On January 26, 1997, New York fans screamed and cursed at Madison Square Garden Arena.
After a tough win against the Pacers and back-to-back big losses to the Hornets, the Knicks met the Heat again in the last game of the week.
Perhaps because the All-Stars only received 310,000 votes, Tim Hardaway particularly wanted to express himself tonight!
Not only did he not rest, he also used his full strength on both offense and defense. Tim Hardaway's intention was very obvious - to beat Li You...
As the game progressed, both sides made more and more moves. In addition, the Knicks always led the Heat by 6 points. Tim Hardaway became more and more urgent, and the iron was bang bang.
The Heat used two second-round picks in this game, and both of them were particularly hard-working during the game, which caused the referee to make frequent body movements no matter how he whistled.
With 21 seconds left in the game, everyone on the Heat team realized that the situation was over, and they immediately let out a sigh of relief, gasping and no longer defending.
Only Tim Hardaway was still competing with Li You. He was on the left wing outside the three-point line, trying desperately to grab the ball, but Li You lowered his center of gravity and stuck his butt out, not giving the opponent a chance.
The final buzzer sounded at 89:95. The Knicks, who returned home, successfully defeated their opponents and ended the last game of the week.
"Five games in seven days, 3 wins and 2 losses. Although we lost to the Bulls and Hornets, after winning tonight's game, the record came to 33 wins and 10 losses."
"Beyond the Pistons and ranked second in the Eastern Conference. I think New York fans must be very satisfied with this result!"
In the MSG commentary box, commentator Marv Albert took the opportunity to praise the Knicks' performance.
The competition in the top half of the Eastern Conference is very fierce. Being able to temporarily surpass the Pistons has achieved the expected goal!
"The intensive schedule also caused some minor problems with Li's condition. It was only then that I felt that he was really only 19 years old!"
"Have a good rest before the All-Star Game. I hope the young man can return to his previous efficient performance."
Commentator John Andaris sent blessings to Li You. Both commentators were in a state of winning and smiling, and praised all the Knicks players.
After the game, Tim Hardaway felt that he had lost face in front of the rookies, so he said hello and turned away:
4 of 17, 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, 1 of 2 free throws, 11 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.
Even if he got a double-double, Tim Hardaway was not satisfied with his state tonight. It was too far!
Li You, the opponent, didn't take advantage either. He made 4 of 11 shots, 0 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 6 free throws. He had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers.
The number of consecutive games with three-pointers ended at 26 games...
After returning to the locker room, Li You sat in his seat and didn't want to talk anymore. With 5 games in 7 days and a bunch of lemons trying to defend, the Iron Man couldn't stand it anymore!
"This is a valuable victory and I'm proud of you!"
"But everyone has to persist. There are only two games left this month. If you are not feeling well, remember to report it in time."
Jeff Van Gundy saw that everyone in the locker room was too tired to talk. After a brief encouragement, he announced a holiday and canceled tomorrow's training session.
...
Li You returned to his apartment in Manhattan, washed up briefly and went to sleep. This week's game was finally over.
On the 27th, Li You, who was having breakfast, watched the ESPN program on TV seriously analyzing the reasons for the decline in his statistics, and happily gnawed on the sandwich in his hand.
"With Li Qi Qi's absence, it will be difficult for rookie players who have just entered the league to maintain an efficient state."
"Most teams have started to adapt to his technical characteristics, and we can see in this week's game that he is really struggling."
"Of course, Lee can still deliver beautiful performances that make the fans applaud, but in the second half of the game, he cannot continue his previous efficient performance."
Christen-Litte, who came to pay back the money early in the morning, saw that Li You was eating deliciously and was secretly sulking. She came hungry:
"They are talking bad about you? Aren't you angry?"
Seeing that Li You had no intention of inviting her to have breakfast, the girl who deliberately dressed herself to look more mature began to find a topic to chat with.
"Angry? No, no, no, it's always a good thing to be on TV. It's recognition from the media!"
"I thought you had had breakfast, you're welcome, just eat whatever you want!"
Li You saw the black-haired girl looking eagerly at the food on the table and immediately made a casual gesture.
Christen-Litte's face turned slightly red, but she still did not resist the temptation and took a big bite of the attractive-colored bacon in front of her.
She seemed to feel that her eating appearance was a bit indecent. When she saw some photos of Li You and Milinda in the room, she pretended to be casual and asked in a low voice:
"Is that your girlfriend? Do you like blonde girls?"
Li You looked at the other party's washboard figure with a half-smile, and there was only a slight bulge under the black slim-fitting sweater.
The big and smart eyes make the other party look particularly innocent, but being able to muster up the courage to attend the silver party means that the other party is definitely not an innocent girl.
"I'm not interested in underage girls. You don't have to dress yourself up too maturely. There's nothing to show at the airport."
Christen-Litte, who was still eating a sandwich, didn't react at first. It wasn't until she saw Li You's eyes and looked down that she understood what "airport" meant.
Feeling secretly annoyed in her heart, Christen-Litte pursed her lips, thinking of the shriveled wallet on her body, and finally she could only say angrily:
"After a while, I can only pay back part of it first. Now I'm just a part-time model and can't make much money."
Li You tilted his chin and looked at the other party, not wanting to expose the girl's little thoughts. The last roll was $2,000, so he saved some money and really didn't have to attend special events anymore.
As if she felt that her thoughts had been seen through, Kristen Ritter could only show off the food in front of her and complained secretly:
"Airport? Cows can't be models!"
...
In the third week of January, Li You had his worst performance since entering the league:
5 games, started 3 games, averaged 32.6 minutes per game, 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 turnovers per game;
He averaged 10.4 shots per game, shooting 44.5% from the field, 5.0 shots per game from beyond the three-point line, 28.8% from three-point range, 4.4 free throws per game, and 89.3% from the field.
On the morning of the 28th, Jeff Van Gundy couldn't help but frown secretly when he saw the data given by the coaching staff.
"It should just be a matter of physical fitness. Five games in seven days, three away games, flying back and forth will definitely have an impact."
"The true shooting percentage of 60% is still higher than the league average. With such a dense schedule, there is still such a performance. To be honest, I am just surprised!"
Assistant coach Don Chaney put on an expression of "we have earned it." He has always stood up for Li You in the team.
Jeff Van Gundy just felt that the three-point shooting percentage had dropped a bit, but considering that the Heat's game had lowered the data, he finally relaxed:
"How is Pat's physical condition? I don't want to see players get injured before the All-Star Game."
Assistant coach Thibodeau didn't think the problem was big. After half a season, Ewing averaged only 38 minutes per game. He responded in a relaxed tone:
"Losing weight should relieve the pressure on the knees. I think Pat is in better shape this year!"
Jeff Van Gundy breathed a sigh of relief again. After these two games at the end of the month, the Knicks can rest!
On the night of the 28th, the Knicks faced the Celtics at home.
In order to get Tim Duncan, the Celtics stopped pretending and made it clear that they were going to mess up and get the No. 1 pick!
The pressure of the game is not high, the Knicks will definitely win, and the New York fans who bought tickets to watch the game want to watch Li You live.
The last game against the Heat was like eating a piece of chocolate. New York fans who like to watch and have fun hope to change their taste through this game that they are destined to win...
What everyone didn't expect was that in the second half, during a scramble for a backcourt rebound, Ewing fell to the ground in pain.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was sitting on the bench, stood up immediately. Seeing Ewing's painful expression, he went numb for a moment:
"Knee hurt?..."
