NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 95 Jump Shot Team (daily chapter)
On December 1997, 12, after a small number of New York media redefined the "9 club", the Knicks were finally poured out by poisonous milk
In the away game against the Heat, Larry Johnson was injured and left after only 6 minutes of the opening game. In the following games, Mourning and PJ Brown began to wreak havoc at the basket.

One scored, one swept the defense, blossomed inside and outside, and finally 82:88, the Knicks fought hard for four quarters, but still lost the game.

After winning the game, Pat Riley was in a good mood and chatted with his little assistant for a long time. Jeff Van Gundy was a little aggrieved and lost to the person he least wanted to lose.
The winning streak is fixed at 19 games, and the fans and media in New York are very satisfied with this.

With 19 wins and 1 loss, the Knicks lead the league!
In second place in the East is the Heat with 14 wins and 5 losses, followed by the Bulls with 12 wins and 7 losses.

The Knicks, who quickly entered the state after the start of the game, finally succeeded in widening the gap in victory. Before the Christmas game, they can breathe a sigh of relief.

After flying back from the warm Miami to the cold Big Apple overnight, everyone was a little bit unmotivated for the training session the next morning.

Every December, the climate in New York becomes unpleasant. It is only five or six degrees during the day and close to zero at night.

Compared with Miami, living in New York, you have to wear warm clothes at this time.

Perhaps Larry Johnson, who was overdressed and plagued by a back injury, was in a particularly bad mood.

He has to miss a few games every season, and old injuries flare up from time to time, as if reminding him that he is dead.

"Damn the weather, we should have stayed in Miami for an extra day!"

After changing into his training clothes, Larry Johnson, who was being massaged by a physical therapist, complained loudly.

Oakley, who has lived in New York for many years, has long been accustomed to the weather in the Big Apple City, and joked with bitterness:

"We should be satisfied that at least New York is much better than Chicago!"

Larry Johnson, who was still talking about Miami, sighed helplessly.

Losing is also a way to decompress. The New York media in a self-satisfied state makes people feel a lot of pressure. If this season is finally stretched, waiting for them during the offseason will be a stormy mockery.

Starks' hip-pull performance in the finals, and the famous scene where the gorilla missed an empty basket in the game against the Pacers has been repeatedly mentioned even after a few years.

Li You really likes the weather in New York, but what annoys him is that the little follower's birthday is coming, and the girls want to join in the fun before Christmas:
"Titanic" premieres on December 12.
The expectations of this movie are completely full, and the repeatedly exceeding the budget is also reminding fans that this is a big production!

Although love movies are clichés, they have a wide audience. At least young people will definitely spend money to buy a ticket to watch it once.

After replying to the text message, Li You felt that he had to watch the movie again and again.

Jeff Van Gundy was frowning in the video class in the morning. He had already prepared for the injury of "Auntie", but coupled with the absence of Ewing's injury, the bald young coach couldn't stand it.

"We need more help in defense, and when necessary, we should go around and defend more."

"Don't let the opponent's big man easily squeeze into the paint. Once you lose position, you can only watch the opponent rush for rebounds."

Assistant coach Thibodeau pointed to the round that was cut out, Mourning carried Oakley into the paint and missed a throw, and PJ Brown finally grabbed consecutive rebounds and poked the ball into the basket.

If there is Larry Johnson, "Auntie" can also defend against Mourning, so that Oakley and Buck Williams will work together to protect the rebound. There is a high probability that these problems will not occur.

But affected by the injury, Larry Johnson had to continue to miss the remaining two games this week, and new aid Chris Dudley was mentioned as the starting center.

Veteran Buck Williams is still too short.

Seeing everyone nodding, Jeff Van Gundy simply added at this time:
"Everyone must actively protect the rebounds. Now is a difficult time for the team. We can't waste the lead!"

Ben Wallace listened carefully, so he almost took a pen and wrote it in a notebook.

He has finally entered the rotation, and whether he can get more playing time depends on the next two games.

Alan Houston hit the iron in the last game, but the coaching staff did not make any adjustments. At present, the offensive end can only rely on the outside line, and he must continue to shoot if he is iron!

At the end of the video lesson, Li You also reminded Alan Houston in a low voice:
"The three-point line has recovered this season. It will definitely be affected in the early stage. If you continue to shoot, you will be able to find your form before the All-Star Game."

"I've got some feeling! Thanks, Bro!"

Without the gorilla, Alan Houston's shooting rights also increased. As long as Li You kept passing the ball, he had the final say on how to throw the ball on the field.

Seeing the two communicate in a low voice, Jeff Van Gundy felt a little helpless.

As a traditional coach, he doesn't like to see the team take too many three-pointers.

As a result, Li You, Alan Houston, and Starks now have to shoot 18+ in a game, plus Chris Childs, 20 shots, which has become a basic operation.

It's just that Jeff Van Gundy acquiesced to these shots because the Heat's game will also shoot a lot of three-pointers:

"Although it has become a jump shooting team, but following Pat Riley, you should not go wrong"

On the night of December 12, the Knicks played against the Timberwolves at home.

After the start of the new season, the Timberwolves are also slow, and currently have a record of 8 wins and 11 losses.

Although Kevin Garnett is not the leader of the team, but in terms of popularity, he is the only one in the team!

After Sean Kemp joined the Cavaliers, Garnett has a high probability of getting the All-Star starting position this year.

This also made Garnett a little swollen. Before the game, he didn't pay attention to the old Knicks, but just greeted Li You.

In the last All-Star Game, Garnett got more playing time than Li You, but his 7-for-1 performance was a bit embarrassing after playing.

"Hey, Bro, you will definitely get an All-Star starter this year. Hardaway is injured again. No one can limit the performance of young people this time!"

After the fist bump, Garnett yelled loudly from the side, showing a look of "I'm an All-Star starter"
In 97, the 50 superstars gathered, and there were legends everywhere. Li You and Garnett were so transparent, even if they created the record of the youngest All-Star player in NBA history, no one cared.

At that time, the hot news was all about Maikou and Mingsu.

The atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was hot, which also exacerbated Garnett's self-satisfaction. Li You looked at him with a smile, and finally responded simply:
"It's not important to start, what's important is that I want to get more points!"

Li You gestured for a phone call, indicating that Garnett could contact him if he came to New York earlier.

Last year, both of them were little transparent, so they could only chat with each other awkwardly. This year, most of the old guys are gone.

Marbury, who was warming up at halftime, felt sore, and the forgetful New York fans had left behind the former "son of New York".

The All-Star has nothing to do with him. As the Lakers' record gets better and better, Kobe Bryant's popularity also rises, and Marbury suffered a big loss in Minnesota.

The starting lineup of the Timberwolves has enough height. In the MSG commentary booth, the commentator Mike Breen briefly introduced:

"Stephon Marbury and Chris Kyle in the backcourt, Tom Gugliotta and Kevin Garnett up front, and Stanley Roberts at center."

"The Timberwolves' starting lineup is very tall!"

With two big men over 2 meters, Gugliota can also be called a strong striker, and was also selected for the All-Star bench last year.

The game strategy formulated by the head coach of the Timberwolves Philip Saunders is also very simple, starting from the inside!
For the Knicks, Chris Mills and Chris Dudley, who got the chance to start tonight, also performed very positively after the start.

The scores of the two sides rose alternately, and the Timberwolves, who were constantly hitting the basket, played an efficient offense.

The turning point of the game came in the third quarter, when the Knicks attacked and Oakley screened for Li You in the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line.

Li You, holding the ball in his left hand, lowered his center of gravity and made a breakthrough on the left side. First, he briefly got rid of Marbury's pursuit and came to the free throw line.

Facing Garnett, who raised his right hand high and quickly defended him, Li You quickly in and out, shaking his body, and immediately asked Garnett to move back.

Taking advantage of Marbury's pursuit, Li You flung the ball behind his back without waiting for the two to pinch at the free throw line.

"Wow!"

The beautiful pass made the New York fans at the scene cheer. Oakley, who had already moved to the right block, took the ball and went straight to the basket.

It's just that the old guy underestimated Garnett's ability to assist in defense. He was still near the free throw line just now, and then shrunk to the basket in the blink of an eye. Oakley took a solid block.
"Yeah!"

Fanning the ball out of the bottom line, the excited Garnett jumped up and down, beating his chest and roaring at Oakley!

The old guy was already in a bad mood, so he turned around and pushed, pointed at Garnett and warned loudly:

"Shut your stinky mouth!"

Garnett was wheeled to the Knicks bench, noticing Larry Johnson stood up and Ben Wallace got up and stared at him.

Coupled with the fact that everyone in the atmosphere group was about to gather around, Garnett subconsciously moved back, and when his teammate Roberts stepped forward, he began to rush forward again.

It's just such a move that immediately annoyed everyone on the Knicks team. Before Roberts could react, the two sides twisted together.

Two fists were no match for four hands, Garnett saw that something was wrong, he flicked and moved continuously, he just moved from the bench to the center line
The lineman was staggered, and when he turned his head, Garnett was still shouting:

"Come on! I'm right here!"

It's just that such a provocation annoyed the referee, who made a "T" gesture in front of the technical stage, and then all Garnett, Oakley, and Larry Johnson were blown out.
"Shhh!!"

The New York fans at the scene were very dissatisfied with such whistle-blowing, and they booed wildly.

Jeff Van Gundy was angry with the referee on the surface, but he was secretly happy in his heart.

Oakley didn't feel good tonight and was in a mediocre state, while Garnett of the Timberwolves was full of presence on both ends of the offense and defense.

One for one, the Knicks won't lose!
The subsequent games also demonstrated the importance of Garnett. Without a defensive barrier in the interior, Chris Mills of the Knicks became active.

Ben Wallace also got a chance to play at this time. On the offensive end, he was not counted on, but after playing, he made a vigorous rush, which also reduced the Timberwolves' conversion offense by more than half.

In the end, Marbury's 1-point rain also failed to help the Timberwolves win.

98:107, relying on the excellent performance in the second half of the game, the Knicks successfully defeated their opponents.

Coach Saunders shook his head helplessly, the dominant game became like this, and the inflated Garnett was still too young.

Provocative on the court, courteous off the court, Garnett took the initiative to reconcile after the game. Li You looked at the "Xiao Jia" who came to the locker room and looked weird for a while:
"Shouldn't it be a swearing to be an old man, and to show my shame?"

Smiling after winning the game, Jeff Van Gundy's good mood lasted only one night. The next morning, the team doctor told the bald young coach that Chris Dudley was injured.

The injury was not serious, but I sprained my ankle and had to rest for a week.

Jeff Van Gundy frets momentarily as he thinks of Oakley and Larry Johnson, both suspended for one game
The Knicks have six games left before Christmas, four of which are back-to-back away games.

In the two games in which Ben Wallace got more minutes, the Knicks' small lineup just won over the 76ers and Pistons.

On the night of the 17th, in the back-to-back challenge to the Pacers, the 2-meter-24 Rick Smits and Dale Davis' twin towers showed their power and completely blew up the Knicks inside.

Veterans - Buck Williams and Ben - Wallace a 5 fouls, a 6 foul off, lost rebounds make it difficult for the Knicks to play conversion offense.

80:87, the Knicks simply lost the game.

On the night of the 19th, the Knicks challenged the Cavaliers away.

In this game, Ilgauskas, who was selected at the end of 96 and just landed in the NBA this year, performed well.

14中7，拿到16分16篮板2助攻2盖帽4失误的两双数据。

Sean Kemp was in poor form. Without encountering a strong defense, he scored 9 of 2 and scored 10 points with free throws.

Larry Johnson returned from injury, solved some rebounding problems, and finally the Knicks beat their opponents 104:77.

Flew to Milwaukee overnight and challenged the Bucks back-to-back on the second day. As a result, Alan Houston stretched his state and was shot by Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen!

At 90:98, the Knicks lost another game cleanly.

On December 12, after returning to New York, the team also entered the holiday mode. Before Christmas, there was another game against the Mavericks. The schedule was very easy.

After the video session in the morning, the coaching staff directly announced the holiday, and the back-to-back away games consumed a lot of energy.

With 23 wins and 3 losses, the Knicks still lead the league!
"Li, you can come to my place for Christmas!"

Starks knew that Li You had no activities this Christmas, so he took the initiative to send out an invitation.

Li You shook the phone, indicating that he still has a place to go, and blessed with a smile:

"John, Merry Christmas! Remember to let little John go to my place to get presents!"

Everyone in the Knicks blessed each other in the training hall, and then they were ready to go home and enjoy the Christmas holiday.

No one cares about the game against the Mavericks, everyone cares more about the Christmas game against the Bulls.

With the blessing of the game at the beginning of the season, the talent with the slowest progress [Ray Allen's excellent explosive power] has also become silver.

Li You didn't go home immediately, but stayed in the training ground to exercise his body.

Ben Wallace silently practiced free throws at the free throw line. Over the past week, his playing time has also increased to 12 minutes.

The data has not increased much, and the free throws are a bit stretched, but playing more games is always a good thing.

"Ben, try changing your look! Your outfit doesn't suit you at all! Try a retro afro!"

Li You, who was moving his body, looked at Ben Wallace, who still had a small crew cut, and gave suggestions with a smile.

Touching his hair, Ben Wallace felt a little guilty. His height was indeed hydrated, which is why Jeff Van Gundy didn't like him before:

"Thanks! Bro, I really need to change my look, I have to make myself look more aggressive!"

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(End of this chapter)