NBA: The Basketball Miracle

Check out my new fanfic. A cote x hikigaya crossover.

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***

The NBA in 2000 was very different from the future.

There was no 'brotherhood basketball' or 'clinging to strong legs and defecting to the enemy'.

This season, the NBA always created more grudge matches for the fans.

The New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers had few stories, geographically speaking, one was in the East and the other in the West.

Being in different conferences meant the two teams could only play each other twice a year.

In the past, when the Los Angeles Lakers were glorious, the New York Knicks were in silence.

By the time the New York Knicks welcomed Pat Riley and began their era of iron-blooded basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers had declined.

However, after 1996, both teams embarked on a similar path of resurgence.

After Shaquille O'Neal went West, although they experienced another sweep, Phil Jackson's arrival as Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers led to the team's resurgence.

After Clay Lee joined the New York Knicks, he also experienced failure.

With his personal ability improving and the team successfully gelling, two consecutive championships ushered in an era belonging to New York.

Both sides had MVPs from the past two years, as well as the 1996 draft class.

Phil Jackson failed in 1998, while Jeff Van Gundy stepped on the Champion Coach to set a record.

All these circumstances, after the Finals Game 3 ended, through deliberate media promotion, finally turned into the biggest grudge match of recent years.

After losing Game 3, the Los Angeles Lakers legends couldn't sit still after the game.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the all-time leading scorer, complained about the referees' officiating standards during an interview with NBC:

"I don't want to talk too much about the officiating, but the Los Angeles Lakers should have gotten more free throws. The New York Knicks' screens are a bit incomprehensible to me."

"I also don't like Lee's actions, but what makes me even angrier is the Los Angeles Lakers players' reaction. They just stood there with their mouths open, quietly watching their teammate being stepped over!"

"If it were me, I would immediately rush over and have a real man-to-man contest!"

"."

Although the New York Knicks won, Walt Frazier, who was interviewed after the game, didn't hold back his words:

"The referees are clearly condoning Shaquille O'Neal. He threw the ball at Clay Lee right in front of the baseline referee. Regardless of the outcome, such an action alone should be penalized."

"Look at how many free throws he got tonight, and this is at the New York Knicks' home court!"

"I like Lee's performance. At critical moments of the game, he had a score and an assist. As an MVP-level player, O'Neal missed two free throws at a crucial moment."

"The Los Angeles Lakers have no reason to complain. There's a gap even between MVPs. They should accept this reality."

"."

In the grand spectacle of the Finals, both sides' roles were distinct, and they became increasingly invested.

WCW (World Championship Wrestling) had not been doing well recently, so to piggyback on the hype, they also made an announcement in front of the media:

"We are willing to offer Clay and Kobe an opportunity for a man-to-man contest. We are now officially inviting them!"

Fans who loved to watch the drama even started discussing who would ultimately win if the two sides actually had a wrestling match.

In the end, Lee's impressive physique received recognition from a Yahoo Sports reporter:

"Lee is a heavyweight, and in this matchup, he has a very high probability of knocking Kobe out."

Playing in New York, besides encountering iron-blooded Defense, one also had to endure the media's elaborate mockery.

The more the Los Angeles Lakers resisted, the more enthusiastic the reporters who loved to watch the fun became in ridiculing them.

In the New York Media's articles these past two days, Jeff Van Gundy, with his 'loaned' championship, had already surpassed Phil Jackson.

Even a clay figure has a bit of fire.

During the two-day rest period, the Los Angeles Lakers players' anger grew stronger.

As a Champion Coach, Phil Jackson understood the New York Knicks' old opponent's flashy tactics too well.

After the players were enraged, he entered a 'Zen Master' state.

On the morning of June 13th, Phil Jackson did not hold a film session.

Instead, he led the Los Angeles Lakers to meditate in the hotel.

The players sat down quietly, closing their eyes in contemplation.

As for whether it had any effect, only God knew.

The coaching staff were speechless.

Phil Jackson, after everyone had sat quietly for a few minutes, softly asked:

"Don't let anger control your emotions. Now tell me, what do you desire?"

Kobe was very engaged, honestly meditating quietly as Phil Jackson requested.

Upon hearing the question, he was also the first to loudly answer:

"Victory! I want to win the game!"

Soon, others also began to respond.

Phil Jackson nodded with satisfaction and softly said again:

"Now, focus your attention on the game. Think about our experiences this season, recall how we came back to defeat the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals!"

"No one is our opponent. Forget the outside noise; they are afraid, they are scared, they are worried about us winning on the road."

"In tomorrow night's game, bring out our desire for the championship and fully display our talent!"

"."

The traditional pep talk combined with the ritualistic meditation had an excellent effect.

At least Kobe was energized, and Shaq also felt much better after this session.

Having completely regained his composure, and realizing that just one road victory would regain the initiative, Shaq, who had been silent for the past two days, spoke up as soon as the meditation ended:

"As long as we win one road game, I swear, I will lead everyone to the championship!"

Hearing their leader's solemn promise, everyone gathered in a huddle and shouted in unison:

"Oh!"

On the morning of June 14th, at the Tarrytown Training Center, the New York Knicks still didn't conduct much training.

After a simple film session, the focus remained on veteran recovery training.

Jeff Van Gundy wasn't privy to how Phil Jackson cooked up his pep talks.

The Bald Young Coach's encouragement for his players wasn't fancy either.

With a chance to reach match point, his pep talk over the past two days could be summarized as:

"Just do it!"

The offense was completely self-managed, and Jeff Van Gundy and the coaching staff couldn't ask for more on the Defense end.

Ewing played 40 minutes in Game 3.

The Gorilla was still excitedly shouting after the game, but the next day he was sore all over and completely worn out.

After two days of rest, Ewing had somewhat recovered.

This season, his playing time rarely reached 40 minutes, and in the last quarter of the game, he was running on the court purely by willpower.

Oakley had been repeatedly complaining about Shaq's playing time these past two days.

This was the first time the old guy had seen such a way of using a player.

Unlike perimeter players, Shaquille O'Neal, with his massive build, played almost every game for the entire duration, which defied everyone's perception.

"Even the donkeys on the production team don't work this hard!"

Clay Lee also sighed like this more than once.

Although Shaq might slack off on Defense, it was not easy for inside players to get the ball on offense.

Thinking of Tyronn Lue, whom the Los Angeles Lakers had just drafted last year, Lee also understood why he would always use the strongest tactics as a Head Coach.

Larry Johnson's performance in these few games was quite comparable to Glen Rice's on the opposing side.

Both had similar shooting percentages, like 4-for-10 and 3-for-9.

The only difference was that Glen Rice had a 'dumpling meal' (a good game) in Game 2, while Larry Johnson hadn't fully found his touch yet.

"The referees are always targeting us. They never immediately stop opponents. The league is getting softer and softer!"

Larry Johnson, who was stretching, complained again about his treatment.

A hero with nowhere to display his prowess!

The "Gorilla" always wanted to provoke The "Shark".

As long as he could take the Shark out of the game, the game would be won.

Ron Artest nodded repeatedly from the side.

His fouls had been accumulating quickly in these two games, and he strongly agreed with his elder brother's point of view.

On the other side, Assistant Coach Don Chaney was still giving Rashad Lewis a pep talk:

"Don't worry about missed shots. When you get a great opportunity, all you have to do is shoot decisively!"

"Whether it's a shot or a drive, don't hesitate. The opponent might react in a second. This is the Finals stage. As long as you win the game, no one will pay attention to the stats!"

"Victory will give you everything, Rashad, you should understand that."

Lewis, a second-round pick, had a low salary and an unsecured contract.

After hearing these words, he naturally understood what the assistant coach meant.

To establish himself in the NBA, he had to play to his strengths and show his excellent qualities.

Lewis nodded fiercely.

Lewis, eager to secure a bigger contract, wanted to showcase himself on the biggest stage.

After noticing Ewing's physical condition deteriorating, and realizing that there might be defensive lapses, the coaching staff had been constantly giving pep talks to several players in the rotation over the past two days.

If they couldn't defend, they had to make up for it on offense.

This was the only solution they could think of.

Clay Lee just did some simple warm-up exercises and free-throw drills with Allan Houston.

Noticing that Ewing and Oakley were still discussing Shaquille O'Neal's playing time, Clay Lee also joined in and joked:

"I don't believe he can play the entire game. Once the Lakers' possessions drop to around 77, it means Shaq is tired."

"Unless he truly mutates, his efficiency will definitely decline in the later games. Pat Riley's Defense has already started to work!"

Ewing felt instantly relieved when he heard Lee's words.

Despite his hard work on Defense, he still couldn't limit the opponent's scoring.

The Gorilla didn't say it aloud, but he still felt he had lost face.

The Trail Blazers' interior players had managed to contain O'Neal, but as the series progressed, the Shark had completely dominated the New York Knicks' interior.

Considering the progress of the series, Ewing encouraged himself confidently while warming up his body:

"Once O'Neal plays inefficiently, the Lakers are doomed! But we need to end the series quickly. I don't want to play in Los Angeles anymore!"

Everyone responded.

Looking at Ewing's chubby face, everyone was aware of the Gorilla's stamina.

The longer the game dragged on, the worse their Defense would become.

Among the New York Knicks, Ewing was also a qualified leader in the locker room.

Although he spent more time slacking off this season, the Gorilla still put in a lot of effort in crucial games.

Game 4 of the Finals officially began at 7:30 PM that evening.

Before the game, Doug Collins also spoke about the Gorilla's performance in front of the camera:

"Stats cannot show Ewing's role on Defense. At nearly 38 years old, Ewing is still better than most centers in the NBA!"

"His combination with Ben Wallace is very intimidating on Defense, but Wallace needs to watch out for fouls. Getting his third foul too early will affect the team's rotation."

"There will also be some problems when both are on the court at the same time, as Lee will be more susceptible to double teams, but overall, the Defense system built by Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy is still very effective."

Fans leaving work could head straight to the Madison Square Garden.

With 40 minutes remaining before the game, Madison Square Garden was already getting noisy.

Bob Costas, hearing his partner's commentary, also expressed his views to the camera:

"The Lakers' offense had some problems. In Game 3, they performed poorly in the first and fourth quarters and failed to respond in time."

"Shaquille O'Neal carried the Lakers' offense, but Clay Lee also responded on offense."

"As the Finals progress, the two MVPs have shown different levels of dominance! Tonight's game will definitely be very tight. The Lakers will not easily let the New York Knicks get to match point."

"..."

NBC's pre-game analysis was correct for once.

After the game started, the Lakers, who had rested for two days, finally didn't dig themselves into a hole at the beginning.

Phil Jackson also stopped pretending.

As soon as he saw signs of the New York Knicks gaining momentum, he immediately called a timeout to disrupt their offensive rhythm.

Perhaps influenced by the meditation pep talk, several players on the Lakers' bench fought harder and harder despite the boos from the entire MSG.

The lead changed hands several times.

By the end of the first half, the noise in Madison Square Garden was almost blowing the roof off.

55:52.

Although the difference was small, the Lakers led by 3 points at halftime.

During halftime, both teams' players walked solemnly to the locker room.

At the commentary table, Doug Collins first looked at Shaquille O'Neal's playing time before commenting:

"Playing 22 minutes, Shaquille O'Neal was 5-of-11 from the field, 3-of-4 from the free-throw line, for 13 points and 8 rebounds. Tonight, the Lakers' role players took on more of the scoring burden."

"This is an excellent momentum. Obviously, Coach Phil Jackson has also made targeted adjustments."

Among the bench players, Derek Fisher was activated again.

Tonight, the Lakers used a nine-man rotation, changing their usual tactic of constantly having Shaq lead the offense.

Seeing some New York fans already restless, Bob Costas smiled and commented cheerfully:

"Lee also performed very well, 5-of-13 from the field in the first half, scoring 14 points and dishing out 6 assists!"

"Both teams' role players are in great form tonight. This will be a long game."

"..."

During halftime, in the New York Knicks' locker room, Ewing was still panting heavily.

The Lakers also increased their pick-and-rolls, and Shaquille O'Neal, uncharacteristically, frequently came high to screen for his teammates.

This change exhausted the Gorilla.

He couldn't keep up with the guards when defending pick-and-rolls, and O'Neal's large frame provided excellent screens.

Ewing was also being targeted.

Jeff Van Gundy frowned secretly after returning to the locker room.

He didn't use Ben Wallace too much, as he believed the New York Knicks needed more offense:

"Hang in there! They will also get tired. Be patient on offense. We did a very good job rebounding!"

"..."

He loudly encouraged everyone.

As the series progressed, there was not much left to adjust.

Jeff Van Gundy knew that Clay Lee had missed his three-pointers in the first half, so he continued to encourage him:

"Keep shooting when you have the opportunity, Lee, trust your touch, the next shot will always go in!"

Everyone in the locker room looked at Clay Lee.

They knew that in the second half, the team's Defense quality would further decline, and to win, they had to make it up on offense.

Lee put down his water bottle.

His performance in the first half was average, but he still responded confidently:

"Trust me, we will win the game. Tonight, we will get to match point at home!"

"..."

...

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