NBA: The Basketball Miracle

In the 1997-1998 season, there were many tense series in the first round of the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers and the Hawks scored one goal each after returning to their home court, keeping the game suspenseful.

The game between the Hornets and the Heat was beyond everyone's expectations, as it was the Hornets that got the match point first.

New York fans were delighted by this.

After getting the match point in the game against the Nets, everyone became more concerned about their opponents in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Compared to the tough Heat, New York fans and media naturally prefer to face the Hornets.

Despite Glen Rice's explosive form, the Knicks are indeed not afraid of this opponent.

Compared to the "iron-blooded" basketball of the Heat, the Hornets have much fewer fancy moves.

On the evening of April 29th, the Knicks became the first team of this season to advance to the semifinals.

114:99, after returning to their home court, the Nets continued to lose, with a big score of 3:0, and the Knicks swept their opponents in the first round!

The Nets did not find a single chance and were suppressed throughout the entire game.

The New Jersey fans who bought tickets to watch the game could only watch the New York fans cheering and celebrating in their home court.

In the post-game press release, no one cared about the Nets being eliminated.

The media were not interested in Cassell's injury.

After all, aliens look a bit special, and now is the era of appearance.

Lee and Ewing sat on the stage in formal suits.

Most media were very concerned about the gorilla's injury:

"Pat, will you officially return to the Eastern Conference semifinals? After returning to the team, will the Knicks stick to the current tactics and play?"

The ESPN reporter asked the question that the New York media had been trying to smooth over.

Ewing enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention again and answered confidently:

"If everything goes well in the Eastern Conference semifinals, I will be back in the finals."

"Of course, if the team encounters difficulties, I will return early and contribute my own strength."

"As for tactics, I don't think there is any problem. The Knicks are no different than they were in the past. We made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, and this year we are better at running-in!"

The New York Times reporter immediately asked a question and changed the subject:

"Lee, which team would you rather play against in the semifinals?"

Lee originally intended to slack off, but after hearing the question, he answered easily:

"No matter who the opponent is, the Knicks will win! We are No. 1 in the league and have an absolute advantage in regular season games."

No one asked about the MVP award anymore, as everyone seemed to already know the answer.

Lee found this very interesting.

Last year they did not respect the data and made random choices, and this year they were forced to make up for it.

Both O'Neal and Karl Malone are complaining about this.

Whether it is the record or the data, Michael Jordan has not crushed everyone this year.

This consolation prize is not convincing.

On April 30, the NBA announced the best rookie of the season, and Tim Duncan won the award without any suspense.

Winning all the Rookie of the Month awards, this season, Tim Duncan crushed all the players in his class.

Sweeping their opponents and advancing easily, the Knicks also got plenty of time to rest and recuperate.

On May 3, New York fans and media began to focus on Game 5 between the Hornets and the Heat.

The score is 2:2, one game decides the outcome!

In the crucial game, former Knicks player Anthony Mason broke out completely, making 13 of 18 shots and scoring 29 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists.

Glen Rice maintained his high performance, 11 of 23 shots, and scored 26 points again!

The Heat's Mourning also scored 29 points with 11 of 14 shots, and Tim Hardaway contributed a game-high 33 points.

But Jamal Mashburn made 1 of 9 shots and Voshon Lenard made 1 of 6 shots, reducing the number of rounds, and the Heat's role players all performed poorly.

In the end, the Hornets successfully counterattacked the Heat 91:85 and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals!

Seeing the Hornets advance, some New York fans were happy but also sad.

Anthony Mason Jr.'s performance was really good and his physical condition seemed to be better than that of "Grandmama".

In Game 5, which was played simultaneously, the score was 70:84.

Drexler made 1 of 13 shots in the crucial game, Barkley was injured, and the Rockets' aging Big Three fell in the first round.

With a big score of 3:2, the Jazz successfully advanced to the Western Conference semifinals.

Together with the Supersonics who eliminated the Timberwolves 3:2, all eight teams in the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals have been decided:

Hornets vs. Knicks, Pacers vs. Bulls;

Lakers vs. Supersonics, Spurs vs. Jazz.

Both the Pacers and the Bulls eliminated their opponents 3:1, and the Hawks and Cavaliers in the lower half did not cause much trouble to the two teams.

Larry Bird had just won the best coach of the season, and he faced Michael Jordan in the semifinals.

This matchup gave the media another opportunity to hype it up!

As for the game between the Hornets and the Knicks, most of the commentators gave the same answer:

"The Knicks will advance easily!"

In the regular season, the Hornets did not win a single game.

The role players of the Heat may perform poorly, but the Knicks are a team of all players.

On the morning of May 4, the Knicks had just finished filming, and Jeff Van Gundy, who was in a particularly good mood, suddenly exclaimed to the coaching staff:

"Even God is helping us! Facing the Hornets in the semifinals, this schedule is simply perfect!"

Assistant coach Don Chaney once again praised Lee's performance in the last regular season game:

"We won against the Bulls. Lee changed the team's schedule. That victory was so crucial!"

"Imagine if we faced the Pacers in the semifinals and the Bulls advanced easily!"

Thinking of that schedule, Thibodeau also sighed:

"That victory was really important. Now we can deal with our opponents calmly and the boys can continue to find their form."

Larry Johnson finished the video class and shouted excitedly:

"I will definitely make the Hornets look bad this year! They made the wrong choice!"

Alan Houston was excited to see his old team. He shook his head in amusement and then sighed:

"I thought we would face the Miami Heat, but I didn't expect the schedule to be so easy this year."

Realizing that his teammates didn't take the Hornets seriously, Lee didn't warn them, but just joked:

"Larry, against Glen Rice, the opponent is in very good shape in the first round. You saw the video lesson just now."

"Don't let yourself get beaten by your opponent, the first two games are at our home court."

Glen Rice even played a game where he shot 15 of 19.

The All-Star devoured the Heat's front line!

The atmosphere group also joined in the fun.

The experience of regular season matches made everyone realize that a team cannot be defeated by single-point blasting, but making fun of the outdated "grandmama" was very interesting.

Soon Larry Johnson began to complain in a low voice, reminiscing about his own 20+10 highlight moment.

For a while, the training hall was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Oakley did not expect that this year's schedule would be so smooth.

As long as the old guy thought about the Bulls encountering the Pacers in advance, he was in a particularly good mood:

"Pat, this year we really have a chance to make it to the finals."

Ewing also felt that his chance had come.

Olajuwon lost in the first round, and David Robinson and O'Neal might not make it out of the West.

Thinking of this, the gorilla grinned:

"It's our turn to win a championship!"

The two began to imagine the future, and the more they talked, the more excited they became.

Starks, who was standing by, didn't want to spoil the fun, but just muttered in his heart:

"This is not the Knicks of the past"

On May 4, the semifinals officially started, and David Stern also came to the United Center to present the MVP trophy to Michael Jordan.

Winning the MVP award for the fifth time in his career, Michael Jordan smiled as he lifted the little bronze trophy in front of his home fans.

As for the outside voices, Michael Jordan didn't care.

He was confident that he could beat his opponents in the playoffs.

The Bulls dug a hole after the game started, trailing by 6 points with 22:16 in a single quarter.

Fortunately, the Bulls broke out in the third quarter and regained the lead.

The game was not decided until the last moment, with the Bulls narrowly defeating the Pacers 79:85.

Facing the Pacers' targeted defense, Michael Jordan made 11 of 28 shots and 9 of 10 free throws, scoring 31 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 5 steals.

The game was so tense because Pippen, the conscientious second-in-command, made 1 of 9 shots and scored 4 points.

Fortunately, the Bulls grabbed 15 frontcourt rebounds and got more offensive opportunities, which led to their eventual victory.

Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff also paid attention to this game, and everyone was in a good mood when they saw that the Bulls had consumed a lot of energy.

The bald young coach secretly prayed to God:

"May the Pacers make it to the Eastern Conference Finals!"

"."

On the evening of May 4th, at Madison Square Garden, the New York fans present were shouting with joy.

In the second quarter, Divac's low-post single play moved to the inside, but was cut off by Oakley who was assisting in defense.

After losing the ball, Divac had no time to complain, as the old man passed the ball to Lee on the left wing.

Along the left sideline, after receiving the ball, Lee continued to accelerate with the ball in his left hand, and David Wesley, who came back on the court, rushed up immediately.

The small point guard tried his best to delay Lee, but he didn't notice that there was a problem with his teammate's retreat.

Without waiting to get close to the center line, Lee passed the ball to Alan Houston who was rushing across half court.

The latter received the ball and without slowing down, he took it straight to the basket!

Bobby Phills cursed inwardly as he retreated. His mistake was counterattacked.

He realized he was out of position and simply committed a foul in the paint.

"squeak!"

The referee immediately blew the whistle and pointed to the free throw line, indicating that Alan Houston had two free throws.

Head coach Dave Cowens on the sidelines rubbed his eyebrows helplessly and reminded loudly not to foul, but it was of no use.

Walt Frazier, on the MSG commentary stand, was almost exhausted.

The game was too easy. He chuckled and concluded:

"The Hornets completely lost the rhythm of the game in the second quarter. Too many turnovers in the first half were the main reason for their falling behind!"

Lee stood outside the three-point line, gently nodded his head with his left hand, a teasing smile on his face, which immediately made everyone on the Hornets very angry.

In the first half of the game, the Hornets' most assists came from big man Divac in the paint.

Every time David Wesley organized an offense, Lee could guess the Hornets' offensive routine.

As a result, when the first half was about to end, the small point guard only made one assist and was intercepted twice.

After making two free throws steadily, Alan Houston breathed a sigh of relief, and the Hornets requested a timeout again.

32:39, with 4 minutes and 50 seconds left in the first half, the Knicks widened the gap to 7 points.

"Bobby Phills did a good job on defense tonight, but after Houston made a few free throws, his shooting touch is also improving!"

"It can be seen that the coaching staff has made sufficient preparations for this game. Lee has completely restricted David Wesley's performance!"

Commentator Mike Breen smiled and praised Lee's performance.

In the first half of the game, the Hornets frequently relied on Glen Rice's singles to score points.

In addition, Anthony Mason was not in good form, and the score was fixed at 32 points for more than 3 minutes.

After the timeout, Dell Curry came on the court and replaced Bobby Phills.

The Hornets' intention was very clear, which was to score points on the offensive end.

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The more they watched, the more excited they became.

The New York fans at the scene immediately shouted loudly and continued to cheer for the home team's defense.

Lee observed the positions of the Hornets players and noticed that Dell Curry on the right wing began to move toward the baseline, so he immediately defended David Wesley who was crossing half court.

In order not to give the opponent a chance to move to the left flank, Lee began to consciously block the passing route.

Dell Curry, who had just slipped out of the baseline and bounced into the left blocking area, saw that his teammates were blocked, and did not stand there waiting for the ball.

Instead, he continued to move and quickly came to the free throw line.

David Wesley, who was outside the three-point line, quickly turned half-turned to his right hand and made a diagonal pass.

The pass quality was not high, so Dell Curry, who received the ball, made some adjustments.

The moment he shot, he was interfered by Alan Houston who was chasing him.

"Clang!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket, Dudley in the interior blocked Divac tightly, and Oakley rushed in front of Mason to protect the backcourt rebound.

When Lee received the ball and rushed along the right sideline again, David Wesley could only chase and defend him desperately.

As the right wing approached the three-point line, Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, began to slow down.

After lowering his center of gravity, he dribbled between his legs twice in a row, swayed his body left and right, and suddenly took a sideways step after switching back to his right hand.

Before David Wesley could react, Lee, who had created space, passed the ball to the right wing and made a quick jump shot!

Glen Rice followed Larry Johnson to the half court, and when he looked up in the paint, he saw the basketball go into the net.

He heard the cheers of the New York fans, and when he saw his teammates didn't even block the shot, Glen Rice cursed in anger:

"What a damn game!"

32:42, the score difference reached double digits.

Lee, who completed the transition offense, smiled and raised his arms.

He began to greet the fans at the scene, signaling them to cheer louder.

