On June 2, 1999, the Spurs had won two gas in a row in the Western Conference Finals held two days ago,leading their opponents 2:0.
In Ga 2, with 5 seconds left, David Robinson blocked Jim Jackson's pull-up jumper.
Then Walt Williams of the Trail Blazers grabbed the frontcourt rebound, controlled the ball, and missed another jumper, so the Spurs managed to hold the ho court without any danger.
The two sides played another slow paced ga.
In 47 minutes, Duncan made 8 of 11 shots and 7 of 13 free throws, scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 blocks, and 4 turnovers;
In 40 minutes, David Robinson made 6 of 10 shots, contributing 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.
The Spurs' twin towers contributed 8 blocks, once again showing their top rim protection ability.
Popovich did not have many special tactics, and he continued to fight the main force.
Duncan rested for only one minute.
The New York dia was still discussing the strength of the Spurs' twin towers before, but after the Knicks announced Ewing's injury in the morning, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.
No one expected that Ewing, who limped off the court at the ti, would actually tear his right Achilles tendon.
"The good news is that Pat does not need surgery, and the bad news is that he needs at least half a year to recover."
After Jeff Van Gundy announced this news at the Tarrytown Training Center, New York fans were a little confused.
Not to ntion the opponent in the finals, just the Pacers they are facing now, without the gorilla, Rik Smits can gain a huge height advantage.
For a while, the inflated New York fans all cald down.
After the end of G2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks got three days of rest.
On the morning of the 3rd, when the New York dia interviewed Ewing, the gorilla's lower right foot had been fixed.
Although he still appeared in the training center, Ewing looked extrely depressed.
At the end of his career, he suffered an Achilles tendon injury, which was another huge blow to his athletic ability.
Ewing certainly understood what such an injury ant, and it would be difficult for him to get a decent data next season.
In the dia center, watching Ewing limping to the stage, many reporters who have followed the team for many years felt a little sad.
In the past, people often consud gorillas, but seeing that the star who had accompanied him for many years was so embarrassed at the end of his career, many people didn't want to ask any more questions.
"Pat, will we beat the Pacers?"
The New York Tis reporter asked simply.
Ewing on the stage forced a smile and answered seriously:
"Of course, the Knicks will not only win the Eastern Conference Finals, but also win the championship again!"
"."
In the training class, Jeff Van Gundy was a little worried.
Without Ewing, the inside line lacked height, the quality of the screen would decline, and the center's secondary control of the ball would not be considered.
Oakley's jump shot this season is also unstable.
Although the defense is still online, the Pacers chose to let it go in the first two gas.
The pick-and-roll tactics are becoming more and more difficult, which has beco a consensus of the coaching staff.
"It seems that we have to increase the playing ti of the three-guard lineup. This is really a helpless choice."
Assistant coach Thibodeau looked at the Knicks' training step by step and sighed to Jeff Van Gundy beside him.
The bald young coach shook his head.
He had no idea how to match the inside line.
Even if Ewing's form declined this season, his rebounding and excellent defensive awareness can still raise the team's defensive bottom line.
In the bench lineup, Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace have too little experience, and Jeff Van Gundy trusts the veteran more.
The coaching staff did not make too many adjustnts.
After the training session, Oakley returned to the locker room and took the initiative to say:
"We are indeed at a disadvantage in height, but defense and rebounding are not just about height. I can handle the soft big man on the other side."
Larry Johnson can also defend the inside line.
He did not care too much about Ewing's absence:
"The offense needs to be more stable. I don't like playing in Indiana, but we have to win at least one away ga."
Sprewell noticed that "grandmama" looked at him, curled his lips and said nothing.
In the fourth quarter of G2, he suddenly lost his fire, shot 1 out of 6, and was taken away.
Houston's state began to warm up, and he gradually adapted to Reggie Miller's defensive skills.
"No one can stay stable all the ti, just do your best. The series has just started, and there is no need to have a psychological burden."
"Of course, we do have to strengthen our defense. After all, Pat is gone, and rebounding is not a one-person job. Everyone has to be prepared."
Hearing Lee's words, the atmosphere group also echoed loudly.
Ben Wallace was also a little excited.
Although his performance in G2 was average, he was not quite used to defending Rik Smits.
But as long as he had more playing ti, Ben Wallace was confident that he could improve his performance.
