NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On April 1, 1996, all major sports leagues gave way to the NCAA. The national finals that will begin at 9 p.m. tonight are extremely popular.

Thanks to the amazing performance of Michael Jordan and the Bulls, NBA ratings are rising this year. The Bulls have a chance to break the Lakers' all-time best record, and everyone is paying attention to this team.

But the NCAA finals on the evening of the 1st stole the spotlight again. Many NBA stars from the University of Kentucky also rushed to Rutherford, and everyone came to support their alma mater.

The University of Kentucky has won the championship five times before. In the college league, only UCLA can surpass this record.

Although Kentucky's former coach Eddie Sutton caused a major recruiting scandal a few years ago, the team fell into a slump, but after head coach Rick Pitino took over the team in 1989, the team got back on track.

From the bottom to the top, such an inspiring story, the media naturally wants to publicize it!

In the past two days, national newspapers such as USA Today have told this history to the public.

In the United States, everyone likes stories. Currently, the flow of information mostly relies on radio and newspapers. The wonderful essays have attracted the attention of the crowd.

In comparison, famous basketball schools have their own aura of attracting fans.

Connecticut is not good enough. It has no famous players and no championships in the past. Its best result before was the top 8.

The story of head coach Calhoun is not very exciting either. After he took over the University of Connecticut, the record has been mediocre. It is difficult to write a short essay about it, so I can only praise his persistent sportsmanship.

Sports Illustrated magazine has been selling quite well these days. If you want to get to know the players of both teams more deeply, this magazine is the best choice.

Lee has developed a habit of reading newspapers, but every time he reads the long-winded articles in the newspapers, he misses the time when he could access information from all over the world with a mobile phone.

After the morning training session, head coach Calhoun felt that the players were a little nervous and took the initiative to comfort them:

"Don't worry about the comments from the outside world. The opponent is indeed very strong, but we also have our own advantages."

"Basketball games are not about team history. Remember, history is made by people, and tonight, we are going to create new history for Connecticut."

This chicken soup was of no use to Lee, but it made the newbies in the team scream with praise.

(T/L: chicken soup is an idiom that refers to overly simplistic, feel-good advice or encouragement, often considered useless or superficial.)

Kentucky has really shown its dominance this year. In most games, they beat their opponents by 20 points. So far in the tournament, the smallest score difference is 7 points!

This is what the media hyped up, but Lee didn't care because Connecticut usually beat its opponents by a large margin.

The lineup structures of the two teams are actually somewhat similar. In the main lineup, Antoine Walker and Tony Delk from the University of Kentucky, one inside and one outside, are the main scoring points in the starting lineup.

In the bench lineup, sophomore forward Ron Mercer is the team's sixth man and has fully demonstrated his scoring ability before.

This situation is exactly the same as that of the University of Connecticut. Travis Knight and Ray Allen are also one inside and one outside, and sophomore Lee is also the team's sixth man.

No matter how the media promoted the dominance of the University of Kentucky in the newspapers, Lee firmly believed that the game could be won.

At lunch time, the usually calm and composed Ray Allen lost his appetite.

Reaching the finals was definitely the highlight of his life so far, and the nervousness in his heart could not be shaken off.

Looking at Lee who was chewing steak and eating vegetable salad beside him, Ray Allen pulled the corner of his mouth and finally asked helplessly:

"Lee, aren't you nervous? This is the finals, and fans all over the country will be watching this game tonight!"

Lee, who was enjoying his meal, stopped eating and responded with a smile:

"No matter how many people are watching the game, there are only 20,000 people in the stadium tonight. I don't feel any pressure!"

"Don't worry about the game. Even if we fall behind at the beginning, I can make up for it."

After a while, Ray Allen realized what Lee meant. He shook his head and said helplessly,

"You have a really good attitude. I was so nervous that I lost my appetite. However, we will definitely win the game!"

Lee raised his eyebrows and continued to m eat meat. For him, playing basketball was much easier than making a living at the bottom.

The Continental Airlines Arena opened at 8 p.m., and many media called tonight's game a "cat-dog battle"!

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Connecticut Huskies.

The jerseys of the two teams are very similar, one has a wildcat pattern on the chest with the letters "UK" marked on it, and the other has a husky pattern on the chest with the letters "UCONN" marked on it.

Kentucky wore their signature blue jerseys tonight, while Connecticut wore white jerseys.

In such a crucial match, both sides will fight hard with their main players, and at most 7 players will be rotated.

Before the game started, fans from the University of Connecticut and the University of Kentucky greeted each other.

The noise in the Continental Airlines Arena was getting louder and louder. The young people would not abide by the rules of civilized viewing.

Everyone was venting their excitement, and there were more and more "fuck" sounds.

The live director also found the big star from the University of Kentucky.

Dan Issel, the legendary center who scored 53 points in a single game at the University of Kentucky, couldn't help smiling in front of the camera.

Obviously, the retired super center was in a good mood as his alma mater was able to reach the finals again.

Commentator Jim Nantz heard the director's prompt and followed suit:

"Next season, the NBA, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, will take this opportunity to announce the 50 greatest superstars. Dan Issel will undoubtedly be included in the list, paying tribute to the great legendary center."

Commentator Billy Parker started to praise the University of Kentucky again. His favorite team entered the finals and he could not hold back any longer:

"The University of Kentucky continued with the previous starting lineup tonight. I think many people are looking forward to Antoine Walker's performance against the tall inside players!"

"."

After entering the finals, both sides started the battle with their cards open. Head coaches Pitino and Calhoun mostly gave chicken soup for the soul at this time.

There was no time to adjust the tactics and they could only pray that the players were in good shape.

As the players from both teams came on the court, the Continental Airlines Arena was in an uproar. Even before the game started, the young people in the audience started shouting.

In front of the fan groups on both sides were leaders with paint on their faces, and a fanatical atmosphere began to spread in the stadium.

Travis Knight used his height advantage to jump to the ball for Connecticut. Amid the cheers of the fans, in the first offensive round, the big man Knight attacked in the low post and made a layup!

The 2.08-meter-tall Walter McCarty's defensive efforts were ineffective, but head coach Pitino on the sidelines didn't care at all. After making tactical gestures, he folded his arms and watched the game calmly.

Kentucky's offense is also very patient. Antoine Walker swings between the three and four positions.

Facing Rudy Johnson's defense tonight, he immediately turned his back to the ball in the low post on the right side after passing the ball several times.

Noticing the defensive situation in the interior, Antoine Walker turned around after receiving the ball, took a quick tentative step, and suddenly pulled up for a jump shot!

The basketball went into the net, causing the University of Kentucky fans at the scene to scream.

Both teams chose to play from the inside. Lee, who was on the bench, looked at this basketball with the characteristics of the times and muttered to himself:

"Why don't you play more pick-and-roll?"