NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 452 How did they win the division championship? (8300 words chapter)
On Thursday, June 2006, 6, the schedule for this year's finals was slightly adjusted to accommodate ABC's broadcast.

There is only one day of rest between G1 and G2. G3 will be held on Sunday, and the Mavericks will get more rest time when they return to their home court.

Due to the overwhelming victory in the first game, the commentators who boasted about the depth of the Mavericks' lineup before the game suffered a relapse of amnesia and kept silent about the incident.

The good news is that compared to last year's finals, this year's ratings have rebounded, with G1's viewership exceeding 1300 million across the United States.

The bad news is that garbage time still hurt the broadcast. Cloud fans seemed to be more concerned about Li You's personal performance, and his dunk on Wade in the Eastern Conference Finals only attracted the attention of the spectators.

As a veteran of the "Anti-Lee Alliance", Philadelphia boasted before the game that the Mavericks were the template for the 76ers' future team building.

But after the loss, the column this morning became - "How did they win the division championship?"

The relevant columns in New Jersey and Boston sports media next door to New York have almost the same meaning. Almost all columnists agree that the Mavericks' perimeter defense is ridiculously poor.

Except for the Lakers in previous years, the Knicks' opponents in the finals have become weaker and weaker in recent years, and many star players in the East have developed illusions:
"I can fuck you too!"

Paul Pierce and Ainge recently talked about team building in an interview with the Boston Globe. Pierce believes that the team's first-round pick should be traded for an All-Star:

"You have to have multiple star players on a team to beat the Knicks! A team like the Mavericks doesn't stand a chance."

"I'm not going to lie. If I want to pursue a championship, I do need more help. Most teams in the Western Conference don't know what we've been through over the years."

"Heavy big men are no longer suitable for the current game. I imitated Lee's playing style a long time ago. My strength was underestimated!"

What Paul Pierce said was the truth. His offense mainly consists of three-pointers and free throws. He also likes to complete his offense in the paint, and mid-range one-on-ones are becoming less and less common.

Although he was not selected as an All-Star in recent years, Pierce's statistics are actually quite good, which is why Ainge wants to find help for him.

76ers general manager Billy King has been busy accepting offers recently. Chairman Ed Snyder has decided to rebuild the team and Allen Iverson has been officially put on the shelf.

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Billy King, who also watched Game 1 of the Finals, also gave his thoughts:
"We need more talented players around 2 meters tall. This is what championship teams should do."

"Jason Terry is great, but he is not as good as Allen. I promise the Philadelphia fans that we will not repeat the same mistake."

"The Mavericks may dominate the Western Conference, but they can't win a championship."

Although Jason Terry, who is in his contract year, had a bad feeling after the game, he didn't expect that after more than a day of fermentation, he would be labeled as "useless".

If the subsequent games continue to be poor, the Mavericks will definitely lower the price when renewing the contract during the offseason.

When Jason Terry arrived at the arena to warm up in the evening, he had completely lost his enthusiasm. Reaching the finals would affect his contract, and it was a loss no matter how he thought about it.
Nowitzki was not feeling well either. He almost couldn't sleep last night as the critics became more and more critical of him.

Compared with last year's Spurs, although Duncan was frequently targeted on the defensive end, Li You also had a hard time. But when facing the Mavericks, Li You drove straight into the game and dunked many times.

As a frontline reporter for the Finals, Lisa Salters is naturally aware of the current public opinion, but when interviewing Nowitzki, she still chose to rub salt into the wound:

"Dirk, what adjustments will the Mavericks make on defense for tonight's game?"

The black female reporter had a good figure. Under her black formal suit was a tight white low-cut bottoming shirt. Nowitzki was in no mood to appreciate the black scenery beside him. He frowned and simply responded:

"We watched the video and we need to communicate more during the game."

"We have to keep trust on both ends of the floor. Everyone is ready and we will play more aggressively tonight."

After reaching the finals, the team's reputation has been affected. Nowitzki has his own reasons, and he doesn't want to be labeled a "softie".

At 20:30 p.m. that evening, half an hour before the game was to start, the ABC studio was still discussing Nowitzki's defense, but Scott interviewed Li You, who was wearing a training suit, on the sidelines.

Although the "15-point gap" remarks last night were denounced and refuted by the Dallas sports media, most basketball commentators accepted this view instead.

With his "amnesia" cured, "Li Youchui" has returned to normal as the finals progressed, and the big mouth will be online again when the new season begins.

Madison Square Garden was still packed, with huge models of the O'Brien Cup standing on both sides of the venue. New York fans waving orange handkerchiefs began to celebrate their victory in advance.

"Lee, we noticed that coach D'Antoni made another adjustment tonight. This is the first time the Knicks changed their lineup when they were winning."

Hearing Scott talking about the starting lineup, Li You nodded happily in affirmation, and then briefly introduced:

"Dampier performed very well in G1. Our rebounding was not as good as expected. We replaced him with a big man tonight to protect the rebounds."

"I will initiate more pick-and-rolls during the game, which can help everyone get into the game state early."

After watching the video, the coaching staff thought that Dampier moved too slowly and his independent offensive ability was worse than planned. Apart from rebounding, this big man was not a concern.
When Scott heard Li You talking about pick-and-roll, he understood that this was an adjustment aimed at Nowitzki. Thinking of the German's reputation in the past two days, he felt a little sympathy for his opponent.

After introducing the visiting team players, Nowitzki clapped his hands vigorously. Everyone gathered in a group. Jason Terry looked serious, waved his arms, and took the initiative to speak:

"We need to fight! Believe in each other and get into the game right away after the game starts!"

Josh Howard, wearing a blue headband, yelled, and soon the Mavericks all shouted together, trying to boost morale.

When the home team players came out, the boiling atmosphere in the stadium made Avery Johnson look a little ugly. After watching the video, he didn't know how to adjust effectively.

Silver Fox Harris was also at a loss, and the coaching staff's advice was to double-team him.

Seeing every player on the court smiling, and noticing D'Antoni sitting quietly on the bench after the lights came on, Avery Johnson felt annoyed for a moment:

"Lucky guy"

On the ABC commentary booth, Mike Breen could only sigh after introducing the Mavericks' lineup:
"Stackhouse did not enter the starting lineup, continuing the lineup from the previous game. The Mavericks' primary task tonight is to do a good job of defense."

Hubie Brown also frowned slightly. He thought the Mavericks, who were trying their best, would play one big and four small, letting Nowitzki move to the center position. However, Avery Johnson was still conservative:

"Perhaps the Knicks' proactive change of formation will not achieve the desired effect. Once this happens, the Mavericks must seize the opportunity."

"The first quarter is very important. The Mavericks must avoid what happened in the last game from happening again."

The old coach no longer mentions the depth of the lineup. The Mavericks do have a lot of players, but the players who appear on the court cannot play at the level they should.

The most typical example is the rookie Harris, who received three fouls in less than 1 minutes in G6. In addition to his lack of game experience, the fundamental reason was that he did not fight enough and could only pull and pull.

Michael Finley was also exercising during the final warm-up. He had just greeted his old friend, but Nowitzki was in a bad mood and didn't say much to him.

The game was about to begin. Finley returned to the bench with no expression on his dark face, but he still felt sorry for his friend. In his heart, the Mavericks had no chance at all.

When the players from both teams came to the center circle, Hill still fist-bumped with the other team in a friendly manner. Artest began to stare at Josh Howard again, not paying attention to the referee next to him, and shouted loudly:
"I will keep an eye on you, remember to pray to God! Otherwise you won't get 1 point."

As Dampier was preparing to fight for the ball, he noticed Gazuric's eagerness to try and couldn't help but glare at this unknown person in the atmosphere group.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The New York fans who stood up to watch the game shouted loudly along with the DJ. They didn't believe that the opponent could adjust in more than a day. Tonight was destined to be a victory.

Gasol was squeezed next to Nowitzki. He could also sense the opponent's impatience. Those New York fans holding up "Soft" signs affected his opponent's mood.

At 21 p.m., as the referee threw the basketball in his hand, Gazuric pushed the ball to the half court before Dampier.

Li You, who had been waiting for the ball in the back, did not attack in time, but observed the defensive matchup tonight. Contrary to his expectations, the Mavericks' adjustments were very limited.
In the distant future, Adrian Griffin will become an NBA head coach, but now, he is just a tool.

In order to reduce the consumption of core players, Adrian Griffin stood in front of Li You after the opening.

Seeing his opponent revealing his shorts to encourage himself, at the logo position, Li You simply waved his hand, and the two big men of the Knicks team began to move forward.

Amid the cheers that echoed throughout the arena, Nowitzki was a little nervous. He watched Li You accelerating laterally with the ball in his left hand after the double screen, and he quickly slid forward to delay him.

On the left wing, Nowitzki just moved closer to the three-point line, Adrian Griffin bypassed the screen and chased him from behind. Under the double-blocking, Li You suddenly took the ball forward.

The basketball passed through Nowitzki's crotch in an instant, leaving no chance for the opponent to double-team him. Li You exerted force with his feet and squeezed directly past the opponent.

"Oh!"

The fans at the scene exclaimed, but Nowitzki did not react at all and watched Li You break through from the side.

Adrian Griffin wanted to continue defending, but while he was adjusting his center of gravity, Li You, who was approaching the paint area, was riding a horse and shooting arrows. He threw the ball with his right hand and the basketball went into the net.

The core players were broken through at the beginning of the game, which made Avery Johnson on the sidelines frown and shout reminders, repeatedly signaling his players to stay calm.

"Defense!."

Hearing the cheers from the defense, Jason Terry, who received the ball at the baseline, found helplessly that Li You was still determined to defend him regardless of his physical strength.

In order to be able to support their teammates at any time, Adrian Griffin and Josh Howard did not rush across half court mindlessly, but began to control the distance between themselves and their teammates.

The advancement speed was affected, and it took almost 8 seconds for Jason Terry to cross the center line.

Dampier made an off-ball screen at the bottom right of the basket, and Nowitzki slipped across the baseline from left to right. With the help of the screen, he briefly broke away from the defense and successfully caught the ball near the right blocking area.

The pass was still a beat late due to the interference, and Gasol, who was chasing him, had already guarded to his side. After the fake dribble, Nowitzki immediately let go of the ball with his left hand, leaned against the defense, and went straight to the basket with the ball in his left hand.

Gasol followed with a slide, and the two of them squeezed into the paint area in front of the basket almost at the same time. Distracted by the long arms, Nowitzki finally chose to throw the ball to Josh Howard in the left corner.

"Oh!"

The New York fans at the scene all sighed. Artest almost completed a steal, but failed to control the ball and the basketball flew out of the sideline.

He quickly raised his hand to indicate that it was his own problem. Nowitzki adjusted his breathing, tried to ignore the noise in his ears, and when the sideline ball was sent out, he caught the ball again at the top of the arc.

All the Mavericks players moved away, and Li You followed Terry to the right corner. He took this opportunity to loudly call out to Gazuric near the basket to help defend.

Facing Gasol's defense, Nowitzki swept the ball from left to right and broke through with his right hand.

Nowitzki strode to the free throw line and observed the movement under the basket. He immediately stopped, then leaned against the defense and turned quickly, then faked another shot after passing the ball.

Although he was well prepared, Gasol just raised his right arm and failed to create complete space for the shot, but Nowitzki still missed the jump shot while leaning his body.

"Maybe Nowitzki should start from the low post. This face-to-face attack is not a good offensive option."

