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On the evening of June 16, 2000, at Madison Square Garden, New York fans entered a state of self-excitement immediately after the game began.

Despite the Los Angeles Lakers duo performing well in the first quarter, continuously scoring for the team, the fans on site were inexplicably confident, firmly believing that the Knicks could overturn the score and reverse the game.

28:26, the Los Angeles Lakers showed a do-or-die attitude in the first quarter, with Shaq and Kobe playing the entire first quarter again!

Among the role players, Glen Rice continued to slump, while Harper, who was left open, performed well, also scoring 5 points in the first quarter.

During the break between quarters, the noise in the Madison Square Garden grew louder.

Doug Collins glanced at the technical statistics and then commented loudly:

“The defensive intensity of both teams has decreased somewhat. Obviously, the players haven’t fully recovered from the game the night before.”

“Shaquille O’Neal is in excellent form. If he maintains his current state, the Los Angeles Lakers still have a chance to drag the series back to Los Angeles!”

What Bob Costas noticed was the performance of the Knicks’ role players:

“Kurt Thomas, who came off the bench for the Knicks, is in excellent form, but he needs to control his fouls.”

“Clay Lee delivered four assists in the first quarter. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Defense was dismantled. Phil Jackson should perhaps reduce some of the excessive help Defense.”

On the Knicks’ bench, Clay Lee looked relaxed.

In tonight’s game, the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly changed their usual approach and started a mindless double-teaming mode.

Perhaps the 51 points stimulated the players, and in the latter half of the first quarter, they entered a state where the game could be lost, but Lee must “die.”

Lee had experienced this kind of double-teaming too many times.

In the Eastern Conference playoffs over the past two years, almost all teams adopted this method.

If this defensive strategy had been adopted at the start of the series, it might have had some effect, but with a 3:1 lead, the Knicks’ role players had a completely different mentality, and when open opportunities appeared, their chances of converting were higher.

Ewing’s physical condition was worse than the coaching staff imagined.

The Gorilla was old, and after playing 47 minutes in the last game, completely exhausting himself, he continuously missed easy shots in the first quarter.

Jeff Van Gundy showed little emotion on the surface, but he was still a bit anxious inside.

2 minutes and 42 seconds into the second quarter, O’Neal stepped to the free throw line, and Kurt Thomas walked dejectedly to the bench.

His shooting touch was excellent tonight, but he was overly excited and accumulated fouls too quickly.

Lewis saw the coach beckon and immediately stood up excitedly.

It seemed he might get more playing time tonight.

“Don’t be nervous. If the opponent double-teams, take the shot decisively when an opportunity arises. Don’t think about passing. Just finish the play when the ball is in your hands.”

“Don’t forget to rebound, and remember to box out early!”

Before going on court, Lee patted the Rookie, and Lewis quickly nodded.

As they went on court together, he knew his mission.

Compared to Phil Jackson, who was serious and kept talking to his players, Jeff Van Gundy remained calm after making substitutions.

The New York fans on site cheered excitedly again when they saw Clay Lee re-enter the game:

“MVP! MVP! MVP!”

Shaquille O’Neal, at the free throw line, was a bit sensitive to the “MVP” chants.

He accidentally shot the ball too hard, and his second free throw also clanked off the rim.

“Wow!”

The cheers made Shaquille O’Neal grumble as he retreated on Defense.

He really disliked the atmosphere on site.

Kobe, who had been in an “enraged” state from the start, pounced on Lee as soon as he received the inbound pass.

With the appearance of his “arch-nemesis,” Kobe instantly entered a berserk state again, constantly sliding and initiating physical contact.

Lee didn’t mind seeing Kobe “gritting his teeth.”

Allen Iverson had been using that expression for years.

Dribbling with his left hand, he quickly advanced against the Defense.

With a simple behind-the-back dribble while moving, he switched to his right hand, then Lee bulldozed and sprinted, quickly bringing the ball past half-court.

It was still the high double screen.

Kukoc moved up from the right elbow, faked a screen, then immediately ran to the right block.

Rick Fox hesitated for a moment, then chose to follow closely, sticking to Kukoc and preventing him from receiving a back-to-the-basket pass.

Lee, who had again dribbled behind his back to his left hand, began to move horizontally towards the top of the arc.

Lewis quickly moved to the top of the arc and set his feet, then after a fake screen, immediately ran to the right wing.

