The impact of the shortened season from 1998 to 1999 was greater than the NBA had expected.
50 games were played in three months, and teams from the same division frequently played against each other.
The result was that fans were tired of it, and when it came to the playoffs, there was a serious lack of sense of ceremony!
The teams the Knicks have played against the most this season are the Atlantic Division teams such as the Heat, Magic, and 76ers.
In the first round of the playoffs, they faced the 76ers.
Before the game started, New York fans had already started celebrating the victory of the series.
This season, the Clippers, who got the No. 1 pick, tied the record set by the Miami Heat in the 1988-89 season, and started the season with 17 consecutive losses.
This was the first time the Bulls had missed the playoffs in 15 seasons.
Chicago fans were stunned as the team was falling too fast.
After the regular season, the Eastern and Western Conference rankings were officially released.
The top eight teams in the East are:
The Knicks with 39 wins, the Heat with 33 wins, the Pacers with 32 wins, and the Magic with 31 wins;
The Hawks with 30 wins, the Pistons with 28 wins, the Bucks with 28 wins, and the 76ers with 27 wins.
The top eight teams in the Western Conference are:
Spurs with 37 wins, Jazz with 37 wins, Trail Blazers with 35 wins, Lakers with 31 wins;
Rockets with 31 wins, Kings with 27 wins, Suns with 27 wins, SuperSonics with 25 wins.
The lockout-shortened season caused Vin Baker of the SuperSonics to gain weight, and even though Gary Payton performed well, he almost missed the playoffs.
In the end, the SuperSonics relied on the win-loss record to defeat the Timberwolves, who also had 25 wins.
In the middle of the season, Marbury's departure still had a significant impact on the Timberwolves' strength.
This year's playoff schedule is also very tight.
After two days of rest, the first round will officially begin.
For the 76ers, they only have one day to rest, as they have to fly to New York on the 7th to prepare for the game.
On the morning of May 7, the NBA hastily announced the leaders of various statistics this season:
Chris Webber of the Kings won the rebounding title with an average of 13.0 rebounds per game;
Jason Kidd of the Suns won the assist title with an average of 10.8 assists per game;
Alonzo Mourning of the Heat won the block title with an average of 3.9 blocks per game;
Kendall Gill of the Brooklyn Nets won the steals title with an average of 2.7 steals per game.
Averaging 26.9 points per game, the Knicks' Lee finally beat Iverson and O'Neal to win the scoring title of this season!
After the NBA announced the list of winners, the New York media was delighted, but also did not forget to mock:
"Jason Kidd is just a stat brush."
There is no All-Star selection this season, and these awards are what many players are pursuing.
After the results were announced, O'Neal, who was still preparing for the playoffs, complained to the Los Angeles media:
"I don't care about the statistics at all, I just want to win. You all know that I have the ability to win the scoring title or the rebounding title!"
"But I won't play for statistics like some young players do. This year I will prove myself in the playoffs and I will win the championship!"
The petty-minded Shark was madly eating lemons.
In the last few games, he almost secured the scoring title.
Unfortunately, in the game against the SuperSonics in early May, he only made 9 of 20 free throws.
He could have easily scored 40+ points, but in the end he only scored 33 points.
In the next two games, he was defeated by the weak team. O'Neal, who wanted to save face, did not let go and watched Lee's score continue to rise.
ESPN soon announced this season's regular season rankings, and some of the data again made many sports media drop their jaws.
In the 50 regular season games, Clay Lee started all of them;
He averaged 37.8 minutes per game, averaging 26.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.2 turnovers per game;
He averaged 19.4 shots per game, with a shooting percentage of 47.8%, 6.6 shots from beyond the three-point line, with a three-point shooting percentage of 40.9%, and 6.1 free throws per game, with a free throw shooting percentage of 91.0%.
1344 points in a single season, ranking first in the scoring list!
O'Neal, who played 49 games, scored 1289 points.
The gap between the two is really small, which is why the Shark is not convinced.
In the assist list, with 489 assists in a single season, Lee ranks second, and Kidd, who ranks first, has 539 assists;
In the hit list, Lee hit 463 balls this season, averaging 9.3 balls per game, also ranking second, second only to O'Neal;
in the three-point list, with 138 three-pointers in a single season, averaging 2.8 balls per game, Lee leads the Raptors' Dee Brown by a slight advantage and ranks first;
In terms of three-point shooting percentage, Lee ranked 8th.
Although Dell Curry, who ranked first, did not produce much, his 47.6% three-point shooting percentage also stunned many people.
On the free throw list, Lee ranked fourth with 307 free throws in a single season, and third in free throw percentage.
Reggie Miller and Billups ranked first and second respectively;
The 91.5% free throw percentage also set a career high for Reggie Miller.
In the true shooting percentage list, Lee rushed to the third place with a true shooting percentage of 60.8%, while O'Neal, who was eating lemons, was 58.4%, ranking 12th.
On the efficiency value list, O'Neal topped the efficiency value with 30.6, and Lee ranked second with 30.2.
The two of them were far ahead of other players!
MVP favorite Karl Malone's efficiency value is 25.6, David Robinson 24.9, Alonzo Mourning 24.6, Grant Hill 23.9, and Tim Duncan 23.2.
Among the top 10 players, only Lee is a guard, Grant Hill is a forward, and the remaining 8 are all big inside players.
On the TNT show, McHale was a little confused when he looked at the regular season rankings.
Lee's statistics are very good, and his playing is also very good, but some of his advanced statistics are better than Duncan's, which is completely beyond the expectations of this famous player:
"Perhaps I am a little behind the times. I don't quite understand these statistics. Lee is indeed very strong, much stronger than any of us expected."
Without direct head-to-head comparisons, the selection of MVP will depend on the results and Excellence.
Duncan's performance in advanced statistics was no better than that of old man Karl Malone, which made McHale, who had been bragging about it for a season, feel a little embarrassed.
Compared to the leisurely playoff predictions and player analysis every year, this year's TNT program was also rushed.
Kenny Smith saw the data rankings and couldn't help but praise:
"Since mid-March, Clay Lee has increased his number of shots. Maybe he is still behind Michael Jordan, but his all-round offense is completely consistent with these data."
"With almost the same left and right hands, he can attack with the ball after the pick-and-roll, and he has created a new style of play for the No. 1 position, with his efficient transition and free throw skills near the basket!"
"This also points the way forward for point guards in the league. Combination guards, the expectations that were once there seem to have been realized."
In the studio, McHale was still in disbelief and kept shaking his head, while fellow partner Kenny Smith couldn't stop whistling.
After hearing the director's prompt, host Ernie Johnson also said in a brisk tone:
"After the birth of PER, we can see that Michael Jordan had PER above 31 four times in a single season in his career."
"Wilt Chamberlain scored over 30 points three times in his career and set the highest PER in history in the 1962-1963 season - 31.8."
"In the 1993-1994 season, David Robinson also had a PER of 30.7. This year, Shaq and Lee also joined the group. Both of them played at a historic level."
"Although there are a few direct games this season, after seeing this data, do you think there is still suspense about the MVP?"
In the long history of the NBA, including this year's Lee and O'Neal, there are only five people with an efficiency value of more than 30.
The data was really scary.
Kenny Smith smiled and shook his head, then looked at McHale on the other side.
The legendary star was still somewhat reluctant, but finally said:
"With the best record in the league and historical efficiency, I can't think of any reason not to vote for Lee!"
"Congratulations to Lee, he really had a perfect season!"
"."
On the morning of May 8, the front page headlines of the sports section of New York newspapers were all about Lee:
"Clay-Lee, 21 years old and 127, the youngest scoring champion in NBA history!"
"Surpassing Rick Barry and breaking the 31-year-old scoring record, a historical point guard!"
"The new king of New York, Lee will start the Knicks' 'Show Time' era!"
"."
Allen Iverson was depressed when he arrived in New York.
He played in 48 games this season, averaging 26.8 points per game, ranking behind O'Neal in the total scoring list and behind Lee in average points per game.
I thought he would be the scoring leader, but his efficiency was poor in the last game and he ultimately lost to Lee.
The MSG channel on the TV in the hotel is praising Clay Lee in various ways every day.
If you change the channel, you can also see TV commercials.
Nike promotes Lee's signature shoes every day:
"Anything is possible!"
In addition, advertisements from McDonald's, Pepsi, and Nintendo were also being run, and Iverson felt that he could see Lee's smiling face every day.
The followers bought a newspaper and took a look, and found that the articles in the sports columns of these newspapers were also mindless and exaggerated.
In addition, there was a huge poster of Lee and his signature sneakers hanging outside Madison Square Garden.
When Iverson and his followers came here, they felt that they were surrounded by Lee.
In the morning video class in the hotel, Larry Brown found that Iverson was not focused enough.
The famous coach who liked to pay close attention to details frowned secretly in his heart, then raised his voice and said,
"Remember our defensive principles, don't go around the bottom line and give the opponent a chance to shoot from outside the three-point line!"
"Theo, Matt, you must pay extra attention. If Eric loses his position, remember to delay him in time!"
Theo Ratliff and Matt Geiger nodded as they heard the head coach's words.
The two teams have played against each other frequently, and the 76ers' big inside players are also familiar with Lee's playing style.
Although the big delay is uncomfortable, it is the best defensive option.
Seeing that Iverson was still distracted, Larry Brown was in a bad mood and simply called him out:
"Allen, we need you to score, handle the ball quickly and control your turnovers!"
"Everyone should pay attention to this. The opponent is the defending champion and has an average of only 13.5 turnovers per game this season. Don't imagine that the opponent will give us a chance."
Iverson came to his senses and nodded in agreement, but he felt unhappy when he thought about watching Lee receive the award at Madison Square Garden in the evening.
The Knicks team had been preparing for the game step by step in the past two days.
Since there were too many regular season games, it was difficult for everyone to feel a sense of urgency.
Ewing, who failed to lose weight, felt jealous when he saw the New York media praising Lee every day, but he still maintained his leadership style in the locker room.
After the morning training session, the gorilla took the opportunity when everyone returned to the locker room to immediately encourage loudly:
"This year is definitely the best time for us to defend our title. Everyone is nervous going into the playoffs."
Sprewell curled his lips secretly as he looked at Ewing with the fat on his face.
Although he didn't start, he will most likely get the best 6th man award.
This season, the "madman" has gained something!
Oakley didn't care about opponents like the 76ers.
The old guy returned to his seat and casually echoed:
"Even though we got that little guy to the basket, within half court, he was out of touch."
Alan Houston and Larry Johnson were also full of confidence.
They discussed in a low voice what to eat for lunch.
Lee saw that no one took the opponent seriously, so he simply reminded them:
"It's still the same. Control your turnovers. The scorer in the opponent's rotation is a freshman. Give him a taste of his own medicine!"
Sprewell nodded in agreement.
In the rotation lineup, he was the main scorer and happened to be opposite Larry Hughes.
He responded to Lee's reminder confidently.
The atmosphere team was equally motivated.
There was no need for Jeff Van Gundy's chicken soup.
Everyone was full of confidence in the 76ers.
At 7:30 p.m. that evening, half an hour before the game was to start, Madison Square Garden was already full.
Tickets were in short supply, and most of the fans who bought tickets wanted to witness Lee win the scoring title at home.
As for the 76ers, no one cared.
When Ewing and Oakley come on the court, the New York fans present will still give the two veterans huge cheers.
The atmosphere in the stadium reached a climax when Lee, the last player to appear on the stage, brought the atmosphere in the stadium to a climax.
On the visiting team's bench, Iverson found that he didn't even get a boo.
The inflated New York fans had obviously treated him as a loser.
Wearing training clothes, Iverson watched Lee "fully armed" and smiling as he received the crystal trophy for the scoring champion in the middle of the field.
He couldn't help but curse in his heart:
"Damn New York!"
After NBA Vice President Russ Granik handed the trophy to Lee, he smiled and applauded along with the league's staff.
In the center of the field, Lee, wearing the Knicks' white home jersey, raised the trophy, and loud shouts immediately rang out in the arena:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
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