On May 21, 2004, ESPN recapped last night's Eastern Conference Finals on its morning show.

Compared with the semifinals between the Pistons and the Pacers not long ago, the ratings of the Eastern Conference Finals have begun to rise again.

The ratings seem to show that fans don't really care if the game is evenly matched, as long as there are superstars, everyone will choose to watch the game.

Those who shouted that the Knicks had ruined this era were no longer mentioned, and some commentators swore that fans were tired of watching Li You's words and were slapped in the face.

There is nothing to analyze in the G1 game, after so many years, the team that dug the pit in the first quarter will lose, and there has not been such a thing as a turnaround against the wind.

In even-numbered years, TNT was in charge of broadcasting the Western Conference Finals, and this round of the match was highly watched.

After all, Kevin Garnett is the MVP of this year's regular season, and the Lakers still have an F4 lineup, although they are a little older, most fans don't mind.

Reaching the divisional finals, there is not much time left for the team to recuperate, and the game will continue every other day.

The Timberwolves had home-court advantage, and the Minneapolis Star Tribune was shouting for the home team in the sports section of the day:

"The underrated Timberwolves will show their fangs!"

As the largest local newspaper in Minnesota, it is not as influential as the New York Times, and it is not very good at revitalization, which makes most fans actually look forward to the Lakers' performance.

Several mainstream newspapers in New York have long been clamoring to teach the "thief" Lakers a lesson, and the Los Angeles Times has gossiped every day during this time.

The other party seems to want to prove that Kobe's illegal invasion is not a big deal through such news, and everyone is a young scumbag.

One east and one west, when it came to the division finals, the voices on both sides were the loudest, the fans followed and ate melons, and Kevin Garnett was miserably ignored.

seems to think that he can beat the elderly Malone, and Garnett is full of confidence in recent interviews:

"I'm the best big man in the league this season, and I have respect for the Lakers, they're a championship team."

"But the basketball game is not about who is more famous, the Timberwolves are underrated, and I will lead the team in this series to prove our strength!"

Garnett, who is playing at home, looks confident, and it is indeed a good opportunity for the Timberwolves to take the lead.

In the morning TNT program, it is also warming up for the evening game, compared with the regional finals in the east, there is no need to worry about the ratings, it is full of gimmicks!

The trio didn't discuss tactics too much, instead chatting in the studio about Gary Payton's stats in the Western Conference semifinals.

Averaged 38.4 minutes per game, averaging 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.7 turnovers per game;

He shot 33.9 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the free throw line.

Just looking at Excel, most fans won't believe that this is Gary Payton's performance against the Spurs.

Although Parker was on high and low in this series, he also averaged 16.7 points per game and shot 38.1 percent from the field.

Compared to the two, in terms of data, Parker still performs better than Payton.

Not wanting to criticize the veteran, Charles Barkley rarely did not have a big mouth output, but commented euphemistically:

"I'm sure Payton can adjust in time, we've played against him a lot and I know him very well, but he didn't show his true quality in the semifinals."

The data doesn't lie, Gary Payton is extremely crotch-pulling, and Kenny Smith gave an objective evaluation of this:

"In the long regular season, the main players of the Lakers are often absent, which has a great drain on Payton's body!"

"Against Cassel in the Western Conference Finals, I think it's going to be hard for him to get back into shape, and in the regular season, Cassel was really good, and like Garnett said, he's underrated."

Karl Malone's stats have also declined, but no one has criticized the veteran, after all, injuries are unpredictable.

Ernnie Johnson saw that the two didn't want to discuss the veteran's performance too much, so he immediately changed the subject and asked:

"There are currently four teams in the divisional finals, and among the backcourt players, there is no player who can limit Lee's performance."

"The Pistons' pressing defense doesn't seem to be bothering the Knicks."

"Do you think the Knicks will be able to defend their title this season?"

Both of them were silent after hearing this question, and finally Charles Barkley shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly:

"Maybe Lee will always rule this era."

O'Neill, who came to the target center arena in the afternoon to warm up, was full of confidence in this round of competition, and resumed his yin and yang tone in an interview:

"I love sending MVPs home, and I don't think the Timberwolves' interior is going to bother me."

"I haven't fully developed in the playoffs, Gary will get better and better, that's the experience of veterans!"

In the semifinals, O'Neal averaged a double-double of 22.5 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

He shot 63.5 percent from the field, but his 43.5 percent shooting percentage from the free-throw line suggests that O'Neal has slipped a bit from the free-throw line.

