The rules that are fully "understood" (Bonus Chapter)

On the evening of May 5, 1997, what Patrick Ewing worried about did not happen.

The New York media didn't care about his inefficient performance at all. Most people praised him in various ways, praising his rebounding and the bald young coach next to him!

At the press conference, Jeff Van Gundy once again found a sense of accomplishment.

The New York media in the audience praised him to the sky. At the same time, they also secretly mocked Pat Riley:

"Without New York, Pat Riley would never have been successful!"

"Madison Square Garden is the Mecca of basketball. Leaving here is a wrong choice!"

This is what the New York media, who are feeling jealous, are saying in their words and deeds.

The young assistant back then was able to win the league's best coach here. If Pat Riley had persisted for a few more years, why couldn't he have won the championship?

The bald young coach and the gorilla were praised and were flattered. No one would dislike victory.

At least, the picky New York media was satisfied at this moment.

On the morning of the 6th, Lee was eating breakfast and reading the newspaper in his apartment. The front-page headline was still his record:

"The league's best rookie: New York's showtime era has arrived"

The New York media may have gotten the news and confidently helped Lee to loan out the best rookie award.

At the same time, they borrowed the "Showtime" and directly hyped him up as the next Magic Johnson.

As for the two's completely different playing styles, the spectators don't care. Anyway, this newspaper makes people happy and happy.

In addition to the news of the Knicks' victory over the Heat, the Rockets' three seniors' victory over the Supersonics also occupied a small part of the section.

102:112, the Rockets, playing at home, scored from multiple points and successfully won the game!

Olajuwon performed mediocrely against the Sonics' front line, making 6 of 11 shots, scoring 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers.

And the reason why the Rockets were able to win the game was because of their explosive three-point shooting!

He shot 15 of 28 from the field, a 53.6% three-point shooting rate!

Veteran point guard Mario Elie, who was just mentioned as a starter this season, shot 7 of 8 and 5 of 5 from beyond the three-point line that night, scoring 20 points with a shooting rate of nearly 90%.

The benefits of superstar basketball were also reflected. When Olajuwon was double-teamed, Drexler and Barkley stepped up.

One shot 8 of 15 and scored 22 points, and the other shot 7 of 14 and scored 19 points.

The two also contributed 18 rebounds, 8 assists and 6 steals. The fighting power of the old Big Three is so terrifying!

Shawn Kemp of the Supersonics shot 11 of 15 and scored a game-high 24 points, and also grabbed 11 rebounds.

Gary Payton made 7 of 16 shots and scored 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 3 turnovers.

Even though the Supersonics had more possessions and the team's three-point shooting percentage was 45.5%, there were too many stars on the opposing team, and double-teaming would come at a price.

The Rockets won this game, and most of the commentators stopped making fun of 1+1+1 being less than 3.

When it comes to the playoffs, the stars are really useful!

In reporting the above news, the New York media also continued to praise Lee's performance.

Compared with Gary Payton, the title of "No. 1 Point Guard" was thrown on his head again.

It is indeed difficult to get 25+10 in the playoffs, but seeing that he has been praised to a high level in the newspapers, Lee still shook his head helplessly.

If it were any other young player, he would have already been praised highly, but Lee did not like this kind of treatment.

NBA is a small world of fame and fortune, and pink eye is a common problem.

These veterans ignored him, and Lee knew that these people were probably sick.

Krysten Ritter, who was sitting across the table, blinked her big eyes and showed off her delicious breakfast.

Seeing Lee shaking his head from time to time, she asked curiously,

"Being in the newspaper is the treatment of a big star, aren't you happy?"

Looking at the little follower who had returned to his girlish attire, Lee said casually,

"You are still too young. In another 10 years, maybe you will understand how I feel now!"

Wearing a fitted white T-shirt, Krysten Ritter quietly glared at Lee, but when she thought of her empty wallet, she could only bow her head and show off to her fans.

"If you plan to stay in the modeling circle, remember to keep in good shape!"

Krysten Ritter, who was eating happily, choked again when she heard Lee's words, and then asked obediently:

"Lee, can you take me there?"

