NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 389 The Injured Newcomer (5000 words chapter)
TNT put a lot of effort into packaging the Eastern Conference finals. Various pre-game analyzes even called Wade and O'Neal the strongest duo in the league after the Heat eliminated the Pistons.

Although O'Neal also suffered a hip injury in the semifinals, most ball commentators believe that this year's conference finals will be a close game.

On the night of the 23rd, after falling behind at the start, the Heat managed to survive. The Knicks rested for too long and experienced some slow starts.

In the second quarter, the game entered the rotation phase. O'Neal seemed to have a physical problem. Mourning played more than 2 minutes and was still on the court.

Christian Laettner, who had old arms and legs, was replaced early, and substitute defender Kenyon Dulin also played less than 2 minutes.

As the game progressed, Stan Van Gundy became more and more anxious. Before the timeout, the Heat did not score for almost 2 minutes.

29:43，在上半场还剩6分16秒时，热火在第2节仅拿到了8分。

In contrast, the Knicks took advantage of O'Neal's absence to score points.

Wade hasn't rested yet, and the sound of cheering from Madison Square Garden has him distracted.

It is completely different from the mentality during the regular season. Every time the point difference is widened, I become more and more anxious.

Stoudemire, who failed to break away from the defense and grabbed the rebound, finally calmly passed the ball to Prince on the left wing.

"Concentrate rookie! I already got 18 points."

Kurt Thomas returned to the basket, and together with Li You and others, in the small space under the basket, Mourning finally forced a layup from behind, causing a foul on the thug.

At 31:46, with Mourning's two free throws, the Heat finally ended their scoring drought during this period.

Wade, who was chasing Li You, couldn't wait to complete the steal directly. He knew very well that the team needed to score as soon as possible.

In desperation, the Kidney Fighter could only raise his hands and try to squeeze Stoudemire away with his body.

On the left wing, Eddie Jones was still paying attention to the movements behind him. Before the screen happened, Prince suddenly released the ball with his left hand and went straight to the basket.

Doug Collins saw clearly that Wade had a chance to use the pick-and-roll to score a mid-range jumper:
"Mourning's screen quality is good, but under Lee's defense, Wade seems to have lost confidence in his jump shot."

At the same time, Stoudemire also retreated from the defense. Wade, who drove straight to the basket, finally ran into the encirclement of the two, and was forced to jump to the lower left side of the basket to pass the ball.

Mourning tried to twist and collect the rebound, and Haslem was still tugging on Kurt Thomas on the other side.

Wade's attention was a little distracted, and Li You seized the opportunity and suddenly ran back, along the baseline, and directly into the basket.

At 29:46, every three-pointer was like a punch, and the Heat obviously couldn't withstand it.

The ball was passed too low, which forced Mourning, who was following behind, to bend down to catch the ball. The Kidney Fighter still wanted to use his strength, but the defense was already in place.

The wonderful alley-oop once again ignited the atmosphere of the arena. Li You hung the basket to relieve his strength. After landing, he once again teased Wade, who looked ugly:

The latter caught the ball and made a steady jump shot from outside the three-point line without being defended!

In the left block, Prince threw away the defense and threw the ball to the upper right side of the basket.

Near the free throw line, Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, leaned against Wade on his side and continued to force his way through the middle. When he noticed that Mourning chose to return to defend the basket, he immediately pulled back with his crotch.

The huge cheering sound resounded through the arena again, and the Knicks scored consecutively, which also made the fans' emotions even higher.

"Shh!"

Fisher still dribbled across the half court unhurriedly, at the top of the arc, and quickly gave the ball to Stoudemire, who was asking for the ball from behind in the left block.

Madison Square Garden was boiling again, and Damon Jones, who received the ball from the baseline, gave the ball to Wade early.

Wade, who had lost his defensive position, could only watch as Li You jumped up and grabbed the ball in the air. He stayed in the air for a short time, grabbed the ball with both hands and slammed the ball into the basket!
"Wow!"

Soon Stoudemire came to the left elbow area and received Fisher's pass. Li You in the bottom corner started again and passed the ball to the wing.

There was a sudden emergency stop, and Wade instantly lost his defensive position. Fortunately, Damon Jones from outside the three-point line cooperated to shrink the defense and came up in time to help defend.

"He should adjust in time. Stoudemire may not be good at protecting the basket, but his excellent physical fitness makes up for his lack of experience."

After receiving the ball, Wade dribbled across half the court with his right hand, and when he came to the left wing, Mourning immediately raised the pick-and-roll.

Attracting a double-team from the two men, the basketball just came to Li You's left hand. While Jones was still sliding, he immediately passed the ball from behind to Fisher on the left wing.

Kurt Thomas immediately moved up the line from the basket, trying to pick and roll. At the same time, Li You, who had been squatting in the right corner, also pretended to move up the line.

"Let's go Knicks!."

A simple and crude attack failed to work. Under interference, Stoudemire's dunk turned into a layup, and the basketball finally hit the basket.

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

A burst of boos erupted in the arena. In the commentary box, Kevin Harlan looked at the technical statistics and simply said:
"So far, Wade has only scored once in a sports game and has not scored in the second quarter."

Mourning, who has extensive defensive experience, took the initiative to withdraw his strength this time. After adjusting his steps, he immediately jumped to interfere when his opponent raised the ball and tried to dunk with one arm.

The latter caught the ball and turned around to face the frame and attack, taking a horizontal tentative step with his right foot. Then he immediately released the ball with his right hand, leaning against Mourning and driving towards the basket.

Due to the outstanding performance of the substitute lineup, the Knicks did not replace the main force after the timeout, and Fisher continued to deal cards at the top of the arc.

Wade, who had already begun to break the defense, chased Li You to the left corner and interfered, trying to destroy the pass.

Having just received his second shot, Kurt Thomas didn't complain. Mourning looked serious and came to the free throw line and kept making shooting gestures.

"If he wants to equalize the difference, he has to respond on the offensive end."

Stoudemire, who took off for the second time, picked melons behind his head, and with his stronger physical fitness, he once again grabbed an offensive rebound.

Mourning had a big head. Although he watched Wade squeeze through the screen, Stoudemire passed the ball and accelerated down, making it difficult for him to make a choice on the defensive end.

The moment the ball changed direction and switched to his left hand, Wade immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated. Li You bypassed the screen and continued to block the breakthrough route.

"."

Wade, who only scored 2 points, was so depressed that he could not speak. Li You hadn't exerted his strength yet and frequently sent passes. He wanted to score, but he was unable to do so.

Eddie Jones propped up the Heat's offense in the second quarter and loudly reminded Wade to pay attention to his movement as he ran toward half court.

Damon Jones, who was dribbling through the half court, was also reminding his teammates that Wade calmed down and no longer asked for the ball rigidly. This time the offense came with a baseline cross screen.

Prince and Li You switched defenses tacitly, and when Wade came to the left wing to catch the ball, he was interfered with by his long arm again.

Mourning lifted the pick-and-roll, swayed right and left, and Wade once again drove to the basket.

Although Prince, who was less agile, chased after him in time, Wade did not choose to stop for a jump shot. Instead, he increased his stride to lean on the defense and barely managed to pick up the basket.

"squeak!"

The referee blew the whistle again, and Wade's sudden attack caused a foul on the thugs, resulting in two free throws.

Wade, who was out of breath, hit the second free throw. Seeing Stoudemire collect the rebound, Li You caught the ball and accelerated along the left sideline. Wade could only switch defense in front of Fisher.

Although Damon Jones pursued the defense in time, he was unable to slow down Li You and could only slide passively.

Li You, who rushed faster and faster, came to the left flank, close to the three-point line, and continued to rush forward against the defense.

In the blocking area, Li You leaned against Jones and suddenly turned around, completely getting rid of the defense and approaching the basket.

Wade, who was desperately retreating, jumped up high and tried to block the shot.

Only when he was flying in the air did he realize that Li You had thrown the basketball backwards. Before Wade could react when he landed, Stoudemire, who followed up, received the pass and grabbed the ball with his right hand and dunked it hard with one arm!

The powerful dunk caused the basketball to pass through the basket and hit Wade on the head.

Staggering, Wade could only hold on to the basketball stand and watch Stoudemire beating his chest and roaring in front of him.

Stan Van Gundy on the sidelines saw that Mourning could no longer keep up with the rhythm of the game, so he had no choice but to request a timeout again.

The Kidney Warrior was also gasping for air when he walked to the bench. Facing the energetic Stoudemire, he also had nothing to do.
At 32:48, cheers came one after another. On the Heat bench, O'Neal had to stand up and clapped repeatedly to encourage his teammates.

D'Antoni smiled from ear to ear. He didn't know what was wrong with O'Neal's body, but without Shark, the Knicks' inside advantage could also be used.

Mustache smiled and patted Stoudemire, who played efficiently in the second quarter. This wave of scoring climax has helped the team win.

"It seems that O'Neal has suffered an injury, which is not good news for the Heat."

"It was difficult for Wade to support the team's offense. Facing Lee's flexible defense, his physical advantage in the first two rounds had disappeared."

Doug Collins confirmed the technical statistics and will no longer call X for Wade.

It was difficult for the opponents before the finals to limit Wade, but tonight when they met the more flexible and stronger Li You, the second-year rookie was completely at a disadvantage.

Kevin Harlan was still looking forward to Wade's bottoming out, and when he saw O'Neal reappearing, he immediately added:
"The Heat still have plenty of time to reverse the game, and Wade needs to play smarter."

After the timeout, the Knicks' starting lineup returned. La'Gar Bell, who had rested for a while, began to take over the task of defending Wade to prevent Li You from getting three fouls prematurely. After O'Neal came on the court, the Heat's offense still focused on free throws.

Under the guidance of Stan Van Gundy, Wade began to use more off-ball screens in an attempt to escape the defense.

Perhaps due to too much confrontation, Wade still failed to seize the opportunity, and the missed jump shot was still a black shot.

After realizing that he failed to regain his shooting touch, Wade stopped shooting and seized the opportunity to use the screen to penetrate the inside and continue to make free throws.

Although the game is somewhat stagnant, Li You's simple pick-and-roll offense can always easily assist his teammates to score.

Gasol and Kurt Thomas made consecutive jump shots near the free throw line;
After Li You encountered a double-team, Prince could also respond with a step-back jumper after breaking through from the left wing.

With 1 minute and 03 seconds left in the half, Damon Jones hit a long three-pointer with 24 seconds left in the offense.

44:58, the score difference is still stretched.

Although O'Neal relied on free throws to score during this period, he was visibly lacking in energy. Every time he encountered a transition attack, the Sharks lagged behind.

When the Knicks attacked this time, Gasol received a pass from Li You at the right elbow.

Turning his body sideways, as Li You moved to the right wing, Gasol also began to dribble up the line.

Wade first followed suit, and when Li You ran back and took the pass from hand to hand, he squeezed past again.

After the solid screen, Wade almost lost his center of gravity after squeezing through the screen, staggering slightly and chasing after Li You.

Holding the ball in his left hand and moving laterally, Li You took the initiative to slow down. After the body collision, he first leaned on the defense, and then suddenly turned around quickly with his right foot as the axis.

Watching Li You switch to his right hand to regain control of the ball, Wade made the wrong defensive choice and tried to squeeze through the screen again.

Gasol moved up slightly but stood still. Wade bumped into him, completely losing his defensive position.

O'Neal's mind kept up, but his body didn't respond. He couldn't slide laterally in time. He could only watch Li You combine the ball on the right wing and make a steady jump shot without any defense!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

At 44:61, the Heat's three-pointer in the previous round was answered again.

A free throw failed to change the situation on the court. Wade's frustration could no longer be suppressed. The coaching staff had already told everyone what such a point difference meant.

"Rookie! You got 5 points!"

"The last two best duo in the league are crying in New York!"

Behind the basket, many fans shouted and pretended to wipe away tears.

The roar of laughter all around made Wade more and more uncomfortable. O'Neal grabbed his younger brother and stopped him from talking to these fun-lovers.

The Heat's offense did not throw around blindly. Under O'Neal's command, Damon Jones, who came to the left wing, decisively threw the ball to the low-post Shark.

The moment he caught the ball, Li You, who was on the line, suddenly retracted with the ball. O'Neal did not release the ball and immediately threw the ball outside the three-point line.

There were just some mistakes in coordination. Damon Jones was not prepared and was still moving laterally. When he saw the ball flying back, he quickly adjusted his position.

Li You, who seized the opportunity, stabbed Jones the moment he touched the ball, and the basketball flew to the midline again.

Damon Jones, who was intercepted, was knocked away by Li You and staggered completely out of position.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Li You chased the basketball and rushed across the half court.

1 vs 0 in the frontcourt, Li You came to the paint area and jumped with both feet, grabbed the ball with his right hand and pulled back his arm, stretched his body and slammed the ball into the basket!
The wonderful tomahawk dunk caused cheers to break through the arena. This was the Heat's third mistake in this game. The fans felt that their opponent was collapsing.

The Heat continued to pass the ball from the outside. In the end, Eddie Jones' breakthrough caused Gasol to foul and made two free throws, helping the Heat narrow the point difference.

In the last attack, Laga Bell missed an open three-pointer from the left corner, making the fans sigh.

At the end of the half, the score reached 46:63. The Knicks scored 35 points in a single quarter, establishing the victory in one fell swoop.

The good news is that the Heat rarely make mistakes, but the bad news is that Wade completely stretched his hips.
打满上半场，韦德9中1，三分线外1中0，罚球6中3，怒砍5分2篮板2助攻。

The Heat made 25 of 18 free throws at halftime, and scored almost entirely on free throws in the second half of the second quarter.

