On January 21, 1997, at the United Center Arena, the Bulls officially appeared as DJ Ray Klay introduced the Knicks.

The familiar melody of Chicago fans began to sound, and with the blessing of "Sirius", Li You also heard the classic line:

"Let's welcome the 6-foot-6" guard from the University of North Carolina—"

"Maikou-Jiao Dan!!"

The United Center arena erupted in the biggest cheers since the opening game, and Michael Jordan, wearing a red and white Bulls training uniform, ran out of the players' tunnel with a serious expression.

The classic BGM, the huge cheers, the four championship flags over the stadium, and the blessing of various conditions, on the Knicks' side, Li You also happened to be a lemon:

"I can only score 9 points for this X!"

For new players, coming to Chicago to play can also be regarded as meeting an idol, and John Wallace can't stop looking at Michael Jordan from the sidelines.

If it weren't for Ewing, Oakley, and Starks' serious expressions, this budding would even want to come forward and get acquainted with Jordan...

Li Youke, who happened to be a lemon, did not have the mind to chase stars fanatically, and in the final warm-up stage before the game, he completed the shooting warm-up step by step.

Meeting an old friend made Michael Jordan feel better, and while he was warming up, he chatted with Oakley and Ewing by the way, and all three of them had smiles on their faces.

Jeff Van Gundy, who was on the sidelines, was so angry that he found that Michael Jordan didn't even have to look at him squarely.

The vengeful boiled egg has not forgotten last year's playoffs, and Jeff Van Gundy said that he was a hypocritical bastard, and the two have no chance of reconciliation.

The Chicago fans were particularly enthusiastic, with a 34-5 record, and the Bulls still lead the league.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines was not as serious as Jeff Van Gundy, and when the players from both sides came to the center circle to jump the ball, he smiled and sat on the bench.

In this game, the Bulls' Ron Harper was sidelined due to injury, and backup point guard Randy Brown got the chance to start, partnering Michael Jordan in the backcourt;

Up front are Scottie Pippen and Jason Caffey, and central striker is Luke Longley.

Rodman is suspended for 11 games for kicking the photographer in the crotch during the game against the Timberwolves and will not be able to play tonight...

On the Knicks' side, Lee Yoo started again tonight, and the Bulls' home commentator Jim Dunerham was quipping at this time:

"It's been a long time since a rookie player has challenged Michael, Lee doesn't know what he's going to face, Michael will completely destroy the Knicks!"

Li You didn't explain much when facing the media, obviously, Michael Jordan, who was in a bad mood, was making excuses for himself and wanted to vent his frustration with tonight's game...

Before the jump ball, Michael Jordan, who was in a good mood, also smiled and bumped fists with everyone on the Knicks, and with Ewing's successful jump ball, the United Center Arena immediately erupted in defensive shouts:

“Defense！ Defense！ Defense！ ”

Lee You controlled possession and made quick tactical gestures, but Randy Brown didn't choose to lead the defense.

Halfway through the schedule, the players in the league know that pressing the defense is useless for Lee.

Simple low-post tactics, Ewing receives the ball in the low post on the left side, faces Longley's top defense, puts the ball with his right hand, plays with his back, approaches the paint area, immediately turns to the direction of the baseline, changes to the left hand after closing the ball, and completes the pick-up basket.

Under the interference, the ball slammed out of the basket, and the United Center Arena immediately erupted in cheers.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines yelled at his players to step back, but the Bulls weren't in a hurry to complete the transition, and Pippen received the ball and slid through the half.

In the first offensive round, the Bulls also played very simply, with everyone opening up space after Michael Jordan received the ball at the left elbow of the free throw line.

The two big men on the inside were on the left and right near the baseline, with Pippen at the top of the arc and Lee Yoo following Randy Brown on the right wing outside the three-point line.

Michael Jordan just maintained a three-threat posture with a quick tentative step with his right foot, and Alan Houston subconsciously moved a small step back, and then saw Michael Jordan shoot a dry jumper.

"Bang!"

The basketball smashed on the back edge of the basket, and Oakley, who was in the paint, struggled to protect the backcourt rebound, and Li You went to catch the ball first, and then accelerated along the right side.

The Bulls didn't care about Lee's rapid advance, because Michael Jordan was already in front of Lee.

The confident Michael Jordan did not choose to stick to the defensive press, but stopped on the right wing inside the three-point line, lowered his center of gravity, and watched Li You slow down.

"Oh!!"

Chicago fans who like to watch and have fun immediately jumped along, they want to see the rookie eat deflated.

Approaching the three-point line, Li You only slowed down slightly, turned his head to look at the top of the arc, and then leaned forward, and suddenly sent the ball forward with his right hand.

Michael Jordan subconsciously moved forward, and Li You immediately lowered his body center of gravity and pulled the ball sharply with his left hand.

“OH——！ ClayGod！ ”

Seeing Michael Jordan lose his defensive position in an instant, home commentator Jim Dunham subconsciously exclaimed.

