On April 24, 1997, in Game 1 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, during the game between the Magic and the Knicks, the on-site director frequently focused the camera on Horace Grant on the Magic bench.
As a major player during the Bulls' three consecutive championships, "Cobra" Grant became the Magic's highest-paid player after O'Neal left the team.
But at this time, Grant could only sit on the bench with a serious expression. Frequent injuries at the end of the regular season prevented Grant from qualifying for the playoffs.
In the second quarter of the game, the two teams began to rotate personnel. The Magic team got the younger brother of "The Essence of Human Movies", Gerald Wilkins.
This player has played in New York for many years and basically contributed to this city during the peak period of his career.
Brian Shaw also rotated in, and veteran Daniel Shayers was brought in inside.
Head coach Adubatu expected that the rotation lineup could perform well, but unfortunately, the players who came on the rotation continued to play hard.
On the contrary, Starks began to break out. The 24-point difference was too much. The Knicks did not have any pressure after coming off the bench.
After more than two minutes in the second quarter, the Magic only scored 2 points. Hardaway made a pull-up jumper from the left elbow.
"Unfortunately, the Magic's main lineup has suffered injuries in turn, which has affected the running-in of their lineup."
"If Hardaway and Grant remain healthy, maybe the Magic will have a better record this season."
With frequent strikes, the points difference widened again, and commentator Marv Albert also started to gossip.
"The Magic made the wrong choice to retain the core lineup. O'Neal and Hardaway may not be able to win the championship."
"The Bulls can't remain dominant forever. I believe the Knicks will succeed. At least time is on our side."
Commentator John Andaris also followed the gossip and said that the Magic's decline is also a lesson. If a core player is let go for no reason, it will be extremely difficult to compete for the championship.
Just like at the end of the regular season, the Magic took on the bench and didn't change much in their style of play. They fell behind by a big score and didn't throw three-pointers wildly. Instead, they strengthened their defense and continued to finish near the paint area.
Li You, who was sitting on the bench, watched Hardaway quickly slip the baseline, catch the ball in the left block, and then go to the basket, almost hitting Hatcher directly.
"Being so far behind is still the normal way of playing. It's hard for us to lose this game."
One-on-one man-to-man defense was indeed difficult to restrict Hardaway. Li Youzai didn't care about the opponent's score and complained in a low voice.
"It's really difficult to chase points. If they miss 3-pointers and lose rebounds, they might lose even more. With a three-point shooting rate of over 30%, Hardaway is indeed not an excellent shooter."
Alan Houston also completely relaxed. With a huge lead, the main lineup could fully rest before coming on the scene in the second half of the second quarter. After the third quarter, they basically clocked in and went home.
Li You was a little envious of Hardaway's confrontation. Breaking through and attacking the basket required players to choose a good angle. In this era, defenders are extremely oppressive, so it is very important to maintain their breakthrough route after the confrontation.
Facing most of the league's backcourts, Li You doesn't have much trouble, but when encountering forward players, the opponent's rough defensive methods will often force him to shift, thus losing the established breakthrough route:
"Still need more muscle and strength."
Hardaway, who is anxious on the court, no longer frequently assists his teammates, but relies on his personal ability to continuously score points.
The New York fans at the scene were already crazy with joy. After more than half a quarter of the game, the Magic only scored 8 points!
At 18:49, the point difference has reached 31 points.
There were 5 minutes and 20 seconds left in the first half before the Knicks' main lineup reappeared.
Hardaway has completely lost his composure at this time. It seems difficult to understand why his teammates are always banging the iron, and many rounds are clearly open!
"Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks!"
In the first offensive round after coming on the court, Hardaway began to lead the entire defense, trying to cause Li You to make mistakes.
The two began to tangle from the half-court, and the oppressive defense did not have much effect. Li You simply stopped suddenly, dribbled behind his back, accelerated, turned around, then turned sideways to protect the ball, and quickly rushed through the center line.
By the end of the regular season, most players in the league no longer know how to guard Li You, and Hardaway's mentality is obviously explosive.
Ewing's screen at the top of the arc only hung up for a moment, and then he quickly moved down and took away Magic center Ronny Seikali.
Li You, who broke through on the left side, suddenly led the ball forward with his left hand. Taking advantage of Hardaway's desperate sliding, he dribbled across the three-point line and immediately blasted the ball vigorously on the spot.
Hardaway quickly adjusted his center of gravity, and when he saw Li You's push change direction, he immediately slid to the left.
