The atmosphere in the dressing room was not oppressive, but it lacked the laughter of the past. In the past, before every game started, it was the time for the two humming duo of Dampot and Arenas to play treasures, and the two of them would never stop without turning the locker room upside down and laughing their teammates to death.

And now, with Dampot still out of lockdown, Arenas has been silenced by his poor performance in the last game. So the players could only tidy up their things in silence, some were changing clothes, some were listening to music, and Lamar asked the team doctor to fix his little finger for him.

"Lamar, I really don't understand why you are so stubborn, if you continue like this, I'm afraid I'm going to lose my job. Mr. Dolan will say that I have not taken care of the health of his precious possessions, and that you are simply irresponsible to yourself by doing so!"

The team doctor complained about Lamar while helping Lamar to bandage him, and in his experience, Lamar's injury was not a big deal at all, as long as he rested for a period of time, he would heal on his own without treatment. But because of Lamar's stubbornness, this little injury actually dragged on for so long.

"Since it's a minor injury, you don't need to care, there are so many guys in the league who are injured, why can't I if they can? Besides, do you think I'll rest at this time? How many people are waiting to see our jokes now, I stayed on the field just to fight back against those people, even if I lose this game, I don't want to be a captain who escapes!"

In fact, Lamar himself knows very well in his heart that his current situation is not suitable for playing at all. The injury to his little finger on his left hand had now been getting worse, and when he woke up this morning, he tried to bend it, only to find that his little finger was simply more stubborn than the thing underneath him, and he would rather bend than bend! The slightest touch would make him sweat all over his head.

When mobilizing before the game, Lamar seemed to lack a little of the excitement of the past, but when the Knicks players saw it, they suddenly felt that the momentum exuded by Lamar at the moment was even more irresistible.

"I have nothing to ask of you, except for one thing, to keep the dignity of the Knicks and each of us on the court! ”

This isn't Lamar's first time playing at the United Centre arena, as he has been visiting the arena at least twice a season since 1999. I still remember the first time I played here, when Lamar was still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, he was just a little brother next to Shaq.

Because of Shak's habitual truce, Lamar held up the Lakers' interior barrier at that time, and there was no later conflict between Lamar and Kobe Bryant at that time, and the two led the team to slaughter the Bulls without Shaq.

As soon as he walked into the arena at the United Center, Lamar immediately felt a wave of heat coming over him, and the court was full of red, and six championship flags were hung high above the arena, all of which were gifts from basketball god Michael Jordan to Chicago. In addition, Lamar also saw that the dazzling No. 23 jersey was also hanging there, and that one would always belong to Jordan! Lamar believes that no matter how great a superstar is, he is willing to join the Bulls, but if he wants to wear the No. 23 jersey, he will definitely be rejected without hesitation.

"This is where God once fought!" Devin Wade exclaimed, like a troubadour, "If a shooting guard can do what Jordan did, even if he only achieves half the story, I don't think there is anything to regret in his career." ”

Billups stepped forward and patted Wade on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "So are you very excited and nervous now? Maybe you will have a chance to surpass this guy in the future!"

"Haha! I think so too! At least I'm still young now, and I still have a chance if I work hard. Devon Wade let out a rare boast, then looked back at Lamar and said, "We're here today to capture this altar, aren't we?"

Both teams played, with both teams fielding almost the same line-up as in the previous game.

On the Knicks' side, Van Gundy put Salmons back on the bench because of Wade's comeback. To be honest, the Knicks' group of players has gradually formed a tacit understanding after two seasons of running-in, and the current starting lineup, except for Wade, who is a little less experienced, is the best in all aspects.

The head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Skells, did not make any adjustments, and seemed to want to continue the good fortune of the last time, and still used the lineup and tactics of the last game.

In the last game, the Bulls relied on this unexpected full-court pressing tactic to catch the Knicks off guard. The Bulls had the opportunity to establish an early lead at the beginning of the game, and then relied on the young players' will to fight at the risk of their lives to maintain the advantage until the end of the game.

