A game that was destined to be won, but the Knicks suffered injuries.

96:109, after defeating the Celtics at home, the New York sports media no longer cares about victory and data.

Considering Ewing’s past knee injuries, most of the New York reporters who came to the press conference room were secretly praying that Ewing’s injury this time was just a minor one.

Jeff Van Gundy came to the press conference and said simply,

“Thank God! Pat only needs to rest for a while and he will be healthy again. After the preliminary examination by the team doctor, there should be no structural damage.”

“Unfortunately, maybe Pat is going to miss the All-Star Game, and he’s prepared for that.”

“Give him some time, guys. You know, he’s given everything for New York.”

The New York media in the audience had just breathed a sigh of relief, but then they heard the news that Ewing might withdraw from the All-Star Game, and they all sighed for a moment.

Being selected as one of the top 50 stars and being selected as the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Star Game made New York fans feel proud.

However, it was really unlucky that he suddenly got injured at the highlight of his life!

In the locker room, Ewing looked very frustrated. He wanted to play in this year’s All-Star Game so much.

“It’s okay, Pat! You just won’t play in the main competition. The most important thing this year is the 50 Superstars Selection. You can still participate in the activities then.”

“It’s possible that I’ll be healthy before the All-Star Game. Don’t be discouraged, Bro!”

Charles Oakley was not very good at comforting people and only said a few dry words of consolation. Starks also said a few comforting words, but Ewing still could not recover.

No one wants to see injuries, and everyone spoke out to comfort him. Finally, assistant coach Thibodeau suggested:

“Pat, there are still four games before the All-Star Game, and three home games in early February. Don’t fly away tomorrow, just rest and recover in New York!”

Lee also felt that the gorilla was really unlucky. He finally managed to get rid of O’Neal, but he was suddenly injured. If it were him, he would feel the same way.

In a little while, the Knicks team would have to fly to Cleveland, and Ewing had no choice but to listen to everyone’s advice and stay in New York:

“Guys, perform well, we just got second place, don’t lose again!”

After hearing the boss’ instructions, everyone immediately responded positively and patted their chests to guarantee a 4-0 record.

After getting on the plane, Larry Johnson came up to Lee. The “Grandmama” had not completely given up on the All-Star Game:

“Lee, you know, the All-Star reserve list will be announced in a few days. Without Pat, we can play faster!”

Alan Houston saw that the Larry was still dreaming of entering the All-Star Game, and immediately joked:

“If we had gotten the second place earlier, maybe this would still be possible!”

“This year, the Eastern Conference All-Star coach was postponed to Doug Collins of the Detroit Pistons. If they really have to choose a substitute, the Detroit Pistons will most likely have secured another spot.”

“Don’t worry about Glen Rice, we can just win it back at home in early February.”

In the game against the Hornets, Glen Rice was in great form. The “Grandmama” lost face in the matchup and wanted to get back at him.

Glen Rice has a high probability of being selected for the All-Star Game, and Larry Johnson does not want to be inferior to him, so he is still making his final effort.

“I will start tomorrow night’s game and speed up the offensive tempo. Don’t worry, Larry. As long as there is an opportunity, I will find you!”

Hearing Lee agree immediately, “grandmama” felt completely relieved.

Without Ewing, he is considered the team’s top star and it’s time for him to enjoy the core treatment!

The 1997 All-Star Game will be held in Cleveland. As the host, the Cavaliers will naturally have players selected for the All-Star Game.

As the star of the Cavaliers, Trier Brandon had long wanted to play against Lee. Both of them played the No. 1 position. He always thought that Lee had taken away his Player of the Week trophy!

The Cleveland media also followed suit to complain about this matter at the time, but the impact was too poor and no one paid attention to them at all.

Lee didn’t know that the player who played against him at night had already been humiliated. He just felt that the opponent was just playing blindly during the game.

The Cleveland fans at the scene started cheering at first, but the home team only scored 14 points in the second quarter, and then they lost their temper.

52:34, at halftime, the Knicks were already leading by 18 points.

During the halftime break, Larry Johnson was too depressed to talk:

“I thought you were here to assist me!”

Lee did pass the ball, but “Grandmama” had a bad touch just like Alan Houston and kept missing the shot.

“Very good, don’t relax in the second half, we have to ensure victory in the game and keep the second place before the All-Star Game!”

Jeff Van Gundy, who was in charge of the first half, was in a good mood. He did not expect the game to go so smoothly. Lee and Starks completely let themselves go and fully unleashed their offensive firepower.

With a huge lead, no one paid attention to Jeff Van Gundy’s nagging. Everyone just wanted to finish the game quickly and go home to rest. The schedule was too tight and no one could take it anymore.

In the second half, the Knicks started to play aimlessly in some rounds, but the gap in the first half was too big, and the shots were getting worse and worse, so the score difference was further widened.