Just when she was halfway through her words, Lee interrupted with a half-smile:

"You don't get treated like this as a lackey, Alyce, remember what you said."

"There is change at the door. You can choose to take a taxi or bus. Remember to close the door!"

Seeing Lee preparing to leave, the little follower could only glare at him secretly, and then said obediently:

"I know!"

Krysten Ritter was the only one left in the apartment. She looked at the bustling city view outside the window, and then at the high-end goods she had just bought not long ago.

Thinking of the envious looks from the bitches in the dormitory, she smiled again:

"At least I don't have to attend those disgusting parties."

Lee, who was driving to the training hall, didn't pay any attention to this washboard girl who was throwing herself at him. After all, there were a bunch of big girls just by waving his hand.

Since the Golden Club's owner Kaplan connected with the Knicks, he has been pushing girls to everyone every now and then, hoping that everyone can bring more NBA players to patronize the club.

Although there is a risk of "Clay Lee also did it" in the future, we cannot let the other party down.

After the morning video session, Jeff Van Gundy, with dark circles under his eyes, loudly reminded everyone:

"We played a good game, rebounding, turnovers, everything was controlled very well."

"But don't expect the Heat to still shoot 5-of-25 from the outside in the next game."

"The Heat will definitely bounce back, so don't underestimate our opponents and protect our next home court!"

Starks nodded vigorously, and he also believed that he would bounce back.

After the video session, the veteran trained even harder.

The gorilla is definitely a qualified leader. He fights hard on the court and responds actively to training sessions, but this is also related to the decrease in training intensity.

Jeff Van Gundy is not Pat Riley, and the training volume has been reduced by half, which Ewing is naturally very satisfied with.

The morning training session was coming to an end, and most of the players chose to follow the assistant coach to exercise.

G2 will be played tomorrow, so the next two days will focus on recovery and tactical lessons.

Lee looked around and found that the "Grandmama" was not there. He immediately asked Alan Houston beside him:

"Larry was here just now, how come he's gone now?"

Alan Houston shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly:

"He went to practice boxing, saying that it would help him better activate his body."

"."

On the evening of the 6th, the Bulls welcomed Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at their home court.

The Hawks eliminated the Pistons with a score of 3:2. Facing the Bulls, who were ranked first in the league in the regular season, they did not get nervous and the two sides fought until the last minute.

With 43 seconds left in the game, Pippen received an assist from Longley and successfully hit a three-pointer from the right wing outside the three-point line!

97:100, the Hawks finally failed to seize the opportunity, and neither side scored again.

With 24 seconds left in the offense, a pass error, and a missed jump shot, the Bulls eventually won the game with their excellent defense.

In 44 minutes of playing time, Michael Jordan made 13 of 25 shots, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 7 of 10 free throws, and got a double-double of 34 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and 3 turnovers.

In 43 minutes of playing time, Pippen made 11 of 24 shots, 6 of 10 from beyond the three-point line, and 1 of 3 free throws, contributing 29 points efficiently.

Lee watched the game with Starks at his home. Seeing that Michael Jordan had a hit rate of over 50% again, he subconsciously raised his eyebrows.

"It seems that Pippen's salary this year is less than 2.5 million US dollars. This guy is losing a lot!"

Starks' salary is not much, only 1.9 million US dollars this season, but seeing Pippen's performance, he only makes 400,000 more than him, which makes him feel very comfortable.

Hearing the gloating voice, Lee knew that Starks was being taken advantage of.

No matter how low Pippen's salary was, he was still a starter on the Bulls, but the veteran was relegated to the bench by Alan Houston:

"If you win the Sixth Man of the Year award, you will definitely be able to sign a good contract. John, congratulations in advance! It's time to buy a big house!"

Winning the award does help in signing a good contract, Starks smiled proudly, US dollars are what he urgently pursues at the moment.

The Lakers and Jazz's Game 2 was also held simultaneously that night.

The game was extremely tense, with the scores of both sides constantly rising alternately. With 2 seconds left in the game, the Jazz took the lead with two free throws from Antoine Carr.

