The Pope of Basketball Community
Chapter 91 [Confidence collapsed, easily won the championship]
In the second game, the Knicks continued to screen off the ball, looking for misplaced offensive opportunities.
The Jazz chose to strictly guard against outside three-pointers and play small ball tactics. Larry Johnson broke out, catching and jumping, turning and jumping, breaking through and attacking, unstoppable.
Bryan Russell and Shandon Anderson are not strong enough to defend against Johnson, while Antoine Kyle and Foster are tall enough to defend against breakthroughs. Ostertag couldn't make it, and the Jazz's defensive penalty area was not so tight.
Once the three good shooters were separated, the Jazz couldn't double-team Johnson. When Malone defended Johnson, the rebounds couldn't protect him again.
Johnson had 30 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Houston had 24 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. They were the main contributors to the team's victory.
Ben Wallace also excelled, scoring 6 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks.
Starks felt bad and only scored 13 points. The data gap with his teammates widened, and he was temporarily far away from the finals MVP.
101 to 85, the Knicks lead 2-0 overall, the Jazz only has Malone who can contribute points steadily, and most of the shots are mid-range shots after the pick-and-roll.
In the third game, the Jazz returned to the home court to guard against Johnson, and Houston began to go crazy again.
The Knicks used a triangle offense, Houston singled out Hornacek with the ball, turned around and made a jumper, and scored consecutively with a pull-up jumper, fully releasing the energy.
Hornacek is 191cm tall and weighs 86kg. When he first entered the league, he played as a point guard and suffered a disadvantage in defense at the 2nd position. He couldn't do anything against the convulsed Houston. Houston's jump shot was very high, and it was unreasonable to shoot against people.
The Jazz collectively misfired outside, and the players were in unbelievably bad condition. They fell behind by 31 points in just halftime.
If Ewing was there, the Knicks would not be able to defend the Jazz like this. Now the three insiders are strong and fast, and they are especially good at defending pick-and-rolls.
In the second half, Sloan was still the same old, picking and rolling to death.
103 to 63, the Jazz lost 40 points at home. Only Malone scored 24 points, and no one scored in double figures.
This is the largest point difference in the history of the NBA Finals. The previous record was June 5, 1978, when the Washington Bullets defeated the Seattle SuperSonics 117 to 82, with a point difference of 35 points.
The Jazz players lost all their spirits, and no matter how stupid they were, they could see that the Knicks just restrained the Jazz's tactics.
In the fourth game, the Jazz fought for their face. Malone broke out and scored 34 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists.
The score was 99 to 92, and the Jazz still lost.
The Knicks shot 46.1% from the field overall, while the Jazz shot 50% from the field overall. The free throws were similar between the two teams. The Knicks made 15 of 19 shots, while the Jazz made 20 of 25 shots.
Looking at the data, the Jazz had the upper hand in both field goal percentages, but lost to the three-pointers that Sloan looked down upon. The Knicks made 14 of 31 three-pointers and the Jazz made 2 of 10 three-pointers.
When the final whistle sounded, Sloan sat in a chair, unable to recover for a long time.
For him, this was not just a failure in the finals, but more like a collapse of faith. The blow was so great that he began to doubt his life and wanted to give up his basketball philosophy.
Indeed, the closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage, but the percentage of two-pointers is higher than that of three-pointers, which does not mean more points or wins. It was simple math, and Sloan began to realize that not allowing players to shoot more threes was probably why the Jazz were easily beaten.
Van Gundy also has a feeling of enlightenment this season. Last season, he also let players make more mid-range shots, reduce three-pointers, and treat mistakes as truth.
Van Gundy also felt surreal. Last season, the Knicks were reversed 1-3 by the Heat, which was embarrassing. Now it's so easy to win the championship? No twists and turns, no challenges, even if the team MVP is not there.
Mike Breen even sighed: "This is the finals with the most disparity in strength in the past 20 years.
"
Knicks coaches and players celebrated together.
Thibodeau ignored his image and danced with the youngest player on the team, Stephen Jackson.
Starks, Oakley, and Ewing all cried. They had experienced the 1994 finals and experienced too much failure and pain.
Oakley's tears are moving, tough guys are also sad. When he first entered the league, he was Jordan's most reliable teammate, but the Bulls traded him for "Cobra". When the Bulls won the championship, he was already in the Knicks Effective until now.
The person who cried the most was Ewing who did not play. He also came to Salt Lake City with the team and sat on the sidelines with a cane to cheer for his teammates.
Reporters interviewed players, interviewed Van Gundy, Yang Rui and Thibodeau were left alone, and they were supporting roles on this occasion.
This will not affect Yang Rui's mood. He has never been so excited as he is today.
This is the NBA. He has only been reborn for one year and won the championship ring. Many people don't have rings all their lives, such as Sloan and his disciples who just left the field with their heads down.
There are many players who get the ring at the age of 24, and there are only a few coaches who get the ring at the age of 24. Yang Rui has made a good start in his career, and fame will come sooner or later.
Thibodeau smiled and asked: "Jerry, do you think it is possible for us to build a dynasty?"
It was too easy to win this season, and the Knicks seem to be strong for many years. Although he is an assistant, if he can get a few more rings, Thibodeau is also very satisfied.
Those who are content are always happy, and Thibodeau always has a smiling face, which has a lot to do with his personality.
Yang Rui didn't intend to hide it from his friends, and whispered with a smile, "I'm sure I won't be here next year, so I don't want the Knicks to establish a dynasty."
Thibodeau was stunned for a moment: "Is there a team looking for you?"
"Not just one." Yang Rui smiled proudly. It's not a problem at all that reporters don't pay attention to him. "I plan to have a showdown with the management before the holiday, because I can't give up the opportunity to be the head coach."
The Knicks won the championship, the Raptors had no reason to return, and Yang Rui proved his worth.
Thibodeau restrained his smile and looked at Yang Rui with mixed emotions, including envy, jealousy, admiration, and anger.
He was not angry with Yang Rui, but angry with himself.
The 24-year-old young man has been working for a year and has successfully promoted to head coach. Even if he joins an underdog, it is a big step in his life. He is 40 years old now, but he is complacent about easily getting a championship ring. The gap is too big.
He has little say in the coaching staff and focuses on learning, which is really a shameful reality.
Thibodeau looked at Van Gundy, who was surrounded by reporters, and a thought emerged involuntarily-without Jerry Young, would the Knicks still be able to win the championship in the future?
Most of the media and fans think that the coach with the greatest credit for winning the championship is Van Gundy, but inside the team, from the management to the players, who doesn't know that Yang Rui is the one who changed the team?
"Tom, why are you in a daze? Come to get the hat." Yang Rui laughed.
"oh……"
In the United States, it is a tradition to give hats when celebrating. In many sports events, championship awards are awarded, or hats are worn in the draft.
Houston won the Finals MVP by averaging 25 points per game; Ewing took over the championship trophy from David Stern and held it high. The 1997-1998 season officially came to an end.
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