NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On November 11, 1996, the NBA announced the first Player of the Week award of the season.

The Rockets had 4 wins and 0 losses in last week's games, and the old Big Three were invincible!

Hakeem Olajuwon was successfully elected the Player of the Week for the first week. The super center averaged 36 minutes per game, averaging 32.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.8 blocks and 2.8 turnovers;

He averaged 23.5 shots per game with a shooting percentage of 47.9%, and 13.3 free throws per game with a free throw percentage of 77.4%.

After the announcement of the Player of the Week, Clay Lee also saw this data that is very characteristic of the times.

Unlike the future style of play that will mainly rely on outside players, the current era is still the "four major centers" era.

After Barkley hugged his thigh, Olajuwon did not reduce his number of shots. This is the appearance of a super center!

On the evening of the 12th, Olajuwon received the award at the home court of Houston, while Patrick Ewing in New York was not in a good mood and did not say a word in the locker room before the game.

Tonight's game has attracted much attention. The Knicks have a total of 25 nationally televised games this season, tied for first place with the Chicago Bulls, with the most nationally televised games this season.

The reason why Patrick Ewing is depressed is also related to tonight's opponent.

Prior to this, the 76ers had a record of 2 wins and 3 losses. In the last game against the Suns, Iverson played for 26 minutes, made 3 of 10 shots, and scored 6 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 9 turnovers.

Such a poor performance was not only not criticized, but also praised Iverson's versatility:

"Even if his shooting touch is not good, Iverson can still lead the team to victory!"

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The New York media followed suit, and Patrick Ewing felt uncomfortable. He felt that he was being treated with double standards.

The 76ers also hired a rookie head coach this season. If the results are not good, Johnny Davis will most likely be responsible for the poor performance.

In this key battle, New York fans want to see Lee play.

Although he didn't have much playing time before, Lee always made it to ESPN's Sports Center show.

The daily top ten plays became the best publicity channel for Lee. It's not easy to be on television these days. Even if the statistics of individual games are poor, fans don't care. Instead, they expect Clay Lee to continue to perform.

As a result, Jeff Van Gundy fed shit to New York fans again that night, and Charlie Ward continued to start.

Alan Houston sprained his ankle early in the game, and Starks came on immediately.

This substitution immediately angered the New York fans at the scene, and there was booing all around.

Ewing was very aggressive tonight, frequently asking for the ball in the low post against the 76ers' inside combination of Derrick Coleman and Scott Williams.

Both Starks and Charlie Ward passed the ball honestly and watched Ewing miss the shot.

Fortunately, Charles Oakley's fierce fight for frontcourt rebounds delayed the 76ers' transition offense and prevented the opponent from widening the gap.

Lee almost laughed out loud when he saw Larry Johnson take a jump shot after receiving the ball outside the three-point line on the bench.

"Grandmama" was forced to become a real small forward. His style of play changed suddenly in this game and he started to shoot more from the outside.

After Alan Houston had his feet tied again, he returned to the bench. After seeing "grandmama" hit a long two-pointer, he immediately sighed in a low voice:

"Larry had a good touch tonight. He should have played like this earlier, like Oakley, taking more mid-range shots. There's no need to stick to the low post all the time."

Larry Johnson seems to be affected by a back injury and his finishing efficiency at the basket is average.

In previous games, when Ewing was assisting in the low post, "grandmama" could only cut in without the ball and change his style of play. That was a forced choice.

(A/N: Larry Johnson is often nicknamed "Grandmama." This came from a series of popular Nike commercials in the early 1990s where he played the role of an elderly woman. You can google it.)

"Larry did make the right choice. If he had been more decisive, his shots wouldn't always be less than 10."

Hearing Lee making fun of the treatment of the "grandmama" in the team, Alan Houston quickly grabbed a towel to cover his face and laughed. Larry Johnson was the most aggrieved starter in the team.

10 minutes and 42 seconds into the first quarter, with Ewing missing a jump shot near the baseline on the right side, the 76ers finally launched a transition offense.

Scott Williams secured the backcourt rebound and immediately passed the ball to Iverson.

The latter rushed forward as soon as he received the ball. The Knicks players could only try their best to return to defense.

Iverson was very fast and took advantage of the fact that the defense was unable to get into position and went straight to the basket.

In the paint area, after taking three steps forward, Iverson ignored Charlie Ward who jumped up beside him, tilted his body and shot with his right hand!

"Squeak! Swish!"

The whistle blew and the ball went in. Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines noticed that Charlie Ward had two fouls, and while Iverson was shooting free throws, he also called on Lee to come on the court.

With Iverson's free throw, the score came to 26:22, and the Knicks were behind by 4 points.

The two teams also began to rotate personnel, Iverson was replaced by Doug Overton, and Lee replaced Charlie Ward.

Starting from receiving the ball in the backcourt, facing the defense of Doug Overton, Lee easily passed half court with several changes of direction and quick turns.

Charles Oakley immediately came to the top of the arc to perform a pick-and-roll.

According to the tactical requirements, Lee should move to the right wing and then pass the ball to Ewing who was asking for the ball in the low post.

Doug Overton also thought that Lee would pass the ball to the inside. After all, Ewing had already started to stick out his butt and relaxed a little on the defensive end.

At the top of the arc, Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, did not wait for Charles Oakley to stand still, and suddenly dribbled the ball behind his back twice in a row at an extremely fast speed.

Lee's body first swayed to the right with the rhythm of dribbling. The moment he scooped the ball with his left hand, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and moved sideways to the left to accelerate.

The sudden shake caused Doug Overton to lose his defensive position in an instant.

As the defense switched, Coleman had no time to delay the defense. Lee, who got rid of the defense, immediately passed the ball and quickly shot a jump shot from the top of the arc!

"Swish!" The three-pointer went into the net!

Ewing, who was still sticking out his butt in the paint, turned his head and saw the basketball go into the basket. He heard a huge cheer in his ears and his face suddenly darkened.

Lee didn't care about the gorilla's gaze. Instead, he raised his left arm and held up three fingers, indicating that the noise at the scene should be louder.

In the next round, the 76ers made a simple pick-and-roll attack, and Coleman, who was in great form, easily hit a long two-pointer from the right elbow.

While the 76ers were still slowly retreating, Lee took the ball from the baseline and continued to accelerate, chasing the opponent across half court.

At this time, Charles Oakley and Ewing had not crossed the center line.

On the right wing outside the three-point line, Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, slowed down slightly, then suddenly lowered his center of gravity, dribbled the ball between his legs very quickly and changed direction in front of his body.

With two "bangs", Doug Overton stood there in a daze and watched Lee rush to the basket.

Approaching the paint area, Lee noticed that Scott Williams had returned to defend the basket, but he still did not slow down.

After taking three steps forward, the two of them faced off in the air. Lee ignored the opponent's block, grabbed the ball with his right hand, twisted his body and threw it casually!

"Squeak! Bang!"

The whistle blew and the ball went in. After landing, Lee didn't even look at the old guys who had just passed half court. He pounded his chest expressionlessly at the camera under the basket!

Madison Square Garden once again rang with huge cheers. Jeff Van Gundy looked at the time on the sidelines, then turned around and sat back on the bench, completely entering a state of trusteeship.

...

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