The rest is just noise

In the first game of the semifinals between the Knicks and the Magic, Louis came to the Garden.

As before, he came, but he didn't have much interaction with the team.

Even if the players want to say hello to him, it is difficult because his position is not in the front row, but in the fifth row of the VIP area.

This position just widens the distance from the stadium. As a spectator, it is one of the best positions, but it is not convenient to interact with the players.

The Magic are a team that needs to be extremely vigilant.

O'Neal and Webb have the potential to become the first players in the league at their respective positions, and this potential will accelerate their growth.

Although the future belongs to them, no one can underestimate them now.

Because O'Neal is already one of the top five centers in the league, and Webber also has All-Star level immediate combat ability, plus Tim Hardaway is difficult to defend when the wind blows, the Magic already have the original version of the Big Three.

Only Hardaway among them is at the top.

When Phil Jackson met Tomjanovich, he specifically said: "Rudy, I hope you can bring enough challenges."

The team that made it to the playoffs for the first time in team history said that they hope they will bring some challenges to the defending champions who have won six consecutive championships?

Tomjanovich wanted to take it easy because Jackson was also from the Louis family, but after hearing what he said, the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"We will." Tomjanovich said solemnly.

Jackson is worthy of being a Louis coach.

Facing a strong opponent like the Knicks, he dared to adjust the starting lineup.

The Magic's starting five tonight are Hardaway, Tracy Murray (tracy murray sf/sg), Webber, Chu Nan, and O'Neal.

"Coach Jackson actually started Chris Webber at the three position? Then he asked Chu, who is 7-foot-4, to start at the four position?"

It's hard not to think of Jackson's approach as Louis.

Louis is also a coach who likes to be active.

The amazing thing is that most of the things Louis did were effective.

And what Jackson did tonight makes it hard to believe that it will have any effect.

"Show me the statistics of the Magic." Tomjanovich said to Zhao Yuanzheng beside him.

Zhao Yuanzheng quickly took out the data sheet he carried with him.

Tomjanovich took a look at the data sheet and knew what Jackson was planning.

The Knicks have the strongest power forward group in the league, and the center pairing of Ewing and Yu Tiancan also makes other teams despair.

Even if the Magic had O'Neal and Webber, it wouldn't be enough because both of them are too young.

Therefore, letting Weber play the third position and Chu Nan playing the fourth position are all to increase the height of the frontcourt to ensure rebounds.

To do this, you have to give up some things, such as defensive flexibility and the Magic's signature counterattack fast break.

However, Chu Nan's value lies not only in increasing the height of the frontcourt.

He has a height of 221 centimeters in shoes, but he is a space-based fifth position who likes to shoot from the outside. His three-point shooting rate this season is 38%, and he can already be used as a high-altitude turret.

In other words, it won't take up space.

And Murray, the Magic's starting No. 2, is an underrated shooter.

How underrated is it?

In terms of shooting efficiency, Morrie is the league's top shooter.

His three-point shooting percentage reached 46%.

The existence of Morey and Chu Nan allows Jackson to easily form a triangle offense that is difficult to defend around Hardaway, O'Neal, and Webber.

Louis also noticed that the Magic team is full of guards who can shoot three-pointers.

Hardaway's replacement is Steve Kerr.

Murray's replacement is former Knicks player Gerald Wilkins.

Looking at talent alone, the Knicks have an overwhelming advantage.

But the talents of O'Neal and Webb are also unique, and can be compared with Ewing and Wilson.

Chu Nan hit the first three-pointer for the Magic.

Four minutes later, he hit his second shot from the bottom corner.

Then he was replaced, and O'Neal began to kill. The brutal low attack made the Knicks not sure how to defend.

Obviously, the Knicks were stunned. They underestimated the enemy and did not consider the challenge that the Magic might bring.

At halftime, the Knicks trailed the Magic by 16 points.

"Coach Tomjanovich needs to think about it. If he were the leader, he would never let the situation become so passive."

The man who said this about Rudy was Walter Frazier.

Louis mused that although he didn't want to be Auerbach, New Yorkers already regarded Tomjanovich as Heinsohn.

No matter what he does, he will always be compared with his predecessor, and he will never be able to compare.

That's not fair to Rudy.

In the second half, Wilson and Miller allowed the Knicks to make a strong counterattack.

Tomjanovich came to his senses and no longer gave O'Neal a comfortable one-on-one opportunity.

Moreover, his assistant coach Tom Thibodeau suggested that Rodman should go around to defend O'Neal instead of letting Ewing block the ball, as that would have no effect.

