On February 1, 2005, the NBA league announced last month's Player of the Month:

Eastern Conference Lee Woo and Western Conference Chris Webber won the award.

The Knicks had a 14-2 record in January, with Lee averaging 36.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.4 turnovers per game.

He averaged 36.3 minutes per game, shooting 23.1 shots per game and shooting 53.3% from the field, and 9.8 shots per game from beyond the three-point line with a 46.9% three-point shooting rate.

He averaged 7.9 free throws per game and shot 93.1% from the free-throw line.

The Kings had a 9-4 record in January, with Chris Webber averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.8 blocks and 3.2 turnovers per game.

He averaged 19.7 shots per game on 46.1 percent shooting and 4.4 free throws per game on 89.5 percent free throw shooting.

The two have played almost the same amount of time, and if you cover up your name and just look at the shooting percentage, maybe Lee You is more like a power forward than Chris Webber

Commentators have become accustomed to Lee's efficient performance, and if you look at the distribution of shots this season, there will be more shooting spots near the free throw line, and most of the rest will be concentrated in the paint area and outside the three-point line.

No matter what the outside world says, Li You has not increased his back-to-back singles, and he rarely shoots from mid-range, and such offensive options have greatly inspired many statisticians.

After the end of this season, combined with the high-level data that was just born last year - victory contribution value, maybe Li You will set an outrageous record again.

The New York Post doesn't cover much of the small awards of the month, and in the opinion of most New York fans, Lee should win the award

On the morning of the 1st, most New York fans were more concerned about other matters, and the New York Post also briefly reported the news that fans were concerned about:

"Ron Artest is happy to be back at the Tarrytown Training Centre."

"It's to be expected that Artest can stay with Grant Hill and Pau Gasol all the time, which is a good thing for all three."

The Knicks and the players' union applied to the league together, and a week later, David Stern was lifted from the training ban and Artest returned to the team in a low-key manner.

The operator of the Auburn Hills Palace Arena also settled with Artest's henchmen, compensated for the lost necklace, and also publicly apologized.

Most sports media outlets didn't cover much of the news, and after ESPN was complained by fans, ball critics stopped speaking up for the players.

No one would empathize with a millionaire, and after realizing this, several mainstream media programs chose to ignore it, making fans completely forget about it.

The New York Times reported on the Knicks' trip to the White House, and Bush again praised the championship team in a public speech:

"From '98, Lee should be the NBA star that the White House staff are most familiar with, and I would like to call him the biggest winner of the new century!"

"Thank you to the Knicks for contributing to the tsunami relief, and there were moments when the championship team had more impact than we did."

"And of course I would like to thank the Knicks for providing entertainment for our overseas troops, and there is no doubt that many of them enjoy basketball."

"A lot of lads would be proud of what New York has accomplished over the years."

“.”

Since the Knicks have won championships for many years in a row, the president's words of thanks are almost exhausted, and finally Bush also blessed Ivana by the way, happy for his father's third marriage

Tang Qude became the object of attention of the melon-eating masses at the end of January, and the third season of "The Apprentice" was a huge hit after it aired.

Although it was overwhelmed by "Crime Scene" in the ratings, the show was still very successful.

While the heat was still there, Tang Qude announced that he would marry his third wife, and he was busy with the wedding rehearsal recently, and Ivana felt uncomfortable, so he accompanied Li You to Washington.

In addition to reporting the news and gossip normally, some Donkey Party members in the New York Times did not forget to mock the Elephant Party lawmakers who followed the Knicks to the White House.

New York State Attorney General Spitzer mocked Bush's business policies during a recent speech on Wall Street.

As the Knicks are going to start their road trip to the West, in the past week or so, New York fans have been unable to watch the game live, and young people have begun to comment on the Internet again.

In September last year, Facebook had more than 1 million users, and it is still not open to registration, but Li You has not been affected too much, and the people who eat melons can learn about his life through this emerging social media.

On February 2, during the Knicks' back-to-back games against the Jazz, Carlos Boozer, who was caught in trade rumors, suddenly broke out.

Fox Sports broke the news that the Lakers plan to trade Divac and Caron Butler to get Boozer.

After this news came out, the Lakers did not deny it, and the Jazz did not react much.

However, after winning the Knicks that night, Boozer took the initiative to state after the game:

"I love playing in Salt Lake City, and I've gained more respect here!"

"Although the team's results are not as good as expected, I will not leave the team and I don't want to live up to the trust of Coach Sloan."

With 16 wins and 30 losses, the Jazz are likely to miss the playoffs this year, and Boozer's stay has also made Jazz fans happy, and everyone likes loyal players

Tossing and turning on the plane continuously, Li You was not in good shape tonight, four games a week, two consecutive away back-to-backs, and he was also a little unmotivated.

At the post-game press conference, the Yahoo Sports reporter didn't care about the Knicks' loss, but asked very gossipy:

"Lee, head coach George Karl is trying to recruit Ray Allen and Michael Reed, and he believes the Nuggets' recent poor record is due to the lack of shooting guards!"

"Do you think Ray Allen would consider joining the Nuggets and playing for George Karl again?"

Li You had a question mark on his face when he heard the news, but no one in the audience refuted it, obviously this thing was true.

The thought of "George Karl lost stupidly last night" flashed away, and Li You replied in a rather affirmative tone:

"There's no such possibility, I know Ray! He's done well with the SuperSonics and should be in the top half this season. ”

"He's not going to choose to join the Nuggets, and as for playing for George Karl, forgive me for being blunt, it's even more incredible!"

"It turns out that the Bucks and George Karl made the wrong choice together, and I don't think the two will work together again."

With an 18-26 record, the Nuggets fell further after losing to the Knicks last night.

The head coach has changed, and the record has not improved much, and among the rookies in the class of 03, Wade and James have left Anthony behind this season.

Such a straightforward answer caused everyone in the audience to laugh, and many people also thought that George Carr was stupid to lose, how could Ray Allen play for him again.

ESPN's reporter was quick to ask the question:

"Lee, will you work with Ray Allen in the future?"

"Of course, I've always welcomed good players to the Knicks."

Hearing Li You's affirmative reply, many reporters hoped that the two would never work together, and they would rather see the Knicks lose.

On February 3, the NBA league announced the Denver All-Star Game bench roster:

The seven substitutes for the Eastern Conference All-Stars are:

Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, Antoine Jamison, Paul Pearce, Zha Zhuenas Ilgoskas, Pau Gasol, Ben Wallace.

The seven Western All-Star benches are:

Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Ray Allen, Sean Marion, Rashad Lewis, Dirk Nowitzki.

Due to Pau Gasol's injury, David Stern eventually designated Amare Stoudemire as an All-Star player.

After the list was announced, 76ers fans expressed their dissatisfaction, Allen Iverson was unexpectedly defeated?

With 1.39 million fan votes, Iverson came in third in the Eastern Conference guard vote.

While the 76ers have a poor record, Iverson should also be an All-Star.

The Celtics are currently only one win ahead of the 76ers, but Pierce was lifted into the All-Star Game, which naturally makes Philadelphia fans unhappy.

Boston's sports media were quick to break the news about why Pierce was selected:

"This season, the Celtics have beaten the Knicks."

Yahoo Sports also followed the gossip, and Philadelphia fans were a little powerless to refute the news after seeing it.

In the last meeting, Iverson failed to play due to a hip injury, but he didn't expect this to become the trigger for losing the All-Star spot

Losing the All-Star position, Iverson also broke the defense in an interview:

"I don't know why this is happening, I have the support of the fans but not the approval of the coaches?"

"Someone doesn't want me to appear on a bigger stage, I'm not going to change myself, now I just want to play quietly!"

Iverson, who was wearing a wide David shirt, did not show too much emotion on his face, and his failure to make the playoffs in the past few years, coupled with the "rebellion" of Philadelphia fans, made him lose his unruly temperament in the past.

Iguodala was identified by the 76ers as the new core of the team, and although the younger brother was very well-behaved in front of him, Iverson knew that perhaps his time in Philadelphia was running out.

Despite being selected as an All-Star, Stoudemire was still a little unhappy, with all 15 of them starting, and only he was selected as a substitute.

When he played the Suns away on the night of the 4th, Stoudemire showed great enthusiasm for the game again.

At halftime, at 53:52, the Knicks led by just one point.

Raja Bell was 1-of-4 and Joe Johnson on the opposite side was 1-of-7, both of whom were 0-of-3 from beyond the three-point line.

The game was fast-paced, with both sides making just five mistakes in the half.

Nash was 4-of-10 from the field and 1-of-1 from beyond the three-point line, finishing with 9 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists and 1 turnover;

Lee Woo was 6-of-10, 1-of-2 from beyond the three-point line, and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to finish with 18 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

On the TNT commentary bench, Kevin Harlan was talking about the MVP rankings at this time:

"Halfway through the season, a lot of commentators thought Nash had a chance to win the MVP."

"After joining the Suns this season, the team has changed dramatically under his leadership."

"35-13, the gap between them and the Spurs is not big, as long as they maintain their current form, there is still a possibility of overtaking their opponents after the All-Star break."

Rather than blindly optimistic, Doug Collins cautiously commented:

"Dale Davis did provide a steady rebound for this team, but the veteran had a limited impact on the offensive end."

"I'm more worried about Nash's health, and the Suns haven't been able to win a single game in the few games he's been injured."

"If you don't stay healthy, the Suns could suddenly fall out after the All-Star break, and as for MVP, Tim Duncan is the closest to Lee at the moment."

"But I'm not optimistic about them, Duncan and O'Neal are good, but the Knicks have a better record, and Lee's stats are at the best of his career."

The Suns, who relied heavily on shooting, were 4-of-14 from beyond the three-point line in the first half, while the Knicks were 3-of-10.

Nash was desperate to win the game and was exceptionally aggressive on the defensive end, and with him, the Suns rarely had problems withdrawing.

After the start of the third quarter, Nash, who received the ball from the baseline, greeted his teammates early.

One big and four small, Marion played as a big forward, heard the reminder of his teammates, and came to the top of the arc early to cover.

Amid the cheers of the fans, after a simple block, with Marion flicking outside, Nash, who was holding the ball in his right hand and pretending to break through, immediately passed the ball from behind.

Kurt Thomas, who was guarding the three-point line, didn't stick to the defense and watched Marion pouting his ass and pushing the ball weirdly for a jumper.

"Bang!"

Continuing the poor shooting feel of the first half, watching the basketball slam out of the basket, Marion waved his hand, turned and quickly retreated.

Veteran Davis also didn't have a chance to grab a rebound in the frontcourt, and the basketball bounced too far and was picked up by Prince, who returned to the right elbow position.

“Defense！.”

Lee You received the ball, the Knicks launched a transition offense, and the Western Arena defense cheered up.

On the offensive end, the Suns' Joe Johnson and Richardson usually stand in the bottom corner, and on the defensive end tonight, they stayed on the line for most of the rounds.

The Knicks didn't launch a "V-shaped" offense frequently, and the two of them cooperated more with Nash to pinch Lee Woo in the half.

Marion, who retreated to the halfcourt early, feared that he would be eaten by the basket, and saw Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas crossing the baseline to cover and hurriedly rushed past the defense to let Davis continue to defend.

Li You, who came to the top of the arc, noticed that there was no misalignment under the basket, and after slowing down, his left hand suddenly sent the ball forward.

Always maintaining a defensive distance, Nash instinctively reached out, Li You reacted faster, the basketball just came to the opponent, and his right hand pulled back diagonally.

Without giving Nash a chance to readjust his focus, Li You accelerated with his shoulders heavy, grabbed half of his body, and forced a breakthrough in the middle.

Joe Johnson, who was on the right flank, couldn't see his teammates being forced again, and wanted to move to help defend, but Li You squeezed too fast this time, and his feet just moved, but it was too late.

In the exclamation of the Suns fans, Li You broke through the middle and went straight to the basket, the basket was in front of him, he held the ball with his right hand, and easily picked up the basket!

Marion and Davis didn't shrink this time, the Knicks big man ate cake in the half, and the midcourt just adjusted its defensive strategy, but the first round didn't seem to play a big role.

At 55:52, Li You scored easily, and another round of boos erupted in the arena.

Nash could only pat himself on the chest, signaling that it was his pot.

The three-point shot at halftime was inaccurate, Nash didn't choose to pass the ball with a head, and after quickly dribbling through the half, he came to the left wing early to block and pick-and-roll.

Dribbling the ball behind his back to his right hand, sensing that Lee Yo on his side squeezed through the screen, Nash dribbled sideways with the ball in his right hand, and then immediately threw the ball to Davis.

Accelerating and reversing, Nash took the hand-handed pass, and with his left hand, he slammed into the basket on the wing.

Li You continued to chase after the defense, Nash was not fast, and did not rush to the layup while sensing the defense, and after approaching the bottom left of the basket, he slipped past the baseline and began to circle around.

Near the baseline on the right side, Nash, who was holding the ball in his left hand, shook his shoulder, suddenly stopped and pretended to turn around, and then twisted again to accelerate.

Coming to the paint area directly in front of the basket again, Nash noticed that Li You was still chasing the defense on his side, and he leaned the defense and suddenly made a sharp stop.

Taking advantage of Li You's slight leaning forward, with the help of Nash's feet with rebound strength, he drifted back and lay down near the basket!

The basketball eventually bounced twice on the hoop and fell into the net, scoring a hard-fought goal that sent the Suns fans cheering.

Hurriedly getting up from the floor, Nash followed his teammates to quickly retreat.

After opening the baseline ball, Li You accelerated and stood, and Stoudemire, who ran to the frontcourt, stood on the three-point line early.

Sensing movement behind him, Nash moved ahead of the curve, trying to squeeze through the cover.

Approaching the pick-and-roll position, Lee Woo lowered his center of gravity and shook his body to the left front, then quickly dribbled behind his back, and accelerated laterally after switching to his right hand.

Nash did squeeze past the cover, but was stuck at the side by Lee You, and could only instinctively slide.

Richardson, who was on the right flank, saw that his team-mate was about to lose his position again, and hurriedly slid to help the defense.

The two tried to close the door near the elbow area, and while they were traveling, Li You suddenly wrapped the ball around his crotch with his right hand.

The basketball flew out of the crotch and also flew over the encirclement of the two, Li You slammed between the two, completely got rid of the defense, and controlled the ball again with his right hand in the paint area.

Marion, who retreated to the basket, didn't care about Kurt Thomas on his side at this time, moved in advance, came to the basket, and jumped up to block.

Directly in front of the basket, Li You, who was jumping on both feet, saw Marion raise his arms high, make a "blocking net" action, and flew into the air and the two bodies collided and twisted again.

Seeing Li You suddenly turn 180 degrees, Marion, who had already begun to fall, decisively pulled his right hand and tried to disrupt the attack.

In the exclamations of the fans, Li You was not affected too much, and threw the ball to the rebound with his right hand before falling.

"Squeak!"

At the same time as the referee blows the whistle, the basketball hits the board and goes into the basket accurately.

The juggling goal caused the Western Arena arena to suddenly fall silent, and then the noise nearly burst through the arena.

On the commentary seat, although Kevin Harlan has watched Li You perform many times, he still praised loudly at this time:

"Lee once again showed his unrivaled manoeuvre! What an exaggerated goal! ”

"At the start of the second half, Lee seemed to be completely in shape."

Doug Collins noticed that Nash and Richardson were still standing outside the three-point line in a daze, and couldn't help but tease:

"Making the right defensive choices doesn't mean being able to stop Lee from scoring."

Quentin Richardson was traded by the Knicks, but New York fans have long forgotten about the player who made some fame.

Against the Knicks, Richardson wanted to prove himself, but his shooting was not competitive tonight, and Gentry decided not to fire from the outside after a midcourt adjustment

With a simple high-five celebration with his teammates, Lee Woo stood on the free throw line and hit the free throw steadily.

At 58:54, seeing the widening of the point difference, Nash, who received the ball from the baseline, still chose to attack by himself.

On the left flank, Davis' solid block finally allowed Nash to get rid of Lee You's pursuit.

Stoudemire opted to switch defenses immediately, and Lee Woo followed the opponent to the basket, cutting off Nash's passing path by the way.

With a small and big opportunity, Nash, who was holding the ball in his left hand, dribbled under his hip continuously, mobilized his center of gravity, and suddenly changed direction in front of his body the moment the basketball returned to his left hand.

As soon as Stoudemire stepped back, Nash, who was feigning to break through, immediately made a sharp stop, closed the ball and drifted to the right rear to shoot a jumper.

Davis tried to use his height advantage to rush to the frontcourt for rebounds, but Li You was prepared and pulled the whole person into the opponent's arms.

Unable to fully jump, Davis watched Lee jump high in front of him, grab the rebound, and rush with the ball after landing.

Before he had time for a tactical foul, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, rushed faster and faster, and had already crossed the three-point line.

At the same time, Stoudemire also took a big step and slammed forward desperately.

Nash, who retreated, was in a state of one defense and two for a while, and when he was still hesitating, Li You, who rushed across the halfway, threw the ball directly to the upper right of the basket.

When the ball arrived, the completely unguarded Stoudemire rushed to the basket, grabbed the ball with both hands, and pressed the ball into the basket as he drifted!

Under inertia, Stoudemire stumbled a little when he landed after completing the dunk, and immediately shouted excitedly after straightening his body:

"Ahh

Coach Gentry on the sidelines saw that the players had just retreated to the halfcourt, and he could only fold his arms for a while, reminding Nash to continue to attack.

In the first half, the Suns shot too many three-pointers from the bottom corner, allowing the in-form Knicks to bite the score by counterattacking.

Nash strictly adhered to the head coach's tactical arrangement, continuing his individual singles while reminding his teammates to cut to the basket.

In the ensuing match, Stoudemire showed his excellent physical qualities, and Davis, who had old arms and legs, was blocked twice by the youngsters.

Marion, who cut to the basket, was also disrupted.

The Suns' offensive style, which gave up outside projection, became extremely single, and the basket failed to finish efficiently, but was instead played by the Knicks to switch offense.

Richardson hit a long two-point iron in the bottom left corner, and watching the long rebound was collected by Lee You, the Suns instinctively stepped back quickly.

Marion didn't forget to call his teammates for defensive alignment, and when he stepped back into the half, several of them shrank to the three-point line.

At the top of the arc, Li You, who held the ball in his left hand, pushed the ball and changed direction, accelerated twice, and made a strong breakthrough in the middle of the ball with his right hand.

Seeing Nash stuck half a body, the Suns' defense all shrank into the paint.

Near the free throw line, Lee Woo took advantage of the situation to distribute the ball to Raga Bale, who was close to the touchline on the right wing.

After receiving the ball, no one was defending, and the calmly adjusted Raga Bell converted the three-point shot and hit it steadily!

At 69:60, seeing that the margin was about to reach double digits, head coach Gentry immediately called a timeout.

With 6 minutes and 17 seconds left in the third quarter, the Western Arena arena was much quieter.

Some of the fans who were cheering on Nash with a whiteboard seemed to be out of the mood, they haven't won against the Knicks since '96, and it seems like the tradition is going to continue tonight

Nash didn't become the team's hero either, and even his "ceremonial" free throws fluctuated.

Late in the third quarter, the Knicks' three-point shot from beyond the three-point line allowed the Suns to play two beautiful counter-attacks.

But as Lee and Stoudemire began to get to the free throw line, the margin widened.

35:23 in the single quarter, and the score came to 88:75 in the third quarter.

On the Suns bench, looking at Nash's silence, Joe Johnson also let out a sigh of depression.

With 6 points on 3-of-6 shooting, Joe Johnson felt he was doing well, and he believes that the team's loss of offensive rhythm is the reason for the lag:

"We've got plenty of time, Steve, it's not the rhythm we like, we've got to shoot from the outside!"

Hearing his teammate's words, Nash nodded, and he planned to observe for a few more minutes.

After the start of the 4th quarter of the game, Nash on the bench saw that Li You did not rest and appeared again, and he was speechless for a while.

In the first offensive round, the Knicks attacked, with double screens on the line, and Lee Woo cut horizontally from right to left.

Although Fisher, who commanded the traffic, passed the ball half a beat slowly, Li You, who received the ball, still forced a jump shot!

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

Leandro Barbossa, who came off the bench to catch up, subconsciously looked to the sidelines, but Gentry coach gave no instructions.

Substitute Jim Jackson made a bad pass and Lee Woo, who had completed the steal, sprinted across the half court along the left touchline.

Barbosa just put up the defense, Li Youshen, who was holding the ball in his left hand, accelerated with his shoulder, led the ball forward, and the ball protector slapped off the opponent's arm and successfully grabbed half of the body.

Realizing that he had made the wrong choice, Barbosa no longer had any extra moves, just slid desperately to the right back.

On the three-point line of the left wing, Li You suddenly stopped during the march, pulled back under his crotch, shook off the defense and reset his footsteps to close the ball, and raised the ball to shake it.

Barbossa, who was deceived, pounced directly and flew into the air to twist his body, but it was too late.

At the moment when he hung up on the defense, Li You's body exerted his strength, and the referee jumped and shot after the whistle!

"Bang!"

The arc is slightly flat, and the basketball hits the back edge and bounces into the basket.

"Shh

"Man, quick reaction, good defense!"

Walking to the free-throw line, Lee Woo patted Barbossa, the budding through William Wesleyan to make Michael Jordan say good things.

The two had a small intersection at the party of Maikou, but at that time, Barbossa had just arrived in the United States and had a request for help, and he and his agent were completely "entourage" looks.

Instead of choking in response like those unruly rookies, Barbossa put a flattering smile on his face.

At 95:75, as Lee Youjia hit a free throw, Nash, who was still watching from the bench, was dumbfounded, and three rounds passed, and the difference came to 20 points.

Coach Gentry was too late to realise he had made the wrong substitution.

Although Nash came on early after that, the point difference never narrowed, and the Suns, who were forced to start shooting, were counterattacked efficiently by the Knicks.

Eventually, the game ended quickly amid the disappointed sighs of Suns fans.

At 116:99, the Knicks completed another season sweep and extended their undefeated record against the Suns.

Played 40 minutes, 13-of-23, 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line, 10-of-12 from the free throw line, 40 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and 1 turnover.

Filling up the data column and handing over two pairs of data, Li You and the somewhat lost Nash hugged and greeted each other after the game, and simply encouraged:

"This is your first season with the Suns, keep it that way, and you're going to get the MVP in the end!"

In the MVP rankings, Nash has been in second place, but after two consecutive losses, he knows very well what the critics will say:

"Good luck to me! Hopefully we'll meet in the finals this year. ”

Nash left in disappointment, and he desperately wanted management to reinforce his current roster.

After this national livestream, the sports media automatically eliminated Nash.

On Saturday, February 5th, Stoudemire, who played efficiently in the last game, pulled his crotch.

With Chris Webber out injured, the Kings won the game again.

Despite the loss, D'Antoni was happy and injury-free and in line with the coaching staff's expectations.

On Monday the 7th, after the Knicks defeated the Clippers on the road, the Western Conference road trip was over.

After the game, D'Antoni, who was interviewed, confidently stated:

"Despite the injuries in the team, we can still get 60+ wins this year!"

“.”

(End of chapter)