On May 22, 1998, even though there was Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals that night, most sports media were still recalling the Bulls' loss.
This season has been really difficult for the Bulls, but with Pippen returning in the second half of the season, the dominance of the older guys seems to be back.
Before the start of the playoffs, the Bulls were the favorites to win the championship, and most sports media also sang praises, believing that Michael Jordan would lead the team to complete the second three consecutive championships.
In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls and Pacers reached a tiebreaker and scored 9 of 25 dunks. They won the game in the end, but some media turned into sluts.
After the Bulls lost two games in a row in the Eastern Conference Finals, the losers began to rehash old scores:
"Maybe Bulls general manager Krause is right and they should stick to rebuilding this season!"
"Michael Jordan's arrogance ruined the Bulls and he should consider the front office's opinion."
"Phil Jackson's tactics have been figured out, and the Bulls should fire him in the offseason!"
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Since last night, football commentators and columnists have been in a carnival moment. Everyone seems to have amnesia, forgetting how they praised the Bulls' dominance before.
Regarding these TV programs and newspaper articles, Lezi fans have only one reaction:
"Please work harder! We love watching!"
Ratings increased, and so did newspaper sales. This melon-eating feast for the media continued until the next day.
Naturally, TNT will not let go of this hot spot, but as a professional sports media, it naturally has to present data to make sense:
"During the regular season, he averaged 96.7 points per game, ranking ninth in the league;"
"Limited opponents' scoring average to 89.6 points per game, ranking third in the league;"
"Averaging 82.9 shots per game, ranking 15th in the league in field goal percentage of 45.1%, averaging 11.7 shots from beyond the three-point line per game, and ranking 23rd in three-point field goal percentage of 32.3%."
After briefly introducing the basic statistics of the Bulls, McHale said:
"I never said the Bulls were dominant this season!"
"Maybe they were affected by Pippen's injury, but judging from the basic data, I'm not surprised that they encountered difficulties in the playoffs!"
Host Ernie Johnson looked weird. If he hadn't lost his memory, the legendary star was optimistic about the Bulls before the playoffs started.
Kenny Smith on the other side insisted on his position and said seriously:
"The regular season is completely different from the playoffs. I believe the Bulls will find their form again after two days of rest!"
"Michael Jordan will not give up easily. The Bulls have a lot of experience in the game. They have experienced too much."
"As long as we defend two home games, it's hard to say what the outcome of this playoff round will be."
Perhaps because he didn’t want to see the second three consecutive championships appear, McHale also continued to output seriously:
"No one can beat time, and the Bulls are no exception. Even if it's Game 7, it's still the Knicks' home court."
"Maybe young players lack game experience, but their physical condition is better. Do you think Li will suddenly perform abnormally?"
"This is the second year of his career. Some players cannot be looked at with ordinary eyes. Look at Tim Duncan. Although he is only a rookie, he averaged 20+9 per game in the playoffs. This shows that game experience is not an issue."
Seeing that the two people were insisting on their own opinions and each had his own say, the host Ernie Johnson suddenly said:
"Maybe we should pay attention to the Lakers and Jazz game tonight!"
McHale, who was typing, couldn't stop at this time and said casually:
"The Jazz will get the match point, O'Neal will not be able to defend the opponent's pick-and-roll, and the Lakers' perimeter will not respond."
"I think the same is true for the Bulls' perimeter. Even if they return to home, they won't be able to solve their shooting problem."
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Since the video class in the morning was canceled, Li You also saw the scene where TNT and ESPN suffered from collective amnesia.
The shamelessness of these media exceeded his imagination. Li You clearly remembered that when the Bulls won the tiebreaker, these were the same people who praised McDuck.
He also watched those several episodes of the show. He thought there would be some useful analysis, but in the end, he was all bragging and bitching about Reggie Miller.
After getting the big contract, Starks moved to another luxury apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where New York's socialites loved to live.
In the afternoon, Li You drove to the training center alone. The Dodge Viper GTS-R was a new car given to him by the manufacturer.
In the 1997 Le Mans Endurance Race, Dodge performed well. In order to advertise the race in early June, this new street limited edition car, which has not yet been released, became Li You's new car.
The Knicks color scheme, the white body and the orange stripes running through the body, are particularly eye-catching. The advertising effect is good. At least New York fans are familiar with this car and will say hello when they encounter it.
Defeating the Bulls in two games also doubled the confidence of everyone in the Knicks. However, as the playoffs come to an end, the players are also particularly concerned about the labor agreement.
This is about US dollars, and the players don't want to stop the game. When Li You came to the locker room, Ewing was scolding David Stern:
"The league and management are united. They just want to squeeze players!"
"Fans buy tickets to watch us play. If the team makes money, our salary should be increased and the contract should be more secure."
In 1995, the labor dispute lasted for more than two months, and there was a work stoppage in 1996.
In March 1998, the league's owners voted on whether to restart labor agreement negotiations, and 27 of the 29 owners supported re-signing the agreement.
So far, the two sides have negotiated many times. When Li You heard Ewing complaining, he knew that the eighth negotiation had broken down again.
Oakley thinks the gorilla is right, and the old guy also wants to make more money:
"Veterans should be provided with some guarantees. We have been playing football for half our lives, so we should have a big contract."
Before the start of this season, the Timberwolves offered Kevin Garnett, who had just finished his rookie contract, a six-year, $126 million contract!
$126 million, even more than team owner Glen Taylor bought the Timberwolves two years ago
This contract not only stimulated the team owners, but also confused the players:
"A raise! A raise must be made!"
It's just that the breakdown of negotiations this time has sent a very bad signal. Next season may really be suspended!
For the players in the atmosphere group, if there is a lockout and the boss does not pay their wages, they will have no money and their credit cards will explode.
At this time, everyone is discussing what to do if the shutdown is really going to happen, which will have a great impact on the bottom players.
The media did not report the breakdown of the negotiations at all. Obviously, the management and the league united to teach the players a lesson.
The shutdown means no training, no team meetings, no player transactions. Alan Houston saw Li You and asked in a low voice:
"Lee, if next season is really suspended, what are your plans?"
"I plan on putting on some muscle!"
Li You patted his biceps, indicating that he wanted to further polish his body!
Larry Johnson doesn’t care about the lockout either. “Auntie” has a Converse contract and a lot of off-court income, which is enough to support his extravagant life:
"Come and practice boxing with me, and go to Las Vegas to watch the competition. If you win the championship, you should enjoy life in the offseason!"
Sponsored players are completely different from lower-level players. Lower-level players may compromise for their jobs, but star players will never take a salary cut.
Li You smiled and fist-bumped with "Auntie". No matter how the labor agreement develops, his big contract cannot be less, and there is no relationship between workers.
The collective bargaining agreement negotiations broke down again, which naturally affected the Bulls' internal situation.
For Michael Jordan, as a role model for the players, it is impossible for him to accept a salary cut.
This has nothing to do with his personal wishes, but the players union needs to express its stance. As a superstar, he must not compromise with the management and the league.
After receiving the news, McQueen knew that this season might be the last season for everyone on the Bulls to play together.
Pippen will not give up his big contract, nor will he take a salary cut.
The Bulls currently have the highest salary in the league, and the owner no longer wants to pay for the championship.
Just as the media reported, the Bulls were going to disintegrate.
After flying back to Chicago overnight, McQueen held a players meeting on the morning of the second day. There was no need to talk about chicken soup. Everyone on the Bulls team was aware of the current situation.
"Everyone has got the news. I don't want to say too much. I just want to win the championship again!"
"Play good defense, throw away those useless little thoughts, and remember, the championship will let us gain everything."
Wearing a white training uniform, Michael Jordan looked serious. He talked about a defensive issue and said nothing more.
Will the Bulls keep this lineup if they win the championship again?
Pippen planned to run away if he couldn't get a big contract. Rodman didn't care about this problem. When other players heard McDuck's words, they all felt that there was hope for retaining the lineup.
Everyone on the Bulls team expressed their opinions one after another, saying that they would try their best in the next game, and finally the "Zun Qiao" meeting ended successfully.
On the night of the 22nd, contrary to everyone's expectations, the Lakers lost again and the Jazz got the match point!
The 10-man rotation Jazz defeated the Lakers, which had 4 All-Star players.
109:98, the more blooming Jazz easily won the game.
The big score came to 3:0. Although the series is not over yet, there is no miracle. The Jazz have already reached the finals!
O'Neal's heroic performance could not lead the Lakers to win.
17 of 30 and 5 of 13 free throws. The Shark scored a double-double of 39 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 5 turnovers;
However, the Lakers were limited to 5 of 19 from the outside and their 26.3% three-point shooting rate stunned Lakers fans.
Facts have proved that most of the flashy players are not suitable for the playoffs. Van Exel made 2 of 13 tonight and 1 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 10 points.
Facing the Jazz's iron-blooded defense, the Lakers, with their gorgeous style of play, were powerless to fight back.
On May 23, after a day of rest, the Knicks flew to Chicago in advance.
Unlike the Bulls who refused to be interviewed, the Knicks are not afraid of anyone who comes.
As soon as they arrived at the Hilton Hotel where they were staying, some reporters who were squatting began to move towards the players.
David Aldridge, an ESPN sports reporter, interviewed Li You during the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The young black reporter often covered Georgetown University games when he worked for the Washington Post and had a good relationship with Ewing.
However, after joining ESPN, in order to get hot news, most interviews with the Knicks in the past two years would first explore Li You's tone.
The Gorillas didn't brag when they met the Bulls, and Aldridge didn't embarrass Ewing. While the team was still checking in, he smiled and approached Li You and casually chatted about the upcoming game:
"Lee, two away games, talk about the Knicks' game plan."
Wearing a Hickey Freeman gray custom-made suit and pushing his suitcase, Li You looked very steady. To this reporter who often interviewed him, he replied with a relaxed expression:
"The playoffs all start with a win on the road. Our plan is to win an away game and then return to New York to finish the game."
"Of course this is the best plan. We all know that the Bulls will not give up easily. Maybe they are particularly united now."
Aldrich smiled back at Li You. He would not report on the collective bargaining agreement, but this sentence was enough. He was particularly good at making up articles from his mind.
On the night of the 24th, the noise at the United Center Arena became louder and louder before the game started.
For Bulls fans, everyone wants to see the team complete its second three consecutive championships!
In addition, there were rumors that the Bulls were going to disintegrate, and fans wanted to see a perfect ending.
The two home games are games that the Bulls cannot lose. Once the Knicks get the match point and want to counterattack, it will be useless even if God comes.
In the game that night, the Bulls went crazy on the defensive end after the opening, and with the support of the home whistle, their actions became bigger and bigger.
In the early stages of the regular season, the Bulls relied on their defense to be able to counterattack all the way.
Phil Jackson no longer pretended to be X at this time. He stood on the sidelines and shouted to encourage the players from the beginning of the game.
According to the game plan formulated before the game, the Bulls' three outsiders began to take turns guarding Li You.
The expected crushing didn't happen, and the Knicks still rarely made mistakes.
At the end of the half, 46:49, the Bulls only led by 3 points.
In the second half, the hand-to-hand combat familiar to fans came online again.
Rushing for rebounds and leading the entire defense, the Bulls just wanted to slow down the game.
In the end, the Bulls, who were united as one, protected their home court.
At 86:90, after a fierce battle in the second half, the Bulls regained a victory, and the series score came to 1:2.
After winning the game, the United Center was completely in a state of excitement, and after two days of rest, McQueen's physical fitness also recovered a lot.
Played 43 minutes, 12 of 25, 10 of 12 free throws, 34 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers. Michael Jordan once again played an efficient performance.
After the game, Michael Jordan, who was being interviewed, also had some emotional ups and downs. He breathlessly assured the Bulls fans:
"Thanks to the Chicago fans who came out tonight, the Bulls will finally win this series!"
"No one desires the championship more than us, and we will achieve three consecutive championships again!"
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When he came to the away game, Li You's efficiency began to decline. He made 8 of 20 shots, 3 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 7 free throws. He scored 23 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.
The large amount of physical confrontation did affect his touch, but at the press conference after the game, Li You still smiled and looked very confident.
The reporters in the audience turned into loudspeakers and repeated Maikou's views. Li You couldn't help but shake his head:
"The desire to win? Maybe it will affect the outcome of the game!"
"But basketball games are sometimes cruel. It is not only fighting spirit that determines victory or defeat, but physical condition is the most important."
"The Eastern Conference Finals will officially begin in the next game, and the Knicks are also eager to win!"
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There will be a big chapter tonight~
(End of chapter)
