On May 31, 2000, fans who bought newspapers in the morning felt relieved after reading the New York Post’s headline:

“Knicks in Four!”

Compared to last season’s playoff journey, the New York Knicks achieved an 11-0 record this year.

All their opponents were swept out.

Before the playoffs began, they were underestimated by numerous sports media outlets, and all the commentators were hyping up the Lakers, making New York fans somewhat unconfident.

But after three rounds of playoffs, the familiar feeling returned.

When NBC came to New York to film material for the Finals pre-show, some overconfident fans didn’t forget to shout into the camera:

“We are the champion!”

“F***!”

“F*** Los Angeles” was a way for New York fans to express their confidence.

The Lakers, who had been hyped all season, did indeed give fans a scare, and seeing Shaquille O’Neal’s 60+20 points also made them exclaim in disbelief.

However, after seeing the Lakers’ playoff performance, no one was hyping up their dominance anymore.

For New York fans, Shaquille O’Neal had become a paper tiger.

The main reason for the fans’ overconfidence was that the Lakers had lost again.

On the evening of the 30th, the Lakers, who had a match point and were back at Staples Center, failed to close out the series.

With a score of 96:88, the Trail Blazers tied the series 2:3, and Game 6 would return to Portland.

Playing 46 minutes, Shaquille O’Neal shot 12-of-20 from the field, 7-of-12 from the free-throw line, finishing with 31 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 5 turnovers.

The stats looked intimidating, but any fan who watched the game would realize one thing:

“Shaq turns the ball over even when double-teamed.”

Whenever Shaq received the ball in the paint, the Trail Blazers usually opted for a quadruple-team.

The Lakers had opportunities on the perimeter, but they shot a dismal 6-of-27 from three-point range, forcing them into a Game 6.

Comebacks from a 1-3 deficit in the Conference Finals had happened before, and the Los Angeles media was no longer jinxing the team.

Dominance wasn’t important.

Making it to the Finals was enough.

From a commentator’s perspective, the Lakers hardly ran any Triangle Offense in many possessions.

Their guards were merely role players, and Shaquille O’Neal rarely came out to defend pick-and-rolls, relying entirely on his teammates to fight through screens and chase down opponents.

When he demanded the ball in the low post, opponents double-teamed him, and O’Neal would pass the ball.

In some possessions, when Shaq was in a good mood, he would set screens, and his Defense would also intensify.

Back in New York, the Knicks’ task for the next two days was to cooperate with NBC for interviews to promote the Finals.

This process was not unfamiliar to those who had reached the Finals for two consecutive years.

They just needed to boast in interviews and express their intentions.

James Dolan felt a bit regretful that most of these interviews were for players and the Head Coach, with the team owner having little screen time, making him a bit sad that he couldn’t paint a grand vision.

On the morning of the 31st, Clay Lee also accepted an interview with Jim Gray at the Tarrytown Training Center.

Compared to other players, he had the most screen time.

The Finals are the annual showpiece, and the NBA places great importance on packaging star players.

This year’s theme, besides the Knicks’ three-peat, was also the clash between MVPs.

Jim Gray had interviewed Lee for two consecutive years, and the two were already very familiar with each other.

Wearing a black vest and blue training pants, Lee didn’t bother changing his clothes.

As long as it wasn’t outlandish attire, the NBA wouldn’t restrict what players wore.

After the set was arranged and the crew started lighting, Clay Lee looked at the black backdrop behind him, and after sitting down, he joked:

“It’s like this every year. Why don’t we change the color or add some post-production? Young fans don’t like seeing these monotonous backgrounds.”

“Actually, we don’t have enough budget!”

Jim Gray also joked along, and after they laughed, the crew signaled to begin, and he then seriously asked:

“At 22 years old, the youngest scoring champion, assist champion, MVP, and FMVP in NBA history!”

“You’ve almost broken all of Magic Johnson’s records, and now, you’ve led the Knicks back to the Finals stage.”

“If you win the championship again, will it mean you have surpassed Magic Johnson and become the greatest point guard in history?”

Hearing this question, which had been hotly debated by commentators recently, Clay Lee just smiled and shook his head:

“5 championships, 3 MVPs, 3 FMVPs. My math is pretty good. I’m still far from a legend like Magic Johnson.”

“I know how difficult it is to win a championship, and behind these honors lies the immense effort of the players.”

“The greatest in history is still too far for me. After all, I’m only 22 years old, and I still want to keep winning.”

Although the Lakers might be overturned, most commentators still assumed the Knicks’ opponent in the Finals.

Magic Johnson had recently been frequently brought up for comparison.

Fans also enjoyed watching the pursuit of history.

Upon hearing the math question, Jim Gray and the surrounding staff also laughed along.

The simple and direct comparison also showed Lee’s confidence.

Soon, Jim Gray asked the question he asked every year:

“Clay, let’s talk about your expectations for the Finals. Before the playoffs began, you were constantly underestimated, but after going 11-0, the Knicks once again showed championship dominance.”

“Expectations? After the playoffs started, I took Shaq’s words seriously. I accepted the challenge!”

Hearing Clay Lee’s words, the MSG staff filming nearby burst into laughter.

Shaq’s boomerang had hit him in the face, and Lee still had a chance to achieve 15-0.

After the surrounding staff stopped cheering, Lee seriously replied:

“No matter who our opponent is, the Knicks will win the Finals. The lesson we learned from the 1998 Chicago Bulls is that basketball is a five-man game.”

“Head Coach Van Gundy has been controlling our playing time, and our rotation has performed exceptionally well.”

“We trust each other, and the team’s chemistry is even better than two years ago.”

“I don’t like to lose. The Knicks will keep winning!”

“…”

NBC wouldn’t broadcast all the interview outtakes, but MSG could show them in their own documentary.

When Clay Lee was interviewed, he mostly expressed his desire for championships and his pursuit of victory, but Ewing was different.

The Gorilla forcefully elevated himself to a higher level:

“A championship means a lot. I hope that through my performance, I can inspire more children to step onto the basketball court.”

“Hold on to your dreams. God never forgets hardworking children!”

Watching Ewing eloquently speak in front of the camera, Jim Gray felt a bit helpless.

Washed-up stars don’t have this much drama.

The Knicks entered the Finals promotion phase early, with not much screen time on NBC, but James Dolan could express his views through his own MSG.

Bringing in team legends, James Dolan’s “Show time” indeed attracted the attention of many young fans.

Every time Head Coach Van Gundy heard the big boss’s opinions, he would secretly frown.

All-out offense and all-out Defense sounded great, but the team’s configuration couldn’t meet such demands.

After a day of interviews and training, the Bald Young Coach still had to continue watching game footage with the coaching staff.

Assistant Coach Don Chaney was more confident about the upcoming Finals, while Thibodeau was particularly cautious.

“We have a unique core guard in the league. No one can stop us. No matter who our opponent is, they must change their perimeter Defense strategy.”

Don Chaney felt more confident after watching Game 5 between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers.

Hearing this view, Thibodeau frowned and replied:

“But we can’t predict player performance. However, the closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage is an unchanging truth. To stop O’Neal, fouling is still more reliable.”

In the Finals, Jeff Van Gundy had no intention of changing the team’s tactics.

Hearing their discussion, he finally said simply:

“Adjust everyone’s physical condition, and leave the game to the players. In the Finals, all we have to do is believe in ourselves!”

Thibodeau didn’t expect Jeff Van Gundy to lie flat again.

He was very worried about the interior Defense, but after thinking about it, he didn’t say too much.

At this moment, he suddenly realized that even if he made a bunch of arrangements, it was still useless.

Shaquille O’Neal had already blown up the New York Knicks’s interior in the regular season.

Jeff Van Gundy always kept a confident smile on his face, constantly giving the others chicken soup, completely without a trace of worry.

The coaching staff suddenly felt that not only had the players grown, but the Head Coach also seemed more reliable.

The New York Knicks’s coaching staff predicted that the Lakers, who had secured a match point, would end the series in G6, but the Trail Blazers were more resilient than expected.

On the evening of June 2nd, both teams unanimously chose to go all out with their starters.

15:26, the Trail Blazers’s starting five played for a minute without rest, taking an 11-point lead in the first quarter.

In the half-time game, the Lakers failed to climb out of the pit, and finally, they reluctantly lost the game on the road.

93:103, the Trail Blazers won another game, bringing the series score to 3:3, and both sides would play a Game 7.

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant both played 48 minutes again, and old Sabonis and Scottie Pippen only rested for less than 1 minute.

Pippen was 1-of-6 from the field, 7-of-10 from the free throw line, and had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 1 turnover.

With too much effort put into Defense, the stats indeed looked poor, but considering that the Trail Blazers could still win in this situation, the commentators all became fence-sitters for a while.

On the Trail Blazers’s bench, Bonzi Wells was 8-of-13, scoring 20 points, becoming the key player for the team’s victory.

For the Lakers, Kobe Bryant was 12-of-24 from the field, 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, scoring a team-high 33 points.

Anything is possible in a Game 7.

The Los Angeles media was silent again.

If they were to be overturned, they would be nailed to the pillar of shame!

New York fans hoped that the Trail Blazers could win so that the New York Knicks would regain home-court advantage.

Jeff Van Gundy was also in a good mood when he saw the Lakers lose.

Even if the opponent won Game 7, there wouldn’t be much time to rest.

On the evening of the 3rd, taking advantage of Melinda finally finishing her graduation matters, Clay Lee also hosted a dinner at his Tarrytown home.

