NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 171 Data and Victory!

Chapter 171 Data and Victory! (Ten thousand words chapter)
On April 2000, 4, as the regular season officially ended, players who did not make the playoffs began to fish, and teams that entered the playoffs were busy preparing for the game.

The Lakers, who had won 67 games, became the focus. Champion coach Phil Jackson and super center O'Neal gave Los Angeles fans hope of winning the championship.

The regular season record can explain the strength of the team to a certain extent.

In the past two seasons, the Knicks ranked first in the league and successfully won two consecutive championships. This time the Lakers led by a full 7 games, and the media in Los Angeles also expanded.

The morning newspaper, after holding back for a season, the Los Angeles Times finally started loan mode:

"Unparalleled dominance, this is the era of the Lakers!"

After the Lakers "Show Time" ended, the Los Angeles paper media basically felt nostalgic every day, and Lakers fans also missed the "Magic Birds" era.

The "Chamberlain" + "Michael Jordan" that was trumpeted before the All-Star Game was not very successful. Kobe was very good, but he was a bit different from Michael Jordan.

The most important thing is that Li You has performed at a historical level this season. Although the specific statistics are not clear to the Los Angeles media, he is definitely much better than Kobe.

Local newspapers are information cocoons. Lakers fans don't find it easy to buy the New York Times, and New York fans don't pay attention to what the Los Angeles newspapers are touting.

Young people who like to surf the Internet can see some comments from sports columnists in the Yahoo Sports section, but most of these articles are not objective just to attract attention.

The scouts and coaching staff of each team will not look at these messy things. The data can reflect the strength of the team. Combining ESPN's data with your own statistics is enough.

Although the Knicks coaching staff is small, assistant coach Thibodeau supports three of them, and he is more enthusiastic about his work than anyone else.

On the morning of the 20th, in the multimedia room of the Tarrytown Training Center, assistant coach Thibodeau briefly explained the Bucks game video to the coaching staff.

Under the leadership of head coach George Karl, the Bucks have completely unleashed their offensive talents this season.

The arrival of Sam Cassell also seemed to activate Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson.

With the perimeter trio as the core, striker Darwin Hamm and center Earvin Johnson have been completely reduced to tool men.
"The first round game was not a lot of pressure for us, and the Bucks lacked continuity on defense."

"The ability to protect the rim is average. Among the substitutes, Tim Thomas is in good shape. The big man Williams has no ability to attack independently."

"But Larry is not in good condition at the moment, so we have to be prepared to increase the rotation."

Assistant coach Thibodeau is very confident about the first round. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. The Knicks' defensive end has declined and is still better than the Bucks.

Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff combined the technical statistics in their hands and nodded.

To speed up the offensive tempo, the Knicks can switch to smaller inside players, and their mobility will not be inferior to the opponent's.

This season, the Bucks averaged 83.3 shots per game and scored 101.2 points, ranking sixth in the league.

The offensive end is very good, but on the defensive end, the opponent averages 101.0 points per game, ranking 23rd in the league. This data is even better.

Can attack but not defend, this situation is very similar to the Pistons, which ranks third on the offensive end and fourth from the bottom on the defensive end.

This is also the reason why many football commentators predict that both teams will stop in the first round. In the playoffs, it still depends on defense.

Assistant coach Don Chaney looked at the team's technical statistics and couldn't help but sigh:
"There is a high probability that Li will not win the MVP. He has performed so well this season, with 60 wins. This result is beyond my expectations."

The technical statistics in the hands of the coaching staff can illustrate Li You's addition to the team.

During the regular season, the Knicks averaged 80.3 shots per game and scored 103.8 points per game, ranking second in the league.

The team averages 13.8 turnovers per game. This number of turnovers is very rare when carrying a lot of ball rights.

Low turnovers are also a guarantee for the Knicks' defense. This season, they have allowed their opponents to score 96.3 points per game, and their defensive data dropped to 11th.

If the offensive and defensive ends are converted into hundreds of rounds, the Knicks dropped to 5th on the offensive end and moved up one spot on the defensive end.

In the data of 6 rounds, the Lakers, which ranked sixth on the defensive end, topped the data list.

In the past two seasons, the integration of offense and defense has changed to the current focus on offense and light defense. Jeff Van Gundy still has some regrets in his heart.

Thinking about the internal situation of the team, the bald young coach can only cheer up. He still has a chance to win three consecutive championships:

"Pay attention to the players' physical condition during training. The team cannot have any more injuries at the moment."

Everyone nodded. Kukchi was injured at the end of February, and his record was somewhat affected. He couldn't fight against the main force too early.

Jeff Van Gundy knows better than anyone how the Bulls lost in 98, and no one wants to follow the Bulls' old path.

On April 4, the NBA officially announced the leaders in various statistics for this season:
Averaged 14.1 rebounds per game, and the Hawks' Dikembe Mutombo was elected as the rebounding leader this season;
Averaged 10.1 assists per game, and Jason Kidd of the Suns won the assists title for the second consecutive season;

Averaging 3.7 blocks per game, the Heat's Alonzo Mourning also won the block title for the second consecutive year;

Averaged 2.7 steals per game, and Eddie Jones of the Hornets won the steals title this season;

Scoring champion Li You and O'Neal competed until the last moment. In the end, the Sharks did not shamelessly brush up the data.

Averaging 30.2 points per game, Li You of the Knicks won the scoring title again!

In the 1999~2000 season, Li You started all 81 games, averaging 37.6 minutes per game;

场均拿到30.2分5.3篮板8.2助攻1.8抢断0.4盖帽2.7失误;

Averaged 21.1 shots per game, shooting 48.5% from the field, 7.5 shots from beyond the three-point line, and 41.7% from three-pointers;

He averaged 7.4 free throws per game and made 89.2% of his free throws.

O'Neal, who played 79 games in the regular season and averaged 29.7 points per game, lost the scoring title by a narrow margin.

On the total scoring list, Li You scored 2444 points this season, scoring more than 2000 points in a single season for the first time in his career!
And when ESPN announced the rankings of various statistics for this season, the concept of "combo guard" became popular again.

With 663 assists in a single season, Li You ranked 8th in the assist list;

147 steals in a single season, which seems mediocre, but ranks 5th in the steals list;

254 three-pointers in a single season once again broke the three-pointer record set by Li You himself!

In the three-point list, Gary Payton, ranked second, made 2 three-pointers, and Ray Allen, ranked third, made 177.

In terms of three-pointer production, Li You is far ahead!

While ensuring production, the three-point shooting rate of 41.7% also ranked seventh.

When it comes to the free throw list, Li You averaged 6.6 free throws per game, ranking third, and his free throw percentage also ranked third.

O'Neal averaged 10.4 free throws per game, but his free throw percentage was only 52.4%.
In terms of true shooting percentage, the ball commentator was shocked again after looking at the data. Li You ranked third with 61.9%.

The top two players on the list, Jon Barry and Mutombo, do not have as many ball rights as Li You.

Regarding MVP, on the efficiency value list that many media people are paying attention to, Li You topped the list with a value of 31.6!
The terrifying PER completely shocked the sports media!
Since ESPN launched this data, in the long history of the NBA, as of 2000, there were only 30 players with a PER of more than 5.

The only ones with a value above 31 are Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Li You's PER of 31.6 tied the records set by Chamberlain in 1964 and Michael Jordan in 1991, becoming the third player in NBA history to achieve this achievement!

At the end of the regular season, O'Neal, who immediately announced to the media that he would become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history, did not accept an interview again that day.

This season, the Sharks' efficiency value has reached 30.6, leading all players in the off-season.

第3名的卡尔-马龙只有27.1,第4名的莫宁是25.8,后面的邓肯、罗宾逊几人就都在25以下。

O'Neal had never considered that Li You's efficiency value would exceed his before. After seeing the news from ESPN, the Sharks immediately realized that the unanimous MVP was gone.
The influence of Excel is huge. For football analysts, data can measure the strength of players.

On the 21st, all the news praising O'Neal suddenly disappeared, and Li You became a hot topic among football commentators that day.

Since the playoffs will officially start on the 22nd, TNT's original program was to warm up the four playoff games tomorrow night, but in the end it turned out to be how Li You achieved incredible efficiency.

