Chapter 146: Free Throws and Iron Strikes (10,000-Character Chapter)

On June 17, 1999, many sports media expressed their shock after the G1 finals that just ended last night:

"The time for Clay-Lee is coming!"

"Jeff Van Gundy deserves another league coach of the year."

"Popovich is the team's last shortcoming, and Phil Jackson is interested in taking over the Spurs!"

“.”

There was a lot of news in the early morning, and the print media in New York climaxed on the spot, and many people thought that the finals were over.

The post-game columns are even more bizarre, and since most of the Spurs' interviews are mediocre, many sports columnists once again play their strengths and start a mode of making something out of nothing.

Phil Jackson seems intent on returning to the league, but the Spurs aren't his cup of tea.

For other reasons, the Spurs themselves struggle to meet the salary and privilege demands of a championship coach.

The 17th happened to be Thursday, and TNT's program specially invited Mike Flatello, who used to be an assistant coach of the Knicks, as an analyst:

"Ben Wallace, a short center who doesn't have the ability to attack on his own, is the Knicks' backcourt rebounding guarantee."

"Look at this round in the third quarter, Ben Wallace first helped defend Mario Elie, who broke to the basket, and then got involved in the counterattack."

"Good quality cover at the top of the arc, David Robinson quickly delayed in front of Lee, watch this pass!"

The director began to slow down the angle of Lee Woo's ball, and Ben Wallace received the ball and went down.

"It's hard for a normal big man to bend down and lower his center of gravity to catch the ball, but Ben Wallace did it easily, catching the ball and dunking it down, and Duncan was slow to help defend this round."

Throughout his NBA coaching career, Mike Fratello has not been particularly successful, but analyzing the video shows that he is good at it:

"After watching the game, the biggest impression for me was that Lee may not need to partner with a super center, and Ben Wallace can already play the starting position with a strong running and jumping ability."

Mike Flatello also showed a look of yearning on his face after saying this, if he had met such a player back then, he might have become a champion coach.

Every manager who becomes a champion coach meets a superstar of their own.

Tactics are important, but players are even more important, Mike Fratello was a little distracted for a while, and it wasn't until Ernnie Johnson spoke out in the studio that he came back to his senses:

"The Knicks have really changed the way we think about the outside offense, and Lee is playing so well that it's hard to believe that this is the third season of his career."

Kenny Smith didn't show a surprised look, but put on a look that I had expected a long time ago:

"Avery Johnson has a huge disadvantage in size, and Mario Elie is too slow to move laterally."

"I'm going to choose to use Elliott against Lee, and of course, that would give Alan Houston and Larry Johnson better offensive opportunities."

"Realistically, it's the better defensive option, and the next game is adjusted in time and the Spurs have a chance to win."

85:105, Knicks G1 defeated Spurs.

Thinking of the huge 20-point difference, Mike Flatello finally said conservatively:

"If Tim Duncan and David Robinson continue to play like this, then the Spurs do have a chance to win a championship."

Playing 31 minutes, 9-of-16, 5-of-6 free throws, 23 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers, Tim Duncan's stats were impeccable despite the team's losses.

Playing 29 minutes, 7-of-14, 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, 22 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 3 turnovers, David Robinson was lethal and also played efficiently.

The two combined to score 45 points and get half of the team's points.

The G1 Spurs' offense also played at a normal level, and the loss was mainly due to problems with the outside defense.

The finals G2 will officially start tomorrow night, and there is not much time to adjust, and Ernnie Johnson asked a simple question to the two next to him at this time:

"If the Spurs want to win games, what are the easiest and most effective adjustments?"

Kenny Smith shook his head, directly indicating that there was no time to adjust the time of day, Mike Flatello pondered for a moment, and finally spoke:

"Maybe the Spurs' coaching staff can tell Avery Johnson to improve the quality of passing to the big man, maybe the biggest help for the Spurs at the moment!"

Feeding the cake has always been a technical job, and the quality of Avery Johnson's passing has dropped a lot after being led by Lee Yo throughout the game.

Kenny Smith continued to shake his head and made the most realistic suggestion:

"Maybe the Spurs should think about the home game in advance, and they have to take their chances for three consecutive home games."

“.”

Although Jeff Van Gundy appeared confident in the press conference, the bald young marshal was very cautious in the video lesson.

As a traditional coach, Jeff Van Gundy still trusts the big man and believes in basketball truth:

"The closer you get to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage!"

The bald young marshal is afraid of fluctuations in the outside projection, and the shooting feel is such a thing, he can only pray to God, and no one can predict the state of the players in the game:

"On the premise of controlling the foul, we should try to limit the play of the opponent's big man."

'I know it's going to be hard, but we've got to try to do that, be fast, and remember to echo each other.'

Ben Wallace nodded incessantly, and although it was true that he had a hard time defending Duncan alone, he gladly responded to the manager's request.

It's the same with Kurt Thomas, who can make it to the finals and has a lot of playing time, which is like a dream for him, and he has to give it his all.

Oakley didn't say anything on the side, the old guy actually didn't have a good way, he could only make Duncan uncomfortable receiving the ball, as for the opponent's offense, it depended on the state of the night.

Defense is still the guarantee for the Knicks to win, and due to injury, several people on the inside are actually under a lot of pressure.

At the end of the afternoon training session, Ewing continued to be the atmosphere group, cheering everyone on:

"Three more wins and we'll be crowned, hold on and keep it that way!"

The Gorilla gave out chicken soup and told the insiders that he really didn't want to see David Robinson kill on his home court.

Li You saw Jeff Van Gundy's lack of confidence, but one reassuring word was enough.

In the locker room, Larry Johnson smiled and gestured with a boxing gesture and said casually:

"The Spurs made 4-of-13 three-pointers, and I remember most of them were in the fourth quarter."

"The game was much better than I expected!"

Li You has already changed into a formal suit, and there are activities in the evening, so he followed the "aunt" twice, and joked with a smile:

"If we can fire from the three-point line in the next game, I promise we can still win easily!"

Alan Houston on the side quipped:

"Following the pattern of the Eastern Conference Finals, if you want to wait for Larry to explode outside the three-point line, maybe you can get G4."

Bill Bradley, a Knicks legend, was preparing to participate in the 2000 primary, and although he retired and turned to politics, although he suffered a lot of white eyes, he can be regarded as a wide range of friends.

At least at this dinner, Li You met many former officials.

Li You, who majored in history in college, actually had a good conversation with Bradley, but when he heard the other party's eloquent views on medical insurance and financial reform, he secretly shook his head in his heart.

I have lived here for many years, and the "three-no" American-style elite primary selection process is often an organized "body".

This Knicks legend may play okay, and the senator is not bad, and if you want to go further, relying on this temporary program, it will be basically no fun.

Li You, who was following the crowd, threw out the money without saying anything, and Ivana, who was wearing a white dress on her side, showed a thoughtful look.

is about to graduate from high school, and the blonde white rabbit has resumed his modeling career in the past six months, but Li You can clearly feel that he is fat again.

Taking advantage of the end of the banquet, Li You hurriedly ate some food to relieve his empty stomach:

"Eat these at night and be careful to gain weight the next day"

Ivana quietly glared at Li You, took a small bite of dessert, and whispered by the way:

"If you exercise, you can burn off these calories!"

Thinking of the little follower becoming slimmer and slimmer for the modeling career, and then looking at the blonde white rabbit with a development trend in the direction of the tank, I can't help but sigh that it is good to be rich.

It seems that it has entered a rebellious period, and overeating is Ivana's regular operation, and soon the two whispered again, and Li You knew that he would have to press F again tonight.

On the evening of June 18th, the finals G2 officially began.

Although many media outlets were overwhelmingly predicting that the Knicks would once again protect their home court, the Spurs played something different at halftime.

Popovich made adjustments, and in addition to insisting on Duncan, the three players on the outside line have increased their aggression on the offensive end.

Compared to G1, the Spurs accelerated the offensive tempo tonight, and at the end of the half, the score came to 48:46.

The Knicks were behind, Madison Square Garden, the New York fans were not in a good mood, and the arena was getting more and more noisy.

At half-time, in the visiting dressing room, Popovich was a little emotional, and if they can get an away win, then they have a chance to win the title at home.

Increasing the offensive role of the outside line, and no longer relying on the inside line to drive the offense, Popovich pointed to the whiteboard and shouted:

"Sean, great performance, we need to respond from the outside."

"Mario, keep attacking in the low post, everyone move!"

In the first half of the game, Duncan played a total of 22 minutes and 44 seconds, with only a little more than 1 minute of rest.

Watching the somewhat emotional head coach keep emphasizing the precautions of the second half, Duncan just nodded slightly, and didn't react much.

With 6-of-13 shooting, 2-of-2 free throws, 14 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block, Duncan put up a mediocre half-time stats.

Avery Johnson wasn't as easy as rookie Duncan, with only a two-minute break at halftime, plus constant defense, back in the locker room, and gasping for air.

David Robinson saw that Popovich was almost done, and immediately clapped his hands, and reminded loudly with a serious expression:

"Hold on, don't worry about shooting, I'll grab the rebound, even if I'm on the outside."

The "General", who focused on frontcourt rebounds tonight, has grabbed four frontcourt rebounds and reduced the offensive end, but David Robinson has no complaints.

Popovich was very happy with the current atmosphere in the dressing room and had a smile on his face:

"It's real logging tired!"

As the second half of the game was about to begin, the Knicks walked out of the locker room, and Larry Johnson was too depressed to talk.

2-of-8, scored 4 points in the half, and after the Spurs added interior help defense, the low-post back-to-back singles were iron, and the three-pointers were not opened.

Before walking out of the players' tunnel, Lee Woo patted Larry Johnson and reminded him briefly:

"Don't worry, Larry, keep on shrinking the defense, like Coach Van Gundy said, they're not going to be on track all the time!"

Elliott, who was let go, made 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point line in the half, and Larry Johnson's defense was a little shaky, almost allowing the opponent to blossom inside and outside.

Nodding gloomily, Larry Johnson said he understood.

Oakley was in no mood to taunt the opponent at this time, and the rookie on the opposite side was arching to the basket in the half, and he really couldn't prevent it.

With the players back on the field and on the NBC commentary bench, Bob Costas continued to smile and explain:

Lee was 4-of-9 from the half, 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point line, and scored 14 points in the half.

'The core players of both teams were very efficient and we can watch the changes made by Coach Van Gundy at half-time!'

Doug Collins didn't say much either, "Big Mom" didn't feel good in the half, and he would definitely concentrate the ball in the second half, which he has seen too many times:

"Avery Johnson has to be careful, as I said, the Spurs have to maintain defensive intensity on the perimeter in the first half."

In the first half of the game, except for the failure of "Big Mom" to eat cake, the egalitarianism of the Knicks was still very successful.

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

Without waiting for the baseline ball to be kicked off, the New York fans at the scene shouted loudly along with the DJ.

Ben Wallace quickly fed the ball to Lee Yo, and Avery Johnson squeezed to his side.

The referee's blow was very lenient tonight, with Avery Johnson starting to interfere as Lee Woo advanced with the ball.

Oakley was at the top of the arc by this time, and the old guy's role was to pull Duncan out and keep the rookie away from the basket.

After moving two more steps upward, Oakley stopped and made a high pick-and-roll for Lee.

Avery Johnson couldn't get past again, but was stumbled by the cooperation of Lee Yo and Oakley.

Holding the ball in his left hand, Li You noticed that Duncan had already defended the three-point line, first paused slightly, then lowered his center of gravity, and turned his hip to accelerate the breakthrough.

Raising his right hand, Duncan quickly slid back to the right and delayed, and the moment Li You rushed into the opponent's arms, he suddenly stopped sharply and quickly crossed and pulled back.

Shaking out a position, Li You immediately closed the ball and pretended to shoot.

Avery Johnson, who was chasing behind him, hurriedly pounced, Duncan in front of him adjusted his footsteps and followed up with a jump block, Li You was caught in front and back, but he sent a ground pass.

The unguarded Oakley just started, received the ball in the paint area, rushed up with three major points, easily broke through to the basket, and put the basket with his left hand!

At 48:48, in the first round, the Knicks easily equalized the score.

At the bottom right of the basket, Ben Wallace's card position also played a huge role, and Oakley patted "Little Ben" and celebrated with Li You when he stepped back.

After eating the cake successfully, cheers rang out again in the arena, and Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines also clapped his hands at this time, and after half-time, the bald young marshal was a little nervous.

Mario Elie played very well in the low post in the first half, and the veteran's tendon meat made a difference.

Avery Johnson was led by Lee You, tried to pick up speed, quickly crossed the half, and when he came to the left flank, Mario Elie was already in the blocking zone with his back to the ball.

After Mario Eli received the pass, the Spurs pulled away to make room for the veteran to play alone.

David Robinson was again at the free-throw line, and Duncan moved to the right near baseline.

Elliott moved on the right flank, ready to answer.

Alan Houston struggled to defend, Mario Elli put the ball with his right hand and hit it vigorously, then quickly turned to the baseline, and arched to the basket against the defense.

It's just that this kind of offensive routine was used too much in the first half, and the early defensive Alan Houston successfully predicted the opponent's breakthrough route, and after the two fought physically, Mario Eli threw and hit the iron.

By this time, Duncan and David Robinson had squeezed under the basket, and the two big men struggled to grab the rebound.

David Robinson grabbed the rebound, but Ben Wallace jumped twice and managed to protect the backcourt rebound before the two.

“Wow!”

The first half was robbed by the opponent, and a successful backcourt rebound made the New York fans cheer loudly.

Failed to play a transition offense, and after Lee Woo advanced with the ball, the Spurs had already completed their retreat.

Due to Larry Johnson's misalignment in the half, Alan Houston stepped up to the flank to pick up the second half as soon as the second half began.

Ben Wallace stepped forward to cover when Lee came to the right flank, and Oakley followed suit to the top of the arc.

With a quick back-dribble, Lee You, who switched to his left hand, began to move laterally.

First, he feigned a left-handed breakthrough to attract David Robinson's attention, and then Lee Woo accelerated laterally again to the top of the arc, and with the help of Oakley's cover, he escaped Avery Johnson's pursuit.

When Duncan changed defenses, Li You suddenly jumped and dribbled, and then with a flick of his left wrist, the basketball passed directly through Duncan's right side.

The basketball bounced to the floor and flew straight to the basket, Ben Wallace grabbed in front of David Robinson, scooped the ball and went to the bottom left of the basket to make a layup!

In the commentary seat, Bob Costas shouted briskly:

"Oh!"

"Wonderful fit! Sending assists in a row, the Spurs' interior defense was penetrated! ”

After the goal, "Little Ben" shouted excitedly, and David Robinson, who was on the sidelines, kept frowning.

At 48:50, the Knicks regained the lead, and the New York fans at the scene screamed happily.

Lee clapped his hands to remind the crowd to pay attention to the defense, and soon Avery Johnson led the lead to the left flank, and David Robinson moved to the left elbow.

Realizing that the opponent was going to make a pick-and-roll, Lee quickly walked down the line and squeezed through to get space to pass, and Avery Johnson walked to the free throw line with the ball in his right hand and immediately hit the ground and passed it back to David Robinson.

The latter catches the ball, doesn't give "Little Ben" much time to react, and immediately jumps and shoots!

"Bang!"

The rebound bounced and was just picked up by Larry Johnson who retracted the basket, and then quickly threw the ball forward, and Lee Woo grabbed the ball in front of Avery Johnson, and then immediately launched a transition attack.

In the first half, the shooting was excellent, and David Robinson was secretly annoyed by the iron, so he could only bury his head and rush back quickly.

Avery Johnson continued to give physical duels on Lee You's side, and the two tangled to the left flank.

Noticing that David Robinson had almost rushed back to the basket and approached the paint area, Lee You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, slowed down slightly, leaned on Avery Johnson, and quickly wrapped the ball around the ball with one hand.

While changing the rhythm, Li You grabbed the ball with one hand with his left hand and leaned over to pick up the basket!

Failing to react defensively, Avery Johnson watched the basketball fly to the rebound, and David Robinson, who quickly stepped back, jumped up to block, only to find that the basketball was flying high.

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the high board into the basket, and Li You looked calm and quickly retreated.

At 48:52, seeing that the Knicks opened up the point difference in a few rounds, Popovich on the sidelines hurriedly made tactical gestures and loudly reminded his teammates.

Li You, who retreated to the half, also whispered to remind his teammates to defend:

"Charles, don't let him catch the ball easily!"

Every time the Spurs fall behind, there is a high probability that the ball will be given to Duncan, and Li You has already noticed this, so he naturally wants to remind him.

The Spurs' tactics were very clear, and Duncan's offense began to ask for the ball with his back in the right block again.

While Oakley, who had been prepared, kept pulling and trying to go around the front defense, Lee Yoo also covered Avery Johnson on the right flank and kept interfering.

Even pulling and pulling, Oakley still concealed his elbow when he went around, Duncan was a little annoyed by these small movements, and simply took advantage of the old guy to go around the front and stealthily pushed a straight into the basket.

Oakley defended out of position, but Avery Johnson's pass was jammed by Lee Yo.

Duncan noticed that the ball was passed wide and tried to save it, but almost pounced on the camera under the basket.

"Oh!"

The Spurs made a mistake, cheers rang out again, fans flicked their orange handkerchiefs again, and Madison Square Garden was boiling again.

Seeing the ugly face of Avery Johnson, Doug Collins shook his head slightly:

'The attacking intent is too obvious, and Avery Johnson should have been a little more patient.

Popovich on the sidelines also noticed that something was wrong, and the quality of his passing dropped a lot tonight.

On the commentary seat, Doug Collins was still sighing, but Bob Costas shouted at this time:

"Oh! Oh, God! Lee breaks through the two-man bag defense! ”

Suddenly picking up speed, Lee Woo dribbled past half court, and Ben Wallace blocked high at the top of the arc.

The quality of the cover was not high, and Li You dribbled behind his back and changed to his left hand and suddenly led the ball forward quickly.

David Robinson was still moving sideways, but found that the basketball had flown to his left front, and subconsciously wanted to step forward to intercept, but Li You suddenly squeezed between the two, and immediately accelerated in a straight line after catching the ball with his right hand.

Avery Johnson almost crashed into his teammate and by this time had completely lost his defensive position.

In the blink of an eye, I saw that Li You had broken through to the paint area, and the left side was near the baseline position, and Duncan was just about to move his foot, when he saw Li You's right hand pull the ball back sharply.

Subconsciously stopped, realizing that something was wrong, Duncan, wanted to complete the defense, but he could only watch Li You make an easy layup.

The arena erupted in loud cheers, and Bob Costas subconsciously raised his voice:

"What a beautiful goal! The feints on the march deceived Duncan, and Lee played the Spurs' defense! ”

At 48:54, after a wave of 8:0, the Knicks took a six-point lead.

Popovich immediately called a timeout, and the Spurs' smiling bench in the first half went silent.

Jeff Van Gundy couldn't stop high-fiveing and celebrating, patting Lee Woo who was off the court, and the atmosphere group also regained its vitality.

Ewing also got up at this time to cheer everyone on, and when he saw David Robinson striking the iron, the gorilla's heart smiled:

"That's it, don't let them catch the ball easily, if they make mistakes, we will counterattack!"

Waving his arms, Ewing did Jeff Van Gundy's job, constantly delivering chicken soup

Compared to the Eastern Conference Finals, Ben Wallace's coverage was a little better, and Li You's blocking and dismantling was much less trapped.

"Ben, good job! Pay attention to rebounding. ”

After the pause, before going on the court, Li You patted "Xiao Ben" again and gave a simple advice.

Ben Wallace hurriedly nodded and lost the board in the first half, which was indeed his problem.

The Spurs, who were back on the court, continued to let Duncan receive the ball in the blocking zone.

The offense was a lot more patient, the left side didn't have a chance, so he moved to the right, and finally David Robinson received the ball at the free throw line and played a high-low match to get the ball to Duncan.

Approaching 24 seconds again, Duncan received the ball in the low post on the right side and forced the basket, causing Oakley to foul the hitter.

was pulled down directly, there was no 2+1 chance at all, seeing Duncan shaking his right hand, Popovich on the sidelines began to complain loudly to the referee again.

After Duncan hit both free throws, the game went back to the rhythm that the Knicks liked.

On the defensive end, Oakley and Ben Wallace, who were off the line, kept going around, and Li You was on the line, pressing desperately on the passer.

While it was an easy dunk to hoist the ball inside in a few rounds, the Spurs' offense became sluggish in most rounds.

Relying on his individual ability, Duncan made consecutive free throws to help the team score points.

As time passed, after Alan Houston and Oakley hit mid-range jumpers in succession at the elbow area, the Spurs were a little overwhelmed:

The Knicks' offensive rounds are on the rise.

Trying to use the outside to drive the inside, Mario Elie singled with his back and hung Alan Houston to break through to the basket.

David Robinson, who wanted to give the ball to the cut, was poked away by Ben Wallace.

In the middle of the semi-conversion, Li You accelerated the breakthrough on the left wing, carried the defense of Avery Johnson, cut to the basket, met David Robinson, who assisted the defense, and completed the throw with his left hand!

"Bang!"

The basketball slammed out of the frame under the interference, and before David Robinson could twist to protect the rebound, Ben Wallace jumped high and pressed the ball into the basket!

"Boom!" Basket dunk!

"Ahh

Ben Wallace, who completed the dunk, screamed after landing on the ground, and Popovich asked for a timeout again.

At 60:66, with 3:01 left in the third quarter, the Knicks still held the lead.

Noticing that the Knicks replaced Larry Johnson with Sprewell after the timeout, Isaiah Thomas smiled and said on the commentary bench:

"Coach Van Gundy is a bit conservative, but it's not too late to make a change!"

"The Knicks almost cut off the Spurs inside and outside the second half tonight, and I like that kind of defense."

The Spurs also made a substitution, with Elliott standing in front of Lee Yo.

Daniels, who came off the bench, was in charge of marking Sprewell, and Mario Elie continued to defend Alan Houston.

Popovich on the sidelines was still expecting the defense to work, but after Elliott posted the defense, he was easily broken through by Li You.

Spurs' Mario Elie just scored a single shot in the left blocking area, and when he turned around, Li You, the right wing, broke through the ball, and Oakley, who was unguarded in the elbow area, scored again in the middle distance!

Completing the attack, the old guy threw his fist excitedly.

The scores alternated again, and by the end of the third quarter, the score had reached 68-75.

Noticing that the Spurs only took 18 shots and committed five turnovers in the third quarter, Doug Collins reluctantly said:

"It's not easy to be able to comfortably give the ball to the big man on the inside, and a few mistakes are caused by the cooperation between inside and outside."

Bob Costas was well aware of the passing intentions tonight, and the Knicks limited the Spurs' outside passing:

"Hopefully in the fourth quarter, the Spurs can control the turnover!"

The three in the commentary box revisited the game, and when the final quarter began, neither of them expected Ben Wallace to be the protagonist of the early fourth quarter.

The Spurs, who had learned their lessons, began to let David Robinson play low.

Mario Elie's sudden cut made Alan Houston lose his defensive position, and he caught the ball in the paint area and broke through to the bottom left of the basket, and just as he was about to complete a layup, he was blocked by Ben Wallace, who twisted to help the defense.

"Oh!"

The sturdy hat made the stadium burst into loud cheers.

Alan Houston took possession and rushed to the ball, and the Spurs couldn't complete the defensive alignment in time for a while.

Elliott was slow to retreat, and Lee Yoo received the ball on the right wing outside the three-point line, and immediately let the opponent jump up from his side to block.

deceived the opponent's defense, Li You took advantage of the situation to release the ball, took a step sideways, and took advantage of the time difference to convert three points into a quick jump shot!

"Huh!" Three-pointers hollow into the net.

At 68:78, the Knicks atmosphere team raised his right hand with Li You, raised three fingers, and shouted happily.

Subconsciously speeding up the offensive tempo, this time the outside drop ball pass was of high quality, but after Duncan received the ball under the basket, Sprewell blocked it, and at the same time kept interfering.

Quickly flicking the ball to the bottom left corner, Elliott hit an empty three-pointer!

Coming off the bench, Kurt Thomas protected the long rebound, and after Lee Woo received the ball, he launched another transition attack.

Quickly advancing to the right flank, Li You noticed that Elliott was also following behind him, and immediately realized that Sprewell had an opportunity.

When the two were about to close, Li You suddenly jumped up and threw the ball, and the basketball flew straight to the bottom left corner.

Mario Elie, who followed Alan Houston to the paint zone, realized that the defense was wrong and rushed to defend Sprewell.

It's just that it was too far away, Mario Elie's block didn't play any role, and after the adjustment, Sprewell made an easy jumper with an empty three-pointer!

"Huh!" Convert three points and score again!

After hitting a three-pointer for the first time in the finals, Sprewell jumped up and down and screamed.

The Spurs called a timeout, Madison Square Garden was in full swing, and the New York fans in attendance began to celebrate the victory.

68:81, two consecutive three-pointers, the difference came to 13 points.

Seeing Popovich's angry sprayers, Doug Collins sighed again in a low voice:

"Perfect attacking tempo! Lee always sensed opportunities on the court, and the Spurs paid the price for their low-level turnovers. ”

The trio discussed it again and basically reached a common point of view:

"The Spurs can't get the score back."

The double-digit point difference naturally did not make the Spurs give up, and took the initiative to speed up the offensive tempo, away from the basket to catch the ball, Duncan and David Robinson simply held the ball and rushed inside.

The referee began to blow the whistle constantly, and the Knicks' interior really couldn't withstand such an impact.

It was a free throw for several rounds in a row, which also angered the fans at the scene, and when Mario Eli also stood on the free throw line, he simply scolded the referee!

It began to rain on both sides, and Avery Johnson couldn't withstand Li You's breakthrough and arched in the same whistle

Popovich would complain at first, but as the game went on, the margin didn't shrink at all.

Lee, Larry Johnson, and Sprewell followed with a slam penchant of free throws, and the Spurs coaching staff knew the game was over.

With 3:32 left in the game, Lee hit the second free throw, and Oakley rushed to the front court for a rebound.

Soon, Li You received the ball at the top of the arc again and grinded it for 24 seconds.

Steve Cole, who came on as a substitute, was a little anxious and kept cutting the ball to interfere, but Li You, who was sideways guarding the ball, was not affected in any way.

After being caught on the line, Lee quickly returned the ball to Alan Houston, who was back on the court.

Elliott immediately let go of Larry Johnson in the bottom left corner for a defensive rotation.

Quickly moving the ball, Larry Johnson was unguarded when he received the ball and took aim for a moment before making a jumper.

"Huh!" Three-pointer again!

Iron Tree blossomed, shot 1-of-5 and let out a sigh of relief, Larry Johnson pounded his chest and screamed.

At 76:88, the score difference is back in double digits!

Completely discharged in one breath, Elliott reluctantly looked at the scoreboard, there was not enough time.

In the final three minutes, the Spurs were able to stand at the free throw line and score in the restricted area, but the margin was always around 10 points.

Steve Kerr made a three-point shot, and when he turned around, Lee You, who grabbed the long rebound, took the ball and rushed again.

Cole, who didn't have time to complete the tactical foul and failed to pull, lost his defensive position, watched Li You rush through the half.

1 to 0 in the front court, Li You rushed to the paint area, jumped with both feet and picked up the ball in a circle, grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand, and the windmill was dunked!

“Wow!!”

The cheers of the fans were particularly harsh, and they asked for a timeout again, and Popovich did not give up the game after angrily slamming Cole.

After the timeout, Lee Woo began to control the tempo, and the time of the game went by quickly.

In the end, the Spurs still couldn't complete the comeback, and the final buzz sounded, and the score was fixed at 88-99.

Under the protection of the next two home games, the big score came to 2:0, Jeff Van Gundy smiled and shook hands with the serious-looking Popovich for the first time.

Jim Gray immediately approached Li You's side and started the post-game interview with a smile:

"Lee, congratulations on winning the game again, what kind of plans does the team have for the next three away games?"

Li You waved his hand to his friends in the audience, and then replied in a relaxed tone:

"Everybody wants to end the series as soon as possible, because the Spurs are very strong and we don't want to drag the series on for too long!"

As if the question didn't seem to be a big deal, Jim Gray smiled again and asked:

"In the fourth quarter, the Spurs made 18 free throws, what do you think about the blowing in this game?"

Before looking at the technical statistics, Li You was also stunned when he heard it 18 times, and then quickly quipped:

"No problem, we should have made a lot of free throws, we can't beat the Knicks with free throws!"

“.”

Played 42 minutes, 10-of-21, 3-of-8 from beyond the three-point line, 9-of-10 from the free throw line, 32 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 turnovers.

Li You did punish a lot, and Jim Gray finally smiled and patted his shoulder, no longer asking questions about what was going on.

Coming back to home, Tim Duncan was also asked about free throws in his post-game press conference:

"Tim, back in San Antonio, are you going to get more free throws?"

The New York Post reporter was not polite at all, and many media outlets were very unhappy with the whistle in the fourth quarter.

9-of-19, 10-of-12 free throws, 28 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers, and in the fourth quarter, Duncan also made a lot of free throws

As if not perceiving the provocation, Duncan simply replied calmly:

'I'm just playing, I don't care about the referee's blows, we had some problems with the details of the game tonight, but after that, we'll protect the home side.'

took turns to provoke, but Tim Duncan did not enter, but choked the New York media in the audience.

On the morning of June 19, the Spurs, who lost two games in a row, became the object of sports columnists out of nothing:

"Phil Jackson is coming to San Antonio!"

It's just that this news was slapped in the face in the afternoon, and a reporter from the Los Angeles Times broke the news that the Lakers are interested in Phil Jackson, and the championship coach will choose Angel City!

In the afternoon training session, everyone on the Knicks team was also gossiping, and Ewing, who acted as the atmosphere group, didn't like to hear "Lakers Championship":

"The Lakers won't make any improvement, the Spurs can beat them, which already shows the strength of the other side!"

The gorilla's careful thinking is clear to everyone, the four major centers, only Olajuwon and him have a championship, if you really want O'Neal to win the championship, this big mouth can't stop.

Jeff Van Gundy interrupted the gossip of the crowd, clapped his hands and said loudly:

"We're going to have to focus on the finals, Lee, and in the next game, we might have to play more off-ball."

"Larry, Houston, Sprewell, you have to get ready, we're going to have to make the other side pay the price!"

Li You, who followed his teammates to gossip, heard the bald young marshal's advice, and responded immediately:

"Don't worry, coach, we're going to win the championship!"

Soon everyone followed suit, and Jeff Van Gundy touched his head, still a little worried.

Assistant coach Thibodeau saw Van Gundy's heart, and while everyone was back to training, he comforted in a low voice:

"Without a three-pointer, it's hard for the Spurs to widen the margin in a short period of time."

"Even if we fall behind, as long as we play a wave of climaxes, we can catch up on the game!"

Don Channey, the assistant coach on the side, also felt that Van Gundy was thinking too much, and comforted in a relaxed tone:

"Jeff, be confident in our projection, we have the best backcourt combination in the league."

“.”

On June 21st, after a two-day break, the finals G3 officially began.

Back at home, Popovich abruptly adjusted his rotation, and Jaren Jackson was added to the active roster.

The Spurs, who played a desperate stance, suddenly ate dumplings outside the three-point line.

With David Robinson 3-of-10, Jaren Jackson was 6-of-12 and 5-of-10 from beyond the three-point line for 17 points!

In the end, 83-89, the Spurs pulled one back.

In the fourth quarter of the game, the Knicks scored 14 points in a single quarter and almost smashed the basket.

When Jeff Van Gundy and Lee Yo appeared at the press conference, it was only natural that the San Antonio reporter would not pass up such an opportunity:

"Lee, how would you rate the team's performance in the fourth quarter?"

Jeff Van Gundy's face is ugly, and the bald young marshal thinks that the whistle is wrong tonight and is still sulking.

Dressed in a dark gray suit, Li You looked calm, and when he saw everyone in the audience looking at him, he shook his head and responded simply:

"We just can't afford to do it"

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(End of chapter)