NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 64 The Unavoidable Vanity Fair

On January 1997, 1, at the United Center Arena, with the on-site DJ Ray Clay introducing the Knicks, the Bulls officially played.

The melody familiar to Chicago fans began to sound, and with the blessing of "Sirius", Li You also heard the classic line:

"Let's welcome a 6-foot-6 guard from North Carolina—"

"Mike—Jordan!!"

The biggest cheers after the opening erupted in the United Center arena, and Michael Jordan, wearing a red and white Bulls training uniform, ran out of the player tunnel with a serious expression.

Classic BGM, huge cheers, and four championship banners above the arena. With the support of various conditions, Li You also picked lemons for the Knicks:

"This X pretends that I can only score 9 points!"

For new players, coming to Chicago to play can also be regarded as meeting their idols. John Wallace kept looking at Michael Jordan from the sidelines.

If it weren't for the serious expressions of Ewing, Oakley, and Starks, this cute newcomer would even want to go forward and get familiar with Jordan
Li You, who picked up the lemon, did not have the mind of fanatical pursuit of stars. In the final warm-up stage before the game, he completed the shooting warm-up step by step.

Meeting an old friend made Michael Jordan feel better. While warming up, he chatted with Oakley and Ewing by the way, and all three of them had smiles on their faces.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines was furious to see that Michael Jordan didn't even look him in the eye.

The vengeful bastard has not forgotten last year's playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy said he was a hypocritical bastard, and there is no possibility of reconciliation between the two.

The Chicago fans at the scene were extremely enthusiastic, with 34 wins and 5 losses, and the Bulls still lead the league at present.

Phil Jackson is not as serious as Jeff Van Gundy. When the players from both sides came to the middle circle to prepare for the jump ball, he smiled and sat on the bench.

In this game, the Bulls' Ron Harper was truce due to injury, and the backup point guard Randy Brown got the chance to start, partnering with Michael Jordan in the backcourt;

Up front are Scottie Pippen and Jason Caffey, and center is Luke Longley.

Rodman was suspended for 11 games and will not play tonight for kicking a cameraman in the crotch against the Timberwolves.
For the Knicks, Li You started again tonight, and the Bulls' home commentator Jim Dunham was joking:

"It's been a long time since a rookie player has challenged Michael. Lee doesn't know what he's going to face. Michael will completely destroy the Knicks!"

When Li You faced the media, he didn't explain much. Obviously, Michael Jordan, who was in a bad mood, was making excuses for himself and wanted to use tonight's game to vent his depressed emotions.
Before the jump ball, Michael Jordan, who was in a better mood, smiled and greeted everyone on the Knicks team. After Ewing made the jump ball, the United Center Arena immediately burst into defensive shouts:
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

Li You controlled the ball and quickly made tactical gestures. Randy Brown did not choose to lead the defense.

The schedule is about to pass halfway, and the players in the league also know that pressing and defending is useless to Li You.

Simple low-post tactics, Ewing catches the ball in the low post on the left, faces Longley's top defense, puts the ball with his right hand, hits with his back, approaches the paint area, immediately turns to the baseline, switches to his left hand after closing the ball, and completes the pick basket.

Under the interference, the ball knocked out of the basket, and the United Center Arena burst into cheers immediately.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines shouted for the players to retreat, but the Bulls were not in a hurry to complete the conversion attack, and Pippen slowly crossed the half after receiving the ball.

In the first offensive round, the Bulls also played very simply. After Michael Jordan received the ball at the left elbow of the free throw line, everyone opened up the offensive space.

The two inside big men stood near the bottom line on the left and right, Pippen stayed at the top of the arc, and Li You followed Randy Brown on the right flank outside the three-point line.

Michael Jordan just maintained a three-threat stance, took a quick tentative step with his right foot, Alan Houston subconsciously took a small step back, and then saw Michael Jordan make a jumper.

"state!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket, and Oakley in the paint struggled to protect the backboard. Li You immediately went to catch the ball, and then continued to accelerate along the right side.

Everyone in the Bulls didn't care about Li You's rapid advancement, because Michael Jordan had already stood in front of Li You.

The confident Michael Jordan did not choose to defend against the press, but stopped on the right flank inside the three-point line, lowered his body's center of gravity, and watched Li You slow down.

"Oh!!"

The Chicago fans who like to watch the fun immediately followed suit. They wanted to see the rookie deflated.

Li You, who was close to the three-point line, only slowed down slightly, and at the same time turned his head to look at the top of the arc, then leaned forward, and suddenly sent the ball forward with his right hand.

Michael Jordan subconsciously moved forward, and Li You immediately lowered his body's center of gravity and pulled the ball with his left hand.

"Oh—! Clay God!"

Seeing Michael Jordan lose his defensive position in an instant, home commentator Jim Dunham subconsciously exclaimed.

Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand, took advantage of Jordan's defensive loss, and went directly to the paint. At this time, the Bulls had just retreated to the three-point line, and there was no one inside.