The Cavaliers fans were stunned. This was completely different from what they had imagined!

108:78, looking at the huge score difference of 30 points, the Cavaliers almost became autistic and lost the game.

The Cavaliers’ record dropped to 25 wins and 18 losses, falling to 9th place in the Eastern Conference.

After the game, Lee found that his opponent Trier Brandon was still glaring at him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. In the end, he simply gave the other party a back of his head and turned his head to the player tunnel:

“A passerby is also joining in the fun?”

(😂😂😂)

“.”

On January 30, after returning to New York, the Knicks canceled their training sessions again because back-to-back games were too exhausting.

The January schedule has been completed, and the Knicks’ record is now 35 wins and 10 losses, firmly occupying the second place in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA also announced the All-Star reserve list on this day. The seven Eastern Conference substitutes are:

Glen Rice, Vin Baker, Trill Brandon, Tim Hardaway, Christian Laettner, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber.

The 7 substitutes for the Western Conference are:

Shaquille O’Neal, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, Latrell Sprewell, Eddie Jones, Mitch Richmond, Tom Gugliotta.

After the list was released, the New York sports media mocked Trier Brandon sarcastically:

“If he wasn’t on the Cavaliers, he wouldn’t have a chance to be selected as an All-Star reserve this year!”

Ewing withdrew from the All-Star Game due to injury, and was replaced by Mutombo.

The Knicks, who were ranked second in the Eastern Conference, had no one selected for the All-Star Game. The New York media was furious.

For two consecutive days, the sports sections of several mainstream print media were sarcastic about the selection results of the All-Star substitutes.

By the way, also criticized Jeff Van Gundy again. The rookie assistant coach didn’t have any respect at all. The Heat ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, and Tim Hardaway was still selected as an All-Star.

In the weak game against the Cavaliers, Lee scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and 2 turnovers. His efficient performance also raised some of his statistics for the month.

In January, there were 16 games, Lee averaged 31.3 minutes per game, averaging 16.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.1 turnovers;

He averaged 11.8 shots per game, with a shooting percentage of 46.8%, 5.6 shots from beyond the three-point line, with a three-point shooting percentage of 38.2%, and 4.0 free throws per game, with a free throw shooting percentage of 90.7%.

With the data of the All-Star point guard, more and more articles in the newspapers mocked the results of the All-Star reserve selection.

Everyone believed that the league deliberately suppressed New York.

On the morning of February 1, Clay Lee came to the gym early and carried out basic training step by step.

After Ewing was injured, the coaching staff cancelled the morning training sessions. The overly intensive schedule at the end of January did take a toll on the body.

“Lee, you still have to take care of your body. There has been a wave of injuries recently. If you get injured at this time, it will definitely affect your condition in the second half of the race.”

“The second position is good. If the playoffs go well, we will face the Bulls in the finals. If we can make it to the conference finals, the New York fans will be very happy.”

Equipment manager Mike helped Lee prepare training equipment and recalled the team’s tragic history.

Larry Johnson, who had changed into training clothes, came to the gym and saw Lee chatting with Mike. He immediately joked:

“How does it feel to lose the Rookie of the Month award? I didn’t expect Marbury’s stats to be so good. The performance of the rookie players recently is too exaggerated.”

The league just announced the Rookie of the Month this morning. Marbury and Lee of the Timberwolves had similar shooting percentages, but their playing time was much higher.

Averaging 38 minutes per game, he scored 20.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 turnovers, and Marbury also put up All-Star point guard stats.

“The award wasn’t given to me alone. 20+8, I definitely deserve it. Of course, our record is better. For me, winning the Rookie of the Month award once is enough.”

Lee was not angry, but he almost forgot about Marbury. After returning from injury, this rookie also established a firm foothold in the Timberwolves.

After Charlie Ward arrived at the training ground, he heard Lee and the Larry talking about the topics of the Player of the Month and the All-Star Game, and he suddenly felt sour in his heart.

In the limited playing time, it only took three months for Lee to become the second-leading scorer of the Knicks. Charlie Ward felt that he had no future in New York.

Most of those who practiced more voluntarily were the atmosphere group. The newbie Walter McCarty was also criticized recently. They were also rookies, but Lee’s statistics were sky-high:

“Lee, maybe there will be injuries among the All-Star substitutes. You still have a chance!”

The atmosphere group also followed suit, but Lee didn’t care about it and just chatted with everyone else:

“AMVP, this is indeed a great award!”

For Lee, the All-Star award can only help him increase his popularity; winning the division championship is the most important thing.

As the All-Star Game approaches, most players have started preparing for their vacation. After all, only a few people are selected for the All-Star Game.

Life is more important than basketball, and enjoying the vacation in peace is the choice of most players.

On February 3, the Knicks once again faced the challenge of the Hornets at home.

