Chapter 873: Hard Corps (6K)_2

Transition offense and defense, New York Knicks ball.

Chales pushed the ball up at a controlled pace into the frontcourt, flirting with an 8‑second violation.

This slow tempo instantly put huge psychological pressure on the Lakers. In today’s league, only three teams can really impose a tempo slowdown on the Lakers, and that list does not include the Bulls or the SuperSonics. One is the Cavaliers, one is the Heat, and the last one is the Knicks right in front of them.

The Knicks’ offensive pace was deliberate. Alan Houston used a screen from Larry Johnson, took the pass from Charles Oakley who had popped up to the top of the arc to facilitate, and on the right baseline rose for a mid-range shot over the switching Doug Christie… no good!

O’Neal sealed inside, Zhang Hao secured the defensive rebound. On the Knicks’ side, only Larry Johnson, that Barkley‑type forward, crashed the offensive glass; the other three immediately sprinted back on defense.

After losing weight, Ewing hadn’t really gotten his bounce back, his strength was diminished too, but his footwork had indeed become more nimble than in the past few years, and he sprinted back to his defensive spot in a hurry.

The Knicks’ offensive sequence had actually executed very well. Unlike the Heat, who are pure defense and rely on stars going one‑on‑one on offense, the Knicks are pure tempo control—slowing down the number of shots. Just from this opening set, it was obvious their offensive coordination was quite good. Even though the help on Alan Houston arrived, Doug Christie’s rotation was half a beat late and almost useless; Alan Houston simply missed his first shot.

With no fast-break opportunity, Zhang Hao secured the rebound and protected it. After Larry Johnson got back, Zhang Hao advanced the ball himself.

Once in the frontcourt, Zhang Hao passed to Kenny Anderson, then moved to the right side of the paint to space the floor.

As soon as they settled into a half‑court set, Zhang Hao felt the defensive pressure—Larry Johnson was playing physical even off the ball, seeking contact on every cut.

Kenny Anderson lobbed it inside to O’Neal. As soon as O’Neal caught it, Charles Oakley came with an immediate double‑team, Ewing braced in a horse‑stance to body him, and Oakley went in with rough hands trying to strip the ball… whistle!

On the Lakers’ very first half‑court possession, the Knicks answered with a foul!

This wasn’t really about stopping O’Neal’s offense; it was about making a statement—to the opponent and to the officials—clearly declaring: we’re going to grind on defense.

The Knicks’ rise is something the league is clearly pushing, and tonight’s game is being officiated by the Knicks’ “house referee” — Steve Javie.

This ref is famous for being fair; he doesn’t favor anyone. But he likes refereeing playoff-style games, likes giving a looser whistle. This year, half of the Knicks’ games have been officiated by him.

This whistle came because when Charles Oakley tried to steal the ball, he slapped O’Neal’s wrist and knocked it loose—an obvious foul, and only then did the whistle blow.

Hearing the whistle, O’Neal broke free from the tight coverage by Ewing and Oakley. He already knew this would be a tough night for him.

Resetting the clock, the Lakers kept the ball.

O’Neal again called for it on the low block. Once he caught it, Charles Oakley again came with the immediate double‑team.

Before Oakley fully clamped down, O’Neal had already raised the ball. He lost the chance to go one‑on‑one, but at least this time he didn’t get smothered before he could even lift the ball.

As soon as Oakley bodied up, O’Neal swung the pass to George Lynch cutting along the baseline. Lynch took it and launched for a dunk…

Only to have Ewing, having instantly recovered to get out of the restricted area, swat it with one big hand!

Chales grabbed the defensive rebound!

Frustrating. O’Neal was already annoyed just seeing Ewing—why is this guy a starting All‑Star and he isn’t?

That last possession made him even angrier. Didn’t this guy see that Zhang Hao had already shaken free of Larry Johnson and was cutting down the middle?

But once he saw who the receiver was… O’Neal realized he’d gotten careless, treating George Lynch like Barkley. That was never going to work.

He hurried back on defense, but even after the Lakers had fully retreated and set their half‑court positions, Chales, holding the defensive rebound, was only then leisurely bringing the ball past midcourt.

Even getting blocked, you can still exploit the mistake—for example, bait the opponent into speeding up and running the floor.

But the Knicks didn’t; Chales advanced the ball fully and steadily.

Once Chales crossed halfcourt, his speed finally normalized. As he reached beyond the three‑point line, Doug Christie pressured up. At that moment, on the left side of the paint, Ewing was setting a screen for Alan Houston. Kenny Anderson, lightning quick, slipped between them and went over the top, beating both players to the spot. O’Neal, after Houston used the baseline screen, stepped up to cut off the baseline, denying Houston any chance to use it to back‑cut.

Chales seized the window and fired the pass. By the time Ewing caught it, O’Neal was only just reacting and had left a gap; Zhang Hao also immediately rotated to the left side of the paint. Ewing caught, turned, and went straight up with a jumper… and buried it!

The Knicks’ pace is slow, but their shot decisions aren’t. All five starters average over two assists per game; their ability to find chances within a controlled tempo is excellent.

Lakers ball. This time Kenny Anderson chose to attack one‑on‑one, using a crossover to change direction and find a lane past Chales. But Chales knew Kenny Anderson inside out—they’d been teammates for over a year—and was prepared to be beaten. He spun and chased hard instantly.

When Chales had stayed glued to Kenny Anderson all the way to the top of the free‑throw circle, he was suddenly screened! Zhang Hao!