Familiar venues, familiar fans, Jeff Van Gundy, who led the Cavaliers to the Christmas game, showed a nostalgic look in an interview at halftime.

During the Pat Riley era, New York fans would still send boos, but over the years, the most discerning fans would be cursing the referees, and the Knicks have successfully shaped their team culture.

Jeff Van Gundy is also a little proud, after all, he has been successful here and has proved himself once again by leading the Cavaliers to a great start this year.

Fieldside reporter Michelle Tafoa didn't notice the bald man next to her wandering, and she had to raise her voice due to the cheerleaders interacting with the fans:

"The Cavaliers seemed to have started well in the first half, and your offense looked very efficient tonight, was that the coaching staff's pre-game plan?"

The league has had about 80 rounds in recent years, and the Cavaliers started the season with an under-average number of rounds, but tonight they played wide, taking 40 shots at halftime.

Jeff Van Gundy, who came to his senses, smiled and replied in the affirmative:

"We just took more opportunities to convert the attack, that's what we do best!"

'We did prepare well before the game, but in the second half the team slowed down and I hope the team can strengthen defensively.

The Cavaliers only shot twice from beyond the three-point line in the half, with most of the offense focused on the basket and near the paint.

With 21 of 40 shots and a 52.3% shooting percentage, Van Gundy was naturally in a good mood.

53:58, although behind by 5 points, but considering the state of the players in the half, such a point difference is negligible.

On the commentary bench, Hubby Brown also did not comment on the Knicks' selection, and the veteran coach just commented euphemistically:

"The Cavaliers got a lot of mid-range jumpers, and maybe the Knicks will change their defensive strategy in the second half."

After Mike Tyrico heard the old coach's comments, he gave a different point of view:

"Maybe tonight Coach D'Antoni wants to test the opponent's jumper."

"LeBron James' impact still puts pressure on the Knicks' defense."

At the start of the second half, the Cavaliers took the lead in attacking, and McGinnis was still the same, handing over the ball in the middle of the half, and then running to the right wing to open up space.

James, who received the ball early, began to direct his teammates into position, Ilgoskas stepped up to cover, and Newbell slipped from right to left.

On the left side near the baseline, Howard stood to cover his teammates, and Prince, who was chasing the defense, did not follow the corner, but shrank inside the three-point line to watch the movement of the line.

The Cavaliers' offense was simple, with James with the ball in his right hand accelerating laterally, and Raga Bell and Kurt Thomas shrinking to the basket at the same time.

Even Gasol turned back to the defense, and James broke through to the paint area and was soon surrounded by three people.

Instead of taking advantage of the situation to distribute the ball to Howard, who was close to the basket, he jumped up and threw the ball backwards to find Ilgoskas near the free throw line.

The latter received the ball, faced Gasol, who was saved, and hit an iron with a mid-range jumper.

The basket was in a rush again, and Howard wanted to squeeze past Kurt Thomas, but because the action was too big, he was caught by the baseline referee and immediately whistled for a foul.

Without much of an argument, Howard shrugged his shoulders at the referee with a smile, he didn't care about the blow.

The happy big boy is still immersed in the joy of the Christmas war

James frowned slightly, and the shooting percentage of more than 50% did not change the opponent's defensive strategy.

“Let's go Knicks！.”

The sound of cheering resounded in the arena again, and after receiving the baseline ball, Li You was not in a hurry to attack, and noticed that the Cavaliers had changed to a man-to-man defense, and immediately beckoned the big man to come up.

To be able to take the lead at halftime, in addition to better control of turnovers, 6-of-13 three-pointers also played a huge role.

After half-time, Lee Woo gave the ball to Gasol in the left elbow area, and Raja Bale in the left corner slipped past the baseline, while Prince in the right corner moved to the flank.

After handing over the ball, Li You shook to the top of the arc and then accelerated to the backrun, the left flank, failed to shake off McGinnis's defense, stopped and shook to the line again.

When Lee You, who was running backwards again, moved to the left sideline, he suddenly accelerated and cut in, and Gasol, who had been holding the ball, took advantage of the situation to send a pass.

Given the amount of advance, Li You took a big step forward the moment he received the ball, and the basket was lower left, close to the paint area, and jumped with both feet.

McGinnis, who was chasing after him, immediately jumped high, and Howard, who quickly helped to defend to the basket, also jumped up to try to complete the block.

Li You, who was holding the ball in the air, suddenly closed the ball, and then his body exerted his strength again, gliding to the bottom right of the basket, completely dodging the defense, and throwing the ball to the rebound before landing.

"Bang!"

As the basketball hit the basket into the basket, Howard looked at his teammates, heard Van Gundy's shouts, and hurriedly patted his chest to indicate that it was his problem.

Perhaps it was the cheers of the New York fans that made the newcomer particularly excited, but tonight Howard was aggressive on the defensive end, but he was in the wrong position for many rounds.

At 53:60, the difference is still not large.

James was 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line in the half, finishing with 11 points along with five rebounds and seven assists.

Despite three turnovers, the Cavaliers continued to give the ball to James.

Switching to the right flank, the same tactic, Ilgos Casga covered and went down, and James's ground-hitting pass found his teammate.

Receiving the ball in front of the basket in the paint zone, Ilgoskas bent over to release the ball, realizing that the Knicks were shrinking their defense, and took advantage of the situation to distribute the ball to Howard near the baseline on the left side.

The intent of the pass was too obvious, and Kurt Thomas stretched out his right arm just to break the ball and immediately controlled the ball after completing the tackle.

D'Antoni on the sidelines clapped his hands, and after Li You received the ball, he slowly dribbled through the half again.

Raja Bell and Prince moved to the left and right wings, but the Cavaliers still opted for man-to-man defense.

In the right elbow area, Gasol stepped up to the three-point line, and a solid screen successfully covered McGinnis's pursuit.

Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, was not fast, and when Gasol went down, he was still watching the defense.

McGinnis had just come up from the side, and Li You suddenly made a sharp stop, leaned on the defense and accelerated twice.

Howard, who contracted the defense to the basket, didn't hold back and immediately slid to help the defense.

Li You leaned on Howard to continue to accelerate the strong burst, and when he came to the bottom line, McGinnis also stepped forward to block.

Directly below the basket, Howard, who was working horizontally, did not interfere with the referee with his hands at the moment, but tried to use his body to squeeze Li You out of the baseline.

After slowing down, Li You leaned on the defense, and before the two were about to form a circle, he suddenly leaned forward, and with a flick of his right wrist, the basketball flew past Howard's side.

Gasol, who had already come to the basket, received the ball without interference, grabbed the ball with his right hand and dunked it with one arm!

At 53:62, the Knicks continued to score.

With the margin on the verge of reaching double digits and the cheers getting louder, Van Gundy on the sidelines reminded his players to hold on, and as McGinnis dribbled past half-time, Newbell slipped from right to left.

James ran from the other side to the right near baseline, and when Newbell received the ball with his back, he took advantage of Howard's cover and bounced outside to the right elbow.

McGinnis ran to the bottom left corner with Lee Yo, and the moment James received the ball, the Knicks' interior began to shrink again.

He didn't choose to pass the ball anymore, his body drifted slightly to the left, and James received the ball and made a save, and the drifting jumper hit the iron.

When Gasol, who received the rebound, gave the ball to Lee You, the Cavaliers had already begun to accelerate their defense.

After receiving the ball, Li You, who was holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly picked up speed, and chased the opponent across the halfway line without being led by anyone.

Forming a three-line fast break, the Knicks' two wings ran early to close to the left and right touchlines to open up space, and McGinnis noticed that it was too late for Lee to slow down.

There was still some distance from the three-point line, and Li You suddenly made a sharp stop, not giving the opponent a chance to pounce, and switched to attack and made a jumper.

James, who ran back to the half court, subconsciously turned his head to look at the frame, and the basketball hollowed into the net!

“Wow！”

At 53:65, a wave of 7:0 was played, and the cheers were about to break through the arena, and Van Gundy had no choice but to take a timeout.

The offense suddenly lost power, and on the commentary bench, Hubby Brown couldn't help but chuckle:

"This is a young team, and in the key response shots, LeBron should be a little more determined."

Mike Tyrico has watched too many games for the Knicks and knows what a double-digit margin means:

"The Cavaliers' shooting percentage is starting to slip and it looks like head coach D'Antoni did make the right choice."

Although the Cavaliers' offense was patient after the timeout, James broke through the middle and gave the ball to McGinnis on the right wing when he saw Lee Woo defending near the free throw line.

The latter hesitated after receiving the ball, and when he made a jump shot, he was interfered by Prince, who came up in rotation.

The long rebound popped up, and Li You grabbed the basketball in front of James.

The Knicks began to accelerate, and Lee You, who held the ball in his left hand, rushed through the half court against James' defense.

When Gasol came to the left flank, he stood still, covered high, and Li You, who was wrapping the ball around his back, threw off the chase against his teammate's side.

At the top of the arc, Lee Woo hit a converted three-pointer after an emergency stop, but after the long rebound popped up, Prince grabbed the rebound in the right blocking area.

The basketball returned to Li You's hands at the top of the arc, and James hurriedly lowered his center of gravity while stretching out his right arm to interfere.

Protecting the ball on the left side of his body, Li You lowered his body and quickly took a tentative step with his right foot to the left front.

Seemingly extra confident in his body, James suddenly changed his defensive strategy, turned his body sideways and took the initiative to defend, giving way to the breakthrough.

The opponent's feet moved, Li You quickly released the ball with his left hand while exerting force with his back foot, broke through the shoulder and dribbled forward, and immediately crossed and pulled back.

James, who was sliding to the right back, was attacked to support his feet in front of the defense, and the moment the opponent adjusted his body's center of gravity, Li You dribbled the ball under his crotch again.

James, who had just returned to a parallel position, saw Li You straighten up and feign the ball with his right hand, and involuntarily leaned forward.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li You once again led the ball forward, and accelerated twice to completely pass the defense.

In the exclamation of the fans, James, who had a fast reaction speed, also slid quickly, relying on a huge stride to chase the defense to his side again.

James, who was riveting to block, failed to control his body, and Li You's sudden sudden stop immediately caused the opponent to rear-end

After the two collided, Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand and leaned forward, and threw the ball to the basket with the force of the rebound.

James leaned back and failed to make defensive moves, and after controlling his body, he saw the basketball draw a huge arc and fall into the basket accurately.

"Squeak!"

“Wow”

At the same time as the referee blew the whistle, the New York fans on the scene cheered loudly, and James, who had completely recovered his senses, shook his head helplessly, the game experience was too bad, and he was deceived many times in one round.

"Nice try!"

Li You, who stood at the free throw line, briefly praised the defense of this round, and before James could speak, Howard next to the paint area said happily:

"That's cool! The ball seems to be glued to your hand! ”

“.”

James, who wanted to respond out loud, suddenly lost his mood, he really didn't like the star-chasing appearance of his teammates.

“MVP！ MVP！ MVP！ ”

In the midst of the shouting, Li Youjia hit a steady shot, and Van Gundy on the sidelines once again made a gesture to attack the basket, reminding the players to score quickly.

At 53:68, in the critical round, Ilgoskas, who received a pass from James, hit a jumper near the baseline on the right side.

Howard relied on his enthusiasm to grab the frontcourt rebound this time, and finally helped the team break the scoring drought with a defensive secondary offense.

The Cavaliers were just about to change their defensive strategy, but Lee Woo began to give the ball to Gasol in the low post.

Skillfully playing a local 2-on-2, left wing, as Ilgoskas was attracted to the attention of Lee You, who slipped to the baseline, Gasol suddenly released the ball and arched to the basket, causing the opponent's thug to foul.

On the Cavaliers bench, Thibodeau couldn't help but shake his head secretly when he saw the pace of the game change again, obviously, the opponent didn't want to give the Cavaliers another chance to attack easily.

In stark contrast to the first half, the Cavaliers involuntarily shot from the outside.

In the middle of the third quarter, McGinnis hit a three-pointer, and then James's three-pointer was iron.

Watching the three-line fast break, Prince quietly rushed through the halfcourt, and after receiving the ball, the civilian layup was successful.

James, who retreated, couldn't help but give himself a look and he realized that the Cavaliers were collapsing.

After the empty McGinnis struck again, the Cavaliers were forced to adjust, and Charlie Ward and Gooden appeared.

The Knicks also started making substitutions, with Fisher and Stoudemire coming to the court and Gasol and Raja Bell coming off the floor.

The defensive intensity dropped, James forced the basket to score, and when he turned around, Stoudemire also finished under the basket after blocking and picking.

After a few rounds, Van Gundy realized that James was off the ball and was pulling off Lee Woo's defense, so he took a timeout to replace Newbell and bring on Rousios Harris.

This substitution adjustment played a role, and by this time the third quarter of the game had reached the end of the game, and the two sides stabbed each other again.

Howard was targeted on the defensive end, and the newcomer was in a dilemma for several rounds.

After coming on the field, Stoudemire was particularly active, seeing the left wing Li You receiving the ball, he immediately stepped forward to block it.

Harris saw Li You put the ball with his left hand and struggled to squeeze through the cover, and Li You, who leaned over to accelerate, saw that his teammates were not in a hurry to go down, dribbled behind his back to his right hand, and then went around the ball sharply.

Stepping on the three-point line, Li You dodged the defense while raising his center of gravity to look up at the frame, and Howard involuntarily stepped forward.

Stoudemire only accelerated down, and Lee's left-handed ground-hitting pass passed through Howard's crotch, bounced off and flew into the paint.

The ball arrived, and after receiving the ball, Stoudemire took a step forward, ignored Gooden in front of him after jumping with both feet, grabbed the ball with his right hand, pulled his arm back, and slammed the tomahawk-style violent buckle!

"Boom!"

The basket rattled, and Gooden, who had just jumped into the air, stumbled after landing and stumbled into the camera behind him.

The wonderful buckle instantly ignited the atmosphere of the scene, and the shouts almost broke through the stadium.

"What an amazing athletic ability! It's hard to defend with such a pick-and-roll, and Stoudemire's finishing under the basket is excellent. ”

Mike Tyrico subconsciously exclaimed, and Hubby Brown saw that the difference was widened again, and knew that the game was over:

"Lee controlled the tempo of the game perfectly, and if nothing else, the Knicks will get more opportunities to switch offense in the coming games."

After falling behind by a big score, Howard still had a smile on his face and ran back and forth.

saw Lee Woo hit a three-point shot against Harris's defense on the left wing, and even yelled in front of the fans.

At the end of the third quarter, the score was 73:91, and the final quarter would turn into an exhibition game.

James, who returned to the bench, couldn't hold back, and the first Christmas battle in his career was ruined by Happy Basketball!

Howard was not bad, 4-of-6, 2-of-4 free throws, 10 points, 11 rebounds and 1 turnover, and got a double-double in the third quarter.

The newcomer didn't seem to care about the outcome of the game, Van Gundy wasn't arranging tactics, and Howard bumped James next to him with his shoulder:

"Laugh, LeBron! New York fans love us! ”

“.”

Taking a deep breath, James barely smiled, but cursed in his heart:

"Hell likes!"

In the fourth quarter of the game, Li You was still on the court, and the Knicks played a double point guard.

The two sides went back and forth, and Stoudemire completed a dunk under the basket for several consecutive rounds, which made the atmosphere more and more enthusiastic.

On the Cavaliers' side, James also completed the aerial connection with his good partner Howard, and by the way, he also showed off his tomahawk dunk in the fast break.

The Christmas battle ended hilariously, and the atmosphere groups of both sides appeared on the stage.

100:120, in the end, the Knicks won easily, ending a two-game losing streak.

After the game, LeBron James maintained his demeanor and took the initiative to greet Li You.

As soon as he turned his head to leave, about to walk to the players' tunnel, James heard Howard's excited voice behind him:

"Lee, can I get your jersey? It's my first time participating in the Christmas battle and it's been a fantastic race! ”

For such an opponent, Li You is also the first time to encounter it, usually losing by a large score, the opponent will pull a big face.

However, Li You still agreed to Howard's request, and by the way, he signed a name for the happy big boy:

"Come on, Bro! The future must belong to young people like you! ”

“.”

In his first Christmas game, James was 9-of-18, 0-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, and scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 5 turnovers.

As if Howard had lost all of his team's pressing, James hurried up and trotted back to the locker room.

Speaking on the sidelines after the game was D'Antoni, who wore a red scarf again tonight.

Michelle Tafia sensed D'Antoni's happy mood and followed suit:

"Congratulations, Mike! After coaching the Knicks, he won all three Christmas battles. ”

"Let's talk about tonight's game, 120 points, it's amazing!"

"I was also surprised that Lee scored 40 points in four straight games and he was better than we thought."

"It's not his ceiling, all we have to do in the next game is to get the ball into Lee's hands."

"The coaching staff won't interfere with his choices, all we have to do is sit back and watch his performance!"

D'Antoni smiled brightly, and Li You's dual-energy guard attribute was indeed beyond his imagination.

Played 40 minutes, 15-of-25, 7-of-12 from beyond the three-point line, 6-of-7 from the free-throw line, 43 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover.

Li You, who handed over two pairs of data, continued his previous efficient performance.

On the 26th, in addition to singing praises for Li Yougao, the sports media also gossiped about the grievances between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant again.

104:102, after a hard-fought overtime, Kobe Bryant missed the final shot, and the Heat successfully won the game.

O'Neal left the court with 6 fouls in regular time, and in overtime, Wade and Eddie Jones became the protagonists of the Heat;

The Lakers' Kobe Bryant was 0-of-3 in overtime and scored zero points, while Odom was 3-of-3 and 2-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 8 points while also scoring all the points in overtime.

After the game, O'Neill burst into laughter, defeated the opponent with his little brother, and couldn't wait to mock after the game:

"The referee can't help Kobe Bryant, he's like that, he's just going to attack on his own, Phil is right, he's the player who destroys the system."

"Without me, Kobe Bryant would never have won the championship, Wade is so good, our combination will be successful!"

In 50 minutes of play, Bryant was 12-of-30, 5-of-13 from beyond the three-point line, and 13-of-13 from the free throw line, scoring 42 points, three rebounds, six assists, one steal and nine turnovers.

In addition to making too many mistakes, Kobe Bryant performed well, and he simply responded to his old partner's ridicule:

"I'll lead the Lakers to the Finals!"

O'Neal was 11-of-19 from the field and 2-of-7 from the free-throw line, and O'Neal, who played 39 minutes, had 24 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 1 turnover;

Wade was 10-of-26 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line for 29 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, 1 block and 4 turnovers.

With a record of 22-7, the major sports media have begun to warm up for the Heat and Knicks game next January.

The ratings for the Christmas game were very good, and David Stern also gave the players' union a reassurance:

"We must insist on the civilized game, and the Auburn Hills palace incident will not affect the final negotiations!"

“.”

For other teams, Christmas is a time to rest and adjust.

In the evening, the Spurs and Suns won by a large score, and the two teams chased each other to the death.

On the 27th, the Knicks challenged the Magic team away, and in this game, under the leadership of Li You, the team hit 110+ again.

At 117:101, Alan Houston confirmed season reimbursement and the Magic lost again.

On December 29, the Knicks played their final game of 2004 at home.

Championship guard Sprewell is still haggling with Timberwolves management.

The "madman" even shouted to the media that it was better to retire directly if he couldn't get a big contract.

No one believed that Sprewell would make such a choice, and who would have to deal with millions of dollars?

On another visit to New York, Sprewell did not relent, but Kevin Garnett was in terrible form.

Even if he roared again and again, the iron-blooded jumper still clattered the iron.

At 87:110, the Knicks clocked in in the third quarter and won the game early.

After the loss, the Timberwolves' record came to 16-11, and compared to the top team, they have begun to fall behind.

The Knicks went 26-3 and were able to secure the top spot in the league in 2004 despite the Spurs and Suns continuing to chase after them.

Garnett was blacksmith-possessed, while Gasol was a bit unlucky, spraining his right ankle late in the third quarter.

At the end of the game, Sprewell seemed to be still nostalgic for his championship, looking up at the championship flag over the arena.

Garnett has no illusions about the apparent brother, he has long had enough of the "championship experience".

didn't care about the emotions of his teammates, Sprewell hugged Li You next to him, and then sent his blessings:

"Happy birthday, Lee! You're looking really good and you'll be setting records again soon! ”

"You know, I never cared about that, and I preferred to be on the bench in the fourth quarter."

Lee Woo patted the champion defender, of course he was telling the truth, and Garnett, who was more and more iron, played 41 minutes tonight.

There was no suspense about the outcome of the game, and the main lineup of the Timberwolves also played a small half of the fourth quarter.

Garnett saw the two greeting on the side, and did not come forward to talk, and left silently after a brief greeting.

On both sides of the players' tunnel, New York fans are still shouting "thieves", and many fans still can't let go of Li You's failure to win the MVP last season.

Garnett lowered his head and cursed secretly, but he also knew that his MVP had received a bonus, so he naturally couldn't respond strongly to the ridicule of the fans.

After the Knicks returned to the locker room, the medical team confirmed that Gasol would most likely miss next week's game.

The atmosphere group sent their blessings, and Stoudemire secretly rejoiced in his heart.

When Li You and D'Antoni also entered the locker room, the injury was confirmed, and several members of the coaching staff shook their heads helplessly.

'Amare, do well in training and try a new starting line-up next week.'

"My request to you is very simple, do a good job of blocking and dismantling, and Li will let Ling score easily!"

Hearing D'Antoni's words, Stoudemire nodded repeatedly, this is the reward he deserves:

"I know what to do, I don't have to worry about my knee problems, and after the minimally invasive surgery, I feel better physically!"

Pounding his knee, Stoudemire smiled confidently.

As for D'Antoni's choice, big men Wright and Mutombo also have little opinion.

The former is basically lying flat, while Mutombo is lacking in motivation, declining on the offensive end, and cannot keep up with the current pace of the game when he is older.

While everyone was preparing to take a shower, D'Antoni patted Li You on the shoulder again:

"Lee, let's make the game easier, we just need to maintain the home advantage!"

Li You knows what the coaching staff is worried about, Gasol is not a flying style of play, and a broken foot is indeed not a good omen:

"It's enough to block and I'm going to try to get Stoudemire a Weekly Awards!"

“.”

(End of chapter)