Champion, please stay!

Chapter 115, Section 113: You are my stepping stone!

Wade faced a one-on-one defense from Big Q, help defense from Curry, rim protection from David Lee, and double-teams from Yi Shui... His floater, which was against four defenders, hit the rim and bounced out.

David Lee immediately stepped back after Wade's shot, spreading his arms wide on the restricted area line. As soon as he got into a horse stance, he felt the impact from behind.

After interfering with the shot, Yi Shui turned around and leaned against Wade, stretched out his long arm, caught the rebounding ball, and passed it to Curry.

The Heat also had the tallest small forward, and they were quick on defense. Curry didn't launch a strong counterattack, and his ability to play cards was not as good as Duhon's. The Knicks pressed forward with the whole team.

On the way to the frontcourt, David Lee exclaimed with delight, "We've got the defense!"

Elementary school student: A 4-on-1 zone double-team, if you can't stop that, you might as well just run into a brick wall! Didn't you learn defense in college?

Yi Shui wasn't surprised. After all, since Larry Brown took over the Knicks in 05, the team had never allowed less than 102 points per game. In such an environment, the defense they learned in college would have been forgotten long ago. Moreover, David Lee almost fell out of the first round of the draft because his defense was poor in college.

Curry continued his pick-and-roll offense with Swift in the frontcourt, and Yi Shui once again cut to close range to receive the ball.

Wade, with his solid lower body, can withstand Yi Shui's strong drives and use his lower body to affect Yi Shui's jump, but he has no way to defend against cuts and passes. Even if he is perfectly in position and stands between Curry and Yi Shui, he cannot stop the two from passing and receiving the ball because the height difference is too great!

However, this time Haslem moved up early and blocked Yi Shui on the sideline of the three-second zone, while Marion also received the ball on the arc of the restricted area, blocking the area under the basket.

Facing a double-team from Haslem and Wade, Yi Shui raised the ball, flicked his wrist... and on the left side of the three-second zone, David Lee received the ball and made an open jump shot!
Marion is no longer the reckless hacker he once was, and Beasley is lucky to even keep up with Big Q. Centers are short... Wade has gotten used to and accepted that he can't defend them.

Tonight they face the Knicks, who average 112 points per game and have a stronger offensive firepower than the Warriors, Nuggets, and Suns.

Wade's goal is to score! The day before yesterday, facing O'Neal protecting the basket, he drove right through them. He completely dominated the Knicks' interior players... That zone defense just now must have been a coincidence, right? I've been watching Knicks' game tapes these past two days. Last week, in three games over four days against the Grizzlies, Spurs, and Mavericks, each Knicks player scored over 20 points in the paint.

A few seconds later, Wade drove past Big Q and into the paint, but was forced to pass the ball when surrounded by Big Q, Curry, Yi Shui, and David Lee.

Daquin Cook received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right side and hit a three-pointer!

With a score of 3-4, the Heat avoided falling behind by more than 5 points at the start of the season.

Wade sprinted to the backcourt, no longer clinging to any hope. The opposing team was completely ignoring everyone else and focusing solely on him. He even saw Swift moving towards the baseline to block his shot from the left side of the basket. Five players were guarding him!
He temporarily put aside his idea of ​​scoring high points and instead focused on driving to the basket to draw double teams and then passing the ball to his teammates to get the shot going and spread out the opponent's defense.

Having played under Stan Van Gundy since entering the NBA and later under Pat Riley, the originator of the tough, physical style of play, he clearly couldn't understand the defensive strategy of run-and-gun teams.

The Knicks players didn't care whether the opponent's outside shooting was on fire or not; they were determined to shut down Wade, who averaged 40 points per game last week!

Just as the Knicks' opponents double-teamed Wade more intensely after he scored 45 points in the first game in Yishui, the Knicks players were particularly wary of him tonight.

Wade's 'undignified' behavior in front of the camera before the game was unknown to the rest of the Knicks team, including D'Antoni and Cheeks. They all thought that Yi Shui was just trying to target Wade because he was scoring too fast. Anyway, the team's defense was so-so. At least Yi Shui had a clear target to target.

As a result, Wade drove to the basket for several possessions and found that the opponent's double-teaming of him had not decreased at all. On the contrary, their coordination was getting better and better. Occasionally, they could cut off his passing lanes by 'surrounding' him, forcing him to shoot against Yi Shui or Swift, two big men who were at least six feet nine inches tall!

The Heat also couldn't stop the Knicks' offense!
The Knicks allow an average of 107 points per game, ranking second to last in defense, while the Heat allow an average of 104 points per game, also among the worst!

Moreover, the Heat's defense was clearly not as 'carefree' as the Knicks'. After David Lee scored consecutive open shots from mid-range, Haslem dared not advance to the basket again. Only Marion, who had retreated after defending the pick-and-roll, could bring his hands up to the basket... Yi Shui began to dominate the paint!

If the ball is received on the outside, Yi Shui can forcefully penetrate Marion's defense. It's even easier to receive the ball deep under the basket and simply raise the ball high for a shot.

Wade originally planned to use his perimeter defense and Haslem's interior defense to double-team and limit Yi Shui. However, the plan failed, so he decisively gave up on guarding Yi Shui and let Beasley guard him instead. Since he couldn't stop Yi Shui anyway, he could at least save some energy on the defensive end from the physical exertion of fighting against Yi Shui, and also help Curry and Big Q catch and shoot on the perimeter.

Wait for the right moment, then seize the opportunity to score high!

Wade's idea was based on the fact that the score was always close. With the Knicks' defensive strategy, Wade could penetrate the paint, which would create opportunities for the Heat's outside shooters. Moreover, the Heat's players at positions 2 through 5 all have shooting ability, while Wade actually has the narrowest shooting range.

But the 'opportunity' that Wade was waiting for never came.

After a few possessions, he handed the ball back, just wanting to slow down. Under Beasley's leadership, the Heat were outscored 6-0 in 3 possessions!

With the Heat's starting lineup, all three perimeter players can handle the ball, but Dae Quinn Cook can only handle that much. Wade isn't the primary scorer, so it's just Beasley. The Knicks' defense is very disciplined; they double-team whoever comes to them!

Beasley was already struggling against Yi Shui, and could only gamble on strong inside shots. Now, he was double-teamed and forced to shoot at close range against the defense, missing three shots in a row.

The Knicks capitalized on two opportunities, with Yi Shui drawing double teams at the free-throw line twice, allowing Curry and Big Q to each sink a three-pointer! This extended their slim two-point lead to a clear eight-point advantage!

The "Transfer Station" skill of Yi Shui is incredibly useful when paired with teammates like Curry and Da Q, who excel at catching and shooting while on the move.

Wade abandoned his plan to conserve energy and seize scoring opportunities, continuing to play both the father and the mother role.

He wants 'scoring high and winning', but first he needs to secure a victory against the Knicks, a team with the second-worst defense. Otherwise, what's the point of those lousy stats?
However, he clearly underestimated just how fierce the Knicks' league-leading offensive firepower really was, and overestimated his teammates...

If the Heat had a point guard with above-average playmaking ability and decent scoring skills, like Chalmers? Or a big man with independent scoring ability, like Love and Lopez? Wade's plan could potentially succeed.

But they selected Beasley, and because Yi Shui became the number one draft pick, the Grizzlies selected local college prodigy Rose, and the Timberwolves picked up Mayo, the second-best scoring player in the 08 draft class after Yi Shui, a chain reaction ensued.

The Timberwolves used both of their second-round picks to select a center, instead of trading their picks to the Heat to select Chalmers. The Heat can only use their second-round pick next year to trade for Telfair, but Telfair is not only not a starting point guard, but even as a backup, there are concerns that he might overreact...

Wade can only play point guard, and his team's situation is even worse than in the original timeline!
首节27比32、第二节28比31、第三节25比29……三节打完，韦德打了29分钟，11投4中，加上10中7的罚球，拼出了15分4板13助攻，带队拿到80分，但对面拿到了92分！
The key is Yi Shui's side. After 25 minutes of play in three quarters, he made 9 of 16 shots, including 4 of 7 three-pointers, plus 5 of 5 free throws, and already scored 27 points!

During the break, Wade ignored everything else and directed his teammates to double-team Yi Shui, even though the opposing team was double-teaming him. He himself was ready to unleash his power!

Spoelstra didn't stop them. He was helpless against the Knicks' surge. Even Pat Riley couldn't make a difference with this lineup! Otherwise, why would that guy have retreated to the background?

In the final quarter, facing the Heat's relentless double-teaming, Yi Shui played for 8 minutes, making only 1 of 4 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring just 4 points.

Wade relentlessly attacked for a quarter, truly one against five, but still couldn't get his shots going, making only 4 of 12 shots, plus 2 of 4 free throws, for a total of 10 points and 2 assists.

However, the two teams scored completely differently. Yi Shui started to take advantage of the opponent's double-teaming and pass the ball early on, with a total of 4 assists in 8 minutes, leading the team to score another 29 points in a single quarter!
Apart from Wade's 10 points, the rest of the Heat team only scored a combined 8 points.

The match ended at 10:23 PM.

The Knicks defeated the Heat 121-98 at home!

The fans in the arena went into overdrive again in the final quarter, but not because the point difference continued to widen or the Heat were slaughtered, but because...

20投10中，其中三分球9中4，加上7中7的罚球，易水打了33分钟，拿到31分10板11助攻2抢断4盖帽！

First career triple-double!

Wade, who refused to leave the court in the final quarter, stood on the court staring blankly at the big screen.

His current thought is—I'm doomed. I challenged a newbie without any regard for my dignity, and not only did I lose face, I've become a stepping stone for him!

I need help!

(End of this chapter)