NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On May 20, 1998, the sports section of the New York Times published an article titled "The End of the Bulls Dynasty."

As a three-time championship team, the Bulls are naturally very popular, and a second three-peat is something many fans are looking forward to seeing.

As soon as this column came out, Bulls fans went wild.

Even in New York, there are die-hard fans who like the Bulls.

After all, they eliminated the Knicks every year in the past, so it is normal for them to be defeated.

From the schedule, after the seventh game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls had to rest for more than a day before playing away again, so the Bulls' loss was not surprising.

But many media have a different standard for Michael Jordan.

In the press conference after the game, the media did not mention physical fitness or away games at all, but simply asked:

"Your shooting touch is not good, why don't you pass the ball more?"

Every time Michael Jordan plays inefficiently, he will be questioned like this.

Therefore, when it comes to such boring questions, Michael Jordan never explains too much:

"I believe the next shot will hit, and the Bulls will adjust."

"."

This confident answer was automatically ignored by the New York media.

With only one day of rest, the Bulls wanted to make adjustments, which was a pipe dream!

There was no game on May 20, and the previously inflated Los Angeles media fell silent at this time.

The Jazz's old man's basketball really couldn't limit O'Neal.

In the G2 game, the Shark made 14 of 21 shots and scored 31 points efficiently, but still lost.

In the crucial game, the Lakers' outside line made 4 of 16 shots, but the Utah duo played steadily.

Malone made 12 of 18 shots, and Stockton made 9 of 12 shots.

The two scored a total of 55 points and finally took the game away!

After losing Game 1 by a large margin, the Bulls were in no mood to pay attention to the Western Conference Finals.

Phil Jackson and the coaching staff stayed up late in the hotel watching the game video.

After watching the video, several people were speechless.

Throughout the game, the Knicks did not have any complicated tactics, but more pick-and-rolls, more transition offenses, fierce screens, and excellent frontcourt rebounds.

Assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers has been in the NBA for many years and has coached the Celtics and Timberwolves for two seasons.

After watching the video, he sighed helplessly:

"Our defensive intensity has declined. The opponent just shoots more accurately than us. This is true from the starters to the substitutes."

This left the other three assistant coaches speechless.

Considering the team's condition, Phil Jackson finally frowned and said,

"We still have time to adjust. After Game 2, we will rest for two days and return to our home court. What we need to do now is to ensure the health of the players."

"How's Scotty doing?"

Bill Cartwright, the assistant coach who had just joined the team for two years, immediately responded:

"There is no back discomfort, and there is nothing wrong with the body."

Phil Jackson finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was in good health.

Now all he had to do was to prepare a pot of chicken soup for the Bulls' souls!

Although this is of no use in recovering physical strength, the method of spiritual victory may stimulate the players to explode.

As long as someone explodes, the game can be won.

Compared to the Bulls who are drinking thick chicken soup, the Knicks are just carrying out recovery training step by step.

In terms of the regular season, the Knicks are the better team, which is also the source of Jeff Van Gundy's confidence!

During the regular season, the Knicks averaged 101.1 points per game, and their offensive firepower was second only to the Lakers.

The average number of turnovers per game is only 13.5, ranking first in the league.

In the afternoon, the bald young coach just stayed on the sidelines, shouting a few words from time to time to make his presence felt.

Jeff Van Gundy didn't nag and give chicken soup like in the past.

He felt that the home game was already secured!

Ewing and Oakley were still practicing free throws. When mid-range shots were unreliable, drawing fouls was also a good way to score.

After playing for so many years, the old guy also knows that missing one or two free throws may affect the outcome of the game.

Getting one more point increases the chance of winning.

It never hurts to practice free throws.

"There are two days of rest in between, which gives the Bulls a chance. The league's schedule is really unreasonable!"

After winning a game, Larry Johnson began counting the subsequent schedule on his fingers.

"Grandmama" wanted to play four games in a row and completely defeat the Bulls.

Alan Houston had already looked at the schedule, and he was ready for this series:

"We have the upper hand even if we play 7 games, and we will return to our home court in the end, which is much better than last year!"

The atmosphere group that has just joined the team has not experienced last year's series, but that does not prevent everyone from degrading the Bulls:

"The Bulls are tired, the series will not last more than 7 games!"

"We can sweep our opponents, Michael Jordan is no longer good enough!"

Lee secretly shook his head in his heart.

In his opinion, the Knicks were the better team, leading in all statistics and having more abundant physical strength.

In this situation, there is no need for self-consolation or any spiritual victory.

Just strictly implement the game plan and you will naturally win.

"Unless the Bulls collectively take drugs, we will definitely win tomorrow's game!"

Hearing Lee's words, everyone laughed and immediately felt a lot more relieved.

There was no need for tactical adjustments, as everyone knew how to play the game.

As the training session drew to a close, Jeff Van Gundy clapped his hands and said,

"Go home and have a good sleep. Tomorrow night, if we win one more game and head to Chicago, we'll end the series!"

"."

On May 21, after Madison Square Garden opened, the New York media wanted to interview the Bulls before the game, but were stopped by Phil Jackson.

"Phil, after the Bulls lose, will you stay and continue coaching?"

"If the Bulls don't renew your contract, where are you going to go next?"

Hearing these infuriating questions, Phil Jackson lost his smile and just repeatedly emphasized:

"I am completely focused on the Eastern Conference Finals and will not consider other things."

"."

After resting for more than a day, the Bulls breathed a sigh of relief.

Before the game started, in the visiting team's locker room, Michael Jordan did not give his teammates chicken soup.

The inaccuracy from beyond the three-point line appeared in the regular season.

Rather than believing that his teammates would suddenly explode in one game, Michael Jordan still felt that his own shooting was more reliable.

There wasn't much communication among the players before the game.

They had experienced too many Eastern Conference Finals, and everyone knew how to win the game.

Madison Square Garden was full before the game even started.

Some seats were temporarily opened, and there were as many as 20,000 fans present tonight.

The high ticket prices have not stopped enthusiastic fans from visiting New York and watching a Knicks game, which is a must-do for many tourists when they come to this city.

"Wow!"

The entrance ceremony was uneventful, and the Knicks players were greeted with only huge cheers.

Clay Lee and his teammates bumped fists one by one, waiting calmly for the singing session to end.

Since the starting lineups of both teams did not change, Walt Frazier confidently expressed his opinion on the MSG commentary booth:

"As long as the Bulls can't respond from the outside, we can continue the defensive strategy from the last game!"

"Maybe Michael Jordan will get his touch back, but he can't beat the Knicks by himself."

Commentator Mike Breen did not make any toxic predictions, but instead briefly introduced the Bulls' possible rotation:

"Like Game 1, Luc Longley's playing time may be reduced."

"Of course, it depends on the pace of the game tonight. I believe the Knicks will continue with the strategy of the last game."

In the final warm-up stage, Michael Jordan was particularly serious and kept hitting jump shots, which caused boos from the audience.

The referee signaled the players from both teams to come to the center of the court.

In Madison Square Garden, cheers resounded throughout the arena:

"Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks!"

Ewing and Longley were standing in the center circle and saw the basketball being thrown high.

The gorilla pushed the ball to half court.

After successfully jumping to the ball, Harper immediately defended in front of Lee who received the ball.

First, he kept interfering and delaying the advancement.

After half court, Harper hung on Lee's side, holding his waist with his right hand and sliding continuously.

Quickly approaching the three-point line, Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, also began to protect the ball sideways.

Except for Alan Houston at the top of the arc, the other three Knicks players were mostly concentrated in the left halfcourt.

Several people were not positioned to receive the ball.

At this time, they were all preparing to squeeze to the basket and grab the rebounds.

Almost on the three-point line, Harper cut in again to interfere.

Lee, who had been protecting the ball sideways and lowered his center of gravity, suddenly twisted his body backwards quickly, then picked up the ball with his right hand again and leaned forward to accelerate.

After taking a big step forward, while Harper was sliding to the left and rear, Lee immediately crossed over and pulled back.

After switching to his left hand, he paused slightly, shifted the opponent's defensive center of gravity, quickly completed the change of direction under his hips, and then accelerated with all his strength while holding the ball in his right hand.

After a sudden stop and start, Harper was left half a body length away by Lee and was forced to slide continuously to the right blocking area.

While moving, Lee quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, switched to his left hand and broke through with his shoulder, approaching the paint area.

Harper, who had readjusted his defensive focus, saw Lee quickly turn around, and the defense could no longer keep up with the opponent's offense.

After turning around, Lee immediately gathered the ball, pushed against the defense, and shot the ball to the backboard with his right hand!

"Bang!"

Lee made a high-board jumper after changing direction!

The two big men in the Bulls' interior were busy blocking and had no time to assist in defense.

Harper raised his hand helplessly to indicate that it was his problem.

The simple and rough singles score immediately made the fans cheer loudly.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines clapped his hands with a smile and shouted to the players to retreat.

Playing singles with the ball and changing directions continuously will naturally consume more physical energy, but Lee doesn't care at all.

Before this round of series, he had too much rest time!

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

The Bulls' offense remained the same, with Harper reducing his dribbling and Pippen acting as the organizer, receiving the ball at the baseline and slowly dribbling across half court while waiting for his teammates to get into position.

Having learned from the lesson of the previous game, Michael Jordan no longer received the ball in the elbow area.

Instead, he quickly slid to the baseline from left to right in the left blocking area.

With the help of Longley's screen near the right baseline, Michael Jordan quickly bounced out to the right blocking area.

Pippen passed the ball on the right wing and started moving on the three-point line.

Longley quickly moved to the left near the baseline, and Kukoc came to the free throw line to open up space.

Lee was following Harper on the right wing and noticed that Michael Jordan broke through to the baseline after receiving the ball.

He immediately realized that the opponent must be making a one-on-one jump shot.

After quickly releasing the ball, Michael Jordan only took two big steps, then suddenly stopped, near the right baseline, drifted to the right and completed a fadeaway jump shot!

"Swish!" The two-point ball went into the net!

"Boo!!"

When Michael Jordan scored a goal in the first round, the audience immediately erupted in boos.

In a deeper position, Michael Jordan no longer showed off his low-post footwork, but instead sped up the offensive tempo and completed his shots faster.

In the first round, the Knicks did not complete the double-team defense, but everyone did not care and continued to run the tactics step by step.

In this attack, Lee also passed the ball after crossing half court.

After Ewing received the ball at the top of the arc, he immediately moved sideways quickly and completed a hand-to-hand pass with Alan Houston on the left wing.

Noticing that Michael Jordan was closely guarding him, Alan Houston simply dribbled the ball and passed it to Larry Johnson who had just arrived on the right wing.

After receiving the ball, the latter moved toward the top of the arc from outside the three-point line.

At this time, Lee had already quickly slipped across the baseline from right to left.

First, with the help of Oakley's screen near the left baseline, he briefly got rid of Harper's pursuit, and then quickly bounced out to the three-point line on the left wing.

Ewing, who had just completed a sweeping pass, stood still and also gave Lee an off-ball screen.

Lee just got out of the screen and came to the left wing.

He received a cross pass from Larry Johnson and immediately stopped at the three-point line and shot a jump shot!

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

The cheers rang out again, and Walt Frazier in the commentary booth also praised:

"What a wonderful cooperation! The continuous screen helped Lee completely break free from the defense."

"This kind of opportunity is a gift to Lee!"

Seeing that Longley failed to switch defense in time, the Bulls coaching staff sighed secretly.

In order to perform excellent defense, everyone must cooperate tacitly.

Soon, the Bulls' offense also gave a simple response.

In the right blocking zone, Michael Jordan received the ball with his back to the basket and immediately turned around and jumped backwards!

"Swish!" Another hit from mid-range.

Alan Houston pulled the corner of his mouth.

The degree of backward movement and the time he stayed in the air made his block seem particularly weak.

Michael Jordan responded continuously, and the boos from the audience became louder and louder.

Everyone knew that this was not a good sign.

After two rounds, the Bulls took the lead in changing their defensive strategy.

Whether it was Kukoc or Longley, they would delay as soon as they encountered a pick-and-roll.

In this Knicks attack, Ewing's screen was of high quality.

On the left wing, Lee held the ball in his left hand and just got rid of Harper's pursuit, and Longley moved his feet and delayed his advance.

Faced with the delay of the big guy, Lee simply lowered his center of gravity, quickly pushed the ball with his left hand to change direction, led the ball forward significantly, and at the same time exerted force with his feet, and suddenly jumped out from between the two men.

There was no time to adjust his center of gravity.

Longley could only watch Lee scoop up the ball with his right hand, completely break free from the defense, and go straight to the basket from the right wing.

"oh!!"

It was a beautiful pass, and the New York fans at the scene exclaimed and then shouted excitedly.

After breaking into the paint area, Lee took three steps forward, received the ball, looked at Oakley near the right baseline, and made a fake move to shot the ball.

He wanted to move to help defend Kukoc, but was fooled and stopped.

In the blink of an eye, Lee had already jumped in the paint area and easily made a layup with his left hand!

