NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 228: Stubborn Defeat (9000 words chapter)
On June 2001, 6, the NBA couldn't wait to announce the number of viewers of the finals. The highest number of viewers in the overtime game reached 11 million+.

This kind of data is already the same as the number of viewers in the NBA's prime period in the early 90s. Obviously, the melon-eaters prefer the ups and downs of the game.

Li You was amazing in the first half and amazing in the second half. Such a magical performance also made many fans excited to see it!
After last night's game, the sports media went into overdrive, with two records appearing in one game. This situation seemed to remind everyone of the glorious days of the early 90s.

Since the G6 game will be played on the 12th, there is not much rest time left for the two teams. The Knicks flew back to New York overnight, and the Lakers officially set off in the morning.

The next games will be played at Madison Square Garden. After surviving the road trip, the Knicks also saw the dawn of victory.

In TNT's morning program, the three discussed last night's game again. Charles Barkley laughed and looked particularly happy:
"Shaq should be able to understand my feelings now. Maybe he is the strongest big man on the planet, but his opponent is not from Earth."

"Lee changed the game. What I mean is, he changed some people's perceptions of basketball. Last night's victory, I prefer to call it a miracle!"

"God may really favor some people. It's hard to imagine how Lee completed those difficult shots."

Kenny Smith nodded, rarely refuting his partner's point of view. In the fourth quarter of G5, the Lakers made 24 of 19 free throws in a single quarter.

The explosive power is so terrifying that anyone who looks at it will feel numb.

Under such circumstances, Li You not only withstood the pressure and responded crazily, but even defeated his opponent in overtime. Even the pickiest football commentator could not ask for more.

Since the finals are still going on, the sports media will follow the league's lead and not discuss the issue of whistleblowing too much.

But the facts that have happened will not change. It can be expected that when the finals are officially over, there will definitely be a large number of reporters rehashing old scores.

The consequence of losing "with more against less" is that you won't be able to get good reviews in a few years.

Kenny Smith also didn’t talk about the referee’s art of calling calls. There is a lot of time in the offseason to discuss these things, and he continued to shift the topic to the game:
"Can we expect more from the Lakers? Shaq and Kobe have done their best. I don't know how they will adjust in subsequent games."

29中17，罚球17中11，45分13篮板2助攻1抢断2盖帽4失误；

Although O'Neal scored 3 points in overtime, his overall performance was still outstanding.

28中13，三分线外5中2，罚球13中10，38分5篮板5助攻1抢断2盖帽4失误；

Kobe scored 4 points in overtime and tried his best. It is difficult to blame him for losing.

Ernie Johnson has long noticed that the Lakers played very well in this game, and he could not comment on how to adjust:
"After returning home, the Knicks will also gain some advantages. If they want to equalize the big score, the most important thing for the Lakers is defense."

"However, Li played 5 minutes in G52. The next game will also be a huge test for his physical fitness."

The two people on the side heard about the physical problems and shook their heads in unison. Li You, who was troubled by some fouls, played less than 40 minutes in two games.

Although he didn't want to talk about the penalty scale, Charles Barkley still teased the Lakers at this time:

"I failed to seize the opportunity at home and lost the match point. When it comes to the away game, I believe Li will respond."

"I'm more worried about Shaq's physical fitness. This guy is getting fatter this year!"

"."

The Lakers' loss last night almost caused the Lakers to collectively break their defense. Phil Jackson lost his famous coaching style again. After the game, he didn't even look at Jeff Van Gundy, who was celebrating wildly, and stood up and left.

When it came to the post-game press conference, O'Neal and Kobe had dark faces throughout. Faced with the hidden sarcasm from the media reporters in the audience, they responded in formulaic ways:

"We will win it back, and the Lakers will win the championship!"

"."

After flying to New York in the morning, no one from the Lakers team gave many interviews. However, everyone was almost blown away after seeing the New York Post column:

"Basketball doesn't lie!"

Although the entire article praises the Knicks' performance, the "adversity" mentioned is a subtle mockery of the opponent's "playing more and playing less."

The headline of the New York Times sports section is even more interesting. It showed a photo of Kobe Bryant lowering his head and smiling after being knocked down by Li You. The column read:
"Lee defeated the second "Jordan"!"

