On the evening of May 6, 2000, at Madison Square Garden, New York fans once again arrived early.
The game officially tipped off at 7:30 PM, and half an hour before the game, the Arena was already incredibly noisy.
At the TNT commentary booth, Marv Albert showed a nostalgic expression.
The "Voice of New York" still wanted to continue to work in New York.
The fans were in high spirits, and commentator Hubie Brown, looking through the statistics, started discussing the 76ers' gossip:
"Although that trade during All-Star Weekend didn't go through, Larry Hughes was still affected."
"The young man's form has been average since the All-Star Game. For rookies, they are still adapting to the league."
Marv Albert came back to his senses, took over the conversation, and said with a smile:
"Kukoc, on the other hand, seems much more mature. For him, perhaps he's already used to being a Sixth Man on a championship team."
"However, his form this season has been inconsistent. He had some highlight moments before his injury, but in the first-round games, he doesn't seem to have fully entered his best form yet."
Because Allen Iverson didn't perform exceptionally in the first-round games, Hubie Brown didn't elaborate much on the 76ers' situation.
Instead, he talked more about the New York Knicks:
"Playing at home, if the opponent speeds up, I believe the New York Knicks will quickly put Ben Wallace on the court. Although he has some issues finishing at the rim, his rebounding this year has been excellent."
"The New York Knicks' rotation has a big advantage. The rookies are very suitable for playing alongside Lee. They can get more opportunities."
Marv Albert nodded, noticed that the player introductions were about to begin, and then said in a nostalgic tone:
"Lee is a qualified leader. In comparison, Allen still has a lot of room for improvement!"
"…"
After the visiting team's players entered, Allen Iverson, "fully armed," looked at the simple animation above his head and heard the excited cheers of the New York fans, involuntarily pouting.
The New York Media had not spared him from ridicule these past two days, with some newspapers being particularly sarcastic:
"Allen Iverson is just an imitator, not a qualified leader."
Wearing an arm guard was seen as imitating Clay Lee, which infuriated Allen Iverson, even though his elbow truly was injured.
To avoid being called an imitator, Allen Iverson specifically wore a headband tonight, and his elbow pads and finger tape were also on, updating his gear.
When Lee entered, the string of "MVP" chants made Allen Iverson sick to his stomach.
This was why he disliked playing in New York.
Head Coach Larry Brown didn't notice the emotional change in his beloved disciple.
He had been preparing for this game for a long time.
The lights came back on, and the cheers in Madison Square Garden were ceaseless.
Larry Brown, taking advantage of the final warm-up between the two teams, pulled everyone aside again and exhorted:
"We need to speed up our offensive pace and show our vitality from the start of the game."
"Move, and seize transition opportunities!"
Writing and drawing on the whiteboard, Head Coach Larry Brown pulled Erik Snow and a few others and re-explained the tactics and matchups.
Compared to the serious and earnest famous coach of the 76ers, Jeff Van Gundy did nothing, casually said a few words, and then sat on the bench waiting for the tip-off.
Compared to last season, the 76ers hadn't changed much.
After Lee came to the center circle, he saw that the opposing team were all "old acquaintances" and smiled as he bumped fists with each of them.
The frontcourt was still George Lynch and Tyrone Hill, with Theo Ratliff at center.
The three of them looked at Lee's smiling face, but couldn't smile themselves, only managing to keep their faces expressionless.
"Let's Go Knicks!"
Amidst the shouts, the referee tossed the ball, and Ewing immediately tipped the ball to his own half, then quickly rushed past the mid-court line.
As in the regular season, Erik Snow still chose to lead the Defense.
After Clay Lee controlled the ball, he held it in his right hand and steadily advanced.
Facing the opponent's underhand interference, Lee didn't need to shake him off.
He accelerated and bumped into the opponent, incidentally swatting away the opponent's arm with his ball-protection hand.
A simple behind-the-back dribble, changing to his left hand, brought him to the right wing.
At the start of the game, the New York Knicks' tactics were very simple.
Larry Johnson immediately posted up in the left corner, and Oakley moved in the right low post.
Lee took his position, and the two players in the corner quickly moved along the baseline.
In the left near-baseline position, Ewing suddenly stopped, setting an off-ball screen for Allan Houston.
When Larry Johnson moved to the right corner, Allan Houston had already moved to the left elbow area.
Lee immediately sent a cross pass.
After passing the ball, he began to retreat.
Allen Iverson was delayed for a moment, and Allan Houston received the ball and shot directly over the Defense!
"Swish!" The mid-range shot went in steadily!
"Wow!"
A face-up shot, Allan Houston used his height advantage to score over the opponent's core player, and the cheers inMadison Square Garden grew louder.
Allen Iverson was used to this situation.
He remained expressionless and immediately ran to the frontcourt.
Erik Snow also faced Lee's lead Defense, and the 76ers' pace of advance was not fast.
At the right elbow of the free-throw line, a curl-cut tactic.
Allen Iverson, moving diagonally, used Theo Ratliff's screen to receive a cross pass from Erik Snow on the right wing.
Allan Houston's close-out speed was very fast, and Allen Iverson didn't attack immediately.
Seeing Tyrone Hill deep in the right low post, he immediately sent a bounce pass.
The moment he received the ball, Tyrone Hill immediately put the ball down with his left hand and drove hard towards the basket.
However, under the physical confrontation, Oakley decisively went for the steal.
"Ah!"
Both the ball and his hand were hit.
Tyrone Hill shouted loudly, trying to get the referee to blow the whistle, but no one paid attention.
Oakley, who completed the steal, immediately passed the ball up the court.
Lee received the ball and continuously accelerated along the left sideline, and the cheers from the crowd rose again.
Erik Snow retreated quickly, while loudly calling Theo Ratliff back to the basket.
Just as he settled at the three-point line, Erik Snow saw Clay Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, start to slow down, and subconsciously took another step forward.
His defensive anticipation was correct.
As soon as Erik Snow closed in, Lee quickly changed direction with a crossover, switched to his right hand, leaned on the opponent, and accelerated past him.
Erik Snow quickly tried to slide back to his left, but Lee suddenly stopped, then used his left foot in front of him to explode the ball and seamlessly stepped back.
Gathering the ball on the right wing, Lee ignored Erik Snow's jumping close-out, and quickly shot a transition three-pointer!
"Squeak! Swish!"
The whistle blew as the ball went in.
Erik Snow couldn't control his body's center of gravity and hit Lee's right forearm, which was caught by the nearby sideline referee.
Marv Albert didn't shout excitedly, but rather chuckled and joked with Hubie Brown beside him:
"That's definitely a wrong defensive choice! I've seen Lee's 3+1s too many times."
"Excellent coordination, core strength, and changing dribbling rhythm while moving. The 76ers' perimeter players will find it very difficult to limit Lee's offense."
Hubie Brown finished speaking and shook his head.
The frontcourt players weren't flexible enough, and the two perimeter players didn't match up physically.
The pre-game predictions, which were overwhelmingly one-sided, were for this very reason.
Allen Iverson stood with his hands on his hips outside the three-point line, watching Lee make the free throw, and quickly signaled a tactical gesture to his teammates.
The two teams had played each other too many times.
Just by looking at the 76ers' positioning, the New York Knicks players realized that Allen Iverson was going to shoot a three pointer.
After a double screen at the elbow, Allen Iverson came to his sweet spot on the left wing.
Not giving Ewing a chance to close out, he quickly shot a three-pointer from beyond the arc.
It was a rare open shot, but it hit the back of the rim.
The long rebound bounced out and was fortunately collected by Larry Johnson.
The New York Knicks quickly launched a counterattack.
This time, everyone rushed forward.
Head Coach Larry Brown on the sideline shouted loudly, signaling his players to retreat quickly.
After Lee, who received the ball in the middle, rushed past half-court, George Lynch and Erik Snow both closed in to block him.
As soon as the two reached the top of the arc, Lee, while moving, casually tossed the ball towards the upper left of the basket.
Larry Johnson, unguarded, drove straight to the basket, jumped up, caught the ball in mid-air, and easily put it into the hoop!
0:8. Head Coach Larry Brown on the sideline looked serious, but did not call a timeout.
The 76ers attacked.
After continuous patient screens and passes, George Lynch's mid-range shot from the left elbow clanked off the rim again.
The rebound was collected by Oakley, and Erik Snow no longer bothered with lead Defense, retreating quickly with his teammates.
Falling into a half-court offense, Lee signaled to spread out.
A simple pick-and-roll at the right elbow.
Tyrone Hill over-helped on Defense, and Oakley received the pass at the free-throw line, scoring with an open jump shot.
Completely unable to hold on, Head Coach Larry Brown immediately called a timeout.
Being down 10:0 at the start, the 76ers' atmosphere was also stunned.
Hubie Brown, seeing the New York Knicks playing more and more relaxed, could only sigh:
"Allen Iverson must respond on the offensive end. Head Coach Larry Brown needs to emphasize Defense. In some possessions, there shouldn't be excessive help Defense."
Marv Albert was momentarily speechless, thinking of the pre-game hype about the "grudge match".
In his impression, the 76ers had never won a game in the matches he had commentated on.
After the timeout, the 76ers scored a 2+1 on Allen Iverson's strong drive to the basket.
Allen Iverson, who had just made the free throw and was pounding his chest in a roar, hadn't had time to be happy for a few seconds when Lee cut in from the right wing at a 45-degree angle, attracting Theo Ratliff's help defense, and assisted Ewing, who was following up, with a one-handed slam dunk under the basket!
"Oh!"
Ewing also pounded his chest and roared, and the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden was completely ignited.
At 6 minutes and 21 seconds into the first quarter, Lee, facing Erik Snow's one-on-one Defense, drove with the ball in his left hand, crushing his way close to the paint.
As his opponent slid backward to the right, he quickly turned towards the baseline while still moving, gathering the ball in one motion, and from near the baseline on the right side, Lee drifted backward to complete a fadeaway jump shot!
"Swish!" The two-point shot went in steadily.
Clay Lee's movements were very wide, and Erik Snow's block had no effect, so the 76ers called another timeout.
3:16, with shots clanking off the rim, Head Coach Larry Brown's face was grim.
All his pre-game arrangements had been in vain.
Ewing, who was in rare good form, was not substituted early in the first quarter, and when the opponent attacked the paint, Gorilla still blocked Tyrone Hill with a big swat.
Allen Iverson's constant drives made the paint increasingly crowded, and the 76ers' big men had poor shooting touch, only scoring on second-chance rebounds.
As the Defense intensity dropped slightly, the 76ers' offense still didn't show much improvement.
The New York Knicks had multiple players scoring, and Larry Johnson, who was left open, also hit a three-pointer.
After calling two timeouts, Head Coach Larry Brown sat back on the bench, and like the rest of the coach staff, everyone had a long face, watching their players clank shots off the rim.
Larry Hughes, who came off the bench, also failed to change the situation.
Instead, like his veteran teammates, he immediately missed two shots, giving Lee a chance for a fast break, and he easily scored on a layup.
At the end of the first quarter, the New York fans in the arena were ecstatic.
Spike Lee had a large orange handkerchief wrapped around his head, raising both hands, cheering and celebrating along with them.
15:35, the score difference reached 20 points, and the game ended just as it began.
With such low intensity in the game, Lee lost interest, but Ewing didn't mind getting easy points, and after scoring, he showed off and interacted with the fans.
Gorilla had his best single-quarter performance of this postseason, shooting 4-for-6, with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.
Clay Lee played the entire first quarter, shooting 3-for-4, 1-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line, with 8 points, 1 rebound, and 7 assists.
Allan Houston was 4-for-5, also with 8 points, Larry Johnson scored 5 points, Oakley contributed 4 points, and Kukoc, who came off the bench, also got 2 points from free throws.
All the players who played in the first quarter scored, leading the two commentators to lavish praise:
"The New York Knicks once again showed the dominance of a championship team!"
"..."
The more Allen Iverson missed shots, the more he liked to charge to the basket, and once his offensive choices became predictable, the New York Knicks' interior Defense became much easier.
Also playing the entire first quarter, Allen Iverson scored a team-high 5 points on 1-for-6 shooting.
Head Coach Larry Brown kept Allen Iverson, who wanted to continue playing, on the bench, and the 76ers proceeded with their rotations and this game was most likely lost.
Aaron McKie and Larry Hughes partnered in the backcourt, with George Lynch and Billy Owens at forward, and Matt Geiger at center.
Despite the huge point difference, the 76ers' rotation lineup actually played better than the starters.
With Larry Hughes as the offensive core, they began to score continuously.
Head Coach Larry Brown, arms crossed on the sideline, no longer shouted.
The New York Knicks' rotation lineup also responded without mercy.
After only 3 minutes and 30 seconds of the second quarter, Lee completely slacked off after entering the game.
At halftime, it was 37:59, and the second half would enter garbage time.
With the game no longer in doubt, during halftime, the two commentators simply started discussing the New York Knicks' roster depth.
Marv Albert, familiar with every detail of the New York Knicks' roster, chuckled as he commented on his home team:
"Ron Artest and Lewis are both very distinctive players, but they lack game experience and often make some rookie mistakes."
"Thomas and Rasheed Wallace perform well on Defense, but their offense is not very consistent."
"Chris Childs is good at controlling turnovers. As long as the team maintains a lead, he usually doesn't make mistakes."
"Everyone knows Kukoc's ability. As long as he can find his shooting touch during the game, he can also put up good numbers."
Hubie Brown also nodded along, then added:
"Having all the rotation players available is also a test for Head Coach Van Gundy."
"Coach cannot predict players' offensive status every night. Defense is a more reliable guarantee, and in this regard, the New York Knicks have indeed slipped a bit."
Marv Albert, remembering Shaquille O'Neal getting the MVP earlier in the morning, suddenly said something unrelated to the game:
"The Lakers did not show absolute dominance in their first-round series."
Hubie Brown smiled and shook his head, not taking the bait.
With Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal playing 40+ minutes, returning to the Sacramento Kings' home court and losing two straight, then finally advancing 3:2, Shaquille O'Neal's boasting had been exposed.
After the second half began, Allen Iverson finally found his shooting touch, scoring 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting in the quarter.
However, the game was already decided.
Both teams scored 24:24 in the quarter, and the fourth quarter completely entered garbage time.
Allen Iverson was still on the court, while Lee, after being substituted at the end of the third quarter, had changed into his training clothes and was sitting on the bench waving a towel.
Playing only 26 minutes, Lee delivered a double-double with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 12 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover, shooting 7-for-13, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
Allen Iverson didn't officially leave the court until 4 minutes and 01 seconds remained in the game.
Playing 39 minutes, Allen Iverson also put up good numbers with 28 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers, shooting 10-for-20, 1-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 7-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Finally, 83:107, in Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 1, the New York Knicks decisively defeated the 76ers.
Lee didn't mind his opponents turning and leaving, and smiled as he greeted Marv Albert.
Although the "Voice of New York" maintained a neutral position during the game, he had no burden after the game, standing up and laughing as he embraced Lee in greeting.
"Great job, Lee! We can definitely defend our title this year!"
As a die-hard New York Knicks fan, Marv Albert had not said a bad word about the team or criticized any player since their championship win.
"Of course, I don't want to repeat the Chicago Bulls' story, everyone is ready!"
While Lee was chatting with his old friend, Ewing, who had also gotten his points, was being interviewed on the other side:
"Pat! Congratulations on the win, can you talk more about the farewell tour?"
The victory was too easy, so the TNT reporter after the game simply gossiped about the news they had received before the game.
Ewing, who had a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds, was in a particularly good mood at this time, and he raised an eyebrow, saying with great confidence:
"After winning the championship this year, my contract will also expire, and it's time to end my career."
"However, right now I am completely focused on the playoffs. As for the farewell tour, we will discuss it again in the offseason."
In the morning, Shaquille O'Neal lifted the MVP trophy, and in the evening, the "league's number one center" announced his retirement tour.
Although Gorilla didn't say much, the TNT reporter, who successfully got some juicy news, was satisfied.
No need to worry about hot news for the next week.
At the post-game press conference, Allen Iverson sat on the stage expressionless, and when the media below asked questions, he just gave brief, perfunctory answers.
Until a New York Post reporter maliciously asked:
"Allen, 28 points on 50% shooting, a very excellent performance!"
"But I noticed your plus/minus value is -27. Can you explain that statistic?"
Related plus/minus statistics have been available since the 1996-97 season, and while most people didn't care about them, the sports media present still gasped when they heard the number.
Seeing the surprised looks from the crowd and noticing the New York Post reporter's smug expression, Allen Iverson couldn't hold back this time, almost cursing out loud, and finally snarled:
"Next question!"
"..."
....
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