NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 186 Different Dominance
The NBA in 2000 was very different from the future. There was no brotherly basketball and no clinging to the enemy.

This season, the NBA league always creates more grudges for fans.

The Knicks and Lakers have very few stories. Geographically speaking, one is in the east and the other is in the west.

Being in different leagues means that the two teams can only play against each other twice a year. In the past, when the Lakers were brilliant, the Knicks were in silence.

When the Knicks ushered in Pat Riley and entered the era of iron-blooded basketball, the Lakers slumped again.

However, after 96, the two teams embarked on the same path of rise.

After O'Neal traveled west, although he experienced another sweep, after Phil Jackson took over the Lakers, the team rose again.

After Li You joined the Knicks, he also experienced failures. With the improvement of his personal ability and the successful integration of the team, two consecutive championships opened an era for New York.

Both sides have MVPs in the past two years, as well as rookies in the 96 class. Phil Jackson failed in 98, and Jeff Van Gundy set records by stepping on the championship coach.

After the end of G3 of the finals, all the above situations finally turned into the biggest grudge match in recent years through the media's deliberate publicity.

After losing G3, the Lakers' stars couldn't sit still after the game. In an interview with NBC, the historical scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar complained about the referee's call scale:

"I don't want to talk too much about the calls, but the Lakers should have gotten more free throws and the Knicks screen was a little confusing to me."

"I didn't like Lee's actions either, but what pissed me off even more was the reaction of the Lakers players, who just silently watched with their mouths open as their teammates were stepped over!"

"If it were me, I would rush forward immediately and have a real battle between men!"

"."

Although the Knicks won, Walter Frazier, who was interviewed after the game, did not show mercy:
"The referee was obviously conniving with O'Neal and hit Lee with the ball in front of the bottom line referee. Regardless of the result, such an action alone should be punished."

"Look at how many free throws he got tonight, at the Knicks' home court!"

"I like Lee's performance. At the critical moment of the game, he scored once and assisted once. He is also an MVP-level player, but O'Neal missed two free throws at the critical moment."

"The Lakers have no reason to complain. There is also a gap between MVPs. They should accept this reality."

"."

In the huge show of the finals, both sides had clear roles and became more and more engaged.

WCW (World Championship Wrestling) has not been operating well recently. In order to gain popularity, it also shouted in front of the media:
"We are willing to provide Lee and Kobe with the opportunity to compete between men, and now we are officially extending an invitation to them!"

Fans who were not too concerned about the excitement even began to discuss who would win in a real wrestling showdown between the two sides. In the end, Li You's beautiful muscles were recognized by Yahoo Sports reporters:

"Lee is a heavyweight player. In this duel, he has a high probability of knocking Kobe to the ground."

Playing in New York, in addition to encountering iron-blooded defense, you also have to endure the media's fancy ridicule. The more the Lakers resist, the more fun-loving reporters become more sarcastic about the opponent.

In the New York media articles in the past two days, Jeff Van Gundy has surpassed Phil Jackson in terms of championships won through loan.
The Clay Man also had a three-pointer. During the two days of rest, the Lakers players became more and more angry.

As a championship coach, Phil Jackson is very familiar with the tricks of this old rival of the Knicks. After the players became angry, he entered a "Zen Master" state.

On the morning of June 6, Phil Jackson did not conduct a video session, but instead took everyone on the Lakers team to meditate in the hotel.
The players sat quietly, closed their eyes and meditated. As for whether it had any effect, only God knows.

Several members of the coaching staff were speechless. After everyone sat quietly for a few minutes, Phil Jackson asked softly:
"Don't let anger control your emotions. Now tell me, what do you desire?"

Kobe was very involved. He meditated quietly according to Phil Jackson's request. After hearing the question, he was also the first to answer loudly:
"Victory! I want to win the game!"

Soon others began to respond. Phil Jackson nodded with satisfaction and whispered again:

"Now, focus on the game, think about our experience this season, and think back to how we reversed the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals!"

"No one is our opponent, forget the outside voices, they are afraid, they are afraid, they are worried about us winning on the road."

"Tomorrow night's game, let us show our desire for the championship and show off our talents to the fullest!"

"."