In addition to reporting on Li You's finals record, the rest are all shady and shady football commentary.

Just one night, many sports reporters secretly complained in private, and many even agreed with the New York media’s point of view:
"The Lakers stole two wins."

As long as the Knicks win the championship, the moment of "reckoning" will come, and the end of the Finals will also need heat. Then it will be the turn of the New York media and sponsors to strike hard.

Interestingly, everyone knows that Kobe and McGrady are competing for the "big brother" position of Adidas. Failure in this year's finals will inevitably affect the next contract.

The Lakers who came to New York were forced to keep a low profile, but the Knicks did not refuse interviews at this time.

The winner has more say. Li You will not complain about the whistle at all. When he returns to the home court, someone will naturally help him.

Jeff Van Gundy has long wanted to criticize the "Kentucky Fried Chicken" old man across from him. Today, he changed his usual look and wore a crisp suit at the Tarrytown Training Center.
The video class reminded the players that the work of the assistant coach naturally belongs to the assistant coach. Jeff Van Gundy was interviewed in a high-spirited manner throughout the morning:
"I don't feel the charm of competitive sports in my opponents!"

"Phil's a good guy, but his performance last night was so graceless that I didn't even see him after the game."

"With 55 points in a single game and 10 three-pointers, Lee won everyone's respect through his absolute strength!"

"I don't like the Lakers' home court. Fortunately, God has always favored Lee. He is the best in history in my heart. After tonight's game, I hope to see the Lakers show respect."

"They should know what their victory is based on. I don't want to comment on the opponent's performance anymore because we have to prepare for the award ceremony."

The media reporters in New York laughed loudly when they heard this. The bald young marshal was right. Rehearsals for the awards ceremony have indeed begun.

David Stern doesn't have to fly back and forth anymore. The headquarters is in New York anyway, so it's very convenient to award awards at home.
The bald young coach continued his output. Although he still restrained himself from spraying the referee, he sprayed the Lakers all over.

Things have turned around. In the early years, Phil Jackson and McQueen made fun of him. Now it was Van Gundy's turn to fight back.

If he didn't have to maintain his demeanor as a famous coach, Jeff Van Gundy would most likely laugh wildly and declare directly to many sports media:

"Phil Jackson is an old liar!"

When Li You appeared in the media center of the Tarrytown Training Center wearing a training vest, he was once again surrounded by reporters.

"Lee, let's talk about your 55 points! This is the highest score since Elgin Baylor scored 1962 points in 61. It's incredible!"

"The record for three-pointers in the finals, Lee, tell us how you rebounded in the second half?"

"In the G6 game, will you lead the Knicks to end the series?"

"."

Since there was no press officer at the scene, everyone rushed forward and held the microphone in front of Li You, trying to get first-hand information.

Although Li You answered some questions at last night's press conference, the sports media who like to report records felt that it was not enough.

55 points in the finals. This record is difficult to surpass. There are too many prerequisites and it requires extremely high personal abilities.

Li You was in a good mood and answered many questions one by one. Finally, he joked to himself:
"If I score 55 points and still lose, no one will want to listen to my story here. I really like the feeling of victory!"

"During the offseason, Nike and ESPN will release a personal documentary about me, and NBC will also release a documentary about the Knicks."

"Everyone can pay attention. I guarantee that the content of the documentary is content that has never been reported before!"

Hearing Li You advertise for the documentary, everyone agreed with a smile. If it achieves four consecutive championships, the documentary will definitely be very popular.

On the other side, Grant Hill, who was being interviewed, also began to talk about the issue of whistleblowing standards. When he returns to the home court, he naturally has to put pressure on the referee:

"While I had a great game last night, I didn't like some of the controversial calls."

"In the fourth quarter, the Lakers made a lot of free throws. I don't want to recall exactly how many free throws they made. I just know that some of the penalties were unreasonable."

"We try our best to control our defensive actions, but basketball games are always full of confrontation. Putting up your hands to defend? This is absolutely unacceptable."

The surrounding New York reporters nodded, and everyone felt that Grant Hill's speech made sense.

