The playoffs are often hailed as a test of stars, with only a handful of players maintaining regular-season standards and even fewer surpassing regular-season stats.

Role players also have their moments of explosion, and in fact, for some players with great ability, they may just be missing a chance.

Duncan, who was plagued by plantar fasciitis, lost power as the game progressed, and if G1 couldn't see the thighs clearly, then Popovich recognized the reality after the second half of the G2 game.

During the third quarter break, at Madison Square Garden, New York fans happily celebrated the victory.

79:89, although the difference is not big, Duncan's performance of 1 of 4 in a single quarter and 2 points in anger indicates that the Spurs are finishing!

Duncan, who had only rested for less than two minutes at the end of the third quarter, watched the tactical board and listened quietly to Popovich's explanation:

"Manu, you take control of the game, we have the ability to recover the difference!"

In addition to spraying Parker, Popovich also criticized Ginobili every day.

However, after hearing the coach's words, Ginobili was a little surprised, but he nodded seriously, he does have the ability to become the core of the tactics.

In the Western Conference playoffs, Duncan continued to abuse vegetables, and when it came to the division finals, Ginobili's play was more important.

Popovich didn't say much, and after a brief admonition, he stood up and clapped his hands, and because the scene was too noisy, he could only clap his hands and encourage loudly:

"Come on, believe in yourself, we can do it!"

Watching the players come on the court, Popovich on the sidelines showed an expectant look, three All-Stars, even if two are dumb, they still have options.

"The Spurs' help defense didn't do much, and Lee knew where the ball was going."

On the ABC commentary bench, Hubby Brown was still praising Lee You's performance in the third quarter:

The seemingly random shot made everyone on the Spurs look at the basket and watch the basketball hollow into the net.

Despite making the right defensive choices, Lee Woo, who held the ball in his left hand, snatched half of the position.

6-of-9, 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point line, 5-of-5 from the free throw line, and Lee Woo scored 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover in a single quarter.

The Spurs lineup turned into one big and four small, with Robert Horry, who had been outstanding from beyond the three-point line in the first half, back on the pitch and Parker replaced by Udri.

The pass position of the right hand was slightly lower, and Duncan was forced to bend down, and without waiting to lift the ball, Li You, who was chasing after the defense, immediately cut the ball.

Although Duncan, who twisted to help the defense, pounced again, Li You's one-handed throw that drifted to the left rear was not disturbed much.

Bowen had just stopped at this time, trying to cut off Stoudemire's downward route, when he saw Li You rushing over, and hurriedly started again.

Duncan, who instinctively caught the ball, rushed straight to the sideline and stumbled to catch the basketball, but the referee immediately blew the whistle and signaled to step on the line.

When Ginobili dribbled behind his back and used the cover to try to get rid of Lee, Duncan noticed that Leeyou had squeezed through the screen, and Stoudemire sank back to the defense and immediately accelerated the outside shot.

Parker went off the court, Duncan pulled his hip again, and the Spurs' offensive options were obvious.

The shouting in the arena was a little louder, and Li You looked at Ginobili beside him while retreating and whispered:

"Man, are you going to take over the game? If you don't break out again, the next game will be back in San Antonio. ”

Duncan was naturally the first to change defenses, and at the same time, Bowen continued to chase defense.

As if looking in a mirror, as Raja Bell ran to the left corner, Lee Woo received the ball on the left flank, and Stoudemire at the free-throw line went up again to block the pick-and-roll.

The basketball was cut off, and Duncan reacted quickly and tried to control the ball, but Li You took the lead and slammed the ball at Duncan's feet again.

Near the baseline on the right side, Li You's shoulders shook back after a sharp stop, and then accelerated twice, instantly getting rid of Duncan, and coming in circles to the upper line.

Raja Bell and Prince clapped in celebration, and the small lineup rebounding could be problematic, and Duncan's mistake gave them another chance to extend the score.

As soon as Bowen put on the defense, he was knocked backwards, and Li You took advantage of the strength of the rebound to step forward and shoot arrows.

