The rest is just noise

The way Thomas defended Rauf was brutal.

Rauf dribbled the ball and prepared to break through from Thomas' left side, but what was waiting for him was the Smiling Assassin's bodyguard.

If a small defensive player does not want to become a defensive vulnerability, in addition to possessing all static and dynamic talents except height, he must also be proficient in all small movements that can attack the lower plate.

Otherwise, the size gap is like the gap between the director of "The Legend" and the fat guy in the Basketball Association office who doesn't understand basketball and cannot be bridged.

Thomas took advantage of the close contact between the two and struck Rauf on the abdomen.

Rauf took the opponent's blow and in turn swung his elbow.

But Thomas's actions were hidden, but Raouf's actions were in full view of the public.

"Beep!"

Rauf knew very well that he couldn't avoid the foul. Since it was a foul that he couldn't avoid, he should attack hard. This is an unspoken rule in the Knicks team.

Thomas did not expect Rauf's counterattack to be so brutal. He elbowed the corner of his eye, causing blood to spatter on the spot.

Thomas' teammates wanted to help, but Thomas persuaded him to stop.

"We all know how dirty New Yorkers are." Bite back is Thomas's strong point, and his words made Rauf, who was originally calm, angry.

"You're a villain who can only do tricks behind your back!" Rauf's lips twitched with anger, "I can't wait to drink your blood!"

Fortunately, the anger was not enough to make Rauf sick.

Although he did not use any foul language, the words he said were more offensive than the foul language itself.

Thomas looked disgusted at him as if nothing was wrong: "You can come and drink my blood now, but will your God forgive you for this behavior? Are you really a ***? I don't think so, you should

Isn’t he just a hypocrite?”

If Thomas hadn't "reminded" him, Louis would have forgotten that fighting and swearing are not taboos in Christianity, but they are still considered ugly behaviors. From this point of view, Raouf's choice to convert to Christianity is really a bold move.

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Thomas, who was shot out of the corner of his eye, spoke unforgivingly, but neither team member took the fight any further.

The Trail Blazers replaced Thomas to deal with his injury, and the Knicks could only replace Rauf, who had mood swings.

Riley chose to let Jordan play point guard, and the second position vacated by Jordan was filled by Xavier McDaniel.

Louis also didn't replace the point guard to come to the game.

Since Stockton is unable to perform and Rauf is emotionally unstable, we can only let Wilson control the ball, and Alex Stevens will fill the vacancy at the third position.

Jordan and Barkley plus McDaniel, Mason, Robinson.

Knicks fans with good memories will think, isn't this the Trail Blazers' final winning lineup in Game 7 of last year's Finals?

Fans who can think of this must also think that this lineup of the Trail Blazers lost last year.

But this year, they have Jordan who has regained his three-point shooting, Barkley who has adapted better to the team, and a 13-point lead.

Rauf's elbow on Thomas earned a flagrant foul from Joe Clifford.

This gave the Blazers a chance to make two free throws.

"Sorry, coach." Rauf was frustrated.

Louis patted him on the shoulder and said, "I know you have no choice."

Replacing Stevens made the Knicks' lineup look a lot like last year's tiebreaker.

Four of the five players on the court were in the Knicks' decisive lineup last year, with only one missing, Ewing, who was resting off the court.

It's surprising that Louis dared to let Ewing rest at this time.

Because the inside line is the Knicks' most advantageous point, if Ewing is not there, Kemp and Rodman alone can only have a slight advantage, but on the defensive end, they will have no temper when encountering a powerful weapon like Barkley.

Jordan made two free throws.

98 to 83

With a little more than 10 minutes left in the game, the point difference was once again stretched to 15 points, and the Trail Blazers had the ball.

Wilson lay like a boulder in front of Jordan.

He was not able to guard Jordan every time, but as the top defender among this generation of players, he could always completely guard the opponent in several rounds, even if the opponent was Jordan.

Jordan tried to find Barkley in the crowd because Barkley was another unstoppable attacker for the Blazers.

Then he saw an astonishing sight.

The Knicks' new substitute Stevens took over Rodman's position to defend Barkley.

This should have been an absolutely weak matchup.

However, Stevens did not intend to give way to Buckley's attack. He ignored the difference in tonnage and strength between the two sides and stubbornly blocked the flying pig.

Barkley's backward force movement was enough to push him to the ground.

But veterans always have their own tricks. Even though Stevens was down, he kept making small moves. He hooked Barkley's body, forcing the opponent to lose his center of gravity and fall with him.

Rodman played the defensive role that the best defensive player in the league should have.

