On the morning of May 21, 1997, Clay Lee felt like his cell phone was about to explode.
Text ssages had been coming in non-stop since the previous night.
I don't know where the brothers got the phone number from, but they all sent ssages to praise and congratulate him.
The major dia outlets were also in an uproar. The largest circulation USA Today and the New York Tis used the sa headline:
"Superstar——Clay Lee"
The photographer on the sidelines captured the mont when Lee completed the shot, turned confidently, and the light ca on when the ball went in.
In the photo, unlike Lee who had a smile on his face, Michael Jordan, who was standing still, turned his head in surprise and beca the best background board.
The very personal headline in the newspaper, coupled with this photo and the score of 81:79, made Lee completely famous!
Of course, this is thanks to Michael Jordan.
The spectators love to see Michael Jordan get into trouble.
Starting from last night's press conference, the New York dia couldn't hold back and joined in celebrating the victory, while also throwing titles such as egomaniac and data brush at Michael Jordan.
While having breakfast at the hotel, Lee looked at the Chicago Tribune in his hand.
The most eye-catching news in the sports section was the Bulls' loss, while in the entertainnt section there was news that Mariah Carey and Mottola's relationship had broken down and they were about to divorce.
The local dia in Chicago did not use exaggerated headlines, but instead praised Michael Jordan's performance.
Playing 44 minutes, he made 15 of 31 shots, 7 of 10 free throws, 37 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers.
After a diocre performance in the first half, the team managed to bring its shooting percentage back to 48.4% in the second half.
Just like what the sports article said, Michael Jordan is in great shape!
John Wallace ca to the restaurant and saw Clay Lee reading the newspaper and eating breakfast calmly.
He imdiately ca over and whispered:
"Bro! Why are you still eating breakfast? In the Eastern Conference Finals, you defeated Michael Jordan one-on-one. God, this is crazy!"
"?"
Lee had a puzzled look on his face. He didn't eat in the morning, so he was asked to eat the news as spiritual food?
Looking at the newbie beside him who was chattering and enjoying himself again, Lee shook his head helplessly.
This indirectly proved the influence of Michael Jordan.
Just as no one cared about his All-Star status before, everyone rembers that he dribbled past Michael Jordan.
No matter how the dia consus Michael Jordan, in the hearts of the players, he is the undisputed number one player in the league.
The buzzer beater made the old guys excited for the whole night, but after the adrenaline wore off, they fell asleep in the morning.
Most of those who went downstairs for breakfast were there to create an atmosphere.
Everyone's excitent remained unabated as they whispered about how to defend their ho court after returning to New York.
By winning an away ga, the Knicks would already have the upper hand!
When the hotel staff saw Lee finish breakfast, they tactfully asked for a group photo.
Lee agreed with a smile, and then a bunch of staff ca.
Fortunately, it was just a group photo in the end.
This can be regarded as a historical mont.
Even after 10 years, new players who see this photo will still think of the Eastern Conference Finals where Michael Jordan was defeated.
In an era when news dissemination still relies on print dia and cable television, Lee beca completely famous thanks to the historical background of Michael Jordan.
The morning video session was cancelled, and the Knicks' main lineup played 40
minutes last night.
Buck Williams played 40 minutes, Oakley played 42 minutes, Clay Lee and Alan Houston played 44 minutes, and Larry Johnson played 46 minutes.
Jeff Van Gundy had dark circles under his eyes and was too excited to sleep last night.
The thought that as long as they return to their ho court and win two gas in a row, the team will get the match point and enter the finals, the bald young coach feels refreshed!
"This is really a great opportunity! If we fight hard for the next away ga, maybe the series will no longer be suspenseful!"
After watching the ga video, assistant coach Thibodeau couldn't hold back and began to imagine a bright future.
"We let the Bulls grab 52 rebounds! It was a miracle that we won last night!"
"Guys, the Bulls aren't going to keep losing, and of course, with Pat back, our rebounding will improve!"
Although they were happy to win, assistant coach Don Chaney couldn't help scratching his head when looking at the technical statistics, and a thought erged in his mind:
"How did we win?"
39:52, the Knicks lost 13 rebounds.
Dennis Rodman only scored 4 points last night, but grabbed 17 rebounds.
Jeff Van Gundy looked at the 9:10 turnover count and once again realized the benefits of trusteeship.
Lee doesn't look like a 19-year-old point guard at all. He is very patient in the ga.
With a lot of playing ti, the Knicks' mistakes are almost negligible!
"Fight one more ga. If we really win Ga 2, the trend of the series will be completely reversed. We still need to do our best in tomorrow night's ga!"
