On October 2, 1999, just before the start of the preseason, another blockbuster trade occurred.

The Houston Rockets sent Scottie Pippen in exchange for six players from the Trail Blazers.

After the deal was completed, the Trail Blazers' salary also exceeded 70 million US dollars, and the Knicks became the only team in the league with a salary explosion.

The American knife played a role again, and the Trail Blazers transformed into a strong contender for the championship!

After the deal happened, James Dolan also commented on it through his own MSG show:

"You can't win a championship with a U.S. knife alone, and the Trail Blazers haven't built a team culture at all!"

Compared to Charles Sr., James Dolan is much more active and likes to make his voice heard through MSG's own TV station.

It's just that talking too much sometimes offends people, and Paul Allen doesn't like to hear others say that he is a rich Kaizi!

Soon Paul Allen hit back with the Oregonian:

"What was the Knicks' team culture in the late '80s and early '90s?"

Hit the nail on the head! Many commentators agree that the Knicks are lucky enough to draft an MVP-caliber player with the 18th pick.

The New York media is too lazy to refute these frivolous opinions, and it is the Chicago Bulls who are lucky with shit!

The Poison Dog team turned over after getting Michael Jordan, and that's luck, and the Knicks drafted Lee Woo, which was a scouting job done well

Many teams in the small ball market are sour again, and the Trail Blazers are really rich.

In October, the Knicks had eight preseason games to play, the first four of which were at Madison Square Garden.

The opponents, as in previous years, are still Eastern teams.

The Trail Blazers' big spending didn't dampen the good mood of New York fans, with tickets for the preseason selling out early, and front-row tickets for the regular season being sold out long ago.

The average ticket price in the NBA league is actually not high, most teams were around $40 last season, compared to $90 for the Knicks.

The price increase didn't stop the enthusiastic New York fans!

Not only is the ticket expensive, but the parking fee is not cheap when you come to Madison Square Garden to watch the game;

Entering the arena, a regular hot dog, a normal beer, and a featureless bottle of soda are all more expensive than the other teams.

The Knicks' championship hats sold for $20, but visitors to New York were willing to pay for them.

A family of three comes to New York to watch the game, it costs about 500 US dollars, the location is not too good, and you may have to grab tickets.

Although the Knicks have the highest salary in the league, ticket prices are also the most expensive in the league.

Under the mutual offset, James Dolan did not feel the pain in the flesh, but felt that he needed to spend more money.

On October 8, the 76 team, who flew to New York early, did not focus on training, and Allen Iverson and his followers went into the nightclub that night.

On the second day, the media in New York picked up Iverson and spent more than 20,000 dollars on his knife and enjoyed a night of carnival.

Larry Brown can't limit Iverson's private life, but it's just a preseason game, and it's over with a blind eye.

The 10th happened to be a Sunday, and before 8 p.m., Madison Square Garden was full.

After the cheerleading girls danced, they also began to cooperate with the staff to warm up the stadium, constantly throwing the champion T-shirts into the audience.

In the MSG commentary box, because Marv Albert has not completely shaken off the scandal, this season, Mike Brin is still the chief commentator:

"The 76ers haven't made many roster changes in the offseason, and it seems that Coach Larry Brown is still very happy with the current roster."

Walter Fraser, who was on the side, glanced at the 76ers roster, shook his head secretly in his heart, and praised his opponent on the surface:

"After two seasons of running-in, the 76ers should be able to cash in on their talent, and maybe they can go one step further this year!"

The two blew the 76ers after blowing the Knicks in the commentary booth, trying to create the illusion of a close match for the fans.

It's just that after the game started, the 76ers were in average shape.

Iverson, who has been in high condition for two days, has not been affected too much, but the start is a little slow.

has completely transformed into a scoring guard, and Iverson has made frequent shots after the opening.

Despite only being a preseason game, Larry Brown wanted to win and fielded a three-forward lineup tonight to add defensive mobility.

Newly joined Billis Irving was the No. 3 spot, George Lynch was the No. 4 and Teylon Hill was the No. 5 spot.

This lineup is just the right match for the Knicks' short interior line, and Larry Brown wants the team to pick up the pace.

After missing three shots in a row, Iverson received the ball on the left wing and immediately released the ball with his left hand and broke through.

Relying on the speed of his passes, Iverson almost wiped out Alan Houston's defense in the left block.

Approaching the paint without opting for a throw, Iverson continued to accelerate, seemingly trying to complete a layup under the basket.

Noticing that Ben Wallace quickly rotated to the bottom left of the basket, Iverson faked a real pass and immediately distributed the ball to Terylon Hill, who followed up in the middle.

The latter received the ball, and in the paint area, he wanted to jump directly to complete the dunk, and after catching the ball, he took off into the air, but Ben Wallace, who turned back to the defense, jumped high and pressed down firmly.

"Oh!"

The one-defense and two-defense were successful, and Ben Wallace's maneuverability on the inside made the New York fans at the scene exclaim.

After completing the front block and the basketball bounced to the floor, Kurt Thomas took control of the ball as soon as possible, and the 76ers quickly stepped back to the shouts of Larry Brown.

Compared with the previous two seasons, the most obvious improvement of the 76ers is defensive discipline, if it is the 76ers in the rotten period, at this time it has been blown up by the Knicks' counterattack.

Larry Johnson received the ball and dribbled twice, then casually gave the ball to Lee Yow on the side.

The opponent quickly retreated, and the Knicks did not push the fast attack, and Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, slowly dribbled through the half.

After a few rounds of the match, Lee Woo had thoroughly found his senses, and the metaphysical sense of position came into play.

On the left flank, Ben Wallace stepped forward to block the pick-and-roll, and Eric Snow spotted teammate Hill following him, pointed his finger at the position, and then prepared to squeeze through the screen.

Ben Wallace had just settled on the three-point line, Li You quickly pushed the ball to change direction, Trony Hill had just slid to change defenses, and Li You, who had switched to the left hand, led the ball to the right front again.

The basketball almost brushed the fingertips of Hill, who changed the defense, passed in front of the opponent and quickly squeezed between the two, Li You quickly scooped the ball with his right hand, 45 degrees on the left side, and went straight to the basket.

The forward players are naturally more mobile than the big ones, and although Hill, who switched to the defense, was out of position, he gave the first physical confrontation and then quickly slid to the left rear.

George Lynch also began to retract to the basket at this time, and the 76ers once again showed defensive resilience.

It's just that to the expectations of the two defenders, Li You, who was in the middle of the march, suddenly dribbled behind his back when he was not in the blocking area, took a big step after switching to his left hand again, and then started directly by relying on Hill, who was twisting to defend.

Li You suddenly increased his stride, and Hill, who was attacked to support his feet in front of the defense, realized that he was out of position.

Hill, who struggled to make a block and twisted to defend, hoped to interfere with Li You's layup, but in the end he could only watch Li You hold the ball with his left hand and the basket on the lower left, and easily complete the leaning basket!

"Bang!" Hollow into the net after the high board.

In the eyes of the fans at the scene, Li You's goal was very thrilling, and Trony Hill almost completed the block, followed by a loud cheer.

Li You, who completed the goal, felt extremely relaxed, and after a few rounds, after he figured out the opponent's athletic ability, adjusted the position of the ball, and there would be this kind of goal that could be blocked by 100 million points

At 4:12, less than 4 minutes into the game, the 76ers immediately called a timeout.

Of course, there is no need to take the preseason so seriously, but Larry Brown is obsessive-compulsive, and the coach simply can't stand this kind of easy scoring.

Artest on the bench was shouting at this time with a towel, and in more than half a month of training matches, he has been defending Li You and partnering with "Xiao Ben", and the two were abused every day.

thought that his strength was not good, but seeing that the 76ers' defense was also like paper, Artest regained his confidence.

"It's amazing, I knew it wasn't my problem!"

Artest, who was babbling, yelled vigorously on the sidelines, and suddenly fell into a state of self-satisfaction.

Assistant coach Thibodeau subconsciously covered his head, and after half a month of observation, he found some problems with Artest, and this budding newcomer is extremely emotional.

And the coaching staff simply can't predict whether the impact of this emotionality will be positive or negative.

This trait is not destined to become the true core of a team, but fortunately, the coaching staff has positioned Artest as a tool man, and they do not expect this newcomer to become the team's third main attacker.

Artest, who had regained his confidence, began to hope that he would be able to play, and soon the opportunity came!

Jeff Van Gundy realized that Lee was in great shape and began to rotate constantly.

With 5:42 left in the first quarter, the Knicks' lineup changed to Chris Childs, Ron Artest, Tony Cooke, Rashad Lewis, and Ben Wallace.

Iverson, who has never been able to find his touch, wanted to teach Artest a lesson this time and broke through the defense in a smooth way.

Before he could rejoice, Iverson was knocked to the floor by Artest, who was too excited to block, when he made a layup.

The fall was not light, Artest's block didn't touch the ball at all, and it all hit Iverson's arm.

The brutal defense made the New York fans cheer loudly, and Iverson, who had just gotten up from the floor, was so angry that he immediately went up and pushed it, but it didn't push.

Artest, who was warned by the referee, felt that he had been sneaked up and wanted to rush in front of Iverson to give two old punches as soon as he turned around.

The 76ers players hurriedly pulled the boss behind them, and looked at Artest, who suddenly became extremely emotional, with a little big head:

"Let go of me! Let me teach that dwarf who can only sneak up on a lesson! ”

Tony Cooke helplessly hugged Artest, who kept yelling, his former teammate Rodman was cunning, and the one in front of him really wanted to make a fist.

After the clash, the emotional Artest competed with Iverson, and he was really difficult to defend against a speedy guard, receiving two fouls in the first half of the game and leaving the opponent lying on the floor three times.

Larry Brown choked on the referee's loose penalty scale, and complained vigorously after switching to the main lineup in the second quarter.

Li You, who was sitting on the bench, was still experiencing the metaphysical sense of position, and after his explosiveness was further improved, his playing style could be optimized.

Oakley, who is still adjusting his physical condition, has not appeared tonight, looking at Artest, who dares to fight on the court, he can't help but smile and say:

"I like this kid's style of play, it's just that he's not smart enough and he's going to have to keep carrying his bag this season!"

Larry Johnson also thinks Artest is not bad, except for being overly emotional at times, and does have the potential to be a good defender:

"This guy's boxing level is also good, but he is a little irritable, and this kind of personality is really easy to target."

The character flaws are the result of his upbringing, and what Lee has noticed is Lewis, who seems to have adapted to the team compared to Artest.

Cook can also dominate the ball, as a tall striker with great vision, and although Artest cut all the way up, a couple of passes to Lewis were impressive.

After Chris Dudley gave Lewis an off-ball cover in the right block, Cookc, who was at the free throw line, found Lewis in the bottom right corner for the first time.

The latter received a pass and met Nazr Mohammed, who was on the move, and easily hit a three-pointer.

The second domination of the ball, simple high-low coordination, and the return of the cover down or outside the bounce, help Chris Childs control the pace of the game.

Cooke, who has a lot of experience in the game, has also found his niche as a jack-of-all-trades scorer.

Against a diminutive striker, Cook can also make some mismatch penalties.

Despite his poor hand tonight, Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines was very happy with the content of the game that Cookcic had shown.

Chris Dudley had just eaten under the basket when Jeff Van Gundy shouted from the sidelines to encourage his players:

"Nice pass! Keep up this offense and pay attention to the protection of the rebounding ball! ”

With the exception of the frizzy Artest, the players who came off the bench all scored.

With 4:42 left in the half, Artest received a pass from Cookc, and finally scored 2 points under the basket.

Jeff Van Gundy still hasn't switched back to the main lineup, and Artest, who got the points, seems to have opened up the second line of Rendu all of a sudden.

Next, a three-pointer from the right wing also scored, and finally broke through and caused a foul on the opponent, and Artest, who was completely calm, finally found his offensive rhythm.

On the commentary bench, Walter Fraser liked Cookc's performance:

"Every team needs a big man who can pass the ball, Pat is no longer there, and Cookic can take on that task, but he still has to work the offensive end, and it doesn't seem like he's finding his shooting touch yet."

1-of-6, Cookch just picked up Chris Childs for two points under the basket.

Commentator Mike Brin was more concerned about Lee's form, and he was impressed by several pick-and-roll attacks after the opening:

"Lee's offense is getting more and more calm, and if the quality of the cover is better, it will be easier to score!"

Like ordinary fans, Mike Brin didn't notice any changes in Lee's offense, after all, those few breakthrough layups were thrilling to watch.

The difference was completely widened, both teams made frequent substitutions, and Iverson, who was sitting on the bench, did not care about the result of the game, but Larry Brown was still roaring loudly.

In the end, Li You only played 20 minutes in this preseason game, 80:108, and the Knicks easily defeated their opponents.

Everyone appeared on the stage, and the New York fans were also very satisfied, the new signings Cookic and the new Artest were not scorers, but the bench lineup could still help the team score points!

After Sprewell's departure, it didn't seem to have had much impact on the Knicks, and seeing is believing, and New York fans were completely relieved.

On the night of the 12th, Michael Jordan was re-seen at Madison Square Garden.

After becoming the Wizards' director of basketball operations, Mydke still held the shelf, and the management couldn't get along with the players.

Dressed in a black suit, Mai Buckle was booed by New York fans before the game.

Before the game, Mai Dunk just said hello to everyone on the Knicks team and sat in the front row to watch the game seriously.

It's just that as time passed, Mai Buckle watched Li You turn past Stritland every time he made a slight tap on the three-point line, and his brows couldn't help but wrinkle deeper and deeper.

Even if the defenders are replaced, Mitch Richmond and Michael Smith are just as easy to pass.

Watching Li You block and dismantle Zhu Wan Howard, who faced Zhu Wan Howard, who changed defenses, suddenly cast a cold arrow outside the three-point line, and the bukkake was successful, Mai Dian couldn't hold back anymore, and scolded angrily:

"Fack! Squeeze through the cover and pounce! ”

In this game, New York fans can clearly find that Li You's body is straighter and not fast in the breakthrough, but he can always make easy layups in the paint area.

The Wizards' defense was always close to blocking, but Lee Yoo was able to seize the gap and put the ball in the basket.

Towards the end of the half, Li You, who was at the top of the arc, suddenly grabbed and directly stole Strateland's horizontal pass, 1 to 0 in the front court, and easily came to a powerful one-handed split!

At 42:58, looking at the 16-point difference, Michael Jordan, who was fully engaged, pursed his lips angrily, frowned, and had a particularly ugly expression on his face.

The on-site director frequently pointed the camera at Mai Button, and the New York fans did not forget to heckle him.

Seeing that the score difference went straight to 20 points, Michael Jordan couldn't help but rub his eyebrows with his hands, and cursed in his heart:

"Shet! It's painful to watch you play! ”

One-on-one single defense, Li You only needs to hesitate and shake on the three-point line, and then turn his hips to accelerate, as long as he squeezes through the defense to grab half of his body, there is a high probability that he can complete the breakthrough.

And when he arrives in the paint area, Li You will not stop the ball, or directly complete the frame, or turn around and then look for opportunities.

The blocking and dismantling offense is even simpler, most of the time, Li You can squeeze through the defense, as long as the opponent is not trapped, or burst or throw, he can easily score.

Seizing the small mistakes in the opponent's defensive position, Li You was able to find his teammates, and the Wizards, who had average defensive discipline, were broken through in the half.

Hamilton, who came off the bench, also performed averagely, facing Artest's brutal defense, and most of the attacks with the ball were iron.

This kind of performance also made Mai in the front row of the audience shake his head, and the expression on his face was "Surprise him with the ball"!

In the end, 82:110, the Knicks defeated the Wizards, and Michael Jordan, who was sitting in the front row, had completely lost his smile at this time, and seemed to find it difficult to accept that the Wizards had lost so much.

Michael Jordan, who was not in a beautiful mood, threw the management shelf behind him after the game, and in an interview with the New York media, he seriously criticized the Wizards:

"Such a defeat is unacceptable, tonight's Wizards team seems to me to have no fighting spirit!"

'It's unbelievable that we lost by 28 points and even though it was just a pre-season game, I couldn't see the attitude of the players playing desperately.

"If you can't get the ball to the basket, at least you should respond on the defensive end, and if it's me, I'm definitely not going to let Lee score easily."

"The basketball game is very simple, just defend the opponent's offense, and then put the ball in the basket, I hope the team can cheer up in the next games!"

Perhaps in Michael Jordan's view, Stritland is fishing on the defensive end, but the reality is that the players have done their best

McDunk hasn't changed his mindset and demanded his own standards from the Wizards, but the criticism has not helped, and the Wizards keep losing in the preseason.

In the subsequent preseason, Lee Woo began to carry out a lot of blocking and pick-and-roll offense, leading the Knicks to continuous wins.

After watching too many thrilling layups on defense, New York fans were no longer surprised, and everyone realized that this was Li You's improvement again

On October 24, at 107:90, the Knicks easily defeated the Hawks, the last opponent of the preseason.

Mutombo stared straight at Li You after the game, and he was blown up in this game.

Ewing, who flew away with the team, didn't stop smiling when he saw his friend's embarrassed appearance on the field, and he would taunt him when he watched the game.

In each of the eight games, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by 15 points, and while some teams are not strong, the New York media have been on the spot.

In an interview with a reporter from the New York Post, the other party also kept complimenting:

"It's wonderful, Lee! Every offense is so exciting, the Sports Center must be busy, there are so many beautiful offenses! ”

"Lee, can you talk about your changes in the new season? I'm talking about those wonderful breaks, finding teammates in the gaps, and completing layups by surprise, it's really amazing! ”

The fans who didn't leave the stadium were still booing, and no one wanted to see the home team lose even in pre-season.

Li You, who had already changed into his training clothes, only chuckled when he heard these questions, and then replied with a smile:

"Observe the position of the defenders, disrupt the opponent's defensive center of gravity, get close to the basket, and then throw it with your hand, and you can easily score!"

"As for how to find teammates in the gaps, a lot of it is down to the tactical arrangement of the coaching staff."

"Coach Van Gundy has a plan for every game, we just execute the game plan that we have set out before the game."

The New York Post reporter doesn't believe in the "just throw it away" statement, there is no need to get to the bottom of it, and at this time can only continue to praise:

"No one can stop our pick-and-roll offense this season, Lee, is there anything you have to say to the fans?"

Considering that there was also the Knicks' award ceremony in early November, Li You didn't forget to shout twice for James Dolan at this time:

"I hope everyone will come to Madison Square Garden to witness the team's fourth championship flag raised!"

"Two times in a row, Mr. Dolan has put a lot of thought into our championship this year, and I hope everyone will enjoy this special ring as well."

“.”

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(End of chapter)