Chapter 50: It's All About Know-How!

On December 17, 1996, the Knicks welcomed the Utah Jazz to Madison Square Garden.

After a string of easy matchups against weaker teams, they were finally facing a formidable opponent.

With 18 wins and 3 losses, the Jazz currently led the Western Conference, holding a record just superior to the Houston Rockets, who boasted their aging Big Three...

Chris Childs had been performing brilliantly lately. The new acquisition had successfully squeezed Charlie Ward out of the rotation, and Jeff Van Gundy's favorite player had recently fallen out of the primary point guard spot.

The Jazz's starting lineup remained unchanged. John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek paired up in the backcourt, Byron Russell and Karl Malone manned the forward positions, and the 2.18-meter center was Greg Ostertag.

Despite the advancing ages of Karl Malone and Stockton, the addition of Hornacek made Jerry Sloan's Jazz team fiercer with every battle, resulting in increasingly stellar records over the past two years.

The iron-willed head coach stood calmly on the sidelines from the opening tip with his arms crossed, only raising his voice to shout reminders to his players during defensive possessions.

On the other side, Jeff Van Gundy was shouting loudly. Having just bragged in front of the New York media in the previous game, he naturally didn't want to get slapped in the face...

After the game started, Patrick Ewing missed a hook shot near the basket, followed by another missed midrange jumper from the right baseline.

The Jazz's towering center, Ostertag, played a crucial role. His drop coverage in the paint caused the Knicks' offense to stall.

With the offense failing to open up, Charles Oakley relied on gritty defense to ensure Malone didn't have an easy time either. Aside from hitting an iron-willed jump shot in the right elbow area right after the tip-off, Malone missed both of his subsequent drives to the rim.

With 6 minutes and 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Knicks suffered a 24-second shot-clock violation, and the score remained deadlocked at 8:8...

"Boo!"

Jeers began to rise. Watching this grueling, defensive-minded battle, the New York fans were starting to lose patience.

As Hornacek drew a foul on Larry Johnson during a drive, Li You was subbed in for the starter Childs during the free throws.

Hearing the home crowd cheer for Li You as he stepped onto the court, Stockton, standing outside the three-point line, glanced expressionlessly at him before looking away.

Naturally, the Jazz had made preparations prior to the game. After Hornacek sank both free throws, the entire team quickly retreated on defense, with Stockton calling out defensive assignments to his teammates.

"Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks! Let's go Knicks!"

A massive wave of cheers erupted in the arena once more, with fans eagerly anticipating a fluid and exhilarating offensive display from their home team.

Though both were undersized guards, Stockton's defensive style was completely different from Penny Hardaway's.

Seeing Li You approach the top of the key dribbling with his right hand, Patrick Ewing stepped out to set a screen, prompting Stockton to finally apply tight, active pressure.

Li You could sense the veteran's hands working against him, so he quickly executed a between-the-legs crossover, switched the ball to his left hand, and immediately wrapped it behind his back.

Creating some separation, Li You shielded the ball with his body. Taking advantage of Ewing stepping up to plant his feet at the top of the key, Li You shimmied his shoulders, suddenly dropped his center of gravity, and smoothly spun away.

Scooping the ball up with his left hand, Li You accelerated instantly, brushing past Ewing's body to drive down the left side.

Instead of rolling rapidly to the rim, Ewing stood his ground firmly, doing his best to delay the chasing Stockton. Forced to switch onto the drive, the towering Ostertag noticed Li You keeping his center of gravity exceptionally low and instinctively took a half-step back.

Having shaken off Stockton's entanglement and realizing the big man failed to provide timely resistance, Li You crossed the three-point line, planted his feet forcefully, and executed a crisp, massive step-back to return to the perimeter, quickly gathering and rising for a jump shot!

"Swish!" The three-pointer splashed through the net!

10:11. In less than 12 seconds, the Knicks had completed their offensive possession.

Seeing Stockton stop by his side with a frown, Ewing flashed a wide smile and slapped hands with Li You to celebrate.

"Head coach Van Gundy has made the right choice! Li will make the opposing defense pay!"

Sensing the arena grow boisterous once again, play-by-play announcer Marv Albert praised the substitution.

Noticing that Sloan's expression remained calm on the sidelines—the coach having merely gestured simply with his hand—John Andariese chimed in to elaborate:

"It seems the Jazz were well-prepared. In recent games, Li has been facing increasingly targeted defenses!"

The Jazz's offense wasn't initiated solely by Stockton. When Malone received a pass in the left block, the rest of the players began moving without standing around and watching a one-on-four isolation.

Li You chased Stockton through a baseline cut to deny a return pass, while the interior big man, Ostertag, unceremoniously moved into the paint.

Karl Malone seamlessly delivered a high-arching lob. Upon catching the ball without bringing it down, Ostertag went straight up and completed a floater right in front of the rim inside the paint.

Patrick Ewing's vertical contest altered the shot just enough, causing the ball to rattle out off the iron.

Malone, who delivered the pass, scrambled furiously toward the boards. Oakley showed no weakness, and both leaped simultaneously. Relying on superior positioning, Oakley managed to secure the crucial defensive rebound.

"Fuck! Don't let me find an opening!"

Having been pinched by Malone during the box-out, Oakley handed the ball to the supporting Li You and muttered a low curse.

Noticing that the Jazz had once again settled into their defensive structure, Li You quickly dribbled across half-court and signaled for Allan Houston to receive the ball on the right wing.

After flashing a tactical hand signal, Li You immediately fed the ball to Houston. At the same time, Ewing sprinted up to the high post to set a screen.

At the top of the key, Li You first feinted a cut down the middle, then abruptly redirected his momentum, using Ewing's screen to slash diagonally toward the right wing.

Expecting a simple UCLA cut, Stockton fought through the screen and chased Li You desperately.

The anticipated pass never materialized. After his cut, Li You sprinted quickly toward the left corner. Meanwhile, Houston at the top of the key zipped a fast pass to Larry Johnson on the left wing.

As the ball swung across the perimeter, Oakley—positioned near the left baseline—timely set a screen for Li You.

The veteran lowered his center of gravity as he set the pick, his bent knee subtly jabbing into the left thigh of the chasing Stockton.

Fighting through the pursuit at full speed, Stockton stumbled heavily and completely lost his defensive position.

When Li You arrived at the left corner, he was completely unguarded. Realizing the danger too late, Malone couldn't close out in time, left to watch as the recipient of the pass rose smoothly for an uncontested jump shot!

"Swish!" Another three-pointer dropped!

Larry Johnson high-fived Li You to celebrate the assist. On the other side, Oakley stared at Stockton, who was sitting on the hardwood massaging his thigh, turned his head, and grinned at Karl Malone:

"Man, you'd better not leave New York lying on a stretcher!"

With a single veteran trick, Oakley had knocked Stockton out of the game. Ignoring Malone's grim expression, he jogged back on defense while cheerfully calling out to Li You:

"Li, take notes! This is all priceless experience!"

Watching Stockton limp toward the bench and absorbing the joyful atmosphere of Madison Square Garden, Li You nodded immediately:

"On the basketball court, there's knowledge to be found everywhere..."