Michael Jordan, who had a fast reaction speed, immediately chased up and defended. Seeing Li You rushing up in three big strides in the paint, he also followed suit and quickly made a block.

After the mid-air confrontation, Li You had no choice but to find that Michael Jordan made up for the previous loss of position by relying on the speed of bullets. Finally, he grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, tilted his body, and barely made a shot!
After deliberately turning up the arc, the basketball just passed Michael Jordan's fingertips.

"squeak!!"

The whistle blew and the ball went in, the basketball knocked twice on the rim, and finally fell obediently into the rim.

"Oh!!"

In the United Center arena, all the fans in Chicago exclaimed, and then there was a burst of shouting at the scene. The beautiful goal even made many spectators cheer along.

The Knicks bench and the atmosphere group were all in a tizzy. Everyone threw towels wildly, stood bouncing around, hugged their teammates, and cheered and celebrated.

The "Sam Gold" style was outstanding, and the provocative effect exploded. After landing, Michael Jordan only felt that he had been shown his face.
Seeing that Li You was just calmly high-fiving his teammates and walking towards the free throw line, the smile on Jordan's face completely disappeared after the opening game.

"Very good, good extraordinary action!"

Taking advantage of Li You's free throw, the stern Michael Jordan tilted his head beside the paint to praise, and the surrounding Bulls players noticed the boss's emotional change, and their expressions also became serious.

"Unfortunately, you almost finished the block!"

Li Youjia made a free throw, responded with a chuckle, then shrugged his shoulders and turned his head to retreat, without looking at Jordan's expression of wanting to eat people.
Naturally, the fans at the scene couldn't hear the conversation between the two, but when they saw this scene, they booed loudly.

The Knicks were in a good mood, Charles Oakley even grinning, but soon things went wrong.

The first to suffer was Alan Houston, who was facing off against Jordan. Michael Jordan turned on the post-up mode, attacking left and right, and in addition to jump shots, he also began to frantically attack the basket.
On the defensive end, Randy Brown seemed to have been instructed not to be stingy with his physical fitness, and the entire field led the defense to pester Li You frantically.

The Knicks' offense was not affected too much, Li You made no mistakes, Ewing was in good form, and frequently succeeded in the low post.

But Jeff Van Gundy found that the tempo of the game was slipping toward the Bulls, and Michael Jordan even made a three-pointer.

By the end of the first quarter, Michael Jordan, who had played the entire first quarter, felt unsatisfied, and Alan Houston, who was walking to the bench, had his eyes straightened.

At 26:33, the Knicks had a good offensive efficiency, but they were still 7 points behind.

9 of 5 in a single quarter, 2 of 2 from outside the three-point line, 7 of 6 free throws, Michael Jordan's technical statistics in the first quarter, only 18 points.
Jeff Van Gundy was very satisfied with his performance in the first quarter. He squatted in front of the players and loudly encouraged:

"Hold on, play good defense, we're playing really well, be patient on both ends!"

李佑打满首节，3中2，三分线外2中1，罚球1中1，拿了6分1篮板3助攻。

Ewing scored 6 of 4 in the first quarter and scored 8 points and 2 rebounds efficiently. Throughout the first quarter, the Knicks' offensive rhythm was slow, but there were only two turnovers, and the pre-game game plan was perfectly executed.

Tighten up the defense, try to keep the Bulls' shooting percentages down, and drag the game into a Knicks rhythm.

Jeff Van Gundy thought well, but the plan couldn't keep up with the changes, and Michael Jordan started an unreasonable singles mode.

With the blessing of multiple buffs, the poor mood is crazy, roaring, sticking out tongue, celebrating scenes appearing constantly
The pace of the game was indeed slowed down, but Jordan's scoring speed was not slow. In the second quarter, he scored 6 of 3 points and scored 9 points.

After entering the third quarter, he was 7 of 5 and 2 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 12 points.

The turning point of the game was in the last quarter. Ewing's offense was cut off again. He scored 6 of 1 points in a single quarter and scored 2 points, while Jordan scored 8 of 5 points and scored 12 points.
The Knicks never climbed the hole dug in the first quarter. At 84:88, the Bulls suppressed the game and successfully won the game.

迈克尔-乔丹出场44分钟，30中18，三分线外8中5，罚球11中10，爆砍51分4篮板3助攻1抢断2失误
The United Center arena is already boiling, Chicago fans are cheering for Jordan, 51 points, a new season high!

At this time, Jeff Van Gundy's face was drawn long, looking at Phil Jackson with a relaxed smile on his face, barely maintaining his demeanor:
"Congratulations, 35 wins!"

Phil Jackson just shook hands, ignored Jeff Van Gundy, and turned away.

"Shet!!"

There were taunts from Chicago fans in my ears. After returning to the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy cursed angrily. Seeing the depressed expressions of the players, he restrained his emotions.