The traditional chicken soup combined with the ritual of meditation has a very good effect. At least Kobe is full of energy from the milk, and O'Neal also feels that his mood is much better after this operation.

Completely regaining his composure, thinking that as long as he won an away game, he would be able to take back the initiative. While the meditation was over, O'Neal, who had been silent for the past two days, took the initiative to speak:

"As long as I win an away game, I swear, I will lead everyone to win the championship!"

After hearing the boss's solemn assurance, everyone gathered around and shouted:
"Oh!"

On the morning of June 6th, at the Tarrytown Training Center, the Knicks still did not conduct much training. After a simple video session, they still focused on the recovery training of the veterans.

Jeff Van Gundy doesn't know how Phil Jackson makes chicken soup. The bald young coach has no tricks to encourage his players. He is about to get the match point. The chicken soup of these two days can be summarized as follows:

"It's done!"

The offense was completely taken care of, and defensive end Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff couldn't ask for more.

Ewing played for 3 minutes in G40. After the game, the gorilla was still shouting with excitement. On the second day, his whole body was sore and he completely collapsed.

After two days of rest, Ewing recovered somewhat. This season, his playing time rarely reached 40 minutes. In the last quarter of the game, he ran on the court completely relying on his willpower.

Oakley has repeatedly complained about O'Neal's playing time in the past two days. This is the first time the old guy has seen this kind of employment.

Unlike outside players, O'Neal is so muscular and tall that he plays the entire game in almost every game. This breaks everyone's perception.

“That’s it for the donkeys of the production team!”

Li You also lamented in his heart more than once. Although O'Neal can also fish on the defensive end, it is not easy for inside players to catch the ball on the offensive end.

Thinking of Tyronn Lue, who the Lakers just selected in last year's draft, Li You also understood why this head coach always uses the strongest tactics.
In the past few games, Larry Johnson has been on a par with his opponent Glenn Rice. The two of them shot 10 of 4 and 9 of 3 in similar situations.

The only difference is that Glenn Rice had a dumpling meal in G2, and Larry Johnson has not yet completely found his touch.

"Referees are always targeting us. They never stop the opponent immediately. The league is really getting softer!"

Larry Johnson, who was stretching, complained about his treatment again. There is no place for a hero! "Aunt" always wants to provoke O'Neal. As long as the shark can be taken away, the game will be won.

Artest kept nodding from the sidelines. In these two games, he committed fouls a bit quickly. He strongly agreed with Big Brother's point of view.

On the other side, assistant coach Don Chaney was still delivering chicken soup to Lewis:
"Don't worry about missed shots. When you get a great opportunity, all you have to do is take action decisively!"

"Whether it's shooting or holding the ball, don't hesitate. The opponent may react in a second. This is the stage of the finals. As long as you win the game, no one will pay attention to the data!"

"Winning gets you everything, Rashad, you should know that."

The salary of Lewis, a second-round pick, was very low and his contract was not guaranteed. After hearing these words, he naturally understood what the assistant coach meant.

If you want to gain a foothold in the NBA, you must use your strengths and avoid weaknesses and show your outstanding characteristics. Lewis nodded fiercely.

On the biggest stage, Lewis is eager to get a bigger contract.

After noticing the decline in Ewing's physical condition and realizing that there might be flaws on the defensive end, the coaching staff has been giving chicken soup to several members of the rotation in the past two days.

If you can't defend yourself, just find it on the offensive end. This is the only way everyone can think of.

Li You also simply moved his body and did some free throw training with Alan Houston.

Noticing that Ewing and Oakley were still discussing O'Neal's playing time, Li You also joined in and joked:
"I don't believe he can play the whole game all the time. Once the Lakers' number of possessions drops to about 77, it means O'Neal is tired."

"Unless he really mutates, his efficiency will definitely drop in the following games. Pat's defense has already begun to work!"

When Ewing heard Li You's words, he immediately felt comfortable.

The defensive end worked hard, but still couldn't limit the opponent's scoring. The gorilla didn't say anything, but he still felt that he had lost face.

The Trail Blazers' inside group has also restricted O'Neal, and so far in the series, the Sharks have completely destroyed the Knicks' inside line.