Alan Houston, who is in a contract year, has also attracted much attention recently. In last night's game, he made 22 of 10, 6 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, and 6 of 4 free throws. He scored the second-highest 26 points on the team.

The three-pointer in the fourth quarter also left a deep impression on the fans. In the interview, in addition to expressing his willingness to stay in New York, he also did not forget to give the Lakers eye drops:
"Basketball doesn't lie. I agree with Lee. Penalties are part of the game."

"But now that we're back at home, the Lakers can't score easily in Madison Square Garden."

"Maybe the "OK" combination can still contribute 80 points together, but the championship belongs to the Knicks."

"We are ready to welcome the team's sixth championship trophy together!"

On Tuesday the 12th, three hours before the game started, a large number of fans were already surrounding the arena.

The impact was traffic congestion. Even though the city hall was well prepared, the number of Lezi fans still exceeded expectations.

NBC, as the broadcaster, usually conducts a game warm-up one hour before the game to show the city's scenery.

The game officially started at 21 o'clock in the evening. When interviewing fans in advance, we encountered a lot of difficulties.

"Fake Rex! Fake O'Neal! Fake Kobe!"

"Despicable thief! Shameless actor! Fisher will get the shit kicked out of him tonight!"

"You guys will never win! The God of Basketball will never favor a despicable thief!"

"."

Wearing the home jersey of the Knicks and a past championship hat, he immediately responded when he saw the camera, and he didn't forget to shout excitedly afterwards.

Those who are shirtless and screaming, those who are drunk and squirting wildly, those who are high on the air.
Maybe these people don't have tickets and can't enter the stadium to watch the game, but it doesn't stop the fans from having fun in front of the camera.

The basketball atmosphere in New York is very strong. Although some of the street players at the bottom don't have much money, they are all good players who serve as the atmosphere team.
There were quite a few people carrying speakers and microphones to show off, and the "chain people" who chanted scriptures and cursed the Lakers crazily along with the music attracted a large number of fun-loving people.

Maybe some people don't like Li You's style, but everyone likes victory and respects beautiful swords. In short, everyone at the bottom golfers yearns for Li You's achievements.

The crazy dancing outside the court gave NBC broadcasters a headache, and in the end they had no choice but to "stop broadcasting this episode."

An hour before the game started, Ray Allen entered the venue early. After greeting Li You, when asked about Kobe-related questions in an interview, he turned into an upright boy again:

"I've long said that the Western Conference's backcourt is weaker than everyone thinks."

"The teams in the Western Conference don't understand Lee's strength at all. Kobe can shoot [-]% in the Western Conference finals, but look at his performance now, at the end of the series, it is still at the regular season level."

"He wouldn't be where he is without Shaq playing next to him."

"I don't understand why he gets more attention. In the Eastern Conference, there are also many backcourt players who deserve attention."

"He's not a McDuck! Maybe his moves are similar, but he doesn't have the influence of a McDunner."

"In my opinion, he has always been overrated. If he wants to discuss it with Lee, he needs to win an MVP trophy first."

Ray Allen looked serious, which made the New York media chuckle.

Although he lost to the 76ers in the playoffs this year, Ray Allen had very good personal statistics and excellent efficiency. As a result, no one discussed his performance after so many days in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Ray Allen, who felt like a lemon in his heart, just hit the target every time he got the chance, which made the Los Angeles reporter look ugly.
Li You's good buddies also came to the arena. Oakley, Larry Johnson, and Starks were bragging and spanking around Ewing:

"Pat, the fourth championship in your career. If we discuss the four major centers in the future, you will definitely crush those weaklings!"

Starks, who was wearing a floral shirt, immediately caused laughter from several people after saying this.

Larry Johnson, who was dressed coolly and only wore a white short-sleeved T-shirt and denim shorts, touched his bald head and sighed:
"This is God's favor. If Pat had chosen to leave New York, he would not have received these honors. God does love us deeply."

Oakley lost his job with the Wizards, and recently came to New York with McQueen to prepare for the draft, and his mood has recovered a lot.

Seeing Ewing's mellow smile, Oakley encouraged him loudly:

"Those damn referees always want to manipulate the game, and the league is the same. Go back home and show some color to those weaklings in Los Angeles!"

"Shet! When I see that kid who likes to dive, I want to go out and punch him twice!"