Unable to get the expected shooting space, after completing the change, Li You dribbled the ball behind his back, quickly retreated, returned to the three-point line, and feinted with the ball at the top of the arc!
Hardaway, who was anxious, immediately jumped up to defend. He realized something was wrong when he was flying in the air. Li You, who successfully hit the time difference, jumped up, hung up on the defense, and threw the ball to the basket.
"squeak!"
"Bang!"
The basketball hit the board from the front and went into the basket. Li You was slightly startled for a moment, then hurriedly faced the audience, raised his hands and smiled pretending
"There were extra penalties! Lee tricked Hardaway, God, how he put the ball in!"
Commentator Marv Albert shouted excitedly, while Hardaway, who was tricked into committing a foul, walked aside in frustration without any excuse.
Li You stood on the free throw line and just took the basketball. The New York fans at the scene began to shout loudly:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The shouts of the fans made Ewing frown slightly. This season, he has not been treated like this.
With Li You making steady free throws, the point difference went to 40 points.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was sitting on the bench, also showed a proud look.
Compared to Adubatu, who stood on the sidelines and kept shouting loudly, the bald young coach's performance while sitting firmly on the bench did have a hint of the style of a famous coach.
In the second half of the second quarter, the Knicks' offense became smoother and smoother as they completely let go. Larry Johnson also hit a three-pointer on the left wing.
The opponent's interior defense intensity has dropped, and Ewing only needs to get in position, catch the ball, turn around and lay the basket to complete the score.
At the end of the first half, Charles Oakley stopped rushing for offensive rebounds. The point difference was too big, and the old guy also took advantage.
When Li You cut in without the ball and received a pass from Ewing in the right block, he didn't stop the ball when he came to the basket, threw the ball onto the backboard, and then quickly retreated from defense.
The basketball just passed Hardaway's fingertips, hit the board high and fell into the basket accurately!
This time he scored, Hardaway was so angry that he raised his hand to indicate a substitution and stopped playing.
Coach Adubatu immediately requested a timeout and replaced Anfernee Hardaway, who was getting worse and worse.
Near the end of the first half, Li You's ultra-long three-pointer from the midfield position circled around the basket before falling out.
This caused a burst of cheers from the New York fans at the scene, and it felt like an explosion!
At 32:64, there is no suspense in the game. The Knicks only need to wait for the opponent to change to the atmosphere team.
"A very exciting first half. We played an extremely efficient offense. This is an even better offense than the regular season!"
"Lee made 4 of 6 in the half, 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, 1 of 1 free throw, 12 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists. I think his performance was even better than Hardaway's."
Commentator Marv Albert also didn't forget that Hardaway mocked Li You as a "star-making product" before the game, and started to fight back with a smile.
"Undoubtedly, the data has already illustrated some problems. In the league's backcourt, it is difficult to find a player who can match Li's overall strength!"
Commentator John Andaris also began to praise Li You's performance.
Although the New York media always compares data at different times, this is also a manifestation of strength.
The two of them had a blast in the commentary box, but when everyone on the Magic team returned to the locker room, they had lost their temper. No matter how thick the chicken soup was, it was useless. There was already a 32-point difference.
In several games during the regular season, the Magic lost by up to 21 points, and the only game they won was by only 4 points.
All the psychological massage before the game was useless. The 64-win Knicks were significantly ahead of the teams in the bottom half!
Coach Adubatu didn't hear Hardaway's complaints during the halftime break, and he felt relieved. No matter how big the score difference was, he still had to play in the third quarter.
After the start of the second half, the Knicks were no longer interested in executing their pre-game plan, especially since their opponents were still trying to make a run and switch offenses to maintain the point difference.
Every time Hardaway hits the iron on the court, Li You will count for the opponent. After hearing "Three", the fake Jordan successor can no longer hold back.
He turned around angrily and was about to push forward, but Oakley, who had been prepared, blocked him.
Before he could open his mouth to speak, he was knocked up and staggered.
"Looking for something else to do, man?"
Most of the players from both teams were in the paint. As soon as Oakley made a sound, everyone on the Magic team quickly pulled Hardaway behind them. With this point difference, there was a conflict and he was suspended and suffered a blood loss.
The referee pulled Hardaway away, which was the protagonist of the series.
Charles Oakley was a little bored on the court. In the past, at this time, he should take action.
It's just that the point difference is too big tonight, and besides rebounding, I just want to eat cake. The old guy wants to get off the court and rest.
"Charles, come down and rest for a while!"
Jeff Van Gundy quickly stood up and asked veteran Buck Williams to play. Seeing that the opponent had no intention of changing the atmosphere group, he could only follow the opponent.
In the third quarter, the Knicks were all about scoring and playing. Ewing caught the ball in the low post and attacked the inside.
The Gorilla is very efficient, hitting and shooting continuously on the left and right sides of the paint area.
Li You and Alan Houston were responsible for the response, and the Magic's inside line soon became unable to withstand it.
At 17:26 of the single quarter, the New York fans at the scene began to celebrate the victory.
At 49:90, the score difference came to 41 points.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, head coach Adubatu quickly changed to the atmosphere team. This was already a tragedy.
The New York fans who bought tickets to watch the game are still booing loudly, trying to increase the atmosphere on the stage and make the Magic team the headline of tomorrow's sports section.
Sitting on the bench, Hardaway's face became increasingly ugly, and the atmosphere team also followed suit.
Li You was already smiling broadly on the bench and waving a towel to his teammates. Walter McCarty had a rare opportunity to play and worked hard to score points, sparing no effort on both offense and defense.
By the end of the fourth quarter, the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden exploded, with New York fans cheering and shouting:
"50 points!!!"
At 64:114, the Magic lost by 50 points. Hardaway quickly walked to the tunnel without looking back, setting a record.
"I am very happy to witness this record with New York fans. The 50-point difference equals the record set by the Bucks and Warriors in the 1971 Western Conference Semifinals."
"That was far away in 1971, when the Bucks beat the Warriors. Lee wasn't even born yet."
"God, this is incredible!"
Commentator Marv Albert didn't expect to win so much, and no one expected that the atmosphere team would follow suit.
Li You, who had already changed into training clothes and was waving to the fans, felt a little regretful:
"In the end, we still lost by 8 points!"
In the first playoff game of his career, Li You played in three quarters and played 27 minutes. He made 6 of 10 shots, including 3 of 4 three-pointers, and 1 of 1 free throws. He had 16 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists.
At the post-game press conference, the New York media failed to see Anfernee Hardaway. An old injury recurred and he was unable to be interviewed.
Jeff Van Gundy appeared in the press conference room with Li You, and the New York media at the scene cheered happily.
"At 19 years and 114 days, Lee, congratulations on becoming the youngest player in the history of the NBA playoffs to score 15+5. It's your first time playing in the playoffs. How does it feel?"
Every time he hears these age records, Li You gets a little weird. There is a high probability that any record that will appear in the future will have my situation.
"It feels pretty good, at least I performed almost as well as the All-Star players opposite me!"
"The playoffs are no different from the regular season. Man, these records will be refreshed soon, so there is no need to report!"
Li You reminded everyone in the audience that there will still be a game against the Magic in two days. As long as there is enough playing time, this record will be refreshed soon.
The New York media in the audience burst into laughter because Anfernee Hardaway's boomerang hit him in the face before the game.
The fake Jordan successor performed pretty well, shooting 5 of 16, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 turnover, and got the Magic's highest score.
It’s a pity that the New York media will not let this person go:
"Li, how does it feel to play against Mr. 50 Points? Will we still have a good offense in the next game?"
Li You quickly realized that this was Anfernee Hardaway’s new nickname:
"We will indeed continue to attack efficiently. It's a pity that Grant is injured, but this is the playoffs. Winning by 50 points shows that we have gone all out. This also shows respect to our opponents!"
"Respect!"
The reporters accompanying the Magic team listened to the teasing at the scene and did not hesitate for a moment. They stood up and left. Soon they heard the voice coming from behind:
"What a shameless guy."
A record-tying victory brought the New York media to a collective climax, and Li You's record also began to sweep through the major sports media.
There is actually a lack of hot news in the NBA recently, because Michael Jordan won the scoring title again, and Rodman won the rebounding title. These things have been reported for many years, and the fans have become numb.
Therefore, after the first round of the game that night, most media followed the trend and reported on this game. Only when the fans have fun watching it will they buy it.
Apart from Anfernee Hardaway, the most depressed player is the Timberwolves' Stephon Marbury, who is also in a bad mood.
At 95:112, the Rockets' senior Big Three defeated the Timberwolves' rookies in three quarters.
Marbury scored a game-high 28 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He just set a record, but didn't even make a splash.
Olajuwon, like Ewing, made 7 of 13 and scored 18 points. The difference is that the Gorilla played less time, only 30 minutes.
The Rockets also have many people scoring in double figures. In the playoffs, except for "Glider" who is still looking for form, everyone else is in very good shape.
After only one playoff game, the cry of "Rockets championship" came to mind again. Ball commentators and fans believed that the elderly Big Three could reach the finals.
Pat Riley's Heat relied on iron-blooded defense and easily defeated the Hornets 99:109. Dell Curilla, who came off the bench, went 1-for-8 and only scored 4 points.
The Jazz also showed dominance tonight, beating the Clippers at home 86:106.
Stockton made 5 of 9 shots and had a double-double of 13 points, 7 rebounds, 17 assists, 1 steal and 4 turnovers. Malone made 13 of 27 shots and had 27 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
Utah Shuangsha is as stable as ever!
The first round will be a best-of-five game. If the team is strong enough, it will soon get the match point.
On the morning of April 25, in addition to routine preparations for the game against the Magic, the Knicks coaching staff also began to watch the Heat's video in advance.
Although the Hornets played well in the regular season and Glen Rice was in explosive form this year, in the playoffs, faced with hand-to-hand combat and layers of defense inside, the Hornets were unable to withstand it.
"Woshan Leonard, a second-round pick in 1994, only entered the starting lineup in the second half of the regular season. He has been in very good shape recently and is very good at catching and shooting."
8 of 13 and 6 of 9 from the three-point line. Second-round pick Leonard scored a Heat team-high 24 points in the game against the Hornets.
Assistant coach Thibodeau briefly introduced the player to Jeff Van Gundy.
"We must admit that we still can't compare to Pat Riley when it comes to training. After taking over the team, our training volume was high and then there were deductions."
For a second-round pick to perform like this, in addition to the system, it is naturally inseparable from hard training. Jeff Van Gundy admires Pat Riley's ability. The opponent can always tap into the player's potential.
"The Heat increased their three-point shooting, and they became the team that attempted the most from beyond the arc in the regular season. Jeff, this is no coincidence, they changed their style of play!"
Assistant coach Don Chaney looked at the technical statistics and reminded the bald young coach again.
Averaging 22.7 shots from beyond the three-point line per game, the Heat still use "iron-blooded" defense, but rely more on outside shooting on the offensive end.
The Knicks have also increased their number of three-pointers this season, averaging 19.3 per game, ranking eighth in the league.
Li You and Starks took half of the shots, and most of the rest were taken by Chris Childs and Alan Houston.
The number of three-pointers has increased, and the Knicks' number of possessions has also increased to 81.5 per game, ranking seventh in the league.
The offense and defense are relatively balanced, slow and fast. This is the reason why they can win 64 games this season.
Jeff Van Gundy thought for a while and didn't know how the Heat would adjust, but strengthening confrontation is definitely a game strategy that the opponent will definitely adopt:
"It is better to protect the home court first. As long as we can win two games first, there will be sufficient room for adjustment."
Without hearing too many instructions, everyone on the coaching staff knew that Jeff Van Gundy would most likely not be able to guess Pat Riley's adjustments.
Everyone watched the game video and began to express their opinions. After a round of discussion, they finally found out that they really had no offensive system.
There is no Jazz's academic basketball, a large number of UCLA cuts, frequent pick-and-rolls, and the Bulls' triangle offense, which makes room for Michael Jordan to play in isolation, and others are waiting to eat the pie:
"64 wins, how many did we win?"
Li You also knew that the coaching staff was studying the Heat's game video, but with the Knicks' situation, it was better to give the ball to the player in the best condition than to make adjustments.
If Ewing is not good enough, he will be a forward. It is a daydream to expect to be highlighted throughout the Gorilla Series.
In the afternoon training session, we still ran the tactics step by step, played the routines, and then rested directly. If you want to practice more, several veterans just lay down.
"After returning, McDuck began to win the scoring title again. This is the ninth time he has won the award. Rodman also won the rebounding title for six consecutive years. The fans have seen enough."
Tonight, the league had to award awards to the two Bulls players. Larry Johnson took a lemon and complained casually while practicing three-point shooting.
"Michael Jordan's statistics have declined. This is a good thing. It proves that he will also grow old."
Li You heard Alan Houston's words and said helplessly:
"The average is 29.6 points per game, which is only 0.8 points less than last year. This decline is negligible."
The data looks disappointing. After the decline, the field goal percentage is still 48.6%. Without double-teaming, he can still kill people.
No one paid much attention to the first-round games, but the Bulls are the BOSS in the Eastern Conference!
Several veterans had shadows in their hearts. They were overjoyed to win two games in the regular season. Subconsciously, they didn't believe they could beat Michael Jordan.
After the evening training session, Li You returned home and watched the Bulls game.
With Harper and Pippen in poor condition, Michael Jordan played 42 minutes, made 12 of 25, and scored 29 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers.
At 86:98, the Bulls, playing at home, successfully defeated the Bullets.
Even the super center couldn't stop Michael Jordan's impact. Li You turned off the TV and silently calculated:
"The shooting rate is exactly 48%, the same as the regular season, but the state is declining?"
On April 27th, the G2 game between the Magic and the Knicks officially started that night.
Many fans at the scene were holding whiteboards, and "Mr. 50 Points" had already resounded throughout New York after these two days of reports.
Hardaway did not accept an interview before the game. He lost too much in the last game, which is enough to illustrate the strength gap between the two teams.
Once the game started, the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden became even more intense.
After two days of rest, the Magic still couldn't find their touch.
Except for Hardaway's back-up jumper from the left low post in the opening game, the Magic's score remained at 4 points for 4 minutes and 20 seconds in the first quarter.
Constantly sharing the ball, constantly scoring and hitting, the Magic tried to attack the basket when the touch was not good.
On the left flank, Hardaway suddenly cut in, against Li You's defense, broke into the paint area and made a fake pass.
He threw the ball with one hand with his left hand in the air to Ronnie Seikali who followed up. The latter caught the ball, faced Ewing's block, and threw the ball again.
"Wow!!"
Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You collected the backboard at the lower right side of the basket. The Knicks quickly rushed through the half court without any greeting.
His teammates once again missed the opportunity to finish. Hardaway looked ugly and could only retreat.
Continuously accelerating along the left sideline, Li You observed the situation on the court, and before half-time passed, he suddenly threw the ball towards the upper right side of the basket.
Larry Johnson, who had already rushed to the basket, jumped up quickly. He did not have enough preparation time and failed to complete the dunk. He fished the ball in the air and put the ball into the basket.
"Beautiful pass! It's a pity that he couldn't complete the dunk. Lee can always see his teammates in time. He makes the Knicks' offense easier!"
Commentator John Andaris was also taken aback and didn't even notice the opportunity.
It was a bit regretful to complete the fast break "Auntie", and could only watch Li You pretending to be X in the backcourt.
The Magic's Derek Strong had just returned to defense at halftime, only to find that the Knicks had already scored.
He wanted to complain, but looking at the frowning Hardaway, Strong swallowed the words that came to his mouth.
At 4:13, after the opening, the Knicks felt average from the outside. Alan Houston played two irons, and most of the points came from transition offense.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
Hardaway quickly used more than half of the ball, and the defensive cheers started again. He frowned and observed his teammates' positions. Big man Ronny Sekali once again came to the top of the key to pick and roll.
The expected effect did not appear. Ewing was still squatting in the paint area. Hardaway could still feel the pull of Li You on his waist. The pick-and-roll failed to escape the defense at all.
In theory, it could be passed to a teammate down the line, but this time Hardaway chose to make a sudden stop, then took a step sideways, below the free throw line, and succeeded in a sudden stop jumper.
At 6:13, the Magic finally broke their scoring drought.
There was no joy on Hardaway's face after he scored. It was almost halfway through the first quarter before he scored this point, which gave him another bad feeling.
Quickly retreating from defense, turning around to direct his teammates to complete the defensive confrontation, Hardaway was still shouting, and Li You had already passed half court.
In the left corner, Alan Houston quickly moved to the wing position, and Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, also moved laterally.
Taking advantage of Li You's slight pause at the three-point line, Alan Houston pretended to catch the ball. Hardaway wanted to remind his teammates to change defense. The next second, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly lowered his center of gravity and leaned forward to accelerate.
Hardaway, who was almost deceived, hurriedly slid to the right and rear, and at the same time took advantage of his body size to constantly engage in physical confrontation, trying to block Li You to the baseline position.
The two bodies collided. Unable to get rid of the defense, they approached the lower left side of the basket. Li You, who was accelerating, suddenly crossed and pulled back.
The sudden stop caused Hardaway, who was still sliding to defend, to pause slightly.
The moment he switched to his right hand, Li You accelerated his breakthrough again, rushed into the paint area, and tilted his body to complete the basket against Hardaway, who was on defense again!
"Whoa!" The two-point ball hit the net!
After completing the attack, Li You stood under the basket and slapped his biceps pretending to be X, causing another round of cheers from the fans in the front row.
After being sneak-attacked again, Hardaway wanted to communicate with his teammates, but in the end he silently took the baseline ball.
The Magic team that defeated Michael Jordan in the playoffs is no longer there. "Cobra" Grant is injured and Hardaway can't stand it alone.
The Knicks' perimeter defense switches at will. Li You is the weakest defensive player among them. When he reaches the low post, he has to rely on the help of his teammates.
Hardaway once again played a post-up single in the left block. After continuous hits, he quickly turned toward the baseline, scooped up the ball with his left hand, and jumped to the lower left side of the basket with Li You on his back.
Ewing, who was assisting in defense, soon arrived. Hardaway jumped up and passed the ball. The moment Ronny Sekali caught the ball, Oakley, who shrank to the basket, cut the ball hard.
"Snapped!!"
Even the ball and hand were hit. Ronny Sekali subconsciously yelled and raised his arms, trying to get a foul.
But the referee said nothing. Oakley gave the ball to Alan Houston, who responded, and the Knicks launched another transition attack.
Several members of the Magic team retreated quickly. Brian Shaw, who got the chance to start tonight, delayed the move immediately. Nick Anderson did not miss "Big Mom" this time and quickly retreated.
Neither Ewing nor Oakley followed the madness, but stayed at the end.
Hardaway quickly returned to defense and followed Li You. The Magic quickly completed the matchup, forcing the Knicks to slow down.
"Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks!"
Falling into position to attack, the fans at the scene began to cheer loudly for the home team. Coming to the right wing, Alan Houston immediately gave the ball to Ewing on the free throw line, then cut in without the ball and quickly rushed to the basket without a chance to run. Towards the left bottom corner.
Near the baseline on the left, Larry Johnson's screen was squeezed through, and Alan Houston still failed to get an open opportunity.
On the left wing, Li You quickly made a tactical gesture to signal "Auntie" to lift up, then immediately moved laterally and received Ewing's hand-to-hand pass at the top of the arc.
The moment he caught the ball, Hardaway came up. Ewing's screen quality was good, but as long as he squeezed through half of the ball, he could complete the defense with hand movements.
Ewing passed down, and Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, also accelerated his breakthrough. The Magic's defense was compressed, and Larry Johnson, who was reminded, quickly moved to the top of the arc.
Breaking through to the free throw line, Li You, who was traveling, sent a pass from behind. After receiving the ball, Larry Johnson ignored Strong, who was defending him, and quickly made a jump shot from the top of the arc!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net!
The cheers at Madison Square Garden grew louder. Coach Adubatu on the sidelines looked helplessly at the bench. When he saw Grant sitting upright, he sighed secretly.
After changing the starting lineup, Hardaway tried his best to defend against Li You's three-pointer and was more focused when defending without the ball, but these adjustments did not have much effect.
The defense line was compressed, and some players could not concentrate on defense. Head coach Adubatu could only remind loudly:
"Concentrate and follow your defender!"
The noisy scene made it difficult for everyone on the Magic team to hear what the head coach shouted, but they knew without thinking, "Pay attention to defense!"
At 6:18, the point difference reached double digits again.
After retreating, Li You fist-bumped with "Auntie" and encouraged him:
"It's a good shot. Additional practice seems to have some effect!"
Continuous scoring makes Larry Johnson very proud:
"Try to defeat your opponent as soon as possible!"
In the second half of the game, the Magic finally found some touch and finished at the basket several times, but the defense always missed people and the Knicks scored easily.
Hardaway, who became more and more depressed as he played, was replaced with 1 minute and 52 seconds left in the first quarter. He passed so many balls but didn't get a single assist.
By the end of the first quarter, at 18:29, the Knicks still led by 11 points.
Having already changed into training clothes on the bench, Li You looked at the gearing up rotation and said to Alan Houston beside him with a smile:
"I'm already thinking about my opponents for the next round!"
Alan Houston didn’t know this joke and said seriously:
"You still have to pay attention to your opponent's counterattack. With 4 assists in a single quarter, Li, you are going to break the record again tonight!"
Li You shrugged his shoulders, unable to share his happiness, and suddenly felt a little lonely:
"Maybe this joke will no longer exist."
Thank you book friends for your subscription support (﹃)
This is what I wrote in the first round, with some content deleted.
There’s no limit to the number of words~
(End of chapter)
