On May 9, 1997, Jeff Van Gundy returned to the hotel feeling sad.

Although he appeared very confident in front of the players, the bald coach was unsure when he saw the game go as Pat Riley predicted.

Pat Riley missed out on the Coach of the Year award.

Jeff Van Gundy was secretly happy, but he felt a headache when he thought about how to adjust next.

The coaching staff watched the game videos before, but in the end they couldn’t think of many solutions.

There was no double-teaming and a lot of one-on-ones. The basketball game returned to its most essential competition: defense – putting the ball in the basket – ending the game.

Unlike the Rockets with their three aging giants, Ewing’s low-post attack did not force the Heat to change their formation and double-team him continuously, and the situation of scoring and not scoring has not occurred since the beginning of the series.

The coaching staff discussed it and finally decided to rest early.

There was really nothing to adjust.

On the morning of May 10, the NBA announced the best defensive team of the 1996-1997 season:

The five players in the first team were:

Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, Dikembe Mutombo.

The second team consists of five members:

John Stockton, Mookie Blaylock, Anthony Mason Jr., P.J. Brown, Hakeem Olajuwon.

Olajuwon had double happiness, as he won a valuable victory on the road last night and the Rockets regained the initiative.

97:93, thanks to the outstanding performance of Olajuwon and Drexler, the old Big Three won G3!

Barkley made 2 of 11 shots last night, scoring 11 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists.

Although his shooting touch was not good, he still contributed his strength with his fierce rebounding.

When Ewing saw the news early in the morning, he felt very angry.

After 1992, he had no chance to play on the defensive line.

Fortunately, there is a high probability that he can be selected into the best team this year, which can barely make up for the regret.

“If we win the next game on the road, we’ll have a chance to end the series. It’s time to have a burst. There’s no reason to keep missing shots.”

Starks was doing shooting drills while complaining about his poor performance.

Of course the players will pay attention to their own data.

This veteran has been 1 of 6 and 1 of 7 in the series. It was the same last night.

He was terrible again.

Alan Houston was also secretly upset.

He didn’t like the Heat’s defensive style and the pace of the game was uncomfortable.

There was no satisfying transition offense.

After taking the lead, the Heat still maintained their slow pace.

The Knicks had no good solution for this, unless Mourning made a lot of mistakes like in G2.

Frequent confrontations made the Knicks players restless.

Lee could sense the surging emotions in his teammates’ hearts, and the exhausting games made everyone’s anger accumulate little by little.

Everyone was chatting and joking, and there was not much training.

They mainly moved their bodies and recovered their strength to prepare for G4 tomorrow night.

Jeff Van Gundy, with dark circles under his eyes, watched the players resume training on the sidelines.

Last night he watched the game video over and over again, but still couldn’t think of a good way to make adjustments.

“How’s Pat’s knee?”

Hearing Van Gundy’s question, assistant coach Thibodeau responded in a low voice:

“It’s not a big problem. 40 minutes of playing time won’t be an overload. We have to ensure the height on the court. Rebounds are too important.”

The two of them thought the same thing.

Unlike Don Chaney who emphasized offense and space, they believed more in defense.

Hearing the good news, Jeff Van Gundy was finally relieved:

“Now we just need an away win and I believe we will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals this year!”

“.”

That night, all the fans who liked to watch the fun were disappointed, and the Bulls showed their dominance again:

100:80, a complete away win over the Hawks, regaining the initiative in the series!

Even though the Hawks had two players selected to the All-Defensive Team, they didn’t have a good solution when facing the Bulls, who were in full bloom.

Michael Jordan and Pippen reduced their shots, making 8 of 20 shots, and scored 21 and 17 points respectively.

Kukoc and Bison Dele from the bench contributed 16 and 14 points.

The team made a total of 25 assists and only 13 turnovers, playing a typical team basketball game.

The Hawks, who were so accurate in the last game, were no longer as accurate as before, and everyone started to lose their accuracy.

The Bulls made 5 of 19 three-pointers, while the Hawks made 6 of 22.

With a three-point shooting percentage of less than 30%, plus 24 of 66 for a field goal percentage of 36.4%, it is indeed difficult for the Hawks to win.

In another game, 110:95, the Jazz easily got the match point!

Karl Malone rebounded strongly, making 12 of 27 shots, 18 of 18 free throws, 42 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers. The MVP is back.

At the same time, he made 18 of 18 free throws, setting a new NBA playoff free throw record.

O’Neal of the Lakers performed very well, making 12 of 19 shots and 10 of 15 free throws, scoring a luxurious 34 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 6 blocks and 2 turnovers.

The Lakers, who just prefer positional offense, were suppressed throughout the game against the fast-paced Jazz.

Stockton controlled the rhythm of the game very well. The Jazz only made 11 turnovers but had 82 possessions. The Lakers were completely dominated.

Lee, who watched this game specially, felt a little envious when he saw the Jazz’s clean and efficient offense.

Unlike the Knicks who rely on three-pointers to increase the number of possessions, the Jazz have more transition offense.

“Fast break scoring is still more efficient!”

Larry Johnson wanted to emulate Karl Malone, leading the charge in fast breaks and scoring easily after catching the ball.

Looking at the technical statistics after the game, the Lakers took 41 free throws and the Jazz took 34 free throws. Oakley rarely complained:

“We took so many free throws, but we didn’t get treated like this. The referees were like blind people and didn’t know how to call fouls at all.”

Lee didn’t have much opinion on this. As long as the referee didn’t make double-standard calls, it would be acceptable.

After watching the game, the atmosphere group also began to discuss who will make it to the finals in the Western Conference this year.

In the end, everyone agreed that the elderly Big Three will stand out!

The benefits of superstar basketball have begun to emerge. As long as two of the three can maintain their normal level, the Rockets will be unstoppable.

There are too many stars!

On May 11, at the Miami Arena, Heat fans arrived early.

Tonight’s game is very crucial. If we can win at home, the series score will return to 2:2.

Just like the previous three games, after the game started, both teams fed the Heat fans at the scene a shit-flavored chocolate.

It was still a constipated offense, with a lot of physical confrontations, which made Tim Hardaway completely lose his touch.

Voshon Lenard, who had missed three games, broke out tonight.

On the Knicks side, Ewing, who had been inefficient for three consecutive games, also broke out. The two sides fought on equal terms again.

Tim Hardaway scored zero points in the first quarter and finally found his touch in the second quarter, but the Heat’s offense was out of power and Voshon Lenard lost his accuracy again.

At halftime, the score was 40:40, which was considered a good quarter for both teams.

The turning point of the game was still in the third quarter.

Tim Hardaway’s consecutive mistakes were seized by Clay Lee, who made three transition offenses. The score difference was widened.

With 5 minutes and 37 seconds left in the third quarter, Lee completed a steal at the top of the arc and made a layup in transition offense.

The score instantly came to 52:46, and the Knicks took a 6-point lead.

The atmosphere team on the sidelines screamed with excitement. In such a slow-paced game, a 6-point difference would take at least two rounds to catch up!

Pat Riley’s face lost its calm expression.

The championship coach did not expect that in a crucial game, the core point guard would be unable to hold on and make frequent mistakes.

“Lee is so outstanding, his ability to control mistakes is definitely underestimated!”

“Compared to some young players, Lee is more patient, which is very important in the playoffs. It is not an easy thing to wait for the opponent to make a mistake first!”

In the TNT commentary booth, Hubie Brown watched Clay Lee walking towards the bench and kept praising him.

Dick Stockton next to him also agreed with his partner’s point of view and said with emotion:

“In such a crucial game, most rookies usually don’t play very well. In Game 3, they encountered some foul troubles. Lee made adjustments tonight.”

“This really doesn’t seem like a 19-year-old. Genius is always misunderstood. If there is another draft, I will put Lee in the top 10.”

After the timeout, the Heat players were still missing shots, the noise at the scene was getting smaller and smaller, the game was going to be over!

The score in a single quarter was 18:24, and after three quarters, the score was 64:58, and the Knicks were still leading by 6 points.

Ewing performed very well in the third quarter, shooting 5 of 7 and scoring 10 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block in a single quarter, two of which were offensive rebounds.

Back on the bench, the gorilla pumped his fist and roared, looking extremely excited!