Li You and Alan Houston had just finished dealing with reporters. When they came here, they heard that Oakley was about to punch "Little Fish".

Li You stepped forward and hugged the big brothers one by one, and then hammered the gorilla next to him. Li You responded with a relaxed expression:

"Times have changed. Although it has only been a few years, the league does not want to see the finals turn into a "boxing match." But Charles is right. We should teach the opponent a lesson tonight!"

"Oh!"

Larry Johnson cheered loudly, and then showed a boxing posture, pulling Li You and laughing and practicing twice.

Ewing looked at his familiar teammates and laughed non-stop. He hugged Oakley next to him and whispered happily:

"I really have no regrets in my career!"

Although Li You sent away his good brother, no one cared about it. With a championship, it is more than enough to work part-time as a commentator after retirement.

The higher Li You's achievements are, the more people will talk about in the future. When he retires and becomes Li Youchu, he can play for at least more than ten years. No matter how good he is, working for the Knicks will not be a problem.

Naturally, the situation is completely different when returning to home games. There are also many old Knicks players. Before the game has even started, they have become loudmouthed in interviews in the past two days, and they often criticize the referees angrily.

Although Phil Jackson is considered a Knicks legend, the old guys showed no mercy, and the championship coach was still criticized.

In less than two days, Kobe once again experienced the feeling of being bombarded by the media.

"Copycat", "thief", "basketball softie", "data brush", "team cancer", "overrated".
All kinds of names were slapped on the head. The Knicks got the match point, and some New York media have started to let themselves go.

O'Neal also felt uncomfortable. In the past, he would laugh and brag with his teammates, but since he came to New York, he has been having a big face.

When it comes to the ability to clear up old scores, the New York media is definitely among the best. They frequently bring up the experience of being swept away, and the petty sharks are also very angry.

Half an hour before the game started, Madison Square Garden was already abuzz.

Being able to witness a historic moment excites New York fans.

Many people look up from time to time to look at the ribbons and five championship flags ready to fall over the arena. The journey over the past few seasons feels like a dream.The arena became extremely noisy. In the NBC commentary box, Doug Collins had already talked about many tactical issues before the game. Before the game was about to start, he suddenly said with emotion:
"If Mike had not chosen to retire, I don't know if he would have had the chance to win four consecutive championships."

"The Knicks are now one win away from that achievement."

Marv Albert was happy to see his home team receive the award again. He took over the conversation and couldn't help but praise the Knicks:
"From Ewing's era to Lee's arrival, the Knicks have completed their transformation."

"Li is only 23 years old and his career has just begun. This is his time!"

"."

Naturally, the Lakers will not give up. Perhaps Phil Jackson's chicken soup played a role.

Or maybe it was the news in the past two days that stimulated the players' self-esteem. After the game started, the Lakers were the first to enter the game state.

The game suddenly broke out in the second quarter, scoring 30 points in a single quarter. In the third quarter, they once again played a tough response, forcing the Knicks to fail in chasing points.

78:73, after three quarters, the Knicks were still 5 points behind.

During the intermission, the New York fans at the scene were not affected in any way and continued to cheer along with the music. As long as the score difference did not exceed 15 points, everyone was confident
On the bench of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant showed another "ferocious attitude". He took crazy shots tonight, without even considering passing the ball, and only had eyes for the basket.

I have been so stimulated in the past two days that my mentality almost exploded. Tonight, Kobe just wanted to prove himself through the game. He needed a victory.

20 of 11 and 2 of 2 free throws. Too many long two-pointers still did not lower Kobe's shooting percentage. He scored a team-high 24 points in the three quarters.

Although O'Neal was unhappy, the team maintained the lead and could only press down on dissatisfaction.

Phil Jackson also knows that success or failure depends on this. If the game can be dragged into a tiebreaker, it is difficult to say who will win and who will lose:
"Very good! Hold on for a while longer. We must continue to maintain this offensive rhythm and believe in each other!"

Sensing the coach's gaze, O'Neal nodded slightly. The number of shots he took was limited. As long as he could win, he didn't mind being a "little shark".
After the start of the 4th quarter, the Lakers took the lead in attacking, and Madison Square Garden once again heard defensive cheers:
"Defense!."

