On May 5, 1999, the regular season of the 1998-99 season came to an end.
Due to the shortened season, the Knicks have not been able to play against too many Western Conference teams this season.
For the same reason, most teams in the Western Conference have not played against Eastern teams.
Under such circumstances, the selection of MVP is a bit embarrassing.
Apart from the direct conversation between Li You and O'Neal, he never played against Karl Malone or Tim Duncan.
In the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have locked in the first place in the Eastern Conference in advance, suppressing the Heat.
Although Tim Hardaway, Reggie Miller, Anfernee Hardaway, and Grant Hill played well, they were not as discussed as Li You.
In terms of Excel, Li You's data is rising steadily as he gradually eats away at the ball!
However, every loss must have a gain. Although the score increased, the number of assists was surpassed by the surface brother Jason Kidd.
In many games, the Knicks' veterans can't muster their motivation, their status is ups and downs, and their assists are turned into irons.
In addition to MVP selection, at the end of the season, players also start working hard for major awards!
Kidd focused on assists, and in May, he did not relax at all. With the cooperation of everyone in the Suns, he almost had a double-double in every game.
In early May, during the game between the Suns and the Grizzlies, Kidd did not relax even after leading three quarters. He just scored 42 points and got 13 assists before taking a rest.
77:107, the Suns beat the Grizzlies, Kidd got another double-double
Seeing this performance, the New York media taunted Kidd with his data!
Although the media in Phoenix is not influential enough, they also responded:
"Kidd needs to stay on the court and control the rhythm of the game!"
"."
The competition for the scoring title this season has become increasingly fierce at this time. Li You, Iverson, and O'Neal have almost the same score.
The scoring champion will depend on who can score more points in the last few games in May!
Although the three of them all want to win the prize, they don't want to be labeled as data brushers.
In general, if the data needs to increase, the face cannot be lost.
In the game on the night of the 5th, Ewing and Oakley played fake starts. In the last game of the regular season, facing the Heat, the Knicks entered the rotation phase early.
Rashard Lewis, who has had almost no playing time this season, also got a chance at this time.
Jeff Van Gundy adjusted the lineup to make the game faster, in order to let Li You score more points.
In Madison Square Garden, the New York fans still shouted enthusiastically. Everyone had no objections to such adjustments. If it weren't for the sake of face, they would have just shouted:
"Let him do it! Let him do it!"
Since there is no suspense in the rankings, in the last game, the Heat's Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning both took turns.
There was no gap in the half of the game, and in the third quarter, Li You didn't show any courtesy.
In the first round after the start of the second half, Woshan Leonard hit the iron on the left wing outside the three-point line in the first round. Li You just collected a long rebound at the right elbow of the free throw line, and then rushed with the ball!
Continuously accelerating along the left sideline, Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, quickly crossed the half court. The left wing approached the three-point line and immediately began to slow down.
Rex Waters struggled to get back on defense with a grimace, his starting performance tonight was really frustrating.
Seeing Li You decelerating and dribbling the ball quickly with his left hand and shaking his body to the right, Rex Waters subconsciously slid to the left.
As soon as the opponent's feet moved, Li You exerted force on his feet and quickly reversed and stepped sideways. He instantly gained space for his shot. He combined the ball outside the three-point line and converted to a three-pointer to quickly shoot a jump shot!
"Whoa!" Three-pointer hollow net!
"Wow!"
At 48:53, the New York fans at the scene shouted happily. Every time Li You scores a goal, everyone cheers.
My friend Ai Wenyin had been lying down for a long time and spent several months in the hospital last year.
After half a year of recuperation, he cut off his long hair and resumed his school bully look. Sitting in the front row tonight, Ai Wen applauded Li You non-stop. At the same time, he kept talking and reminded him from time to time:
"Come on, keep taking action!"
In order to lock down the scoring champion, some of Li You's friends flew to Philadelphia to watch the game live, always staring at Iverson's score, and everyone communicated through text messages. What stood out was his professionalism!
Iverson's followers could also be seen at the scene, and both sides adopted the same strategy.
After the Lakers end the regular season, the competition for the scoring title is now between the two.
Many New York fans are also paying attention to the game between the Pistons and the 76ers. At this time, no one cares about the outcome of the game. Everyone just wants to see Li You dominate the opponent.
Rashard Lewis lacked enough resistance against P.J. Brown. On the offensive end, most of them squatted in the corners on both sides to open up the space. Only Ben Wallace was left inside to grab cakes and rebounds.
The Heat attacked, and P.J. Brown succeeded in a strong attack under the basket. He turned around and stood firm, and saw Li You dribbling the ball under the right flank and changing direction. He lowered his center of gravity and passed with a cross-step breakthrough. Teammate, the right side goes straight to the basket at a 45-degree angle.
There was a slight hesitation on the defensive end, but before PJ Brown could retract, Li You immediately turned around as he approached the paint area, followed the defense to the paint area, switched to his left hand, and quickly picked up the basket!
There were cheers in his ears, Rex Waters threw up his hands in frustration, and his body was crushed. Li You didn't even bother to make too many moves, and just crushed his body and broke through.
Li You, who retreated, smiled and high-fived Ben Wallace in celebration.
In the previous attack, "Little Ben" stuck the opponent's center Duan Causwell, which allowed him to easily succeed in attacking the frame.
The cheers at Madison Square Garden grew louder as the game went on.
The Knicks attacked again. Li You used Ben Wallace and Rashard Lewis to double screen outside the three-point line at the top of the arc. After the right wing broke away from the defense, he pulled up and threw!
"Lee seized a fleeting opportunity and made a beautiful three-pointer!"
Commentator Mike Breen couldn't help but praise him, but Walter Frazier on the side noticed the Knicks' lineup at this time:
"When Sprewell, Alan Houston and Lee are on the court at the same time, the three of them can also cooperate on the offensive end!"
"Rookie Rashard Lewis also had some outstanding performances in this game."
"His shooting is not stable enough and he also has some problems protecting the rim, but there are not many big men who can shoot three-pointers. This really enriches our tactical play!"
There are some disadvantages on the defensive end, but the Knicks' three outsiders can shoot suddenly at this time. Although Sprewell is a bit smart, he can also be used as a starting point for tactics.
Pat Riley, who is sitting on the bench, still looks calm. If the Heat lose this game, they will still get the second place in the Eastern Conference.
There is no post attack in the low post, three-pointers with the ball, breakthroughs from the frame, and a few free throws, Li You scores points very quickly!
In the fourth quarter of the game, the Knicks had a 10-point lead. Seeing that Li You was still present, Iverson's follower also cursed secretly:
"Shet! This data brush!"
Sprewell was not polite. In the 4th quarter, he even took a sudden penalty. In addition to passing the ball to Li You, he also did not forget to score himself.
"Madman" played as a substitute for a season and felt aggrieved, but at the end of the season, he also wanted to pursue honors. After all, winning awards is always a good thing.
With 4 minutes and 02 seconds left in the game, Li You stood on the free throw line, and the New York fans at the scene shouted:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Li You hit the extra penalty steadily, and the cheers started again. Pat Riley simply asked for a timeout, and Ming Jin retreated.
Fans who bought tickets to watch the game felt that the game was worth watching. Li You let go of his swing tonight, which made everyone happy.
Commentator Mike Breen took a look at the technical statistics and introduced them in a brisk tone:
"Played 40 minutes, 46 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers. Tonight Li set a new career scoring high!"
Walter Fraser was more concerned about Li You's efficiency. After reading the technical statistics, he immediately said with a smile:
"Maybe there are some minor problems with the three-point shooting this season, but overall, Lee's finishing ability has indeed been greatly improved."
"We can look forward to Lee's performance in the playoffs!"
15 of 28, 8 of 16 from beyond the three-point line, and 8 of 9 free throws. Facing the Heat who chose to rotate, Li You struck hard!
My friend Ai Wen, who was sitting in the front row, stood up, smiled and clapped his hands, and gave Li You a thumbs-up sign to indicate that he was stable!
Jeff Van Gundy also stepped forward to pat Li You, and the bald young coach was very satisfied.
Suppressing Pat Riley again, what awaited him after the game was the New York media's fancy praise.
The final minutes of the game passed quickly. Amid the cheers of New York fans, the Knicks easily defeated the Heat at 96:110, ending the last regular season game of the season.
Alan Houston and Larry Johnson joined the atmosphere team to wave to the fans at the end of the game.
Ewing was a little unhappy because he had too little playing time tonight, but on the surface, the big star was still smiling and showing his leadership style:
"Well done, Lee! What a perfect season!"
With 39 wins and 11 losses, the Knicks maintained their first place in the league with their ultra-high winning rate.
Li You smiled and nodded, and joined the Knicks team in expressing their gratitude to the fans present.
At the press conference after the game, the Philadelphia media were in a weird mood again. They looked at the smiling Li You on the stage and asked unceremoniously:
"Lee, at the end of the third quarter, the Knicks were already leading by 13 points. Why were you still there at the beginning of the fourth quarter?"
Many New York media at the scene glared at each other, but Li You didn't care about the other person's question and responded casually:
"You know, basketball is round and anything is possible!"
"I just want to end the game as early as possible. The Heat are very strong and they have won 33 games this season."
"Facing such an opponent, I don't want to give the opponent any chance!"
The New York reporters at the scene did not give the Philadelphia media too many opportunities, and soon everyone started to talk about each other's business.
In the simultaneous game that night, the 76ers successfully defeated the Pistons 100:105.
Iverson played 43 minutes, shooting 11 of 28, 2 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 9 of 10 free throws. He scored 33 points, five rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 turnover.
Immediately after the game ended, Iverson got the news from the follower. He cursed in his heart and forced a smile at the press conference.
Larry Brown is in a good mood, with 27 wins and 23 losses. In his second season as coach, the 76ers successfully entered the playoffs!
The two masters and apprentices exchanged business information on the stage, and the Philadelphia media in the audience also knew that Iverson had lost the scoring champion, and they were not in a good mood.
The TNT reporter didn't care about this. He interrupted the commercial exchange and asked concisely:
"Allen, this is the first time in your career that you have made it to the playoffs. How do you think you will perform against the defending champion?"
As if recalling the experience of the past two seasons, Iverson completely lost his smile and said with a serious expression:
"I don't care who my opponent is, I'm ready. The playoffs are different from the regular season, and I'm a big-game player. I believe the 76ers will eventually win!"
ESPN reporters noticed Iverson's emotional changes on the stage and continued to ask Gonghuo:
"How would you evaluate Lee's performance this season? He is still ranked first in the MVP rankings!"
This season, the two teams played against each other many times, and Iverson failed to win again. He was angry, and in the end he could only answer dryly:
“The Knicks are really good, but anything is possible in basketball!”
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The regular season is over, leaving the Knicks with two days of rest, and then the first round of the playoffs will officially begin.
Li You chose to stay in his apartment in Manhattan for two days. When he returned home in the evening, he saw the TNT report and noticed that the Spurs had won the first place in the Western Conference:
"In the second year of his career, he led the team to first place in the Western Conference. Tim Duncan has become a superstar!"
"It's hard to imagine what he will achieve in the future."
With 37 wins and 13 losses, the Spurs and Jazz had the same record. In the end, they successfully defeated their opponents by relying on the relationship between victory and defeat.
Li You watched McHale bragging about Duncan again in the program. He curled his lips in boredom, sat back on the sofa, and called out the talent panel.
Winning the Atlantic Division Championship again, I thought and immediately received a prompt:
[Anfernee Hardaway’s excellent bullet speed]
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(End of chapter)
