[A/N: Ah! Let me clarify something. Previous chapter order isn’t wrong. Original author actually write like that and there will be more chapters where readers will get confused. But if you pay attention, you’ll see chapters and events are matching at some point.

Thank You for reading and helping me find errors 🙏 And I hope you have a good day ahead. ]

…

Check out my new fanfics.

A cote x hikigaya crossover.

Ryuga from Beyblade in Pokemon World.

Please give it a go 😊

***

On April 18, 2001, at Madison Square Garden, Patrick Ewing’s eyes welled up with tears as he waved to the New York fans after the game.

At 88-94, the New York Knicks won the final game of the season thanks to the excellent performance of their rotation.

The fans in attendance all stood up and applauded, expressing their gratitude to Ewing, who had accompanied them for many years.

At the MSG commentary booth, Mike Breen was also clapping vigorously, almost tearing up at one point.

For him, Ewing had accompanied him for most of his commentary career, and the New York Knicks’ struggles in the early 90s felt like they happened just yesterday.

Unconsciously looking up at the championship banner hanging above the Madison Square Garden, Mike Breen said emotionally:

“The era belonging to Patrick Ewing has completely ended. Thanks to his perseverance, God never lets down those who work hard. A new era belonging to Clay Lee is about to begin!”

Beside him, Walt Frazier, dressed particularly formally tonight, with only a blue patterned tie looking a bit flashy, also followed suit:

“16 seasons, it’s been a pleasure to witness Pat’s career. Thank you for his companionship over the years.”

“…”

After winning this game, Ewing achieved a 62-win record in his final regular season.

After Clay Lee joined the team, the New York Knicks have maintained 60+ wins every season except for the lockout-shortened season.

This is not only a highlight of Ewing’s career but also allowed Jeff Van Gundy to set many records.

The Bald Young Coach was smiling as he held Lee’s shoulder on the sidelines, watching Ewing.

They had both found their cornerstone.

This was God’s blessing.

Lee also smiled, clapping constantly beside him.

In the last few regular season games, he didn’t frantically chase points.

When becoming the scoring champion became a matter of mathematics, he chose to “save face.”

The “tour” was very successful.

Throughout the season, Ewing mostly exerted himself in the first and fourth quarters.

Except for a few subpar games, he usually managed to get a double-double.

For New York fans, Ewing’s ability was still present in his final season, and years of double-double statistics were the Gorilla’s hallmark.

Of course, the statistics were limited.

Ben Wallace had a good season, but his rebounding statistics were affected.

The reason players compete for starting spots is also due to statistics.

Fortunately, Ewing had been with the New York Knicks long enough that most of the big men on the bench were just coasting;

Otherwise, with his current physical condition, if the Gorilla wanted to be a starter and get a double-double, the locker room would have to fight first.

The cheers at Madison Square Garden grew louder and louder.

Many old fans came tonight, and being able to witness the end of Ewing’s regular season made the ticket worthwhile.

In the center of the court, Ewing held the microphone, looked at the familiar faces on the sidelines, and said excitedly:

“Thank you all, I have no regrets in my career!”

“…”

Grant Hill, who returned from injury tonight and only played 20 minutes, still played the role of a mascot after the game, taking friendly photos with fans.

Injuries had taken away some of his explosiveness.

Although he was mentally prepared, Grant Hill was still a bit disappointed, as he was not yet 30 years old, and theoretically, his career was still on the rise.

Scoring 15 points in a game was still not much of a problem, but considering the New York Knicks’ more possessions and more easy baskets from fast breaks, Grant Hill also knew the statistics were inflated.

Walt Frazier was pulling Ewing and other legends into commercial banter, and Mike Breen also leaned next to Lee at this moment, smiling and joking:

“Lee, it’s a shame, you were just a bit short of becoming the youngest 10,000-point scorer in NBA history this season.”

“23 years old, this is an incredible achievement!”

Not long ago, the New York Media had just celebrated Clay Lee becoming the youngest 9,000-point player in NBA history, but there were so many scoring records that many commentators were already numb.

This season, Clay Lee successively became the youngest 7,000-point, 8,000-point, and 9,000-point player in NBA history.

They had to celebrate every few months, which would make anyone numb.

Lee didn’t care about his scoring record, just responded casually:

“Actually, I prefer this year’s 62 wins. This shows that our young players are growing.”

“Completing the transition from old to new in this way, this is a victory for New York!”

With his current physique, these records were a matter of course.

Lee had absolute confidence in his durability.

Everyone on the New York Knicks was beaming.

With 62 wins and the first seed in the regular season, everyone had absolute confidence in the upcoming playoffs.

After all, the second-place 76ers couldn’t put too much pressure on them, and the other Eastern Conference teams were just weaklings!

Ron Artest was jumping around, taking off his jersey and wearing a tank top, hyping himself up on the sidelines.

Seeing a camera pointed at him, he kept shouting:

“Finals, here we come!”

On the morning of April 19, Lee still woke up early, and at 5 o’clock, he took his husky, Happy, for a jog along their usual route.

Manhattan was no longer cold in April, and Lee, dressed in a black quick-drying suit, smiled and greeted fans who were exercising early.

After being exposed by the New York Media, many fans would also encounter Lee in the morning.

Of course, more cunning women would also show off their beautiful bodies, hoping for further development.

Happy lifted his husky’s characteristic smiling face and kept frolicking beside Lee, which also served as a deterrent.

After all, this dog was large, and although he looked silly, he made many girls hesitate.

After breathing in the fresh air, at 7 o’clock, when Lee returned to his home on 82nd Street, the house also became lively.

Kim, wearing her pajamas, actively came forward to kiss Lee when she saw him, then rushed to change her clothes, while also reminding him:

“The three major stock indices are still falling, but there seems to be a sign of a rebound from the bottom. Some investors who were bearish on the stock market seem to be withdrawing.”

“In short, this is not a good sign. Remember to pay more attention to these messages.”

Melinda, with her hair tied in a ponytail and wearing only an oversized T-shirt, watched Happy constantly lapping water, knowing that the morning workout was quite intense.

She glared at Lee playfully, handed him a towel, then whispered:

“Kim seems to be preparing to sue the gangs and criminal organizations in the Bronx. She’s been especially busy lately!”

Although they sometimes played interesting games at night, Lee was not a perverted demon.

He patted the girl’s butt and said laughingly:

“Of course I know. Remember to take good care of her! Want to shower together?”

“…”

Breakfast was prepared by Lola Curtis, a 32-year-old Italian-American chef with good cooking skills and a friendly appearance, who also owned a small Italian restaurant in Manhattan.

Lola, who had just given birth to her second child last year and had gained some weight, looked at Happy’s smiling face following her and said helplessly:

“No more for you, Happy, you need to lose weight!”

After joining Lee’s team, Lola had fully adapted to her current lifestyle in the past six months.

Looking at Lee happily eating at the dining table, she chuckled:

“Lee, the girls will definitely envy your good appetite!”

With high-calorie sweet breakfast once a week, even the croissants had chocolate sauce.

Lee drank coffee and nodded with a smile. Sweets always made people happy.

Mike, who was older and not fond of high-calorie sweets, read the newspaper opposite him and complained about New York’s public safety:

“There are also thefts in the Upper East Side. Perhaps you should host fewer parties. The house is too big, and those with ill intentions have already targeted it.”

Mike, squinting, saw Lee’s nonchalant expression and then seriously added:

“This is the second time we’ve caught scumbags trying to break in and rob. Perhaps you should donate some money to the police department. We need more care.”

Lee looked at the two girls who had already changed into their professional attire, turned to Mike and nodded, casually assuring him:

“Don’t worry, I’ll communicate with the police department. Any problem that can be solved with money is easy to deal with!”

Since the playoffs were starting on the 21st, the New York Knicks continued their usual training during these two days of rest.

With the regular season concluded, the final standings for the Eastern and Western Conference teams were officially released.

The eight teams that made it to the playoffs in the Eastern Conference were:

The 62-win New York Knicks, the 55-win 76ers, the 50-win Milwaukee Bucks, the 48-win Heat.

The 45-win Toronto Raptors, the 44-win Hornets, the 42-win Orlando Magic, and the 41-win Pacers.

The eight teams that made it to the playoffs in the Western Conference were:

The 57-win San Antonio Spurs, the 54-win Lakers, the 54-win Kings, the 52-win Dallas Mavericks.

The 52-win Utah Jazz, the 50-win Phoenix Suns, the 50-win Portland Trail Blazers, and the 46-win Timberwolves.

In the first round, the New York Knicks would face the Pacers.

Isiah Thomas was a rookie coach, and facing the defending champions in the playoffs, commentators naturally made one-sided predictions.

In the first round, the Lakers encountered the Portland Trail Blazers.

This season, the highest-paid Portland Trail Blazers failed to deliver the expected dominance, with players’ performance generally declining compared to last season.

Shawn Kemp, earning nearly $12 million, contributed an average of 6.5 points per game off the bench, performing even worse than the “sucking blood” Ewing.

Pippen, the highest-paid player on the team, was hampered by injuries, averaging only 11.3 points per game this season.

Spending money to get beaten, if the Portland Trail Blazers are eliminated in the first round, the team will most likely completely disband.

Although the San Antonio Spurs were in excellent form and had swept the New York Knicks in their two season matchups, no one favored them going into the playoffs.

The Lakers, who had recovered from injuries, were still the most favored team.

As long as Shaquille O’Neal was healthy, no one in the NBA could limit this super center.

On the morning of the 19th, the NBA also announced the season’s statistical leaders:

Playing 71 games and averaging 31.1 points, Allen Iverson successfully won this season’s Scoring Champion title.

Playing 75 games and averaging 13.5 rebounds, Dikembe Mutombo was named this season’s Rebounding Champion.

Playing 50 games and averaging 3.7 blocks, Theo Ratliff was named this season’s Blocking Champion.

Playing 81 games and averaging 10.3 assists, Clay Lee won this season’s Assists Champion title.

Playing 81 games and averaging 2.6 steals, Clay Lee won this season’s Steals Champion title.

By simultaneously winning the Assists Champion and Steals Champion, Clay Lee became only the second player in NBA history to achieve this feat!

After the NBA announced the award winners, basketball commentators immediately began a heated discussion, and Clay Lee’s records once again swept the NBA.

On the morning of the 20th, the New York Media, who had received the data early, were not in a good mood.

In their view, Allen Iverson had ruined Lee’s perfect season:

“Lee will make that ‘inefficient stat-padder’ pay the price!”

Early in the morning, major print media sarcastically mocked Allen Iverson for stat-padding, and with ESPN announcing the regular season statistical rankings later that morning, the ‘inefficient stat-padder’ seemed to be confirmed.

In the regular season total scoring list, Clay Lee ranked first with 2478 points.

On the assists list, Clay Lee firmly held the first position with 837 assists in a single season.

On the steals list, Clay Lee also firmly held the first position with 213 steals in a single season.

On the three-point shooting list, Clay Lee saw a decline, ranking second with 216 three-pointers in a single season.

The first place went to Antoine Walker, with 221 three-pointers in a single season.

On the three-point shooting percentage list, Clay Lee ranked 10th with a 40.2% three-point percentage, showing another decline.

On the free throw list, Clay Lee made 638 free throws in a single season, ranking 1st, while his average of 7.9 free throws made per game ranked 3rd.

Jerry Stackhouse was far ahead on the free throw list, averaging 8.3 free throws made per game, placing him first, with Allen Iverson’s 8.2 free throws made per game in second place.

On the free throw percentage list, Reggie Miller ranked first with a 92.8% free throw percentage, followed by Allan Houston at 90.9%.

Clay Lee ranked third with a 90.4% free throw percentage.

On the True Shooting Percentage list, Clay Lee ranked second with a 64.3% True Shooting Percentage.

The first place went to Brent Barry of the Seattle SuperSonics, whose True Shooting Percentage as a reserve player was as high as 66%.

Compared to last season, Clay Lee seemed to have declined, but after ESPN released the efficiency rankings later, commentators exploded!

Clay Lee’s PER was as high as 35.3, undoubtedly placing him first.

Shaquille O’Neal’s 30.2 ranked second.

Vince Carter ranked third with 25.0.

A PER of 35.3 was also the highest efficiency rating in NBA regular season history.

Clay Lee broke Wilt Chamberlain’s PER record of 31.8 from the 1962-63 season!

In the 2000-2001 season, in 81 regular season games, Clay Lee averaged 36.3 minutes per game.

He averaged 30.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 2.8 turnovers per game.

He averaged 20.0 field goal attempts per game, with a 50.2% field goal percentage, 6.5 three-point attempts per game, with a 40.2% three-point percentage.

He averaged 8.7 free throw attempts per game, with a 90.4% free throw percentage.

As ESPN announced Lee’s detailed statistics for the season, the NBA also followed with congratulations:

“Following Larry Bird, Mark Price, and Reggie Miller, congratulations to Clay Lee for becoming the fourth player in NBA history to achieve the 180 Club!”

Of course, the records did not stop there:

At 23 years and 108 days old, Clay Lee also broke Mark Price’s record of 25 years old, becoming the youngest 180 Club player in NBA history!

After Oscar Robertson and Nate Archibald, Clay Lee became the third player in NBA history to achieve 30+10.

With detailed technical statistics available, Clay Lee was the first player to achieve 30+10 double-double statistics.

The New York Media had already obtained the data, and the thought of Allen Iverson snatching the Scoring Champion title naturally angered them.

On the evening of the 20th, on the TNT program, the pre-game hype for tomorrow night’s playoffs continued.

The three commentators were not predicting the game at this time.

Instead, they were eagerly discussing Lee’s PER.

Kenny Smith was somewhat incredulous after receiving the news and was still exclaiming:

“I initially thought there was a problem with the data, but after two days of verification, our colleagues told me it was all real!”

“Clay Lee surpassed Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan? Incredible performance.”

Charles Barkley, however, didn’t react much.

He glanced at his partner and said somewhat strangely:

“Last year in the playoffs, Lee already showed this kind of performance. I’m not surprised. He’s just continuing his previous performance.”

Kenny Smith kept shaking his head and quickly retorted:

“Last year’s playoffs were just a small sample size, but in the regular season, Lee played 81 games!”

“But you should also consider that most of the New York Knicks’ opponents are Eastern Conference teams. Look at their records. I don’t think any of the teams have much competitiveness in the playoffs.”

“I respect the players very much, but the teams in the upper half of the Eastern Conference still have some strength, while the teams in the lower half would not even make it to the playoffs in the Western Conference.”

Charles Barkley’s words left Kenny Smith unable to refute.

The records did not lie, and the Eastern Conference was indeed a bit weak.

Ernie Johnson, of course, understood the underlying meaning—that ‘Lee’s stats were inflated’—but on the show, he naturally wouldn’t say such a thing.

Instead, he continued to praise:

“62 wins, and against Western Conference teams, the New York Knicks’ winning percentage is also very high. Considering the team’s new and old players and injury situation, there is no doubt that Lee will win the MVP!”

“This season, Clay Lee once again delivered a historic performance!”

Charles Barkley, stroking his chin, did not refute this time.

Instead, he smiled and stoked the fire:

“I’m really looking forward to Allen Iverson proving himself in the playoffs!”

“42% field goal percentage, 32% three-point percentage, also facing a large number of Eastern Conference opponents. Compared to Lee, his performance is much worse.”

“If I were Allen Iverson, I wouldn’t have chosen to take the Scoring Champion title. He ruined Lee’s perfect season!”

Although he lost the Scoring Champion title, the title of ‘Record Breaker’ was still bestowed upon Lee.

The Pacers, who had already flown to New York, were extremely low-key.

With their team’s record declining, Reggie Miller disliked playing in New York even more.

On the afternoon of the 21st, when the Pacers arrived at Madison Square Garden for warm-ups, Isiah Thomas happily accepted interviews from the New York Media before the game.

When asked about Lee’s statistics, the Smiling Assassin did not hold back his praise:

“In my opinion, Lee has already surpassed Michael Jordan. He is the best player in the NBA!”

“Michael Jordan is great, but he can’t play like Clay Lee. Throughout his career, he had many free throws, while Lee can make shots from anywhere on the court.”

“The times are advancing, and as long as Lee can stay healthy, surpassing Michael is only a matter of time!”

The New York Media around them were overjoyed to hear this.

“Speak more if you can talk so well!”

The affirmation from an old rival made everyone happy.

Reggie Miller was not in the mood for polite pleasantries.

The 180 Club was also his pride, and now that guy Lee had achieved that feat.

At 29 years old, in the 1993-94 season, during the peak of his career, Reggie Miller suddenly missed the version of himself who made it into the 180 Club.

After Lee’s records swept the NBA these past two days, most of his competitors remained silent.

Lee’s boasts had come true again, and the MVP was indeed a foregone conclusion.

Before the game began, Jeff Van Gundy, who was also feeling elated, gave a strong endorsement during his interview:

“Lee is currently the best player in the NBA. As long as he is on the court, he can provide a huge impact on both offense and Defense.”

“Think about the Defense he faced this season. As the season progressed, Lee was double-teamed heavily every game. Instead of questioning his stats, you should watch a few more New York Knicks games.”

“No one can have Lee’s impact. He is the true MVP!”

The game officially tipped off at 5:30 PM.

The New York fans had entered Madison Square Garden early.

Game 1 of the playoffs happened to fall on Saturday, and tickets were once again in high demand.

As the lights in the stadium dimmed, Clay Lee was the last to emerge, and cheers echoed throughout Madison Square Garden.

Coming to center court, Lee, dressed in a training uniform, smiled as he accepted two crystal trophies handed to him by Adam Silver.

Although he lost the Scoring Champion title, Clay Lee was still in a great mood.

Holding the two trophies, he completed a photo shoot with the NBA staff.

On the visiting team’s bench, Reggie Miller and the Pacers watched Lee turn and raise the trophies, their expressions somewhat grim.

They soon heard the excited shouts of the New York fans:

“MVP! MVP! MVP!”

….

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

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep