Chapter 403 402.Party time!

As professional players, Bird and Jordan saw much more than the spectators around them.

It was the first time for them to see powerlessness in the magician.

From positions 2 to 4, we are inferior to our opponents in every position, the gap is too big.

Although Gerald Wilkins' scoring is not as good as Byron Scott's, his defense is much better. He is able to start against Vandeweghe, who is still averaging 20 points per game, by relying on his rough defense, which can help Zhang Yang share the pressure.

Oakley is a deluxe version of AC Green, just as hard-working and even more powerful.

Ewing... Big Daddy of the night!

If Skyhook had not retired, the Lakers would still have a chance to fight even if he only played for 20 minutes.

Skyhook's static physical condition is too superior. He is 218 cm tall, has a wingspan of 228 cm and weighs 120 kg. It is a bit difficult for him to play the role of Duncan before his retirement, but the Lakers' inside line will not be easily stabbed by Ewing.

Tonight, as long as Zhang Yang pulled out from the elbow area and passed the ball twice, the Lakers' defense was pressed into the inside by Ewing, and Zhang Yang could get the opportunity to catch the ball and shoot from the outside.

It is true that Zhang Yang's scoring threat is great, but he is shooting from the outside. Ewing received the ball from the free throw line and played against Divac like it was a piece of cake. Magic Johnson, AC Green and James Worthy went to double-team and help, but Divac couldn't defend against them. At least two people were needed to help.

The most exaggerated thing was that Ewing was alone under the basket, and Divac and AC Green were useless in positional warfare. It was also the first time that Bird and Jordan saw Ewing so dominant in the NBA.

This made it impossible for the Lakers to stop their offense. Once they stopped, Ewing's dominance in the interior defense was revealed. However, when the Lakers were running, Zhang Yang had the opportunity to break through quickly. For the Lakers, this became an unsolvable problem.

Moreover, most of the Lakers players are not young anymore. Not counting rookies like Divac who need to be trained, Byron Scott and James Worthy, both 29-year-old players, are both fresh forces on the Lakers.

The two core players Zhang Yang and Ewing, as well as the main point guard Mark Jackson, are all 25-27 years old and have just entered their peak!

Just as Bird and Jordan thought, by the second quarter, the Lakers did not respond effectively, and even a coach as capable as Pat Riley could not think of a way out of the situation.

From a business perspective, the fortune teller is right...

第二节比分29比26、第三节比分27比27、末节比分28比23，湖人队只在第三节靠着大场面詹姆斯和拜伦-斯科特的远投，与尼克斯队硬钢了一节，其他三节都是负分。

The first battle ended at 10:20 pm.

张杨首节10分、第二节8分、第三节11分、末节打了一半下了没再上拿到5分，出场36分钟，22投13中，其中三分球8中5，外加4中3的罚球，拿到34分6板3助攻4抢断，加上尤因的23分16板4盖帽，尼克斯队以116比99轻取湖人队，总决赛上来就把主场优势抢走！
...

After the first game, Lakers fans also realized that there was no difference between this year and last year - the team had a smooth journey in the Western Conference playoffs, but suffered a crushing defeat in the finals.

The reason why we lost so badly in the finals last year was that Pat Riley trained Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to retirement and trained Magic Johnson to the point where he only played three games in the finals due to injuries and averaged only 3 points and 11 assists per game, and we were swept by the Pistons.

This year, to put it simply, is a continuation of last year's finals. The skyhook is gone and the center position has not been strengthened.

If they play against the Pistons, Magic Johnson might still be able to give it a try after all, the Pistons have basically no strong attacking ability inside, and both teams can't score inside. If they run and fight in positional battles and shoot from the outside, they still have a chance. Although the chances of winning are low, they are not completely hopeless.

The Knicks have Ewing, a combination of inside and outside players...there is absolutely no hope!

Just after G1, the voices calling for Riley to be fired were heard...

A day later, on June 6, the Knicks and the Lakers started Game 3 of the Finals at the Great Western Forum.

Tonight, Riley once again let Magic Johnson take the lead at the start.

If they play a light offense, Zhang Yang will get excited, and they will be at a great disadvantage in the interior in a positional battle. Riley anticipated this before the start of the finals, so he made such an offensive arrangement.

In the previous game, I didn't expect that the opponent would let Zhang Yang double-team Magic Johnson, and I was caught off guard. I also didn't expect that Ewing's advantage in the interior would be so great. Seeing the score difference was about to widen, I panicked for a moment and failed to make an effective response based on the established strategy. I directly chose to give up the change and return to the normal style of play.

This time, Riley was better prepared, and Magic was also prepared to be defended by the strong forwards and guards + Zhang Yang's double-team defense. He passed the ball in time, and his teammates did a better job of cooperating.

James Worthy performed well tonight, making 26 of 14 shots, including 4 of 2 three-pointers, plus 5 of 4 free throws, scoring 34 points, his personal high in this year's playoffs, plus 9 rebounds and 2 assists.

With James Worthy's support, the Magic's offensive conditions improved. He made 18 of 9 shots and 6 of 4 free throws, scoring 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

However, on the other side, Zhang Yang made 17 of 10 shots, including 3 of 2 three-pointers, plus 10 of 8 free throws, and got 30 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Although his score was lower, his performance was more efficient!
尤因更是投出了13投9中+罚球14中10的疯狂表现，拿到28分12板3助攻。

The Knicks' two core players combined for 58 points, surpassing the 56 points of the Lakers' two No. picks.

加上马克-杰克逊的单场11次助攻，奥克利13分10板，替补上场的范德维奇16分……105比97，尼克斯队再下一城！
Although they were leading 2-0 away from home, when Zhang Yang, Ewing and Stu Jackson went to the press conference together, they were much more low-key and praised the performance of their opponents.

It's mainly James Worthy. It's normal for Magic to perform like that. It's not even outstanding. But the more adversity James Worthy faces, the more we can see his excellence.

After the press conference, Ewing also said: "We can't be careless when we return to our home court. The Lakers' offensive execution and defensive coordination tonight have made great progress compared to G1."

Zhang Yang: "Of course, we will definitely leave the championship trophy in New York, but the Lakers' cohesion is better than I thought. Their public opinion environment has collapsed. Even the Los Angeles media wants to oust Riley. As a result, they played more united tonight."

Ewing: "They are a championship team, this is normal... Ahem, I'm going to ice my knee. My right knee is swollen."

After saying that, he turned around and ran away, talking about how united the championship team was in front of Zhang San. Isn't this like pointing at a monk and scolding a bald donkey?

Gorilla: You need to change your bad habit of talking too fast!
Seeing Ewing running faster than he did in the game, Zhang Yang was confused...

Two days later, on June 6, the Knicks faced the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals at home.

Over the past two days, New York media and fans have been popping champagne at halftime.

However, the Knicks players, led by veterans such as Zhang Yang, Ewing, and Vandeweghe, did not take it lightly and focused on preparing for the game.

During this period, Zhang Yang said to his teammates, "Celebrate after you win the O'Brien Cup, don't cry because of spilled milk."

The serial champion and second-year FMVP had a say in the championship, and his teammates listened.

It was right not to be careless. At 8 o'clock in the evening, after the game started, the Lakers immediately started to soar. In the first quarter, they scored 31 to 28 and led the Knicks by 3 points into the intermission!
Although the enemy is strong and we are weak, and the strength gap is obvious, but who are the people on the Lakers? They are one of the two king teams that dominated the entire 80s!

Even though they have dominated the Western Conference for more than a decade, their lineup is aging and there is a lack of young talents, as well as man-made disasters like Riley's Devil Training Camp, but when it comes to their unwillingness to admit defeat, they are no weaker than the Bad Boys and the New York Gang!
If they had given in, they would have lost their fighting spirit after losing to the Celtics so many times.

We are trailing 0-2 and if we lose one more game we will be finished.

No matter how slim the hope is, Magic Johnson, Big Scene James, Byron Scott, Iron Man Green and others all want to give it a try!
In the second quarter, the Knicks regained the initiative. Although they still only scored 27 points, they relied on strong defense to reduce the Lakers' score to 25 points.

At the end of the first half, the Knicks narrowed the gap to 1 point, with the score 55 to 56.

After the halftime break, the Lakers, who had been suppressed for a quarter in the second quarter, broke out again. Byron Scott and James Worthy both scored 10 points in a single quarter. Magic Johnson got 7 assists in this quarter, and the Lakers scored 31 points in a single quarter!
But... Zhang Yang, who focused on team offense in the first half and had only 9 points and 4 assists in the first half, made 10 of 8 shots in the third quarter, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, plus 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 21 points!
Tonight, the Lakers' defense at the beginning was to block Zhang Yang and Ewing. The two chose to give the ball away and trust their teammates. Their teammates maintained a steady offense. The scores in the first and second quarters were basically the same, which was very stable.

