On September 30, 1996, young Jeff Van Gundy returned to his office after a Knicks practice session to discuss the roster with the coaching staff.

In the 95~96 season, the Knicks had a 47-35 record and ranked 4th in the East.

Despite his good ranking, he averaged 97.2 points per game, which is 22nd in the league.

The next seven teams, except for the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons in the East, are mostly bad teams...

If you look at the number of rounds, the Knicks average 77.8 rounds per game, ranking 25th in the league and fifth from the bottom;

And the first-place Dallas Mavericks averaged 90.6 rounds per game, and the two sides played a basketball game at all.

Looking at this list of team stats, the interesting phenomenon is that the Knicks are very similar to the Heat, and after Pat Riley left New York, he moved the "iron" basketball to Miami.

The Chicago Bulls have only 84.0 rounds but are averaging 105.2 points per game, which ranks first in the league, and on the defensive end, they have allowed opponents to score only 92.9 points per game, which ranks second in the league.

From the data level, the Bulls are truly offensive and defensive, and the dominance is not blown!

The Knicks were able to win mainly because of their defense, which averaged 94.9 points per game, and the Knicks' defense ranked fourth last season.

No. 3 and No. 5 are the Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat, respectively...

The Pistons and Heat can ignore the offense and continue to stick to their style of play, but the Knicks can't stand it, and without the blessing of the championship, the picky New York fans have begun to get impatient.

People don't want to watch boring defensive battles at Madison Square Garden, and fans in New York are more expecting the Knicks to play a smooth triangle offense like the Bulls, and fans think it shouldn't be difficult!

General manager Glenfield brought Larry Johnson to the Knicks without saying hello, and after more than half a month of training sessions, Jeff Van Gundy still couldn't solve the offensive problem.

Although Van Gundy is only 34 years old, he is worried about hair loss these days, and he is visibly bald...

"We can also try to reduce the use of Ewing a little bit and the team has added Larry, who is a great attacker!"

Don Channey, a veteran assistant coach, saw that everyone was discussing in a circle and was avoiding the problem, so he simply picked out the situation.

Last season, Patrick Ewing had a usage rate of 31.5 percent, which ranked fourth in the league.

The Bulls' Michael Jordan has a 33.3% usage rate, ranking first in the league.

If you want to play a beautiful outside offense, you have to use more outside players, the reason is as simple as that, if you don't give the ball, no one is useless...

Tom Thibodeau noticed that Van Gundy didn't speak again, and started a round:

'It will take more time for the team to make changes, it will not happen overnight!'

Don Chaney shook his head, he is an assistant coach, and he has a good relationship with Van Gundy to say this, if he continues to play "iron-blooded" basketball and can't achieve results, it won't take two seasons, and the coaching staff may be purged...

In this era, except for Michael Jordan, who is the special one, most teams start from the inside.

Shaquille O'Neal has a 32.8% usage rate, Hakeem Olajuwon has a 31.9% usage rate, and after Ewing, Karl Malone and David Robinson are also close to 30% usage.

Jeff Van Gundy continued to struggle, listening to the assistant coach's discussions, but still couldn't make up his mind to make a change, and the imprint made by Pat Riley is still deeply rooted in the Knicks:

'We still have time to look at the form of the players through pre-season.

Hearing such and muddy words, Brendan Malone, assistant coach who has also worked in the Knicks for many years, couldn't help but ask in a low voice at this time:

"Who's going to be the starting point guard? Lee is in the best form, the most consistent projection, maybe we can trust him! ”

Jeff Van Gundy shook his head again, and then everyone fell silent, there are three main scorers in the starting lineup, and it doesn't really make a difference who plays the No. 1 position, they are all tool men.

...

After more than half a month, Li You was finally able to go home early, and since the rookie welcome ceremony was held, the "good big brothers" have taken good care of Mengxin.

Every night, everyone goes to an authentic black nightclub to have a good time, and with the extraordinary amount of alcohol, Li You has won unanimous praise from the "good big brothers".

But Li You really doesn't like black-style nightclubs, and he has no interest in the outdated "gang rap".

After listening to the chatter and chanting for more than half a month, Li You's head almost made Li You's head grow twice, and he was able to rest tonight, mainly because the family members of the "good big brothers" spoke, otherwise, they had to continue to drink happily...

Mark Battlestein didn't expect Li You to keep his apartment in order, not at all like what a single person should be.

Li You poured a glass of iced Coke for the agent, and then drank it wildly with the bottle in his hand:

"This thing is what humans should drink!"

One bite is cold, and Li You is completely comfortable.

"Some black players just like to go to some "black" stores, and it's also a team culture that reminds players not to forget their roots. ”

"Looks like you're adjusting to life here, that's good news!"

Mark Battlestein saw that Lee Yo was living well in New York, and remembered the unlucky Ray Allen in Milwaukee, and the lives of the two were very different.

"Team culture? That's black culture, the Knicks are Ewing's team, and everybody revolves around him. ”

Regarding the internal situation of the Knicks, Li You has thoroughly figured out that the "four centers" are indeed very ranked.

Mark Battlestein smiled, and then gave a different opinion:

"Patrick Ewing's team? No, New York is still Pat Riley's team at the moment, and your young head coach isn't going to change much! ”

"The New York media loved Pat Riley, and the Los Angeles media will still miss the Lakers team they made."

"The NBA is getting better and better, and Pat Riley is probably the first coach in the league to market himself, and he pays attention to his image, and he likes to play big."

"The flashy back, the stylish sunglasses, the always straight suit are all meant to attract media attention and, of course, most importantly, he looks a bit like Al Pacino, a manager like the media loves."

"Lee, the NBA isn't just basketball, Madison Square Garden is still the biggest stage in the league, you need to show yourself more!"

Li You got up from the sofa, walked to the window, looked at the bustling night scene of Manhattan, and thought of the two "good big brothers" in the main lineup who pouted their butts and asked for the ball:

"Ewing is 34 years old and no one can resist the invasion of time, which is a good thing for me."

Hearing Li You's words, Mark Battlestein laughed again, and the two thought of one thing:

"If you want to make a name for yourself, the best option is to send off the King of New York!"