NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On the evening of January 18, Phoenix fans who bought tickets to watch the game on site all missed Charles Barkley.

Last season, the Suns had a record of 41 wins. Although they were easily defeated by the Spurs 3:1 in the first round of the playoffs, as long as they had Barkley and Kevin Johnson, everyone felt that they could make a comeback in the future.

At 58:45 in the first half, the Suns were already trailing by 13 points.

Kevin Johnson had a poor shooting touch in the first half, making 1 of 4 shots, scoring 8 points from free throws, making 5 assists and having 2 turnovers.

Clay Lee, who was on the opposite side, made 5 of 11 shots, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 16 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 turnover.

The noisy arena seemed to indicate that Phoenix fans had begun to lose confidence.

Kevin Johnson failed to suppress the rookie Lee, which was unimaginable in the past.

Injury will not be an excuse. In the third quarter, Kevin Johnson began to attack the basket desperately, constantly challenging Ewing's rim protection ability.

This situation made the Suns fans at the scene feel extremely sad. If Barkley was still there, Kevin Johnson would not have played so hard.

After making one of two free throws, Charles Oakley protected the backcourt rebound, Lee received the ball, and the Knicks launched another transition attack.

At this time, Ewing was more active than in the first half. Lee was delayed and slowed down, and the gorilla had already rushed into the paint area.

While moving sideways to position himself, Ewing didn't need to open his hands. The moment he approached the basket, Lee made a half-high pass.

Ewing caught the ball and used his body to push away Holt, who was retreating to defend. He turned around and grabbed the ball with his left hand, and easily made a layup under the basket!

"Shhh!!"

The huge boos that broke out in the arena did not affect Ewing's good mood.

In less than half a quarter, Ewing easily scored 8 points by fast breaks, low-post shots after receiving the ball, and mid-range jump shots after receiving the ball near the right baseline.

The gorilla followed for a few rounds and wanted to shout as well:

"Fast break is awesome!"

After the starting lineup returned to the game in the third quarter, Lee did not blindly shoot three-pointers. He played defense honestly, pushed the transition offense, and put the ball to the basket more often.

The Suns, whose defensive discipline declined, failed to withstand this wave of offense, and after a 12:6 wave, the score gap was widened again.

Cedric of the Suns didn't want to admit defeat either. After speeding up the offensive tempo, he also began to attack the basket. In response, Larry Johnson and Lee could only commit fouls.

"Grandmama" received her fourth foul early and had to be substituted off the court in frustration. It was a rare opportunity for her to run in the game, and Larry Johnson also wanted to take the opportunity to score more points.

Lee also received his fourth foul at the end of the third quarter. Kevin Johnson continued to attack the basket and the Suns narrowed the gap again.

84:74, after three quarters, the Knicks still lead by 10 points.

Lee was somewhat helpless about his foul troubles. Lack of defensive experience was a common problem among rookie players and this was something that could only be accumulated slowly.

"Well done, Lee! Don't worry about the fouls. All rookies will experience foul crises. All you have to do is learn from the game. Many times, you can rely more on your teammates who help defend you."

Assistant coach Thibodeau gave Lee some pointers on defense.

Lee seldom makes gambling steals, but when facing a point guard breaking through for a layup, he always subconsciously jumps up to block the shot.

Kevin Johnson seized this opportunity and, relying on his rich game experience, made most of the free throws tonight from Lee.

"I understand. I will control the number of fouls!"

Hearing Lee's words, assistant coach Thibodeau nodded. Coaches all like smart players, and Lee understands many things at a glance.

Kevin Johnson did not rest in the fourth quarter and continued to play. Lee of the Knicks also came on the court. Both sides replaced their centers and made a final fight.

The Knicks took the lead in attacking, using the same tactics. Lee crossed half court and quickly passed the ball to Starks, who came on as a substitute, at the top of the arc.

Moving laterally from left to right, Lee used the double cover of McCarty and veteran Buck to get rid of Kevin Johnson's pursuit again.

The Suns' substitute Danny Manning came on as a substitute and switched defense in time. Lee raised the ball from the right wing outside the three-point line and faked a move.

While the opponent was sliding, he immediately lowered his center of gravity and broke through with his right hand.

Danny Manning subconsciously slid to the left rear, but Lee just dribbled one step and immediately crossed over and pulled back.

A simple shake allowed Lee to easily gain enough space to shoot. He passed the ball and made a jump shot from outside the three-point line without waiting for the opponent to jump up to defend!

"Shhh!!"

The basketball went into the net and was immediately booed by the crowd. Lee's clean three-pointer also excited the Suns fans at the scene.

Kevin Johnson didn't care. While speeding up the offensive tempo, he continued to force his way to the basket. Even a clay man could make three-pointers. Lee was frequently broken through. In less than three rounds, he committed another foul.

The Suns, who had not recovered their touch, continued to miss shots. On the Knicks side, Lee continued to push the transition offense and pass the ball to his teammates.

With 6 minutes and 2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Lee had just finished a free throw and returned to half court. When he went on the defense line, the referee called another pulling foul.

Lee sighed helplessly, shrugged his shoulders, and could only walk to the bench. It was the first time in his career that he fouled out with 6 fouls.

The Suns fans at the scene were not happy either. They became the background board tonight.

The commentator Al McCoy heard the director's prompt and reluctantly praised Lee:

"At 19 years and 18 days old, congratulations to Clay Lee for becoming the youngest player in NBA history to get 15 assists in a single game."

"I don't think Phoenix fans want to see this. 19 years old? It's incredible. It's really an amazing record."

He played for 35 minutes, made 8 of 17 shots, 4 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, 5 of 6 free throws, 25 points, 3 rebounds, 15 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 6 fouls.

On the Knicks bench, the atmosphere team stood up and high-fived Lee to celebrate. At this time, the Suns still did not give up.

Lauren Mayer in the interior broke out at the last moment and stood on the free throw line continuously.

Fortunately, both sides entered the free throw state, and Ewing also took free throws. This situation made it difficult for the Suns fans at the scene, and the game time was prolonged.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines was a little nervous at this time, and he also stood up to give orders, signaling everyone to hold on.

In the end, 110:103, the Knicks successfully withstood the Suns' explosive free throw power and won this tug-of-war.

There were constant boos in the arena. Kevin Johnson, who played for 44 minutes, put his hands on his hips and looked a little lonely at the scoreboard.

4 of 14 shots, 13 of 14 free throws, 21 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 2 turnovers.

With 20+10, Kevin Johnson felt he had done his best.

The Knicks players quickly walked towards the player tunnel. The Suns made 41 free throws tonight, which would make anyone feel unhappy.

Lee ignored the shouting of the fans. After entering the player tunnel, he saw the Suns staff looking over here. He smiled, shook his head and said loudly:

"Free throws? It doesn't matter. I will keep winning in Phoenix. This city will never win a championship!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau quickly stepped forward, hugged Lee's shoulders and walked quickly towards the locker room. This is not New York, and the coaching staff does not want any unnecessary trouble.

After returning to the locker room, Ewing looked at the technical statistics and found that Lee had broken the record again, and he felt very angry.

Charles Oakley didn't care about these. The old guy was very satisfied with Lee's performance. Ewing's number of shots was still the highest in the team. The newbie didn't get carried away. As long as he had the boss in his heart.

Jeff Van Gundy also smiled after entering the locker room. He clapped his hands and concluded loudly:

"It was a wonderful game! We showed the results of our training. This is the hard part. We have to play for each other!"

"Next week, we will have a schedule of 5 games in 7 days. Therefore, after returning to New York, the training sessions will be cancelled and you should have a good rest. I don't want to see the news of you appearing in a nightclub in the newspaper!"

"Finally, congratulations to Lee, the youngest player in NBA history to score 20+15. I think no one can break this record!"

Everyone on the Knicks team started to cheer loudly. Finally, equipment manager Old Mike handed the game ball to Lee and said with a smile,

"Lee, take the game ball. This record will be hard to break in a short period of time. Don't be polite this time!"

The previous scoring record was broken a few days ago by the Trail Blazers' high school rookie Jermaine O'Neal. Considering that 15 assists is difficult, Lee finally took over the game ball:

"The record belongs to everyone! It's dangerous and tiring to cut down trees!"

The atmosphere group and some newbies started yelling again. Lee was in a good mood and smiled. He was sure he would be on TV again:

"If we can limit the number of shots, can we also limit the number of assists?"

Less than a day later, after Lee returned to New York with the team, the new record swept the NBA league and sports media followed suit.

The New York media praised Lee to great heights, and the new record became the front-page headline in the sports sections of several print media.

For New York fans, this year is a double blessing!

Without O'Neal in the East, Ewing, who was selected as one of the 50 greatest superstars, will undoubtedly be selected as the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Star Game.

Clay Lee, who was selected by the team at the 18th pick, set a record every now and then. Coupled with his frequent active playing style, home tickets are in short supply.

On the morning of the 19th, a rare day off, agent Mark Bartelstein came to visit Lee again.

On TV, the TNT program, hosts Ernie Johnson and McHale were also talking about the record, and by the way, they analyzed Lee's technical characteristics.

"What a shame! If you could be selected as an All-Star in your rookie year, it would definitely make you more popular!"

"Jeff Van Gundy has very poor qualifications, otherwise he would have selected you based on the Knicks' record."

"The Heat's Tim Hardaway doesn't get as many fan votes as you do!"

Mark Bartelstein showed a regretful expression while watching the TV program. He really hoped that Lee would be selected as an All-Star in his rookie year. Then, with the cooperation of the New York media, he would be praised to the sky immediately!

Lee was also watching the TNT program. McHale's analysis was good, explaining his lack of confrontation and unsatisfactory finishing at the basket:

"This year's All-Star Game, the 50 superstars are the highlight!"

"The Rookie Challenge has also been exposed. The shoe contract is our interim goal. I think there will be new offers."

It has never been easy for players to get a big sneaker contract, and Mark Bartelstein also knows that this is the most important thing, as it costs a lot of money.

"Michael Jordan is ranked 46th. The ranking is indeed a bit problematic, but it also makes sense."

The voice coming from the TV made Mark Bartelstein shake his head helplessly:

"Lee, this is the media. For the sake of ratings and sales, they can always lower their bottom line."

"If you don't perform well and the New York media starts to question you, remember to throw all those newspapers and magazines in the trash."

Lee nodded indifferently. He actually liked to read outrageous news:

"Jordan is ranked 46th? Maybe this year's Cleveland All-Stars will witness history again."

...

https://discord.gg/mjcCSyu7Yr

By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)