NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 342 The Fourth Battle (8900 words chapter)
On June 2004, 6, ABC continued to warm up for tomorrow night's game.

Since Kobe has been involved in illegal invasion this season, O'Neal has been promoting it for several years, and most of the recent preview videos are about Payton and Malone.

Karl Malone has played in the NBA for half his life. In the two finals he experienced during the Jazz era, he was first defeated by Michael Jordan in the flu battle, and then was defeated by Li You with the largest point difference in the finals.
"Tragic hero" can be regarded as a label on Malone. Many old fans also hope to see this veteran realize his dream and finally win the championship.

In the promotional videos these days, Karl Malone's great mother was highlighted. When facing the camera, Malone even had red circles in his eyes and cried several times during the filming process.

This also aroused the sympathy of many fans. After all, Malone is almost 41 years old, and he is still fighting for the championship at such an old age. What kind of sportsmanship is this!
The Lakers and Knicks met again in the Finals, and the fourth game did attract a large number of spectators.

Yun fans who only paid attention to the finals also expressed sympathy for Malone after watching the promotional video. However, Knicks fans did not buy it and were even a little disgusted with this boring promotion method:
"What does it have to do with Karl Malone's consecutive failures?"

What New York fans hate most is the mental victory method. After all, it was crushed by McQueen in the early 90s. At that time, the New York media always had a promising future.
At present, what everyone likes is real victory. Adding a championship flag above the arena is what fans are looking forward to most.

Tomorrow is Saturday, and G1 of the Finals will be ushered in tonight. There has been an explosion of Knicks elements in Manhattan recently, and even the most stingy fans will buy a championship hat to support them.

ABC's back studio is also in Manhattan. Tom Tolbert and Byron Scott were invited to the morning show.

As backend analysts during the Finals, the two guests have been warming up for the game in recent days, but no matter how they analyze, they feel that the Lakers will be beaten hard on the outside.
They tried their best to avoid this topic these days, but as the finals approached, several people had to discuss Li You's performance in this year's playoffs.

"It's indescribable. Don't forget that Lee is facing Jason Kidd and Billups. I know them. On the defensive end, these two are the best backcourts in the league."

Seeing this data, Scott, who was wearing a black formal suit, seemed to have bad memories in his mind. He forced a smile and said seriously:

On Saturday, June 6th, Madison Square Garden came alive in the evening.

In the studio, when the conversation came to an end, Mike Tirico looked at Li You's 12 playoff games statistics given by the director and immediately sighed:
"It's unbelievable. Although the Celtics didn't cause too much trouble to Lee in the first round and improved some statistics, the next two teams are both strong defensive teams!"

O'Neal felt that his teammates were not in high spirits and immediately whispered:

He averaged 7.5 free throws per game and made 95.6% of his free throws.

When queuing up to enter, many fans wearing the Knicks' No. 1 jersey started shouting and cheering. Before the game even started, there were already people enjoying themselves outside the arena.

The head coach repeatedly urged him, and Gary Payton immediately nodded in agreement.

Sitting in the front row, Ray Allen, Denzel Washington, and Spike Lee were laughing and chatting happily.

"The Lakers not only have an age issue, they also have conflicts in the locker room."

Courtside reporter Stewart coughed slightly, but Ray Allen spoke mercilessly, making it difficult for him to answer.

"Shark, I am your father!"

"I think the teams in the Western Conference are stronger. Although it is not easy for the Lakers to advance this year, their condition is getting better and better."

"Don't be like this, Ray! In fact, I would rather see the award ceremony at home. New York fans want to see more games."

After saying these words, O'Neal glanced at Kobe, obviously meaning something. The latter ignored Shaq and was busy adjusting the elbow pads on his arms.

Although O'Neal did not make any rhetoric before the game, many people still like to tease the Sharks. After all, O'Neal, who is still at his peak, is the only player on the Lakers to have won the FMVP award.

"Tomorrow at 21 o'clock, G1 of the finals will be held at Madison Square Garden, and ABC will bring a full range of broadcasts!"

场均出场33.5分钟，场均拿到35.3分4.8篮板10.2助攻2.5抢断0.6盖帽1.1失误；

"Don't follow the other guy's lead, Gary, you know what to do!"

Stewart, who lowered his head and held his glasses, could only end the interview with a smile.

It is difficult for the old men to run all over the field because of their physical fitness. The decrease in the number of rounds this season is also the result of a compromise.

Since arriving in Manhattan, he has entered a state of silence. The video lessons these days have made Payton feel outrageous.

"Perhaps he will take crazy shots to prove himself in this series, but this way the Lakers will lose faster. They will encounter a quick counterattack by the Knicks and then fall behind by a big score at halftime."

Tolbert laughed, and instead of discussing the data too much, he offered a different perspective:

The Lakers, who had warmed up in advance, returned to the locker room early, and the atmosphere was uncomfortable.

Averaged 19.5 shots per game, shooting 63.2% from the field, 7.5 shots from beyond the three-point line, and 53.2% shooting from the field;

"Ray, let's talk about your prediction for this year's finals. Which team do you prefer to win the championship?"

There was nearly an hour before the game started, and the arena gradually became noisy.

Host Mike Tirico subconsciously pushed up his glasses. No wonder Tolbert can be this year's guest. His expression remains unchanged and his ability to tell lies in a serious manner is definitely the best in the industry:

In the end, Spike Lee, with an orange handkerchief wrapped around his head, came to the rescue from behind:

"."

"Give me the ball and I'll take care of this game! I don't want anyone to ruin the offense."

"I will not doubt the veteran's desire to win. Therefore, it is difficult to say the outcome of this series!"

The birth of FaceBook has brought some young people closer together. Boston is not far from here, and fans who came here to watch the game gathered early.

"Lee has never relaxed his demands on himself. This series should be the easiest in this year's playoffs. Maybe he can average a double-double of 40+ per game. This is not difficult for him at all!"

"Kobe always wants to prove that he is better than others, but everyone can see the gap between him and Lee. He is not even the best player on the Lakers."

"O'Neal still has a strong dominance, and it is difficult for the Knicks' interior to limit his performance."

Finally, it was veteran Ma Long who spoke up about the situation, easing the awkward atmosphere:
“Slowing the game down gives us a big advantage!”

Ray Allen, wearing a University of Connecticut jersey, turned into an upright boy again. After hearing the question, he immediately answered seriously:
"There is no doubt that Lee will win the series easily. Basketball is not about who has more experience. The Lakers will not stand a chance!"

Finally, Ray Allen also accepted an interview with Stuart Scott:

In the visiting team's locker room, Phil Jackson looked at everyone and arranged with a serious expression:
"We need to give the ball inside, play the game simply and take advantage of our strengths."

The veterans began to give chicken soup. Devin George, who got the starting position this season, still felt that the atmosphere was not right, but he had no say and could only follow everyone out of the locker room to prepare for the stage.

As the DJ introduced everyone on the Lakers one by one, there were bursts of boos in the arena. When the lights dimmed and the home team players came on the stage, there were endless cheers.

Kobe heard the DJ calling Li You's name, and the heart-piercing shouts came from his ears. This atmosphere made him a little envious.

Seeing Li You high-fiving his teammates after coming on the court, Kobe couldn't help but secretly make up his mind:

"I will definitely prove myself!"

After resting for more than a week, Li You had already restored his body to its best condition. After the lights came on, he immediately took off his training clothes and began the final warm-up.

At this time, sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya approached D'Antoni, who was wearing a black formal suit and a red scarf, and interviewed with a smile:

"Mike, will the Knicks readjust their tactics for tonight's game?"

D'Antoni showed a confident smile. After watching the video, he felt that the Knicks had a better chance of winning:

"Compared to previous games, we will try our best to speed up, and Li will increase his personal offense. This is the most efficient way of playing."

"We will implement more pick-and-roll cooperation. Attacking the big man on the opposite side is our core tactic!"

D'Antoni, who was directly exposed, was not modest. He talked about his tactical arrangements and gave a conclusion at the end of the conversation:
"The Knicks will have a high probability of winning tonight's game!"

In the live commentary box, Michaels and Doc Rivers were still talking about the starting lineups of both sides tonight:
"I think Payton's playing time should be reduced. In many cases, Fisher is a better choice."

"The Lakers' interior defense against pick-and-rolls will be severely tested. On the defensive end, I think Devin George should be more involved in the task of defending Lee."

Rivers acted like a master tactician, and Michaels who was standing by him mostly broadcast NFL broadcasts. Naturally, he nodded repeatedly when he heard the professional analysis:

"How to defend Lee is indeed the key to this game. Maybe we can also look forward to Gary Payton. This veteran has very rich defensive experience!"

The two were still analyzing in the commentary box. The cheers in the arena came one after another. Li You hit consecutive long-range three-pointers, which made the New York fans excited.

Gary Payton on the other side of the field has long been silent. The expectations of these days' football commentators have put a lot of pressure on him.

Just thinking about Li You's statistics in this year's playoffs made Payton hold back all his rhetoric.

When the referee called the players from both sides to come to the center of the field, a loud cheering sound immediately sounded in the stadium:

"Let's go Knicks!."

Li You adjusted his arm guard and moved his left leg wearing "white stockings" before smiling and fist-bumping with everyone on the Lakers team.

Everyone in the Lakers team was grimacing, and Kobe didn't even reach out, staring at Li You.

Facing his "mortal enemy", Kobe just wanted to prove himself in the game and was not interested in doing these superficial things.

Li You didn't care. He smiled and fist bumped with O'Neal beside him, and reminded him by the way:
"The fans won't allow it. There will be no garbage time in this year's finals!"

"You have no idea how good we are! We've been through completely different games."

O'Neal looked at Li You and said loudly, as if he wanted to use these words to inspire his demoralized teammates.

Except for Gasol, who looked serious, no one on the Knicks team cared about O'Neal's words. Artest just stared at Kobe, held his head high, and showed an attitude of letting you say whatever you want.

Before kickoff, the referee looked at the players on both sides and repeatedly reminded them of the defensive scale issue. The league was very dissatisfied with the violence in the Eastern Conference finals.

As the basketball was thrown up, Gasol took the lead to get the ball, and the cheers in the arena immediately became louder.

Li You, who controlled the ball, quickly dribbled the ball through the half court with his left hand.

The Knicks still maintained a simple "V-shaped" position. When Li You came to the left wing, Artest quickly slipped across the baseline, and Kurt Thomas on the left elbow moved up to cover.

Before his teammates could stand still, Li You suddenly lowered his center of gravity, swayed forward to the right and then suddenly changed direction with his hips.

Payton instinctively slid back to his right, and when he wanted to reattach the defense, he immediately bumped into the standing Kurt Thomas.

The moment he switched to his left hand, Li You immediately led the ball forward, ignoring Malone's delay in assisting the defense and simply and roughly slumping his shoulders to accelerate.

Malone, who was still moving, had no time to delay. After being squeezed half way, he wanted to pull and foul. Li You, who was leading the ball forward again, instantly squeezed through the defense and strode straight to the basket.

Although O'Neal, who had already noticed it, accelerated towards the basket, Li You was very fast. As soon as he returned to the lower left side of the basket, a huge cheer came from O'Neal's ears, and then he saw Li You rising into the air.

Approaching the paint area, Li You jumped with both feet. Li You grabbed the ball with his right hand. He ignored O'Neal who came up to defend him in the air and threw his arm for a dunk!

Instinctively, he wanted to jump to block the shot, but he was still half a beat too slow. Raising his right hand high did not have any effect. O'Neal, who failed to fully take off, only felt a tightness in his chest in the air, and then a roar in his ears.

"Boom!" Breakthrough and dunk succeeded!
Seeing O'Neal stumble after landing and almost rushing directly to the camera on the bottom line, Madison Square Garden suddenly boiled:

"Wow!"

After completing the dunk, Li You just shook his head, showed a relaxed expression, and pressed his hands down, indicating that the game had just begun.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines saw it clearly. Malone's lateral movement speed had dropped sharply after suffering a knee injury. The defensive end relied entirely on experience and big body.

Folding his arms and frowning, Phil Jackson could only shout loudly to the players to calm down.

O'Neal, who was rarely dunked, was furious at this time. He turned around and stared at Li You. Hearing the loud reminder from the old man from KFC, he quickly ran towards the half court.

Payton, who caught the ball from the baseline, was quickly interfered by Li You.

The veteran's explosive power was severely reduced. Not only did he fail to get rid of the defense several times, but he was forced to slow down due to physical confrontation.

Close to the midline, half-turning around to protect the ball with his left hand, Payton dribbled across half court.