"Wow!!"

The cheers in the arena grew louder and louder, and commentator Mike Breen also exclaimed loudly:

"What a wonderful goal! Lee almost got past the entire Bulls' defense!"

Both teams showed efficient offense after the opening and the scores began to rise alternately.

Phil Jackson on the sidelines quickly discovered the problem.

Longley's delaying defense did not have much effect.

As long as Ewing's screen delayed Harper, Lee could penetrate the defense and go straight to the basket.

The Knicks used the same offensive tactics three times.

Except for Oakley's missed shot, the Bulls scored in the other two rounds.

With 7 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter, the Bulls took the initiative to request a timeout.

8:11, the Knicks are still leading.

Back on the bench, Harper felt a little frustrated that his defense was not working.

Lee would not make mistakes, but facing the continuous sudden stops and changes of direction, Harper was unable to keep up with the rhythm.

It has nothing to do with defensive skills.

This is just caused by a decline in physical condition.

Compared with the previous two seasons, the reaction and lateral speed have dropped a little.

"Dennis, pay attention to defense after you come on the court. Don't let the opponent easily get a position under the basket."

In order to better defend against pick-and-rolls, Phil Jackson activated Rodman in advance, gave him some brief instructions, and didn't say much more.

He didn't complain about being a substitute, but Rodman was eager to try.

The troubled Bulls always needed him to break the deadlock.

After the timeout, the Bulls brought in Rodman, lowering the altitude but without changing their style of play.

This time it was Kukoc's turn to receive the ball with his back to the basket in the right blocking area.

After Pippen passed the ball, he received it on the right wing.

At this time, Lee and Harper were squatting in the left corner.

They noticed that Michael Jordan, who was staying at the baseline and came to the left blocking area, suddenly ran back and cut into the basket.

Lee immediately gave up the defender and accelerated towards the basket.

Alan Houston lost his defensive position and ran back, leading Michael Jordan by half a body length.

Jordan received a ground pass from Kukoc in the paint, grabbed the ball with his left hand, and tried to complete a dunk while sticking out his tongue.

As soon as Michael Jordan jumped, Lee, who had been chasing him, immediately blocked the shot from behind.

The unprepared Jordan had the basketball knocked out of his hands, only to find that Lee had returned to the basket to defend.

Ewing controlled the ball, Kukoc pressed the ball on the spot, and the Bulls team hurriedly retreated.

When the humiliated Michael Jordan saw Lee catching the ball with a smile, he immediately went up to defend him.

This scene made the New York fans at the scene cheer loudly.

Lowering his center of gravity, opening his arms, Michael Jordan stared with his eyes, giving physical confrontation while constantly sliding.

On the left sideline, Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, turned quickly, switched to his right hand, moved to the middle and began to accelerate the breakthrough.

The two of them kept moving their hands.

When they reached the top of the arc, Lee immediately stopped, Jordan keep his body center of gravity, moved in front of him, and stared at Lee's movements.

Noticing that Jordan's feet were parallel, Lee immediately lowered his center of gravity at the top of the arc, quickly completed a cross-leg dribble, and his body swayed to the left.

After sliding to the right, Lee quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, switched to his right hand and immediately made a small in and out move.

Lee swayed left and right, pretending to speed up and break through.

Michael Jordan reacted quickly and immediately slid to the left and back.

Lee changed direction between his legs, switched to his left hand, and broke through with his shoulder, heading straight into the inside!

Although there was an error in defensive prediction, Michael Jordan adjusted his center of gravity and slid quickly, giving physical confrontation while slowing down Lee and completing the defense again.

After breaking through into the paint area, Lee immediately took the ball and jumped.

After a fake dribble, he used his left foot as the axis and quickly turned backwards, exerting force with his feet, and then completed a backward jump!

Michael Jordan, who was passively defending, was just one step away from blocking the shot.

After jumping up, the basketball almost flew towards him with his fingertips!

"Swish!" The two-point ball went into the net!

The New York fans at the scene could not see the defensive details.

They just saw Lee break through, shake off the defense, and complete a fadeaway jump shot in front of Michael Jordan!

"oh!!"

The shouting in the stadium became particularly harsh.

Michael Jordan had a sullen face.

Seeing Lee shaking his head and retreating, he was almost furious for a moment.

He stacked a layer of anger BUFF, and his physical strength seemed to have recovered a lot.

There was no need for Harper to lead the defense, and Michael Jordan began to take over the defense.

In the first half of the game, Clay Lee and Michael Jordan never missed a shot, but after changing defense, the two of them started to miss shots.

Michael Jordan, who wanted to complete a block or steal, was extremely aggressive in defense, which made it impossible for Lee to change direction in front of his body.

In most rounds, he protected the ball sideways, and then the two of them competed with their hands.

Alan Houston finally got the chance at this time!

Although he still needs to defend against Jordan on the defensive end, the number of back-to-the-basket singles by the opponent has decreased significantly, and more of them are catching the ball and shooting after positioning.

Pippen just broke through to the basket and scored two points.

The Knicks attacked.

Lee crossed half court and then stuck out his butt to compete with Michael Jordan at the top of the arc.

Alan Houston used Oakley's bottom screen to get rid of Harper's pursuit, received a pass from Lee at the right elbow of the free throw line, and easily made a jump shot!

For several consecutive rounds, Alan Houston repeatedly slipped to the baseline to complete the shot, and Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines smiled and clapped his hands.

Rodman was very depressed.

After he came on the court, Ewing and Oakley rarely played pick-and-roll.

They had no place to use their strength and could only fight for rebounds.

After Pippen's breakthrough pass, Kukoc hit another long two-pointer near the right baseline.

Walt Frazier frowned slightly in the commentary booth:

"In the first quarter, Kukoc's shooting touch was very good, and he made several jump shots!"

"But the defensive strategy of sticking to the basket is correct. We can accept this score."

The Bulls' efficient offense made it difficult for the Knicks to launch a transition offense in the first quarter.

Before the end of the first quarter, Ewing successfully positioned himself under the basket, received a pass from Lee and made a layup.

Commentator Mike Breen also breathed a sigh of relief and said in a brisk tone:

"Facing the Bulls who are getting better, the Knicks still can't find their touch from beyond the three-point line. Currently, the Knicks are firmly in control of the game!"

At 23:27, the Knicks took a 4-point lead in the first quarter.

The noise at Madison Square Garden was getting louder and louder.

The New York fans present took advantage of the intermission to greet the Bulls.

Harper, Pippen, Michael Jordan and Kukoc played the entire first quarter.

They couldn't dig holes in the first quarter and couldn't worry about physical problems at this time.

Returning to his seat, Michael Jordan looked serious and in a very bad mood.

He made 4 of 8 shots, 8 points and 1 rebound.

In the second half of the game, Jordan missed all the shots as his physical strength could not support his offensive and defensive performance.

On the Knicks bench, Lee, who played the entire first quarter, was in a good mood.

4 of 7, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, 9 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists.

Although he missed the last shot, Alan Houston got rid of the slump:

"Keep shooting, run a few more times, and the old guy on the opposite side won't be able to keep up!"

Alan Houston nodded.

Under the tough screen and without Michael Jordan's pursuit, he could indeed get more opportunities.

The team was leading, Oakley was in a good mood, and he gave the shooter another reassurance:

"Even if the shot misses, as long as it bounces near the basket, we still have a chance to rebound it!"

Most of the Knicks players took mid-range jump shots below the free throw line.

This shooting choice also limited the Bulls' transition offense after they missed the shot.

Jeff Van Gundy is instructing the rotation players who are about to take the court:

"Be patient. We are in the lead. John, remember not to force your move!"

Starks nodded to show that he understood that many times during the regular season, he would complete those jump shots regardless of his shooting feel.

But in the Eastern Conference Finals, the opponent was the Bulls again.

Out of desire for victory, Starks changed his habit of throwing the ball randomly.

The rotation of both sides was the same as in G1.

When many players in the main lineup played the entire first quarter, rotation was an inevitable choice.

With 9 minutes and 4 seconds left in the second quarter, Michael Jordan, Pippen and Kukoc came on the court again.

At 27:33, the Knicks had just expanded the score when the Bulls brought back their main lineup.

Starks made both free throws and did not forget to challenge Michael when he retreated:

"Tonight, you will continue to lose!"

Michael Jordan was in no mood to deal with his old rival, and when it came to the offensive round, facing Starks' defense in the right elbow area of the free throw line, Michael Jordan started his back-to-the-basket singles mode again.

Chris Childs immediately gave up on Kerr and cooperated with his teammates to double-team Michael Jordan.

Kerr received the pass at the top of the arc and made an open three-point jump shot!

At 30:33, the Bulls made their first three-pointer of the game, and Jeff Van Gundy immediately requested a timeout.

...

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