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Dragon Emperor in Pokemon World.
The return of Itachi
I am Sasuke. Why should I defect from Konoha.
Please give it a go š
***
On May 20, 2004, ESPN, as the broadcaster for this year's Eastern Conference Finals, began to warm up for the conference finals set to begin tonight.
Last night, the Western Conference Semifinals saw a Game 7, with the Timberwolves winning the series thanks to Sam Cassell's two free throws with 16.8 seconds left.
Kevin Garnett's block in the final moments of the game was also impressive, but as the Eastern Conference Finals arrived first, commentators began discussing the Detroit Pistons' performance.
Recent episodes of ESPN's NBA Countdown show reviewed the achievements of Head Coach Larry Brown.
As the Head Coach of the men's basketball team for this year's Athens Olympics, Larry Brown, a seasoned and renowned coach, naturally commanded considerable respect.
However, after a few days of discussion recently, most commentators found it difficult to give a positive evaluation.
The league's best defensive team was facing the league's strongest offensive team.
From the regular season standings, the New York Knicks had a distinct advantage, but the playoffs were different.
The Pacers had a very good record this year, but they were completely stifled by the Detroit Pistons in the semifinals.
It wasn't just one or two games, but in most games, scoring over 80 points was difficult.
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Detroit Pistons averaged 75.2 points, while the Pacers averaged 72.7 points. The reason for the declining viewership was largely due to both teams' poor shooting.
If a game is filled with numerous missed shots, fouls, and free throws, lacks prominent star players, and only features unremarkable scoring, fans naturally won't be interested.
ESPN was very concerned that the Eastern Conference Finals viewership would also be affected, so they worked hard to promote it these past two days, but each time they talked about the Detroit Pistons, it was a bit awkward:
"Can't hype them up!"
In the semifinals, Hamilton was the Detroit Pistons' primary scorer.
He averaged 43.0 minutes per game, scoring 23.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers per game.
His field goal percentage was 47.4%, three-point percentage was 22.2%, and free throw percentage was 86.5%.
Hamilton's statistics were unremarkable, and the Detroit Pistons' other players were even more dismal.
Over-the-hill All-Star Rasheed Wallace averaged 12.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.3 blocks, and 2.3 turnovers per game.
His field goal percentage was 35.6%, three-point percentage was 20%, and free throw percentage was 75%.
As for Chauncey Billups, he averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.7 turnovers per game.
His field goal percentage was 30.8%, three-point percentage was 25.9%, and free throw percentage was 85.3%.
The statistical performance of the three core players left commentators with no angle to hype them up.
Other role players didn't even score over 8 points.
Everyone truly couldn't hype them up anymore!
The Pacers' Defense was indeed excellent this season, ranking third in the league during the regular season, allowing opponents to score an average of 85.6 points.
But the Nets were not bad either, ranking 5th, second only to the New York Knicks.
The top few teams were all strong defensive teams, but in the other set of semifinals, the situation was completely different.
After analyzing the games for several days, ESPN could only grudgingly hype up the Detroit Pistons by saying:
"Head Coach Larry Brown has built a historically great defensive team!"
"ā¦"
New York fans didn't believe this rhetoric at all.
Since Grant Hill and Pau Gasol missed out on All-NBA selections, young fans recently started voicing their displeasure again.
Everyone felt that the sports media who voted were deliberately targeting New York.
Although Grant Hill's stats declined and Pau Gasol's inflated stats had some exaggeration, New York fans unanimously believed that both should at least be selected for the Third Team.
Today happened to be Thursday, and TNT's program was not as polite as its counterparts.
Charles Barkley brought up the theory of star quality again:
"In basketball, even the best Defense cannot truly limit a superstar."
"We all know this. If Michael Jordan could be limited to under 20 points, I would have won a championship a long time ago."
"If Defense could reduce Clay Lee's scoring to 20 points, the Knicks would never achieve a four-peat!"
"I stand by my view that the fame and strength of most stars in the league do not match. They are overrated."
"Aside from looking good in highlights, they are useless in every other aspect. Sorry, some players can't even put together a decent highlight reel."
This last sentence referred to most of the Detroit Pistons players, who averaged just over 10 points and didn't play flashily.
Highlight reels of beautiful offense simply didn't feature the Detroit Pistons.
Kenny Smith felt his co-host had offended many people again.
Even if it was true, it shouldn't be said on air:
"In fact, after the NBA allowed zone Defense, the restriction on scorers has been greatly increased."
No sooner had he spoken than the live director displayed Lee's statistics from the 4 semifinal games:
He averaged 35.0 minutes per game, scoring 36.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 2.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.5 turnovers per game.
His field goal percentage was 58.5%, three-point percentage was 47.8%, and free throw percentage was 92.3%.
After Lee's statistics appeared, Kenny Smith smiled helplessly.
These numbers showed that Barkley's point was very accurate.
Although TNT was responsible for broadcasting the Western Conference Finals this year, Ernie Johnson was also very interested in the other conference finals.
When both co-hosts were silent, Ernie Johnson smiled and said:
"No need to discuss individual statistics anymore. Winning the game is what matters."
"I believe the Detroit Pistons still have a great chance to win a road game. This season, they have played extreme team basketball!"
In the studio, Charles Barkley shook his head repeatedly, showing disdain for the so-called team basketball:
"If the Detroit Pistons continue with this offensive performance, then there will be no suspense in the game."
"In my opinion, they are just the Nets with stronger interior play. The Detroit Pistons will not cause any trouble for the New York Knicks."
After an Eastern Conference Semifinals with plummeting viewership, the NBA significantly intensified its promotional efforts this week.
Fortunately, the New York Knicks were currently the guarantee for viewership.
Although many fans complained that they were tired of watching Lee, everything is relative, and after watching around, they could only say, "This is truly good."
After 13 seasons, the Detroit Pistons made it back to the conference finals.
Regardless of outside opinions, Detroit fans were ecstatic.
With the support of enthusiastic fans, the Detroit Pistons players, flying to New York, also felt their spirits soar.
Although Chauncey Billups and Ben Wallace had rings, they were only role players on the New York Knicks back then, so the sense of accomplishment from winning a championship was insufficient.
After years of struggle, returning to the conference finals, their feelings were very different once they arrived in New York.
However, the Detroit Pistons, who arrived in Manhattan a day early, quickly felt the arrogance of the local fans.
The New York Media exuded superiority and didn't report much on the conference finals.
These past few days, the core of most New York Times articles was similar:
"New York Knicks championsā¦"
There was even less news coverage of the Detroit Pistons than of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fans were not interested in the Detroit Pistons, who lacked star players, so to cater to their preferences, the New York Media naturally reported more on the "thieves" of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Rasheed Wallace didn't like the feeling of being ignored and was fuming during early warm-ups in the afternoon:
"They think they've already won? This is the playoffs, anything can happen!"
Perhaps having read too much praise from the Detroit Free Press, Rasheed Wallace was a bit unaccustomed to being completely ignored.
In Detroit, they were heroes, but in New York, the Detroit Pistons seemed to have become insignificant minor characters.
After defeating the Pacers, the most popular article among fans in the Detroit Free Press was:
"It's the New York Knicks' turn!"
By upsetting the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit sports media had already praised the Detroit Pistons to the heavens.
Watching his teammates loudly clamoring, Chauncey Billups, however, remained calm, patting the ball and saying with a sneer:
"This is New York. They've always looked down on their Eastern Conference opponents."
Head Coach Larry Brown took road games very seriously.
As soon as his players started chatting, he immediately interrupted and reminded them:
"Don't get distracted, stay focused! Outside opinions cannot affect the outcome of the game."
"What you need to do is execute the team's game plan. Remember, we only play for each other."
Hamilton and Ben Wallace, hearing their coach's words, also gave up the idea of continuing to gossip.
Currently, the Head Coach was the team's leader, and everyone listened to him.
When the New York Knicks arrived at the Madison Square Garden for early warm-ups, Pau Gasol and a few others were still discussing the All-NBA selections.
Pau Gasol was a bit displeased about being left out despite his improved stats.
He felt the NBA's star-making machine shouldn't come at his expense.
Grant Hill, on the other hand, didn't care about such things.
With his stats declining, Hill had shed his burdens.
Currently, he only wanted to win a championship, then dominate the Olympics during the offseason.
Mike D'Antoni didn't say much, only taking the opportunity during warm-ups to give Lee a reminder:
"Opponents will definitely use a lot of Zone Defense, Lee, you know what to do!"
"We need to hit those shots from the perimeter early."
Lee naturally knew that their opponents loved to play Zone Defense, having prepared for a week:
"Don't worry, Coach, Defense alone can't defeat us!"
Mike D'Antoni immediately smiled.
He felt Lee was in good form.
While he was a little impulsive in the game against the Nets, he had returned to a calm state after the rest.
The game officially tipped off at 8 PM, and New York fans naturally arrived at the Madison Square Garden early.
The crowd didn't take tonight's opponent seriously.
Casual fans often measure team strength by the number of All-Star players.
The Detroit Pistons only had one former New York Knicks player, known for his Defense, selected for the All-Star.
New York fans naturally looked down on a team with such a roster.
When Lee appeared, cheers echoed throughout the Madison Square Garden.
At the ESPN commentary desk, Nessler, still with his slicked-back hair, found it not easy to commentate this series:
"What terrifying popularity! The rebuilt New York Knicks seem poised to begin a new era of dominance!"
Bill Walton didn't contradict him.
From the team's roster, only the Lakers could compare:
"72 wins, I think the New York Knicks are stronger this season!"
"Last year's championship was too easy. Although they faced some challenges this season, the team has completely gelled."
"The Detroit Pistons are the same. This is a peak showdown between two teams."
Tonight, the Detroit Pistons did not change their starting lineup.
The backcourt remained Chauncey Billups and Hamilton, and the three frontcourt players were Corliss Williamson, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.
As the game was about to begin, Head Coach Larry Brown sat steadily on the bench, facing the director's camera, revealing a confident expression.
On the other side, Mike D'Antoni was the same.
He was humble during pre-game interviews, but before the game even started, he leaned back tactically.
After both teams' players came to center court, Ron Artest excitedly greeted his opponents.
Being selected for the All-NBA Team and winning DPOY, this year was the peak of his career:
"Are you ready to lose? You have no chance!"
A bouncing Ron Artest shouted loudly at Ben Wallace, receiving only a disdainful glance in return.
Lee and the others greeted each other and returned to their half-court to wait for the ball.
The noise in the Madison Square Garden quickly turned into cheers:
"Let's go Knicks!"
Standing up and waving their large orange handkerchiefs, as the playoffs progressed and the number of games decreased, the fans became even more invested.
The head referee tossed the ball up.
Pau Gasol, playing with some emotion, reacted quickly, tipping the ball to his own half-court.
As Lee received the ball, the Detroit Pistons quickly retreated to their half court.
Just as the coaching staff had predicted, they immediately set up a 3-2 Zone Defense from the start.
Chauncey Billups quickly stuck to Lee after he crossed half-court.
Corliss Williamson and Hamilton stood one on the left and one on the right wing, completing their man-to-man Defense while also watching the movement on the top.
Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace crouched under the left and right baskets.
This Zone Defense had recorded 19 blocks in a single game against the Pacers.
Lee, protecting the ball with his side, simply waved his hand, signaling his teammates to change their positions.
Soon, Grant Hill quickly ran to the left near the baseline.
At the same time, Pau Gasol quickly came to the free-throw line, while Kurt Thomas moved to the right near the baseline.
On the court, the New York Knicks changed their positioning very quickly, while the Detroit Pistons were completely unaffected, reminding each other to maintain their defensive positions.
As his teammates moved, Lee immediately passed the ball to Ron Artest on the left wing, while simultaneously cutting through the middle and accelerating towards the baseline.
Under the Zone Defense, the Detroit Pistons still didn't change their defensive zones.
Chauncey Billups at the top of the arc noticed Hill popping out again, and only then did he realize something was wrong.
Hill, who popped out to the top of the arc, received the ball.
At the same time, Pau Gasol moved up for a screen, and Lee, who had reached the baseline, quickly ran to the right corner.
Kurt Thomas stood firm near the right baseline, setting an off-ball screen for Lee.
Under Chauncey Billups' loud reminder, Ben Wallace quickly switched to defend Lee, following him as he ran to the right corner.
Hamilton, who had been stationary on the right wing, immediately slid over to help defend Hill after the screen.
The Detroit Pistons seemed to have executed a perfect Defense, but as Pau Gasol faked a screen and accelerated to roll, Kurt Thomas suddenly moved horizontally, using his body to block Rasheed Wallace under the left basket, and the situation completely changed.
Hill, who was originally planning to pass to the corner, jumped up near the right wing and suddenly passed the ball.
Chauncey Billups, still maintaining his up-court Defense, could only turn his head to watch Pau Gasol receive the ball in the paint and easily made a one-handed slam dunk with his right hand!