Lee noticed that his teammates were still very confident and he was relieved.
Under the subtle change, although everyone respects Ewing, in general, they still believe in his offense more.
If it really doesn't work and the ball sharing doesn't work, they can start the "four protect one" strategy.
After leaving the locker room, Lee was surrounded by a large number of dia.
It was not easy to interview Ewing who was in a low mood, so he naturally had to interview more:
"Lee, can you talk about the trend of the series? Will Pat's injury stop the team from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals?"
"The playoffs start with winning away gas. The Pacers have the upper hand, but we will also take the initiative back."
"Of course we will not stop at the Eastern Conference Finals. I will fulfill my promise. The Knicks will still win the championship."
Lee began to brag confidently at this ti, and soon the New York dia in front of him were overjoyed.
Everyone recovered from the frustration of Ewing's injury.
On June 4, the Knicks set off to Indiana.
Tomorrow night, the Eastern Conference Finals Ga 3 will officially start.
Ewing chose to go to the away ga with the team.
The gorilla was still very impressive.
After the injury, the mayor of New York also showed concern.
The news in the past two days also reviewed his unfortunate career.
Many old fans in New York even held whiteboards to see him off.
The slogan of "Fight for Ewing" began to spread in New York.
But the fans' actions made Ewing even more depressed, as if he was going to say goodbye to the NBA.
That night, in the Western Conference Finals G3, the Trail Blazers, who returned to their ho court, played the worst ga of the series, and the Portland fans almost shut themselves up.
After scoring 12 points in the second quarter, the Trail Blazers scored another 8 points in the third quarter after the second half of the ga started!
24:8 in a single quarter, the Spurs hadn't even started to work, and the Trail Blazers exploded.
The substitute lineup perford poorly, and in the starting lineup, Damon Stoudemire, as the brain of the team, played a disastrous performance.
85:63, the Spurs finally got the match point easily, the series score ca to 3:0, and the second-year Tim Duncan had already stood on the floor of the finals.
In this ga, Duncan, who was troubled by fouls, only played for 20 minutes, 7 shots, 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers.
But the opposing Trail Blazers were crazy under the defense of the Spurs.
Damon Stoudemire made 1 of 12 shots and scored 2 points, which stunned the fans present.
Rookie coach Popovich was a little bit overwheld at this ti.
Even if Mike Dunleavy on the opposite side didn't look at him well, Popovich still smiled.
At the press conference after the ga, he praised the Spurs' twin towers:
"We don't care how the outside world evaluates, Tim and David are getting better and better!"
"Maybe Lee is a talented player, but Tim is not bad either. Think about it, this is only the second season of his career!"
"."
The Spurs entered the finals, and the New York dia began to frown again.
Ewing was injured, and everyone didn't like to et a twin tower team.
The closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage.
The advantage of big n is obvious, and they can maintain the lower limit very well.
Teams with outside players as the core are said to have a higher upper limit, but once the state fluctuates, they usually fall.
On the evening of June 5, in the Eastern Conference Finals Ga 3, the Knicks lost again.
The Pacers broke out again, and Reggie Miller only scored 12 points with 3 of 10 shots.
On the bench, Jalen Rose and Antonio Davis scored 35 points together.
Contrary to Jeff Van Gundy's expectations, Rik Smits did not play much in tonight's ga, and the Pacers' forwards rushed to the basket frantically.
With continuous breakthroughs and free throws, the series score was 85:90, and the score ca to 2:1.
The Pacers had a chance to get the match point at ho.
The ga plan failed to be customized, and Jeff Van Gundy looked ugly, thinking that he was fooled by the opponent.
The fans at the scene were even more foul-mouthed and kept mocking loudly.
The Knicks looked serious and walked back to the player channel quickly.
At the post-match press conference, Reggie Miller, who had a poor performance, started talking nonsense again.
He kept silent in New York, but when he returned to his own territory, Reggie Miller loudly mocked:
"Yes, no one from the Pacers is on the MVP list, and no one has ever won the MVP!"
"But we don't care about that, because in the next ga, everyone will send the MVP ho!"
The Pacers' team reporters all followed suit and shouted loudly.
As long as they get the match point at ho, the series will most likely be over!
The New York dia watched the two sides bragging about each other, and could only curse inwardly:
"Fuck! Miller!"
....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate
:)
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