Chapter 106 Passively becoming a tool man

On May 5, 1998, after the Knicks ended their Eastern Conference semifinals with the Hornets that night, fans received another piece of good news:

"Patrick Ewing will return from injury in the next game and officially return!"

For New York fans, this is definitely a surprise!

This season, the Knicks have been struggling in terms of rebounding performance. Although Chris Dudley has height, there is a clear gap between him and Ewing.

Therefore, when Gorilla personally announced the news at the post-match press conference after G1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the New York media in the audience also became excited.

Some people frowned secretly, but they couldn't talk nonsense at this time. Generally speaking, most people are still optimistic about the gorilla's return from injury.

After Ewing, who was wearing a black formal suit on the stage, announced the news, he felt quite comfortable. He didn't want to wait any longer. It was time to lead the team to the top!

72:102. Since the Knicks won too easily in G1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the New York media did not bother to ridicule the Hornets after the game. Most of them asked questions around Ewing:

"Pat, will the coaching staff limit your playing time? How is your body recovering?"

Ewing showed his right arm, moved his wrist, and answered confidently:

"There is no playing time limit, and my body has fully recovered!"

"The team needs me, and I will go all out when I get back to the game. After sitting on the bench for a few months, I can't wait to play!"

Li You, who was sitting on the sidelines, was a little surprised. According to the plan, Gorilla should not return to the team until the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, superstars do have the power to decide their own playing time. The coaching staff’s plan is not important. Li You remained calm and smiled when answering questions:

"We have a schedule advantage, so the whole team will strive to end this series as soon as possible!"

"With Pat back, rebounding will become our advantage!"

Everyone was praising Ewing, and the gorilla was completely inflated. At this moment, he even forgot that it was his shooting hand that was injured, and he just thought proudly in his heart:

"The Knicks are still my team!"

On the morning of the 6th, the "King of New York" announced his return and dominated the front pages of the sports sections of major New York print media.

It's hard for Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff to say anything. After all, Ewing is a superstar. If he wants to come back early and find his form, he must meet the requirements.

However, after the video class in the morning, when he saw the confident Ewing, the bald young coach secretly shook his head. He was not optimistic about the gorilla's performance on the offensive end.

The right wrist was injured. Although the nerves were not damaged, shooting will definitely be affected.

Considering Ewing's offensive options, it may take some time to get used to the job of making jump shots.

"Buck has a physical problem and Pat comes back early, which is also a good thing for the team!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau didn't think too much. From a defensive perspective, Ewing is definitely better than Buck Williams and Dudley.

Don Chaney on the side did not speak, but looked at Jeff Van Gundy. The bald young man knew that he could not continue to be friends at this time, and said seriously:

"We will not change our tactics until Pat recovers. Victory is the most important thing. Getting the match point in one go is the team's only goal."

"."

The coaching staff was still discussing how to integrate the gorilla into the team. During the afternoon training session, Li You took the initiative to greet his teammates and help the gorilla find his condition.

The familiar singles in the left block appeared again, but faced with Dudley's defense, Gorilla failed to finish at the basket for several consecutive rounds.

This is not the first time this phenomenon has happened. After Ewing participated in the joint training, problems arose in the ending.

Perhaps the old guys will comfort themselves and think that the gorilla is still looking for form, but Li You and others have long seen that injuries have taken away part of Ewing's shooting touch.

In the more than a month since he participated in the training session, Ewing's condition has not recovered. Even his mid-range jumper is no longer stable.

The more times he caught the ball, the uglier Ewing's face became. It wasn't until Dudley finally started to defend symbolically that the Gorilla finally regained his face.

There were not many routines in the afternoon training session. After the training, everyone was still talking and laughing, but Ewing was not in a good mood.

When Li You and others changed their clothes and prepared to go home, they discovered that the gorilla man was missing.

"Pat went to practice shooting. I believe he will find his form!"

Charlie Ward didn't even change his clothes, and assumed the attitude of me and the boss moving forward and retreating together, preparing to practice more with the gorilla.

"Charlie, don't push yourself too hard, and let Pat pay attention to rest! Relax, we will keep winning!"

Li You smiled and said hello, and he and Larry Johnson and others left the locker room one after another.

Alan Houston patted Charlie Ward to express support, then turned away.

Chris Childs shrugged. Although he was a little transparent, his statistics had also increased this season. He glanced at Charlie Ward and quickly followed, ready to go home.

The "boss" practiced extra time, but only a few people were with him. Charlie Ward expected the coaching staff to say something, but found that Jeff Van Gundy didn't say anything.

The atmosphere team also followed Li You back to their respective homes. In the end, only Oakley, Starks, Charlie Ward, and Ben Wallace were left to accompany the Gorilla for additional training.

Starks, who received a big contract this season, has not changed much in his regular season statistics, but his efficiency has dropped a lot.

The shooting rate was 39.7% and the three-point shooting rate was 31.7%. Starks was able to maintain beautiful data mainly due to the increase in the number of rounds of the team.

After receiving the team's bonus, Starks will not act like a doormat like Charlie Ward.

"Give yourself more time! Pat, I don't think the semifinals will cause too much trouble to the team."

"Gradually increase your playing time and slowly find your form."

After hearing what Starks said, Ewing, who was still shooting at fixed spots, said nothing, but the smile on his face disappeared, and his good mood disappeared.

Oakley didn't care about the mess in the locker room at all. He was happy to win the championship. The old guy was more concerned about the big contract. When he saw Ben Wallace, who was acting as a transparent person, he said hello:

"Ben, learn your skills from Pat! Your shooting is terrible."

"Xiao Ben" smiled awkwardly. He was indeed not very good at technical work and could only act as an atmosphere team at this time.

Just thinking about the team's situation, "Xiao Ben" thought it would be good to be a rebounding tool. At least Li You promised that if he can rebound, he can start:

"Starting center, will it be my turn?"

That night, in G2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, after falling behind at halftime, the Bulls broke out in the third quarter and reversed the game again.

98:104, the Pacers had the advantage in rebounding, but made 19 turnovers in the game, and ultimately lost.

The old guys of the Bulls were not in a fast pace, but they only made 6 turnovers in the game. They relied on defense and opponents to deliver points, and they played a smooth game and established the victory.

In 42 minutes of playing time, Michael Jordan made 13 of 22 shots, 15 of 18 free throws, and scored 41 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals;

Pippen's condition improved, making 6 of 18 shots, 2 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 7 of 10 free throws. He contributed 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks, and 2 turnovers.

With 2:15 of steals, the Pacers were outplayed by the Bulls.

The Bulls' dual-core team performed well, but Reggie Miller continued to be sluggish, shooting 4 of 13 and scoring 19 points on free throws.

After this game, no one underestimated the Bulls anymore. With rich game experience and excellent execution, there are more and more calls for the championship!

The New York media will not promote the Bulls, everyone is still in a state of self-reliance.

On May 7th, after more than a day of rest, the Hornets and Knicks started their G2 battle again.

Before the game, Ewing had attracted much attention, and the cameras were glaring at him throughout the game.

The New York media are all looking forward to the team blossoming inside and outside tonight and beating the Hornets again!

Gorilla's return to the starting lineup does not have much impact on Li You personally, because the ball is in his hands.

Therefore, when being interviewed in the locker room before the game, Li Youye kept encouraging Ewing:

"After Pat returns, he will completely improve our penalty area defense. Divac is very good, but tonight he can no longer play an efficient offense!"

"Rhythm of the game? We have absolute strength and can adjust at any time. We will still beat our opponents tonight."

Li You was surrounded by many New York media. Everyone noticed that Ewing's offense was not mentioned in several answers. At this time, everyone also realized something and did not ask too many questions.

During the pre-game appearance ceremony, when Ewing came on the stage, the New York fans at the scene also cheered loudly:

"Wow!"

Ewing, who has played in New York for many years and plays hard, has a deep fan base. The new generation of young people may not like the gorilla who always fails, but the old fans will support Ewing.

Even though the Knicks have always lost to the Bulls in the past, that experience was the youthful time of old fans.

When the game started, Ewing successfully jumped to the ball, and Madison Square Garden was also excited!

In the first round, Li You didn't steal the show. He came to the left wing and lobbed the ball to Ewing who was looking for the ball in the low post.

The Knicks opened up one after another, with Li You and Alan Houston preparing to respond on the left and right wings, Oakley opening up space at the free throw line, and Larry Johnson moving back and forth on the right baseline.

With a relatively excellent singles space, Ewing did not hesitate. After receiving the ball, he immediately released the ball with his right hand, hit it with a bang, approached the paint area, and immediately took a step horizontally upwards.

Divac was well prepared and immediately moved to block. In the paint area, right in front of the basket, Ewing leaned on his opponent and completed the throw with his right hand!

"state!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and bounced high. Everyone on the Hornets immediately got into position. In the end, Glenn Rice successfully collected the rebound.

"oh!"

The New York fans at the scene sighed and almost scored.

Ewing clapped his hands in annoyance, and then quickly retreated with the others.

It's also a defensive situation, but with the gorilla on the field, Oakley is much more relaxed.
To be continued...