NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 439 The Next "Victim" (9500 words chapter)
On Sunday, May 2006, 5, the San Antonio Spurs held a grand MVP award ceremony for their core player Tim Duncan.

Not only were former team legends invited, but mainstream sports media were also present.

A large number of fans gathered at the SBC Center Arena early in the morning. The Western Conference semifinals were about to start that night, but everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the MVP's personal style in advance!
Mark Tatum, executive vice president of global marketing partnerships of the NBA, served as the award presenter in the morning and smiled brightly in front of reporters. The award selection was absolutely fair.

Tatum, who is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent, strongly supports the "equal treatment" selection method. Tim Duncan, who has 61 wins and three appearances in the finals, is more than worthy of this honor.

"Let us welcome the 2005-06 regular season Most Valuable Player and the core of the San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan!"

Tatum said this with a smile, and the media reporters below the stage cheered. On the far right of the podium, Popovich also showed a gratified smile. The great guy finally won the award!
Winning the MVP can be called a superstar, which is very important for Duncan who does not have many personal honors.

It was the first heavyweight trophy in his career. Duncan no longer wore jeans but changed into a decent gray suit. He was very excited when he received the trophy.

This season, Duncan has basically continued his competitive form from last year, and even his personal data has not changed much.

With so many scorers exploding, Duncan's Excel is not even as good as Nowitzki's. Fortunately, his record is strong enough, at least he won the first place in the Western Conference.
Perhaps because of the three consecutive finals losses, Duncan stood in front of the podium, looking at the trophy in front of him, and suddenly whispered:
“Maybe I’m not the best player in the league, but I have the confidence to turn the Spurs into the best team in the league!”

"This trophy is a recognition of all the people in the Spurs organization, thank you to coach Popovich, thank you to my teammates, and thank you to the fans in San Antonio."

Duncan expressed his gratitude modestly, which made some New York media who came to the scene depressed, as they wanted to hear more bold words.

Parker and Ginobili sat with their teammates, looking at Duncan, who was different from his usual style. Everyone knew that the big man actually cared about this award.

The main reason why Kevin Garnett, a player who was eliminated in the Western Conference Finals, was able to surpass Duncan was because of the MVP. After winning the award, no one would say that Garnett was better than Duncan.

Popovich listened to Duncan's reminiscences, and a look of relief appeared in his eyes. He looked at the two people beside him and firmly believed that the Spurs would succeed:

"No one can win all the time, we will wait for our chance!"

There were two games on Sunday. At 19:30 that night, the Cavaliers and the Knicks also faced off in the semifinals G1.

The Cavaliers players who flew to Manhattan in advance did not receive any ridicule from the New York media in the past few days. Everyone directed their criticism at the new MVP, saying that the other party had stolen the honor that belonged to them.

The column certainly makes sense. After all, the Knicks won 68 games and Li You's personal Excellence also crushed Duncan. Is it aesthetic fatigue? New York fans never get tired of watching it.

"Who likes to lose? Who wants to be a loser? What's wrong with winning too much?"

Dwight Howard once again felt the feeling of being ignored. He thought he was already a big star, but in fact, no one cared about him at all.
New York fans prefer to discuss gossip about the new general manager. The opponents in the semifinals are not worth mentioning. They may encounter some difficulties in the divisional finals.

Arriving at the gym in the afternoon to warm up, the steals king Larry Hughes, who just returned from injury, has been in a bad mood recently. Due to the passing of relatives and friends as well as injuries, he hasn't regained much of his form after entering the playoffs.

Gooden, who has been frequently involved in trade rumors this season, has finally established himself in the team. Although he is a substitute, his playing time is not small.

In some periods of time, Gooden and Howard partnered in the interior, and rebounding was effectively guaranteed. Compared with Ilgauskas, their combination had better athletic ability and more energy.

Howard quickly became the focus of media attention after completing frequent dunks during warm-up. The 20-year-old boy enjoyed such moments very much:

"Don't forget that I almost won the rebounding title this year. I have the ability to win this award!"

"Look at the muscles I have on me. I've transformed myself. We have the best talent in the league."

Compared with his slightly thin physique last season, the newbie has obviously become stronger. In fact, being able to use technology stably is also an amazing talent. Howard is not talking nonsense.

Watching Howard showing off his muscles and shouting exaggeratedly from time to time, LeBron James stood with his hands on his hips and answered questions seriously:
"The defensive strategy is double-teaming. If you look at the defensive efficiency per 100 minutes, we are very close to the Spurs. No one in the league can compare to the Cavaliers in this regard."

"You know, in the playoffs, defense is extremely important, and that's why we were able to win the first round easily."

"We are confident that we can do better. Coach Van Gundy has shown us the way to victory!"

Although the Goodwin brothers are no longer James' agents, they taught the newbie how to get along with the media and show leadership in public, and most reporters followed suit.

Although he was a little worried in his heart, James always maintained a confident expression on his face. The team is stronger than last year and they will not lose easily again.

With one hour left before the game started, a large number of media reporters were circling around Li You who had finished warming up. Ever since the gossip about the general manager candidate came out, everyone felt that the team was going to make a big move.

This is not a random conjecture. Before this, the Knicks had delivered a wave of championship experience to the league, which led to the current young lineup.

Considering the ages of Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill, no one would be surprised if a trade occurred.

"Lee, what does the addition of Donnie Walsh mean for the Knicks?"

ABC is responsible for broadcasting tonight's game, but the reporters on the scene are obviously more concerned about gossip and want to get the trade information directly from Li You. This is one of the few black spots.
Li You certainly knew what the other party wanted to hear. He smiled and looked up at the top of the stadium, then answered seriously:
"It means we will win more championships. The Celtics next door have 16 championship banners. Although the Knicks are about to surpass the Lakers, it is far from enough."

Of course, everyone was not satisfied with this answer, and soon the ESPN reporter asked a very targeted question:
"Will the Knicks look to trade in the offseason to keep their roster vibrant?"

"This is the job of the future general manager, maybe you will see him soon. At present, I am only focused on the championship and the semifinals. I still have a lot of work to do."

Li You, with a smile on his face, kept his mouth shut. No matter how people asked questions, his answers were always flawless.

The news of the new general manager did affect the atmosphere in the locker room, but overall, everyone was prepared.
After all, Li You did not get along well with everyone, let alone be as close as brothers. The championship made everyone sign good contracts. It is not easy to get the one-man-one-city award in New York.

Kurt Thomas, who just signed a big contract, has been involved in trade rumors in the past two or three days;
Hill, who will be in his contract year next season, is also a subject of discussion among the crowd. It is indeed time for the two older players to "contribute" to the team.

"These media are so boring, there is nothing to discuss!"

Kurt Thomas, who was leaning on a crutch and cheering everyone on, joked about himself that with the contract in hand, he could still make money even if he left New York.

Hill, who has already changed into his training clothes, did not show any emotional fluctuations. He will receive a salary of 1690 million US dollars next season, which is already very good for a 34-year-old veteran.

If his body continued to suffer injuries, he even considered retiring directly. No one likes surgery. His career has been complete.

"Win the championship, and leave the business to the agent. In fact, the team will never be stingy in giving a big contract. Everyone in the league knows this."

Hill's words were recognized by everyone. The Knicks pay the highest luxury tax in the league, and the amount will continue to rise in the next few years.

In order to maintain the depth of the center rotation, center Grenzen Wright is receiving US$715 million this year. Gadzuric expressed envy and said he also wants to make money without doing anything.

"The MVP award ceremony. If Duncan makes it to the finals again this year, the league will definitely take care of him, and the series will be more difficult."

Fisher took the initiative to change the subject, and soon Barnes on the side joked:
"When you were on the Lakers, did the referees take care of you?"

“You know, some games, I don’t even know how I won.”

Hearing Old Fish's self-mockery, everyone laughed out loud. In order to create a showdown between Los Angeles and New York, it is indeed reasonable to blow the whistle for a star.

Perhaps New York fans were a little angry because they lost the MVP. During the entrance ceremony, the Knicks DJ screamed heartbreakingly:
"Let us welcome the 7-time champion, the true MVP among active players, and the most dominant star in NBA history!"

"No. 1 from UConn, Point God—Clay-Lee!"

The shouts that echoed throughout the arena made Howard on the Cavaliers bench envious, while LeBron James looked up at the championship banner above the arena and felt a burning warmth in his heart.

Li You single-handedly led the Knicks to become one of the most dominant teams in NBA history.

History is created. Every time James sees the championship banners, he imagines himself winning the championship in Cleveland.

Van Gundy watched Li You jumping up and down to exercise his body, and his mind was filled with memories. Thinking that D'Antoni was about to tie his record, he suddenly felt sad:
"Maybe I should put an end to them myself!"

The bald, white, fat man with a determined look in his eyes is still adding to his drama, while the man with a mustache is already sitting quietly on the bench, ready to hang up.

The coaching staff has completed the task, and after nearly a week, all the game videos have been analyzed. All that remains is to see how the players perform.

On the ABC commentary booth, tonight's game will still be partnered by Mike Breen and Hubie Brown, who have confirmed that they will commentate on this year's finals:
"From the Cavaliers' starting lineup, it seems that coach Van Gundy trusts veterans more."

"Eric Snow and Larry Hughes form the backcourt, and the frontcourt consists of LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Ilgauskas."

After hearing his partner introduce the lineup again, Hubie Brown tactfully previewed the game:
"This lineup may be able to limit most teams in the league on the defensive end, but it may not be very effective against the Knicks."

"Lee showed absolute dominance in the playoffs, averaging 37.8 points per game in the first round, shooting 66.4% from the field and 56.4% from three-point range!"

"In the first round of the four games, he contributed 4 assists and 11 steals per game. I don't know how to defend such a player."

“Maybe the champion coach who is more familiar with Li will give us an answer tonight!”

Artest was not affected by the gossip. He is a New Yorker, he is not very old, his contract is not overpriced, and he is destined to be in the team's plans for the next few years.

After reaching the semifinals, James appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated again, which made Artest extremely jealous. It was unfair that a rookie with no achievements was more popular than him!

James threw magnesium powder in front of the technical table and punched himself twice. He wanted to continue to show off, but when he turned around, he was hit by Artest.
"Hey, Bro!"

James smiled and wanted to say hello in a friendly manner, but Artest lost his All-Star Game smile and stared at him seriously and said:

"I'll be watching you the whole game, rookie!"

The game was about to begin, Gasol and others greeted the other side with a smile. Gazuric started again tonight, and the Knicks also put out two big men.

Li You is hugging and greeting Van Gundy and Thibodeau. These two are doing well in Cleveland. At least the management currently respects them very much:
"Four consecutive championships, coach! I will not show mercy, this is my standard."

Van Gundy wanted to say "It belongs to me too", but he didn't dare to say it in the end. A smile appeared on his chubby face:
“Tom watched a season’s worth of game tapes, and we were well prepared!”

The director pointed the camera at the two people, and as Li You walked towards the center circle, Madison Square Garden became more and more noisy.

When Howard jumped high and overpowered Gazuric to get the ball, the rookie showed a proud smile on his face, and the arena also erupted with defensive cheers:
"Defense!."

In the first offensive round, Howard ran to the lower right side of the basket early, Ilgauskas came to the free throw line, and as Snow moved sideways to protect the ball across half court, the Cavaliers were in 131 position.

In the past few years, many teams started with low-post offense, but now more teams start with high-post pick-and-roll or UCLA cut.

The two wingers switched positions on the line. James quickly ran to the left wing. On the other side, Larry Hughes was also moving. The Knicks switched defense immediately.

Hill didn't move too far, and as James approached the wing, he easily matched up. At the same time, Snow also turned his back and tried to change direction to complete the pass.

Under Li You's close defense, Snow's pass was a beat slow. James, who received the ball, saw that the defense was focusing on him, so he simply signaled Ilgauskas to ask for the ball in the low post.

Moving diagonally to the left blocking area, James made a high pass, and while Ilgauskas received the ball, he immediately cut toward the baseline without the ball.

Snow then came to the left wing to respond. Facing Gasol's defense, he released the ball with his left hand and Ilgauskas continued to play.

Without waiting to get close to the paint area, Li You suddenly quickened his pace to assist in defense inside, disrupting the opponent's offensive rhythm.

When Ilgauskas passed the ball back to Snow who was completely open in time, the latter did not choose an open three-pointer, but instead released the ball with his right hand and tried to cut in.

Before he could take two steps, Snow ran into the arms of Li You who was sliding quickly. He was blocked and had to dribble the ball behind his back.

He slowed down after the collision, and without waiting for Snow to change hands and lower his shoulders to accelerate, Li You rushed forward and cut the ball with force, knocked the ball away, and then forced his way past the opponent.

When Snow reacted, Li You, who had control of the ball, took the ball forward with his right hand. Amid the cheers of the fans, he completely broke through the defense and caught up with the basketball across the center line in the blink of an eye.

With 1 against 0 in the frontcourt and no one defending him, Li You jumped into the air with both feet in the paint area, turned 360 degrees, stretched his body, grabbed the ball with his right hand and swung it steadily into the basket!
"Oh!"

Seeing Li You put his right hand to his ear under the basket, the New York fans stood up and waved their orange handkerchiefs and screamed.

Ever since Iverson was severely beaten by Li You in the last round, Snow has been a little worried about himself. He made a bitter face and raised his hand to indicate that it was his problem and the momentum of the game was not right.

James quickly clapped his hands, signaling to his teammates to stay calm, and soon the Cavaliers used the same tactics again.

Unlike the first attack, this time James chose to move from the top line to the bottom line, and then quickly slipped across the bottom line from right to left. Larry Hughes cut across the top line and moved to the opposite side.

When Ilgauskas received the ball in the left elbow area, James also started to bounce out, protected the ball sideways, moved to the bottom line, completed the hand-to-hand pass, and immediately went down without any screen.

James, who successfully caught the ball, first saw Gasol retreating with his right arm raised, and then felt a strong force coming from the side. Artest quickly squeezed through the screen and completed the defense.

He did not force the attack, but leaned on the defense. While moving, James made a ground pass between people, and Ilgauskas made an open jump shot near the baseline on the left side!
"Smooth cooperation, it seems that the Cavaliers have continued their good form in the first round!"

Hubie Brown in the commentary booth praised loudly, saying that in the first round, thanks to James' breakthrough threat, the Cavaliers' role players all performed well.

He was a little proud in his heart, but he didn't show it on his face. With the support of his coach, James has been working hard on his ball handling skills in recent years. He is not worried about double-teaming.
"Let's go Knicks!."

Amid the cheers that echoed throughout the arena, Snow began to lead the defense from the baseline. After coaching the Cavaliers, Van Gundy continued the basketball philosophy of the previous greasy boss, and the guards must exert pressure throughout the court.

However, the difference in their body shapes was too great. The fully-armed Li You looked slim. After turning his back, he switched to his left hand, accelerated in a straight line and easily rushed through the center despite the defense.

Snow, who was sliding desperately, had no other options and didn't even dare to make any extra defensive moves, for fear of being crushed.

In a similar position, the Knicks also had Gazuric stay under the basket to catch the ball, while Howard, who had a faster lateral movement speed, followed Gasol to stand at the free throw line.

When Li You moved to the left wing, Gasol followed up to set the screen. At the same time, James, who was guarding the right corner, began to shrink his defense. The Cavaliers tried to double-team the ball, and the rest of the players were responsible for protecting the paint area. Before the defense could fully settle down, Li You, who was close to the three-point line, suddenly threw the ball hard when Gasol was going down.

Howard, who was double-teamed, turned his head and could only watch the basketball fly to the right corner. Although James tried his best to defend, Artest, who received the ball in an open position, still made a jump shot from outside the three-point line.

"Lee saw it again! The Cavaliers paid the price for their defense. Maybe this is Coach Van Gundy's choice!"

Mike Breen praised loudly. In fact, Li You could always make such passes, but he still never got tired of watching it.

When Snow received the ball at the baseline, all the Knicks players quickly retreated and had already taken up their defensive positions.

Li You was too lazy to defend this old opponent who was not good at shooting, and only stepped forward to interfere until the opponent approached the three-point line.

It was almost the same tactic, but this time Larry Hughes slipped from right to left across the baseline and accelerated to the outside, while James ran to the right wing to help his teammates create space.

Ilgauskas saw that his teammates seemed to have escaped the defense, so he simply made a short pass in advance.

Near the left elbow, Larry Hughes received the ball and made a sudden stop and faked a move. Hill, who was chasing him, did not jump but almost rushed past him.

After shaking off the defense, Larry Houston paused for a moment, adjusted slightly, and then made a decisive jump shot!
The basketball just slipped out of his hand, but Hill stretched out his left arm, jumped up and blocked the ball, and the steal king was squeezed and fell to the ground.
Howard was still complaining to the referee about his teammate falling to the ground. Hill, who had blocked the shot, chased the ball and accelerated. He rushed across the center line and saw James approaching quickly behind him. He continued to accelerate with the ball in his right hand.

By the time Hill crossed the three-point line and approached the paint area, James had already caught up with him.

Amid the fans' exclamations, the two men jumped up almost at the same time. James, who was trying hard to block the shot, watched the basketball bounce back after hitting the backboard.

After landing and turning around, James could only watch Li You following behind him grab the ball in the air, swung the ball horizontally, grabbed the ball with his right hand, swung his arm sideways and slammed the ball into the basket!

2:7, after the opening, the Knicks took advantage of the opponent's mistakes and quickly scored points.

The cheers that resounded throughout the stadium made Van Gundy's face change slightly on the sidelines. Fortunately, in the next round, Howard made the ball after James missed a long two-point jump shot from the left wing.

Howard, who scored the goal, was grinning happily, but before he had time to show off, Li You suddenly sped up and almost chased the opponent across half the court.

As he accelerated along the right sideline and approached the right wing, Snow slid continuously without realizing that he was already on the three-point line.

As Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly stopped and dribbled behind his back, Snow rushed directly into the three-point line.

The Cavaliers had just stopped walking when Li You passed the ball to the right wing, ignoring Snow who was trying to defend him again, and made a quick jump shot from outside the three-point line!
"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

4:10, Van Gundy on the sidelines started yelling, seemingly very dissatisfied with the defense in this round
The offensive round still went according to plan. This time, Ilgauskas made a wonderful pass in the left blocking area, flicking the ball behind no one's head, assisting James to sneak into the basket and score.

Artest also raised his hand to signal, but the Knicks did not slow down the offensive pace, and Li You continued to accelerate.

As the Cavaliers double-teamed early, Larry Hughes stole the ball early, Li You quickly passed the ball, and Hill on the right wing received the ball and faced Howard who came to assist in defense, and broke through with the ball in his right hand.

The ball was passed to Gasol who was following up in the middle. The latter came to the front of the basket and encountered help defense from Ilgauskas.

Gasol passed the ball to the unguarded Gazuric at the lower left side of the basket. After receiving the ball, he wanted to jump up on the spot, but was blocked by Howard who was squeezed under the basket.

The basketball was quickly thrown to the frontcourt. James was very fast and grabbed the ball in front of Artest. He used his speed to get rid of the defense, took three steps and then glided for a slam dunk.

Artest had seen James' fast break ability during the All-Star Game. Looking at James rushing back to half court, he could only curse:
"Shit! This guy runs so fast!"

8:10, taking advantage of turnovers to score points is also what the Cavaliers are best at.

The New York fans at the scene were not affected. The more the opponents resisted, the more excited they became. The fast-paced offense and defense was everyone's favorite rhythm, and for a moment the cheers became louder.

In the half-court positional attack, Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, came to the left wing and suddenly leaned forward and accelerated. Snow slid to the right rear in time. At the same time, James also followed up to assist in defense.

The basketball flew straight to Artest in the left corner, who raised the ball and faked it, tricking James into returning to defense, and then threw the ball back to the top line.

Back to the three-point line, Li You received the ball, Snow quickly slid forward, raising his right arm, and noticed that the opponent's feet were standing in parallel. He suddenly released the ball with his left hand, dribbled the ball hard, and then quickly stepped back.

Watching Li You suddenly shoot from a distance away from the three-point line, Snow stood there in a daze, unable to make any defensive moves.

The basketball went into the net, and Mike Breen, in the commentary booth, shouted happily along with the New York fans at the scene:
"OH! What a shot!"

The Cavaliers did not slow down their offensive rhythm. When James received the ball on the left wing, he took a series of tentative steps and then released the ball with his right hand, then broke through the defense and drove to the basket.

Right in front of the basket, James failed to push Artest away with his jump step, and staggered before taking one more step to throw the ball into the basket.

Gazuric jumped too early and was unable to get into position after landing, so Ilgauskas poked the ball into the net from behind.

Ignoring Artest who was yelling traveling at the referee, James, who successfully assisted the rebound, immediately high-fived his teammates to celebrate. If the call was not made, it was a good shot!

10:13, the Cavaliers who made it to the semifinals are much stronger than the bottom-ranked 76ers.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Both sides responded continuously, and the fast-paced offense and defense completely ignited the atmosphere on the scene. Hill, who ran across half the court, noticed that Li You passed the ball in advance and immediately moved from the wing to the top of the arc.

Gasol, who received the ball with his back to the basket near the free throw line, turned his body sideways, looked at the cross screen on the left wing, and immediately turned the ball toward the left sideline.

Li You received the ball again and faced Larry Hughes who came on defense. He quickly swept the ball from right to left, released the ball with his left hand and broke through.

He instinctively slid to the right rear, and just as his feet moved, he saw Li You pulling back with a cross step, and Larry Hughes quickly adjusted his center of gravity and tried to interfere.

The opponent stretched out his hand, and Li You, who touched the ball with his right hand, suddenly turned around. At the moment when the basketball was about to fly out of the sideline, he picked up the ball with his left hand and led the ball forward.

Li You suddenly accelerated and got rid of the defense in the blink of an eye. Amid the screams of the fans, he jumped with both feet at the lower left side of the basket, grabbed the ball with his left hand in the air and pulled his arm back.

Howard, who was actively returning to defense, also jumped high, stretched out his right arm, and tried to block the shot, but after the collision in the air, his chest felt stuffy, and then his body began to fall back involuntarily.
With the help of the rebound force of his shoulder, Li You hovered for a short time, and then took advantage of his opponent's fall to swing the ball into the basket through the defense!

"Boom! Squeak!" The referee blew the whistle as the basket exploded.

"OMG!"

"Lee smashed Howard again, incredible, and there's another penalty!"

Noticing that after landing, Li You lowered his head and stared at the rookie who fell at the baseline, Mike Breen in the commentary booth shouted excitedly, and the fans in the front row also stood up and screamed.

The ball almost hit the floor horizontally, and it hit the floor so fast that Howard's ears were filled with noisy noises. It was only when he came to his senses that he realized he had been dunked on.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Li You stood on the free throw line and there were waves of cheers. On this awards day, New York fans cheered particularly loudly.

"Rookie, it seems you haven't learned your lesson!"

After making the free throw, Li You looked at Howard, who was not convinced, and teased him again. The latter seemed to remember the phrase "When the train is moving at full speed" and immediately responded:

"Damn it! That's an offensive foul! No one can dunk on me"

10:16, the score difference is back to 6 points.

The Cavaliers were on offense, and when Ilgauskas was playing a one-on-one game in the low post on the left side, he leaned against Gasol and turned toward the baseline. He was surrounded under the basket and passed the ball to Howard on the other side.

The pass was slightly low and Howard was forced to bend down to receive the ball. Before he could even lift the ball, Artest, who quietly returned to the inside, cut it off.

The noisy stadium made James' shouting useless. When Artest threw the ball to the front court, James started immediately and chased after him with gritted teeth.

Li You rushed across half court and successfully received the ball at a very fast speed. James, who had started to chase him with big strides in advance, still caught up with him.

Approaching the free throw line, the physical collision did not affect Li You, but instead he took advantage of the situation to pass the ball behind his back.

Amid the cheers of the fans, James, who was chasing at full speed, rushed out of the baseline due to inertia. Li You passed the ball from behind to his left hand and took three steps forward and easily made a one-handed slam dunk!
At 10:18, Van Gundy frowned and asked for a timeout.

James kept taking deep breaths and walked towards the bench with his head held high. The Nets' transition offense was not so aggressive, and he was a little uncomfortable with the intensity of the semi-final game.

On the other side, the Knicks' atmosphere team had already rushed into the venue, and they all came forward to celebrate with Li You by clapping hands. Artest seemed a little dissatisfied with his performance in the past few minutes, and he returned to his seat and complained in a low voice:
"The intensity of the first round was too low! I knew it would be affected when playing against a 39-win team."

Unable to keep up with James' speed, Artest blamed the 76ers
"Keep shrinking the defense, let them shoot a few more times, and try to launch a few more counterattacks!"

The pace of the game was too fast and the stadium was too noisy. Li You returned to the bench and said these words loudly, which unified the defensive strategy.

"Dan, if the opponent turns toward the baseline, you double-team him!"

Before going on the court, Hill also pulled Gazuric and whispered loudly. D'Antoni returned to his seat and looked at the team's automatic adjustments with a smug smile, then made a tactical retreat and continued to take charge.

In the first round after the timeout, James again used the screen of the two big men under the basket to move sideways and receive the ball near the left corner.

Although he created an opportunity at the first moment, the overly obvious tactical intention allowed Li You to interfere with Snow's dealing in time.

When James received the ball, after a timeout to adjust, Artest defended even harder and hung on the opponent.

Seeing four big men piled up in the interior, James, who was protecting the ball sideways, waved his hand hurriedly. Ilgauskas ran to the free throw line in time and watched his teammates shoot.

After a series of fierce attacks, James, holding the ball in his right hand, tried to squeeze into the paint area, but Artest refused to give in and finally could only turn toward the baseline and complete a fadeaway jump shot.

The force was too strong, and the basketball barely touched the side of the basket, and almost fell directly into Gazuric's arms.
The moment he took control of the ball, he immediately threw it to the frontcourt. Hill moved very quickly, caught the ball near the center line, and then threw the ball directly to the upper right side of the basket.

Snow found that Li You was running faster and faster, catching up with him out of breath, but the distance between them was getting farther and farther.

As soon as the ball arrived, Li You took three steps forward, grabbed the ball in the air, glided in the air to the lower right side of the basket, and picked the ball towards the backboard with his right hand!
"Bang!" The air connection was successful.

At 10:20, a crazy fast break and a double-digit score difference made Madison Square Garden go wild.

The sound overwhelmed the loud shouts of Van Gundy on the sidelines, but D'Antoni was not affected. He smiled slightly, stood up and gave Li You a thumbs up.
Artest, who was a show-off, punched himself twice, as if his physical state was fully activated, and began to desperately chase and defend James.

In addition, Li You always put appropriate pressure on Snow's pass, and for a while the core could not easily receive the ball, and the Cavaliers started from Ilgauskas' low post.

Without turning to the basket, Ilgauskas, who was attacking in the left blocking zone and facing the basket, noticed that the attack time was almost up, and missed the jump shot against the defense.

Howard and Gazuric wrestled under the basket, and both fell to the ground. The rebound was promptly returned to the paint area and picked up by Artest.

James, who was trying hard to retreat, could only watch the basketball fly across half court. Li You received the ball and rushed to the right wing.

"what!"

As Li You suddenly stopped and pulled back to shake off Snow who was returning to defense, he made a quick stop and three-point jump shot in the transition offense, and the fans in the front row cheered and celebrated.

"Bang!"

"That's good! Lee from downtown!"

The basketball went into the net. Mike Breen in the commentary booth yelled. Hubie Brown couldn't get a word in and could only listen to his partner's crazy boasting:

"This is the Knicks' favorite game rhythm! Lee taught the opposing rookie a lesson: don't compete with the defending champions in offense!"

The boiling atmosphere in the stadium obviously affected the mood of the Cavaliers players. The double-digit score difference turned the offense into a one-on-one performance by the stars.

After using screens twice in a row, he failed to break free of the defense, and finally James missed another jump shot from outside the three-point line on the left wing.

The long rebound was picked up by Li You near the right elbow area, and then he rushed with the ball. Snow was already confused at this time, and the painful memories of the 76ers came to his mind.
Holding the ball in his right hand, Li You rushed faster and faster and saw James chasing him from behind. When he was close to the three-point line, he suddenly pushed the ball and changed direction.

Snow, who was only focused on chasing back, barely turned around and was unable to make any defensive moves, so he was easily squeezed past by Li You.

Li You took the initiative to confront while moving, broke through the defense, and immediately passed the ball when approaching the paint area.

With the help of the force of Snow being bounced away, Li You drifted his body to the left and rear. He jumped up with his left foot and threw the ball towards the backboard with his left hand.

James chased to the bottom of the basket and jumped high, but he could only watch the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket accurately.
"Oh!"

The 15-point difference made the cheers non-stop. Although Van Gundy requested a timeout, the Cavaliers continued to miss shots when they returned to the court.

With 3 minutes and 12 seconds left in the first quarter, LeBron James used transition offense to break the scoring drought while Li You rewarded himself with a three-pointer.
Donyell Marshall and Gooden, who came off the bench, helped the team score 4 points in the last few rounds, but low-level mistakes also allowed Li You to easily stand on the free throw line.

As Larry Hughes missed the final long three-pointer, Madison Square Garden was filled with jubilation.

16:38, the Cavaliers were overwhelmed by a wave of attacks
打满首节，11中9，三分线外6中4，罚球3中3，25分2篮板4助攻1抢断，李佑为尼克斯队奠定胜局。

Howard, who was replaced early, felt the boiling scene, looked at James and the other quiet teammates around him, and was depressed for a while:

“Why do I always lose?”

(End of this chapter)