of new talkers.

Sprewell had an indifferent attitude, but when clinking glasses with Li You, he took the initiative to express his gratitude:
"Thanks, Bro! I'll keep it in mind. If you can help, please feel free to contact me!"

Regardless of whether he feels good or bad, Li You will give the ball to Sprewell in every game.

The unshakable right to take about 16 shots is Li You's way of showing respect.

In the G4 game, Li You took 27 shots, Alan Houston took 17 shots, and Sprewell took 16 shots.

Even the blacksmith Larry Johnson took 12 shots. Although "Auntie" made 12 of 2 and scored 6 points, Li You never missed everyone's cake.

"We'll get the championship first tomorrow night, all the best, Bro!"

Li You also smiled and clinked glasses with Sprewell. On the other side, Larry Johnson, Alan Houston and the atmosphere team laughed happily. Everyone was immersed in the joy of winning the championship.

On the morning of June 6, NBA President David Stern and league staff continued to rehearse for the championship award ceremony.

Since yesterday afternoon, the Spurs staff have entered a state of losing MMP.

Watching his opponent receive the award in the Alamodome, and thinking that the visiting team's locker room would be filled with the smell of champagne, a tall black staff member couldn't help but complain in a low voice:

"If we had a different head coach, maybe we would already be celebrating the team's championship!"

This sentence seemed to resonate with everyone, and everyone complained about Popovich.

Jeff Van Gundy received unanimous praise from football critics, and Popovich has become the scapegoat at this time:
"It will only give the ball to Duncan, look at his playing time in the finals this year!"

"The head coach is the team's biggest weakness. Popovich completely shattered David Robinson's championship dream."

"It's hard to understand the team's last choice, we should have equalized."

The San Antonio Express and the San Antonio Observer have not been idle these past two days. It has become a basic operation to angrily criticize the head coach.

Basketball games are all about results, and sticking to the main force becomes a problem at this time.

Complaints by Spurs staff could not affect the rehearsal process. The O'Brien Cup has been shipped to the Alamodome, and no one is optimistic about the Spurs anymore.

At 20:30 that night, the Alamodome was still full.

Most Spurs fans chose to enter the venue early. Although Spike Lee sat in the front row, the Spurs' home auditorium was some distance from the stadium, so he had no chance to express himself.

Many Knicks fans also bought second-hand tickets to witness the team's championship. Coach Calhoun and Ray Allen sat near the front row.

"Ray, I suggest you think about it more. You have already shown yourself in the playoffs. There is no need to stay in Milwaukee."

The Calhoun head coach hopes to see Ray Allen succeed. After all, he personally recruited the players. The Bucks don't look like a team that can win the championship.

Ray Allen just shook his head and responded simply:

"I have already secured the absolute main position in the team. This year is the Eastern Conference semifinals. Next year we may be able to go further."

The people in Connecticut sitting beside them not only wanted to witness Li You win the championship, but also congratulated Hamilton.

Although Duke's Aton Brand has a high probability of locking in the No. 10 pick, Hamilton can also be selected in the top [-] picks.

The lottery show represents a good fortune, and becoming a millionaire is certainly something to be happy about.

In the home team's locker room, Popovich looked a lot more haggard, and the local media had been trolling him for the past two days.
If Phil Jackson hadn't stolen some of the news, Popovich feels his criticism might have been greater.

The opinion in the newspaper actually makes some sense. Tim Duncan’s playing time has remained high since the beginning of the series:

邓肯G4又打了46分钟，几乎打满全场，17中9，罚球12中10，拿到了28分12篮板1助攻4盖帽3失误。

Duncan seemed to be aware of the coach's gaze. Duncan, who was in a daze in his seat, glanced at Popovich, but still said nothing.

Duncan knows the team's situation, not to mention that the final moment is actually his fault.

Elliott's condition continued to decline as the series began to defend Li You.

Chronic nephritis and some injuries have indeed affected the strength of the former All-Star forward. Elliott's current physical condition makes it difficult to continue to assume heavy defensive tasks.

In the locker room, David Robinson didn't say anything. Although he longed for a championship, he would not ask his teammates to do something he couldn't do himself.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Popovich could only put on a confident look and shouted encouragement:

"Don't care about media reports, basketball is round, anything is possible, we can make history!"

"Remember, the series is not over yet. Do you want to see your opponent on stage at our home court to receive the award?"

"."

The Spurs were still silent. G4 shot 12 of 1 from beyond the three-point line. Once Elliott and Mario Elie were too involved in defense, the offense was stretched.

Players know the gap in strength better than the head coach. With +2, there is a high probability that they cannot beat their opponents.

Trying hard to deliver chicken soup, Popovich tried to arouse the fighting spirit of the Spurs.

At this moment, he suddenly understood what Larry Brown said. As a leader, David Robinson indeed lacked the ultimate desire to win.

As the game was about to begin and the away players took the field, the Alamodome was booed.

The director also frequently focused the camera on Li You, who looked relaxed and "fully armed", and naturally did not miss the new pair of colorful shoes at his feet.

The Knicks players were completely relaxed. During the final warm-up, they all had smiles on their faces. The newbie Lewis specifically showed off a dunk, and everyone cheered loudly.

Noticing Popovich’s face and dark circles under his eyes, Doug Collins in the NBC commentary box also joked:
"Although I have some doubts about Coach Popovich's last-minute choices, he has done a good job."

"The head coach should not be criticized too much. Players need to grow, and so does the coach."

Bob Costas on the side also saw the news in the local newspaper in the past two days, and also briefly commented:

"The Knicks are the defending champions and Lee is the MVP this season. It is extremely difficult to beat such a team."

"Compared with last season, Lee has no technical shortcomings, and forward players like Elliott are not very good at defending."

"I just hope that the Spurs can speed up their offensive rhythm tonight. In the G4 game, they only took 68 shots, while the Knicks took 83 shots."

"Don't expect Lee to make mistakes. He will just continue to attack. More rounds are also the reason why the Knicks win."

"."

In the first quarter of the game, the Spurs usually speed up the offensive rhythm in an attempt to establish some lead at the start.

Just after the opening, Avery Johnson made a pick-and-roll shot, and David Robinson made a mistake and was intercepted by Ben Wallace;
Only Duncan hit a mid-range jumper from the left elbow.

In this attack, Mario Elie rushed to the basket and was blocked by Matamoto Rice.
After a few rounds, most of the Spurs fans at the scene were heartbroken.

Avery Johnson's tactical foul stopped Li You's counterattack, and the DJ at the scene quickly shouted:

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The defensive cheers were much quieter, and Elliott quickly defended in front of Li You. After tonight's start, the Spurs directly changed their defensive position.

On the right wing, trying to lower his body's center of gravity, Elliott saw Li You holding the ball in his right hand suddenly leaning forward to accelerate, and hurriedly slid to the left rear.

While giving physical confrontation, Elliot did not stop his hand movements. He sensed that Li You was about to squeeze through the defense, and subconsciously wanted to speed up his pace.

Li You suddenly made a quick cross-step and pulled back, instantly returning to the three-point line. He slid backwards and Elliott found himself being shaken out by more than a meter, completely giving up on defense.
"Oh!"

Amid the exclamations of the fans at the scene, Li You easily connected the ball on the right wing and quickly made a jump shot from outside the three-point line!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

At 9:2, Popovich looked ugly and immediately requested a timeout.

With 1 minutes and 8 seconds left in the first quarter, the atmosphere team on the Knicks bench started jumping up and down, cheering every time a goal was scored.

The best defender on the outside didn't have any effect. Instead, because of the change of matchups, Alan Houston chased Avery Johnson at the beginning.
The suggestions of fans and commentators are of no use, and there was nothing wrong with Popovich's previous game strategy of guarding other Knicks players.

The two people in the commentary box naturally saw Li You's calm appearance when facing Elliott's defense:
"The tall striker defends, but his agility is poor. Lee can even squeeze through Elliott's defense."

"Maybe Coach Popovich is right, but the Spurs just can't defend the perimeter."

The noisy scene made Bob Costas raise his voice, but Doug Collins on the side said:
"Tim Duncan seems tired. He plays too many minutes. Don't forget that he also takes on a lot of help defense tasks on the defensive end."

Whenever the Spurs have a problem, the solution is mostly to give the ball to Tim Duncan.

After the timeout, the Knicks had a tacit understanding with everyone and began to press the Spurs' three outsiders, not giving the opponent a chance to pass the ball easily.

Duncan changed direction from right to left, and then found an opportunity to catch the ball with his back in the left block.

It's just that Avery Johnson's passing position was lower due to Li You's interference. After adjusting the ball, Duncan was guarded by Oakley again.

Sensing the small movement behind him, Duncan immediately turned around, faced the frame to attack, took a quick test step with his right foot, took advantage of his height, and made a pull-up jumper.

Duncan hit consecutive mid-range jumpers after the opening game, and Spurs fans in the Alamodome also began to cheer.

The Knicks took a baseline kick, and Li You smiled when he caught the ball. No one on the Spurs was guarding him anymore, and he realized that the opponent's physical fitness had declined.

Without rushing forward, Li You first made a tactical gesture and reached the top of the arc, and then Elliott moved up to defend.

Oakley moved quickly and stood at the three-point line. Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, quickly in and out, swinging right and left.

Elliott was shaken and subconsciously slid to the left. He realized something was wrong and wanted to pursue a defense, but was delayed by Oakley.

Lowering his body's center of gravity, Li You took the left shoulder and broke through. Facing Duncan who came up from defense, he quickly pushed the ball to change direction.

Taking advantage of the opponent's sliding step to the right, Li You grabbed the ball with his right hand and passed between the two of them in the blink of an eye and went straight to the basket.

In the previous games, Duncan could still continue to pursue defense, but tonight his feet became heavy and he lost his defensive position in an instant.

When David Robinson under the basket reacted, he didn't have time to fully take off. Li You had already taken three big steps to rush forward.

The two were fighting in the air under the basket. Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, exerted a slight force on his body, and after hovering for a short time, relying on David Robinson, he completely dodged the block and easily picked the ball into the basket!
Scenes that rarely appeared in the first four games made Bob Costas keep exclaiming:

"God! Unbelievable, Lee penetrated the Spurs defense!"

David Robinson guarded the basket and Tim Duncan quickly assisted in defense. This tried and tested defensive method failed at the beginning of the night.Li You, who succeeded in the layup, turned around and smiled at Duncan. When retreating, he passed by the opponent and suggested in a low voice:
"I will continue to play pick-and-roll, maybe you should stay at the basket!"

"."

Duncan still didn't make a sound, just widened his eyes, and while serving the baseline ball, he pulled David Robinson and whispered again.

Oakley was in a good mood. There were no obvious double standards in the referee's call tonight, and some small moves were not called when defending in the low post.

The old guy realized that the referee might be looking for another whistle, and the defensive end stepped up the confrontation.

On the outside, the Spurs began to give the ball to the two big men again, but every attack seemed very sluggish, and the quality of the ball passed was not high.

David Robinson rarely succeeded in a strong attack under the basket. Just as he retreated to half court, he saw Li You jumping and dribbling from the left wing. His right hand quickly changed direction and broke through Elliott's defense in an instant.

The pick-and-roll prediction was wrong, Elliott lost his defensive position, and Duncan, who followed Oakley, failed to keep up with Li You's offensive rhythm.
In the exclamation of the fans at the scene, Li You took off his feet when he broke through and approached the paint area, faced David Robinson's block, twisted his body and forced a layup!

"squeak!"

The referee immediately blew the whistle, and David Robinson didn't even think about blocking the shot, but just pulled it.

It was just that Li You exerted his full strength, and under the huge impact, the "Admiral" staggered after completing the pull in the air and fell to the floor under the basket.
Li You was also pulled to lose his center of gravity. After landing, he relieved his strength and slipped next to the camera under the basket.

The basketball that was thrown casually hit the top of the backboard, then bounced on the rim twice, and finally fell into the net.

After noticing that the ball had been scored, Li You, who had been lying on the floor just now, immediately straightened up, crossed his arms, posed, and calmly made an X to the camera.
The Alamodome suddenly fell silent again, with only the Knicks' atmosphere team yelling crazily, waving towels, and jumping up and down on the sidelines.

Oakley and others pulled Li You up and walked to the free throw line. A small number of New York fans at the scene happily shouted:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Li Youjia made a solid free throw. Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines pumped his fist excitedly. He breathed a sigh of relief and happily returned to the bench to hang up.

Popovich on the sidelines kept yelling after the game started.

It's just that the Spurs have difficulty scoring. Duncan and David Robinson attack every time. Sometimes they catch the ball in the high post and are double-teamed by nearby Knicks players.
After noticing that Duncan's feet were heavy, Li You started to pick and roll, tearing apart the defense again and again, and continued to torment the two big men on the opposite side.

At the end of the first quarter, David Robinson went to the free throw line again and hit the first free throw. There was a sigh in the Alamodome.

In the commentary box, Bob Costas looked at the silent arena and could only say with emotion:

"Tim Duncan is really tired. He is the player who plays the most minutes on both teams."

"Not only does he have to carry the Spurs' offense, but he also has to help defend every time he encounters a pick-and-roll on the defensive end. Coupled with the rebounding task, maybe he has reached his limit at this time."

Noting that David Robinson hit his second free throw, Doug Collins complained about Popovich's rotation:

"About 41 minutes, which is barely a reasonable playing time. Unlike Lee who doesn't have many tasks on the defensive end, the Spurs obviously overused Tim Duncan."

At 24:15, there was only 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the first quarter. Popovich's eyes were straight at this time, and he seemed to feel that he had made a mistake.

At the top of the arc, Elliott failed to squeeze through the pick-and-roll in time. Kurt Thomas, who came off the bench, covered the ball very well.

Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly quickly circled the ball behind him when Duncan came up late.

The basketball passed through the gap between people, and Li You took advantage of the opportunity to grab the ball with his right hand. Li You broke through Duncan's defense again.

"Shh!"

The huge boos did not affect Li You. At the moment when the Spurs' defense shrank, Li You, who broke into the paint area, flicked the ball behind his back while moving forward.

The basketball flew straight to the left corner. After Rashad Lewis, who had just come on as a substitute, received the ball, there was no one in front of him and he made a solid three-point jump shot!

"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

After scoring the goal, Lewis shouted excitedly and jumped over to high-five Li You to celebrate.

David Robinson was completely confused. As he retreated to Lewis, his emotion was:
"Who the fuck is this?"

The Spurs will naturally do player reports before the game, but Lewis averaged 2.1 minutes in the regular season and has no data. The garbage time in G1 of the finals was also a waste of time.

In the only time he played, Lewis committed a foul on his back.

In the next round, Duncan attacked Kurt Thomas in the low post from the left and squeezed to the basket. Lewis immediately stepped forward and pulled for a foul.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines clapped his hands with a smile. Chris Dudley had some health problems tonight, so he had no choice but to use the new player, and the effect was not bad.

Duncan made two free throws, and the Spurs fans at the scene were silent. With a double-digit point difference, they couldn't stand it anymore.

Avery Johnson once again led the defense against Li You, using the pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, quickly squeezing through the screen, and cooperated with Duncan to double-team.

Just when the two were about to encircle each other, Li You flicked his left wrist and passed the ball through the defense again. Kurt Thomas passed down, received the ball at the free throw line and was unguarded, and made a quick mid-range jump shot!
"Shua!" The two-pointer was hit steadily.

As the two sides fought hard in the last two rounds, after the first quarter, the score reached 1:29.

Everyone on the Knicks bench was smiling and high-fiving happily.

On the other side, several people from the Spurs returned to their seats, all with eyes wide open, as if they couldn't believe that they were already 12 points behind.
Noticing the mood of the Spurs team, Doug Collins began to comment on the series:

"This is the strength of MVP. As the series progresses, Lee will keenly grasp the opponent's weaknesses!"

"Popovich has paid a price for his employment, Tim Duncan can always solve problems, and it is understandable to rely on star players."

首节比赛，李佑6中5，三分线外1中1，罚球3中3，14分1篮板3助攻。

蒂姆-邓肯7中3，罚球2中2，拿了8分。

Both of them played the entire first quarter. Seeing the technical statistics, Bob Costas could only sigh:

"The Knicks have a chance to end the series tonight with a double-digit lead, and given the current state of the Spurs on both ends of the floor, it's going to be hard for them to tie the game."

The Knicks rotated normally, with Li You resting on the bench, the Spurs changed the backcourt, and Popovich continued to fight Duncan.

In the first quarter, the game ended at the basket. In the second quarter, Duncan regained his form, frequently attacking in the low post and constantly scoring points in the paint area.

Steve Kerr, who came on the court, was also trying to speed up at this time, but Chris Childs was clinging to Kerr's side, preventing the opponent from getting an open three-pointer.

Noting that Lewis was performing well, Oakley on the bench also whispered a few words beside Li You:

"I knew this coward could survive in the league."

Sprewell stopped trying to score goals tonight. He broke through to the basket to attract the defense, and assisted Lewis in the right corner to hit a three-pointer.

"what!!"

Although his role was simple, with a back foul and a three-pointer from the bottom corner, he saw the bald young coach showing his thumbs up and Lewis couldn't help but beat his chest and scream after scoring.

There were boos in the Alamodome, two three-pointers were made, and the point difference was back to 12 points.
In the audience, the New York fans shouted happily. This is the rhythm of the Knicks' game.

