NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 396 Confrontation (7000 words chapter)
The playoffs are usually hailed as a game that tests the quality of stars. Only some players maintain the standard of the regular season, and even fewer stars surpass the regular season data.

Role players also have their moments to break out. In fact, for some players with outstanding abilities, they may just lack an opportunity.

Duncan, who was troubled by plantar fasciitis, was off the offensive power as the game progressed. If G1 could not clearly see the condition of his thigh, then after the second half of the G2 game, Popovich recognized the reality.

During the intermission of the third quarter, New York fans happily celebrated the victory in Madison Square Garden.

79:89, although the point difference is not big, Duncan's performance of 4 of 1 and scoring 2 points in a single quarter indicates that the Spurs are about to end!
Duncan, who only rested for less than two minutes at the end of the third quarter, looked at the tactical board without saying a word, quietly listening to Popovich's explanation:
"Manu, you take control of the game, we have the ability to recover the point difference!"

In addition to criticizing Parker, Popovich also criticized Ginobili.

However, after hearing these words from the coach, although Ginobili was a little surprised, he still nodded seriously. He does have the ability to become the core of the tactics.

In the Western Conference playoffs, Duncan continued to dominate. When it came to the conference finals, Ginobili's performance was even more important.

Popovich didn't say much. After a brief warning, he stood up and clapped his hands. 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 take the stage, Popovich looked expectant on the sidelines. With three All-Stars, even if two misfire, they still have options.

In the ABC commentary box, Hubie Brown was still praising Li You's performance in the third quarter:

"The Spurs' double-team didn't have much effect, and Lee knew where the ball was going."

"If the Knicks were better at three-point shooting, they could score more points."

9中6，三分线外3中1，罚球5中5，李佑单节砍下18分3篮板4助攻1抢断1失误的数据。

Michaels felt that the Spurs did a good job defensively. At least the Knicks still didn't open a three-pointer. Noting that Duncan was still on the court, Michaels added:
"If Duncan gets better, I believe the Spurs still have a chance."

The Spurs lineup became one big and four small. Robert Horry, who performed well beyond the three-point line in the first half, came on again, and Parker was replaced by Udrih.

As a first-year rookie, Udrih got some playing time in both games, but at this time the rookie was still a little nervous and looked at the coaching staff on the sidelines from time to time.

The long-haired Ginobili got the permission and became even more excited. He had seen big scenes before, and this was his opportunity.

The Knicks changed into a rotation lineup at this time, and followed the opponent's change of formation. Fisher and Stoudemire appeared again, also with one senior and four juniors.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Amidst the cheers, Udri quickly defended Fisher who crossed the center line.

Li You watched as the defender beside him turned into Bowen again, and immediately cut in from the right wing.

Under the double cover at the upper elbow area, when he came to the left wing, Li You easily caught the ball.

Duncan naturally changed defense immediately. At the same time, Bowen continued to pursue the defense.

The moment he caught the ball, he swung left and right. Duncan didn't expect that Li You would dive into the crowd. His defensive prediction made a mistake and he was passed by in one step.

Bowen had just stopped and tried to cut off Stoudemire's route. When he saw Li You rushing over, he hurriedly started again.

At the left elbow area, Li You, who was flying close to the ground, suddenly pushed the ball to change direction without waiting for his opponent to defend him, and then immediately combined the ball.

As soon as Bowen got on the defense, he was knocked backwards. Li You used the force of the rebound to step forward and shoot an arrow.

Although Duncan, who turned around to help defend, pounced again, Li You's one-handed throw to the left and back was not disturbed much.

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

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

The shouts in the arena became louder. Li You retreated while looking at Ginobili beside him and whispered:
"Man, are you going to take over the game? If we don't blow up, we'll be back in San Antonio next game."

Parker came off the court and Duncan stretched his hips again. The Spurs' offensive choice was obvious.

Ginobili slapped Li You's arm off and responded unconvincingly:
"Twelve points, don't think you are sure to win!"

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

Fisher looked focused, showing his true nature as a defensive warrior, and from time to time he gave physical confrontation to the newbie at the top of the arc.
The old fish naturally knows that when the Spurs are positioned like this, it is definitely a two-on-two on the left side, taking advantage of Udrih's pass to perform.

Under the tug, Ginobili came to the three-point line to catch the ball, and soon Duncan stepped forward to pick and roll.

When Ginobili dribbled from behind and used the screen to try to get rid of Li You, Duncan noticed that Li You squeezed through the screen. Stoudemire retreated from the defense and immediately accelerated the outside shot.

When Ginobili sent a ground pass, he suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. Li You did not continue to pursue the ball, but suddenly followed the ball and pounced on Duncan.

The pass from his right hand was slightly lower, and Duncan was forced to bend down. Before he could lift the ball, Li You, who was chasing him, immediately started to cut the ball.

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

Duncan, who had the instinct to grab the ball, rushed directly to the sideline and stumbled and indeed caught the basketball, but the referee immediately blew the whistle to indicate that he should step on the line.

Raja Bell and Prince applauded and celebrated. The small lineup may have problems with rebounding, and Duncan's mistake gave them another chance to expand the score.

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

As if looking into a mirror, as Laga Bell ran towards the left corner, Li You caught the ball on the left wing, and Stoudemire at the free throw line once again raised the pick and roll.

Faced with Li You's extremely fast change of direction, Duncan once again chose to slide and cause a huge delay.

Despite making the right defensive choice, Li You, who was holding the ball with his left hand, still lost half of his position.

Behind him, Bowen pursued the defense and no longer looked at Stoudemire who was following him.

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

Near the bottom line on the right side, Li You made an emergency stop and shook his shoulders back. Then he accelerated a second time, got rid of Duncan in an instant, and circled to the top line.

A large number of players piled up on the baseline. As Li Youxing sent out assists as he went, Stoudemire, who came right in front of the basket, caught the ball and dunked!

"what!"

After completing the dunk, Stoudemire yelled at Duncan. Faced with such a provocation, Duncan, who had always been paralyzed, did not hold back and immediately stepped forward and pushed him.

Facing the relentless chatter of Stoudemire, Duncan, who was pulled away by the referee, regained his composure and responded simply:
"Who are you?"

A simple sentence immediately made Stoudemire break his defense. He was selected as an All-Star in the new season and considered himself a big star.

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

The angry Stoudemire soon made a mistake. On the right flank, Duncan's solid screen prevented Li You from squeezing through.

It seemed that all his attention was focused on Duncan. When Stoudemire reacted, Ginobili, who was accelerating with the ball in his left hand and leaning on his shoulder, had already rushed to the paint area.

Stoudemire, who wanted to slide again, could no longer keep up with the opponent's speed. He watched Ginobili take three long steps and pulled instinctively.

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

At the beginning of the 4th quarter, Sladmeier, who received his fourth foul, punched in frustration.

D'Antoni immediately called to veteran Mutombo, who took off his jacket and fist-bumped with Stoudemire as he walked off the court.

Mutombo, who has focused on garbage time this season, was naturally happy to get a chance to play early. When he stood on the side of the paint area, he joked:
"Don't pass the ball to me! I'm too old and maybe Duncan will block it."

"."

Duncan ignored the veteran and still stared at the ball. Ginobili made two free throws. The Spurs' attack took less than 10 seconds.

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

A quick cross-cut on the line, Li You failed to get rid of Bowen when he ran to the right wing, and then ran directly to the right corner and slipped across the baseline again.

Fisher passed the ball to Prince on the left elbow. The latter caught the ball and faked a pass. He then chased Bowen in the bottom corner and subconsciously moved to press him.

Li You, who had stopped, accelerated a second time, moved upwards, and instantly got rid of the defense.

He received a pass from Prince near the sideline on the left side. Facing Bowen's defense, he used his left foot as the axis, turned his back and released the ball with his left hand, accelerating the breakthrough along the baseline.

Bowen, who made continuous stops and starts and tried to slide to defend, felt heavy on his feet and watched Li You rush to the basket.

Although Duncan helped defend in time, Li You, who was flying in the air, made a fake pass.

Mutombo, who was on the lower right side of the basket, received the pass and immediately dunked with both hands!
The Spurs once again accelerated the offensive pace. Udri handed over the ball early. Ginobili on the right wing used Duncan's cover to push the ball backwards and went straight to the basket with the ball in his left hand.

