Chapter 38 A Different New York Knicks

In the second quarter, the New York Knicks sent out five substitutes: Charles, John, Chris, Charles, and Ben.

Corns cursed inwardly upon seeing this.

'These are supposed to be substitutes? It's just too bullying!'

Chris was the starting small forward from the Cleveland Cavaliers, picked up over the summer. John was the Sixth Man of the Year last season, and there were two starters from last season's Knicks. The only one without much fame was Ben.

The current Ben wasn't yet the iconic player with the afro; he was just a 6.6-foot-tall center. After thinking, Corns determined that Ben was the Knicks' biggest weakness and decided to target him as the breakthrough point in their offense.

It should be easier than attacking the other four, right? Those four were known for their defense, with John and Charles having been selected for All-Defensive Teams.

The Hornets lacked an offensive substitute, so they lobbed the ball to Matt Geiger, who was 7  feet tall and weighed 242.5 pounds, to force his way through.

This was a tough guy who could even make Shaquille O'Neal change color. In the 1995 preseason, his slap caused Shaquille thumb to fracture, sidelining him for 20 games and indirectly leading to internal strife, resulting in the movement to Los Angeles.

Of course, while this bald big man had a shining record of injuring players, his offensive ability wasn't that great, peaking at an average of 11.2 points per game.

Matt soon realized he had met his match. Ben's legs were like nails hammered into the floor; no matter how much he pushed, they wouldn't budge.

Unable to get into the paint, Matt had to turn around and take shots from a distance based on his height advantage, but he went 0 for 3.

On the other hand, the Knicks' small-ball tactics allowed everyone but Ben Wallace to shoot from the outside. Although the players' individual abilities were average, it made for an easier game.

After 5 minutes, the gap widened to 31 points, and Corns was forced to call a timeout.

A timeout only proved that he wasn't just there to watch the game; he was earnestly thinking about how to adjust his tactics. In reality, everyone could see that the two teams were not on the same level.

Amusingly, a little sideshow occurred on the sidelines as the cameras caught Jerry and Jeff in an argument.

Many Hornets fans watching the TV went crazy. The Knicks were leading by so much, why were them arguing? Were they trying to set a record for the largest point difference?

The argument stemmed from Jeff's habit of playing his starters to death. Leading by over 30 points, he still wanted players like Patrick to play.

Jerry couldn't understand such overkill and directly voiced his concerns. "With such a lead, why bring back the veterans? To provoke the opponent? What if the other side gets desperate and commits a malicious foul, and we injure a starter during garbage time, do you think it's worth it?"

"They are not as fragile as you say. Without playing, their stats will look too poor." Jeff frowned.

"So you mean they play just to pad their stats? There are so many rookies on the team, and this is the best opportunity to train them. Isn't it better for the veterans to save their energy for the playoffs? That's when stars should go all out. What's so great about scoring 50 points against such a weak team?"

"What kind of player only plays one quarter?" Jeff raised his voice.

Sometimes talking to someone who was obstinate was useless.

Jerry clearly realized that there was a generation gap between himself and people in this era.

No team now practices rotation, and players took pride in the playing time. Playing over 40 minutes a game was considered Ironman-like; around 35 minutes was the standard for a core player; if you only played in the twenties, you were definitely a role player. As for whether efficiency dropped with longer playing time, not many people cared.

John even had a dispute with Jeff last season because he played less than 30 minutes per game, and only settled down after winning the Sixth Man of the Year.

The future was different; all teams understood rotation. The San Antonio Spurs, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Golden State Warriors were all examples. Especially that guy who loved to chew on his mouthguard, not wanting to clock out after three quarters was not considered a good MVP.

Jerry was speechless but couldn't tell Jeff that in the future the San Antonio Spurs would play this way, keeping their core players to around 30 minutes per game and winning five championships.

The Spurs' rotation strategy helped ensure the health and condition of their veterans, which was exactly what glass men like Patrick and Larry needed.

So, something frustrating happened. Jeff actually let Charles rest and paired Ben with Patrick in the frontcourt. With a big lead, his first thought was still defense, wanting to leverage both players' shot-blocking abilities to tighten up the paint even more.

This was like the Rockets teaming up Yao Ming with Hayes, which was not a good fit. Ben couldn't shoot from mid-range, and giving up bodying up to defend the pick-and-roll meant his strength advantage couldn't be utilized. When defending against guards, lateral movement was key, not strength.

After a while, the tactic changed to Patrick going one-on-one, while the others watched.

Jeff thought this was fine, but Jerry thought the game was unappealing and a waste of the players' talents, leading to a disagreement between them.

By halftime, the Knicks had dismantled the Hornets, and Jeff acknowledged the power of Jerry's offensive tactics, giving him face by letting Patrick and Johnson rest. However, in the second half, he continued to play Allan and John to ensure two perimeter scoring options.

Chris became a fringe substitute for the Knicks, directly reflecting the strength of the Knicks' roster.

With the game turning out this way, Johnson, who had wanted to perform well, became resigned. Facing his old team, there was no need to kick them while they were down.

Allan and John took care of the offense, while Charles, Ben, and Buck handled the defense, widening the gap to as much as 44 points.

In the final quarter, the Knicks played all substitutes: Chucky, John, Chris, Buck, and Ben. A lineup that crushed the Hornets' also full-substitute team.

After missing twice, Chucky found his rhythm, scoring twice after pick-and-rolls and hitting a three-pointer from the perimeter, exploiting Matt's lack of speed.

Ben grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in a single quarter, standing out with his performance. However, his weakness was exposed when he was sent to the free-throw line twice and missed all his shots, including an airball.

The home team was completely crushed, and even with Ben's poor free throws, the Hornets' fans were upset; it was their only consolation. With 5 minutes left in the game, many fans started leaving early.

Jeff told Jerry, "Find some time to let Ben practice free throws. If he can get good at free throws and shoot a bit from mid-range, he could be a starter and become a star."

"I think it's tough for him to develop a mid-range shot because of his muscle. You might as well let him be a blue-collar player," Jerry said with a laugh.

Teaching Ben to shoot was a task more difficult than winning a championship, and Jerry didn't want that job to fall on him. In his previous life, many tried to help Ben with his shooting, but to no avail until he retired.

Just looking at offense, Ben was even worse than Hayes, who at least could make free throws.

The score was 117 to 76, with the Knicks triumphing by 41 points for a victorious season opener.

Reporting the result, Lance said, "In an earlier game that finished, the Chicago Bulls lost their opener to the Boston Celtics. Yet the Knicks have secured such a victory, perhaps they could beat the Bulls."

Arnold exclaimed, "Today, we have seen a different New York Knicks."