After 8 seconds of attack time, O'Neal tried to get the ball directly from the left low post, but Gasol's forward defense still caused him some trouble.

Suddenly cutting to the baseline, O'Neal broke away from the defense but failed to get the pass in time. He turned his head and looked up to the baseline, and saw that Payton was still protecting the ball sideways.
He wanted to pass the ball across to Kobe, but when he saw O'Neal waving instructions, Payton finally stopped the ball on the left wing, took advantage of O'Neal to get close to the blocking area, and then sent a high throw pass.

Jumping to catch the ball, O'Neal didn't have time to release the ball. Li You was already in place to help prevent the ball.

The moment he encountered a double-team, he quickly threw the ball to the outside. O'Neal sent a pass, but Payton, who received the ball, did not choose a jumper. Seeing Li You return to defense, he simply passed the ball across the ball.

Kobe caught the ball near the top of the arc and immediately called Malone to pick and roll.

With the attack time already halfway through, Kobe, who was pushing the ball to his right hand, tried to accelerate with his shoulders down.

Artest squeezed through the screen in time, supporting Kobe with his right arm, and Kurt Thomas slid to help defend. Under the encirclement of the two, Kobe, who was forced to slow down, failed to squeeze through the defense, and finally jumped to throw the ball.

At the free throw line, Malone didn't hesitate after receiving the ball and immediately made a jump shot!
The rebound popped up and Gasol was still struggling with O'Neal. Hill retracted to the paint area in time, grabbed the rebound and threw the ball directly forward.

After passing the midline logo position, Li You chased the basketball, grabbed the ball with his left hand in front of Payton, and accelerated his sprint.

Behind him, only Kobe was quickly returning to defense. Li You ignored Payton beside him and rushed through the center line against the defense.

There was no sign of slowing down at all. Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, rushed faster and faster. On the contrary, Payton on his side couldn't keep up with the rhythm after being pulled by him, and gradually fell half a body behind.

The two entangled and came to the paint area. As they walked, Li You held the ball with his left hand and rushed up in three big steps. He knocked away Payton on his side and soared into the air right in front of the basket!

Stretching his body in the air, Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, pulled the ball to his side, and then swung the ball into the basket!

"Boom!" The conversion dunk was successful!
Payton, who was knocked away, couldn't even make a jump to block the shot. He staggered and stopped beside the paint area. Hearing the cheers of the fans, his face grew long.

"Too easy!"

After completing the dunk, Li You couldn't help shaking his head and taunting loudly, which caused the fans to yell.

Payton, who said nothing, took the ball from the baseline, was interfered by Li You again, and finally crossed the half court with his butt raised.

O'Neal did not ask for the ball in the low post. After raising his position, he immediately released the ball with his left hand as soon as he received the pass and took two steps toward the baseline.

Taking advantage of the fact that Li You's defense was not fully in place, O'Neal finally knocked away the defender and shot with one hand with his left hand. The basketball just hit the front line, and Gasol had just landed after blocking the shot. O'Neal immediately grabbed the offensive rebound, then released the ball with his left hand and arched it to the basket, deflected the defensive rebound and made the layup.

The whole set of actions was almost performed at high altitude. O'Neal, who had quick reaction, was very proud after scoring the goal. He wanted to show off to Li You, but found that the Knicks had already taken the baseline kick.

The Lakers were still retreating. Li You, who received the ball from the baseline, accelerated with the ball in his right hand and sprinted forward. He almost caught up with O'Neal in front and suddenly stopped suddenly, then quickly dribbled behind his back.

Switching to his left hand, Li You continued to accelerate. Sensing the situation behind him, O'Neal immediately accelerated his pace and loudly called Malone to counter.

The big man just ran near the baseline, and Li You also stopped the ball at the top of the arc. Facing Payton's defense, he held the ball with his left hand and moved sideways to protect the ball.

Gasol rushed to the right side near the baseline, then accelerated and lifted up again. O'Neal, who had stopped, cursed secretly and had to run up to the baseline.

Outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, Gasol stood still. Li You turned around and accelerated with the help of the screen. He pretended to break through and attracted O'Neal to slide to the right and suddenly turned around while walking.

Li You leaned against Payton, switched to his right hand, and used Gasol's screen to completely get rid of the defense.

