NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On May 27, 1998, at Madison Square Garden, New York fans witnessed the end of the Bulls dynasty.

In Game 5, fans saw Michael Jordan use everything he had learned throughout his life:

A back-to-the-basket fadeaway jump shot, a quick stop jump shot after receiving the ball, up-and-down steps to shake off the defense in the low post, and a layup after a strong drive to the basket.

Fans also saw Kukoc's magical performance.

With Michael Jordan and Pippen missing shots at the beginning, the Croatian forward continued to help the Bulls score points.

But when the halftime score was fixed at 36:46, the fans who were expecting Michael Jordan to create a miracle fell silent.

Kukoc shot 7 of 7 and scored a team-high 17 points for the Bulls, while Pippen, who was in great form in Game 4, failed to continue his touch from the previous game, shooting 1 of 7 in the first half and scoring 4 points.

In the second half of the game, the Bulls failed to break the Knicks' rule this season, and Madison Square Garden was completely boiling before the game was over.

The weaker the Bulls' outside line was, the more intense the Knicks' double-team was.

In the end, Michael Jordan could only gasp for air and force his way into the inside again and again.

But back at Madison Square Garden, the one-point rain from other players disappeared, and all that awaited Michael Jordan were Oakley's big elbow and Ewing's face-blocking shot.

Although Kukoc and Kerr made consecutive three-pointers in the fourth quarter, Michael's dunks started to miss and he scored points from free throws, and the Knicks responded accordingly.

As Michael Jordan missed a shot from beyond the three-point line in the final moments, the New York fans present began to scream wildly, and many fans in the front row followed suit and punched the air in celebration.

Spike Lee even raised his hands, waiting for the game time to end.

Lee did not attack again, and under Harper's defense, he steadily consumed the last 10 seconds.

The final buzzer sounded and the score was fixed at 83:90.

Cheers broke through Madison Square Garden, witnessing the home team eliminate the Bulls and enter the finals.

The feeling of perfect revenge made the old fans in New York scream excitedly.

"Wow!!"

With the cheers of fans filling his ears, Lee received the ball with a smile.

The Knicks will keep the game ball as a souvenir.

For some old fans, being able to eliminate the Bulls in the conference finals is even more fulfilling than winning the championship:

In 1989, the Knicks met the Bulls in the semifinals and were eliminated by their opponents 4:2;

In 1991, the Knicks met the Bulls in the first round and were swept out by their opponents 3:0;

In the 1992 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Knicks met the Bulls again, and lost the tiebreaker by 31 points.

In the 1993 Eastern Conference finals, after protecting two home games, the Knicks were tied by the Bulls in four games, with a score of 4:2, and lost to their opponents again.

In the 1996 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Knicks had no power to fight back, and were swept by the Bulls 4:1.

After Lee joined the team, the Knicks lost another Eastern Conference finals.

They encountered the Bulls 6 times and lost all of them.

The youth of the old fans was lost!

In this year's Eastern Conference finals, the 4:1 gentleman swept the opponent.

Seeing the Bulls' dynasty shattered, and thinking about the high probability of the Bulls' disintegration, the New York fans who had successfully avenged burst out with enthusiasm, which really scared Lee.

Looking at the golden ribbons floating above the stadium, Lee curled the corners of his mouth.

This celebration was the same as if he had won the championship.

Media reporters rushed to the venue, cameras in their hands flashing non-stop, everyone wanted to record this historical moment.

Played 45 minutes, 10 of 26 shots, 0 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, 10 of 11 free throws, 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers;

Michael Jordan tried his best and showed no expression after losing the game.

A large number of media surrounded Michael Jordan.

Many reporters wanted to see Michael Jordan's lost look, and they all had smiles on their faces.

It was their turn to output!

Walt Frazier also seemed a little excited in the MSG commentary booth.

The legendary star was also enjoying the feeling of revenge at this moment:

"This is a perfect victory for New York fans!"

"We ended the Bulls' three-peat, and the championship is waving at us!"

Like the Pacers fans, many New York fans held signs tonight:

"His name is Jordan!"

"NOT God!"

At this time, such slogans were particularly eye-catching. Commentator Mike Breen was still loudly praising Lee's performance:

"In the entire series, Lee only made 9 turnovers in total. The Bulls' perimeter pressure defense did not work!"

"In the finals against the Jazz, Lee will face Stockton. It's a showdown between the old and new No. 1 players. I believe Lee will prove himself again."

In Game 5, Clay Lee played for 40 minutes, made 7 of 18 shots, 3 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 6 free throws, scoring 21 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers.

As the series progressed, the Bulls gradually adapted to Lee's technical characteristics, but the Knicks, who were in a favorable situation, were fighting bravely, and restricting individuals would not have much effect at this time.

In the commentary booth, the two of them were praising the game, and Ewing was so happy at this time that he hugged everyone he met!

Regardless of whether the Bulls players liked his encouragement or not, the gorilla hugged their opponents and gave them some spiritual encouragement.

Michael Jordan did not show any loneliness.

After hugging and greeting his friends, he quickly came to Lee.

The two hugged briefly, and perhaps because he was unwilling to accept the defeat, Michael Jordan suddenly whispered:

"I will win it back!"

(A/N: For me MJ is the GOAT 🐐.)

When he heard that Michael Jordan was still showing off, Lee nodded and responded with a smile:

"Remember to consider New York. The Knicks will always welcome you!"

Michael Jordan patted Lee on the shoulder in annoyance, with an expression of "just wait for me", then turned and left.

If you can't beat someone, just join them.

This will never happen to him.

If he were a few years younger, Lee believed that Michael Jordan could indeed make a comeback, but the Bulls were doomed to disintegrate, and the curtain would fall on the league's number one player.

If they win the Eastern Conference Championship, the Knicks will also win a trophy.

Soon all the Bulls players left the court, and all the Knicks players came to the center of the court.

Jeff Van Gundy was already grinning from ear to ear!

After 1994, the Knicks won the Eastern Conference Championship again.

When Jeff Van Gundy took the spherical trophy marked with the Knicks, huge cheers rang out again in Madison Square Garden.

Ewing was naturally the second person to lift the trophy.

He played for the Knicks for 13 seasons.

Perhaps his past experience of losing to Michael Jordan made fans and the media unhappy, but as long as he beat Michael Jordan once, everyone would forget the past.

Although the process of winning was a bit tortuous, his persistence in the team and his final counterattack are still the favorites of New York fans.

"ah!!"

Ewing shouted happily as he held up the trophy.

He was naturally happy to win the division championship, but for the gorilla, the most important thing was to beat Michael Jordan.

Even if the opponents are no longer strong, even if Michael Jordan's condition declines, as long as they win, the old guys will be satisfied.

Lee, who was clapping and smiling at the side, was soon pushed to the front by the crowd.

When he received the trophy, the scene once again erupted in special cheers:

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

New York fans still mind that Lee failed to win the regular season MVP.

The All-Star Game was held, Lee won the AMVP, his regular season record was first in the league, and he should have won the MVP.

It was supposed to be a perfect season, but it was ruined by Michael Jordan.

NBC was interviewing Jeff Van Gundy and Ewing at this time. At MSG, Walt Frazier approached Lee and said,

"Lee, you are now a hero in the hearts of New York fans. How do you feel about reaching the finals for the first time in your career?"

Lee handed the trophy to Alan Houston with a smile, and the atmosphere group cheered again:

"It's a great sense of accomplishment. I really enjoyed this process. After losing last year, we wanted to win again!"

"Fortunately, we met the Bulls again in the finals. This is the most ideal result!"

"."

At Madison Square Garden, celebrating the division championship, the fans left very late and everyone was enjoying this moment of winning.

Tonight no one laughed at Ewing, and no one looked down on Jeff Van Gundy.

The division championship allowed both of them to regain the respect of fans and the media.

Ewing was not very efficient throughout the playoffs, and his previous low-post attacks became less and less frequent, but at this moment, no one cared about these details.

Everyone praised the inside combination of Ewing and Oakley, and Clay Lee and Alan Houston also became the "strongest backcourt in the league."

The New York media began to feel sorry for Larry Johnson, believing that "Grandmama" should also be selected as an All-Star and that Starks should win the league's best sixth man award.

The championship-winning Knicks will naturally be praised tonight, but the real focus is the losing Bulls.

At the post-match press conference, the audience was full of reporters, and at this moment everyone just wanted to watch the show!

Michael Jordan, dressed in a dark grey suit, had just come to the stage and sat down when the reporters in the audience couldn't hold back:

"Michael Jordan! What are your plans for the future? Will you choose to retire?"

TNT reporters couldn't wait to ask questions that everyone was concerned about.

Although he was in a bad mood, Michael Jordan still answered calmly and patiently:

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about this question!"

"Of course, if Scotty and Phil both stayed, we would definitely play another year!"

"I hate losing, but I enjoy the experience of fighting with my teammates, and I believe the Bulls can still win the championship."

"Michael, what would you say about Pippen's performance tonight?"

"Have you ever thought that Krause's decision at the beginning of the season was correct and the Bulls should complete the rebuild."

After his efficient performance in the last game, Pippen, the conscientious second-in-command, made 2 of 16 shots tonight, 0 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 6 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 4 turnovers.

Michael Jordan didn't care about his teammates' performance and continued to answer seriously:

"Scottie has been bothered by a back injury since the last game."

"No one can play efficient offense all the time. All players have ups and downs. It's just that we are unlucky. Injuries always find us this season!"

Kukoc made 11 of 13 shots tonight, 4 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 30 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers.

Many reporters naturally noticed the outstanding performance of the Croatian forward.

After hearing Michael Jordan's answer, a reporter from the New York Post quickly questioned:

"Kukic played very well tonight. Under such circumstances, the Bulls still lost. Mike, can you talk about the reasons for losing this series?"

The New York media was obviously criticizing Michael Jordan for not being efficient enough and failing to carry the team.

Michael Jordan's face became more and more ugly, but he still responded patiently:

"Tony performed very well. As for the reason for the loss, it was only because the Bulls failed to put the ball into the basket."

"I won't make excuses for the loss, but I still believe that the Bulls can win the championship again!"

"."

The news about "Where is Michael Jordan going" has become a hot topic among fans tonight.

After losing in this way, will the Bulls still keep the lineup?

Regarding the fans' questions, the Bulls' general manager Krause gave the answer the next morning:

"We must complete the reconstruction. The Bulls will rebuild a new lineup. Next season, we will still challenge for the championship!"

Despite losing the game, Fat Krause showed a hint of pride.

When he advocated trading Pippen, most fans and media opposed his opinion.

In this series, Pippen was inefficient most of the time, which proved that his original decision was correct!

The spectators think that a big fight is about to break out, but the labor-management agreement is still under negotiation, so it may take another month to find out what the Bulls will become in the future.

The 1998 Finals will officially start on June 1st.

The Knicks do not have to fly to away games.

The schedule of the finals is 232.

On the night of the 1st, they will face the Jazz at home.

The Knicks were given four days of rest.

On the morning of the 28th, Lee noticed that in addition to the columns praising him, there were also long articles criticizing Michael Jordan.

After winning the Eastern Conference title, he got a new talent last night:

[Michael Jordan's extraordinary coordination].

The new talent is bronze in color, which means that he has good coordination.

However, it is not easy to realize this talent as soon as possible.

The team took the matter very seriously as they made it to the finals again.

Even though they had a half-day off, they did not stop the afternoon training.

Jeff Van Gundy was probably too excited.

He and Thibodeau stayed up late to watch the Jazz's game video.

During the afternoon training session, the bald young coach kept nagging:

"Don't underestimate the opponent. The Jazz's inside strength is very strong!"

"Karl Malone has not declined this season. Even if his statistics fluctuate in the playoffs, no one can really limit him at the power forward position."

Ewing looked down on Malone and curled his lips in disdain.

He lost the MVP last year and the gorilla was still holding a grudge.

How to defend Karl Malone is indeed a problem.

Although he is a muscular man, he has a good mid-range shot.

Stockton and Malone's pick-and-roll is not just about blocking on the surface, there are also a lot of small movements when providing screens.

During the regular season, the Jazz averaged 101.0 points per game, ranking third in the league, just behind the Knicks.

The number of possessions is 74.5, and the average number of shots from beyond the three-point line is 8.2 per game, which is last in the league.

Instead of relying on three-pointers to score points, they are good at scoring at the basket, mid-range shots, and free throws.

On the defensive end, the Jazz have declined compared to last season, allowing their opponents to score an average of 94.4 points per game, ranking 12th in the league.

Coupled with the experienced Jerry Sloan, the Jazz showed more strength than the data reflected.

Jeff Van Gundy led the team to the finals in his second season, but he still felt a little guilty.

With dark circles under his eyes, he kept nagging everyone about the precautions of the game.

The Knicks did not win either of the two regular season encounters, but after Ewing's return, rebounding was no longer a problem for the Knicks.

Larry Johnson listened with one ear and let it out with the other.

After the bald young coach finished his nagging, the "grandmama" said arrogantly:

"I don't believe that the Jazz is stronger than the Bulls. We will definitely win the finals!"

This kind of analogy immediately left Lee speechless.

The Bulls did not have much time to rest after the Game 7 and then played away.

The Jazz won the entire playoffs relatively easily and had nearly a week of rest, so there was a gap in physical fitness between the Bulls and the Jazz.

"The opponent will definitely slow down the pace of the game. This is an inevitable choice. After playing so many playoff games, some routines have long been figured out."

Lee spoke out to remind the inflated Larry Johnson that some offensive tactics would not always be effective.

The atmosphere group also started discussing the opponent's strength, but after winning against the Bulls, everyone was so proud that they were about to soar to the sky.

After discussing for a long time, they finally came to a conclusion:

"Win!"

The Knicks players began to prepare for the game step by step.

Since they reached the finals, there was no need to come up with new tactics.

After two days of anxiety, Jeff Van Gundy closed his eyes and chose trusteeship again.

Lee eliminated Michael Jordan, which not only made most American sports media excited, but also stunned some of the other countries.

Although the broadcasting conditions were limited and only one finals was broadcast a year at most, Michael Jordan's charm was too great.

When everyone was still dreaming of winning three consecutive championships, he ended up falling in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The finals are about to begin, and the New York media still hasn't let go of the losing Bulls.

New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey has been raving about Michael Jordan for days.

The names of "arrogant maniac", "dictator", "data brush" and "team cancer" have appeared frequently recently.

As for Pippen and Rodman, the major media outlets did not let them off, and the basketball critics kept nagging on TV:

"General Manager Krause is right. The Bulls should have traded Pippen and Rodman during the offseason!"

"A small forward who was plagued by injuries and in decline, and a power forward who left the team in the middle of the season to gamble in Las Vegas!"

"Michael Jordan paid the price for his arrogance and should respect the opinions of management."

"Players should just do their job and not interfere with team operations!"

In the past, Michael Jordan did not treat the media well, and now the commentators did not say anything good about him, and they all mocked Michael Jordan.

Lee's popularity naturally skyrocketed.

In addition to frequently appearing on TV, the owner of a coffee shop near his apartment is a loyal New York fan.

After the Eastern Conference Finals, the boss gave Lee a lifetime bonus.

After the New York Times reported the news, several nearby restaurants followed suit, taking the opportunity to take advantage of the popularity and express their support for Clay Lee.

New York fans are about to celebrate the New Year before they win the championship.

As the second brother of the Nike, Anfernee Hardaway, is injured again, Lee has made it to the finals and the progress of his signature shoes has been accelerated.

"A real man is born between heaven and earth, how can he be depressed and inferior to others for long!"

As long as his career shows an upward trend, Lee can almost replace Nike's 2nd Brother.

On the afternoon of the 30th, after finishing the training session, Eric Avar, the famous Nike designer, also visited Lee.

It seemed that he had not expected that there were so many textbooks in Lee's apartment.

The young designer could not help but ask curiously:

"Lee, are you planning to continue your studies?"

Eric Avar came to the apartment and took a tour around, saying that he wanted to find some inspiration.

Hearing the question, Lee responded casually:

"Of course, I will be able to graduate early this year, and I will continue to study later. Reading is one of the few pleasures I have now."

Shaking his head in surprise, Eric Avar looked at Lee's daily clothes again and said seriously:

"You can make requests. Every player has a different personality and different needs for sneakers. For example, Anfernee now requires his sneakers to be more protective."

"You know, a pair of sneakers that fit you well can also provide protection."

Lee thought about it and did not raise any functional requirements. Instead, he smiled and asked:

"Can I add some personal logo to the shoes?"

As if aware of Lee's intention, Eric Avar shrugged his shoulders:

"That requires further communication, but I support you in doing this. As long as you stay healthy, I am optimistic about your future achievements!"

Michael Jordan was like a BOSS.

After Lee defeated him, he received a lot of rewards.

If it weren't for the finals, agent Mark Bartelstein would have offered Lee several commercial endorsement contracts right now.

This year's finals will continue to be broadcast on NBC.

On May 31, the pre-game show hosted by Hannah Storm began interviewing players from both teams to warm up for the upcoming finals.

Bill Walton and Peter Vecsey were the guests on the show and briefly predicted the direction of the finals:

"By winning against the Bulls, the Knicks did show their dominance, but I must remind everyone that the Bulls played seven games in the last round."

"The Jazz are different. They have a lot of game experience and are very disciplined. More importantly, they consumed very little energy in this year's playoffs!"

There is a high probability that celebrities will become big mouths after retirement, and Bill Walton is no exception.

He always carries the Bulls in his opinions and never forgets to catch the hot news.

As a columnist working in New York, Peter Vecsey naturally has to praise the home team:

"The Knicks also have experience in the finals. Ewing will take good care of the newcomers, and Lee will continue his outstanding performance!"

"Compared to the Bulls, the Jazz's backcourt is shorter, and neither Stockton nor Howard Eisley will cause much trouble for Lee."

"Every time he faces an undersized backcourt, Lee is able to perform extremely efficiently!"

The two repeatedly compared the Chicago Bulls.

The host Hannah subconsciously rubbed her brows and then spoke up to remind them:

"We should focus on the two teams. Which team do you think will take the lead first after the series starts?"

"Of course the Jazz (Knicks)!"

...

https://discord.gg/mjcCSyu7Yr

By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)