NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On December 9, 1997, after a small number of New York media redefined the "180 Club", the Knicks were finally defeated by the toxic prediction.

In the away game against the Heat, Larry Johnson was injured and left the court after only 6 minutes of the opening.

In the following games, Alonzo Mourning and P.J. Brown began to wreak havoc under the basket.

One scored, the other swept the defense, both inside and outside scored, and finally the Knicks lost the game 82:88 after four quarters of fierce battle.

Pat Riley was in high spirits after the win and chatted with his assistant for a long time.

Jeff Van Gundy felt a little aggrieved as he lost to the person he least wanted to lose to.

The winning streak was fixed at 19 games, and New York fans and media were very satisfied with this.

The Knicks lead the league with 19 wins and 1 loss!

The Heat ranked second in the East with 14 wins and 5 losses, followed by the Bulls with 12 wins and 7 losses.

The Knicks quickly got into the game after the start of the game and finally managed to widen the gap in wins, allowing them to breathe a sigh of relief before the Christmas game.

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

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

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

Perhaps because he was wearing too many clothes, Larry Johnson, who was troubled by a back injury, was in a particularly bad mood.

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has to miss a few games every season, and his old injuries flare up from time to time, as if reminding him that he is out of date.

"Damn the weather, we should have stayed in Miami one more day!"

After changing into training clothes and receiving a massage from a physical therapist, Larry Johnson complained loudly.

Oakley, who has lived in New York for many years, has long been accustomed to the weather in the Big Apple.

He joked:

"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 relieve stress.

The New York media, which is in a state of self-entertainment, is very stressful.

If they fail at the end of this season, what awaits them in the offseason is a storm of ridicule.

Starks' poor performance in the finals and the famous scene where the gorilla missed an open basket in the game against the Pacers are still mentioned repeatedly even after several years.

Lee really likes the weather in New York, but what worries him is that his little follower's birthday is coming up, and the girls all want to join in the fun before Christmas:

"Titanic" premieres on December 19th.

The expectations for this movie are completely maxed out, and the repeated over-budgeting is also reminding fans that this is a big production!

Although love movies are cliché, they have a wide audience.

At least young people will definitely spend money to buy tickets to watch them once.

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

Jeff Van Gundy looked worried during the morning video class.

He was well prepared for Larry's injury, but with Ewing's absence, the bald young coach could hardly bear it.

"We need to help more and, when necessary, go more forward to defend."

"Don't let the other team's big men get to the paint easily. Once you lose your position, you can only watch the other team rush for the rebound."

Assistant coach Thibodeau pointed to the cut-out round in which Mourning carried Oakley into the paint but missed the shot.

PJ Brown then made consecutive rebounds and put the ball into the basket.

If Larry Johnson is there, "Grandmama" can also defend Alonso, so Oakley and Buck Williams will work together to protect the rebounds and these problems will most likely not occur.

But due to injury, Larry Johnson will continue to miss the remaining two games this week, and new player Chris Dudley was promoted to the starting center position.

Veteran Buck Williams is still too short.

Seeing everyone nodding, Jeff Van Gundy simply added:

"Everyone must actively protect the rebounds. This is a difficult time for the team. We can't waste our lead!"

Ben Wallace listened carefully and almost took out a pen to write it down in a notebook.

He finally entered the rotation lineup. Whether he can get more playing time depends on the next two games.

Alan Houston missed a shot in the last game, but the coaching staff did not make any adjustments.

Currently, the offense can only rely on the outside shooting, and they have to keep shooting even if they miss!

After the video class, Lee also whispered to Alan Houston:

"The three-point line has been restored this season. It will definitely be affected in the early stages. Keep shooting. 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 Lee keeps passing the ball, he has the final say on how to throw the ball on the court.

Seeing the two people communicating in a low voice, Jeff Van Gundy felt helpless.

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

As a result, Clay Lee, Alan Houston and Starks now have to shoot 18+ per game.

With Chris Childs, 20 shots has become a basic operation.

But thinking that the Heat's games will also shoot a lot of three-pointers, Jeff Van Gundy acquiesced to these shots:

"Although we have become a jump shooting team, we shouldn't go wrong if we follow Pat Riley."

On the evening of December 11th, the Knicks faced the Timberwolves at home.

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

Although Kevin Garnett is not the leader of the team, he is unique in terms of popularity in the team!

After Shawn Kemp joined the Cavaliers, Garnett will most likely get a starting spot in the All-Star Game this year.

This also made Garnett a little inflated.

Before the game, he didn't even look at the old guy from the Knicks, but just greeted Lee.

In the last All-Star Game, Garnett got more playing time than Lee, but his performance of 1 of 7 after coming on the court was a bit embarrassing.

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

After the fist bump, Garnett started yelling loudly, acting like "I am the All-Star starter".

In 1997, 50 superstars gathered, and there were legendary celebrities everywhere.

Lee and Garnett were just unknown.

Even though they set the record of the youngest All-Star player in NBA history, no one cared.

At that time, the hot news was all about Michael Jordan and the legends.

The atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was heated, which intensified Garnett's self-entertainment.

Lee looked at him with amusement, and finally simply responded:

"Starting is not important, what's important is that I want to score more points!"

Lee made a phone gesture, indicating that Garnett could contact him if he came to New York early.

Last year, both of them were unknown and could only chat awkwardly.

This year, most of the old guys are gone, so they can be said to have finally made it.

Marbury, who was warming up at halftime, felt sad.

The forgetful New York fans had already forgotten the former "Son of New York".

He had no chance to make the All-Star Game.

As the Lakers' record got better and better, Kobe Bryant's popularity also increased, and Marbury in Minnesota suffered a great loss.

The Timberwolves' starting lineup has enough height.

In the MSG commentary booth, commentator Mike Breen briefly introduced it:

"Stephon Marbury and Chris Carr are in the backcourt, Tom Gugliotta and Kevin Garnett are in the forward line, and Stanley Roberts is the center."

"The Timberwolves' starting lineup is very tall!"

With two big men over 2.10 meters tall, Gugliotta can be considered a strong forward and was selected as an All-Star reserve last year.

The game strategy formulated by Timberwolves head coach Philip "Flip" Saunders was also very simple, starting from the inside!

On the Knicks side, Chris Mills and Chris Dudley, who got the chance to start tonight, also performed very actively after the opening.

The scores of both sides rose alternately, and the Timberwolves, who kept attacking the basket, played an efficient offense.

The turning point of the game came in the third quarter when the Knicks were on offense and Oakley screened Lee in the right elbow area of the free throw line.

Holding the ball in his left hand, Lee lowered his center of gravity and broke through on the left side.

He first briefly got rid of Marbury's pursuit and came to the free throw line.

Facing Garnett who was raising his right hand and coming to assist in defense, Lee quickly went in and out, shaking his body, and immediately made Garnett move back.

While Marbury was chasing him, Lee stopped at the free throw line and passed the ball behind his back without waiting for the two players to double-team him.

"Wow!"

The beautiful pass made the New York fans at the scene cheer.

Oakley, who had already moved to the right blocking area, received the ball and went straight to the basket.

It's just that the old man underestimated Garnett's defensive ability.

He was near the free throw line just now, but in the blink of an eye, he retreated to the basket.

Oakley was blocked by a big block.

"F**k Yeah!!"

The ball went out of bounds, and Garnett jumped up and down excitedly, beating his chest and yelling at Oakley!

The old man was already in a bad mood, so he pushed Garnett back and pointed at him, warning him loudly:

"Shut your stinky mouth!"

Garnett was pushed to the side of the Knicks bench and noticed Larry Johnson stood up and Ben Wallace also stood up and looked at him.

In addition, the atmosphere group was about to surround him, so Garnett subconsciously moved back, waited for his teammate Roberts to come forward, and then started to rush forward again.

But this action immediately angered the Knicks players.

Before Roberts could react, the two sides started to fight.

Two fists cannot beat four hands.

Garnett saw that the situation was not right, and he moved from the bench to the center line.

The linesman staggered after being hit, and turned his head to hear Garnett still shouting:

"Come on! I'm right here!"

But such provocation annoyed the referee, who made a "T" gesture in front of the technical table and then blew away Garnett, Oakley, and Larry Johnson.

"Boo!!"

The New York fans at the scene were very dissatisfied with the call and booed loudly.

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

Oakley wasn't in great form tonight, and his form was average, while Garnett of the Timberwolves was very present on both offense and defense.

One for one, the Knicks didn't lose!

The subsequent games also showed the importance of Garnett.

Without a defensive barrier in the interior, the Knicks' Chris Mills became active.

Ben Wallace also got a chance to play at this time.

He could not be relied upon on the offensive end, but after he came on the court, he was full of energy and fiercely grabbed the ball, which also reduced the Timberwolves' transition offense by more than half.

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

98:107, thanks to the outstanding performance in the second half of the game, the Knicks successfully defeated their opponents.

Head coach Saunders shook his head helplessly.

The advantageous situation turned into this.

The inflated Garnett was still too young.

Provocative on the court, politely admitting defeat off the court, Garnett took the initiative to reconcile after the game.

Lee looked at "Little Softie Garnett" who came to the locker room to surrender, and his expression was strange for a moment:

"Shouldn't you swear to defeat the old guy and avenge the shame?"

Jeff Van Gundy's good mood after winning the game only lasted for one night.

The next morning, the team doctor told the bald coach that Chris Dudley was injured.

The injury is not serious. I just sprained my ankle and need to rest for a week.

Jeff Van Gundy was worried when he thought of Oakley and Larry Johnson who were suspended for one game.

The Knicks still have 6 games before Christmas, 4 of which are back-to-back away games.

In the two games where Ben Wallace got more playing time, the Knicks' small lineup won against the 76ers and the Pistons.

On the evening of the 17th, in a back-to-back challenge against the Pacers, the twin towers of 6.24-meter-tall Rik Smits and Dale Davis performed amazingly and completely blew up the Knicks' inside line.

Veteran Buck Williams and Ben Wallace were fouled out with 5 and 6 fouls respectively, and the loss of rebounds made it difficult for the Knicks to play transition offense.

80:87, the Knicks lost the game easily.

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

In this game, Ilgauskas, who was selected last in 1996 and just entered the NBA this year, performed well.

He made 7 of 14 shots and got a double-double of 16 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 4 turnovers.

Shawn Kemp was in poor form.

Without encountering strong defense, he made 2 of 9 shots and scored 10 points from free throws.

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

They flew to Milwaukee overnight and challenged the Bucks back-to-back the next day.

As a result, Alan Houston was in poor form and was shot by Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen!

90:98, the Knicks lost another game cleanly.

On December 21, after returning to New York, the team entered holiday mode.

There was still a game against the Mavericks before Christmas, so the schedule was very easy.

After the morning video class ended, the coaching staff directly announced a holiday.

The consecutive back-to-back away games consumed a lot of energy from everyone.

23 wins and 3 losses, the Knicks still lead the league!

"Lee, you can come to my place for Christmas!"

Starks knew that Lee had no activities this Christmas, so he took the initiative to invite him.

Lee shook his phone, indicating that he still had a place to go, and smiled and blessed:

"Merry Christmas, John! Remember to ask little John to come to my place to get his present!"

The Knicks players wished each other well in the training hall and prepared to go home to 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 help of the games at the beginning of the season, the slowest progressing talent [Ray Allen's excellent explosiveness] also turned silver.

Lee did not go home immediately, but stayed in the training ground to exercise for a while.

Ben Wallace was quietly practicing free throws at the free throw line.

In the past week or so, his playing time increased to 12 minutes.

The statistics did not increase much, and the free throws were a bit dragging, but playing more games is always a good thing.

"Ben, try a different look! This look doesn't suit you at all! Try a retro afro!"

Lee, who was stretching his body, looked at Ben Wallace, who still had a short flat head, and gave him advice with a smile.

Touching his hair, Ben Wallace felt a little troublesome.

His height was indeed inferior for his position, which was why Jeff Van Gundy disliked him before:

"Thanks! Bro, I really should change my look. I need to make myself look more fierce!"

...

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