Coach Little Van Gundy ultimately had to pay for his stubbornness. Was it worth it to sacrifice the team's core center to stick to his tactics?
What's worse, at the same time the news of Ewing's injury was announced, Los Angeles also released another piece of news: O'Neal announced his return from injury!
With these contrasting developments, the overall strength of both teams changed fundamentally. The Lakers' biggest weakness was gone. Although O'Neal's condition was not at its peak, at most only seventy percent, as long as he could appear in the paint, he would be a huge threat to the Knicks.
In Game 3 of the Finals, the young Camby was dominated by an injured O'Neal, and the Lakers easily took a home game from the Knicks, tying the series at 2-1.
In Game 4 of the Finals, Little Van Gundy made another blunder by having Larry Johnson assist Camby in double-teaming O'Neal, intending to have Larry Johnson share Camby's defensive burden and ultimately lock down O'Neal.
As a result, He Xi Meng on the court directly changed the tactics, shifting the offensive focus from O'Neal to himself. Through constant off-ball movement and receiving passes from the double-teamed O'Neal, he successfully helped O'Neal record 8 assists while also achieving a Finals feat of hitting 8 three-pointers in a single game!
He Xi Meng exploded once again in this game, scoring a game-high 31 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
After four games, the Lakers held a 3-1 lead, taking the first match point for the championship.
When one problem was solved, another appeared!
The Knicks had finally managed to contain O'Neal in the paint, but as soon as the interior threat was limited, the perimeter exploded.
Kobe and Glen Rice hadn't even gotten going yet, and point guard He Xi Meng's three-point barrage was in full effect, overwhelming the Knicks' backcourt duo of Allan Houston and Sprewell, and they failed to defend their two home games.
Most critically, during this game, the Knicks lost another key player: Larry Johnson...
Game 5 of the Finals was essentially a battle for pride for the Knicks.
After three hard-fought quarters, the Lakers held a 20-point lead over their opponents. Little Van Gundy announced his surrender and pulled all his starters.
Harris also knew when to quit and fielded the Lakers' reserve lineup.
Ultimately, the Lakers easily won Game 5 of the Finals, taking the series 4-1 and hoisting the championship trophy at home!
This was the 12th championship trophy in Lakers franchise history and their first championship in nearly a decade, since the 1987-1988 season!
This was also the first championship trophy for several key Lakers players: O'Neal, Kobe, and Glen Rice. Of course, it was also He Xi Meng's first championship as a player!
Compared to the championships he won as a head coach, He Xi Meng clearly felt that winning as a player was much more exhilarating!
This time, he didn't have to worry about his "head coach" status, didn't have to maintain a "head coach" demeanor, and didn't have to worry about his suit getting stained by champagne or singed by cigar ash... In the Lakers' locker room, He Xi Meng shed his jersey, revealing his muscular physique, sprayed champagne with Kobe, and lit cigars with O'Neal, enjoying the celebration to the fullest...
What made He Xi Meng even more surprised was that due to O'Neal's mediocre overall performance in this Finals, missing the first two games due to injury and playing injured in the next three, he had one explosive game, but in the other two, O'Neal was double-teamed by the Knicks, forcing him to be converted into a "playmaking center," with soaring assists, but rather average scoring and rebounds.
Kobe and He Xi Meng both performed better than O'Neal. Especially He Xi Meng, who had two explosive games out of five, averaging 25 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Kobe also played well, averaging 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1 block, his performance second only to He Xi Meng.
Therefore, in the final f/
Ultimately, in this shortened season, He Xi Meng, who had coasted through the regular season, turned out to be the biggest winner!
With a championship ring on his left hand and a Finals MVP trophy on his right, he even made his teammate Kobe envious!
He Xi Meng's brilliant performance on the Finals stage also stirred up the socialites of Los Angeles.
Several socialites from the Kardashian family made appearances, cheering for He Xi Meng from Game 1 to Game 5 of the Finals, frequently sending him flirtatious glances, hoping to engage in an unspeakable relationship.
Scarlett quickly reported the intentions of the Kardashian socialites to Keira, who was still filming in the Caribbean, including how many times they shouted "Simon, I love you!" per game!
Keira asked Scarlett how she knew so clearly. Scarlett replied, "Because I was sitting next to those big-bottomed girls for these games... It was so noisy..."
Perhaps it was He Xi Meng's skyrocketing charm that made Keira feel a strong sense of threat. After He Xi Meng won the championship ring and Finals MVP, Keira took a week off specifically to return from the Caribbean beach and spent a week entwined with He Xi Meng. Only after harvesting the last bit of "grain" did she contentedly return to her filming.
He Xi Meng, looking visibly exhausted from excessive indulgence, participated in the Lakers' championship parade. Unsuspecting fans mistook He Xi Meng's state for "coolness." And He Xi Meng's "coolness" further ignited the interest of certain socialites with peculiar tastes. For example, the eldest sister of the Kardashian family, Miss Hilton...
Although He Xi Meng was not interested in these so-called socialites with skewed aesthetics, he couldn't resist their endless "chance encounters"!
"What a coincidence! Simon, you're here for this event too? Want to grab a drink tonight?"
"What a coincidence! Simon, you like the taste of this Chinese restaurant too? My Bentley is out of gas, do you want to give me a ride home?"
"What a coincidence! Simon, you're still training at the Lakers' club during the off-season? My best friend wants a few autographed photos of you, can you trouble yourself to sign one for me? Oh, I'm so sorry, I grabbed the wrong photos, these are my freshly developed photos, why don't I just give them to you..."