With five minutes left in the third quarter, the Knicks launched a counterattack.
Patrick Ewing, backing down in the low post, pushed Mutombo in three times. Even a defensive stalwart like Mutombo was pushed back with each push against Patrick Ewing's relentless force. Patrick Ewing turned on the final impact and hit his signature hook shot.
In the next possession, Sprewell burst down the right flank, shoving Harper like a mad dog, twisting his body in mid-air to put the ball in, and drawing a foul for a three-point play. Immediately after, Houston curled out from the top of the key, received the ball, and pulled up over the defense to swish it into the net.
A 9-2 run gave the Knicks a 4-point lead.
Madison Square Garden erupted. Twenty thousand people stood up in unison, their feet stomping on the floor, the roar building up like a tsunami. People on the bench had to shout into each other's ears to speak.
Last year, right here, the Boston Celtics were swept in the first round. But those three losses were humiliating. It wasn't that the Knicks were particularly strong; it was that the Celtics had internal problems. The conflict between Pitino and Gary Payton caused the team to focus all its energy on internal strife throughout the entire series. New York still talk about this as their biggest source of amusement.
Doc Rivers stood on the sidelines, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, settling calmly and confidently on Gary Payton.
His eyes were filled with unreserved trust and delegation of authority.
Gary Payton's cheeks puffed as he chewed the seemingly endless piece of gum. He met Doc Rivers ' gaze, tilted his head, and smiled almost imperceptibly without saying a word.
Last year, the person fighting for the steering wheel on the sidelines was Doc Rivers, but this year it 'Doc Rivers who has completely relinquished the steering wheel.
Gary Payton crossed the halfway line and made a subtle pass back to Garnett.
Patrick Ewing repositioned himself on the left low post, beckoning for the ball. He turned, jumped, and hooked the ball... He'd been doing this move for fifteen years; it was ingrained in his muscles, he could score with his eyes closed. But this time, a dark figure slid across the court. Garnett's terrifying lateral speed and long arms exploded in the dynamic defense. Just as Patrick Ewing raised his hand to pass the ball, Garnett's long arm shot out, his left hand "catching" the ball in mid-air, his hands coming together to firmly grasp it.
Garnett landed, chest puffed out, eyes fixed on Patrick Ewing.
Possession went to Boston.
Garnett dribbled to the high post, Larry Bird Johnson guarding his lower body. Garnett glanced to the left, switched his ball-handling hand, and drove in along the baseline. The Grandmama slammed into Garnett's chest. Garnett was thrown sideways in mid-air, but his terrifying core strength instantly corrected his posture, straightened up, hung in the air, banked the ball, and scored.
In the next possession, Sprewell's dribble was swiftly stolen by Gary Payton's right hand. Gary Payton retrieved the ball without even looking and launched a long pass across the entire court.
Garnett, like a black panther, faced Charles Oakley, who was coming to help defend. Charles Oakley was ready to pull the skinny guy down in mid-air. But Garnett took the impact with his shoulder, and on the verge of completely losing his balance, his right arm stretched to its limit.
A powerful two-handed dunk!
The basketball hoop groaned in pain, shaking for a long time.
The Garden suddenly fell silent. The twenty thousand people who had been stomping their feet and making the floor tremble just moments before were now completely silent.
Patrick Ewing stood outside the free-throw line, bent over, hands on his knees. His signature red mouthguard dangled from his lips, bobbing with each breath. He looked up at the glaring scoreboard, then glanced at Garnett, who was slowly walking back, pounding his chest.
The score remained neck and neck, staying close until the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
The Knicks were down by three points and had the ball. Van Gundy frantically waved his whiteboard on the sidelines and called a timeout.
No need for a play; the entire arena knew who to get the ball from. Allan Houston was on fire that night, making nine of his signature mid-range shots. And he'd made two of those shots from that corner near the free-throw line in the first three quarters. That's the kind of shot that repeatedly punished Boston in last year's series.
The ball comes in. Houston cuts around Patrick Ewing's screen to the free-throw line. He receives the ball, bounces it slightly, and jumps.
Gary Payton abandoned his defender on the weak side and lunged at him.
He wasn't tall enough to cover that height, but he didn't even try to block the ball. He used his broad chest and shoulders to ram into Houston's body with tremendous force, a black hand firmly covering Houston's eyes, and his feet already blocking Houston's only landing space. He used textbook defense to make Houston's shot extremely uncomfortable. He made Houston's twelfth shot, out of the eleven shots he took that night, look extremely awkward.
The ball was released, bounced off the front edge of the rim, spun half a circle, and then bounced out.
Garnett grabbed the rebound. On his way back on defense, Gary Payton deliberately whispered something in Houston's ear.
"You won't win a single game this year."
With just over a minute left, Gary Payton slowed the pace down considerably.
He gripped the ball tightly, navigating the half-court in almost agonizingly slow motion. The New York fans in the arena were still making their usual racket, but the Knicks players on the court had been fighting from start to finish, their legs as stiff as lead.
Gary Payton gestured for Horry to wait in the left corner. He wanted to tighten the 24-second timer like a noose, second by second.
Sprewell, his eyes red, lunged forward to press, Gary Payton suddenly lowered his center of gravity, leaning back and forcefully trapping the Madman to one side. He steadily controlled the ball with one hand while coldly watching Van Gundy shouting hoarsely on the sidelines.
" Kevin!" Gary Payton growled, turning his head slightly.
Garnett strode up from the elbow area.
Bang!
Garnett's body, which was a size bigger than last year, firmly blocked Sprewell's path.
The Knicks had to hastily switch on defense. Larry Bird Johnson, taking small, awkward steps, lunged at Gary Payton, who was making a quick move after a screen. Meanwhile, Sprewell on the perimeter had to face Garnett was cutting to the basket.
This is the cruelest misalignment, but also the opportunity Boston has been waiting for all year.
Gary Payton dribbled extremely low, then suddenly stopped and rammed Larry Bird Johnson hard into the chest. In the instant the Grandmama was thrown back, Gary Payton caught the ball with one hand and, through the gap under the arm of the smaller Houston who was double-teaming her, delivered a hidden bounce pass that slid along the floor.
The ball went through.
Garnett received the ball on the right side of the free-throw line. Facing Sprewell who switched onto him, the two were too different in size. Garnett took the opportunity to assume a triple threat stance and took a very aggressive probing step forward with his right foot.
Sprewell instinctively took a step back.
With just that one step of space, Garnett regained his balance and leaped from the top of the free-throw line. His height and long arms meant that Sprewell, who was rushing in, could only reach his elbow.
His body stretched straight out in mid-air, delivering a textbook-perfect mid-range shot from a high position.
Swish!
The ball went in, widening the gap to five points.
Looking back, the Knicks managed a shot that missed in a physical battle in the half, and Mutombo grabbed the defensive rebound over Patrick Ewing and held it to his chest.
Boston still had possession of the ball.
It's still the same pick and roll.
Same tactics, same positions, same defensive switches. This time, the Knicks were backed into a corner. Sprewell, at the moment Garnett set up the screen, was willing to leave Gary Payton behind and desperately tried to get around behind the smaller player to delay Garnett's cut.
But Gary Payton showed no intention of passing the ball the moment he used the screen. He saw through the New York ' panicked defensive focus.
Gary Payton suddenly executed a wide crossover dribble, cutting into the Knicks ' paint area through the opening created by Garnett's screen on the right. Patrick Ewing, dragging his heavy legs, rushed out from under the basket to help defend, and Gary Payton used his strong shoulders to lean against Patrick Ewing, using the force of the contact to casually toss a ball with his right hand.
The basketball arced high, soaring over Patrick Ewing's fingertips, grazing the backboard, and falling into the basket.
It also resulted in Patrick Ewing committing a foul.
2 plus 1.
The ropes of the gallows were pulled tight.
Van Gundy called two timeouts, slamming his clipboard repeatedly, but the same thing happened when he returned. Gary Payton and Garnett ruthlessly extinguished the last bit of spirit the New York had with two solid pick-and-rolls that lasted the full 24 seconds.
Doc Rivers completely relaxed. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and folded his arms. He no longer needed to nervously fight for control like Pitino had done the previous year; he only needed to watch quietly.
The Knicks ' five starters played almost the entire game, and their legs were a bit wobbly. On the Celtics hand, Harper and Bowen took turns guarding their perimeter stars, demonstrating a clear advantage in stamina.
With one and a half minutes left in the game, they were leading by ten points.
This year's first round of the playoffs.
The New York Knicks haven't won a single game.
Madison Square Garden was deathly silent.