On May 9, 2003, the NBA announced the Rookie of the Season:

The first team of 5 people are:

Caron Butler, Drew Gooden, Nene Hilario, Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming;

The second team of 5 people are:

Jay Williams, J.R. Bremer, Manu Ginobili, Gordon Girisek, Carlos Boozer.

Yao Ming was successfully selected as the best rookie team, which also made Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean feel gratified, and the champion show can be regarded as cashing in on his talent and gaining a firm foothold in the league!

It was Saturday in China, and before CCTV broadcast the Spurs-Lakers game in the morning, Yu Jia and Zhang Weiping were still talking about Yao Ming's loss of the best rookie in the studio:

"If you let Yao Ming play for the Knicks, he can also win the best rookie!"

"Stoudemire is in such good health, he dunks the ball, the Knicks played so well in the regular season, the ball whizzed, American sports reporters like this kind of team."

"But if you want to say that the rookie Stoudemire is better than Yao Ming, that's really not likely, 73 wins, this record bonus is too big!"

Zhang Weiping blew Yao Ming before the game, and by the way, he commented Stoudemire as a new with rough technology, which can be summed up in one sentence:

"Yao Ming is really powerful, Stoudemire hugging his thighs!"

The old-timers in the studio blew violently, Yu Jia was a little embarrassed, and soon began to change the topic again:

"73 wins, 3 consecutive MVPs, and the only player in history to unanimously win the MVP, Li You has won the scoring king, steal king, and assist king this season!"

"Do you think he surpasses the all-time players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson?"

Since the increase in the number of broadcasts, not only Chinese fans have been dumbfounded, but the number of "winning honey" has skyrocketed, and "ten-year-old fans" have come uninvited!

Even with the sports media, this time it's really "Michael Jordan can't do it"!

Zhang Weiping nodded again and again, and then introduced the news he had gotten:

"If I had gone to New York to read the newspapers, Li You would have surpassed these two long ago, but most American journalists are relatively cautious, and it will take another two years to become the best in history."

"American journalists don't like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which may be related to off-court issues, but in fact Skyhook has six championships."

"But it is very likely that Li You will surpass these historical stars, 25 years old, this age is really amazing!"

The game between the Lakers and the Spurs was about to start, and the two began to talk back to the topic.

"Coach Zhang, what do you think of this Western Conference semifinals, the Spurs won two home games, and the defending champions seem to be completely at a disadvantage."

doesn't look at the technical statistics, when it comes to this round of the series, Zhang Weiping opens his mouth and comes:

"The Lakers are finished! Don't look at Ginobili as a rookie, in fact, he has a lot of game experience, and compared to previous years, the Spurs' outside strength is much better. ”

"Phil Jackson should have lost control of the locker room, the Lakers are slow to heat up this season, O'Neal had surgery at the beginning of the season, Kobe Bryant shot randomly, there is no home court advantage, and there is a high probability that the playoffs will not be able to fight the opponent."

"Kobe's stats look good, but it's actually too much worse than the MVP-level Li You!"

"The efficiency value that ESPN likes in the United States, Li You has a minimum of 30 since 99, and Kobe Bryant can't compare at all."

"Our ordinary fans intuitively feel that Li You's play looks reasonable and smooth, and they all say that Kobe Bryant is like Jordan, but Jordan really doesn't play like him."

"It's really not good to shoot randomly against the defense, but the triangle offense is not like this!"

"If Kobe Bryant still made more than 20 shots and nearly 30 times in the Western Conference semifinals, and played unreasonably, the Lakers would have to lose!"

Yu Jia only felt that the old-timers' tone changed too quickly, and in the early years, he praised Kobe Bryant for playing like Jordan, and the future is promising;

But since Phil Jackson led the Lakers to the Finals for several consecutive years but lost the championship, Zhang Weiping began to look down on the "OK" combination, and O'Neal's free throws have been sprayed for many years

However, in this Western Conference semifinals G3, the trend of the game is still different from what Zhang Weiping said.

The Spurs were dumb on the outside, Kobe Bryant continued to shoot, and finally, 95:110, the Lakers who returned to their home court pulled one back!

The home-court advantage in this era is real, just like the Knicks' Artest rarely gets into a foul crisis at home, Kobe Bryant, who returned to his home court, also blew up the Spurs' outside line.

He was 10-of-23, 2-of-4 from beyond the three-point line, 17-of-19 from the free-throw line, and finished with 39 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 4 turnovers.

At the end of the game, seeing Kobe's data, Zhang Weiping summed up the game with another sentence:

"If you don't play reasonably, your efficiency will decline in the playoffs, and you won't be able to go far with the Lakers if you play like this!"

The Spurs' role players occasionally eat a dumpling, and the Knicks' role players are still punching hard!

Eastern Conference Semifinals G2, 88:109, the Knicks defeated the Pacers.

On the evening of the 10th, in the Eastern Conference semifinals G3, at the Conseco Arena in Polis, more than 15,000 fans saw the home team being "beaten" again.

In the first half of the game, with O'Neal Jr.'s excellent play, the Pacers withstood the pressure.

At 53:48, the Knicks led by just five points.

Shortly after the start of the third quarter, Pacers fans felt that something was wrong, O'Neal Jr. couldn't catch the ball, and Jalen Rose started to hit the iron again.

Fortunately, the Knicks lost two open shots, and the difference between the two sides remained unchanged at this time.

When the Pacers attacked this time, the cheers of the fans in the stadium were also messy.

Jamal Tinsley was forced to protect the ball sideways when he was suppressed by Li You after half court, and he pouted frequently.

As long as he fails to rely on speed to get rid of the defense in the first place, it will be difficult for Jamal Tinsley to organize the attack quickly in the face of Li Youling's interference after the defense.

In desperation, the ball was handed over early in the half, and the big man Miller came to the top of the arc to answer, ready to hand over the ball to his teammates.

Jamal Tinsley cut in without the ball down the middle, ran to the bottom right corner with Lee You, and then stood still.

Jalen Rose first feints on the left flank, then suddenly turns around and accelerates towards the upline.

Artest controlled the foul well in the first half, only received one foul, and returned to defensive intensity in the third quarter, relying on excellent lateral movement speed to stick to the opponent.

Even pulling and pulling down failed to get rid of the defense, Jalen Rose couldn't complete the hand-to-hand with his teammates for a while, the big man Miller couldn't send the pass in time, and Gasol behind him also began to interfere.

Jalen Rose had no choice but to run to the right wing, and Reggie Miller hurriedly accelerated to move from the bottom left corner to the upper line.

Grant Hill was also struggling to chase the defense, but Miller Sr. was too experienced to get out of the defense and fell to the ground, the referee blew the whistle immediately, and the Pacers had a chance to play the ball on the sideline.

Such a scene made D'Antoni on the sidelines smile and shake his head, he didn't complain to the referee, just clapped his hands and gave the players a thumbs up:

“Good job！”

The big man Miller opened the sideline, and Jamal Tinsley hurried to the left flank to answer, just received a pass, and was defended by Li You.

The newcomer didn't dare to sweep the ball at this time and make a triple threat move, and was tackled twice in the first half, and immediately turned sideways to protect the ball after receiving the ball.

O'Neal Jr. is still fighting with Kurt Thomas hand-to-hand, and he is tired of the small movements behind him, coupled with the frequent defense around the front, which makes O'Neal Jr.'s movements bigger and bigger.

Fortunately, seeing O'Neal Jr. stuck in position, the referee would not blow the whistle, and was arched to the left blocking area, and O'Neal Jr., who was far away from the basket, finally received the pass.

With a quick release of the ball with his left hand, he hit twice in a row, O'Neal Jr.'s shoulders shook, and then quickly turned to the baseline and threw a backward jumper shot against Kurt Thomas's block!

"Bang!"

Obviously, the previous confrontation affected the shooting touch, and the basketball slammed out of the frame, and Gasol, who retracted into the paint, once again protected the backcourt rebound.

Lee Woo received the ball, and everyone in the Knicks accelerated across the halfcourt.

Jamal Tinsley could only continue to lead the defense, only to find that Li You's advance was slow this time.

Kurt Thomas saw Li You raise his eyebrows at this time, and quickly moved from the left elbow area to the three-point line at the top of the arc to make a high block.

Noticing movement behind him, Jamal Tinsley hurried forward to get past the cover while shouting to his teammates to help.

In the logo position, Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, took advantage of the opponent's defense, quickly pushed the ball and changed direction, and after switching to his left hand, he squeezed past Kurt Thomas with the help of cover.

Unable to get past the cover in time, Jamal Tinsley shouted a reminder and O'Neal Jr. hurriedly moved to the three-point line close to the left wing.

Pressing down the center of gravity to accelerate the breakthrough, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, quickly dribbled the ball under his crotch when he was close to the three-point line, and while his body shook to the right front, he took a step in the opposite direction with the force under his feet.

O'Neal Jr. followed his body's instinctive reaction and moved a step to the left back, and then he could only watch Li You retreat and close the ball at the same time, and shoot quickly outside the three-point line!

Jamal Tinsley, who was chasing the defenders, didn't do much to make a difference although he jumped on the side.

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

At 56:48, the margin widened again.

"Shh

The Pacers fans erupted in boos, but much quieter than in the first half.

Coach Isiah Thomas saw O'Neal Jr.'s pleading eyes and just continued to make steady gestures.

The inside player had difficulty receiving the ball, and in desperation, Reggie Miller bounced to the right wing and released the ball with his left hand to break through.

Stumbling into the paint, Miller Sr. hit the iron again with a drifting jumper against the defense.

This time, the basketball that slammed into the front of the basket was just twisted and collected by Grant Hill, who finished the defense.

The Pacers could only retreat quickly, and players from both sides accelerated to the halfcourt.

With the ball in his left hand and across the halfway line to the top of the arc, Grant Hill began to move to the left flank.

Jamal Tinsley was on Lee Yo's side, but his hand-to-hand pass was not completed, and he came to the left wing, where Grant Hill dribbled behind and switched to his right hand.

At the top of the arc, Li You leaned on the defense sideways to receive the pass and then immediately turned around and attacked with a frame.

The Pacers had just finished defending their position, with the big man settling in the left and right near baseline positions, and Miller Sr. and Jalen Rose also stopped on the left and right wings.

After receiving the ball, Li You protected the ball on the right side of his body, and continued to test the side with his left foot, and Jamal Tinsley lowered his body center of gravity and continued to interfere.

Suddenly and quickly swept the ball to the left, the position where Li You released the ball almost to the floor, and Jamal Tinsley instinctively moved a step behind the right.

Seizing the opportunity, Li You pulled the ball back to the right side while exerting force at his feet, leaned back slightly while lifting the ball, and made a quick jump shot against the block!

"Huh!" Three-pointers go in again.

At 59:48, the boos in the stadium were half smaller, and Li You watched Miller, the big man who served the bottom ball, break the defense and smash the ball, and smiled again for a while.

"I said you should have covered me!"

Lee You, who retired from the defense, reminded the head coach Isaiah Thomas on the sidelines again.

Thomas's face was long when he heard this, tonight's game was actually covered, but the Knicks role players played well in the first half, and they wanted to change their defensive strategy in the second half.

After several consecutive rounds without scoring, the Pacers again handed the ball to O'Neal Jr., who had reached the right block.

This time, he didn't choose to have his back on his back, but continued to dribble under his crotch with the face frame, and when he switched to the left hand, O'Neal Jr. pretended to break through, and then quickly turned to the basket by relying on the defense.

Kurt Thomas was prepared, but when the opponent combined the ball, he interfered with the attack, and the rhythm of the attack was disrupted, and O'Neal Jr.'s right-handed throw came out of the box.

Gasol protected the rebound, the cheering at the Consec Arena disappeared completely, and the Pacers fans just felt like the game was coming to an end.

In the midst of the noise, Lee Woo received the ball and slowly dribbled across the half court, and when he came to the right wing, the Pacers' defensive formation began to shift to the left as Gasol raised the screen.

With the ball in his right hand, Lee Woo approached the three-point line, Jamal Tinsley began to lower his center of gravity, and the big man Miller also followed, ready to cooperate with his teammates to wrap up.

Noticing that Jalen Rose actually began to move in the direction of the paint area, and before the block occurred, Li You suddenly jumped up and threw the ball with one hand with his right hand.

The basketball flew straight to the bottom left corner, and the ball was so fast that it was too late for Jalen Rose to chase after him.

Everyone on the Pacers watched Artest receive the ball in the left bottom corner and make a steady jump shot!

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

At 62:48, three consecutive three-pointers made the arena completely quiet.

Coach Isiah Thomas was expressionless and asked for a timeout.

Artest jumped up and down with excitement, raised his right arm and raised three fingers and ran directly to the Knicks bench.

Everyone in the atmosphere group also cheered loudly, and with a 14-point lead, and with more effort, it was time for them to harvest the data in the fourth quarter.

On the TNT commentary bench, Jeff Van Gundy received another invitation for this crucial game, and the bald young coach knew that the Pacers must be gone when he saw this situation:

'They should be resolute in their defensive strategy, and when there is a discrepancy in the game plan, it is up to the leaders to judge the situation on the pitch for themselves.

"Obviously, the Pacers don't have anyone to take on that kind of task, and Lee is good at taking a fleeting opportunity, and in the playoffs, it can be a matter of a few rounds to decide the game."

"Now the Pacers need to think about how to score the response shot, how not to let the margin widen, they have more problems on the offensive end than on the defensive end!"

Jeff Van Gundy spoke eloquently, and Marf Albert nodded repeatedly, compared to Mike Flatello who always said good things about veterans, the bald young marshal didn't care about this at all.

"Jeff, do you think the Pacers still have a chance to turn the game around and even win this series?"

Hearing his partner's question, Jeff Van Gundy unceremoniously and confidently replied:

"Lee was in control of the game, and the Pacers had a hard time coming back and both sides weren't on the same level of response to the ball."

"The bottom line is that there is a bigger gap in defensive resources between the two sides, and Jermaine O'Neal may have good numbers, but he can't change the situation on the field."

"It's a shame that Reggie Miller, who is about to be 38 years old, can't carry the Pacers' offense and can make it to the semifinals, and they've played really well!"

The bald young marshal was completely right, and after a timeout, the big score lead, and the Knicks' role players began to punch again.

Kurt Thomas and Gasol ate a lot of cakes, and the opponent hit the iron, and Grant Hill stole a chicken for two consecutive rounds and made a layup.

Artest not only completely restrained Jalen Rose, but even had a one-on-one dunk scene with a face-to-face steal.

In addition, the three-pointer that was released also responded, and Artest also scored consecutive points for a period of time.

All Lee Woo has to do is catch the ball and dribble across the halfcourt, send a pass, watch his teammates score points, defend hard, and organize the transition offense.

With 2:06 left in the third quarter, Lee Woo hit a three-pointer, Miller Sr. received a long rebound, and the Pacers also had an opportunity to switch offense.

After striking the iron, Li You retreated at full speed, and when he retreated to the vicinity of the paint area, the Pacers played one and two in the frontcourt.

Jamal Tinsley accelerated with the ball in his left hand, attracting Lee to move and immediately distribute the ball to Miller Sr., who cut in from the right flank.

Contrary to the expectations of the two, Li You reacted quickly, and Reggie Miller rushed up in three steps after receiving the ball, and wanted to vent his depression with a one-handed split!

Jumping with his left foot and grabbing the ball with his right hand with one hand, Reggie Miller took to the air, and when he flew into the air, he found that Li You, who had lost his defensive position, came first, and followed up after chasing the defense.

Old Miller, who was about to smash his arm and dunk, widened his eyes and watched as Li You's left hand pressed on the ball.

The two fought in the air, and Reggie Miller immediately lost his center of gravity and fell to the floor with a thud

"Oh!"

The visually striking block made Pacers fans exclaim loudly.

He stopped the ball in the air, and after landing, Li You controlled the ball, led the ball forward with his left hand, and accelerated through the half court after catching the ball with his right hand.

Jamal Tinsley was completely blinded, and he couldn't catch up with Lee Yoo for a while, and the frontcourt became the Knicks playing more and less.

What made several people in the front court of the Pacers dumbfounded was that Li You rushed across the halfway line and began to slow down, and then immediately stopped at the top of the arc, and confidently jumped outside the three-point line!

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

Naturally, this was not a reasonable attacking option, but Marv Albert on the commentary bench praised it loudly:

"What a wonderful round! In the third quarter of the game, Lee dominated the Pacers on both offensive and defensive ends! ”

On the other side of the ocean, it happened to be Sunday, CCTV Sports also broadcast the game simultaneously, and in this round, Zhang Weiping also made the same evaluation:

"Good shot! It's beautiful! After completing the block, it was a three-point shot, and Li You played really reasonably! ”

The bald young marshal is used to Li You's offensive choice, and Yu Jia in the studio is still in the process of accepting it, and when he heard the praise of the old-timers, he could only look at the other party helplessly:

"Is this still a neutral commentary?"

At 81:60, the score difference came to 21 points, and the Consec Arena seemed to have become a "library".

Lee You, who hit a three-pointer, high-fived his teammates in celebration, and Reggie Miller, who got up from the floor, watched the front-row fans begin to hold their heads in disappointment, and couldn't help but curse in frustration:

"Shet! Why is it always like this?"

In the final minute or so, Jalen Rose, who was playing iron continuously, scored 2 points on free throws, and when he turned around, Kurt Thomas hit consecutive mid-range jumpers from the free throw line.

At 34:14 in the single quarter, the battle ended in the third quarter, and at 87:62, the game lost its suspense.

In the fourth quarter of the game, although the Pacers fought to catch up, there was not enough time.

The Knicks' rotation also performed well, and Lee Yoo didn't play again.

Played 30 minutes, 11-of-17, 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point line, 4-of-5 from the free throw line, 31 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers.

After handing over two pairs of data again, at the end of the match, Li You got up with a smile and bumped punches with the atmosphere group.

At 111:90, the Knicks defeated their opponents, and the series score came to 3:0.

In the Consec Arena, most Pacers fans left the court silently.

Many people already knew in their minds that the home team could not win, but there were still certain illusions before the game began.

It's just that the reality is too ruthless, and the Knicks broke out again in the third quarter and took away the game.

Coach Isaiah Thomas had long since lost the smile on his face and was silent when he came to the technical table to shake hands with D'Antoni.

The celebrity shook hands and then turned away, saying goodbye to the season in such a way that his managerial position was unstable.

Interviewed on the sidelines tonight was Kurt Thomas, who was 8-of-12 and had a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds!

When asked by a TNT reporter about the secret to being so efficient tonight, Kurt Thomas crossed his waist and said seriously to the camera:

"Strictly follow the coaching staff's arrangement, do my job, Lee will create open shots for me, all I have to do is put the ball in the basket!"

"Under Lee's control, in three games, our tactical discipline was better than that of our opponents! That's the secret to the Knicks' efficiency! ”

On the morning of May 12, the Eastern Conference semifinals will continue, and Pacers fans will have to watch their opponents advance at home again.

In the afternoon, when the Knicks warmed up early, Lee Woo was also interviewed by TNT.

The series is no longer in suspense, and most sports reporters no longer ask questions about the winner:

"Lee, did you follow the Lakers' game, Coach Popovich thinks that the opponent's home referee has been blowing fouls."

With the Knicks winning three games too easily, the coaching staff did start preparing for the Eastern Conference Finals ahead of schedule.

However, Li You didn't pay much attention to the situation in the Western Conference, he just watched the results of the game, and the score between the two sides came to 2:2, and the Lakers protected the home court:

"The referees are also part of the game, and we worked hard for the rankings during the regular season to have home advantage in the playoffs."

"I didn't pay attention to the details of the game, but I think Spurs have a chance to knock out their opponents, they have one more home than the other side!"

Soon a reporter informed Li You of the details of the game, David Robinson left the court with 6 fouls in 14 minutes, and the Lakers made 45 free throws in one game.

Bryant scored 35 points on 10-of-24 shooting, 1-of-4 from beyond the three-point line, and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line.

O'Neal was 6-of-17 from the field and 17-of-23 from the free-throw line for a big double-double of 29 points and 17 rebounds.

When asked how to evaluate the performance of the two, Li You just shrugged his shoulders and quipped:

"Shaq's free throws are not bad, otherwise the Spurs should have gotten the match point!"

“.”

The Pacers have been completely ignored, and pundits are not going to criticize the soon-to-be-38-year-old veteran.

A lot of people have nothing but respect for Miller Sr., who dedicated his entire career to the Pacers and couldn't win a championship, but Reggie Miller did his best.

Before the night's game, Grant Hill praised the veteran in an interview:

'Sometimes it doesn't matter if you win or lose, Miller represents a spirit and he inspires a lot of young players!'

"But on the basketball court, no matter what the opponent's physical condition is, I give it my all, and that's a way for me to show respect!"

Reggie Miller's performance in this series was very unseemly, and after noticing that the veteran was in a strained state after the tie-break, some offense was qualified Rand Hill would take the initiative to attack with his back in the low post.

The effect is naturally very good, but this "name-calling" way of pinching soft persimmons has also been met with some boring doubts.

Coach D'Antoni was also completely clear in a recent interview, expressing his tactical philosophy bluntly:

"On the court, the Knicks are just looking for more mismatch opportunities, and all the tactics are in the service of that purpose."

"Lee is so good, under his control, the team's offense becomes reasonable and efficient!"

"I know people love to see star matchups, and if the opponent doesn't have Lee, I'll let him do more singles."

"It's a pity that we haven't faced such an opponent yet!"

Before the game, D'Antoni said this with a smile, and then began to lean back tactically, and the reporters accompanying the Pacers were so angry that some people even talked behind their backs:

"We have players like Lee, and the championship is the Pacers!"

With the series trailing by a wide margin, the sports media on Indiana's side began to discuss the team's building ideas more.

As it turns out, no player can resist the ticks of time, and Reggie Miller is no longer able to carry the team's offense.

After the G4 game started that night, the Pacers fans at the scene quickly lost their emotions.

As if stuck in a time loop, the home team is still repeating the previous game.

At the end of the first quarter, at 34:20, looking at the double-digit point difference, the atmosphere of the Pacers was silent.

can't attack, can't defend, wrap up Li You, and the role players of the Knicks respond.

Li You was already wearing his coat when he was sitting on the bench at this time, and he knew that the defense on the opposite side had completely collapsed.

The NBA league is about to announce the best defensive team, Artest has been very excited for the past two days, and at this time he is still blowing X while sitting on the bench:

"What if you take the DPOY? Ben is about to be eliminated by the Nets! ”

"Next year's award is mine!"

Ewing didn't look at Artest, who was blowing X, and when he returned to his seat, he also talked about the opponent behind him:

"I didn't expect the Nets to reach the division finals this season, and these guys are really doing well."

At the beginning of the game, Li You sat in his seat with his arms crossed at this time, and leaned back tactically, naturally very satisfied with the opponent in the next Eastern Conference Finals:

"I can enjoy seven home games again, and I don't have to fly anymore, and I really hope to be able to meet the Nets in the division finals for the next few years."

“.”

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(End of chapter)