Pat Riley's office at Memorial Stadium, like the offices at the Blazers' suburban practice facility, is dark. The overhead lights are usually off, except for a single lamp glowing over his shoulder, almost like

The kind of lamp used during interrogations in secret rooms. Otherwise, the room's bare walls had no plaques or paintings, and there was almost no furniture except two hard chairs, a table and a lamp. There was a pack of cigarettes on the table, and

There were some index cards that Riley used to draw pictures for competitions.

So far this season, the Trail Blazers have won 25 games in a row.

Every time he wins, there are only two things Riley wants to emphasize: "You can't be complacent, and you can't be conceited."

He has been waiting for a year to face Louis' team again.

The Knicks' four consecutive championships should end at the hands of the Trail Blazers.

They have the best stars.

No matter what others think, Riley's own thoughts will not change.

"Pat, is there anything else I need to pay attention to in tonight's game?" Jordan came to ask for instructions.

Riley didn't answer directly, but asked: "How is Chuck?"

"Fat boy Alabama feels good about himself every day." Jordan sneered disdainfully...

He and Barkley are good friends, but it is true that he disdains Barkley's professionalism and mental attributes as a basketball player.

"That's enough." Riley affirmed, "We are fully prepared. The rest depends on what the Knicks plan to do."

On Christmas Eve, the Knicks were forced to play away games.

In the past, the league would arrange for them to play Christmas games at home.

Because MSG is one of the best arenas, playing the Christmas game here can increase the good impression of passing fans.

But the Knicks are allowed to play Christmas Day at home every year. Other teams also have objections, so this year they are scheduled to play the game at Memorial Stadium.

Again, all arenas called XX Stadium were built in the first half of this century.

This old-fashioned gymnasium, which doesn't look fancy at all, is a specialty of that era.

"I really feel that playing games here is not conducive to promoting the NBA."

Ewing spoke candidly to NBC's live reporter Ahmed Rashad.

After hearing Ewing's comments about Memorial Stadium, Louis couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

Another day of being amazed by Ewing's fluctuating emotional intelligence.

After Barkley heard that Ewing disliked their home court, he said disdainfully: "You know what is not good for the NBBA? It is for fans to find out that a person who is not the best player in the league actually has the highest salary in the league.

, if I were a fan, I would definitely think this league is unprofessional."

Before the game even started, the captains of both sides were taunting each other, causing conflicts.

During pre-match training, players from both teams warmed up with dunks on the court.

Louis noted that the Trail Blazers in the Riley era had many players that Rick Pitino abandoned.

For example, Anthony Mason, the bandit himself, rarely got a chance to play under Pitino. When he played for Riley, he was an important rotation for the Trail Blazers.

There is also Blue Edwards, a first-round pick in 1989. He is a swingman who is only 1.9 meters tall with bare feet. He is a bit like the Knicks' Vernon Maxwell, with outstanding shooting ability and a big heart. The key

His shooting percentage is higher than usual, and his physical fitness is good. He even participated in the dunk contest a year ago.

Pitino is not good at identifying the strengths of these people.

Under Riley, he values ​​those who are willing to risk themselves. Therefore, those who are willing to obey him and complete training according to his standards are more likely to be favored.

Mason and Edwards both got opportunities as a result.

After both sides warmed up before the game, the game was ready to start.

The lights at Memorial Stadium dimmed and the DJ introduced both parties.

Louis intended to test the Blazers, so the fourth position was neither Rodman nor Kemp, but veteran Kevin McHale.

For the Trail Blazers, they are Jordan, Jerome Cosey, Xavier McDaniel, Barkley, and Larry Nance.

This is the secret that has kept the Trail Blazers invincible so far this season.

Their athletic ability is unparalleled.

On the opening jump ball, Nance used his bounce speed to swat the ball away from Ewing.

On the first goal, Barkley met his old teammate and entered the low post unceremoniously.

Even if he just looked at it from a distance, Louis could see the muscle lines on Barkley's body. This is the body shape he had when he was in college. Although he is not particularly thin, it has been greatly improved compared to what he looked like during his Bulls days.

Riley did what 99.9% of coaches couldn't do and made Barkley lose weight.

Barkley took the ball in the low post, and the Knicks players retracted decisively according to the plan.

However, Barkley's back attack did not stop because of the close double team.

McHale tried his best to stay behind him, but Barkley's offensive momentum was simply unstoppable.

Barkley pushed McHale over, and Wilson's help arrived. He ignored the latter's defense and made a shot off the board.

2 to 0

"Kevin, you are getting old. Retire quickly. I really can't bear to beat you!"

Barkley ran back in triumph.

"That bastard, I really want to kick him!" Sean Kemp was furious.

"Don't!" Rodman said earnestly, "You can't beat him!"

Kemp said in disbelief: "You'll know after you try it!"

"What are you trying to do? If you don't play well, you just want to fight?" Louis glared back.

Everyone immediately shut up.

The Trail Blazers' five wings have the league's best athletic ability. This is a defensive system specially built by Riley for the Knicks.

From the moment they fell into position, the Knicks' players experienced countless confrontations.

This kind of confrontation is usually what they give to others.

Suddenly, the confrontation from the opponent was so powerful.

Stockton encountered Cauchy's one-on-one defense, stumbled through Ewing's pick-and-roll, broke through, and encountered a switch.

The person who switched to guard him was Barkley.

Barkley was the only defensive hole in the Blazers' defense, but Stockton's strong attack ability was poor, so he missed a great opportunity and passed the ball to Wilson.

Wilson couldn't see any other opportunities, so he forced a shot against the defense and missed.

Jordan runs fast.

The ball is passed from the backcourt to the frontcourt.

Outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, Jordan collected the ball, made an emergency stop, and chased for a three-pointer.

"Whoosh!"

"!#%@%"

"The Knicks must be familiar with this style of play."

It's like fighting with yourself.

This is the feeling that the Trail Blazers give the Knicks. From defense to offense, the opponent is very similar to the Knicks in every aspect. Moreover, they are like the Knicks on the dark side, more fierce, more aggressive, and more rough.

At the same time, their defense also gave Louis a somewhat familiar feeling.

They would rather miss the outside line, and they will definitely set up help defense at the basket and rely on rotation speed to make up for it. Moreover, the outside line that they miss is usually the point where Wilson, Miller and Stockton have the lowest shooting percentage. Riley and

Like Louis, he likes to study data, and he will not let go of this detail.

Try not to give Ewing a chance to attack Nance or others one-on-one. As long as Ewing gets the ball in the low post, they will use the physical fitness of the wing players to double-team savagely.

At the same time, we must lock down the Knicks' high-post dynamic offense. The Knicks like to pick and roll, while the Trail Blazers use a lot of delays, switches, and secondary switches when defending.

These may not seem new, but they require great discipline in their execution.

The Knicks have never encountered a team that has similar attributes to their own, but is superior to them in some aspects.

After four minutes of fighting, the Trail Blazers led the Knicks 13-7.

Trailing by 6 points, Louis was not in a hurry.
Chapter completed!