Chapter 53: Another record
Unlike teams in the league that have been in a mess, the Jazz are very resilient.
After falling behind in the first quarter, Karl Malone didn't feel good, but after rotating in the second half of the second quarter, he regained his touch.
In the low post close to the paint area, he hit consecutive jump shots, and after blocking and dismantling, Karl Malone also easily got it.
The Jazz, who slowed down the pace of the game, relied on Malone's performance of 5 of 5, 2 of 2 free throws, and 12 points in a single quarter to successfully narrow the difference.
At 45:51, the Knicks finally entered the second half with a six-point lead.
The New York fans at the scene did not care about the narrowing of the point difference, and they watched too many games last week, and the tug-of-war met the expectations of the fans.
Back in the locker room, Charles Oakley couldn't help but curse in a low voice:
"Hell, why is it suddenly so accurate!"
The old guy was blown up by Ma Long, and the close defense didn't work, and the tendon meat Ma Long was not afraid of confrontation, and after finding the shooting touch, the blocking and dismantling offense resumed its threat.
Patrick Ewing also felt a bit humiliated by his performance, he is also a top 50 NBA superstar, and most of his scores tonight came from free throws and pies.
"We've got to hold on for a few rounds and then pull the difference away!"
Ewing, as the leader and core of the team, has always been serious and serious in the game, and everyone can only respond when the boss speaks.
Li You, who was sitting in the seat, nodded, and the new players had no right to speak.
This is also the reason why he doesn't like the old guy, it has nothing to do with other factors, it's just that the basketball philosophies of the two sides are different.
Charles Oakley also took the initiative to speak out and loudly supported Ewing's choice:
"I'll take care of Ma Long, don't think about passing the ball to me, don't think about it in the second half!"
Larry Johnson, Alan Houston, and Chris Childs were also speechless, and the three new signings also had to take the initiative to adapt to Ewing.
When Jeff Van Gundy entered the locker room, several veterans were still discussing how to limit the Jazz's offense with their defense, a style of play they have always adhered to.
"Lee, you start in the second half, don't put pressure on it, increase some off-ball runs appropriately, everyone should pay attention to rebounding, and don't give the opponent a second chance to attack!"
The head coach's words surprised Ewing a little, which made Li You digest the ball again.
6-of-9 in the half, 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point line, 3-of-3 from the free-throw line, 17 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists, Lee Woo did show great efficiency, so Ewing did not refute, and he began to get used to the new style of play.
Charlie Ward, who was on the side, saw that Li You communicated with the coaching staff, and he was just the right lemon, and his playing time was getting less and less.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Madison Square Garden resounded with defensive shouts:
“Defense! Defense! Defense! ”
After Stockton dribbled past half-court, he moved to the right flank and immediately gave the ball to Ostertag, who was low with his back to the ball.
After handing over the ball, Stockton moved towards the top of the arc and Hornacek bounced quickly to the right flank.
This is a tactic that every team in the league will play at this stage, the big man is contained in the low post, the pitcher responds, and Li You sees that Alan Houston is very good at chasing the defense, and he knows that the opponent will definitely pass the ball horizontally.
Sure enough, Hornacek, who received the ball in the next second, had no chance, and immediately passed the ball horizontally, and Li You was prepared and suddenly pressed forward.
Seeing that Li You almost completed the steal, the fans at the scene shouted in a low voice.
Stockton didn't care, turned around after receiving the ball, held the ball in his left hand, and came to the left wing sideways, ready to give the ball to Malone in the low post.
Charles Oakley did what he said he would, and he hung on Malone after the opening of the second half, and the two kept pulling and tangling in the low post on the left side, and finally Malone was pushed to the left block position by the stubborn defense.
Malone asked for the ball with his back, and Li You interfered with Stockton on the line closely, and sent a ground-hitting pass, Oakley saw the opportunity and pushed Malone's knee again.
Malone leaned forward, didn't catch the ball, and the basketball flew directly out of the bottom line...
"Bad pass, this is Stockton's second mistake of the game!"
Commentator Marv Albert didn't see the details on the court, but just smiled and commented on the Jazz's offensive round.
Karl Malone didn't complain either, but pointed at Oakley when he stepped back, indicating that he would return it, and the old guy didn't care, but ran to the opposing half with a smile.
After the successful defense, the fans cheered again, and after Li You quickly dribbled through the half, the Knicks also played the same tactics as the opponent.
The difference is that Alan Houston is responsible for passing the ball to Ewing in the low post on the left side, while Lee Yoo quickly reverses after completing the horizontal pass.
Feigned to cut in the middle, quickly moved to the free throw line and then suddenly ran back, and Li You returned to the top of the arc again.
Ewing, who has a low back on the left side, threw the ball to the top of the arc, and Li You didn't make any adjustments after receiving the ball, and threw the ball away!
"Huh!" Three-point shot hollow into the net!
"Wonderful fit! That's the kind of attack we're looking forward to! ”
Commentator John Andalis burst into laughter, and then another blow about Ewing's response.
At 45:54, Li You hit a three-pointer, instantly widening the difference.