Horry, at this moment, did not choose to follow the Defense, but instead moved up immediately to block Lee’s path, cooperating with Kobe to complete the double-team.

The two closed in quickly.

Clay Lee, dribbling with his left hand, quickly exploded the ball in place while moving up. Taking advantage of the double-team, he immediately turned, and with his right hand, smoothly passed the ball to the right wing.

Kobe felt as if he was just shy of a steal.

Watching the basketball fly into Lewis’s hands, the latter received the ball with no one in front of him, took a simple look at the basket, and shot an open jump shot!

“Swish!” The three-pointer swished through the net.

30:31, the moment the Knicks took the lead, Madison Square Garden erupted again.

After scoring, Lewis breathed a sigh of relief, then continuously pumped his fists in celebration.

With a huge advantage in the paint, the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense naturally had to get the ball to Shaquille O’Neal.

Ben Wallace’s half-front denial was ineffective.

Shaq, on the left low post, spun deftly and instantly drove into the paint.

However, Kobe on the left wing couldn’t deliver the ball immediately, still battling with Lee, who was leading the Defense.

The opportunity was fleeting.

Shaq again moved to the right low post to demand the ball with his back to the basket.

Kobe could only pass the ball on the perimeter at this point.

After Brian Shaw received the ball on the left wing, Ron Artest continued to press him.

He lobbed the ball to Shaq, but the pass quality was mediocre, forcing a difficult adjustment upon reception.

Then, the Shaq was triple-teamed.

Ben Wallace held his breath, desperately holding the baseline.

Lewis from the right corner and Ron Artest from the perimeter also immediately collapsed, everyone stretching their hands and squeezing towards the basket.

Shaq, trapped in the double-team after one step, immediately raised the ball, then swiftly threw it to Horry in the right corner.

The latter, unguarded, missed the open three-pointer!

The long rebound bounced directly to the free throw line.

Lee easily secured the rebound, and immediately initiated a fast break.

Quickly pushing the ball and changing direction, Lee scooped the ball with his left hand and immediately accelerated.

Kobe immediately stepped up to delay, but after losing a step, he was forced to slide along.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ defensive intensity had noticeably dropped a lot, and the role players behind them had already given up on chasing back.

Phil Jackson’s face darkened when he saw his players’ reactions.

Then, seeing Clay Lee drive into the paint against Kobe’s Defense, execute a quick spin move after a crossover dribble, and finish with a left-handed layup, Phil Jackson immediately called a timeout.

30:33, the Knicks successfully extended their lead by a tiny bit.

“Wow!”

The cheering and dancing continued.

For New York fans, the game seemed to have turned into a party.

Watching Lee smile and high-five his teammates in celebration, Kobe returned to the bench fuming, sitting down and sulking.

Once role players lose “confidence,” the game is highly likely to go south.

Phil Jackson’s face was grim.

Talking tactics at this point was useless.

At this moment, he suddenly missed Michael Jordan.

In desperation, some players were actually doubting themselves.

An enraged Phil Jackson slammed the clipboard and roared at everyone on the bench:

“Listen! Fight like men! If you don’t want to defend, say so now!”

“I’ll put the players who want to win more on the court. The series isn’t over yet!”

Shaquille O’Neal also remained silent at this time

Missing wide-open shots had become a frequent occurrence in this year’s playoffs.

In the past, he didn’t care when they won, but in this desperate situation, it was inevitable that his emotions would fluctuate.

Although he didn’t complain about his teammates, everyone could see the impatience and disappointment on Shaq’s face.

The veteran players also kept quiet.

A.C. Green had basically fallen out of the rotation, and Glen Rice had become a pure shooting tool, possessed by the spirit of a blacksmith.

Harper had wanted to say a few words, but considering his physical condition and influence on the game, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

Phil Jackson kept yelling.

As a Champion Coach, he really didn’t want to be swept by Jeff Van Gundy again.

Just the thought of the Bald Young Coach also achieving a three-peat filled Phil Jackson with rage.

There are many types of court leaders.

Drawing big pictures and trash talk are useless, only true strength is the foundation.

After the timeout, the Lakers’ offense didn’t improve at all.

Shaquille O’Neal, facing another double-team, passed the ball to a wide-open Rick Fox at the top of the arc.

The latter caught the ball, aimed for a while, but in the end, his jump shot clanked off the rim.

The more the opponent faltered, the more excited the New York fans in the arena became.

Fans in the back rows cheered and yelled, while some in the front rows cursed.

Beer was selling well tonight, and many fans chose to drink while watching.

These hyped-up fans wouldn’t hold back their words.

Kukoc grabbed the long rebound from the left block and immediately pushed the ball upcourt to initiate a fast break.

Near the half-court line, he quickly flung the ball into the offensive half, leading Lee, who accelerated to scoop up the ball on the left wing.

Seeing Kobe already establish his defensive position, Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, stopped outside the three-point line.

All the Knicks players had already accelerated past half-court.

Clay Lee turned his head towards the top of the arc and suddenly flung the ball towards the upper right of the basket.

The retreating Shaquille O’Neal was still brooding over the missed open shot from the outside and paid no attention to the minor player beside him.

When he saw the basketball flying into the air, he instinctively turned his head.

Ben Wallace, cutting down the middle, had already charged forward.

After scooping the ball in the air, he immediately slammed it down with both hands!

“Boom!” The alley-oop dunk was successful!

“Ah!”

Watching Ben Wallace roar loudly in front of him, Shaquille O’Neal suddenly lost his composure and immediately stepped forward to push him.

Seeing Shaq’s intense reaction, Ben Wallace immediately became energized.

Without saying a word, he directly pounced on him.

The two suddenly tangled under the basket.

Seeing the sudden outburst of conflict, the atmosphere in the arena grew even more heated, and cheers instantly echoed throughout the stadium.

The referee reacted the quickest, immediately rushing between the two.

The Lakers players on the court quickly pulled Shaquille O’Neal away.

Phil Jackson on the sideline was furious again.

He could clearly feel his players’ defensive intensity dropping:

“Shit, calm down! Everyone get back on Defense, stick to your man!”

Ben Wallace, being pulled away, was still shaking his head at Shaquille O’Neal, yelling repeatedly:

“Hey, softie! I’m sending you home tonight!”

Provoked by a role player, yet somewhat powerless to retort, Shaquille O’Neal again threw Phil Jackson’s words out of his mind, cursing and still wanting to charge forward:

“Motherf**ker! Don’t stop me! What right do you have to trash talk me!”

Ben Wallace’s explosive hair made for an explosive visual effect when he shook his head.

The two exchanged words across the referee, and O’Neal completely lost his temper.

Soon, both received a technical foul.

Clay Lee walked smilingly to the free throw line.

After making the free throw, he looked at Shaquille O’Neal, who was standing with his hands on his hips, and chuckled, teasing:

“Don’t worry, Shaq! I still welcome you to my championship party. Ben is just too young. He’s actually a great guy!”

“…”

Shaquille O’Neal had wanted to retort with a few words, but then he noticed Phil Jackson’s death glare.

He muttered a few curses and simply turned his back to Clay Lee.

The enraged Shaq quickly entered “give me the ball” mode, once again wreaking havoc in the Knicks’ paint.

O’Neal was scoring, but the Lakers’ outside shots just weren’t falling.

The Knicks’ Defense kept shrinking, and eventually, everyone except Lee started to collapse.

Watching Horry miss a wide-open shot from the left corner, and the Knicks transition to offense, Bob Costas could only lament:

“Someone on the Lakers’ perimeter must step up and hit these open shots.”

“My God! Lewis hits another three-pointer! The Lakers’ Defense seems to have collapsed!”

In the fast break, Lewis, unguarded in the right corner, received Lee’s drive-and-kick pass, sank the three, and then bounced around, celebrating with a low roar.

35:42. Half a quarter had passed.

Aside from Kobe’s technical free throw, all of the Lakers’ points came from O’Neal.

Phil Jackson had already put Glen Rice back in, expecting the Lakers’ perimeter to respond, but what he saw was a rain of three-pointers from the Knicks.

With simple drive-and-kick plays, relying on Clay Lee’s gravity, Kukoc and Ron Artest also started firing from outside.

Watching the Lakers’ score stuck at 35 points, the New York fans in the arena even started celebrating the victory already.

Doug Collins also felt a bit helpless seeing this situation.

He hadn’t expected the Lakers’ role players to be so cold:

“Perhaps Head Coach Phil Jackson could try to increase the rotation. Being down too much at halftime, with the Lakers’ current state, it will be difficult to turn the game around.”

Bob Costas noticed that after both teams brought their starters back, the Lakers still struggled to score.

At this point, he could only offer a simple comment:

“To close the gap, the struggling Lakers offense might consider starting with Defense!”

Kobe had just hit a long two-pointer from the top of the arc.

The Knicks quickly inbounded the ball, and Clay Lee turned around to assist Allan Houston, who had just entered the game, for a jump shot from the left elbow.

One screen, and the man was gone.

Seeing Harper’s performance, Phil Jackson sighed inwardly and called another timeout.

The motivational speeches had completely lost their effect.

The role players’ offense was silent.

After the timeout, watching the Knicks continue to score easily, the Lakers’ bench was completely silent.

18:32 in the single quarter, bringing the score to 46:58 at halftime.

The 12-point deficit sent Madison Square Garden into a frenzy.

The New York fans in the arena began celebrating early, everyone hoping the game would end quickly.

14-for-8 shooting in the first half, 3-for-8 from the free throw line, totaling 19 points.

Shaquille O’Neal walked quickly, head down, towards the player tunnel.

Phil Jackson looked back at the big screen in the center of the court again.

He didn’t want to give up, but thinking about the state of his role players, he had already prepared himself for a loss.

The Knicks, with their extensive rotation, were scoring from multiple points.

Although the two commentators had anticipated that the game might unfold this way, watching the fans dancing to the music, they found it difficult to comment on the Lakers’ performance at that moment.

Finally, Bob Costas changed the subject and said:

“If the Knicks win tonight, Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy will also set a record.”

“He will become the youngest Head Coach in NBA history to achieve a three-peat!”

Doug Collins felt a pang of sadness when he heard this topic.

When he left the Chicago Bulls, Phil Jackson immediately won a championship.

Thinking of this, and then seeing the Lakers’ poor performance tonight, Doug Collins suddenly felt much better and simply quipped:

“Perhaps after the series ends, Phil will also face scrutiny. Without Michael Jordan, he still hasn’t proven himself!”

The two laughed on the commentary table, teasing the former Champion Coach—this was something the fans also loved to hear!

Less than two minutes into the second half, the score difference had already reached 17 points.

After a few more screens, teammates would get open shots.

Clay Lee’s shooting touch was average, so he simply transformed into a master assist-maker.

With the huge score difference, the New York Knicks players played with more and more vigor, while the Los Angeles Lakers role players dropped back, watching O’Neal and Kobe take turns with isolation plays.

When Lee assisted Oakley for a successful mid-range jump shot from the right elbow of the free-throw line, all the New York Knicks players who had played tonight had scored.

Jeff Van Gundy had already returned to the bench, smiling and constantly clapping, officially entering AFK mode.

Larry Johnson, taking advantage of Glen Rice’s declining defensive intensity, also began to relentlessly attack in the low post.

After a successful turnaround fadeaway jump shot, he grinned widely.

Phil Jackson stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, watching the Los Angeles Lakers’ offense move less and less, with everyone standing still and watching O’Neal’s isolation play.

For a moment, he felt disheartened and also sat back down on the bench.

Only Kobe was still cooperating with Shaq on the court to score, but the Los Angeles Lakers’ defensive intensity had dropped too much, and the score difference never narrowed.

At the end of the third quarter, cheers echoed throughout MSG, and the in-house DJ also started playing upbeat music.

James Dolan and David Stern, sitting in the front row, were talking in low voices, laughing and chatting, already ready for the awards ceremony!

The single quarter score was 24:26, and after three quarters, the score was 70:84, meaning the last quarter was about to enter garbage time.

In the final quarter, Shaquille O’Neal finally enjoyed the privilege of early rest in the series.

With 3 minutes and 33 seconds left in the game, the score difference was still 18 points.

Phil Jackson took out Shaq and Kobe, and the atmosphere squad came on.

Back in his seat, Shaq stared blankly at the two teams’ players going back and forth on the court.

On the other side, Kobe immediately covered his head with a towel after coming off the court, not wanting the cameras to capture his expression.

This was the first time he felt the city’s malice!

Many New York fans tonight were wearing printed T-shirts, with the famous scene of Clay Lee stepping over him printed on the front.

Not just this one T-shirt, but photos of his blocks and steals also appeared on fans.

Laughter, mockery, and the happy shouts of the New York Knicks players filled the air.

Kobe, back in his seat, subconsciously pressed his hands to his ears, lowering his head and trying to control his emotions.

Compared to the silent Los Angeles Lakers bench, all the New York Knicks players stood on the sidelines, hugging and celebrating.

“Pat, perfect performance! We all remember your contributions on Defense!”

Clay Lee patted Ewing, who had messed up tonight, and complimented him with a smile, which immediately put Gorilla in a good mood, and he grinned widely along with everyone else.

Larry Johnson also beamed, hugging Lee tightly and shouting loudly:

“Lee, we did it! Dynasty team!”

Oakley also patted Lee’s shoulder, raised an eyebrow, and whispered:

“I brought out my treasured cigars! Oh! We’re going to celebrate well tonight!”

With 30 seconds left in the game, everyone on the New York Knicks bench stood up.

Allan Houston smiled and made the sign of the cross, seemingly thanking God again, then excitedly hugged Clay Lee in greeting.

As the final buzzer sounded, cheers once again echoed throughoutMadison Square Garden, and the happy New York fans began to hug each other.

92:108, the series was completely over.

Media reporters all rushed onto the court, carrying cameras and heading towards the New York Knicks bench.

Jeff Van Gundy, sitting on the bench, did not get up immediately but covered his face with his hands, shedding tears of excitement.

Tonight, Bald Young Coach had specifically worn a new suit, dressing himself very presentably, intending to smile dashingly at the camera after the game, but he had overestimated himself.

“Yeah! Champion!”

Assistant coaches Thibodeau and Don Chaney, however, did not shed tears.

They just furiously punched the air, hugging each other and constantly shouting.

Madison Square Garden was particularly noisy at this moment, and many front-row fans also rushed onto the court, beginning to celebrate the team’s milestone.

Ewing’s eyes were also red.

He forced himself to control his emotions in front of the camera, trying to smile, and also hugged the Los Angeles Lakers players who came over, sharing some of his championship experience.

A large number of sports reporters surrounded Clay Lee.

Compared to the other excited veterans, Lee simply smiled and held up three fingers in front of the camera.

This was only his first season after signing a max contract.

Good Brother had completed his mission, and Lee had a clear plan for himself.

A three-peat was just a small goal.

Few of the Los Angeles Lakers players liked Lee.

Harper was the first to come over and greet him:

“Congratulations, Bro! Go chase history! You can do it!”

“Thanks, man! To be honest, I learned a lot of moves from you!”

Lee smiled and hugged Harper in greeting.

The two were old rivals who had often faced each other.

Soon, the Los Angeles Lakers’ atmosphere squad all came over to greet him.

Kobe, still covering his face with a towel, was trying to control his emotions, and seeing Lee’s smiling face, he reluctantly complimented him:

“Clay, congratulations on achieving a three-peat!”

Noticing Kobe’s red eyes, as if he had already shed tears, Lee patted him hard and encouraged him with a smile:

“It’s great to play against you, Bro! Keep it up, the future belongs to the young guys!”

“…”

Kobe almost couldn’t hold it together.

Lee was only one year older than him.

They were both young guys!

The sports reporters surrounding them pressed their cameras.

Both were Rookies from the ’96 draft, and the league would definitely create a rivalry between them in the future.

The microphones faithfully recorded Clay Lee’s words.

Noticing Shaquille O’Neal moving towards them, the media reporters once again moved their microphones closer to the two.

Shaquille O’Neal, despite losing, was still not convinced.

After hugging, he bumped fists with Clay Lee and said:

“Congratulations, Bro! But I won’t lose again. I hope to see you in the Finals next year too.”

Hearing the other party directly predicting the Finals, Lee laughed heartily and simply replied:

“I’m very much looking forward to our next match! Shaq, remember to practice your free throws!”

Shaquille O’Neal’s face darkened further.

Free throws had cost him the scoring title, and free throws were also the reason for his Finals loss.

Turning and walking away, Shaquille O’Neal really didn’t want to see Clay Lee’s smiling face anymore!

Although Madison Square Garden was still very noisy at this moment, many reporters still heard their conversation, and some New York Media even booed behind Shaquille O’Neal, making the Shark quicken his pace in anger.

Lee suddenly had a thought, and then a prompt quickly appeared in his mind:

[“Shaquille O’Neal’s Extraordinary Strength”]

The surrounding sports media quickly noticed that Lee’s smile became even brighter, and they couldn’t help but click their cameras again, recording this historic moment.

Lee continued to smile and hug the Los Angeles Lakers’ coaching staff in greeting.

Noticing Phil Jackson’s grim expression, his mood became even more pleasant:

“The future definitely belongs to me!”

….

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

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep