On the morning of the 2nd, at the Talidun Town Training Center, after the morning video class was over, the bald marshal invited the gorilla to have a meal and have a heart-to-heart talk.

Of course everyone in the Knicks team knows why Ewing can't get motivated.

He has a big contract and a championship, but his physical condition is declining, he cannot afford the ball, and he has no data, so he cannot pursue honors.

After all, there is no fighting spirit involved in league awards. Without Excel, the sports media would not vote.

Li You entered the "180 Club" in February, and the New York media was at a fever pitch, but Ewing further fell flat, and his enthusiasm for training sessions began to fade.

The afternoon training session had not yet started. In the locker room, Oakley did not care about the state of his old friend and said carelessly:

"Pat just hasn't recovered from the offseason. As soon as the playoffs come, he will be nervous."

"Except for the Heat and the Pacers, which have good records, other teams don't pose much of a threat. We have a chance to defend the title this year!"

Larry Johnson doesn't like the gorilla's attitude very much, but he won't say anything more at this time:

"This damn schedule gives us no chance to play against the teams in the West!"

"Although I don't have to fly around anymore, there are 18 games, almost one game a day, plus repeated opponents. It feels boring just thinking about it."

Alan Houston was looking at the schedule posted in the locker room, flipped through it twice, and also complained:

"The whole of April will be the regular season, and most of them will be opponents in the Eastern Conference. The league may consider directly conducting the playoffs."

Sprewell didn't care about this, but asked Li You in a low voice:

"Will the team make personnel changes?"

Perhaps when he first joined the team, Sprewell didn't care too much.

But as the record gets better and better, and he is expected to win the championship, Sprewell also wants to get a ring.

Li You was a little surprised that the other party would pay attention to this issue, and then responded seriously:

"There shouldn't be too many adjustments. After all, our record is pretty good. In the past two years, the team rarely made too many transactions in the middle of the season."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere team felt relieved. If they were laid off halfway, they would probably not be able to find a job. Being able to get their full salary was what everyone wanted.

Jeff Van Gundy's heart-to-heart talk was effective. At least Ewing is no longer lazy, and the second round of weight loss has officially begun.

The game schedule in early March was extremely boring, with the Heat and Bucks playing against each other repeatedly.

On the night of the 9th, after returning home, the Knicks succeeded in revenge and successfully defeated the Bucks.

Repeated matches and repeated schedules have left Ray Allen in no shape. He made 2 of 11 shots tonight and only scored 6 points.

After losing this game, the Bucks' record dropped to 10 wins and 6 losses, and there was no time to adjust. Ray Allen had to fly to Indiana with the team overnight to continue challenging the Pacers.

Not only the players feel bored, but also the fans who bought tickets to watch the game can't stand it anymore!

Fortunately, New York has never been short of tourists, and every venue is still full. However, in some small ball markets, attendance rates have begun to decline, and team revenue has also experienced problems.

In late March, the Knicks finally said goodbye to the repetitive schedule and began a short trip to the Western Conference.

On the night of the 24th, the away game against the Kings once again attracted the attention of many fans.

This season, the Kings drafted Jason Williams, then traded Divac and Chris Webber from the Hornets and Wizards.

The head coach has also been replaced by Rick Adelman, and the team can be called a new look!

Although the record so far is 11 wins and 16 losses, ranking only ninth in the Western Conference, the poor record has not affected attendance.

Jason Williams' flashy pass made Kings fans buy votes to support him!

After the game started that night, the Kings fans present were very involved and kept shouting loudly.

But as Jason Williams was continuously intercepted by Li You, the cheering sound became smaller and smaller.

With 4 minutes and 56 seconds left in the first quarter, Alan Houston missed a three-pointer from the right wing and Jason Williams collected the rebound. The Kings had a rare opportunity to switch offense.

Jumping and jumping quickly across the half court, Jason Williams, holding the ball in his left hand, was extremely active in the face of Li You's leading defense.

Even though he had made three mistakes, the rookie guard's desire for performance was not diminished at all.

On the left wing outside the three-point line, Jason Williams began to slow down, approached the three-point line, quickly completed the dribble under his hip, switched to his right hand, and immediately dribbled behind his back quickly.

Pretending to look up and observe the movements of his teammates at the top of the arc, Jason Williams, who switched to his left hand, began to twist his body and prepare to throw the ball.

Just when he was about to throw the ball to the basket, Li You suddenly stepped forward, squeezed forward, cut the ball hard with his left hand, and slapped the basketball away. Then he took the ball again with his right hand and quickly pushed the ball forward.

Jason Williams, who was preparing to pass the ball, was staggered by the collision. When he tried to turn back to defend, Li You had already grabbed the ball with his right hand and rushed through the half court.

It was 1 vs 0 in the frontcourt, and boos broke out in the stadium. Li You quickly rushed to the paint area. After taking three long steps, he grabbed the ball with his right hand and easily made a one-handed dunk!

"Shhh!!"

After completing the dunk, Li You shook his head and retreated quickly. Adelman on the sidelines rubbed his eyebrows and simply requested a timeout.

At 19:12, the point difference reached double digits again.

While walking to the bench, he happened to pass by Jason Williams. Li You smiled and whispered:

"Rookie, don't show your crappy passes in front of me!"

"I"

Jason Williams wanted to say something back, but was immediately pulled away by Chris Webber, who was on the side, and then warned in a low voice:

"If you don't want to break to the basket and lie on the ground, don't take the initiative to provoke!"

Jason Williams, who looked unconvinced, returned to the bench dejectedly, and was yelled at twice by Aardman before he regained his composure.

In the following games, all the smooth coordination of the Kings disappeared. Facing the Knicks' fierce offensive rebounds, transition attacks became less and less.

Fans originally expected Jason Williams to perform, but as a result, not only was there no fancy passing, but it was also difficult to score, and he could only throw three-pointers from the outside.

With 1 minute and 32 seconds left in the half, Jason Williams feinted from the right wing and made a two-point pull-up jumper.

The long rebound was collected by Larry Johnson, and then he threw it hard towards the frontcourt.

Li You quickly rushed across the half court. After catching the ball, he released the ball with his right hand and kept accelerating. He ignored Jason Williams beside him and came to the paint area. He rushed up in three strides, leaned on the defense, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and picked the basket.

succeed!

"squeak!"

The constant defense caused the referee to blow the whistle. After Jason Williams landed, he put his hands on his hips in frustration and received three fouls in the half.

The Kings fans at the scene also realized at this time that, apart from those gorgeous passes, this rookie is an ineffective point guard.

What the expectant fans saw was the half-time score of 58:41.

After failing to narrow the point difference in the third quarter, the game quickly entered garbage time.

The Kings finally played a gorgeous match again, but the fans in attendance felt it was boring. After all, victory is everyone's pursuit.

2 of 7, 1 of 5 from beyond the arc, 3 of 4 free throws, 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 turnovers.

Jason Williams looked grim on the bench, and the media's praise before the game turned into a joke.

Li You doesn't have much defensive experience. He just has better physical fitness. When leading the defense, he can provide enough physical confrontation, and when he squeezes the screen, he supports his waist to defend.

Before he even used some tricks, Jason Williams stretched his crotch on his own.

On the Knicks bench, Jeff Van Gundy is more concerned about Ewing's competitive state.

The competition continued, and in late March, the gorilla slacked off again, and the thick chicken soup only worked for half a month.

Assistant coach Thibodeau naturally knew what Jeff Van Gundy was worried about, so he comforted him in a low voice:

"Don't worry about Pat's condition. It's normal to lose some back-to-back games. Players are not robots."

The bald young coach is a little helpless. Although the Knicks still lead the league, he is more worried about slacking off in the regular season and injuries in the playoffs:

"I just don't want Pat to get injured. He should lose weight. Even if he reduces his low-post offense, he should continue to lose weight."

"I trust the team doctor's judgment!"

Several members of the coaching staff have stopped speaking. There is no solution to this matter.

As the game time ran out, the score was finally fixed at 102:88, and the Knicks easily defeated the Kings.

In this point guard duel, Li You only played 28 minutes:

7 of 12, 2 of 4 from beyond the arc, 5 of 5 free throws, 21 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 1 turnover.

He didn't play much time, but he once again left a deep impression on Kings fans.

I am afraid of comparison in everything.

On March 26, the Knicks visited Los Angeles to challenge the Lakers.

The New York media is clamoring for "the league's best center" every day, which has already given O'Neal a lemon!

The Lakers have undergone major changes this season. Silver Fox Harris was fired directly at the beginning of the season, and the current head coach has been replaced by Kurt Rambis.

In early March, the Lakers also sent away backup centers Eldon Campbell and Eddie Jones, and acquired Glenn Rice from the Hornets.

This transaction indicates that Kobe Bryant has officially been corrected.

Of course, O'Neal's big mouth and the above transactions are not what the melon-eaters care about!

The Lakers signed Dennis Rodman, and Hua Da Chong came to Los Angeles and quickly "mingled" with Buss's daughter, Jenny Buss!
To be continued...