Not One, Two, Three...
On the evening of June 10, 1998, Jazz fans finally witnessed the Knicks' awards ceremony at their home court.
In last year's finals, the Bulls received the award at the United Center.
Jazz fans couldn't see the award ceremony, so their unhappiness got over.
But this year at the Delta Center, seeing Ewing roaring, seeing Jeff Van Gundy punching in celebration, and seeing Lee acting calmly in front of the media reporters, Jazz fans couldn't hold back.
Many people left the stadium disappointed, but some die-hard fans stayed and continued to express their support.
Karl Malone might have lost his temper, and after the game, he simply shook hands with the Knicks team and walked towards the player tunnel without looking back.
The powerful power forward was upset after missing key free throws for two consecutive years, and the Salt Lake City media was also heartbroken.
As the Knicks returned to the visiting locker room, Charles and the team management were cordially comforting the players:
"Good job!"
"We finally won the championship, let's enjoy this championship moment!"
Old Charles, who still retains control of the team, smiled and patted Ewing, who had served the team for many years.
Regardless of past achievements, and without having to think about the losses to the Bulls, winning a championship in his career is already more than most players.
The visiting team's locker room was particularly noisy at this time, but Ewing was still very excited.
After hearing the words of encouragement, he kept hugging everyone.
James Dolan then began to share the cigars he had prepared, inviting Lee, Oakley and others to smoke together.
But this action was quickly glared at by old Charles.
There was an award ceremony afterwards.
It seemed that the eldest son did not take the president seriously.
"It's okay. I have prepared champagne and cigars. We will fly directly to Las Vegas later."
James Dolan, who has not yet gained control of the team, always wants to find his own presence, and added in a low voice.
After winning the championship, Charles Sr. held a private party at the hotel and invited municipal officials from Salt Lake City and New York.
Family and friends of the Knicks will be there, and as for Las Vegas, that is James Dolan's personal preference.
"Cool! Lee, you will become the youngest Finals MVP in NBA history!"
"You broke Magic Johnson's record again!"
Ben Davis from the atmosphere group came over and started chattering.
From the moment they defeated the Jazz, everyone was in a state of self-entertainment.
Ben Wallace also cheered on the side, and soon, everyone who had changed into championship T-shirts surrounded Lee and shouted:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
On the front of the white T-shirt is the Knicks logo and a championship trophy.
Although the print is a bit simple, it does not affect everyone's mood.
"The award belongs to all of us! It's time for us to receive it!"
Lee smiled and complimented, then called everyone back to the gym.
Ewing, who was almost overwhelmed by joy, only then remembered what he had lost.
The gorilla looked at Lee, who was surrounded by most of the team's players, and General Manager Grunfeld, who was chatting and laughing on the side.
He felt jealous again.
But it was no use being jealous.
Everyone knew that Lee had made a huge contribution to winning the championship.
Whether it was the buzzer-beater in the Eastern Conference Finals or the 40 points in Game 4 of the Finals, they all demonstrated Lee's strength.
Oakley seemed to see the sadness in Ewing's heart, and said in a low voice without caring:
"Pat, this is the best ending. There is a big contract and a championship!"
Watching everyone cheering as they walked out of the locker room, Ewing finally whispered:
"The championship is indeed the best outcome!"
The gorilla is currently a clear winner in life.
He caught up with the previous salary increase and signed a big contract with the Knicks at the end of his career.
He suffered a serious injury to his right wrist, but still won the championship.
Oakley wanted this kind of experience at the end of his career, and after playing in New York for so many years, he didn't want to leave the city.
In the center of the venue, the podium has been set up with the Jazz team logo, surrounded by major sports media.
Although there were constant boos in the stadium, the Knicks players, who were in a good mood, didn't care about it.
NBC host Bob Costas saw that everyone was there.
After greeting Charles Sr., he immediately took the microphone and said loudly:
"I am very happy to witness this historic moment with the fans. Let us invite NBA Commissioner David Stern to present the award to the championship team."
Although labor-management negotiations broke down again and the NBA was about to shut down, David Stern had a smile on his face.
