NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On May 5, 1998, after the Knicks finished their Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hornets, fans received another piece of good news:

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

This is definitely a surprise for New York fans!

This season, the Knicks have been struggling with rebounding.

Although Chris Dudley has height, there is a clear gap between him and Ewing.

Therefore, after the end of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, when the gorilla personally announced the news at the post-match press conference, the New York media in the audience also got excited.

Some people frowned secretly, but they couldn't say anything at this time.

Generally speaking, most people were optimistic about the gorilla's return from injury.

Ewing, dressed in a black suit, was in a very good mood after announcing the news on the stage.

He didn't want to wait any longer. It was time to lead the team to the top!

72:102. Since the Knicks won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals so easily, the New York media was too lazy to mock the Hornets after the game.

Most of the questions were about Ewing:

"Pat, will the coaching staff limit your playing time? How is your physical recovery going?"

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

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

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

Lee, who was sitting aside, was a little surprised.

According to the plan, the gorilla should return to the team in the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, superstars do have the power to decide their own playing time, and the coaching staff's plan is not important.

Lee remained calm and smiled as he answered questions:

"We have the advantage in the schedule, so the whole team will try 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 his shooting hand was injured, and just thought proudly in his heart:

"The Knicks are still my team!"

On the morning of the 6th, the announcement of the return of the "King of New York" occupied the front page headlines of the sports sections of major newspapers in New York.

Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff couldn't say anything.

After all, Ewing is a superstar. If he wants to return early and take advantage of the weak to find his form, he naturally has to meet the requirements.

However, after the morning video session, seeing the confident Ewing, the bald young coach secretly shook his head in his heart.

He was not optimistic about the gorilla's performance on the offensive end.

The right wrist is injured.

Although the nerves are not damaged, it will definitely affect my shooting.

Considering Ewing's offensive choices, he may need some time to get used to the jump shot.

"Buck has physical problems, and Pat's early return is also a good thing for the team!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau didn't think too much about it.

From a defensive perspective, Ewing is definitely better than Buck Williams and Dudley.

Don Chaney on the side said nothing, but looked at Jeff Van Gundy.

The bald young coach knew that he couldn't continue to smooth things over at this time, and said seriously:

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

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The coaching staff was still discussing how to integrate the gorilla into the team.

However, in the afternoon training session, Lee took the initiative to greet his teammates and help the gorilla get into shape.

The familiar left-side blocking zone singles appeared again, but facing Dudley's defense, the gorilla failed to finish at the basket for several consecutive rounds.

This phenomenon is not the first time it has occurred.

After Ewing participated in the joint training, problems with finishing arose.

Perhaps the old guys would still comfort themselves and think that the gorilla is still finding his form, but Lee and others had already seen that injuries had taken away some of Ewing's shooting touch.

In more than a month of training sessions, Ewing's condition has not improved.

Even his mid-range jump shots are no longer stable.

The more times he caught the ball, the uglier Ewing's face became, until finally Dudley began to play symbolic defense, and the gorilla finally regained his face.

There wasn't much routine in the afternoon training session.

After the training, everyone was still talking and laughing, except Ewing, who was in a bad mood.

When Lee and his companions changed their clothes and prepared to go home, they discovered that the gorilla was missing.

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

Charlie Ward didn't change his clothes either.

He acted as if the boss and I were in this together and was ready to practice more with the gorilla.

"Charlie, don't push yourself too hard, and let Pat take some rest! Relax, we'll keep winning!"

Lee greeted them with a smile, then left the locker room with Larry Johnson and others.

Alan Houston patted Charlie Ward on the shoulder to show his support, then turned and left.

Chris Childs shrugged.

Even though he was a nobody, his statistics were up this season.

He glanced at Charlie Ward and quickly followed, ready to go home.

The "boss" was practicing more, but there were only a few people accompanying him.

Charlie Ward was expecting the coaching staff to say something, but found that Jeff Van Gundy didn't say anything.

The atmosphere group also followed Lee back to their respective homes.

In the end, only Oakley, Starks, Charlie Ward, and Ben Wallace stayed to practice with the gorilla.

Starks, who got a big contract this season, did not have much change in his regular season data, but his efficiency dropped a lot.

With a shooting percentage of 39.7% and a three-point shooting percentage of 31.7%, Starks was able to maintain these beautiful statistics mainly due to the increase in the team's number of possessions.

Having reaped the benefits from the team, Starks will not act like a punching bag like Charlie Ward.

"Give yourself more time! Pat, I don't think the semi-finals will cause too much trouble for the team."

"Just increase your playing time gradually and slowly find your form."

After hearing what Starks said, Ewing, who was still shooting on the spot, didn't say anything, but the smile on his face was gone, 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.

What the old guy cared more about was the big contract.

Seeing Ben Wallace who was invisible at the side, he called out:

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

"Little Ben" smiled awkwardly.

He was indeed not very good at technical work, so he could only act as the atmosphere group at this time.

Just thinking about the team's situation, "Little Ben" thought it would be nice to be a rebounding tool.

At least Lee promised that if he could grab rebounds, he could start:

"Will it be my turn as the starting center?"

That night, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls were trailing at halftime, but they exploded in the third quarter and reversed the game again.

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

The old guys of the Bulls team didn't play at a fast pace, but they only made 6 turnovers in the whole game.

They relied on defense and opponents' free points to create a wave of momentum and secure 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 form improved, making 6 of 18 shots, 2 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 7 of 10 free throws, contributing 21 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks and 2 turnovers.

With 2:15 to go, the Pacers were outnumbered by the Bulls.

The Bulls' dual cores played well, while Reggie Miller continued to be sluggish, making 4 of 13 shots and scoring 19 points on free throws.

After this game, no one underestimated the Bulls anymore.

With their rich game experience and outstanding execution, there are more and more voices calling for them to win the championship!

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

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

Before the game, Ewing was the focus of attention, with cameras pointed at his face the entire time.

The New York media are all looking forward to the team's success tonight and to the Hornets again!

The gorilla's return to the starting lineup did not have much impact on Lee personally, because the ball was in his hands.

Therefore, when being interviewed in the locker room before the game, Lee also kept praising Ewing:

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

"Game tempo? We have the absolute strength to adjust at any time. We will still win big against our opponents tonight."

There were many New York media surrounding Lee.

Everyone noticed that Ewing's offense was not mentioned in several of his answers.

At this time, everyone realized something and did not ask too many questions.

During the pre-game appearance ceremony, when Ewing came on the court, the New York fans cheered loudly:

"Wow!"

Ewing, who has played for 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 always lost to the Bulls in the past, that experience was the youth of old fans.

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

In the first round, Lee did not steal the show.

He came to the left wing and lobbed the ball to Ewing who was in the low post and backed up to ask for the ball.

The Knicks players moved out one by one, with Lee and Alan Houston preparing to respond on the left and right wings, Oakley creating space at the free throw line, and Larry Johnson moving back and forth at the right baseline.

With relatively good single-player space, Ewing did not hesitate.

After receiving the ball, he immediately released it with his right hand, and shot it vigorously.

When he approached the paint area, he immediately jumped sideways toward the upper line.

Divac was prepared and immediately moved to block the ball.

In the paint area, right in front of the basket, Ewing leaned against his opponent and completed the shot with his right hand!

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket and bounced high.

The Hornets immediately got in position, and finally, Glen Rice successfully grabbed the rebound.

"oh!"

The New York fans at the scene sighed, they almost scored a goal.

Ewing clapped his hands in annoyance, then quickly retreated with everyone else.

Even though they were both playing squat defense, Oakley felt a lot more relaxed with the presence of the gorilla.

Lee started to lead the defense after David Wesley dribbled across half court, and the other four players were almost near the paint area, giving the Hornets mid-range opportunities.

Having learned from the previous game, David Wesley immediately passed the ball to Glen Rice on the left wing of the free throw line after crossing half court, and then stood outside the three-point line to create space.

Divac came to the free throw line as soon as possible.

The future All-Star center had a clear mind.

After receiving the ball, he saw Ewing following him and immediately passed the ball to Phllis on the right wing.

Anthony Mason asked for the ball with his back to the basket in the right blocking zone.

After receiving the ball, Phills did not stop the ball and made another high pass.

All five Hornets players on the field passed the ball to Mason, who turned around after receiving the ball, faked a dribble, then released the ball with his right hand and broke through with a crossover step.

Relying on his muscular body, Mason overcame Oakley's defense and rushed to the lower right side of the basket.

After dribbling the ball, Mason deceived Oakley's defense and shot under the basket, but was interfered by Ewing who was helping to defend, and the shot hit the rim and went out.

Ewing grabbed the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Lee on the right wing.

The Knicks players on the court didn't need to be called out, they all accelerated and rushed towards the opponent's half.

Head coach Dave Cowens on the sidelines kept asking everyone to adjust their defensive positions.

After a day of rest, the Hornets had recovered a lot of their physical strength and retreated very quickly.

David Wesley kept physically confronting Lee, trying to delay the advancement.

After rushing across half court and coming to the right wing, David Wesley breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that his teammates had already taken up their defensive positions.

Approaching the three-point line, Lee observed the positions on the court and noticed that Ewing had just rushed to the top of the arc and Divac was still near the serving line.

He immediately dribbled the ball behind his back with his right hand.

The moment he switched to his left hand, Lee lowered his center of gravity, faced David Wesley's defense, and accelerated to cut in at 45 degrees on the right.

Without losing his defensive position, David Wesley kept moving to the right rear.

Divac noticed Lee's cut-in and subconsciously moved back.

After breaking through to the right side of the blocking zone close to the paint area, Lee immediately relied on the defense to make a quick gyroscope turn, switched to his right hand while approaching the basket, and lifted the ball towards the backboard against the defense!

"Bang!"

Divas quickly retreated and jumped up to interfere but it had no effect.

After the high rebound, the basketball fell accurately into the basket.

"Wow!"

The clean and neat transition offense made the New York fans at the scene cheer loudly.

Whenever he encounters a small guard who is not defensively aggressive enough, Lee will choose to finish near the paint area.

David Wesley cursed inwardly and quickly raised his hand to indicate that it was his own problem.

Ewing had just reached the free throw line and was quickly retreating with his teammates.

After a few rounds, the cheers in Madison Square Garden grew louder and louder.

Ewing's return did change the team's defense, and the Knicks easily scored points in transition offense in several rounds.

After missing two shots at the basket, the Hornets began to attempt more jump shots, with only Divac still attacking in the low post.

In the low post on the right side, Divac turned towards the baseline, and his shot after switching to his right hand was interfered by Ewing again.

Oakley got ahead of Mason and grabbed the backcourt rebound.

Alan Houston received the ball and rushed forward.

Just after crossing half court, he immediately passed the ball to Lee on the left wing.

After receiving the ball, he let go of it with his left hand and dribbled quickly behind his back.

While switching to his right hand, Lee feinted to the left.

David Wesley, who had just gained a firm foothold, subconsciously slid to the right, and then noticed that he was dazzled.

Lee paused for a moment, then quickly dribbled forward, suddenly stopped at the three-point line, and quickly jumped for a three-pointer!

"Swish!" The three-pointer went into the net.

"A wonderful transition attack! The Hornets didn't feel good at the beginning, and we successfully seized the opportunity!"

In the MSG commentary booth, Mike Breen's tone became increasingly cheerful as he saw the Knicks scoring points in succession.

Walt Frazier also felt that the Knicks played very well in these few minutes:

"After Pat returned, his defense and rebounding improved, which was a huge help to the team!"

At 2:11, with 8 minutes and 42 seconds left in the first quarter, Lee's three-pointer helped the team continue to widen the gap.

Head coach Dave Cowens was forced to request a timeout, and there was only one goal scored in open play, which was a strong attack under the basket by Divac.

It seemed that the poor shooting performance in the previous game continued.

Several starters missed shots, and David Wesley was completely invisible on the offensive end.

On the Knicks side, the atmosphere team on the bench started shouting excitedly again.

They were leading at the start, so the game was secured!

Oakley's tip-in, Larry Johnson's cut-in, and Alan Houston's free throw in transition.

In the starting lineup, except for Ewing, everyone scored.

The gorilla was not used to the rhythm of the game.

The Knicks scored before half-court in a few rounds.

"Very good! Keep up this rhythm, protect the rebounds, seize the opportunity of counterattack, and widen the score difference in one go!"

Jeff Van Gundy didn't expect the game to go so smoothly, and he was so excited that he shouted instructions to everyone.

Lee nodded slightly.

As the point guard on the court, he was mainly responsible for controlling the rhythm of the game.

When opportunities arose, he naturally had to attack decisively.

As for the gorilla wanting to find his form and play in the low post, that was not up to him.

Ewing didn't say anything, but he was in a bad mood.

In the past, the Knicks would pass the ball through his hands every time they attacked.

But now the gorilla feels like he has become a blue-collar tool man.

After the timeout, the Hornets did not find their touch immediately, but instead missed shots one after another.

Mason missed a long two-point shot from the left baseline, Lee took the long rebound and assisted Alan Houston to score an easy layup in the three-line fast break.

Glen Rice missed a long two-point shot from the left wing, Alan Houston took the long rebound and gave it to Lee to continue the three-line fast break.

Lee, who broke through the middle with the ball, eventually attracted Glen Rice who was returning to defense.

After entering the paint area with three steps, Lee shot the ball behind his head with his left hand, and David Wesley and Glen Rice jumped up to block the shot, and Larry Johnson followed up and made a layup!

The game was played very quickly, and the Hornets gradually found their touch until the second half of the first quarter.

But at this time, the Knicks were already leading by a large margin, and everyone became more and more relaxed as the game went on.

Oakley passed the ball to the right side of the free throw line and set a screen.

Lee received the ball, holding it in his right hand and moving sideways facing Mason who had switched defense.

After attracting David Wesley who was chasing him, he immediately made a ground pass.

The basketball passed between the two players, Oakley did not move at all, and he made a mid-range jump shot in the right elbow area of the free throw line without any defense!

At 8:21, with 2 minutes and 47 seconds left in the first quarter, the New York fans at the scene celebrated the victory in advance.

While playing excellent defense, the Knicks also played a smooth offense.

Oakley scored another 2 points, and when he retreated, he smiled and bumped fists with Clay Lee.

Jeff Van Gundy saw the situation on the court and took advantage of Divac's free throws to replace Ewing early and replace Dudley with him.

"Pat, you did a great job! Take a break first!"

The bald young coach took the initiative to pat the gorilla on the shoulder to express his encouragement.

The coaching staff was very satisfied with Ewing's performance.

0 of 2, 0 points and 4 rebounds.

Although Ewing did not score, his influence on the defensive end was visible to the naked eye.

Back on the bench, Ewing took the towel handed to him by the atmosphere team, his face slightly gloomy, and sat in his seat sulking.

At the end of the first quarter, the atmosphere team on the Knicks bench cheered along with the fans on the scene, and the game was completely secured.

At 13:27, the Knicks were already leading by 14 points!

Playing the entire first quarter, Lee made 2 of 3 shots, 1 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 7 points, 1 rebound, and 5 assists.

Walking to the bench, the atmosphere team came forward and high-fived Lee to celebrate.

"In the first quarter, we showed our dominance on both offense and defense!"

"Lee successfully activated his teammates, and our offense played really well compared to the Hornets."

In the commentary booth, Walt Frazier was praising the game again, but Mike Breen didn't care. Instead, he added with a smile:

"Pat is focusing on defense after his return, which is a good thing! As his playing time increases, I believe he will find his touch."

In the first quarter, the Hornets' starting five players had an embarrassing performance of only making 1 of 5 shots.

When it came to the rotation stage, no one on the Knicks paid attention to the Hornets.

Ewing took the initiative to apply to play early, trying to avoid the peak period and find his touch.

Lee sat on the bench, watching Ewing, who was back on the left side of the court, attack from behind, turn towards the baseline and shoot but missed, and shook his head secretly:

"Too impatient, he could have chosen a simpler and more efficient way to score!"

Hearing Lee's whisper, Alan Houston raised his eyebrows, then covered his mouth with a towel and whispered:

"Pat wants to prove his dominance under the basket again, and he won't compromise easily."

Lee certainly knew this situation.

It would be difficult to expect the gorilla to willingly become a forward or a defensive tool.

Thinking about the ball being in his hands, Lee secretly complained:

"It's already quite respectable to be a tool passively"

In the second quarter, Chris Childs, Starks and Chris Mills were in good shape, while veteran Buck Williams did not fight for the ball and tried his best to assist Ewing.

Scoring in and out, inside and outside, under the command of Chris Childs, the Knicks continued to score.

In some rounds, Ewing would strengthen his one-on-one play, but facing the Hornets' backup center Matt Geiger, he did not gain any advantage and continued to miss shots.

Jeff Van Gundy naturally understood the gorilla's thoughts.

Seeing that the Hornets still couldn't find their touch, he gave the gorilla enough face and did not bring back the main lineup until there were 4 minutes and 12 seconds left in the first half.

The substitutes played with the big brother for most of the quarter, and the score came to 24:40.

For most of the quarter, both teams had just scored in double digits, and the atmosphere was no longer as heated as at the beginning.

Fortunately, after Lee came on the court, Ewing went off to rest, the Hornets continued to miss shots, and the familiar game returned.

"Wow!"

In the first round after coming on the court, Lee rushed into the paint area in transition offense and made a layup with David Wesley's right hand in the paint area, and cheers were heard!

The small lineup came on the court, and the Knicks suddenly strengthened the double-team on Divac.

After the opponent made several mistakes, the half-time game ended quickly.

At 30:50, the Knicks took a 20-point lead at halftime and the game was basically no longer suspenseful.

At Madison Square Garden, everyone started celebrating the victory.

When they saw the Knicks players walking towards the player tunnel, fans on both sides cheered loudly.

Ewing walked into the player tunnel with a slightly gloomy face.

He made 1 of 7 shots in the first half and scored 4 points.

He realized that there was a problem with his finishing.

Watching Lee and the others talking and laughing about the next game, the gorilla felt even more depressed and could only secretly encourage himself:

"I'll find the feel!"

...

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