In the studio, Mike Fratello energetically analyzed Li You's performance this season:

"Rebounds! Everyone ignores Lee's rebounds. Note that he averaged 1.7 offensive rebounds per game this season."

"It may seem like a small number, but he is very good among backcourt players. To put it bluntly, Lee's offensive rebounds are even better than some inside players!"

"There are a lot of shots below the free throw line. Lee's shooting percentage at the basket reached 68.7%, which is already very scary!"

Kenny Smith looked at the offensive rebound data and couldn't help but tilt his head and ask:

"Why didn't everyone care about these statistics before? To be honest, I wasn't too impressed with Lee's rebounding."

Ernie Johnson tried to recall the Knicks game and quickly gave his answer:

"Long rebounds? The Knicks average 22.3 shots per game from beyond the three-point line. Only they and the Kings in the league take 20+ three-pointers."

Mike Fratello returned to his seat, held the microphone and said again:

"In the past, I didn't believe that the No. 1 player would produce such terrifying statistics. Li has subverted my perception!"

Thinking of his previous prediction, Kenny Smith temporarily changed his mind and said with a smile:

"I changed my mind. Everyone is optimistic about the Lakers, but as long as Lee continues his regular season performance, I believe the Knicks will eventually win the championship."

"In 98, McQueen had declined a lot, and now, Li seems to have reached the peak of his career. The core players of the two teams are in completely different states."

"Perhaps everyone should re-examine the strength of the Knicks!"

On April 4, the first round of the playoffs officially started, and the Bucks also flew to New York at this time to start preparing for tomorrow night's game.

After arriving in New York, Bucks players felt like they were surrounded by news about Li You.

"The youngest player in NBA history to score 6000 points!"

"The youngest player in NBA history to score 2000 points in a single season!"

"The third man in NBA history!"

"Real MVP! This is the era of the Knicks!"

The sports section of the hotel's newspaper is full of news about Li You. Other than that, they are extolling the dominance of the Knicks.

Excel excited the New York media for two days, and the Bucks were not even mentioned in the newspaper article.

George Karl didn't want his players to be affected, so he warned everyone not to accept interviews at will.

As a good friend of Li You, Ray Allen was blocked by media reporters after arriving in New York.

After entering the Bucks, this was the first time Ray Allen met the Knicks in the playoffs.

During the interview, Ray Allen suddenly transformed into an upright BOY:

"I'm not surprised at all by Lee's success because I know how much hard work he put in to hone his skills."

"But the Knicks have declined. They are currently overvalued. Without Lee, they will never win 60 games this season."

"."

Ray Allen's interview with the New York Post is a hornet's nest. The New York media will not listen to this!
There were 22 playoff games on the night of the 4nd. The 76ers defeated the Hornets and the Pacers narrowly defeated the Pistons.

The Jazz took care of the Sonics, and the Spurs were the only team in the top half to lose.

At 72:70, the Suns won a valuable away victory.

Towards the end of the regular season, Tim Duncan tore the meniscus in his knee and was reimbursed for the season, missing the playoffs.

Popovich was almost trolled by the San Antonio media.

Everyone believes that it was too much playing time that ultimately led to Duncan's injury.

At the end of the first round of G1, the calls for Popovich to be fired became louder and louder. San Antonio fans couldn't hold back when they thought that the team might be eliminated in the first round.

On the night of the 23rd, at Madison Square Garden, wearing a blue Knicks training uniform, Li You smiled and raised the scoring trophy in the presence of New York fans!

In addition to the scoring title, Li Youhuai also has the Player of the Month trophy in April.

The league staff were applauding and there were already shouts of "MVP" before the game even started.

After the regular season, Li You remained very low-key. The main reason was that he made too much money in stocks.

In February, Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan felt that the Internet seemed to be too outrageous, and the price-to-earnings ratio of 2 was really unsustainable.

In order to slow down investment enthusiasm, the Federal Reserve announced a substantial increase in interest rates, suddenly raising it to the level before 95.

Li You was shocked by the news and began to speed up his stock sales.

On March 3, the highest point of Nasdaq reached 10. At this time, Li You had sold 5048% of his stocks.
Although I didn’t reach the highest point of eating, following the article “Burning up” published by “Barron’s” on March 3th.