Payton quickly reminded his teammates loudly, and his slightly fancy move immediately made the fans cheer:

"Oh!"

His teammates were out of position on defense, and O'Neal adjusted his center of gravity and quickly slid to the left. Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly accelerated and ran directly into O'Neal's arms.

O'Neal, who was sliding to defend, held out his stomach and tried to delay, but Li You took advantage of the situation and used the force of his feet to retreat quickly with the help of the force of the collision.

Instantly losing his defensive position, O'Neal saw Li You return to the three-point line in the blink of an eye. He had no time to block the shot and could only watch as Li You floated to the right and rear to shoot a jump shot!

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

At 2:7, Li You scored all the points after the opening, and cheers resounded throughout the stadium again.

"Gary Payton has to be the first line of defense, otherwise Lee will attack the two big men frequently."

"It can be seen that Li's outside touch was very good tonight. The time has come to test the Lakers."

Rivers commented with hindsight in his hoarse voice and never mentioned his expectations for Payton before the game.

Michaels watched with amusement. He somewhat understood what coach D'Antoni said before the game. The Knicks are all about singles:
"Wonderful goal, I believe the Lakers will respond!"

Phil Jackson on the sidelines noticed that there was a problem with the Lakers' offensive rhythm after the opening, and immediately made tactical gestures at Payton.

After being pestered and dribbled across half court, Payton gave the ball to Kobe on the left wing early.

The latter received the pass and Artest immediately defended him. At the same time, O'Neal started to ask for the ball in the low post on the left.

Payton led Li You and ran to the right wing. Devin George pulled Hill and squatted in the right corner. The Lakers tried to complete a partial two-on-two on the other side.

Different from the starting style of the triangle offense in previous seasons, the Lakers have significantly increased the number of pick-and-rolls in order to take care of the two veterans.

Kobe did not let go of the ball easily. Instead, he protected the ball on the right side of his body and kept taking tentative steps, trying to deceive Artest's center of gravity.

This move made O'Neal on the inside so angry. He obviously had completed the position but did not get the pass. At this time, he immediately shouted:

"Give me the ball!"

Artest was unmoved. His right forearm was firmly attached to Kobe's waist, while he lowered his center of gravity and continued to interfere with his left hand.

The stoppage time was too long, and finally Malone quickly moved to the three-point line on the left wing to screen Kobe.

His teammates stood still, and Kobe released the ball with his right hand, trying to lean on the defense and twist forward to lead the ball.

Artest, who was playing at home, didn't care whether there was a foul or not. Taking advantage of Kobe's slight jump to dribble, he immediately pounced from behind and cut the ball hard from behind with his right hand.

"what!"

The ball and hand were hit at the same time. The moment he lost the ball, Kobe jumped up and screamed.

The referee didn't say anything, and the basketball just flew in the direction of Li You.

Payton pounced forward, and Li You reacted faster. After stabbing the ball with his right hand, he elbowed his left arm. Then the pressure suddenly decreased. After controlling the ball, he accelerated and sprinted with the ball in his right hand.

Quickly rushing across the three-point line, noticing the movement behind him, Li You came to the paint area and threw the ball toward the backboard.

Artest, who followed up from behind, immediately jumped up, grabbed the ball with both hands in the air, and succeeded in a gliding dunk!
The excited Artest bumped chests with Li You under the basket to celebrate, and then pulled his jersey at the camera under the basket and shouted:
"what!"

Phil Jackson was still complaining to the linesman, but the referee didn't say anything. After suffering a hidden loss, Payton returned to the baseline and glared at Li You beside him.

"Dude, you can come to the Knicks and wave the towel! Now you're soft as a cupcake!"

"Shut up!"

When the bottom line referee saw the two people starting to greet each other, he immediately whispered a warning. Payton, who was catching the ball, was angry. He wanted to call Devin George, who was serving, to cover, but in the end he chose to dribble across the half court by himself.

Near the midline, Payton half-turned and then switched to his right hand. He was interfered by Li You's cutting ball. He immediately raised his left arm in anger and gave him a hard push.

Li You leaned back, and the referee who had just warned the two men immediately blew the whistle and called Payton's foul.

Smashing the ball directly on the floor, Payton rushed forward and glared at Joe Crawford who was blowing the whistle:

"Open your eyes, he's diving!"

