NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On October 10, 1996, the Knicks are about to usher in the preseason, but for the old basketball players, the preseason is a public-funded tour.

Tomorrow night the Knicks will face the Bulls at home, and the tickets are already sold out. The New York media often curse the Bulls, but most fans still like to watch Michael Jordan play.

Park Avenue Country Club is a high-end nightclub that opened in 1994 and can also be called a private club.

After the Bulls arrived in New York, Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley brought Starks, Charlie Ward and Clay Lee to entertain Michael Jordan and others.

It combines elements of American country clubs and British aristocratic clubs, and the overall environment is elegant and comfortable.

Lee breathed a sigh of relief when he came here, as he finally didn't have to listen to rap and chanting.

Unlike the smoky low-end nightclubs, most of the people who come here to have fun are rich people. Although the scene is still very lively, generally speaking, there are few "Fuck" sounds.

"Haha, Pat Riley's henchman didn't allow us to meet, saying I'm a liar. Who does he think he is?!"

"We are partners. When have I ever cheated on my friends? Old Oak, you know me best. I have never cheated on my friends!"

Michael Jordan, who was a little drunk, had thrown his suit jacket aside and started to loudly bring up old issues with a red face.

Charles Oakley felt that his younger brother had always respected him, and he echoed him without hesitation:

"That's right, Michael may be a jerk on the court, but he's great to his friends. Don't take Van Gundy's bullshit to heart!"

On the other side, Scottie Pippen was hugging and touching his girlfriend Larsa, whom he had been dating for more than a year. If there was no one around, the two of them would probably have started "fighting".

Ron Harper and Steve Kerr were drinking heavily at this time. They had just gone to the dance floor and came back to quench their thirst with wine.

Lee was also a little drunk, eating, drinking and gambling. The entertainment of this era was so simple and unpretentious.

Patrick Ewing did not join his friends in cursing Van Gundy. When it came to the gambling part of the party, he quickly called out to Lee:

"Lee, it's your turn to perform. 21 o'clock, we are going to kill everyone tonight!"

Michael Jordan, who was completely having fun, started to ask the waiter to change the wine, and then distributed cigars to everyone:

"Try this Cuban classic cigar. It has a very strong aroma. I'm addicted to it recently!"

"Boy, you're from New Mexico, and Charles told me you don't touch substance, which is good, I don't deal with poison dogs!"

Michael Jordan, who was drunk, handed the cigar to Lee, and after a conversation, he laughed and motioned everyone to smoke together.

Larsa, who was a model, didn't mind the smoky scene. Instead, she continued to snuggle in Pippen's arms and said in a delicate voice:

"Don't lose too much. Your gambling luck has been bad recently!"

Lee was speechless as he watched the two people kissing each other again. He didn't blame the future Marcus Jordan for performing the "Fuck, I love my aunt" drama. Most people couldn't stand it.

When they got to the gambling table, there was no Big Brother. After playing a few games, Lee also tore off his shirt and shouted:

"Double the bet, I'm sure to win this round!"

After a few rounds, Michael Jordan's eyes turned red from losing, and his gambling addiction immediately came up:

"Damn it! No one can leave tonight!"

"."

On the morning of the 11th, Jeff Van Gundy looked at Charles Oakley and Patrick Ewing, who were in low spirits on the training ground, with a grim look on his face.

The omnipresent New York media broke the news this morning about the whereabouts of several Bulls players after they arrived in New York, and a photo of Dennis Rodman dancing wildly on the dance floor appeared on the sports page of the New York Post.

I don't know where the news came from, but some articles vividly described the scene where Lee was killing everyone at the gambling table and won so much that Michael Jordan's eyes turned red.

The news was indeed a bit exaggerated. Lee won less than 10,000 US dollars in one night. No one could go home without losing a few times.

New York fans were happy to hear the news and followed suit. The media also had a topic:

"Jeff Van Gundy can't control the team. Maybe we should consider replacing a competent head coach!"

"."

The old guys couldn't hold on, but Lee was as good as ever. Youth is his asset. After sleeping for less than 4 hours, he was basically fully recovered.

At 7 p.m. that evening, half an hour before the game started, Madison Square Garden was already full.

As an international metropolis, the Knicks never have trouble selling tickets, and many fans bought tickets tonight to see Michael Jordan.

Even though it was just a preseason game, the MSG TV Network would still broadcast it as usual.

Commentator Marv Albert, known as the "Voice of New York", and basketball analyst John Kenneth were a little confused after the start of the game. The starting lineups of the two teams were too solid.

After 7 minutes and 12 seconds of the first quarter, the score was 15:13, and the starting lineups of both teams were in poor condition.

Phil Jackson didn't care about the score on the field at all, and was even in the mood to joke with Spike Lee on the sidelines.

On the other side, Jeff Van Gundy looked serious and stood on the sidelines, giving instructions loudly.

"Shh!"

Michael Jordan passed Alan Houston and caused a foul by Charles Oakley, earning him two free throws, which immediately led to boos from the crowd.

Jeff Van Gundy took this opportunity to frown and replaced Oakley and John Starks from the start, with Lee and veteran Buck Williams coming on the court.

"Lee, control the tempo of the game and don't make any more stupid mistakes!"

Perhaps because of staying up late playing cards last night, the Knicks made three turnovers in the first quarter.

Wearing a white Knicks jersey with the number 1 printed on the back, Lee pulled at the long white arm guard on his right arm while listening to Van Gundy's instructions.

Lee, who was standing on the sidelines, immediately attracted the attention of the fans. The long arm guard was a new thing.

After hitting his right elbow two days ago, Lee customized a few sets of arm guards. He wears these things just to show off!

Michael Jordan, who made both free throws, patted Harper on the shoulder as soon as he saw Lee coming on the court, and turned his head to signal him to increase the intensity.

Madison Square Garden was unusually noisy at this time. After watching the constipated offense for most of the quarter, the fans who bought tickets were almost unable to sit still.

Alan Houston served the ball from the backcourt. As soon as Ler received the ball, Harper came up to him, showing a completely different defensive style.

After Lee dribbled the ball behind his back, he continued to accelerate with the ball in his right hand, muttering,

"The old man is so stingy!"

After crossing half court, Lee moved sideways to protect the ball, and Patrick Ewing quickly came to the top of the arc to perform a pick-and-roll.

Just after standing still, Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly dribbled behind his back twice in a row and leaped forward suddenly.

All of Patrick Ewing's screens were fake. The big man hung on and then immediately moved down, waiting to receive the ball, and Harper continued to chase and defend effortlessly.

Lee, who was at the top of the arc close to the three-point line, took advantage of Harper's sliding step and suddenly pulled back with a big move.

After the sudden stop, Harper immediately lost his defensive position. Before he could defend, Lee quickly got the ball outside the three-point line and threw it!

"Swish!" The three-pointer went into the net!

After getting used to seeing constipated attacks, Lee's fancy moves and neat goals instantly ignited the atmosphere, and the fans immediately cheered loudly.

Lee, who was retreating with a smile, could see the surprised looks of the people on the field, and he was in a good mood for a moment:

"The coach can decide who the core players are, but he can't control who the audience likes to watch play!"

...

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