The rest is just noise

Different from the strong dominance of the Lakers, the Eastern Conference finals were extremely fierce. The intensity, the turmoil off the court and the storytelling on the court can all be called a legendary Eastern Conference Finals.

Before the game, Shaquille O'Neal, who was second in the annual MVP voting, said that he couldn't wait to start a rematch with the Lakers in the Finals.

As a result, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Ewing defeated the Magic with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks in a single game.

Everyone on earth knows that Ewing is a person who likes to make a fuss after winning.

So, he said at the end of the game: "Shaq should know that if I hadn't been injured, they wouldn't have been qualified to stand in front of the Los Angeles people last year."

Then in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, O'Neal defeated Ewing with 42 points and 20 rebounds, leading the team to regain a victory.

"The Knicks' era is over."

"This is our generation now."

"Mark my words, Patrick Ewing represents the past, and I represent not only the present, but the future!"

The off-court altercation led to a fierce on-court conflict in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which the Knicks won with experience.

In the fourth game, Webb broke out and stole the spotlight from O'Neal and Ewing. He scored 42 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists in a single game.

In the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, Reggie "Noah" Miller unsheathed his sword and threw 9 three-pointers in a single game to help the Knicks get the match point.

After the game, Miller was asked if the challenge posed by the Magic made him nervous. He replied arrogantly: "I don't think about the Magic. I only think about how to face Benj in the Finals."

In G6, the rampaging O'Neal defeated the old Ewing again.

The series was postponed to the seventh game.

Before the game, Ewing promised Knicks fans: "We will win the tiebreaker and then go to the Finals to meet that person."

Is "that guy" referring to Louis or Benj?

No one knows, but all Knicks fans believe in Ewing.

Since arriving in Apple City in 1985, this hideous-looking black man has become the patron saint of the team. He is the best center in history (unilaterally believed by New Yorkers), and he will never break his promise.

Several factors made the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals tiebreaker a historic classic.

O'Neal scored 40 points and 20 rebounds in a single game. What's even more amazing is that he had excellent free throw shooting that night, making 14 of 16 free throws.

Webber proved his uniqueness as a unicorn at the fourth position. Throughout the series, he beat the Knicks' fourth position every game. He did not hinder the Sharks in the tiebreaker, scoring 35 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 assists.

steal.

Tim Hardaway scored 24 points and 7 assists in a single game, beating John Stockton who only scored 6 points and 13 assists.

However, faced with the magic outbreak on the third line, the Knicks did not fall.

Ewing withstood the Sharks' dominance with 22 points, 24 rebounds and 7 blocks.

Miller hit 11 three-pointers in the game.

Grant Hill had the most exciting playoff performance of his career, and second-year McGrady was the surprise player in this game. As the sixth man, he scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and also sent a key block to the Sharks.

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This was a game in which both sides showed their strengths to the fullest.

The tense situation lasted until the last second.

The two sides were tied, and the Magic missed a three-pointer. Ewing grabbed the defensive rebound and swung past Reggie Williams. The latter used an understated fast break layup to kill the Magic.

Two years later, the Knicks returned to the Finals.

"I said when we're healthy, it's impossible for Orlandoans to beat us."

Ewing, who averaged 18 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks per game in the Eastern Conference Finals, did what a winner should do.

In the last NBA Finals of the 20th century, fans faced the most special showdown.

Lakers vs. Knicks.

The duel itself is not special. What is special is that opposite Ewing are Louis and Wilson.

"As a lifelong Knicks fan, this is the most bitter image I can imagine."

Future celebrity talker Stephen A. Smith said before the game as commentator.

However, although there are many stories to talk about between the two sides, there is no suspense in the finals itself.

Before the start of G1, Ewing and Miller came over to say hello to Louis.

Louis said: "Although the Magic are terrible, they at least allowed us to reach the fifth game of the finals last year. You should be able to perform better, right?"

Ewing, who didn't know where he got the confidence from, retorted: "We will go straight to the point, defeat you, and make clowns of all the spectators who thought you had booked the championship six months ago!"

Louis laughed: "Patrick, this is the funniest joke you've ever made."

Ewing's ambitions were dashed in the first quarter.

Before the game against the Knicks, Louis only focused on Miller.

Louis called Kobe into the office alone, showed him Miller's active performance in the Eastern Conference Finals, and asked him if he was confident in guarding his opponents.

Kobe Bryant's classic saying before he started talking: "Easy."

"Okay, then I'll leave him to you. We can also play a game. Under normal circumstances, you can take 8 shots in each game in the finals, but from now on, as long as Reggie Miller is in your

If you miss a shot on defense, your shot count will increase by one."

"really?"

"Bean, when did the coach lie to you?"

That being said, Louis set a very strict standard for "preventing Miller until he misses the shot".

For example, if Miller goes around a screen and causes the Lakers to switch defenses, then even if Miller misses a shot later, it will not be because of Kobe's defense.

Kobe must rely on himself to prevent Miller from missing the ball before his defense is considered successful.

But Louis did not clearly explain this criterion to Kobe before the game.

The result is that when Kobe, with the help of Garnett and Wilson, allowed Miller to shoot 5 of 18 in a single game, he was told that he could only take 3 more shots than before. Why? Because he really guarded Miller on his own.

There are only three rounds.

Miller was frozen, Ewing alone could not break through Duncan's defense, and Hill and others did not bring enough help. Wilson neatly scored 38 points, and the Lakers beat the Knicks.

In the second game of the Finals, Kobe learned to be smarter.

If a teammate tried to switch with him, he would yell, "Get out of here! I'm going one-on-one with Reggie Miller!"

The consequence of this is that Miller can rely on the screen to get comfortable shooting opportunities, and Kobe, who does not seek help from his teammates, cannot guard him.

Miller in the first and second games are like two extremes.

However, although Miller performed well, the Lakers' offense was so powerful that even Ewing couldn't contain it.

When Beautiful Basketball turned on, the defensive method the Knicks were accustomed to lost its effectiveness. Ewing could guard Duncan alone, but he could not take into account other positions.

Garnett firing from the high post and Bodilloga hitting Stockton's mismatches were as brutal as watching Yuta Imai take on any skinny hottie.

Wilson ran the "Meteor" tactic freely without any interference. The Knicks' proud positional defense looked like a leaky ship in front of the Lakers, without strength or hardness.

Another big win for the Lakers.

Just when Louis was thinking about what to wear to New York, the labor and management sides, who were in a heated situation before the playoffs, started emergency negotiations.

As the backbone of the union, Wilson must participate, which means he will miss training.

This is a briefing meeting between labor and management before final negotiations before the end of the season.

The two sides broke up and the players union threatened to withdraw from this year's finals without Wilson's consent. This made Wilson jump on the spot. This year's finals is of great significance to him and he will definitely finish it.

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At this time, Ewing, as the chairman of the players union, acted selflessly. He publicly stated that if he could win more benefits for everyone, he could give up this year's finals.

Wilson made the opposite decision, disappointing many within the union.

Wilson, who was exhausted both physically and mentally, did not choose to follow the crowd.

On the eve of G3, news spread everywhere that the Lakers and Knicks might strike, and Wilson expressed his dissatisfaction with the union with practical actions.

Wilson held a press conference and publicly announced that he would relinquish all positions in the players union.

reason?

"I just want to focus on the game."

Finally, the new GOAT, who was as impeccable as a saint, gave those who wanted to throw dirty water on him an opportunity.

Wilson's move to quit the union was seen as selfish and without regard for collective interests. As a GOAT, how would this make other players feel?

The atmosphere of the finals was completely ruined. Then, when the third game of the finals went on as scheduled, it only indirectly proved that the players union was not determined to defeat the situation. They were just scaring the owners and the league.

But what the inside story is no longer important.

Wilson, who was criticized and criticized, scored a triple-double of 35 points and a perfect performance of 49 points in a single game in the next two games.

4 to 0

The Lakers made history in a heated atmosphere, sweeping the Knicks 4-0 and achieving the only playoff victory in history. Wilson won his sixth Finals MVP trophy amid boos.

In the future, the 1998-99 season will be widely described as Benjamin Wilson's breakthrough season. He once again won double first team, MVP, FMVP, championship, and led the Lakers to win three consecutive championships, creating a quasi-dynasty.

But at the moment, the criticism and accusations Wilson received made Louis feel ridiculous.

This was a counterattack by the old forces. People who supported Bird got an opportunity, and those who didn't like Wilson also took the opportunity to add insult to injury, creating a storm in public opinion.

However, Benj was finally freed.

He is no longer the backbone of the union, no longer needs to come out to quarrel with the bosses, and no longer needs to pretend that he is fighting for the majority of middle-class and low-income players. He only needs to take care of himself and be a competent professional player.

, the rest, let him go.

⑴The Knicks and Celtics define the standard for a dynasty—under the noise timeline, a team must win at least four consecutive championships to be called a dynasty.