On the night of February 5, 1999, New York fans witnessed the third championship banner hoisted into the sky above the Madison Square Garden Arena.
Throughout the award ceremony, Charles Sr. and David Stern did not steal the show. Instead, they gave several veterans the opportunity to speak and perform.
From the start of the game, the cheers of the New York fans never stopped!
Perhaps it was the championship that stimulated the fat Ewing. The Gorillas were extremely active after the start, but after receiving the ball and hitting the ball continuously, they gradually succumbed again.
What made Li You feel helpless was that although Oakley maintained a good figure, he also had no touch during the game.
Fortunately, the opposite Bulls team is also in average shape. The new head coach Tim Floyd seems to have not been able to integrate the team. Most of the time, he gives the ball to Kukqi and then watches Bangbang strike the iron.
Sprewell may not be used to playing as a substitute. He seemed to be sleepwalking in the first half of the game. Like Ewing and Oakley, he almost smashed the basket.
The content of the game was not satisfactory, and New York fans could naturally tell that several veterans were resting!
At 46:50, when the half game ended, the New York media present were like Sprewell spraying iron.
In the MSG commentary box, Walter Frazier also frowned. Ewing made 2 of 9 in the half, scoring 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 turnovers.
"It seems that the long offseason has really affected us. Pat needs to find his form as soon as possible. Of course, his coverage is pretty good."
Commentator Mike Breen noticed that Li You only sent 3 assists in the first half of the game, and almost all the passes were converted into irons. It was hard to say anything for a while:
"In the first game of the season, it is normal to start slowly. Fortunately, we took the lead at halftime and Li was in very good condition."
In the Knicks locker room, the two veterans didn't care about themselves. They returned to their seats and continued chatting. Anyway, the team was still winning:
"Night of Champions, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the game!"
After Li You returned to the locker room, he didn't care about the old guy's condition and simply communicated with the team's new players Kurt Thomas and Denis Scott:
"Thomas, let go. The team needs you to defend tough, just like Charles. This is our home court."
After being selected by the Heat with the 10th overall pick in the first round of 1995, Kurt Thomas was traded to the Mavericks last season.
Affected by injuries and the arrival of Nowitzki, Nelson simply gave up on this powerful power forward.
Glenfield signed this free agent, which can be regarded as a good addition to the Knicks' interior defense.
As the general manager, he certainly knows that Oakley may decline, and Kurt Thomas, who has a decent mid-range shot inside the free throw line and can swing at the fourth and fifth positions, is a good and cheap supplement.
The offensive method is simple. In the substitute lineup, Sprewell does not pass the ball at all, but Chris Childs gives him a few cakes.
Perhaps he was too nervous, but Kurt Thomas was iron-clad.
"Chris, pay attention to where the ball is released after the pick-and-roll, and let Thomas get a feel for it in the paint."
"Scott, you can also shoot three-pointers in the Knicks. When we encounter opponents like the Bulls, after we defend well, we can use our best method to complete the offense."
The forward, who was selected by the Magic with the fourth overall pick in the first round of 1990, nodded awkwardly when he heard Li You's words.
Denis Scott also joined the Knicks as a free agent. The 30-year-old player is currently in decline and his figure is a little out of shape. Li You's words are more to give the opponent face.
After all, the first half was really stretched.
Due to Chris Dudley's poor physical condition, Ben Wallace served as the backup center in tonight's rotation.
In the first half, the interior defense formed by Kurt Thomas was passable and the rebounds were protected well, but the entire rotation had difficulty scoring after Sprewell.
The substitutes were barely considered a "four guarantees and one" lineup that allowed the "throat-locking master" to perform, but the effect failed to meet expectations.
When Jeff Van Gundy returned to the locker room, he found Li You writing and drawing on the whiteboard.
Chris Childs asked questions from time to time, and Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace kept nodding.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was used to such scenes, waited until everyone had finished chatting, then cleared his throat, clapped his hands and said:
"The second half became tense. We tried to end the game in the third quarter. The schedule this month is a bit tight, so we have to prepare early."
"."
Kurt Thomas, who had just joined the team, looked a little strange. Fortunately, he had a bitter and hateful expression on his face, so others couldn't tell that he looked different.
During the half-month training session, he mostly received defensive training.
Some of the Knicks' offensive routines are too simple and crude, which are basically pick-and-rolls, three-pointers, pick-and-rolls, mid-range, pick-and-rolls, and breakthroughs.
Another way to change the routine is that the big man covers the shooting guard, catches the ball and shoots three-pointers, catches the ball and throws it from mid-range, and catches the ball and breaks through smoothly.
When attacking, the big man's task is to rush to the basket, grab rebounds, and then return the ball to the outside.
If the Knicks hadn't won the championship, Kurt Thomas would have almost doubted his life. The Mavericks had more offensive routines than the Knicks.