If the Knicks' home loss to the Chicago Bulls in the last game was surprising, it was even more eye-catching that the Knicks never led once in that game.

At the beginning of the game, there was no deal between the two teams, let alone any grievances, so naturally there was nothing to say. One of the two teams wants to kill their opponents twice, and the other wants revenge to regain their reputation, so they naturally came up with their own killer weapon from the beginning.

During the scrum, Hilario, who was holding his breath in his heart, lived up to expectations and defeated Chandler, who was significantly taller than him.

The Knicks attacked first, and this time Billups received the ball and passed it directly to Lamar. Then the Knicks' line quickly pulled away, creating a single opportunity for Lamar.

Although the finger injury has affected Lamar's shooter a lot, as the leader of the team, there are times when he has to take the initiative to take responsibility, such as blowing the horn of the Knicks' first offense!

With more than 20,000 Chicago fans shouting "Defend, defend!" at the United Center Arena, Lamar slowly attacked the Chicago half with the ball. In front of him was Chandler on the defensive, and on the side there was Hinrich, who was waiting for him to break through.

Because the Knicks' line is very open, the Bulls don't dare to rush to trap Lamar. After all, whether it is Battier or Billups, the three-point ability on the outside is not weak.

Lamar approached Chandler step by step, patiently looking for an opportunity. He didn't think about passing the ball this time, he knew that what the team needed most now was a boost to get them back on their feet, and that the most suitable person to do it was him.

Chandler slowly retreated, and his heart was also nervous. The man holding the ball in front of him was not a few years older than him, but he was a man who could stand alongside the famous names in Chicago's history. In Chandler's opinion, the most terrifying thing at this time is not Lamar's strong attack ability, what is really terrifying is that Lamar is in front of him, but he does not feel a trace of dangerous information.

Suddenly Lamar moved, like the last blow of a lion fighting a rabbit, and his right foot suddenly stepped forward, and Chandler's body took a step back almost uncontrollably, and before he could stand firmly, Lamar's body stopped again. Then Lamar calmly jumped and shot under Chandler's desperate gaze.

"Huh!"

Lamar hit a mid-range shot to open the Knicks for two points. The little finger of his left hand was barely conscious of the pain, but in this case, he couldn't let his teammates notice it. Lamar knows very well that he is the support in the hearts of other Knicks players, and if he falls, the Knicks will fall with him.

Although this almost perverted dependence makes Lamar feel very helpless, at this stage, he can only continue to play this role.

The Bulls' offense is still very fast, and they don't need to worry about their physical strength at all, so the speed advantage is vividly reflected in their young people. After a quick half-time pass, Eddie Curry pulled outside to block and Fitzel quickly ran to the equaliser after receiving a pass from Hinrich.

The Knicks are still the same Knicks, but when they encounter the Bulls' almost unreasonable style of play, the lack of strain they show still exposes their flaws.

In the final analysis, it is because the Knicks lack a strong outside sharpshooter like Alan Houston, and once they encounter a team with strong outside defense ability, the attackers they deploy outside the box will immediately lose their support for the interior after being stalked by the opponent.

Van Gundy rubbed his chin and watched the players perform on the pitch and thought it was time to make a change. A defensive outside marksman will be the last piece of the puzzle to add to the Knicks' giant ship, although Battier is good defensively, but he still lacks a little fire on offense; Wade is still a little too immature, and mid-to-long range shooting is not a rookie is good at, but through recent observations, the rookie talent is good, and his achievements are definitely above Alan Houston, but it takes time; Billups? is now Lamar's best outside partner, calm, Wise, a good playmaker and big controller, it's just that the three points are not stable enough.

But that's just an afterthought, and what the Knicks desperately need now is to fight back.

This responsibility naturally fell on Lamar again, and when he broke through horizontally, Lamar's speed was still as fast as ever. Whether it was Chandler or Curry, who rushed to fill in the position, they were out of reach.