Basketball Dragon

Chapter 87 Crisis
Li Hai jumped up high at the start, and Dale Davis made up for it with all his strength.

It's a pity that the insider who once made the All-Star is now old and can't jump.

With a brutal dunk, the referee's whistle sounded at the same time, 2+1.

Li Hai hit a free throw, and the Knicks took a three-point lead just like in the fourth quarter, and there were only a few seconds left in the clock.

Reggie Miller caught another pass after the Pacers set up a play to return to the field, but this time Crawford posted it just in time.

With no shot, Reggie Miller passed to Stephen Jackson who was a few steps from the three-point line.

Li Hai's defense didn't have any gaps, and Stephen Jackson made a forced shot at the last moment.

In a critical game, the Knicks won another game.

On April 4, at home, the fighting spirited Knicks suffered a defeat.

93:105 Lost to the Toronto Raptors, Chris Bosh was unstoppable in the paint.

The current Knicks have flaws. They can still fight against a team that focuses on the outside line, but they can only rely on their fate when they meet a team with a ruthless inside line.

After losing this battle, the Knicks dropped to tenth place in the East.

It's not that their record during this period is too bad, but that several competitors, the 76ers, Cavaliers and Nets, have all exploded, and they have raised their winning percentage of entering the top eight in the Eastern Conference by a notch.

The Knicks are now away from the top eight in the Eastern Conference, and there are still two victories missing, and the situation is very grim.

The New York media also began to blame the team, and headlines such as "Another Lost Season" appeared in the newspapers.

The Knicks players were also accused of not working hard enough. Li Hai was better. Marbury and general manager Isiah Thomas were the ones who received the most scolding.

Accusing Isiah Thomas is also blaming Herb Williams. The media believed that when Lenny Wilkens resigned, Isiah Thomas should find a better coach to replace him. At that time, the season was only halfway through. The team shouldn't have played so poorly in the second half.

There was also a trade in the middle of the season, which was also criticized a lot, scolding Isiah Thomas for getting his head wet and making the weak insider even weaker. Such a mistake would not even be made by elementary school students.

The attitude of the media has also affected the Knicks players. During training, many people are preoccupied, and some fringe players are even thinking about what to do next season.

"Let's play a little game. I'll bet 100 yuan that the team will make it to the playoffs." Li Hai suddenly shouted.

Coach Herb Williams hurriedly said, "Then I'll bet 100 yuan too."

The listless group of people saw that the coach also got involved, and immediately surrounded them.

"I'll take this bet. The odds are 1:1 for bar consumption." Marbury cried out, patting his chest.

On April 4, the Knicks went to an away game to challenge the Cavaliers, who had the seventh record in the Eastern Conference.

James said in an interview with reporters before the game: "I will not think about the best team now. I only think about playing the last few games and helping the team get a better ranking and enter the playoffs."

"Li Hai is very good. This is still his first season. The Knicks still have a chance to enter the playoffs, but they won't win from me. The Cavaliers will beat them."

In the face of the reporter's question, Li Hai also expressed his opinion that all the attention is in the game.

"I don't plan to compare the data of the rookie season with James. I care more about the team's victory. I came to Cleveland to win."

As Li Hai gets stronger and stronger, his duels with other powerful young strikers are getting more and more attention.

After the game started, Zajunas Ilgauskas won the jump ball with height, and the Cavaliers are currently attacking.

Li Hai's defense against James is still half-stepped to prevent breakthroughs from interfering with shooting, and there is general physical confrontation without the ball.

James scored the first ball with a fadeaway shot, and the Cavaliers' home court was full of cheers.

The Knicks' first offense was completed by Tim Thomas. The No. 4 position was pulled all the way to shoot from the outside.

In terms of interior, the Cavaliers do have a certain advantage. Ilgauskas squeezed to the basket twice and the Knicks had no choice but to foul. However, there were some problems with Ilgauskas' free throws today. Four free throws only I won one.

James attempted a breakthrough in the second attack, Li Hai accurately judged the direction of the opponent's breakthrough, and James chose to pass the ball after being blocked.

Li Hai deliberately smiled and said, "If you shot the ball just now, you would definitely miss it."

"That's not necessarily the case, but you participated in too few attacks in the Knicks, otherwise you can try my real defense." James retaliated.

"I will participate in the offense. My shooting is relatively accurate. I will let you see it right away."

After Li Hai finished speaking, he started running without the ball crazily. He skilfully bypassed Kurt Thomas from the baseline, turned around after catching the ball, and made a shooting motion.

James' defensive skills are also very solid, and he has been following Li Hai closely. Seeing Li Hai make a shooting action, James squeezed from Kurt Thomas and jumped high. The line of sight is blocked.

Li Hai smiled slightly, leaned on James and jumped up.

James fouled, and Li Hai got two free throws. He walked to the free throw line and made an easy hit, and made a textbook smile at James.

James also had some concerns in his heart. He had completely remembered Li Hai since the Rookie Challenge.

Even if they had fought against each other before, they only regarded Li Hai as Anthony's junior, as their junior. They didn't expect that he and Anthony would be defeated in the Rookie Challenge.

Anthony is still very depressed until now, and James is also looking for opportunities to get back on the field.

After being fouled just now, James has more fighting spirit. Unlike Anthony, James also feels that to defeat the opponent, he must attack and defend both ways. He has been regarded as an important opponent by Li Hai.

Leaning against Li Hai to catch the ball, James got the ball and turned around, facing Li Hai and posing in a singles stance. After making two tentative steps and seeing that Li Hai's defense was not disturbed, James dribbled the ball and retreated. step.

Taking a step back immediately speeds up, opening up the distance and using speed and body to overwhelm the defenders. Only James' body can be so simple and rude.

As soon as he was about to be squeezed to the side by James, Li Hai also showed impressive speed and stopped him again.

The direct physical confrontation almost knocked Li Hai aside.

Li Hai also used all his strength to block in front.

James slammed on the brakes and made a shot. Li Hai stretched out his hands and was not deceived.

In other words, he would rather James shoot.

(End of this chapter)