Li You fished the ball with his left hand, took advantage of Jordan's defensive misposition, and went directly to the paint area, at this time the Bulls had just retreated to the three-point line, and the interior line was empty.

Michael Jordan, who reacted quickly, immediately chased after the defense, and saw Li You rushing up in three steps in the paint area, and also jumped up and down quickly.

After the aerial confrontation, Li You reluctantly found that Michael Jordan actually relied on the speed of the bullet to make up for the previous misposition, and finally grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, tilted his body, and barely shot!

After deliberately turning up the arc, the basketball just crossed Michael Jordan's fingertips.

"Squeak!!"

The whistle blows and the ball goes in, the basketball knocks twice on the basket, and finally obediently falls into the basket.

"Oh!!"

At the United Center Arena, all the fans in Chicago exclaimed, and then there was a burst of screams, beautiful goals, and even many spectators cheered.

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere group was crazy, everyone threw towels wildly, stood next to them and jumped, hugged their teammates, and cheered and celebrated.

"Sam Gold" style is passable, the provocative effect explodes, and after landing on the ground, Michael Jordan only feels that he has been shown off...

Seeing Li You just high-five his teammates with a calm expression and walked to the free throw line, the smile on Jordan's face completely disappeared after the opening.

"Good, nice move!"

Taking advantage of Li You's free throws, Michael Jordan, who was pulling his face, tilted his head next to the paint area and praised, and the surrounding Bulls players noticed the boss's mood change, and their expressions became serious.

"It's a shame you almost finished the cap!"

Li Youjia hit the penalty shot, chuckled and responded, then shrugged his shoulders and turned his head to retreat, not looking at Jordan's expression of wanting to eat people...

Naturally, the fans at the scene couldn't hear the conversation between the two, but when everyone saw such a scene, they followed loudly.

The Knicks were in a good mood, and Charles Oakley even grinned, but soon, the game went wrong.

The first to suffer was Alan Houston, who was opposite Jordan, Michael Jordan turned on the back mode, attacked left and right, and in addition to jump shots, he also began to attack the basket frantically...

On the defensive end, Randy Brown seems to have been instructed to stop stingy with physical fitness, and the defense is crazy to entangle Li You throughout the court.

The Knicks' offense was not affected too much, Lee Woo did not make mistakes, Ewing was in good shape, and he frequently won in the low post.

But Jeff Van Gundy found that the tempo was slipping in the Bulls' direction, and Michael Jordan even shot a three-pointer.

By the end of the first quarter, Michael Jordan, who had played the first quarter, only felt that he was still unsatisfied, and Alan Houston walked to the bench with his eyes straight.

At 26:33, the Knicks had a good offensive efficiency, but still trailed by 7 points.

5-of-9 in the single quarter, 2-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, and Michael Jordan's technical statistics in the first quarter were only 18 points...

Jeff Van Gundy was very satisfied with the performance of the first quarter, crouched in front of the team, and shouted encouragement:

"Hold on, defend well, we played really well, be patient at both ends of the pitch!"

Lee Woo played the full first quarter, 2-of-3, 1-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, 1-of-1 from the free throw line, and finished with 6 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists.

Ewing was 4-of-6 in the first quarter, scoring 8 points and 2 rebounds efficiently, and throughout the first quarter, the Knicks had a slow offensive tempo, but only two turnovers, and perfectly executed the pre-game game plan.

Tighten up the defense and try to get the Bulls' shooting percentage down and drag the game into the Knicks' rhythm.

Jeff Van Gundy thought well, but the plan couldn't keep up with the changes, and Michael Jordan turned on the unreasonable singles mode.

With the blessing of multiple buffs, the braised eggs in a bad mood went crazy, roaring, sticking out their tongues, and waving fists to celebrate.

The pace of the game was indeed slowed down, but Jordan's scoring was not slow, scoring 9 points on 3-of-6 shooting in the second quarter.

After entering the third quarter, he was 5-of-7 again, and 2-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 12 points.

The turning point of the game was in the final quarter, Ewing offense lost power again, 1 of 6 in the single quarter, scored 2 points, while Jordan was 5 of 8 and scored 12 points...

The pit dug in the first quarter, the Knicks never climbed up, 84:88, the Bulls suppressed the whole court and successfully won the game.

Michael Jordan played 44 minutes, 18-of-30, 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line, 10-of-11, and exploded with 51 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers...

The United Center Arena has long been boiling, and the fans in Chicago are cheering for Jordan, 51 points, a new season high!

At this time, Jeff Van Gundy's face was long, looking at Phil Jackson with a relaxed smile on his face, barely maintaining his demeanor:

"Congratulations, 35 wins!"

Phil Jackson just shook his hand, didn't pay attention to Jeff Van Gundy, and just turned his head away.

"Shet!!"

The taunts of the Chicago fans were all over the ears, and after returning to the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy cursed angrily, and then saw the depressed expressions of the players, and then he restrained his emotions.

Li You listened to Van Gundy's thick chicken soup, but secretly shouted in his heart that it was a pity, without Rodman, they had the advantage in rebounding tonight, but they were killed by the boiled egg...

