On the morning of May 21, 1997, Li You only felt that his mobile phone was about to explode, and since last night, text messages have been continuous.

I don't know where the brothers got their phone numbers on the surface, and they have sent messages to praise and bless.

The major media outlets, USA Today and the New York Times, which have the largest circulation, also use the same headline:

“Superstar——Clay Lee”

The photographer on the sidelines captured the moment when Li You completed his shot, turned around confidently, and the ball went in and the lights came on.

In the photo, unlike Lee Woo with a hint of a smile on his face, Michael Jordan, who was in place, turned his head in surprise and became the best background board.

The very personal headline in the newspaper, coupled with the score of 81:79 in this photo, Li You is completely out of the circle!

Of course, this is thanks to Michael Jordan, the melon-eating crowd likes to see Mai Button unlucky.

Since last night's press conference, the New York media couldn't hold back, celebrating the victory together, and by the way, they also threw titles such as megalomaniac and data brush on Michael Jordan's head.

While eating breakfast at the hotel, Li You looked at the Chicago Tribune in his hand.

The most eye-catching news in the sports sector is the Bulls' loss, and the entertainment sector on the other side is the news that Mariah Carey and Motura are breaking up and about to divorce.

Instead of using exaggerated headlines, Chicago's local media praised Michael Jordan's performance.

Played 44 minutes, 15-of-31, 7-of-10 free throws, 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers.

After a mediocre performance in the first half, the second half forced back to 48.4%.

Like it says in the sports section article, Michael Jordan is in great shape!

John Wallace came to the dining-room, and when he saw Li You reading the newspaper and eating his breakfast calmly, he immediately came over and whispered:

“Bro！ Why are you still eating breakfast? Eastern Conference Finals, one-on-one kill against Michael Jordan, God, it's crazy! ”

“？”

Li You has a question mark on his face, he doesn't eat in the morning, and let him use the news as spiritual food?

Looking at the newcomer who was chattering on his side and fell into a state of self-satisfaction, Li You shook his head helplessly, which proved the influence of Michael Jordan on the side.

Just as no one cared about his All-Star status before, everyone remembers him beating Michael Jordan, and no matter how much the media consumes McDunk, this is the undisputed number one in the league in the hearts of players.

The lore excites the old guys all night, but after the adrenaline subsides, they lie on their stomachs in the morning, and most of the people who go downstairs for breakfast are the atmosphere group.

The excitement of the crowd did not diminish at all, and they whispered about defending their home court after returning to New York, and winning an away game, and the Knicks had the advantage!

The hotel staff saw that Li You had finished breakfast, so he politely asked for a group photo, Li You smiled and agreed, and then a bunch of staff came.

Fortunately, it was just a group photo in the end, which is also a historical moment, even after 10 years, the new players who see this photo will still think of this Eastern Conference Finals where Michael Jordan was killed.

In this era when the spread of news is still relying on print media and cable TV, relying on the historical background board - Michael Jordan, Li You is completely popular.

The video lesson in the morning was canceled, and the Knicks' main lineup played 40+ minutes last night.

Buck Williams played 40 minutes, Oakley 42, Lee Yo and Alan Houston played 44 minutes, and Larry Johnson played 46 minutes

Jeff Van Gundy had dark circles under his eyes and couldn't sleep last night with excitement.

The thought that as long as he returned to his home court and won two games in a row, the team would get the match point and then enter the finals, and the bald young marshal felt refreshed!

"This is such a great opportunity! If we fight for the next away from home in one go, maybe there will be no more suspense in the series! ”

Assistant coach Thibodeau couldn't hold back after watching the video of the game and began to imagine a bright future.

"We gave the Bulls 52 rebounds! It was a miracle to win last night! ”

"Guys, the Bulls aren't going to lose in a row, and of course, Pat is back, and our rebounding will improve!"

It's nice to win, but assistant coach Don Chaney couldn't help but scratch his head when he looked at the technical statistics, and a thought came to his mind:

"How we win".

At 39:52, the Knicks lost 13 rebounds, and Dennis Rodman grabbed 17 rebounds after scoring only four points last night.

Jeff Van Gundy looked at the 9:10 turnovers and once again appreciated the wonders of hosting.

Li You is not like a 19-year-old point guard at all, he is extremely patient with the game, and with the blessing of a lot of playing time, the Knicks' mistakes are almost negligible!

"One more fight, if we do win G2, then the series will be completely reversed, and we still need to give it our all tomorrow night!"

Jeff Van Gundy felt that the Finals seemed to be within reach, especially when he thought of Phil Jackson's ugly face last night, and his heart was even more comfortable.

Hearing that the head coach decided to fight again, the coaching staff has no opinion, Ewing has been resting for a long time, and he is very physical, it is indeed worth fighting!

In the afternoon recovery training session, Ewing had lemons in his heart, but his face was also smiling, and the gorillas were happy, and the situation was very good.

After two games of rest and extra fitness, Ewing feels that after his comeback, he will lead the team to defend the home stadium and win consecutive games!

"Best Goal of the Season in '96~'97! I think ESPN even reviews this lore every year, and no matter how many times I watch it, I still find it very shocking! ”

"God, I really thought I was going to lose last night, and I lost two goals in the fourth quarter!"

Starks' fitness was not affected, and as he finished his shooting drill, he excitedly reflected on last night's game.

"It's not 50 points, in the last quarter, I can't keep up with the rhythm, 30+ shots, monster-like physical fitness!"

Alan Houston read the technical statistics, and in the afternoon training session, he complained that McDunk was not human.

This is the first time he has met Michael Jordan in the playoffs, and he has experienced the feeling of "I'm going to shoot you", and Alan Houston feels that he will definitely be blown up in the next series

Larry Johnson hasn't fully recovered yet, but "Big Mom" is already up to the top by this time:

"A little bit of confidence in ourselves, we're younger, we're fighting hard, and the old guys on the other side are definitely not our opponents."

"Fack! I'm going to make it to the finals! The championship is not exclusive to Michael Jordan, we have a chance to win! ”

Ewing also felt that this year was a godsend and took the opportunity to encourage his teammates:

"Next game, we're not going to lose rebounds again, teach the Bulls another lesson!"

Li You on the side naturally echoed with a smile, and Oakley also grinned, no matter what the result of G2 was, the Knicks had achieved the set goal.

The newspapers were full of news of the killing, and on the television, the images of the killings were played back repeatedly.

Since last night, the major sports media have been like repeaters, nagging over and over again that the Bulls G1 was killed, and Michael Jordan became the background board.

In the Bulls training session, Michael Jordan, who was in a particularly bad mood, had his own aura, and the atmosphere group did not dare to say anything, watching McDunk on the other side of the court continue to catch the ball and shoot to complete the training.

Harper, who was wearing a training uniform, shrugged his shoulders helplessly, stretched his body, and scored 6 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists in last night's game 2-of-9 and 0-of-4 from beyond the three-point line.

Glancing at Harper, Pippen didn't speak, feeling that he wasn't going undercover:

He was 7-of-18, 3-of-7 from beyond the three-point line, 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, and finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.

The second rebound failed to convert into offense, and Phil Jackson didn't adjust too much, and the morning video lesson ended with a simple sentence:

"Continuing our game strategy."

In the training hall, only Rodman still behaved lazily, shooting at will, occasionally making fun of the assistant coach, and didn't care about the attitude of the dunk at all.

With so many rebounds, he's done his job

Phil Jackson has long been accustomed to this kind of atmosphere, after watching the video lesson, I felt that the advantage was in me, and I returned to my smiling face, and near the end of the training session, I clapped my hands and said:

"Go back and have a good rest, we have to defend the home field, don't care about the G1 game, the next game, turn the advantage into a score, the victory is ours."

Steve Kerr was used to the manager's style of on-hook adjustments, but he wanted to do more, and finally took the initiative to say to Mycus:

"Mydkin, you can pass me the ball and I'll hit those shots!"

Sweaty Michael Jordan calmly glanced at the little yellow hair, turned to leave, and finally responded:

"You need to defend well!"

“.”

The boss said to do a good job defensively, and the Bulls also came to the spirit, and they are very good at it!

On the night of the 21st, in the Western Conference Finals G2, the Rockets' senior triumvirate lost again.

At 92:104, the Jazz easily protected the home court, and the series score came to 2:0.

Olajuwon was as consistent as ever, scoring a game-high 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting, and also had five blocks.

Barkley was 5-of-12 from the field and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line, finishing with a double-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists.

Drexler was 6-of-18 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point line to contribute 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The senior Big Three are doing pretty well overall, but the role players can't stand it.

With 31 of 85 from the field and 5 of 16 from beyond the three-point line, it was really difficult to win with a shooting percentage of more than 30 percent.

Karl Malone made 9 of 21 shots, 6 of 10 free throws, and recorded a double-double of 24 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers, which was down again compared to the regular season.

The Jazz's best performance was still Stockton, who was 7-of-14 from the field and 12-of-12 from the free-throw line, finishing with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 block and 2 turnovers.

Utah scored 50 points, Stockton controlled the game, and the Jazz blossomed more and played such a dominant performance, many ball critics were slapped in the face.

Stacking up stars doesn't work?

Considering that the playoffs all start with away wins, most ball commentators are still optimistic about the Rockets, without him, 3 is greater than 2, and there are too many stars!

The Rockets' senior triumvirate lost and still failed to change the news hotspots, the major sports media are still in repeater mode, and the sports programs still repeatedly broadcast the picture of Michael Jordan being killed.

No need to ask for enemies in the void, Michael Jordan has put on a layer of angry BUFF!

On the evening of the 22nd, when introducing the players of the visiting team at the United Center Arena in Chicago, Li You's name was called, and the scene was booed.

When the Bulls players came on the court, the cheers became extraordinarily violent, and DJ Ray Klay also raised his voice:

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

"Mai Buckle!! - Jiao Dan!! ”

Bulls fans began to scream, and Michael Jordan, dressed in a training uniform and with a blank face, quickly high-fived his teammates after he appeared on the court.

The lights came back on, but the noise of the scene did not diminish in the slightest.

"In this game, the fans who were present were extraordinarily devoted, and if they lost G1, no one would underestimate the Knicks anymore!"

"The Bulls continued their G1 starting lineup, they dominated the rebounding game in the last game, and the most important thing tonight was to convert the second offense into a score."

On the TNT commentary bench, Hubby Brown talked eloquently, emphasizing the issue of rebounding, and Dick Stockton also added at this time:

"Patrick Ewing is back tonight, so the Knicks don't have to worry about rebounding anymore, and it's a great opportunity for them!"

"If the Bulls lose two games in a row, the series will be completely reversed, and I think New York fans will definitely want to see that."

After more than a day of rest, most of the physical fitness has recovered, the noise in the stadium is getting louder and louder, and the players on both sides are quietly warming up on the field.

did not return to the expected physical condition, Li You frowned secretly, no matter how good the talent is, it needs to be cashed out to be useful, physical fitness is something that can only be gradually tapped through long-term training.

Michael Jordan, who was not in a beautiful mood, did not greet the Knicks before the game, and the gorilla who came to the center circle watched the basketball in the referee's hand intently.

With Ewing's successful jump and Lee Woo in control of the ball, the cheers turned to boos, and then the defensive shouts resounded through the arena:

“Defense！ Defense！ Defense！ ”

Ewing, full of energy, quickly rushed through the half-court and then immediately went to the left near baseline position to turn his back to the ball.

