Chapter 217: The First Team of the Alliance
On the night of the Knicks' loss to the Heat, the Bulls beat the Cavaliers, the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers by a narrow margin, and the Timberwolves lost to the SuperSonics. All four games were won by the top teams without any surprises.
On April 25, the Hornets beat the Hawks again, Dave Cowens pushed Millenni Wilkens to the edge of a cliff, the Pacers also beat the Nets, and Larry Bird beat the first-generation coach Calypari like a lost dog.
In Phoenix City, the home court of the Suns, the Spurs' Popovich still lined up with a three-tower lineup, but Danny Ainge didn't dare to play double control anymore.
Kidd started with Kevin Johnson off the bench and the Suns, who had home-court advantage, won hard.
The second game between the Rockets and Jazz also started today, and the Jazz, the first in the league, won a city and equalized the score!
The league's best team was also selected on this day.
Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal locked up the league's best three positions, and Gary Payton, as the supersonic's big man, led the team to a 61-21 record, second only to the Bulls and Jazz with 62 wins, so he became another guard in the team.
As for the last one to be selected for the first lineup, it was the Spurs' No. 21 rookie!
Selected as an All-Star in his rookie year, the All-Defensive Second Team, and the All-Defensive First Team, Tim Duncan has a bright future!
Olajuwon and Ewing have both missed a number of games this season due to injury, and the other of the four centre-forwards, David Robinson, is a second-team centre-forward.
The forward position of the second team is Grant Hill of the Pistons and Vin Baker of the SuperSonics.
Although the Pistons failed to make the playoffs, Hill's performance was still quite comprehensive, averaging 21.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. Wen Baker's stats are eye-catching, and he is the second leader of the supersonics, and the team's results are good, so it is not surprising that he was selected.
The Heat's Tim Hardaway was squeezed out of Gary Payton and could only be a member of the second team, and as for the other guard position, it was Rod Strickland, the assist king this year.
The third lineup, the center is Mutombo of the Hawks, the forward is Glen Rice of the Hornets, Scottie Pippen of the Bulls, and the two guards are Reggie Miller of the Pacers and Mitch Richmond of the Kings!
On April 26, the Knicks came to Miami Arena again to challenge the Heat.
In this era, the Fox Sunshine Sports Channel is usually broadcast live on the Heat games, which usually mainly broadcasts sports programs in Miami, Tampa and Orlando. In addition, BFS-TV also has the rights to broadcast it, which is a local channel in Miami.
The Heat's hosts this season are Eric Reed and Jack Ramsay.
Eric Reed is a native of Massapiqua, N.Y., who has been a host here since the founding of the Heat, and you could call him the voice of the Heat.
Jack Ramsey is one of the top ten coaches in the NBA, coaching the 76ers, the Buffalo Warriors (the predecessor of the Clippers), the Trail Blazers, and the Pacers, and led the Trail Blazers to the only championship in the team's history in '77.
Now that Jake Ramsey is retired, he is not only an expert with the Heat, but also at ESPN.
The commentary of many NBA teams is like this, a professional host is paired with an industry celebrity or expert, such as the Knicks is Mike Brin and the famous Walter Frazier.
"Jack, do you think the Knicks have a chance to win this game?" Eric Reed asked.
Jack Ramsay said: "It's hard. First of all, in terms of strength, the Heat are a lot better than the Knicks. The Heat's Mourning, Hardaway, Marley, Mashburn and others, these are all long-established players, and PJ Brown, although a blue-collar player, also made the All-Defensive Team last year. In contrast, the Knicks have too many rookies, youngsters, and a lack of playoff experience.
Secondly, we can see from the situation of the two teams that Coach Riley has found a way to limit the Knicks in the last game and won by a big margin. I know Pat Riley, he dares to shout 3:0, it's definitely not out of purpose. ”
Eric Reed said: "The Knicks were restrained by us last game, do you think they will make some targeted adjustments this time? Coach Lee is notoriously able to toss. ”
Jack Ramsey said: "Adjustments are definitely going to be made, but the time is too tight. The last match between our two teams was the night before, and even if they had been training all day yesterday, it didn't work very well. So I personally think that Coach Li will not make major adjustments, only fine-tuning. And Coach Riley will definitely take into account the Knicks' next adjustments, maybe the Knicks will fall into Coach Riley's trap in one game! ”
"Same as playing?" Eric Reed asked.
Jack Ramsey said: "Haha, I wouldn't be surprised if Coach Riley continues to play as big as he did last time. ”
The two were chatting when players from both sides appeared.
The city of Miami itself has a population of just over 300,000, and a large number of Latino immigrants don't even speak English, let alone go to basketball. The reason why the ball market is relatively large is because there are many satellite cities around, and many spectators have a very long way to watch the ball at home, and the traffic is also very congested, so they can't come immediately after work.
In addition, this is a tourist vacation place, and many tickets are bought by tourists, so there is a very strange phenomenon in the city, that is, the tickets are sold out, and the attendance rate is very low.
Today's Miami arena is the same, tickets are sold out, and the audience looks a little empty, but when the Knicks players come on the court, there are still boos!
After introducing the players from both sides, Eric Reed immediately said in surprise: "What happened to Coach Lee today?" Starting with Nash, Jeff Hornacek, Alan Houston, Garnett, and Ben Wallace? ”
Jack Ramsay's eyes widened in surprise.
Although Li Wei is famous for being able to use substitutes this season, the starting lineup has hardly been adjusted, generally Charlie Ward, Houston, Garnett, Oakley, and Big Z. When Oakley was suspended, it was Buck Williams who started the game!
But today, at an important juncture in the playoffs, Li Wei actually released a new set of starters?
Most of the starters have been changed, and this is too bold!
Eric Reed said: "Charlie Ward is replaced, who will the Knicks use to defend Hardaway?" That white point guard is a big colander, okay? ”
Jack Ramsey nodded and said: "Yes, it's incredible, using Nash to replace Charlie Ward, Hornacek to replace Oakley, Coach Lee is helping Coach Riley dismantle the Knicks' defensive system, and the Heat will be very easy to score today!" ”
Eric Reed said: "We almost killed their offense in the last game, and this time they gave up on their own defense. Could it be that Coach Li felt that he couldn't win the game, so he was willful and ready to lose? ”
Jack Ramsey said: "It can't be said that Coach Lee's lineup may be a little more fluid on offense, and Nash's ability to revitalize the offense is slightly stronger than Charlie Ward." Wait, Garnett's position today is a power forward? ”