Li You clapped his hands and chuckled at the midline, which made Payton even more angry. Fortunately, Devin George reacted quickly enough, otherwise the bald referee would have called a T right away.
Phil Jackson on the sidelines loudly signaled for Kobe to change defense and reminded Payton to calm down.

The opponent was on the verge of collapse. The New York fans at the scene were happy to see it, and their cheers became louder and louder:
"Let's go Knicks!."

After Li You took the ball from the sideline, Kobe came up to him angrily.

Stepping on the three-point line, Kobe pulled up his shorts and stared at Li You.

The noise in the arena seemed to affect Kobe, who was focused. Malone shouted a reminder from behind, but it didn't have much effect.

Kurt Thomas, who sent the sideline ball, suddenly lifted it up when he moved to the three-point line. At the same time, Li You pushed the ball and changed its direction.

Kurt Thomas stood still on the right side of Kobe. Li You picked up the ball with his left hand and accelerated. The sudden pick and roll caused the focused Kobe to turn his head and hit the defender directly.

Although Malone slid quickly, he even jumped to block the shot in advance when he saw Li You approaching the left wing.

But as Li You suddenly stopped for a jumper some distance from the three-point line, Malone's defense was completely useless and he could only watch the basketball fly past his fingertips.

"Lee from downtown!"

"What a shot!"

The 26-foot three-pointer made Michaels excited in the commentary box.

At 2:12, the score difference reached double digits.

A large number of fans stood up, waved their handkerchiefs and shouted excitedly. Rivers looked at Li You who stood next to Payton again and couldn't help but sigh:

"Offensive like crazy, it's hard to defend in pick-and-rolls. Lee is so good!"

Feeling that he was being ignored, Kobe suddenly entered an "unhappy" state.

In the offensive round, after receiving a pass from Payton and coming to the right wing, Kobe ignored O'Neal who was asking for the ball in the low post on the right and once again called Malone to pick and roll.

Without waiting for his teammates to stand still and quickly sweep the ball, Kobe immediately released the ball with his right hand and broke through, trying to get out of position.

Artest, who was well prepared, quickly slid back to the left and continued to engage in physical confrontation.

O'Neal under the basket had just settled into position, and before he could make room for Kobe, the latter suddenly stopped in the right block under Artest's pursuit, and then feinted with the ball.

Seeing that Artest was unmoved, Kobe finally chose not to pass the ball, but twisted his body and forced a jumper.

Artest then jumped up to block the shot, and the basketball knocked out of the basket due to interference.

Gasol, who was just behind O'Neal, was stuck in his position, easily collected the backcourt rebound, and immediately gave the ball to Hill who was receiving the ball.

After receiving the ball, Hill immediately accelerated. Although Devin George stepped forward to interfere in time, the basketball had already flown to the right wing before it reached the midline.

Li You, who was accelerating along the right sideline, immediately stopped after catching the ball. Payton, who was still accelerating to retreat, realized something was wrong, stopped and jumped to block the shot.

There was still one step away from the three-point line. Li You caught the ball and threw it without making any adjustments!
Payton, who was flying in the air, tried his best to straighten his right arm, but failed to complete the block and was unable to control his body, directly throwing Li You to the ground.

"Squeak! Swish!"

The buzzer sounded and the ball went in, the basketball went hollow into the net, and Madison Square Garden was boiling again. Michaels in the commentary box shouted again and again:
"God! How did he do it! Incredible!"

The noise grew louder and louder. Payton sat on the floor and looked directly at Li You, who was being pulled up by his teammates, as if he couldn't believe that the game was going like this.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

When Li You stood on the free throw line, the shouts of MVP resounded throughout the arena. O'Neal and Malone, who had just ran from the backcourt, stood beside the paint area without saying a word.

"Maybe I can score 50 points tonight!"

"."

No one responded. Li You shrugged his shoulders and made the free throw steadily. Phil Jackson immediately requested a timeout.

At 2:16, D'Antoni was smiling from ear to ear on the sidelines. The Knicks bench was in jubilation, and the atmosphere team rushed to the court to high-five Li You in celebration.

O'Neal walked to the bench angrily, and threw the towel handed to him by the atmosphere team on the floor while sitting in his seat:

"Hell, give me the ball!"

