Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals
In the first half, Li Chen used his speed and the [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier] skill to keep Wade from making 1 of 10 shots. As for the two fouls, they were caused by Allan Houston's help defense.
Miami Heat head coach Van Gundy realized that the Heat had to change their tactics in the second half.
As for how to change tactics, the only method he could think of was to let O'Neal be the main offensive force.
When O'Neal heard Van Gundy's decision, he was smug, thinking to himself, "Hmph! In the end, it all comes down to Shaq."
Actually, O'Neal had long been dissatisfied with Wade. This kid played too selfishly, just like Kobe, but his shooting percentage was still... well, let's just say it was terrible.
Shaq came to the Miami Heat to win a championship and make the Lakers regret their decision, not to watch Wade become a stat padder.
But then he thought, aren't all superstars made through sheer skill and experience? There are very few like him who reached their peak right from their debut.
Thinking of this, O'Neal swallowed back all the resentment in his heart.
You know, O'Neal, who has always disliked training, was willing to undergo the Miami Heat's extremely intense training to make the Lakers regret their decision. Wade's little problem is nothing compared to that!
After the start of the second half, O'Neal scored frequently in the low post, bringing the score within 5 points at one point.
Wang Zhizhi was no match for O'Neal at all, and even committed three fouls.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, Li Chen looked up at the scoreboard above the basketball hoop: 70 to 65.
He turned to look at the Knicks' rest area.
Alvin Gentry immediately understood his student's meaning, called a timeout, and substituted Wang Zhizhi and the exhausted Allan Houston for two backup centers. The role of these two backup centers on the court was to prevent O'Neal from shooting.
Whether it's pulling or something else, anything that can stop him from scoring is fine.
When the timeout ended and both teams returned to the court, O'Neal's face turned green. That's right, this was the "Hack-a-Hack" tactic tailor-made by O'Neal.
Shaq now hates Old Nelson, who created this tactic, and Popovich.
At the same time, Li Chen had a sudden inspiration. He stood in the position closest to O'Neal's free throws, wondering if this "Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier" would work.
The result was actually quite good; O'Neal's free throw percentage was only around 40%, and sometimes he even missed both free throws.
Li Chen didn't know whether the "Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier" had really worked or if it was O'Neal's personal reasons.
After all, O'Neal's free throw shooting was truly terrible.
On the other side, seeing this scene, Van Gundy grinned, as if he had a bitter gourd in his mouth, his face almost squishing together.
He never expected Alvin Gentry to pull this trick on him, and the effect was surprisingly good.
Van Gundy is now out of spells.
At the same time, Alvin Gentry was also very pleased, thinking to himself, "Li Chen is a real all-rounder! He's great at playing basketball, and his tactics are just as impressive!"
That's right, this was proposed by Li Chen and Alvin Gentry when they were studying tactics.
Despite Alvin Gentry's lack of talent, he has one redeeming quality: he listens to advice and is willing to accept suggestions (only from his beloved students).
Therefore, he would carefully consider all of Li Chen's suggestions.
Years later, thanks to his connection with Li Chen, he became the head coach with the most NBA championships in history. But that's another story.
As a result, the score gap between the two teams quickly widened, and by the middle of the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat had already fallen behind the Knicks by as many as 15 points.
Three minutes later, the score difference had reached 20 points.
With no hope of catching up, Van Gundy was disheartened and substituted all his key players.
At the same time, O'Neal felt a pang of sadness; he had a feeling he couldn't let the Lakers regret it.
In the end, the Knicks thrashed the Miami Heat 109-90.
In this game, Miami Heat's Eddie Jones scored 22 points and dished out 3 assists on 9-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line.
Although Eddie Jones performed well, Wade did not gain the trust of his team.
O'Neal scored 25 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and made 9 of 17 field goals, along with 6 of 16 free throws.
O'Neal almost threw up from the free throws.
Wade shot 3-for-25, scoring 9 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds, including 0-for-1 from three-point range and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Although Wade was limited, he carried the Mamba Mentality to the end. His mindset was: I am the core, I am the shooter.
For the Knicks, Crawford led all scorers tonight with 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting, along with 2 assists, 5-of-10 from three-point range, and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Li Chen, 9 of 15 field goals, 25 points, 18 assists, 4 of 6 three-pointers, 3 of 3 free throws.