Tomjanovich accepted Thibodeau's suggestion, which was the key to reversing the entire situation.

O'Neal has been quiet since then. Although he can score, every point he scores is within the Knicks' plan.

However, the Magic's outside touch was too hot. Although Miller rained three-pointers and scored a game-high 38 points, the Knicks still lost the game by 5 points.

Magic rookie Chu Nan became the surprise player in this game.

As a pseudo-starter, he played 19 minutes, took 6 shots from outside, hit 4 goals, and scored 12 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

The New York reporter asked pointedly: "You are seven feet four inches tall, why do you insist on shooting from the outside?"

Chu Nan's answer sounded like a pure coward to Americans: "Shaq and Ewing fought too hard. I don't want to be accidentally injured."

O'Neal is very satisfied with having a high-altitude turret that doesn't take up space around him: "Chu is my little brother. I don't want to hear you criticize his playing style anymore. That's the way he plays. He plays very well. He can

Keep fighting like this!"

New Yorkers can't remember the last time the Knicks lost Game 1 of a series.

This situation was rare in Louis' time.

Knicks is a master of encounters because Louis is a master of adaptability.

In an encounter, the most important thing is the players' on-the-spot performance and scheduling. When both sides don't know each other well enough, the head coach's strategy, rotation and adjustments will play a decisive role.

Tomjanovich suffered this defeat because of his slow reaction tonight.

When Louis comes to the garden, he will naturally be pestered by reporters.

"Leader, does this defeat mean that Rudy is not ready yet?"

Louis smiled bitterly and said: "He just led the team to 66 wins and destroyed Philadelphia in the first round, and then you think he is not ready yet?"

"Maybe it's because Philadelphia doesn't present enough of a challenge."

"Is there a possibility that Orlando is very strong?" Louis said, "Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Webber are both members of the Millennium Team. It is not easy to beat them. Give the team some time.

, they will adjust."

Ewing, who was beaten badly by O'Neal, took the initiative to take responsibility for the loss.

"It's not that Orlando played well, it's that I played too badly. This kind of thing will never happen again!"

Well, he belittled his opponent by the way.

It is well known that Ewing has a low emotional intelligence, but he spoke this way not just because of his low emotional intelligence, but because this defeat really annoyed him, and O'Neal's performance suppressed him and made him sleepless that night.

Wilson did not accept an interview. Both he and Miller were on the losing side. If the inside was not blown away, their performance in the second half would have been enough to win.

However, as Ewing said, the Knicks will not let such a failure happen again.

game2

Tomjanovich and the coaching staff carefully studied the Magic's core players and then made a bold decision.

Get Stockton to start - Stockton:??? - Let second-year wing Doug Christie start, leading the entire game against Hardaway.

Wilson served as the point forward, and Rodman replaced Kemp in the starting fourth position.

This is a very typical game.

Rodman acted as cannon fodder and fought against O'Neal throughout the game.

Ewing is waiting on the side to help block shots.

Wilson and Christie took advantage of their mobility to sweep around.

Hardaway was suffocated by the Knicks' ironclad defense.

Webb was the only player the Knicks didn't care about. He ended up scoring 36 points and 14 rebounds. But this performance was like the series in which Stoudemire's statistics completely overwhelmed Duncan. They were both tactical points that were left out.

Because even if they open up, they can't help the team win.

124 to 102

The Knicks defeated the Magic at home with a 22-point victory. Although they lost the home court advantage, no one felt that the two teams were on the same level.

Ewing used the mid-range shot to bully O'Neal's weaknesses that he couldn't guard against, and scored 30 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ewing continued: "I said, the last game ended like that not because they played well, but because I played badly.

"

There is a serious mismatch between O'Neal's heart and his physique. He could not bear to hear Ewing speak like this.

When I walked in front of the media that night, I just said: "Write down what I said. When I return to Orange City, I will score 50 points in the Knicks' paint!"

Ewing's response was even more explosive: "He wants to score 50 points? OK, if he can get it, I will retire!"

After Rauf, the Knicks have another person who leaves no room for retreat. I don’t know if it’s due to the environment, or if people with such weird personalities like to join this team.

For some reason, Louis suddenly wanted to see O'Neal score 50 points.

If it really happened, Ewing wouldn't retire, would he?

Although he is not smart, he will not retire for such a thing.

The character of a man whose words are irresistible does not seem to belong to someone like him.

The next day, Tomjanovich took the initiative to come to Louis for help: "Save poor Patrick!"

1The Millennium Team refers to a few people who will grow into dominant players in the league in the new century.

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