Regarding this situation, Doug Collins in the commentary box could only comment tactfully:

"The role players have completed their tasks well, and head coach Stan Van Gundy has transformed the Heat. Although they are behind, I believe they still have a chance."

Kevin Harlan has commented on too many Knicks games, and he naturally knows that it will be difficult for the Heat to come back:

"Lee in the playoffs is completely different from the regular season. It seems that Wade has not adapted to the intensity of the game."

"Faced with his own template, he still has a lot to learn."

At the beginning of the second half, the Heat were forced to speed up, and the game turned into O'Neal's least favorite rhythm.

Haslem bounced out of the pick-and-roll, received a pass from Damon Jones, and quickly scored points at the free throw line against the defense.

After receiving the ball on the baseline and accelerating forward, Li You used Gasol to screen on the right wing. The second acceleration attracted O'Neal's help. Gasol received the pass and responded by putting a basket in the air.

Eddie Jones assisted O'Neal in the low post on the right wing and turned around and shot successfully.

At the top of the arc, he double-covered the line and circled the ball behind his back. Li You, who switched to his right hand, moved laterally and got rid of Wade at the three-point line.

Facing Haslem, who switched defenses, Li You carried the opponent straight to the basket.

Approaching the lower right side of the basket, Li You jumped and pushed away the defense, grabbing the ball with his right hand and throwing it to score points.

Haslem, who was hit to the baseline, looked helpless. He had tried his best.
The two sides are playing faster and faster. In addition to the low post attack, Haslem throws the ball after picking and rolling.

With a big lead, as long as the opponent fails to score, Li You seizes the opportunity to speed up like crazy, which makes both sides turn back and run more and more times.

The Heat missed consecutive shots in several rounds, and the score stayed at 52 points. The Knicks seized the opportunity and once again widened the point difference.

Li You rarely made a step-back jump shot from the left wing. Eddie Jones collected the long rebound and threw the ball directly to the half court.

Wade, who had just completed his defense, accelerated his sprint at this time, controlled the ball through the midline, and continued to rush towards the basket.

Although he noticed that Li You behind him had already caught up, Wade, who broke through the defense, rarely encountered such a good opportunity. He rushed up in three strides, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and tried to complete the dunk with all his strength in the air.

The straight-forward attack option allowed Li You, who was pursuing the defense, to adjust his pace calmly, take off almost at the same time, and immediately stretch out his left arm while Wade pulled the ball back.

"Oh!"

Amid the exclamations of the fans, Wade was held down by Li You as he threw his arms for a dunk.

The two competed in the air, and soon Wade lost control of the ball, leaned back, completely lost his center of gravity, and fell to the floor.

The basketball was thrown to the sideline. After landing, Li You didn't bother to chase the ball. He stood in front of Wade, pumping his fist and roaring.

"what!"

Wade was lying on the floor, his ears filled with the excited shouts of the fans. With difficulty he raised his upper body and a painful expression on his face, he signaled to his coach to request a timeout.

Not even halfway through the third quarter, Wade seemed to have some physical problems.

Seeing the frustrated looks of the players returning to the bench, Stan Van Gundy sighed in his heart.

Wade, who barely played after the timeout, still worked hard.

The Knicks blossomed more at this time. Fortunately, the defensive intensity dropped, and the Heat's role players responded in time to maintain the point difference.

Relying on fast breaks and free throws, Wade finally scored at the end of the third quarter.

Head coach Stan Van Gundy was worried that the two main players had physical problems and simply surrendered early.

After three quarters, 69:93, the game entered garbage time.

New York fans began to celebrate the victory in advance. Just as they imagined, the new Wade was vulnerable!
15中3，三分线外2中0，罚球6中3，9分3篮板3助攻，韦德职业生涯首次分区决赛得分未能上双.
19中12，三分线外5中3，罚球7中7，34分4篮板11助攻2抢断2盖帽，李佑三节打卡，遇到萌新后再次重拳出击。

The fourth quarter entered garbage time. Li You had already changed into training clothes and was quietly waiting for the end of the game.

Everyone in the Knicks team was in high spirits, and Ewing even burst into laughter. He took the opportunity to cover his mouth and said to Li You:

"We should blow up these arrogant rookies!"

"How come no one called us the strongest duo back then? These media always like to take care of rookies."

Li You turned to look at the inflated gorilla and followed the other person's words and said:

"Pat, time will give the answer. You are already more successful than O'Neal, 4 is greater than 1!"

(End of this chapter)