Chapter 54: Small Trophy
NBA is a big show. Fans buy tickets to watch the games, expecting the players to perform well.
In addition to those wonderful dunks, amazing dribbling is also a favorite of fans. After the game with the Jazz, Lee's popularity soared again.
When Lee shook off his opponent, stableman Albert subconsciously commented "Clay! My god!" which became the name of the new move.
"Shammgod" was replaced by "ClayGod", the little butterfly flapped its wings, and history changed a little.
Howard Ellis of the Jazz also became famous, and the footage of him being knocked down by Lee became popular all over the United States in just one night.
On the plane to Detroit on the morning of the 18th, everyone on the Knicks team felt sad.
TNT and ESPN are still repeatedly promoting Lee's fall, and coupled with the youngest scoring record, this time it's really a big hit!
Alan Houston was the happiest. He was still grinning after getting on the plane:
"I must save this shot. Even after 10 years, this attack will be mentioned again and again. Lee, maybe you will have a chance to enter the All-Star Game!"
The old guys felt sad when they heard Alan Houston's words, but Lee, who was reading Sports Illustrated, did not get too cocky:
"All-Stars are impossible. It's just a regular season game. Pat played better. I just happened to seize those shooting opportunities."
Patrick Ewing felt comfortable being photographed, with an expression that said "you're smart, kid".
Charles Oakley was also in a good mood reading the article in the newspaper. The New York media praised his defense against Karl Malone and directly made the old guy the DPOY!
The atmosphere group started talking about yesterday's game. The Bulls almost lost, which was also a hot topic.
In the game between the Lakers and the Bulls that was played simultaneously last night, the two sides fought hard for an overtime, and the Bulls finally won the victory with great difficulty.
In the first quarter, the Bulls dug themselves a big hole, trailing by 14 points at 36:22.
In the first three quarters, the Lakers completely suppressed the Bulls, but in the fourth quarter, with 15:33 in a single quarter, the Bulls tied the score in one fell swoop.
The best players in this game were not O'Neal and Michael Jordan. Nick Van Exel of the Lakers and Scottie Pippen of the Bulls performed better.
Crazy Van made 14 of 21 shots in the game, 5 of 9 from beyond the three-point line, and scored 36 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 turnovers. He even scored 7 points in overtime, accounting for all the points for the Lakers.
Pippen made 13 of 26 shots, 4 of 11 from beyond the three-point line, and scored 35 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 block and 6 turnovers. When Jordan missed shots, he successfully carried the team's offense.
After winning this game, the Bulls' record reached 21 wins and 3 losses, continuing to lead the league!
The Bulls' strong performance has made some teams join the bad team, and they can only wait for the Bulls to disintegrate if they can't beat them.
Lee saw the news that the Spurs changed their head coach, and then he remembered that Tim Duncan was also going to enter the NBA:
"It's hard to say who the future belongs to"
In back-to-back away games, Lee saw the true successor to Jordan - Grant Hill.
Prior to this, the Pistons had a record of 18 wins and 4 losses, firmly occupying the second place in the Eastern Conference.
Grant Hill not only continued his hot form from last season, but he also dominated the ball more this season.
Grant Hill was selected to the All-Star Game in his rookie season and has attracted much attention since entering the league, and his popularity has exploded.
The Palace of Auburn Hills was packed that night, and Detroit fans cheered loudly for their home team as soon as the game started.
Patrick Ewing, who performed brilliantly in the last game, was sluggish again tonight.
Facing Rick Mahorn's defense, he was unable to find his touch.
The two sides were still in a stalemate at halftime. In the third quarter, the Pistons suddenly made a 13:4 run with continuous transition offense, which secured the victory of the game.
Alan Houston was intercepted continuously by Grant Hill, and Ewing, who tried to organize the assists, also made two mistakes in this quarter.
Jeff Van Gundy was a little confused. The consecutive unnecessary mistakes were not part of his game plan.
In the end, 86:98, the Pistons successfully ended the Knicks' winning streak with 6 of 13 shots, 5 of 10 free throws, 17 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals and 1 turnover. Grant Hill scored a triple-double in this game!
After the game, fans and media surrounded the true successor to Jordan.
The veterans of the Knicks were a little depressed. They hated to see the opponent's young players steal the show the most, but Grant Hill, they couldn't stop him at all because his first step was too fast.
"There are so many so-called 'Michaels' everywhere. The media is so boring."
Charles Oakley was in a bad mood, but Grant Hill was born to be a winner!
With a good family background, good looks, and a street-like manner, Grant Hill perfectly met David Stern's requirements and was naturally sought after by the league.