Jeff Van Gundy felt that the finals seed to be within reach, especially when he thought of Phil Jackson's ugly face last night, he felt so comfortable.
When the coaching staff heard that the head coach had decided to play another ga, they had no objection.
Ewing had rested for a long ti and was in great physical condition. It was indeed worth a fight!
In the afternoon recovery training session, Ewing felt a little disappointed, but he was also smiling. The gorilla was also happy.
The situation was very good.
After taking a break for two gas, Ewing is in great shape and feels that he will lead the team to defend the ho court and win consecutive gas after his coback!
"The best goal of the 1996-1997 season! I think ESPN will even review this buzzer beater every year. No matter how many tis I watch it, I still feel shocked!"
"God, I really thought we were going to lose last night. Michael Jordan missed two goals in the fourth quarter!"
Starks' physical fitness was not affected. While completing the shooting training, he excitedly reviewed last night's ga.
"It's good that it's not 50 points. In the last quarter, I couldn't keep up with the rhythm. I took 30
shots and had a monster-like stamina!"
After looking at the technical statistics, Alan Houston kept complaining about Michael Jordan being a non-human during the afternoon training session.
This was his first ti to et Michael Jordan in the playoffs. He experienced the feeling of "I'm going to shoot you to death".
Alan Houston felt that he would definitely be beaten in the next series.
Larry Johnson had not fully recovered, but the "Grandmama" was already in high spirits at this ti:
"We have so confidence in ourselves. We are younger and we will fight with consumption. The old guys on the other side are definitely not our match."
"Fuck! I want to make it to the finals! The championship doesn't belong exclusively to Michael Jordan, we have a chance to win!"
Ewing also felt that this year was a godsend, and he took the opportunity to encourage his teammates:
"In the next ga, we won't lose rebounds again, and teach the Bulls another lesson!"
Lee on the side naturally agreed with a smile, and Oakley also grinned.
No matter what the result of G2 was, the Knicks had achieved their set goals.
The newspapers were filled with news of late goals, and on television, scenes of late goals were replayed over and over again.
Since last night, all major sports dia have been like parrots, chattering over and over again about the Bulls being defeated in Ga 1 and Michael Jordan becoming a background figure.
During the Bulls' training session, Michael Jordan, who was in a particularly bad mood, had his own aura.
The atmosphere team didn't dare to say a word, and they watched Michael Jordan continue to catch the ball and shoot on the other side of the court to complete the training.
Harper, wearing training clothes, shrugged helplessly and stretched his body.
In last night's ga, he shot 2 of 9 shots, 0 of 4 from beyond the three-point line, and scored 6 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
After looking at Harper, Pippen didn't say anything, feeling that he was not an undercover agent:
7 of 18 shots, 3 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, 4 of 5 free throws, 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.
The second rebound failed to turn into offense, and Phil Jackson did not make too many adjustnts.
At the end of the morning video class, he simply said:
"Continue our ga strategy."
In the training hall, only Rodman was still acting lazy, shooting casually, occasionally joking with the assistant coach, and not caring about Michael Jordan's attitude at all.
He had already done his job by grabbing so many rebounds.
Phil Jackson had long been accustod to this kind of atmosphere.
After watching the video session, he felt that he had the advantage and smiled again.
As the training session was about to end, he clapped his hands and said:
"Go back and have a good rest. We have to defend our ho court. Don't worry about the G1 match. In the next ga, we will turn the advantage into points and the victory will belong to us."
Steve Kerr is used to the head coach's style of adjusting the ga, but he wants to show more, so he took the initiative to say to Mike Jordan:
"Mike, you can pass
the ball and I'll make those shots!"
Michael Jordan, sweating profusely, looked at the little blonde-haired boy calmly, turned away, and finally responded:
"You need to defend well!"
"."
The boss said to do a good job of defense, and the Bulls also beca excited. They are very good at this!
On the evening of the 21st, in Ga 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets' old Big Three lost again.
92:104, the Jazz easily defended their ho court, and the series score ca to 2:0.
Olajuwon played as steadily as ever, making 12 of 22 shots, scoring a ga-high 30 points and also had 5 blocks.
Barkley made 5 of 12 shots and 6 of 10 free throws, performing decently and getting a double-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists.
Drexler made 6 of 18 shots, 3 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and contributed 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
The overall performance of the old Big Three was pretty good, but the role players couldn't hold up.
They shot 31 of 85 from the field, 5 of 16 from beyond the three-point line, and with a hit rate of just over 30%, it was indeed difficult to win.
Karl Malone made 9 of 21 shots and 6 of 10 free throws, scoring a double-double of 24 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers, which was a decline compared to the regular season.
The best perforr of the Jazz was still Stockton, who made 7 of 14 shots and 12 of 12 free throws, scoring 26 points, 8 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 block and 2 turnovers.
Utah's duo scored a combined 50 points, Stockton controlled the ga, and the Jazz scored from multiple points.
They put on such a dominant performance that many comntators were slapped in the face.
Stacking up stars doesn't work?
Considering that the playoffs always start with an away win, most comntators are still optimistic about the Rockets.
It's because 3 is greater than 2. There are too many stars!
The Rockets' aging trio's loss still failed to change the news focus, with major sports dia still in parrot mode and sports programs still repeatedly playing the scene of Michael Jordan's buzzer beater.
There is no need to search for enemies in the void, Michael Jordan has already put on a layer of anger BUFF!
On the evening of the 22nd, at the United Center in Chicago, when the visiting team players were introduced, Clay Lee's na was called and the audience booed.
When the Bulls players took the court, the cheers beca particularly violent, and DJ Ray Clay also raised his volu:
"Let's welco the 6-foot-6 guard from the University of North Carolina--"
"Michaell!!--Joordan!!"
Bulls fans began to roar as Michael Jordan, expressionless in his practice uniform, erged from the court and quickly high-fived his teammates.
The lights ca back on, but the noise didn't diminish at all.
"The fans in attendance were extrely engaged in this ga. After losing Ga 1, no one will underestimate the Knicks anymore!"
"The Bulls continued with their G1 starting lineup. In the last ga, they had a huge advantage in rebounding. The most important thing tonight is to convert the second offense into points."
Hubie Brown, on the TNT comntary stage, emphasized the rebounding issue, and Dick Stockton added:
"With Patrick Ewing returning tonight, the Knicks no longer have to worry about rebounding. This is a great opportunity for them!"
"If the Bulls lose two gas in a row, the trend of the series will be completely reversed, and I think New York fans definitely want to see this."
After more than a day of rest, most of the physical strength was restored.
The noise in the stadium beca louder and louder.
On the court, players from both sides ward up quietly.
Lee frowned secretly as he had not recovered to the expected physical condition.
No matter how good a talent is, it needs to be realized to be useful. Physical fitness is sothing that can only be gradually developed through long-term training.
Michael Jordan, who was in a bad mood, did not greet the Knicks players before the ga.
The gorilla who ca to the center circle looked intently at the basketball in the referee's hand.
As Ewing succeeded in the jump ball, Lee took control of the ball. The cheers at the scene turned into boos, and then the defensive shouts resounded throughout the arena:
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
Ewing, full of energy, rushed across half court quickly, then imdiately ca to the left side near the baseline and asked for the ball with his back to the basket.
Seeing Longley stuck behind him and quickly advancing to the left wing, Lee made a high pass.
After receiving the ball, Ewing imdiately released it with his right hand, slamd it, walked onto the line and jumped into the paint area right in front of the basket, carried it forward and made a hook shot with his right hand!
"Shhh!!"
The gorilla scored a strong point in the low post attack and was so excited that he pounded his chest, not caring about the boos from the audience at all.
Phil Jackson on the sidelines was sowhat dissatisfied with Longley's defensive position.
He was pushed too deep and almost gave points to Ewing.
After saying hello twice, increasing the defensive intensity and giving instructions to the players, Phil Jackson walked to the bench.
Michael Jordan was too familiar with New York's offensive tactics.
He thought he had regained his familiar ga feeling, but when he ca to the offensive end, he found that the Knicks' defense was more aggressive.
After Pippen dribbled across half court, he ca to the right wing.
At this ti, with the help of a screen, he slipped to the baseline and Michael Jordan ca to the right blocking area and asked for the ball with his back to the basket.
The mont he received the pass, Michael Jordan realized that he was surrounded by three people.
Alan Houston blocked the ball from behind, Larry Johnson rushed over following the ball, and Ewing stood at the bottom right side of the basket to block the breakthrough route.
Pippen and Longley both had chances, but Michael Jordan still had no intention of passing the ball.
He twisted his body toward the baseline, quickly released the ball with his right hand, dribbled sideways, then drifted to the right and completed a fadeaway jump shot!
"Clang!"
The basketball hit the rim and bounced out, but Ewing's positioning was effective, blocking Longley and protecting the backcourt rebounds.
On the other side, Oakley and Rodman had both fallen to the ground.
The referee imdiately blew the whistle and stepped forward to pull the two n apart.
One tried to sit back, the other tried to push forward, and finally Oakley threw Rodman to the ground.
Jeff Van Gundy was very dissatisfied with the call, and imdiately walked to the referee and complained loudly:
"We already got the rebound, your whistle wasted our transition attack!"
Despite the fall, Rodman looked very proud when he stood up and retreated.
The Bulls completed the retreat and he executed the ga plan perfectly.
Lee could only take the ball from the baseline again, and then Harper turned into a defensive pendant and stuck to him.
The Bulls' ga strategy was clearly revealed after the opening. They wanted to slow down and curb the Knicks' transition offense.
Soon, the Bulls fans at the scene were fed a shit-flavored chocolate by both sides.
He made very targeted defense, and when Longley couldn't keep up with the rhythm in pick-and-roll defense, Harper tried his best to chase him around the screen.
In order to keep Ewing away from the low post, Longley held on tightly and also added so half-front defense to disrupt Ewing's offensive rhythm.
The two big n were fighting for position in the interior, Harper was also desperately defending on the outside, and Alan Houston was so impatient with the defense of Michael Jordan that he didn't get any good opportunities for several consecutive rounds.
When the Bulls were on offense, Michael Jordan was triple-tead as soon as he received the ball.
Although he could have shot quickly, he chose to pass the ball more in the face of dunks.
The scores of both sides slowly rose, with one side attacking the inside and the other passing the ball to the superstar.
Ewing, who was full of energy, did not score efficiently against Longley's top defense and Rodman's assist defense, but in order to protect the rebounds, it was also difficult for the Bulls to launch a quick transition offense.
With 7 minutes and 15 seconds left in the first quarter, Michael Jordan made a fadeaway jump shot from near the right baseline.
At 8:10, the Bulls were leading with less than 15 seconds left.
Harper, who had been chasing after pick-and-rolls for several rounds, was delayed by Ewing this ti, and Lee easily scored with a quick stop and jump shot in the left blocking area.
The pick-and-roll position was not high, but as long as the gorilla moved down quickly, Longley would retreat to defense, and Lee still seized the fleeting opportunity.
Next, both sides started to miss shots, and Larry Johnson and Pippen both went to the free throw line after cutting in.
With 4 minutes and 13 seconds left in the first quarter, the score between the two sides was still 12:12.
The Bulls fans at the scene were stunned.
Michael Jordan was double-tead as soon as he received the ball. The Knicks showed excellent defensive flexibility.
At the end of the first quarter, both sides were still missing shots until Lee and Pippen made three-pointers to break the deadlock.
Finally, the ga was a free throw shootout, and at the end of the first quarter, the score was fixed at 18:18.
Phil Jackson stopped pretending to be cool and sat on the bench.
He started to get anxious after not being able to make a breakthrough for a long ti.
The main lineups of both teams were substituted at the last minute and almost played the entire first quarter.
Michael Jordan returned to the bench and grabbed the water bottle in a depressed look to replenish water.
1 of 3 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and Michael Jordan only scored 4 points under double-team.
Clay Lee played the entire first quarter and was in a good mood when he left the court.
The ga was indeed worth playing. As long as they could limit Michael Jordan, the Bulls' offense would be constipated.
"If we keep playing at this pace, we'll have a chance to win another away ga!"
Jeff Van Gundy excitedly gave out chicken soup loudly, he even felt that the Bulls were no longer viable!
This is not just the bald coach's illusion, everyone on the Knicks feels the sa way.
The players were healed and recovered.
In the second quarter, they relied on defense to feed the Bulls fans with shit chocolate again!
The score was 17:17 in the quarter. Both teams were slow and iron-fisted.
A lot of leading defense and frequent physical fights almost made the basket crooked.
The half-ti score was 35:35, and the two sides were tied.
"Unbelievable, Michael made 1 of 6 dunks in the first half, 5 of 6 free throws, and only 7 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist!"
"The Knicks' defense was very targeted, not only completing the double-team, but also cutting off the passing lanes."
In the TNT comntary booth, Hubie Brown almost thought he had misread the technical statistics, and his tone revealed surprise.
"The best player of the Bulls in the first half was Pippen, who made 5 of 11 shots and scored 11 points. However, head coach Phil Jackson made multiple substitutions in the second quarter, seemingly to reserve energy for the second half!"
Dick Stockton enjoyed the fun and summarized the half-ti ga with a smile.
During the halfti break, in the Knicks locker room, Ewing loudly encouraged everyone:
"If we hold on for another half of the ga, we can win the away ga! We're leading 2:0, the Bulls can't even think of turning the tables!"
The gorilla made 4 of 12 shots in the first half, 4 of 6 free throws, and scored 12 points and 6 rebounds.
He perford very well and successfully curbed the Bulls' rebounding.
But everyone in the locker room was gasping for breath.
Double-team defense cos at a price.
The number of dunks and slides from the outside was twice as much as in normal gas.
Alan Houston's eyes were already wide open, Larry Johnson slumped in his seat, and Lee's physical condition was not optimistic.
In addition to dealing with the pendant Harper, he also had to participate in double-teaming in many rounds.
The defensive strategy developed by Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff is indeed effective, but defense requires physical strength.
Oakley didn't want to talk either.
The old guy was busy wrestling with Rodman for position in the first half, and several mid range jump shots were all missed.
The delicious chicken soup couldn't restore everyone's physical strength, but the gorilla's encouragent did work.
By the third quarter, the Bulls fans at the scene were completely dumbfounded.
14:14 in a single quarter, 49:49 after three quarters.
After playing the entire third quarter, Lee returned to the bench, feeling exhausted.
The old man on the opposite side kept missing shots, but he managed to hold on to the ga with his defense.
On the Bulls bench, Michael Jordan was also gasping for breath.
He played for 11 minutes, made 1 of 6 shots, scored 2 points, and was trapped by the Knicks' outside line.
There was no room to break through, the paint area was full of people.
Pippen also made 1 of 6 shots.
The second-in-command was a bit embarrassed and missed a lot of open shots, resulting in the Knicks getting smaller and smaller.
At this mont, Phil Jackson finally felt that the ga was out of control.
No matter how he replaced players, he could not change the situation on the court.
"I will take care of this ga, we can't lose at ho!"
There is no ti to rest.
After saying this, Michael Jordan threw away the towel on his head and imdiately prepared to go on court.
"Wow!"
Seeing that Michael Jordan did not rest, the Bulls fans at the scene shouted excitedly, saying that it was ti to fight hard.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Jeff Van Gundy brought on Chris Childs and Starks to try to give the main backcourt a break.
As a result, in less than 2 minutes, he made two mistakes, which frightened the bald young coach and he imdiately requested a tiout and replaced the main players.
In the last quarter, the first one to collapse was Alan Houston.
I don't know where Michael Jordan got the strength from, but he kept rushing to the basket!
With his physical strength declining, Alan Houston's defense couldn't keep up with his dunks, the Knicks' double-team began to show loopholes, and the Bulls rained 1 points through free throws.
Michael Jordan, who found his touch, finally won the victory.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Bulls fans at the scene shouted excitedly and celebrated wildly along with Michael Jordan who was pumping his fist and roaring.
69:73, the Bulls finally defended their ho court.
Michael Jordan made 2 of 3 shots, 10 of 10 free throws, 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in the final quarter and took the ga away.
"Rebounds 45:45, turnovers 11:11, shooting percentage less than 30%, and finally, Michael Jordan exploded to end the ga."
"It's a sha that the Knicks were so close to winning another road ga, but the boys did their best."
In the comntary booth, Hubie Brown praised Michael Jordan's performance.
The statistics are not important at this ti, winning is enough!
4 of 15 shots, 15 of 16 free throws, 23 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, Michael Jordan's technical statistics are really ugly.
"The Knicks still have the initiative. Next, they only need to protect the next two ho courts to get the match point."
"This doesn't seem to be a difficult task for them, but coach Van Gundy should consider making more rotations and controlling the playing ti of the main lineup."
Dick Stockton gave advice with a smile and began to look forward to the upcoming series.
In the Knicks locker room, the loss did not cause much of an impact, except that everyone was physically exhausted and slumped in their seats.
Lee was still sighing with regret at this ti. The Bulls were about to fall in just one or two rounds.
Playing for 43 minutes, he made 9 of 22 shots, 7 of 11 free throws, 25 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 turnovers. The gorilla got the highest points of the ga!
Although Jeff Van Gundy felt a little disappointed, the coaching staff was still very excited that the predetermined goal had been achieved:
"This is a long series. We have taken the initiative. The next step is to protect our ho court."
"The Bulls are not invincible. You saw that Michael Jordan can also be inefficient and tired!"
"."
Jeff Van Gundy began his speech by dissing Michael Jordan.
The bald young commander's endless chicken soup did not have an encouraging effect.
Alan Houston was too tired to talk, and Larry Johnson, who had only rested for less than 4 minutes in two gas, had a blank mind at this ti.
When Lee saw the state of the two people, he knew that they were completely overdrawn.
It's easy to say "offense and defense in one
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