NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 102 Interesting Ranking (Daily Chapter)

After the 97-98 season came to April, the competition for a better ranking among the teams has reached a fierce stage.

In the Western Conference, the Lakers, Sonics, and Jazz all have a chance to win the first place. In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers officially fell behind, and the Knicks and Bulls began to compete in the air.

Before every game in April, Jeff Van Gundy would secretly pray, praying for the Knicks to win, but also praying for the Bulls to lose!
On the night of the 9th, perhaps God heard the pious prayer of the bald young marshal, the Bulls overturned in the game against the Cavaliers!

At 85:91, the multi-point Cavaliers successfully sniped the Bulls.

Seeing this game, the New York fans burst into laughter and began to celebrate wildly.

As a result, on the night of the 12th, the Knicks challenged the Heat in an away game.
After the game, the New York media was so angry that they beat around the bush and satirized Pat Riley for being inappropriate. Seeing that the regular season was coming to an end, the result was a tie with the Bulls.

Fortunately, the Pacers are true friends of the Knicks. On the night of the 13th, at 114:105, the Bulls lost again!

It is a pity that the Knicks suffered another injury at the last moment, and Larry Johnson and Oakley were injured. At 104:100, the Wizards completed the blocking again.

Afterwards, the Knicks made no more mistakes, beating the Raptors 79:108, and the Bulls, who were also injured, lost to the Pistons 79:87!

So far, the Knicks' record has come to 62 wins and 19 losses.The Bulls' record came to 61 wins and 20 losses.

April 4th happened to be the last regular season game between the two sides.

If the Bulls can defeat the Knicks again, then they can rely on the winning advantage to lock in the No. [-] position in the Eastern Conference.

And if the Knicks successfully defeat the Bulls, they can get 63 wins, and then kick the opponent down!
It's not enough to just pay attention to this game, the media in New York must always pay attention to the game between the Jazz and the Lakers on the 19th!
Also achieved a record of 62 wins and 19 losses. If the Knicks lose and the Jazz win, then the opponent will lock the number one position in the league and enjoy home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The inflated New York media has already loaned out the finals, and everyone thinks it is okay to pay attention to potential opponents in advance, but this kind of behavior has once again angered the Chicago media.

Before the game started, the two sides began to mock each other:
"In order to win the assist king, Lee has become a stat brush, and the MVP only belongs to Michael Jordan!"

"Michael Jordan can only rely on the news of his retirement to win sympathy! He wants to steal Lee's MVP!"

The Chicago Tribune and the New York Times went off shirtless, mercilessly satirizing each other's leading stars, and every day the newspapers became the scene of a tearing battle.

For New York fans, new and old grudges count together, as long as the Bulls can be kicked down, everyone will be happy!
The media in Los Angeles is also not convinced. The Lakers currently have a record of 60 wins and 21 losses. At the end of the regular season, O'Neal became more and more courageous:
"The Lakers will reach the Finals again, and the MVP belongs to O'Neal!"

The Jazz fans felt that they were ignored, and the media in Salt Lake City also wanted to speak out for Karl Malone, but they were not strong enough, and no one paid any attention to them at all.
The three major football markets are all talking about their own, waving the flag for the leading star. As for the MVP, it is really hard to say!
On the night of the 18th, at the United Center Arena, from the start of the game, the Bulls fans present shouted wildly and kept cheering for the home team.

At the end of the half, relying on Michael Jordan's brave performance, the Bulls led by 53 points at 57:4.

13中5，罚球16中15，迈扣怒砍25分2篮板1失误，差点把尼克斯队给突烂了
In the third quarter of the game, the Knicks finally started to break out. The big delay of the Bulls made Li You find his teammates frequently.

Veteran Buck Williams, who made his debut tonight, scored consecutive mid-range jumpers and a second tip-up at the basket!

Chris Mills, who won the starting position, also made sudden penalties in this quarter and continued to help the Knicks score points.

Although Larry Johnson is not in the best physical condition, he also contributed his strength on the defensive end.

At 35:26 in a single quarter, after three quarters, there was no sound in the United Center arena. At 88:83, the Knicks led by 5 points!
Michael Jordan had to rest in the fourth quarter of the game. If he wanted to get free throws, he had to keep hitting the basket. Michael Jordan scored another 12 points in the third quarter, so he had to take a breather.

Harper only played 14 minutes, but he didn't feel well and didn't play again.

In the last quarter of the rotation, Steve Kerr and Scott Burrell partnered in the backcourt, Pippen and Rodman were still the strikers, and Kukci was the center.

Of course Phil Jackson wanted to win the game. The ranking in the playoffs was too important, so he also chose to die as the main player.

As for the Knicks, Li You didn't rest at all. He took a lot of shots in the first three quarters. In the fourth quarter, he no longer took care of organization.

The Bulls who took the lead in attacking, Pippen hit a jumper after a pick-and-roll near the free throw line before the 24 seconds expired!
"state!"

The basketball came out of the basket, and Chris Dudley grabbed the backboard. After Li You responded, Kerr immediately stepped forward to delay, and at the same time, the Bulls retreated quickly.

In the leading position, Li You did not push forward in a hurry, but passed the halftime steadily.

On the right flank outside the three-point line, Li You, who holds the ball in his right hand, protects the ball sideways. The Knicks' two insiders all sank to the bottom line, while Larry Johnson and Alan Houston opened the flanks.

Cole continued to fight with his body. Li You, who had been sideways protecting the ball, suddenly blasted the ball vigorously when he was close to the three-point line. While twisting his body, his left hand pretended to catch the ball, and then turned around quickly, and his right hand lowered his center of gravity instantly. , to accelerate at full speed.

There was a slight hesitation on the defensive end, and Cole was caught halfway by Li You, and was forced to slide to the blocking position.

Li You suddenly stopped suddenly, and then blew the ball again with his right hand. Taking advantage of Cole's adjustment of the defensive center of gravity, he quickly completed the change of direction in front of his body.

Switching to the left hand, Li You pretended to break through, and Cole was shaken so that he quickly slid back to the right.

As a result, he moved near the paint area, but Cole saw that Li You just crossed back and pulled back, completely lost his defensive position, and watched Li You make a mid-range jumper.

"Shua!" The two-pointer was hit steadily.

"Shh!"

Huge boos broke out at the United Center arena. The Bulls fans at the scene didn't want to lose. They didn't want to fall to the second place.

Next, Kukoc also succeeded in a low back single on the left. On the bench, the Bulls coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief.

The Knicks continued to quickly serve the bottom line. This time Li You passed the ball when he came to the right wing after halftime.

Alan Houston at the top of the arc responded, Larry Johnson and Chris Dudley also occupied two elbow positions at this time, and Li You quickly went to the line and crossed at this time.

Under the double cover, after chasing Cole and being delayed, Kukci immediately switched up, raised his hands, and tried to control his body center of gravity.

Coming to the left flank, Li You didn't make much movement after receiving the cross pass from Alan Houston, and simply raised the ball and shot a jumper!

Seeing Li You who was still drifting to the left, Kukchi was a little dazed, and then boos came from his ears, and he immediately knew that Li You had scored again.

"Lee went into attack mode, and it was hard for Cole to limit him. The Bulls shouldn't hesitate, they should continue to delay."

In the TNT commentary seat, Hubie Brown saw Li You's quick end, and couldn't help but suggest in a low voice, while Dick Stockton on the side gave a different point of view:

"In the third quarter of the game, the role players of the Knicks played too well, and they responded in time."

"Mike should play early, after all, tonight's game is very important to them!"

Regardless of whether the Bulls scored or not, Li You did not reduce his aggressiveness.

After receiving a hand-off pass from Chris Dudley at the right elbow area, Li You took a step, got rid of Cole who was chasing him, and made a jumper from the free throw line!
Looking back, the Bulls scored in and out, Pippen missed a three-pointer, Li You received a long rebound, the transition attack was disturbed and missed the basket, and Larry Johnson followed up and scored a point.
The Bulls attacked again, Pippen broke through to the basket, and responded with a layup under Dudley's interference!

The Knicks quickly served the baseline ball, Li You received the ball from the left wing, put the ball with his left hand, took advantage of the trend to cross and break through, pulled back under the crotch from the left block, and made a mid-range jumper with an emergency stop.

The two sides started another soaring point battle, switching constantly with the ball and without the ball, and Li You showed no sign of physical weakness.

After breaking through to the basket forcibly and causing Kukci to foul, Li You, who was standing on the free throw line, was booed again.

Cole, who is constantly chasing and defending, has already begun to gasp for breath. In previous games, he would not have so much playing time.

The whole field marked Li You, and Cole felt that this job was not easy at all.
After Li You made two free throws, the score came to 101:91. With 7 minutes and 48 seconds left in the game, Michael Jordan reappeared at this time.

At this time, the double-digit lead has already made the atmosphere of the Knicks boil.

Ewing in formal attire was also on the bench, but he was a gorilla with mixed feelings.

I was busy with the issue of the labor agreement in March, and then returned to the team, but there was a sense of strangeness
Leading by double digits, Li You also began to slow down the pace of the game. While taking a breath, he immediately started playing tactics again.

It was only after two rounds that his teammates hit the iron, and Li You started to take over the offense again when he saw Mai Kou repeatedly taking penalties.

The Bulls' one-point rain was very fierce, but Li You's three-pointer was not soft.

This time on the right flank, Li You, who bounced out, received the ball and swayed. Seeing the center of gravity of Cole's defense, he immediately released the ball and then retreated laterally.

Cole tried his best to block the shot from his side, but Li You's shot was too fast, and he made a jump shot after a slight drift.

"The Bulls need to pick up the pace of the game, time is running out!"

Hubie Brown saw Li You hit the iron outside the three-point line and the Bulls protected the rebound, subconsciously shook his head and said.

Before Dick Stockton could explain the Bulls' fast break, Larry Johnson immediately fouled Pippen tactically.

"Everyone on the Knicks team is very calm. It can be seen that they have made full preparations before the game. Tonight, Lee has been firmly in control of the rhythm of the game."

As the minutes ticked down, Phil Jackson started walking up and down the sideline, and Jeff Van Gundy yelled at his players to watch out for rebounds.

With 58 seconds left in the game, Kukic also stood on the free throw line.

"No amount of free throws can win the game, maybe you can try a three-pointer, maybe it will have some effect!"

Li You smiled and teased Mike who was standing beside him from outside the three-point line. This guy with a long face obviously knew that he would probably lose tonight.

"The ranking is not important, I will still be the winner in the end."

Maikou didn't say much, and simply responded, and stopped looking at Li You, feeling very unhappy.

After making two free throws, the score came to 114:107.

In the next round, as Li You assisted veteran Buck Williams and scored another 24 points before 2 seconds before the basket, the United Center Arena was booed everywhere.

At the last moment, the Knicks made consecutive fouls, and the Bulls continued to make free throws, but the game time was not enough. The Bulls fans at the scene could only watch Jeff Van Gundy throwing punches continuously on the sidelines to celebrate.
116:111, in the end, the Knicks successfully won the game relying on Li You's outstanding performance in the fourth quarter!
In the fourth quarter, Li You made 11 of 6 shots, 6 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 17 points;
全场比赛出场44分钟，28中13，三分线外14中7，罚球8中7，拿到40分5篮板10助攻1抢断3失误的两双数据。

No one in the Knicks team cared about the boos at the scene, and the atmosphere team gathered beside Li You and shouted happily, Oakley also heaved a sigh of relief, and Ewing beside him also showed a smile.

No. [-] in the East, they will get home court advantage in the playoffs!
Jeff Van Gundy proudly shakes hands with Phil Jackson:
"A champion coach is nothing more than that!"

Looking at the bald young coach, Phil Jackson was furious in his heart, and there was no smile on his face. If it wasn't for the team's infighting, the Bulls would not have won only 61 wins.
"In the case of the team's injuries, Lee stepped forward and successfully ended the Bulls, 20 years old? Really outstanding performance!"

In the TNT commentary booth, Hubie Brown only felt that the league was indeed going to be renewed. Dick Stockton heard the director's prompt, and then praised with a smile:
"20 years and 108 days old, tonight Lee broke the record set by Magic Johnson and became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+10."

"If the Jazz lose tomorrow, the Knicks will have the number one record in the league. We must praise the boys for their performance!"

"."

The Knicks ended the regular season of the season and flew back to New York overnight. The coaching staff just gave the players a day off.

Getting the first record in the league completely swelled the New York media to the sky. The newspapers and sports column articles on the second day all had a common point of view:
"Knicks Championship!"

On the night of April 4th, fans in New York were paying attention to the game between the Jazz and the Lakers.

After 4 quarters of fierce fighting, the Lakers at home successfully defeated the Jazz at 98:102.

Seeing such a result of the game, New York fans and the media were suddenly ecstatic:

"63 wins and 19 losses, the Knicks rank first in the league!"

That night, the regular season of the 97-98 season ended, and the rankings of the Eastern and Western teams were officially released:

The final standings of the Eastern Conference are:

63-win Knicks, 61-win Bulls, 58-win Pacers, 53-win Heat;
The Hornets won 51, the Hawks won 50, the Cavaliers won 47, and the Nets won 43.

The final Western Conference standings are:

62-win Jazz, 61-win Sonics, 61-win Lakers, 56-win Suns;
The Spurs won 56, the Trail Blazers won 46, the Timberwolves won 45, and the Rockets won 41.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks will meet the Nets. The two teams are very close, so there is no need to worry about the fatigue of the journey.

At the moment when the regular season officially ended, Li You, who was lying in the apartment with Ge You, threw his phone aside and stopped replying to text messages. After taking a bath, he called out the talent panel this time.

At the end of the regular season, the Knicks once again won the Atlantic Division championship, and Li You could draw talent again.

After silently saying God's blessings, Li You had a thought, and before he could react, he had already received a reminder:

Get 【Michael Jordan's extraordinary core strength】.

Seeing that a small half of the newly acquired talents were still gray, Li You's face darkened, which showed that his own core strength was far behind.
Thinking about his own efforts to increase strength training, but in the end he didn't gain much, Li You couldn't help but choose Lemon:

"This is the Chosen One"

On the morning of April 4, when Li You arrived at the training ground, he was blocked by a large number of New York media:

"Lee, we won the first place in the league, will the Knicks win the championship?"

"Can we knock out the Bulls? We have home field advantage this year!"

"Will Pat come back from injury in the playoffs? Lee, what do you think of the MVP selection?"

"."

Looking at the media blocking the door of the locker room, Li You couldn't laugh or cry, and suddenly felt that these guys started to coward again:

"Of course we will rush out of the East and win the championship!"

"But the game has to be played one game at a time. Everyone has to believe in the strength of the Knicks."

Maybe it's because of the past experience in the playoffs. Most of the media smiled awkwardly. It's not that everyone lacks confidence, but because they lost before.
Li You waved his hands at people, then laughed lightly and said jokingly:

"The Bulls may lose in the semifinals. I have a little confidence in the Knicks!"

"."

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(End of this chapter)