Check out my new fanfics.
Dragon Emperor in Pokemon World.
The return of Itachi
I am Sasuke. Why should I defect from Konoha.
Please give it a go đ
***
On May 22, 2004, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Detroit Pistons encountered significant trouble after the game began.
Head Coach Larry Brown insisted on trapping Defense high to prevent Lee from initiating too many pick-and-rolls with the ball.
This renowned Head Coach firmly believed that the Detroit Pistons could contain the New York Knicks' offense with their excellent rim protection.
While consistently adhering to their defensive strategy, after a series of missed shots to start the game, Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace's pick-and-rolls near the elbow began to help the team score.
With 3 minutes and 01 seconds left in the first quarter, Head Coach Larry Brown could no longer sit still.
The game was even worse than he had anticipated.
On an offensive possession, Hamilton repeatedly slipped along the baseline but couldn't get an open shot.
He eventually popped out to the left elbow and completed a hand-off with Rasheed Wallace.
Raja Bell, who had just entered the game, naturally chased him relentlessly, immediately squeezing through as Hamilton received the ball.
After missing shot after shot for most of the quarter, the Detroit Pistons' offense relied more on localized two-on-two plays.
Rasheed Wallace popped out immediately after passing the ball, moving early to the three-point line on the left wing.
Kurt Thomas, noticing his teammate was not out of position, naturally followed to help on Defense.
Hamilton dribbled to near the free-throw line, feeling the defensive pressure beside him.
He suddenly stopped with the ball in his right hand, immediately passed it back, and then accelerated towards the three-point line.
Raja Bell had no time to complain and continued to chase hard.
Rasheed Wallace, who received the pass back, again completed a hand-off and set a screen, delaying the Defense before immediately moving to near the elbow.
Hamilton, with the ball in his left hand, drove straight to the basket after receiving the pass.
Raja Bell, trailing him, was a step slow.
He saw his opponent suddenly stop and gather the ball near the left baseline, faking, and instinctively jumped to block.
Ducking past the Defense, Hamilton paused for a moment, using the timing to twist his body and make a mid-range jump shot!
14:24. This repeated hand-off, though simple, was very effective.
"Boo!"
After conceding multiple consecutive possessions, boos erupted again in the Madison Square Garden.
Although still trailing by double digits, as Hamilton repeatedly responded, Rasheed Wallace's emotions also surged.
He roared excitedly and high-fived his teammates in celebration.
Rasheed Wallace, high on emotion, no longer adhered to the set defensive strategy when retreating to half-court.
Seeing Kurt Thomas run early to the three-point line to set a screen, he also moved to raise his defensive position.
Despite the Head Coach yelling from the sidelines, the players on the court at the end of the first quarter no longer stuck to zone Defense.
Chauncey Billups even started defending at the half-court line.
Spotting the movement behind him, Chauncey Billups stuck tight, attempting to squeeze through the screen immediately.
Lee, with the ball in his right hand, didn't wait for his teammate to set.
He leaned into the Defense, faked an acceleration, and then quickly executed a crossover dribble.
Chauncey Billups, who almost stole the ball, inwardly cursed his luck.
When he tried to twist and slide again, he realized his defensive path was perfectly blocked by Kurt Thomas.
The beautiful fake made the Madison Square Garden noisy.
Rasheed Wallace, in high spirits, suddenly noticed his teammate was out of position and quickly stepped forward, attempting to delay Clay Lee.
The moment he shook off the Defense, Lee, with the ball now in his left hand, did not immediately drive.
He paused slightly, and as Rasheed Wallace flailed and rushed to defend, he lowered his shoulder and accelerated.
Seeing Lee accelerate, Rasheed Wallace quickly adjusted his body's center of gravity.
On the left wing, near the three-point line, Lee suddenly paused, disrupting his opponent's balance.
Taking advantage of the opponent's hesitation, Lee suddenly increased his stride.
As his right foot stepped forward significantly, he collided directly into Rasheed Wallace.
Before he could react much, Rasheed Wallace could only watch as Lee suddenly took a large step back after the collision.
As Lee continued to step back towards the left sideline, Rasheed Wallace again rushed to defend, leaping high to attempt a block.
However, as Lee released the ball, he drifted to the back-left and also increased the arc, causing the struggling Rasheed Wallace to only watch the basketball sail over his fingertips while in the air.
Under the strenuous block, Rasheed Wallace completely lost control of his body.
He tried to twist, but still bumped into Lee, and both fell almost simultaneously near the sideline.
"Clay Lee! On the dance floor!"
At the ESPN commentary table, Nessler saw Lee's continuous fakes and, as the referee blew the whistle, shouted again:
"OHâ! He got it!"
"Wow!"
The cheers almost burst through the Madison Square Garden.
Rasheed Wallace looked at Lee, who was being helped up, and immediately lost his enthusiasm.
A four-point play meant the Detroit Pistons would likely need two possessions to catch up.
"Damn three-pointer!"
Rasheed Wallace, standing next to the paint, couldn't hold it in and cursed under his breath to vent his frustration.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
As Lee stepped to the free-throw line, the shouts erupted again.
With the free throw made, Larry Brown on the sideline subconsciously glanced at the score.
14:28, the lead was suddenly stretched again.
When the Detroit Pistons attacked again, Hamilton again quickly slipped along the baseline from left to right.
Chauncey Billups at the top of the arc was interfered with by Lee and couldn't make the pass immediately.
He quickly turned and switched to his left hand before finally passing the ball to Hamilton, who continued to move to the free-throw line.
The latter immediately put the ball down with his left hand, leaning into Raja Bell who was trailing him, and made a one-handed float shot with his left hand in the paint!
Hamilton tried to draw a foul through body contact, but the referee made no call.
Head Coach Larry Brown on the sideline excitedly complained loudly to the side referee:
"Hey! That's a foul! You can't just ignore it!"
The stumbling Hamilton didn't hear a whistle and wanted an explanation, but Pau Gasol, who had secured the rebound under the basket, had already quickly thrown the ball to Lee.
After receiving the ball, Lee continuously accelerated along the right sideline.
Chauncey Billups loudly called for his teammates to retreat while also quickly sliding.
Mehmet Okur, who had come off the bench for the Detroit Pistons, was the last to get back on Defense. By the time Lee reached the right wing, his opponent had only just crossed half-court.
Near the three-point line, Lee, with the ball in his right hand, suddenly stopped.
He powerfully pounded the ball in place, then pulled it back between his legs.
With the sudden stop, Chauncey Billups quickly stopped his feet.
Clay Lee, with the ball now in his left hand, straightened his body, then quickly dribbled between his legs and again lowered his shoulder to accelerate.
Stopping and starting quickly, sliding desperately to the back-left, Chauncey Billups barely maintained his defensive position.
Lee just drove head-down, completely ignoring the Defense beside him.
By the time Mehmet Okur retreated to the paint directly in front of the basket, on the other side, Lee, near the lower right of the basket, was hanging on Chauncey Billups and took a powerful hop step.
Colliding with the Defense in the air, Lee grabbed the ball with his right hand and quickly tossed it towards the backboard!
"Bang! Swish!" The ball hit the backboard and went in.
After landing, Chauncey Billups lost his balance and sat down on the floor under the basket.
He looked at the baseline referee, opened his mouth, but couldn't speak.
"Excellent fast break! Clay Lee's strong layup gets another 2 points!"
"The Detroit Pistons' transition Defense has problems. Mehmet Okur, who came off the bench, doesn't seem to be keeping up with the game's pace."
At the commentary table, Bill Walton again mentioned the Detroit Pistons' substitution.
He consistently maintained that even if Ben Wallace was having an off night, he shouldn't have been substituted early.
With the lead extended again, when the Detroit Pistons attacked, Chauncey Billups quickly passed the ball to Mehmet Okur in the left low post.
The latter, after several post-ups, turned towards the baseline, and finally drew a foul on Pau Gasol with a float shot.
After making both free throws, he helped stabilize the team's situation.
The New York Knicks took the opportunity to substitute, with Dikembe Mutombo and Amar'e Stoudemire entering the game.
"Let's go Knicks!"
Quickly dribbling past half-court, Lee noticed that his opponent was still playing man-to-man Defense.
He immediately leaned into Chauncey Billups, who was sticking close.
While shielding the ball with his side, Lee, with the ball in his right hand, suddenly made a quick turn.
Amar'e Stoudemire had already moved early to the three-point line for a fake screen, and as Lee, with the ball in his left hand, accelerated to drive, he also quickly cut down.
Rasheed Wallace, who was trailing on Defense, hesitated.
Amar'e Stoudemire's cut was very fast, and his teammate seemed to be in position.
Rasheed Wallace, who was stuck at the left elbow, had just stepped back, attempting to stay between Lee and Amar'e Stoudemire.
The next second, he saw the basketball suddenly appear in front of him, immediately paused, and stopped his feet.
At the three-point line, Lee suddenly pushed the ball for a change of direction.
The ball landed in front of Rasheed Wallace.
He scooped the ball with his right hand, and while faking his body to the front-right, he completed a large gather.
Lee twisted his body, squeezing past Rasheed Wallace to drive straight to the basket.
Chauncey Billups, trailing behind him, almost collided with his teammate.
Seeing Lee drive to the lower right of the basket, Chauncey Billups quickly warned Rasheed Wallace to slide quickly and leap high!
Lee in the air sensed Rasheed Wallace's movement.
He pulled his left arm back with the ball, while his body simultaneously dodged backward.
In a flash, Rasheed Wallace's right arm hit Lee's forearm, while the basketball flew towards the backboard, seemingly unaffected.
"Squeak!"
"Bang! Swish!"
The whistle blew, and the ball went in.
After a high bank shot, the basketball swished through the net.
Realizing he had picked up his second personal foul, Rasheed Wallace angrily punched the air.
Ever since they switched to man-to-man Defense, Lee always went after him.
Chauncey Billups looked helplessly at the Head Coach, trying to get instructions, but Larry Brown was also at a loss at this moment.
Stepping onto the free-throw line, Lee smiled as he watched Wallace walk to the sideline.
He, of course, wanted to wear down the opponent's main scorer.
16:33. With the free throw made, the point difference was once again extended.
In the last two possessions, Williams also drew a foul from Ron Artest, stepping to the free-throw line and making both shots to narrow the gap slightly.
As Chauncey Billups and Hamilton double-teamed Clay Lee early, Raja Bell's three-pointer from the right wing clanked off the rim, ending the first quarter.
18:33. The point difference was still manageable, but the Detroit Pistons players walking to the bench were dispirited.
Lee's continuous scoring at the end had caused immense psychological damage to those on the court:
"How exactly are we supposed to play this game?"
Head Coach Larry Brown also saw the confusion in his players' hearts.
In a zone Defense, Lee occasionally squatted in the corner, directing teammates to pass the ball, and the Knicks played systematically.
In man-to-man Defense, seizing opportunities, Lee aggressively attacked Chauncey Billups and Wallace, scoring continuously with free throws and shots.
The Detroit Pistons coaching staff could only offer encouragement.
Everyone's eyes weren't blind.
Lee's speed and physical qualities were a cut above the rest, and the Knicks were playing superstar basketball.
Playing the entire first quarter, Hamilton was 5-for-8 from the field, 0-for-1 from three-point range, scoring a team-high 10 points.
Chauncey Billups was 0-for-3 from the field, 0-for-1 from three-point range, scoring zero points.
The Detroit Pistons backcourt combined for 10 points.
Also playing the entire first quarter, Clay Lee was 6-for-8 from the field, 2-for-3 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, efficiently scoring 18 points.
In the technical statistics, Lee alone was worth two players.
In the commentary booth, Nessler and Bill Walton were speechless:
"In the second half of the quarter, the Detroit Pistons should stick to their defensive strategy. For a period, their Defense has been effective."
Nessler felt his partner had become a fence-sitter, having previously said they should play man-to-man Defense:
"Hamilton performed very well on offense, carrying the game with his individual ability."
"He needs more help. The Detroit Pistons must solve their offensive problems."
The two analyzed for a while but ultimately couldn't offer much advice.
On the Knicks bench, Lee took a towel from Barnes and simply wiped the sweat from his head.
On Defense, Chauncey Billups was slightly inferior to Kidd.
This was a gap in game experience, but the Detroit Pistons' second line of Defense was better than the Nets'.
In terms of interior help Defense, Wallace and Ben Wallace were much better than Martin and Collins.
The biggest difference between the two sides was in defensive positioning.
For this, Lee also put in some thought, always needing to pay attention to help Defense when driving.
Ron Artest was currently grumbling about the opponent's screens, and the local two-on-two plays with Wallace and Hamilton were also difficult to defend.
As long as the screen quality was good, Hamilton could find opportunities.
"The opponent won't keep making those difficult jump shots. Run, don't let them complete their defensive matchups in time."
Coach D'Antoni, sitting in front of everyone, didn't give too many instructions.
Aside from too few transition attacks, he was very satisfied with tonight's game.
During the rotation phase, the Detroit Pistons backcourt became Mike James and Lindsey Hunter, while the frontcourt trio was Darwin Ham, Ben Wallace, and Mehmet Okur.
The Detroit Free Press called the Detroit Pistons' backcourt the "Bulldog Combo."
In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, they indeed caused a lot of trouble for the Pacers.
However, when they met the Knicks, the effects on both offense and Defense were not ideal, as there was no old man on this side.
The Knicks made extensive rotations, and with a double-digit lead, the bench unit could at least hold for 3 minutes.
Unexpectedly, as the game progressed, both sides went back and forth, continuously missing shots.
Ben Wallace had just blocked Knight's layup, the Detroit Pistons' transition offense failed, and Mehmet Okur's strong attack under the basket was also rejected by Dikembe Mutombo's big block.
Amar'e Stoudemire drove hard to the basket from the left block, only to be interfered with by Ben Wallace again.
Turning around, Darwin Ham drove and dished, and Ben Wallace missed a layup under the basket.
It wasn't until Mehmet Okur scored 2 points on a putback under the basket, and Tayshaun Prince received the ball on the right wing, faked, shook off Darwin Ham's Defense, and hit a long two-point jumper, that both teams broke their scoring drought.
20:35. With 8 minutes and 15 seconds left in the half, the two teams suddenly entered a state of 'chicken pecking'.
The Detroit Pistons lacked a primary scorer, and on the Knicks' side, Knight couldn't organize an effective offense, always resorting to individual isolation.
Ben Wallace at this time showed his DPOY-level ability, doing an excellent job of limiting Amar'e Stoudemire with pick-and roll Defense.
Head Coach Larry Brown on the sidelines felt the game had returned to his familiar rhythm, but looking at the point difference, the joy that had just surged disappeared.
Coach D'Antoni also didn't call a timeout, smiling and continuing to watch both sides clang shots.
The Detroit Pistons made the first substitution, with Hamilton re-entering the game.
In the subsequent possessions, the Detroit Pistons once again displayed their tough Defense, continuously using fouls to disrupt Amar'e Stoudemire's strong drives.
However, turnovers from Darwin Ham and Ben Wallace on offense meant the Detroit Pistons couldn't capitalize on opportunities to cut the lead.
With 7 minutes and 02 seconds left in the half, during Amar'e Stoudemire's free throws, both teams began to bring back their starting lineups.
22:37. Almost half a quarter had passed, the game was lively, with both sides scoring 4 points each.
Raja Bell, back on the bench, was not in a good mood.
In the Knicks, everyone wanted to get into the starting lineup.
When Lee led the bench, other players often got open looks, allowing everyone to easily accumulate stats.
Amar'e Stoudemire was also unhappy.
The anticipated easy scoring didn't materialize.
Instead, he got shown up by Ben Wallace.
When the broadcast showed the benches of both teams, both sides had grim faces.
With the starting lineups back, in the Madison Square Garden, the New York fans also stopped enjoying the show and started chanting loudly with the DJ:
"Defense!"
Wallace began to actively demand the ball in the low post, no longer frequently going to the high post for screens like in the first quarter.
When he received the ball in the left low post, the Detroit Pistons players spread out.
Wallace put the ball down with his right hand and continuously backed down, with Kurt Thomas defending him tightly from behind.
Although he made the correct defensive read, Wallace, turning to the baseline, used a timing difference to fake and deceive the Defense.
Kurt Thomas immediately pulled his opponent, disrupting the offense.
"Damn it! You can't defend me, you can only foul!"
Wallace yelled as he walked to the free-throw line.
Kurt Thomas stood with his hands on his hips and laughed, then leaned on his knees next to the paint and turned his head to retort:
"Buddy, you can keep playing isolation, and then lose to us by 20 points."
"I bet you guys will lose by 25+ tonight. I put 1000 dollars on it."
"F*** you!"
"Go home and get some milk!"
Due to his height, Kurt Thomas could only foul when the opponent squeezed into the basket, but in defending the catch, Wallace was also bothered by fronting and small fouls.
The two exchanged words and were quickly warned by the referee.
For Wallace, the referees had been strictly enforcing rules in these two games.
The league was very displeased about the conflict in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
In his agitated state, Wallace's second free throw hit the rim and bounced out.
With Pau Gasol and Ben Wallace grappling, Kurt Thomas seized the opportunity to easily secure the defensive rebound.
Wallace, retreating on Defense, continued to curse under his breath, and seeing some front-row fans grinning, his anger flared even more.
The Detroit Pistons changed their defensive strategy again.
After Lee dribbled the ball past half-court, Williams immediately double-teamed him early with Chauncey Billups.
On the left wing, when Ron Artest received a pass from Lee, who was far from the three-point line, Ben Wallace quickly rotated to help.
Wallace was now defending two players under the basket.
Kurt Thomas immediately shifted to the free-throw line, and Williams switched over in time.
Ron Artest, driving with his left hand, did not choose to pass but instead leaned into the defender and drove straight to the basket.
Finally, his left-handed floater was interfered with by Ben Wallace, and the ball hit the backboard before clanking off the rim.
Pau Gasol tipped the rebound, and before Wallace could jump a second time to secure the defensive rebound, Kurt Thomas, following up quickly, snatched the offensive rebound from behind his head.
Williams tried to poke the ball away, but Kurt Thomas was very calm, immediately passing the ball out to the three-point line, and the ball returned to Lee's hands.
Taking advantage of the crowded paint with no help Defense, Lee immediately put the ball down with his left hand after receiving it.
Facing Chauncey Billups's Defense, he lowered his center of gravity and quickly dribbled between his legs.
The moment he switched to his right hand, Lee smoothly dribbled behind his back, simultaneously swaying his body forward and to the left.
Chauncey Billups instinctively moved to the right.
Lee, near the three-point line, paused slightly, then made a drastic in-and-out dribble.
Chauncey Billups, trying to poke the ball away, watched it fly past his fingertips.
After dribbling one step horizontally, Lee evaded the Defense and immediately faked a shot at the top of the arc.
Chauncey Billups hurriedly jumped to contest, only noticing in mid-air that Lee hadn't jumped.
He tried to twist his body, but it was too late.
As his opponent lunged at him, Lee twisted his body, hanging onto the Defense, and took a jump shot!
"Whistle!"
The referee blew his whistle, and the basketball, on a slightly flat arc, hit the back of the rim with a thud and fell into the basket.
"Wow!"
Cheers erupted again, and from the commentary booth, Bill Walton stared in astonishment, exclaiming instinctively,
"Unbelievable! Clay Lee is hot from beyond the arc tonight, this is his second four-point play, which is definitely not good news for the Detroit Pistons."
Nessler saw Chauncey Billups's head bowed in silence and could only sigh along:
"The Detroit Pistons also need three-pointers. Relying only on two-pointers, it will be very difficult for them to close the gap!"
23:41, Lee made his free throw, and the point difference went straight to 20 points.
The Detroit Pistons, finding it difficult to score in motion, started driving to the basket again, getting free throws but also committing turnovers.
Hamilton's step-through drives after receiving the ball on off-ball screens always aimed to draw a foul from Grant Hill.
However, after two free throws, the referee stopped blowing his whistle, and this time, driving straight down the middle to the basket, he plunged into the Defense, and his jump-stop and gather directly in front of the rim were cleanly stripped by Hill.
Seeing his teammate lose the ball, the Detroit Pistons quickly retreated on Defense, but Lee's counterattack after receiving the ball was even faster.
After crossing the half-court line, Lee, dribbling with his right hand, continuously accelerated, driving straight to the basket from the right wing, challenging Chauncey Billups's Defense.
At the right block, while in motion, Lee suddenly brought the ball behind his back, switching to his left hand, and at the same moment, leaned into the defender and executed a jump-step.
Near the bottom right of the basket, after gathering the ball, Lee faked a left-handed scoop shot, and Hamilton, who was quickly trailing on Defense, and Chauncey Billups, who was beside him, both jumped up to block.
Throwing the ball over his head in mid-air, Lee passed the ball to Grant Hill, who was following behind, just as the two defenders jumped.
The latter received the ball and jumped with both feet in the paint directly in front of the rim, grabbing the ball with his left hand and completing a powerful one-handed dunk!
After a miss, there was a high probability of a transition offense, and although they had been at the free-throw line repeatedly, Head Coach Larry Brown noticed the lead gradually widening.
After being frequently double-teamed, Lee passed the ball as soon as he crossed half-court, and Pau Gasol received the ball in the left and right blocks several times, either handing it off to Hill for a cut to the basket or simply facing up to attack one-on-one.
His low-post offense was not effective, so Pau Gasol immediately turned to face the basket when he received the ball in the right block, and after a simple jab step, he suddenly pulled up for a jump shot and scored.
Ben Wallace heard the cheers in his ears and slammed the ball in frustration when he inbounded from the baseline.
With 1 minute and 17 seconds left in the first half, Chauncey Billups finally made his first field goal of the game from the right elbow, using Rasheed Wallace's screen.
There was no sound from the Detroit Pistons' bench.
The atmosphere seemed to have been lost, and even Larry Brown stopped shouting instructions, sitting expressionlessly in his seat.
On the New York Knicks' offensive possession, Chauncey Billups followed Clay Lee to the left corner.
Noticing Pau Gasol receiving the ball in the left block, Chauncey Billups quickly focused his attention on Lee.
Accelerating, Lee quickly moved up the sideline, nearing the left wing, then stopped abruptly and ran back again, and Pau Gasol tacitly completed the pass.
Chauncey Billups, with his hands raised high, did not complete the steal.
Lee, who jumped to catch the ball, landed near the left sideline, protecting the ball on his left side, and quickly took a probing step with his right foot.
Constantly giving body contact, Chauncey Billups braced his left forearm, attempting to sense the movement.
Lee, lowering his center of gravity, noticed no help Defense, quickly swept the ball, then suddenly released it with his left hand, exploded with a dribble on the spot, quickly stepped back, and floated to his left-rear for a jump shot!
While the ball was still in the air, Lee had already smiled and turned to retreat on Defense.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
Fans in the front row stood up, clapping continuously and cheering, while Chauncey Billups stood rooted to the spot, hands on hips, gazing at the rim, then finally lowered his head to receive the ball at the baseline.
Speeding up the offense, Hamilton received the ball in the right block and drifted to his left for a mid-range jump shot.
On the next possession, a hand-off play on the perimeter, Pau Gasol delivered the pass, and Lee missed a long-range three-pointer from the right wing.
Chauncey Billups, who jumped to block, hadn't even had time to celebrate when Lee suddenly started, picking up the long rebound perfectly in the right block.
Chauncey Billups, a step slow in reacting, chased on Defense, and Lee, who secured the rebound, faked a drive with the ball in his right hand.
Sensing the trailing defender, Lee deliberately slowed down, leaned into the defender, then suddenly stopped short, stepped back horizontally, and faded away towards the baseline for a fadeaway jump shot!
Seemingly losing his composure, Chauncey Billups directly knocked Clay Lee to the ground.
Falling to the ground, he turned his head to look at the rim, watching the basketball swish through the net, and Chauncey Billups couldn't help but widen his eyes, then angrily pounded the floor.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
As Lee made his free throw, the shouts once again echoed through the Madison Square Garden.
In the final moments, Rasheed Wallace attacked the basket forcefully, drawing a foul from Pau Gasol, and after making both free throws, the players on the court seemed to have lost their emotion.
38:59, although the New York Knicks only scored 26 points in the 2nd quarter, the point difference still reached 20+.
Hamilton, who had been highly efficient, went 1-for-3 in the second quarter, scoring 6 points on 4-for-4 free throws.
As he walked towards the player tunnel, Hamilton took off his mask and said nothing; he had given his all.
Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups both remained silent after returning to the locker room, sitting quietly in their seats.
Ben Wallace, despite grabbing 8 rebounds and delivering 2 blocks in the first half (0-for-4 from the field), was very frustrated upon returning to the locker room.
Head Coach Larry Brown looked at his dejected players and could only offer encouragement.
He had not been stingy with timeouts, but timeouts could not solve the problem.
After the second half began, on the Detroit Pistons' side, Hamilton started shooting continuously, and Chauncey Billups also tried to speed up the game.
The defensive intensity of both sides began to decline.
Hamilton continuously scored, and in response, Lee also kept answering whenever he got the chance.
Having just scored on a fadeaway jump shot from the left block, Hamilton retreated on Defense to half-court, loudly calling out to his teammates to defend.
On the right wing, Lee, dribbling with his right hand, accelerated to drive, then stopped abruptly and pulled the ball back between his legs.
His teammate's shouts had no effect.
Chauncey Billups's somewhat restrained close-out Defense was completely in vain, as he watched Lee's slightly leaning-back jump shot go up!
"Swish!" Another three-pointer went in!
Lee's hot hand sent a chill down the spines of everyone on the Detroit Pistons' bench.
As the game progressed, the struggling Chauncey Billups started fouling again.
The Detroit Pistons, trying hard to speed up, kept clanking shots, and ultimately relied on free throws to sustain their offense.
The game pace was fast, and Rasheed Wallace, running back and forth, didn't even have a chance to trash talk.
He felt the cheers in the Madison Square Garden growing louder, and walked numbly to the bench as the 3rd quarter ended.
18:28 in the quarter, and after three quarters, it was 56:87, with the last quarter entering garbage time again.
The New York fans in the arena, seeing Lee start to put on his warm-ups, loudly chanted "Clay-Lee."
According to the current trend of the series, fans would not be able to see the New York Knicks play at Madison Square Garden for quite some time.
From the commentary booth, Nessler also secretly sighed in regret.
Lee's shooting touch was excellent tonight, and he also wanted to watch longer:
"What a wonderful game! Game 3 will move to Auburn Hills Palace. After two consecutive large-margin losses, how will the Detroit Pistons adjust?"
Although the game was not over, Nessler had already assumed the New York Knicks would win, and Bill Walton glanced at the box score:
31 minutes played, 13-for-18 from the field, 6-for-9 from three-point range, 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, 40 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover.
Secretly thinking it was absurd, Bill Walton remained outwardly calm, smiling as he spoke platitudes:
"The Detroit Pistons need to stick to their Defense. Lee won't be this accurate all the time. After returning home, they should be able to seize the opportunity!"
"..."
On the New York Knicks' bench, Coach D'Antoni was grinning from ear to ear.
After briefly speaking to the rotation players, he returned to his seat and whispered to Lee:
"You're not shooting enough threes, Lee. Don't worry about the opponent's transition offense."
"Once we get running, our advantage is even greater!"
Lee just smiled and nodded, then confidently stated, "I understand, Coach. As long as there's an opportunity, I'll try more shots!"
The two chatted happily for a few moments, while Ewing, standing nearby, secretly clicked his tongue in amazement:
"Times have truly changed!"
.....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)