The rest is just noise

On March 10, during a fierce battle with the Pistons, Kevin McHale sprained his foot.

Before leaving the game, he scored 18 points with 100% shooting.

His injury touched the hearts of many people. The Knicks were leaderless after that. Facing the Pistons' hand-to-hand tactics, the young people were not as adaptable as the Pistons.

The Pistons defeated the Knicks in a way the Knicks are good at.

This was the Knicks' tenth defeat of the season. What was even more frustrating than the loss was McHale's injury.

He suffered a high bone sprain in his right foot and will be sidelined for 5-8 weeks.

Losing McHale means more to the Knicks than just losing the fourth position and the team's scoring leader.

You must know that McHale was in excellent condition before the injury, averaging 25 points and 11 rebounds per game. He was the Knicks' guarantee at critical moments.

Because they have too many young people.

Except for players like Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sam Jones, and Kobe who are born killers, the most important lesson for most superstars is to learn how to play key shots.

Maybe they perform well during normal times, but when it comes to life and death, they are in a hurry and don't know what to do.

This has happened to many players.

The same goes for the Knicks, who then encountered the New Jersey Nets, who had played against them not long ago.

The Knicks narrowly defeated their opponents after a hard battle.

March 15

The fifth game between the Knicks and Celtics begins at the Boston Garden.

After two seasons of accumulation, the accumulation of four battles this season, and the impact of the internal strife during the All-Star Weekend, the Knicks and Celtics have become unquestionable enemies.

This game was extremely tough.

Isiah Thomas was knocked to the ground frequently and ended up with 20 free throws in a single game.

He stood up strong every time and made 16 of the free throws.

Bird comprehensively affected the game, and Sampson destroyed the Knicks' penalty area at will.

At this time, Knicks fans must miss McHale.

McHale not only averages 25+11 per game, he also has second-level defensive output, and is one of the few insiders in the league who can compete with Sampson offensively.

These are beyond the reach of Ewing, who has rough offensive skills and can only be beaten passively in most cases.

In times of great adversity, Benjamin Wilson watched Thomas show off his power, and his anger grew freely.

He will never forget what Thomas did to him.

In tonight's crisis, Wilson showed the responsibility and strength that a future superstar should have.

He grabbed the defensive rebound, went straight to the frontcourt, and with Sampson's help, he switched to his left hand to score.

Initiating GoSolo, facing classmate Ron Harper, he made a sudden stop on the right wing after shaking and ignored interference to shoot a jumper.

Holding the ball alone from the backcourt to the frontcourt, he hit Thomas in a misplaced single. He was like a red-eyed devil who continuously changed directions in front of the 185-centimeter Thomas to shake off his defense and then took away the defensive position with one stride. He could have done that a long time ago, but

He just wants to use technology to win.

Then go inside and dunk to score points.

He ran a 2High which is exclusive to insiders. He caught the ball in the middle of the paint and turned over, slapping Bird in the face.

It was another round. He grabbed rebounds from the backcourt and went straight to the frontcourt. The Celtics defense had already returned to its position. He faced the three Greens without fear. He continuously pulled the lever in the air to find an angle to hit the board under impossible circumstances.

hit.

After changing direction and breaking through, he was fouled and scored with an underhand throw. He also drew a foul. Before halftime, he broke through the defense quickly and scored a dunk before the Celtics defense closed up.

He almost relied on the combination of tactical system and personal ability to score 45 points on the Green Army.

Keep the suspense of the game until the last moment.

Seven seconds before the end, Ewing grabbed the offensive rebound, pushed past Sampson, and dunked, which might have sealed the game.

Larry Bird wiped his mouth indifferently and said to Wilson from a distance: "I will catch the ball at the free throw line later and kill all of you at the last second. Do you remember!?"

Bird's "killer announcement" angered the young Knicks.

Louis put on a murderous pressing formation and used defense to disrupt the Celtics' tactical arrangement.

However, the system Louis left behind in this team is too mature.

Physical talent and pressing alone cannot stop Bird from catching the ball where he wants.

At the free throw line, Laimbeer opened the screen, and Sampson passed the ball hand-to-hand to block, allowing Bird to get the ball at the free throw line.

At this point, there are only 2 seconds left.

Bird collected the ball and feinted, and Ewing, who was on guard, jumped up to block the shot.

"Oops!"

Bird used the time difference to take off again, and Wilson caught up with him from the side. It was his block that caused some changes in Bird's steady shooting.

Larry Legend must speed up his shots to avoid being blocked.

"Larry threw the last pitch of the night!"

"???"

"boom!"

The scene was wailing, but the ball bounced off and landed in the center of the basket.

"Whoosh!"

"Oh! Larry Legend, you can always trust Larry Legend! Bang! Bang! Bang! The great Larry Legend!" Heinsohn roared uncontrollably, "Tommy gives you a point!"

Wilson was full of reluctance, and then saw Bird turn around, with an expression even more disappointed than him and cursed: "Damn, it's not hollow."

Wilson bit his lower lip. Bird was in extraordinary form tonight, but Thomas was the protagonist most of the time.

It was only in this last moment that Bird truly shined.

It was this moment that determined his height.

He is the number one player in the league and the number one player in history selected by many media.

He was upset because the game-winner was dropped, this bastard

Bird walked a few steps and suddenly stopped and said: "See you in the playoffs."

"We will definitely meet." Wilson couldn't wait.

Today, Wilson proved himself once again. As long as he is in good condition, no one in the Celtics can guard him based on his physical condition and playing style.

Just like the Knicks can't guard Bird, Sampson, and Thomas.

Louis let out a sigh of regret. Bird did not leave them any time to counterattack, and ruthlessly suppressed the last second to kill the Knicks.

When a Boston reporter asked him whether Kevin McHale's absence affected the outcome of the game, Louis put aside his usual arrogance and attitude that displeased Bostonians.

"No." Louis denied, "Benj played well enough, but Boston is the best team in the league."

With 2 wins and 3 losses, the Knicks ended their regular season dialogue with the Celtics.

Compared with last season, they have improved so much.

The irreparable gap has narrowed to a visible level. Bostonians can no longer be complacent with their Big Three. They know very well that the young Knicks will cross Boston one day in the future, but when will it be?

To be conservative, Louis decided to rest Kevin McHale until the end of the regular season.

At first, McHale was against it.

But his agent Wolff agreed.

Because McHale has played in 61 games and has a sufficient attendance rate, the Knicks have 51 wins and 10 losses during this period, ranking first in the league.

If you want to choose the MVP, it can only be him.

After losing McHale, the Knicks' state will definitely have ups and downs. By then, as long as their winning rate drops, it will reflect the importance of McHale, and the MVP will be in hand.

McHale's agent has extra thoughts, but what Louis wants is for the team to go further in the playoffs.

In March, when McHale was absent, the Knicks went 6-4.

To make up for his shortcomings, both Ewing and Wilson took on more offensive responsibilities.

What makes things difficult for the Knicks is that McHale can't play, and Dale Ellis, who was originally the most reliable outside shooter, has been out of form for the entire season because of his lawsuit.

He occasionally performed brilliantly, but more often than not he was like a group of drug-addicted players in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with no energy, lack of motivation, and far more bad form than good form.

Therefore, in fact, what the Knicks lack is not only the core figure of the team, but also the second position that is extremely critical to the N.UCLA system.

This is the reason why their winning percentage dropped after losing McHale.

Of course, we can also see McHale's influence from this.

He is indeed crucial to the Knicks' rise this season. They cannot reach their current level with young people alone.

In early April, we will play against the Nets again.

Ewing dominated the penalty area and played whatever he wanted, scoring 39 points and 25 rebounds.

25 rebounds is a career high.

The Knicks got off to a good start in April and then won consecutive games against the Hawks, Pacers, and 76ers before losing to the Bucks.

The Pistons played two more games in a row, losing one miserably and narrowly winning one.

The remaining three regular season games are against the Bullets, Hawks, and Cavaliers.

Only the Bullets are worrying, because when the Knicks play them, their form always fluctuates.

The other two teams are easy to solve.

The game against the Bullets was the one that Louis prepared most seriously. The Knicks played against the Bullets with the same attitude as the Celtics.

The tone was set at the beginning, with a 35-20 offensive that stunned the Capitals.

In the next three quarters, Louis used the murderous press twice to push the point difference to 36 points.

The Bullets, who originally wanted to defeat the league's No. 1 Bullets at home, were ripped apart by the roaring New Yorkers.

Wilson almost had his fourth 50+ game of the season, finishing with 49 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

Ewing and Oakley combined for 40 points and 26 rebounds.

Ellis also found his touch, hitting 5 three-pointers and scoring 21 points.

Neither the Cavaliers nor the Hawks could compete with the Knicks.

The New Yorkers shot down the eagle without breaking a sweat, and then stabbed the Clevelanders in the chest who dared to be angry but dared not speak out.

The Knicks ended the 1986-87 regular season with the league's first record of 66 wins and 16 losses.