On Saturday, December 22, 2001, the Knicks had their final game before Christmas.

After a winning streak, the Knicks' record began to fluctuate from mid-December with injuries to Braven Knight and Grant Hill.

Seeing the opportunity, the teams in the Eastern Conference are also starting to punch hard!

Antoine Walker has stepped up his three-point shooting this season, making 15 shots from beyond the three-point line against the Knicks.

"Li can shoot three-pointers, and I can shoot too!"

Antoine Walker, who has always adhered to this concept, has won the reward, and he took Pierce to blow up the Knicks.

Then came the game against the Pistons, and Coach Carlisle did not relent, continuing to stick to his previous tactical play.

Atkins and Collis Williams off the bench had a dumpling, and the Knicks lost another game.

When the No. 14 and the Wizards played again, Hill was sidelined due to an ankle discomfort, and Hamilton also broke out against the new Trenton Hassel!

He was 14-of-24 from the field, slashing 34 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover, and Hamilton won with a dunk, which also brought the Wizards' record to 10-12.

On Sunday the 16th, the Nets also got revenge, shooting 14-of-24 from beyond the three-point line and shooting 58.3% from three-point range.

114:104, even if they played well, the Knicks still liked to mention 4 consecutive losses

Fortunately, the Hornets sent warmth next, and Byron Davis was so depressed after facing Li You, who scored 46 points, that the soft persimmon was not pinched, but was completely blown up.

Facing the moving Grizzlies at home on the 20th, Li You did not relent, 16 of 26 in the game, 6 of 13 from beyond the three-point line, 8 of 10 from the free throw line, and once again hit 46 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals, 1 block and 3 turnovers.

In the past two weeks, the playing time has soared to 41 minutes, and despite the losing streak, Lee Woo's fans can proudly declare:

"The Knicks lost, but Lee Woo didn't!"

As Christmas approaches, in addition to the upcoming Christmas War, the NBA league is also warming up for this year's Philadelphia All-Star Game.

After the start of the new season, Iverson's efficiency dropped further, shooting a lot of shots, and many times shooting less than 40%.

Philadelphia fans who like to believe in the process only feel that the championship is getting farther and farther away from them, and after changing the rules, it is too difficult for the "four guarantees and one" to win.

Iverson needs more offensive space than Lee Yoo, everyone is circling around the paint area, and the 76ers, who have an inefficient +2 record, have begun to fall behind.

On the morning of the 22nd, on TNT's show, the trio no longer gloated, and the Knicks had a record of 19-7 and still led the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers were blown away two days ago, but they lost to the Grizzlies last night with the main roster all returned, allowing the opponent to get their seventh win of the season.

The Lakers are still the same old problem, the three-point shot is inaccurate, and although O'Neal, who is frequently packed, can always find an open teammate, he will be counterattacked if he can't shoot.

With 19 wins and 4 losses, the losing Lakers also continue to lead the Western Conference, and as Kobe Bryant increases his shots, O'Neal's form has begun to decline, and there has even been a tendency to swing in recent games.

In the studio, as a professional basketball show, Kenny Smith is introducing the high-post tactics that the Knicks have been using a lot lately.

"In the case of injuries, the Knicks didn't choose to continue to let the rookie guards take on the task of organizing the offense, but rather gave the ball more to the big men."

"I have to say that height is also a talent, at least Pau Gasol has done a good job of the task assigned by coach Van Gundy."

"A lot of the offensive rounds were from the elbow area, and Lee covered more and ran back, which not only created some scoring opportunities for himself, but also made it easier for his teammates."

"Aside from a few turnovers, I think the Knicks are getting better and better, and if they can shoot more open threes, they might be able to avoid another losing streak."

The tactical coordination drawn on the small whiteboard is that Li You gives the ball to Gasol in the right elbow area after half court, and then pretends to cover Artest, and suddenly cuts in from the middle.

The cut drew the attention of both players and gave Artest a chance on the left flank, who could easily receive Gasol's cross pass and complete the jumper.

Most of the rounds rely on Li You's containment, and similar tactics can always be successful.

But having an open opportunity doesn't mean scoring a point, and Artest's shooting percentage from outside the three-point line is often a rage.

When last week's losing streak, TNT made a highlight of Artest's empty iron, which really entertained many fans.

Compared to unreliable shooting, many times it is better to have a tank breakthrough, so that Artest can at least stand on the free throw line.

The same tactic, which was often used by the Kings, was an extremely old-fashioned tactic that appeared back in the '60s.

NBA head coaches are proficient in all basic tactics, but the official game is not basketball training after all, and if you want to play a decent match, you still have to rely on the ability of the players to adapt on the court.

Although Charles Barkley has always teased Artest for playing iron recently, everyone is not blind, and on the defensive end, this newcomer definitely spares no effort.

In more than a month of games, Artest has received two malicious fouls and left the court with six fouls in four games.

At Madison Square Garden, as long as the penalty scale is relaxed, the forward who likes to play low with his back to the single usually loses the chain when he encounters Artest's brutal defense.

Charles Barkley didn't criticize Artest again, but commented on Gasol, who has been playing better and better recently:

"Pau Gasol should be the Rookie of the Month this month, but I'm not optimistic about his performance in the Christmas game."

"Shaq likes big guys like that, Gasol can't limit him in the low post, and if he wants to go further, I think he should gain weight!"

"Gasol is very good at executing his tactics compared to other high school rookies, but in the NBA, he has to step up his confrontation if he wants to get a foothold."

Ernnie Johnson heard this point of view and did not agree, but turned up the technical statistics, giving an example:

"The Knicks have about 88 rounds of play, and it's hard for a heavy center to keep up with that pace."

"Do you think Lee will slow down and then attack more positionally? This simply doesn't happen. ”

"Ewing needed to accommodate Lee in the late game, because he shot 45 percent from three-point range in a lot of games."

"Everybody needs to fit Lee because he's more efficient and can score more points with less shots."

Charles Barkley obviously knew this, smiled and didn't refute it again, and began to arch fire again:

"It's certainly not a pleasure to coach Lee because, like Kidd, he likes to be in control of the team and to get the game into the rhythm he likes."

"I understand Coach Van Gundy, Lee is not a Mai button, although he is young, he doesn't need to be reminded by others, he knows how to win."

"If one day Coach Van Gundy announces his departure, I welcome him to TNT!"

Kenny Smith looked at this big mouth and began to digress again, and simply joked:

"Coach Van Gundy got four championship rings, maybe you should fulfill your promise to join the Knicks for two seasons, did Lee turn you down?"

“.”

On the evening of the 22nd, Michael Jordan was once again a guest at Madison Square Garden.

The Wizards have also had injuries, with Hamilton suffering a broken nose and is out injured.

Needless to say, Mai Buckle's desire to win and lose, but in many basketball games, the so-called winning spirit is useless.

Not every player will practice discipline, and the Wizards' backcourt is still struggling to organize a decent offense, and the tactical routine is still to give the ball to Michael Jordan.

The mental victory method is not suitable for the Wizards, and the old guys are not good on their legs and feet, and it is not surprising that the record is not ideal.

Mark Battlestein was so angry at the way he led the team that he was the best pick, and as the agent of the top pick Kwame Brown, he naturally had to speak for his players:

"Brown needs more game time and he should learn in the game, not just 10 minutes of garbage time every night."

"What's even more unbelievable is that no one on the Wizards team even told him how to play properly!"

Fans who follow Wizards news can always see agent Mark Battlestein constantly complaining.

The champion show can only play garbage time, and the Wizards' record itself is crotch-pulling, and ball critics have recently bombarded Mai Dunk's "ball dominance" behavior.

Mark Battlestein almost pointed to his nose and said that Mai Buckle had delayed the growth of the rookie, which made the relationship between the two tense recently, and everyone didn't want to budge.

In the afternoon, when the Wizards came to Madison Square Garden early to warm up, Lee You was forced to act as a peacemaker.

Mydak, who has recently started losing again, is not in a good mood, and he did save the Wizards' box office revenue, but according to the current trend, it is still unknown whether he can make the playoffs.

Looking at the dunk that chewed gum and meticulously completed the shot, Li You, who was wearing the Knicks' blue long-sleeved training uniform, slapped the ball casually, and said helplessly:

"Nobody wants to interfere with your control of the team, but rookies just need playing time, and you can't expect Kwame Brown to fit in seamlessly."

"25 minutes of playing time, playing two transitions, it shouldn't affect the team."

The agent helps the players fight for their interests, and even if he is not in a beautiful mood, he does not fight with Mark Battlestein:

"Do you want me to teach him how to play from scratch?"

"He should ask the assistant coach how he trains, and if he can get 10 points and 10 rebounds in a game, he'll have 25 minutes of playing time."

"Maybe you should really teach him how to play, and don't forget that he's just a high school kid, he hasn't done the basics of college basketball, and he hasn't played a lot of official games."

Mai Kou was speechless for a while when he heard Li You's words, the champion was chosen by himself, if he really wanted to cultivate a rookie, he should indeed teach it personally.

Li You noticed that Kwame Brown on the other side of the court was like a gas bag, and he knew that this budding newcomer must have been "educated" by Oakley.

Seeing that Mai Buckle began to shoot with his face again, Li You didn't care, and it was also for the same agent's sake that he could help mention it:

"Save some energy, you'll lose at night anyway, go home early for Christmas!"

Seeing Li You turn his head and shoot the ball away, Maikou couldn't help but shout:

"Shet! 1-on-1 tonight, I can blow you bastard! ”

“.”

After the game started at 20 o'clock that night, affected by Christmas, the New York fans were particularly enthusiastic, watching the iron and cheering.

Grant Hill is back from injury, who has always been recuperating from minor injuries and has been resting for nearly two weeks, and his fitness is naturally very full.

Due to an injury to Leitner on the inside, the Wizards' starting frontcourt became a trio of Michael Jordan, Puoper Jones, and Jasidy White.

The starting backcourt was Chris Whitney and Hubert Davis.

Going into the rotation, Brandon Haywood ate up Kwame Brown's playing time, and Tyronn Lue got more opportunities.

Coach Doug Collins didn't expect the Knicks to be in such good shape after the start of the first quarter, and after calling two timeouts, he simply stood on the sidelines with his arms folded and watched the game silently.

With 4:39 left in the first quarter, the Knicks played the same tactical combination.

Lee Yoo handed over the ball immediately after half-time, elbowing on the right side, and when Gasol received the ball, Kurt Thomas moved from the left elbow to the right near baseline.

Artest, who had a bad hand, crouched in the bottom left corner, close to the right touchline, and Grant Hill feigned a hand-to-hand hand, then moved quickly laterally.

Hubert Davis, who was chasing the defense, was shaken and half a body behind, and then hurriedly followed the slide.

Chris Whitney, the little man who was cut into the strong basket by Li You in a row, followed Li You while always paying attention to the movement behind him.

Grant Hill was really covering this time, and the moment he stood still, Li You first pretended to cut in and then suddenly moved sideways quickly.

Instinctively sliding backwards, Whitney lost his defensive position in an instant, and Hubert Davis, who was on guard, failed to form a tacit understanding with his teammates, and did not have the slightest intention of switching defenses.

The defense of the two was leaky again, Li You quickly moved to the top of the arc, Gasol kept lifting the ball sideways, and at this time easily threw the ball into Li You's hands.

Unguarded, Li You made a quick jump shot at the top of the arc!

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

At 11:20, the score difference was widened again, and Mai Kou, who was watching the play in the bottom corner, was very dissatisfied with this defense and began to chatter again.

It's just that in the past, the two of them were both atmosphere groups, and when they entered the starter, they were chasing ducks to the shelves, and everyone had done their best.

In the offensive round, Mai Dunk received the ball in the right blocking area that he was familiar with, and unlike before, the Knicks stood in a circle in the paint area.

The Wizards worked hard to open up space for McDunk, and when Artest quickly twisted to the line with his back, he was still defended by Grant Hill.

I wanted to throw the ball to Davis on the outside, but Mai Buckle's pass was a little rushed, and Davis, who received the ball, didn't take the initiative to catch it.

By the time Davis at the top of the arc reacted, Li You had already rushed up and took the opportunity to poke the ball away from the opponent's head.

In the cheers of the fans at the scene, it was 1 to 0 in the front court, Li You went straight to the basket after scooping the ball, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and slid and dunked!

Fortunately, Davis quickly slipped off the baseline and ran to the opportunity, receiving a horizontal pass from Whitney on the left wing and hitting a three-point shot to help the Wizards stabilize their mood.

At 14:22, the margin narrowed to 8 points, and Mai Buckle began to loudly direct his teammates to defend.

The Knicks played the same tactic repeatedly, and Lee Woo looked at the dunk, who was still directing traffic, and after giving the ball to Gasol in the left elbow area, he quickly moved to the right elbow area.

Li You gave Grant Hill a look as he moved, and the moment he came to the elbow area and stood still, Li You suddenly accelerated his shot.

Under the false cover, the little man Whitney subconsciously followed Li You's slide, and Mai Buckle was also attracted to attention, and as soon as Grant Hill accelerated to cut in, Pau Gasol immediately threw the ball inward.

Mai Dunk, who lost his defensive position, could only watch Grant Hill catch the ball, grab the ball with his right hand, and lean in to pick up the basket!

"Huh!" The two-point shot went up steadily.

Looking at the suddenly silent Mai Button, Li You clapped his hands with joy, the old guy's lateral speed dropped sharply, and it was impossible to expect Oakley to make up for the defense.

Once he noticed the holes in the opponent's defense, as Li You shouted to everyone on the court, everyone took turns to rush to the basket.

Although there were passing errors in some rounds, the Wizards failed to capitalize on their opportunities and couldn't get up to speed on the counter-attack.

In addition to hitting three shots after the opening, Mai dunk was dumb again on the offensive end, and was elbowed by Artest who cut into the basket when defending.

At the end of the first quarter, at 20:34, at Madison Square Garden, fans who like to watch and have fun were smiling.

Back on the bench, Myak was sweating profusely with his ribs clutched, he did have a strong desire to win, insisted on playing the first quarter, and spared no effort on the defensive end.

Doug Collins can naturally see that Lee Yo is provoking the Wizards' defense, the same tactic, playing 4 times in a row:

"Mycuel, rest for a while! You have to trust your teammates, your knees can't support you to play the whole game. ”

Hearing the coach's words, and noticing that Oakley was also gasping for air, Myokie nodded silently and began to replenish water without saying a word.

With a big lead, the Knicks stopped throwing three-pointers and began to defend and counterattack again.

Tyronn Lue finally got to know what it was like for Fisher to defend Lee Yoo, and once he rushed up, he couldn't pull it and could only lie on the floor and try to get some whistles.

With 8:03 left in the second quarter, Haywood was interfered with by the big man Wright when he put the basket under the basket, and took the rebound.

Tyronn Lue, who was chasing the defense, was directly shaken away by a large change of direction in front of his body, and Li You had already accelerated with a heavy shoulder when he caught the ball with his left hand.

Tyronn Lue, who lost his defensive position, spun and pounced, and did not stop moving, trying to make a tactical foul, but was knocked and stumbled, and finally simply screamed and lay on the floor.

The referee didn't say anything, and everyone on the Wizards team was still retreating, and soon found that Li You was rushing faster and faster with the ball in his left hand, and the latter rushed to the basket first.

Back to the defense of Heywood has been blinded, and the paint area subconsciously stopped, watching Li You grab the ball with his left hand and make a layup.

The cheers became particularly harsh, sitting on the bench, Button's face was dark, and Doug Collins was also a little embarrassed, he didn't expect the Knicks to punch hard.

At 17:30 in the first quarter, halftime ended, and at 37:64, Mai Buckle didn't have to play the third quarter.

Although it was a game of abuse, the opponent was Michael Jordan, and New York fans were naturally very happy to see the Wizards deflated.

In the end, in this pre-Christmas game, 83:112, the Knicks won the opponent!

The angry bag Kwame Brown's playing time finally broke through 10 minutes, close to the garbage time of the two quarters of the game, and also allowed the newcomer to collect 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 turnovers.

A fiasco has also given many sports media a new topic:

"Can Michael Jordan lead the team to the playoffs?"

Before Christmas, the Knicks ushered in the holidays, and everyone was relieved from the boring shooting drills every day.

Artest also has idol baggage, even though the New York media has been helping him speak, TNT always jokes about him, which still makes him lose face.

The unlucky Stephen Jackson, who is plagued by a hamstring injury, will most likely not be able to return until after the All-Star break.

This Christmas, Grant Hill also invited everyone from the Knicks to participate in the Christmas party.

The organization of such an event is naturally to take care of the two European players, Gasol and Fortesis.

On the 23rd, most fans were still looking forward to the Christmas game where Mars hit the earth, but the Lakers officially announced that O'Neal would miss the Christmas game due to a toe injury.

Lakers fans who saw the news were naturally very disappointed, and it was rare to meet the "weak" Knicks, but O'Neal himself fell first

The Lakers are missing core players, and Artest is also in spirit at this time, and before participating in the Christmas party, he confidently stated in an interview with the New York Post:

"In the Christmas game, I will completely lock up Kobe on the defensive end, without O'Neal, the Lakers have no chance!"

"I don't care about my offensive performance, I know what it takes to win."

Feeling that he was shooting more than 35 percent from three-point range this season, Artest began to shift the conversation and establish himself as a defensive guru

The New York media was ready to lose, and then everyone came to the spirit again.

On Christmas Eve morning, several print media outlets began to celebrate the victory in the Christmas War in advance

Some columns didn't forget to ridicule Kobe, for this second leader, everyone didn't take it seriously:

"Without O'Neal, Kobe Bryant can't sustain the Lakers' offense!"

O'Neill, who suddenly had an injury, was very low-key, but the shark was a little cautious and didn't help the little brother speak, and the whole person was very low-key, and he didn't even accept media interviews.

Phil Jackson supported his players as always, and when he heard the words of the "megaphone", he began to praise Kobe Bryant's performance again:

"Kobe reminds me of Mai Kou, they all have a strong desire to win, and that winning spirit has always inspired the team."

"I believe in Kobe's ability, he's underrated, and he's capable of leading the Lakers to victory!"

“.”

The Los Angeles Times, naturally, was not to be outdone, quoting Phil Jackson's comments, boasting about Kobe's progress this season, and by the way, he also raised a title:

"No. 1 scoring guard in the league!"

The game has not yet started, and a new round of mouth cannon links between the two sides has also been launched.

On the morning of the 25th, although the weather was cold, Li You did not forget the advice of the sponsor, and still got up early and took the husky Happy for a morning run.

Happy is also a big star among dogs, maybe it is the cold weather that awakens its blood, and its eyes are much clearer when running.

Hook has also recently begun teasing Lee Woo's new sneakers, which will be officially released before the All-Star break.

Buy sneakers and get a limited edition star card, for fans who want to support Li You, there is a high probability that they will have to be cut again.

In the morning, the Knicks went out collectively to send warmth to the poor community, condolences to the families of the victims, and donated some sports equipment.

In the afternoon, everyone had to prepare in advance, and went to the Madison Square Garden arena to warm up and participate in the pre-game press conference.

In an interview, Li You didn't say anything, after all, the MVP on the other side is gone, and there is no opponent of the same level, so he can only give a simple blessing at this time:

"It's a shame to see Shaq suffer an injury and hopefully he can get back to health as soon as possible."

"A win is the Knicks' gift to the fans this Christmas!"

On the Lakers' side, O'Neal did not come to New York with the team, and Kobe Bryant naturally became the leader of the team.

officially kicked off at 20:30 that night, and in an interview before the game, Kobe Bryant also confidently stated:

"It's great to be in the Christmas game, and even though Shaq is not here, I'll lead the team to victory, and I hope the Lakers fans will enjoy this gift!"

“.”

Sitting in his seat, in the locker room, Kobe Bryant was smiling brightly and feeling unusually comfortable, this is his team, everyone is watching him, and the feeling is addictive.

An hour before the start of the game, the NBC rear studio began to warm up for the game, and the Christmas game ended early, 94:82, the Raptors easily defeated the 76ers.

In front of the live commentary bench, Marf Albert is introducing the Lakers' starting lineup:

"After O'Neal's injury, the Lakers' starting frontcourt tonight is Rick Fox, Samaki Walker, Stanislav Medvedenko."

"The backcourt combination is still Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant."

"This lineup doesn't have too many interior advantages, and the Lakers' offense will largely rely more on Kobe."

Also participating in the commentary tonight is Mike Dunleavy, the former head coach of the Trail Blazers, looking at the Lakers' roster, secretly shaking his head in his heart, but on the surface, he said seriously:

"I'm sure Kobe Bryant will respond, he's been in great shape this season!"

Madison Square Garden also had a lot of Christmas decorations, and before the game even started, the scene was lively as the cheerleaders squirmed.

With only two games against the Lakers in a season, if they win at home on the Christmas game, New York fans will automatically ignore the win or defeat on the road.

The lively scene also made the warm-up Kobe Bryant's heart hot, and this was the first time he led the team to experience such a big scene alone.

Lee Yoo was still greeting his friend sitting in the front row, and Grant Hill slapped the ball to comfort the referee on duty tonight.

Artest kept staring at Kobe, as if sensing an unfriendly look, and Kobe ended up only leaving the back of his head.

Phil Jackson was still a little uneasy, and before the game, he pulled everyone and began to shout loudly.

On the other side, Jeff Van Gundy sat on the bench and drank sugar-free Pepsi, smiling confidently from time to time in front of the director's camera.

When the players from both sides came to the center circle, Gasol jumped the ball successfully, and the cheering shouts immediately resounded in the stadium:

“Let's go Knicks！.”

Li You, who received the ball, noticed that the defender in front of him was Kobe, observed the matchup on the court, and immediately compared tactical gestures, and at the same time handed over the ball immediately after dribbling through the half.

In the bottom left corner, Artest noticed that the defender in front of him had become Fisher, saw the tactical gesture, and stood still.

On the left elbow, when Gasol received the ball, Grant Hill on the right wing loudly reminded Kurt Thomas to move.

After handing over the ball, Li You first pretended to receive the ball with his hand, then suddenly shook horizontally, cut in from the middle, and quickly ran to the bottom left corner.

Recognizing the Knicks' tactics, Kobe Bryant saw that Artest also followed suit and tried to get covered, so he simply went on the line and blocked Lee You's receiving route.

Using the cover to come to the bottom left corner, Li You shook to the line, Kobe Bryant subconsciously followed and slid to the left, but with his back to the basketball, he didn't notice that Gasol raised his hands after turning around and quickly threw the ball to the bottom left corner.

Li You's body shook, and at the moment when Kobe Bryant slided, the basketball flew into his hand, not giving the opponent time to react, and immediately jumped after receiving the ball!

Artest "pushed" Fisher away, Kobe Bryant, who lost the center of gravity of the defense, had no time to block, the two were still watching the game, and Li You had already confidently returned to the defense along the sideline.

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

Even if you know what kind of tactics the Knicks want to play, they still can't defend a lot of the time.

Phil Jackson hurriedly reminded loudly while motioning for Fisher to steady his pace.

When it was the Lakers' turn to attack, Fisher also handed over the ball in the middle of the court, and then ran to the bottom left corner.

Bryant came to the right wing, and Samaki Walker followed suit.

The quality of the cover was average, which made Artest squeeze through the cover in the first place, and at the same time, Kurt Thomas was also a big delay to cooperate with the bag.

Without waiting for Kobe Bryant to accelerate, he was already surrounded by the two, and it seemed that he didn't expect the Knicks to be so fierce in the opening defense.

Kobe, who was forced to stop the ball, didn't have time to find his teammates, and the basketball in his hand was dragged away by Artest.

“Wow！”

The steal with strong visual impact, the New York fans also cheered, and Artest, who completed the steal, did not give Kobe Bryant a chance to chase the defense, and threw the ball forward with two big steps.

The fast-starting Grant Hill grabbed the ball and accelerated straight with the ball in his right hand, rushed to the paint area against the defending Fox, jumped to the opponent, and hit the board with his right hand to make the basket!

Mike Dunleavy naturally did a lot of homework before the game, and when he saw such an iconic goal, he immediately exclaimed:

"It's too fast! That's the Nymphs' counterattack, and they've relied on that transition offense to win a lot of games this season. ”

When Marf Albert saw the Lakers attack again, Bryant switched to a pick-and-roll target, only to be caught again.

crashed headlong into Gasol's arms, Kobe Bryant subconsciously wanted to speed up and squeeze through, but Artest suddenly cut the ball in the back, and Kobe, who was holding the ball in his left hand, was forced to stop the ball again.

Having learned his lesson, Bryant hurriedly gave the ball to Medvedenko, who was down.

The quality of the pass was not high, and the new big man who bent down to receive the ball faced the help defense to the basket Kurt Thomas suddenly buttered his hand, accidentally smashed the basketball on his foot, and went directly out of the bottom line

Such a performance immediately provoked a burst of laughter from the New York fans at the scene, seeing that the Lakers could not organize an effective offense, the cheering and shouting became a little louder.

Li You first clapped his hands, affirmed the defense, took the baseline ball, and raised three fingers again, comparing the same tactical gestures.

Kobe Bryant stared viciously at Li You's movements, which was not the beginning he imagined

The angry expression did not bring bonuses, and Li You only dribbled behind once, switched to his left hand to defend against it, and turned on the "bulldozer" mode to rush through the half.

It was still a half-time handover, and with the same tactic, Gasol switched directions to receive the ball with his back.

Learning from the lesson, Kobe Bryant did not go around the line again, but ran to the bottom right corner with Li You, who cut in the middle.

Artest was not polite, and immediately made a cover, successfully delaying Kobe, so that Fisher hurriedly changed the defense and ran to the right flank with Li You.

This time it was a real hand-to-hand encounter, with Gasol reaching out his right arm and leaning sideways to complete the pass while making a cover.

Fisher, who was delayed, hurriedly reminded Medvedenko to change his defense, Li You didn't give the opponent a chance, just dribbled sideways after receiving the ball, stopped immediately near the top of the arc, and quickly jumped outside the three-point line!

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

Medvedenko, who just made some defensive moves, was also a little dazed, and he couldn't appreciate Li You's shooting speed when he watched the game video

0:8, less than 1 minute into the opening game, the Lakers trailed by 8 points, and Phil Jackson on the sidelines subconsciously held his forehead and reminded the players to stabilize again.

Encountering Artest's stubborn stalking, and encountering the Knicks' big man's big delay and pinch, Kobe Bryant finally enjoyed Li You's defensive treatment.

Patiently passing the ball still couldn't get rid of Artest, and when the offensive time was close to 20 seconds, Kobe Bryant was surrounded by a double in the left blocking area.

Although he sent a pass, Samaki Walker, who received the ball, hit a jumper from the free throw line.

Gasol successfully protected the backcourt rebound, and immediately threw the ball to the frontcourt without waiting for the Lakers to retreat.

Fisher arched sharply on his side, but it did not affect Li You, who was fishing for the ball.

The two struggled across the half, and the New York fans were already celebrating the goal of the round.

Just like the fans imagined, Li You did not slow down, rushed to the paint area with Fisher, and then dodged the defense in the big loop between the marches, came to the bottom left of the basket, and reflexively picked the basket to win!

At 0:10, Madison Square Garden was boiling instantly, but I didn't expect the opponent to be really vulnerable.

"Great team defense, great transition offense! Lee was in control of the pace as soon as the game started! ”

Mav-Albert also blossomed, his tone became more and more brisk, and he entered the mode of Li Youfu again.

Phil Jackson did not hesitate to pause, looked at the crowd who walked to the bench with disbelieving expressions, and simply slammed the tactical board in anger and cursed angrily:

"The game has just started, if you don't want to play, give it to me!"

“.”

Bryant glared angrily, and Phil Jackson wrote and drew on the strategy board, loudly reminding everyone how to catch the ball.

The timeout time has come, and it seems that the team is still worried about the team's attack, and the coaching staff is still pulling the players to talk.

On the other side, Li You just patted Artest on the shoulder again before going on the field and whispered:

"If you let him score 0 points in the first quarter, he won't have to practice shooting tomorrow."

Artest was completely energetic, threw the hairband on his head directly, and said quite excitedly:

"Wrap it up on me!"

In the ensuing game, Kobe, who enjoyed the treatment of a leader, was frantically attacked by the Knicks.

As long as he is near the elbow area, the big man cooperates with the bag, and the Lakers' individual rounds of Samaki Walker eat cakes successfully, but it does not affect the Knicks' defensive strategy.

With 2:01 left in the first quarter, the Lakers' offense consumed another 18 seconds, and the wrapped Kobe Bryant threw the ball to Fox at the top of the arc.

After the latter received the ball and quickly tried to step forward, seeing that Hill was still shrinking inside the three-point line, Fox simply jumped and shot immediately!

"Bang!"

The long rebound popped up and was immediately picked up by Lee You in the right blocking area.

The Lakers desperately retreated, but Li You was unhurried and dribbled through the half.

Pau Gasol had already run to the right near baseline, and when he saw Lee Yo slowing down on the left flank, he immediately moved to the upper line.

Bryant noticed the movement behind him and hurriedly reminded Medvedenko loudly.

The two anticipated Lee's offensive options and tried to work together to trap at the top of the arc.

Sensing the defensive movement behind him, Pau Gasol suddenly moved quickly, immediately went down to the left elbow area, received Li You's ground-hitting pass, adjusted slightly, and scored a mid-range jumper.

“Wow！”

The cheers couldn't stop, and for several rounds in a row, Kurt Thomas and Pau Gasol took turns eating cake jumpers near the free throw line.

Facing the Lakers' interior line, the two also became tailwind war gods.

At 11:28, Phil Jackson was back on the bench by this time, and the game was over.

Horry, who came off the bench, followed the jumper during this time, and the timeout did not work, and on the Lakers' bench, the atmosphere group could only watch the game quietly, and there was a high probability that it would be blown up tonight.

In the final minute of the first quarter, Fisher and Fox's strong three-pointers helped the Lakers save some face, but New York fans didn't care, and many began to celebrate the game early.

With Grant Hill hitting both free throws in the final minute of the first quarter, the score came to 17:36.

Kobe Bryant tried to control his emotions, pursed his lips and was expressionless on the surface, but he was extremely depressed in his heart:

"Why is this happening!?"

Artest jumped to the bench and heard the fans shouting his name, and began to pound his chest again:

"I did it! I did it! ”

0 of 4, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers, Kobe Bryant, who became the leader, failed to step up in the first quarter.

Lee and Grant Hill high-fived in celebration, and the two just smiled, and the match was more relaxed than expected.

Pau Gasol, who returned to the bench, was also in high spirits, constantly high-fived everyone, and he prepared for this game for a long time, but the opponent was defeated in the first quarter.

Both of them in the commentary table noticed that Jeff Van Gundy was smiling, looking calm and clapping his hands in encouragement, and they were both emotional for a while.

Mike Dunleavy thought of the Knicks' smooth offense in the first quarter, and at this time loudly praised the bald young coach:

"This is the era of Coach Van Gundy, and from the preparation of this game, Phil Jackson has been completely suppressed!"

“.”

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(End of chapter)