His presence made it difficult for the Blazers to move forward.

Kemp's body is obviously not as strong as Mason's, but his occupation of the position is obviously far stronger than his opponent's.

Jordan could only pass the ball to Jerome Cursey, who, with Miller guarding him, might be able to break through the Knicks' weakest defender on the floor.

But for Portland, the unthinkable happened.

After being knocked down by Barkley, Stevens, who was so embarrassed that he could only use dirty tricks to respond, was able to get up from the ground and came to Cosey's side as quickly as possible, forming a double-team with Miller.

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Cosey only needs to pass the ball to Barkley to break the game.

But he can't do it!

Stevens is a hound who bites hard when he sees a flaw. Cosey's ball protection is flawed. Facing Miller is fine, but in front of Stevens, such an obvious flaw is doomed.

His failure.

Miller blocked the passing route, and Stevens got close to him and challenged him first, which was already a foul. Then he took out the ball, and there was another foul in the process.

Dick Bavetta was as indifferent as a blind man, and Cosey was not only intercepted but also knocked down by Stevens.

In a normal game, this level of impact alone would be enough to sound the whistle, but the referee did not blow the whistle.

Just as all fans expected, Stevens used the most Knicks-style method to steal the ball from Causey like a robber, changing the offensive and defensive momentum.

"New Yorkers will always love Alex Stevens because he played with a passion that transcended all else!"

Stevens ran forward wildly, intending to end the attack in one fell swoop.

He always showed no mercy to his opponents on the defensive end. Over the years, he has always been the spiritual leader of the Knicks and the totem-like figure that Louis said externally.

Stevens' style of play is a perfect representation of Knicks basketball during the Lewy era.

However, Jordan chased after him.

How Stevens defends his teammates, how he defends them back.

Jordan caught up with Stevens.

Stevens had already jumped up, but Jordan bumped into him from the side mercilessly and slapped him hard with his hand.

Both times, the ball was not hit.

Stevens lost focus as a result, but Jordan underestimated his ability to withstand blows.

Stevens, who had lost his center of gravity, could still protect the ball. He found the basket and threw the ball hard. When his body fell to the ground, the basketball hit the basket and the referee blew the whistle, making MSG excited.

"You can't stop me, Mickey!" Stevens never needs the support of his teammates. He always stands up immediately after falling. "You just can't stop us!"

The other four teammates on the court thought Stevens had a conflict with Jordan, and they all ran to him, wanting to help.

Jordan had nothing but admiration for such a warrior who was not afraid of death, and he walked away without saying a word.

85 to 98

Stevens still has a free throw opportunity.

Wilson took the lead and slapped "I believe you can make the free throw" on his shoulder, and then chose not to routinely stand around the free throw line in the frontcourt, but returned to the backcourt to stand still.

Other teammates did the same thing.

"Alex is passion itself." Bob Costas praised Stevens highly. "He has become the brightest light of the Knicks."

Bill Laimbeer also said: "For a player like him, his role cannot be reflected by the data. Over the years, I have always wondered why he has never been selected for the defensive lineup, until I discovered that he was in the Knicks.

When he averaged less than 10 minutes per game, I realized what an amazing player Alex Stevens is. He is the most dedicated and selfless one. We don’t see him usually, but when

We see him on the court all the time when the Knicks are cornered."

Stevens did not disappoint, and he also hit the extra free throw.

86 to 98

With the remaining 10 minutes of the game, the Knicks chased the point difference to 12 points. Stevens' performance was as fiery as the sun, igniting his teammates and inspiring all the fans, making MSG a veritable devil's home stadium.

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Some changes are subtle, but some changes are visible to the naked eye.

Stevens can put everything he has into a defensive play, and the teammates around him will follow suit.

As a result, Rodman became a beast.

Kemp pressed like crazy.

Wilson, like Stevens, put his emotions into the game.

Even Reggie Miller is as tough as an invincible defensive warrior.

No one cares about how far ahead the Trail Blazers are anymore, because in front of the Knicks, if they only think about maintaining the lead without putting in the same energy and playing with the same intensity, even if they lead by 30 points, they will be

was reversed.

This is the basis for a strangled team that relies on extreme defense and suffocating intensity to create five consecutive championships.

On the Trail Blazers' next offensive possession, Jordan forced his way to the basket and was knocked out of the court by Rodman before he could get up.

Rodman was called for a foul.

And this is the attitude of the Knicks. Let alone breaking through to the basket and scoring, even entering the basket faces the risk of being violently fouled.

Jordan stood up grimly, they had no way out.

Neither did the Knicks.