On April 20, 2003, at 20 o'clock that night, the Knicks also ushered in the first round of the playoffs.

Before the game, the Magic also went into a state of "rhetoric", and it was the first time the two teams met in the playoffs after '96.

Although the Magic team has a mediocre record this season, McGrady has played the best stats of his career!

Head coach Doug Rivers showed his cards early in a pre-game interview:

"We need to control the tempo of the game and try to get more attacking opportunities for our core players!"

This paragraph translates to give the ball to McGrady, and the first offensive option is tired, and then to Houston.

The reason for the fluctuation of the record is that in addition to injuries, it is a relatively rigid tactic, after taking over the team, after three seasons, the chicken soup gradually wears off, and most teams have figured out the Magic's style of play.

Coach Rivers' confidence lies in McGrady's performance this season:

He averaged 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.7 turnovers per game while shooting 45.7% from the field and 38.6% from three-point range.

Houston didn't affect McGrady's shot, and the Magic team has completely turned into an outside team, and the two are swapping shots.

Half an hour before the game began, Madison Square Garden was already noisy.

The game was broadcast by TNT, and on the commentary bench, Mav Albert was introducing the Magic's starting lineup for tonight:

'Allan looks pretty good tonight and he's partnered at the back with Jacqui Vaughan.

"The front three are Tracy McGrady, Drew Gooden, Andrew De Klerk."

"After trading to Gooden, the Magic think he has a chance to be the next Shaquille O'Neal, Jeff, what do you think about that?"

Hearing his partner ask a serious question, Jeff Van Gundy, who was wearing a white shirt, almost didn't hold back in the commentary seat:

"Drew Gooden is still a rookie at the moment, and he needs to continue to hone his skills."

"He's got a great touch, but he needs to improve his finishing efficiency under the basket!"

The bald young marshal spoke again, the next O'Neill, this thing seemed impossible to him to happen

Marv Albert also laughed a little, and then quickly talked about Lee's more outrageous efficiency values this season:

"Tonight's game, two players with an efficiency value of more than 30 meet, it will definitely be a good game!"

Jeff Van Gundy showed his professionalism at this time and quickly gave advice:

"McGrady should have reduced his 16~23-foot shooting a little more, and while he has a good shooting percentage in this area, he is easily limited against the Knicks' wing defense."

"He needs to go to the basket or shoot some three-pointers, which will increase his efficiency even more!"

The two began to analyze McGrady's scoring composition for fans in the commentary booth, and when they warmed up, the New York fans at the scene also saw McGrady's outfit tonight.

Unlike Li You, who likes to wear arm pads and knee pads, McGrady only wears an elbow pad on his left arm, but he wears a white leg pad on his calf.

This thing is a personalized piece of equipment, and it does have a protective effect, but it is more used to install X.

Paired with the Magic's oversized blue jersey on the road, McGrady in the warm-up was particularly eye-catching, which is why he was able to get so many votes as an All-Star.

Of course, such a dress is "provocative" in Artest's opinion:

"Don't think about this guy tonight!"

Artest, who was warming up, complained depressedly to Jackson on the side, obviously not wanting to see his opponent in the limelight.

Lee Yow and Ewing were also chatting with Houston, and back at Madison Square Garden, their old teammates were in a good mood:

"What an exaggeration! I thought that the efficiency value of 35 was already difficult to surpass, but I didn't expect it to improve again this season! ”

Houston has also watched the news recently, and ESPN's data experts have blown Lee Woo into the sky, repeatedly telling fans how strong the efficiency value of 38 is in the past few days.

Ewing laughed when he heard this, and took the initiative to remind Houston:

"Don't forget that it's just the regular season, and Lee's stats can actually be better!"

"When he is 30 years old, his data will likely decline, and the Knicks should have no opponents in the past few years!"

Li You noticed that Houston was still wearing a protective gear on his knees, and reminded again:

"You should have a detailed check-up in the offseason and hear from the different medical teams, but we won't be merciful in this series."

The trio joked with each other, and soon the referee beckoned the players from both sides to the centre of the field, with Coach D'Antoni still sitting firmly on the bench.

The mustache has been waiting for the league to give him an award these days, and there is no suspense about the best coach!

McGrady is still very aggressive, he plans to compete with Li You, but he didn't say hello before the game started, and the whole person looked high-spirited.

McGrady, chewing gum, soon noticed the unfriendly gaze, and Artest was glaring at him.

The New York fans in the audience stood up, and many began to shake the orange handkerchiefs in their hands, while also shouting loudly with the DJ:

“Let's go Knicks！.”

Gasol managed to jump to the ball, and the stadium immediately erupted in cheers.

Jaqui Vaughn didn't choose to lead the defense, but ran back to the half early with his teammates.

The Knicks quickly settled into position, and with the two big men stopped at the elbow zone, both wings ran to the bottom corner.

Gasol noticed that McGrady's defensive position was higher, almost standing in the blocking zone, and he was obviously ready to help defense, so he simply took the initiative to go up and came to the left wing outside the three-point line to play a high block.

Kurt Thomas saw his teammate's move and immediately began to move towards the right near baseline.

The Knicks moved quickly, and Lee, who was close to the left wing, first quickly dribbled behind his back, switched to his left hand, and used Gasol's cover to briefly escape Jacques Vaughn's pursuit.

De Klerk could naturally see that Gasol accelerated after completing the block, but according to the pre-game deployment, at this time he chose to accelerate and delay.

Li You took the initiative to slow down, waiting for the opponent to wrap up, and before the two were about to form a circle, he flicked his left wrist and hit the ground to find Gasol, who was close to the free throw line.

McGrady is also prepared, as a player who started defense, he naturally has excellent sense of helping defense, and when Gasol receives the ball, he moves ahead of time and assists in place.

Throwing his hands up to interfere, Gasol immediately flicked the ball into the bottom left corner in the face of McGrady's defense.

When Artest received the ball, there was no one in front of him to defend him, and in the face of such a large vacancy, he immediately jumped after a slight adjustment!

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

“Wow！”

The New York fans cheered and played a regular game, which seemed to indicate that the players were in excellent form tonight.

The difference from last season is that Artest, who is completely empty, is more accurate in his three-point shots.

After the opening period, the Magic seemed to want to test the shooting touch of their role players, and the Knicks' response was to shoot resolutely.

Coach Rivers immediately got up from his seat at this time and shouted loudly in his hoarse voice:

"Hey! Steady! ”

Jacqui Vaughn heard the coach's instructions and didn't rush to hand over the ball after dribbling past halftime.

Lee Yoo led the defense with a lot of pressure, and when Houston bounced the ball outside the right wing, Jacqui Vaughn couldn't send the pass in the first place, and soon Grant Hill stepped forward to entangle.

After protecting the ball sideways, completing the turn, and switching to the left hand, Jaqui Vaughn was forced to pout, and McGrady was still tugging with Artest at this time, and the two were entangled from the blocking position to the wing.

According to the tactical requirements, he failed to receive the pass in time, and McGrady took the initiative to come to the three-point line to block his teammates.

The four of them huddled together, and the tactics were still unsuccessful, and Li You squeezed through the low-quality cover to continue to chase Jacqui Vaughn, and in desperation, McGrady could only bounce outside and stay away from the three-point line to receive the pass.

The Magic team also opened up space at this point, Jacques Vaughn ran to the bottom left corner with Lee You, and Gooden quickly stepped up to try to cover.

Just ran to the free throw line, but McGrady immediately waved his hand, and then lowered his center of gravity, facing Artest's defense, and quickly completed the crotch dribble with his left hand.

Taking advantage of Artest's slight backwards, McGrady, who was close to the three-point line, suddenly closed the ball, and the top of the arc rose to the ground, and he pulled it directly outside the three-point line!

With his excellent take-off height, Artest's block didn't do much, but McGrady's shot ended up being a rage.

The basketball hits the back edge of the basket, and then Bang flies over the top edge of the rebound and out of the baseline.

The shooting posture was chic and beautiful, and McGrady smiled at Artest after the iron, still looking extremely confident.

"Can you also load X when you strike iron?"

Artest was inexplicable, and then a little anger swelled up, but when he saw Li You's tactical gesture after receiving the ball from the bottom line, he calmed down again.

“Let's go Knicks！.”

The cheers sounded again, and Coach Rivers on the sidelines also gestured to his players and signaled to change their defensive strategy.

The Knicks played the same game, Gasol continued to improve the pick-and-roll, and Jacqui Vaughn still couldn't get past the screen.

However, this time, the big man De Klerk accelerated his retreat after a symbolic delay, and Li You immediately accelerated his cut on the three-point line.

McGrady's defensive speed was very fast, and he cooperated with his teammates to come forward to trap Li You at the first time, but as soon as he moved, the basketball quickly flew to the bottom left corner.

Artest, who had been instructed a long time ago, did not make any adjustments this time, and made a quick jump shot after receiving the ball!

"Huh!" Three-pointer again!

0:6, two rounds, extremely simple tactical coordination, the Knicks scored consecutive points.

Artest, who hit a three-pointer again, beat his chest and glared at McGrady, who underestimated him, and there are really not many opponents who have let him go this season.

The atmosphere in Madison Square Garden exploded for a while, and in the commentary seat, Jeff Van Gundy couldn't help but raise his voice:

"With a 33.8% three-point shooting rate, Artest has not improved much compared to last season, but this year he has a high grasp of open three-point shots."

"The Magic team needs to respond as soon as possible, and in the next round, Li will most likely take the initiative to attack!"

Despite falling behind in the opening game, the Magic were in control of the tempo under the direction of head coach Rivers.

Playing a near-baseline cover tactic, Houston, who slipped from left to right, managed to catch the ball in the right block.

The left hand immediately released the ball, and at the same time completed the instantaneous breakthrough while receiving the ball, which was blocked by Grant Hill to the breakthrough position, and the ball was stopped in the paint area, and there was no good chance for Houston to return the ball to Jacqui Vaughn on the outside.

Reorganizing the attack, McGrady was stalked by Artest again, and the two pulled down and moved to the left flank.

Pretending to have his back to the ball, McGrady suddenly accelerated and ran backwards to the basket, at which time Gooden just stepped up to free up space under the basket.

The first opportunity to run, but Jacqui Vaughn couldn't pass the ball in time, and it was not until Artest chased the guard to his side again, and McGrady, who came to the bottom left of the basket, received a high-quality ball from his teammates.

After catching the ball with his left hand, McGrady released the ball and took the initiative to hit Artest with his body, then grabbed the ball with his left hand, and tried to complete the reflexive basket after a big stride.

The action from receiving the ball to the layup was fast, but McGrady still underestimated Gasol, and the moment he jumped up to put the basket, he was rejected by Gasol's big hat.

"Ahh

McGrady, who was blocked, screamed, then quickly reacted, regained control of the ball after landing, and tried to be strong again, but was held by the quick-eyed Artest.

The paint area was packed with people at this point, and before McGrady could fully exert his strength, Artest pulled the ball out of his arms.

Both of them lost their center of gravity and fell to the floor, and before they fell to the ground, Artest threw the ball to Li You, and then the cheers in the arena resumed.

At the moment of receiving the ball, Li You turned around and completed the ball behind his back with his right hand, deftly dodged Jacqui Vaughn who pounced, and grabbed the ball with his left hand.

Jacqui Vaughn dropped his defensive position after being pushed, heard the manager's shouts, and continued to chase after him.

Houston also accelerated on the other side and chased to his side in time when Lee Woo rushed to the top of the arc.

Before he could make a foul, Houston saw Lee Yoo throw the ball to the top left of the basket.

The ball wasn't fast, just enough to give the fast Grant Hill a chance to accelerate.

After rushing to the three-point line, he adjusted his pace and rushed up in three steps, and fished the ball in the air when the basketball fell, and without interference, Grant Hill poured his hands into the basket vigorously!

At 0:8, Hill's empty dunk ignited the atmosphere of the arena again.

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere team was shouting and celebrating happily with towels, and McGrady, who was still in the backcourt, kept complaining to the referee:

"It's a foul! They knocked me to the floor! ”

The gum disappeared from his mouth in the excitement, and McGrady clearly didn't like the blowing scale tonight.

"Sissy pants! Keep up your jump shot! ”

Artest's trash talk is a bit hurtful, a word that just stimulates McGrady, who likes to wear leggings.

Rivers, who was on the sidelines, saw that his core players began to fight with the opposing team, and couldn't help but shout again and again, reminding McGrady to calm down.

Helping the Magic open the game was De Klerk, an angry McGrady was caught under the basket, and the latter made an open jumper near the baseline on the right.

Everyone in the Magic team was still retreating, but Li You, who was unled by receiving the ball on the baseline, suddenly accelerated.

By the time Jacqui Vaughn realized something was wrong, Lee Yo had already crossed the halfcourt, and Kurt Thomas stopped, took a stand away from the three-point line at the top of the arc, and made a high pick-and-roll.

Li You, who held the ball in his left hand, quickly changed direction in front of him, got rid of the defense in an instant, and faced Gooden, who was stopped on the three-point line trying to help defend, and went in and out in a big way.

Gooden was shaken so much that he subconsciously slid to the right, and then watched Li You sway left and right, squeezing past him.

“Wow！”

In the cheers, Li You went straight to the basket, jumped with both feet in the paint area unguarded, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and won the tomahawk dunk!

At 2:10, Coach Rivers opened his mouth, and finally did not choose to take a timeout, but kept clapping his hands and continued to shout:

“Let's go！”

Li You, who completed the dunk, looked calm, the discipline of the two teams was not on the same level, and it was only a few minutes after the opening game, and this kind of defensive mistake appeared early.

The Magic attacked again, on the right flank, and McGrady used Gooden to cover and try to get rid of the defense, but Kurt Thomas completely let go of the opposing defender and completed the switch at the first time.

Under the big delay, McGrady couldn't squeeze through the defense and was almost caught by Artest, who was chasing after him.

Before the two could form a circle, McGrady hurriedly distributed the ball to an unguarded Gooden.

The latter catches the ball at the free-throw line and hits a shot in an open space.

Gasol easily protected the rebound under the basket, Grant Hill stepped forward to answer, and the Knicks launched another transition offense.

As he rushed to the top of the arc, noticing that most of the Magic had retreated, Grant Hill began to slow down.

At the same time, Li You, who rushed through the half without the ball, came to the right flank, pretended to move to the top of the arc to complete the hand-to-hand hand-to-hand ball, and then suddenly accelerated and ran back.

Jacqui Vaughn watched helplessly as the basketball flew past him and landed precisely into the hands of Lee You, who was close to the right sideline.

The moment he received the ball, Jacqui Vaughn flew out sideways and flew directly to the audience, Li You put the ball steadily with his left hand, moved a step sideways, and calmly jumped and threw a shot!

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

At 2:13, Coach Rivers didn't resist this time and hurriedly asked for a timeout, a nightmare start.

Although the game had only just begun, the scene was very familiar to the New York fans, and many of them stood up and twisted around during the timeout, as if they were starting to celebrate the victory.

On the commentary bench, Marv Albert watched the Knicks who walked to the bench high-five each other in celebration, and subconsciously blew X:

"Lee has already handed out 3 assists after the opening, and the Knicks haven't missed a shot yet, so that's the dominance of a 73-win team!"

Jeff Van Gundy also saw the gap between the two teams, and at this time briefly commented:

"The Magic need to improve their defensive discipline and be on the right side when they are on the defensive."

"They can even foul early and drag the game into the position, and McGrady has to avoid getting tangled with Artest, he should do what he does best!"

The bald young marshal didn't expect the game to be one-sided.

After the timeout, the Magic set up another one-on-one play, and Houston hit a turnaround jumper in the direction of the baseline in the left blocking area.

Grant Hill made a block, then turned around and picked up the rebound after landing.

Jeff Van Gundy shook his head in his heart, he was a little disdainful of Rivers' setup.

Houston accelerated to retreat, and when he saw Grant Hill holding the ball to the top of the arc, Li You moved to near the free throw line, and Gasol couldn't help but loudly remind his teammates when he stepped up to block and dismantle:

"Switch guards!"

This kind of three-man pick-and-roll, Houston has played too many times with the Knicks before.

Gilisek and Jacqui Vaughn did complete the switch, with the duo cutting off the passing lane.

But Gasol's cover quality was so good that Houston himself couldn't keep up with Grant Hill and watched as the opposing team went straight to the basket.

Gooden gave up the defender behind him and hurriedly moved to the basket, and Grant Hill in the paint area took advantage of the situation to distribute the ball to Kurt Thomas on the right near the baseline, who received the ball and made a mid-range jumper!

“Good job！”

The beautiful coordination also made Li You clap his hands, smile and encourage loudly, compared to the opponent, the Knicks' opening tactical routines were all successful.

In the next round, McGrady finally found his shooting touch, facing Artest's top defense, and the left wing received the ball and attacked with the frame.

Noticing that the Knicks' defensive formation began to shrink again, McGrady made a jumper against the defense after a series of tentative steps with his right foot.

At 4:15, on the Magic bench, the atmosphere group finally cheered.

McGrady was also sleepy-eyed at this time, and he shouted to his teammates when he retreated, he was really anxious.

The Knicks played the same tactic, this time with Kurt Thomas stepping up to cover and right wing, Lee Yoo quickly pushed the ball and changed direction, and while switching to the left hand, his teammates stood still, just squeezing past the opponent's side to get rid of the defense.

Jacqui Vaughn lost his defensive position, and Gooden hurriedly slid to the right to make a delay to the three-point line.

During the march, Li You quickly dribbled the ball under his crotch, and while completing the change of direction, he led the ball forward with his right hand, and then passed directly between the two.

Gooden could only turn his head, and De Klerk under the basket didn't know how to defend for a while, and subconsciously moved to the paint area, and then saw Li You casually throwing the ball to the upper left of the basket.

Too late to defend back, De Klerk turned his head to watch Gasol catch the ball in the air, and vigorously poured the basket with both hands!

"Boom!" Empty catch the storm dunk!

The cheers in the arena made McGrady numb, and the situation of an opponent scoring easily and his own scoring constipation was beyond his expectations.

Before the game, Rivers coach was convinced that dragging into the position to attack the Knicks would be blocked offensively, but the result was the opposite

At 4:17, all five starters scored, and Li You high-fived his teammates again to celebrate.

In the next game, McGrady entered the state of "stand-up singles", made a dry jumper, broke through the frame and stood on the free throw line, helping the Magic team cut points.

It's just that this kind of offense is exactly what the Knicks want to see, and everyone just needs to quietly appreciate this offense who catches the ball in the left and right blocking areas.

The Magic's scoring slowly rose, and after each tough goal was easily responded to, Coach Rivers roared loudly on the sidelines

McGrady, who scored four points in a row, received the ball on the right wing this time, and then immediately released the ball with his left hand and forced it to the basket.

The well-balanced left and right hands made McGrady's step-by-step particularly silky, and his quick first move allowed him to grab position.

Sensing that he had lost his defensive position, Artest slid and simply took the initiative to crash into his opponent.

The two collided, and McGrady lost his center of gravity, and both fell to the paint

"Shet! It's not basketball action! ”

McGrady, who fell to the floor, complained loudly to the referee.

Receiving his first foul, Artest just smiled, was pulled up by the crowd, and quickly pounced on McGrady's side.

The two pulled again, and the referee had to issue a warning, but the fans at the scene were extremely excited.

When Jacqui Vaughn received the ball at the top of the arc, Li You did not choose to defend, and aimed at his right hand.

Sure enough, the angry McGrady bounced to the left flank again, Jacqui Vaughn hurriedly sent a horizontal pass, and Li You, who had been prepared, suddenly burst out, blocked the ball with his right hand, and then took advantage of the situation to lead the ball forward.

"Oh!"

The sudden steal also made the fans at the scene exclaim, and then the cheers resounded in the stadium again.

Jacqui Vaughn could only watch Lee Woo rush faster and faster, and finally give up the pursuit.

1 to 0 in the front court, Li You is fast, his feet jump in the paint area, change hands under his crotch in the air, grab the ball with his left hand, and press the ball into the basket fiercely!

“Show time！”

On the commentary bench, Mav-Albert cheered happily.

At 8:21, Jeff Van Gundy looked at this point difference and didn't say anything more, he knew that the Magic team was likely to be cold.

The game went on, Coach Rivers didn't ask for a timeout, and Houston scored some points for the Magic, but with Gooden hitting the iron in the open space, the Knicks went on a back-to-back transition offense.

With 2:32 left in the first quarter, Armstrong replaced the stealthy Jacqui Vaughn with a free throw from Lee.

Coach Rivers wanted to step up the offense, but the former Sixth Man of the Year shot decisively, but he also didn't score a point in the more than two minutes he played.

Repeatedly scored by the Knicks' same simple tactics, McGrady completely broke the defense, constantly assisted on the defensive end, lost the defensive position, and allowed Artest to find an opportunity to rub the free throw.

With 36.2 seconds left in the first quarter, the Magic completed an excellent defense, and the Knicks never found an easy scoring opportunity under successive rotations.

The offensive time was constantly consumed, and in the end, it was Li You who received the ball at the top of the arc, and McGrady didn't dare to get too close, but just propped up his right arm and lowered his center of gravity to interfere.

Li You, who held the ball in his left hand, slowly approached the three points, and at the moment when the opponent wanted to defend, his center of gravity suddenly lowered, and his left hand quickly dribbled under his crotch.

McGrady hurriedly slid to the left rear, and Li You completed the crotch change again, and while his body shook to the left front, he feigned to accelerate and break through.

was attacked to the defensive front support, McGrady tried to adjust the center of gravity of his body, but he was still a beat slower, and when he turned around and slid down, Li You vigorously exploded the ball with his left hand, exerted force under his feet, and stepped sideways sharply!

completely lost the defense, McGrady didn't even make a block move, and watched Li You shoot a long-distance three-point jumper!

“I got it！”

didn't wait for the landing, Li You came to say, and then didn't look at the basket, and turned around and retreated after landing.

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

"Hell!"

There was a cheer in his ears, and McGrady let out a low curse, a look of frustration on his face once again.

At 16:36, the huge difference of 20 points made D'Antoni on the sidelines also raise his hands and celebrate.

In the last attack, McGrady spent time with the ball in his left hand at the top of the arc, and his posture was very dashing, but Artest was unmoved.

It was also a continuous crotch dribble, and under the interference, McGrady did not lose the offensive rhythm, and when he switched to his right hand, he first paused slightly, and then suddenly accelerated.

After dribbling one step to the three-point line, McGrady immediately made a sharp stop, and then hit a dashing jumper

“Wow！”

At the end of the first quarter, the cheers couldn't stop for a while, and McGrady, who walked to the bench, stopped talking, he did his best.

He scored 8 points on 3-of-7 shooting and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, half of which he contributed.

2 out of 5 and scored 6 points, Houston looked at the score, his mood was a little complicated, and he sighed secretly.

On the Knicks bench, everyone giggled and celebrated, and the game was over as soon as it began.

Mav Albert was happy to see it, and regardless of his neutral status, he continued to blow violently:

"That's Lee, sometimes the stats don't reflect his true performance, he's better than the stats!"

"The game is completely under his control, and the Magic team still has a lot to learn!"

5-of-6, 2-of-3 from beyond the three-point line, 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, 14 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists and 1 steal, played the first quarter, and Li You once again handed over impeccable statistics.

Jeff Van Gundy noticed that D'Antoni threw the tactical board to the assistant coach, and after patting Li You, he leaned back tactically, and his heart was sour for a while:

"Without a little bit of their own tactical thinking!"

With such a huge lead, the bald young marshal also had to follow suit and praise:

"The Knicks prepared very well tonight, and he deserved the best coach!"

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It's been reduced a bit, and it's still updated in 10,000 words at night~

(End of chapter)