Chapter 32: The Age of Pouting (Part II)
Li You has always felt that there is a problem with the Knicks' offense, no matter how many routines are practiced in the training session, when they get to the court, they all disappear.
As the game entered the second half, the Knicks' offense became more and more classic, and Starks dribbled through the half, especially when he asked for the ball with his back in the low post on the right side.
The aggressive card position allowed Ewing to get a chance, but he just received a pass, and was held up by Luke Longley in the back, and Harper suddenly retracted to help the defense.
With the two working together, Ewing immediately redirected the ball to Starks on the right wing outside the three-point line.
Harper slid back to defend again, Starks quickly shifted the ball laterally, Alan Houston at the top of the arc received the pass, dribbled laterally, and gave the ball to Larry Johnson who was low on the left side and had his back to the ball...
After receiving the ball, he immediately put the ball with his right hand, and after hitting back-to-back in succession, he approached the paint area, and then Larry Johnson used his left foot as the axis and quickly turned towards the baseline.
In the end, he was covered by Pippen and barely completed a back-to-back jumper.
Larry Johnson knew the ball was gone when he shot it, and immediately reminded loudly:
"Rebounding!"
Charles Oakley was in the paint zone and Rodman at this time, pulling each other, and the referee did not blow the whistle, and finally Rodman, who was in a favorable position, jumped high, grabbed the rebound, and then pretended to be X and held the ball in his arms...
The fans in the stadium followed with an exclamation, and Rodman threw the ball to Michael Jordan, who received the pass, quickly rushed across the halfway line, came to the left wing of the three-point line, and continued to accelerate with the ball in his right hand.
Alan Houston, who quickly retreated, could only follow the slide to the left back, and when he came to the free throw line, Michael Jordan suddenly made a sharp stop, crossed back and pulled back, quickly closed the ball, and then lifted the ball to the ball.
The realistic feints shook Alan Houston to the ground at once, and finally, Michael Jordan hung up on the defense and calmly completed a mid-range jumper!
"Squeak... Swish! ”
The whistle blew and the ball went in, Madison Square Garden booed for a while, and the third quarter of the game dreamed back to last season's playoffs, and the Bulls were counterattacked, and the Bulls scored easily.
The only difference from last season's playoffs is that this time the Knicks have two players who like to attack with the ball in the low post, and the two take turns pouting...
The Bulls began to exert their strength, Michael Jordan completely found his shooting touch, and after a few rounds, the difference had come to 8 points, and the free throw was 9 points again.
Chewing gum, Michael Jordan ignored the sound of the scene and calmly scored the ball.
70:61, the score difference is already in double digits!
Jeff Van Gundy didn't ask for a timeout, and Lee Yo off the bench once again saw the Knicks' classic offense.
Several times to pass the ball, Ewing failed to play in the low post, and there was not much time left for the offense, so he was forced to nag the line to make a high block for Starks, who used the help of cover, dribbled a step on the right wing outside the three-point line, and made a two-point jumper.
"Oh!!"
After receiving the pot and iron, the fans at the scene sighed, and Rodman grabbed the rebound again and quickly got on the ball.
Harper received the ball and immediately passed, Pippen received the pass and went to the right wing outside the three-point line, and then made a simple and rough quick cut.
Larry Johnson lost his defensive position and subconsciously tugged for Pippen to the free-throw line.
"Shhhhh
At this time, I don't know who the boos were for, and the commentator Mav-Albert was completely out of emotion, and said helplessly:
"Maybe that's the gap between us and the defending champions..."
With the margin at 11 points, Jeff Van Gundy finally called a timeout.
Li You has thoroughly experienced the tacit understanding of everyone in the Bulls, and the old guys know when to exert their strength and know how to score points efficiently and effortlessly.
The Knicks' offensive routine has long been figured out by the opponent, Ewing's single environment is too poor, and there are also problems with the shooting percentage of outside catches.
"When Pat catches the ball in the low post, everyone has to move, don't wait for the ball!"
Jeff Van Gundy crouched on the floor with a tactical board and shouted to his players.
As soon as Li You heard this, he knew that the offense was still giving the ball to Ewing in the low post, and after the timeout, the players from both sides returned to the court.
On the bench, the budding new John Wallace muttered in a low voice beside Li You:
"We didn't use any of those things in training sessions, and when we got to the game, we knew how to please these veterans!"
The unlucky new Walter McCarty is in the fourth position, and he has been pressed by the veterans to play for no time, and he also complained in a low voice at this time:
"If I'm down by a big score, I don't know if the coach will let me play."
Lee didn't speak, because he knew that as long as the Bulls played the third quarter, they wouldn't have playing time.
As Li You guessed, the Bulls, who rotated frequently in the first half, made a thorough effort in the third quarter.
At 80:69, the game was completely reversed.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Lee Woo appeared again and played only 3 minutes, and as the Bulls' main lineup returned one after another, Jeff Van Gundy also replaced the main team.
The fans began to boo their displeasure, and after 5 minutes, the game was completely out of suspense.
Scott Brooks and Walter McCarty at the end of the Knicks' bench finally got their chance, and the atmosphere team completely consumed the last three minutes.
104:91, even though it was only a preseason game, the Knicks' offense pulled up again and lost the game neatly.
Phil Jackson shook hands with Jeff Van Gundy with a smile, while Michael Jordan didn't seem to be sweating, smiling and bumping fists with the Knicks.
The grudge-grudging Michael Jordan ignored Jeff Van Gundy and showed disdain for the young manager...
The New York fans at the scene only felt that this game was like eating a Xiangwei chocolate!
The loss was so ugly that many people began to spit fragrant again.
Playing 13 minutes, Li You made 4 of 7 and 2 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 10 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
Losing a preseason game is really not a big deal, but losing to the Bulls still makes the "good big brothers" not feel beautiful, and they are not in the mood to summarize when they return to the locker room after the game, and they go back to their respective homes...
Jeff Van Gundy and Patrick Ewing still have to deal with the media in New York, and after changing their clothes, Lee and Starks arrived in the parking lot early to get ready to go home.
After getting into the car, John Starks turned to Li You and said:
"Isn't it a little disappointing that the fans in New York love you and don't get a lot of playing time?"
Li You, who was fastening his seat belt, responded calmly:
"I'm just a rookie, but I'm not qualified to evaluate the use of the manager, let alone score a double tonight, I'm already very satisfied."
Starks chuckled under his breath, then said self-deprecatingly:
"There was a time when the fans in New York liked me too, but this is Ewing's team!"
"The Knicks just signed him to a big contract, and the superstars need stats."
"Don't complain that Van Gundy doesn't change tactics, because that's what Ewing deserves, he's irreplaceable in New York!"
Li You started the car, pulled out a smile and did not respond, the "four centers" do have a platoon, but the old guys are already angry.
This is not the broadcasting era of the 80s, and better broadcast conditions have changed fan preferences.
...
There really wasn't much to brag about losing, but Lee Woo made a big impression on the fans and media in New York.
Lee You's beautiful goal swept the sports news in New York that night, and the Big Apple, where the media is highly developed, has a first-class star-making ability!
In MSG's post-game commentary, basketball analyst John Kenneth even touted:
"New York needs a player of Lee's calibre, who is not yet 19 years old and has already achieved success in the NCAA!"
"Look at these beautiful goals, if I were a fan, I would have bought a ticket for him!"
“...”
In the era of pouting, who is the protagonist of the Knicks, perhaps the media and fans will soon give an answer.