In this game, Glen Rice continued his previous hot form, and former New York player Anthony Mason Jr. also wanted to prove himself in Madison Square Garden.

But faced with the sudden rain of three-pointers, the Hornets were completely stunned.

Jeff Van Gundy lost control of the team. The Knicks took 33 shots from beyond the three-point line that night, hitting 14 goals. The number of possessions in the whole game reached 93.

99:110, the Knicks got revenge in a swift and clean manner!

Although the game was over, the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was still hot, and the on-site commentator John Andaris shouted excitedly:

“Crazy shooting, crazy rhythm, it’s unbelievable that we played such a game!”

Commentator Marv Albert looked at the technical statistics and subconsciously raised his voice:

“Rebounds 34:50, not only in offense, we dominated in all aspects tonight! I love Charles, he grabbed 21 rebounds, including 11 offensive rebounds!”

“I have to praise Lee for his balanced offense and defense. He is simply a master of rhythm. The Knicks completely controlled the game tonight!”

Starting and playing for 39 minutes, Clay Lee made 10 of 20 shots, 4 of 10 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring a game-high 28 points and also had 11 assists.

“Lee, congratulations. This is your fifth time to get 20+10 this season. Do you feel sorry for not being selected as an All-Star this year?”

Lee, who was smiling, froze. He suspected that the person who was interviewing him was a reporter from the New York Post, who had helped him borrow the All-Stars in advance.

“I’m still a rookie. The victory in the game is thanks to the coaching staff. We made a detailed game plan before the game!”

“.”

On February 4, the Rockets officially announced that Charles Barkley will miss this year’s All-Star Game due to injury.

To make matters worse, the Rockets were visiting New York that night, and Drexler was injured and left the game after 7 minutes and 42 seconds.

With two of the old Big Three missing, Olajuwon seemed to have lost his temper, and the Rockets suddenly fell behind in the third quarter.

With 16:26 in a single quarter, the Knicks easily secured the victory.

In the end, the Knicks, playing at home, won 95:108 and took revenge again.

Rudy Tomjanovich, who was elected as the Western Conference All-Star head coach, did not care about the outcome of this game.

After the team doctor confirmed that Drexler would miss the All-Star Game and would need at least two weeks to fully recover, Tomjanovich looked grim and did not even smile at the media at the subsequent press conference.

The aging Big Three were most afraid of injuries, and the worst situation happened. It wasn’t just the Rockets that were unlucky.

The Heat also confirmed Alonzo’s injury, and finally had no choice but to announce that Alonzo would miss this year’s All-Star Game.

Injuries to star players have also caused some headaches for the NBA. As it is an event for 50 superstars, everyone wants to make this All-Star Game beautiful. Without star players, it will lack the star power!

On the morning of the 5th, as the NBA announced the replacement list, New York fans were also excited.

Clay Lee successfully made the All-Star reserve lineup!

The NBA also took this opportunity to announce a record:

At 19 years and 36 days old, Clay Lee became the youngest All-Star player in history!

At the same time, Lee also tied the Knicks’ team history record. Like the team legend Willis Reed, he was selected to the All-Stars in his first year as a rookie!

February 6, 1997, was the eve of the NBA All-Star Game. To celebrate Lee’s selection, the Knicks decided to host a festive pre-game party.

Although the event was a mix of casual and celebratory and perhaps a bit chaotic, the energy was high, especially among the growing legion of Clay Lee fans.

With the support of various records, Lee’s popularity in New York exploded!

At the community activity in the afternoon, Ewing watched Lee making hot dog in different ways.

New York fans who had never seen such a scene shouted and cheered on the sidelines. For a moment, he felt jealous.

There was also a game with the Spurs in the evening, but no one cared because it was another game that was destined to be won.

The team spirit was infectious. No one in the Knicks seemed to care much about the traditional hot dog toppings; the focus was on the fun and enjoy the process.

The bald Jeff Van Gundy didn’t care about the fact that Lee acted on his own and didn’t play according to the tactical requirements in the two games:

“Lee, on such an important day, you should give a speech!”

Jeff Van Gundy smiled and handed the microphone to Lee, then signaled everyone to be quiet for a moment.

Wearing a white apron, Lee scanned the crowd. He noticed the sea of faces, the excitement, and the genuine affection in their eyes.

“I’ll take a classic.” Lee smiled and declared, his voice booming through the arena.

“Nothing beats a good old-fashioned chili dog!”

The crowd erupted, a mix of cheers and confused laughter. The New York fans didn’t care what he said and also followed the children in the community to cheer.

Lee had a smile on his face. He felt that this was the happiest day since he joined the Knicks. Taking a big bite of his hot dog, he felt a wave of pure joy:

“This is what it’s all about,” he thought.

“Celebrating with fans and enjoying the moment.”

…

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

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep