On May 5, 1999, the 98-99 regular season came to an end.
Due to the shortened season, the Knicks have not been able to play against too many Western Conference teams this season.
Similarly, most Western Conference teams have not played against Eastern Conference teams.
In this case, the selection of MVP is a bit awkward.
Apart from the direct dialogue between Lee and O'Neal, he has never played against Karl Malone and Tim Duncan.
In the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have already locked up the first place in the Eastern Conference and suppressed the Heat.
Although Tim Hardaway, Reggie Miller, Anfernee Hardaway, and Grant Hill played well, they were not as discussed as Clay Lee.
In terms of Excel, Lee's data is rising steadily as he gradually eats away at the ball!
However, there are gains and losses.
Although the points have increased, the number of assists has been surpassed by his superficial brother Jason Kidd.
In many games, the veterans of the Knicks have been unmotivated, their state has been fluctuating, and their assists have turned into irons.
In addition to the MVP selection, at the end of the season, the players also began to work hard for various awards!
Kidd focused on assists, and in May, he did not relax at all.
With the cooperation of the Suns, he almost had a double-double in every game.
In early May, in the game between the Suns and the Grizzlies, Kidd did not relax even when leading after three quarters.
He scored 42 points and got 13 assists before going off the court to rest.
77:107, the Suns beat the Grizzlies, Kidd got another double-double.
Seeing this performance, the New York media mocked Kidd for brushing his stats!
Although the Phoenix media was not influential enough, they also responded:
"Kidd needs to stay on the court and control the pace of the game!"
"."
The competition for the scoring title this season is becoming increasingly fierce, with Lee, Iverson and O'Neal having almost the same score difference.
Who will become the scoring champion will depend on who can get higher scores in the last few games in May!
Although all three wanted to win the award, none of them wanted to be labeled as data brushes.
In general, the data must be improved, but face cannot be lost.
In the game on the evening of the 5th, Ewing and Oakley played as fake starters.
In the last game of the regular season, facing the Heat, the Knicks entered the rotation stage early.
Rashard Lewis, who had almost no playing time this season, also got a chance at this time.
Jeff Van Gundy adjusted the lineup to speed up the game pace in order to allow Lee to score more points.
In Madison Square Garden, New York fans continued to cheer enthusiastically.
No one had any objection to this adjustment.
If they were not concerned about their reputation, they would have shouted:
"Let him brush! Let him brush!"
Since the ranking was no longer in suspense, in the last game, Tim Hardaway and Alonzo Mourning of the Heat were both rested.
There was no gap in the score at halftime, and in the third quarter, Lee did not show any mercy.
In the first round after the start of the second half, Voshon Lenard missed the shot from the left wing outside the three-point line.
Lee just caught a long rebound in the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line, and then took the ball and rushed!
Lee continued to accelerate along the left sideline, holding the ball in his left hand and quickly dribbled across half court.
When he approached the three-point line on the left wing, he immediately began to slow down.
Rex Walters had a bitter face as he tried hard to return to defense.
He felt really frustrated playing as a starter tonight.
Seeing Lee slow down and dribble the ball quickly with his left hand and sway his body to the right, Rex Walters subconsciously slid to the left again.
As soon as the opponent's feet moved, Lee exerted force on his feet and quickly stepped back, instantly creating space for shooting, dribbling the ball outside the three-point line, and quickly making a three-point jump shot!
"Swish!" The three-pointer hit the net!
"Wow!"
48:53, the New York fans at the scene shouted with joy, and every time Lee scored a goal, it would cause cheers from the crowd.
My good friend Ivan was lying in the hospital for several months last year.
After recuperating for half a year, he cut his long hair and returned to his school bully look.
Sitting in the front row tonight, Ivan kept applauding Lee, and at the same time, he kept reminding him from time to time:
"Come on, keep attacking!"
In order to lock in the scoring title, some of Lee's friends flew to Philadelphia to watch the game, keeping an eye on Iverson's score, and communicating with each other via text messages, which showed their professionalism!
Iverson's followers were also seen at the scene, and both sides adopted the same strategy.
After the Lakers finished the regular season, the scoring title is now a competition between the two.
Many New York fans were also watching the game between the Pistons and the 76ers.
At this time, no one cared about the outcome of the game.
Everyone just wanted to see Lee defeat the opponent.
Rashard Lewis was not able to compete with P.J. Brown.
On the offensive end, he mostly stayed in the corners on both sides to create space, leaving only Ben Wallace in the interior to catch the ball and grab rebounds.
The Heat were on offense, and PJ Brown made a strong attack under the basket.
He turned around and stood firmly on his footing, and saw Lee dribbling the ball between his legs on the right wing and changing direction in front of his body.
He lowered his center of gravity, crossed over his teammate, and went straight to the basket at 45 degrees on the right side.
The defense hesitated a little, and PJ Brown didn't have time to retreat.
The moment Lee approached the paint area, he turned around immediately, came to the paint area while hanging on the defense, switched to his left hand, and quickly made a layup!
Cheers came from his ears, Rex Walters spread his hands in frustration, his body was crushed, and Lee was too lazy to shake too much, stuck in position and crushed through.
Lee, who was retreating, smiled and high-fived Ben Wallace to celebrate.
In the previous attack, "Little Ben" blocked the opponent's center Duane Causwell, which made it easy for him to attack the basket and score.
As the game progressed, the cheers at Madison Square Garden grew louder.
The Knicks attacked again.
Clay Lee used Ben Wallace and Rashard Lewis to set a double screen outside the arc and then got rid of the defense on the right wing and shot the ball!
"Lee seized the fleeting opportunity and made a beautiful three-pointer!"
Commentator Mike Breen couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, while Walt Frazier noticed the Knicks' lineup at the time:
"When Sprewell, Alan Houston and Lee are on the court at the same time, the three can also play some cooperation on the offensive end!"
"Rookie Rashard Lewis also had some standout performances in this game."
"His shooting is not stable enough and his rim protection has some problems, but there are not many big men who can shoot three-pointers. This really enriches our tactical play!"
The Knicks were at a disadvantage on the defensive end, but the three players on the outside could both break through and shoot.
Although Sprewell was a bit nervous, he could also serve as a tactical starting point.
Pat Riley, sitting on the bench, still looked calm.
Even if the Heat lost this game, they would still get second place in the Eastern Conference.
Without any back-to-the-basket offense in the low post, Lee scored very quickly with three-pointers with the ball, face-to-face breakthroughs, and a few free throws!
In the fourth quarter, the Knicks had a 10-point lead.
Seeing that Lee was still on the court, Iverson's followers cursed inwardly:
"Shit! This data brush!"
Sprewell was not polite either. In the fourth quarter, he made breakthroughs and free throws.
In addition to passing the ball to Lee, he also did not forget to score points himself.
The "madman" played as a substitute for a whole season and felt depressed, but at the end of the season, he also wanted to pursue some honors.
After all, winning an award is always a good thing.
With 4 minutes and 2 seconds left in the game, Lee stood on the free throw line, and the New York fans at the scene shouted loudly:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Lee made the free throw steadily, cheers rang out again, and Pat Riley simply requested a timeout and called off the game.
The fans who bought tickets to watch the game felt that it was worth watching.
Lee let loose tonight and it was a great pleasure for everyone.
Commentator Mike Breen glanced at the technical statistics and introduced in a brisk tone:
"40 minutes, 46 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers. Lee set a new career high in scoring tonight!"
Walt Frazier was more concerned about Lee's efficiency.
After looking at the technical statistics, he immediately said with a smile:
"Maybe there are some minor problems with three-point shooting this season, but overall, Lee's finishing ability has indeed improved significantly."
"We can look forward to Lee's performance in the playoffs!"
15 of 28, 8 of 16 from beyond the three point line, 8 of 9 free throws, facing the Heat team who chose to rotate, Lee hit hard!
At this time, his friend Ivan, who was sitting in the front row, stood up and clapped his hands with a smile, and gave Lee a thumbs up, indicating that he was stable!
Jeff Van Gundy also stepped forward to pat Lee, and the bald young coach was very satisfied.
He suppressed Pat Riley again, and what awaited him after the game was all the praise from the New York media.
The last few minutes of the game passed quickly, and amid the cheers of New York fans, the Knicks easily defeated the Heat 96:110, ending the last regular season game of the season.
Alan Houston and Larry Johnson waved to the fans at the end of the game along with the atmosphere group.
Ewing was a little unhappy because he had too little playing time tonight, but on the surface he still smiled and showed his leadership style:
"Great job, Lee! It's been a perfect season!"
With 39 wins and 11 losses, the Knicks have maintained their top spot in the league thanks to their extremely high winning rate.
Lee smiled and nodded, and followed the Knicks team to express gratitude to the fans at the scene.
At the post-match press conference, the Philadelphia media followed suit, looking at the smiling Lee on the stage and asking bluntly:
"Lee, at the end of the third quarter, the Knicks were already leading by 13 points. Why were you still on the court at the beginning of the fourth quarter?"
Many New York media glared at him, but Lee didn't care about his question and responded casually:
"You know, basketball is round, and anything is possible!"
"I just wanted to finish the game as soon as possible. The Heat are a very strong team and they have won 33 games this season."
"Facing such an opponent, I don't want to give him any chance!"
The New York reporters at the scene didn't give the Philadelphia media too many opportunities, and soon everyone started to promote each other commercially.
In the game that was played simultaneously that night, the 76ers successfully defeated the Pistons 100:105.
Iverson played 43 minutes, made 11 of 28 shots, 2 of 6 from beyond the three-point line, and 9 of 10 free throws, scoring 33 points, five rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 turnover.
As soon as the game ended, Iverson got the news from his followers.
He cursed in his heart and forced a smile at the press conference.
Larry Brown was in a good mood.
With 27 wins and 23 losses, the 76ers made it to the playoffs in his second season as coach!
The master and his apprentice were bragging about their business on the stage, and the Philadelphia media in the audience also knew that Iverson had lost the scoring title, and they were in a bad mood.
The TNT reporter didn't care about that.
He interrupted the commercial hype and asked a concise question:
"Allen, this is your first time in the playoffs in your career. Facing the defending champions, how do you think you will perform?"
As if recalling the past two seasons, Iverson's smile completely disappeared, and he said seriously:
"I don't care who the opponent is, I'm ready. The playoffs are different from the regular season, and I'm a big-game player. I believe the 76ers will win in the end!"
ESPN reporters noticed Iverson's mood change on the stage and continued to ask questions:
"How would you rate Lee's performance this season? He is still ranked first in the MVP rankings!"
This season, the two teams have played against each other many times, and Iverson lost again.
He was angry and could only answer dryly:
"The Knicks are indeed very strong, but anything is possible in basketball!"
"."
The regular season is over, and the Knicks have two days to rest before the first round of the playoffs officially begins.
Lee chose to stay in his apartment in Manhattan for two days.
When he returned home at night, he saw the TNT report and noticed that the Spurs took first place in the Western Conference:
"In the second year of his career, Tim Duncan has led the team to first place in the Western Conference. He has become a superstar!"
"It's hard to imagine what he will achieve in the future."
With 37 wins and 13 losses, the Spurs and the Jazz had the same record, and in the end, they successfully overwhelmed their opponents by relying on the win-loss record.
Lee watched McHale praising Duncan again on the show, curled his lips in boredom, leaned back on the sofa, and called up the talent panel.
Winning the Atlantic Division Championship again, Lee immediately received a reminder:
[Anfernee Hardaway's excellent speed]
....
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