Facing Mutombo who retreated from the defense, Ginobili broke into the paint and realized that Li You behind him was also chasing him. He increased his stride, jumped up against the defense and laid the basket.

Under the attack between the two, Ginobili also faked a real pass and found Duncan who was unguarded in the right block. The latter caught the ball and made a mid-range jump shot!

Quickly serving the baseline ball, Fisher once again gave the ball to Li You who was cutting across at extremely fast speed.

When the left wing received the ball, Prince immediately ran from the left elbow to the left corner to open up space for Li You.

Realizing that Horry had given up on the matchup and tried to double-team in advance, Li You immediately released the ball with his right hand and crossed the ball.

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

Bowen quickly stopped behind him, then stepped forward. Li You combined the ball and quickly completed the throw with his right hand!
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. Michaels in the commentary box even praised loudly:

"Incredible, how did Li do it? He attacked in just the right position and perfectly avoided the help of defense."

It was difficult for Hubie Brown to give a reasonable explanation, but the coach had rich experience and simply answered:

"That's talent. Some players can sense the changes on the field. It's hard to describe in words."

"Maybe Lee had a special instinct and knew where he should strike."

At 83:97, both sides scored +2 consecutively, and the game became lively again.

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

When he followed the opponent to the free throw line, Li You realized that his opponent was going to play a hand-to-hand match at the top of the arc, so he called Prince to switch defense in advance.

Horry on the right wing ran to the elbow area without the ball and provided Ginobili with an off-ball screen.

The free throw line bounced out, and Ginobili did use the screen to get rid of Li You.

But Prince changed defense in time and immediately squeezed in next to Ginobili who was hand-to-hand to catch the ball.

When he switched to his left hand to hold the ball, while Horry ran towards the left corner, Ginobili, who was leaning against the defender, held the ball and went straight to the basket.

There was a change of pace during the march, decelerating and then accelerating again. Ginobili finally deceived Prince's defense and drove to the basket, causing the thug to foul.

Li You stepped forward to pat Prince, and the two of them switched defenses in a tacit understanding. This was almost a successful defense, but Ginobili's breakthrough rhythm was a bit difficult to catch.

After making two free throws again, Ginobili couldn't help but roar and pump his fist in celebration.

On the defensive end, when he saw Mutombo receiving the ball at the top of the arc, Duncan turned his head and saw Li You also crowded to the free throw line, and also reminded Horry in advance to change defense. Prince ran to the right elbow area, and the quality of the off-ball screen was not high, but Horry collided with Bowen.

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

Duncan's block was blocked by Mutombo, cheers came from his ears, and he punched hard in anger.

The same tactics, different cores will play different games.

In the next few minutes, the game almost turned into individual offensive performances by Ginobili and Li You.

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

Laga Bell retreated from the right corner, but Ginobili still had to make a free throw.

Two more free throws boosted the Spurs' morale. Popovich on the sidelines also cheered up and kept loudly reminding his players to retreat.

The same tactic, double screen on the line, Duncan wasted no time in the big delay and was squeezed by Li You, who was holding the ball with his left hand.

Duncan, who was gritting his teeth and chasing after him, followed Li You to the baseline and circled, while Bowen squeezed in Mutombo's side to cut off the passing route.

Facing the big man's single defense, Li You, who came to the right near the baseline, suddenly stopped. While leading the ball backward, he accelerated and turned around with his left foot as the axis.

The moment he grabbed the ball with his right hand, Li You, who suddenly stopped and started, squeezed past Duncan again. He rushed up in three strides and held the ball with his right hand with one hand. He turned over and picked up the basket at the bottom left of the basket!

The Knicks fans at the scene were still cheering, and they quickly made a baseline pass. Udrih passed the half court and handed the ball to Ginobili early from outside the three-point line.

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

Although Li You, who was going around the line to defend, caught up in time, Mutombo's delay had no effect. Ginobili actually rushed faster and faster.
Seeing that the defense on the line was thrown away, Fisher retreated to the basket in time, fouled cleanly, and pulled Ginobili down again.

"Shh!"

The opponent's fierce resistance made the New York fans at the scene boo loudly. 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 to life. Although there was still a double-digit point difference, everyone was cheering loudly.