This well-known financial magazine revealed the cash flow and profitability of Internet companies through this article.

Among the more than 200 Internet companies surveyed, 71% had negative profits.
Even for the star company Amazon, its cash flow can only last less than 10 months.

After seeing this article, investors began to sell in panic. In less than a month, the Nasdaq index fell by 25%. By this time, Li You was already safe.

Some financial magazines were almost shocked when they discovered Li You's investment, which is completely inconsistent with the image of an NBA basketball player.
Amid the slump, Li You made a lot of money. People were afraid of being famous, but pigs were afraid of being strong. During this period, he rarely accepted interviews other than basketball.

The cheers at Madison Square Garden put the Bucks in a bad mood. For most players, scoring titles and best-of-the-month awards are hard to come by.

Seeing Li You receiving the award and everyone on the Knicks looking relaxed, head coach George Karl was also a little depressed.

There are various signs that the opponent does not take the Bucks seriously.

The lights in the arena came back on, and players from both sides began their final warm-ups.

In the NBC commentary box, Bob Costas noticed head coach Calhoun sitting in the front row and introduced him:
"The backcourt from the University of Connecticut started to shine after entering the NBA!"

“Coach Calhoun has brought out a great group of players.”

Doug Collins complained twice about the injustice of God, and changed the subject to introduce the starting lineups of the two teams:
"Head coach George Karl chose to pair Darwin Hamm and Glenn Robinson on the front line, with Alvin Johnson still at center."

"The Knicks have not changed their starting lineup, and coach Van Gundy has also not made any lineup adjustments."

The game was about to start. Li You, who had completed the warm-up, was still "fully armed". He smiled and bumped fists with Ray Allen, joking in a low voice:

"Everyone has seen what I said in the interview. There will be strong physical confrontation in tonight's game!"

Ray Allen didn't care at all about this, and was even a little eager to try:

"What I say is the truth, the performance and data on the court don't lie!"

The camera focused on the two people talking. The director circled around Li You from the beginning of the game. The historical level of PER once again made Li You gain a lot of attention.

Ewing and Oakley were talking and laughing and moving their bodies. During the three days of rest, the Knicks did not conduct a lot of training and mostly focused on warm-up and recovery.

The game was about to start, and Jeff Van Gundy did not warn the players again. Instead, he turned around and went directly back to the bench and sat down.

When Ewing and Johnson came to the center circle to prepare for the jump ball, huge shouts rang out again in the arena:

"Let's go Knicks!."

Seeing the gorilla easily moving the ball to half court, the fans in the audience immediately threw up their orange handkerchiefs and cheered loudly.

In the first round, Li You quickly dribbled across the half court without initiating a pick-and-roll, but gave the ball to Ewing on the left elbow.

After handing over the ball, he moved quickly laterally. Li You came to the right wing and quickly cut in without the ball with the help of Oakley's cover on the right elbow.

Cassel predicted such a tactic and naturally pursued him relentlessly, denying Li You a chance to score easily.

Unable to pass the ball, Ewing signaled Alan Houston in the left corner to pick up the ball.

Taking advantage of his teammates' lift, Li You quickly ran to the left corner. Alan Houston caught the ball, dribbled laterally, and quickly passed the ball to Oakley. Then Larry Johnson in the right corner lifted up to catch the ball.

When Ray Allen followed Alan Houston and ran to the right corner, Ewing moved quickly and once again provided an off-ball screen for Li You.

At this time, Larry Johnson, who was holding the ball with his left hand, didn't dribble much. When Li You briefly got rid of the defense and came to the left wing, "Auntie" immediately completed the cross pass.

Although it was just a few simple runs without the ball and screens without the ball, the Bucks' defense had some problems.

The big man Johnson saw Cassel out of position and subconsciously ran with Li You. This caused two defenders to appear around Li You the moment he caught the ball.Immediately after catching the ball, Li You released the ball with his right hand. Li You held the ball and moved laterally. Before the two men could complete the double-team, he approached the top of the arc. After pulling the defense, he quickly twisted around, swung the ball with his right hand and sent a ground pass in an instant.

