Chapter 36 Stellar Defense, Razor-Sharp Offense

After the warm-ups, the players positioned themselves on the court. The game was about to begin.

Lance, scanning the data, asking aloud, "New York Knicks adjusted their starting lineup today, fielding a fringe player with no experience. Charles and Chris aren't on the injured list, are they?"

Arnold replied, "Charlotte Hornets also have a rookie undrafted into the NBA. Let's see how it works out."

The starting five for the New York Knicks: Charlie Ward, Allan Houston, Bruce Bowen, Stephen Johnson, Patrick Ewing.

And for the Charlotte Hornets: David Wesley, Glenn Rice, Tony Farmer, Anthony Mason, Vlade Divac.

Coincidentally, both newcomers were small forwards.

Tony, undrafted into the NBA, stood at 6.75 feet and weighed 245 pounds. A mature player at 27, he had several years of play in European leagues, excelling in defense and strong low-post attacks.

The Charlotte Hornets aimed to replicate New York Knicks' trio of formidable frontcourt, to better secure rebounds and tailor their defense against the Knicks' forward combination of Johnson and Charles. Now, Hornets' head coach Dave Cowens was somewhat confused.

What was this setup? Who was Bruce?

Why was the New York Knicks playing so unpredictably?

Jeff often exuded a rigid impression, stuck with the same starting lineup as long as no one got injured, with no adjustments throughout the season.

This season, the New York Knicks seemed distinctly altered. Last season, Charlie was a substitute; today, he replaced Charles. He could organize, wait for three-point chances, and shoot steadier than Charles. This was the tactic the Dallas Mavericks would use in the future with Kidd, playing without monopolizing the ball.

At the courtside, Jeff, expressionless, whispered to Jerry, "Can you act a bit more professionally? Stop crossing your legs; you're not a fan."

"Jeff, it's just the Charlotte Hornets. There's no need to frown as if we're overly concerned about the opponent," Jerry replied casually, his legs crossed, arms folded, as if relaxing at home.

Jeff grunted, "This is a game. You'd better take it seriously, otherwise, if we lose, the media won't have anything good to say."

"You think we'd lose to the Charlotte Hornets?"

Jeff was speechless.

"Will you stand up to celebrate if there's a great play?" Jerry asked.

"What are you planning?"

"Just ensuring a safe distance. I've even got a towel ready, afraid I might hit you if we're too close," Jerry flashed a towel he had at hand.

Throwing towels was a benchwarmers' job! Jeff suddenly felt a generational gap between him and Jerry that seemed impossible to bridge.

Jerry saw no shame in it; why restrain oneself from showing excitement? He would do as he pleased. In his previous life, he never had the chance to attend an NBA game in person, and he was thrilled now.

Patrick won the jump ball against Vlade, the "Ghost Hand," a famous ground-bound center who barely jumped, just tipping on his toes.

Charlie took the ball over the half-court, shielding his back as the players dispersed. According to the plan, Patrick set an off-ball screen for Allan on the left, while Larry moved to the center to provide a pick and roll for Charlie.

The two screens nearly coincided, Anthony took on Charlie, who after a step passed the ball to the side. Allan shook off Glenn and shot a three-pointer.

Vlade, standing near the paint, two steps too far to be concerned, didn't switch to defend, and the shot went in clean. 3-0.

This tactic never failed; actually, it's what Vlade excelled at with the Sacramento Kings in the future, providing perimeter cover for players like Bibby and Bobby Jackson, helping his teammates get the ball off. Jerry was just experimenting with the Knicks a bit early.

To guard against such off-ball screen plays, if the center lacked the speed, it wouldn't cut it. And Vlade was never known for his quickness.

Charlotte Hornets on offense, the Knicks employed their scheme "pseudo-zone defense." This was Jeff's strategy, which Jerry had learned a great deal from.

Jerry's approach to defending was primarily man-to-man, but with quick switching on screen plays, focusing on perimeter shooting guards first. If there was a cut to the basket, the interior players would cover. Such tactics left gaps when facing opponents with playmaking bigs on the inside.

Most teams lacked bigs with passing skills, but the Charlotte Hornets were different; Vlade and Anthony were both excellent playmakers on the inside.

Jeff's defense saw the center near the paint, ready to protect the rim, while the perimeter rotated as needed, sometimes allowing less skilled shooters to take mid-to-long-range shots.

Vlade stepped out; Patrick stayed two extra steps back, eye-to-eye, formally man-to-man but effectively a distance too far to guard anyone. After a few passes, as Vlade was about to shoot, Allan left Tony to disrupt.

With broad vision, Vlade crisply passed into the gap, Tony caught the ball on the base line, unguarded but hesitated to shoot. He drove toward the basket, but with Patrick swapping onto him, his towering figure dominated the area. Tony's only option was to pass again.

NBA rules explicitly prohibited the zone defense, but many tactics were not strictly man-to-man, and no one was ever penalized for it. If the league started calling such fouls, it might as well be renamed a one-on-one gaming league instead of the NBA. Back when Michael faced the Pistons, he was often double-teamed without the ball.

With the shot clock winding down, Glenn's jump shot missed under Bruce's hassle, and Larry Johnson snatched the defensive rebound.

Charlie led the ball up front, Patrick once again helping Allan shake free.

Anthony switched on the pick and roll, and Allan took a step before passing. Johnson, who had moved to the right 70-degree angle within the three-point line, took a mid-range shot.

Vlade extended a hand, lightly disrupting, but the ball went in. 5-0.

Jeff realized Jerry was right again. Because Charles wasn't playing, the team could exploit mismatches in one-on-one drives. Vlade struggled to guard Johnson or Allan, leading to the realization that he was simply too slow.

David brought the ball up and played a pick-and-roll with Vlade. Johnson switched much faster, and unless against a particularly razor-sharp supersized guard, he wouldn't be easily outmaneuvered.

The ball went mid-court, Vlade against Charlie, using his height advantage for a jump shot that clanked off the rim; Patrick safeguarded the defensive rebound, setting up for half-court play.

On the side screen, Charlie passed to Allan. After attracting Anthony to switch, he didn't pass to Johnson but waited for Patrick's cut, passing low.

Glenn, at 6.6 feet, was disadvantaged in the low post against Patrick. With the other three Knicks pulling out to the perimeter, as Vlade stepped back on defense, Patrick passed out, finding Johnson free at the right 70-degree angle.

Glenn left behind in the low left post, couldn't close the gap. Anthony dared not leave Allan unattended.

Larry took aim and shot a three, which dropped, 8-0.

Commentator Arnold lamented, "Charlotte Hornets are too lax defensively to start. They can't let New York Knicks get such easy shooting opportunities."

"Today, the New York Knicks are doing the opposite of what is typical for them," Lance said, "Jeff is using Patrick as a workhorse, and the opening plays are all perimeter shots. It's a bad situation for the Hornets. Tony can't shoot, and I don't understand why he's starting."

Meanwhile, Tony was left open again. He attempted a mid-range jump shot from the right, missed unguarded, and Patrick blocked out Vlade for the rebound.

With impeccable defense and razor-sharp offense, the Knicks had taken the upper hand.