"oh!!"

The happy New York fans immediately followed suit and shouted excitedly.

The familiar score difference made everyone realize that victory was already waving at them!

Head coach Dave Cowens was completely exhausted when he saw the 10-point difference and loudly reminded everyone on the court to stay focused.

He was very dissatisfied with David Wesley's defense, but at this time he could only choose to trust him.

When Glen Rice received the ball on the left wing and missed a jump shot, the atmosphere team on the Hornets bench all stared with wide eyes, watching Lee grab the long rebound and rush across half court.

Holding the ball in his right hand, Lee accelerated straight down the middle and rushed into the paint area against the retreating David Wesley.

Holding the ball with his right hand and completing a big loop above his head, Lee twisted his body, crossed over the defense with a cross step, and after receiving the ball, he rushed to the lower left side of the basket and made a layup with his right hand!

David Wesley, who was retreating, was completely stunned.

He subconsciously made a walking gesture to the referee.

Commentator Mike Breen was also stunned, and then he praised loudly:

"It's amazing! Lee completely dribbled past the defender. Incredible combination ball ability! How did he do it?"

Madison Square Garden was in a frenzy.

Seeing Lee smile and quickly retreat, the noise grew louder and louder.

The Hornets' offensive tempo was getting faster and faster.

This time, Anthony Mason missed a jump shot from the left elbow, and Larry Johnson protected the long rebound.

Lee had just received the ball and accelerated along the left sideline.

Before he even crossed half court, David Wesley was called for a defensive foul by the referee because of his excessive defensive action.

Seeing Lee standing on the free throw line, Madison Square Garden began to resound with huge shouts:

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

New York fans were very unhappy when Michael Jordan won the award.

Tonight, many fans held up white boards that read "The Real MVP" to show their support for Clay Lee.

On the bench, Ewing's smile froze.

In the past few years, such cheers only belonged to him.

When he saw Jeff Van Gundy also laughing and applauding, the gorilla felt a little unhappy.

Lee made both free throws. In the last few minutes of the half, the Knicks' defense became more and more vigorous.

No timeout was requested and the half ended quickly.

At 15:26 in the quarter, at the end of the half, the score was 38:52, and the Knicks were leading by 14 points.

After the start of the second half, the Hornets completely collapsed, missing shots wildly on the offensive end, and the consecutive timeouts did not play any role.

The New York fans at the scene just felt that the game time passed very quickly.

The Knicks kept launching transition attacks, and the score went up quickly.

The score was 10:27 in a single quarter.

After three quarters, the score was fixed at 48:79.

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere group jumped up and down, shouted happily, and everyone fist-bumped Lee who was leaving the court.

"It was a really great match, and I want to compliment Lee again on his performance in the regular season compared to the other semifinal!"

"That 40+10 performance not only secured the Knicks first place in the league, but also completely changed the playoff schedule!"

In the commentary booth, Walt Frazier was so comfortable that he couldn't stop talking.

Mike Breen saw Lee sitting back on the bench and praised him:

"10 of 15, 4 of 5 from beyond the three point line, 4 of 4 free throws, 28 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists. Lee played a perfect performance tonight!"

"When I was watching the game, I didn't even think he had missed a shot. It's hard to believe, he's only 20 years old!"

The two people in the commentary booth automatically ignored the Hornets' defense and matchup situation, and praised Lee to the sky again.

Larry Johnson just thought this game was fun.

Seeing that his old team had difficulty scoring 80 points, he covered his mouth with a towel and laughed while whispering to Lee beside him:

"Glen Rice is seriously overrated, I totally froze him tonight!"

After playing Game 5 away, the Hornets flew to New York without stopping.

After more than a day of rest, they had another Eastern Conference semifinal.

The Knicks took advantage of the schedule, but this was the playoffs, so Lee automatically ignored these circumstances and followed the words of the "grandmama" and praised with a smile:

"Come on, Larry! Keep up the form, and the team will offer you a big contract!"

Larry Johnson was laughing, and everyone on the bench was talking and laughing.

However, Ewing was very upset and was secretly planning:

"Maybe I should come back early to find my form."

...

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