The basketball rebounded in the paint area and flew straight to the basket. The unguarded Ewing caught the ball and launched a powerful one-arm dunk!

"Boom!" Cut in and dunk successfully!
Scoring so easily made the New York fans at the scene wave their handkerchiefs and cheer.

With one screen, the defense was gone. George Karl could only shout a reminder, but the sound in the arena was so loud that the Bucks couldn't hear what the head coach was shouting.

Cassell, who was wearing the away blue jersey, looked solemn. Facing Li You's leading defense, he did not rush through the half.

In the Bucks' offense, the positioning of players is very simple. The two wings, Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson, are waiting to receive the ball, and only big man Johnson is inside.

Hamm is considered a pseudo starter, moving near the baseline on the left side, ready to cut in and eat the cake at any time.

There is no complicated tactic, but when Glenn Robinson received the ball on the left wing, he immediately released the ball with his left hand and broke through smoothly.

Larry Johnson hurriedly slid. Before he could reach the left block, Glenn Robinson suddenly stopped and then made a jump shot.

"state!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and bounced high. Ewing easily collected the backboard under the basket.

Noticing that the Bucks had retreated quickly, Ewing was no longer anxious. He handed the ball to Li You and ran slowly forward.

The tactics were even simpler. After Li You crossed the half court and reached the left wing under 8 seconds, Alan Houston quickly slipped across the baseline from left to right, and then bounced out of the middle.

Ewing's cover in the paint was of good quality. Alan Houston came to the free throw line and received a pass from Li You, and immediately raised the ball and feinted.

When the defense came up, Ray Allen instantly lost his focus on defense.

Putting the ball with his right hand and taking a step laterally, Alan Houston drifted slightly to the right and succeeded in a mid-range jumper!
He scored easily in two consecutive rounds, causing Doug Collins to complain in the commentary box:
"The Bucks don't seem to be ready yet. This kind of defense cannot limit the opponent's scoring."

The cheers on the scene became louder and louder. After receiving instructions from the head coach, Cassel made tactical gestures to indicate that he should play more patiently.

Li You continued to interfere. After Cassel handed over the ball, the Bucks began to pass the ball from the outside.

After just two passes, Ray Allen used the screen of the big man Johnson to immediately break through with the ball at the top of the arc and made a two-point pull-up jump shot!

The long rebound crashed directly into Oakley's arms, and many fans in the front row began to cheer loudly.

Everyone in the Bucks quickly retreated, but after receiving the ball, Li You advanced so fast that Cassel could only delay his move.

Noticing that the opponent's defense had just stood still, Li You, who was on the right flank and holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly stopped suddenly. While Oakley was stopping on the left side of his body, he immediately circled the ball behind his back.

The moment Li You switched to his left hand, Cassel stepped off the line and tried to defend quickly.

Suddenly an excellent shot opportunity appeared, and Li You didn't hesitate at all. After the pick-and-roll, he immediately joined the ball, and then quickly shot a jump shot!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

0:7, leading by 7 points at the beginning, New York fans were extremely happy.

One side couldn't make the shot, and the other side could. The head coach George Karl still didn't ask for a timeout, but just gestured to the players to stabilize.

After patiently passing the ball, the Bucks' offense almost lasted 24 seconds this time.

In the end, Ray Allen broke through with the ball in his right wing, close to the paint area, and made an emergency stop jumper from close range to score 2 points.

Allen Houston provided strong physical confrontation. Li You especially understood Ray Allen's playing habits. "Playing while floating" is a bit exaggerated, but it is certain that his friend does not like physical confrontation.

Li You made a tactical gesture again, and this time it was Oakley's turn to cover the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line.

Ham strictly implemented the coach's arrangements and immediately cooperated with Cassel to double-team and delay Li You.

Oakley did not choose to go down at all, but stopped at the right elbow of the free throw line. In the next second, he received a ground return pass from Li You. He got a chance with a simple pick-and-roll, and immediately raised the ball from mid-range and threw it!
"Shua!" The two-pointer went into the net hollowly.

In the commentary box, Bob Costas could only sigh:

"It was indeed too relaxed. The Bucks seemed a little too nervous. They shouldn't have focused all their attention on Lee."

