The shortened season of 1998-99 had a greater impact than the NBA expected.
Played 50 games in three months and frequently played against teams in the same division. The result was that the fans were tired of watching. In the playoffs, there was a serious lack of ceremony!
The teams the Knicks have played against the most this season are Atlantic Division teams such as the Heat, Magic, and 76ers.
In the first round of the playoffs, they met the 76ers. Before the game even started, New York fans were already celebrating the series victory.
This season, the Clippers, who won the No. 1 pick, tied the record set by the Miami Heat in the 1988-89 season, losing 17 consecutive games at the start of the season.
The Bulls missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons. Chicago fans were dumbfounded. The team fell too fast.
After the regular season, the Eastern and Western Conference rankings were officially released. The top 8 teams in the Eastern Conference are:
The Knicks with 39 wins, the Heat with 33 wins, the Pacers with 32 wins, and the Magic with 31 wins;
The 30-win Hawks, the 28-win Pistons, the 28-win Bucks, and the 27-win 76ers.
The top 8 teams in the Western Conference are:
37-win Spurs, 37-win Jazz, 35-win Trail Blazers, 31-win Lakers;
The Rockets have 31 wins, the Kings have 27 wins, the Suns have 27 wins, and the SuperSonics have 25 wins.
The shortened season made Vin Baker of the Sonics become a ball. Even if Gary Payton performed well, he almost missed the playoffs.
In the end, the Sonics relied on the relationship between victory and defeat to defeat the Timberwolves, who also had 25 wins.
In the middle of the season, Marbury's departure still had a big impact on the Timberwolves' strength.
The schedule of this year's playoffs is also very compact. After two days of rest, the first round officially begins.
For everyone on the 76th team, they only have one day of rest, and they have to fly to New York in advance on the 7th to prepare for the game.
On the morning of May 7, the NBA hurriedly announced this season’s data leaders:
Averaged 13.0 rebounds per game, and Chris Webber of the Kings successfully won the rebounding title;
Averaged 10.8 assists per game, and Jason Kidd of the Suns finally won the assists title;
Averaging 3.9 blocks per game, the Heat's Alonzo Mourning won the block title;
Averaged 2.7 steals per game, and Kendall Gill of the Nets won the steals title;
Averaging 26.9 points per game, Li You of the Knicks finally narrowly defeated Iverson and O'Neal and successfully won the scoring title this season!
After the NBA announced the list of winners, the New York media was overjoyed, and at the same time they did not forget to make sarcastic remarks:
"Jason Kidd is a statistician."
Without the All-Star selection this season, these awards are what many players pursue.
After the results were announced, O'Neal, who was still preparing for the playoffs, complained to the Los Angeles media:
"I don't care about statistics at all, I just want to win. You all know that I have the ability to win the scoring or rebounding title!"
"But I won't play for data like some young players do. I will prove myself in the playoffs this year and I will win the championship!"
The petty shark fanatic Cha Lemon, in the last few games, he almost locked up the scoring title.
Unfortunately, in the game against the SuperSonics in early May, he made 9 of 20 free throws.
He could have easily scored 40+, but in the end he only scored 33 points.
The next two games were both brutal games. O'Neal, who wanted to save face, did not let go and watched Li You's scores continue to rise.
ESPN soon announced this season's regular season rankings, and some data made many sports media drop their jaws.
Li You started all 50 games in the regular season;
Averaged 37.8 minutes per game, 26.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.2 turnovers per game;
He averaged 19.4 shots per game, shooting 47.8% from the field, 6.6 shots from outside the three-point line, 40.9% from three-point range, 6.1 free throws per game, and 91.0% free throw shooting.
1,344 points in a single season, ranking first in the scoring list!
O'Neal, who played 49 games, scored 1,289 points. The gap between the two is indeed very small, which is why the Sharks are unconvinced.
In the assists list, Li You ranked second with 489 assists in a single season, while Kidd ranked first with 539 assists;
On the hit list, Li You hit 463 goals this season, averaging 9.3 goals per game, also ranking second behind O'Neal;
In the three-point list, with 138 three-pointers in a single season and an average of 2.8 goals per game, Li You leads the Raptors' Dee Brown by a slight margin and ranks first;
In terms of three-point shooting percentage, Li You ranked 8th. Although the first-place Dell Curry did not produce much, his 47.6% three-point shooting percentage also surprised many people.
On the free throw list, Li You made 307 free throws in a single season, ranking fourth, and his free throw percentage ranked third, with Reggie Miller and Billups ranking in the top two;
The free throw shooting percentage of 91.5% also set a career high for Reggie Miller.
In the true shooting rate list, Li You rushed to third place with a true shooting rate of 60.8%, while O'Neal of Cha Lemon ranked 12th with a true shooting rate of 58.4%.
When it comes to the efficiency value list, O'Neal tops the list with an efficiency value of 30.6, and Li You ranks second with 30.2. The two are ahead of other players!
MVP favorite Karl Malone has an efficiency value of 25.6, David Robinson 24.9, Alonzo Mourning 24.6, Grant Hill 23.9, and Tim Duncan 23.2.
Among the top 10 players, only Li You is a defender, Grant Hill is a forward, and the other eight are all big men.
On the TNT show, McHale was a little confused looking at the regular season rankings.
Li You's statistics are very good, and his playing on the court is also very beautiful, but some high-level statistics completely exceeded Duncan's expectations, which was completely beyond the expectations of the famous star:
"Maybe I'm a little behind the times, and I can't understand the data. Li is indeed very strong, stronger than all of us expected."
Without intuitive head-to-head comparisons, MVP selection depends on record and Excel.
Duncan's performance in high-level statistics is not as good as that of old man Karl Malone, which makes McHale feel a little embarrassed after playing for a season.
Compared with the leisurely playoff predictions and player analysis every year, TNT's programs this year are also relatively fast. When Kenny Smith saw the data rankings, he couldn't help but praise:
"Since mid-March, Li You has increased his number of shots. There may still be a gap between him and McDuck, but his offense with no blind spots in the game is completely in line with the perception of these data."
"With almost the same left and right hands, ball-handling offense after the pick-and-roll, coupled with efficient transitions and free throw shooting skills near the basket, Lee created a new way of playing at the No. 1 position!"
"This also points the way for point guards in the league. The expectations of combo guards seem to have been realized."
In the studio, McHale was still in disbelief. He kept shaking his head on the sidelines, while fellow point guard Kenny Smith couldn't stop bragging.
After hearing the guide's prompt, the host Ernie Johnson also said in a brisk tone:
"After the birth of PER, we can see that Michael Jordan's PER was above 31 4 times in a single season in his career."
"Wilt Chamberlain scored more than 30 points three times in his career, and set the highest PER value in history - 31.8 in the 1962-63 season."
"In the 1993-94 season, David Robinson also had a PER of 30.7. This year Shaq and Lee have also entered this ranks. Both of them performed at a historical level."
"Despite the lack of some direct games this season, after seeing this data, do you think there is still suspense for the MVP?"
In the long history of the NBA, including this year's Li You and O'Neal, there are only 5 people with an efficiency value of more than 30.
This data is really scary. Kenny Smith smiled and shook his head, and then looked at McHale on the other side.
The legendary star was still a little reluctant, but finally said:
"With the league's best record and historical efficiency, I can't think of any reason not to vote for Lee!"
"Congratulations to Lee, he did have a perfect season!"
"."
On the morning of May 8, the headlines on the sports section of the New York paper media were all about Li You:
"Clay-Lee, 21 years old and 127 years old, is the youngest scoring champion in NBA history!"
"Surpassing Rick Barry, breaking the 31-year-old scoring record, a historical point guard!"
"The new king of New York, Lee will start the "Show time" era of the Knicks!"
"."
Allen Iverson has been depressed since arriving in New York.
He has played 48 games this season, averaging 26.8 points per game. He ranks behind O'Neal in total points and behind Li You in points per game.
I thought I would win the scoring title, but my efficiency dropped in the last game and I lost to Li You.
The MSG channel on the TV in the hotel praises Li You every day. If you change the channel, you can still see TV ads, which promote Li You’s signature shoes every day:
"Anything is possible!."
In addition, McDonald's, Pepsi-Cola, and Nintendo were also advertising, and Iverson felt that he could see Li You's smiling face every day.
The followers randomly bought a newspaper, took a quick look at it, and found that the articles in the sports columns of these newspapers were also mindless boasts.
Coupled with the fact that there is a huge poster of Li Youhe's signature sneakers hanging outside the Madison Square Garden Arena, Iverson and his followers felt like they were surrounded by Li Youhe when they came here.
During the video class in the hotel in the morning, Larry Brown discovered that Iverson was not focused enough.
The famous marshal who likes to pay close attention to details secretly frowned, and then raised his voice and said:
"Remember our defensive principles and don't go around the line to give the opponent a chance to take action outside the three-point line!"
"Theo, Matt, you must pay special attention. Once Eric loses his position, remember to delay getting up in time!"
Theo Ratliff and Matt Geiger couldn't help but nod when they heard the coach's words.
The two teams play against each other frequently, and the 76ers' big man is also familiar with Li You's style of play. Although big delays are uncomfortable, they are the best defensive option.
Seeing that Iverson was still absent-minded, Larry Brown was not in a good mood, so he simply named him and said:
"Allen, we need to score fast, handle the ball quickly, and pay attention to controlling mistakes!"
"Everyone must pay attention to this. The opponent is the defending champion and has only averaged 13.5 turnovers per game this season. Don't imagine that the opponent will give us a chance."
After coming back to his senses, Iverson nodded in agreement, but when he thought about watching Li You receive the award at Madison Square Garden that night, he felt particularly unhappy.
Everyone on the Knicks has been preparing for the game step by step in the past two days. Since there are too many games in the regular season, it is difficult for everyone to have a sense of urgency.
Ewing, who failed to lose weight, felt sad when he saw the New York media praising Li You every day, but he still maintained his leadership style in the locker room.
After the morning training session, Gorilla took advantage of everyone returning to the locker room and immediately encouraged him loudly:
"This year is definitely the best time for us to defend our title. Entering the playoffs, everyone is nervous."
Sprewell looked at Ewing who had a lot of flesh on his face and secretly pouted.
He is not in the starting lineup, but there is a high probability that he will win the 6th Man of the Year Award. The "Madman" has gained something this season!
Oakley didn't care about opponents like the 76ers at all. The old guy returned to his seat and casually echoed:
"Even if you let that little guy get to the basket, it won't take half a court and he will have no touch at all."
Alan Houston and Larry Johnson were also very confident. They discussed in low voices what to eat for lunch. Seeing that no one paid attention to their opponents, Li You simply reminded:
"Still the same as before, control mistakes. The scorer in the opponent's rotation is a first-year rookie. Give him some color!"
Sprewell nodded in agreement and rotated the lineup. He was the main scorer and happened to be opposite Larry Hughes. He responded confidently to Li You's reminder.
The atmosphere team is also very motivated. Without Jeff Van Gundy's chicken soup, everyone is full of confidence in the 76ers.
At 19:30 that night, half an hour before the game started, Madison Square Garden was already full.
Tickets were in short supply, and most of the fans who bought tickets were to witness Li You win the scoring trophy at home. As for the 76ers, no one cared.
When Ewing and Oakley come on the court, the New York fans present will still give huge cheers to the two veterans.
Li You, who was the last one to appear, brought the atmosphere of the arena to a climax.
On the visiting team's bench, Iverson found that he couldn't even get a boo. The bulging New York fans had obviously treated him like a noob.
Iverson, who was wearing training clothes, looked at Li You "fully armed" and took the scoring champion's crystal trophy in the center of the field with a smile, but he couldn't help but curse in his heart:
"Damn New York!"
After NBA Vice President Lars Greinke handed the trophy to Li You, he smiled and applauded with the league staff.
In the center of the field, Li You, wearing the white home jersey of the Knicks, raised the trophy, and loud shouts immediately sounded in the arena:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"."
Thank you book friends for your subscription support (﹃)
There will be more tonight~ I won’t be able to beat the word count in the playoffs~
(End of chapter)