The two pulled on the left wing, the Spurs were also 131 at this time, Duncan was at the free throw line, Horry was on the right wing, and Bowen continued to crouch in the right corner.

Ginobili came to the three-point line to catch the ball, and soon Duncan stepped forward to block it.

Li You watched the defender on his side turn into Bowen again, and cut horizontally from the right wing for the first time.

In the face of Li You's extremely fast forward change of direction, Duncan once again chose to slide and delay.

The long-haired Ginobili got permission and became more excited, he had seen the big scene, and this was his chance.

"If the Knicks had been a little better at shooting three-pointers, they could have scored more points."

Ginobili slapped Li You's arm off and responded with some unconvinced:

"12 points, don't think you're winning!"

Michaels felt that the Spurs were doing a good job defensively, at least the Knicks' three-point shot was still not open, noticing that Duncan was still on the floor, and then added:

"If Duncan's form improves, I believe the Spurs still have a chance."

When Ginobili sent a strikingly pass, he suddenly realized that he had made a mistake, and instead of continuing to chase the defense, Li You suddenly followed the ball and pounced on Duncan.

When Li You broke through to the baseline and quickly slipped past the baseline against the defense, Ginobili in the bottom corner also began to shrink.

As a first-year rookie, Udri has gained some playing time in both games, but the newcomer is still a little nervous at this time, looking at the coaching staff on the sidelines from time to time.

When Fisher, who received the ball from the baseline, dribbled across half court again, the Knicks played the same game.

In the left elbow area, Li You, who was flying close to the ground, suddenly pushed the ball and changed direction without waiting for the opponent to come up, and then immediately closed the ball.

A large number of players piled up on the bottom line, and as Li You sent assists as he went, Stoudemire, who came to the front of the basket, received the ball and smashed the dunk!

At the moment of receiving the ball, he swayed left and right, Duncan didn't expect Li You to drill into the pile, and the defense made a mistake in prediction and was passed by one step.

Fisher looked focused, showing his true colors as a defensive giant, and from time to time he gave the budding body at the top of the arc to fight.

Lao Yu naturally knows that the Spurs are in such a position, and they are definitely playing two on the left side, taking advantage of Yudri's pass to perform to their heart's content.

At 79:91, Li You continued his excellent feel in the third quarter and continued to score points.

The Knicks changed to a rotation lineup at this time, changing lineups with the opponent, and Fisher and Stoudemire appeared again, also one big and four small.

Amid the cheers, Udri quickly stood in front of Fisher, who had crossed the halfway line.

Under the double cover of the elbow area of the line, when he came to the left wing, Li You easily received the ball.

Behind him, Bowen followed the chase and no longer looked at Stoudemire.

“Let's go Knicks！.”

"Ahh

Stoudemire, who completed the dunk, yelled at Duncan, and in the face of such a provocation, Duncan, who had always been paralyzed, did not hold back, and immediately stepped forward and pushed it.

Facing the unrelenting chatter of Stoudemire, Duncan, who was pulled away by the referee, regained his composure and responded simply:

“Who are you？”

In a simple sentence, Stoudemire broke the defense a little, and he was selected as an All-Star in the new season, thinking that he was already a big star.

At 79:93, the margin was widened again, and Popovich on the sidelines loudly reminded Ginobili to catch the ball.

An exasperated Stoudemire quickly made a mistake, and on the right flank, Duncan's solid cover kept Lee out of the way.

As if all eyes were on Duncan, Stoudemire reacted to the fact that Ginobili, who was accelerating with the ball in his left hand, had already rushed to the paint.

Stoudemire, who wanted to slide again, couldn't keep up with the other party's speed, and watched Ginobili rush up in three steps, instinctively pulling.

"Squeak!" The referee blew the whistle immediately, and the basketball knocked out of the frame twice.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Sladmeier, who received his fourth foul, threw a fist in frustration.

D'Antoni immediately called out to veteran Mutombo, who took off his coat and smiled as he threw punches into Stoudemire.

Mutombo, who has focused on garbage time this season, was naturally happy to get his chance to play early, and quipped when he stood on the side of the paint field:

"Don't pass the ball to me! I'm too old to be capped by Duncan. ”

“.”

Duncan ignored the veteran, still staring at the ball, Ginobili hit both free throws, and the Spurs took less than 10 seconds to attack.

As the game progressed, the tactics of both sides became more and more simple and crude.

A quick crosscut on the upper line, Li You couldn't get rid of Bowen when he ran to the right flank, and then ran straight to the bottom corner of the right and slipped past the baseline again.

Fisher fed the ball to Prince on the left elbow, who received the ball, first made a pass feint, and chased Bowen into the bottom corner.

Li You, who stopped at this time, accelerated twice, moved upward, and got rid of the defense in an instant.

On the left sideline, he received a pass from Prince, faced Bowen's defense, took his left foot as the axis, turned his back and released the ball with his left hand, and accelerated along the baseline to break through.

Bowen, who continued to stop and get up, and still wanted to slide to defend, was heavy under his feet, watching Li You rush to the basket.

Although Duncan helped defend in time, Li You, who flew into the air, was a fake and true biography.

Mutombo, who was on the bottom right of the basket, received a pass and immediately dunked with both hands!

The Spurs picked up the tempo again, with Udri handing over the ball early, and Ginobili on the right wing took advantage of Duncan's cover, pushed the ball backwards, and drove the ball straight to the basket with his left hand.

Facing Mutombo, who retreated to the defense, Ginobili, who broke through to the paint area, realized that Li You behind him also chased after the defense, increased his stride, and jumped up to the defense to release the basket.

Under the two of them, Ginobili also made a fake pass and found Duncan, who was unguarded in the right blocking area, who received the ball and made a mid-range jumper!

Quickly serving the baseline ball, Fisher once again gave the ball to Li You, who was extremely fast and cross-cutting.

When receiving the ball on the left wing, Prince immediately ran from the left elbow to the left bottom corner to open up space for Lee.

Realizing that Horry had given up the alignment and tried to wrap up the clamp in advance, Li You immediately put the ball with his right hand and crossed the step to make a strong breakthrough.

When Yudri, who was at the top of the arc, also began to shrink into the basket, Li You, who broke through to the paint area, suddenly slowed down.

Stopped quickly behind Bowen, then stepped forward, and Li You quickly completed the throw with his right hand after closing the ball!

At this time, five Spurs players had gathered near the paint, and everyone could only watch Li You throw the ball into the basket.

“Wow！”

Some thrilling goals made the New York fans cheer loudly, and Michaels in the commentary box exclaimed loudly:

"Incredible, how did Lee do it? Attacking the position just right, perfectly avoiding the help defense. ”

It's hard for Hubby Brown to give a reasonable explanation, but the coach has a lot of experience and simply replied:

'That's talent, there are players who can sense changes on the pitch and it's hard to put into words.

"Maybe Lee has a special instinct that he knows where he should be shooting."

At 83:97, both sides +2 in a row, and the game became lively again.

Ginobili has almost become a core defender, receiving the ball first in every attack.

When following the opponent to the free throw line, Li You realized that the opponent was going to play a hand-to-hand cooperation at the top of the arc, and beckoned Prince to change the defense in advance.

Horry on the right flank ran off the ball near the elbow zone to give Ginobili an off-ball screen.

Bounced off the free throw line, Ginobili did use the cover to get rid of Lee.

But Prince changed his defense in time and squeezed to Ginobili, who was handing over the ball, to Ginobili for the first time.

When switching to the left hand to hold the ball, while Horry ran to the left corner, Ginobili, who was leaning on the defense, held the ball and went straight to the basket.

There was a change of tempo between the moves, slowing down and then accelerating again, and Ginobili eventually tricked Prince's defense and forced a foul on the beater.

Li You stepped forward to pat Prince, and the two switched defenses tacitly, which was almost a successful defense, but Ginobili's breakthrough rhythm was a little difficult to grasp.

After hitting both free throws again, Ginobili couldn't help but let out a low roar and waved his fist in celebration.

On the defensive end, seeing Mutombo receiving the ball at the top of the arc, Duncan turned his head and saw that Li You also squeezed to the free throw line, and also reminded Horry to change defenses in advance.

Prince ran to the right elbow and the off-ball screen wasn't of high quality, but Horry collided with Bowen.

Seizing the opportunity, Li You was very fast, came to the top of the arc to receive Mutombo's hand-handed pass, and without making any adjustments, he drifted and made a jump shot!

Duncan's block was blocked by Mutombo, and cheers rang in his ears, and he threw his fist in anger.

With the same tactics, different cores will play different games.

In the next few minutes, the match almost went into individual offensive performances by Ginobili and Lee.

Double screen on the line, moving the ball laterally with his left hand, Ginobili got rid of Li You's entanglement, and the left wing went straight to the basket.

Raja Bale retracted from the bottom right corner, but Ginobili still had to make a free throw.

After scoring two free throws, the Spurs' morale was greatly boosted, and Popovich on the sidelines also cheered up and kept loudly reminding the players to retreat.

With the same tactic, double cover on the line, Duncan was squeezed by Li You, who held the ball in his left hand, at the expense of physical delay.

Duncan, gritting his teeth and chasing after him, followed Li You to the baseline to circle around, while Bowen squeezed on Mutombo's side to cut off the passing route.

In the face of the big man's single defense, Li You, who came to the right side near the baseline position, suddenly made a sharp stop, and while receiving the ball backwards, he accelerated with his left foot as the axis and turned around.

At the moment when he grabbed the ball with his right hand, Li You, who was in a hurry, squeezed past Duncan's side again, rushed up with three strides, held the ball with one hand with his right hand, and turned over at the bottom left of the basket to pick up the basket!

The Knicks fans at the scene were still cheering, and the ball was sent to Ginobili early after Dribbling past halftime.

Raising the cover position, Duncan stood away from the three-point line, Ginobili pushed the ball and changed direction, switched to the left hand again, and then accelerated in a straight line.

Although Li You, who was defending around the lower line, chased the defense in time, Mutombo's delay did not help, and Ginobili rushed faster and faster

Seeing that the upline defense was thrown off, Fisher retracted the basket in time, simply fouled neatly, and pulled Ginobili down.

"Shh

The fierce resistance of the opponent made the New York fans on the scene boo, and no one expected that it was the Argentine who stood up in the last quarter of the game.

Ginobili's two free throws also brought the Spurs bench back to life, and although it was still a double-digit point difference, everyone cheered loudly.

The Spurs regained their fighting spirit, but they still couldn't defend effectively.

Duncan began to catch the ball on the defensive line, constantly tangling with Mutombo, and in order to avoid mistakes, Fisher motioned for Prince to move laterally to the left elbow.

Raga Bell slipped past the baseline, and Lee Yoo also started in the bottom corner on the right side, and the two crossed to cover, and Ginobili simply switched defenses.

Accelerating the external bomb, Li You did not completely shake off Ginobili behind him.

When the left blocking area received the pass, the moment Prince bounced out, Li You accelerated in a simple and rough straight line.

From the free throw line to the paint area, the Spurs contracted, but only Duncan under the basket defended effectively.

Without waiting for Li You to jump with the ball, Duncan directly stepped forward and hugged it, and simply sent two free throws.

The stadium erupted in cheers again, and Hubby Brown in the commentary box was happy:

"If it were a different team, maybe the Spurs would have closed the score, but unfortunately they were facing Lee's team."

"Popovich should probably give the ball to Ginobili sooner rather than later, and when they get back home, the Spurs still have a chance."

When the opponent responded frantically, the Knicks' tactic was to give the ball to Lee You.

The game turned into back-to-back free throws, but when Parker returned, the Knicks also replaced Fisher and Mutombo.

Gasol and Kurt Thomas are back on the scene.

D'Antoni never gave Parker and Fisher a chance to play against each other, and the swiping defense couldn't limit the Frenchman.

Ginobili continued to lunge through Raja Bell and Prince's defense, and the breakaway shot put Duncan at the free-throw line.

Gasol, who re-appeared, soon played a role, with a local 2-on-2, continuous blocking and pick-and-roll with Li You to consume Duncan.

After repeatedly delaying the return to defense, Duncan could only secretly gasp as he watched Gasol, who bounced out to the left blocking area and made a jumper.

When the Spurs passed the ball from the outside and Ginobili made a three-point shot on the left wing, Li You, who received the long rebound, was not in a hurry to attack and reminded loudly:

"Hey, they're tired!"

Ginobili, who retreated to the half, looked at Li You, who was shaking his head and getting more excited, and subconsciously scolded in a low voice.

Whoever it is, fast-paced offense and defense, and constantly hitting the basket for most of the quarter are tired

Gasol heard Li You's prompt and immediately raised his cover position.

At the top of the arc away from the three-point line, Gasol stood still, and Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, immediately dribbled behind his back.

Parker squeezed through the screen, and Lee, who switched to the right hand, quickly went in and out, leaning on the defense and shaking outside.

Thinking that Li You was going to force a breakthrough, Parker desperately slid to the left.

Just chased to the side, Parker saw Li You suddenly turn around and get rid of the defense in an instant.

The huge range of action made the New York fans at the scene exclaim, Duncan was forced to improve his defensive position, and saw Li You send the ball forward with his left hand, and involuntarily bent down to cut the ball.

"Oh!"

During the march, Li You quickly pulled the ball with his right hand, directly letting Deng definitely stay in place.

“OH！ ClayGod！ ”

Watching Li You throw off the defense and go straight to the basket in the middle, Michaels also shouted.

rushed to the paint area in the blink of an eye, and Li You jumped with both feet in front of the basket, ignoring Horry, who was back to the basket, and smashed the dunk with his arms against the defense!

When he flew into the air, Horry had already regretted that his jumping height was insufficient, and he only felt that his body had been hit by a car, and the whole person flew out backwards.

Landing sideways, Horry hit his head on the floor again, first hearing the basket explode, then the frantic shouts of the fans.

Li You, who completed the dunk, hung the basket for a short time, and after landing on the ground, he glanced at Horry who was lying on the floor and did not move, pointed to the floor with both fingers, and shouted loudly to the camera:

“This is my house！”

Horry fell hard, and Duncan limped out of the pause gesture.

Everyone on the Knicks team rushed over to high-five Lee Yoo at this time, and like the fans at the scene, everyone was shouting loudly to vent their excitement.

Popovich saw Duncan's footsteps staggering, and his heart was cold for a while, but fortunately, his thigh returned to his seat and immediately said:

"Don't worry about my body, the game isn't over yet, I don't want to take a break!"

Panting for breath, Duncan first cared about Horry's condition, and then grabbed the kettle and gulped down water.

It didn't matter whether he won or lost, he just didn't want to surrender in such a fiery way.

Ginobili also nodded, and the invisible Parker was silent, but his resolute eyes showed his attitude.

On the commentary bench, Michaels was still reminiscing about the dunk that had just exploded:

"It's crazy! It's unbelievable that Lee still has such a lot of energy towards the end of the race! ”

"He seems to be tireless, constantly pounding the basket."

Hubby Brown also noticed this, and the later in the game, the more efficient Lee Became:

"It's a bit of a pity that I've rarely seen Lee perform like this in the regular season in recent years, even if he hits a career high this season, but I believe that's not the limit for Lee."

Noticing that the Spurs only brought on Mohammed and didn't pull down the main lineup, Hubby Brown laughed again:

"I like the competitive mentality of the Spurs, the series has just started, and they have to toughen themselves up!"

Duncan, who was plagued by plantar fasciitis, had a noticeable drop in his movement speed.

Although Bowen responded from beyond the three-point line, Princes seized the misplaced opportunity and singled Parker to the free throw line with his back to the right block.

Ginobili's performance continued, and Gasol began to punch hard against Duncan, who was in a state of decline.

With 58.6 seconds left in the game, Spurs' persistence paid off.

Gasol had just scored two points in the last round after being turned under the basket and forced Duncan to score two points, but this time in the face of Ginobili's breakthrough, he showed a painful expression after the help defense basket landed.

Soon after, D'Antoni called a timeout, and Gasol returned to the bench to continue moving his left foot:

"There shouldn't be any problem!"

The team doctor is still checking and determining that there is a high probability that there is no structural injury, but thinking that the game will end soon, several members of the coaching staff feel that there is a blood loss tonight.

On the other side, Popovich was in a good mood and took the initiative to change to the bench lineup, and the team doctor also followed to check Duncan's injury.

Duncan and Gasol have both suffered the same injuries this season, and with too much playing time tonight, plantar fasciitis seems to be showing signs of recurrence.

As the game time wore out, Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers.

At 105:121, the Knicks defeated their opponents, and the series score also came to 2:0.

Ginobili exploded in the fourth quarter, shooting 1-of-3 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, scoring 11 points in the quarter;

Playing 40 minutes, 7-of-13, 2-of-5 from beyond the three-point line, and 12-of-14 from the free-throw line, Ginobili had 28 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.

Duncan played 41 minutes, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line for 21 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and three turnovers.

The role players were also outstanding, with the Spurs shooting 11-of-23 from beyond the three-point line before becoming more and more sloppy in the second half.

Duncan didn't show any frustration as he walked to the players' tunnel, and it turned out that the game was worth playing, and the next step was three consecutive home games!

Li You, who was being interviewed on the sidelines, was draped in a towel, and there was obvious sweat on his head.

Michelle Tafoa held up the microphone and congratulated with a smile:

"What a great race, Lee, congratulations, there are two wins left to win your 7th career championship!"

The two are also old acquaintances, and Li You, who is in a good mood, also joked:

"If you don't see you on the stage of the finals next year, it must be a loss for ABC."

Tafoya chuckled, she plans to have a baby next year, and there is a high probability that she will not be able to be a sideline reporter for the finals next season:

"Lee, we noticed that Gasol had an injury in the final moments of the game, will that affect the rest of the away game?"

"When it comes to the playoffs, no team is complete, and sometimes the game is a contest of willpower."

"Pau feels good and we're going to win the series."

Li You naturally does not reveal any injury information, at this time, everyone likes to pinch soft persimmons, and they usually hit hard in the face of injuries

Then came the back-to-back away games, and many New York fans feared that the series would not return to New York, and they remained in the arena shouting after the game:

“MVP！ MVP！ MVP！ ”

Played 41 minutes, 19-of-28, 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line, 11-of-11 from the free throw line, 53 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers.

After only 11 attempts in the half, Lee Woo exploded in the second half, handing over a double-double stat that New York fans loved.

When walking to the players' tunnel, Li You once again gave the sneakers to the young fans on one side, and after causing everyone to scream, he simply threw the jersey to the stands on the other side.

"Ahh

In the scream, the jersey was picked up by a white fat girl, which made many fans involuntarily turn their eyes to the white shapewear on Li You

The two security guards hurriedly came to Li You's side, and taking advantage of this opportunity, two strong men, one black and one white, asked in a low voice:

"Lee, will the series ever come back to New York?"

New York fans want to see the championship at home, and Lee knows that:

"I do prefer to receive the prize at home, but for the sake of the championship we will finish the competition as early as possible."

Attending a press conference after the game, most sports reporters were more concerned about the injuries of both teams.

Li You's stats made the New York media excited, and as for the swelling fans, they gathered outside the stadium and shouted:

“Knicks In Four！”

(End of chapter)