After Glenn Robinson succeeded in a pull-up jump shot from the right elbow, the Bucks suddenly started hitting the ball continuously.

This time, taking advantage of Cassel's missed two-pointer in the left corner, Li You, who collected the rebound, quickly launched a transition attack.

Larry Johnson received Li You's long pass across half court and made an easy layup!

All five starting players scored. Jeff Van Gundy, who was hanging up on the bench, immediately clapped his hands and showed a confident look.
At 4:11, after the game started, head coach George Karl looked ugly. This was not the start he expected.

Quickly requesting a timeout, the Bucks bench watched the main players return to their seats. Everyone was silent, leaving only George Karl sitting in front of everyone and reminding loudly:

"Defense! What we need is to defend well and not be affected by the opponent's offense!"

When coaching the Seattle SuperSonics, George Karl created a defensive system that gave every team in the league a headache.

But after coming to Milwaukee and focusing on defense, there still wasn't much improvement.

Neither Ray Allen nor Glenn Robinson said anything. Although the head coach's requirements were not high, neither of them was interested in risking their lives to defend:

"That's what defensive players are supposed to do!"

After the timeout, the Bucks' offense did not improve at all, and the score was still 1 points until 6 minutes and 48 seconds left in the first quarter.
In the commentary box, Bob Costas's pre-game expectations had all dissipated. Watching Li You use Ewing's cover to get rid of the Bucks' defense at the top of the key, he said loudly again:

"Lee broke through the Bucks' double team! Great layup!"

Near the baseline on the left, Tim Thomas, who had just appeared, seemed to be frozen in place, being stunned by Li You's passing fake move.
At 4:19, Ray Allen, who had been substituted, punched his seat in frustration. He brought down the game in the first quarter.

Perhaps wanting to express himself, Ray Allen attacked aggressively at the beginning, but after a wave of 5-for-1, Li You seized the opportunity and easily made several transition attacks to open up the score.

George Karl was already furious at this time, and he didn’t care about the coach’s demeanor, so he simply reminded loudly:

"Foul! Don't let him score easily again! Give me a foul!"

Frequent jump shots prevented the Bucks from matching the intensity of the Knicks after the opening game.

After missing consecutive shots, Cassell finally used his specialty post-up singles in the left block to score a response goal against Li You's block.

Without the transition attack, everyone in the Bucks breathed a sigh of relief. Alan Houston received a pass from Li You in the right elbow area, faced Hamm, and quickly hit a mid-range jumper.

"Wow!"

After consecutive easy scores in the backcourt, Madison Square Garden was boiling again, and cheers resounded throughout the arena.

In desperation, he continued to ask for a timeout. George Karl was completely angry. He pulled his tie and saw the players walking to the bench. He started chattering non-stop.

Jeff Van Gundy took this opportunity to greet Kurt Thomas, Ben Wallace, and Cookic:

"Pay attention to rebounds and foul directly when necessary. We are already a lot ahead, but we still have to be nervous!"

Lewis hoped that he could make his debut early, but was a little disappointed when he didn't get a greeting from the head coach.

Li You replenished his water, smiled and said a few words of comfort:
"Don't worry about your playing time. According to the current game trend, everyone can play tonight!"

Ewing, who had already changed into training clothes, did not expect that the game would be so easy. He had no chance to make chicken soup. At this time, he could only sit back in his seat pretending to be X.

In the second half of the first quarter, the Bucks simply got three big men.

Tim Thomas, Scott Williams, and Earvin Johnson formed the frontcourt, while Cassell and Glenn Robinson were retained in the backcourt.

Relying on the big man to score points, coupled with the slight decline in the Knicks' shooting percentage, they finally returned to their normal offensive level.

However, after entering extra penalty mode at the end of the first quarter, Li You made several breakthroughs, and the Bucks' brainless foul made George Karl angry.

Watching Li You stand on the free throw line for two consecutive rounds and easily score points, the New York fans at the scene had already begun to celebrate the victory.

In the end, Li You missed a long three-pointer and the first quarter ended.

At 17:30, the two people in the NBC commentary box looked at each other, and finally Bob Costas changed the subject and said:

"The Knicks won 60 games in the regular season, which is indeed a bit regretful. Lee's performance was so outstanding!"

