Chapter 125 Disharmonious team atmosphere

On February 3, 1999, the regular season would officially begin the day after tomorrow, and the Knicks' front office staff was busy preparing for the championship award ceremony.

Jeff Van Gundy has been having a big headache these days. Although he became the youngest championship coach in the NBA, Sprewell, who came to the team, did not buy it.

The 29-year-old Sprewell is at the peak of his career. He was suspended for a long time last season and his form has declined, but he still has the level of an All-Star defender.

Sprewell was not happy about joining the Knicks, and even publicly shouted to the media at the press conference to join the team:

"Have you ever seen an All-Star guard come off the bench?"

The New York media was not polite either and gave an example with a smile:

"Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, an All-Star guard, was a substitute last season."

After being choked at the press conference, Sprewell was in a particularly unhappy mood:

"Who is Kobe Bryant? How can a rookie be compared to a three-time All-Star?"

The first meeting between the two parties broke up on bad terms. The New York media hoped that this player would replace Starks and serve as a super scorer in the substitute lineup.

Sprewell didn't like playing as a substitute at all and vowed to ask the coaching staff for a starting position.

But after arriving in the Knicks locker room, Sprewell became more honest. Apart from making a face every day, his training was not compromised.

Players are not stupid. They were suspended for so long last season. They must get more good data this season to win trust.

General Manager Glenn Field's trade was well received. He traded the declining Starks and rotation players for an All-Star guard in his prime. This deal was a huge profit!

As for whether the players are suitable, that is the head coach's problem. Jeff Van Gundy is already numb about this. He looks at Sprewell's bad face every day and doesn't know what kind of chicken soup will be effective.

The Knicks' lineup also had some problems. Veteran Buck Williams finally chose to retire, leaving only Chris Dudley and Ben Wallace in the interior rotation.

In the afternoon training session, Li Youzheng helped Ewing lose weight. The fat gorilla played several fast breaks and had to take a break.

"Speed ​​up, Pat! Go faster, and after the pick-and-roll, go down immediately!"

Quickly holding the ball and advancing to half-court, Ewing had just stood at the top of the arc. Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, quickly blasted the ball, grabbed the ball with his left hand and turned around, squeezing past Ewing's left side.

Sprewell put all his strength into pursuit and took advantage of the gorilla to slide down and pounce directly on Li You's side.

Li You, who was carrying the defense and holding the ball with his left hand, saw that Ewing was not able to reach the position in time. He paused slightly at the free throw line. He relied on Sprewell to go straight inside, broke through to the lower left side of the basket, and easily picked up the basket.

succeed!

After running back and forth quickly for several consecutive rounds, the gorilla panted from exhaustion and took the initiative to stop:

"Take a break and let me drink some water, Shet! I have to replenish my water."

Last season, when he completed a high pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, Ewing was able to quickly move down to the basket and get stuck in a crazy position, but now he is directly stretched.

He has gained weight, and not only has his low post offense not returned, but his finishing at the basket has also not improved. Ewing's salary this season is as high as 18.5 million U.S. dollars. With such performance, Jeff Van Gundy has begun to lose his hair recently.

The longer the training session lasts, the more physically exhausted the gorilla becomes.

Ewing was most likely drained of energy by the female demons during the offseason. During the past few days of training, he had been acting particularly shaky, and he often felt weak.

Assistant coach Thibodeau immediately called for a stop. Everyone in the Knicks team didn't care and comforted the gorilla's state:

"Don't worry, Pat! We'll play the Bulls at home the night after tomorrow. You know, the other team has disintegrated. You still have time to get back into shape."

Oakley carelessly consoled Ewing from the sidelines, seeming to think that the Knicks had won the game.

Due to the shortened season, the schedule throughout the season is not only extremely tight, but in many cases some teams will not meet each other at all.

In theory, these situations do help the Knicks, but Li You looked at Sprewell, who turned his head to practice more, and then at Ewing, who was still laughing, and was speechless for a moment:

“The atmosphere in the team is extremely harmonious”

The Bulls were completely disbanded, and before the start of the regular season, many sports media were discussing general manager Krause's operations.

