Chapter 31: The Age of Pouting (I)
has insisted on the "iron and blood" defense for many years, and the number of rounds is almost counted down every year, and New York fans have insisted on watching it for so many years, and they have long been tired of it.
Therefore, when Lee Yousao wore long white arm guards and played basketball that did not belong to the Knicks, the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was completely ignited.
Every time Li You shakes, the fans will exclaim, even if it is a shot and an iron, everyone doesn't care at all, and the intention expressed by the fans is obvious:
"Love to see! Throw it away! ”
Towards the end of the first quarter, the Knicks were all bench except for Larry Johnson, the starter, and the Bulls on the opposite side were the same.
Tony Kukoc and Bill Winnington form a twin tower, a combination that rarely appears in the regular season, and it already shows that Phil Jackson doesn't care about this preseason game at all.
Larry Johnson played more aggressively than the starters in this lineup, and when Kukoc was defending the top, he went around the front to complete the steal.
After successfully breaking the ball, he threw the ball to Li You, who had already started, as soon as possible.
After receiving the ball, Li You first turned his head to observe the situation behind him, and noticed that Larry Johnson rushed forward, holding the ball in his right hand and accelerating.
Steve Kerr, who came off the bench, could only quickly chase down Li You, and soon the two crossed the three-point line.
Li You didn't have the slightest intention of slowing down, and before he could get close to the paint area, he rushed up in three steps, grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand, faked a real pass, and threw the ball back with his hand against Stephen Cole's block.
Larry Johnson, who followed up, jumped hard, grabbed the ball with both hands in the air, and poured the frame vigorously!
"Boom!" Empty catch the storm dunk!
Li You, who landed on the ground, didn't look at the situation behind him, opened his hands, smiled, and quickly returned to the defense in a circle on the bottom line.
"Oh!!"
The Madison Square Garden arena was completely boiling, and all the fans were shouting with joy.
Larry Johnson, who completed the dunk, stood under the basket and roared, only to find that most of the fans were looking at Lee Woo who was returning to defense.
He was the one who stole and dunked, but it was Li You who was in the limelight, and Larry Johnson suddenly became not beautiful, and muttered in a low voice:
"A rookie who loves to be in the limelight!"
Steve Cole had no choice but to stand on the bottom line, and he felt like he was being targeted.
Since he came off the bench, Lee Woo has completely let himself go, which was not the case when he played against Harper before.
On the Knicks bench, Starks threw a towel and shouted to celebrate, and Patrick Ewing could also sense the joy of the fans, and for a while it was just lemon...
Larry Johnson usually plays the No. 4 position with the Hornets, and as a short power forward, he played very similar to Barkley before he suffered a back injury, preferring to attack the basket.
But after the injury, his athleticism declined, he was forced to add jump shots, and the defensive end was not as good as it was in his heyday.
The Bulls had a simple high-low post combination, and Bill Winnington received a pass from Kukoc, held it high, and scored 2 points easily under the basket.
With 11 seconds left, veteran Buck Williams quickly served the baseline ball, and on the last attack of the first quarter, Li You, who received the ball, quickly dribbled across the halfcourt, approached the three-point line at the top of the arc, and began to slow down.
Steve Kerr, who retreated, just stood in a defensive position, holding the ball in his right hand Li You on the three-point line, leaning forward at the same time, twisting his right foot to exert force, and then turning his hip to accelerate.
The fans at the scene couldn't see these details, what everyone saw was that Li You accelerated to break through and grabbed half of the position, and Steve Cole slid in embarrassment.
For a while, the cheers in the arena rose again, and when Li You, who grabbed half of his body, broke through to the position below the free throw line, he suddenly dribbled quickly behind his back, and at the moment when he grabbed the ball with his left hand, he turned sharply towards the bottom line.
Steve Kerr just slid to the left, and under the mistake of defensive prediction, he was completely shaken away, and he could only watch Li You shoot a dashing backward jumper!
"Huh!" Solid mid-range hits.
Such a silky shaking goal once again made the fans at the scene shout excitedly, and Steve Cole pulled his face, feeling like he was blown up by the show...
At 25:25 in the first quarter, the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden grew more and more enthusiastic, despite the average state of both sides.
"I love Lee's performance, and after watching the Finals of the Great East Conference, I knew he would be a good fit for the Knicks, and that's the offense that everyone was looking forward to!"
In the commentary seat, John Kenneth was also a little excited, and he only felt that what he had been looking forward to for many years was really coming true.
Mav Albert also happily praised Li You's performance at this time:
"It's hard to imagine that Lee is not yet 19 years old, maybe that's why he chose to participate in the draft in his sophomore year, he is definitely an underrated talent!"
Anyone can see the Knicks' offensive changes since Lee Woo came on the court.
Larry Johnson was more aggressive in attack and defense, and when Chris Childs came off the bench with the ball, Lee Yoo was able to run and play without the ball.
Although the new John Wallace scored twice without the ball, the assist sent by Li You after the breakthrough was very good.
Veteran Buck Williams blocked and dismantled, and although he missed the basket, the whole process was smooth and smooth.
On the bench, Jeff Van Gundy was in a mixed mood, he didn't have any sense of accomplishment at this time, and Li You didn't need to be told to handle the offense...
In the second quarter, the rotation of the two sides continued to play, and Phil Jackson took the player at the very end of the bench, seemingly unconcerned about the outcome of the game.
Lee Woo took the initiative to give the ball to Chris Childs and try to let everyone touch the ball.
Steve Cole had the illusion of defending Lee Yoo off the ball, and he felt like he was chasing Reggie Miller...
The simplest tactical combination, Li You quickly slipped from right to left, and Buck Williams made a blank screen near the baseline on the left side.
Steve Kerr, who was delayed, was half a beat slower to chase and didn't greet his teammates, watching Li You easily catch the ball on the left wing outside the three-point line, turn around and throw!
Before the ball was scored, the Knicks fans at the scene were already cheering and celebrating.
Seeing the ball hollow into the net, Harper on the Bulls bench got up slowly, and without the coach's signal, he knew it was time to play.
Li You knows his weaknesses, these old guys may have lost their lateral speed, but relying on their size advantage and rich defensive experience, they can always slow him down.
Seeing that Li You became more cautious in dribbling, and the ball protector kept moving, the commentator Mav Albert commented with a smile:
"Interesting alignment, if Lee had been a little stronger, I believe he would have been able to handle Harper's defense more easily."
John Kenneth still thinks Lee has done a great job:
"Smart lad, I'm sure Coach Van Gundy will like Lee's performance."
Larry Johnson became more and more comfortable playing during this period, falling into a positional battle, and in the response to the ball stage, Li You's ball was very fast, and when he completed the card position, the ball was in his hands.
It's a pity that in less than half a quarter, the main lineup returned, and Larry Johnson became the second again...
Li You, who was substituted, watched the Knicks' offense return to its original routine, and shook his head secretly in his heart:
"In the age of pouting, it seems difficult for Jeff Van Gundy to make a change."