Fisher, who was wearing a headband, caught the ball from the baseline and passed the ball to Kobe on the other side without waiting for Li You to lead the defense, and then led Li You straight to the left corner.

Kurt Thomas looked at Horry in the right corner and didn't move. Ben Wallace also noticed that O'Neal didn't desperately want the ball.

The two loudly reminded the defensive Alan Houston that the opponent was going to play singles.

On the right wing, Artest was looking at Fox in front of him while paying attention to Kobe's movements at the top of the arc. Once the opponent broke through with the ball in his right hand, he was ready to go up and get a piece of it.

Kobe, who was biting his jersey, looked particularly confident. He approached the three-point line, quickly completed the dribble from his hip, jumped slightly when he switched to his left hand, and then immediately dropped his shoulders and accelerated.

Alan Houston desperately slid to the right back. After the two bodies collided, before approaching the free throw line, Kobe suddenly stopped and then immediately joined the ball and feinted.

Alan Houston, who stepped forward to defend, just raised his hands in the air and did not immediately pounce upward, leaving room for the shot. Kobe twisted his body on the spot and forced a jumper!
"Shua!" Long two points hit again!

At 80:73, watching the score difference reach 7 points, the atmosphere team on the Lakers bench cheered and celebrated.

"Shh!"

With the boos from the audience, Kobe was a little inflated after scoring again. When the Knicks took advantage of the baseline kick, he immediately shouted to everyone:
"Hey! You should double team me!"

Alan Houston turned his head and glanced at Kobe, then looked at each other with Li You and others. Finally, he couldn't help but smile, then shook his head, ignored Kobe, and quickly ran towards the half court.

Li You just raised his eyebrows, and then Artest, who was serving from the baseline, nodded, indicating that everyone would take turns to switch defenses.

Artest, who took the baseline kick, passed by Kobe and responded in a low voice:
"This is Madison Square Garden, there are no referees to take care of you anymore!"

"."

Kobe ignored Artest, glanced at him, and stepped forward to defend Li You.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Only responsible for defense in certain rounds in the second half, Kobe's tactical status also improved, and Phil Jackson began to reduce the burden on the scorer.

He tried hard to provide physical confrontation, but no longer interfered unscrupulously. Kobe, who had already received 4 fouls, had no idea when he realized the scale of the whistle.

Holding the ball in his right hand and constantly accelerating, Li You suddenly stopped when he was close to the three-point line at the top of the arc, then quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, and immediately raised his center of gravity after switching to his left hand.

Noticing that Li You's right hand seemed to be about to join the ball, Kobe subconsciously pounced forward, and the basketball passed in front of him in an instant.

Li You's hidden body changed direction greatly, the basketball flew to the right, and he immediately leaned forward to grab the ball.

Kobe reacted quickly and slid again. The moment he grabbed the ball with his right hand, Li You took advantage of the situation and completed the crotch pull back, returning to the three-point line, and the ball feinted.

The action of aiming at the basket directly knocked Kobe away. In mid-air, he realized that he was staggered and tried to twist around to avoid being fouled. While turning his body to the side, Kobe also completely lost his defensive position.

After clearing the space for shooting, Li You paused and quickly adjusted his shooting rhythm, and easily made a three-pointer from the top of the arc!

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

At 80:76, the point difference returned to 4 points.

Huge cheers erupted in the arena again, and Marv Albert also smiled and loudly explained:

"It seems that Lee has found his touch outside the three-point line again, which is definitely good news for the Knicks!"

Doug Collins noticed that the defender in front of Kobe became Artest, and couldn't help but admire the bald young coach's employment:
"On a stage like the Finals, by boldly recruiting rookies, Coach Van Gundy's trust has been rewarded!"

Compared with the away game, Artest's defensive aggressiveness increased significantly, and Kobe, who was running without the ball, once again felt the pendant defense.

Fisher was again suppressed by Li You's leading defense and couldn't lift his head. He half-turned around, raised his head to protect the ball, and 8 seconds had passed by the time he passed half court.

O'Neal knew that his younger brother had good touch, so he took the initiative to stand at the right elbow area and motioned for Kobe to roll up and catch the ball.

