After the 1997-98 season came to April, the competition among the teams for better rankings has reached a fierce stage.
In the Western Conference, the Lakers, SuperSonics, and Jazz all have a chance to win first place. In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers have officially fallen behind, and the Knicks and Bulls have begun to compete from afar.
Before every game in April, Jeff Van Gundy would secretly pray, praying for the Knicks to win, and also praying for the Bulls to lose!
On the night of the 9th, perhaps God heard the bald young coach’s sincere prayer. The Bulls overturned in the game against the Cavaliers!
85:91, the more blooming Cavaliers successfully sniped the Bulls.
When the New York fans saw this game, they burst into laughter and started celebrating wildly.
As a result, on the night of the 12th, the Knicks challenged the Heat away from home, and the two sides once again started a hand-to-hand battle. In the end, the Heat successfully blocked the Knicks 80:84!
After the game, the New York media was so angry that they mocked Pat Riley for being inappropriate. Seeing that the regular season was coming to an end, the record ended up being tied with the Bulls again.
Fortunately, the Pacers are true friends of the Knicks. On the night of the 13th, at 114:105, the Bulls lost again!
Unfortunately, the Knicks suffered another injury at the last moment. Larry Johnson and Oakley were injured. At 104:100, the Wizards completed their block again.
After that, the Knicks made no mistakes and beat the Raptors 79:108. The Bulls, who also suffered injuries, lost to the Pistons 79:87!
So far, the Knicks' record has reached 62 wins and 19 losses. The Bulls' record came to 61 wins and 20 losses.
April 18 happened to be the last regular season game for both sides.
If the Bulls can defeat the Knicks again, they can lock in the first place in the Eastern Conference with a win advantage.
If the Knicks successfully defeat the Bulls, they can win 63 games and kick the opponent!
It's not enough to just pay attention to this game. The New York media must always pay attention to the game between the Jazz and the Lakers on the 19th!
With the same record of 62 wins and 19 losses, if the Knicks lose and the Jazz win, then the opponent will lock in the league's first place and enjoy home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
The bloated New York media had already loaned themselves to the finals, and everyone thought it was okay to pay attention to potential opponents in advance, but such behavior angered the Chicago media again.
Before the game even started, both sides started taunting each other:
"In order to win the assists title, Lee has turned into a data brusher. The MVP only belongs to Michael Jordan!"
"Michael Jordan can only rely on the news of his retirement to gain sympathy! He wants to steal Lee's MVP!"
The Chicago Tribune and the New York Times went shirtless and satirized each other's stars mercilessly. Every day's newspapers turned into scenes of quarrels.
For New York fans, all old and new grudges are settled together. As long as they can kick the Bulls down, everyone will be happy!
The media in Los Angeles are not convinced either. The Lakers currently have a record of 60 wins and 21 losses. At the end of the regular season, O'Neal became more and more courageous:
"The Lakers will reach the Finals again, and the MVP belongs to O'Neal!"
Jazz fans felt they were being ignored, and the Salt Lake City media also wanted to speak out for Karl Malone, but they lacked the strength and no one paid any attention to them.
The three major ball markets are all talking about their own opinions and cheering for the star. As for the MVP, it is really difficult to say!
On the night of the 18th, at the United Center Arena, from the start of the game, the Bulls fans present cheered wildly and continued to cheer for the home team.
At the end of the half, thanks to Michael Jordan's heroic performance, the Bulls led by 4 points at 53:57.
5 of 13, 15 of 16 free throws, McDuck scored 25 points, 2 rebounds and 1 turnover, almost defeating the Knicks
In the third quarter of the game, the Knicks finally began to break out. The Bulls' big delays allowed Li You to frequently find his teammates.
Veteran Buck Williams, who started tonight, scored consecutively with a mid-range jump shot and a second tip-in from the basket!
Chris Mills, who won the starting position, also made sudden penalties in this quarter, constantly helping the Knicks score points.
Although Larry Johnson is not in the best physical condition, he also contributed his strength on the defensive end.
35:26 in a single quarter. After three quarters, there was no sound in the United Center. At 88:83, the Knicks went ahead by 5 points!
Michael Jordan had to rest in the fourth quarter. If he wanted to get free throws, he had to keep attacking the basket. Michael Jordan scored another 12 points in the third quarter and had to take a breath.
Harper only played 14 minutes before feeling unwell and did not appear again.
In the last quarter of the rotation, Steve Kerr and Scott Burrell partnered in the backcourt, with Pippen and Rodman still at the front, and Kukic at the center.
Of course Phil Jackson wanted to win the game. The ranking in the playoffs was too important, so he also chose to fight against the main force.
As for the Knicks, Li You didn't rest at all. He took a lot of shots in the first three quarters. By the fourth quarter, he no longer took care of the organization.
The Bulls took the lead in attacking. Before 24 seconds were up, Pippen hit a jump shot after a pick-and-roll near the free throw line!
"state!"
The basketball hit the basket, and Chris Dudley grabbed the backboard. After Li You responded, Cole immediately stepped forward to delay, and the Bulls retreated quickly.
In the lead, Li You did not push forward in a hurry, but moved steadily through the half.
On the right wing outside the three-point line, Li You, who holds the ball in his right hand, protects the ball sideways. The Knicks' two inside players all sink to the baseline, while Larry Johnson and Alan Houston open up the wings.
Cole continued to provide physical confrontation. Li You, who had been protecting the ball sideways, suddenly exploded the ball with great force when he was close to the three-point line. While twisting his body, he pretended to catch the ball with his left hand, and then suddenly twisted quickly and lowered his center of gravity as he caught the ball with his right hand. , accelerate with full force.
There was a slight hesitation on the defensive end, and Cole was half-blocked by Li You, forcing him to slide into the blocking area.
Li You suddenly stopped suddenly, and then blasted the ball with his right hand again. Taking advantage of Cole's adjustment of defensive focus, he quickly completed the change of direction in front of his body.
Switching to his left hand, Li You pretended to break through, and Cole was shaken and quickly slid back to the right.
As a result, Cole moved near the paint area, but saw that Li You just crossed the step and pulled back, completely losing his defensive position, and watched Li You take a mid-range jumper.
"Whoa!" The two-pointer was hit steadily.
"Shh!"
Huge boos erupted in the United Center. The Bulls fans didn't want to lose, they didn't want to fall to second place.
Next, Kukoc also succeeded in a low post on the left side. On the bench, the Bulls coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief.
The Knicks continued to hit the baseline quickly. This time Li You came to the right wing after halftime and handed over the ball.
Alan Houston at the top of the arc responded, Larry Johnson and Chris Dudley also occupied two elbow positions at this time, and Li You quickly went to the line to cross.
Under double cover, the pursuit of Cole was delayed. Kukqi immediately switched to defense, raised his hands high, and tried to control his body's center of gravity.
Coming to the left wing, Li You didn't do much when he received a cross pass from Alan Houston. He simply raised the ball and shot a jumper!
Looking at Li You who was still drifting to the left, Kukqi was a little confused. Then there were boos in his ears, and he immediately knew that Li You had scored again.
"Lee has entered attack mode. It is difficult for Cole to limit him. The Bulls should not hesitate. They should continue to delay."
In the TNT commentary box, Hubie Brown saw Li You finishing quickly and couldn't help but whisper a suggestion, while Dick Stockton on the side gave a different view:
"In the third quarter, the Knicks' role players played so well, and they responded in time."
"McKen should play early, after all, tonight's game is very important to them!"
Regardless of whether the Bulls scored or not, Li You did not reduce his aggressiveness.
Receiving a pass from Chris Dudley at the right elbow area, Li You took a step, got rid of the pursuing Cole, and succeeded in a jumper from the free throw line!
Looking back, the Bulls scored and played, Pippen missed a three-pointer, Li You collected a long rebound, was interfered with in transition and missed the basket, and Larry Johnson followed up and scored a tip-in.
The Bulls attacked again, Pippen broke through to the basket and responded with a layup under Dudley's interference!
The Knicks quickly sent a baseline ball. Li You caught the ball on the left wing, released the ball with his left hand, took advantage of the situation and broke through with a cross step. He pulled back from the hip in the left block and made a mid-range emergency stop jumper.
The two sides started a scoring battle again, constantly switching between holding and off the ball, and Li You showed no sign of physical exhaustion.
After forcing a breakthrough to the basket and causing Kuqi to foul, Li You stood on the free throw line and received another round of boos.
Cole, who was constantly chasing and defending, was already gasping for air. In previous games, he would not have had so much playing time.
The whole court was watching Li You, and Cole felt that this job was not easy at all.
After Li You made two free throws, the score reached 101:91. With 7 minutes and 48 seconds left in the game, Michael Jordan reappeared.
At this time, the double-digit lead had already made the Knicks' atmosphere boiling.
Ewing, dressed in formal attire, was also on the bench, but he was just a gorilla with mixed emotions.
I was busy with the collective bargaining agreement in March, but when I returned to the team, I felt a little strange.
With a double-digit lead, Li You also began to slow down the pace of the game. While taking a breath, he immediately started to engage in tactics again.
After just two rounds of teammate strikes, Li You started to take over the offense again after seeing Mai dunk and take penalties.
The Bulls' one-point rain was very fierce, but Li You was not soft on the three-pointer.
This time on the right wing, Li You, who was playing outside, caught the ball and feinted. When he saw Cole's defensive focus, he immediately released the ball and then retreated laterally.
Cole tried his best to block the shot from his side, but Li You's shot was too fast and he succeeded in a jumper after drifting slightly.
"The Bulls need to speed up the game, time is running out!"
When Hubie Brown saw Li You hitting the ball outside the three-point line and the Bulls protecting the rebound, he subconsciously shook his head and said.
Before Dick Stockton could explain the Bulls' fast break, Larry Johnson immediately fouled Pippen.
"Everyone on the Knicks team is very calm. It can be seen that they have made full preparations before the game. Tonight, Lee has been firmly controlling the rhythm of the game."
As the game time passed, Phil Jackson began to walk up and down the sidelines, and Jeff Van Gundy yelled to remind his players to pay attention to rebounds.
With 58 seconds left in the game, Kukchi also stood on the free throw line.
"No matter how many free throws you make, you can't win the game. Maybe you can try a three-pointer, maybe it will have some effect!"
Li You smiled and joked about the dunk on his side from outside the three-point line. This man with a long face obviously knew that he would probably lose tonight.
"Ranking doesn't matter, I will still be the final winner."
Maikou didn't say much. He simply responded and stopped looking at Li You. He was in a very unhappy mood.
After two free throws, the score reached 114:107.
In the next round, as Li You assisted veteran Buck Williams to score another 2 points at the basket with 24 seconds left, boos broke out in the United Center Arena.
At the last moment, the Knicks committed consecutive fouls and the Bulls continued to shoot free throws, but the game time was not enough. The Bulls fans at the scene could only watch Jeff Van Gundy continuously punching in celebration on the sidelines.
116:111. In the end, the Knicks successfully won the game thanks to Li You's outstanding performance in the fourth quarter!
In the fourth quarter, Li You made 6 of 11 shots, 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 17 points;
Played 44 minutes in the game, shooting 13 of 28, 7 of 14 from the three-point line, 7 of 8 free throws, a double-double of 40 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.
No one in the Knicks paid attention to the boos at the scene. The atmosphere team came to Li You and shouted happily. Oakley also breathed a sigh of relief, and Ewing on the side also smiled.
First in the Eastern Conference, they will get home court advantage in the playoffs!
Jeff Van Gundy proudly shook hands with Phil Jackson:
"A champion coach is nothing more than that!"
Looking at the bald young coach, Phil Jackson felt angry and lost the smile on his face. If it weren't for the internal strife in the team, the Bulls would not have only won 61 wins.
"When there were injuries in the team, Lee stepped up and successfully ended the Bulls. 20 years old? What an outstanding performance!"
In the TNT commentary box, Hubie Brown only felt that the league was indeed about to be updated. Dick Stockton heard the director's prompts and praised with a smile:
"At 20 years and 108 days old, tonight Lee broke the record set by Magic Johnson and became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+10 points."
"If the Jazz lose tomorrow, the Knicks will have the best record in the league. I must praise the performance of the boys!"
"."
The Knicks ended the regular season this season and flew back to New York overnight. The coaching staff just gave the players a day off.
Winning the league's first record completely inflated the New York media. The newspapers and sports column articles on the second day all had a common point of view:
"Knicks championship!"
On the night of April 19th, fans in New York were paying attention to the game between the Jazz and the Lakers.
After 4 quarters of fierce battle, the Lakers at home successfully defeated the Jazz at 98:102.
Seeing such a match result, New York fans and media were immediately ecstatic:
"63 wins and 19 losses, the Knicks are first in the league!"
That night, the 1997-98 regular season ended, and the rankings of the Eastern and Western teams were officially released:
The final standings of the Eastern Conference are:
The Knicks had 63 wins, the Bulls had 61 wins, the Pacers had 58 wins, and the Heat had 53 wins;
The Hornets had 51 wins, the Hawks had 50 wins, the Cavaliers had 47 wins, and the Nets had 43 wins.
The final standings of the Western Conference are:
The 62-win Jazz, the 61-win SuperSonics, the 61-win Lakers, the 56-win Suns;
The Spurs have 56 wins, the Trail Blazers have 46 wins, the Timberwolves have 45 wins, and the Rockets have 41 wins.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks will meet the Nets. The two teams are very close, so there is no need to worry about travel fatigue.
The moment the regular season officially ended, Li You, who was lying in the apartment with Ge You, threw his phone aside, stopped replying to text messages, and after taking a shower, he called out the talent panel this time.
At the end of the regular season, the Knicks once again won the Atlantic Division championship, and Li You could draw talent again.
Silently chanting "God bless me", Li You's thoughts moved, and before he could react, he had already received the prompt:
Obtain [Michael Jordan's extraordinary core strength].
Seeing that less than half of the newly acquired talents were still gray, Li You's face darkened, which meant that his own core strength was far behind Lu Dan.
Thinking again that his efforts to increase strength training did not yield very good results in the end, Li You couldn't help but feel like a lemon:
"This is the chosen one."
On the morning of April 20, as soon as Li You arrived at the training ground, he was blocked by a large number of New York media:
"Lee, we have won the first place in the league, will the Knicks win the championship?"
"Can we knock out the Bulls? We have home field advantage this year!"
"Will Pat come back from injury in the playoffs? Lee, what are your thoughts on the MVP selection?"
"."
Looking at the media blocking the door of the locker room, Li You couldn't laugh or cry, and suddenly felt that these guys were getting timid again:
"Of course we will break out of the Eastern Conference and win the championship!"
"But the game must be played one by one, and everyone must believe in the strength of the Knicks."
Perhaps it was because of past playoff experiences that the majority of the media smiled in embarrassment. It was not because everyone lacked confidence, but because they had lost before.
Li You waved his hand, then chuckled and said teasingly:
"The Bulls may lose in the semifinals, so have some confidence in the Knicks!"
"."
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(End of chapter)
