On May 24, 1998, the Jazz quietly made it to the finals.

96:92, the Lakers were suppressed throughout the game, and Los Angeles fans could only watch the Jazz cheering and celebrating in their home court.

The game was not very exciting, and the series was over after the Jazz got the match point.

The Lakers lost again in the battle of honor, and were eventually swept out 4:0, which was not surprising to many people.

O’Neal made 14 of 24 shots and scored 38 points, but this performance didn’t have much effect.

After all, a basketball game is played by five people.

In contrast, most sports media are more concerned about the status of the Bulls.

Despite winning Game 3, the Bulls’ 2-of-11 performance from the outside is still worrying.

After entering the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls rarely shot more than 30% from beyond the three-point line, and even declined compared to the regular season.

The team was able to win mainly by relying on defense and rebounding.

As for offense, Pippen made 5 of 16 shots in G3. Although he scored 16 points, his efficiency was not high.

During the regular season, the Knicks limited their opponents to 89.1 points per game, and allowed the Bulls to score 90 points in Game 3, showing that the defense was still effective.

On defense, the Knicks ranked second among all teams in the league, even better than the Bulls.

This data did not change much in the playoffs and is not inflated at all.

On the morning of the 25th, Jeff Van Gundy took the Knicks team to watch the game video in the hotel conference room.

There was no frustration after the loss, and everyone is still very confident about the game.

Ewing was in a bad mood.

In Game 3, he made 6 of 16 shots and 5 of 8 free throws, scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 turnovers.

As per the game plan, he failed to respond in the low post.

Facing the Bulls’ defense, the gorilla failed to efficiently utilize the ball, and most of his points came from dunks and free throws.

Alan Houston and Larry Johnson scored 12 and 10 points respectively.

Together with Oakley’s 8 points, the Knicks’ starting lineup played very stably and contributed 70 points together.

Although Chris Childs, Starks and Chris Mills on the bench did not have much playing time, they still scored points.

In Jeff Van Gundy’s opinion, if Lee can hit 50% of the shots, the Knicks will most likely win Game 3.

The bald young coach is full of confidence.

Even if the away efficiency decreases, as long as the opponent does not shoot three-pointers, the Knicks still have a chance:

“We must stick to our defensive strategy and protect the rebounds!”

“40:44, if we had grabbed a few more rebounds, maybe we would have opened the champagne and celebrated the series victory now.”

Without discussing any tactics, Jeff Van Gundy stared at the rebounding data and passionately gave the Knicks a spiritual victory.

Although this excuse seemed like complete nonsense to Lee, it revitalized the Knicks.

“That’s right! We can’t let the other team grab 15 offensive rebounds. Tomorrow night, we have to end the series.”

Ewing looked serious and was the first to respond to Jeff Van Gundy’s words.

When the big brother spoke, everyone began to encourage themselves.

Lee on the side curled his lips when he heard this.

He didn’t need such a ridiculous reason, but at this time he also comforted himself with everyone else.

In his opinion, the Knicks had 83 possessions, 13 turnovers, and the Bulls’ defense was not that successful.

If you want to win, just keep the game rhythm and improve your shooting percentage!

Alan Houston, who was defending Michael Jordan, was relatively calm at this time.

After finishing the video class, he couldn’t help but complain:

“Isn’t it possible that Michael Jordan has really recovered his touch? I feel like after two days of rest, he has regained his usual calm state.”

Seeing Alan Houston’s bitter face start to lose confidence again, Lee gave his own inspirational words:

“I never believe that a player who is mediocre in the regular season will explode in the high-intensity playoffs.”

“Even if the opponent is Michael Jordan, the Pacers can prevent him from hitting less than 40% of the time. We can do the same.”

“The ones under pressure are the Bulls, they can’t afford to lose!”

He nodded subconsciously. Lee was indeed not talking nonsense.

Alan Houston also looked at the data and felt relieved at this time:

“I hope so. Our condition is indeed better!”

“.”

On May 25th, at 8:00 p.m., Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals will officially begin.

After the Bulls moved back to the city, most major sports media chose to wait quietly.

The calm before the storm.

If the Bulls continue to win and the series score returns to 2:2, it’s all over!

Once the Knicks get the match point, everyone can open the champagne and no longer worry about hot news during the offseason.

Before 8 p.m., the United Center was already full and more than 23,000 tickets had already been sold out.

Bulls fans want to see the team complete its second three-peat, and buying tickets to watch the game is their greatest support!

In the NBC commentary booth, Bob Costas felt the lively atmosphere and kept praising the Bulls:

“After two days of rest, we can see that Michael Jordan has regained his previous calm state!”

“The familiar Michael is back. Maybe this season is very difficult for the Bulls, but as long as we win this game, the series will return to the same starting line.”

Doug Collins, the guest commentator, also did his homework before the game and gave his own opinions with a smile:

“The Knicks have played 10 games in the playoffs so far, and Lee’s average field goal percentage is as high as 50.3%, which is an extremely terrifying performance!”

“In 10 playoff games, the three-point shooting percentage reached an outrageous 49.9%!”

“I believe Lee will rebound strongly tonight. Everyone underestimated him. With 63 wins and first in the league, the Knicks are the better team.”

Hearing this data, Jim Gray was shocked:

“God! I almost thought I heard it wrongly. Unbelievable. Maybe after the playoffs this year, everyone should get to know Lee again!”

When the familiar song “Sirius” from the United Center rang out again, the cheers grew louder and louder.

Wearing his home white training suit, Michael Jordan appeared on the court with a calm expression and simply high fived his teammates.

Since the Eastern Conference semifinals, Michael Jordan has been a little angry.

He never expected that he would play against the Pacers until a game 7, and he never regarded the Knicks as a real opponent.

After losing two games in a row, the anger completely dissipated, and Michael Jordan also realized that this was not the 1996 Bulls team, and they were not as dominant.

If you want to win, you have to fight hard.

The Knicks players who have already finished playing are exercising, and Clay Lee also looks calm.

The cheater doesn’t need a mental victory, he believes more in his physical condition!

By the fourth game of the series, both sides were thoroughly familiar with each other’s playing style.

Phil Jackson did not play tricks.

In the crucial game, he used the game strategy that all coaches would use-fighting the main force!

From the first quarter, the two sides entered a melee similar to last year.

Because they suffered a loss in the previous game, the Knicks no longer used the local 2-on-2 tactics after the start.

Instead, Lee first looked for Alan Houston.

Continuous screens, running without the ball, and catching and shooting, but under the tough defense of Michael Jordan, Alan Houston missed consecutive shots at the beginning of the game.

Fortunately, Oakley and Larry Johnson were in good shape, and Ewing also helped the Knicks score in the low post.

The Bulls’ offense also failed, and the score slowly rose, which stimulated the fans to exclaim continuously.

In the first few minutes of the game, whenever Michael Jordan received the ball at the elbow, he would be double-teamed by the Knicks’ top defender.

At 5 minutes and 37 seconds into the first quarter, Michael Jordan hit a difficult fadeaway jump shot for the second time in the right blocking area against Alan Houston’s defense.

“Wow!”

At 11:11, seeing Michael Jordan score another goal in open play, the United Center erupted with the loudest cheer since the start of the game.

Alan Houston didn’t care.

The tougher the opponent was, the more confident he became.

He clapped his hands to encourage himself, and the Knicks quickly served the ball from the baseline.

The Bulls’ starting lineup tonight is still Kukoc and Longley, and Rodman just came off the bench.

“Defense! Defense! Defense!”

The arena was filled with the roar of defensive cheers, and the lack of shots after the start of the game made the Bulls fans at the scene feel uneasy.

Harper still acted as a supporting role, and he took the lead in defending Lee throughout the game after the opening.

Compared to playing away from home, the veteran continued the defensive intensity of the previous game.

He kept moving his hands and used a series of small tricks such as pulling and kicking.

Holding the ball in his right hand, Lee used his ball-protecting hand to push away the opponent’s hand movements while accelerating with all his strength.

After the sudden stop, he immediately dribbled the ball behind his back, switched to his left hand, and then quickly changed direction between his hips.

After pressing his shoulder, Lee rushed across the center line against the defense.

After the opening, Lee kept stopping and starting suddenly.

Harper’s small movements had limited effects, and the veteran could only slide desperately most of the time.

Lee’s advancement speed was very fast.

When the two of them reached the right wing, the Bulls had just completed their defensive position.

Noticing Lee waving, the Knicks players moved out one by one.

Alan Houston was responsible for responding, and the other three players who were in the main attack at the beginning were ready to rush for the rebound.

Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, stuck out his butt to protect it, while Harper on his side kept confronting him.

After dribbling the ball on the spot, Lee shook his shoulders backwards, then scooped up the ball with his right hand again, pretended to break through, took a big step, and suddenly stopped.

While Harper was sliding to the left and rear, Lee created some space and dribbled the ball between his legs behind the basket.

He paused slightly when he switched to his left hand, then increased his dribbling force and dribbled quickly behind his back.

Harper slid forward again and was about to interfere, but Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, blasted the ball hard again, using the rebound force of the basketball to complete a sideways step and quickly jump shot from outside the three-point line!

“Swish!” The three-pointer went into the net!

At 14:11, the Knicks took the lead again, and the stadium was filled with boos again.

The Bulls’ defensive intensity just dropped, and Lee seized the opportunity and scored a goal.

Harper raised his hands helplessly to indicate that he was careless and did not block the shot in time.

In such a game, being suddenly thrown a three-pointer by the opponent was very demoralizing.

Fortunately, Pippen finally got a chance to score outside the three-point line tonight.

When the Bulls were attacking, Michael Jordan was double-teamed in the right elbow area.

Quickly passing the ball back to Pippen at the top of the arc, Larry Johnson did not return to defense quickly, and watched the opponent shoot an open three-pointer!

“Scottie Pippen responded again from outside the three-point line! It seems that his shooting state is very good tonight!”

Bob Costas immediately praised Pippen’s performance.

He made 3 of 3 shots from beyond the three-point line.

The conscientious second-in-command played well on both offense and defense tonight.

At 14:14, both sides fell into positional offense. Lee failed to break through, Pippen cut in and missed the shot.

The score remained unchanged for more than a minute.

The Bulls were on offense, with nearly 24 seconds left, and Michael Jordan, who was running back, didn’t catch the ball this time.

After Pippen passed the ball, Harper had no choice but to fake a move outside the three-point line, dribbled one step, and made a long two-point jump shot from the right wing.

“Clang!”

The long rebound bounced out and was just caught by Lee.

He held the ball with his left hand and accelerated along the left sideline.

Harper had just caught up to Lee’s side, and before he could cut the ball, he was suddenly shaken by the ball from behind.

Subconsciously, he quickened his pace and chose to defend closely. After Lee switched to his right hand, he turned around drastically.

Lee scooped the ball with his left hand again, instantly got rid of the defense, and quickly rushed to the left wing along the left sideline.

The Bulls team quickly retreated, and Lee began to slow down when approaching the three-point line.

Harper, who was chasing him quickly, came in front of him again, lowered his center of gravity, and prepared to delay him.

Noticing the opponent’s movement, Lee quickly dribbled the ball between his legs.

The moment he switched to his right hand, he moved the ball behind his back with a large movement, while exerting force with his feet to complete a step back.

Before Harper could get up to defend, he was shaken off by a step.

He watched Lee quickly dribble the ball and make a jump shot from the left wing!

“Swish!” The converted three-pointer went into the net!

“Oh! Just like I said, Lee will rebound, he is changing the game with his shooting!”

Doug Collins in the commentary booth loudly praised Lee’s offense, but such an offensive choice seemed like a blind shot to the two people beside him.

Michael Jordan’s face looked a little ugly.

He had just retreated to the half court.

He had not encountered such a situation very often in his previous playoff experiences.

At 17:14, the Knicks led by three points again.

With 2 minutes and 3 seconds left in the first quarter, Lee glanced at the time, quickly retreated, and celebrated with his teammates by high-fiving.

In this kind of transition offense, Ewing and Oakley did not run to the frontcourt.

Instead, they kept clapping their hands in the interior and directing everyone to get into position.

In the last two minutes of the first quarter, Kukoc and Michael Jordan made consecutive shots.

But as Oakley grabbed the frontcourt rebound, Lee shook off Harper in the left corner and hit a three-pointer on the second attack, and the Knicks still led.

At 20:18, the United Center suddenly became a little quiet.

Playing the entire first quarter, Michael made 3 of 8 dunks and 1 of 2 free throws, scoring 7 points, Pippen made 3 of 4 shots and 3 of 3 three-pointers, scoring 9 points, and Kukoc made 1 of 4 shots and contributed 2 points.

Everyone on the Bulls team had a serious expression on their faces.

Michael Jordan didn’t say a word.

He just took deep breaths, trying to regain his strength.

Phil Jackson was a little anxious when he saw this situation, but he remained calm on the surface and carried out the rotation step by step.

Also playing the entire first quarter, Clay Lee made 3 of 5 shots, 3 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and scored 9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Thanks to his three-point shot, he scored very quickly, and his good physical condition also made Lee more confident:

“John, let go of the attack and try to score more points at this time!”

Starks became particularly cautious when he was on the road, and Lee gave him some chicken soup, but he just nodded slightly.

The increasingly noisy scene forced Jeff Van Gundy to raise his voice and loudly remind the players who were about to take the court:

“Pay attention to mistakes, don’t give the opponent easy scoring opportunities, and foul directly when necessary!”

“We need to play tougher. Remember my words, don’t let the other side score easily!”

The bald young coach saw the opportunity and wanted to go on the court and give Michael a couple of punches himself.

The Knicks also had a lot of cool defensive moves.

The Bulls, who fought hard with their main players, only let Michael Jordan take a short break, and Pippen, Rodman and Longley came on the court directly.

Kerr and Scott Burrell partnered in the backcourt.

This rotation lineup only played for 2 minutes and 32 seconds before Michael Jordan was replaced.

The Knicks also replaced their main lineup.

Both sides were in sync and suddenly strengthened their defense in the second quarter.

Ewing successfully positioned himself and received Lee’s through ball at the lower left side of the basket.

Just as he turned around and tried to carry Dennis Rodman pounced on him and hung on the gorilla to block the shot.

Although the ball was not blocked, Ewing’s shot still hit the rim and went out of bounds due to the charging defense.

Jeff Van Gundy complained loudly to the referee, but didn’t get the response he wanted.

The Knicks quickly retreated and didn’t hold back on defense.

They made a rare semi-transition attack, with the right wing dunking the ball and going straight into the paint.

Just now in the paint area, Oakley jumped up to block the shot and secretly pulled with his right hand, and pressed down with his left hand at the same time to perform a two move.

His excellent core strength finally protected Michael Jordan.

Oakley’s pulling did not play much of a role.

Michael Jordan even had time to tilt his head in the air, and finally grabbed the ball with his right hand and shot it into the basket.

“squeak!”

The whistle sounded, and the basketball bounced twice before finally hitting the rim and bounced out.

“Boo!!”

Seeing that Michael Jordan almost fell to the ground, the Bulls fans at the scene were extremely angry and immediately booed.

“Shit! You want to poke my eyes out?!”

Michael Jordan was a little angry at his friend’s bad defensive action.

He questioned loudly after landing.

However, Oakley didn’t care at all.

Instead, he shouted at him:

“Come to the basket! I will make you lie on the floor!”

The two men butted heads under the basket and were finally separated by the referee.

After completing his retreat, Lee gave the old guy a thumbs up, showing his heartless attitude.

After calming himself down, Michael Jordan made both free throws with a sullen look on his face.

26:25, with 7 minutes and 51 seconds left in the first half, the Bulls narrowed the gap again.

Facts have proved that bad defensive actions can indeed have a deterrent effect.

At least Pippen’s attacks to the basket began to decrease.

Lee did not reduce his breakthroughs.

In this attack, the Knicks had no chance after passing the ball around. He took Ewing’s hand-to-hand pass at the elbow area on the left side of the free throw line and immediately cut into the basket from the free throw line.

Just as he got rid of Harper and entered the paint area, he was blocked by Rodman who was helping to defend.

“Squeak!”

Although a foul was called, Lee had not yet completed his shooting action.

He made a shooting gesture, but the referee signaled for a sideline ball.

Seeing Rodman’s smug look, Bob Costas was very excited and raised his voice and said:

“The tempo of the game seems to have returned to the Bulls, and the defending champions showed tough defense!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lee, who was taking the sideline ball, suddenly passed the ball to the upper right side of the basket.

Ewing jumped up to grab the ball and easily put it into the basket.

After the sneak attack was successful, the gorilla roared again and beat his chest angrily to cheer himself up.

Doug Collins in the commentary booth also happily praised Lee:

“That’s Lee’s style of play. He always finds unexpected opportunities to score or assist his teammates.”

“Being able to see is also a talent!”

Pippen, who performed well outside the three-point line in the first quarter, seemed to have completely regained his confidence, and Michael Jordan was double-teamed again in the right elbow area.

He quickly passed the ball to Pippen on the left wing, who caught the ball and missed a jump shot in an open position.

Ewing grabbed the rebound and then swung the ball with force.

The basketball flew quickly to the left wing and just after crossing half court, Lee received the ball and released it with his left hand, continuing to accelerate towards the three-point line.

Harper, who quickly retreated, continued to engage in physical confrontation.

On the other side, Alan Houston and Larry Johnson also rushed across half court.

It was a 3-on-3 situation.

The left wing was close to the three-point line.

Lee turned his head and slowed down, pretending to observe the position of his teammates, and then suddenly went in and out.

Lee swayed to the right and then to the left, holding the ball in his left hand, quickly lowered his center of gravity and pretended to break through.

Harper subconsciously slid to the right rear.

Lee took advantage of the situation and pulled back, returned to the three-point line, and quickly made a three-point jump shot!

“Swish!” The three-pointer went into the net!

The Bulls fans at the scene began to boo helplessly, and Harper was completely helpless.

He just observed the situation on the court and lost his position again without paying attention.

Lee raised three fingers of his left hand and quickly retreated, jumping and banging the plug, continuing to show off.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines loudly reminded his players to stay focused on defense, and at the same time made tactical gestures, indicating that the pace of the game should be slowed down.

The game was dragged into a melee again, and Michael Jordan began to receive the ball with his back to the basket in a deeper position to complete the offense.

After Lee failed in his attempt to speed up, the Knicks’ scoring began to become sporadic.

Alan Houston just took advantage of Ewing’s screen and made a jump shot in the left blocking zone after receiving the ball.

Looking back, Michael Jordan was near the right baseline.

He received the ball and turned around to make a fadeaway jump shot to respond.

With the Knicks’ attack time approaching 24 seconds, Lee pretended to go to the right elbow area to receive a hand-to-hand pass from Ewing.

In the right blocking area, Lee suddenly ran back and went straight to the basket.

After receiving the pass from the gorilla, Lee shot the ball towards the backboard without stopping.

The basketball fell into the basket after a high hit.

Alan Houston and Clay Lee kept slipping through the baseline, and most of the rounds were fake.

After all, the Knicks’ big men had average passing abilities.

But Harper and Michael Jordan did not dare to be careless and could only follow suit.

In the second half of the second quarter, the team failed to speed up and Lee took more jump shots.

Both sides started to miss shots frequently again, and in the final moments, 1 point rain began to fall.

The low scoring efficiency made the Bulls fans at the scene more nervous.

“Boo!”

Amidst huge boos, the first half ended with the score at 39:38, and the Knicks still maintained a slight lead.

Michael Jordan walked quickly towards the player tunnel with an expressionless face, and the Bulls players followed closely behind him with serious expressions.

On the other side, Lee, with a smile on his face, bumped fists with the atmosphere group, then slowly returned to the locker room with his teammates.

The players on both sides have different mindsets.

The Bulls cannot afford to lose again, while the Knicks can just have a decisive battle.

Anyway, Game 5 will still be at Madison Square Garden, so they have an advantage no matter how you think about it.

“In the first half, Michael Jordan scored 16 points with 6 of 14 shots, Pippen scored 6 of 10 shots, 4 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and also scored 16 points.”

“Both players played very well, but the Bulls’ role players were completely off the mark tonight.”

Jim Gray in the commentary booth was almost speechless when he saw the Bulls’ statistics.

Most of the points were concentrated on these two people.

Doug Collins had already noticed this phenomenon and began to praise Lee’s performance:

“5 of 10, 4 of 6 from beyond the three point line, 2 of 2 free throws, 16 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Just like I said before the game, Lee always finds scoring opportunities.”

“The Knicks withstood the Bulls’ comeback, and I believe they have found the key to victory.”

The three people in the commentary booth expressed their opinions, and their common view was that the defensive intensity of both sides would not decrease.

After a short halftime break, the game entered the second half.

There was no need for chicken soup as the Bulls still maintained their high-intensity defense.

The same thing happened on the Knicks side.

After the start of the third quarter, both sides missed shots.

“Defense! Defense! Defense!”

After Michael Jordan missed a fadeaway jump shot in the low post on the left side, there was an immediate roar of defensive cheers.

Ewing fought hard to protect the backcourt rebound, and due to the Bulls’ delay, he passed the ball to Lee.

Still accelerating at full speed, he rushed across half court, and after several quick stops and starts, Lee crossed the center line.

Rodman, who started the second half, noticed that Ewing was lagging behind, and instead of retreating to the basket, he prepared to switch defense to delay him.

A high pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, Ewing rushed across half court and stood outside the three-point line.

Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, quickly dribbled the ball behind his back.

The moment he switched to his left hand, he noticed that Rodman had arrived late.

Without waiting for the two to form a double-team, he quickly passed the ball to Larry Johnson on the left wing.

Then Ewing came down and Lee moved without the ball, and once again completed a hand-to-hand pass with the “grandmama” outside the three point line.

At this time, Pippen cooperated with Harper to double-team, Lee attracted two defenders and passed the ball back to Larry Johnson who moved to the top of the arc.

With no one defending in front of him, Larry Johnson took a look after receiving the ball and made an open three-point jump shot.

“Swish!” The three-pointer went into the net.

The Bulls were suddenly attacked and saw that the “grandmama” could also make a three-pointer, and everyone on the Bulls team looked unhappy.

Just like the Knicks double-teaming Michael Jordan would leave Pippen open, the Bulls’ big delay would also come at a price, and Lee always found his teammates in time.

Under the high-intensity defense, the game became a contest of patience.

Michael Jordan only played for half a quarter before he scored the first field goal of the quarter in the left blocking area.

Alan Houston became more and more energetic in defense, and his good physical condition ensured his defensive intensity.

He tries his best to defend and make interference, but whether the dunk can make the shot is not up to him to decide.

After playing for most of the quarter, both sides scored sporadically and each scored 11 points.

The Bulls fans at the scene couldn’t hold it anymore and booed when they saw Lee receiving the ball and advancing again.

After the timeout, Kerr replaced Harper, who had missed many shots.

Although the team scored zero points in the first half, Phil Jackson still trusted Kerr.

Lee, who had been missing shots in the previous few attacks, saw that Kerr was defending him.

He waved his hand without waiting for the Knicks to cross half court, and soon the Knicks opened up a half-court lead.

Without paying attention to the movements behind him, Kerr just stayed close to Lee.

Holding the ball in his right hand, he quickly advanced, crossed half court, and came to the right wing, where he leaned sideways to protect the ball.

As they got closer to the three-point line, Kerr noticed that the Knicks players were moving away one by one.

Lee, who had been protecting the ball sideways, was distracted on the defensive end and then he scooped up the ball with his left hand and turned around quickly.

Kerr quickly stepped to the right, and Lee changed direction in front of his body, and the basketball hit the opponent’s fingertips and came to his right hand.

Realizing that he was out of position on defense, Kerr quickly adjusted his center of gravity, slid again, and rushed to Lee’s side.

Lee scooped the ball with his right hand and pretended to break through first.

While Kerr was defending him, he just crossed the three-point line and suddenly exerted force with his feet, stepped back quickly, briefly shook off the defense, quickly dribbled the ball outside the three-point line, and then raised the ball and shot it!

“Swish!” The three-pointer went into the net!

…

By the way, don’t forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me 🙂

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep