NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 50 is all learning!

On December 1996, 12, the Knicks ushered in the Utah Jazz at home.

After continuously abusing food, finally ushered in a strong opponent.

With 18 wins and 3 losses, the Jazz currently leads the Western Conference, just ahead of the Rockets that make up the aging Big Three.
Chris Childs has been outstanding lately, and the new aid managed to squeeze out Charlie Ward's playing time, and Jeff Van Gundy's love has recently fallen out of the rotation at the No. 1 position.

The Jazz's starting lineup remains unchanged, with John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek in the backcourt, Bryan Russell and Karl Malone on the front line, and the 2-meter Greg Ostertag at center.

Although Karl Malone and Stockton are getting older, after adding Hornacek, the Jazz led by Jerry Sloan has become more and more courageous, and their record has become better in the past two years.

The iron-blooded coach stood on the sidelines with his arms folded calmly after the start of the game, and only loudly reminded the players on the field when the team was defending.

On the other side, Jeff Van Gundy yelled loudly. He just bragged in front of the New York media in the last game, so he naturally didn't want to be slapped in the face
After the opening, Ewing approached the basket and missed a hook shot, and then a mid-range jumper from the right near the bottom line followed suit.

The Jazz's big center Ostertag played a key role, squatting on defense and stagnating the Knicks' offense.

The offense didn't open up, relying on iron-blooded defense, and Charles Oakley didn't make it easier for Malone, except that he hit an iron-blooded jumper on the right elbow after the opening, and the next two attacks also hit the iron.

第1节比赛还有6分26秒，尼克斯队24秒违例，比分依旧还是8:8
"Shhh!!"

The booing gradually started, and the New York fans watched the two sides' iron-blooded offense and defense, and they couldn't stand it anymore.

As Hornacek's breakthrough caused a foul by Larry Johnson, Li You replaced the starting Charles while taking advantage of the free throw.

Hearing the New York fans cheering for Li You, who was on the stage, Stockton, who was standing outside the three-point line, glanced blankly, and then stopped paying attention.

The Jazz were naturally prepared before the game. After Hornacek made two free throws, everyone retreated quickly, and Stockton called his teammates to defend.

"Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks!"

There was a huge sound of cheering again at the scene, and the fans all expected the home team to play a hearty attack.

Both are short guards, but Stockton's defense is completely different from Hardaway's.

Seeing Li You's right hand holding the ball approaching the top of the arc, Patrick Ewing stepped out to prepare for the pick-and-roll, and Stockton took the initiative to defend it.

Li You could sense the movement of the old guy's hands, and quickly changed direction with his crotch. After switching to his left hand, he immediately circled the ball behind his back.

After taking the initiative to open a certain distance, Li You turned sideways to protect the ball, took advantage of Ewing's step up and stood still at the top of the arc, his shoulders swayed, suddenly lowered his center of gravity, and turned around.

After catching the ball with his left hand, Li You immediately accelerated, sticking to Ewing's body, and broke through on the left side.

Ewing didn't move down quickly, but stood firmly, trying to delay Stockton's pursuit as much as possible. The big man Ostertag, who was forced to switch up, noticed that Li You's center of gravity was extremely low, and subconsciously took a step back.

Li You got rid of Stockton's entanglement and observed that the big man failed to delay in time. He dribbled past the three-point line and immediately exerted force with his feet.
"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

At 10:11, in less than 12 seconds, the Knicks completed their attack.

Seeing Stockton stop beside him, Ewing began to frown, and immediately gave Li You a high-five with a smile in celebration.

"Coach Van Gundy made the right choice, Lee will punish the opposing defense!"

Feeling that the arena has become noisy again, the commentator Marv Albert also praised the substitution operation.

John Andaris noticed that Sloan was still calm on the sidelines, and he just made a simple gesture, and immediately added:

"It seems that the Jazz have been prepared for a long time. In recent games, Lee has received more and more targeted defenses!"

The Jazz's offense was not only initiated by Stockton. When Malone received a pass in the left block position, everyone began to move, and there would be no one-on-four situation.

Li You followed Stockton back to the baseline, not giving the opponent a chance to catch the ball, while the big man Ostertag moved into the paint simply and rudely.

Karl Malone took advantage of the opportunity to send a lob pass, and Ostertag didn't let go of the ball after receiving the ball.

Patrick Ewing's jump interference played a role, and the basketball knocked out of the basket.

Malone, who sent the pass, squeezed desperately towards the basket, and Oakley was also not to be outdone. The two took off at the same time. In the end, Oakley relied on his favorable position to protect the backboard with difficulty.

"Fack! Don't let me find a chance!"

Ma Long pinched him when he got stuck, and Oakley handed the ball to Li You, who responded, and immediately cursed in a low voice.

Noticing that the Jazz had completed their defensive positioning again, Li You immediately signaled Alan Houston to come to the right flank to receive the ball after quickly dribbling across half court.

For example, after the tactical gesture, Li You immediately gave the ball to Alan Houston, and at the same time, Ewing quickly came to the line to cover.

At the top of the arc, Li You first pretended to cut in from the center, then ran back suddenly, and with the help of Ewing's cover, he cut in obliquely from the right flank.

Stockton thought it was a simple UCLA cut-in tactic, and after squeezing through the screen, he desperately chased and defended Li You.

The imaginary pass did not appear. After Li You cut in, he quickly ran to the left corner. At the same time, Alan Houston, who was on the line, quickly threw the ball to Larry Johnson on the left wing.

Going up the line to transfer the ball, Oakley, who was near the baseline on the left, also made a cover for Li You in time.

When the old guy was covering, he lowered his body's center of gravity, and his bent knees concealedly turned towards Stockton's left thigh who was chasing him.

Scotton, who was fully chasing and defending, was staggered and completely lost his defensive position.

When Li You came to the left corner, there was no one in front of him. Ma Long realized that something was wrong, so he had no time to defend, and watched Li You, who caught the ball, make an open jumper!

"Shua!" Three-pointer and then scored!

Larry Johnson and Li You, who sent the pass, celebrated by high-fiving. On the other side, Oakley looked at Stockton, who was sitting on the floor rubbing his thighs, and turned his head to grin at Karl Malone:
"Dude, don't leave New York lying down!"

The old guy put Stockton out of the game with one move, ignored the ugly Ma Long, and greeted Li You with a smile when he returned to defense:

"Li, learn more! This is a valuable experience!"

Li You looked at Stockton, who was limping towards the bench, felt the joyful atmosphere of Madison Square Garden again, and nodded immediately:

"On the basketball court, knowledge is everywhere"

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