Less than half a quarter later, he was 14 points behind. O'Neal's continuous back and forth runs completely broke O'Neal's defense. He glared at everyone because he didn't want to lose.

"The Lakers want to trade you!"

Behind the Lakers bench, the jumping fans kept shouting, making O'Neal angry and stood up immediately, and then was pushed down by the assistant coach.

"Share the ball in time, the game has just begun, calm down!"

The old KFC man patted the tactical board hard, glared at everyone, and then pointed at Kobe and said:

"Give the ball to Shaq and trust your teammates! This is the Finals and I don't want to see those emotional shots again!"

Kobe pursed his lips and said nothing, with an unconvinced expression still on his face. He didn't like this kind of tough guidance.

Ma Long was even more anxious. At this time, he could only clap his hands to encourage:
"It doesn't matter, the game has just begun, focus on it, I have to play more aggressively!"

Fisher wanted to play, but the coaching staff did not wave to him. Looking at the few people who came on the stage again, he couldn't help but sigh secretly:
“The score difference is too big”

In the first round after the timeout, Payton sent a pass from the left wing in time. O'Neal was just about to reach a deep position. After receiving the ball, he immediately released the ball with his right hand, knocked Gasol away, and succeeded in a one-arm dunk!

"what!"

O'Neal, who completed the dunk, was still roaring under the basket, and Gasol had already quickly kicked the ball out.

As Li You rushed through the half court, Kobe immediately stepped forward to double-team. Grant Hill on the right wing received the pass and immediately broke through.

Malone, who returned to the basket, could only pay for the foul and sent Hill to the free throw line.

The game entered the rhythm of O'Neal attacking the inside and the Knicks scoring goals in quick succession.

A large number of double-teams did not allow the Knicks to score breaking points. Instead, the continuous ball transfer caused the Lakers' defense to completely collapse.

The Sharks had just made a two-point attack at the basket, and then Hill made a breakthrough from the right wing.

O'Neal quickly went to the basket to help defend, and Hill sent a pass while traveling. Gasol, who came down from the right elbow area, received the ball and then came to the basket to hold the ball with his left hand and quickly put the basket up!
Unable to receive the pass in time, the Knicks continued to defend with high pressure from the outside. In the end, Kobe took over from the right wing and made a three-pointer.
Li You, who picked up the long rebound, accelerated and rushed forward. Payton failed to foul in advance. In the end, Kobe chased Li You into the paint and sent Li You to the free throw line.

In the latter part of the first quarter, after a large number of return runs, the Knicks began to shrink their defense and completely let go of Payton and Malone.

The two also wanted to respond, but in the end they were both fighting, and they could only rely on O'Neal to score at the basket.

Kobe was frequently faced with tough confrontations from Artest. In his unhappy state, he didn't hit a field goal until the end of the first quarter.
Phil Jackson, who was not requesting a timeout, stood on the sidelines and watched the exchanges between the two sides expressionlessly.

Kobe missed two free throws. Li You received a pass from Gasol on the left wing and threw the ball.

"Whoa!" Another three-pointer!

Looking at Li You who raised his right arm with three fingers up, and then at Payton who failed to squeeze through the screen in time, the old KFC man turned his head and sat back on the bench.

The Lakers fought hard and could only use fouls to prevent the Knicks from counterattacking.

The number of fouls accumulated quickly. Payton received his second foul and Li You continued to make free throws.

With the Lakers' final attack, Fisher, who came off the bench, missed a long three-pointer, and cheers from Madison Square Garden broke through the arena.

At 18:38, O'Neal showed a frustrated expression as he walked to the bench.

6 of 4, 4 of 3 free throws, and 11 points were scored. The Sharks accounted for half of the Lakers' scoring.

Li You scored 8 of 6, 5 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, and 5 of 5 free throws. Li You scored 21 points efficiently, and one person scored more than the entire Lakers team.

After looking at the technical statistics, Michaels in the commentary box was speechless. The game seemed to have been spent.
Before the game, Rivers swore that Kobe would respond from the outside. As a result, he made 5 of 1 and scored 2 points.

Seeing that his partner was silent, Rivers laughed dryly and said again:
"The Lakers still have time. I believe Kobe will rebound strongly. All they have to do now is defend hard!"

"."

(End of this chapter)