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
***
TNT put a lot of effort into promoting the Eastern Conference Finals, with various analyses before the game, and even calling Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal the strongest duo in the league after the Heat eliminated the Detroit Pistons.
Although Shaquille O'Neal suffered a hip injury in the semifinals, most commentators believed that this year's conference finals would be a closely contested game.
On the evening of the 23rd, despite falling behind early, the Heat still held on.
The New York Knicks had too much rest time and started slowly.
As the second quarter entered the rotation phase, Shaquille O'Neal seemed to be having physical issues, and Mourning remained on the court for over 6 minutes.
Christian Laettner, with his old bones, was substituted early, and backup guard Keyon Dooling also played for less than 2 minutes.
As the game progressed, Stan Van Gundy grew increasingly anxious.
Before the timeout, the Heat had gone almost 2 minutes without scoring again.
At 29-43, with 6 minutes and 16 seconds left in the first half, the Heat had only scored 8 points in the second quarter.
In contrast, the New York Knicks capitalized on Shaquille O'Neal's absence to continuously score.
Dwyane Wade hadn't rested yet, and the cheers at Madison Square Garden made him irritable.
His mindset was completely different from the regular season.
The more the point difference widened, the more anxious he became.
Wade, chasing Lee, wished he could just steal the ball directly.
He knew very well that his team needed to score as quickly as possible.
Due to the excellent performance of the bench, the New York Knicks did not substitute their starters after the timeout, and Derek Fisher continued to distribute the ball from the top of the arc.
Dwyane Wade, already frustrated, chased Clay Lee to the left baseline and interfered, attempting to disrupt the pass.
Soon, Amar'e Stoudemire came to the left elbow, received the pass from Derek Fisher, and Lee at the baseline restarted, receiving the handoff on the wing.
Mourning had a headache.
Although he saw Dwyane Wade squeeze through the screen, Amar'e Stoudemire, who passed the ball, accelerated and cut to the basket, making it difficult for him to make a defensive choice.
Near the free-throw line, Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, leaned on Dwyane Wade and continued to drive hard to the middle.
Observing that Mourning chose to retreat to defend the basket, he immediately pulled the ball back between his legs.
With a sudden stop, Dwyane Wade instantly lost his defensive position.
Fortunately, Damon Jones from beyond the three-point line cooperated by collapsing the Defense and came over for help Defense in time.
Attracting a double-team, the basketball had just reached Lee's left hand.
While Damon Jones was still sliding, he immediately passed the ball behind his back to Derek Fisher on the left wing.
The latter received the ball, and with no one guarding him, he calmly shot a jump shot from beyond the three-point line!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
29-46. Every three-pointer felt like a heavy punch, and the Heat were clearly struggling to hold on.
Madison Square Garden erupted again.
Damon Jones, who received the ball at the baseline, quickly passed it to Dwyane Wade.
After receiving the ball, Dwyane Wade, dribbling with his right hand, brought it past half-court.
When he reached the left wing, Mourning immediately came up for a pick-and-roll.
Changing direction with a push, the moment he switched to his left hand, Dwyane Wade immediately lowered his shoulder and accelerated.
Clay Lee went around the screen, continuing to block the driving lane.
At the same time, Amar'e Stoudemire also retreated to defend.
Dwyane Wade, who drove straight to the basket, ultimately ran into a double-team.
To the lower left of the basket, he was forced to jump and pass the ball.
The pass was too low, forcing Mourning, who was trailing, to bend down to receive the ball.
The Kidney Fighter still wanted to exert force, but the help Defense was already in place.
Kurt Thomas retreated to the basket, and with Lee and others, in the confined space under the basket, Mourning ultimately forced a layup over someone, drawing a shooting foul.
Kurt Thomas, who had just picked up his second personal foul, didn't complain.
Mourning, with a serious expression, went to the free-throw line, constantly gesturing his shooting motion.
"Boo!"
A chorus of boos erupted in Madison Square Garden.
From the commentary table, Kevin Harlan looked at the statistics and simply said:
"So far, Dwyane Wade has only one field goal, and he hasn't scored in the second quarter."
"If he wants to close the gap, he must respond on the offensive end."
Doug Collins saw clearly that Dwyane Wade had an opportunity to score with a mid-range jump shot using the pick-and-roll:
"Mourning's screens are good, but under Lee's Defense, Dwyane Wade seems to have lost confidence in his jump shot."
"He should adjust in time. Amar'e Stoudemire may not be good at protecting the rim, but his excellent physical qualities compensate for his lack of experience."
31-46. With Mourning's two free throws, the Heat finally ended their scoring drought.
"Let's go Knicks!"
The massive cheers once again echoed throughout Madison Square Garden.
The New York Knicks' continuous scoring also made the fans' emotions even more excited.
Derek Fisher still calmly dribbled the ball past half-court.
At the top of the arc, he quickly passed the ball to Amar'e Stoudemire, who was posting up for the ball on the left block.
The latter received the ball and immediately turned to face the basket for an offensive.
He took a horizontal jab step with his right foot, then immediately put the ball down, leaned on Mourning, and drove hard to the basket.
Mourning, with his rich defensive experience, actively eased up this time.
After adjusting his footwork, he jumped up to interfere as his opponent raised the ball, attempting a one-handed slam dunk.
The simple and crude offense didn't work.
Under the interference, Amar'e Stoudemire's dunk turned into a layup, and the basketball ultimately bounced off the rim.
Mourning tried to twist his body to grab the rebound.
Haslem was still grappling with Kurt Thomas on the other side.
Amar'e Stoudemire, with a second jump, plucked the ball from behind his head, and with superior physical prowess, he grabbed another offensive rebound.
Helplessly, the Kidney Fighter could only raise both hands, trying to use his body to push Amar'e Stoudemire away.
Unable to push off the Defense, Amar'e Stoudemire, who had grabbed the rebound, calmly passed the ball to Tayshaun Prince on the left wing.
Kurt Thomas immediately moved from the basket towards the top of the key, attempting a screen.
At the same time, Lee, who had been squatting in the right baseline, also feigned a move towards the top of the key.
On the left wing, Eddie Jones was still paying attention to the movements behind him.
Before the screen could happen, Tayshaun Prince suddenly put the ball down with his left hand and drove straight to the basket.
Dwyane Wade's attention was somewhat divided.
Clay Lee seized the opportunity to suddenly back-cut, along the baseline, driving straight to the basket.
At the left block, Tayshaun Prince, having shaken off his defender, tossed the ball towards the upper right of the basket.
Wade, who had lost his defensive position, could only watch as Lee exploded, caught the ball in mid-air, briefly hung in the air, and slammed the ball fiercely into the basket with both hands!
"Wow!"
The spectacular alley-oop reignited the arena's atmosphere.
Clay Lee hung on the rim to dissipate force, and after landing, he once again teased Dwyane Wade, whose face was grim:
"Concentrate, Rookie! I already have 18 points."
"..."
Dwyane Wade, who had only scored 2 points, was too frustrated to speak.
Lee hadn't even exerted himself fully, frequently dishing out passes, while Dwyane Wade wanted to score but simply couldn't.
Eddie Jones carried the Heat's offense in the second quarter.
As he ran to half-court, he loudly reminded Dwyane Wade to pay attention to his positioning.
Damon Jones, who had dribbled past half-court, was also reminding his teammates.
Dwyane Wade calmed down, no longer stubbornly demanding the ball.
This time, they ran a baseline cross-screen.
Tayshaun Prince and Lee switched defenders seamlessly.
When Dwyane Wade came to the left wing to receive the ball, he was once again bothered by a long arm.
Mourning came up for a pick-and-roll.
Faking right and driving left, Dwyane Wade once again drove hard to the basket.
Tayshaun Prince, with slightly less agility, chased back in time, but Dwyane Wade didn't choose a pull-up jump shot.
Instead, he widened his stride, leaned on the defender, and made a difficult scoop layup.
"Squeak!"
The referee blew the whistle again.
Dwyane Wade's strong drive drew a shooting foul, earning him two free throws.
Dwyane Wade, starting to breathe heavily, missed his second free throw.
Seeing Amar'e Stoudemire grab the rebound, Lee received the ball and accelerated down the left sideline, forcing Dwyane Wade to switch to defend Derek Fisher.
Although Damon Jones chased back in time, he couldn't slow Lee down, only passively sliding his feet.
Lee, moving faster and faster, reached the left wing, near the three-point line, and continued to drive hard with his head down, despite the Defense.
At the block, Lee, while in motion, leaned on Damon Jones and suddenly spun like a top, completely shaking off the Defense and getting close to the basket.
Dwyane Wade, desperately retreating on Defense, leaped high at this moment, attempting to block the shot.
However, it was only when he was in the air that he realized Lee had thrown the basketball behind him.
Dwyane Wade, after landing, hadn't even reacted when Amar'e Stoudemire, trailing, received the pass and slammed the ball with his right hand for a powerful one-handed dunk!
The forceful dunk sent the basketball through the rim and directly onto Dwyane Wade's head.
Stumbling, Dwyane Wade could only lean on the basketball hoop, watching Amar'e Stoudemire pound his chest and roar in front of him.
Stan Van Gundy on the sidelines saw that Mourning could no longer keep up with the pace of the game and reluctantly called another timeout.
The Kidney Fighter was also gasping for air as he walked towards the bench.
Against the energetic Amar'e Stoudemire, he was equally helpless.
32-48. Cheers rose and fell.
On the Heat bench, Shaquille O'Neal had to stand up, clapping repeatedly, encouraging his teammates.
Mike D'Antoni couldn't stop smiling.
He didn't know what was wrong with Shaquille O'Neal's body, but without him, the New York Knicks' interior advantage could be fully utilized.
Mike D'Antoni chuckled and patted Amar'e Stoudemire, who had played efficiently in the second quarter.
This scoring run had already helped his team secure the victory.
"It seems Shaquille O'Neal has suffered an injury, which is not good news for the Heat."
"Dwyane Wade is struggling to carry the team's offense. Against Clay Lee's agile Defense, the physical advantage he had in the first two rounds has disappeared."
Doug Collins confirmed the statistics and stopped hyping Dwyane Wade.
Opponents before the finals had a hard time containing Wade, but tonight, facing the more agile and stronger Lee, the second-year Rookie was completely outmatched.
Kevin Harlan was still hoping for Dwyane Wade to bounce back, and seeing Shaquille O'Neal re-enter the game, he immediately added:
"The Heat still have plenty of time to turn the game around, Dwyane Wade needs to play smarter."
After the timeout, the New York Knicks' starting lineup returned, and Raja Bell, who had rested for a while, began to take over the task of guarding Wade to prevent Lee from getting his third foul too early.
After Shaquille O'Neal came on, the Heat's offense was still mainly based on free throws.
Under Head Coach Stan Van Gundy's guidance, Dwyane Wade began to use more off-ball screens, trying to break free from the Defense.
Perhaps due to too much physical contact, Dwyane Wade still couldn't seize the opportunity, and his open jump shot still clanked off the rim.
After realizing that he hadn't found his shooting touch, Dwyane Wade stopped shooting, seizing the opportunity to use screens to drive hard to the inside and continue drawing fouls.
Although the game was somewhat stagnant, Lee's simple pick-and-roll offense always easily assisted his teammates in scoring.
Pau Gasol and Kurt Thomas continuously made jump shots near the free-throw line.
After Lee was double-teamed, Tayshaun Prince's step-back jump shot after a breakthrough from the left wing also provided a response.
With 1 minute and 03 seconds remaining in the first half, Damon Jones hit a long-range three-pointer as the shot clock was about to expire.
44:58, the score difference was still fluctuating.
Although Shaquille O'Neal had been scoring via free throws during this period, his lack of energy was visible to the naked eye.
Every time there was a transition offense, the shark lagged behind.
This time, during the New York Knicks' offense, Pau Gasol received a pass from Lee in the right elbow area.
Turning his body sideways, as Lee moved to the right wing, Pau Gasol also began to dribble and move up the arc.
Dwyane Wade first slid with him, and when Lee made a back cut to receive a hand-off pass, he forcefully squeezed past again.
The solid screen caused Dwyane Wade to almost lose his balance after squeezing through, and he stumbled as he chased alongside Lee.
Dribbling with his left hand and moving horizontally, Lee intentionally slowed down, leaned into the defender after contact, and then suddenly spun quickly on his right foot.
Watching Lee switch to his right hand and regain control of the ball, Dwyane Wade made the wrong defensive choice, attempting to squeeze through the screen again.
Pau Gasol moved slightly up and then stood still, and Dwyane Wade crashed into him, completely losing his defensive position.
Shaquille O'Neal's mind kept up, but his body didn't react, failing to slide horizontally in time, and could only watch Clay Lee gather the ball on the right wing, taking an uncontested jump shot!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
44:61, the Heat's three-pointer from the previous possession was answered.
A series of free throws failed to change the situation on the court, and Dwyane Wade's frustration was uncontrollable.
The coaching staff had already told everyone what such a score difference meant.
"Rookie! You only scored 5 points!"
"The last strongest duo in the league cried in New York!"
Behind the basket, many fans were yelling and making wiping-tears gestures.
The laughter all around made Dwyane Wade even more uncomfortable, and Shaquille O'Neal pulled his junior away, not letting him bother these jokers.
The Heat's offense also didn't just throw up random shots.
Under Shaquille O'Neal's direction, Damon Jones, who came to the left wing, decisively passed the ball to Shaq in the low post.
The moment he caught the ball, Lee on the arc suddenly retreated with the ball, and Shaquille O'Neal didn't hold onto it, immediately passing it back out to the three-point line.
However, there was a slight miscommunication.
Damon Jones wasn't ready and was still moving horizontally, so he quickly adjusted his position when he saw the ball flying back.
Seizing the opportunity, Lee poked the ball away the moment Jones touched it, and the basketball flew back towards mid-court.
Damon Jones, who was stripped, was then bumped away by Lee, stumbling and completely losing his position.
Amidst the cheers of the fans, Lee chased down the basketball and sprinted across half-court.
On a 1-on-0 fast break, Clay Lee jumped off two feet in the paint, pulled the ball back with his right arm, stretched his body, and slammed the ball into the basket!
The spectacular tomahawk dunk sent cheers erupting through the Madison Square Garden.
This was the Heat's third turnover of the game, and the fans felt their opponents were collapsing.
The Heat continuously passed the ball around the perimeter, and eventually, Eddie Jones's drive drew a foul from Pau Gasol, who made both free throws, helping the Heat narrow the score difference.
On the last possession, Raja Bell's open three-pointer from the left corner missed, drawing a sigh from the fans.
At the end of the first half, the score was 46:63, with the New York Knicks scoring 35 points in a single quarter, effectively securing the game.
The good news was that the Heat rarely turned the ball over, but the bad news was that Dwyane Wade completely faltered.
Playing the entire first half, Dwyane Wade was 1-for-9 from the field, 0-for-1 from three-point range, and 3-for-6 from the free-throw line, tallying a meager 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The Heat shot 18-for-25 from the free-throw line in the first half, scoring almost entirely from free throws in the latter half of the second quarter.
Regarding this situation, Doug Collins from the commentary booth could only tactfully comment:
"The role players performed their tasks very well, and Head Coach Stan Van Gundy has transformed the Heat. Although they are behind, I believe they still have a chance."
Kevin Harlan had commentated too many New York Knicks games and naturally knew it would be difficult for the Heat to come back:
"Clay Lee in the playoffs is completely different from the regular season. It seems Dwyane Wade has not yet adapted to the intensity of the game."
"Facing his template, he still has a lot to learn."
The second half began, and the Heat were forced to speed up, turning the game into the pace Shaquille O'Neal disliked the most.
Haslem popped out after a pick-and-roll, received a pass from Damon Jones, and quickly scored near the free-throw line against the Defense.
Receiving the ball on the baseline and accelerating, Clay Lee used Pau Gasol's screen on the right wing, accelerated a second time to draw Shaquille O'Neal's help Defense, and Pau Gasol, cutting down, received the pass and responded with a layup.
Eddie Jones assisted Shaquille O'Neal in the low post from the right wing, who scored with a turn-around fadeaway.
At the top of the arc, with a double screen up top, a behind-the-back dribble, Lee, switching to his right hand, moved horizontally, shaking off Dwyane Wade at the three-point line.
Facing Haslem, who switched onto him, Lee drove straight to the basket, leaning into his opponent.
Near the lower right side of the basket, Lee took a hop step, pushed off the defender, and scored with a right-handed floater.
Haslem, who was bumped to the baseline, looked helpless.
He had already tried his best.
Both sides played faster and faster.
For the Heat, besides low-post offense, Haslem would shoot immediately after getting the ball off a pick-and-roll.
With a large lead, as long as the opponent failed to score, Lee would seize the opportunity to frantically speed up, which led to more and more back-and-forth runs for both teams.
The Heat missed several consecutive possessions, and the score remained stuck at 52 points, while the New York Knicks seized the opportunity to extend their lead again.
Clay Lee uncharacteristically missed a step-back jump shot from the left wing, and Eddie Jones grabbed the long rebound, immediately passing the ball to half-court.
Dwyane Wade, who had just finished playing Defense, sprinted forward, controlled the ball past mid-court, and continued to charge towards the basket.
Despite noticing that Lee was catching up from behind, Dwyane Wade, who had broken through the Defense, rarely encountered such a good opportunity.
He took three big steps, jumped, and with the ball in his right hand, put all his strength into attempting a dunk in the air.
Dwyane Wade's straightforward offensive choice allowed the trailing Lee to calmly adjust his steps, jumping almost simultaneously, and as Dwyane Wade pulled the ball back, Lee immediately extended his left arm.
"Oh!"
Amidst the fans' gasps, Dwyane Wade, who was winding up for a dunk, was blocked by Clay Lee.
The two struggled in the air, and Dwyane Wade quickly lost control of the ball, his body leaning back, completely losing his balance, and falling straight onto the floor.
The basketball was thrown towards the sideline, and after landing, Lee didn't bother chasing the ball, standing in front of Dwyane Wade, pumping his fist and roaring.
"Ah!"
Lying on the floor, Dwyane Wade's ears were filled with the excited shouts of the fans.
He barely propped up his upper body, and with a pained expression, Dwyane Wade signaled to the coach for a timeout.
The third quarter was not even halfway through, and Dwyane Wade also seemed to be experiencing some physical issues.
Watching his players return to the bench looking dejected, Head Coach Stan Van Gundy sighed inwardly.
After the timeout, Dwyane Wade, who reluctantly returned to play, continued to clang shots off the rim.
At this point, the New York Knicks had multiple players scoring, but fortunately, their defensive intensity dropped, and the Heat's role players responded in time, maintaining the score difference.
Relying on fast breaks and free throws, Dwyane Wade finally scored towards the end of the third quarter.
Head Coach Stan Van Gundy was worried about physical issues with his two main players and simply conceded early.
After three quarters, the score was 69:93, and the game entered garbage time.
New York fans began to celebrate the victory early.
As they imagined, Rookie Dwyane Wade was no match!
3-for-15 from the field, 0-for-2 from three-point range, 3-for-6 from the free-throw line, 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Dwyane Wade's first conference finals scoring performance failed to reach double digits in his career.
12-for-19 from the field, 3-for-5 from three-point range, 7-for-7 from the free-throw line, 34 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Clay Lee clocked out after three quarters, once again delivering a heavy blow after encountering a Rookie.
The fourth quarter entered garbage time, and Lee had already changed into his practice uniform, quietly waiting for the game to end.
The New York Knicks players were in high spirits, and Ewing was beaming, taking the opportunity to cover his mouth and say to Lee:
"We should just crush these arrogant Rookies!"
"Why didn't anyone call us the strongest duo back then? These media always like to favor Rookies."
Clay Lee turned to look at the inflated Gorilla, following his words:
"Patrick, time will tell, you are already more successful than Shaquille O'Neal, 4 is greater than 1!"
...
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