the rest, only noise

Chapter 1019

The way Thomas defended Rauf was brutal.

Rauf dribbled the ball to break through from Thomas' left side, but what awaited him was the close body of the smiling assassin.

If a small defensive player does not want to become a defensive loophole, in addition to having all static and dynamic talents other than height, he must also be proficient in all small movements that can attack the lower body.

Otherwise, the gap in size is like the gap between the director of "Grand Trail" and the fat man who doesn't know how to play in the Basketball Association office, and it cannot be filled.

Thomas took advantage of the close contact between the two and struck Rauf in the stomach.

Rauf took the opponent's blow and swung his elbow in turn.

But Thomas' actions were hidden, while Rauf did it in full view.

"Beep!"

Rauf knew very well that he couldn't dodge the foul. Since it was an unavoidable foul, he should hit it hard. This is the unspoken rule of the Knicks.

Thomas didn't expect Rauf's counterattack to be so savage, and directly elbowed the corner of his eye, causing his blood to splatter on the spot.

Thomas' teammates wanted to help out, but were persuaded by Thomas.

"We all know how dirty New Yorkers are." Backbiting is Thomas' strong point, and his words angered Rauf, who was calm.

"You villain who can only play tricks behind your back!" Rauf's lips twitched in anger, "I can't wait to drink your blood!"

Fortunately, these angers were not enough to make Rauf sick.

While he didn't utter foul language, what he said was more offensive than the foul language itself.

Thomas resented him as if nothing had happened: "You can come and drink my blood now, but will your Allah forgive you for this behavior? Are you really a ****? I don't look like it. You can't just be a hypocrite, right?"

If Thomas hadn't "reminded", Louis would have forgotten that even though fighting and swearing are not taboo in ***, they are also considered ugly behaviors.From this point of view, it was really a bold move for Rauf to choose to convert to Islam.

Thomas, whose eyes were opened, spoke harshly, but the players on both sides did not go any further.

The Blazers replaced Thomas to deal with the wound, and the Knicks could only replace Rauf, who was emotionally fluctuating.

Riley chose to let Jordan play point guard, and the second position vacated by Jordan was filled by Xavier McDaniel.

Louie didn't put on a point guard either.

Since Stockton is unable to play and Rauf is emotionally unstable, Wilson can only control the ball, and the vacancy in the third position is filled by Alex Stevens.

Jordan and Barkley plus McDaniel, Mason, Robinson.

Knicks fans with a good memory will think, isn't this the final lineup of the Trail Blazers in Game [-] of last year's Finals?
Fans who can think of this must also think that the Blazers' lineup lost last year.

But this year, they have Jordan, who has recovered his three-pointers, Barkley, who has run in better with the team, and a 13-point lead.

Rauf's elbow to Thomas gets a flagrant foul from Joe Clifford.

This gave the Blazers a chance to make two free throws.

"Sorry, Coach." Rauf was frustrated.

Louis patted him on the shoulder and said, "I know you have to."

Replacing Stevens has made the Knicks' lineup very similar to last year's tiebreaker.

Four of the five players on the court were in the Knicks' winning lineup last year, only missing Ewing, who was resting off the court.

It is surprising that Louie dared to let Ewing take a rest at this time.

Because the inside line is the Knicks' biggest advantage, if Ewing is not there, Kemp and Rodman alone can only be said to have a slight advantage, but on the defensive end, they will not be tempered when they encounter a big killer like Barkley.

Jordan made two free throws.

98 is better than 83
With a little more than 10 minutes left in the game, the point difference was pulled to 15 points again, and the Blazers had the ball.

Wilson stood in front of Jordan like a boulder.

He can't defend Jordan every time, but as the top defender among players of this generation, he can always completely prevent the opponent to death in a few rounds, even if the opponent is Jordan.

Jordan tried to find Barkley in the crowd, another unstoppable offensive player for the Blazers.

Then he saw a startling sight.

The Knicks' new Stevens replaced Rodman's misplaced defense on Barkley.

This should have been an absolute underdog matchup.

But Stevens didn't intend to give way to Barkley's attack. He ignored the tonnage difference and strength difference between the two sides, and stubbornly blocked behind Fliggy.

Barkley's backward force was enough to push him to the ground.

But veterans always have a veteran's way.Although Stevens fell, his small movements continued. He hooked Barkley's body, forcing the opponent to lose his center of gravity, and fell with him.

