On June 24, 1999, the day after Ga 4 of the Finals, all major sports dia outlets did not let go of the hot topic of "whistles", and all the columns pointed the finger at the referees on duty.
Lee did not attend the post-match press conference last night, and Alan Houston and Jeff Van Gundy answered so questions from dia reporters.
Compared to Houston's mild words, Van Gundy could no longer bear it, and took the opportunity to ask questions and mocked implicitly:
"The ho advantage is understandable, but the number of free throws of 20:35 is unacceptable."
"Whether it was Lee or Sprewell, neither of them received a fair call."
The New York Tis quoted the bald young coach's complaint in the morning article.
Instead of celebrating the match point, he continued to criticize the Spurs and the referee.
The New York Post released a post-match interview with Lee in the locker room:
"I never complain about the problem of whistles, because I have always encountered these problems since I was a child."
"As a team leader, I will not complain about these things on the court, which will seriously affect the mood of my teammates."
"I am not interested in competing with the opponent, nor do I want to hit the basket to prove myself. What basketball gas ultimately need is to get the ball into the basket, and I can hit shots anywhere in the half court."
"It's a pity that free throws can't beat the Knicks. We are going to win the championship!"
When the team leader kept complaining to the referee about the whistle, the control whistle was half successful.
After all, Lee is not a "young man". He certainly knows the intention of the whistle.
If the opponent just doesn't give the whistle, the players can't twist the thigh of the referee.
The NBA will not admit that the control failed.
As a high-level league, referees will not make such low-level mistakes.
A large number of doubts did not make the league give any response.
This matter can only be played dead, and it will be compensated in the next ga.
It will pass after a balance.
The decline in the discussion of this year's finals is mainly due to the shortened season.
The "penalty" issue attracted the attention of many people, and the league still achieved its goal.
In addition to the hot news of the finals, the most eye-catching thing is that the champion coach Phil Jackson ca to the City of Angels.
After the news ca out in mid-June, perhaps in order to show off his championship coach's airs, Phil Jackson waited for a week before he was finally moved by the "sincerity" of the Lakers.
On the morning of the 24th, after Phil Jackson beca the 21st head coach of the Lakers, the Los Angeles dia was in climax again:
"In the new season, the Lakers will fulfill their talents!"
Lakers fans like Phil Jackson, who is a hot topic himself, very much.
His humorous answers at the press conference made many dia in the audience smile.
"In my opinion, the Lakers already have enough talent."
"Shaq has shown dominance, and Kobe will catch up with Lee. They are both rookies in the 1996 class, and I think Kobe's talent is better!"
"Kobe has a chance to beco a great player like Michael Jordan. He and Shaq will beco the strongest duo in history."
Phil Jackson praised him to everyone he t, but many New York reporters at the scene sneered.
The youngest MVP and youngest FMVP in NBA history, and about to win his second championship at the age of 21!
In addition to the youngest scoring champion and various scoring records, Lee's current achievents should be compared with Magic Johnson.
In order to support Lee and show the dominance of the Knicks, while angrily criticizing the Spurs, the New York print dia did not forget to mock the daydreaming Lakers:
"So people can only imitate Michael Jordan, but Lee has defeated that high school kid's idol."
With the match point and about to win the fourth championship in team history, the inflated New York dia basically fired a map cannon, and other teams were all chickens and pot dogs.
The managent of the Knicks also put down their work and flew to San Antonio.
Since the 1999 draft will start on the 30th, the Knicks will be the 29th pick again, but they cannot be careless in inviting players for tryouts.
Old Charles brought his eldest son Dolan to comfort the Knicks and made a promise:
"We will file a complaint with the league, and the team will get an explanation!"
Ewing was in a good mood and took the lead in clapping, and soon everyone followed suit.
Although they haven't won the championship yet, lunch can be regarded as a small party.
Jas Dolan is about to beco the real boss of the Knicks, taking over a team that is about to win two consecutive championships.
This is the perfect start.
At the hotel buffet lunch, Jas Dolan began to get familiar with everyone.
Walking over to Lee and General Manager Grunfeld, Jas Dolan, dressed in a black suit, smiled and raised the juice in his hand:
"Congratulations, Lee! You have won the second FMVP trophy in your career. We have prepared everything for you!"
Lee clinked glasses with him and complinted him with a smile:
"I like the Knicks. It's like my second ho!"
Still without ntioning the contract, Lee also put on airs.
Grunfeld, who was standing by, felt helpless when he saw the boss giving him chicken soup and making empty promises.
When Jas Dolan moved to Ewing's side, the two continued to talk about the previous topic:
"Sprewell will leave the team, and his agent has expressed his wishes."
"The team wants to complete three consecutive championships, and the bench lineup needs a scorer."
"Lee, we all want to hear your opinion!"
Seeing the curly-haired Grunfield smiling, Lee was not fooled, but responded with a smile:
"That's not my job. I want to focus on things on the court. At present, we still have to prepare for Ga 5."
Grunfield seed very satisfied with the answer.
He smiled and raised his glass.
The two clinked their glasses and suddenly said:
"Ron likes playing with you very much. He likes the Knicks very much. We tried him not long ago!"
"Except for so family problems, he is indeed a good guy. What do you think of him?"
Lee shrugged his shoulders, still did not give an affirmative answer, but joked:
"He perford well in my training camp last year. Ron grew up in Queens, and I can confirm that he really wants to play for his hotown."
Ewing and Oakley followed Jas Dolan to brag, and the newbie Rashard Lewis also wanted to show his face in front of the new boss.
Sprewell had a nonchalant attitude, but when he clinked glasses with Lee, he took the initiative to express his gratitude:
"Thanks, Bro! I've kept it in mind. If you can help , feel free to contact !"
Regardless of whether his touch was good or bad, Lee would give Sprewell the ball in every ga.
He always gave Sprewell 16 shots, which was how Lee showed respect.
In Ga 4, Lee took 27 shots, Alan Houston took 17, and Sprewell took 16.
Even Larry Johnson, who missed the shot, had 12 shots.
Although "Grandmama" pulled to the end and made 2 of 12 shots, scoring 6 points, Lee never missed everyone's cake.
"Tomorrow night, we will get the championship first. Everything goes well, Bro!"
Lee also smiled and clinked glasses with Sprewell.
On the other side, Larry Johnson, Alan Houston and the atmosphere group laughed happily.
Everyone was imrsed in the joy of winning the championship.
On the morning of June 25, NBA Commissioner David Stern and league staff continued to rehearse for the championship award ceremony.
Since yesterday afternoon, the Spurs staff has entered the state of losing MMP.
Watching the opponent receiving the award at the Alamodo, and thinking about the sll of champagne in the visiting team's locker room, a burly black staff mber couldn't help but complain in a low voice:
"If we change the head coach, maybe we are already celebrating the team's championship!"
This sentence seed to resonate with everyone, and everyone complained about Popovich.
Jeff Van Gundy received unanimous praise from the comntators, and Popovich has beco the scapegoat at this ti:
"He only gives the ball to Duncan. Look at his playing ti in the finals this year!"
"The head coach is the biggest shortcoming of the team. Popovich completely shattered David Robinson's championship dream."
"It's hard to understand the team's final choice. We should have tied the score."
The San Antonio Express and the San Antonio Observer have not been idle these two days.
Blaming the head coach has beco a basic operation.
Basketball gas are all about results, and fighting the main players has beco a problem at this ti.
The Spurs staff's complaints could not affect the rehearsal process.
The O'Brien Cup had already been transported to the Alamodo, and no one was optimistic about the Spurs.
At 20:30 that night, the Alamodo was still full.
Most Spurs fans chose to enter early.
Although Spike Lee sat in the front row, the Spurs' ho audience seats were a little far from the court, so he had no chance to show himself.
Many Knicks fans also bought second-hand tickets to witness the team win the championship.
Coach Calhoun and Ray Allen sat near the front row.
"Ray, I suggest you think about it more. You have already shown yourself in the playoffs. There is no need to stay in Milwaukee."
Coach Calhoun hopes to see Ray Allen succeed.
After all, he is the player he recruited himself.
The Bucks don't look like a team that can win the championship.
Ray Allen just shook his head and responded simply:
"I have already won the absolute main position in the team. This year is the Eastern Conference semifinals. Next year, we may be able to go further."
In addition to wanting to witness Lee win the championship, the Connecticut people sitting next to him also congratulated Hamilton.
Although Duke University's Elton Brand has a high probability of locking in the No. 1 pick, Hamilton can also be selected in the top 10.
Lottery picks represent US dollars, and becoming a millionaire is naturally worth celebrating.
In the ho team's locker room, Popovich looked much more haggard.
He has been criticized by the local paper dia for the past two days.
If Phil Jackson hadn't taken away so of the news hotspots, Popovich felt that his criticism might be louder.
The views in the newspapers actually make so sense.
Tim Duncan's playing ti has been high since the beginning of the series:
Duncan played 46 minutes in Ga 4, almost the entire ga, 9 of 17 shots, 10 of 12 free throws, and scored 28 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, and 3 turnovers.
As if he had noticed the coach's gaze, Duncan, who was in a daze in his seat, glanced at Popovich, but still didn't say anything.
Duncan knew the team's situation, not to ntion that it was actually his fault at the last mont.
As the series began to defend Lee, Elliott's condition continued to decline.
Chronic nephritis and so injuries have indeed affected the strength of this forr All-Star forward.
Elliott's current physical condition has made it difficult for him to continue to bear heavy defensive tasks.
In the locker room, David Robinson didn't say anything either.
Although he longed for the championship, he would not ask his teammates to do sothing he couldn't do himself.
Seeing that everyone was silent, Popovich had to put on a confident look and encouraged loudly:
"Don't care about the dia reports. Basketball is round, everything is possible, and we can make history!"
"Rember, the series is not over yet. Do you want to see your opponent take the stage to receive the award in our ho court?"
"."
The Spurs were still silent.
In G4, they shot 1 of 12 from beyond the three-point line.
Once Elliott and Mario Elie participated too much in defense, the offense was dragged down.
The players know the difference in strength better than the head coach.
Relying on 2, they are unlikely to beat their opponents.
Popovich tried to inspire the Spurs' fighting spirit by giving them chicken soup.
At this mont, he suddenly understood what Larry Brown said.
As a leader, David Robinson really lacked the ultimate desire to win.
As the ga was about to start, the visiting players ca on the court, and the Alamodo was booed.
The director also frequently focused the cara on Clay Lee, who looked relaxed and "fully ard", and the pair of colorful new shoes on his feet were naturally not spared.
The Knicks players completely relaxed, and during the last warm-up, they all had smiles on their faces.
The newbie Lewis deliberately showed off a dunk, and everyone cheered loudly.
Noticing Popovich's scowl and dark circles under his eyes, Doug Collins on the NBC comntary booth joked:
"Although I have so doubts about Coach Popovich's last-minute choice, he has done a good job."
"The head coach should not be criticized too much. Players need to grow, and so do coaches."
Bob Costas, who was standing nearby, had also seen the news in the local newspapers in the past two days and made a simple comnt:
"The Knicks are the defending champions, and Lee is this season's MVP. It is extrely difficult to beat such a team."
"Compared to last season, Lee no longer has any technical shortcomings, and there is not much good way to defend forwards like Elliott."
"I just hope the Spurs can speed up their offensive tempo tonight. In Ga 4, they only took 68 shots, while the Knicks took 83."
"Don't expect Lee to make mistakes. He will just keep on attacking. More rounds are also the reason why the Knicks won."
"."
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