NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 170: Strong in the West and Weak in the East (Daily Chapter)
At the end of each season, players will start working hard for major awards.

For fans in New York and Los Angeles, it's time for the annual "let him brush" session.
Li You's attendance this season has been very good. Although he has made more breakthroughs, most of his injuries were caused by "falling" and "beating".

Even with a large amount of ball rights, Li You did not relax his demands on himself. As long as there are three games a week, he will carry out additional training.

In the Knicks, everyone may not like to do shooting training, but the activity of iron rolling is deeply loved by many players.

Being squeezed out of the starting lineup by Ewing, "Xiao Ben"'s playing time has been reduced a lot. The technical work of finishing at the basket is too difficult. In comparison, it is still fun to bang the iron!
With the blessing of physical talent, Ben Wallace's strength training effect is remarkable, and the training has positive feedback. The more he practices, the more energetic he becomes.
The same goes for Artest. The three-point shooting training was too boring. He practiced hard, but in the game, he was still 4 for 0.

The number of times you eat dumplings is really too small, so it’s not as good as strength training feedback.

In addition, there are amateur boxing enthusiasts on the Knicks team, beating iron and boxing, which is much more interesting than boring basic training.

Larry Johnson has been troubled by back injuries this season and has knee problems. Ewing called for "stop drinking and sex." Everyone stopped going to nightclubs, and "Auntie" was so depressed that he would practice boxing with everyone when he had time.
On April 4, the Knicks challenged the Lakers away from home, and the two sides played an extremely heated match.

It's rare that his shooting condition is very good, but Larry Johnson found that he couldn't make free throws.

In addition, they fell behind by 51 points at 58:7 in the first half. Halfway through the third quarter, a conflict broke out after "Auntie" broke through the basket and Glenn Rice both fell to the ground.

The fans who bought tickets to watch the game at Staples Arena that night were satisfied with it. The two sides soon started pushing and shoving each other, and then there was an amateur boxing match.
The young Kobe was positive, but he was not very skilled and wanted to stand up for his big brother. He was almost KO'd by Artest who rushed up from the bench.

Phil Jackson has long been dissatisfied with the Knicks. Instead of starting a fight, this head coach with a full personality encouraged his players to move forward.

Nicholson, sitting in the front row, could even hear Phil Jackson yelling:
"Fuck! Come on everyone! F*** to death"

It's a pity that the Lakers don't have a tradition of iron-bloodedness, and they really can't compare to the Knicks when it comes to punching.

The conflict ultimately led to the ejection of Ben Wallace, Artest, Larry Johnson, and Oakley from the Knicks, and they were suspended for one game after the game.

The Lakers' Robert Horry, Brian Shaw, and Fisher also received the same punishment.

"Auntie" was suspended for a flagrant foul, and most of the others rushed to the court from the bench.

As the game progressed, both Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy put pressure on the referees.

Seeing the Knicks starting to chase points again, Phil Jackson, in order to boost the team's morale, first smashed the tactical board angrily, and then blew himself up and was ejected.

After scoring 3 points in the third quarter and being overtaken by the Knicks, the Lakers finally broke out in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points.

In the end, 102:106, the Lakers, playing at home, won the game and avoided being double-killed for the season.

The Knicks almost completed another counterattack with their iron-blooded basketball. Even if they won the game, the Los Angeles media was so angry that they gave Li You a new title after the game:

"Lee on the legs"

Learning from the lessons learned from the previous game, O'Neal, AC Green, and Robert Horry defended much more fiercely in this game.

Robert Horry suffered a lot. Once he helped defend, he might get hit accidentally. This is why he rushed out of the bench in the third quarter and blew himself up.

Kobe, who had panda eyes, didn't shoot as coldly as he did in the last game, but obediently passed the ball to O'Neal.

出场43分钟，28中14，罚球12中6，奥尼尔砍下34分12篮板4助攻3盖帽3失误。

李佑出场41分，23中10，三分线外9中3，罚球6中5，砍下28分6篮板7助攻2抢断2失误的数据。

Tonight, O'Neal just lifted the March Player of the Month trophy at his home court, but he almost suffered another counterattack in this game.

At the press conference after the game, Shark still had a grimace:

"I don't like the situation of leading at halftime and suddenly losing in the third quarter."

"We should win the game more easily instead of struggling to win in the fourth quarter!"

Although the Knicks lost, Li You still kept smiling when he appeared at the press conference after the game.

The sports media, which likes to take advantage of the situation, once again acted as a mouthpiece and repeated O'Neal's words.

Li You didn't care about O'Neal's confident attitude, but instead followed the topic and joked:
"If Shaq can make 6 more free throws, maybe the Lakers can indeed win more easily."

“They were definitely the better team most of the game tonight!”

"."

In March, the Lakers achieved a record of 3 wins and 14 losses. O'Neal averaged 2 points, 33.8 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 4.0 blocks, and 2.1 turnovers per game, and his shooting percentage was as high as 2.6%!The Knicks went 59.0-13 last month. Li You averaged 4 points per game and shot 31.2% from the field. His efficiency dropped a bit and he lost the Player of the Month award. The New York media had nothing to say.

This nationally broadcast game has opened a new round of war of words between New York fans and Los Angeles fans.

The collision of the two major ball markets also made the NBA smile from ear to ear. Only when there is controversy can there be discussion. From an operational perspective, this is indeed a good thing!
The regular season is coming to an end, and being suspended is not a big deal. Jeff Van Gundy continues to expand the rotation, and Li You's playing time has not decreased.

If you want to win the scoring title, you have to continue to play at this time, and the same goes for O'Neal. The two began to compete in the air again in the last few games.
On April 4, the Knicks experienced two consecutive losses for the third time this season, losing back-to-back to the Heat and Pacers.

In TNT's post-game commentary program that night, the Lakers and Knicks began to be compared again.

In a simultaneous game, the Lakers narrowly defeated the SuperSonics and had already secured the number one spot in the league.

What the three people discussed in the studio was not the content of the game, but the issue of who should be named the MVP this season:
"Unfortunately, although the Knicks still have a chance to win 60 games this year, it will be difficult for Lee to win the MVP again. Shaq has played unparalleled dominance!"

Kenny Smith sighed regretfully, seeming to feel pity for Li You's performance.

Mike Fratello also feels that there is no suspense about the MVP. The Lakers have a better record and O'Neal's failure to win the award is also an advantage:
"I believe that the vast majority of media people will vote for O'Neal. The team record and personal data are perfect!"

In the studio, Ernie Johnson saw that the two people had reached an agreement, and he also smiled and added:

"To be ranked first in the league, from a record perspective, this year belongs to the Lakers!"

"When they meet in the playoffs, whether the Lakers can dominate the playoffs is also a major attraction right now!"

"."

On April 4, the 19~1999 regular season officially ended.

There were 14 games that day. After the Knicks defeated the Celtics back-to-back, their season record was finally settled at 60 wins and 22 losses.

The Lakers are not relaxing either. O'Neal, like Li You, is still fighting for the scoring title.

104:97, the Lakers successfully defeated the Spurs in the final game!

With 67 wins and 15 losses, Phil Jackson led the Lakers to the league's best record.

The playoff matchups are also officially released tonight.

In the Eastern Conference, the eight teams that finally reached the playoffs are:

The Knicks with 60 wins, the Pacers with 56 wins, the Heat with 52 wins, the 49ers with 76 wins;

The Hornets had 48 wins, the Raptors had 44 wins, the Pistons had 41 wins, and the Bucks had 41 wins.

For the Knicks, although they did not win the first place in the league, the Bulls achieved a record of 17 wins and 65 losses this season.

The value of the first-round pick belonging to the Bulls is still rising, and Sprewell has received unanimous praise from New York fans!
The eight teams in the Western Conference that finally reached the playoffs are:

The Lakers with 67 wins, the Trail Blazers with 59 wins, the Jazz with 54 wins, and the Spurs with 52 wins;
The Suns had 51 wins, the Timberwolves had 49 wins, the SuperSonics had 45 wins, and the Kings had 44 wins.

The Rockets achieved a record of 34 wins and 48 losses. Charles Barkley's championship dream was completely shattered. The last season of his career ended with injuries.

The regular season officially ended. All major sports media noticed the gap between the Eastern and Western Conferences. The opinions of the football commentators that night were surprisingly unanimous:
"The west is strong and the east is weak, and the future champions will most likely come from the Western Conference!"

"."

The Knicks finished the game healthy, and after returning to the hotel, Jeff Van Gundy led everyone to celebrate their No. [-] record in the Eastern Conference.

After three days of rest, back in New York, the Knicks will face the Bucks in the first round at home.

When Li You returned to his room, he also saw Ray Allen's text message. After a brief reply, he quickly took a shower.

On the TV, ESPN is still predicting the results of the first round, and the sports commentators are extolling the dominance of the Lakers.
Winning the Atlantic Division Championship again, Li You looked at the simple talent panel with full expectations.

[Anfernee Hardaway's outstanding explosive power] has disappeared. In just one season, this talent has been completely digested.

As soon as his thoughts moved, Li You soon got the prompt:
[Grant Hill’s extraordinary explosive power]

Looking at the golden progress from the beginning, Li You touched his chin thoughtfully:
"Have you reached the limit already?"

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