Everyone on the Spurs found their fighting spirit again, but they still couldn't defend effectively.

Duncan began to defend the ball on the line and kept entangled with Mutombo. In order to avoid mistakes, Fisher signaled Prince to move laterally to the left elbow area to receive the ball.

Laga Bell slipped across the baseline, and Li You also started in the right corner. The two crossed to cover, and Ginobili simply switched defense.

Accelerating the outside shot, Li You did not completely get rid of Ginobili behind him.

When Prince received the pass in the left block, the moment Prince bounced out, Li You simply accelerated in a straight line.

Cutting instantly from the free throw line into the paint, although the Spurs shrank, only Duncan under the basket defended effectively.

Before Li You could take off the ball, Duncan stepped forward to hug him and made two free throws.

The stadium erupted in cheers again, and Hubie Brown watched happily in the commentary box:
"If it were another team, maybe the Spurs would have closed the score. Unfortunately, they faced Lee's team."

"Popovich should probably give the ball to Ginobili as soon as possible. After returning home, the Spurs still have a chance."

When the opponent responded wildly, the Knicks' tactic was to give the ball to Li You.

The game turned into a series of free throws, but when Parker returned, the Knicks also replaced Fisher and Mutombo.

Gasol and Kurt Thomas appear again.

D'Antoni never gave Parker and Fisher a chance to face off, and the swiping defense could not limit the Frenchman.

Facing the pursuit of Raja Bell and Prince, Ginobili still rushed to the basket, and the breakaway ball also put Duncan on the free throw line.

Gasol's reappearance soon played an role, with local 2-on-2 and continuous pick-and-roll cooperation with Li You to consume Duncan.

After repeated delays in returning to defense, Duncan could only gasp secretly as he watched Gasol bounce into the left block and make a successful jump shot.

When the Spurs passed the ball from the outside and Ginobili made a three-pointer from the left wing, Li You, who collected the long rebound, did not rush to attack and reminded loudly:

"Hey, they're tired!"

Ginobili, who retreated to halftime, looked at Li You, who was shaking his head and getting even more excited, and subconsciously cursed.

Whoever it was, fast-paced offense and defense, and constantly hitting the basket for most of the quarter would be tiring.
Gasol heard Li You's prompt and immediately raised his covering position.

The top of the arc was far 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 Li You, who switched to his right hand, quickly in and out, leaning against the defense and swinging to the outside.

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

Just as he caught up to him, Parker saw Li You suddenly turn around and get rid of the defense in an instant.

The huge range of movement made the New York fans at the scene scream. Duncan was forced to raise his defensive position. When he saw Li You sending the ball forward with his left hand, he couldn't help but bend down to cut the ball.

"Oh!"

During the march, Li You quickly pulled the ball with his right hand, directly knocking Deng Ding where he was.

"OH! ClayGod!"

Seeing Li You shake off the defense and drive straight to the basket from the middle, Michaels also yelled.

In the blink of an eye, he rushed into the paint area. Li You took off with both feet in front of the basket. He ignored Horry who returned to the basket and faced the defense with his arm and dunked!

When he was flying in the air, Horry already regretted that his take-off height was not high enough. Under the confrontation, he felt as if his body had been hit by a car, and he flew backwards.

Landing sideways, Horry's head hit the floor again. First he heard the rim explode, and then heard the crazy shouts of fans in his ears.

After completing the dunk, Li You briefly hung up on the basket. After landing, he glanced at Horry, who was lying motionless on the floor. He pointed at the floor with both hands and shouted to the camera:
"This is my house!"

Horry fell hard, and Duncan limped on the line and made a pause gesture.

At this time, everyone in the Knicks team rushed over to high-five Li You to celebrate. Like the fans at the scene, everyone was shouting loudly to vent their excitement.

Popovich saw Duncan staggering, and his heart went cold for a moment. Fortunately, he returned to his seat and said immediately:

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

Duncan, who was gasping for air, first cared about Horry's condition, then grabbed the water bottle and took a big gulp of water.

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

Ginobili also nodded. Parker, who was invisible, said nothing, but his determined eyes showed his attitude.

In the commentary box, Michaels was still thinking about the dunk that just exploded:

"It's crazy! It's unbelievable that Lee still had so much energy towards the end of the game!"

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

Hubie Brown also discovered this. The later in the game, the more efficient Li You was:
"It is a pity that we have rarely seen Lee perform like this in the regular season in recent years. Even though he set a career high this season, I believe this is not Lee's limit."

Noting that the Spurs only replaced Muhammad and did not remove the main lineup, Hubie Brown laughed again:
"I like the competitive mentality of the Spurs. The series has just begun and they have to get tougher!"

Duncan, who is suffering from plantar fasciitis, has seen a significant decline in movement speed.

Although Bowen responded from outside the three-point line, looking back, Prince seized the mismatch opportunity and posted up Parker in the right block to get to the free throw line.

Ginobili's performance continued, and Gasol also began to punch hard in the face of Duncan, who was declining.

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

Gasol had just been turned around under the basket and stormed Duncan to score two points in the last round. This time, facing Ginobili's breakthrough, he showed a painful expression after falling to the ground to help defend the basket.

Soon, D'Antoni requested a timeout, and Gasol returned to the bench to continue moving his left foot:
"There should be no problem!"

The team doctor was still checking and determined that there was a high probability that there was no structural damage, but thinking that the game was about to end, several members of the coaching staff felt that they were losing blood tonight.
On the other side, Popovich was in a good mood and took the initiative to switch to the substitute lineup. The team doctor also checked Duncan's injury.

Both Duncan and Gasol have suffered the same injuries this season. They played too much tonight and their plantar fasciitis seems to be showing signs of recurrence.

As time expired, Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers.

105:121, the Knicks defeated their opponents, and the series score reached 2:0.

吉诺比利在第4节爆发，3中1，罚球10中9，单节砍下11分；
全场出战40分钟，13中7，三分线外5中2，罚球14中12，吉诺比利拿到28分4篮板6助攻1抢断2失误的数据。

邓肯打了41分钟，13中6，罚球11中9，拿到21分10篮板1助攻1盖帽3失误。

The role players also performed well. The Spurs made 23 of 11 shots from beyond the three-point line before gradually losing steam in the second half.

When walking towards the tunnel, Duncan did not show any frustration. It turned out that the game was worth playing, and there would be three consecutive home games!
Li You, who was being interviewed on the sidelines, was wearing a towel and there was obvious sweat on his head.

Michelle Tafoya held up the microphone and congratulated with a smile:
"What a wonderful game, Lee. Congratulations. You are still two games away from the seventh championship in your career!"

The two of them were old acquaintances, and Li You, who was in a good mood, also joked:
"If I can't see you on the stage of the finals next year, it will be ABC's loss."

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

"Lee, we noticed that Gasol was injured at the end of the game. Will this affect the next away game?"

"When it comes to the playoffs, no team is complete. Sometimes the game is also a contest of will and quality."

"Pau feels pretty good and we will win the series."

Naturally, Li You will not disclose any injury information. At this time, everyone likes to be soft-hearted and usually hits hard when facing injuries.
Next came consecutive away games. Many New York fans were worried that the series would not return to New York again. After the game, they stayed in the arena and shouted loudly:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

出场41分钟，28中19，三分线外9中4，罚球11中11，53分7篮板11助攻2抢断1盖帽2失误。

After taking only 11 shots in the half, Li You exploded in the second half and produced a double-double that New York fans loved to see.

When walking towards the player tunnel, Li You once again gave his sneakers to the young fans on one side. After making everyone scream, he simply threw the jersey to the stands on the other side.

"what!"

Amidst the screams, the jersey was taken by a fat white girl, which made many fans involuntarily cast their eyes on the white shapewear Li You was wearing.
The two security personnel hurriedly approached Li You. Taking this opportunity, two strong men, one black and one white, asked in a low voice:
"Lee, will the series come back to New York?"

New York fans hope to witness the championship at home, and Li You knows this very well:

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

Attending the press conference after the game, most sports reporters paid more attention to the injuries suffered by the two teams.

Li You's data excited the New York media. As for the swollen fans, they gathered outside the arena and shouted:

"Knicks in Four!"

(End of this chapter)