"Boom!" A powerful dunk on the roll!
Rasheed Wallace, tangled with Kurt Thomas on the off-ball screen, watched in frustration as Pau Gasol, having completed the dunk, roared loudly at the camera.
A fleeting opportunity, and the New York Knicks seized it.
For the fans, everyone just saw a few players quickly moving around the court, and then Pau Gasol completed the dunk.
Most fans were just enjoying the spectacle, but a dunk is always a good play.
Everyone waved their handkerchiefs, sat back in their seats, and continued to cheer loudly:
"Wow!"
Chauncey Billups, who received the ball on the baseline, was met with Lee's on-ball Defense.
The New York Knicks' defensive strategy was very simple: man-to-man.
After dribbling past half-court, Lee didn't even look at the movement behind him, constantly interfering while sticking close.
Hamilton quickly slipped along the baseline from left to right, using Rasheed Wallace's screen to quickly pop out to the left block.
Ron Artest didn't lose his defensive position.
A cautious Chauncey Billups didn't pass the ball immediately.
Hamilton ran towards the top of the arc with his defender.
Protecting the ball with his side, Chauncey Billups came to the left wing and quickly lobbed the ball to Rasheed Wallace, who was posting up on the left low block.
As the Detroit Pistons' main interior scorer, Rasheed Wallace had a matchup advantage.
The moment he received the ball, he immediately put it down with his right hand and backed down forcefully.
Kurt Thomas, who had been holding up his forearm to defend, bravely stepped up.
Their bodies collided.
Rasheed Wallace first twisted slightly forward, then immediately pivoted on his left foot towards the baseline.
The deceptive fake move worked.
The moment he completed the turn, Rasheed Wallace immediately gathered the ball, leaned back slightly against the block, and quickly jumped up to shoot!
"Clank!"
Although his straight-arm jump shot had a high release point, his first offensive attempt was a clean miss.
Using his height advantage, Pau Gasol tipped the rebound on the first attempt, and then, before Ben Wallace, he successfully secured possession on his second jump.
The Detroit Pistons quickly retreated on Defense at this point.
Only Chauncey Billups went up to delay Lee's advance.
As the opponent missed, cheers once again echoed throughout the Madison Square Garden.
Clay Lee wasn't in a hurry to advance either.
He glanced at the opponent's defensive positioning, then made a tactical hand signal.
Different from the previous possession, after confirming that the opponent had not changed their defensive formation, Grant Hill took up a position near the left baseline after crossing half-court.
Pau Gasol had already stopped near the free-throw line, and Ron Artest didn't run to the right corner but stopped on the right wing, waiting for the pass.
As Lee dribbled past half-court, the Detroit Pistons still maintained their three-player Zone Defense up top.
It was still a pass after crossing half-court. Ron Artest didn't rush to initiate the offense after receiving the ball.
He waited until Hill popped out to the top of the arc again before delivering a cross-court pass.
Lee, cutting off-ball, did not use his teammate's screen this time, suddenly running to the left corner.
Hill, moving horizontally towards the left wing, attracted Hamilton's Defense and immediately pushed the ball to change direction.
The moment he switched to his right hand, he dropped his shoulder and accelerated.
Chauncey Billups, who was still loudly reminding his teammates, quickly slid over to help defend, but he was still a step slow.
Shaking off Hamilton and easily breaking through the help Defense, Hill drove into the paint directly in front of the basket.
As Rasheed Wallace moved, he immediately jumped up and tossed the ball.
The basketball flew straight to the left corner.
Clay Lee received the ball, faked a shot, and Hamilton immediately accelerated to close out, flying out of bounds.
"Oh!"
Almost falling into the stands behind him, amidst the fans' exclamations, Lee, having faked out the Defense, then calmly jumped up and shot!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in without touching the rim.
0:5. The New York Knicks started the game with another beautiful play.
On the bench, everyone was cheering.
Head Coach Larry Brown was starting to lose his composure.
His Zone Defense didn't seem to be working very well.
The envisioned situation was very different from the actual confrontation.
Lee no longer frequently initiated pick-and-rolls, but instead camped in the corner to open up space, becoming a pure finisher.
This situation had never occurred in the regular season.
In recent years, Lee had always been the primary ball-handler, excelling at pick-and-rolls and racking up stats.
Head Coach Larry Brown instinctively stood up and loudly reminded his players to change their defensive strategy.
The Detroit Pistons' discipline was excellent, and everyone calmed down upon hearing the Head Coach's reminder.
After Chauncey Billups brought the ball past half-court, he immediately called for Ben Wallace to come up for a screen.
Perceptively noticing that the Knicks seemed to have completely given up on defending Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups hoped to create an easy scoring opportunity for his teammate through a simple pick-and-roll.
Without Lee's reminder, Chauncey Billups, dribbling with his left hand and moving horizontally, immediately encountered a hard hedge from Pau Gasol.
The Knicks indeed left Ben Wallace open, but Pau Gasol's hedge was unexpected by Chauncey Billups.
He ran straight into the big man's embrace, and the almost obstruction-like Defense caused Larry Brown to complain loudly from the sideline.
Chauncey Billups couldn't rely on his explosiveness to squeeze past directly.
Instead, he slowed down and stopped the ball.
Before he could secure the ball, Lee, who had chased back, stuck to him from behind and deftly poked the ball away with his left hand.
Caught in a double-team, Chauncey Billups immediately lost the ball, and cheers erupted again in the Madison Square Garden.
After completing the steal and gaining possession, Lee accelerated with the ball in his right hand, charging forward.
Chauncey Billups, chasing from behind, helplessly stopped at the three-point line.
It was a 1-on-0 fast break.
Inside the paint, Lee leaped high, his head level with the rim, then smoothly performed a between-the-legs dribble.
After stretching his body in the air, he grabbed the ball with his left hand and slammed it fiercely into the basket!
"Boom!"
The powerful dunk made the rim roar.
The beautiful between-the-legs slam dunk instantly ignited the Madison Square Garden.
Seeing Lee stop at the baseline, stretching his shoulders, the fans in the front row excitedly pumped their fists repeatedly.
When the Detroit Pistons prepared to inbound the ball, some fans kept shouting:
"New York does not welcome ugly basketball!"
"To hell with team basketball!"
Rasheed Wallace, who was about to inbound the ball from the baseline, originally wanted to touch the ball more to find his rhythm, but upon hearing the shouts from the fans behind him, he was almost enraged.
Larry Brown, who was still loudly complaining to the referee about the previous possession, saw this scene and reminded Rasheed Wallace again, who then suppressed his anger.
The so-called physical contact and tough basketball were often caused by the referees' leniency.
Noticing the officiating standard tonight, Chauncey Billups no longer used pick-and-rolls with Ben Wallace.
After dribbling past half-court, at the top of the arc, Chauncey Billups used Rasheed Wallace's screen to briefly shake off Clay Lee, then dribbled with his right hand, faking a drive.
Attracting Kurt Thomas's Defense, before the help Defense could arrive, Chauncey Billups flicked his wrist, and a pass found Rasheed Wallace, who had popped out.
From the left wing, at the 45-degree sweet spot, Rasheed Wallace didn't hesitate after catching the ball and immediately jumped up for a shot!
"Clank!"
The long rebound bounced out.
Clay Lee immediately anticipated the ball's landing spot, gained possession in the left elbow area, then twisted his body and charged forward.
Rasheed Wallace immediately committed a foul, disrupting the Knicks' transition offense.
"Shit!"
Rasheed Wallace, who had committed a foul early in the game, cursed under his breath.
Due to injuries, this was his first time playing against the Knicks since joining the Detroit Pistons.
Previously with the Portland Trail Blazers, with less discipline, Rasheed Wallace would sometimes slack off, but after joining his new team, he genuinely wanted to win a championship.
He liked the atmosphere of the new team.
Clapping his hands continuously, Rasheed Wallace, who had quickly retreated to half-court, reminded his teammates to change their Defense.
The Detroit Pistons suddenly switched back to man-to-man.
After inbound, Lee suddenly accelerated upon receiving the ball, driving quickly past half-court with the ball in his left hand, against the Defense.
The Detroit Pistons had just completed their defensive positioning, with the big men still deep in the baseline and the two wings spread out.
Arriving at the top of the arc, Lee stopped abruptly, then quickly dribbled between his legs.
Taking advantage of Chauncey Billups's left-hand interference, he suddenly executed a nimble spin.
As Lee scooped the ball with his left hand, he lowered his center of gravity, leaned into the defender, and accelerated for a drive.
Chauncey Billups could only twist and slide, attempting to provide body contact.
As the two just crossed the free-throw line, Lee suddenly stopped, pounding the ball forcefully in place.
Billups, still trying to get in front to defend, instantly lost his balance, watching Lee push the ball for a change of direction, switching to his right hand and completely shaking off the Defense.
Inside, Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace could only watch helplessly as Lee effortlessly completed a running floater with his right hand directly in front of the basket!
"Swish!" The two-point shot went in steadily.
0:9. The beautiful move once again ignited the Madison Square Garden.
Before the game, sports media had hyped up the Detroit Pistons' Defense, and New York fans were initially a bit worried.
Seeing Lee score so easily, everyone felt relieved, and their shouts grew louder.
The Knicks quickly retreated on Defense, leaving only Lee to continue leading the Defense.
Watching the Detroit Pistons' continuous ball movement, Hamilton made two back-to-back cuts, ultimately missing a jump shot.
From the commentary booth, Nessler couldn't help but exclaim:
"The Detroit Pistons' Defense doesn't seem to be having much effect."
"If it's just man-to-man Defense, then they're no different from other teams."
The Knicks launched a fast break.
After Lee crossed half-court, he went to the left wing and immediately pushed the ball for a change of direction, then executed a tank-like drive, shouldering Chauncey Billups towards the basket.
Attracting Rasheed Wallace's help Defense, Lee, leaning into the defender near the bottom left of the basket, jumped into the air, grabbed the ball with his left hand, and threw it behind his head.
Kurt Thomas, following up, caught the ball and immediately exploded upwards, only to be pulled down by Rasheed Wallace.
"Boo!"
Rasheed Wallace, who had been passive since the start and was anxious, only regained his composure after committing his second personal foul.
Seeing Larry Brown signal Mehmet Okur to enter the game, Rasheed Wallace
voluntarily walked towards the bench.
Upon returning to his seat, he took off his headband and threw it forcefully onto the floor.
They had defeated their opponents in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with their Defense, but tonight, their proud Defense was ineffective.
Rasheed Wallace stared wide-eyed, growing increasingly frustrated.
Kurt Thomas, while shooting free throws, subtly wagged his finger towards the Detroit Pistons' bench, infuriating Rasheed Wallace, who immediately stood up, only to be pushed back down by Larry Brown.
"Rasheed, calm down! This is the Eastern Conference Finals, the game has just begun!"
Larry Brown pushed up his glasses and returned to his seat, patting Rasheed Wallace.
He didn't believe the Knicks would keep making shots.
0:11. With both free throws made, Bill Walton looked at the Detroit Pistons, who hadn't scored yet, and subtly commented:
"A double-digit deficit. I think Head Coach Larry Brown needs a timeout."
"They should change their game plan. The Knicks are not a traditional team."
Seeing Ben Wallace, who was left open, commit a turnover with a pass in the paint, leading to a steal by Lee, both commentators felt the game was getting out of hand.
Chauncey Billups committed a foul and was then heavily booed by the New York fans.
In the following few minutes, the Detroit Pistons still failed to score until 6 minutes and 12 seconds remained in the 1st quarter when Ben Wallace's floater in the paint finally broke their scoring drought.
2:18. On the Knicks' bench, Mike D'Antoni couldn't hold back.
He specifically stood up, crossed his arms, and strolled to the sideline, glancing at the Detroit Pistons' bench.
Noticing that Larry Brown was stubbornly not calling a timeout, constantly yelling, Mike D'Antoni chuckled and shook his head.
The game was much easier than he had anticipated.
In the latter half of the quarter, the Detroit Pistons once again displayed their iron-blooded Defense, starting to foul frequently and giving up free throws.
With a large lead, Lee again camped in the corner, patiently waiting for opportunities.
With the same strategy as the start, the Knicks had a very high success rate, and Pau Gasol was extremely aggressive, constantly driving to the basket.
By the end of the first quarter, Madison Square Garden was completely ignited, and the New York fans were cheering excitedly.
14:32. Although the fouls disrupted the game's rhythm, the Knicks still held an 18-point lead.
Clay Lee, who had spent most of the quarter in the corner, shot 5-for-7 from the field, 1-for-3 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, quietly scoring 15 points.
When he returned to the bench, the atmosphere group excitedly high-fived Lee in celebration.
As he sat down, Lee smiled and waved to the fans behind him, but he was not entirely satisfied with his shooting performance:
"As expected, I shouldn't have practiced extra before the game."
.....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)