Other Knicks starters all scored around 10 points.
On May 25, the Spurs defeated the Suns 111-108 again.
The Suns' prized offense proved ineffective against the Spurs.
After that, the Knicks continued to use tactics to limit Wade and O'Neal.
This tactic really worked. In the following games, the Miami Heat were defeated by the Knicks in three straight games. If they couldn't come up with another way, the Miami Heat would be on the verge of ending up like the Pistons.
Meanwhile, this year's New York Knicks fans felt an exhilarating sense of satisfaction; it was so great, they could finally hold their heads high.
The Western Conference Spurs also lead the Suns.
Madison Square Garden was packed again on the evening of June 1st.
The attendance tonight is close to 120%, which shows how eager the Knicks fans are for a victory.
Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs Finals saw the Knicks host the Miami Heat.
Madison Square Garden erupted when the Knicks players entered the game, especially when the DJ called out Li Chen's name.
Yes, it was this Eastern man who gave them passion and hope.
A short while later, both teams began warming up.
Just as Li Chen was warming up, he inadvertently saw a familiar face – Britney.
Britney was waving at him, and Li Chen instinctively waved back.
To his surprise, Britney didn't seem to have come alone; she was accompanied by a man.
Seeing this, Li Chen was slightly stunned, then shook his head helplessly, thinking, "This woman is really something, she really has a face that looks like she's been fooled by a scumbag!"
Putting aside his thoughts, he continued shooting hoops to warm up.
Before the match began, Madison Square Garden was bustling with fans eagerly awaiting the start of the game.
The Knicks players are also eager to win, confident they can sweep the Miami Heat out of the playoffs tonight.
The Knicks fans were incredibly enthusiastic, cheering and supporting their Knicks, as if the entire arena was immersed in an atmosphere of love for basketball.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat remained calm and composed, knowing their goal was to win the game on the road and defend their honor.
However, they were still affected by the atmosphere of the home crowd, and they became somewhat anxious.
This is the home advantage. In this atmosphere, players are human, not machines, so playing away games often has an impact.
Neither side made any changes to their lineups for this match.
In the TNT broadcast room.
"If the Miami Heat can't find a way to counter the Knicks in this game, their chances of winning are only 20%," Kenny Smith said helplessly.
Barkley nodded and added, "Also, the heat at Madison Square Garden will have a huge impact on the Miami Heat."
At this point, Barkley changed the subject, saying, "Kenny, you know what?"
"What? You want to bet with me again? Charles, didn't I already tell you? I've quit gambling."
Barkley curled his lip, ignoring the cunning fellow, and said instead, "I think the Miami Heat must have a way to deal with the Knicks today."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
"Look at Van Gundy's expression."
The camera then focused on Van Gundy, who stood with his arms crossed, looking utterly confident.
This made Kenny Smith pause for a moment, then he laughed and said, "Haha! This is more interesting! A sweep is too boring. Let's look forward to the Miami Heat's performance tonight!"
The match officially began as the referee blew his whistle.
Li Chen's random S-rank Skill in this match is [Divine Shooter].
Li Chen then swiftly equipped today's skills: [Unrestrained], [Assist Master], [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier], [Pull-up Jumper], and [God's Blessing].
After the game started, the Miami Heat launched their first offensive play of the night.
As soon as Wade received the ball, he displayed his excellent breakthrough ability, and Li Chen followed him closely, just like in the previous games, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
But when Wade broke through to the basket, Li Chen thought he would go for a layup like in the previous three games. However, to everyone's surprise, he passed the ball to O'Neal on the other side of the basket.
Shaquille O'Neal, the agile big man, turned around to create space for a shot, and then made a small floater to put the ball in.
O'Neal's series of movements were fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation.
The Miami Heat took an early lead, 2-0.
Upon seeing this, Li Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, and a smile curved his lips.
Surprisingly, Wade chose to pass the ball. But that's fine, it lets you see the gap between you and the Knicks' three-point shooting team!
The Knicks were on offense. Li Chen received the ball, quickly moved to one side, then suddenly stopped and turned to face the basket.
Before Eddie Jones, who was defending him, could react, Li Chen jumped up quickly. At that moment, time seemed to stand still, and only Li Chen's figure was suspended in the air.
His tall and upright figure possessed a pleasing and graceful quality, like a white-clad general standing proudly on a battlefield.
Just then, he threw the basketball in his hand, and the basketball drew a beautiful arc as it flew towards the basket.
Swish!
As if guided by a GPS, the basketball fell precisely into the Nets.
Li Chen responded to the Miami Heat with a difficult pull-up three-pointer.
At that moment, a Knicks fan excitedly shouted the words "King of New York".
Immediately afterwards, these words spread like wildfire throughout Madison Square Garden.
That breathtaking scene left fans watching on television in awe.
In front of the television, a baby-faced elementary school student suddenly dreamed of going to the Big Apple City.
He wanted to conquer the Big Apple City, just like his idol.
When O'Neal saw this, he thought to himself, "What an annoying kid."
Li Chen then frequently passed the ball to his teammates, tearing apart the Miami Heat's defense time and time again.
Meanwhile, the Miami Heat's Wade and O'Neal demonstrated offensive synergy that rivaled that of the OK Combination.
With their combined efforts, the two hit several crucial shots, stabilizing the situation for the Miami Heat.
The first quarter was exceptionally intense, with both sides trading blows and fighting fiercely. Gradually, friction between the players increased, and a strong sense of tension filled the court.
However, the evenly matched situation only lasted for about ten minutes.
Because the Knicks' offensive efficiency is significantly inferior to that of the Miami Heat.
After all, three-pointers are not as easy as two-pointers, but once you get into a three-point shooting rhythm, they can be a game-winning weapon.
As the game progressed, the Miami Heat players gradually found a way to break the deadlock. They began to show excellent teamwork on the court, earning valuable offensive opportunities for the team.
Meanwhile, after the Miami Heat displayed excellent teamwork, they quickly widened the score gap.
The Knicks struggled defensively, given O'Neal's size.
They were unable to effectively limit O'Neal's scoring ability.
As the game progressed, the Miami Heat's advantage gradually widened, dominating the game with accurate shooting and excellent rebounding.
The Knicks need to find a breakthrough and change the situation, otherwise the game will become even more unfavorable, as they feel immense pressure from the Miami Heat.
At this point, Coach Alvin Gentry made a wise adjustment, replacing the offensively ineffective Allan Houston with rookie Ariza, hoping he could take on the offensive responsibility in crucial moments.
After Ariza came on, Li Chen gave him a series of Headpat, anticipating his performance.
Ariza did not disappoint Li Chen's expectations. He made a steal as soon as he entered the game, and then received a pass from Li Chen and hit a three-pointer.
He was very active on the court afterwards. The [Headpat] skill added 10% to all attributes, which made him very comfortable. His defense and help defense caused great trouble for the Miami Heat.
He also brought new offensive options to the Knicks.
His outstanding performance not only inspired his teammates' fighting spirit, but also made the Miami Heat feel the difficulty of defense.
Now, the Knicks have finally found a breakthrough, and they have reason to believe that the game is not over yet.
At the same time, Li Chen used his personal abilities and excellent passing skills to inspire his teammates' fighting spirit, and they began to cooperate closely to create more scoring opportunities.
The Knicks are like a lion that has just awakened, and fans are eagerly awaiting their triumphant return.
The Miami Heat knew, of course, that if the Knicks recovered, they would have no hope. So, they launched a furious offensive; they had to suppress the resurgent Knicks. Thus, the game once again became a close contest.
Just as the game became a close contest, Miami Heat star Wade was unfortunately injured during a jump shot and fell to the ground.
This stunned Knicks fans, followed by jubilation; their Knicks had a chance.
The atmosphere at the Miami Heat instantly turned tense. Wade was helped off the court by paramedics, and his departure undoubtedly dealt a significant blow to the Miami Heat.
The Knicks seized this opportunity and intensified their offensive pace. The previously close game instantly collapsed. Without Wade's presence to draw attention, Li Chen could help defend O'Neal without any worries.
Moreover, with O'Neal's rating dropping now, the [Iron Wall and Bronze Barrier] skill can definitely come in handy.
At halftime, the Knicks led the Miami Heat 55-48 by 7 points.