On February 19, 1999, the 76ers were defeated at home.
After the loss, Larry Brown had a solemn expression, and the Philadelphia fans at the scene were stunned.
98:67, looking at the huge score difference of 31 points, many fans were disappointed.
Alan Houston had his best performance since the start of the season, playing 32 minutes, making 11 of 16 shots, 5 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 turnover.
Facing Iverson's defense, Houston seemed very calm and even played some of Michael Jordan's style.
He received the ball near the paint in the right blocking area, successfully blocked the position, immediately turned toward the baseline, and completed a fadeaway jump shot!
Faced with such an offensive method, the small Iverson really didn't have much to do, and was almost shot in the face for three quarters.
When chasing and defending without the ball, several gambling steals allowed Alan Houston to easily get a three-point opportunity, and he made another successful shot.
Although Iverson also regained his face on the offensive end, he played for 40 minutes, made 11 of 20 shots, and scored a game-high 29 points.
But after losing so much, the boss had to take the blame.
After the game, when the New York media asked MVP about his opinion with a smile, Iverson was so angry that he almost turned around and left the court.
"MVP will not lose by a large margin, nor will he become a defensive sieve!"
The New York media made sarcastic remarks, and Alan Houston also rubbed salt into the wound during an interview:
"Lee always makes the pass at the right time, I just seize those fleeting opportunities!"
"Of course, I want to thank Michael Jordan. I learned a lot from him in the two playoffs."
"Off-ball movement, post-up offense, this is how he beat me in the playoffs in the past two years, but I am very grateful for these experiences!"
"Iverson has offensive talent, but I have a size advantage. This is just a regular season game, and efficient performance doesn't mean much."
In 33 minutes of playing time, Clay Lee also played an efficient performance, making 8 of 15 shots, 3 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, and 5 of 6 free throws, scoring 24 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.
Since the start of this season, he has consistently scored 20+ points and has had double-doubles in five consecutive games.
This performance has the New York media cheering:
"Lee takes back his MVP!"
After 5 games in a week, on Sunday night, the 21st, the Knicks returned to their home court to face the Bulls again, and gave them another big defeat.
63:100, the game ended, and Madison Square Garden was completely boiling.
New York fans were delighted to see their old rival, the Bulls, become a bottom-feeder!
The Knicks' second lineup performed well, limiting the Bulls' bench to just 10 points in total.
Since the start of the season, most teams have taken the initiative to slow down when facing the Knicks.
Look for positional offense to try to limit the Knicks' chances of transition offense.
It's just that the bottom-ranked team's offense is weak, and once Bang Bang misses a shot, it will still be counterattacked.
In two consecutive games, the 76ers had 70 possessions, the Bulls had 72 possessions, and the Knicks still had 84 possessions, and were not affected by the opponent at all.
At the press conference after the game, Jeff Van Gundy received unanimous praise from the New York media:
"Jeff, can you talk about our second team? Sprewell has been in great form in recent games!"
Since the "madman" doesn't like the New York media, everyone can't interview him, so naturally they have to ask the head coach.
The bald young coach has been a little bit proud recently.
The team is on the right track.
Facing a tight schedule, the excellent lineup depth has played a huge role:
"The second lineup is mainly defensive, and Sprewell has done his job well!"
"The team is getting better and better. This season, our goal is to defend the title."
Jeff Van Gundy, who never brags, also started to brag at this time, and the New York media in the audience loved to hear this!
The regular season had not even started for a month, and the enthusiastic media helped the Knicks to loan the championship.
On the morning of the 22nd, in a Manhattan apartment, Lee dazedly opened the door to the big loli Scarlett.
The energetic big loli entered the door and started gossiping:
"I saw Connelly when I came! Will you marry her? I remember she has a child!"
Lee poured himself a glass of milk, looked at Scarlett who fell on the sofa and started gossiping as soon as she entered the door, and said helplessly:
"We just want to talk and relieve our loneliness."