The top of the arc was far away from the three-point line. Li You also observed the Lakers' position, and also noticed that Fisher began to switch his back to his right hand, and immediately moved back to leave some space for the opponent to pass the ball.

Seeing Kobe start quickly on the right near the baseline and moving up the line, the New York fans at the scene also shouted at the top of their lungs:

"Defense!."

Kobe used O'Neal's screen to get rid of Artest, and when he came to the free throw line, he started to open his hands to catch the ball.

Fisher took advantage of Li You to move backward and quickly sent a cross pass.

As soon as the basketball was released, Li You suddenly grabbed the ball fiercely, thrust the ball forward with his left hand, accelerated his body suddenly, and directly knocked away Fisher in front of him.

Being hit and staggered, Fisher habitually fell to the ground and flew an exaggerated one meter away on the floor. He screamed and raised his hands in the air:
"what!"

There was no whistle, and there were cheers in his ears. Fisher, who fell on the floor, watched Li You complete the steal and rush across the half court.

1 vs 0 in the frontcourt, he crossed the three-point line and came to the paint area. Li You took off with both feet, swung the ball in a wide circle in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand and made a dunk!

"Wow!"

At 80:78, the wonderful dunk and narrowed score difference completely ignited the atmosphere in the arena. Many fans chose to stand up to watch the game and celebrated with Li You pumping their fists.

On the Knicks bench, everyone pointed at Fisher and laughed.

Fisher, who was pulled up by his teammates, saw O'Neal and Kobe glaring at him at the same time. For a moment, he could only raise his hands to indicate that it was his fault.
The Lakers attacked again and used the same tactics in a different direction. This time Fisher's pass was no problem, but Artest did not crowd the screen. Instead, he was already prepared to step off the line and jump to block Kobe's catch-and-shoot jump shot. .

Adjusting the arc of the shot did not have any effect. The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and bounced high.

Ben Wallace, who was shrinking in the paint area, protected the rebound and immediately threw the ball forward.

When Li You rushed across half court to get the ball, everyone on the Lakers also tried their best to chase back.

On the left wing, Li You, who was holding the ball with his left hand, just paused for a moment. After decelerating, he completed the change of direction with his hips. After switching to his right hand, he crushed Fisher, who was chasing to his side, to break through.

When he broke through to the free throw line, Fox shrank and tried to interfere with the ball.

During the march, Li You took advantage of the situation and threw the ball to Artest, who was unguarded on the right wing.

The latter caught the ball, but Fox didn't defend in time. Instead, he watched Artest make an emergency stop and immediately made a jump shot!
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly.

At 80:81, he hit a three-pointer for the first time in the game, which just helped the team take the lead. Artest was so excited that he roared:

"what!!"

Phil Jackson on the sidelines began to frown again, paced back and forth, and loudly reminded the players to hold on.

The Lakers did not ask for a timeout, and Kobe did not show mercy. In this round, when Li You was on defense, he immediately turned around and asked for the ball in the right block.

After Fisher sent the pass, everyone on the Lakers team pulled away. Li You raised his right forearm to resist the opponent while observing Kobe's movements.

Putting the ball with his left hand, Kobe began to hit it hard and hit it twice. Li You also followed the rhythm and hit the ball behind him. Kobe found that he started to move away from the paint area.
No longer hesitating, he pulled the ball backwards with his left hand. Kobe's shoulders shook and then he quickly twisted forward. His movements were extremely graceful, and he blocked Li You's shot and completed a fadeaway jumper.

Eye-sealing defense allowed Kobe to strike again.

The rebound was flicked by O'Neal, and the shrinking Kurt Thomas finally successfully protected the backboard.

"Wow!"

When Li You caught the ball, Kobe's face turned even darker. He stared fiercely at the ball and struck twice with his hands. The referee immediately blew the whistle.

"Calm down! Hey! Everyone calm down!"

Phil Jackson already regretted not asking for a timeout in the last round. At this time, he could only yell at the players from the side.

In the critical round, Li You played easily and contentedly. Kurt Thomas raised the screen and Horry immediately moved to help defend against double teams.

On the left wing, Kurt Thomas faked a screen and quickly moved to the left elbow area. When the ball arrived, Li You's ground pass was just right to the opponent.