101:103, in the final moments, Van Exel's three-pointer was blocked by Malone, and the Jazz finally narrowly defeated the Lakers.

O'Neal had a decent performance, shooting 10 of 25, 25 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks and 5 turnovers.

Robert Horry, who was traded to the Lakers midway, made 7 of 7 three-pointers and scored 21 points.

Van Exel, who missed the buzzer-beater, made 6 of 17 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, and got a double-double of 15 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.

On the bench, Byron Scott also contributed 24 points. The Lakers rebounded strongly, but still fell short.

The new MVP Karl Malone made 12 of 26 shots and scored 31 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Although he had 7 turnovers, his flaws outweighed his strengths and he once again demonstrated his MVP style.

After watching the game, New York basketball critics said that O'Neal and Olajuwon were not as good as Ewing, and the gorilla should be on the All-NBA First Team this year!

On May 7, the NBA announced the best rookie of the 1996-1997 season, and the Knicks' Clay Lee successfully won the award.

Combined with the previous playoff record, Lee's news was once again "on TV" and almost dominated the screen during this period.

Of course, Lee's award also caused some controversy. The media in Philadelphia disagreed and believed that Allen Iverson should have won the award!

There are five new players shortlisted for the award:

Allen Iverson of the 76ers, Stephen Marbury of the Timberwolves, Shareef Rahim of the Vancouver Grizzlies, Antoine Walker of the Celtics, and Clay Lee of the Knicks.

Among the five, Iverson averaged 23.5 points per game, ranking first in scoring. At the same time, he also had the most playing time of 40.1 minutes per game and 19.8 shots per game!

In the end, Allen Iverson lost the vote with 30.43% of the votes.

Clay Lee successfully won the award with 38.26% of the votes.

Although there is a gap in their scoring, Lee's individual statistics are too good, both of which have entered the top 10 in the league.

His 46.6% shooting percentage even exceeds that of inside player Rahim.

Compared with several other new players, Lee's efficiency and turnover ratio are overwhelming in all aspects, making him a qualified All-Star point guard.

Getting jealous won't change any results!

On the evening of the 7th, at Madison Square Garden, New York fans cheered for Lee who was holding the trophy:

"Wow!!"

Wearing the Knicks' white home training uniform, Lee looked at the bronze trophy in his hand with a smile:

"The MVP trophy pose is still better looking!"

Taking photos together with the league staff, the New York media at the scene were not stingy with the film and had a great time taking photos.

On the Heat bench, Tim Hardaway was sore again, playing at his peak, but ended up appearing on TV less often than Lee do.

The MVP rankings have jumped to fourth place, but most media are discussing the top three players.

Although he is likely to be selected into the best team of this season, Tim Hardaway is not satisfied and hopes to get more attention.

After the players from both teams finished their final warm-ups and came to the center circle, loud cheers rang out:

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

Both Mourning and Ewing were looking intently at the basketball in the referee's hand.

As the basketball was thrown high, Ewing jumped too early. Mourning saw the opportunity and pushed the ball to his own half.

"Shhh!!"

It was rare to see a gorilla fail in a jump ball, and New York fans immediately booed the Heat players.

Pat Riley sat on the bench with a calm expression, while on the other side, Jeff Van Gundy was loudly reminding everyone to defend and position themselves in time.

Lee will not closely guard Tim Hardaway, as the opponent has a low center of gravity and is fast, and always keeps a small distance away.

In the first round, Tim Hardaway did not attack himself, but quickly came to the left wing and passed the ball to Mourning who was in the blocking position with his back to the basket.

Facing Ewing's top defense, Mourning did not force an attack, but immediately passed the ball to P.J. Brown who was at the free throw line.

After receiving the pass, the latter immediately moved sideways and upwards. Lee hurriedly chased him and tried his best to squeeze through the screen at the top of the arc.

Tim Hardaway took the hand-off pass, came to the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line, attracted Oakley's defensive attention, and immediately made a ground pass.

At the free throw line, PJ Brown caught the ball again, and with his height advantage, he took a look, raised the ball and threw it!

"!"

The basketball hit the rim and bounced out.

Mourning got ahead of Ewing and grabbed the frontcourt rebound. He then made a strong shot under the basket, but was interfered by Ewing and the basketball hit the rim and bounced out again.

Fortunately, this time Ewing seized the opportunity and successfully protected the backcourt rebound.

The fans at the scene also cheered. After Lee received the ball, the Heat team had retreated to the half court.

Seeing that the opponent also made adjustments, Lee didn't care. He made a tactical gesture and the Knicks also started with a low post attack.

Coming to the left wing, Lee made a high pass, and Ewing received the ball with his back to the basket.

Glancing at PJ Brown who was staring at this side at the lower right side of the basket behind him, the gorilla learned from the lesson of the previous game and did not jump directly into the paint area.

Lee and Larry Johnson opened up offensive space on both wings. Alan Houston first pretended to slip to the baseline, and then suddenly ran back towards the free throw line.

After shaking off the pursuing Voshon Lenard and reaching the free throw line, Alan Houston immediately received the pass from Ewing.

Without making too many adjustments, Alan Houston took the ball and shot a jump shot immediately!

Voshon Lenard did not leave Alan Houston any room to fall, and did not seem to care about his foul, rushing to defend fiercely from the side.

"!"

The basketball hit the rim and bounced out, and Alan Houston fell to the ground.

The referee did not blow the whistle. Jeff Van Gundy wanted to complain loudly, but he found that the Heat had already launched a transition offense, so he hurriedly shouted to everyone to retreat.

Alan Houston dodged in time and stood up without being injured. He just complained to the referee twice while retreating.

Tim Hardaway rushed quickly after receiving the ball. He did not stop the ball even when he reached the top of the arc.

He dribbled quickly between his legs while moving, then immediately changed direction in front of his body, scooped up the ball with his right hand, and quickly broke through with a crossover step!

Lee could only slide hard and the two of them soon arrived in the paint area.

Tim Hardaway continued to accelerate and took three steps forward. Before the help defense arrived, he leaned against Lee's body, tilted his body and shot with his right hand!

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket, and the Heat team succeeded in transition offense!

The obvious change, noticing that Tim Hardaway got more shooting rights, Lee immediately knew the Heat's adjustment.

Unable to play inside, they simply seized the opportunity to score easily.

"The referee made a controversial penalty. Voshon Lenard's defensive action was definitely problematic, which seriously affected Alan Houston's jump shot!"

In the MSG commentary booth, commentator John Andariese was still questioning the refereeing issues in the previous round.

The players on the field naturally would not complain about the round that had already passed.

Lee took the ball from the baseline and made a tactical gesture again, indicating that he would play the low-post tactics again.

Ewing received the ball in the same position, and this time it was Larry Johnson who cut in. "Grandmama" quickly moved to the free throw line, received the ball and cut inside.

Noticing PJ Brown coming up to help defend, Larry Johnson immediately passed the ball to Oakley who was near the right limit in the paint area.

The latter received the ball, with no one guarding in front of him, and made a steady mid-range jump shot!

The tactical coordination was successful, and Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines was completely relieved and continued to loudly call on everyone to retreat.

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

Even when the defensive cheers rang out, Tim Hardaway did not choose to speed up.

Instead, he waited until everyone was in position before slowly dribbling across half court.

Lee saw Jamal Mashburn's outside shot behind him, and at the same time, Mourning also moved to the left blocking area. He turned his head to remind the "grandmama" who came out to defend:

"Go up and help defend!"

Tim Hardaway made a lateral pass from the top of the arc, and Jamal Mashburn on the left wing received the ball and immediately made a high pass.

Larry Johnson, upon hearing the reminder, let go of the defender and slid in front of Mourning.

The moment the opponent received the ball, he immediately cut the ball. At the same time, Ewing, who was defending behind him, could take action at the same time.

Before he could release the ball, the ball in Mourning's hand was knocked to the ground by the interference of the two people.

Larry Johnson controlled the ball, Lee received the ball again, noticed that the Heat had completed their retreat again, and raised his eyebrows helplessly.

The same tactic, this time Ewing changed direction to receive the ball in the low post on the right side. Lee's pass was very timely.

After the gorilla received the ball, he immediately turned towards the baseline and made a turnaround jump shot near the paint area, but missed.

Mourning held the ball tightly and his defense worked. P.J. Brown wanted to grab the rebound, but Oakley poked the basketball away from his head.

The old guy jumped a second time and grabbed the frontcourt rebound.

Tim Hardaway was planning to go over to receive the ball, but when he saw that the rebound was lost, he quickly rushed out again.

On the left wing outside the three-point line, Lee received the pass, saw Hardaway rushing to defend, and raised his hand for a fake shot.

Noticing that Tim Hardaway was not fooled, Lee immediately released the ball with his left hand while the opponent was adjusting his center of gravity, lowered his center of gravity, and broke through with a crossover step.

Tim Hardaway, who was well prepared, slid quickly to the right rear and broke through to the left blocking area.

Lee dribbled the ball quickly behind his back, stopped suddenly and switched to his right hand, while looking up and pretending to pass the ball.

After a quick fake move, Tim Hardaway subconsciously rushed forward to defend, and Lee took this opportunity to immediately turn around and accelerate.

With the ball in his right hand, Lee broke through to the paint area. Without waiting for PJ Brown to come up to help, he used his body to briefly break the defense and shot with his right hand!

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

Lee's smooth breakthrough immediately made the New York fans at the scene scream. Tim Hardaway could only stare blankly, as his height was a great disadvantage.

Lee only uses the man-to-man shot when facing a point guard. In the last round, when he met Anfernee Hardaway, this trick was of no use.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines also clapped his hands, indicating that this was a wonderful attack.

The Heat frequently found Mourning after the opening, and this time it finally worked.

He moved deeper in the left low post and quickly turned toward the baseline after receiving the ball.

Mourning entered the paint and caused Ewing to commit a hand foul.

The simple and rough offensive method achieved good results. Looking at the fist-raising and roaring Mourning, Lee frowned.

The Heat concentrated the ball right at the start.

"Pat has to pay attention to his fouls. If he gets the first foul too early, he may leave the court early."

"Compared to the Heat's inside players, we lack height in our rotation."

Commentator Marv Albert saw Ewing commit a foul shortly after the start of the game and couldn't help but start to worry about the team's foul problem.

Mourning made both free throws, and both teams' offense started smoothly.

4:4, and then the scores started to rise alternately.

In the first quarter, Lee methodically passed the ball to Ewing in the low post, as the Knicks also needed to damage the opponent's inside line.

Unfortunately, Mourning was well prepared and was only responsible for blocking the gorilla, while P.J. Brown was responsible for quick assist defense.

The expected effect did not come out, which made Jeff Van Gundy frown secretly on the sidelines.

Both teams passed the ball to the center, but both Ewing and Mourning were inefficient.

Larry Johnson frequently cut in, and Lee assisted "Grandmama" twice in a row to score at the basket, just enough to withstand Tim Hardaway's 1-point rain.

With 6 minutes and 19 seconds left in the first quarter, Mourning stood at the free throw line again, and Oakley took the foul for Ewing.

"Shhh!!"

The consecutive free throws caused boos from the audience. New York fans were very dissatisfied and some people started to curse the referee.

There were frequent muscle confrontations after the opening. Mourning missed both free throws. Ewing grabbed the rebound, and the Heat players retreated quickly.

After receiving the ball, Lee tried to speed up and continued to accelerate along the right sideline.

Approaching the right wing of the three-point line, Lee noticed that the Heat players were still responding to each other and communicating about their matchups.

Holding the ball in his left hand, he first slowed down and approached the three point line, then turned his head to look toward the top of the arc.

While Tim Hardaway was not yet coming up to defend him, Lee suddenly lowered his center of gravity, shook his shoulders confusingly, swayed left and right, and changed direction drastically in front of his body.

The moment he switched to his right hand, Lee accelerated to his full potential and the unprepared Tim Hardaway was passed in one step.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Lee quickly cut in from the right side at 45 degrees and reached the basket in the blink of an eye. PJ Brown hurried back to defend.

Lee, who had already rushed forward, did not choose to layup directly, but slipped to the lower left side of the basket, staggered the defense, and made a reverse layup!

"Excellent offensive choice! Lee always finds easy scoring opportunities!"

The beautiful transition offense made commentator Marv Albert praise it.

Commentator John Andariese saw Pat Riley requesting a timeout and commented:

"This is the first time the Knicks played a transition offense. It seems that the Heat coaching staff is very dissatisfied with this defense."

At 10:14, Mourning missed the free throw, and Lee's goal helped the Knicks expand the score.

Tim Hardaway walked to the sidelines and raised his hand to indicate that it was his problem, then sat back in his seat in frustration.

On the other side, Alan Houston was also depressed. Voshon Lenard was very aggressive in defense tonight, defending "up and down" synchronously.

In order to guard against the opponent's dirty tricks, Alan Houston lost his offensive rhythm, shot 0 of 2, and became completely invisible.

Jeff Van Gundy is still complaining to the referees about the Heat's defensive problems.

But there are no cylinders these days, and there is no need to worry about falling space. The referee briefly explained and signaled them to return to the bench.

"We need to play tougher! Don't forget that this is our home court!"

Returning to the bench angrily, Jeff Van Gundy loudly offered some chicken soup, then turned his eyes to Alan Houston, all of which were directed to the shooter.

Although he played for the Pistons for three years as a rookie, Alan Houston did not acquire the temperament of the old Pistons. Instead, like Grant Hill, his playing style was more "elegant."

Alan Houston could only nod vigorously to indicate that he understood. Lee did not say anything. He was not optimistic about this passive adjustment.

The Heat made full use of the rules tonight and tried their best to defend jump shots, which had a huge impact on Alan Houston, who was a little weak in ball control.

After the timeout, the atmosphere in Madison Square Garden remained as strong as ever.

As long as the home team was leading, the New York fans at the scene would cheer along.

Perhaps because Mourning's performance in the first half was a bit disappointing, after the timeout, Tim Hardaway took over the offensive ball.

On the right wing outside the three-point line, Isaac Austin, who had just come on as a substitute, made a pick-and-roll, briefly got rid of Lee, dribbled across the three-point line, and Tim Hardaway jumped up and made a long two-point shot!

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

At 12:14, the Heat quickly narrowed the gap.

Charles Oakley had no intention of going up to defend, and the Knicks could accept this offensive style.

As if he felt that he had regained some face, Tim Hardaway pounded his chest, causing constant boos from the audience.

The Knicks' offense no longer started from the low post. After Lee came to the left wing, Ewing immediately moved up and performed a pick-and-roll.

Tim Hardaway immediately stepped up to defend and prepared to squeeze through the screen.

Lee, who had been protecting the ball sideways, immediately accelerated laterally and broke through on the right side after Ewing stood still.

Approaching the free throw line, Lee, who had been holding the ball, suddenly shook his wrist, and Mourning, who was delaying the defense, subconsciously moved to the right rear.

But the basketball just bounced onto the floor and returned to Lee's hands.

While Mourning was sliding, Lee suddenly accelerated, broke through the middle and went straight to the basket.

Tim Hardaway behind him also accelerated and chased to his side in time. With Alonzo and Isaac Austin shrinking their defense, Lee was surrounded by three people for a while.

Facing a three-man siege, Lee made a secret pass from behind without waiting for a layup. The basketball flew accurately into the hands of Ewing near the left baseline.

Mourning tried to defend again, but it was too late. Ewing made a mid-range jump shot and caught the ball!

Seeing the wonderful cooperation, cheers rose again.

Soon, the Heat followed suit. Mourning received a pass from Tim Hardaway in the middle and responded with a mid-range jump shot from the right baseline.

At the end of the first quarter, both sides started to score consecutively. Ewing scored a layup and Jamal Mashburn also made a mid-range jump shot.

Tim Hardaway missed his quick stop jump shot from the right elbow of the free throw line, and the long rebound fell into Lee's hands.

A quick transition attack was launched, and the Heat players retreated quickly. Lee did not stick to the ball.

Seeing Alan Houston running to the left wing, he immediately made a long pass.

Alan Houston slowed down after receiving the ball, and then immediately shot a jump shot. The retreating Voshon Lenard rushed over directly, and they both fell to the floor at the same time.

"Oh!!"

After landing, Alan Houston stepped on the opponent's foot.

The fans in the front row exclaimed, and then cursed Voshon Lenard who stood up and pretended nothing happened.

"Look what he did to my player, it was definitely a flagrant foul!"

When Jeff Van Gundy saw the referee whistle three free throws, he immediately became furious and rushed to the referee, complaining loudly.

The referee seemed to have noticed that the reaction was too great, so he added a flagrant foul.

Alan Houston, who was prepared, was not injured, but he looked ugly and angrily at the other party.

The Knicks team members rushed forward to pat Alan Houston on the shoulder, and Oakley pointed at Tim Hardaway, signaling him to be careful.

No one paid any attention to Lenard. It was obvious that this was the Heat's strategy.

They wanted to use role players to exchange for the Knicks' main scorer.

Alan Houston was still affected and made 3 of 4 free throws. After Mourning grabbed the rebound, Tim Hardaway received the ball and immediately launched a transition offense.

Facing Lee's pursuit, Tim Hardaway rushed faster and faster, heading straight to the basket.

In the paint area, Tim Hardaway just jumped against Lee's block, but was knocked to the floor by Oakland who quickly returned to defense in mid-air.

Seeing Tim Hardaway fall headfirst next to the camera, the fans at the scene began to cheer loudly.

Mourning immediately wanted to rush forward to ask for an explanation, but was pushed by Larry Johnson and staggered.

The referee saw that something was wrong and immediately rushed over to stop both parties.

"Don't let me see you in the paint again!"

Oakley walked to the bench while yelling at Tim Hardaway. He had committed two fouls and it was time for him to leave the game.

Tim Hardaway fell hard and rubbed his right arm with a grin, but Pat Riley on the sidelines did not complain like Jeff Van Gundy did. He just clapped his hands and asked the players to concentrate.

"Charles responded, we have to play tougher!"

While the opponent was shooting free throws, commentator John Andariese also shouted in praise.

The first quarter was about to end and both sides started free throws. Lee was knocked away just as he started his breakthrough.

When he turned around, Tim Hardaway was lying on the floor again.

The frequent conflicts made the New York fans at the scene very excited. Soon, Clay Lee and Tim Hardaway were also replaced.

"Lee performed very well and made 4 assists in a single quarter. Unfortunately, Alan Houston couldn't find his touch!"

Commentator Marv Albert looked at the technical statistics and saw that Alan Houston had made 0 of 5 shots and scored 3 points, and commented somewhat helplessly.

"The Heat's defense definitely played a role, but I'm sure the boy will come through!"

Commentator John Andariese did not comment on this "reasonable" defensive method, but his voice revealed disdain.

After Lee left the court, the first quarter ended quickly. At 18:22, the Knicks were still leading.

In Madison Square Garden, the noise was getting louder and louder, the fans were putting pressure on the referee, the main shooter was silent, and everyone knew what was going on.

On the bench, Lee, who had changed into training clothes, looked at Alan Houston, who looked unhappy. Instead of saying words of comfort, he whispered,

"Increase breakthroughs, get some free throws, and adjust your play!"

Alan Houston nodded. Although he was invisible and didn't score in the first quarter, he still had plenty of opportunities:

"Shit! I'll give you a response!"

Jeff Van Gundy high-fived the players who were walking to the bench. The bald young coach was a little angry.

He didn't like these tricks. He returned to the bench, squatted in front of everyone and said loudly:

"Let go, this is our home turf, let them know this is New York!"

...

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