On May 22, 1998, although Ga 3 of the Western Conference Finals was on that night, most sports dia were still reminiscing about the Bulls' loss.
This season was indeed difficult for the Bulls, but with Pippen returning in the second half of the season, the dominance of the old guys seed to be back.
Before the playoffs began, the Bulls were the favorites to win the championship, and most sports dia followed suit, believing that Michael Jordan would lead the team to a second three-peat.
In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls and Pacers played to a seventh ga.
Michael Jordan made 9 of 25 shots and finally won the ga, but so dia beca fence-sitters.
After the Bulls lost two gas in a row in the Eastern Conference Finals, so fence-sitters began to talk about the past:
"Maybe the Bulls' general manager Krause is right, they should stick to rebuilding this season!"
"Michael Jordan's arrogance ruined the Bulls. He should have considered the advice of managent."
"Phil Jackson's tactics have been figured out, the Bulls should fire him during the offseason!"
"."
Since last night, basketball critics and columnists have been in a carnival mont.
It seems as if everyone has amnesia and has forgotten how they had previously praised the Bulls' dominance.
To these TV shows and newspaper articles, the fans of the entertainnt industry have only one reaction:
"Please increase the intensity! We love watching it!"
As the ratings rose, newspaper sales also increased.
This feast for the dia lasted until the next day.
TNT will naturally not miss this hot topic, but as a professional sports dia, it naturally has to present data to make sense:
"During the regular season, the average score was 96.7 points per ga, ranking 9th in the league;"
"Limited opponents to an average of 89.6 points per ga, ranking third in the league;"
"He averaged 82.9 shots per ga, with a field goal percentage of 45.1%, ranking 15th in the league. He averaged 11.7 shots per ga from beyond the three-point line, with a three-point shooting percentage of 32.3%, ranking 23rd."
After briefly introducing the Bulls' basic statistics, McHale said:
"I never said the Bulls were dominant this season!"
"Maybe they were affected by Pippen's injury, but judging from the basic data, I am not surprised that they encountered difficulties in the playoffs!"
The host Ernie Johnson looked strange.
If he hadn't lost his mory, the legendary star had been optimistic about the Bulls before the playoffs began.
Kenny Smith on the other side insisted on his position and said seriously:
"The regular season and the playoffs are completely different. I believe the Bulls will find their form again after two days of rest!"
"Michael Jordan will not give up easily. The Bulls have a lot of experience. They have been through a lot."
"As long as we can defend two ho gas, the outco of this round of playoffs is still hard to predict."
Perhaps because he didn't want to see a second three-peat, McHale continued to output seriously:
"No one can beat ti, and the Bulls are no exception. Even in Ga 7, it's still the Knicks' ho court."
"Maybe the young players lack match experience, but they are in better physical condition. Do you think Lee will suddenly perform poorly?"
"This is the second year of his career. So players cannot be viewed with ordinary eyes. Look at Tim Duncan. Although he is only a rookie, he averaged 20 9 in the playoffs, which shows that ga experience is not a problem."
Seeing that the two insisted on their own opinions, the host Ernie Johnson suddenly said:
"Maybe we should pay attention to the ga between the Lakers and the Jazz tonight!"
McHale, who was still producing, couldn't stop at this ti and said casually:
"The Jazz will get the match point. O'Neal can't defend the opponent's pick-and-roll, and the Lakers' outside line will not respond."
"I think the sa is true for the Bulls' periter. Even if they return to their ho court, they can't solve the shooting problem."
"."
Since the morning video class was cancelled, Lee also saw the scene where TNT and ESPN collectively suffered from amnesia.
The shalessness of these dia outlets was beyond his imagination.
Lee clearly rembered that it was these people who praised Michael Jordan to the sky when the Bulls won the seventh ga.
He also watched those episodes and thought there would be so solid analysis, but it turned out to be all boasting and bickering, and it also stepped on Reggie Miller.
After getting the big contract, Starks moved to another luxury apartnt on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where New York celebrities like to live.
In the afternoon, Lee drove to the training hall alone.
The Dodge Viper GTS-R was a new car given to him by the manufacturer.
In the 1997 Le Mans Endurance Race, Dodge perford well.
In order to advertise the race in early June, this limited edition street car that had not yet been released beca Lee's new car.
The car is in Knicks team colors, with a white body and orange stripes running through the body, which is particularly eye-catching.
The advertising effect is good. At least New York fans are familiar with this car and will say hello when they see it.
The two-ga win over the Bulls also boosted the confidence of the Knicks, but as the playoffs draw to a close, the players are also particularly concerned about the labor-managent agreent.
This is about US dollars, and the players don't want a shutdown.
When Lee ca to the locker room, Ewing was scolding David Stern:
"The league and the managent are on the sa side, they just want to exploit the players!"
"Fans buy tickets to watch us play. If the team makes money, our salaries should be increased and our contracts should be more secure."
In 1995, the labor dispute lasted for more than two months, and there was also a work stoppage in 1996.
In March 1998, the league's owners voted on whether to restart collective bargaining agreent negotiations, and 27 of the 29 owners supported re-signing the agreent.
So far, the two sides have negotiated many tis.
When Ler heard Ewing complain, he knew that the eighth negotiation broke down again.
Oakley thought that what the gorilla said was right.
The old guy also wanted to make more money:
"We should provide so protection for veterans. We have played for half of our lives, and it is ti for us to have a big contract."
Before the start of this season, the Timberwolves offered Kevin Garnett, who had just finished his rookie contract, a 6-year, $126 million contract!
$126 million, even more than what team owner Glen Taylor paid to buy the Timberwolves two years ago.
This contract not only stimulated the owners of each team, but also dazzled the players:
"Raise your salary! You must raise your salary!"
However, the breakdown of this negotiation has sent a very bad signal, and the next season may really be suspended!
For the atmosphere players, if the ga is suspended and the boss doesn't pay their salaries, they will be left with no money and their credit cards will be blown up.
At this ti, everyone is discussing what to do if the ga really stops, which will have a huge impact on the grassroots players.
The dia did not report the breakdown of the negotiations at all.
Apparently, the managent and the league had joined forces to teach the players a lesson.
A lockout ans no training, no team etings, and no player trades.
Seeing Lee, Alan Houston whispered,
"Lee, if the next season is really locked out, what are your plans?"
"I plan on putting on so muscle!"
Lee patted his biceps, indicating that he wanted to further hone his body!
Larry Johnson also didn't care about the lockout.
"Grandmama" has a contract with Converse and a lot of off-court inco, enough to support his extravagant life:
"Co and train with , and go to Las Vegas to watch a fight. If you win the championship, you should enjoy life during the off-season!"
Players with sponsors are completely different from grassroots players.
Bottom-level players may compromise for their jobs, but star players will never cut their salaries.
Lee smiled and bumped fists with the "grandmama".
No matter how the labor-managent agreent develops, his big contract cannot be reduced.
Workers don't talk about feelings.
The labor-managent agreent negotiations broke down again, which naturally affected the internal situation of the Bulls.
For Michael Jordan, as a role model for the players, it is impossible for him to accept a pay cut.
This has nothing to do with his personal wishes, but the players' union needs Michael Jordan to make a statent.
As a superstar, he must never compromise with the managent and the league.
After receiving the news, Michael Jordan knew that this season might be the last season for the Bulls to play together.
Pippen will not give up his big contract, nor will he take a pay cut.
The Bulls currently have the highest salary in the league, and the owner no longer wants to pay for the championship.
Just as the dia reported, the Bulls were falling apart.
After flying back to Chicago overnight, Michael Jordan held a player eting the next morning.
There was no need for any chicken soup for the soul, as everyone on the Bulls was aware of their current situation.
"Everyone has heard the news. I don't want to say too much. I just want to win the championship again!"
"Play good defense, throw away those useless little ideas, and rember that the championship will give us everything."
Wearing a white training suit, Michael Jordan looked serious.
He talked about a defensive issue and didn't say anything else.
If the Bulls win the championship again, will they keep this lineup?
Pippen planned to run away because he couldn't get a big contract, but Rodman didn't care about this issue.
After hearing what Michael Jordan said, the other players felt that there was still hope to retain the lineup.
The Bulls expressed their opinions one after another, saying that they would do their best in the next ga, and the "motivational" eting ended successfully.
On the evening of the 22nd, contrary to everyone's expectations, the Lakers lost again, and the Jazz got the match point!
The Jazz, with a rotation of 10 players, beat the Lakers, which had 4 All-Star players.
109:98, the Jazz easily won the ga with multiple points.
The score was 3:0.
Although the series was not over yet, there was no miracle.
The Jazz had already made it to the finals!
O'Neal's heroic performance could not lead the Lakers to victory.
With 17 of 30 shots and 5 of 13 free throws, the Shark scored a big double double of 39 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and 5 turnovers;
But the Lakers' outside shooting was limited to 5 of 19, and the 26.3% three point shooting rate stunned the Lakers fans.
Facts have proved that most of the players who play in a flashy way are not suitable for the playoffs.
Van Exel made 2 of 13 shots tonight, 1 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and scored 10 points.
Facing the Jazz's iron-blooded defense, the Lakers, with their flamboyant style of play, were unable to fight back.
On May 23, after a day of rest, the Knicks team flew to Chicago in advance.
Unlike the Bulls who refused interviews, the Knicks were not afraid of anyone who ca.
As soon as they arrived at the Hilton Hotel where they were staying, so reporters who had been waiting there began to move towards the players.
David Aldridge, a sports reporter for ESPN, interviewed Lee during the Eastern Conference semifinals.
This young black reporter often covered Georgetown University gas when he worked at the Washington Post and had a good relationship with Ewing.
However, after joining ESPN, in order to get the latest news, most of the interviews with the Knicks in the past two years would first sound out Lee.
The gorilla didn't brag when he t the Bulls, and Aldridge didn't make things difficult for Ewing.
While the team was still checking in, he smiled and approached Lee to casually chat about the next ga:
"Lee, two away gas, let's talk about the Knicks' ga plan."
Wearing a Hickey Freeman grey custom suit and pushing a suitcase, Lee looked very steady.
He answered the reporter who often interviewed him with a relaxed look:
"The playoffs all start with a win on the road, and our plan is to win the next road ga and then return to New York to finish the ga."
"Of course this is the best plan. We all know that the Bulls will not give up easily. Maybe they are particularly united now."
Aldridge smiled back at Lee.
He would not report on the labor managent agreent, but just this sentence was enough.
He was particularly good at making up stories in his mind.
On the evening of the 24th, at the United Center, the noise was getting louder and louder before the ga started.
For Bulls fans, everyone wants to see the team complete its second three peat!
Coupled with the previous rumors that the Bulls were going to break up, fans all wanted to see a perfect farewell.
The two ho gas are gas that the Bulls cannot lose.
Once the Knicks get the match point, it will be useless for them to make a coback.
In the ga that night, the Bulls started to attack frantically on the defensive end after the opening, and with the blessing of the ho whistle, their moves beca more and more intense.
The Bulls perford poorly in the early stages of the regular season, but were able to make a coback thanks to their defense.
Phil Jackson stopped pretending to be cool at this ti.
He stood on the sidelines and shouted to encourage the players since the ga started.
According to the ga plan made before the ga, the three outside players of the Bulls began to take turns defending Clay Lee.
The expected crushing victory did not occur, and the Knicks still made very few mistakes.
At the end of the first half, the score was 46:49 and the Bulls were leading by only 3 points.
In the second half, the hand-to-hand combat familiar to the fans took place again.
Rushing for rebounds and leading defense throughout the ga, the Bulls only wanted to slow down the pace of the ga.
In the end, the united Bulls managed to protect their ho court.
86:90, after a fierce battle in the second half, the Bulls pulled one point back and the series score ca to 1:2.
After the victory, the United Center was completely boiling, and after two days of rest, Michael Jordan's physical strength had recovered a lot.
Playing 43 minutes, he made 12 of 25 shots, 10 of 12 free throws, 34 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers.
Michael Jordan once again played an efficient performance.
After the ga, Michael Jordan, who was interviewed, was also emotional.
He panted and assured the Bulls fans:
"Thank you to the Chicago fans who ca tonight. The Bulls will eventually win the series!"
"No one wants the championship more than us. We will win three consecutive championships again!"
"."
When he ca to the away ga, Lee's efficiency began to decline, making 8 of 20 shots, 3 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 7 free throws, scoring 23 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.
A lot of physical confrontation did affect his touch, but at the post-match press conference, Lee still had a smile on his face and looked very confident.
The reporters in the audience acted as mouthpieces and repeated Michael's point of view.
Lee couldn't help shaking his head:
"The desire for victory? Maybe it will affect the outco of the ga!"
"But basketball gas can be very cruel sotis. The winner is not only determined by fighting spirit, but also by physical condition."
"In the next ga, the Eastern Conference Finals will officially begin, and the Knicks are also eager to win!"
"."
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By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate
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