In Finals G1, before the game, Popovich and the coaching staff watched a lot of Knicks footage.

Steve Cole even shared with everyone the experience of opposing Li You.

It's just that the regular season has little reference value, and there is Ewing in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and the Knicks are almost egalitarian.

After watching the Eastern Conference Finals, I finally saw something, but when I really got to the game, I found that the Knicks had changed a lot.

After realizing that the Knicks were faster on offense, had more rounds and had a difficult defensive counter-attack, Popovich added some routines after the timeout.

At the beginning of the game, the kind of 6 seconds passed the half, 3 seconds were stuck, and 2 seconds passed, and the others watched the twin towers stiff and had no chance to transfer the ball.

Avery Johnson on the outside adds some aggression.

Nearly 20 seconds later, outside the three-point line, the right wing received the ball, and with Duncan covering, Avery Johnson got rid of Lee Yo and made a free throw from the free throw line.

It's just the same routine, when Avery Johnson changes direction and does it again, he breaks deeper, the basket is in front of him, and he shoots in the paint area, but Ben Wallace, who assists in the defense, comes with a volleyball cap!

The basketball flew directly to the halfcourt, and the wonderful block also made the New York fans at the scene exclaim.

"Oh!"

After the cover, Duncan was about to squeeze under the basket, Li You was quick and had already controlled the ball on the three-point line, and then rushed with the ball.

Although Mario Elli is old, he is fast to defend and chased Li You's side for the first time.

Before he could cut the ball, Li You, who rushed across the three-point line, took the opportunity to complete the behind-the-ground pass.

Alan Houston, who quickly went down on the other side, was unguarded, and easily split with one hand after receiving the ball!

On the commentary bench, Bob Costas saw the easy two-on-one fast break, and sighed vigorously:

"God! The Knicks were so quick on the back that the Spurs were very passive in the last few minutes. ”

Doug Collins on the side looked at Ben Wallace, who was pounding his chest under the basket, and said thoughtfully:

"Maybe Wallace can't limit the Spurs' big men, but he has a good sense of help and a lot of speed!"

The Spurs also began to pick up the tempo of their offense, and instead of asking for the ball with his back, Duncan suddenly came to the right block and received the ball in front of the frame.

In the face of Oakley's defense, Duncan made a quick tentative step with his right foot, and then pulled it directly.

"Bang!"

As soon as the basketball came out of the basket, Ben Wallace, who was in a position with David Robinson, jumped high, grabbed the rebound with one hand with his right hand, and then immediately gave the ball to Li You, who was responding.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines got up and clapped his hands, and his speed is also a talent, at least when it comes to rebounding, and the Knicks are not at a loss at the moment.

Avery Johnson's defense didn't do much, and Lee Yoo's ball protector instinctively slapped away the small defender's interference.

Quickly came to the right flank, and seeing the tactical gesture of Li Youbi, Larry Johnson immediately slipped from left to right on the baseline and came to the right low post to ask for the ball.

Elliott tried hard to defend, but the difference in physical strength between the two was not small, and as soon as Larry Johnson opened his hand to ask for the ball, Li You sent a high hanging pass.

The moment he received the ball, Larry Johnson immediately started to release the ball, leaned on the hit, jumped and then carried the defense, and finished the back-to-back jumper in the paint area!

"Huh!" The two-point ball hollows into the net.

David Robinson, who assisted the defense, was half a beat slower, and when he saw Elliott raise his hand to signal that it was his problem, he could only frown and serve the baseline ball quickly.

At 10:17, with 4 minutes and 13 seconds left in the first quarter, the Spurs' scoring had stopped for a while.

“Defense！ Defense！ Defense！ ”

Seeing Li You continue to lead the defense of Avery Johnson, the defensive cheers on the scene are getting louder and louder.

In the Knicks' defensive system, Lee Woo is usually only responsible for putting pressure on the ball and delaying the opponent's advancement.

The Spurs' offense was already slow, and Avery Johnson cautiously controlled the ball to advance, and many rounds were pressed for 8 seconds before halftime.

Protecting the ball sideways and turning in succession, Avery Johnson rushed across the half, still unable to get rid of Lee You's arm.

As Popovich yelled from the sidelines, David Robinson quickly lifted to the free-throw line to give Avery Johnson a pick-and-roll.

Lee simply stepped off the line, squeezed past David Robinson, and when he chased down Avery Johnson again, the pair came to the right elbow area and took advantage of the gap, and the latter quickly delivered a ground-hitting pass.

David Robinson catches the ball at the free-throw line and makes a quick tentative step with his left foot while bending down to get off the ball.

It's just that the basketball has just reached the waist position, and Ben Wallace suddenly grabs up and pokes the ball away.

David Robinson hurriedly turned around to control the ball, but Ben Wallace immediately jumped to the ball, and both fell to the ground at the same time, and "Little Ben", who controlled the ball, hurriedly threw the ball down to the frontcourt.

Avery Johnson dragged him and let Lee rush over to get the ball.

Amid the cheers of the fans in attendance, Lee Woo rushed faster and faster through the half, and Avery Johnson struggled to chase down his side.

When the two came to the paint area, Li You still did not slow down, hung on the opponent's defense, quickly circled the ball, stepped forward to the left, and completely dodged the defense.

Coming to the bottom left of the basket, Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand, faced Avery Johnson, who turned and blocked, and easily picked up the basket!

"Squeak! Swish! ”

The whistle blew the ball in, and Avery Johnson's tugging interference didn't make any difference, but instead paid for the foul.

Seeing that the point difference was about to become 10 points, the excited New York fans began to shake the orange handkerchiefs in their hands, and the Knicks' atmosphere team also raised their hands and cheered loudly.

Lee moved his left arm, laughed and high-fived Ben Wallace, who was screaming excitedly, and walked to the free throw line, while Oakley was next to the paint and quipped Duncan next to him:

"A two-team player? I knew that the media was unreliable. ”

Duncan just glanced at the old guy and then didn't react, waiting for Li You to complete the free throw.

The Spurs, for their part, took the opportunity to bring on Antonio Daniels and the veteran Mario Elli.

Lee Yoo-ga hit a solid free throw, and the score came to 10:20, a double-digit point difference, allowing Jeff Van Gundy to return to the bench.

The Spurs struggled to score, so they simply played star tactics, first repeatedly giving the ball to Duncan in the low post on the left.

Just a few hits, Duncan just turned to the baseline, and Ben Wallace followed with the shrinking basket.

After two attempts, Duncan didn't force the offense and quickly returned the ball to David Robinson at the free-throw line.

In the end, relying on his height advantage, David Robinson attacked with the ball and forced the basket, and Ben Wallace fouled him.

"Shh

Seeing the Spurs start to shoot free throws, the scene was full of boos, and the New York fans on the opposite side got up and spat fragrant mouths, shaking handkerchiefs and loudly interfering, David Robinson was not affected too much, and hit two free throws steadily.

Quickly retreated, David Robinson beckoned his teammates to complete the alignment, and Elliott quickly came to the front of him to wrap up just after Li You's half-court dribble.

On the left wing, Larry Johnson, who was let out, received the pass, adjusted it, and immediately jumped from outside the three-point line!

"Bang!"

The basketball bounced out of the box and the rebound bounced towards the right corner, and Ben Wallace reacted quickly to get the ball back before it was about to go off the baseline.

Alan Houston took the ball and returned it to Lee Yoo at the top of the arc again.

This time, without waiting for the bag to come up, the moment he received the ball, Li You shook his right and left, and immediately crossed his steps to break through after putting the ball with his left hand.

Avery Johnson was half stuck, and after coming to the paint zone, he was almost completely out of position.

Before David Robinson could get back to the basket, Duncan noticed something wasn't right and quickly walked back to the basket.

When Lee Yo jumped to completely carry Avery Johnson on his side, Duncan, who assisted in the defense, immediately jumped up to block.

The two faced off in the air, Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand, hovered for a short time, dodged Duncan's block, and threw the ball to the rebound!

It's just that at the moment when the basketball came out, Duncan simply pulled it vigorously and completely destroyed Li You's shot.

Both lost their center of gravity when they landed, and they nearly threw themselves down to the camera under the basket.

Turning his head to look back, Duncan found that the basketball hit the high board and bounced on the basket several times, and finally fell into the net.

"Squeak!"

Hearing the referee's whistle blow again, Popovich on the sidelines held his forehead, looked at the bench, hesitated, and still did not choose to make a substitution.

Standing on the free throw line again, Li You looked calm, slapped the basketball in his hand, and a huge shout immediately sounded in the arena:

“MVP！ MVP！ MVP！ ”

At 12:23, Li You's 2+1 widened the difference again.

In the final minutes of the first quarter, David Robinson turned on free throw mode.

The Knicks weren't polite either, with Larry Johnson and Alan Houston also following suit.

After Oakley also picked up a foul, Jeff Van Gundy simply brought on Kurt Thomas and Chris Dudley.

Less than 1 minute into the game, David Robinson forced a basket and Chris Dudley fouled on defense.

"Shh

The continuous free throws immediately annoyed the New York fans at the scene, but fortunately, the score was ahead, and everyone did not scold the referee.

In the second penalty, David Robinson slapped his hands regretfully and hurriedly beckoned his teammates to retreat.

Lee Yoo was still caught early at the top of the arc, and Larry Johnson's open jumper from the left wing continued to hit the iron.

Two consecutive missed three-pointers in open positions, and Larry Johnson also clapped his hands in annoyance.

A rare opportunity to switch attacks, Avery Johnson advanced quickly after receiving the ball, and Lee You's chase still played a role in some delays.

Rushing across the three-point line, noticing that the Knicks had finished retreating, and after a circle, Avery Johnson returned to the top of the arc.

Duncan had his back to the ball in the left blocking area, and Kurt Thomas was on top while constantly trying to complete the defense around the front.

The two got tangled in the blocking zone, and Avery Johnson, who was on the left flank, hesitated and almost stopped the ball.

Suddenly cutting to the basket, Avery Johnson hurriedly sent a high throw, but the pass was not of high quality, allowing Duncan to catch the ball under the basket and immediately receive a double circle.

Larry Johnson made a timely block, and Duncan, who was almost squeezed out of the baseline, flung the ball to the bottom right corner, and Elliott, who was released, adjusted it and hit it angrily.

Spike Lee, who wore a turban on the sidelines, grinned and chased after the retreating Elliott and taunted:

"Look at your crappy shot! You're going to smash our baskets! ”

It was rare to score and play a few times, but the Spurs did not respond from the outside.

Alan Houston protected the long rebound and advanced quickly with the ball.

Larry Johnson missed consecutive shots, and without a call from Lee Yo, he ran to the bottom corner at the first moment, and the Knicks simply left the entire upline space.

On the left wing, Lee Woo moved quickly and came to the top of the arc to receive a hand-handed pass from Alan Houston.

After handing over the ball, Alan Houston quickly moved to the left flank, and Antonio Daniels was dazed and followed Avery Johnson to pinch Lee Yoo.

Simply moving to the right, Lee Yoo pulled the defense and immediately threw the ball behind his back, Alan Houston received the ball, and David Robinson made a quick pounce.

Fake a real pass, Alan Houston sent a straight stopper, and Chris Dudley on the bottom left of the basket received the ball and poured the basket with both hands!

“Wow！”

The smooth coordination made a huge wave in the arena, and Popovich on the sidelines was so angry that he spewed Antonio Daniels

On the commentary bench, Doug Collins looked at Popovich who was jumping to his feet and sighed in a low voice:

"The Spurs' defense is crumbling, and the coaching staff needs to give the players a good hose during the break."

"At this time, you should trust the veterans, and maybe Coach Popovich can consider replacing Steve Cole."

Isaiah Thomas heard this but retorted unceremoniously:

"No matter what kind of adjustments are made, Lee can handle the Spurs backcourt in stride."

In the final moments, Antonio Daniels hit a three-pointer from beyond the buzzer, but the Spurs bench was still very quiet.

At 18:29, the difference is still 11 points.

Unlike Popovich, who was a squirting player on the other side, Jeff Van Gundy patted everyone with a smile and a strong chant:

“Good job！”

Li You watched that the game was less than a quarter, and Jeff Van Gundy had already drunk two bottles of drinks, so he knew that the bald young marshal was still a little nervous:

"Don't worry about tonight's game, we've won!"

Patting Jeff Van Gundy on the shoulder, Lee Woo smiled and sat back on the bench.

Played the first quarter, 4-of-5, 1-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, 2-of-2 from the free throw line, 11 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists.

For his own performance, Li You is quite satisfied.

Alan Houston was 3-of-6 and Larry Johnson was 3-of-5, and the trio almost dominated the team's scoring.

The Knicks' interior players are all focused on defense and covering, and will not be involved in the offense at all unless there is an absolute opportunity.

Due to the good foul control, the rotation lineup in the second quarter, Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace partnered inside.

Larry Johnson also continued to play, with Sprewell and Chris Childs on the back line.

The Knicks are a large rotation, and on the Spurs' side, Tim Duncan, who played the full first quarter, continues to play.

Daniels and Steve Kerr on the back line, and Elliott and Marrick Rose up front.

Duncan, who was 2-of-4 in the first quarter and scored 4 points, began to take the initiative to attack at this time.

After Sprewell came on, he made a step-back jumper in the left blocking area.

Turning around, Duncan received the ball in the left blocking area, turned quickly to the baseline, wiped Ben Wallace's defense, and completed a one-handed slam dunk against Cotter, who was assisting in the defense!

"Shh

Seeing that the interior defense was penetrated, the scene began to boo again.

In fact, many New York fans are already familiar with this situation.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Rick Schmitz almost turned into O'Neal

"Little Ben" smashed the ball in annoyance, and in the face of Duncan's low-post attack, he really didn't have a good solution.

Steve Kerr didn't get much of a chance after coming on the court, Chris Childs kept chasing and didn't score a game, and he was almost playing soy sauce for a few minutes.

Duncan, who completely let go of his hands and feet, was on fire at this time, shooting in the middle and attacking under the basket to continue to hit.

On the Knicks' side, most of the rounds were cleared to one side, with Chris Childs passing the ball over half, and Sprewell singled Antonio Daniels

The Spurs bench would have cheered loudly with Duncan's goal at first, but Sprewell also hit back-to-back jumpers, and soon everyone fell silent.

With 7:01 left in the second quarter, Sprewell broke through and drew a foul on Daniels and went to the free throw line.

Li You flicked the towel with the atmosphere group on the sidelines, and the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was still hot.

"Tim Duncan has scored eight points in this quarter on 4-of-4 shooting, but Sprewell is 3-of-3 and hits this free throw, and the margin will be 11 points."

Bob Costas didn't expect the game to turn out like this, and the expected situation where the Spurs dominated the Knicks with rebounding didn't come to be.

Sprewell hit both free throws to make it 26-37 and the Knicks continued to lead.

Doug Collins saw the Knicks turn into a three-guard and the Spurs put on the twin towers again, and simply commented:

"Lee will increase his off-ball offense, and Mario Elie can also use this opportunity to play a misplaced single!"

The Spurs offense showed some different routines, and Mario Elie also seemed to want to pinch the soft persimmon of Li You, and took the initiative to ask for the ball with his back in the left blocking area.

The two are similar in size, Mario Eli has a larger muscle dimension, and he looks a little stronger than Li You

After receiving the ball, the Spurs pulled away, David Robinson stood at the free throw line again, and Duncan was on the right side near the baseline to respond.

Outside Daniels and Elliott stood on the left and right flanks, and everyone watched Mario Eli single Li You.

did not choose to attack with a face frame, Mario Eli hit after receiving the ball, but he was stunned twice and found that Li You was not moving.

With his left foot as the axis, Mario Elie, who was holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly turned quickly to the baseline, switched to his left hand, and tried to squeeze under the basket.

Successfully predicting the opponent's attack, Li You blocked the bottom line, and the two had a physical confrontation and immediately cut the ball.

Subconsciously pulled the ball back, dodging Li You's defense, Mario Eli wanted to continue to arch to the basket, but the referee's whistle sounded in his ears.

The referee pointed to the baseline and signaled that Mario Eri had just stepped on the line.

Popovich, who was on the sidelines, rubbed his eyebrows and shouted to the Spurs to step back.

"Oh!!"

Li You's successful defense made the New York fans shout happily and continued to throw up their handkerchiefs, and some front-row fans also mocked the veteran by the way

Sprewell sent a baseline ball, immediately waved to the Knicks, signaled all to pull away, and after quickly dribbling through the half, he directly gave the ball to Lee You, who asked for the ball on the left wing.

The moment he received the ball, Li You immediately turned around, quickly tried to step with his right foot, Mario Eli subconsciously moved a small step, Li You immediately released the ball with his left hand, vigorously exploded the ball, quickly retreated, and quickly jumped outside the three-point line!

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

Seeing Li You smile and retreat, Mario Elie, who was pestled in place, had straight eyes, and threw it away?

"God! Lee's shot was too fast, and Mario Elie needed to pay attention to his defensive focus. ”

Bob Costas in the commentary table exclaimed in surprise and called out to God several times

Avery Johnson can still lower his center of gravity and interfere with his hands, while veteran Mario Elie is left with that tendon meat.

Popovich wanted to call a timeout, but David Robinson hit a mid-range jumper from the free-throw line and breathed a sigh of relief.

Sprewell pushed forward quickly again through the half, and Daniels kept interfering but it didn't make much difference.

On the line, Li You quickly cut from left to right, and with the help of the cover of two elbows, Kurt and Ben, he quickly bounced out to the right flank.

Mario Elie lost his defensive position with a single screen, and David Robinson quickly switched defenses, chased in front of Li You, raised his left hand high, and lowered his center of gravity to prepare for a sliding step.

Li You received the ball and shook it, took advantage of David Robinson's body to lean forward, quickly released the ball with his right hand, and quickly retreated sharply after vigorously blowing the ball, drifted to the right, and quickly completed the shot!

"Squeak!"

David Robinson, who reacted quickly, jumped up to pounce and knocked down Li You, the referee's whistle blew, and the basketball went into the net again.

“Wow！”

The New York fans in the stadium began to stand up and cheer, and the fans in the back row shook their handkerchiefs and screamed.

This time, all five Spurs on the court were stunned, and Popovich on the sidelines was no longer angry with the players, and it was obvious that they had made mistakes in their preparation before the game.

Sprewell and Alan Houston laughed and pulled up Lee, and on the Knicks' bench, the atmosphere group even began to celebrate the victory.

Watching Lee hit a steady free throw and scored seven points in two rounds, the Spurs immediately called a timeout.

At 28:44, the margin came to 16 points, and Madison Square Garden was completely boiling.

The huge point difference made Doug Collins realize that the Knicks were likely to protect their home court, and he could only sigh for a while:

"Unbelievable! This is really a terrifying projection ability, completely unreasonable! ”

"The Spurs are clearly not prepared, and they should see how the Pacers defend."

Bob Costas was speechless, and the two of them commented throughout the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Pacers were the "black foot" defense.

On both sides of the pad, Reggie Miller was chased and defended so much that he could only break through with one step.

When it came to the Finals, this kind of defense was a little inappropriate, and Bob Costas knew that the NBA league still wanted to show the world his beautiful basketball, so the blowing scale was a lot stricter.

Isaiah Thomas also knew that times were different, and added with a smile:

"The Spurs could consider using Elliott to defend Lee, but I don't think it will be very effective, and they still need to respond on the offensive end."

"At the very least, take advantage of those open three-pointers, or the game will soon lose its suspense."

Regaining the main lineup, the Spurs quickly responded on the offensive end as well, with David Robinson hitting the basket again.

But at this time, Li You, who was hot, continued his three-point shot, and for several rounds in a row, he was a step-by-step jumper with a fried ball.

Avery Johnson, who hadn't yet adapted to Lee's attacking rhythm, failed to use the "black foot" move.

David Robinson made consecutive free throws, and the Spurs began to work hard to get up to speed.

With 2 minutes and 42 seconds left in the half, the Knicks offense was about to 24 seconds, in the bottom corner of the right side, Li You took the pot, after three threats, put the ball with his right hand, fried the ball and retreated, and quickly jumped and shot!

"Huh!" Three-pointer again!

After hitting two irons angrily, he hit the shot again, and Li You raised three fingers, jumped up, and quickly retreated.

Popovich couldn't hold it anymore, asked for a timeout again, and returned to the bench, everyone in the Spurs was a little confused, this quarter, they were going to be shot.

Sprewell, who walked to the bench, shouted excitedly, everyone knew in their hearts that after winning so many points, the game was basically no longer in suspense.

In the final two minutes of the half, the Spurs also tried to respond from beyond the three-point line.

After just a few hits, the Knicks, who received long rebounds, found an opportunity, and Sprewell began to stand on the free throw line.

After Oakley moved his body a bit, the half-time game was over quickly.

At 42:59, the Knicks entered the second half with a 17-point lead.

4 of 7 in the single quarter, all three-pointers, and Li You scored 13 points in the second quarter.

Avery Johnson had already been numbed from the shot, and when he walked to the tunnel with his eyes straight and he didn't feel like he was bumping into his teammates.

Bob Costas has watched too many Knicks games and naturally knows what 17 points mean:

"Popovich and the coaching staff should be ready for the next game."

"As much as Spurs fans may not like to hear comments like this, it's hard to tie that margin given the state of tonight's projection."

Doug Collins also nodded in agreement, and the two witnessed all the games of the Knicks in this year's playoffs, at which point he added:

"Like I said, slow down the game, improve the quality of the defense, play more positionally, and the Spurs can still dominate the game."

"If they have to limit Lee's play, and considering this is their first meeting this season, I think the Spurs will adjust in time."

As soon as the second half began, it was boring.

The more the three of them chatted in the commentary booth, the more crooked they became, and they even began to discuss how the Spurs broke out of the West.

The huge point difference did not make the Spurs give up the game, but as the Knicks blossomed more, Popovich on the sidelines could only sit back on the bench with his face pulled.

Larry Johnson singles in the low post, double rebounds from Kurt and Ben, Lee's breakaway shot, Alan Houston catch-and-shoot jumper.

Although the number of fouls increased rapidly, Ben Wallace was still not troubled by fouls thanks to his performance in the first half.

The Spurs, who were trying to speed up, made a few mistakes and honestly started to attack their positions.

It's just that Duncan's goal doesn't seem to be of much use, and when it comes to the defensive end, it will still be easily scored by the Knicks.

The perimeter defenders switched rounds, and the Spurs coaching staff finally realized they just couldn't defend it.

With 1 minute and 47 seconds left in the third quarter, after being fouled tactically, Lee Woo stood on the free throw line, and Avery Johnson completely lost his temper, and the "little general" received four fouls and was substituted.

Popovich looked at the score difference on the field, simply waved his hand, and directly changed to the atmosphere group.

At 22:26 in the first quarter, the third quarter was over, and at 64:85, the game went into garbage time.

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere group cheered with the fans, and everyone could show their faces in the Finals.

Li You returned to his seat, took the towel handed by Lewis, and bumped fists with this budding newcomer by the way:

"Come on, Bro, try to get some stats when you get on the field!"

The new Lewis patted his chest, looking a little excited, jumping up and down and moving his body, he didn't expect that he would be able to appear in the finals.

Played 31 minutes, 10-of-16, 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point line, 4-of-4 from the free throw line, 29 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists with no turnovers.

Jeff Van Gundy glanced at the technical statistics, saw Li You's performance, nodded secretly, but pretended to be calm on the surface.

The on-site director also frequently focused the camera on the bald young marshal and Ewing, one calmly drinking a drink, the other grinning, and constantly bumping fists with everyone on the bench.

The atmosphere group appeared on the stage, and on the commentary seat, Doug Collins saw Popovich with a serious expression, and sighed for a while:

"Coach Van Gundy is a championship coach, and Popovich may have to reacquaint himself with the series after the game."

Thank you for your subscription support ̄ " ̄

(End of chapter)