Considering the progress of the series, Ewing confidently encouraged while moving his body:

"Once O'Neal plays inefficiently, the Lakers will lose! But we have to end the series as soon as possible. I don't want to go to Los Angeles to play!"

Everyone responded loudly. Everyone looked at Ewing's fat face and knew in their hearts the gorilla's physical condition. The longer the game dragged on, the harder the defensive end became.

Among the Knicks, Ewing is also a qualified leader in the locker room. Although he has more time to fish this season, when it comes to key games, the gorilla still works very hard.

G4 of the finals that night officially started at 19:30. Before the game started, Doug Collins also talked about the performance of the Gorillas in front of the camera:
"The data cannot show Ewing's role on the defensive end. At the age of 38, Ewing is still better than most centers in the league!"

"The combination of him and Ben Wallace is very intimidating on the defensive end, but Wallace needs to pay attention to fouls. If he receives the third foul too early, it will affect the team's rotation."

"There will be some problems when the two are on the court at the same time. Lee will be more susceptible to double-teaming, but in general, the defensive system created by coach Van Gundy is still very effective."

Fans after get off work can go straight to the arena. There are still 40 minutes before the game starts, and Madison Square Garden is already starting to get noisy.

Bob Costas heard his partner's comments and expressed his views to the camera:

"There is something wrong with the Lakers' offense. In the G3 game, they performed averagely in the first and fourth quarters and failed to respond in time."

"O'Neal propped up the Lakers' offense, but Lee also responded on the offensive end."

"The finals have progressed so far, and the two MVPs have shown different dominance! Tonight's game will be very exciting, and the Lakers will not easily let the Knicks get the match point."

"."

NBC's pre-game analysis was rarely correct. After the game started, the Lakers finally stopped digging holes after two days of rest.

Phil Jackson no longer pretends to be X. Once he finds signs that the Knicks are gaining momentum, he immediately requests a timeout and interrupts the offensive rhythm.

Perhaps influenced by the chicken soup of meditation, despite the boos from the audience, several people on the Lakers bench became more and more courageous as they fought.

The two sides alternated the lead, and by the time the half ended, the noise in Madison Square Garden was nearly through the roof.

55:52, although the point difference was not big, the Lakers led by 3 points at halftime.

At halftime, players from both sides walked to the locker room with serious expressions. In the commentary box, Doug Collins first took a look at O'Neal's playing time, and then made a comment:
"In 22 minutes of playing time, O'Neal made 11 of 5 shots, 4 of 3 free throws, 13 points and 8 rebounds. The Lakers' role players took on more scoring tasks tonight."

"This is a great momentum, and obviously coach Phil Jackson has also made targeted adjustments."

In the substitute lineup, Fisher was activated again. Tonight, the Lakers rotated 9 players, changing the previous tactics of letting O'Neal mainly attack.

Seeing that some New York fans could no longer sit still, Bob Costas smiled and commented with a smile:
"Li's performance was also very good. He made 13 of 5 in the half, scored 14 points, and sent 6 assists!"

“The role players on both teams were in great shape tonight and it’s going to be a long game.”

"."

At halftime, in the Knicks locker room, Ewing was still gasping for air. The Lakers also increased the pick-and-roll. Uncharacteristically, O'Neal frequently moved up to cover his teammates.

This change tired the gorilla so much that he couldn't keep up with the defender in the pick-and-roll. However, O'Neal's large body was very good in covering, and Ewing was also targeted.

Jeff Van Gundy frowned secretly after returning to the locker room. He did not use Ben Wallace too much. In his opinion, the Knicks need more offense:
"Hold on! The opponent will also be tired. Stay patient on the offensive end. We rebounded very well!"

"."

Loudly encouraging everyone, the series has progressed so far, and there is nothing to adjust. Jeff Van Gundy knew that Li You was a three-pointer at halftime, so he continued to encourage:

"Keep shooting when the opportunity arises, Li. Believe in your touch, and you will always hit the next shot!"

Everyone in the locker room looked at Li You. Everyone knew that in the second half of the game, the team's defensive quality would decline. If they want to win, they must fight back on the offensive end.

Li You put down the kettle and his half-game performance was average. At this time, he still responded confidently:
"Believe me, we will win the game and we will get the match point at home tonight!"

"."

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(End of this chapter)