"When everyone starts targeting his [-]-pointers, Lee has responded this season by finishing at the rim."

Glenn Robinson went 5 for 0, Cassel went 5 for 1, and Doug Collins was not very good at commenting on the game. He could only follow the topic and say:

"The huge shooting threat allows Lee to easily tear apart the defense. Once he breaks through to the inside, it is difficult for defenders to predict his offensive options."

"We really underestimated Lee's rebounding ability and accurate prediction of where the ball will land, which also helps the Knicks' defense a lot."

打满首节比赛,李佑4中2,三分线外2中1,罚球4中4,9分2篮板5助攻。

During the rotation, the Knicks' Chris Childs and Artest also appeared on the scene, and Jeff Van Gundy stood on the sidelines and shouted from time to time.
Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson came on the scene directly in the second quarter, and the point guard became "Street Ball King" Alston.

The inside is still Tim Thomas and Williams.

After the game started, Williams, who was attacking the inside, dropped the ball and made a mistake. Chris Childs assisted Kukchi to counterattack and dunk in the middle!

The atmosphere at the scene was ignited again, and the New York fans in a good mood continued to cheer for the home team.

I thought I could catch up with some points during the staggered trip, but Ray Allen still failed to fire, relying on Glenn Robinson's singles to hit some responsive shots.

Although the Knicks' shooting percentage was not high, as the game progressed, George Karl saw that there were also problems with backcourt rebounds and was completely frustrated.

Watching Ben Wallace grab the offensive rebound and succeed in the second attack, George Karl no longer asked for a timeout, but sat back on the bench.

Out of caution, Jeff Van Gundy saw Cassel coming on the court and called Li You to come on.

With 7 minutes and 39 seconds left in the half, the Bucks had basically regained their main lineup. For the Knicks, Li You came on the scene early.

Returning to the first offensive round on the court, after the Knicks passed the ball continuously, Kukic received the ball on the right wing again.

Sliding the baseline to the right corner, Li You did not stop, but quickly came to the top line and pretended to pass the ball to the ball.

With Kassel desperately pursuing the defense, Li You first bypassed Kukchi, and then suddenly turned around and ran back. Kukchi moved upwards and sent a pass with a brief delay.

Close to the right sideline, Li You made no adjustments after receiving the ball. He ignored Cassel who was coming to defend him and made a quick jump shot from outside the three-point line!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

Barely controlling his center of gravity, Cassel stopped beside Li You and glanced helplessly at Glenn Robinson, who showed no intention of changing defense.
The defensive end did stretch his hips, but on the offensive end, Robinson, who just took the ball, gradually found his touch and began to score in response.

With 4 minutes and 33 seconds left in the half, Ben Wallace almost stole Williams again, and the referee finally called a scrimmage.

"Oh!!"

Active defense can also arouse the emotions of the fans, and Li You also clapped his hands.

When the two sides jumped the ball, the excited "Xiao Ben" finally pushed the ball forward from the free throw line.

Li You reacted quickly and rushed across the half court immediately. After picking up the ball with his right hand, he continued to accelerate and went straight to the basket.

Ray Allen, who was pursuing the defense, didn't even have time to commit a tactical foul. Li You and Li Youxing rushed to the basket, took three long steps into the air, grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand, and succeeded in a gliding dunk!

Seeing Ben Wallace beating his chest and roaring loudly, Doug Collins could only sigh:
"Wonderful offense! The Knicks have completely controlled the tempo of the game, and Ben Wallace performed very well in these few minutes!"

At 26:46, with the huge score difference, Bob Costas also started to gossip during the game, instead of explaining every round.

Ben Wallace's outstanding performance prevented Ewing from playing again in the second quarter, and Oakley's playing time was also eaten up by Lewis.

At 36:57, after halftime, the game had completely lost its suspense.

8-for-1, scoring 4 points, facing Artest during the rotation, Ray Allen still worked hard, and when he walked to the tunnel, his frustration was already written on his face.

12中3,拿到8分的格伦-罗宾逊是雄鹿队半场得分最多的球员,拉塞尔9中3,拿到6分。

George Karl had a sullen face and looked at his players without saying a word. He was too lazy to play any more. Tonight's game was completely explained.

