For Lee, the most uncomfortable thing after entering the league is that there are too many small players facing him.

Kevin Johnson is only 1.85 meters tall and plays more explosively than Stockton, with a bit of a point guard aspect to him.

The common feature of the two is that they are experienced in defense and also have a lot of small moves.

Throughout a game, the ball protector has to work hard to protect the basketball. At the same time, a simple pick-and-roll may not always produce the desired effect.

After Kevin Johnson adapted to Lee’s playing style, the experienced old-school guard would secretly pull his thigh whenever he found himself losing position when squeezing through screens.

This trick was extremely useful, as Lee’s dribbling rhythm was disrupted several times. Once he failed to get rid of the defense, the opponent would immediately tangle up with him.

The two men frequently competed with each other, and the Suns fans at the scene also joined in the fun.

This is also a feature of basketball in this era.

In some rounds, everyone would like to see players not running tactics, but competing with each other based on their personal abilities.

In other words, it was a “blind shot”!

Just after Lee committed a defensive foul in the last round and made two free throws, Kevin Johnson suddenly changed his defensive strategy and started to lead the defense.

Lee, holding the ball in his right hand and accelerating, dribbled the ball behind his back without waiting to get close to the center line.

He took advantage of the opponent’s sliding defense and turned around quickly.

To get the ball again, Lee simply turned sideways to protect the ball. He first stopped suddenly, then held the ball with his right hand and dribbled across half court against the defense.

Near the top of the arc and the three-point line, Kevin Johnson pressed again. As he cut the ball, the two men had a physical confrontation, bumped into each other, and then moved some distance apart.

Lee, who kept his body sideways to protect the ball, saw Kevin Johnson lower his center of gravity and come up to defend him. He felt the pressure on his waist and cursed in his heart.

Lee took two steps to the right wing, and at this time the players on both sides consciously opened up the offensive space.

Kevin Johnson stared at Lee’s movements and blasted the ball hard on the spot. Lee, who was protecting the ball sideways, shook his shoulders backwards, then turned around and pushed the ball, accelerating in a simple and rough straight line.

Kevin Johnson reacted very quickly and immediately readjusted his center of gravity, sliding desperately to the left and rear.

Unable to break free of the defense, Lee broke through to the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line, dribbled the ball quickly behind his back, and at the same time exerted force with his feet to complete a step back.

After creating some space to shoot, Lee quickly passed the ball and immediately made a quick stop jump shot at the elbow!

Kevin Johnson knew he was out of position, so he didn’t touch the ball after jumping up, but directly slapped Lee on the arm.

“Squeak!”

The referee blew the whistle immediately, signaling two free throws. The offense was disrupted. Lee sternly walked to the free throw line, cursing in his heart:

“Another iron-blooded defense!”

The fans at the scene started to boo and cheer. It was obvious that everyone was very satisfied with this tough defense.

Kevin Johnson played old-school, using rough fouls to disrupt the offensive players’ touch. He kept nodding and high-fiving during free throws, calling on the fans at the scene to increase the intensity of the interference.

Clay Lee made both free throws.

Seeing that the tension between the two sides was getting stronger and stronger, he immediately replaced Clay Lee and Charles Oakley.

At 20:15, with 2 minutes left in the first quarter, the Knicks still led by 5 points.

Back on the bench, Oakley just sat down and patted Lee on the shoulder again:

“You performed well and you know how to pass the ball. I’ll pay for your next activity!”

Seeing the old man showing an expression of “you are smart”, Lee remained calm on the surface and said modestly:

“I am a point guard, of course I have to pass the ball, and aggressive offense is also for effective organization.”

Although the “good brothers” promised to let him fight freely, Lee was not stupid. If he really treated these old guys as blue-collar workers, he would probably suffer the consequences.

Walter McCarty on the side showed an envious expression again, he also wanted such treatment.

Lee really wanted to yell at this bully. What’s there to envy about being a tool?

Al McCoy, the home commentator of the Suns, saw that his star player was not in good form tonight and failed to tie the score at the end of the first quarter. He sighed helplessly:

“We still need some patience. KJ is a real warrior. He will recover to his best condition.”

Kevin Johnson made 0 of 2 shots and 4 of 4 free throws in a single quarter, scoring 4 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He seemed to be keeping up with the points on the court, but his stats did not keep up.

At 26:21, the first quarter ended and the home team Suns were still trailing by 5 points.

Patrick Ewing, who played the entire first quarter, was also in a good mood when he returned to the bench. Lee made 3 of 5 shots, 2 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 10 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists, 2 of which were for him.

This proves that the newbie has a boss in his heart. Ewing feels that Lee is not arrogant, which is exactly what he wants:

“Take a few more shots in the second quarter, Lee, we’re still ahead, let’s go for it!”

During the break, the gorilla also encouraged Lee, saying that he could not go back on his word once he had promised.

In the second quarter, after Chris Childs played for 3 minutes and 46 seconds, Lee was rotated in again.

At this time, the score was 34:26, and the Knicks widened the gap to 8 points.

Veteran Buck Williams was in excellent form tonight, grabbing two offensive rebounds during his time on the court.

The Suns only replaced Kevin Johnson and center Howard. Rex Chapman and Danny Manning, who rotated in, were not in good form and missed many shots.

Less than 2 minutes after Lee came on the court, Ewing, who was sitting on the bench, twitched his eyes slightly.

In the same pick-and-roll offense, veteran Buck Williams made consecutive passes and after the inside was opened up, Lee converted a three-pointer, and after running without the ball and receiving the ball, he also made a quick mid-range shot.

Ewing could naturally see that Lee was in better shape in the substitute lineup.

Veteran Buck and rookie Walter followed the instructions. Under the double screen, scoring without the ball became easier. Lee drove the pace of the game faster and faster.

After protecting the backcourt rebound and switching offense, Lee held the ball in his left hand and quickly advanced through the middle, passing the ball without looking behind anyone.

On the right wing, Starks, who was approaching the three-point line and began to slow down, caught the ball and threw it!

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

Al McCoy, the commentator on the scene, was in no mood to talk about “bad shot selection” anymore.

The Knicks suddenly accelerated the pace of the game and the score difference had reached 11 points.

Starks was so excited that he bumped his chest with Lee to celebrate. Who can not love the quick transition and easy score?

Kevin Johnson, who was back on the court, did not expect the Knicks’ outside players to suddenly let themselves go.

Shooting three-pointers in a transition offense with more players against fewer players? This is totally unreasonable!

Newbie Walter McCarty just recovered from his excitement when he was substituted off the court:

“It feels so good to play with Lee. How many points did I score?”

On the bench, John Wallace heard the question from the bullied man and said in a humoured tone:

“2 of 3, 2 free throws, 6 points, a career high!”

Walter McCarty felt that he should score more points. After coming on the court, he touched the ball frequently and even had the illusion of becoming the main attacker.

However, this feeling was quickly forgotten by the rookie McCarty. He was more concerned about his treatment in the team:

“No mistakes, let’s see what excuses Oakley has this time. It’s time for me to get rid of my chores!”

Charlie Ward was a little depressed.

Seeing the two discussing the game, he felt very sad:

“I am obviously the coach’s favorite player.”

…

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

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep