Unlike the already broken teams in the league, the Jazz are very resilient.
After falling behind in the first quarter, Karl Malone felt bad, but after taking the rotation in the second half of the second quarter, the player regained his touch.
In the low post close to the paint area, he hit consecutive jump shots, and after the pick-and-roll, Karl Malone also succeeded easily.
The Jazz, which slowed down the pace of the game, successfully narrowed the point difference with Malone's 5-for-5, 2-for-2 free throws, and 12 points in a single quarter.
At 45:51, the Knicks finally entered the second half with a 6-point lead.
The New York fans at the scene did not care that the score difference was narrowed. They had watched too many games last week, and the tug-of-war was in line with the fans' expectations.
Back in the locker room, Charles Oakley couldn't help but cursed:
"Damn shooting, why is it so accurate all of a sudden!"
The old guy was beaten by Malone, and personal defense was useless. Malone, who was full of tendons, was not afraid of confrontation. After finding his shooting touch, the pick-and-roll offense regained its threat.
Patrick Ewing also felt that his performance was a bit embarrassing. He is also a top 50 NBA star. Most of his points tonight were free throws and pie.
"We have to hold on for a few rounds and then widen the gap!"
As the leader and core of the team, Ewing is always serious in games. When the boss speaks, everyone can only respond.
Li You nodded while sitting in his seat. The new player had no say.
This is also the reason why he doesn't like the old guy. It has nothing to do with other factors, but the two sides have different basketball concepts.
Charles Oakley also took the initiative to speak out and loudly supported Ewing's choice:
"I'll take care of Malone. Don't think about passing the ball to me. He won't have an easy time in the second half!"
Larry Johnson, Alan Houston, and Chris Childs were also speechless, and the three new players had to take the initiative to adapt to Ewing.
When Jeff Van Gundy entered the locker room, several veterans were still discussing how to rely on defense to limit the Jazz's offense. This is the style of play they have always adhered to.
"Li, you start the second half, don't feel pressure, increase some off-ball movement appropriately, everyone must pay attention to rebounds, and don't give the opponent a second chance to attack!"
The head coach's words made Ewing a little surprised. This was another time for Li You to digest the ball.
6 of 9 in the half, 2 of 3 from beyond the arc, 3 of 3 free throws, 17 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists. Li You did show extremely high efficiency, so Ewing did not refute, and he began to get used to the new game. It’s law.
Charlie Ward, who was on the sidelines, saw Li You communicating with the coaching staff and took another step. His playing time was getting less and less.
At the beginning of the third quarter, defensive shouts rang out from Madison Square Garden:
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
After Stockton passed half the court, he came to the right wing and immediately gave the ball to Ostertag, who was looking for the ball in the low post.
After the ball was handed over, Stockton moved toward the top of the arc, and Hornacek quickly bounced out and came to the right wing to respond.
This is a tactic that every team in the league will use at this stage. The big man will contain the ball in the low post and the pitcher will take over. Li You saw that Alan Houston was very good at chasing and defending, and he knew that the opponent would definitely pass the ball across the ball.
Sure enough, Hornacek, who caught the ball in the next second, had no chance and immediately passed the ball across. Li You was well prepared and suddenly pressed forward.
Seeing Li You almost complete the steal, the fans at the scene shouted.
Stockton didn't care. After receiving the ball, he turned around, held the ball in his left hand, and moved sideways to protect the ball to the left wing, preparing to give the ball to Malone in the low post.
Charles Oakley did what he said. He hung on Malone at the beginning of the second half. The two kept tugging and tangled in the low post on the left side. In the end, Malone was pushed to the left block by the stubborn defense.
Malone asked for the ball with his back, and Li You interfered with Stockton on the line and sent a ground pass. Oakley saw the opportunity and pushed Malone's knee.
Malone leaned forward and did not catch the ball. The basketball flew directly out of the baseline...
"Bad pass, this is Stockton's second mistake of the game!"
Commentator Marv Albert didn't see the details on the field, but just commented on the Jazz's offensive round with a smile.
Karl Malone didn't complain. He just pointed at Oakley when he retreated and said he would return it. The old guy didn't care and instead ran towards the opponent's half with a smile.
After successful defense, the fans at the scene cheered again. After Li You quickly passed the half court, the Knicks also played the same tactics as the opponent.
The difference is that Alan Houston is responsible for passing the ball to Ewing who is asking for the ball in the low post on the left, while Li You quickly runs back after completing the cross pass.
Pretending to cut in from the middle, quickly moving to the free throw line and then suddenly running back, Li You returned to the top of the arc again.
Ewing, who was in the low post on the left, threw the ball towards the top of the arc. Li You didn't make any adjustments after receiving the ball, just raised the ball and threw it!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net!
"Wonderful cooperation! This is the offense we are looking forward to!"
Commentator John Andaris burst out laughing, then raved about Ewing's support.
At 45:54, Li You hit a three-pointer, instantly widening the point difference.
Stockton didn't expect Li You to act so decisively. He was surprised in his heart, but his face showed no expression. He just looked at Li You with a sullen face.
Ewing, who completed the assist, seemed very happy. The gorilla smiled and high-fived Li You in celebration. He believed that his containment played a key role.
For Li You, playing with the starting lineup, not playing pick-and-roll, and using Ewing's low-post offense as the core, he became an outside fort and passing tool.
The fans at the scene didn't care who was the core of the tactics. As long as the team scored, everyone cheered!
In the next game, Jerry Sloan on the sidelines could only helplessly watch Karl Malone Bangbang, who performed brilliantly in the second quarter.
But Ewing suddenly found his touch, reached the paint area in two consecutive rounds, and succeeded in a throw right in front of the basket.
After scoring the goal, Ewing showed more active support. Except for Charles Oakley, who did not participate in the offense and only opened up space on the top line, everyone else surrounded the gorilla in the low post.
Larry Johnson cuts to the basket without the ball, and Li You and Alan Houston cross-cover on the line, running back continuously, ready to catch the ball and shoot at any time.
This time Li You quickly bounced out of the paint, and with the help of Oakley's cover on the left side of the free throw line, he came to the left side to receive a pass from Ewing in the low post. Without making any adjustments, he raised the ball and threw it again!
"Lee! Another three! YES!"
Commentator Marv Albert shouted excitedly, and Madison Square Garden also burst into loud cheers.
The Knicks started the second half with a 10-2 run, and the score reached 47:61. Jerry Sloan could only request a timeout.
"Good job!"
Ewing, who was in a good mood, took the initiative to pat Li You on the shoulder to show encouragement. The atmosphere team on the bench also stood up and high-fived Li You in celebration.
Seeing Ewing's "you are all here to help me" attitude again, Li You felt unhappy, but he pretended to be happy on the surface.
Jeff Van Gundy felt that his tactics were working, and excitedly shouted:
"That's it, everyone needs to take action and act decisively when the opportunity arises!"
Perhaps blessed by the home atmosphere, everyone on the Knicks worked hard in the third quarter, and Ewing scored points every time he sent a pass.
The cheers at the scene grew louder and louder. When Li You pressed for 24 seconds, received a pass from Ewing on the right wing, forced a three-pointer and scored, the Madison Square Garden Arena was completely blown away.
"Wow!!"
The defense was about to succeed, but in the end it fell short. Everyone in the Jazz team felt a little frustrated.
The game continued, and Hornacek seemed to be infected by Malone. He felt cold. Following Bang Bang, Li You switched offense and easily assisted Larry Johnson to score another 2 points. The Jazz was completely cold.
At 21:35 of the single quarter, when Li You, who had played the entire third quarter, came off the field, the New York fans at the scene had already begun to celebrate the victory.
At 66:86, the Knicks took a 20-point lead, and the fourth quarter became garbage time.
"No one can get an advantage from me!"
Charles Oakley, who returned to the bench, shouted, looking very proud.
Malone made 1 of 6 free throws and 1 of 2 free throws in this quarter. He only scored 3 points in total...
The atmosphere team sent compliments one after another, which made the old guy feel happy...
Assistant coach Don Chaney came to Li You with a smile and whispered:
"Li, there are still two assists left, let's play again in the fourth quarter!"
Li You returned to his seat and rubbed his shoulders. After hearing the instructions, he realized the problem with the data:
"No problem, I know how to do it!"
As a new player, it is normal for Li You to play a few minutes of garbage time.
Everyone on the Jazz bench looked ugly. Everyone knew that the Knicks wanted to help Li You collect data...
The fans in New York didn't care about garbage time. They continued to cheer when Li You scored, and they still shouted when they saw the beautiful assist.
In the fourth quarter, Li You played for 6 minutes and 36 seconds, and then took a break after the official timeout. In the final stage, both sides won the atmosphere group.
"Played 30 minutes, 10 of 17, 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, 5 of 5 free throws, 30 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 turnover. Tonight is another record night for Lee!"
Commentator Marv Albert looked at the technical statistics and introduced Li You's data loudly.
Commentator John Andaris heard the prompt from the headphones and immediately added with a smile:
"At 18 years and 351 days old, Lee broke the record again and became the youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points, and the youngest player to score 30 points and 10 assists!"
"Setting two records in one game, Lee once again showed his strength. I believe he will definitely become an All-Star player!"
"..."
The whole game ended quickly with the praise of the two commentators.
94:111, the Knicks defeated the Jazz at home and won 5 consecutive victories!
Patrick Ewing made 10 of 18 tonight, efficiently scoring 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 turnovers;
In the third quarter, the Gorilla made 5 of 8, scoring 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a single quarter!
With a smile on his face, Ewing thought he would receive the attention of the media after the game, but he found that everyone swarmed over to Li You's side, and his mood suddenly became less beautiful. He found that these media liked the new and disliked the old:
"You are all here to assist me..."
