It's May, and summer hasn't followed spring.

A cold snap from the north washed over New York City, and overnight the temperature dropped below 10 degrees Celsius, forcing people to wear long shirts and trousers. The trees in the parks and streets are still bare, their branches baring their teeth and claws into the clear blue sky, and the green of New York often doesn't fully fall until the end of May.

However, the 1994 NBA playoffs are still in full swing.

From the 1988 season when the team dropped Bernard King and Patrick Ewing officially became the absolute heart of the Knicks, they never missed the playoffs again, and in the 1992 season, with Pat Riley at the helm, they began to usher in their golden age in the 90s. When Riley arrived, everyone thought that he would bring the Knicks the gorgeous offense of the Lakers show-time, but he turned the Knicks into an iron-blooded defensive team according to local conditions.

The Knicks at the heart of Ewing have been pushing for the championship again and again, but they have never been able to climb the mountain of Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan.

They first met in 1989, and the Bulls took the Knicks 4-2. Meeting for the second time in 1991, the Bulls were one of the strongest championship teams in playoff history, sending the New Yorkers home 3-0. In 1992, Riley's first season dragged the defending champion Bulls to a tie-break, but lost the seventh game. By 1993, in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks led the Bulls 2-0, and this was the closest they came to toppling the Bulls dynasty. However, Jordan responded with a 54-point game and completely crushed the Knicks, winning four games in a row to send the Knicks home again.

It was 1994, May 8th, and it was another weekend. The New York Knicks defeated the New Jersey Nets across the river 3-1 in the first round of the playoffs and successfully advanced to the second round and the Eastern Conference semifinals. In the second game, the Knicks' 90-81, 9-point advantage made the opponent go, once again making the 9.5-point bookmaker win.

By the semifinals, the Knicks faced the Chicago Bulls for the fourth time in six years, losing the first three times. Luckily, this time it was the Bulls who didn't have Michael Jordan.

In the afternoon, at a house on Staten Island, where Jackie Gandolfer lived, a big gang gathering was taking place. After the last meeting at the heads of the five families at Luciano's restaurant, the Italian underworld in the greater New York area entered a time of peace. As the titular chieftain, Jackie invited all the big and small family members to dinner in the name of "enjoying peace".

The house's water-blue curtains were pulled back, a barbecue grill was set up on the grass in the backyard, and Jackie took off his suit and wore a brown casual kaftan with a cigar in his mouth, pan-frying Italian sausages and steaks as host. He and his wife, who divorced many years ago, went to Miami with their two children, and now the mistress of the house is his lover, Linda, a young woman dressed exquisitely and with a charming smile, who is entertaining the woman and children in the house at this time.

Abramo sat on a recliner in the backyard with a few bigwigs and hornheads in New Jersey and New York to chat and drink. To be honest, today is not a good day for dinner, and the temperature is really a bit low. The beech branches around the courtyard were bare, the fallen leaves on the ground had rotted in the mud, and occasionally a few flocks of pigeons flew in to peck at the mud. There are a lot of pigeons in the New York area, and there are many pigeon breeders in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and New Jersey.

Abramo tugged at his chair and moved towards the barbecue, the flames of the barbecue grill were warm and comfortable. He held a bottle of beer in his hand and blew it into his mouth, which was a little cold.

"Hey, what's going on? What are you thinking about Luca? Paul, the head of the family, leaned over and pushed Abramo and asked.

Paul was Abramo's most powerful subordinate, he was faithful, quick-talking, violent but principled, he never married, and lived with his old mother. He was also a good friend of Abramo who grew up with, and if it weren't for him, Abramo wouldn't have known Connie and wouldn't have gone down the gang path.

"It's nothing, it's just a little cold," he said, taking another sip of his beer, obviously absent-minded.

There was a reason why he was absent-minded, as Arthur was in the kitchen preparing dessert for the potluck. After losing his bet with Jackie last time, Arthur came to cook for Jackie as agreed. After receiving the news in advance, Arthur spent the week learning how to make desserts, honey candy balls, Sabayon, and Sicilian cream pralines.

But even if Arthur had a certain foundation, it would be impossible to learn so many complex Italian pastries in a short period of time. Just in case, Abramo recommended two famous Italian chefs from the Jersey region to come over and take care of the party's meals so that Arthur could take the pressure off his shoulders. I don't know how he's doing in the back kitchen, and I don't know what Jackie thinks of Arthur.