That night, Michael Jordan, who scored the highest single-game score this season, once again became the target of the media's pursuit, and everyone followed suit!

Although the Knicks lost, Lee Woo once again topped the top 10 of the list, and ESPN's Sports Center program repeatedly played the beautiful 2+1 that shook Jordan.

...

On the morning of January 22, the Knicks left for Indiana, Jeff Van Gundy did not allow the players to fool around with Michael Jordan after the game, and Oakley had a fight with the coaching staff at the hotel last night.

On the plane, Ewing also pulled his face, and the game was canceled.

"There's no need to blame yourself, the Bulls are at ease, and I don't think anyone in the league can limit Jordan in a 1-on-1 defense."

Li You whispered to comfort Alan Houston on his side, the counterpoint was completely blown up, which was really uncomfortable.

Michael Jordan plays very old-school, rarely blocks and picks, and no matter who defends, it's a style of play...

"We almost won, we only had eight turnovers in the team, so it's hard to come up in a game like this, and with two more defenses, the result might have been completely different."

Alan Houston still thinks it's a defensive problem, and Lee Woo didn't say anything, he felt that against the old team, offense was more important.

The Bulls obviously lacked firepower, scoring a total of 88 points, frequently falling into position, giving the opponent a chance to breathe.

Playing 34 minutes, 6-of-13, 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point line, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line, Lee Woo scored a team-high 16 points in last night's game as required by the coaching staff, without throwing too many three-pointers.

Ewing was 10-of-23 from the field, with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 5 turnovers, and the Gorillas were also doing very well.

But losing to an old opponent in this way is indeed a shrimp pig heart, several veterans are not in a high mood, and when they arrive in Indiana, they don't have the heart to do the whole off-court activities.

The loss to the Bulls also blew up the media in New York, and the next day the newspapers were spraying Jeff Van Gundy's tactics, and Ewing followed suit.

The public, who likes arch fires, doesn't care about the locker room atmosphere, and the New York Post even wrote two articles:

"'Patrick Ewing is Not a Qualified Leader'"

"Best Rookie – The Future of New York"

These messy print media put together photos of Ewing and Lee Woo, and it turned out to be a world of faces, and some New York fans began to share some of their opinions...

On the morning of the 23rd, the NBA league announced the results of the 97 Cleveland All-Star Game poll:

Michael Jordan of the Bulls received 2.45 million votes and was successfully elected the '97 All-Star voting champion.

At the same time, Michael Jordan also set a record, becoming the first player in NBA history to surpass 2 million All-Star votes.

With 51 points and a record-breaking all-star ticket king, all the self-study students from the past few days have disappeared, and the sycophant situation has reappeared...

Charles Barkley took second place with 1.87 million votes, and Grant Hill in third place with 1.86 million votes, continuing his previous super popularity.

The Gorilla received 1.39 million votes and was elected as the starting center of the Eastern Conference All-Stars without any suspense.

The All-Star starting lineup was also officially released, with the Eastern All-Star starting five:

Michael Jordan, Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing;

Western Conference All-Star Starting Five:

Gary Payton, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Sean Kemp, Hakeem Olajuwon.

After the All-Star starting lineup was announced, the New York media once again collectively suffered from amnesia and turned around and began singing praises for Ewing.

In the newspaper of the day, in the sports section, the gorilla went from being a back-up man to a top 50 NBA superstar Patrick Ewing...

Of course, as a little expert in arching fire, the media in New York have not forgotten Li You.

On the Eastern Defender Poll Rankings, Lee Woo ranked behind Anfernee Hardaway with 580,000 votes, beating other veteran guards.

The New York media began to build momentum for Lee Woo to be selected as an All-Star, and almost blew him as the No. 1 point guard in the East!

In the game on the night of the 23rd, Reggie Miller of the Pacers went crazy with Lemon and chased after Lee You with his teammates all over the court.

There were many verbal altercations between the two servants, and Charles Oakley's trash talk was almost meaningful, and in the 4th quarter, taking advantage of the opponent's breakthrough, he simply put Reggie Miller on the floor...

The front-row fans of the Pacers saw that Li You was still smiling and clapping, and threw the drink directly into the court.

"Shut your foul mouth, or watch out for your head!"

Charles Oakley didn't let go and shouted at the Pacers.

Reggie Miller got up from the floor and wanted to rush over to give the old guy two punches, but was pushed by Li You and stumbled.

Despite the referee's constant tugging, the two sides eventually scuffled together...

By the time the coaching staff of both sides had separated the crowd, the exasperated referee turned around and ejected Lee You, Charles Oakley and Reggie Miller from the field.

Only got 500,000 votes, was crushed by new players, and the Pacers had a record of only 19-20, and Reggie Miller, who was ejected, pulled his face and was in an unusually bad mood.

Li You walked to the players' tunnel, didn't care about the shouting and scolding of the fans on both sides, and was even in the mood to wave his hand to the grumpy old buddies:

"Is this the Vanity Fair of the NBA..."