Chapter 82 Anti-"Qiao" Pioneer (9000 words chapter)

On May 13, 1997, two seasons later, the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals again!

88:104, the Heat persisted for another half of the game in the 4th quarter and recovered some points, but in the end they regrettably lost.

Mourning played 39 minutes, made 9 of 17, 6 of 12 free throws, and scored 24 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 turnovers.

Whenever he found his form, the Knicks would send him to the free throw line. Mourning failed to respond and missed the free throw.

He was covered in tendons and couldn't exert any strength. His ears were filled with the cheers and jeers of the New York fans. Mourning looked at the score and stood on the sidelines for a long time.

Tim Hardaway turned around and walked back to the tunnel after a simple handshake.

7 of 17, 2 of 8 from beyond the arc, 1 of 4 free throws, 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, no turnovers.

Having learned lessons from the previous games, Tim Hardaway controlled mistakes very well, but there were too many safe passes, which also made it difficult for the Heat to play a threatening transition offense.

The defensive end consumed too much energy. Except for Tim Hardaway's outstanding performance in G3, his performance in the rest of the games was unsatisfactory.

Jeff Van Gundy was extremely satisfied to reach the conference finals and shook hands with Pat Riley with a smile on his face.

The two chatted for a while in front of the technical stage. Pat Riley still maintained his demeanor, patted his former assistant coach, and quickly left the arena.

"This is truly an incredible season. So far in the playoffs, we have fully demonstrated our dominance."

"After the personnel adjustment, the Knicks lineup is younger. The future belongs to us. When facing old opponents in the conference finals, I believe the team will respond!"

Commentator Marv Albert is very satisfied with the Knicks' performance this year.

Although commentator John Andaris is not optimistic about the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals, he did not say anything discouraging:

"This is the first year after the reorganization of the team, and it is also Lee's first season. To achieve such results, I believe New York fans are very satisfied with it."

"No matter what the result is, I believe the Knicks will eventually succeed!"

For the next opponent, the media in New York can be said to have a love-hate relationship. Everyone likes to consume Michael Jordan and likes to see the first player in the league breaking the defense.

But everyone knows the strength of the Bulls, so before the game even started, some media were scared.

The Knicks may be the team that has lost the most to Michael Jordan in these years. Not only are the players numb, but the New York media is also numb.

At the press conference after the game, Li You, wearing a light gray formal suit, enjoyed superstar treatment again, but the attitude of the media in the audience was a bit strange.

"At 19 years and 135 days old, congratulations on breaking the record set by Michael Jordan in 1985 and becoming the youngest player to score 30+10 points in the history of the NBA playoffs!"

"Can you talk about your performance in the second quarter? Incredible, 24 points in a single quarter!"

The New York Post reporter in the audience uncharacteristically did not ask any questions about his opponents in the next round. Li You didn't bother to think about this:

"Move without the ball, catch the ball and shoot, and observe the defender's center of gravity. I am not just a shooter. When I seize the opportunity, I can also attack the basket. Scoring is that simple!"

"Of course, this is inseparable from the support of my teammates. The fans at the scene also gave me great encouragement. Playing in Madison Square Garden, I can always find my form easily."

"This privilege will belong to the home team players from now on!"

The TNT reporter burst out laughing when he heard Li You making fun of visiting team players in the past when they came to New York, and then asked unceremoniously:

"Lee, will the Knicks make it to the Finals?"

The New York media on the side all glared at this ignorant guy, who didn't want to open any pot!

"Basketball is round and everything is possible. Of course, the Bulls have a better record. We have to play away first. For this, the team's goal is to win an away game!"

Li You answered the question with a smile, and the New York media in the audience quickly changed the topic. After so many years of losing, everyone has experience:

"Don't anger Michael Jordan, he's a vindictive bastard!"

"."

The game was played simultaneously that night, 92:107. After returning to the home court, the Bulls defeated the Eagles, sweeping their opponents with a big score of 4:1.

While the superstars were struggling to play basketball, the Bulls played team basketball, blossomed more, and completely blindsided the Hawks.

Playing 40 minutes, he made 9 of 23 shots, 1 of 5 from behind the three-point line, and 5 of 5 free throws. Michael Jordan scored 24 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers.

The two teams rebounded 30:54, and the Bulls, who returned home, grabbed 25 offensive rebounds!

The Eagles were blown away.

Almost doubling the rebounds also brought the Bulls' number of possessions to 96, and they deserved to win.

Excel cannot fully demonstrate the dominance of the Bulls. The Eagles' efforts to defeat the main force are useless, and all data are lagging behind.

After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, Michael Jordan didn't show much joy.

In this series, he dunked on Mutombo and fulfilled his promise, which made McDuck even more happy.

Unlike the New York media, the Chicago media immediately loaned the championship away and the Knicks were ignored.

They have won against this opponent too many times in the past. Not to mention the regular season, the record in the past playoffs has said it all. The Bulls won like crazy!

At the post-game press conference, Michael Jordan, wearing a large brown suit, casually answered questions from the media in the audience until a reporter from TNT asked:

"McKun, tonight Li tied your playoff single-quarter scoring record, and at the same time, he also broke your 30+10 record!

"Will the Bulls make adjustments in the next round of games?"

Hearing such a question, Michael Jordan was also slightly startled. He has too many records, and the specific ones have long been forgotten:

"Adjustment? No! The opponent needs to adjust. Our condition is getting better and better, and Dennis' knee is almost recovered."

"It's great to see the Knicks in the conference finals, but Harper will teach the young guys a lesson."

Michael Jordan was not modest. In the conference finals, he once again showed his determination to win the championship. The media in the audience also agreed:

“Everything that Maikou boasted about has basically come true.”

The two teams in the Eastern Conference finals are officially announced, while the Western Conference semifinals are still going on.

The Rockets got match point and returned home, only to be moved back to the home court by the SuperSonics tonight.

100:94, thanks to Gary Payton's outstanding performance, the series still remains suspenseful.

Olajuwon broke out tonight, shooting 12 of 18, 7 of 10 free throws, and a huge double-double of 31 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 turnovers.

Drexler made 9 of 16 shots and also contributed 26 points. Barkley made 6 of 18 shots and scored 17 points and 20 rebounds.

The Rockets grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, but ultimately lost the game. They shot 5 of 27 from three-point range and were completely locked out from the outside.

Gary Payton made 8 of 17 shots and had a double-double of 21 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers. The SuperSonics had only 9 turnovers in the game!

Head coach George Karl's insistence on the main team paid off.

On May 14, the coaching staff gave the Knicks two days off as a bonus for reaching the conference finals.

Ewing saw that the newspapers were full of news boasting about Li You's record, and he felt sour again for a while.

The media in New York were extremely tolerant of Li You, and the fact that he hit less than 40% of his shots in the two games of G3 and G4 was automatically ignored.

Gorilla did not choose to rest, but took the initiative to train more. When he met his old opponent again, he really wanted to win. Unfortunately, G1 was suspended and he had nowhere to use his strength.

The Knicks' daily training facility is located in the upper part of Oster County, New York, where it can be away from the interference of the media.

The players can rest, but the coaching staff still has to watch the game tape.

After watching the game between the Bulls and the Hawks, Jeff Van Gundy was silent for a while. He might not be able to withstand the rebound.

"Compared to last season, the Bulls are still down!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau's words left several people speechless.

It has indeed declined. Last season, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman were all selected for the defensive first team. But this year, due to knee injuries, Rodman fell out of the defensive lineup.

Jeff Van Gundy watched the assistant coach discuss it for a while, but he didn't give any good advice. He simply talked about the old routine:

"Just like we did in the regular season, double team Michael Jordan and let others decide the game. We have a chance to win on the road."

No one said anything. The Eagles had used this trick before, but it turned out to be of no use.

Assistant coach Don Chaney thought of Ewing's state and sighed again:

"It would be nice if Pat were a few years younger. We used Starks to defend the dunk back then, which was definitely a wrong choice."

Mentioning the past, several people who had been with the Knicks for many years sighed, while Jeff Van Gundy continued with a serious expression:

"When we arrive at an away game, players must be prohibited from fooling around with the opponent!"

Several assistant coaches looked at each other and finally nodded silently. Although they all felt that this matter had little to do with the outcome of the game, they could still stick to the head coach's metaphysical requirements:

"What if we win?"

During this rare holiday, Li You just happened to be able to walk on the road with Milinda. The temperature in New York in May has finally warmed up, and jeans and a T-shirt can cope with the weather at this time.

Carrying a small bag, jeans, and a blue and white striped T-shirt, Milinda wore her blond ponytail and looked youthful and beautiful.

But at this time, this person was sniffing around the apartment, looking through it from time to time, and was hugged by Li You before he said with a smile:

"Great! No leaves found!"

Every time I come to the apartment, I will check it. No smoking, no tattoos, and no leaves. These are the basic requirements.

Feeling the turbulent waves in his arms, Li You hugged him without letting go, and whispered in his ear:

"How about staying at home for a while first!"
To be continued...