NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On December 5, the Knicks flew to warm Miami early. As they get older, they are afraid of the cold. Patrick Ewing complained about the weather in New York as soon as he got off the plane:

"It's only December, and at night, the temperature in New York is close to 0 degrees. Look at Miami, it's like heaven here."

Even after spending so many years in New York, Ewing still doesn't like the climate of the Big Apple. The lowest temperature in Miami in December is 15 degrees.

"I like the girls in Miami. There are too many white girls in New York. Sunshine, beach, big butt girls. Maybe this is why Pat Riley chose this place!"

Charles Oakley was wearing only a white short-sleeved shirt and sunglasses, leisurely compiling Pat Riley's romantic affairs.

Newbie Walter McCarty had a resentful look on his face as he followed behind, pushing a lot of luggage.

One month into the regular season, the rookie only got 4 minutes of playing time. Oakley felt that he had no chance of development and simply threw all the team chores to McCarty.

Not only did the old guy not allow others to help, he even gave a high-sounding reason:

"If you can't help on the court, work harder off the court. The Knicks don't keep useless players."

This was also Lee's first time in Miami. He felt the completely different weather and sighed:

"Compared to New York, it's really too cold, but I still like winter."

Larry Johnson immediately retorted when he heard what Lee said:

"The weather is hot, at least we can see pretty girls dressed coolly. Think about New York now, everyone is wrapped up tightly, Miami is really a good place!"

Unlike the players, Jeff Van Gundy knew that the Heat would definitely save face in the game tomorrow night, so he immediately reminded them when they arrived at the hotel:

"Have a good rest tonight and return to the hotel before 12 o'clock!"

When the coaching staff heard the sparse responses, they knew that the players didn't take it seriously.

When it was free time in the evening, Jeff Van Gundy found that there were no players in the hotel.

On the evening of the 6th, the Miami Arena was packed. The Heat had an excellent start this season, and the local media and fans were singing praises for Pat Riley.

The Heat players, who were full of anger, returned to their home court and played their "iron-blooded" basketball again.

While engaging in physical confrontation, any Knicks player who broke through would be elbowed, and at certain moments, would even leave you lying on the floor.

The muscular Mourning kept fighting with Oakley since the start of the game, while PJ Brown continued to grab offensive rebounds.

Tim Hardaway has been on TV frequently in the past two days since he was knocked down by Lee.

Both ESPN and TNT were happy to take advantage of the hot topic, and with the media fanning the flames, Hardaway completely exploded tonight:

8 of 19 shots, 1 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, 8 of 10 free throws, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 7 turnovers.

The Heat's three-point shooting was completely ruined, with 6 of 24 shots, a 25% three-point shooting percentage.

But under the "iron-blooded" defense, the Knicks' offense was completely dismantled by the Heat.

82:88, the Heat won the game hard at home.

Alonzo Mourning and P.J. Brown fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, as did Charles Oakley and Larry Johnson, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

In 41 minutes of playing time, Mourning made 3 of 10 shots, scored 10 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks and 4 turnovers, while PJ Brown only scored 4 points.

Pat Riley completely locked down Ewing with the help of two inside players. The gorilla made 5 of 17 shots tonight, with a hit rate of less than 30%.

12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 turnovers. Although there was no foul crisis, frequent confrontations made Ewing completely lose his shooting touch.

After winning the game at home, Pat Riley regained his face and patted his former assistant with a smile.

On the Heat bench, Stan Van Gundy also comforted his brother. The Heat have put a lot of effort into studying game videos in recent days!

"Shhh!!"

After the game, fans at the scene booed Lee as he limped towards the player tunnel.

He had to wipe the floor twice tonight, and his thigh was hit twice, plus his knee collided. After these two games, Lee was left with a lot of injuries.

Tim Hardaway also had a limp. The force is mutual, and his legs are not made of steel. When he was making layups, he was frequently elbowed and was forced to wipe the floor for many rounds.

After returning to the locker room, Ewing was in a bad mood. When the opponent fouled out in the paint, he did not seize the opportunity. The New York media must have criticized him again.

"14 wins and 5 losses, the Heat are on the rise, I don't want to lose the Atlantic Division championship again!"

When several veterans heard what Starks said, they all showed depressed expressions.

In the first two seasons, the Knicks were suppressed by the Magic. This year, the Magic disintegrated, and the Heat jumped out again.

Not only did they fail to win the championship in the past two years, they also lost the division championship.

The New York media sometimes dislikes the old guys, which is also related to the fact that they have gained nothing in the past two years.

Lee applied ice while stroking his chin, thinking about the championship. The division champion also had a flag, and in theory, could draw a [Talent] once.

Even though the old guys like the climate in Miami very much, the team still flew back to New York overnight. Tomorrow night they will face the Clippers back-to-back at home.

The New York media did not collectively criticize Ewing this time, but instead praised Lee's performance.

In the head-to-head match against the Heat, Lee made 5 of 10 shots, 2 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 7 free throws, scoring 16 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers.

Not only did he get the highest score in the team, but he also had the best overall performance. The New York Times followed suit and threw a clichéd title at Clay Lee:

"Michael Jordan who is 7 centimeters shorter!"

On the morning of the 7th, Lee almost spit out the milk in his mouth when reading the news in the newspaper.

Michael Jordan has already started mass production?

The two games between the Knicks and the Heat are the focus of this week. Tim Hardaway was still very graceful in the interview after the game:

"Lee? He's a special rookie. I don't mind being knocked down. I'm happy to see young players using my moves!"

When Lee turned on the TV, he could see the New York sports channel reporting on the two games. At the same time, Pat Riley's name was frequently mentioned, and Jeff Van Gundy was compared again.

In the afternoon, when Lee drove Starks to Madison Square Garden, the veteran made an invitation:

"Christmas is coming soon, do you want to come to my place to celebrate the holiday? We won't be included in the Christmas game!"

The Knicks are indeed a bit out of date. The Christmas game is considered the highlight of December, and the league has only arranged two games: Pistons vs. Bulls and Lakers vs. Suns.

Lee, who was driving, thought it was good not to have a Christmas war, as Christmas was a good time to get together with friends:

"For young people to get together, we have to go out and have fun on Christmas. Say hello to my family for me!"

Starks smiled when he heard what Lee said. Although he said that he didn't care about the Christmas war, he looked a little lonely.

The Knicks were definitely the darlings of the league during their heyday. Located in New York and with a championship coach like Pat Riley, they were deeply loved by the media.

In 1994, Starks and Oakley were both selected to the All-Star Game. The old guys were reminiscing about those days.

Starting from December 7, the Knicks had five consecutive home games.

Jeff Van Gundy has finally found Lee's instruction manual.

He came on the field in the second half of the first quarter, and during the rotation time of the second quarter, he played for another 8 minutes. The same went for the second half, which just kept the time at around 30 minutes.

After encountering four teams that were in a bad state in a row, Lee's data began to rise steadily with the help of staggered travel.

After easily defeating the 5-18 Nuggets, the Knicks' record reached 17-5, tying the Heat's record again.

At the post-match press conference, the New York media no longer embarrassed the nearly bald young coach. With the excellent record, Van Gundy also became a little inflated:

"Our goal is still to win the championship. This year the team is more mature and I believe we can reach the finals again!"

"."

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