The Pope of Basketball Community

If Ewing doesn't play, the strength of the Knicks will drop drastically. After all, this is a stable 20+10 player. Before his wrist fracture, Ewing was a recognized star.

Oakley started as a guest center, and the defense was good, but the offense inevitably deteriorated.

Houston, Starks, Oakley, and Big Ben play off-ball screens, which are much less effective than Ewing screens. Everyone knows that keeping an eye on the outside is the key.

Oakley is a tough guy on the defensive end, but only soy sauce on the offensive end.

Ben Wallace is even worse. His weaknesses have been figured out by other teams. With a 33.6% free throw percentage, who will be cut if he is not cut?

Daben catches the ball at the basket, the opponent fouls, and when he is far away, he will let go. Daben dare not shoot, and waits for his teammates to run to meet him. This is really bad for morale.

The Knicks' interior offense was completely useless, and they could only rely on outside shots to open up the situation. They lost 88 to 98.

Even if Yang Rui proposed to make adjustments several times, it could not make up for the disadvantages. The Bucks also won from the outside, which happened to restrain the Knicks.

In 1996, the No. 5 rookie Ray Allen beat Alan Houston, scoring 35 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He is worthy of being a super shooting guard of the golden generation. This is only the second season of his career, averaging 19.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Small forward "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson scored 27 points and 6 rebounds, beating Bowen and Mills.

The big dog is also not ordinary. He signed a 10-year rookie contract of 68 million yuan when he first entered the league. He has not been selected as an All-Star, but he has star power.

The reason why he couldn't be selected as an All-Star is because Robinson's character is too bad and unpopular. In the selection of various honors in the NBA, he always gets a cold reception. In the first four seasons of his career, he averaged more than 20 points per game, but he was lazy, never willing to work hard in training, and always played with his talent.

The team lost, and Van Gundy was so depressed that he went to the press conference to complain. "Patrick's absence is the main reason for the Knicks' loss. We have already missed two important players. It is a pity that Patrick can't play."

Yang Rui didn't feel sorry at all, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Ewing escaped this disaster and may be able to finish the season healthy. As long as he sticks to the jump shot and support style of play, unless the opponent maliciously hurts someone, it will be difficult to seriously injure him.

The reporter asked Van Gundy: "Will Ewing come back in the next game?"

"We have an excellent start, and everyone hopes to maintain the momentum. Whether he can come back depends on his personal thoughts and the medical team." Van Gundy said deadpan.

On the way back, Van Gundy and Yang Rui sat together and scolded Yang Rui all the time. Van Gundy couldn't take it anymore.

"If it weren't for your broken proposal, we would definitely not lose."

"We lost the game, and Patrick's stats didn't drop. You don't need to be excited. If he plays this time, it will definitely not be so easy for him to put up good stats." Yang Rui was calm.

"We lost the fourth game." Van Gundy said depressed.

"So what, do you think it's hard to get the best record in the regular season?" Yang Rui smiled.

Van Gundy was stunned.

not difficult? Is it not difficult for you to get the best record? Many coaches have worked for a lifetime, but they have never led a team to win the first place in the regular season, and there are even fewer coaches who have won championships.

"Want to bet? I'm sure the Knicks will win the league's first record, so they proposed rotation to ensure the star's physical strength. Because the competition is not so fierce this season." Yang Rui lazily said.

Van Gundy thinking was taken away by him. "How many wins do you think it takes to be number one in the regular season?"

"65 wins are enough. The Bulls, the main competitor in the East, may not win 60 wins even if Pippen comes back. The three teams in the West, the Jazz, the Supersonics, and the Lakers, are equal in strength and have each other's victories. It is estimated that the final 60 wins will be around. .”

Van Gundy was stunned for a moment,

Judging from the current winning percentage, it might really happen. The Lakers currently have 6 losses, the Jazz have 10 losses, and the Supersonics, who currently have the best record in the West, have lost 5 games.

"The Sonics only lost 5 games, why don't you think they can keep going?" Van Gundy asked.

"First, the geographical location is not good, and the league is unwilling to praise the Supersonics; second, the Supersonics' first half of the schedule is easy, and the winning percentage is weak, unlike our strong team in the playoffs; third, the Supersonics rely on Payton and Wen Baker's pick-and-roll, and the others' open shots, the overall strength is mediocre. I don't believe they can win the first place in the Western Conference in the end."

Van Gundy asked, "Where's the Lakers?"

"The lack of a three-point shooter is the Achilles' heel. No matter how strong O'Neal is, he can't solve all the problems alone." Yang Rui said with a smile: "Don't take this Lakers seriously. Unless they trade a pitcher, the playoffs will not be enough. It’s good to be swept away.”

No matter how good Yang Rui's memory is, it is impossible for him to say that he remembered most of the games in the 1997-1998 season. Of course he remembered the key games. In the 1998 Western Conference Finals, the Jazz swept the Lakers with four stars.

Jazz center Ostertag, nicknamed "White Bear", is 218cm tall and weighs 130kg. His offense relies entirely on pick-ups. He doesn't have a mid-range shot, but he can resist O'Neal without double-teaming his teammates. If you don't, it's hard to beat the Jazz.

Van Gundy has never been a high-profile person. He has not won the best record with the Knicks since he joined the Knicks, so he doesn't believe Yang Rui's analysis, he just thinks he deserves to be beaten.

"Don't you want to say, as long as you play according to your offensive tactics, we will definitely win the first place? What Riley and Nelson can't do, why do you think you can do it all?"

"Are you mistaken, Jeff? If you take the first place, you, not me, are the ones the media pays the most attention to. I'm just an assistant coach. I can't do it with just me, but with your defense, there will be no problem." Yang Rui laughed.

Van Gundy was stunned for a moment, trying not to raise his hand to pat his forehead.

Being led into the ditch... I am the head coach, how can you say that he leads the team?

He was completely confused when he thought that Ewing's rest, reuse of Jackson, and Bowen were all Yang Rui's proposals.

Yang Rui asked in a low voice: "Have you never thought that it is possible to win the best coach this season? As long as the team wins the best record, there is a chance."

Van Gundy's heart beat a few times, who doesn't want honor? But before the dust settled, he didn't want to think too much, fearing that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Van Gundy had a smile on his face. "I thought you'd become calmer recently, and you're still so unreliable in how you speak. Let's talk about it after you beat the Mavericks first."

"The end must not be difficult." Yang Rui said relaxedly.

"Have you forgotten who ended our 16-game winning streak?"

"That's just a coincidence. The Mavericks are a bad team. They also suffered from injuries. Few can play. I just hope they don't lose too quickly." Yang Rui closed his eyes and began to rest his mind.

Van Gundy's face darkened slightly, he turned his head and did not speak.

The loss to the Mavericks was Van Gundy's worst on-field performance this season. The Mavericks currently have a record of 5 wins and 20 losses, and the only playoff team that has ever won is the Knicks.

P.S.