On June 12, 1999, the Knicks returned to New York with the division championship trophy, and many fans who came to pick them up at the airport began to cheer themselves up again.
Holding a small white board with the words "Fight for Ewing", many old fans grew up watching the gorilla's ball.
For them, they all hope that Ewing can get a decent ending.
Before boarding the bus, Ewing also took a group photo with the fans holding the trophy.
The atmosphere was warm and I thought it was the gorilla's farewell party.
The old New York fans were too enthusiastic.
In fact, they also wanted to help the gorilla.
Although he did not need surgery, his right Achilles tendon was torn, his athletic ability would inevitably decline.
Considering that most of the team's current main lineups were under 30 years old, everyone wanted to help and hoped that Ewing could retire in New York.
General Manager Grunfeld was also on the bus at this time.
Most of the time, he would not mingle with the players, and he was not interested in going to the front of the stage to take credit like Krause of the Bulls.
The general manager and the management need to maintain their status, and the division of power must be clear.
Grunfeld did this, and Jeff Van Gundy was speechless in front of him.
"Come on! Pat, you will definitely win two championships like Olajuwon!"
"Pat, we will all support you!"
"."
Grunfeld, who was sitting at the front of the bus, shook his head secretly when he saw this scene.
It is not difficult to trade an old center who is seriously injured, has a big contract, is out of shape, and has a decline in independent offensive ability, but the chips that can be exchanged are limited.
Lee was reading the Sports Illustrated in the back seat of the bus.
The main content of this issue was Tim Duncan.
Oakley, who was sitting in front, was shaking his head and humming along with the music with headphones.
The old guy is almost a defensive tool in this year's playoffs, but Oakley doesn't care about it.
Lee divided the ball rights cake very well.
As long as he feels good, he can still get eight or nine shots in a game.
Oakley, shaking his head, noticed the magazine in Lee's hand, took off his headphones, and said loudly:
"Don't worry about the Spurs, David Robinson is a wimp, and Tim Duncan is just a rookie."
"Hey! We are going to win the championship, Lee, come to my place tonight, let's have another party!"
When the atmosphere group heard that there was still overtime, they all responded positively.
Lee closed the magazine in his hand, simply waved the US dollars, and said loudly:
"It's time to relax, I'll treat you tonight!"
Back to the training center in Tarrytown, the players went home for vacation to rest, but Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff could not rest.
The Spurs crushed all the way, and the inside players of the Western Conference fell under the twin towers one after another.
However, after watching the video tape, Jeff Van Gundy did not react much:
"Nothing special."
In most games, the Spurs' offensive routine is that the guard dribbles across half court, Tim Duncan blocks the ball with his back to the basket, and then scores.
Another routine is that David Robinson receives the ball in the elbow area, jumps or attacks the inside line.
There is also contact between the twin towers, but there are not many inside passes.
Assistant coach Thibodeau, who likes to watch videos the most, sees the Spurs' defense.
In the paint area, the two highly mobile big men can complete sweeps, screens and switches at a very fast speed.
Assistant coach Don Chaney looked at the technical statistics in his hand.
After the video ended, he said in a relaxed tone:
"In the playoffs, they average about 70 shots per game, which is slower than the Hawks. I don't think this will affect our offense."
"Houston can be much more relaxed, at least he doesn't have to chase the opponent anymore."
"Sprewell should be able to teach Daniels, the rookie on the bench, a lesson."
Several members of the coaching staff began to communicate in a low voice, but Jeff Van Gundy began to daydream.
Assistant coach Thibodeau poked the bald young coach, and Jeff Van Gundy spoke up:
"Tell Kurt and Ben these few days to control their fouls. We don't need to make too many adjustments. Just prepare for the game step by step."
When several people heard Van Gundy's words, they knew that they were going to hang up again.
After thinking about it, there was really nothing to prepare.
The 34-year-old "Little General" Avery Johnson, the 35-year-old Mario Elie, and the 31-year-old Sean Elliott, the above three people formed the Spurs' outside line.
After watching the video, the coaching staff did not mention the Spurs' outside line at all.
Everyone subconsciously reached a consensus:
"These people will not cause any trouble to Lee!"
As for the inside defense, Rik Smits and Dale Davis of the Pacers performed well and blew up Kurt and Ben, but the Knicks won.
It is destined to be unable to limit the Spurs' inside line, and it is enough to try to defend.
NBC is still responsible for broadcasting the finals this year.
In the past few days, the Knicks have not only trained as usual, but also accepted interviews, which can be regarded as packaging for the finals.
On the morning of the 13th, Ewing, dressed in a black suit, accepted an interview in the media room of the Tarrytown Training Center.
"Pat, congratulations. This is the third time you have made it to the finals in your career!"
"It's a pity that you will miss this series due to injury. It's also a pity for the fans. Many people want to see you and David Robinson."
Hearing this, Ewing laughed out loud, shook his head, and said seriously:
"Young people don't like us old guys anymore. David is a very nice person, but unfortunately, we will still win the championship this year."
Jim Gray, a famous reporter sitting opposite, heard the gorilla's confident response, and smiled as well, and asked again:
"We all know that Lee won the MVP this year. What kind of performance do you think he will play in the finals?"
Hearing the MVP, the gorilla felt a pang in his heart, and then continued to brag confidently:
"Lee will blow up all the opposing defenders. I'm serious. Maybe many people haven't realized what we went through last year."
"Ron Harper, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, facing the league's best perimeter defense, Lee can still contribute 29 points per game."
"Some people may question his efficiency. A 44% hit rate is not high, but imagine if any other guard in the league were to play, what kind of performance would they be able to achieve?"
"I will always remember last year's Eastern Conference Finals. I remember every round on the court. In the past, the Knicks had the best interior defense in the league. Now, we have the strongest backcourt combination in the league!"
"."
Every player got a chance to be interviewed.
Ben Davis from the atmosphere team was as crazy as ever.
Rashard Lewis, who had been carrying the Knicks' bag for half a year, recalled the good and bad times and talked about the atmosphere within the Knicks team.
Lewis, the new player, is indeed talented.
Oakley did not give him too much trouble.
The old man is very good at judging people and believes that this soft-style big shooter can at least get a contract in the league.
Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace are not small transparent people.
Even if they don't have many roles on the offensive end, they definitely play a lot on the defensive end.
"I don't care about the statistics or how others evaluate me. I just want to win. I have seen big scenes. The opponent can't easily score against me!"
Looking at the excited answer of Ben Wallace with a big hair, Jim Gray realized that the man in front of him also won the championship with the team last year.
Oakley, who was being interviewed, showed his disdain again when he heard the question about his opponent Tim Duncan.
He just emphasized one sentence:
"He's just a rookie! A rookie who's playing in the finals for the first time!"
Alan Houston still greeted his opponent in a friendly manner and was very humble, while Larry Johnson and Sprewell had the same meaning in their words:
"We will beat the shit out of the Spurs!"
It was obvious that they looked down on each other.
The two former All-Stars didn't take the Spurs' outside players seriously at all.
Jim Gray rubbed his brows.
These interview clips will be released one by one before the finals, and he can already anticipate the reactions of fans on both sides.
When Lee came to the media room in training clothes, Jim Gray breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and shook hands with him, and asked with a smile:
"Lee, congratulations on winning the MVP. It is a great achievement to reach the finals for two consecutive years in your rookie season!"
"What are your expectations for this year's finals?"
Hearing such a question, Lee also answered confidently:
"The Spurs are an excellent team. I am excited to meet such an opponent in the finals!"
"I want to thank the New York fans for their support and the Knicks for their hard work. This is also a difficult season for us."
"The intensive schedule and Pat's injury also made our condition worse, but in the end we overcame the difficulties."
Jim Gray was smiling at first, but he always felt that this sentence sounded familiar.
Then he immediately reacted and was speechless for a while:
"Give your acceptance speech in advance?"
"."
Because the Spurs swept their opponents, they had more rest time and the NBC interview had ended long ago.
In the past few days, fans can see the humble statements of the Spurs on TV.
David Robinson is indeed a good man.
After wishing Ewing well, he recalled the good old days and kept praising Tim Duncan:
"Lee won the FMVP in his second year as a rookie, and now Tim also has the opportunity to achieve such a feat."
"In my heart, Tim is the MVP of the Spurs this season. He is better than you think."
"I don't care about the statistics. Now I just want to win the first championship in team history for the Spurs!"
"."
TNT is also warming up for the finals.
McHale and Kenny Smith represent Tim Duncan and Clay Lee respectively. In the shows in recent days, the two have different opinions:
"I respect Avery Johnson very much, but we all saw how Mookie Blaylock performed against Lee."
"I don't think the Spurs' perimeter defense will be much better than the Hawks."
Kenny Smith's opinion has been very clear in recent days.
The Knicks' three guards will blow up their opponents.
McHale shook his head and insisted on his point of view:
"There is no comparison between the two teams. Mutombo cannot take on too many offensive tasks, while Tim can carry the team's offense."
"On the defensive end, the two big men of the Spurs are also very flexible, and the Knicks' guards cannot score efficiently in the interior."
"The closer you are to the basket, the higher your hit rate. This is a basketball truth. No one on the Knicks can limit Tim Duncan."
"."
Lee did not pay attention to these media reports.
He was busy entertaining Ray Allen and several college teammates these days.
Since it is very close to New York, many students from Connecticut also joined in the fun.
Coach Calhoun led the team to win the championship, and the University of Connecticut won the second championship in team history.
Unfortunately, the Knicks had too many games in March and April, and Lee had no time to watch the game on site.
On the evening of the 14th, Lee held a small party at his home in Tarrytown and entertained his college friends.
The party company arranged cold dishes and barbecue on the scene, and also planted some small flags of the Huskies.
Coach Calhoun was smiling and stroking his dog's head at this time.
Happy the Husky was not afraid of people either, and smiled at everyone.
Ray Allen and his girlfriend were standing by and laughing as they listened to their friend's bragging.
The Bucks played well in the playoffs this year.
Although they were swept by the Pacers, he was the best player on the team.
Travis Knight was the atmosphere group for the Lakers, and was bragging at this time:
"Tim Duncan is indeed very strong, but Lee will definitely win the championship again!"
"Believe me, if the Lakers had a point guard like Lee, they would never lose to the Spurs this year."
Hamilton on the other side immediately joked when he heard this:
"O'Neal will definitely not like to partner with Lee, there is only one MVP!"
Everyone laughed, and Lee on the side also smiled and shook his head.
Although Hamilton won the MOP, he looked at Lee with envy and asked loudly:
"Lee, will you win the championship again this year?"
Lee raised the champagne in his hand, toasted to everyone, and responded confidently:
"Of course, this month, everyone can come to participate in the championship parade at the end of the month!"
....
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