At the beginning of the second half, Jeff Van Gundy continued to rotate, and even tried a few minutes of a lineup in which Kukic and Lewis partnered inside.

Paired with Artest and Alan Houston, this shooting lineup has excellent space on the court, but the pass sent by Li You ended up being useless.
In addition to helping Li You add an offensive rebound in terms of statistics, this lineup was recovered by the Bucks by 6 points.

The game was lively, and the New York fans were happy to watch it. On the Knicks bench, assistant coach Thibodeau looked at Van Gundy who sat down again after the substitution, and commented in a low voice:
"There are some problems with rebounding and defense. Rashad has no good way to deal with strong attacks at the basket. Opponents will take advantage of his strong attacks."

Although the effect was not good, Jeff Van Gundy was still in a good mood and said with a smile:

“There’s always a time when you make a shot!”

Both of them sat on the bench and stopped talking, watching the game time pass.

After the defensive intensity dropped, Ray Allen finally found his touch and contributed 12 points in a single quarter.

28:24, after three quarters, 64:81, the point difference is still 17 points.

In the last quarter of the game, Li You did not play again and played for more than 4 minutes. Head coach George Karl began to change the atmosphere team when he saw the point difference returned to 20 points.

Amid the cheers of the New York fans at the scene, the score was finally settled at 87:105, and the Knicks easily won G1.

出场29分钟,14中7,三分线外5中2,罚球6中6,22分4篮板10助攻1失误。

The data was unremarkable, but NBC reporter Jim Gray immediately got to Li You’s side after the game:

"Lee, congratulations on your first victory in the playoffs! Fans want to know how you achieved a historical level of efficiency!"

In the past few days at the Tarrytown Training Center, Li You had returned to this question many times. When he saw the other party passing the microphone with a smile, he could only respond again:

"When the opportunity arises, take decisive action and dribble the ball to the sweet spot to complete the offense."

"Not giving up any rebound opportunities and reducing some mistakes at the same time, this is the secret of my game."

“I didn’t control the number of turnovers well enough this season, and rebounding is often the result of my teammates!”

"The data doesn't explain anything. After all, we lost 22 games this season and lost our dominance on the defensive end."

Li You calmly gave his answer. The NBC staff on the side were speechless. He spoke so easily.
Jim Gray was used to Li You pretending to be X inadvertently. Feeling the heated atmosphere at the scene, he smiled again and asked:
"Tonight you secured the victory at halftime and once again showed the dominance of the championship team. Lee, let's talk about the team's state again!"

When he heard this question, Li You also showed a smile and teased his opponent with a smile:

"Ray is right, the Knicks have indeed declined compared to previous seasons."

"But unfortunately, there is still no one in the league who is our opponent."

"The playoffs have to be played one game at a time. We are currently in good shape. Let the games speak for themselves! We are not afraid of any challenges!"

"."

In the simultaneous games that night, the Lakers once again attracted more attention from ball commentators.

107:117, the score difference was not big, but O'Neal defeated the Kings' inside line again.

出场46分钟,33中21,罚球5中4,46分17篮板1助攻2抢断5盖帽2失误。

The Sharks, who posted a large double-double, once again stole all the heat of the night.

In the post-game press conference, Phil Jackson couldn't help praising O'Neal's performance:

"Just like no one could limit Michael Dunk in the past, no one in the league can limit Shaq now!"

"I can't describe this feeling. Fans who watch the game can feel Shaq's dominance!"

The reporter from Yahoo Sports quickly asked another question about Li You's data. Only then did Phil Jackson stop his smile and showed that he was nothing more than this:

"Data cannot explain the problem, and data cannot represent victory!"

"McKen had an efficiency rating of 31.7 in his rookie season. At that time, people didn't pay attention to these advanced statistics, and in that season, the Bulls did not win the championship."

"Basketball is for five people. Maybe Lee's statistics are very good, but unfortunately, this is the era of the Lakers!"

"."

 Thank you book friends for your subscription support (﹃)
  No more at night, double updates starting tomorrow.

  There will also be more words, thank you book friends for your monthly votes~
  
 
(End of this chapter)

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like