With 7 minutes and 01 seconds left in the half, Li You and others returned to the court.

Larry Johnson took a break, and with the three guards plus Oakley and Ben Wallace, the Knicks entered singles mode again.

In the first round after debuting, Elliott defended Li You on the right wing from outside the three-point line to catch the ball.

It was still a sudden defensive shot. Noticing that the opponent was constantly attacking, Li You bent down to protect the ball and protected the ball on the left side of his body, always maintaining a three-threat posture.

He quickly took a tentative step with his right foot. After noticing that there was still no one on the line to defend him, Li You quickly released his left hand, blasted the ball on the spot and then took a large step back.

Elliott subconsciously jumped up to block the shot, but he was still a beat too slow. When Li You took action, he was already falling to his side, watching the basketball draw an arc and fall into the basket.

"Shh!"

In addition to the huge boos at the scene, the Spurs fans who couldn't stand it began to spit out sweet things.
The almost unsolvable offensive method made Doug Collins secretly speechless:
"Elliott has already defended well, but Lee's shooting is too fast. Compared with the previous two seasons, his core strength has been significantly improved."

The point difference widened again, and Bob Costas also had an off-court chat at this time:

"I'm curious why Lee's draft report was not rated highly?"

"Aside from his lack of height, Li's current body shape is completely inconsistent with the report. He has grown a lot in three years."

The two started chatting and chatting in the commentary box, but Tim Duncan on the court was a little anxious.

During the offense, they tried to drive their outside teammates, but the Knicks insisted on single defense in the low post. Once the ball went in, it was difficult to get out.

Except for Jaren Jackson's strong three-pointer, there were no good three-pointers in most rounds.

Another low post on the left received the ball. Duncan quickly turned around and came to the basket to hit the ball hard.

Just now, he was still greeting his teammates to complete their defensive positions. The Knicks' Alan Houston received a pass from Li You on the right wing, released the ball with his left hand, and broke through with a cross step.

Instantly passing Jaren Jackson's defense, at the right elbow of the free throw line, Alan Houston succeeded in a pull-up jump shot!

The Spurs' defense had just settled in, and the Knicks had quickly retreated.

After Li You signaled to speed up the offensive rhythm, the offense became more casual, but the effect was very good, and the Spurs could no longer keep up.

It seemed that only Popovich's shouts were left in the arena, constantly reminding the Spurs to keep fighting.

On the bench, Ewing, who was wearing a light gray suit, grinned widely. He liked to see David Robinson playing iron.

After missing a mid-range jumper from the free throw line, David Robinson had no choice but to throw away his hand. Seeing the Knicks launching a counterattack, he could only retreat quickly with his teammates.

In the transition attack, Li You hit a three-pointer from the left wing. The long rebound bounced out and was picked up by Sprewell.

Li You pretended to cut in without the ball, then quickly ran back to the three-point line to catch the ball again.

He raised the ball and feinted. Cole was immediately shaken and jumped to defend. He released the ball with his left hand. Li You quickly took a step sideways, avoided the block, and made an easy jump shot!
"Shua!" Three-pointer and then scored!

Popovich immediately requested a timeout, and the only thing left in the Alamodome was the cheers of New York fans.

47:31，半场比赛还剩2分42秒，尼克斯队已经领先了16分。

The defense completely collapsed, and the expected three-pointer failed to appear. Steve Kerr walked to the bench, seeming to recall the experience of losing to the Bulls, and sighed secretly:

"No more championships"

Li You smiled and high-fived his teammates to celebrate. The game had completely entered the downwind stage.

Popovich noticed that everyone on the Spurs team was in a low mood, and hurriedly sent out another chicken soup:
"The game is not over yet and we still have a lot of time to turn the score around."

"Pay attention to defense. We can attack in advance and not give the opponent any chance to score easily!"

Duncan sat in his seat and gasped. It was easy for Popovich to say it, but the Knicks threw it away after halftime and showed no signs of slowing down.

On the offensive end, he needs to wrestle with the old guy on the opposite side, and on the defensive end, he has to help defend and make up for the position.

David Robinson fell silent again at this time and missed a long rebound. He couldn't blame his teammates. Everyone tried their best.
In the last few minutes of the half, the Spurs' offense still didn't improve much. In some rounds, the Knicks seized the opportunity and easily counterattacked and scored.

As soon as Avery Johnson came on the court, a cross pass from the left wing was intercepted by Li You.

"Shh!"