Seeing that Longley was stuck behind him and quickly advanced to the left flank, Li You took advantage of the situation to send a high pass.

Ewing immediately put the ball with his right hand after receiving the ball, and jumped on the line to the paint area in front of the basket.

"Shhhhh

The low-post offense scored strongly, and the gorilla was so excited that Bang Bang beat his chest, not caring about the boos at the scene.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines was a little dissatisfied with Longley's defensive position, and was asked too deeply, almost giving Ewing points.

After saying hello twice, so the defensive intensity was increased and the players were instructed, and Phil Jackson walked to the bench.

Michael Jordan is so familiar with the offensive routine of New York that he thought he had regained the familiar feeling of the game, but when he came to the offensive end, he found that the Knicks' defense was more aggressive.

After Pippen dribbled past half court, he came to the right wing, and at this point, with the help of the cover slippery baseline, Michael Jordan came to the right blocking position to turn his back to the ball.

The moment he received the pass, Michael Jordan realized that he was surrounded by a trio.

Alan Houston was behind him, Larry Johnson followed the ball and Ewing stood on the bottom right of the basket to block the breakaway.

Pippen and Longley both had chances, but Michael Jordan still had no intention of passing, twisting his body in the direction of the baseline, quickly releasing the ball with his right hand, dribbling sideways, and then drifting to the right, and completing a back-to-back jumper!

"Bang!"

The basketball slammed out of the basket, and Ewing retracted the card to make a difference, jamming Longley and protecting the backcourt rebound.

On the other side, Oakley and Rodman had both fallen to the ground, and the referee immediately blew the whistle and stepped forward to pull the two who fell to the ground.

One sat back desperately, the other arched forward desperately, and finally Oakley came directly to a takedown, and Rodman fell to the ground

Jeff Van Gundy was very dissatisfied with the blow, and immediately walked up to the referee and complained loudly:

"We've got the rebound, and your whistle wasted our transition offense!"

Despite a fall, Rodman looked very proud as he got up and stepped back, and the Bulls completed the retreat and executed the game plan perfectly.

Li You could only take the baseline ball again, and then Harper turned into a defensive pendant and stuck to it.

The Bulls' game strategy was evident from the start, as they wanted to slow down and contain the Knicks' transition offense.

Soon, the Bulls fans at the scene were fed a Xiangwei chocolate by both sides.

made a very targeted defense, and when Longley's defense couldn't keep up with the rhythm, Harper desperately chased around the screen.

And in order to keep Ewing away from the low post, Longley is dead, and at the same time, he also adds some semi-around front defense to disrupt Ewing's offensive rhythm.

The two big men were hand-to-hand on the inside, Harper on the outside was also desperately defending, and Alan Houston was chased by Michael Jordan and couldn't get too many good chances for several rounds in a row.

The Bulls attacked, and Michael Jordan was a three-man pinch as soon as he received the ball, and although he could shoot quickly, he still chose to make more passes in Myd.

The scores of the two sides slowly rose, and while they hit the inside line, they gave the ball to the superstars.

Ewing, who was full of energy, did not score efficiently in the face of Longley's top defense and Rodman's assisted defense, but the Bulls also struggled to play a quick transition offense in order to protect the rebound.

With 7:15 left in the first quarter, Michael Jordan made a flip-back jumper near the baseline on the right side.

At 8:10, the Bulls led by less than 15 seconds, and Harper, who blocked and chased after several rounds in a row, was delayed by Ewing this time, and Li You scored an easy stop jump shot in the left blocking area.

The blocking position is not high, but as long as the gorilla goes down quickly, Longley will follow the retreat, and Li You still grasps the opportunity that is fleeting.

Then, the two sides began to play back-to-back irons, with Larry Johnson and Pippen both cutting to the free-throw line.

With 4:13 left in the first quarter, the score was still 12:12.

The Bulls fans at the scene were blinded, Michael Jordan was crazy when he received the ball, and the Knicks showed excellent defensive flexibility.

At the end of the first quarter, the two sides were still playing iron, and it was not until Lee You and Pippen hit three-pointers that the deadlock was broken.

In the end, there were free throws again, and at the end of the first quarter, the score was fixed at 18:18.

Phil Jackson also sat on the bench with an X, couldn't open the situation for a long time, and began to be anxious.

The main lineups of both sides, who were substituted at the last minute, played almost the first quarter of the game, and Michael Jordan returned to the bench, frustratingly grabbing a water bottle to rehydrate.

1-of-3, 2-of-2 free throws, and Mai dunked under the bag to score only 4 points.

Li You played the whole first quarter, and he was in a good mood when he came off the court, and the game did have to be played, as long as Michael Jordan was limited, the Bulls' offense was also constipated.

"Keep the pace of the game and we have a chance to get another away win!"

Jeff Van Gundy excitedly threw out chicken soup so loudly that he even felt that the Bulls were no longer good!

It's not the illusion of a bald young marshal, everyone on the Knicks feels that way.

Everyone was rejuvenated by milk, and in the second quarter of the game, they relied on defense and fed Xiangwei chocolate to the Bulls fans on the scene again!

At 17:17 in the single quarter, the two sides were slow and iron, with a large number of collar defenses and frequent hand-to-hand combat positions, which made both sides almost smash the basket

At 35:35 at half-time, the two sides were tied.

"Unbelievable, 1-of-6 in the half, 5-of-6 from the free-throw line, only 7 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist!"

"The Knicks' defense was very targeted, not only did they finish the pack, but they also cut off the passing lanes.

In the TNT commentary booth, Hubby Brown almost thought he had read the technical statistics wrong, and his tone revealed surprise.

"The Bulls' best halftime was Pippen, who scored 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting, but head coach Phil Jackson rotated in the second quarter and seemed to be stocking up for the second half!"

Dick Stockton didn't think it was a big deal to see the excitement and summed up the half game with a smile.

At halftime, in the Knicks locker room, Ewing loudly cheered everyone on:

"Hold on for half a game and we can get an away win! Leading 2:0, the Bulls don't want to turn the tables! ”

The Gorillas were 4-of-12 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line in the half, and finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds, successfully curbing the Bulls' rebounds.

It's just that everyone in the locker room is gasping for air, and there is a price to be paid for the defense of the pack, and the outside line is encircled and dunked, and the sliding steps are twice as many as in the usual game.

Alan Houston's eyes are already straight, Larry Johnson is slumped in his seat, and Lee You's fitness is not optimistic, in addition to dealing with the pendant Harper, he also has to participate in the bag for many rounds.

The defensive strategy developed by Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff does work, but defending requires physicality.

Oakley didn't want to talk either, and the old guy wrestled with Rodman in the half-court, hitting several mid-range jumpers.

The delicious chicken soup couldn't restore everyone's physical strength, but the gorilla's encouragement still played a role, and in the third quarter of the game, the Bulls fans at the scene were completely dumbfounded.

14:14 in the first quarter, 49:49 in the third quarter.

After playing the third quarter of the game, Li You returned to the bench, feeling that he was overdrawn, and the old guy opposite Bang Bang hit the iron, but relied on defense to drag the game again.

On the Bulls bench, Michael Jordan was also gasping for air, playing 11 minutes, 1-of-6, scoring 2 points, and being caught by the Knicks' outside line.

There is no room for a breakthrough, and the paint area is full of people.

Pippen was also 1-of-6, and the second-in-command was a little embarrassed, missing a lot of open spots, and as a result, the Knicks shrank smaller and smaller.

Phil Jackson finally felt that the game was out of control at this moment, and no matter how he made a substitution, he couldn't change the situation on the court.

"I'm going to get this game done, we can't lose at home!"

There was no time to rest, and after Michael Jordan said this, he threw away the towel draped over his head and immediately prepared to play.

“Wow！”

Seeing that Mai Dunk did not rest, the Bulls fans at the scene shouted excitedly, and the time to fight hard had come.

Early in the fourth quarter, Jeff Van Gundy picked up Chris Childs and Starks in an attempt to give the main backcourt a breather.

As a result, in less than 2 minutes, he made two mistakes, and the bald young marshal was so frightened that he immediately asked for a timeout and changed back to the main force.

In the last quarter of the game, the first person who couldn't stand it was Alan Houston, and I don't know where Michael Jordan got his physical strength, and he continued to burst into the basket!

The physical decline in fitness, Alan Houston's defense can't keep up with the dunk, the Knicks' bag starts to leak, and the Bulls rain 1 point

Through free throws, Michael Jordan, who found his touch, finally got the victory.

The final buzz sounded, and the Bulls fans in the audience shouted excitedly, celebrating wildly with Michael Jordan who was shaking his fists and roaring.

At 69:73, the Bulls finally held their home court.

With 2-of-3 in the quarter, 10-of-10 free throws, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block, Michael Jordan exploded in the final quarter and took the game away.

"45:45 rebounds, 11:11 turnovers, less than 30% shooting, and finally, Michael Jordan broke out to end the game."

"It's a shame that the Knicks came close to winning another away game and the lads did their best."

On the commentary bench, Hubby Brown praised Michael Jordan's performance, the data is not important at this time, just win!

4-of-15, 15-of-16 free throws, 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers, Michael Jordan's technical stats are really ugly.

"The Knicks still have the initiative, and they just need to protect the next two home courts to get the match point."

'It doesn't seem to be a difficult task for them, but Coach Van Gundy should consider making more rotations to control the playing time of his main squad.

Dick Stockton smiled and gave advice and began to look forward to the next series.

In the Knicks locker room, the loss didn't have much impact, but everyone was physically exhausted and sat down in their seats at this time.

Especially because of this, he was still sighing with regret, and the Bulls were about to fall in a round or two.

Playing 43 minutes, 9-of-22, 7-of-11 free throws, 25 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 turnovers, the Gorilla scored the highest score of the game!

Jeff Van Gundy had some regrets in his heart, but he achieved the set goal, and the coaching staff was quite excited:

'It's been a long series, we've got the initiative, so it's a matter of protecting the home field.'

"The Bulls are not invincible, you see, Michael Jordan will be equally inefficient and equally tired!"

“.”

Jeff Van Gundy started his speech and belittled Michael Jordan by the way.

The bald young marshal's gushing chicken soup did not serve as an encouragement.

Alan Houston was too tired to speak, and Larry Johnson, who had just rested less than four minutes in two games, was empty at this point.

Li You, who was paralyzed, saw the state of the two of them and knew that this was a complete overdraft.

"Offensive and defensive integration" is easy to say, but how many players in the league can really do it?

On May 23, after returning to New York, the Knicks coaching staff canceled the morning video session, and the players' fitness was much worse than expected.

Jeff Van Gundy only then realised that the main players seemed to have too much playing time.

Just thinking of the Bulls opposite, Michael Jordan and Pippen both played more than 42 minutes, and the bald young marshal began to comfort himself again:

"It's all human, and the Bulls will get tired too!"

Since Lee Yoo killed the Bulls and Michael Jordan became the background board, the media in New York couldn't hold back, and after losing G2, they still chanted:

"Knicks Championship!"

In the morning newspaper, multiple articles satirized Michael Jordan's inefficient performance in G2:

"A win for Michael Jordan from the referee!"

New York fans are in a good mood watching the newspapers, and everyone is ready to see Michael Jordan break the defense at home!

Back in New York, Lee You was lying at home, Alan Houston was already on infusion, and he was in good shape in comparison

Looking at the New York media in the newspaper in a state of self-satisfaction, Li Youle read the article heavily.

G2 was 5-of-13, 2-of-6 from beyond the three-point line, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, with Lee scoring a team-high 15 points and diching out five assists.

The whole team was particularly struggling in terms of shooting percentage, but the New York media ignored it again and angrily sprayed Michael Jordan's free throws.

When Starks went upstairs to visit, he saw Li You cutting news and taking notes:

"What a boring hobby, might as well collect more special issues of sports illustrated!"

Li You is not ridiculed by the other party, for him, these are the marks of the times, and in another 20 years, it will definitely be a particularly interesting thing to look at these past reports.

"In the future, fewer and fewer people will read newspapers, and these news will have commemorative value!"

After sorting out the cropped news, Li You was in a good mood and couldn't surf the Internet, which was one of his few hobbies.

"I have a hunch that we're going to win the series!"

At the thought of being able to defeat the Bulls, Starks, who was full of energy, couldn't wait for G3 to start fighting immediately.

Looking at this energetic veteran, Li You reminded loudly:

'The coaching staff needs to increase your playing time, Alan is very difficult to recover from and it is simply unrealistic to try to win all the time on defense.

"It's not just about asking for the ball with his back, a lot of running off the ball, it takes more energy to defend him, and I'll make a suggestion in the afternoon training session."

Starks grinned, he really wanted more playing time, he wanted to win this series so badly:

"Thanks! Bro！ We're going to make it to the finals! ”

“.”

In the afternoon training session, Lee quickly reflected his opinion with the coaching staff, and Alan Houston nodded in agreement to reduce his playing time.

Defending Michael Jordan is a job that ordinary people can't do, most of the defensive rounds rely on team defense and multi-person defense.

Jeff Van Gundy didn't say much about that, and like other coaches, the more critical the game, the less trust there was in the rotation.

Alan Houston didn't get back to his best, he knew his body and whispered:

"This is definitely not a good sign, Mai Buckle will bounce back, we should increase the rotation and take turns to consume him!"

With Ewing back, Alan Houston has cut his shots in half and is more of a defensive tool.

Alan Houston has no opinion on his position in the team, but he really can't prevent it, and tool people also need physical fitness!

Li You shrugged helplessly, Larry Johnson will have to continue to be a coolie in the next game, and no one can even take his place on the bench:

"Persistence is victory! We're younger! ”

Ewing was still very positive in the training session, and the gorillas couldn't wait to defend their home stadium.

On the evening of the 23rd, in the Western Conference Finals G3, the Rockets, who returned to their home court, successfully won the game, and the big score came to 1:2.

At 100:118, the Rockets eventually reversed the game after trailing by 13 points in the first quarter.

The senior triumvirate played mediocre, but on the bench, 38-year-old veteran Eddie Johnson completely exploded, shooting 12-of-17 from the field and 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point line, scoring a game-high 31 points.

The Rockets' veteran basketball shot 58.7% in this game, a hearty victory, which can be regarded as a clarion call for a counterattack!

Karl Malone scored 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and Stockton was 8-of-19 for 17 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 4 turnovers when the team needed it most.

The Jazz performed well, but the opposite side was too accurate, and the Rockets scored 38 points in the fourth quarter.

The suspense of the Western Conference Finals is back, and neutral fans are happy to see it, and no one wants to watch a one-sided series.

On May 24th, the Bulls, who had already flown to New York, had no intention of getting high, and every game that followed was very important, and they couldn't afford to lose.

Michael Jordan almost blew up when he looked at the news in the newspaper in the past two days, and his free throws were all scored by breakthroughs, and the result was described as "referee care".

In the training session, the atmosphere group of the Bulls still did not dare to say anything, and Michael Jordan put another layer of anger on his face, and his face has become more and more ugly recently.

That night, in Madison Square Garden, before the game even started, the New York fans who entered the stadium were the first to laugh at themselves.

There were more and more fans wearing Li You's jerseys, and fans holding whiteboards to cheer for the home team shook along with the music before the game.

The demons danced wildly, won away games, and made New York fans happy that they couldn't find the north.

It's just that after the game started that night, looking at Michael Jordan who kept cutting points, the scene gradually fell silent, the nightmare repeated, and the painful memories reappeared in my mind

At 88:80, the Knicks simply lost the game neatly, and were suppressed by the Bulls all the way.

The recovering Michael Jordan is almost unstoppable!

Played 36 minutes, 14 of 25, 1 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, 5 of 5 free throws, and scored 34 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 turnovers with a shooting rate of more than 50%.

Alan Houston was completely blown up, and the Knicks' outside defense couldn't limit the dunk

Pippen was 8-of-16 from the field and contributed 21 points, while no other role player scored in double figures, but with the 10-man rotation, all players on the court scored.

Ewing looked ugly when he returned home and lost the game, but he did well tonight, scoring a team-high 29 points on 11-of-23 and 7-of-10 free throws, and also grabbed 12 rebounds.

Despite 5 turnovers, the gorilla felt like he had no problem playing!

After the win, Michael Jordan still didn't smile, and walked angrily to the players' tunnel, a victory, and couldn't vent his anger at all.

After the game, the fans didn't leave the stadium, and Madison Square Garden was still very noisy.

In the MSG commentary seat, commentator John Andris looked at the technical statistics and said helplessly:

"Our defensive intensity has dropped, which is the root cause of the loss, and in this game, Michael Jordan has reduced his playing time, but his efficiency has increased!"

"Phil Jackson's multi-player rotation strategy has been very successful so far, and Coach Van Gundy needs to adjust it as soon as possible."

Commentator Mav Albert is a pity because of the ball:

"The Bulls were 1-of-13 from beyond the three-point line, and Harper and Kerr haven't been able to find their groove since the series began, and it's clear that the Bulls have paid the price for defending Lee."

'We still have a chance, and the next home game is crucial!'

The two people in the commentary seat did not say anything discouraged, and the New York media at the scene were not in a beautiful mood, and the press conference after the game began to throw Van Gundy's face again:

"Jeff, can you tell us a little bit about the team? Why didn't Starks get more playing time? ”

"Why do our players look more tired than the Bulls?"

Jeff Van Gundy, who lost the game, was still secretly annoyed, and when he heard such a question, he pulled his face and quickly replied:

"We need height, we need to limit Michael Jordan on the defensive end, and that's why I'm going to stick with Alan Houston."

"Fitness is never an issue, we are younger, fitness is our strength! Next, we'll protect the home field! ”

Chicago reporters happily watched the New Yorkers who were about to fight themselves, and every time the team lost, Jeff Van Gundy was questioned.

Even after winning the "Best Coach" award, many New York media still regarded him as a little follower of Pat Riley.

As for why this happens, it is likely that Jeff Van Gundy has a problem with his appearance, baldness and big back, and New York loves the latter more.

Dressed in a dark blue suit, Ewing was not questioned by the New York media, and everyone praised his performance, which made the gorilla feel a lot better.

On the morning of May 25, the New York media carried forward the glorious tradition again, and in order to attract attention, the New York Post took the lead in firing guns:

"After Patrick Ewing returned from injury, the Knicks' fluid offense faded away;"

"Alan Houston and Larry Johnson are down, and so are our round numbers;"

"Maybe it's not Van Gundy's problem, it's our core players who are limiting the team's performance."

"We respect Ewing, but the time when the Knicks belonged to him is over!"

"More pick-and-rolls, more jumpers, more counter-attacks, the Knicks need that."

“.”

Ewing, who had arrived at the training ground early, looked at the contents of the newspaper and his face became more and more ugly, and finally viciously clumped the newspaper into a ball and threw it into the trash.

When the equipment manager saw this scene, the old man shook his head silently and muttered in a low voice:

"Maybe Nelson Sr. was right, it was something wrong with our core"

Thank you for your subscription and support.

(End of chapter)