Scottie Pippen eventually left the Bulls. When Barkley chose to take a salary cut, the conscientious second-in-command was traded to the Rockets to play Big Three basketball.

Longley was also traded to the Suns in exchange for rotation players and a 1999 first-round draft pick.

The Bulls' main lineup was reduced to only two players, Cookic and Harper, and the dynasty finally disintegrated.

On the evening of February 5th, New York fans arrived early at Madison Square Garden after waiting for half a year. Everyone wanted to witness the championship flag rising over the arena.

Due to the major changes in the Bulls' lineup, no one paid attention to their opponents. Tonight's game has turned into a grand party.

Before the game officially started at 20 o'clock, the atmosphere became more and more noisy.

On the sidelines, Spike Lee was greeting head coach Calhoun and the newbies from the University of Connecticut:

"This is definitely a historic moment. Knicks fans have waited too long. Boys, in the future, you can also join the team like Lee."

"It's dangerous and we're tired of logging! The Knicks are the best choice!"

Head coach Calhoun nodded with a smile. Behind him, Hamilton and several newbies were infected by the atmosphere and cheered along with the fans.

Charles Sr. has invited many New York city officials and celebrities to the box to watch the game tonight. He is also the protagonist tonight and will jointly present championship rings to everyone on the Knicks together with President David Stern.

The time came to 19:30. David Stern, who had just formally reached an agreement with the players union not long ago, returned to his previous appearance, shaved off his beard, and appeared on the stage with a smile:

"I'm excited to witness the Knicks' third championship in franchise history tonight at Madison Square Garden!"

"Thanks to the New York City government for its continued support of the league, it's time to welcome our championship players!"

Charles Sr. did not steal the show and stood happily in the center of the field, with championship rings placed on the table next to him.

The Knicks team name is spelled out in diamonds on the front.

On one side is the regular season record of 63 wins and 19 losses, and on the other side is the playoff record of 15 wins and 2 losses.

Above the records on both sides, there are the names of Li You and Ewing respectively, indicating that this ring is a tribute to the two.

The whole body is mainly gold and white, which looks more gorgeous than the rings in the 1970s.

When the on-site DJ calls out their names, the players who step forward to receive the ring will receive enthusiastic cheers from the fans.

Although Ewing was fat as a ball, no one cared about it at this moment. The third to last one appeared on the stage, cheers continued, old Charles presented the ring, and the gorilla put it on his right hand, his eyes were red with excitement.

Li You, who appeared second to last, was smiling. After receiving the ring, Charles Sr. hugged him in greeting.

"Wow!!"

Starks was the last player to appear. Everyone in the Knicks team applauded, and the New York fans at the scene also stood up and gave the biggest cheers to the veteran.

Starks, who was dressed in formal attire, was also very excited. He didn't want to leave New York or play for the Warriors, but business is business.

As compensation, the Knicks chose to let the veteran appear last and say goodbye to the New York fans at the scene.

Starks eventually shed tears after receiving the ring. Old Charles patted the veteran who shaped the culture of the Knicks locker room and handed the microphone to him:

"John, it's a pity that you have left the team, but I guarantee that the Knicks will always welcome you and New York fans will never forget your contribution."

After adjusting his mood, Starks, dressed in formal attire, took the microphone and said excitedly:

"Thank you all for your blessings. I love New York. This will always be my home. I will never forget the experience of winning this championship."

"."

Jeff Van Gundy watched Starks give an emotional speech, wear a championship ring, and the coaching staff kept applauding.

Alan Houston, Larry Johnson, and Oakley joked and showed off to each other, and the Knicks staff also received a ring.

On the other side, Sprewell, who was wearing a white Knicks home training uniform, was a little envious when he saw this moment, and felt sour for a moment.

Li You noticed the new aid's gaze and whispered with a smile:

"If you want to win a championship, you always need to sacrifice something!"

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Ten thousand words will be restored tomorrow,

Some useless transfer content has been streamlined and removed.

This season will soon reach the playoffs~
Chapter completed!