On May 22, 1998, most of the sports media was still reminiscing about the Bulls' loss, even though there was still G3 of the Western Conference Finals that night.

It's been a tough season for the Bulls, but with Pippen returning in the second half of the season, the old guys' dominance seems to be back.

Before the playoffs began, the Bulls were the favorites to win the championship, and most of the sports media followed suit, believing that Michael Jordan would lead the team to a second triple.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls and Pacers played a tie-break, dunking 9 of 25 and finally winning, but some media became wallgrass.

And after the Bulls lost two games in a row in the Eastern Conference Finals, the wallgrass began to overturn old scores:

"Maybe Klaus, the general manager of the Bulls, is right, and they should stick to the rebuild this season!"

"Michael Jordan's arrogance ruined the Bulls, and he should have taken the opinion of management into account."

"Phil Jackson's tactics have been figured out, and the Bulls should fire him in the offseason!"

“.”

Since last night, commentators and columnists have been in a carnival moment, as if they were suffering from amnesia, forgetting how to tout the dominance of the Bulls.

For these TV shows and newspaper articles, there is only one reaction from Lezi fans:

"Please step up! We love to watch! ”

Ratings rose, newspaper sales followed suit, and the feast of melon-eating for the media lasted until the next day.

TNT will naturally not let go of this hot spot, but as a professional sports media, it is natural to put data to reason:

"During the regular season, he averaged 96.7 points per game and ranked 9th in the league;"

"Limit opponents to 89.6 points per game, which ranks third in the league;"

"He averaged 82.9 shots per game, ranked 15th in the league in 45.1 percent shooting, averaged 11.7 shots from beyond the three-point line per game, and ranked 23rd in three-point shooting percentage of 32.3 percent."

After a brief introduction to the Bulls' basic stats, McHale said about the afterthought:

"I never said the Bulls were dominant this season!"

"Maybe they've been affected by Pippen's injury, but I'm not surprised that the playoffs are going to be difficult based on the underlying numbers!"

Host Ernnie Johnson has a strange look, and if he hasn't lost his memory, the legend is bullish on the Bulls before the playoffs begin.

Kenny Smith on the other side insisted on his position and said seriously:

"The regular season is completely different from the playoffs, and I'm sure the Bulls will find their groove again after a two-day break!"

"Michael Jordan doesn't throw in easily, the Bulls have a lot of experience in the game, they've been through so much."

"As long as we keep two home games, it's hard to say the outcome of this round of playoffs."

Perhaps because he didn't want to see the second triple championship, McHale also seriously continued to output:

"No one can beat time, and the Bulls are no exception, even if it comes to stealing seven, it is still the home court of the Knicks."

"Maybe the young players don't have the experience of the game, but they're in better shape, do you think Lee will suddenly go out of style?"

"It's the second year of his career and there are players who can't look at it in normal terms, and if you look at Tim Duncan, even though he's just a rookie, and he averages 20+9 per game in the playoffs, it shows that game experience isn't an issue."

Seeing that the two insisted on their own opinions and said their own things, host Ernnie Johnson suddenly spoke:

"Maybe we should keep an eye on tonight's Lakers vs. Jazz game!"

McHale, who was exporting, couldn't stop at this time, and said casually:

"The Jazz will get the match point, O'Neal won't be able to defend the opponent's pick-and-roll, and the Lakers won't respond from the outside."

"I think it's the same with the Bulls on the outside, even if you go back to the home court, you can't solve the projection problem."

“.”

Due to the cancellation of the video class in the morning, Li You also saw the scene of TNT and ESPN suffering from amnesia.

The cheekiness of these media is still beyond his imagination, and Li You clearly remembers that when the Bulls won the tie-break, it was these people who blew the buckle into the sky.

He also watched those episodes, and thought that there would be some dry analysis, but it turned out to be all blowing X tearing, and by the way, he stepped on Reggie Miller.

After getting a big contract, Starks moved to another luxury apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, where New York's socialites loved to live.

In the afternoon, Li You drove to the training hall alone, and the Dodge Viper GTS-R was a new car given to him by the manufacturer.

In the '97 Le Mans endurance race, the Dodge did not do well, and in order to advertise the race in early June, this new street limited edition car that had not yet been released became Li You's new car.

The Knicks color scheme, the white body and the orange stripes running through the body are particularly eye-catching, and the advertising effect is good, at least New York fans are familiar with this car, and they will say hello when they meet it.

The two-game victory over the Bulls also gave the Knicks more confidence, but as the playoffs came to an end, the players were also particularly concerned about the collective bargaining agreement.

It's about the American knife, the players don't want to stop, and when Lee Woo came to the locker room, Ewing was scolding David Stern:

"The league and management are on the side, they just want to squeeze the players!"

"Fans buy tickets to watch us play, and the team makes money, so we should increase our salary and the contract should be more secure."

In '95, the labor dispute lasted for more than two months, and in '96, there was also a work stoppage.

In March '98, the bosses of the coalition voted on whether to restart collective bargaining agreements, and 27 of the 29 bosses supported re-signing the agreement.

So far, the two sides have negotiated many times, and when Li You heard Ewing complaining, he knew that the 8th negotiation had broken down again.

Oakley thinks that the gorilla's words are right, and the old guy also wants to make more money:

"There should be some protection for the veterans, we have played half our lives, and we should have a big contract."

Before the start of this season, the Timberwolves offered Kevin Garnett, who had just finished his rookie contract, a six-year, $126 million contract!

$126 million, even more than team owner Glenn Taylor bought the Timberwolves two years ago

This contract not only stimulated the owners of the teams, but also blinded the players:

"Raise your salary! A raise is a must! ”

It's just that the breakdown of negotiations this time has released a very bad signal that next season may really be suspended!

For the players in the atmosphere group, if there is a shutdown, once the boss does not pay the salary, there will be no money on him, and the credit card will have to explode.

At this time, everyone is discussing what to do if it is really going to be suspended, which has too much impact on the bottom players.

The media did not report the breakdown of the negotiations at all, and it is clear that the management and the league are joining forces to teach the players a lesson.

The shutdown means a ban on training, a ban on team meetings, a ban on player trades, Alan Houston saw Li You and asked in a low voice:

"Lee, if it really stops next season, what are your plans?"

"I'm planning to add some muscle to myself!"

Li You patted his biceps brachii and said that he wanted to further polish his body!

Larry Johnson doesn't care about the shutdown either, "Big Mom" has a contract with Converse and has a lot of off-court income, which is enough to support his extravagant life:

"Come and practice with me, go to Las Vegas to see the fight, and if you win the championship, you should enjoy life in the offseason!"

Sponsored players are completely different from those at the bottom, who may compromise for jobs, but star players will never take a pay cut.

Li You smiled and bumped fists with "Big Mom", no matter what the labor-management agreement develops, his big contract cannot be less, and the workers do not talk about feelings.

The collective bargaining agreement broke down again, which naturally affected the internal situation of the Bulls.

For Michael Jordan, as a role model for the players, it is impossible for him to accept a pay cut.

It's not about his personal wishes, it's about the players' union that needs to take a stand and that as a superstar, they must not compromise with the management and the league.

After receiving the news, Mydle knew that this season could be the last season for the Bulls to play together.

Pippen won't give up a big contract, and he himself won't take a pay cut.

The Bulls currently have the highest salary in the league, and the owner no longer wants to pay for the championship.

As the media reported, the Bulls are going to disintegrate.

After flying back to Chicago overnight, on the morning of the second day, McAk held a player meeting, and there was no need to talk about chicken soup, and everyone on the Bulls knew the current situation.

"Everybody's got the news, I don't want to say too much, I just want to win the championship again!"

"Defend well, throw away the useless thoughts, and remember, the championship will give us everything."

Dressed in a white training uniform, Michael Jordan looked serious, talked about a defensive issue, and said nothing more.

Winning the championship again, will the Bulls keep this lineup?

Pippen can't get a big contract and plans to run away directly, Rodman doesn't care about this problem, and other players feel that there is hope for keeping the lineup when they hear Mai Buckle's words.

Everyone in the Bulls team expressed their attitudes, saying that they would do their best in the next game, and finally the "Zunqiao" meeting ended successfully.

On the night of the 22nd, contrary to everyone's expectations, the Lakers lost again, and the Jazz got the match point!

The 10-man rotation of the Jazz beat the Lakers, who had four All-Star players.

At 109:98, the Jazz won the game easily.

The big score came to 3:0, and although the series is not over yet, there is no miracle, and the Jazz have reached the Finals!

O'Neal's heroic performance also failed to lead the Lakers to victory.

17-of-30 from the field, 5-of-13 from the free-throw line, and the Sharks recorded a double-double of 39 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 5 turnovers;

But the Lakers' 5-of-19 shooting rate from the outside, and their 26.3% three-point shooting rate made Lakers fans stupid.

Most of the bells and whistles proved unfit for the playoffs, and Van Exel scored 10 points tonight on 2-of-13 shooting and 1-of-8 from beyond the three-point line.

In the face of the Jazz's iron-blooded defense, the Lakers, who have a gorgeous style of play, have no way to fight back.

On May 23, after a day's rest, the Knicks also flew to Chicago ahead of schedule.

Unlike the Bulls, who refused to be interviewed, the Knicks were not afraid.

As soon as they arrived at the Hilton Hotel, some reporters who were squatting on guard began to move towards the players.

David Aldridge, a sports reporter for ESPN, interviewed Lee Woo during the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The young black journalist, who had previously covered Georgetown University games while working at the Washington Post, had a good relationship with Ewing.

However, after joining ESPN, for the sake of hot news, most of the interviews with the Knicks in the past two years will first probe Li You's tone.

The gorilla didn't blow X when he met the Bulls, and Aldridge was not embarrassed by Ewing, while the team was still checking in, he smiled and leaned next to Li You, casually chatting about the next game:

"Lee, two away games, talk about the Knicks' game plan."

Li You, who was wearing a Hickey Freeman gray custom suit and pushing a suitcase, looked very stable, and replied with a relaxed expression to the reporter who often interviewed him:

"The playoffs all start with an away win, and our plan is to win one away game and then go back to New York to finish the game."

"Of course it's the ideal plan, and we all know that the Bulls won't throw in the towel easily, and maybe they're extra united right now."

Aldrich gave Li You a smile back, he doesn't report about the collective bargaining agreement, but as long as there is this sentence, it is enough, and he is very good at it.

On the evening of the 24th, in the arena of the United Center, before the game started, the noise on the scene became louder and louder.

For Bulls fans, everyone wants to see the team complete a second triple championship!

Coupled with previous rumors that the Bulls are going to break up, fans want to see a perfect curtain call.

Two home games are games that the Bulls can't lose, and once the Knicks get the match point, it's useless to really come back and fight back

In the game that night, the Bulls were frantically biting on the defensive end after the opening, and with the blessing of the home whistle, the action became bigger and bigger.

In the early part of the regular season, the Bulls relied on their defense.

Phil Jackson didn't pretend to be an X at this time, and stood on the sidelines from the start of the game shouting and cheering the players on.

According to the game plan formulated before the game, the Bulls' outside trio began to take turns to lead Li You.

The expected crushing didn't happen, and the Knicks still rarely made mistakes.

At halftime, 46:49, the Bulls only led by three points.

By the second half, the hand-to-hand combat familiar to fans was back online.

Rushing to grab rebounds and leading the defense all over the court, the Bulls just wanted to slow down the pace of the game.

In the end, the united Bulls still protected their home court.

At 86:90, after a fierce battle in the second half, the Bulls pulled one back, and the series score came to 1:2.

After the win, the United Center Arena was completely boiling, and after two days of rest, Mai Kou's physical strength also recovered a lot.

Playing 43 minutes, 12-of-25, 10-of-12 free throws, 34 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers, Michael Jordan played efficiently again.

After the game, Michael Jordan, who was interviewed, also had some ups and downs, gasping for breath and assuring Bulls fans:

"Thank you to the Chicago fans who are here tonight, the Bulls will win the series in the end!"

"No one is more hungry for a title than we are, and we will make it three times in a row!"

“.”

When he came to the away game, Li You's efficiency began to decline, 8 of 20, 3 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, 4 of 7 free throws, and 23 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.

A lot of physical confrontation did affect his touch, but in the post-match press conference, Lee Woo was still smiling and looking confident.

At this time, the reporters in the audience turned into microphones and repeated Mai Kou's point of view, and Li You couldn't help but shake his head:

"The desire for victory? Maybe it does affect the outcome of the game! ”

"But basketball is sometimes brutal, and it's not just the fighting spirit that determines the victory, it's the physical condition that matters."

"In the next game, the Eastern Conference Finals will officially begin, and the Knicks are also hungry for victory!"

“.”

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There is also a big chapter at night~

(End of chapter)