He first hugged old Charles, and then said in a light tone:
"Thank you to the Salt Lake City and New York municipal governments for their strong support for the league, and thank you to the Delta Center staff and the enthusiastic fans of the Jazz!"
"Boo!!"
The Jazz fans who were still in the arena booed when they heard this, but David Stern seemed not to hear the noise and continued to say with a smile:
"Salt Lake City is the best host. Thank you for creating a warm and fair atmosphere for the finals."
"Thank you to the Utah Jazz and the New York Knicks. You are both excellent teams and have presented a wonderful finals to fans around the world!"
The Jazz fans who stayed at the scene always felt that this was a mockery of them, and they spoke foul language and booed, with only a small number of New York fans cheering and shouting.
Looking around at the Knicks again, David Stern raised his voice and said loudly:
"It's an honor to witness such a historic moment. In the 1997-1998 season, the team that won the NBA championship was the New York Knicks!"
"This is the third championship in team history. Let us congratulate them together!"
David Stern handed the golden O'Brien Cup with a smile to old Charles who was clapping his hands beside him.
After the two men hugged and greeted each other, David Stern applauded on the side, and Charles Sr. smiled and raised the trophy.
"Wow!!"
The Knicks players behind him began to cheer loudly.
Their dream came true.
When old Charles smiled and handed the trophy to Jeff Van Gundy, the bald young coach's eyes turned red with excitement.
The head coach held the trophy again and everyone continued to cheer.
Lee signaled a few veterans to touch the trophy first.
The bald young coach then realized that he almost did something wrong.
Ewing held the O'Brien Cup and kept grinning, while Oakley and Starks kept cheering.
Soon, host Bob Costas smiled and interviewed old Charles:
"The third championship in team history. We all know that the Knicks also had some changes last year. We want to hear your thoughts on winning this championship!"
With the help of metaphysics, old Charles also felt that he was lucky.
The trusteeship management had a very good effect:
"For this championship, I just want to express my gratitude to the New York fans who have been with the team all these years."
"Maybe we lost a lot of games before, but in the end, we succeeded! Of course, we also have to thank everyone on the Knicks. The championship is inseparable from everyone's efforts."
"Coach Van Gundy has successfully activated this team, and Grunfeld has brought us an important championship cornerstone!"
"I almost forgot, I also want to thank the teams that didn't draft Lee, Philadelphia, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, etc."
"The 18th pick, maybe it was God's will, we got the best player in that year's draft!"
Charles' words immediately made the few New York fans at the scene shout happily:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The Knicks team members also cheered loudly.
Ignoring the boos from the audience, Lee adjusted his hat and clapped with a smile on his face.
When Bob Costas saw Jeff Van Gundy, who was about to cry, he immediately smiled and said,
"Come on! Jeff, this is your team too. A 36-year-old championship coach, this is definitely an amazing achievement!"
In 1982, 37-year-old Pat Riley led the Lakers to the championship.
In 1998, 36-year-old Jeff Van Gundy broke this record and became the youngest championship coach in NBA history!
For Jeff Van Gundy, the experience of the past two years was like a dream.
When he took the microphone, he still shed tears and said excitedly:
"I want to thank our players for always supporting me!"
"Lee is a talented player who can always control the tempo of the game and lead the team to win games."
"Pat, Oakley, and John shaped our locker room culture. Thank you to everyone in the Knicks organization. It's you who made me achieve this."
"."
The bald young coach began to recall the good old days, and after a lot of praise, the Jazz fans at the scene turned away in anger.
When David Stern took the microphone again with a smile, the Knicks team started to cheer loudly and pushed Lee forward.
"At 20 years and 161 days old, I'm glad to witness this historic moment tonight. Congratulations to Clay-Lee! Finals Most Valuable Player Award. This is also your perfect season!"
Unlike the future Finals FMVP, this award had not yet been renamed, and the trophy was not a smaller O'Brien Cup, but a golden spherical trophy about the same size as the O'Brien Cup.
When David Stern handed the trophy to Lee with a smile, the Knicks atmosphere team followed the small number of New York fans at the scene and shouted:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
David Stern patted Lee on the shoulder and gave his blessing with a smile:
"I hope I can see you win this award again in the finals in the future!"
"This is what I am working towards. Thank you for your blessing!"
After the Knicks players took turns raising their glasses, Alan Houston smiled and handed the O'Brien Cup to Lee.
Holding one in each hand, Lee came to the front of the stage with a confident smile on his face, and raised the two golden trophies in his hands.
"Wow!!"
A small number of Knicks fans began cheering loudly, and the media reporters around them began to snap their cameras frantically, with the sound of clicks continuing.
Breaking Magic Johnson's record, as long as he stays healthy, they will witness the rise of another superstar.
Host Bob Costas has commented on many of Lee's games, and this year's playoffs left a deep impression on him:
"Congratulations, Lee! Unparalleled achievement! It's hard to believe that you are not even 21 years old yet."
"You have achieved such success in your first finals in your career. Tell us about your secret to success. I believe that young players in the future will regard you as a role model!"
Lee casually handed the trophy to Ben Wallace from the atmosphere group.
Looking at the glittering FMVP cup, everyone cheered again and took photos.
"The secret to success is to train hard and keep honing your basketball skills!"
"That's what Coach Calhoun pushed me to do in college, and I've always followed that."
"We can win the championship thanks to our opponents. They made the Knicks better!"
"Thanks to the fans who have always supported us, thank you to my friends and teammates, thank you to our coaching staff and everyone in the team. This award belongs to everyone."
"Finally, I would also like to thank Uncle Varga who has always helped me in Albuquerque. Without their help, I would not be who I am today."
"."
The Knicks defeated the Jazz 4:1.
Lee started in all five finals games.
He averaged 37.8 minutes per game, 24.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.3 turnovers;
He averaged 17.4 shots per game with a shooting percentage of 47.0%, 8.4 shots from beyond the three-point line with a three-point shooting percentage of 50.1%, and 5.6 free throws per game with a free throw shooting percentage of 84.3%.
NBC also showed this data when Lee was interviewed.
Many fans in front of the TV were shocked to see the 50% three-point shooting rate, and this was the result of a poor performance from beyond the three-point line in Game 5.
Lee did not recall the good old days like the bald young coach, and several veterans of the Knicks also got more interview time.
Unlike bachelors like Lee, most of his teammates' families were present tonight.
Ewing was also excited and cried during the interview, as if he wanted to vent all the depressed emotions he had accumulated over the years.
In the interview, Alan Houston and Larry Johnson were just simply happy.
They had not experienced the difficult history of the Knicks.
Oakley and Starks boasted a lot and helped the Knicks loan out next year's championship.
Equipment manager Old Mike was very low-key.
He just smiled and took a photo with Lee and the trophy:
"Like I said, Lee, you're a big star!"
The carnival of the victors completely broke down the Jazz fans at the scene.
By the time the Knicks took a group photo, most of the Jazz fans in the Delta Center had already left.
Lee was holding the FMVP trophy with a smile on his face, and Ewing was grinning and holding the O'Brien Cup.
The two were in the center, and everyone gathered together to take the photo.
The photo will definitely appear in Madison Square Garden in the future.
After Frazier and Reed, this is the third championship in team history, which is of great significance to the Knicks.
The Jazz staff didn't like seeing the Knicks splashing champagne in the locker room.
The team made it to the finals for the second time in history, but could only watch their opponents celebrate wildly at home.
Jeff Van Gundy was completely drenched by everyone but he didn't care and continued to shout unconsciously along with the atmosphere group.
After spraying champagne, Lee, Oakley and others lit up their cigars and started puffing smoke.
James Dolan seemed to like this lively atmosphere very much, smoking a cigarette and shouting:
"I love being a champion! I love this feeling!"
"."
At the post-match press conference, Karl Malone looked bitter and seemed to have not recovered from the defeat:
"I know my body, I will continue to maintain this state, and the Jazz will win the championship."
The Utah duo continued to express that they will continue to pursue the championship next year, but the media in the audience did not buy it, saying that the two are too old.
As for the Knicks who won the third championship in team history, the press conference was full of praise:
"the league's best point guard", "the league's strongest backcourt", "the league's best center", "the strongest inside combination".
All kinds of titles were thrown at the Knicks.
The media are still relatively calm and no one mentioned next season.
The labor-management agreement negotiations broke down and no one knows whether the league will start normally next season.
After returning to the hotel in the evening, it was already very late, but everyone present was in high spirits.
This kind of private party is mainly for building relationships and exchanging information.
Everyone at the Champion Champagne-themed party had a smile on their face.
In the luxurious banquet hall, people chatted with each other and chuckled from time to time.
The hotel's service staff are all young and beautiful girls who do their best to serve sweet and delicious champagne to everyone present.
Most of the Knicks players were sharing their joy with their families, and Lee, who had changed into a black suit, was no longer an invisible figure.
Peter Powers, who served as deputy mayor of New York, and Joseph J. Lhota, who succeeded him, also came to meet him.
City Council President Peter Vallone is a powerful elected official in New York City.
He also gave Lee a smile at this time.
The mayors of New York City's five boroughs were also here, and together with municipal officials from Salt Lake City, old Charles' private party almost turned into a political gathering.
Ruth Messinger, who previously served as Manhattan Borough President, clinked glasses with Lee with champagne:
"Lee, you will adapt to this kind of life. You can try to become an opinion leader, just like Bradley!"
After losing to New York Mayor Giuliani in 1997, this white Jewish old lady seemed not to have given up and smiled as she gave Lee some life advice.
Lee shrugged his shoulders and responded with the same smile:
"Thanks for your advice, but I'm not old enough to drink!"
"Oh! Interesting boy!"
After winning the championship, James Dolan first took everyone directly to Las Vegas.
After two days of gambling and spending money like crazy, Steve Kaplan, a loyal fan of the Knicks, invited everyone to the Gold Club for a celebration party.
Several consecutive high-intensity competitions within two days almost made everyone exhausted.
Lee also learned more knowledge:
After all the hanging, windmill, side-attack, rowing and table-pushing
competitions, Lee didn't have time to get the finals reward.
When he returned to his New York apartment on the 16th, he could only take a deep sleep to relieve his overdrawn waist.
After receiving the news of the official suspension, the Knicks had to hold the championship parade in advance.
On the morning of June 18, Charles Sr. invited New York municipal officials to join in the celebration.
The parade route will be the same as the 1970 championship parade, starting on Wall Street in Lower Manhattan and running along Broadway to Madison Square Garden in Midtown.
The whole of Manhattan was in a frenzy that morning, and MSG was broadcasting the entire event live.
On the open bus at the front, Lee, who had recovered his spirit, was wearing a championship T-shirt and kept waving to the fans around him.
"My God! How many people are there? It seems like the whole of New York is celebrating with the trend."
Alan Houston on the side shouted excitedly, there were too many fans around.
Singing "We are champions", the happy New York fans followed the bus slowly towards Madison Square Garden.
After the lively parade ended, the event continued.
Continuing the past tradition, the Knicks held a grand celebration ceremony at Madison Square Garden.
All the members of the Knicks team sat in the center of the arena.
Most of the people in the audience were old fans, many of whom were wearing old Knicks jerseys and cheering along.
Mike Breen and Frazier acted as temporary hosts, the trophy was placed in front of everyone, and the cheers in the arena became louder and louder.
Ewing, Oakley and Starks enjoyed this moment very much.
They stood up and waved to the fans around them, signaling them to cheer louder.
"Wow!!"
Mike Breen held the microphone with a smile, waved at Lee, and then said loudly:
"Let us welcome the youngest FMVP in the history of the Finals!"
Although he felt that the parade was a bit hasty, after feeling the enthusiasm of New York fans, Lee also joined in the fun.
After taking the microphone, he stood in the center of the venue and first put his right hand to his ear, signaling for the cheers to be louder.
When the noise finally stopped, Lee took the microphone, smiled, and said loudly:
"I know what everyone wants!"
"A championship is just the beginning. Believe me, the future belongs to the Knicks!"
"We're going to win more championships, not one, two, three, but four, five, six, seven."
When Lee said seven, the New York fans present shouted happily:
"Wow!!"
....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)