Averaging 14.2 shots per game is not O'Neal's limit, and in the face of the interview, everyone believes that what the shark said is true.

Most reporters circled around O'Neal, and the Lakers' two veterans had poor semifinal stats and were completely outdated.

As for Kobe Bryant, since he refused to be interviewed by ESPN, many sports reporters have stopped paying attention to the Lakers' leading scorer.

What's more, Phil Jackson has made his attitude clear, he dislikes Kobe Bryant and speaks for O'Neal, and the two sides naturally have a lot of contradictions.

Kobe Bryant, who is wearing a training uniform, doesn't care about everyone's eyes, even if he is isolated, he doesn't care, because the Lakers can't do without him.

In the case of Payton pulling his hips, Kobe's role is becoming more and more important, and even if the old man of KFC doesn't like it, he has to pinch his nose to give a lot of playing time.

Seeing that everyone was surrounding O'Neal, Kobe, who continued to warm up, quietly pouted, and felt a little unhappy in his heart:

"This is my team!"

In the night's game, the Timberwolves fans showed 120% enthusiasm and kept shouting for the home team.

The two sides were still deadlocked in the first half, but as the game began in the third quarter, the Lakers played a wave of streams, and the Timberwolves went straight to the cold

At 97:88, the home team lost, and the target center arena became very noisy after the game.

Gary Payton didn't play well on the offensive end, scoring seven points on 2-of-7 shooting, but Fisher off the bench propped up the Lakers' outside shooting.

With 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point line, and Fisher came off the bench to score 14 points.

After winning, he was naturally in a good mood, 9 of 16, 9 of 11 free throws, and cut 27 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 2 turnovers of all-around data, O'Neal shouted again and again as he walked to the player's tunnel after the game:

"Fack! No one can restrain me! ”

O'Neal's outstanding performance is also the confidence to continue to ask the Lakers for a big contract, and although he enters the end of his career, he is still the league's No. 1 center.

Malone Sr. was 8-of-13 for 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Garnett was 7-of-15 for a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.

The MVP did not crush the veteran, which made Garnett slap his face after the game, and he could only emphasize repeatedly in an interview:

"We're going to win G2!"

On May 22, with the Lakers' road victory, New York's sports media blossomed.

With more than a day of recuperation, it's hard for the Pistons to make too many adjustments.

However, most sports reporters don't care about them, routinely asking some innocuous questions, briefly reporting on the opponent's dynamics, and then there is not much news.

Since Hill was confirmed to be competing in the Athens Olympics, some sports reporters came to have fun after the G1 match.

When he came to Madison Square Garden in the afternoon to warm up early, Grant Hill was blocked by reporters again.

Hearing the crowd's chattering questions, Hill was a little helpless, and it was obvious that some people had bad intentions.

"Grant, do you think there's a problem with Coach Larry Brown's tactics?"

"It's said that you support head coach Shshezewski as head coach of the U.S. men's basketball team, is that because Larry Brown has a problem coaching?"

"Can the Knicks continue to beat their opponents by a big score, Grant, will they get a triple-double tonight?"

With the Pistons having too few All-Star players to hold up the conversation, everyone began to consume Larry Brown.

Grant Hill listened to the head of the game for a while, and the players did not judge the manager, so he could only keep smiling and talking:

"Coach Larry Brown is very capable, and I support him as the head coach of the U.S. men's basketball team."

"The Pistons are also a strong opponent, and I don't think too much about my stats."

Watching Grant Hill, dressed in a black suit, leave, many sports reporters feel unsatisfied.

If you can dig out the contradiction between the captain and the head coach of the men's basketball team, such news will definitely be a big hit!

In the G1 game, Hill was 6-of-13 and 4-of-4 free throws, scoring a quasi-triple-double of 16 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.

ESPN's reporters remembered tonight's game and immediately felt very bored, and several people complained in a low voice:

"Why the Pistons are in the division finals, if they meet the Pacers, there will be more news!"

Several people in Yahoo Sports also felt that the Eastern Conference Finals were not exciting and lacked starry:

"Outside of the Knicks, the outside All-Stars in the East are all guys who don't live up to their name."

"McGrady and Iverson can't compare to Lee!"

A few people talked about this topic and gradually started to spray indiscriminately, if the star players can enter the playoffs, small essays can be much easier to write.

In the previous two years, Collis Williams also won the best sixth man, and the Pistons star player, but these two seasons have been completely silent and sports reporters have not paid attention.

Hamilton was affected by his style of play and was not likable, and Rasheed Wallace did not show his out-of-style All-Star style.

There are no star players, no pretty stats, which makes it impossible for a lot of sports media to find a reason to blow X.

Instead, it's Larry Brown who is in the spotlight, and right now, the veteran coach is a big star for the Pistons.

When Li You appeared in the stadium, most of the sports media followed suit.

The ESPN reporter didn't ask about the winner of the game, but asked about the loan:

"Lee, did you pay attention to last night's game, which team will be the opponent of the Knicks in the subsequent Finals?"

Lee You didn't watch the ball at all last night, and since Ivana returned to Manhattan, she has been busy with ball control training lately.

"Both teams are very strong, and no matter who makes it to the Finals, the Knicks can't lose."

'The coaching staff have put together a detailed game plan for us, but at the moment I'm only focused on the division finals and we need to continue to protect the home stadium.

Speaking of the scene, Li You analyzed the game seriously, and after a burst of bold words, everyone was satisfied.

Only the Los Angeles Times reporters were not very satisfied, and they noticed that Lee You didn't care about the Lakers at all:

"It is said that Lee has been living in Manhattan since attending Ivana's graduation ceremony, so I don't believe his nonsense about training hard every day!"

When a New York Post reporter heard such gossip, he immediately replied:

"Lee likes to train in the morning, and players need personal space, which player have you ever seen in the gym at night?"

"Kobe Bryant worked in the gym at night, and we all knew that he dedicated himself to basketball, and that's pure basketball!"

"Vanessa and his relationship are in trouble, that's why Kobe Bryant came home late, don't be moved by myself here, he just has nowhere to go because of the illegal invasion!"

“.”

The two sides began to fight each other again, and recently many teams have frequently talked about "spiritual basketball" initiated by the Los Angeles media.

This season, the Lakers' main player statistics have declined, and in order to be able to better tout, the Los Angeles Times began to blow X.

Both sides can't look down on each other's rhetoric, the Knicks are about to win, and it is better to pull the mental attribute than the loan championship, after all, New York fans like to win big and win.

Before the start of the game at 8 p.m. that night, in the Knicks' locker room, Stoudemire was a little disappointed after the coaching staff didn't have much instruction.

With a big win in G1, Stoudemire thought he could take on more tasks, but the truth was that his playing time was reduced.

D'Antoni, who has become more cautious, seems to be in a state of stagnation.

In the rotation phase, the playing time of the role players is reduced, and the coaching staff wants to clock in in the third quarter to allow the core players to rest, and the role players to play garbage time.

'Don't be careless, stay focused in the game and we're going to win at home.'

"The opponent may stick to the zone defense, watch their position and pass the ball in time!"

"Play smart and make good use of the two corners."

Drawing the ball on the board, D'Antoni reminded the crowd that he didn't care about the emotions of the substitutes.

When it comes to key games, the coaching staff still trusts the main squad more.

For the head coach's reminder, everyone knows that even if the opponent can continue to help defend and expand the defensive area by relying on faster lateral speed, the ball is faster than people.

As long as you pass the ball reasonably and quickly, there will always be opportunities to play more and less.

Several assistant coaches pulled Gasol to remind him that the same tactics could not work continuously, and it was time for Li You to change his routine when he squatted in the bottom corner.

It was the home team's turn to come on, and when everyone left the dressing room, Stoudemire, who was behind him, was a little unhappy.

There are too many tactical requirements, and it is difficult for him to complete the requirements of the head coach for the second-year freshman, and Stoudemire, who walked in the rear, sorted out his headband, and secretly complained in his heart:

"Obviously we can play easier!"

Lee Yoo supports the coaching staff's arrangement, and the Knicks have to cooperate, but the Pistons are in a completely different situation, with Larry Brown being extremely strong:

"I need to see you guys sliding more aggressively and expanding your range while staying in position!"

'You can do that, it's 48 minutes and after the last game, you should be mentally prepared.'

"It's not terrible to fall behind, it's terrible to lose morale, and as a player for the Pistons, I don't allow you to have negativity."

"It's never easy to be a champion, fight like a man!"

The defensive approach to the zone defense has been honed by Larry Brown for a long time since taking over the team.

Convinced that such a defense would work, Larry Brown, who was wearing a white shirt, tugged on his glasses and tugged at his collar, and finally looked at Billups and said:

"Slow down the game, don't make any more low-level mistakes, the victory is ours!"

The manager entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, and Billups nodded vigorously, indicating that he understood.

Soon everyone gathered in a circle and roared to boost their morale.

Ben Wallace, as the leader of the team, followed everyone to the players' tunnel, and the noise came to his ears, and Big Ben began to pray secretly that everyone on the Knicks would play iron during the game

After the start of the game at 8 p.m., most New York fans in Madison Square Garden stopped taunting their opponents, and they were not interested in the "small role" of the Pistons.

There were no star players, and New York fans were bored with role players, so the atmosphere in the arena was better than the last game after the successful jump ball from Gasol.

“Let's go Knicks！.”

In the cheers, the Pistons still chose zone defense in the first round.

On the ESPN commentary bench, Bill Wharton saw the player's position and immediately commented euphemistically:

"This defensive system shouldn't have much of an impact on the Knicks!"

"I'm not optimistic about their persistence, and the Knicks won't fall into their defensive trap."

Nesler saw that Li You, who had dribbled past half court, quickly commanded his teammates to take position, and added:

"Lee doesn't play entirely on talent, he is always the brain of the pitch and he can easily dismantle the opponent's defence."

Gasol, who had been instructed, had already run to the bottom right corner.

Lee Yoo played a quick cross pass to Artest on the right flank, who also didn't stop the ball and quickly passed to Gasol in the bottom corner.

After completing the pass, Artest left the off-ball space and cut straight to the basket.

Noticing that Big Ben was still in his defensive position and didn't have a chance, Artest, who came to the bottom of the basket, immediately accelerated to the bottom left corner.

Lee Woo was away from the three-point line at this point, and while Artest continued to move, he received Gasol's return pass.

The upper line threw the ball to Grant Hill again, Li You passed the ball very fast, Hill did not stop the ball, also far from the three-point line, and gave the ball to the bottom left corner as soon as he received the ball.

The Pistons' upline defense followed suit, but Williams stayed in a defensive position in order to defend Hill's breakaway and didn't follow the ball to the left corner.

Rasheed Wallace wanted to save when he saw Artest receiving the ball, but was shaken down by a pass feint and couldn't help but stop.

After making a feint to throw the ball to the line, Artest adjusted slightly and made a quick jump shot in the bottom left corner!

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

After hitting a three-pointer after the opening, Artest, who took on more finishing tasks tonight, shouted excitedly, and the family and friends in the audience also shook their handkerchiefs wildly and applauded again and again.

“Defense！.”

The sound of defensive cheers sounded in the stadium, and Li You continued to lead the defense, pressing the defense and delaying the opponent's advancement.

Coach Larry Brown on the sidelines saw Billups carefully controlling the ball and dribbling through the half court in 8 seconds, and couldn't help but think of the former "love general - Iverson".

Compared with Iverson, who likes to be enthusiastic in the game, Bilops is more stable and has better tactical execution, but when he meets Li You, he looks the same as Iverson.

The Knicks continued to defend with man-to-man, and Hamilton slipped quickly from right to left to get to the left block but couldn't get the pass.

Similar to the Pistons' defensive strategy, the Knicks also like to put pressure on their opponents' perimeter.

Williams was entangled in Grant Hill, making it impossible for him to easily catch the ball on the left flank.

Unable to capitalise on the attack, Hamilton moved sideways again and immediately ran to the right flank to open up space.

As Billups moved to the left flank, Williams cut in without the ball and scurried to the bottom right corner.

Rasheed Wallace continued to ask for the ball in the low post on the left, and Kurt Thomas didn't give the opponent an easy chance to catch the ball on several half-by-front occasions in a row.

Billups, who was protecting the ball sideways, did not rush to pass the ball, and for the sake of safety, he once again beckoned Big Ben to come to the line to block the pick-and-roll.

As with the defensive strategy in the previous game, in the face of Gasol's sudden delay, Billups, who had been prepared, immediately sent a ball to find the big Ben in the paint area.

Kurt Thomas looked like a one-man defense, but as Hill returned to the basket near the baseline on the right, Big Ben rushed headlong into the two-man encirclement.

Seeming to believe in his shooting touch, Yamato in the paint area took advantage of the situation, threw the ball high with his right hand, and then hit a shot angrily.

Taking advantage of Kurt Thomas's desperate position to entangle with Rasheed Wallace, shrinking to the basket Hill easily protected the backcourt rebound, and dribbled through the half court unhurriedly.

Coming to the left flank, observing that the opponent is still defending in the area, there are three people on the line, Hill took the opportunity to pass the ball horizontally to Li You at the top of the arc, and then accelerated to cut in without the ball, and quickly ran to the bottom corner of the right side.

After receiving the ball, he moved sideways and approached the left flank, and Lee Woo immediately fed the ball to Kurt Thomas in the left blocking area.

The latter received the ball in range and Rashid Wallace was forced to move and step forward to prevent interference.

Failing to make a direct jumper, Kurt Thomas immediately passed the ball back.

After receiving the ball on the left wing, he immediately put the ball with his left hand, Li You quickly pushed the ball and changed direction, Hamilton and Billups at the top of the arc "closed the door to defend" and attacked Li You.

Without waiting for the bag to work, Li You, who pretended to break through, immediately returned the ball to Artest, who was close to the top of the arc.

Williams on the other side was in a one-and-two state at this time, noticing Artest making a feint to pass the ball to the right corner, Williams couldn't help but move to the bottom corner.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gasol, who was near the baseline on the right side, suddenly stepped up and walked quickly to the free throw line, and Big Ben hurriedly reminded his teammates to come forward to interfere.

Artest sent a pass as soon as possible, and Williams immediately stepped forward to help the defense.

Gasol didn't care about the opposition defending, but aimed to the other side and quickly flicked the ball close to the left touchline.

Lee Yo moved sideways early, Kurt Thomas delayed Hamilton with an off-ball screen, and Wallace realized it was too late to realise that things were wrong.

After receiving the ball, Li You did not make any adjustments, and threw the ball outside the three-point line!

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

“Wow！”

Just passing the ball quickly in a row, there was an opportunity to score easily, and the New York fans on the scene naturally watched happily, and the defensive cheers were a little louder.

Billups couldn't help but look at the head coach when he received the ball from the baseline, and the opponent was too easy to crack the zone defense, which made him a little suspicious of the game strategy developed by the coaching staff.

Larry Brown, who was holding his arms, noticed the eyes of the players and immediately opened his hands to press down, signaling everyone to steady.

When the Pistons attacked, they still started from Hamilton, but this time they changed direction, and a strong cover from the right near baseline successfully delayed Artest.

Breaking free from pursuit, Hamilton received the ball at the right elbow.

Billups' pass was not of high quality due to Lee You's interference, and he was forced to adjust after receiving the ball, but Hamilton's jumper was still a beat slower, and Artest, who struggled to jump up and block, successfully interfered.

"Bang!"

The rebound ball popped up, Gasol successfully protected the backcourt rebound, and when Li You stepped forward to respond, everyone on the Pistons quickly retreated.

Still sticking to the zone defense, he noticed that Grant Hill ran from the left wing to the right corner with a quick run to the right corner, and Larry Brown on the sidelines immediately shouted a warning.

The Pistons stayed in a defensive position and simply let go of Hill, and after Lee Yoo completed a horizontal pass, he also reminded Artest loudly.

The latter did not hesitate, obeying the command and throwing the ball directly to the bottom right corner, and at the same time, to prevent Big Ben from making a pray, Gasol on the right side near the baseline also made a cover without the ball.

After receiving the ball, no one stepped forward to interfere, and Grant Hill did not hesitate, and only after fully adjusting did he make a jump shot!

"Huh!" Three-pointers go in again.

At 0:9, Madison Square Garden was boiling instantly, and Grant Hill was smiling and waving his fist in celebration.

Li You followed the clapping and encouragement, as long as the opponent has always insisted on zone defense, then in this game, the Knicks will shoot them in the bottom corners on both sides.

The cheers were particularly cacophony, and with the Pistons trailing by double digits less than three minutes into the game, Larry Brown looked serious and continued to make downward gestures.

The old-school coaches never change their game strategy, and Billups, who catches the ball on the baseline, is a little tense and frowns when he receives the ball.

“Bro！ Your basketball philosophy is too far behind to win a championship on defense alone! ”

Li You stepped forward to interfere and reminded Billups with a smile, who was also a little shaken in his heart as he protected the ball and rushed across the halfcourt.

Giving the ball to Wallace and trying to score it through a low post attack, Williams was tackled by Grant Hill after receiving a pass on the right flank.

In desperation, he could only reach out and pull the foul, Williams raised his hand to signal, and was booed by the New York fans.

Billups looked at the head coach, there was no timeout, no instructions, and he couldn't help but curse as he was about to retreat.

Li You noticed Billups' expression, and when he opened the sideline ball, he chuckled and reminded again:

"Coach Larry Brown's basketball philosophy is outdated, Bro, a good point guard, needs to control the game himself!"

“.”

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(End of chapter)