Ivanka, who returned to New York for the summer vacation, recommended a chef who was good at Italian cuisine, which solved the trouble of cooking at home.

Kim noticed that the chef was Mexican and soon started chatting with the slightly chubby cook.

Melinda, on the other hand, circled around Ivanka, her big eyes blinking non-stop, constantly sizing up the blonde, plump “big white rabbit” who had gotten fatter again.

Ivanka, who was already a bit uncomfortable with her weight gain, involuntarily touched her face when she was stared at, and subconsciously patted the dog’s head to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Happy, the husky, hadn’t been exercised for a month and had been fed fat by several people.

Thinking there was food, he showed a “wise” look after being petted.

“How’s life at Georgetown University? I’ve only been to Washington once!”

The lively Melinda had a natural ability to make friends, and in a few minutes, she made Ivanka relax.

Noticing that Lee had finished his phone call, Melinda chuckled and turned her head to say:

“Today’s Law School graduation ceremony invited Ms. Ginsburg. You really should have come to see it. Many alumni specially attended this event.”

Most of the famous alumni of Connecticut Law School are people from Connecticut’s judicial system.

Throwing away the phone, Lee leaned back on the sofa and said casually:

“There will be more opportunities, won’t there? When I graduate, perhaps this justice will still receive an invitation from the academy.”

Catching up with the 2000 White House event, recent graduation ceremonies have become political gatherings.

Lee’s wallet is full, but he doesn’t want to get involved in these matters.

No matter which faction they belong to, everyone will buy shoes.

Mark Parker had already reminded Lee not to show obvious preferences, as some consumers’ thought processes are sometimes unpredictable.

On sunday, June 4th, before the Western Conference Finals Game 7 that evening, the TNT program in the morning not only warmed up for the game but also discussed an interesting topic:

“Why don’t the Trail Blazers persist in using pick-and-rolls to attack Shaquille O’Neal?”

In the studio, Mike Fratello gave his opinion from the perspective of a Head Coach:

“Damon Stoudamire is not Clay Lee, or rather, no other guard in the NBA has Lee’s ability to attack with the ball in a pick-and-roll.”

“When outside players can’t make those pull-up threes, Shaq will respond on the offensive end.”

“This is a math problem. No coach will gamble on the outside players’ shooting touch that night.”

Talking on paper, Mike Fratello spoke eloquently, even taking the opportunity to analyze the offensive level of the NBA’s backcourt players, finally drawing an obvious conclusion:

“Clay Lee’s pull-up three-point production is high and accurate, far ahead of all other backcourt players.”

As a championship guard, Kenny Smith gave his opinion from a player’s perspective:

“Facing high-pressure perimeter Defense, most backcourt players cannot attack freely.”

“I know how to defend small scorers. The simplest way is to provide physical contact, and then most players will keep clanking shots.”

“It’s difficult to use pick-and-rolls to target the Lakers. I don’t think Damon Stoudamire will get as many opportunities tonight as he did in the last game.”

Seeing that both of them rejected this tactic and agreed on the point, Ernie Johnson simply asked for their predictions:

“Will the Lakers win at Staples Center?”

Mike Fratello did not give a definitive answer, but instead equivocated, saying:

“If the Trail Blazers can continue their Defense from the last game, perhaps they can turn the series around!”

“.”

By Game 7, the commentators had lost confidence in the Lakers, and in that night’s game, after three quarters, 71:58, the Trail Blazers led by 13 points.

To everyone’s surprise, the Lakers were about to be eliminated, but in the 4th quarter, it was the Trail Blazers who were reversed.

With a single quarter score of 13:31, the Lakers successfully won the game, entering the Finals again after 9 years!

This kind of comeback made Staples Center completely erupt, and Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant even embraced each other after the game.

Kobe Bryant’s move to shake off Pippen and deliver an alley-oop to Shaquille O’Neal was repeatedly broadcast by ESPN that night.

The NBA was comfortable.

The New York Knicks VS Lakers, New York and Los Angeles, this was the best script!

On the morning of June 5th, the New York Knicks team boarded a plane to Los Angeles, sent off by New York fans.

Ewing has been in a great mood these past few days.

Jeff Van Gundy clearly stated that he would increase Gorilla’s playing time in the Finals.

Larry Johnson looked at Gorilla’s smiling face and couldn’t say too much.

He touched his bald head and finally could only whisper a few complaints to Lee:

“Pat can’t limit opponents. His physical condition is not even as good as mine!”

Clay Lee, however, was particularly optimistic about this.

Although the newly acquired talent was not useful, he still confidently bumped fists with “Grandmama” and said:

“As long as we can wear down the opponent, that’s enough. Whether we can win the game still depends on our shooting touch.”

“.”

….

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

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep