On June 1, 1998, the G1 finals will officially start at 21 o'clock in the evening at Madison Square Garden.

The Jazz flew to New York early in late May, but after the usual interviews by most sports media, there was no more coverage.

The media in Salt Lake City clamours about the Jazz championship every day, but the impact is limited.

The New York media didn't take the Jazz seriously at all:

"The Bulls are all gentlemen swept, Jazz? Who's that?"

At this time, everyone was busy mocking Michael Jordan, but they didn't have time to talk about Carl Malone.

For 4 days, while the sports media reported the news of the Finals, they did not leave the situation of the Bulls, and Michael Jordan was still ridiculed by the group.

The media is lively, and ordinary fans don't care, regardless of whether fans of other teams like to see such a matchup or not, New York fans are already in high spirits.

Tickets sold out early, and enthusiastic fans entered early before 9 p.m. that night.

Many people also held up the slogan "real MVP", which can be regarded as a sign of support for Li You.

Due to the restrictions of the transmission conditions, the stars who can sell tickets at this time are very important for the team.

Only the support of buying tickets with real money can bring intuitive income to the team.

Jim Gray, a well-known reporter for NBC, also felt the love of New York fans for Li You, who joined the team for less than two years and was already about to be treated with Ewing.

Li You usually comes to the stadium in advance to warm up, and media reporters are also aware of his habits, so they immediately come to the front of him when the warm-up is over:

"Lee, congratulations on making it to the finals!"

"At 20 years and 151 days, he once again broke the record set by Magic Johnson and became the youngest Finals starter in NBA history."

Hearing Jim Gray laughing about the record, Li You also hurriedly smiled, and there are not many young records set by Magic Johnson at present

"This is your first career Finals and you're going to Stockton, can you talk about what you expect from this game?"

Many fans are still sighing, Li You's warm-up activities have become a must-see link for many fans before the game, but when they saw NBC reporters, fans soon followed suit.

has changed into an "equipment dog" suit, wearing the home jersey of the Knicks, Li You immediately replied with a relaxed expression when he heard the question:

"Of course we have to win at home, and in terms of schedule, 232 may be won by the opponent three times in a row, so protecting the home field is our goal in these two games."

"The highlights I watched the most in college were the highlights of Stockton, and being able to play against him on a stage like this is something I've always looked forward to."

“.”

Ewing didn't give an interview before the game, and once again reached the finals, and the gorillas especially cherished this opportunity.

This year, I injured my wrist and my form declined, and considering my age, if I get injured again, I will basically say goodbye to the level of star players.

Michael Jordan was swept by the gentleman, and Ewing realized that he was running out of time left in his career.

In this case, in this finals, the gorilla doesn't want to fail, he needs the championship too much, and he has won rave reviews for winning the Mai Buckle, and if he really wants to win the championship, there is a high probability of ascending to heaven on the spot.

In the Knicks locker room, seeing that everyone had arrived and changed into team uniforms, Ewing immediately said loudly:

'We've got to win two home games and everyone has to be nervous when we get to the game.

Oakley also clapped his hands and reminded loudly:

"Don't worry about the opponent's small moves, this is our home stadium!"

In the visiting locker room, the Jazz didn't shout, and Stockton and Karl Malone still looked calm.

Jerry Sloan looked serious and specifically told Ostatge, the center who started tonight:

"When you encounter a block, remember to delay quickly, and in the game, echo each other, don't let the opponent easily find the rhythm!"

The visitors were greeted by a steady stream of boos, and as the Knicks took the floor, the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was getting hotter.

On the live NBC commentary box, Bob Costas immediately briefly introduced after getting the starting lists of both sides:

"Compared to the Western Conference Finals, the Jazz changed their center, and Greg Ostertag started the game."

"John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek are still on the back line, and Brian Russell and Karl Malone are on the front line."

As soon as the words fell, Doug Collins on the side immediately added:

"It's not a good choice to take a big man, and the defense may be able to provide the ability to protect the basket, but in the face of pick-and-roll, if Stockton can't get past the cover in time, Ostertag will have to be delayed."

"Lee will take advantage of those opportunities, and after Ewing's return, the quality of the Knicks' cover has improved, which is why the Bulls have chosen to switch defenses for many rounds."

Isaiah Thomas in the commentary seat has been in a particularly beautiful mood in recent days, and when he heard his partner's point of view, he immediately nodded in agreement:

"That's right, tonight was a big test of the Jazz's perimeter defense, and given John's age, it would be hard for him to limit Lee's play."

Since McLock lost the Eastern Conference Finals, Isaiah Thomas has almost turned into Lee Yoo-chui.

As a guest commentator for the Finals, he didn't forget to praise Lee Woo's performance in the Eastern Conference Finals.

When the two sides warmed up at the end, the Utah Shuangsha didn't have much expression, and it seemed that they had reached the finals, which didn't make them excited.

In contrast, Ewing was even more excited, and the gorilla even completed a few dunks during the warm-up to show the fans his physical condition.

As the referee signaled the players from both sides to come to the center of the field, the scene immediately erupted in loud cheers:

“Let's go Knicks！ Let's go Knicks！ Let's go Knicks！ ”

The New York fans shouted with great cheers, and when the gorilla successfully turned the ball into the half court, the cheers rang out again.

Unlike Harper's lead defense, Stockton only chose to step forward after Lee Youyun passed the half.

Quickly compared tactical gestures, Li You, who held the ball in his left hand, quickly came to the left wing to protect the ball sideways, and everyone on the Knicks pulled away in turn.

It was still Larry Johnson who stepped up to the right flank to pick up, and Alan Houston watched the defense in the bottom right corner, ready to start.

Oakley was on the right near baseline and Malone was on the side, ready to rush for the rebound.

Ewing moved quickly to the three-point line and made a high pick-and-roll.

Returning to the previous offensive routine of 2 to 2 after the opening, Li You was not polite, and when Ewing stood still, he immediately held the ball in his left hand, lowered his center of gravity, and broke through on the left side.

The quality of the Gorilla's coverage was excellent, and despite Stockton's struggles to get through, they were unable to successfully complete the pursuit.

Hearing the coach's advice before the game, Ostertag hurriedly skipped quickly and delayed Li You.

It's just that the big man of 2.18 meters is difficult to bend down to defend, Li You only slightly raised the center of gravity of his body, and in the face of a big delay, he suddenly quickly and sharply pushed the ball to change direction.

Before Ostertag could slide again, Li You, who lowered his center of gravity, took advantage of the situation to catch the ball with his right hand, quickly led the ball forward, and easily passed between the two.

"Oh!!"

The beautiful pass immediately broke out into cheers on the scene, and in the blink of an eye, Li You had already rushed to the three-point line, and after catching the ball with his right hand, he went straight into the paint area.

Ma Long, who was still in the Oakley card position, hurriedly moved and prepared to make up for the defense, but Li You suddenly stopped in the paint area in front of the basket and made a quick jump shot!

"Huh!" Steady hit from mid-range!

Seeing Li You's goal so easily, the Sloan head coach on the sidelines frowned.

Lee Woo high-fived Ewing with a smile on his face, then turned his head to defend Stockton.

He didn't have the interest to rush to the basket with an iron head, and Malone's muscles and iron-blooded elbows were not ornaments

Perhaps in order to save energy, Stockton did not choose to dribble the ball himself through the half, but quickly gave the ball to Hornacek, who received it.

After dribbling past the halfway line, Stockton ran again without the ball and regained the ball.

“Defense！ Defense！ Defense！ ”

Amid the cheers of the defense, Li You was still sticking to Stockton's side, noticing that Malone had begun to move, and immediately prepared to squeeze through the cover.

did not play the block and pick as usual, and at the top of the arc, Stockton was heavily defended by Li You, first pretending to break through on the right side, and then quickly dribbling behind his back.

Malone immediately moved quickly after the screen, came to the right elbow of the free throw line, and Stockton, who switched to the left hand, sent a smashing pass.

After receiving the ball, Malone swayed with the momentum, quickly tried to step with his right foot, took advantage of Oakley's slight backward step, and immediately exerted his strength under his feet, and made a dry jump shot!

"Shhhhh

has a beautiful muscle, but Malone can sometimes be a mid-pitched beautiful boy.

The power forward usually starts with an offense from the outside, finds his groove, shoots and punches the basket to the free-throw line.

Stockton can always make the opponent comfortable to receive the ball, and the two cooperate tacitly, and there are many ways to block and dismantle.

Quickly sending the baseline ball, Li You simply made a tactical gesture and signaled to change the defensive strategy.

The pre-game strategy was to chase down Stockton, and Oakley and Ewing also needed to be involved in delaying the defense, after all, Stockton was accurate in the middle range.

After a round, Li You decided to defend one-on-one and look at Stockton's offensive state.

In this attack, Ewing gave Alan Houston a cover on the right side near the baseline.

Without complicated tactics, Alan Houston immediately bounced out, came to the right elbow area of the free throw line, received a pass from Li You, met Hornacek's block, drifted slightly to the left, and shot a mid-range jumper!

"Huh!" Two-point goal again.

Since winning against the Bulls, Alan Houston has also become more confident in his shots, and after scoring, he quickly stepped back and put a smile on his face.

Amid the cheers of the fans, the Jazz also began to pick up the pace, and Hornacek simply organized an offense after dribbling past halftime this round.

Also a pick-and-roll, Malone had a very good quality of cover on the left flank, and Hornacek, who held the ball in his right hand, briefly escaped the defense.

Quickly to the left elbow of the free throw line, Hornacek immediately made a jumper!

"Bang!"

As soon as the rebound ball popped up, it was grabbed by Ewing, and the head coach of Sloan on the sidelines yelled to remind the players to retreat quickly, and Li You accelerated across the half court after receiving the ball.

There was no delay in time, and Stockton was still directing his teammates to complete the defensive positioning.

On the right wing, Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, did not slow down, and when he was about to approach the three-point line, he quickly went in and out in the middle of the march.

Stockton was stunned, not giving the opponent much time to react, Li You immediately exploded on the three-point line and stopped, and then quickly jumped and shot!

"Huh!" Convert three points of hollow into the net!

2:7, a crisp three-point shot, made everyone in the Jazz team a little confused.

Li You quickly retreated and no longer led Stockton, and the Jazz's offense also began to play from the low post.

The two big men began to receive the ball with their backs in the blocking area, and the rest of the Jazz players cut in without the ball.

It was just a tactical run, but the Knicks' defense did not make any mistakes, and in the end, it was Malone who made a face-frame jumper at the left blocking position.

The game quickly entered the rhythm of the Knicks, and Sloan on the sidelines loudly reminded the players to defend.

Ostertag delayed Lee Yoo in the face of the pick-and-roll, but missed Ewing who went down, and let the Gorilla basket eat cake for two consecutive rounds.

Oakley's offensive end has been hanging on Malone, just in the near baseline position and the opponent's card position, and the old guy doesn't do anything else, trying to use hand-to-hand defense to affect Malone's shooting touch.

After a few rounds, noticing that the Jazz were getting more and more difficult to score, Doug Collins immediately spoke up in the NBC commentary box:

"It's not the pace of the Jazz's game, they're playing too slowly, they're too scared of the opponent's transition offense."

Seeing Stockton hit a piece of iron, Isaiah Thomas on the side said with a smile:

"Lee is not Van Exel, John has to strengthen his defense, it is better to choose to lead the defense, it may be too physical, but it is definitely the best defensive strategy."

Receiving the long rebound, Li You advanced quickly, and Stockton also chased to his side, and soon the two began to fight hand-to-hand.

Coming to the top of the arc, Ewing faked a screen from the three-point line and immediately went down to the free-throw line to cover Alan Houston again, who quickly bounced outside.

Without using cover, Li You, who held the ball in his left hand, quickly dribbled behind his back, and immediately accelerated with his shoulders after switching to his right hand, aimed at Alan Houston's outside bounce, and immediately jumped up and threw the ball after dribbling past the three-point line.

The moment Alan Houston received the ball, there was no one in front of him, and he threw the ball without making adjustments!

"Huh!" Three-point shot hollow into the net!

“Wow！！”

At 6:14, with 7:02 left in the first quarter, the Sloan head coach immediately called a timeout amid the happy shouts of the fans at the scene.

Jeff Van Gundy, who hung up, didn't expect the game to go so smoothly, and the Jazz team was all on the iron except for Malone.

In less than half a quarter, Li You sent 4 assists, and the bald young marshal hurriedly patted his shoulder as a sign of encouragement:

“Good job！”

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere group was also shouting happily, and it seemed that after winning against the Bulls, the shooting feeling has improved.

After obtaining the metaphysical psychological bonus, Li You felt that his teammates were all brave and dared to fight.

After the Jazz took a timeout, they switched to center Greg Foster, but the substitution didn't change their shooting touch.

Only Karl Malone was in excellent form, unaffected by Oakley, and scored consecutive jumpers in his sweet spot.

The cheers in the arena grew louder and louder, and it was impossible to beat the Knicks alone, and the home team's fluid offense also made the fans more and more confident.

Rotate personnel early to try and score efficiently, and Sloan head coach tried to improve his team's shooting feel, but the Jazz couldn't turn around until the end of the first quarter

At 14:27, in the first quarter of the game, the Knicks led by 13 points.

Madison Square Garden is completely boiling, and New York fans only think that the championship is within reach, and the Jazz have no way to fight back.

After the start of the game in the second quarter, Li You, who was sitting on the bench, saw that the substitute lineup also began to punch hard, and pulled the corners of his mouth:

"You're all here to grab FMVP!"

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(End of chapter)