Hubie Brown sighed when he saw Hill grab the rebound in the left block. Seeing Avery Johnson still clapping, Mike Breen couldn't help but joked:

"Maybe this is the Mavericks' game plan, and Terry must help his teammates at this time."

The Mavericks' offense was simple and rough. When the Knicks attacked again, Li You passed the ball early, giving the opponent no chance to double-team in advance.

In the 131 position, Nowitzki was very clear that Gasol at the top of the arc would definitely move to complete the handoff, and at the same time he shouted to Adrian Griffin.

Perhaps he was too nervous, when Li You swayed to the left and suddenly accelerated to run back, Adrian Griffin instantly lost his defensive position.

Instead of catching the ball by hand, Li You broke away from the defense and rushed to the basket from Gasol's side. When Nowitzki realized something was wrong, Gasol had already made a ground pass.

He could clearly feel the basketball passing through the left side of his body, and Nowitzki, who tried to steal the ball, missed.

"Oh!"

Cheers resounded throughout the arena again. Dampier under the basket hurried to assist in the paint area. Li You received the ball and took only one step before throwing the ball to the upper left side of the basket.

With no time to turn around and return to defense, Dampier could only watch Gazuric jump up behind him to grab the ball and slam it into the basket with both hands!

The basket roared, and Gazuric, who completed the dunk, shouted excitedly. Such an easy opportunity made him feel like he was back in training.
A simple UCLA cut caused the Mavericks' defense to collapse, causing Avery Johnson on the sidelines to yell repeatedly, with the best coach of this season looking anxious.

Terry, who was still being defended, called on Dampier for a screen when he reached the top of the arc and briefly broke away from the defense, but Terry did not choose a quick stop jump shot on the three-point line, but continued to break through with the ball in his left hand.

Gazuric retreated backwards, and Li You quickly chased to his side. Jason Terry did not choose to pass the ball to his teammates who were following closely, but broke through to the basket and started circling.

Dampier raised his hands in dissatisfaction, and Terry, who didn't find any chance, finally passed the ball to Josh Howard in the right corner.

After receiving the ball, Josh Howard released the ball with his right hand and drove to the basket along the baseline despite Artest's defense.

He tried to jump and break the defense at the bottom right of the basket, but Artest was unmoved and jumped up in time to interfere with Josh Howard's rebound. Nowitzki tried to squeeze to the basket from the left wing to grab the rebound, but Gasol was always stuck in front of him, and Dampier under the basket was also blocked behind Gazuric.

In the end, the rebound was grabbed by Artest who took off for the second time. Josh Howard tried to steal the ball on the spot but failed, so he clapped his hands in frustration and retreated.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The team was suppressed from the start, which made the New York fans at the scene even more excited, with waves of cheers coming one after another.

When Artest passed the ball back to Li You, he was still in the mood to celebrate by high-fiving the fans in the front row. Li You did not rush to advance, but instead signaled to use the same tactics again.

The impatient Nowitzki watched Gasol trying to receive the ball with his back to the basket at the top of the arc, and he kept pulling him while defending from behind.

Hill then took the initiative to ask for the ball on the right wing. Li You passed the ball early again, and Gasol ran to Hill's side to provide screen.

Jason Terry tried to squeeze through, but Gasol's screen was of excellent quality, allowing Hill, who released the ball with his left hand, to easily get rid of the defense.

Terry continued to chase and defend, and Nowitzki, who was on the right wing and on the three-point line, chose to retreat and defend, and easily broke through to Hill at the free throw line and passed the ball again.

After breaking through and coming to the right blocking area, Gasol received the ball and made a fake move to deceive Nowitzki's center of gravity, then released the ball with his right hand and forced a breakthrough to the basket.

Nowitzki, who lost his defensive position, pulled angrily, but Gasol, who was striding forward, had already broken through to the lower right side of the basket, and finally leaned his body to hit the backboard and made a layup.

"Nowitzki was targeted. After the opening, the Knicks kept attacking him. This is definitely not good news for the Mavericks."

Looking at Gasol pumping his fist in celebration, Mike Breen in the commentary booth sounded somewhat gloating. When a star player is targeted on a stage like the finals, his reputation will most likely get worse and worse.

The atmosphere in Madison Square Garden became increasingly heated. Seeing Gasol score the free throw, Hubie Brown could only say euphemistically:
"Now the Mavericks should think more about offense, and they must respond as soon as possible."

Nowitzki was very angry when he noticed the provocation from his opponent. After the cross screen at the baseline, he moved to the left side near the baseline and started to ask for the ball with his back to the basket.

Jason Terry also passed the ball early, and Adrian Griffin on the left wing received the ball and threw it to the boss immediately.

The moment the opponent passes the ball, Hill follows the ball and helps defend the basket.

As soon as Nowitzki released the ball with his right hand, he was double-teamed by two people and had to collect the ball. He then pushed it back to the outside line through the gap between the two players.

On the left wing three-point line, Adrian Griffin received the ball without anyone guarding him, hesitated for a moment, and then missed a jump shot from outside the three-point line.
Seeing the long rebound being picked up by Li You near the free throw line, there was another burst of laughter in the gym. The opponent performed worse than everyone expected.

Jason Terry committed a foul and stopped the Knicks' transition attack in time. He was sweating profusely in the first few rounds and his nervousness lingered.

"Calm down! Calm down, everyone!"

First they cheered for the foul, and then Avery Johnson yelled on the sidelines, constantly reminding his players to stay calm.

Facing the double screen at the top of the arc, seeing Li You holding the ball in his left hand and trying to break through Nowitzki again, Josh Howard guarding the left corner immediately moved.

Li You leaned forward and accelerated into Nowitzki's arms. He observed the defensive movement as he crossed the three-point line. When the opponent was about to come to assist in defense, he passed the ball to the bottom corner.

Artest received the ball and was unguarded, and he missed an open three-pointer. Before the Mavericks had time to be happy, the long rebound was picked up by Hill in the right blocking area.

Jason Terry wanted to move forward to press, but the basketball was immediately thrown into Gasol's hands at the top of the arc.

Before Adrian Griffin knew it, Li You had already returned to the top of the arc. He cursed softly and chased after him, but ended up bumping into Gasol.

Gasol turned sideways to pass the ball and set a screen. Li You, who got rid of the defense, put the ball in his right hand and dribbled sideways one step, then made a quick stop jump shot at the top of the arc!

"Shh!"

The basketball went into the basket accurately. The clean and neat goal made Nowitzki, who was trying to defend at the free throw line, stand still in a daze, and his happy shouts resounded throughout the stadium again.

At 0:10, the Mavericks requested a timeout. Avery Johnson stared at his frustrated players. He really couldn't accept such a start.

Artest was still upset about the open opportunity just now, but Li You didn't care. He kept high-fiving several people and finally patted the defensive gate:
"The game has just started, keep shooting, if you can't make the shot, go for it, the other side won't last long!"

Hearing Li You's words, Artes grinned, touched his bald head, and then teased:
"How on earth did these guys beat the Spurs!"

Everyone on the Knicks bench fought bravely. Tonight's game was almost the same as the start of Game 1. Thinking about getting more playing time, the atmosphere group wanted to use it in one quarter.

The opponent was good at both offense and defense. Thinking that Nowitzki had already received a foul, Avery Johnson did not dare to replace Dampier. After serving the thick chicken soup, he began to pray to God in his heart.

"Defense!."

In the first round after the timeout, the defensive cheers in the arena became louder and louder, and the five Knicks players on the court also became more and more enthusiastic in defense.

The Mavericks used their old tricks again. After Jason Terry passed the ball to Nowitzki on the right wing, he tried to set a screen and then suddenly cut toward the baseline.

Nowitzki passed the ball, and the moment Terry received the ball, Li You had already caught up to the opponent's side.

Protecting the ball on the left side of his body, Jason Terry did not choose a 1-on-1, but instead asked Nowitzki to set a screen again.

While his teammates were standing still, Terry released the ball with his left hand and accelerated toward the upper line, switching defense to the delayed Gasol. He paused slightly at the right elbow area, and then broke through the middle to the basket.

Relying on his speed to gain half a body position, Terry rushed into the paint area and immediately stopped, then quickly retreated, drifted to the left and rear to shoot a jump shot.

The basketball still hit the rim and bounced out after a jump shot near the basket. Novice wanted to use his body advantage to squeeze under the basket and grab the rebound, but Li You, who had positioned himself in advance, blocked the opponent behind him.

The tall man who was over 2 meters tall was blocked by the guard, and for a moment, laughter could be heard in the gym again.
Looking at Li You who snatched the rebound in front of him, Nowitzki was so angry that he punched again. The center couldn't squeeze through the guard, and he would be ridiculed again after the game.

The Mavericks were still responding to each other, trying to complete the defensive position, but Li You gradually increased his speed of advancement. When he came to the left wing, he stopped suddenly and changed direction under his hips.

Adrian Griffin just stopped and looked at Li You who was swaying to the left front. He instinctively moved back, and then was passed by him with a step forward.

Before he could remind his teammates, Li You, who had switched to his right hand and lowered his shoulder to accelerate, had already broken through to the left elbow area.

Adrian Griffin wanted to chase back, but Li You took a step forward and shot before the inside defense, and threw the ball into the basket steadily with his right hand.

"Lee once again seized the opportunity to convert the offense. The score difference has reached 12 points. The Mavericks are in trouble!"

Mike Breen reported the score difference in a brisk tone. Hubie Brown sighed inwardly. The game seemed to have become one-sided again:
"This is not the level the Mavericks should be at. They need to cheer up and attack the basket is a better offensive option at this time."

It was Josh Howard who broke the team's scoring drought. When he received the ball on the right wing with 24 seconds left on the shot clock, he made a three-pointer and the Mavericks atmosphere group cheered.

After Gasol's back-to-the-basket attack in the low post on the left side was blocked by Nowitzki, Avery Johnson on the sidelines excitedly punched the air in celebration.

After failing to launch a transition offense, Jason Terry received the ball again at the top of the arc and then called on Dampier to come forward for the screen.

Gazuric moved to delay immediately, and Terry, holding the ball in his left hand, pushed the ball and changed direction, trying to squeeze through the two people.

Terry lowered his center of gravity and stretched out his right arm, trying to control the basketball. The moment his right hand touched the ball, he had no time to dodge and was poked away by Li You who had gone around the bottom line to defend him.

"Oh!"

Seeing Hill pick up the ball at the left elbow, cheers broke out again in the stadium. Jason Terry, who lost the ball, had no time to return to defense and the basketball was thrown to the front court.

After completing the cut, Li You easily shook off Dampier behind him and successfully caught up with the basketball when approaching the three-point line.

With no one guarding him, Li You, holding the ball in his right hand, rushed into the paint area, jumped with both feet, turned 360 degrees in the air, and then twisted around to dunk!

At 3:14, the score difference returned to double digits again.

After completing the dunk, Li You stood under the basket and tugged at his jersey facing the camera. He noticed that Terry, who received the ball at the baseline, had a dark complexion and a smile appeared on his face again.

"Dude, I know what you're going to do!"

"."

Jason Terry didn't say anything. He suddenly remembered that he had laughed at Allen Iverson, and felt a little ashamed for a moment.

In the next few minutes, Nowitzki and Terry's cooperation was still fruitless. Neither of them scored a single point, and only Dampier's free throws got 2 points.

The Mavericks' defense had more and more loopholes, and whenever everyone tried to fill in for Nowitzki, Li You could always find an open opportunity.

Unfortunately, Artest's three-pointer missed, and he scored points by stealing the ball under the basket and making free throws.

Josh Howard cut into the paint area despite Artest's defense and made a difficult jump shot right in front of the basket.

Looking back, Gasol set a fake screen, and Hill seized the opportunity to force a breakthrough to the basket on the right wing, causing Terry to commit a hand foul and stand on the free throw line.

Devin Harris, who replaced Terry, came to the field a little nervous. He noticed that Li You seemed to be looking at him, and his scalp tingled for a moment.

The impatient Nowitzki made a three-pointer from the right wing near the sideline but missed again. Li You picked up the long rebound near the free throw line and Harris immediately fouled.

"Shh!"

For the first time in the game, boos were heard as the Mavericks fouled in transition, angering the New York fans who wanted to have fun.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Amid the cheers that echoed throughout the arena, Li You dribbled across half court at a leisurely pace. Harris lowered his center of gravity at the top of the arc and defended him intensely.

Seeing that the newbie on the opposite side always maintained a defensive distance, Li You first winked at Gasol on the free throw line.

Harris didn't notice the movement behind him until he vaguely heard Nowitzki's voice, then he realized something was wrong.

Faced with Li You who suddenly leaned forward and accelerated, Harris instinctively slid to the left. Before he could reach out to pull him, he was pushed aside by the ball protector.

The screen did not happen, and Novis, who was moving upwards, basically wanted to foul, but Li You was too fast.

Before Nowitzki could bend down and reach out, Li You, flying close to the ground, had already rushed into the paint area. In the blink of an eye, he could only watch his opponent take off into the air.

The New York fans behind the basket stood up and cheered. Dampier, who was subconsciously helping to defend the basket, had no time to jump up to block the shot when a powerful force hit him.

Li You jumped with both feet right in front of the basket, knocked away the big guy under the basket, grabbed the ball with his right hand, pulled his arm back, hovered briefly in the air, and then swung his arm to dunk!
"squeak!"

The referee blew the whistle, and Dampier lost his balance and fell out of the baseline with a thud. When he came to his senses, he heard crazy shouts in his ears.

After landing, Li You shook his index finger expressionlessly. Dampier, who was pulled up by his teammates, rubbed his chest without saying a word. He finally understood why O'Neal always made way.

The referee gave Li You a technical foul, and Nowitzki also broke his scoring drought and got 1 point with this free throw.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

Li You stood on the free throw line, and the shouts that echoed throughout the arena made the Mavericks feel frustrated.

At 8:23, after the free throw, the score difference reached 15 points, and Avery Johnson requested a timeout again.

In the second half of the game, the Knicks took the initiative to lower their altitude, Prince came on the court, and the Mavericks replaced him with Stackhouse.

Apart from free throws and fast breaks, the Mavericks mostly missed shots in positional offense. Nowitzki still scored goals in running games, but missed three-pointers and jump shots from the free throw line.

From time to time, a transition attack was launched. Under Li You's instigation, everyone fought bravely and the score continued to rise.

In the final moments, the rookie Harris got carried away and pulled the ball from the top of the arc, causing his second foul and sending Li You to the free throw line.

Avery Johnson was jumping up and down on the sidelines, and Harris was so frustrated that his eyes were slightly red.

At 16:38, at the end of the first quarter, the New York fans at the scene were already laughing, and there was no suspense in this game.

Watching the Knicks bench rushing to the court to celebrate, the cheerful Mike Breen in the commentary booth couldn't help but joke:
"Based on the current state of the Knicks, perhaps the biggest suspense this year is who will win the Finals MVP. Everyone has performed very well."

打满首节，李佑6中6，三分线外1中1，罚球5中5，18分3篮板5助攻1抢断；

同样一分钟没休，诺维斯基5中0，三分线外2中0，罚球3中3，贡献了3分2篮板
Hubie Brown glanced at the technical statistics and shook his head slightly. He really didn't want to comment on the game, but a thought involuntarily emerged in his mind:
“How on earth did they win the division title?”

(End of this chapter)