Check out my new fanfics.
A cote x hikigaya crossover.
Dragon Emperor in Pokemon World.
Please give it a go đ
***
On May 6, 2001, at Madison Square Garden, Commissioner David Stern felt the atmosphere in the arena and was in a great mood.
With Clay Lee winning the Regular Season MVP, the league staff didn't need to fly, as the award ceremony was held "at home," and the arena was filled with cheers.
New York fans, eager for excitement, arrived early.
At 7 PM tonight, the Eastern Conference Semifinals officially began.
Toronto Raptors Head Coach Wilkens looked serious.
After taking over the team, their record seemed to have improved, but he knew the team's true strength.
After the entrance ceremony, the thousand-win coach subconsciously looked at Jeff Van Gundy, who was beaming on the other side, and for a moment, he felt a bit envious of him.
Nearly 20,000 spectators in the arena erupted in huge cheers again when they saw Lee, "fully armed" in his white home jersey, stand in the center of the court.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Lee's explosive PER and exaggerated plus minus in every game made his Excel stats incredibly beautiful, perfect for young fans to "armchair quarterback."
David Stern waited for the cheers to gradually subside before taking the microphone and smilingly saying:
"Thank you! Thank you, passionate New York fans, it's an honor to witness this historic moment with all of you."
"This season, we have jointly witnessed Lee's growth, and at the same time, we have witnessed the transformation of the New York Knicks."
"The highest efficiency rating in history, this season's assist leader, and steals leader!"
"The only team in the league with 60+ wins, excellent in both offense and Defense, and 23-year-old Clay Lee is still improving. This is a great fortune for the basketball world."
"Congratulations, the 2001 NBA Regular Season MVP â Clay-Leeee!"
"Keep chasing history. It's our honor to witness your professional career!"
After saying these words, David Stern, in a particularly good mood, smilingly handed the microphone to the surrounding staff, then turned and hugged Lee in greeting, while softly congratulating him:
"Lee, congratulations! Keep up this competitive state. The future of the league needs players like you!"
David Stern quickly turned again and handed the small bronze statuette in the center of the court to Lee, then smiled and applauded from the side, and the shouts in the arena grew louder.
Lee smiled and raised the trophy high.
He didn't mind having too many MVP trophies.
Activating the Nike bonus clause meant another sum of US dollars in his account.
After posing for a photo with the trophy and the Commissioner, Lee also took the microphone and thanked everyone again:
"Thank you for your recognition, thank you to my teammates and coaching staff. This award belongs to all of us!"
"Thank you to the New York fans who have always supported the team. You are so passionate. Now, let's finish the remaining work and continue to cheer for victory!"
"Wow!"
The New York fans, who had won big, cheered excitedly.
Everyone loves victory.
After the award ceremony, Lee smiled and high-fived his teammates to celebrate.
Ron Artest, who loved to touch trophies, held the small bronze statuette and smiled happily.
The trophy was indeed exquisite and quite heavy.
Ewing felt a pang of jealousy, but the Gorilla was very graceful at this moment and even took the opportunity to exchange pleasantries with Wilkens.
On the other side, Marcus Camby was filled with bitterness.
As a fellow 96-year Rookie, his presence as the No. 2 overall pick was getting weaker and weaker.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten him.
Mark Jackson was an old rival of Lee.
Facing him again, he sighed inwardly.
The Toronto Raptors swept their first-round opponent, Tim Hardaway, who was in poor physical condition, but facing Lee, Mark Jackson felt a bit unmotivated, having lost so much in recent years.
Vince Carter had the Best mindset.
He was just a little envious of Lee's achievements: three consecutive championships, MVP.
These were things he also yearned for.
Most of the players on the MVP candidate list had a very poor relationship with Clay Lee, with both sides disliking each other.
Vince Carter, however, didn't think too much about it.
During the final warm-up before the game, he even offered a friendly blessing:
"It's great to witness your award ceremony in person. MVP is well-deserved!"
Lee also patted the Rookie.
The two teams often played against each other in the regular season, so they were sort of "surface brothers":
"Keep it up, Bro! Don't hold back, or the series will be over very soon."
The two chatted and laughed, without too much competitive intent.
Some memories suddenly appeared in Lee's mind, and looking at Carter's turning back, he silently wished him well:
"I hope you can happily attend your graduation ceremony!"
At the NBC commentary booth, Bob Costas was also emotional.
23 years old, truly too young.
Most importantly, in the Eastern Conference, he felt that Lee would frequently appear in the Finals in the future.
As a veteran commentator, Bob Costas naturally understood the current league landscape, where the west was strong and the east weak.
Like most basketball critics, he also didn't believe the Toronto Raptors would cause too much trouble for the New York Knicks:
"Head Coach Wilkens didn't change the lineup. The backcourt is still Mark Jackson and Vince Carter, and the frontcourt three are Morris Peterson, Marcus Camby, and Antonio Davis."
Doug Collins, upon hearing his partner introduce the lineup, quickly followed with his commentary:
"The Toronto Raptors have excellent athleticism. Mark Jackson controls the team's tempo, and the combination of new and old players is also why they were able to sweep the Heat."
"Head Coach Van Gundy also continued the starting lineup from the first-round game. With Grant Hill's return, the Knicks are even faster on the fast break."
"To get a road win, it still depends on Defense, which is also a huge test for the Toronto Raptors."
Before the game started, the two analyzed it extensively in the commentary booth.
Although Antonio Davis was also selected for the All-Star this season, when discussing the Toronto Raptors' strength, everyone still talked more about Vince Carter.
To their surprise, Carter was very slow to start the game.
After more than two minutes of play, the Toronto Raptors' score was still zero.
"Defense!âŠ"
As the opponent's score remained zero, the shouts for Defense grew louder and louder.
A very traditional play: a quick cut along the baseline, then Carter called for the ball with his back to the basket in the right block area.
Clay Lee's interference didn't have much effect.
Mark Jackson passed the ball incredibly fast.
The moment Allan Houston closed in to defend, Carter received the ball and immediately faced the basket to attack.
All the Toronto Raptors players spread out.
Camby moved to near the free-throw line.
Carter made several fakes with his left foot, then quickly put the ball down with his left hand and drove along the baseline.
Houston immediately blocked him.
After the two made body contact, Carter noticed that Ewing had already moved to the basket.
After two large dribbles, he simply pivoted on his right foot and quickly turned.
As he gathered the ball, he returned to the right block area.
Carter drifted to the right and finally completed a fadeaway jump shot!
"Clang!" Another miss.
The rebound bounced out.
Antonio Davis was quick-witted and rushed to the offensive rebound immediately.
Ignoring Ewing in front of him, he grabbed the ball and went straight up strongly.
The Gorilla under the basket reacted quickly, pushing him down and blocking the shot, which drew a gasp from the fans.
However, the second rebound was tipped by Camby.
Seeing that the opponent was about to grab another rebound, Lewis held him tightly.
After a second jump, he managed to secure the defensive rebound by virtue of his positioning.
At this point, the Toronto Raptors players had already completed their retreat, and the Knicks' fast break failed again.
Carter missed the shot, and the two big men of the Toronto Raptors frantically crashed the boards.
This simple and crude tactic just happened to slow down the pace of the game.
"Let's go Knicks!âŠ"
Although they were back to a half-court offense, the fans' enthusiasm did not wane, and they continued to shout loudly.
Having been crashed twice by the opponent at the start, Lee, sensing their intent, also began to speed up his offensive tempo.
Ewing settled at the top of the arc beyond the three-point line as soon as he crossed half-court, and Antonio Davis naturally moved up to a high position.
Lewis shifted to the right corner, forcing Marcus Camby to defend him, but he kept turning his head to observe the situation on the perimeter.
On the left wing, Grant Hill stopped, and Allan Houston was already waiting in the left corner to receive the ball.
The New York Knicks adopted a five-out offense as soon as they crossed half-court, and even though the Toronto Raptors were prepared, they still felt a bit uncomfortable at this moment.
Jackson noticed the movement behind him, and as Lee quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, he switched to his left hand, lowered his shoulder, and accelerated, quickly shifting his feet to squeeze through the screen.
Ewing's screen quality was very high, and Lee, who had just switched to his left hand, suddenly turned quickly at this moment.
Mark Jackson was, after all, older.
Even though he leaned on Ewing's thigh, trying to squeeze through, he was still directly beaten by Lee's shoulder drop and acceleration.
Facing the shifting help Defense of Antonio Davis, Lee quickly pushed the ball to change direction on the three-point line, lowering his body's center of gravity extremely low, while adjusting his stride.
After scooping the ball with his left hand, he took large strides, driving straight to the basket.
Inside the paint, Antonio Davis shuffled his feet desperately, watching Lee complete another spin move using him.
Unable to turn his body in time, he instinctively called out to his teammate:
"Marcus!"
Marcus Camby moved quickly, taking two large strides to help defend under the basket, while leaping high, waiting in the air for Lee.
Despite the high-speed drive and quick turn, Lee did not lose control of his body.
Under the double-team Defense, he smoothly passed the ball to the right corner.
Marcus Camby, who had leaped high, suddenly realized the ball was no longer in Lee's hands.
He didn't immediately move to defend again but instead simply boxed out in place to protect the rebound.
When Lewis received the ball, he was again undefended in front of him.
He glanced at the hoop, then calmly jumped and shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net.
0:9, Madison Square Garden erupted.
Lewis had made two consecutive three-pointers from the start, showing signs of another blowout.
Head Coach Wilkens on the sideline immediately called a timeout, frowning helplessly.
One possession took less than 12 seconds, and unilateral offensive rebounding couldn't control the game's pace.
Looking at the slightly panting Mark Jackson, the Toronto Raptors' coaching staff also felt a bit helpless.
On offense, they needed this veteran to control the tempo, but on Defense, they felt powerless.
The atmosphere in the arena became cheerful again, and Doug Collins also frowned slightly, commenting helplessly:
"This isn't a good defensive choice. Marcus Camby should be more cautious."
Bob Costas also saw Mark Jackson's problem, but considering the Toronto Raptors' roster, he simply suggested:
"Perhaps they could switch defensive matchups earlier, putting a frontcourt player on Clay Lee."
Doug Collins secretly shook his head.
Anyone who had followed the New York Knicks' regular season knew that once a smaller guard defended the corner, the tactic would turn into a mismatch isolation.
With his height advantage, Allan Houston had an extremely high shooting percentage on turn-around jump shots from the left and right baseline areas this season.
Isolating a shorter player, they could only pray the shot missed.
The Toronto Raptors did not choose to substitute players.
Head Coach Wilkens looked serious, and once the players returned to the court, he continuously made tactical hand gestures from the sideline.
After continuous perimeter passing, Carter received the ball on the left wing, faked right, drove left, smoothly put the ball down, dribbled two large steps, then suddenly stopped short and shot a long two-pointer!
"Swish!" The two-pointer swished through the net.
No longer pursuing low-post offense, but instead utilizing Carter's athleticism and raising his receiving position, Head Coach Wilkens didn't make too many adjustments, still letting Carter be the primary attacker.
As the Toronto Raptors scored, the New York Knicks quickly inbounded the ball.
Mark Jackson immediately led the Defense on Clay Lee but found himself unable to keep up with the pace.
Lee, with the ball in his left hand, charged towards the mid-court line with the defender on him, then suddenly stopped short before crossing half-court, quickly dribbled behind his back, switched to his right hand, and accelerated again.
With the sudden stop and go, Mark Jackson almost lost his defensive position.
Lee, having dribbled past half-court, immediately passed the ball to Grant Hill, who came up to receive it.
The moment he received the ball, Lee immediately shifted to the right, smoothly receiving a handoff pass.
Morris Peterson, seeing his teammate out of position, instinctively shifted to help defend.
For a moment, Grant Hill, who was shifting to the left wing, was undefended.
Lee jumped and passed the ball before the two could converge.
Grant Hill received the ball, and Morris Peterson rushed back to defend, but was beaten in one step.
Antonio Davis under the basket instinctively came up to help defend.
Inside he paint, Grant Hill smoothly dished the ball, and Ewing, at the lower left of the basket, received the ball and easily slammed it down with one arm!
"Wow!"
The brilliant cooperation made the New York fans in the arena cheer excitedly.
Jeff Van Gundy, sitting on the bench, also smiled and clapped along.
Head Coach Wilkens on the other side looked a bit grim, making tactical hand gestures, indicating to keep pushing.
Perhaps the Toronto Raptors' pre-game strategy was quite aggressive.
From the start of the game, they mostly aimed to get the ball out of Clay Lee's hands quickly.
After a handoff on the perimeter, Clay Lee would face a double-team.
After a pick-and-roll drive, they would also double-team him, relying on Antonio Davis's relatively quick lateral movement and Marcus Camby's athleticism.
Camby had just made a mid-range jump shot from the free-throw line.
Coming back, with the same tactic, Lee was about to drive to the lower left of the basket, and Camby again jumped early to help defend.
When Lewis received the ball, he didn't even make many adjustments, just raised the ball and shot!
"Swish!" Another three-pointer went in.
Trying to slow down, Carter received a pass on the left wing.
With less than 24 seconds on the shot clock, still a small step away from the three-point line, he made a surprise shot.
Coming back, Lee had just dribbled past half-court, near the three-point line.
Mark Jackson was blocking his left hand, and on the other side, Carter also quickly came over for a help double-team.
Lee reacted extremely quickly.
Before the two could converge, he exploded the ball in place, scooped it with his right hand, and while turning, smoothly passed the ball to the right wing.
Allan Houston didn't hesitate after receiving the ball, responding with another three-pointer!
The Toronto Raptors' frantic double-teaming only made the New York Knicks' score climb rapidly.
At the NBC commentary booth, Doug Collins raised an eyebrow, and seeing the situation on the court, he instinctively said:
"Letting the role players score, Head Coach Wilkens's choice isn't wrong, it's just that the New York Knicks' shooting touch is excellent tonight!"
Bob Costas also couldn't evaluate the thousand-win coach's choice, only saying subtly:
"The Toronto Raptors still need to keep putting the ball in the basket, otherwise they will quickly be overwhelmed by the New York Knicks' three-pointers."
Mark Jackson strictly followed the game strategy, calling for teammates to help defend Lee every time they crossed half-court.
After most of the quarter, relying on second-chance rebounds, the Toronto Raptors' score also slowly increased.
With 2 minutes and 48 seconds left in the first quarter, Carter's forced three-pointer from the left wing missed, and the long rebound bounced to the top of the arc, where Clay Lee directly collected it.
The two big men were still battling in the paint.
Facing Jackson's closeout, Lee smoothly led the ball forward with his left hand, then accelerated without the ball, shaking off the Defense in one step, then scooped the ball again, changed direction drastically, and accelerated with his right hand, charging forward.
In the blink of an eye, Lee had already rushed past half-court, driving straight to the basket amidst the cheers of the New York fans!
Accelerating continuously along the right sideline, watching Mark Jackson gradually get left behind, Carter immediately chased back on Defense.
Inside the paint, Carter initially intended to foul directly, cutting hard at the ball with his right hand.
The next second, Lee, with the ball in his left hand, switched hands behind his back, gathering the ball while simultaneously evading the Defense.
Under inertia, Carter charged out of bounds.
Lee, with the ball in his right hand, gripped it with one hand, came to the lower right of the basket, hovered slightly in the air, twisted his wrist, and the basketball spun off the backboard, accurately bouncing into the hoop!
The beautiful layup made the New York fans at the Madison Square Garden jump and cheer.
Everyone still preferred to watch a "show."
It was 15:26, and the Toronto Raptors seemed to have fallen into a scoring drought again, not scoring for several minutes.
Watching Clay Lee retreat with a slight smile, Vince Carter felt anxious.
This time, after receiving a pass from Mark Jackson, he immediately lowered his shoulder and accelerated for a breakthrough on the right wing.
Allan Houston, half a step behind, didn't rush to slide, but maintained physical contact, staying close to the basket, jumping up to block and interfere.
Ewing, who was already prepared, crouched under the basket and also jumped up to block.
Under the double-team, Vince Carter, after a mid-air collision, twisted his body, grabbed the ball with his right hand, suspended himself, and only after the two defenders began to descend, did he flick the ball towards the backboard.
It was an extremely graceful one-handed scoop shot in the air, which also drew gasps from the New York fans.
Unfortunately, his touch was off tonight, and the referee's whistle blew as the ball bounced off the rim.
Vince Carter was frustrated after landing; the Knicks' Defense on him was almost a layered encirclement.
If he chose to drive baseline, Lewis would also collapse near the free-throw line.
Ewing remained in the paint, unmoving, even when Antonio Davis continuously scored in front of him.
With two fouls, Gorilla was substituted out by Ben Wallace during the opponent's inbound.
Jeff Van Gundy waved his hand, and Ron Artest also replaced Grant Hill.
Soon, Vince Carter experienced the feeling of being a 'hanger' in Defense again.
The excessive hand movements and pulling during the confrontation made him complain to the referee, but such feedback had no effect, instead making Ron Artest defend even more enthusiastically.
After both sides missed consecutive shots, Lee picked up a long rebound at the free-throw line again, and the substitute Alvin Williams quickly retreated to defend.
Without delaying the Defense, Lee charged extremely fast.
Dell Curry followed Allan Houston towards the left wing, and Vince Carter hesitated for a moment before following Ron Artest towards the right wing.
The big men behind were still trying to get to half-court.
Lee, with the ball in his left hand near the three-point line, quickly executed an In and out dribble while moving.
After a slight pause, a right feint and a left drive, Lee accelerated again, and Alvin Williams, who was still adjusting his center of gravity, was beaten in one step.
Gaining a step, Lee grabbed the ball with his left hand and, three big steps past the free-throw line, charged directly. Alvin Williams instinctively pulled him.
As the referee's whistle blew, Lee, twisting his body, tossed the ball towards the basket, shouting at the same time:
"My and one!"
"Swish!" The whistle blew, and the ball went in.
Amidst the loud cheers, Alvin Williams was momentarily stunned.
He simply couldn't hold him back.
Watching Lee make the free throw, Alvin Williams, who had come to his senses, saw his coach give him a thumbs up and cheered himself on.
However, Vince Carter's subsequent pass-out turnover led to a steal by Ben Wallace, and Clay Lee charged again.
Alvin Williams, in pursuit, instinctively wanted to foul him directly.
On the left wing, after scooping the ball with his left hand, Lee immediately decelerated.
After a sudden stop, he smoothly completed a crossover dribble, switching to his right hand, and again performed an In and out dribble.
While feinting to the left, Clay Lee suddenly exerted force, leaned in, and drove.
Alvin Williams, who had intended to foul, had learned his lesson and, not falling for the feint, immediately slid backward to the left.
Just as he adjusted his defensive center of gravity, he saw Lee quickly execute a cross-step pull-back, gathering the ball directly outside the three-point line.
Alvin Williams completely followed his body's instinct and lunged to defend.
Lee waited until the opponent collided with him before jumping up simultaneously, shooting the ball towards the basket.
"Squeak! Bang, swish!"
The referee's whistle blew, and the ball banked in.
From the commentary booth, Bob Costas instinctively shouted:
"My God! Lee made the shot! Unbelievable!"
Head Coach Wilkens on the sidelines rubbed his brow in frustration.
This substitution had little effect, instead giving away consecutive points.
Vince Carter, retreating to half-court, instinctively widened his eyes, watching Clay Lee walk towards the free-throw line with a smile.
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Amidst the fans' shouts, Lee's free throw went in steadily, and Madison Square Garden erupted once more.
In the final few possessions of the first quarter, the Knicks missed shots, and the free throws from Antonio Davis and Marcus Camby helped the Toronto Raptors stabilize the situation.
It was 19:33.
Looking at the 14-point deficit, the Toronto Raptors' bench fell silent.
Doug Collins felt the increasingly joyous atmosphere at the Madison Square Garden.
He glanced at the score and finally could only say helplessly:
"The Toronto Raptors don't seem to have matched the intensity of the game. Vince Carter is making offense look too simple."
"He needs to respond with mid-range shots, instead of forcing those 'beautiful' layups under the basket."
2-for-7 from the field, 1-for-2 from three, 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers.
The 'Half Man Half Amazing' Vince Carter's performance was average.
Bob Costas believed the Toronto Raptors' game strategy had problems, but he didn't want to criticize a thousand-win Head Coach:
"Clay Lee played exceptionally well, with 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists, completely activating his teammates. The Knicks' shooting tonight was excellent."
With a large lead, the Knicks naturally made extensive rotations, and Chauncey Billups got more playing time.
On the other side, the Toronto Raptors kept Vince Carter in, while also bringing in Mark Jackson and Dell Curry.
The interior became Marcus Camby and Keon Clark.
In desperation, Head Coach Wilkens also had his team play more of a drive-and-kick offense, and Vince Carter began to shoot wildly.
However, in the substitute lineup, the interior combination of Kurt Thomas and Ben Wallace had better defensive mobility, and with Ron Artest's tight Defense, Vince Carter began to miss shots again.
Dell Curry frequently shot from beyond the three-point line, and Kukoc, grabbing long rebounds, quickly pushed the ball up, leading to more and more fastbreak points for the Knicks.
Watching the transition offense, Chauncey Billups also hit a surprise shot from the right wing, and Lee, draped in a towel on the bench, smiled along with everyone.
It was 27:44. The game was lively, but the point difference didn't shrink.
The Toronto Raptors had more losses than wins in the regular season, and Grant Hill completely relaxed:
"It seems our playing time tonight won't be too much. The schedule is indeed very favorable to us!"
With a large lead, the game was basically over.
Grant Hill suddenly felt that the playoffs weren't that difficult.
Facing the short Rookie in the first round, and the old and slow Mark Jackson in the Semifinals, Clay Lee really liked such matchups:
"We worked hard all season, and this is what we deserve. That's the meaning of the regular season."
Allan Houston nodded in agreement.
On the other side, Ewing leaned back in his seat, looking confident, and chatted with a young fan behind him.
Jeff Van Gundy made no adjustments in this series.
While the Knicks players whispered on the bench, he just smiled and idled, sitting calmly in his seat.
He would occasionally turn his head to look at Head Coach Wilkens, who was shouting loudly on the sidelines.
Thinking about their matchups, where he had more wins than losses, Bald Young Coach felt a sense of elation:
"Perhaps, I am a bane to famous coaches."
....
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