Scarlett, who has been in the entertainment industry since she was a child, is well-informed.
She pouted and continued to gossip:
"I like Sister Ramis. Will you get married?"
(A/N: Melinda Ramis, her full name)
Lee, who had taken a sip of milk to regain his strength, also sat on the sofa, raised his eyebrows, and responded casually:
"Melinda plans to continue studying, she doesn't think about getting married."
"Ritter, don't think I don't know that you two are very close! Will you marry her?"
Seeing that the big girl was still planning to gossip, Lee quickly interrupted:
"How old is she? Young people should enjoy life and not think about marriage so early!"
Scarlett rolled her eyes, wanting to continue gossiping.
But then she realized that she still needed help from others, so she smiled again and asked in a low voice:
"Lee, can I go to your new home for a few days? I want to entertain some friends!"
The eldest Loli is one year older and has started to like showing off.
It's just that her family is not well-off, and the money she earns is kept by her family.
If she wants to hold a party, she has to ask Lee for help, as he has money and a house.
Handing the key to the other party, Lee recalled the campus gossip that his little follower had complained about, and he also teased:
"You are very popular in school! Why don't you go to those parties!"
The big Loli who got the key cheered, and then said nonchalantly:
"I know what those people are up to, and I'm not interested in fooling around with them."
High school students' parties are just as crazy.
Apparently, Scarlett is aware of this.
The environment in public schools is average, and sidelines and parties are common.
Scarlett, who has seen the life of wealthy people, began to expand her social circle.
If her age allowed, she would even want to try Lee's high-performance sports cars.
Noticing the mark on Lee's neck, the big Lolita asked with a smile:
"Lee, how do you get rid of loneliness? Your life is obviously very exciting, how can you be lonely!"
Looking at Scarlett, who still had a washboard figure with a golden ponytail, Lee rubbed his brows and complained helplessly:
"When one day, your schedule is full of work, you will naturally experience it. Remember not to go to the master bedroom. The guest room should be enough for you!"
Scarlett knew that there was a wine cellar in the new house.
After hearing Lee's instructions, she knew that she could drink to her heart's content.
She cheered again, and then murmured,
"I know, so you want to marry that rich girl!"
"."
The girls had no worries, at most they just gossiped about the love lives around them, but Lee, who returned to New York, had a full schedule.
In addition to Nike's activities and new ads, there are also ads for McDonald's new products to be filmed.
Add to that the exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated and parties hosted by several other sponsors, and Lee has nothing else to do except work.
In the last week of February, the Knicks still have four games to play.
Jeff Van Gundy could clearly feel that the players' enthusiasm for the game was beginning to wane, and this was most obvious with Ewing.
Although he still has a lot of shots in every game, the gorilla seems to be lying flat, and the reason is very simple:
"I can't get too many honors."
O'Neal is killing it in the Western Conference, and with his current form, he is destined to be selected for the first team.
As for the MVP, Ewing felt that he could not compare with Lee's stable performance in terms of data.
Even the gorilla can't be selected for the Player of the Week or Player of the Month.
Under various circumstances, Ewing failed to lose weight, and Van Gundy started to lose his hair again.
Although chicken soup could not inspire the fighting spirit of the veterans, the Knicks are still winning, with a big win over the Nets and a small win over the Timberwolves.
When he flew to Boston to challenge the Celtics away, Ewing still did not seem excited enough.
This season, the Celtics have completely turned into a whirlwind and fast-playing team.
In the game against the Magic two days ago, they defeated the opponent 79:111 with 91 shots.
McCarty, the punching bag, was able to start for the Celtics in his first season after leaving the Knicks.
And after Paul Pierce was selected this year, McCarty became the atmosphere guy again.
On the evening of the 26th, at the TD Garden, the Knicks challenged the Celtics away.
At the end of the third quarter, the two sides were tied at 82:82, which made the Boston fans excited.
Bruce Bowen, who joined the Celtics this season, has gained a firm foothold and successfully entered the team's rotation.
After the start of the fourth quarter, Kenny Anderson and Bowen partnered in the backcourt, with Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker on the front line and Tony Battie as the center.
With one big player and four small players, most of the players are rookies.
Coach Pitino continues to speed up!
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The Knicks took the lead in attacking.
Lee did not rest at this time.
He partnered with Sprewell in the backcourt.
The forwards were Larry Johnson and Kurt Thomas, and the center was Ben Wallace.
Jeff Van Gundy followed the opponent's smaller lineup, and the bald coach tried to give the Knicks the upper hand.
Kenny Anderson is a small point guard who is 183cm tall and very flexible.
Although his defensive effect is not great throughout the game, he still insists on this defensive style.
Lee came to the top of the arc, and the two big men of the Knicks were standing in the elbow area.
Holding the ball in his left hand and protecting it sideways, Lee quickly went in and out, swaying right and left as Kurt Thomas took a step forward.
First, he broke through Kenny Anderson's defense, then Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, lowered his center of gravity and broke through to the left side of Kurt.
Facing Antoine Walker who came to assist in defense, Lee suddenly moved the ball under his crotch and successfully dodged the defense.
The basketball passed under Lee's crotch.
He scooped up the ball with his right hand and squeezed through the two people in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, he rushed into the paint area.
Paul Pierce was originally guarding Larry Johnson in the right corner.
Seeing that his teammates did not retreat to help defend, he quickly retreated to the basket and jumped high.
Rushing to the front of the basket, Lee jumped with both feet and noticed that Paul Pierce had occupied a favorable defensive position.
After an aerial confrontation, Lee turned 360 degrees.
"oh!!"
Amid the exclamations of Celtics fans, Lee flashed to the lower left side of the basket, completely getting rid of Paul Pierce's block, and then sent the ball into the basket with his left hand!
"Squeak! Swish!"
The ball went in after the whistle blew, and the referee also called a foul on Pierce's hand-pulling.
"Shh!"
As if he was dissatisfied with the penalty, there was booing from the audience.
After Paul Pierce landed, he subconsciously opened his mouth and watched Lee walk to the free throw line.
In the Celtics' home commentary booth, legendary star Bob Cousy sounded somewhat helpless:
"We need to get a big man who can protect the rim. This is the fourth time Lee has made a shot in the paint and got a free throw."
"Antoine's defensive habits are a bit bad. If we want to win the championship, we must do these details well!"
His partner Sean Grande glanced at the technical statistics, immediately curled his lips, and whispered,
"Our hit rate is declining, but Lee is in excellent offensive form. In the next game, we should slow down the pace."
The two also suggested in the commentary booth that after Lee made the free throw, the Celtics quickly served the ball from the baseline, and after half court, they made two outside passes.
On the right wing, Antoine Walker came out to receive the ball.
Noticing Kurt guarding the three-point line with his hands raised, Antoine Walker didn't hesitate after receiving the ball and took a clean jump shot!
"Clang!"
The long rebound ball bounced out and fell into Sprewell's hands.
He took the rebound and immediately ran for the ball, accelerating in the middle and quickly rushed across half court.
Bowen tried his best to defend and kept interfering.
Sprewell noticed that Lee on the right wing had followed up, and without waiting to get close to the three-point line, he immediately passed the ball behind his back with his left hand.
Lee followed up and received the ball with his left hand, then began to adjust his steps as he approached the three-point line.
Kenny Anderson, who was defending on the side, quickly slid forward and just as he got in front of him, he saw Lee stop suddenly and then make a jump shot!
"Swish!" The three-pointer was converted and scored again!
88:82, quickly taking the lead, the atmosphere group on the Knicks bench began to cheer.
Seeing Lee raise his right arm, put up three fingers and start to show off, Antoine Walker didn't even look at the head coach's gesture and continued to speed up the attack in the next round.
Antoine Walker received the ball in the right blocking area, faced Kurt's defense, attacked facing the basket, and after the three-threat, he broke through with a crossover step with the ball in his right hand and went straight to the basket.
Although Kurt lost his defensive position, he still gave a physical confrontation to the side.
Ben Wallace quickly retreated to the lower right side of the basket, jumped up and immediately sent a nail-biting block!
"Oh!"
Watching Larry Johnson take control of the ball and dribble forward, Pierce tried his best to retreat.
Just after crossing half court, Larry Johnson passed the ball to Lee near the left wing.
After receiving the ball, Lee immediately changed direction under his hips and switched to his left hand.
While lowering his center of gravity, he opened the way with his shoulders and broke through with his shoulders pressed down.
Kenny Anderson, who was still retreating, subconsciously slid to prepare for close defense, but after the confrontation, he lost his center of gravity and had no time to adjust, and was directly crushed by Lee.
Noticing that Pierce was actively retreating and returning to the basket, Lee immediately jumped and the two of them confronted each other in the air after approaching the basket.
Having learned his lesson, Pierce subconsciously pulled for a foul, only to find that Lee's body was only slightly tilted, and he once again avoided the wind from his right hand, and shot the ball towards the backboard while tilting his body!
"Bang!"
"squeak!"
After landing, he saw the basketball fall into the basket, and then he heard the referee's whistle.
Pierce spread his hands to his teammates in frustration, indicating that he had tried his best.
Lee didn't even look at the other player.
He stood under the basket and showed his biceps to the camera, which caused a round of boos from the fans in the front row.
Then he turned around and high-fived Larry Johnson to celebrate:
"Great pass! Bro!"
Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines kept clapping, then sat back on the bench with a smile and hung up the game with peace of mind.
Legendary star Bob Cousy in the commentary booth saw Lee score another free throw, and his tone was no longer cheerful.
He complained:
"Don't blame Paul. Kenny Anderson was completely unable to limit Lee's offense!"
"."
As the game progressed, Antoine Walker and Pierce missed shots one after another, and the TD Garden gradually became silent.
The Knicks' counterattacks came one after another, with Sprewell and Lee making consecutive breakthroughs and shots, ending the suspense of the game in less than 6 minutes.
Requesting a timeout again, head coach Pitino was almost pissed off by Antoine Walker, who kept missing shots and giving away points:
"Pay attention to retreating and completing the defensive matchup in time. Hey! The game isn't over yet!"
99:86, Pierce returned to his seat, heard the coach's words, and saw the 13-point difference, and he was still very frustrated.
As the main lineup returned one after another, the Knicks' offensive firepower remained undiminished and Lee continued to score points.
In the transition offense, Lee exploded the ball and stepped back to shoot a three-pointer.
In the second offense, Lee broke through to the basket and assisted Ben Wallace to dunk.
Pierce missed a three-pointer from the left wing.
Lee received the rebound and made a long pass throughout the court, assisting Larry Johnson to counterattack and dunk!
He continued to score points while missing shots.
With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Lee stood on the free throw line again.
The Celtics fans sitting in the back row began to leave.
He played well for three quarters and successfully fed the last quarter!
On the Knicks bench, Ewing watched his teammates cheering and celebrating, and felt bored for a while.
Jeff Van Gundy naturally noticed the gorilla's mood and frowned in his heart.
His chicken soup seemed to have no effect.
With 1 minute and 1 second left in the game, Clay Lee was substituted out, and Sprewell took the initiative to step forward and bump fists:
"Well done! A career high!"
Lee didn't care about the statistics.
He just felt that tonight's game was very exciting.
He really liked the feeling of attacking:
"We have to be careful with the beer in the hands of Boston fans!"
....
https://discord.gg/mjcCSyu7Yr
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)