"Go back to your home court and win again. Their shooting ability is not as good as expected!"
Lee followed Oakley and quickly returned to the player tunnel, commenting on the game by the way.
Tonight, Lee made 5 of 11 shots and 4 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and scored a team-high 17 points. Oakley also ate a lot of cake and scored 14 points.
The old guy was in a bad mood, and when he returned to the locker room, he took it out on Walter McCarty, the punching bag:
"Walter, you make mistakes every time you come on the court! I'm treating you tonight, and when I get back to the hotel, I want to see donuts!"
It was a rare opportunity to get 10 minutes of playing time, but the rookie McCarty made 1 of 4 shots, got 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers and 6 fouls.
Knowing that he didn't perform well, McCarty could only respond in a low voice, turned his head and showed a resentful expression, cursing in his heart:
"I'll eat you to death sooner or later, old man!"
The Knicks still have three games to play before Christmas, so there will be no Christmas game. After completing these three games, everyone can celebrate the holiday with peace of mind.
On the evening of the 20th, the Knicks challenged the 76ers away. Iverson was very active in the first half of the game, but in the third quarter, he was knocked to the floor by Oakley's elbow.
The referee called a flagrant foul, but Oakley showed a "comfortable" expression.
With the score of 26:10 in a single quarter, the Knicks made a comeback thanks to Iverson's sudden loss of accuracy.
110:88, the Knicks finally won the game!
After the game, Philadelphia reporter Stephen A. Smith angrily criticized the Knicks' "iron-blooded" defense:
"This is a basketball game, look at what they did! Allen Iverson was almost knocked out. It's unbelievable that such a thing would happen in our home court!"
No matter how indignant the Philadelphia media is, the Knicks don't care. They are going back to New York to celebrate the holiday.
The Christmas atmosphere in Manhattan is getting stronger and stronger, and the number of tourists is increasing. For the game against the Pistons on the evening of the 21st, the Knicks' tickets are in short supply.
Spike Lee doesn't have to worry about tickets, as he watches every game in the front row. After nearly two months of competitions, Lee has also gained his recognition.
Before the game, Lee was warming up by controlling the ball with his hands in a fancy way on the sidelines, and Spike Lee came over to chat:
"Lee, you should grow some beard and act more mature, you'll be more popular!"
"I plan to make a basketball movie. It's not a group movie. It tells the story of a talented player. It's a pity that you are not black, otherwise, the male lead would be yours!"
After Lee received the ball, he saw that the other party was still talking about the plot of the movie, so he also praised it:
"It's a really good script. It will definitely be a big hit after it is filmed. I will be an extra and experience life on the set!"
Spike Lee was waiting for this sentence. He immediately patted Lee and whispered:
"Just a cameo, there are pretty girls on the set, I promise you'll like it!"
The two were still chatting when the fans in the front row began to call out Lee's name.
More and more fans buy tickets to support Lee, which is also the impact of his frequent appearances on TV.
In the second game against the Pistons, Charles Oakley, who returned to his home court and let himself go, knocked Grant Hill to the floor again in the third quarter.
Lee felt a little sympathetic when he saw Hill lying on the floor without getting up for a while. The old guy was very vindictive. He got a triple-double in the last game, so he wouldn't have an easy time tonight.
The referee called a flagrant foul again, but Charles Oakley didn't care at all:
"Comfortable!"
The expression on Oakley's face made the Pistons curse, but fortunately Grant Hill was strong and nothing serious happened, but his hands felt the impact in the following games.
In the end, the Knicks returned to their home court and completed their revenge with their "iron-blooded" defense, 92:100.
The fans at the scene were so excited by the tense game that they were reluctant to leave after the game and continued to shout the names of the players.
On the morning of December 23, the NBA announced the best player of the week for the previous week, and the Knicks' Lee successfully won the award!
In the last week's game, the Knicks had 3 wins and 1 loss. Lee averaged 31.8 minutes per game, averaging 22 points, 3.3 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.8 turnovers.
He averaged 13.0 shots per game with a shooting percentage of 51.1%, 7.5 shots from beyond the three-point line with a three-point shooting percentage of 49.6%, and 5.5 free throws per game with a free throw shooting percentage of 85.8%!
On the evening of the 23rd, at Madison Square Garden, before the game, Lee wore a white Knicks training suit and smiled as he took the Player of the Week trophy handed over by the league staff.
The fans at the scene cheered and applauded. Lee raised the trophy in his hand, and the fans cheered again:
"It feels really good to win an award!"
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