Rodman played the defensive effect that the best defensive player in the league should have.

His presence made it difficult for the Blazers to move forward.

Kemp's body is obviously not as strong as Mason's, but his possession of the position is obviously far stronger than the opponent's.

Jordan could only pass the ball to Jerome Cosey, the man guarded by Miller, who might make a breakthrough on the Knicks' weakest defense on the floor.

But for Portland, the unthinkable happened.

Stevens, who was so embarrassed that he could only respond with a dirty trick, got up from the ground and came to Cauchy's side at the fastest speed, forming a double-team with Miller.

Cauchy only needs to pass the ball to Barkley to break the game.

But he can't do it!

Stevens is a hound who will bite hard when he sees a flaw. Cauchy's ball protection is flawed, and it is okay against Miller. In front of Stevens, such an obvious flaw is doomed to his failure.

Miller blocked the passing route, Stevens was close to the body, and he first confronted, which was already a foul;

Dick Bavetta was as indifferent as a blind man, and Cauchy was not only intercepted but also knocked down by Stevens.

In a normal game, this level of impact alone would be enough to blow the whistle, but the referee didn't blow the whistle.

Stevens, as all fans expected, used the most Knicks-style way to break off Cosey's ball like a robber, changing the offensive and defensive momentum.

"New Yorkers will always love Alex Stevens because he plays with passion above all else!"

Stevens ran forward wildly, intending to end the attack with a dragon.

He always does not give any mercy to his opponents on the defensive end. Over the years, he has always been the spiritual leader of the Knicks, and he is also the totemic figure in Louie's mouth.

Stevens' style of play is the perfect interpretation of Knicks basketball in the Louie era.

However, Jordan came after him.

How Stevens defends his teammates is how he defends back.

Jordan caught up to Stevens.

Stevens had already jumped up, but Jordan slammed into him from the side without mercy and slapped him heavily with his hands.

Both times, they didn't hit the ball.

Stevens lost his center of gravity as a result, but Jordan underestimated his ability to resist blows.

Stevens, who had lost his center of gravity, was still able to protect the ball. He found the basket and threw the ball vigorously. When his body fell to the ground, the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket. The referee whistled, and MSG was overwhelmed.

"You can't stop me, Mitch!" Stevens never needed the support of his teammates. He always stood up immediately after falling. "You just can't stop us!"

The other four teammates on the field thought that Stevens and Jordan had a conflict, and all ran to him, wanting to help.

For this kind of brave warrior who is not afraid of death, Jordan only admired him, and he walked away without saying a word.

85 is better than 98
Stevens still has a free throw opportunity.

Wilson took the lead in landing the "I'm sure you can make it" pat on his shoulder, then opted not to routinely stand around the free throw line upfield, but instead settled back in the backcourt.

Other teammates did the same.

"Alex is the passion itself." Bob Costas praised Stevens, "He became the brightest light for the Knicks."

Bill Lambiel also said: "For a player like him, his role cannot be reflected in the data. Over the years, I have always wondered why he has never been selected for the defensive lineup. It was not until I found out that he averaged less than 10 minutes per game in the Knicks that I realized how amazing Alex Stevens is. "

Stevens did not disappoint, and the penalty was also hit.

86 is better than 98
In the last 10 minutes of the game, the Knicks chased the point difference to 12 points. Stevens' fiery performance ignited the teammates and all the fans, making MSG a veritable devil's home court.

Some changes are subtle, but some changes are visible to the naked eye.

Stevens can do anything to defend a possession, and the teammates around him will follow suit.

Thus, Rodman became a beast.

Kemp presses like a maniac.

Wilson put his emotions into the game like Stevens.

Even Reggie Miller is as tough as an all-conquering defensive champion.

No one cares about how much the Blazers are leading anymore, because in front of such a Knicks, if they only want to maintain the lead and do not pay the same energy and play with the same intensity, even if they lead by 30 points, they will be reversed.

This is the basis for a strangling team with extreme defense and suffocating strength to create five consecutive championships.

In the next offensive round of the Blazers, Jordan forced a kill to the basket, and was knocked out of the field by Rodman before he got up.

Rodman was called for a foul.

And this is the attitude of the Knicks, let alone breaking into the basket to score, even entering the basket will face the risk of being violently fouled.

Jordan stood up grimly, and they had no way out.

Neither did the Knicks.

(End of this chapter)