The sudden mistake made the audience booed again. Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand and rushed back quickly. He went 1-on-0 in the frontcourt and easily hit a gliding dunk!
"The game is over. The Spurs seem to have lost their fighting spirit. They have made 2 turnovers in the second quarter."

Bob Costas summed up the game in a brisk tone, and Doug Collins beside him also nodded in agreement:
"The Knicks once again played an efficient offense, and once they started running, the Spurs' defense was broken down."

As soon as the two boasted nonsense, the disappointed Spurs fans stopped shouting along with the DJ. Looking at the halftime score, everyone knew that the situation was over.

At 56:39, the Knicks led by 17 points.

Sprewell's efficiency is on the rise, Larry Johnson has regained his touch, and Alan Houston is scoring steadily.

Li You was in a good mood as he walked back to the tunnel, and the team could prepare for the award ceremony later.

After returning to the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy walked around excitedly and repeatedly warned:

"Don't be careless, don't give the opponent any chance to gain momentum, and maintain our defensive intensity."

"There are only two quarters left before the championship. Stay patient. The front office staff has prepared everything for us. We will win the championship in San Antonio tonight!"

"."

The bald young handsome man kept chattering away, and everyone in the locker room didn't care, just chatting and laughing.

After the start of the second half, the Spurs began to double-team without thinking. Avery Johnson was already desperately chasing Li You.

The weak side that was left open responded tonight. Larry Johnson hit a three-pointer, and he also caused a foul by driving to the basket.

When the Spurs attacked, David Robinson was under the basket, and several rounds were not completed. Only with Duncan's offensive rebound did the point difference not widen.

The Alamodome grew quieter, and frustration began to fill the hearts of the Spurs players.

Mario Eli finally hit a shot from beyond the three-point line, but within two rounds, Alan Houston and Li You responded one after another.

Tim Duncan is still the Spurs' most stable scoring point, attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line.

But on the defensive end, when faced with high pick-and-rolls, Duncan, whose physical fitness has declined, can only use fouls to prevent Li You's breakthrough.

With 3 minute and 1 seconds left in the third quarter, Duncan pulled Li You to the free throw line again.

There were no boos in the arena, and the disappointed Spurs fans just watched in silence as Li You made two free throws.

On the Knicks bench, Ewing and the atmosphere team pumped their fists in celebration.

After three quarters, 83:60, Popovich stood motionless on the sidelines, seemingly unable to believe that the Spurs were already 23 points behind.
In the last quarter of the game, after struggling for less than 6 minutes, the two sides switched to the atmosphere team step by step.

On the Knicks bench, everyone stood up to watch the game and high-fived each other in celebration. Charles Sr., who was sitting in the front row, also smiled and kept whispering to David Stern next to him.

The boos gradually appeared again in the Alamodome. Some extreme fans began to angrily criticize Popovich again, and the boos were directed at their head coach.

The game time flew by, and in the end, 99:81, the Knicks defeated the Spurs.

"Shh!"

Seeing everyone on the Knicks bench hugging each other, a large number of reporters rushed to the center of the field, and Spurs fans booed again.

Jeff Van Gundy kept hugging the coaching staff around him, raising his hands in the air and pumping his fists in celebration.

Ewing noticed that David Robinson, who was wearing a towel on the Spurs bench and had not stood up, grinned for a moment and was in a very happy mood.

Tim Duncan was very graceful. The silent power forward hugged everyone in the Knicks immediately after the game.

In the center of the field, Li You raised two fingers, smiled and posed in front of the media reporters. He noticed that Duncan had walked over, and then turned around to hug him.

"Congratulations, Li! You are indeed the better team. I hope we will have another chance to play against each other in the future!"

“Considering coming to play for the Spurs?”

Duncan congratulated him and finally made a joke, trying to hide his disappointment.

"A great series, glad we can meet in the finals!"

The age difference between the two is 1 year. Li You smiled and bumped fists with each other again, and quickly responded teasingly:
"San Antonio is not for me, come on, Tim, the future is yours!"

In addition to snapping their cameras, the surrounding sports media also handed radio equipment to the two. Everyone wanted to hear what the two core players were saying.

Duncan, who was getting more and more frustrated, didn't notice Li You's words. After another simple business exchange, he turned away and walked quickly to the players' tunnel.

After entering the player tunnel, Duncan was in a better mood and realized something was wrong. He seemed to be one year older than Li You, and couldn't help but cursed:
"Shet! Damn the future!"

"."

　Thank you book friends for your subscription support ∠(　∠)_
　　
　
(End of this chapter)