Li You listened to Van Gundy's thick chicken soup, but secretly screamed in his heart, it's a pity, without Rodman, they had a dominant rebounding tonight, but they were thrown to death by the marinated egg.
That night, Michael Jordan, who scored the highest score in a single game this season, once again became the target of the media, and everyone followed suit!

Although the Knicks lost, Li You once again topped the list of top 10 goals. ESPN's Sports Center program repeatedly broadcast the beautiful 2+1 that passed Jordan.

On the morning of January 1, the Knicks flew to Indiana. Jeff Van Gundy did not allow players to hang out with Michael Jordan after the game. Last night in the hotel, Oakley had a fight with the coaching staff.

After getting on the plane, Ewing also made a face, and the game was cancelled.

"There is no need to blame yourself. The Bulls are waiting for work. I don't think anyone in the league can limit Jordan in a 1-on-1 defense."

Li You comforted Alan Houston next to him in a low voice. The matchup was overwhelmed, and this feeling was really uncomfortable.

Michael Jordan's style of play is very old-fashioned, he rarely picks and rolls, no matter who defends, it is a style of play.
"We almost won the game. The team only made 8 turnovers. It is very difficult for such a game to occur. If we defend twice more, the result of the game may be completely different."

Alan Houston still thought it was a defensive problem, but Li You didn't say a word. He felt that the offense was more important in the match against the old man team.

The Bulls obviously lacked firepower and only scored 88 points in total. They dropped positions frequently and gave the opponent a chance to breathe.

Playing 34 minutes, he made 13 of 6, 3 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, and 3 of 3 free throws. Li You followed the coaching staff's requirements in last night's game and scored the team's second-highest 16 points without throwing too many three-pointers.

尤因23中10，21分14篮板4盖帽5失误，大猩猩表现得也非常不错。

But losing to an old opponent in this way is really heartbreaking. The veterans are not in a good mood. When they arrive in Indiana, they don't have the heart to do all the off-court activities.

Losing to the Bulls also blew up the media in New York. The next day, the newspapers were all complaining about Jeff Van Gundy's tactics, and Ewing followed suit.

The media that likes the fire doesn't care about the locker room atmosphere. The New York Post even wrote two articles:

"Patrick Ewing Is Not a Good Leader"

"Best Rookie - The Future of New York"

These troublesome paper media put the photos of Ewing and Li You together, and it turned out that this is a world of faces, and some New York fans began to agree with some views.
On the morning of the 23rd, the NBA announced the voting results for the 97 Cleveland All-Star Game:
Michael Jordan of the Bulls received 245 million votes and was successfully elected as the All-Star vote king in 97.

At the same time, Michael Jordan also set a record, becoming the first player in NBA history with more than 200 million All-Star votes.

With 51 points and the record-breaking All-Star vote, all the doubts from the previous few days disappeared, and the flattery situation reappeared.
Charles Barkley got 187 million votes and ranked No.2, while Grant Hill ranked third with 3 million votes, continuing his previous high popularity.

The gorilla got 139 million votes, and was elected as the starting center for the Eastern All-Stars without any suspense.

The All-Star starting lineup is also officially released, and the Eastern All-Star starting five:

Michael Jordan, Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing;

West All-Star starting five:
Gary Payton, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Shawn Kemp, Hakeem Olajuwon.

After the announcement of the All-Star starting lineup, the New York media once again suffered from amnesia collectively, and began to sing praises for Ewing after turning around.

The newspaper of the day, the sports section, the big gorilla from the blame man to the NBA50 superstar Patrick Ewing
Of course, the New York media did not forget about Li You, as a young expert.

With 58 votes, Li You ranked behind Anfernee Hardaway on the ranking list of Eastern Conference guards, overwhelming other veteran guards.

The New York media began to promote Li You's selection as an All-Star, almost blowing him up as the No. [-] point guard in the Eastern Conference!

In the game on the night of the 23rd, Reggie Miller of the Pacers chased Li You madly with his teammates.

There were many quarrels between the two, and Charles Oakley was almost meaningless with his trash talk. In the fourth quarter, taking advantage of the opponent's breakthrough, he simply put Reggie Miller on the floor
The fans in the front row of the Pacers saw Li You still smiling and applauding, and directly threw the drinks into the field.

"Shut up that stinky mouth of yours, or watch your head explode!"

Charles Oakley insisted on yelling in the direction of the Pacers.

Reggie Miller got up from the floor and wanted to rush over to give the old guy two punches, but was pushed by Li You and staggered.

Although the referee continued to pull, the two sides eventually scuffled together.
When the coaching staff of both sides separated the crowd, the annoyed referee turned around and expelled Li You, Charles Oakley, and Reggie Miller from the field.

With only 50 votes, being overwhelmed by new players, the Pacers only had a record of 19 wins and 20 losses. Reggie Miller, who was expelled from the game, pulled his face and was in a very bad mood.

Li You walked towards the player tunnel, not caring about the shouting and scolding from the fans on both sides, and even waved to the irritable old buddies in the mood:

"Is this the Vanity Fair of the NBA?"

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(End of this chapter)