Just in time for shooting, Kurt Thomas quickly made a jump shot after receiving the ball!
At 80:83, Phil Jackson let out a sigh of anger and immediately requested a timeout.

Li You raised his hands high, high-fived, and slowly walked to the bench. The atmosphere team also laughed and bumped his chest in celebration.

At this moment when the score was overtaken, everyone was bursting with confidence.

Jeff Van Gundy was so excited that he threw away his tactical board and continued to give out chicken soup. He seemed more nervous than the players and kept chattering.

After the timeout, Li You patted the bald young commander on the shoulder and said confidently:
"After tonight, there will be a legendary coach in the league! Enjoy this moment!"

After hugging Li You hard, Jeff Van Gundy's eyes were slightly red and he couldn't help but whisper:

"Lee, I believe you! I believe you!"

Li You controlled some of the excitement in his heart, clapped his hands again, and called on his teammates to pay attention to defense. The more critical the moment, the more important it is to stay calm.

In the first round after the timeout, the Lakers chose the safest offensive method and gave the ball to O'Neal. The latter lived up to expectations, arching the left block to the basket and succeeding in a throw!

The defensive strategy also changed immediately, and Li You was double-teamed again just after halftime.

When Alan Houston received the ball from the left wing, he feinted in the face of Fisher, who quickly returned to defense, then released the ball with his left hand and broke through smoothly. He made an emergency stop jumper in the blocking area!

Everyone pumped their fists in celebration, and their happy shouts almost broke through the arena.

As time passed, Kobe took the ball again and began to strike again.

Li You, who was double-teamed on the line, received support from his teammates after taking the ball.

The Lakers' main attacker worked hard, and everyone in the Knicks worked hard.

The red-eyed Kobe had no intention of passing the ball at all, and completely entered the game state of shooting harder and harder, and shooting harder and harder.
Only Fisher sent the ball to O'Neal in a few rounds, but was interfered by Li You, and the quality of the pass was not high. In several rounds, the Shark failed to catch the ball in his sweet spot.

Phil Jackson didn't hesitate to take timeouts, and he didn't replace Kobe Bryant.

Perhaps I was still praying that the main attacker could regain his touch, but as the game time passed, the Knicks' role players broke out, the point difference gradually widened, and the Lakers bench became silent.
With 1 minute and 58 seconds left in the game, Kobe pushed Li Youqiang to the basket, quickly turned around in the paint, and after joining the ball, he tried to complete the throw with his left hand.

Just turning around at high speed, Kobe finally lost control of the ball. For a moment, he could only watch the basketball suddenly fly out of the baseline.
At 92:100, the Knicks still led by 8 points. Taking advantage of the baseline kick, Li You finally showed a smile and raised his hands to signal for louder noise.

"Wow!"

Kobe stared at Li You, seemingly unable to accept such a result.

When leading the defense, he made another mistake. After halftime, Kobe cut the ball fiercely and sent Li You to the free throw line.

Li You waved his hand and teased the red-eyed Kobe as he walked to the free throw line:

"Thanks! Bro, I didn't expect to win the championship easily in this way!"

"."

As if he was too angry to speak, Kobe said nothing and continued to stare at Li You, trying to kill his opponent with his eyes again.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Li You stood on the free throw line, and the shouts almost broke through the arena. O'Neal, who was stuck under the basket, seemed to have given up, with his head lowered, and his whole person looked listless.

As two free throws were made, everyone in Madison Square Garden shouted loudly again to vent their excitement.

92:102, Phil Jackson crossed his arms and asked for the last timeout.

Returning to his seat, Kobe stared straight at the floor. He made 8 of 2 shots and scored 6 points. He knew his performance clearly.

Just thinking of Li You's smiling face and thank you, Kobe couldn't hold back any longer. He could only cover his face with his hands and try to control his emotions.

Phil Jackson, who wanted to say something else, looked at the silent bench and sighed secretly. Seeing O'Neal's lack of fighting spirit, he could only encourage him again:

"Like a man, fight until the last moment, and if you fail, bless your opponent!"

"Losing is not terrible. We are still young and we still have opportunities in the future!"

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(End of this chapter)