Coach, I Want to Play Basketball

On the evening of February 5, 1999, at Madison Square Garden, New York fans witnessed the third championship banner rising above the arena.

Throughout the award ceremony, neither Charles Sr. nor David Stern stole the show, but instead gave several veterans the opportunity to speak and perform.

Since the start of the game, the cheers of New York fans have never stopped!

Perhaps the championship stimulated the fat Ewing, the gorilla was very active at the beginning, but after receiving the ball and missing the shot, he gradually became sluggish.

What made Lee feel helpless was that although Oakley maintained a good figure, he also had no touch in the game.

Fortunately, the opposing Bulls team was also in average form, and the new head coach Tim Floyd seemed unable to integrate the team.

Most of the time he gave the ball to Kukoc and watched him miss shots.

Perhaps Sprewell was not used to playing as a substitute.

He played like a sleepwalker in the first half of the game.

Like Ewing and Oakley, he almost smashed the basket crooked.

The game was not satisfactory, and New York fans could see that the veterans had taken a long break!

At 46:50, at the end of the first half, the New York media wanted to criticize Sprewell for his poor performance.

Walt Frazier was also frowning in the MSG commentary booth.

Ewing made 2 of 9 shots in the first half, scoring 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 turnovers.

"It seems that the long offseason has indeed affected us. Pat needs to find his form as soon as possible. Of course, his screens are not bad."

Commentator Mike Breen noticed that Lee only had 3 assists in the first half, and almost all of his passes were missed.

He didn't know what to say for a while:

"It's normal to start slowly in the first game of the season. Fortunately, we were ahead at halftime and Lee is in very good shape."

In the Knicks locker room, the two veterans didn't care about their missed shots.

They returned to their seats and continued chatting.

After all, the team was still winning:

"On Champions Night, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the game!"

After returning to the locker room, Lee did not care about the old guy's condition.

He simply communicated with the team's new players Kurt Thomas and Dennis Scott:

"Thomas, let go. The team needs you to play tough defense, just like Charles. This is our home court."

After being selected by the Miami Heat with the 10th pick in the first round of 1995, Kurt Thomas was traded to the Mavericks last season.

Affected by injuries and the arrival of Nowitzki, Nelson simply gave up on this power forward.

Grunfeld signed this free agent, which is a good addition to the Knicks' interior defense.

As the general manager, he certainly knows that Oakley may decline, and Kurt Thomas, who has a decent mid-range shot from the free throw line and can play at the four or five positions, is a good and inexpensive supplement.

The offensive means were single. In the bench lineup, Sprewell never passed the ball at all, but Chris Childs did pass the ball to him several times.

Perhaps because he was too nervous, Kurt Thomas was iron-fisted.

"Chris, pay attention to the ball position after the pick-and-roll, and let Thomas find his feeling in the paint."

"Scott, you can still shoot three-pointers in the Knicks. When we meet an opponent like the Bulls, after we do a good job of defense, we can use what we are best at to complete the offense."

The forward who was selected by the Magic with the fourth pick in the first round of 1990 nodded awkwardly after hearing what Lee said.

Denis Scott also joined the Knicks as a free agent.

The 30-year-old player is currently in a state of decline and his figure is a little out of shape.

Lee's words were more of a face-saving measure for the other party.

After all, the performance in the first half was really disappointing.

Due to Chris Dudley's poor physical condition, Ben Wallace served as the backup center in tonight's rotation lineup.

In the first half, the inside defense formed by him and Kurt Thomas was acceptable, and they also protected the rebounds well, but the entire rotation lineup had difficulty scoring after Sprewell missed the shot.

The substitutes could barely be considered a "four protecting one" lineup, which allowed the "throat-locking master" to perform, but the effect did not meet expectations.

When Jeff Van Gundy returned to the locker room, he found Lee writing and drawing on the whiteboard.

Chris Childs asked questions from time to time, and Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace nodded continuously.

Jeff Van Gundy, who was already used to such scenes, waited until everyone had finished talking, then cleared his throat, clapped his hands and said:

"The second half was tense, and we tried to end the game in the third quarter. The schedule this month is a bit tight, so we have to prepare early."

"."

Kurt Thomas, who had just joined the team, looked a little strange.

Fortunately, he had a look of deep hatred and resentment on his face, so other people couldn't notice anything wrong with his expression.

During the half-month training session, he mostly received defensive training.

Some of the Knicks' offensive tactics are too simple and crude, basically pick-and-roll, three-pointer, pick-and-roll, mid-range, pick-and-roll, and breakthrough.

Another tactic is for the big man to screen for the shooting guard, then catch the ball and shoot a three-pointer, catch the ball and throw a mid-range shot, or catch the ball and break through.

If the offense fails, the big man's task is to rush to the basket and grab rebounds, and then pass the ball back to the outside.

If the Knicks had not won the championship, Kurt Thomas almost doubted his life.

The Mavericks have more offensive tactics than the Knicks.

Although there were still doubts in his mind, after the start of the second half, Kurt Thomas on the bench saw the real style of play of the Knicks.

The Bulls, who took the lead in attacking, played a routine low-post tactic.

New player Brent Barry quickly slipped across the baseline from left to right, came to the right blocking area, received the pass from Harper, and turned around to attack facing the basket.

After the fake dribble, he released the ball with his right hand, broke through with a crossover step, and went straight to the basket despite Alan Houston's defense.

If Michael Jordan were to make the same attack, he would squeeze through the first line of defense, rush to the inside and probably shoot a layup.

Brent Barry didn't have the speed to dunk, and his intention to break through was too obvious, so Oakley successfully predicted it, let go of Mark Bryant on the opposite side, and resumed defense.

Cooperating with Alan Houston to complete the aerial interception, Oakley used his right arm to block the ball while separating. Brent Barry only felt a pain under his ribs, and then he was knocked to the floor by the two men.

"Oh!!"

The fans cheered, Oakley grabbed the rebound, and immediately passed the ball to Lee, who quickly advanced along the right sideline.

Harper immediately stepped forward to delay.

The two big men of the Bulls had just retreated to the center position, and the right wing was close to the three-point line.

Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, slowed down and dribbled quickly behind his back.

Harper was very familiar with Lee's technical moves, but he didn't expect Lee to suddenly accelerate after stopping the ball sideways.

Holding the ball in his left hand, Lee lowered his center of gravity, successfully got half of his body away, and quickly cut into the paint area against the constantly sliding Harper.

He suddenly changed his rhythm when approaching the basket, stole a step in the middle, used the same hand and foot, hung on defense, and after jumping with his left foot, Lee completed the layup with his left hand!

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

Before the Bulls' two big men had time to return to defense, the Knicks had completed their attack.

Harper was in average physical condition.

He made 0 of 5 shots at the start and got 2 points from free throws.

If it weren't for the Bulls' bench lineup, the half-game would have been wasted.

The veteran always wanted to block Lee's three-pointers.

Every time he reached the three-point line, he would readjust his center of gravity.

As a result, he was easily broken through in many rounds.

The two new players on the bench saw the Knicks' signature skills: tough defense without blowing the whistle, forcing the Bulls to start shooting jump shots again.

The Knicks kept counterattacking as they missed shots continuously.

Ewing and Oakley stopped running and watched Lee, Alan Houston and Larry Johnson complete a three-line fast break.

The Knicks began to score quickly with a series of breakthroughs and free throws.

The Bulls' several timeouts had no effect and they continued to miss shots on offense.

The score was 13:26 in a single quarter, and 59:76 after three quarters.

There was no suspense in the game.

Harper, who played the entire third quarter, looked extremely unhappy as he walked to the bench.

The Bulls actually collapsed, which was a very rare phenomenon in the past few years.

The old players of the Bulls all had their eyes wide open.

Without those few old guys, there was a high probability that they would dive for the No. 1 pick.

"I won't play garbage time, there's nothing wrong with my condition!"

Jeff Van Gundy called Sprewell to the court, and the former All-Star guard replied without even looking up, and put on his training clothes.

He was not going to go on the court.

The bald coach did not want to have a conflict with the players during the game.

He waved to Charlie Ward with a serious expression and played as a double point guard in garbage time.

0 of 6 shots, 2 of 4 free throws, in the first game, Sprewell had 2 points, 1 rebound and 1 turnover.

The Knicks' bench lineup is pretty good, Ewing and Oakley didn't care about the statistics.

In the eyes of the two veterans, they should enjoy the game tonight.

Seeing the conflict between Sprewell and Van Gundy, Lee did not say anything.

Ewing and Oakley were still the leaders of the locker room.

If the coach could not even decide who would play, then the bald young coach should be fired.

As the game time passed quickly, the final score was fixed at 79:100.

In the first game of the new season, the Knicks finally defeated the Bulls easily.

The New York fans were very satisfied with the big win over their old rival, and the famous players present also stood up and applauded.

Jeff Van Gundy didn't look very happy, and the bald young coach turned around and prepared to deal with Sprewell.

He played for 28 minutes, made 9 of 17 shots, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, 4 of 4 free throws, 23 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover.

Lee, who scored the highest points in the game, was interviewed again immediately after the game.

3 of 11, the gorilla's performance was poor, 2 of 8, Oakley also couldn't find the state, Walt Frazier simply ignored the two veterans, and smiled and boasted:

"We performed very well in the first game of the new season. Lee, do you think we have a chance to defend the title this year?"

Most New York fans are concerned about this question.

Lee responded confidently:

"Of course, this is the third year of the lineup running-in. The teamwork is more tacit. Compared with other teams, we are balanced in offense and defense. We will definitely defend the title successfully this year."

Many New York fans were still shouting Lee's name.

Commentator Mike Breen saw this scene and asked with a smile:

"We noticed that your offensive choices changed a lot in the first game. Is this related to your training during the offseason?"

Lee waved to the fans on the sidelines, and then answered frankly:

"Of course, after two seasons, we won the championship again, and more and more teams will study my technical characteristics."

"I will also respond, not just with three-pointers, I will make reasonable offensive choices based on the defense!"

"."

When Lee returned to the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy was furious at Sprewell:

"It's dangerous! No player can be above the team!"

"To win the championship, everyone will make sacrifices. This is my first warning. If this happens again, you will not be included in the activation list."

The bald young coach yelled a few words angrily, and then gave a brief summary of the game.

Sprewell, sitting in his seat, had a long face, while Ewing and Oakley beside him were watching the fun with a smile.

Returning to their seats, Clay Lee and Alan Houston bumped fists and joked to themselves:

"This is a good thing, at least we still have time to adjust!"

Alan Houston, who scored 20 points in this game, didn't care about the team's atmosphere and said in a relaxed tone:

"I believe that in just half a month, the team will be back on track!"

"."

Perhaps there was a traitor in the Knicks.

The news that Jeff Van Gundy lost his temper at Sprewell made the front page headlines of several New York newspapers the next day.

"Coach Van Gundy has lost control of the locker room!"

"A wrong deal? Sprewell will become a cancer in the locker room!"

Fortunately, the media are not stupid.

Sprewell is indeed stronger than Starks, and they did not belittle the other's strength.

The Knicks had a relatively easy schedule at the beginning of the season.

On the second day, during a training session in Tarrytown, Jeff Van Gundy almost staged a "catch the mole" drama.

In theory, news from the locker room cannot be leaked to media reporters.

This is an internal matter of the team and naturally has to be resolved internally.

The bald young coach was in a bad mood.

As the youngest championship coach, he was unable to command his players.

This was absolutely an extremely embarrassing thing!

After being exposed, Sprewell also realized the seriousness of the matter.

Playing in New York, he also had to deal with media reporters.

Once you are labeled like this, your career is largely ruined.

Sprewell was not included in the active roster for Sunday's game against the Wizards.

This did not affect the Knicks' victory.

88:108, the Knicks defeated the Wizards at home!

Clay Lee, Alan Houston, and Larry Johnson maintained their hot form.

On the bench, the inside combination of Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace also showed excellent defense.

Assistant coach Thibodeau was very satisfied with this.

Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace both made 3 of 4 shots and scored 8 points.

The bench lineup scored a total of 31 points.

Without Sprewell, there didn't seem to be much impact.

In Week 2, the Knicks only have one back-to-back game to play.

Although Ewing and Oakley were still in poor form, the team's record was not affected much after the offensive core shifted to the outside.

After defeating the Heat and Magic in succession, the Knicks easily won four consecutive games at the start.

On the evening of the 15th, Sprewell sat on the bench and was included in the activation list, but still did not get a chance to play.

Watching the Knicks' bench lineup relying on tough defense to limit the Pistons' missed shots, Sprewell knew that tonight would be another big victory.

Head coach Alvin Gentry felt that the timeout was no longer of any use, and he helplessly stayed on the sidelines, watching the score gap widen.

Lee only played for 2 minutes in the entire second quarter and did some simple exercises at the end.

33:50, halftime ended, Madison Square Garden was already boiling.

Leading by 17 points at halftime, there will definitely be a lot of garbage time in the second half.

During the halftime break, Sprewell still didn't say a word.

In the third quarter, he saw Grant Hill on the opposite side was still on the court, helping the team score points, and he felt a little conflicted for a moment.

With 4 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Jeff Van Gundy requested a timeout, preparing to replace the atmosphere team and continue to run in the inside combination of Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace.

Ben doesn't mind garbage time.

He has kept his hair for almost a year and this season he has a big afro.

After shaking the towel, he fist-bumped with the starting lineup:

"Cool! We can beat our opponents again tonight!"

Back on the bench, Lee took the water bottle handed to him by Ben Wallace and encouraged him:

"Ben, you played well in the second quarter, keep it up!"

The gorilla had no time to comfort the atmosphere group at this time.

The opponent missed shots, and the Knicks made a lot of transition offenses and ran back and forth frequently, and they were so tired that they could not stop gasping for breath.

Ewing basically didn't have much training during the entire offseason, and these weight loss games have exhausted him greatly.

Lee whispered to Chris Childs to let the opponent pass the ball more.

Larry Johnson was making fun of Alan Houston's choice that year, and Oakley was leaning back in his chair and daydreaming.

Realizing that the main lineup didn't care about him at all, Sprewell finally compromised.

While Jeff Van Gundy was drawing up the tactics, he took the initiative to move up to him and whispered,

"Coach, I want to play."

....

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