Ji Liang did not attend the press conference after the game, and the Nuggets were represented by D'Antoni and Van Exel.

No way, Ji Liang was so tired, this time he almost tried his best, and he didn't want to waste his energy at the press conference.

Chi Liang did not attend the press conference, and the media were disappointed, but the Nuggets finally completed the 'Black Seven Miracle', which still has a high topicality.

At the press conference, D'Antoni was quite low-key, he was very aware of the strength of the team, especially McDyce was injured, so naturally he did not express his thoughts about the championship.

However, for Ji Liang's performance in this round of playoffs, D'Antoni affirmed it and called it a phenomenal performance.

As for Van Exel, he is mainly dealing with the media, and after this difficult round of the playoffs, he is also very tired and just wants to finish as soon as possible.

Unlike the Nuggets, perhaps too sad, the Jazz only had Coach Sloan attend the press conference, but no players alone.

Although the media expressed understanding, they protested against it, originally they also wanted to interview Malone or Stockton, after all, both are superstars and always attractive enough.

It's good that neither of them participated.

In the face of media protests, the Jazz owner finally had to come forward in person to calm the turmoil. At the same time, he expressed regret that he stopped in the first round of the playoffs this season, and expressed his decision to strengthen the reinforcements next season.

Regarding the decision of the Jazz boss, the media reporters were unimpressed. After all, among the league's most atmospheric team owners, the Jazz owners are definitely at the top.

On the same day, after the Nuggets completed the 'Black Seven Miracle', the Knicks also defeated the Heat, the No. 1 team in the East, and achieved the 'Black Eight Miracle'.

In this shortened season, the New York Knicks, led by Van Gundy, entered the playoffs in eighth place in the East, facing the arch-rival Miami Heat.

In this series, there was the famous Van Gundy hugging Mourning's thigh.

Towards the end of the first round, the Knicks' Larry Johnson slammed Heat center Mourning, who punched and hit. In order to protect his players, Knicks head coach Van Gundy rushed into the court and hugged Mourning's thigh, and was dragged by the tall Mourning on the floor for a few meters.

This brawl also made fans deeply remember the image of Van Gundy, and at the same time, the game between the Knicks and the Heat was also hyped by the media.

The game was as fierce as expected, and the Knicks won the first game by 20 points at the Heat's home court, 95-75, giving the ambitious Heat a blow to the head.

In the second game, the Heat barely equalized the overall score, but in the third game, the Knicks won 97-73 again to outrun the Heat by as many as 24 points and reach the match point first.

In the fourth game, the Heat finally found their form, beating the Knicks by 15 points 87-72, bringing the game into the fifth game of life and death.

In Game 5, both sides were focused on defense, and every scoring was difficult, and with 4.5 seconds left in the game, the Heat still led by one point at 77-76. But the Knicks controlled the ball to attack, and Alan Houston, the 'mid-range shooting king', feigned a jump shot, and after deceiving the defense, he went straight to the basket from the right side, and then used a throw, which is rarely used, the ball first hit the basket and bounced, and finally fell into the basket under the watchful eyes of the fans.

78-77!

With Houston's incredible stunner, the Knicks extinguished the Heat with a total score of 3-2 and advanced with their heads held high.

As a result, this has also become the phenomenon of 'Black Seven Miracles' and 'Black Eight Miracles' at the same time in the same season.

It has to be said that a shrinking season is always full of uncertainties.

At this point, the top four in the east and west have been decided, and according to the rules of the alliance, the second round of matchups is naturally divided.

East: Knicks vs. Hawks, Pacers vs. 76ers!

West: Spurs vs. Lakers, Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers!

On May 17, sports headlines in major media outlets reported on the performance of the Nuggets and Knicks, singing praises for both teams.

Among them, it is also focused on Ji Liang, who scored 44 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in the fifth game, and he is also the biggest contributor to the Nuggets' ability to defeat the Jazz.

In these reports, some media outlets have even compared Ji Liang and Larry Bird's rookie seasons.

Although Ji Liang often changes positions, the media still fixes him in the small forward position, and in this era, the best small forward in history is undoubtedly Larry Bird.

Larry Bird, who showed great dominance as a rookie, averaged 21.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his first playoff appearance.

Being able to compare with Bird, even if it is only Bird in his rookie period, this is also a recognition of Chi Liang.

Under the media reports, more and more fans began to be more and more impressed by Chi Liang. And the local media of the Nuggets called Chi Liang a 'miracle child'.

The media and fans have a good reputation, but the Nuggets feel bad as a team.

For no other reason, the Nuggets' second-round opponent is the Trail Blazers!

In the regular season, the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers faced off in a total of three games, and as a result, they were swept by the Trail Blazers in the regular season without a win!

No way, the Trail Blazers' lineup is too strong, and it is also one of the two teams that the Nuggets fear the most.

The other team, naturally, is the Spurs!

As for the Lakers led by O'Neal, although they are also strong, they have not yet run in, especially in the regular season, the Nuggets have also defeated the Lakers twice.

Of all the teams, the strongest in terms of lineup is naturally the Trail Blazers, who have five All-Stars Isaiah Ryder, Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, Sabonis and Brian Grant.

In addition, there is Jim Jackson, a player who has All-Star strength but was not selected as an All-Star. Also on the bench were two future stars, Bunch Wells and Jermaine O'Neal.

Even in the history of the NBA, this Trail Blazers lineup can be ranked highest.

The worst thing is that the Nuggets not only lost a big player like McDyes, but also had no time to rest!

On the night of May 16, the Nuggets won away against the Jazz, and then the whole team will travel to Portland tomorrow.

And the first battle between the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers will officially start on May 18!

After coming to Portland, D'Antoni did not organize the tactics against the Trail Blazers, but disbanded the team and let the players take the opportunity to rest.

It can't be helped, the time is too tight, and the players are tired, if the team continues to train, it will be even more detrimental to tomorrow's game.

In the hotel room, Chi Liang was lying lazily on the bed, but he couldn't sleep.

"If only McDyce hadn't been injured!" Ji Liang supported the back of his head with both hands, his eyes full of sorrow.

For the Nuggets, McDyce is important and the most consistent scoring point.

If McDyce hadn't been injured, the Nuggets' hopes of victory would not be small, and now that McDyce can't play, the winning rate is undoubtedly much smaller.