In the crucial game, Ewing got rid of his slump, and Lee also breathed a sigh of relief.

Many times, when the gorilla who eats up a lot of the ball fails, the game becomes particularly difficult.

“Great! Don’t relax, there’s still one quarter left and we can get the match point!”

“Hold on! The opponent’s shooting rate is still declining, we just need to hold on for another 12 minutes!”

Jeff Van Gundy, who was squatting on the floor, shouted excitedly.

The bald coach’s blood boiled at the thought of the team making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Chris Childs was in foul trouble tonight and was not in good shape.

Continuing the substitution strategy of G3, Jeff Van Gundy brought in his favorite player Charlie Ward, hoping to hold on for 3 minutes.

Clay Lee, Alan Houston and Ewing, who played the entire third quarter, were replaced.

On the other side, the Heat only replaced Jamal Mashburn, with veteran Dan Majerle coming off the bench.

At the start of the fourth quarter, both teams were still slow and kept missing shots.

The Heat fans naturally would not give up and kept cheering loudly for the home team.

With 2 minutes and 15 seconds left in the game, Larry Johnson forced his way to the basket, causing a hand foul by PJ Brown and earning two free throws.

At this time, neither side had scored a point, but anger was growing, and the Heat players were almost unable to hold back.

“Grandmama” made the first free throw steadily.

When he was about to take the second free throw, Charlie Ward on the right side of the paint area took the initiative to move towards PJ Brown and made a positioning gesture.

The small players were crowding around him, and P.J. Brown, furious, turned sideways, grabbed Charlie Ward, and threw him directly into the crowd under the basketball stand.

“oh!!”

The player was thrown out of the court. This situation stunned the Heat fans at the scene, and then there was a burst of crazy screams.

Charlie Ward, who was dazed by the fall, quickly got up and stood on the sidelines. He just yelled a curse when PJ Brown rushed up and locked his neck directly. With a thud, he was thrown to the ground again.

Seeing that Charlie Ward was about to roll his eyes due to being pressed, all the Knicks players on the field rushed forward and gathered around PJ Brown, ready to pull Charlie Ward out.

The enraged Heat players also rushed up and the two sides wrestled with each other.

Oakley pushed Tim Hardaway down to prevent the other side from causing trouble.

In the blink of an eye, the situation became out of control.

On the Knicks bench, assistant coach Don Chaney only had time to stop Lee and the atmosphere team, while Alan Houston and Ewing on the other side rushed out.

The gorilla couldn’t bear to see his little brother being bullied, so he ran straight to PJ Brown, knocked the linesman to the ground along the way, rushed into the crowd, locked PJ Brown, and after he fell to the ground, he pulled the opponent away.

Charlie Ward climbed out and wanted to take the opportunity to punch P.J. Brown twice, but was pulled to the bench by security personnel.

Larry Johnson seemed to be trying to break up the fight, but he actually hugged Lenard, and Alan Houston came up and started to attack.

On the other side, Ewing was pressing down on P.J. Brown.

Both sides rushed to this side like a pile of warriors, forcing P.J. Brown to slap his hands on the floor.

With five or six strong men on his body, no one could withstand the shouting and cursing of the fans, the roar of the referee, and the scolding of the players that resounded throughout the stadium.

Pat Riley just held Mourning and complained to the referee from time to time. He always looked very calm.

“God! How did it suddenly become like this!”

In the commentary booth, Hubie Brown looked at the people being pulled apart and was a little confused for a moment.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides were twisted into a ball.

“PJ Brown, Patrick Ewing and Alan Houston were sent off! After the game, they may be suspended for additional games!”

“This is not good news for the Knicks. After all, the Heat are only missing one player, but they are missing two main players.”

Dick Stockton was almost speechless when he saw the three people walking towards the player tunnel.

They were about to win the game, but something unexpected happened.

Oakley, who returned to the bench, was furious. After playing for so many years, the old guy knew when to take action and when to be a “good boy”:

“Shit! We were about to win, the score was 3:1, and the next game was at home, why didn’t they stop them?”

Jeff Van Gundy’s voice was hoarse from shouting, and he was extremely depressed.

The Heat succeeded again and took away two main players at once.

“Calm down, we have to win this game, and the team will be responsible for communicating after the game!”

Pulling his tie, Jeff Van Gundy loudly warned everyone that it was too late to regret now and they could not lose this game again.

The sudden conflict made the atmosphere even more heated. Taking this opportunity, the Heat quickly replaced Isaac Austin and continued to play with twin towers!

Pat Riley calculated very well and reversed the game.

In the next game, they returned to New York.

The opponent’s lineup was not complete, and they won the decisive game. In Game 6, they returned to Miami and won the game at home!

The champion coach didn’t seem to care about the previous conflict at all. He calmly arranged the tactics and loudly reminded the players who were about to play:

“Stay focused and hit the ball to our advantage point!”

Tim Hardaway nodded. He also knew that the Heat had regained the advantage in the interior.

Jeff Van Gundy was also repeatedly reminding Lee at this time:

“Lee, control the rhythm of the game, don’t make mistakes, and don’t give the opponent easy scoring opportunities!”

“If we hold on for another 10 minutes, we’ll have the match point and victory is within our grasp!”

Lee looked serious and just patted Van Gundy on the shoulder. He was also good at killing time:

“Don’t worry, coach! You only need to think about the next game. We will win tonight!”

Starks replaced Alan Houston, and at critical moments, the coaching staff still trusted the veteran more.

Larry Johnson, Charles Oakley, and Buck Williams formed a short inside line. They had to hold on even if they couldn’t!

Tim Hardaway made two free throws for technical fouls, and Lee also made the additional free throw for flagrant fouls.

67:60, the Knicks still lead by 7 points.

The Heat fans at the scene thought that the home team could reverse the game, and Pat Riley also believed that the Heat could gain the upper hand with their huge inside advantage.

But what was unexpected was that Mourning’s performance was poor when facing double-teaming, and he kept missing shots.

Isaac Austin also made mistakes at critical moments and wasted most of the quarter.

The score between the two sides was 75:70, and the Heat narrowed the gap a little.

With only 4 minutes and 6 seconds left in the game, Pat Riley on the sidelines was no longer calm and kept shouting, reminding his players to stay focused.

“Defense! Defense! Defense!”

Heat fans shouted loudly, and Tim Hardaway continued to engage in physical confrontation, trying to cause Lee to make mistakes.

The basketball stayed by Lee’s side all the time.

After half court, when it reached the right wing outside the three-point line, Lee began to stick out his butt to protect the ball.

After being worn down for several rounds in a row, Tim Hardaway could no longer hold on and kept cutting the ball from the side.

When Lee’s shoulder shook slightly, Tim Hardaway quickly opened up a small distance and was tossed around repeatedly for 12 seconds before Oakley came to the top of the arc to provide screen.

Lee, who had been protecting the ball sideways, turned around quickly at this time, scooped up the ball with his left hand, leaned against Tim Hardaway, and slowly prepared to break through on the left side.

The screen quality was not high, and Mourning immediately cooperated with his teammates to delay the double-team.

Seeing the opponent’s sliding delay, Lee, who was holding the ball with his left hand, speeded up slightly. Instead of cutting in, he simply dribbled the ball outwards.

Mourning pulled the ball away from the three-point line before quickly returning to defense.

Deeing that there was not much time left for the attack, Tim Hardaway increased his defensive aggressiveness.

At this time, all the Knicks players moved away, everyone sank to the bottom line, and the two veterans prepared to fight for rebounds.

Tim Hardaway used his elbows and Lee, who held the ball in his left hand, lowered his center of gravity.

He blocked the opponent’s pull with his hand and took advantage of the moment when the opponent was trying to steal the ball to suddenly lean forward and accelerate.

Tim Hardaway quickly slid to the right rear, but Lee quickly changed direction between his hips, switched to his right hand, and despite the opponent’s defense, he accelerated with all his strength and went straight into the paint area.

Nearing the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line, Tim Hardaway felt that Lee began to slow down.

Thinking that his defense worked, Tim Hardaway couldn’t help but increase the intensity of the confrontation.

When the offensive time was about to end, Lee came to the right elbow area, slowed down and stopped suddenly, then suddenly raised his body center of gravity and pretended to accelerate.

The moment he deceived Tim Hardaway, Lee suddenly turned around quickly on the spot and then made a fadeaway jump shot!

“Swish!” A steady hit from mid-range!

77:70, the score difference returned to 7 points.

After completing the attack, Li You quickly paced back and first raised his left index finger to the audience in the front row, then pressed down with both hands, signaling his teammates to stay calm.

“Shhh!!”

Huge boos echoed throughout the arena, the shouting and cursing became louder and louder, and with a big score of 1:3 behind, everyone knew what this meant.

As the brain of the Heat on the court, Tim Hardaway was a little dazed at this time, with only 3 minutes and 40 seconds left in the game.

Should we speed up or continue to pass the ball to the inside? Pick-and-roll and shoot three-pointers?

Quickly crossing half court, Tim Hardaway came to the left wing and saw Mourning asking for the ball with his back to the basket, so he immediately lobbed the ball to the opponent.

At the critical moment, the Heat chose the safest way of attack. Oakley pressed against his opponent, while Mourning put all his strength into the basket.

After releasing the ball with his right hand, he continued to play back to the basket.

Mourning walked to the paint area and used his height advantage to carry Oakley and complete the shot!

The basketball spun around the basket and finally fell out.

“oh!!”

The Heat fans at the scene all sighed with regret, and the rebound was protected by veteran Buck Williams.

Tim Hardaway saw that Lee started to waste time after receiving the ball, and his pressing movements became more and more intense.

He was called for a foul before he even crossed half court.

Hearing the assistant coach’s reminder, Pat Riley also knew that the team was about to enter the penalty state, and shouted again:

“Calm down! Calm down!”

Lee didn’t care about the opponent’s actions at all.

When receiving the sideline ball, he took the initiative to lean against the opponent’s body, received the pass, and dribbled across half court again.

Tim Hardaway had no idea what to do and didn’t even dare to make too many cutting moves.

He was extremely anxious, while Lee started to stick his butt out at the top of the arc to waste time.

For a moment, the Heat fans at the scene all started cursing, feeling helpless and furious, and in the end they could only watch time continue to elapse.

Nearly 24 seconds were wasted again. Lee was greatly delayed and made a quick breakthrough to pass the ball, but Oakley missed the mid-range jump shot.

The moment the basketball bounced out of the basket, Oakley rushed to the paint area again and grabbed the frontcourt rebound before Mourning could defend.

The Knicks regained 24 seconds, and the Heat fans at the scene started yelling again.

Tim Hardaway didn’t care about the foul at this time, and pressed hard, almost hanging on Lee, but such defense was useless.

It was another breakthrough with 24 seconds left. Lee came to the paint area despite the defense, stepped back and made a jump shot, but it missed.

The situation under the basket instantly became a mess.

Larry Johnson almost grabbed the rebound again, and Isaac Austin finally protected the rebound with difficulty.

With 2 minutes and 38 seconds left in the game, Tim Hardaway still did not choose a three-pointer, but continued to pass the ball to the inside.

In the left blocking area, after receiving the ball, Mourning deliberately accelerated the offensive rhythm.

He was assisted in his breakthrough and wanted to pass the ball inside to find Isaac Austin under the basket.

As a result, his teammate successfully received the ball, but before he could make a strong shot under the basket, the basketball was cut off by veteran Buck Williams.

The clean cut made the Heat fans sigh.

Soon, the Knicks started grinding for 24 seconds.

“Lee is very smart. The Heat can no longer commit fouls. Now they just need to wait for their opponents to make mistakes and they will win!”

In the commentary booth, Hubie Brown watched with a smile as Lee stuck out his butt to protect the ball and waste time.

Dick Stockton shook his head helplessly:

“It’s hard for the Heat to turn the tables. Time is not on their side, unless they make consecutive three-pointers, but both teams didn’t shoot well tonight.”

“If they fail to make the shot and then lose the long rebound, it is very likely that the Knicks will seize the opportunity to counterattack.”

Lee missed the shot again with 24 seconds left. Everyone under the basket fought for the ball. Mourning grabbed the rebound with difficulty.

After Tim Hardaway received the ball, he quickly dribbled across half court.

This time he didn’t choose to pass the ball, but instead called on Isaac Austin to set a pick-and-roll, and then broke through from the right side with the ball in his right hand.

After briefly getting rid of Lee, Tim Hardaway immediately stopped at the top of the arc and shot a jump shot from outside the three-point line!

“Bang!”

The long rebound bounced out and fell into the hands of Larry Johnson.

After Lee received the ball, he chased the Heat and launched a transition attack.

Tim Hardaway thought Lee would slow down and continue to waste time, but he didn’t expect that after a slight pause at the top of the arc, Lee accelerated and rushed into the paint area.

Having lost his defensive position, Tim Hardaway hurriedly and loudly reminded his teammates who were returning to defense.

Isaac Austin, who had just stood firm, saw Lee jump into the air and subconsciously blocked the shot.

The two of them were fighting in the air. Lee grabbed the ball with his right hand, and after losing his balance, he casually shot the ball onto the backboard!

“F***Yeah!”

Lee screamed as he fell to the ground.

Isaac Austin turned his head after landing and saw the basketball hit the backboard and fell into the basket.

“Shhh!!”

The Heat fans at the scene really couldn’t hold it in this time.

They booed helplessly and watched the Knicks players pull Lee up.

The fans in the front row kept swearing.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines excitedly pumped his fist in celebration. There was no time left. The Knicks were going to get the match point!

Tim Hardaway no longer complained that the Knicks celebrated for too long.

He knew that tonight’s game was over.

After adjusting his breathing, Lee’s free throw hit the target steadily.

The atmosphere group on the sidelines began to wave towels wildly to celebrate the victory of the game.

With two minutes left in the game, Voshon Lenard made a three-pointer, but it was too late.

In tonight’s game, Tim Hardaway only rested for 2 minutes. It was too difficult for a small point guard to handle both offense and defense.

In the last 15 seconds, Lee came to the Heat’s half, controlled the ball steadily, and let the time run out.

The buzzer sounded at the end of the game, 80:73, the Knicks successfully got the match point, and the series came to 3:1.

The atmosphere group shouted happily, Lee smiled and handed the ball to the referee, and celebrated with his teammates with fist bumps!

As if thinking that the series was over, the Heat fans at the scene were venting their dissatisfaction and constantly spitting foul language.

The Knicks team quickly returned to the player tunnel. Victory was in hand. The series was basically over!

Back in the locker room, Ewing also celebrated by pumping his fist, patted Lee on the shoulder, and said with a big laugh:

“Lee, great job! If we get the match point, we’ll make it to the Eastern Conference Finals!”

The gorilla didn’t care about being suspended.

In his opinion, being suspended for one game, losing the game, and then winning it back later was no big deal.

Alan Houston felt somewhat guilty, and stood up and bumped fists with Lee:

“It was my fault. Fortunately, we won the game in the end. Sitting in the locker room, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose.”

“Relax, Bro! We won and will advance at home next time. This series is over!”

Sitting back in his seat, Lee comforted Alan Houston, saying that the process was not important and there was no need to go into detail about the process if you wanted to win.

Oakley also grinned. The old guy was in a good mood. At the end of his career, he was very satisfied to be able to enter the Eastern Conference Finals again.

Starks, who had been playing a supporting role in the series, no longer worried about his performance.

Just as Lee said, the series was over and they were going to enter the divisional finals!

When Jeff Van Gundy returned to the locker room, he was all smiles, and the bald young coach no longer worried about the sense of accomplishment.

Being able to suppress Pat Riley was a testament to his ability as the “best coach in the league”!

“We performed very well! This is a team victory, but the series is not over yet, we still can’t relax!”

“After returning to New York, take a good rest and read less newspapers!”

Jeff Van Gundy gave everyone some instructions and then celebrated with everyone.

With a big lead of 3:1, no one thought that the Heat would come back.

History has already given the answer. Having match point but being tied three games in a row is an extremely small probability event after all.

In the post-game press conference, Pat Riley still emphasized the Heat’s advantages:

“Our lineup is more complete. We will win the next game. There will be 7 games. I said it will be a long series!”

Looking at the calm expression of the champion coach, the media in the audience remained silent. No one believed such comforting words.

Maybe the Heat will win one more game, but the Knicks will advance in the end!

As of 1997, in the long history of the NBA, there have only been five times in the playoffs when the Rockets were trailing 1:3.

The most recent one was in the 1995 Western Conference semifinals, when the Rockets were trailing 1:3, but with Olajuwon’s strong performance, they reversed the game and successfully overturned the Suns!

Going back further, it was the Eastern Conference Finals in 1981. No one in the media believed in such a low-probability event.

Tim Hardaway looked downcast at the press conference.

In tonight’s game, he shot 6 of 22, 3 of 9 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 3 free throws, scoring 17 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, and 6 turnovers.

The hole he dug in the first three quarters was too big, which resulted in the team’s inability to catch up in the fourth quarter.

The New York media in the audience did not let this person go, and teased in a mocking tone:

“Tim, congratulations in advance on being selected into the best team of this season. How would you rate Lee’s performance in this series?”

Clay Lee played 38 minutes tonight, made 7 of 18 shots, 2 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 6 free throws, scoring 20 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers.

Both players had low shooting percentages.

After Lee encountered foul trouble in G3, he only scored 14 points.

However, in tonight’s crucial game, he once again delivered 20+10, which was considered a response.

Tim Hardaway was in no mood to praise the rookie, so he could only speak in a gloomy way:

“Lee is a very good young man. I am very happy to see him perform like this. This is also an encouragement to the young players in the league.”

“.”

On the morning of May 12, the NBA announced the best lineup for the 1996-1997 season:

The five players in the first lineup are:

Tim Hardaway, Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon;

The 5 members of the second team are:

Gary Payton, Mitch Richmond, Glen Rice, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing;

The 5 players in the third lineup are:

John Stockton, Anfernee Hardaway, Anthony Mason Jr., Vin Baker, Shaquille O’Neal.

The Knicks players who have returned to New York also congratulated Ewing on being selected into the All-NBA Second Team.

At the tail end of his peak, he was selected into the All-NBA Team. The gorilla was in a good mood.

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with being outshined by Olajuwon again, the All-NBA Second Team was his biggest achievement in recent years!

The New York media was somewhat dissatisfied with the selection result.

In their opinion, Ewing, who averaged more points per game, should be selected for the All-NBA First Team, while Tim Hardaway is even less worthy of the title!

So far in the playoffs, Lee has averaged 18.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.9 turnovers per game.

He ranks 19th in scoring, exactly the same as Tim Hardaway, and ranks third in assists.

Ignoring Kidd, who is already fishing and ranked first, he is the second best backcourt player after Stockton in the playoffs.

Such performance deserves to be selected into the best team!

The title of “No. 1 point guard” was thrown to Lee again.

As for the fact that the New York media compared the playoff data with the regular season, the fans didn’t care. Just blow it!

No one cares about the outcome of the next game. In everyone’s opinion, it is normal to lose with two main players suspended, and it will be fine to win it back later.

However, the punishment announced by the NBA near noon did make the Knicks coaching staff swear that there was something fishy going on!

Alan Houston and Patrick Ewing left the bench and rushed onto the court, and they should have been suspended for one game.

But the gorilla knocked down the referee and was given another game.

He was treated the same as PJ Brown and was suspended for two games!

After the morning video class, Jeff Van Gundy was frowning. The bald young coach was afraid of accidents.

If he was forced to a Game 7, the result would be hard to predict!

If this team was defeated 1:3 for the sixth time in the history of the NBA playoffs, the best coach in the league would become the biggest joke of this season.

At lunch time, the gorilla was in a bad mood and left early. If there was an accident in the series, the New York media would criticize him to death during the offseason!

Larry Johnson also felt that he had changed too much after being suspended for two games, and complained to Lee beside him:

“The NBA must have done this on purpose. Seeing that the Bulls also had a match point, they wanted to save the ratings. Now, the suspense is back!”

Lee didn’t care about this at all. The Knicks are not the future Warriors.

There are many veterans in the team, so it is impossible for them to be overturned:

“There are indeed some variables. In Game 1 against the Bulls, Pat is not here, so there may be some impact!”

The “grandmama” was stunned and speechless for a moment. Lee, who was standing beside him, smiled and said:

“Bro, give me the ball next game and we can close out the series!”

…

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

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep