Thinking again that Phil Jackson would most likely not coach the Bulls, the bald young coach felt nervous and sent out chicken soup:

"Two days of rest, take a good rest, and remember, we only need to win one away game to get the match point!"

"Our opponents will also get tired and make mistakes. As long as we seize the opportunity, we can completely end the series."

The mental victory method is particularly useful at this moment. Larry Johnson, who scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shots in this game, was the first to chime in:

"We will get the match point and finish them off in the next game!"

Alan Houston didn't say anything, but just bumped fists with "Auntie" to express his agreement.

Ewing performed well tonight, shooting 7 of 16 and scoring a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. However, he missed two free throws at the last moment, which made the gorilla very depressed.

Oakley was still yelling at the referee. The old guy thought that the Jazz's home whistle was a bit too much, and the screen could be called a foul.

Jeff Van Gundy was nagging and still giving chicken soup for the soul, but Li You was rubbing his chin, thinking about how to deal with double teams.

Played 40 minutes, 8 of 19, 3 of 8 from beyond the arc, 4 of 5 free throws, 23 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers. On the road, his efficiency began to decline again.

Starks was silent at this time. He was not good at playing against the wind and away from home.

After two days of rest, G4 will officially start the war on the evening of June 8th.

Winning a home game gave the Jazz a good start, which also made many losers change their tune.

The popularity of the finals has also begun to pick up, and no one likes to watch a one-sided game.

The Knicks didn't go anywhere. After finishing training, they went back to the hotel to watch the video. Jeff Van Gundy may not have slept well, and the dark circles under his eyes became more and more obvious.

"It's unbelievable that Karl Malone, who is about to turn 35, has still not declined."

After watching the video, Thibodeau lamented again that this state is not much different from last season.

Oakley and Starks have shown signs of decline this season. After Ewing was injured, he has not found his previous offensive state until now.

Jeff Van Gundy also felt that this was outrageous. Oakley's defensive role was limited. Without the home whistle, some actions were not allowed.

"It is also a good choice to wait for the opponent to make mistakes. At least Li did not make a lot of mistakes when facing double teams."

"Our starting lineup is still very stable in scoring. Maybe John and Chris can find their shooting touch in the next game."

Assistant coach Qian Downey is still relatively optimistic. As long as someone from Starks and others on the bench breaks out, the Knicks can score around 90 points.

Even if the Jazz slows down the pace of the game, such a score is enough to win a game.

At this point in the series, there is not much room for adjustment. Jeff Van Gundy prayed secretly in his heart and said with confidence on the surface:

"We will win an away game. Compared to the Jazz, we are younger and more talented!"

Several assistant coaches and team staff were flattering each other for a while, and the bald young coach was in a state of ecstasy when he took pictures of him.

On the night of June 8, at the end of halftime at the Delta Center Arena, Jazz fans were cheering loudly.

At 40:46, the Jazz entered the second half with a 6-point lead.

In the NBC commentary box, Bob Costas looked at the technical statistics of Starks' 1-for-8 shooting, 2 points, 2 rebounds and 3 turnovers, and sighed helplessly:

"Alan Houston left the game with a sprained foot after the opening game and had a huge impact on the Knicks."

"Coach Van Gundy may have made the wrong substitution choice. Obviously, Starks was completely out of shape tonight."

Seemingly recalling the finals that year, Doug Collins added with a smile:

"The Knicks must make timely adjustments. If the Jazz win another game, the series score will become 2:2, and the battle at Tianwang Mountain will still be held in Salt Lake City."

Isiah Thomas didn't expect Starks to be in such a bad state, and he laughed and said something sarcastic:

"Not every player is suitable for a stage like the Finals. I hope Alan Houston's injury is not serious and he can return in the second half of the game."

In the Knicks locker room, Starks' eyes widened, and Jeff Van Gundy also frowned, dreaming back to that year's Finals.

Every time it comes to a critical game, something will always happen to the Knicks.

Big Brother struck the iron, and no one had much to say. They just thought of losing again, G5 was still in Salt Lake City, and Ewing and Oakley were no longer inflated.

Alan Houston broke through to the basket in the opening game and sprained his foot when he landed, twisting his foot badly. At this time, he grinned and said:

"I can continue to fight, it's not a big problem!"

Jeff Van Gundy shook his head and pondered for a while before speaking:

"Chris, Charlie, you guys, get ready. John will take a rest in the second half. Lee, you will play the No. 2 position."

Li You nodded. The bald marshal made the right choice by continuing to let Starks appear on the stage.

Everyone is in a low mood. The Jazz are more prosperous tonight, and both Russell and Hornacek have found their shooting touch.

The embarrassment is that the Knicks rarely make comebacks this season, and the coaching staff is also aware of this situation.

After the second half of the game started, the Jazz fans at the scene immediately cheered for the home team and shouted:

"Let's go Jazz! Let's go Jazz! Let's go Jazz!"

The Jazz took the lead in attacking. Stockton noticed that his opponent was Chris Childs. Li You defended himself in front of Hornacek and immediately made tactical gestures.

Hornacek quickly slipped across the baseline from right to left, and with the help of Karl Malone's cover near the baseline on the left, he quickly bounced out to the left block.

Li You's pursuit was a step slower, but he did not block the shot. Instead, he slowed down and raised his left hand high, simply causing interference.

Hornacek saw Li You sliding, feinted and then quickly released the ball, holding the ball in his right hand to accelerate the breakthrough. He soon discovered that this was the wrong choice. Li You was pulling covertly and failed to pick up speed.

He broke through into the paint in three big steps. Under Li You's interference, he cut in and picked up the basket.

The basketball just hit the frame, and several people under the basket jumped up to grab the rebound. Li You also jumped around at this time, and finally it was Ewing who grabbed the rebound above everyone.

The fans at the scene sighed with regret. If they score two more points, the point difference will be close to double digits!

"Defense!Defense!Defense!"

The defensive cheers echoed through the arena again, the home team took the lead, and the Jazz fans at the scene were in high spirits.

Chris Childs dribbled through the half court with 8 seconds left. At this time, Li You was standing in the right corner. Hornacek simply turned his back to the basket and defended one-on-one.

The two were fighting in the bottom corner. Li You first pretended to catch the ball on the right wing, moved up and then suddenly ran back. Hornacek lost his defensive position without paying attention, and then immediately chased behind him.

Near the baseline on the left, Ewing's off-ball screen delayed Hornacek. When Li You bounced to the left wing beyond the three-point line, Chris Childs immediately sent a cross pass.

Turning around to catch the ball, Li You didn't make any adjustments and threw the ball away from the three-point line!

Hornacek had just arrived in front of him and subconsciously blocked the shot. After landing, he heard boos from the fans at the scene.

"Whoa!" The three-pointer hit the net.

At 43:46, the Knicks quickly narrowed the point difference after the start of the second half.

"Shh!"

Despite the boos from the audience, Jeff Van Gundy stood on the sidelines and kept clapping.

The Knicks retreated quickly, and Chris Childs immediately led the defense against Stockton.

Compared to Li You's defense, Chris Childs was more aggressive, fighting with physical strength and constantly interfering.

Coming to the left wing, Karl Malone began to block in the low post again, and Oakley knew that the opponent was definitely going to pass the ball.

The two competed in the low post again. Soon, Malone received the pass, turned around, feinted, then released the ball with his left hand, arched it along the baseline to the basket, pushed away the defense, and forced a shot with Oakley hanging on him.

When the basket was put under the basket and missed, Foster and Ewing huddled together, and Oakley also took off.

The four people under the basket continued to grab points, and finally Oakley collected the rebound.

Ewing complained to the referee about the opponent's elbow blocking, but received no feedback. Instead, Jazz fans booed wildly again.

It was still a positional battle attack. This time Li You had no chance to counterattack, and the right flank made tactical gestures.

The Knicks soon started to play their old routine. After receiving the ball in the low post on the left, Ewing broke through the upper limit and made a throw right in front of the basket.

As soon as the basketball came out of the frame, Ewing rushed to the basket, and Oakley and Malone huddled together again.

The gorilla got the rebound, and Larry Johnson, who was rushing inside, took the opportunity and grabbed the rebound.

Amid the boos of Jazz fans, "Big Mom" ​​once again threw the ball to Chris Childs on the outside, and the Knicks gained another 24 seconds of attack time.

Coach Sloan next to him was very dissatisfied with this round and kept reminding Russell loudly:

"Concentrate! Get your seat in advance!"

At this time, Li You quickly slipped across the baseline from right to left and came to the left block. Realizing that he could not get rid of the defense, he suddenly shot diagonally outward.

Oakley, who had just arrived at the right elbow of the free throw line, took advantage of the situation and made an off-ball screen. Li You briefly got rid of Hornacek's pursuit and quickly bounced to the right wing.

Under the interference of Stockton, Chris Childs' cross pass was delayed by half a beat. When Li You received the ball, Hornacek successfully pursued the ball in front of him.

After catching the ball, he feinted and noticed that Hornacek was not jumping out of position. Taking advantage of the opponent's slowdown, Li You quickly released the ball with his right hand, took a step laterally, drifted slightly to the right, and quickly shot a jump shot!

"Whoa!" Another three-pointer!

"Shhh!!"

At 46:46, coach Sloan immediately requested a timeout. The tough coach looked ugly. Before 2 minutes were up, the Knicks equalized the score.

The atmosphere team didn't care at all about the boos at the scene, jumping up and down and high-fiving Li You after he came off the stage.

Oakley and Ewing also bumped fists and tied the score. The confidence of the old guys was back.
To be continued...