After the halftime break, the Lakers had to expand their defense, blocking the basket and the shooters. Zhang Yang seized the opportunity and, including the two shots consumed by the 4 free throws, he threw the ball 12 times in 12 minutes!
While his teammates had average overall offensive performance in the third quarter, scoring only 11 points on 12 shots, Zhang Yang single-handedly supported the team's offense and helped the Knicks score 32 points in the third quarter.

After three quarters, the two teams were tied at 87-87!
With the game being played like this and the score being tied by a player from the opposing team, the Lakers' belief in fighting a last-ditch battle was thwarted.

After the intermission, Zhang Yang came on and hit a three-pointer from a triple-threat stance under the defense of James Worthy, and the Knicks' counterattack horn was officially sounded!

In the first half, led by Zhang Yang with 7 points and 1 assist, the Knicks scored 20 points, scored 20 to 9, and took a double-digit advantage, leading 107 to 96!

In the second half, the Lakers, unwilling to fall, launched a counterattack and scored 15 points against the trend, but the Knicks also scored 11 points in the second half...

At 10:19 p.m., James Worthy missed a three-pointer due to interference from Zhang Yang. With 10 seconds left, Mark Jackson grabbed the rebound and slowly advanced across half court. He did not continue to attack, and the Lakers did not commit a tactical foul.

There were only 14 seconds left when the Lakers served the ball just now. After missing the three-pointer, they were completely in despair.

As the countdown ended, the red light came on, and the long whistle sounded, Game 3 of the Finals came to an end.

首节5分、第二节4分、单节20分、末节11分……27投15中，其中三分球4中2，加上8中8的罚球，张杨爆砍40分，率领尼克斯队以118比111险胜湖人队，大比分3比0领先，进入赛点！
Without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers were 0-3 in the finals for two consecutive years, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's historical status soared...

...

The time came to June 6th, at 8 pm, at Madison Square Garden, Game 8 of the Finals started as scheduled.

The night before yesterday, the Lakers played harder than ever before, and tonight, they pulled harder than ever before...

0比2落后，最后4比2翻盘都不是没出现过，但0比3落后，从未有任何球队完成过逆转。

魔术师今晚打了33分钟，14分7板7助攻的数据看着还行，但15投6中的投篮表现，对于一个生涯常规赛命中率53%、季后赛命中率51%的超大号控卫来说，差得不能再差了。

Byron Scott scored 26 points, but only made 25 of 10 shots, with a hit rate of exactly 40%.

Even James Worthy played poorly tonight, scoring 23 points on 9 of 22 shots.

Apart from these three, no one on the Lakers scored in double digits, and the team only scored 86 points. Not only was the offense poor, but the defense was also terrible, and the Knicks scored 90 points in three quarters!
Zhang Yang had his best single-game performance in the playoffs in his '5-year career', playing for 28 minutes, making 16 of 12 shots, including 4 of 3 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws, 30 points and 5 rebounds in three quarters, and clocked out!

The score after three quarters was 90-60. In the final quarter, Stu Jackson replaced the 12th man, Stuart Alley, who had never played in this year's playoffs.

He is also a player of the 84 golden generation, a second-round pick, and has averaged 2 points and 2 rebounds per game so far in his career. His strength is not that good. The three brothers who did not make the Knicks' 12-man roster are all better than him, but he is a boxer in his spare time. Although he is not very good at boxing, he can take a beating. If a fight breaks out and others can't beat him, he can rush up and act as a sandbag to cover his core teammates to escape. The Knicks spend 25 US dollars a year to keep him. After all, he is a New York gang, so it's better to be prepared.

In the final quarter, Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, and James Worthy all played for a while, and it didn't seem like they were going to turn the tables, they just wanted to narrow the gap a little bit and not look so bad...

In the final quarter, the Lakers scored 26 to 17, but ultimately failed to narrow the gap to within 20 points.

At 10:24 p.m., the long whistle sounded, and the 1989-1990 season finals came to an end.

尼克斯队在第4战以107比86屠杀湖人队，大比分4比0，横扫夺冠！
Madison Square Garden became a sea of ​​joy. New York fans and Knicks players were celebrating wildly...only Zhang Yang seemed exceptionally calm.

Hubie Brown, the commentator for Time Warner Cable Sports, saw Zhang Yang calmly looking around. His expression did not seem to be fake coldness. There was a smile on the corner of his mouth, and he was happy on his face, but he could also see some reluctance...

Hubie Brown: "As expected of a super genius who won two consecutive championships after entering the NBA, winning the championship seems to be a matter of course for Jack. When he is in the right place, he should be the champion. For him, it seems that winning the championship itself is not important. Seeing his teammates and fans cheering for the championship makes him even happier. Look, does he seem to want to remember the scene of the fans cheering on the spot...

Now I am sure that no matter whether Bird is injured or not, whether the Celtics continue to win the championship or not, Jack will choose to leave Boston after his contract expires. He will not choose a city that has no love for him! "

If Zhang Yang knew that someone interpreted his calm look around like this, he would definitely give him a thumbs up - you are such a genius, you are so right!
The reason why he was so 'calm' was that he was actually prepared to 'fall asleep' at any time, but he did want to remember this scene. When he returned to his world and actively recalled this memory, he could appreciate the scene after winning the championship. It was a pity that he did not remember the scene after winning the championship several times in the previous experience.

But the embarrassing thing happened. The celebration time was over. With the help of the staff, he took off his dirty jersey and put on clean training clothes. Stern came to the court with the etiquette lady, but he still didn't feel sleepy...

Zhang Yang quickly shook his head, came back to his senses and focused his attention. His action of looking around just now was a bit pretentious, but it didn't matter. No one would notice his embarrassment unless he revealed it.

He looked at the Jewish guy who was booed as soon as he entered the venue.

After Stern's nonsensical opening speech, he announced that the Knicks had won the championship, and the boos from the fans finally turned into cheers again.

After Zhang Yang took the O'Brien Cup and handed it to his boss and raised the cup for a photo, he also became a little nervous.

尤因4场比赛，场均24.5分12板2.7助攻3盖帽，表现非常好。

他张三表现也很好，首战34分6板3助攻4抢断，G2拿到30分7板3助攻1抢断，G3拿到40分7板2助攻2抢断1盖帽，G4拿到30分5板1助攻2抢断，场均33.5分，说不上多全能，但得分和防守全程在线，数据表现肯定比尤因要强一些。

It was just that Ewing played a huge role in the crushing victory in this finals. He turned the Lakers' inside line upside down by himself.

After the Knicks players took turns taking photos with the trophy, Stern began to announce the last award. Zhang Yang was once again prepared to suddenly "fall asleep".

However, when David Stern pronounced "Jack Zhang, Zhang Yang" in a strange accent, Zhang Yang still couldn't fall asleep.

He instantly became excited!
After he took the trophy and microphone from Stern, he glanced at the still full audience seats, picked up the microphone and put it to his lips: "Welcome to the new era of basketball, ladies and gentlemen, it's party time!"

The already excited fans at the scene reached a collective climax after hearing Zhang Yang's words.

Stern: What kind of championship speech is this? These fans are so excited? Is this the tune that young people in the new era like? The new generation born in the 60s is very different from those born in the 50s and 40s!

Thinking of the popularity of this finals in Asia, Stern was extremely excited. The new decade had just begun, and he was already excited. The domestic market in the United States had been well developed. The NBA, which had experienced a chaotic decade, still had a gap compared to the three leagues that had been deeply rooted in the domestic market for many years, and it would be impossible to catch up in a short time. But compared to those three sports, basketball had its unique advantage - it was global!
In the new decade, bring NBA to the world!

……

……

This experience was different from the previous ones. Zhang Yang went through the celebration activities after completing the championship.

At first he was ready to "fall asleep" at any time, but later on, he simply "gave up", and enjoyed the glory of the championship he won with his own hands first.

After working for about a week, the excitement of winning the championship gradually faded.

Veterans like Vandeweghe, John Newman, and young teammates like Ewing and Mark Jackson are still excited, but this is not the first time Zhang Yang has won the championship. He is now very curious about when he will go back.
If Mark Jackson hadn't been hungover every day recently, he would have wanted to find Mark Jackson to enrich his back-to-the-basket moves.

On the evening of the 17th, Zhang Yang was thinking about whether he should go out for a trip tomorrow to experience the customs and culture of the 90s... someone came to his door.

Big Bird!

Zhang Yang's eyes lit up. Could it be that the reason why he didn't go back this time was because the Training Gate gave him time to learn skills from the big bird? That would be great!

He warmly welcomed the big bird into his home, called the restaurant to order food, and called the supermarket to buy a few boxes of beer. His hospitality almost scared the big bird away.

The wine arrived first, and the two of them had two glasses with the bagged snacks sent by the supermarket.

After three drinks, Bird said the decision he made after his second-round exit: "Jack, I'm ready to retire."

Zhang Yang was shocked when he heard this. Eh, no, was he flapping his wings so hard here? Did he make the big bird retire early?

After he realized what was happening, he responded, "I think you can still play for another two or three years. Even if you can't run or jump anymore, it won't be a problem for you to get 20 points and 5 assists per game."

Big Bird looked at Zhang Yang with disdain and said, "Keep me in the NBA so that you can continue to beat me? I know my situation, and it's getting worse every year. I can be selected to the second team this season, but I can't say for next season. I want to save some dignity for myself."

Zhang Yang: "You beat most of your opponents a year before retirement, leaving no chance for young opponents to beat you. Bird, you are such an irresponsible legendary superstar. You only leave psychological trauma for young players."

Big Bird: "Haha, you guessed it! The main reason is that I think the Celtics have no chance of winning the championship. I'd like to retire early so as not to hinder the management."

Zhang Yang heard some resentment in Bird's words, but since it was none of his business, he did not ask, but teased: "I didn't expect you to be so willing to give up. Playing for two or three more years, that would be hundreds of millions... What are you going to do after you retire? Join the Celtics management?"

"No, no, no, I'm joining the Knicks management." Bird smiled wickedly, as if to say: Surprise! Surprise!

Zhang Yang: "Huh? No, you're a Celtics superstar, and you retired to join the Knicks?"

The big bird was very satisfied with Zhang Yang's reaction. He finally scared this guy.

But he became a little depressed, filled a large glass of beer, drank it in one gulp and burped, and said: "After you left, I suddenly found that my teammates didn't seem to like me. Even the teammates who won several championships with me, they felt that they had a bad relationship with me.

When they learned that I was going to retire, no one wanted me to stay in the management. If Ainge hadn't been traded, I think someone would have suggested to the management that since I was going to retire anyway, they could trade me to get some draft picks... The Cardinals couldn't ignore the opinions of the players."

Zhang Yang was about to say "You just found out about this", but just as the words were on his lips, he felt sleepy.

Zhang San: Damn, what a stupid door! Let me finish my complaints first!

...

On July 2008, 7, just after 24 o'clock in the morning, Zhang Yang woke up from his sleep. He subconsciously picked up his mobile phone from beside his pillow and turned off the alarm.

After he cleared his mind, he remembered that he had started the training yesterday, and he took the initiative to enter his memories... This training was so cool! It overturned the rule of the Magic Bird Bad Boys Legion!

Next, will he compete with Jordan?

There is a little expectation...

But Bird retired early and ran to Zhang San's team there...was he trying to win a few championships?
Anyway, there is no harm. Whether Bird enters the management or the coaching staff, his abilities are outstanding. The management operations of the Knicks in the 90s were already excellent, and with Bird, the team is even more powerful.

After the active recollection ended, that magnificent feeling faded away, and Zhang Yang's mind moved, and the door of experience popped out.

There are two gains from this experience. 'Art is shooting'. This seems to be related to Bird. It strengthens the reaction speed when shooting alone and makes it easier to find the touch after creating opportunities. The stronger the shooting ability and the better the shot selection, the better the effect. For the specific effect, we will try it in the team training games first.

This experience was very rewarding, but Zhang Yang had gained more powerful experiences, so although he was happy, he could not say he was excited.

Another one just got him excited - 'Giraffe (to be used)'.

As soon as he thought about it, the words on the door changed.

"You have used your experience gain: Long-armed gorilla, random value: 6 cm. Your arm span will grow by 6 cm again in the next year, to 216 cm. Please keep training to avoid affecting your technique and basic skills due to the increase in arm span."

Zhang Yang looked at his information. His barefoot height was 196cm. His 14cm wingspan and height difference were already excellent. 20cm was even better! And the difference was not too weird, so it didn't look out of proportion.

But if he can choose by himself, he will definitely choose the longest 8 cm. Which man doesn't want to be longer? Of course, two more centimeters would be the best.

After getting up, washing and drinking a glass of water, Zhang Yang left the dormitory at 6: to go to the training ground in the village to continue practicing.

Putting aside other things, the training facilities of the men's basketball team are absolutely world-class. Currently, only the new facilities purchased by the Eagles' wealthy boss in the NBA can compare to them. The trainers and physical therapy equipment are also very professional. They should practice as much as possible during the preparation time before the Olympics. Now that they are on the world stage, they cannot lose face for themselves and their country.

He remembered that Boss Joe had said that he would come to the capital in early August, so he would ask the boss to come here to have a look. They had made so much money, so it wasn't too much to ask for the stadium to be equipped with the most advanced facilities, right?
(End of this chapter)