the rest, only noise

Chapter 1063 Since It Has Happened, Let It Keep Happening
Chapter 74 Now that it has happened, let it keep happening
April 6

The eve of the tiebreaker between the Knicks and the Trail Blazers.

Rudy Tomjanovich once again invited Louie to watch the game live.

This time, Louie thought carefully for a few minutes.

He really felt that this might be his last chance at Madison Gardens as the Knicks president of basketball operations.

If the Knicks win, it sounds great to wrap up a seven-peat.

If the Knicks lose, at least he has accompanied this team to the end.

Unknowingly, Louie made "leaving" a prerequisite for considering this matter.

"I'll be there."

Rudy asked, "Can I trust you?"

"I'll be there."

Louis said again.

Rudy stopped asking, he didn't know if he could trust Louie.

He also had a strong feeling that Louie was going.

"Whether you come or not, we will win the seventh game." Rudy said stubbornly, "I will never let the championship break in my hands."

Louis said with a playful face: "Unless you plan to quit after this year, the Knicks' consecutive championships will be broken in your hands sooner or later."

"That's not tomorrow night either!"

Louis made a decision to go to the scene.

It was an easy decision.

Then, the time came to that fateful day.

The final battle between the Knicks and the Trail Blazers.

Like Louie, the Americans are tired of the Knicks and Portland Finals.

It's like the Warriors and Cavaliers have faced off in the Finals for four consecutive years.

The first time was surprise, the second time was eye-catching, the third time was thrilling, and the fourth time, apart from the fans on both sides, the feeling of the third party should be "don't fight anymore".

The difference between Nito and Qiyong is that there is only hatred between them.

When the game is over, no matter how much time has elapsed, the person concerned will never mention his opponent with a respectful attitude.

Some just hate.

In fact, this level of hatred is rare in the history of sports.

Even Russell, the leader of the Celtics in the 60s who beat Jerry West out of depression, said at the former's retirement ceremony, "The greatest affirmation a competitor can get is to get the friendship of his opponent. Jerry, I hope you will always be happy."

And you'll never hear Ewing or Wilson say that to any Blazers player.

It is this kind of hatred that makes the sixth game unfold in such a bloody way.

If it wasn't for OJ Simpson's police chase scene, this game would have won the hearts of fans.

But in the days after that, the New York media took a unique look at Game [-], finally letting fans know what happened that night.

Many people have their eyes on the ultimate battle of this round of the series.

"This time, will Portland still fail?"

"Sports Illustrated" published a long article about the Blazers.

This long article reviews the history of struggle after the Blazers selected Jordan.

According to statistics, after Jordan joined the Blazers, they played a total of 18 life-and-death battles, and the Blazers only won 4 of them.

Against the Knicks, they had good chances to win the title last year and the year before, and they were beaten.

Can you win this year?
The Blazers have no reason to be optimistic, according to the Illustrated writers.

The loss of Sabonis and Thomas for the season is like a curse on the Blazers.

Bill Walton's championship seemed to have exhausted the luck of this team, and they were entangled by bad luck.

That night, Madison Square Garden was packed with people.

Excited New Yorkers filled every seat.

With the next big break in the Simpson case still waiting to break out, fans will finally be able to set their sights on the final game of this crucial series.

Louis and Lorraine reappear after a long absence.

The surrounding audience all stood up and saluted him.

"Can you really give up so much love?" Lorraine asked.

Louie smiled and waved to the fans, whispering, "I don't know."

Since both the Knicks and the Trail Blazers are absent, the starting lineups of both sides are not familiar to fans.

The Knicks' starting lineup is Stockton, Wilson, Stevens, Kemp, Ewing.

The Blazers' starting lineup is Jordan, Cauchy, Barkley, Mason, and Clifford Robinson.

Due to injuries, Riley is ready to play seven-man rotation tonight.

The Knicks have an absolute advantage in the lineup.

The Blazers can no longer afford injuries, and the Knicks don't care.

They didn't forget how the Blazers won Game [-], and in Game [-], they wanted to use violence to control violence.

However, Stern didn't want to see the seventh game played as a replica of the sixth game, so he strictly ordered the referee to tighten the scale of the game.

After getting three consecutive fouls at home, the Knicks figured out the referee's bottom line and decided to change their style of play.

For the Blazers, this is of course a good thing, but the Knicks are not discouraged by it.

Not being violent doesn't mean you can't play an intense game.

The Knicks will let the audience understand that there is a game that makes the commentator sigh: "There is really no love between these two teams."

Ewing dominated the paint.

From the beginning of the game, the Blazers had no one to match him.

In front of him, Mason was as weak and helpless as a toy.

Double-teaming can have some effect, but Ewing's teammates won't watch him get double-teamed.

They will definitely run, either to the basket to catch the pass from Ewing and attack the basket directly, or to run to their sweet spot to catch the ball and shoot.

Ewing gave the Knicks a 10-point first-quarter lead.

Riley traded Mason for Nance, and the other four remained the same.

In the second quarter, Robinson and Jordan's three-pointers made the Blazers chase after a wave of points.

But Wilson's response to the ball and Doug Christie's breakthrough layup enabled the Knicks to still maintain a 9-point lead.

Barkley stepped up.

Kemp stood up and confronted him.

Jordan continued to shoot three-pointers and felt good.

Stockton's backup, Sam Cassell, also had a stellar performance.

This is the last picture the Blazers want to see.

Everyone in the Knicks is open, but they need to rely on their stars to maintain the situation.

Jordan and Barkley tried their best, but every time they exerted force, it was like a fist hitting cotton, and it didn't get the effect.

Because the Knicks always have someone to stand up to their offense.

Either a core player like Ewing and Wilson.

Either it's a nobody like Cassell or Christie.

The only variable in the game was that Cassell sprained his ankle, and when Stockton was expelled by an oversensitive referee for a second-degree malicious foul for picking up Jordan's egg, the fans didn't know who else the Knicks could let control the ball.

Tomjanovich called out Mohammad Rauf, who had been neglected by his staff for a long time.

Fans know him as the man who desecrated the Star-Spangled Banner and the "rat shit" that stigmatized the Knicks.

But the fans didn't boo him, and no one cheered him.

It was like he wasn't on the floor until he was hitting three-pointers without a break.

Rauf's first shot was an emergency three-pointer in response to Ewing's pick-and-roll, and he knew what he was feeling.

Then there was Ewing's three-point catch after attracting double-teams.

The Blazers' defense became flustered.

The Knicks' system has begun to move, and Rauf is in a hot state, so let's play with him as the core.

In Louis' era, Rauf had unlimited firepower.

Although Rudy withdrew this authority, his teammates still regarded him as the privileged player who could shoot at will.

Ewing worked tirelessly to pick and roll and screen for him, time and time again.

Wilson often just stands in the bottom corner to open up space.

Christie is running and scoring points with the ball, and his versatility is destined to win a place in New York.

Kemp was the one who gave the fans a huge surprise.

Ewing, who is getting older and older, will give way sooner or later, and he is the most suitable heir.

The successor to the Iron Throne is like a functional role player, as Rauf gets rid of the defender's high-post meat wall.

Rauf scored 7 points on 5-for-15 shooting in just a few minutes.

Then, he began to feed back his teammates.

In order to limit his catches, the Blazers need to use more manpower.

In order to prevent him from shooting, the Blazers chose to double-team without thinking.

He just needs to get the ball out at the right time.

Jordan did his best.

Barkley rarely plays defense like this.

Mason, Nance, Cauchy, they all used their full strength.

But they were defeated by the Knicks.

It was the Knicks who beat them, not someone in particular.

They start with Rauf's range, revolve around the great center of Ewing, and connect with each other to become a complete system.Everyone can attack, no selfishness, no greed, no superfluous steps that make people frown.

They let this game that should have been like sparks hit the earth lose suspense in the third quarter.

The Blazers resisted in vain, only to have more fun for the audience.

Tomjanovich, like Louie, played an 11-man rotation.

Everyone on the Knicks roster has points, rebounds, and assists.

Is there a better team than them?
Louis' eyes flickered slightly.

+3-2-1
The referee blew the final whistle, and the Knicks achieved their seventh consecutive championship. Tomjanovich can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Louie felt a sense of relief. There had never been a moment when he was more sure than now that this team was perfect enough not to need him.

The Trail Blazers left the field sadly, and the Knicks went back to the locker room to change into a championship T-shirt, returned to the scene to participate in the awards ceremony, and then rushed back to the locker room to celebrate.

Louie followed, and just as Kemp was about to squirt champagne on anyone he saw, Rauf said, "May I take half a minute to pray to the Lord?"

"What prayer?" Kemp asked.

Rauf said: "I want to let the Lord know how important today is to me, and I want to thank the Lord for giving me the talent and strength to be able to perform tonight."

Ewing asked, "Will you introduce us to him (the Lord)?"

"If you want." Rauf wasn't sure if he was asking too much.

Everyone hesitated, but Ewing said decisively: "We will give you 3 minutes."

"Thank you, Captain." Rauf said emotionally.

Then, McHale shouted: "Hey, I haven't retired yet, I'm the captain!"

Louis quietly left the locker room.

Outside the locker room, he ran into Rudy.

"Are you coming back?" Rudy asked him.

Louis took a deep breath, "You can do without me."

"But none of this would have happened without you."

Rudy wants to keep it.

And Louis's mind is set: "Since it has happened, let it continue to happen."

With or without me.

(End of this chapter)