On April 28, 2000, the NBA announced the Sixth Man of the Season (SMOY):

Suns forward Rodney Rodgers managed to win the award.

played 82 games, averaging 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 turnovers per game;

With a high 85.95% vote rate, Rogers deserves to win the award.

The Knicks' Cookc, who is averaging 11.1 points per game this season, didn't make the shortlist.

Not long ago, the league also announced the Defensive Player of the Season (DPOY) and Most Improved Player (MIP):

Alonzo Mourning of the Heat and Jalen Rose of the Pacers both won the award.

And the best coach and best manager of the season ended up going to the Magic.

Head coach Doug Rivers and general manager John Gabriel took home the award.

Although Coach Rivers failed to lead the Magic team to the playoffs, his 41-win record is only one win away from the playoffs, which is enough to show Rivers' excellent coaching ability.

The Knicks didn't win a single award, which immediately made the New York media a little unhappy.

After all, the sportsmanship award has nothing to do with the team, and the MVP is likely to be taken away by O'Neal, and the Knicks are basically empty-handed this year.

There was only one game that night, 81:76, and the 76ers, who were playing on the road, also got the match point.

If nothing else, the next Eastern Conference semifinals will be the 76ers vs. the Knicks, and the two sides can barely be called old rivals

In tonight's game, Iverson was 9-of-27, 2-of-7 from beyond the three-point line, 4-of-7 from the free-throw line, and scored 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 5 turnovers.

Although it was not efficient, the Philadelphia fans didn't care, and everyone was in a state of winning and grinning.

It wasn't until the post-game press conference, when a Yahoo Sports reporter asked a question, that Iverson lost his smile.

"Allen, can you talk about your efficiency this season? Compared to your rookie season, your shooting percentage doesn't seem to improve much. ”

Dressed in a wide black suit and carrying a gold chain, Iverson lifted the hat on his head, glanced at the white reporter, and replied casually:

"I don't care about the stats, I only play for the win, you can criticize my style of play at will, I don't care about that at all."

Iverson has taken 24.8 shots this season, shooting 42.0 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from three-point range and 71.3 percent from the free throw line.

He averaged 28.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 3.3 turnovers per game.

For a small shooting guard, it's already very good, but everything is afraid of comparison, and after looking too much at Li You's data, most sports media are not interested in this kind of inefficient data.

Iverson averages 8.9 free throws per game and, like Lee, sometimes enjoys some star whistle treatment.

It's just that too many free throws don't make the stats pretty, and it's reasonable for sports journalists to question them.

Several questions in a row questioned the data problem, Iverson suddenly became a little impatient, he didn't like the media to compare him with Li You at all, and the local media in Philadelphia hurriedly changed the topic and asked:

"Allen, what are the team's plans for this year's playoffs?"

Escaping the questioning of the media in the audience, Iverson smiled confidently at the Philadelphia reporter, and then immediately replied:

"Of course it's the championship, compared to last season, everyone cooperates more tacitly, we have successfully run-in, it's time to cash in on the talent!"

In the press conference room, the Philadelphia media followed suit, the goal was very good, and everyone liked Iverson's spirit of not admitting defeat.

This sound familiar, and Stephen A. Smith in the audience secretly shook his head, shouting slogans was useless.

On April 29, Eric Snow of the 76ers took home this season's sportsmanship award.

There were four games that night, and the Knicks took on the Bucks on the road.

Most commentators don't believe the Bucks can turn the tables against the wind, head coach George Carr seems to have lost control of the team, and Ray Allen doesn't like sour chicken soup.

Bradley Center Arena, Milwaukee fans are very enthusiastic, even if the score is 2:0 behind, they still cheer loudly for the home team after the opening.

The Bucks were fast-paced in the first half, with Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen in good form and teaming up for 29 points.

Add to that the fact that there were only four turnovers in the half, and Tim Thomas on the bench also played well, and at halftime, the Milwaukee fans began to shake to the music.

At 51:58, the Knicks trailed by another seven points.

Lee Woo made an iron three-pointer, shooting 7-of-12 in the half, 1-of-5 from beyond the three-point line, 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, and finished with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.

The Bucks changed their defensive strategy and used Kassel alone to no longer overdo it, and Larry Johnson languished on a daily basis, scoring 4 points on 2-of-8 shooting in the half.

"Auntie" felt that she had a bad hand and had begun to reduce her shots, but in the face of some misplaced opportunities, she still didn't grasp it.

When halftime returned to the locker room, Larry Johnson and Lee Woo clashed fists and didn't need to say much, a situation that everyone is familiar with.

In the closing game, Jeff Van Gundy shortened the rotation, and although he fell behind at halftime, the bald young marshal stabilized a group and continued to deliver chicken soup:

"Don't worry about the offense, as we expected before the game, the Bucks will always bounce back."

"Be patient, we did a good job in the half, believe in our shots, rotate a little faster!"

"We've only booked a hotel for one day, and I want to go back to New York tonight, and I think you too!"

Hearing the bald young marshal joking, everyone laughed, "10 points is a fart", and everyone didn't take this difference to heart.

Ewing only played 13 minutes in the first half, and the gorillas didn't like to run with each other, so they grinned at this time, and didn't mention increasing their playing time at all.

The Bucks took 44 shots in the half, and the pace of the game was extremely fast, and the old guys were a little uncomfortable.

If he encounters a team that mainly plays inside, Li You will choose to slow down with the opponent, and positional offense is not a problem for him at present.

But when encountering an opponent like the Bucks who plays a lot of singles and frequently jumps, Li You can't take care of Ewing, and more often throws it with Alan Houston.

Oakley's playing time was also similar to Ewing's, and before the start of the second half, he patted Artest on the shoulder:

"Give that guy a bit of a hard work, don't care about fouls!"

In the first half, Glenn Robinson scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from inside and outside, and was extremely efficient.

Glancing at the technical statistics, Artese nodded, this is a good job!

On the live NBC commentary seat, Dick Stockton was still talking about the difference between Lee You and other rookies in the class of '96:

"At 22 years old, Lee is the most special in my experience of watching the game, and his mentality is the most mature I've ever witnessed, regardless of his skills."

"Man, do you remember when Mykin was in '93 and was tired of refusing to be interviewed by the media because he got into some off-site trouble?"

"The pressure of the game, the pressure of the media, the expectations of the fans, not every player is adapted to this environment, and Ray shouldn't complain in front of the New York media."

"Lee has been a supporter of Van Gundy since he entered the league, and the players who left the Knicks liked him."

"Maybe he's a natural superstar!"

Matt Goocas saw his partner brag about Lee Woo and seriously suspected that the other party had been topped up, but as an old-school coach, he also agreed:

"There needs to be mutual respect between coaches and players, and star players should follow that rule as well."

"Lee is a smart lad and there aren't many players like him in the league!"

During his time with the 76ers, Matt Gookas coached Charles Barkley and later coached O'Neal with the Magic.

For the old-school coach, the superstar privilege cannot be greater than that of a head coach.

Once the game began, the two turned their attention back to the court.

In the first round, Artest pulled and pulled when Glenn Robinson received the ball in the left blocking area.

When Kassel sent a pass, Artest desperately cut the ball while killing the opponent.

Glenn Robinson received the ball and turned around, then swept with a tentative step, then released the ball with his left hand and lunged to the basket.

Soon the two collided with each other, Glenn Robinson dropped the ball and the referee blew the whistle.

Artest ignored the whistle and continued to stick to it with a blank face, and the two soon began to push again.

When the Bucks fans at the scene saw this, they immediately began to shout and curse.

After driving the sideline ball, Cassel reorganized the attack, and as a result, the outside line continued to pass the ball, and almost came to a 24-second violation.

In the end, Cassel broke through with the ball at the top of the arc, and his pull-up jumper from the free throw line was interfered with by Lee Yo and knocked to the front of the basket, and the rebound was grabbed by Ben Wallace.

"Shet!"

Cassel, who retreated, cursed secretly and hurriedly beckoned his teammates to retreat and settle down.

On the Knicks bench, Oakley was standing on the sidelines, applauding Artest's defense, and practiced for a season, which was considered decent.

Noticing that Li You handed over the ball in the middle of the court, Cassel hurriedly called Hamm to prepare for a change of defense after seeing the position in the elbow area.

At the top of the arc, Alan Houston received the ball, and Lee Yo quickly moved from left to right to cross-cut.

After being screened by Kurt Thomas in the right elbow area, Lee noticed that Ham had followed.

The right wing twisted to receive the ball, Li You first raised the ball and shook it, then quickly tried to step with his left foot, Hamm subconsciously moved a step back, and then saw Li You raise the ball and threw it.

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

The scene was booed, looking at Li You, who was smiling and retreating, Dick Stockton in the commentary seat joked with a smile:

"In the early '90s, what would a head coach feel about shooting a three-pointer like that?"

Matt Gookas smiled and replied without hesitation:

"In less than two rounds, I'm going to swap him out right away, it's definitely a terrible offensive option!"

The two laughed and joked that the Bucks, who had an explosive hand in the first half, began to bang again.

Coach George Karl kept shouting from the sidelines, trying to get his players to step up defensively.

As long as they can hold off the Knicks' offense, the Bucks have a chance to win the game.

It's just a few rounds down, except for restricting Li You's breakthrough with a brutal foul, and facing the Knicks who will be in better shape, there is nothing to do on the defensive end.

The offensive smudge seen in the previous two games happened again, and Glenn Robinson suddenly couldn't shoot

Coach George Karl did not skimp on timeouts, nor did he make personnel adjustments, so the battle of life and death will naturally be dead.

It's just that by the end of the third quarter, the Bucks fans at the scene were also a little confused

At 30:20 in the single quarter, the third quarter was over, and at 81:78, the Knicks reversed the game again.

On the Knicks' bench, everyone laughed and high-fived Lee and Alan Houston in celebration.

5-of-10, 2-of-4 from beyond the three-point line, 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, and Lee Woo scored 16 points in a single quarter;

Alan Houston scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, while the other three also scored.

On the other hand, Coach George Karl is once again aware of the problem of "star quality".

One-on-one defense, Li You was not polite, continued to shoot, and then looked at Glenn Robinson, who was depressed on the bench, George Karl could only make chicken soup:

'Hold on, we're only three points behind! Defend well! ”

After being 2-of-8 in the first quarter, Glenn Robinson did not continue to shoot, and the offense began to become hesitant, and the Bucks played slower and slower, only to be dragged into the positional offense by the Knicks in the final quarter.

Ewing, who had rested for most of the game, finally pinched the soft persimmon, and took advantage of the decline in the opponent's big man's physical strength, and the strong attack under the basket also returned.

Seeing that the score difference was gradually widened, the two in the commentary table began to chat about gossip again.

"If the Lakers had drafted Lee with the No. 13 pick in the draft, maybe they would have rushed out of the West!"

Dick Stockton talked about the recent "if" of many ball critics, and Matt Gookas followed the "if" at this time:

"With the combination of two MVP-level players, then the league will indeed enter the era of the Lakers!"

"Kobe Bryant is good, but it's still a long way from MVP."

“.”

Ray Allen watched the Knicks' third-line breakaway feebly, and he was stopped by Lee Yo's pass feint in the paint.

The retreating Kassel was staked into a stake by Lee You's right-hand and left-hand European steps in the paint area.

On the Bucks bench, the atmosphere group that has been getting up to watch the game and cheering for their teammates subconsciously hugged their heads.

Coming to the bottom left of the basket, Li You easily picked up the basket with his left hand, and the basketball hit the board into the basket!

The Bradley Center arena was completely quiet, and the Bucks fans could only silently watch as Li You, who had completed the goal, opened his arms and pretended to be X to make a gliding gesture and quickly retreat.

At 105:94, with 53 seconds left in the game, there was not enough time for the game.

On the Knicks bench, Lewis was bouncing and waving towels with the atmosphere team, and Cookac was also smiling and applauding, everyone didn't have to book a hotel for another day tonight.

Ray Allen missed a three-pointer at the end, and Lee Woo received the rebound and quickly counterattacked, causing a foul on Cassel and finally standing on the free throw line.

Coach George Karl also didn't ask for a timeout and watched the game time go by.

In the final moments before the end, the Bucks' big man Johnson made a layup under the basket, and only boos remained in the arena.

At 107:96, the big score was 3:0, and the Knicks swept the Bucks and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

On the commentary bench, Dick Stockton has already blown the whole show, and after watching the technical statistics, he continued to exclaim:

"With 41 points in a single game, I don't think the opponent behind me will choose a single defense, and Lee once again showed his scoring ability."

Played 41 minutes, 14-of-27, 4-of-11 from beyond the three-point line, 9-of-10 from the free throw line, 41 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.

Lee's stats left Matt Goocas feeling like he's outdated.

Unconsciously cut 40+, no matter how many times he watched it, Li You's scoring ability still surprised him:

"Free throws and three-pointers are indeed more efficient means of scoring, but they are very demanding on the players."

"That's MVP, Lee changing people's perception of offense."

Everyone on the Bucks said hello and walked to the players' tunnel, reversed the loss, went home to fish, and no one was in the mood to greet each other

At the post-game press conference, Lee You and Alan Houston appeared in front of everyone in formal suits.

Playing 40 minutes, 11-of-17, 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point line and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, Alan Houston scored 27 points efficiently.

Winning and grinning, the New York reporter who came to Milwaukee with the team smiled and asked:

"Wonderful series! At half-time, what was the difference in the dressing room? ”

Li Youbi gestured, Alan Houston thought for a moment, and then replied truthfully with a smile:

"The coach told us that we only booked a hotel for one day, and that inspired everyone, Lee took control of the game, and it was as simple as that!"

When the media in Milwaukee heard this, they were immediately angry enough, and then thought that the last quarter of the game was blown up by the Knicks' rotation lineup, so they could only secretly scold the players for not being angry.

Ray Allen was 10-of-22 from the field and 2-of-8 from beyond the three-point line, with Ray Allen contributing 26 points and Glenn Robinson scoring 11-of-21 from the field.

When the two appeared at the press conference, the media reporters in Milwaukee still had ugly faces, Ray Allen didn't say much, and Glenn Robinson was in a better state of mind:

"We're just not as good as the other team, basketball is that simple, there's nothing to complain about!"

With a grin in the loss and Glenn Robinson's nonchalant look, some Milwaukee media reporters only felt that the future of the team was bright.

With 41 points in the playoffs, Lee Woo set a new record for his playoff scoring.

On the morning of the 30th, the print media in New York began to blow on the sports section again:

“Point God！”

Two days ago, at 89:113, the Lakers defeated the Kings, Kobe Bryant scored 32 points on 12 of 20 shots, and the media in Los Angeles brought out the title of "Jordan's successor".

The enduring title can be regarded as comfortable for Lakers fans.

In an era when data has not exploded, 30+ is already rare, which is why most ball critics have recognized Li You's scoring ability in the past few seasons.

On the morning of the 30th, the NBA league announced the best rookie (ROY) of the season:

Elton Brand of the Bulls ended up with the award.

Chicago fans are still very satisfied with Brand, in his rookie season, he averaged 20.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, even if there is some moisture, but in general, Brand is in line with the identity of the top pick!

But for the Knicks' undercover agent, Sprewell, Chicago fans are very dissatisfied.

The champion defenders teamed up to put on a strong show, and as a result, the team swooped down again

On the night of the 30th, Bryant once again showed good competitive form, shooting 13 of 25 and scoring 35 points on more than 50% shooting.

At 91:99, the Kings pulled one back at home, and O'Neal's 15:0 bull X in the playoffs blew up.

8-of-22, 5-of-14 free throws, 21 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 turnover.

The Knicks had a day off, but Jeff Van Gundy and Thibodeau watched the game at the Tarrytown Training Center.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Knicks will most likely encounter the old rival 76ers.

In the face of the "four guarantees and one" tactic, the team is not under much pressure, after all, the opponent is not a fast-paced team.

"With 18 frontcourt rebounds, 17 assists, 12 turnovers, the Lakers' stats are good, but the Kings' rotation is too good."

Thibodeau looked at the technical statistics, Peja was 7-of-11 and scored 19 points, and for a while he missed last season's Sprewell.

Jeff Van Gundy noticed the Lakers' shots, a large number of frontcourt rebounds, a total of 86 shots, pondered for a while and whispered:

"Let's get Pat ready!"

The team is my home, and the two continued to discuss after watching the game, so they simply stayed in the training center

With the NBA league announcing major awards, after the time enters May, it is the MVP of the season that has attracted much attention.

The New York media, which has already gotten the news, knows that O'Neal won the award and has been looking forward to the Lakers losing every day recently.

New York fans love to see their opponents unlucky, lose once, and the newspapers can sell more.

A crisp finish to the first round gave the Knicks a week off.

In the first round of this year's Eastern Conference, the Heat swept the Raptors 3-0.

Facing the playoff rookies, the Heat taught the opponent another lesson with iron-blooded defense.

The Pacers swept the Pistons 3-0, Grant Hill was injured and out of playoff form, and Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose shot opponents.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, Pat Riley met Larry Bird again, and the conversation between the two was also a highlight, and the league has begun to warm up for the game in the past few days.

On May 1, the Knicks resumed their daily practice, and the Tarrytown Training Center still had more reporters than staff.

Wall Street Journal reporter Robert Frank was stuck in the training center every day after Lee returned to New York.

At the beginning of the year, Frank created a rich column that explores the phenomenon of wealth, tells stories about wealth, and finally shows some luxury living.

This column is quite boring, because the experience of most successful people is not replicable, in general, this is a high-end chicken soup column, fooling the middle class to work hard and work hard.

Just in time for lunch, I finally squeezed to Li You's side again:

"Li, believe me, our interview will definitely not reveal too much information, I just want everyone to know more about you in life!"

Unlike the sports reporter, the white Jewish, gray-haired man in a black suit and blue tie looked more academic.

Coupled with a pair of black-rimmed glasses, which obscure his blue eyes, Frank looks a lot more approachable.

Li You was a little helpless about the other party's perseverance, obviously, after estimating his gains, many people wanted to dig out more stories behind them.

After looking at the many sports media beside him, Li You shrugged his shoulders, did not refuse the other party's interview, and said with a smile:

"At the moment I'm only focusing on the playoffs, so you can make an appointment in advance for interviews, and my agent will get back to you."

Throughout April, the stock index was still falling, and many people have lost money

Many sports reporters didn't give the financial figure a good look, and the Wall Street Journal's chicken soup didn't work.

Frank nodded helplessly, and soon, the sports media surrounded Li You again.

There is only one game tonight, and the Hornets host the 76ers.

"Li, what are your expectations for the next round, will you continue to cut 40+?"

Yahoo Sports reporters came a lot, the first round of games, the Eastern Conference was swept, the news hotspots were not enough, and everyone could only consume Li You recently.

has been accustomed to all kinds of strange questions, Li You still maintains a smiling face, pats the other party and quipped:

“40+？ I can't predict my stats, all I want is to win! ”

"Of course, you can also write like this, in fact, I don't care about this, the fans like to watch it!"

Li You blinked, many people chuckled again, and Yahoo Sports began to make something out of nothing, and has been telling about the "grievances" between Li You and Iverson for the past two days.

Although the two have played each other a lot, the 76ers used to be a fish belly, and they were also swept last year, and Iverson's inefficient performance did not have any "grudges" at all.

Several people smiled awkwardly, and the story of their own editor's brain supplement was seen by the main owner.

Li You greeted the reporter next to him, ready to take everyone to have a meal together, thinking of the messy reports on the Internet, he suddenly had the idea of buying a media:

"You still have to have a real person who is reliable!"

That night, at 106:99, the 76ers successfully advanced, and Iverson met Li You again.

On the night of the 6th, the Eastern Conference semifinals will officially begin, leaving the 76ers with four days to rest.

Reaching the semifinals for the first time in his career, Iverson looked particularly excited at the end of the match.

The good mood didn't last long, and after the game, Iverson was asked another question about Li You:

"Allen, who do you think deserves the MVP this season, Lee or Shaq?"

The question from the local reporter in Charlotte suddenly made Iverson feel unhappy, and it had nothing to do with him.

"I don't care who wins the MVP, my goal is to beat them, and I don't want to answer any more questions that have nothing to do with the 76ers!"

Larry Brown on the side frowned, Iverson has been even more disobedient this season, but the two are still in the honeymoon period, as long as they win, everything is easy to say.

Soon, Larry Brown was also asked about the MVP, and the coach could only say the scene:

'Both are very good, I can't compare them, Lee is the core defender, Shaq is the super center, they are both very good players.

“.”

On May 6th, the NBA league officially announced the Most Valuable Players of the regular season this season:

The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal won the first MVP trophy of his career!

Last season, he also expressed disdain for the award, but after the actual award, O'Neill almost burst into tears during his speech at the press conference

After watching O'Neal thank everyone, he excitedly raised the little bronze man, and Kobe, who sat on the right-hand side and served as the atmosphere group throughout the whole process, was a little envious.

Thinking that most of the media reporters throughout the season were promoting the competition between Li You and O'Neal, Kobe Bryant once again had some thoughts in his heart:

"I should be standing there too!"

On the evening of the 6th, the Eastern Conference semifinals G1 officially began, and for a week, everyone in the Knicks team was bombarded by media reporters every day.

Ewing enjoyed the treatment so much that the gorilla kept a smile on his face every day, and in the pre-game locker room, when asked again about the end of his contract, he suddenly leaked:

"I'm going on a retirement tour next season, uh, I'm not thinking about that at the moment!"

“.”

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(End of chapter)