It was getting late, and when it was time for dinner, Jackie's mansion was brightly lit. The swimming pool in the courtyard is lit up, the blue water is softly rippling, and the melodious violin music resounds in the house. Jackie Gandolfeld is a vassal gentleman who has no interest in the pop songs that emerged in the 90s, and he always decorates his villa of intrigues and crimes with classical music.

In the living room, corridors, and stairs, New York's gang bosses, corners, and their wives, lovers, and children gather in twos and threes to chat, and the long dining tables and small round tables placed everywhere are placed with Italian food, desserts, and fine wines for guests to enjoy. If you don't know this group, you might think it's a party for New York's upper-class families, but it's actually a group of criminals living in luxury.

Arthur walked up and down the living room and stairwell with plates of dessert and champagne, his eyes casually gliding over everyone's face, comparing their appearance with the photographs Russell had given him. Before attending this party, Russell showed Arthur all the photos and materials of the main figures of the major family forces, and if you want to destroy your opponents, you must know them.

Needless to say, old acquaintances such as Massino and Gigandi have also arrived, and the leaders of various families have also arrived, and they are the backbone of the gang. Arthur also saw Dio and Silves, the fat man Dio stepped forward and pinched a ball of honey candy from Arthur's plate and stuffed it into his mouth, took another glass of champagne and drank it, wiped his mouth with his fat and greasy hands, and patted Arthur's arm again, and said: "This dress suits you very well, it fits perfectly!" Hahaha! ”

Arthur wore a white waiter's suit tonight, he really couldn't help much in the back kitchen, and the Italian dessert was still very difficult to make. So he can only put on a waiter's suit and come out as a waiter, he likes this job a lot, and he always sees people from the perspective of a bystander, and he always sees it most clearly.

Not far away, Jackie beckoned to Arthur, who was sitting alone smoking a cigarette on the couch coffee table near the balcony with a plate to avoid the two children running around. Arthur handed him a glass of wine, and Jackie got up from the couch and pushed open the balcony door to the balcony, where the swarthy grass was outside, and the beech branches were dancing in the white moonlight and dark blue night.

Jackie asked Arthur over, he took a sip of champagne from his glass, and asked, "Who do you fancy tonight?" Knicks, or Bulls? ”

Arthur remembered tonight's Eastern Conference semifinals with the Knicks and Bulls, and after losing to Jackie last time, Arthur asked Abramo to help him bet twice, both of which were with the bookmaker, making two small profits and losing one. Arthur understood that the Gandolfil family must have a way of reading and predicting the game, and even controlling the game.

Arthur still has a bottom in his mind about the 1994 playoffs, when the Knicks reached the Finals, and they defeated the Bulls 4-3 in the semifinals. He can't remember the specific wins and losses of each game, but in the first game of the series, in New York, the Bulls did not have Jordan, and Arthur believed that the Knicks could win.

"I'm betting on the Knicks to win, let... Let's get 5 points. Arthur thinks the Knicks can still win by more than five points tonight.

"OK, I'll keep the $5,000 I lost last time back on your account, do you want to bet another 5,000?" How about I bet on the Knicks to win by less than 5 points and let 4.5? Jackie took a puff on his cigar and spat out a smoke ring, and tonight he wore glasses and looked polite.

One more loss, and Arthur would have to owe Jackie $10,000, which was no small amount in 1994. Converted to nearly 100,000 yuan, in 1994 in China, 100,000 yuan was an out-and-out huge amount of money. Arthur didn't care about money, he wanted to know what Jackie was comfortable with, so he agreed to a $5,000 bet. Jackie nodded in satisfaction, praising Arthur for his boldness, not like some young people cowering.

After making this bet, Jackie and Arthur returned to the living room from the balcony, and he casually asked Arthur, "The new TV at home is not bad, is it clear enough to watch the game?" ”

Hearing Jackie's words, Arthur's heart moved, but his face did not change, nodded and said, "Clear, very clear." ”

Jackie smiled, patted Arthur on the shoulder, told him to go to the kitchen to get himself a praline, and closed the balcony door.

Jackie didn't notice that behind the beech groves outside the courtyard, a high-definition camera was shooting at his mansion.