Although there were still doubts in his mind, after the start of the second half, Kurt Thomas on the bench saw the true style of the Knicks.
The Bulls, who took the lead in attacking, played a conventional low post tactic.
New aid Brent Barry quickly slipped across the baseline from left to right and came to the right block. After receiving a pass from Harper, he turned around and faced the frame to attack.
After feinting, he released the ball with his right hand, broke through with a cross step, and went straight to the basket against Alan Houston's defense.
The same offense, if it were Michael Jordan, squeezed through the first line of defense, quickly rushed to the inside, and would probably pull the lever and pick the basket.
Brent Barry didn't have the speed to dunk, and his intention to break through was too obvious, allowing Oakley to successfully predict and let go of his opponent Mark Bryant and recover the defense.
Cooperating with Alan Houston to complete the aerial interception, when they separated, Oakley's right arm concealed his elbow. Brent Barry only felt pain in his ribs, and then he was knocked to the floor by the two of them.
"oh!!"
The fans cheered, Oakley grabbed the rebound, and immediately threw the ball to Li You who responded, quickly advancing along the right sideline, and Harper immediately stepped forward to delay.
The Bulls' two big men had just retreated to the midline, and the right wing was close to the three-point line. Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, slowed down and quickly dribbled behind his back.
Harper was very familiar with Li You's technical moves, but he didn't expect Li You to suddenly accelerate after stopping the ball sideways.
Holding the ball in his left hand, Li You lowered his center of gravity, successfully grabbed half of his body, and quickly cut into the paint against Harper who was constantly sliding.
He suddenly changed his rhythm when he was close to the basket. He stole a step in the middle, with the same hand and foot, hanging on the defense. After taking off with his left foot, Li You took advantage of the situation to complete the basket with his left hand!
"Whoa!" The two-point ball hit the net.
Before the Bulls' two big men had time to return to defense, the Knicks had completed their attack.
Harper's physical condition was average. He scored 2 points on free throws on 0-for-5 shooting after the opening game. If not for the strength of the Bulls' bench, half the game would have been wasted.
The veteran always wanted to block Li You's three-pointers. Every time he reached the three-point line, he would readjust his body's center of gravity. The result was that he was easily broken through in multiple rounds.
The two new players on the bench saw the Knicks' special skills. They defended hard and did not blow the whistle, forcing the Bulls to start shooting jumpers again.
The Knicks continued to strike back, and Ewing and Oakley stopped running, watching Li You, Alan Houston, and Larry Johnson complete the third-line fast break.
With sudden penalties, the Knicks began to score quickly. Several timeouts by the Bulls had no effect, and the offense continued to hit the ground running.
A single quarter was 13:26, and after three quarters, it was 59:76, and the game was no longer suspense.
Harper, who played the entire third quarter, looked extremely ugly when he walked to the bench. The Bulls collapsed, which was a very rare phenomenon in the past few years.
The veteran players of the Bulls have their eyes wide open. Without a few of them, there is a high probability that they will be the No. 1 pick.
"I won't play garbage time, there is nothing wrong with my condition!"
Jeff Van Gundy greeted Sprewell to come on the court. The former All-Star guard replied without raising his head. He put on his training clothes and was not ready to come on the court.
The bald young coach did not want to conflict with the players during the game, so he waved to Charlie Ward with a serious expression, and in garbage time, they played with two point guards.
0 of 6 and 2 of 4 free throws. In the first game, Sprewell posted 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 turnover.
The Knicks' bench is not bad, and Ewing and Oakley don't care about the statistics. In the eyes of the two veterans, they should just enjoy the game tonight.
Seeing the conflict between Sprewell and Van Gundy, Li You didn't say anything. Ewing and Oakley are still the leaders of the locker room. If the coach can't decide who will play, then the bald young coach should be fired.
As the game time passed quickly, the final score was fixed at 79:100.
In the first game of the new season, the Knicks finally defeated the Bulls easily.
The New York fans at the scene were very satisfied with the big score victory over their old rivals, and the celebrities present also stood up and applauded.
Jeff Van Gundy looked unhappy, and the bald young coach turned around and prepared to deal with Sprewell
Played 28 minutes, made 9 of 17, 1 of 3 from beyond the arc, 4 of 4 free throws, 23 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover. Li You, who scored the highest score in the game, was interviewed again immediately after the game. .
The Gorillas were 3 out of 11, 2 out of 8, and Oakley couldn't find his form. Walter Frazier simply ignored the two veterans and followed suit with a smile:
"We performed very well in the first game of the new season. Li, do you think we have a chance to defend our title this year?"
Most New York fans are paying attention to this issue. To this, Li You naturally responded confidently:
"Of course, in the third year of the lineup's integration, we have become more tacitly coordinated. Compared to other teams, our offense and defense are balanced. We will definitely successfully defend our title this year."
Many New York fans at the scene were still shouting Li You's name. Commentator Mike Breen saw this scene and asked with a smile:
"We noticed that your offensive options changed a lot in the first game. Is this related to your training in the offseason?"
Li You waved to the fans on the sidelines, and then answered frankly:
"Of course, after two seasons, we won another championship, and more and more teams will study my technical characteristics."
"I will also give a response, not just three-pointers, I will make reasonable offensive choices based on the defense!"
"."
When Li You returned to the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy was furious at Sprewell:
"It's dangerous! It's hard to cut down trees! No player can be above the team!"
"If you want to win the championship, everyone will make sacrifices. This is my first warning. If this happens again, you will not be on the active list."
The bald young marshal yelled a few words angrily, and then briefly summarized the game.
Sprewell, who was sitting in his seat, had a long face. Ewing and Oakley beside him were laughing and enjoying themselves.
Returning to his seat, Li You fist bumped with Alan Houston and joked to himself:
"That's a good thing, at least we still have time to adjust!"
Alan Houston, who scored 20 points in this game, didn't care about the team's atmosphere and said in a relaxed tone:
"I believe that in just half a month, the team will be on the right track!"
"."
Perhaps there was a mole in the Knicks, but the news that Jeff Van Gundy lost his temper at Sprewell made the front pages of several New York newspapers the next day.
"Coach Van Gundy has lost control of the locker room!"
"A wrong deal? Sprewell will become a cancer in the locker room!"
Fortunately, the media are not stupid. Sprewell is indeed stronger than Starks and did not belittle the opponent's strength.
The Knicks had a relatively easy schedule at the beginning of the season, but on the second day of the training session in Tarrytown, Jeff Van Gundy almost staged a "catching a mole" drama.
Theoretically, information in the locker room cannot be leaked to reporters. This is an internal matter for the team and must be resolved internally.
The bald young coach is in a bad mood. As the youngest championship coach, he cannot command his players. This is definitely an extremely embarrassing thing!
After being exposed, Sprewell also realized the seriousness of the matter. Playing in New York, he also had to deal with media reporters.
Once you are labeled like this, most of your career will be ruined.
In Sunday's game against the Wizards, Sprewell failed to enter the active list.
This did not affect the Knicks' victory.
88:108, the Knicks defeated the Wizards at home!
Li You, Alan Houston, and Larry Johnson maintained their hot state;
On the bench, the inside combination of Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace also showed excellent defense.
Assistant coach Thibodeau was very satisfied with this. Scott Thomas and Ben Wallace both made 3 of 4 and scored 8 points;
The bench lineup scored a total of 31 points. Without Sprewell, it didn't seem to have much impact.
In Week 2, the Knicks only have one back-to-back game to play.
Although Ewing and Oakley are still in poor condition, the team's record has not been affected much after the core of the offense has been moved to the outside.
After defeating the Heat and Magic, the Knicks easily started with four consecutive victories.
On the night of the 15th, Sprewell sat on the bench and entered the active list, but still did not get a chance to play.
Watching the Knicks bench rely on the strong defense to limit the Pistons, Sprewell knew that tonight was another big win.
Head coach Alvin Gentry just felt that the timeout had no effect. He hung up helplessly on the sidelines and watched the score difference getting wider and wider.
In the entire second quarter of the game, Li You only played for 2 minutes and briefly moved his body at the end.
At 33:50, halftime ended, and Madison Square Garden was already boiling.
Leading by 17 points at halftime, there will definitely be a lot of garbage time in the second half.
During the halftime break, Sprewell remained silent. In the third quarter of the game, seeing Grant Hill on the opposite side still on the court, helping the team score points, I felt a little confused for a while.
With 4 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Jeff Van Gundy requested a timeout, preparing to switch to the atmosphere group and continue to run into the inside combination of Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace.
"Little Ben" doesn't mind garbage time. He has grown his hair for almost a year. This season, he had a small afro. After throwing away the towel, he fist bumped with the main lineup after the game:
"That's cool! We can beat our opponent again tonight!"
Returning to the bench, Li You took the kettle from Ben Wallace and spoke out words of encouragement:
"Ben, you played well in the second quarter, keep it up!"
At this time, the Gorilla had no time to comfort the atmosphere team. The opponent was playing hard, and the Knicks switched offenses a lot, turning back and running frequently, and they couldn't help but breathe heavily from exhaustion.
Throughout the offseason, Ewing basically didn't have much training. These weight-loss games have exhausted him quite a lot.
Li You whispered to Chris Childs to let the opponent pass the ball more, Larry Johnson was teasing Alan Houston's choice back then, and Oakley was sitting back in his chair and wandering away.
Realizing that the main lineup didn't care about him at all, Sprewell finally compromised. While Jeff Van Gundy finished drawing his tactics, he took the initiative to get close to the opponent and whispered:
"Coach, I want to play ball"
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There will be more words in the evening, so there will be more words~
(End of chapter)
