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***
On November 5, 2001, the NBA announced the Players of the Week for the first week.
Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers successfully won the awards.
Compared to previous years, the change in the new season was that the awards began to be divided into two categories:
Eastern Conference and Western Conference.
Although there were only three games and a small sample size, Ray Allen's performance of 31.7 points per game, 59.6% field goal percentage, 61.5% three-point percentage, and 94.4% free throw percentage still showed his excellent competitive form.
Winning the Player of the Week award, Ray Allen proved with his actions that he was not a loudmouth.
He was simply better than the lazy guys on his team.
Kobe Bryant in the Western Conference was also in excellent form, averaging 30.7 points per game with a field goal percentage of 51.7%.
His efficient performance seemed to prove his leadership ability, and he was no longer inferior to Shaquille O'Neal!
With two spots for Player of the Week, players were more motivated, as everyone loves trophies.
Entering November, the NBA seemed to have completely shaken off the impact of the major events from the previous period, and sports media returned to normal.
After the first week of games, most commentators began to gossip and discuss, with the most talked-about topic not being the Player of the Week, but rather the old man, Michael Jordan.
Although he was 38 years old, expectations for Michael Jordan were still very high, and starting the season with two consecutive losses excited the media looking for entertainment.
This season, illegal Defense was abolished, and in games, some teams began to use zone Defense, with everyone collapsing near the paint.
Although there was a defensive three-second rule, allowing jumpers and defending drives had become the choice for many teams.
The New York Knicks' scores were not high in two of their three games, mainly because their opponents kept shrinking their Defense.
On the 5th, there were two games.
After a hard-fought double overtime, the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Orlando Magic 123-119, with the Seattle SuperSonics emerging victorious thanks to Lewis's explosive performance.
Lewis's performance of 15-of-28 shooting, 5-of-8 from three-point range, 36 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 assists attracted the attention of commentators.
Gary Payton also received unanimous praise for his double-double performance of 14-of-23 shooting, 3-of-4 from three-point range, 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists!
Allan Houston and Tracy McGrady of the Orlando Magic scored 28 points and 27 points, respectively, with the former shooting 10-of-19 and the latter 10-of-26.
Head Coach Rivers was very satisfied with their performance.
However, for the commentators, the focus was not on the outcome of the two teams' games.
In TNT's post-game commentary, they changed their angle to "criticize" Lee:
If he were still with the New York Knicks, could Lewis have performed like this?
"I think Lewis made the right choice. He got more opportunities for autonomous offense instead of waiting for shots."
"Of the 19 rebounds, 7 were offensive rebounds. Lewis attacked in the low post multiple times, which rarely happened in the past."
In the studio, Charles Barkley resumed his usual "serious" commentary attitude.
After saying this, he faced the camera with a "serious face."
Kenny Smith, however, did not agree with this view and said seriously:
"I believe that Lewis's experience with the New York Knicks helped him grow a lot."
"Not every player gets the chance to participate in the Finals."
"More games and more big-game experiences have accelerated Lewis's growth. I'm not surprised by his breakout in a contract year."
"It's normal for New York Knicks players to cooperate with Clay Lee. If you were the Head Coach, would you make Lee change his style of play to fit the role players?"
The topic of "ball hog ruining teammates" has always been a hot topic.
Ernie Johnson watched the two argue with a smile, fanning the flames from time to time, and finally offered his own opinion:
"Perhaps we all underestimated the New York Knicks' previous roster. There is no luck in winning a championship, and General Manager Grunfeld also deserves praise."
"..."
TNT's program began to return to its usual style, but what surprised Lee was the brotherhood shown by the "OK" duo.
On the morning of the 6th, on the plane to Minnesota, Lee looked at the news in the newspaper, and a "?" suddenly appeared in his mind.
When ESPN re-gossiped about the Lakers' internal news, Kobe Bryant, who had won Player of the Week, took the initiative to state:
"Seeing the terrible events in New York made me feel more about life."
"I hope to bring more joy to everyone through basketball. Shaq has always been my good brother, and there is no conflict between us."
Under the banner of "great love knows no bounds," Shaquille O'Neal no longer spoke of his younger brother's disobedience and also expressed respect, showing a "buddy-buddy" attitude for the first time since the Finals.
On the plane, Grant Hill also saw these interview reports, but he was not interested in gossip.
He was more focused on the statistics:
"Richmond seems to be really old. He has been performing poorly in these few games."
Grant Hill had witnessed the peak season of this veteran and seemed to recall the spirited Richmond who won the All-Star Game MVP, sighing with emotion.
Lee noticed Karl Malone's performance and compared it to the 36-year-old veteran, also sighing:
"Injuries are indeed an athlete's biggest enemy."
The New York Knicks had 4 games in the second week, which happened to be two back-to-backs.
The coaching staff hoped that everyone could find their shooting rhythm, and they didn't have too many demands on the outcome.
The Timberwolves were significantly affected by the loss of their draft pick, but they had started the new season with a three-game winning streak, and Kevin Garnett was still in excellent form.
Before the game, Kevin Garnett didn't forget to run his mouth.
He couldn't stand the New York Media hyping up the Rookie:
"I'll let that Rookie on the other side see what real competition is like!"
"..."
There was no need to instigate him.
Kevin Garnett "spontaneously combusted."
The Minnesota fans loved this.
The more aggressive Kevin Garnett's statements were, the more they liked him.
That night, in front of over sixteen thousand fans at the Target Center, Kevin Garnett kept roaring loudly, then repeatedly missed high-post jump shots.
Kevin Garnett, with a somewhat old-school player's demeanor, actively defended Pau Gasol.
Despite constantly missing shots, he never lost in terms of trash talk.
At 6 minutes and 18 seconds into the third quarter, the New York Knicks ran a curl-cut play for Clay Lee.
Pau Gasol moved from the elbow area towards the baseline on the right side.
After a down screen, Lee quickly popped out.
Kevin Garnett naturally shouted instructions to his teammates at this time, but Terrell Brandon was a step slow in his pursuit, and Lee easily received the ball on the right wing.
Amidst the boos from the Timberwolves fans, Grant Hill at the top of the arc delivered a cross-court pass.
The ball reached Lee perfectly, and he didn't even aim at the rim.
The moment he caught the ball, he twisted his body and quickly shot a jump shot!
"Swish!"
The three-pointer swished through the net.
Kevin Garnett, who was in a bad mood, didn't forget to pressure the referee at this time, constantly grumbling loudly:
"Illegal screen, they screened illegally! Look at this Rookie, his feet are never clean!"
"..."
From the start of the game, Kevin Garnett's mouth hadn't stopped.
This style of play was certainly effective, and Ron Artest had already gotten into foul trouble.
Kevin Garnett's speech was too fast, mixed with some slang, which often left Pau Gasol confused.
Clay Lee watched with amusement from the side, and after completing this offense, he didn't forget to tease him a couple of times while retreating on Defense:
"If it were in Spanish, maybe it would be better!"
Kevin Garnett was stunned, realizing that Pau Gasol probably didn't understand most of his trash talk.
Seeing the bewildered expression on the young Pau Gasol's face, he couldn't help but curse under his breath:
"Shit!"
(A/N: ššš)
The Timberwolves' backcourt didn't have many offensive responsibilities, so Lee mostly slacked off on Defense.
The New York Knicks had been trailing since the first quarter, and Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines even tried a twin towers lineup, but the effect was still poor.
No matter how the New York Knicks adjusted, the opposing Head Coach Saunders insisted on shrinking his Defense, adopting a stance of letting them shoot until they surrendered.
When the rotation lineup came on in the 4th quarter, the New York Knicks' Knight focused on organizing without attacking, Stephen Jackson confidently clanked shots, and Ron Artest missed a layup, suddenly getting hit with an 8-0 run by the opponent.
Jeff Van Gundy, standing on the sidelines with his arms crossed, shook his head helplessly.
Thinking about the upcoming back-to-back games, he simply shouted for his players to keep shooting.
Ultimately, the New York Knicks attempted 87 shots in the game, scoring only 90 points.
90:102, the Timberwolves secured their 4th consecutive victory.
With the team winning, Kevin Garnett was slightly embarrassed, shooting 8-of-25 for 19 points and 13 rebounds, a double-double.
With too many jump shots, Pau Gasol didn't experience real physical confrontation, only feeling that his opponent was indeed good at rebounding.
The Timberwolves' Szczerbiak was the most outstanding player, scoring 35 points on 14-of-19 shooting.
On the road, Ron Artest's Defense also had issues.
Regardless of the game's outcome, the enthusiastic Timberwolves fans still loved taking photos with Clay Lee after the game, as always.
The two teams only play each other twice in a season, and for many Timberwolves fans, seeing Lee once a year means they naturally don't want to miss such an opportunity.
There wasn't any bad blood between the two teams, as the Timberwolves found it difficult to break through the Western Conference's blockade.
Pau Gasol finally experienced Lee's popularity.
He hadn't expected the away fans to be even more enthusiastic.
On the evening of the 7th, returning to Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks easily handled their opponent.
The Hornets' offensive pace was slow, they clanked shots in half-court sets, and Baron Davis, unable to make shots, could only crash the basket.
The New York Knicks' outside shooting was also poor, but teammates missing shots didn't affect Lee.
After a 32:20 run in the 3rd quarter, the Hornets completely collapsed.
98:90, the New York Knicks handed their opponent a three-game losing streak.
Before New York fans could celebrate for two days, they lost by 12 points to the Pacers on the road.
On the evening of the 10th, back in New York, 88:98, the New York Knicks easily defeated the soft Golden State Warriors again.
After starting the new season with a 5-2 record, which was impressive, critics unusually agreed on one point, giving the same evaluation:
"The New York Knicks are no longer a championship contender."
What frustrated the critics was that even without their dominance, the New York Knicks were still among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Since the start of the season, only the Nets, with a 5-1 record, had a slightly better performance.
There were many games on the 10th. After the Nets defeated the Cavaliers 84:87 at home, critics were thoroughly disappointed with the Eastern Conference.
Jason Kidd had an all-around performance in this game, with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists on 3-of-11 shooting.
Facing the 1-5 Cavaliers with such a performance naturally wouldn't earn much praise.
On sunday, the 11th, after consecutive back-to-back games, the New York Knicks had another day off.
Clay Lee had already started preparing for Thanksgiving.
With more people celebrating together this year, it was naturally going to be a big affair.
While the players rested, the coaching staff began working overtime.
The start of each season was always their busiest time.
Assistant Coach Thibodeau noticed that Jeff Van Gundy had been in low spirits since the regular season began, and everyone was helpless about the situation.
Lee was well aware of his technical characteristics.
On the offensive end, he didn't need a complex system.
Just pick-and-rolls could create many variations.
In these few games, the New York Knicks shared the ball more, and even when opponents played zone Defense, they always managed to break it down easily.
Most of the time, Jeff Van Gundy didn't need to remind or direct.
Lee would just shout a few times on the court, and the players would know how to move and where to receive the ball.
In the past, the coaching staff would discuss tactics and scout opponents in the office, but as the Eastern Conference declined year by year, this became less and less common.
The next game was against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The opponent had a 4-4 record since the start of the season, performing adequately.
The assistant coach spoke for a long time, but Jeff Van Gundy stared blankly.
"Jeff, for the game the day after tomorrow, should we still try the twin towers lineup?"
Assistant Coach Thibodeau asked twice, and finally had no choice but to pat the Bald Young Coach.
Looking at the whiteboard in front of him, which already had many tactics drawn, Jeff Van Gundy, coming back to his senses, instinctively said:
"We can try a zone Defense at the start and see how their shooting touch is."
"..."
The coaching staff members were all a bit speechless, but fortunately, everyone gave the Bald Young Coach face and proceeded to methodically plan the game.
Around noon, while others had left, Assistant Coach Thibodeau quietly comforted him:
"You haven't been yourself lately, Jeff. The team is in a rebuilding phase, so we don't need to care about outside opinions."
Looking at his most trusted assistant coach, Jeff Van Gundy said dejectedly:
"Tom, I want to leave the team. Here, I don't feel any sense of accomplishment."
"Four championships, and I can't even recruit the players I like to the team."
"This isn't the treatment a championship Head Coach should receive. Year after year, have we really helped the team?"
Assistant Coach Thibodeau was startled by these words and instinctively looked around, noticing that only the two of them were left in the tactics room.
He quickly went to close the door and then asked excitedly in a low voice:
"Why? We've achieved success here. You've created accomplishments no one could have imagined."
"Player matters are for the general manager. We only need to be responsible for tactics."
Jeff Van Gundy didn't answer the question but stared intently at Assistant Coach Thibodeau, asking seriously:
"Tom, if I choose to leave, will you come with me? I need you. We can go to another team and truly showcase our talents."
"We can decide which players we want, we can develop the players we like, and we can even build a true tactical system."
Seemingly thinking of a bright future, Jeff Van Gundy suddenly became excited, but Assistant Coach Thibodeau was a bit confused.
Hearing the invitation, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Watching the Bald Young Coach passionately paint a picture of the future, Thibodeau suddenly had a thought:
"I have a chance to become a Head Coach?"
"..."
.....
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