Stockton didn't expect Li You to be so decisive, he was surprised in his heart, but his face was silent, he just looked at Li You with a strained face.
Ewing, who had the assist, looked very happy, and the gorilla smiled and high-fived Lee in celebration, believing that his containment played a key role.
For Lee Woo, playing with the starting lineup, not playing blocking, and focusing on Ewing's low-post offense, he becomes an outside battery and a passing tool.
The fans didn't care who was the tactical core, as long as the team scored, everyone cheered!
In the next game, Jerry Sloan, who was on the sidelines, could only helplessly watch Karl Malone, who performed bravely in the second quarter, hit the iron.
Ewing, on the other hand, suddenly found his touch, arched to the paint area for two consecutive rounds, and threw the basket right in front of him.
Ewing was more active after the goal, with the exception of Charles Oakley, who was not involved in the attack and only opened up space on the line, everyone else circled around the gorilla in the low post.
Larry Johnson cut to the basket without the ball, crossed the screen with Lee Yo and Alan Houston, and continued to run back, ready to catch the ball and jump shots at any time.
This time, Li You quickly bounced out from the paint area, with the help of Oakley's cover in the blocking area on the left side of the free throw line, came to the left side to receive a pass from Ewing in the low post, did not make adjustments, raised the ball and threw it again!
“Lee! Another three! YES! ”
Commentator Marv Albert shouted excitedly, and the Madison Square Garden Arena erupted in loud cheers.
The Knicks opened the second half on a 10-2 run, and the score came to 47-61, and Jerry Sloan could only ask for a timeout.
“Good job!”
Ewing, who was in a good mood, took the initiative to pat Li You on the shoulder to show encouragement, and the atmosphere group on the bench also stood up and high-fived Li You in celebration.
Seeing Ewing showing an attitude of "you are all here to assist me", Li You was unhappy, but on the surface he pretended to be happy.
Jeff Van Gundy felt that his tactics had worked, and excitedly exclaimed:
"That's it, everyone moves, and there is an opportunity to make a decisive move!"
Perhaps blessed by the home atmosphere, in the third quarter of the game, everyone on the Knicks was brave, and Ewing could score points every time he sent a pass.
The cheers at the scene grew louder and louder, and when Lee Woo pressed for 24 seconds, the right wing received Ewing's hand-handed pass and forced a three-point shot to score again, and the Madison Square Garden Arena was completely fried.
“Wow!!”
Seeing that the defense was about to succeed, but in the end it fell short, and everyone in the Jazz team was a little frustrated.
The game continued, Hornacek seemed to be infected by Malone, his hand was cold, and with Bang Bang hitting the iron, Li You switched offense and easily assisted Larry Johnson to score another 2 points, and the Jazz were completely cold.
At 21:35 in the single quarter, when Li You, who played the third quarter, left the court, the New York fans at the scene had already begun to celebrate the victory of the game.
At 66:86, the Knicks took a 20-point lead and the fourth quarter was reduced to garbage time.
"No one can bargain with me!"
Charles Oakley, who returned to the bench, shouted and looked very proud.
Malone was 1-of-6 in the game and 1-of-2 from the free-throw line in this quarter, scoring only 3 points in total...
The atmosphere group sent sycophants one after another, and the old guy was in a good mood...
Assistant coach Don Chaney came to Li You's side with a smile at this time and whispered:
"Lee, there are still two assists left, play a little more in the fourth quarter!"
Li You, who returned to his seat, rubbed his shoulder, and only after hearing the advice did he realize the problem with the data:
"No problem, I know how to do it!"
As a newcomer, it's normal for Lee You to play a few minutes of garbage time.
On the Jazz bench, everyone's faces were ugly, and everyone knew that the Knicks wanted to help Li You make up the data...
Fans in New York don't care about garbage time either, and Lee Woo continues to cheer for the goal, still shouting at the sight of the beautiful assist.
In the fourth quarter, Li You played 6 minutes and 36 seconds, and only went off the court after the official timeout, and in the final stage, both sides took the atmosphere group.
"Played 30 minutes, 10-of-17, 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line, 5-of-5 from the free-throw line, 30 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 turnover, and tonight was another record night for Lee!"
Commentator Mav Albert looked at the technical statistics and loudly introduced Li You's data.
Commentator John Andaris heard the prompt coming from the headphones and immediately added with a smile:
"At 18 years and 351 days, Lee broke the record again, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points, and also the youngest player to score 30 points and 10 assists!"
"With two records in one game, Lee has shown his quality again, and I'm sure he'll be an All-Star for sure!"
“...”
The full-time game ended quickly amid the hype of the two commentators.
94:111, the Knicks defeated the Jazz at home and won 5 in a row!
Patrick Ewing was 10-of-18 tonight, with an efficient record of 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 turnovers;
In the third quarter, the gorillas were 5 of 8, and they got 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a single quarter!
With a smile on his face, Ewing thought that he would receive the attention of the media after the game, but he found that everyone flocked to Li You's side, and his mood was suddenly not beautiful, and he found that these media liked the new and hated the old:
"You're all here to help me..."