Champion, please stay!

Chapter 116, Section 114: Misaligned Attack
It was another busy night, and Yi Shui didn't return to her apartment until the early hours of the morning.

He was glad that he bought the house nearby, so he could live in his own home in the future. It would only take a few minutes to drive back at night, and there wouldn't be any traffic jams at this hour.

He dragged his tired body and took a hot shower, feeling refreshed.

Before going to bed, he turned on his computer and browsed the news.

'Wow, before the era of small-ball, a triple-double was a really valuable statistic!'

Yi Shui saw that he had once again become the focus of major reports on various websites and the focus of discussion among fans on forums, thanks to his triple-double.

The 'anti-riot team' arrived as expected, first praising his outstanding performance in getting a triple-double, but then they started to promote their own agenda.

The fastest triple-double record holders are Oscar Robertson (first) and Lamar Odom (second). The youngest triple-double record holders are LeBron James (first, 20 years and 20 days) and Lamar Odom (second, 20 years and 54 days). These stats are all posted in the news articles.

But this time, the 'explosion-proof' effect was practically zero.

Because Wade challenged the game on camera before the match, it was like adding fuel to the fire!
The post-match impact of this triple-double far exceeded what Yi Shui considered the scope of a 'rookie triple-double'.

From Yi Shui's perspective, he and Wade didn't actually have many matchups. He only directly guarded Wade two or three times, while Wade guarded him about five times.
Their defense against Wade was essentially a four-man "gang-up"; and the fact that Wade was held to a dismal 8-for-23 shooting performance was due not only to the gang-up but also to the "help" provided by Wade's teammates.

In the 40 minutes Wade played tonight, his ball possession rate was close to 6%, and he almost never dared to pass the ball directly to his teammates to initiate an attack. As soon as he passed the ball out, the attack collapsed.

But nobody cared about any of that. The hottest topic after the game was Wade's challenge to the rookie number one draft pick, which he lost. Not only did he score less points than the rookie number one draft pick, but he also got a triple-double and lost the game by more than 20 points!

...

Although the praise was a bit excessive, and Yi Shui felt a little embarrassed by the hype from some media outlets and fans, he still browsed the news for a while before turning off his computer.

Being praised can be quite intoxicating for the person being praised. Even though they know some of it is exaggerated or just empty praise, they still feel happy to see it.

Fortunately, Yi Shui had a system that allowed him to see a clear score of his basic skills. After being crushed by the Texas duo in two consecutive matches, he quickly calmed down after enjoying the praise.

He opened the system files and looked at the newly acquired 'technology'.

When Yi Shui first received the task of creating the 'Heat 08-09 season player skills blind box', he thought it might be a 'useless prize'.

The ceiling can be very high, like Wade's Euro step, but even if you randomly get Wade, you might not get the Euro step, and the probability of getting Wade is not high. The Heat have so many players, and most of them don't really have any outstanding strengths.

So they didn't pay attention to that during the game and just wanted to use the team to overpower Wade.

After the game, he drew the lottery results and, as expected, he didn't get Wade, but he did get Beasley!

"Mismatch One-on-One: Michael Beasley's excellent physical attributes give him mismatch opportunities against most opponents. He excels at using speed to overcome strength and strength to overpower speed. Technical details... Technical demonstration..."

Yi Shui glanced through the technical details and the 'video' disassembly demonstration, and felt... really lucky!
The mismatch isolation play technique that randomly assigned to Beasley is more suitable for him than the Euro step that randomly assigned to Wade!
If he randomly gets the Euro step, even if he learns it, the probability of him using it is not very high, and he may not want to use Wade's move.

He's in good shape now, but he'll definitely gain weight later. His current weight 'upper limit' is 109 kg, and he'll eventually reach 110+ kg. With the 'Heavy Tank' skill, he can gain weight above the upper limit if needed.

With that physique and the Euro step, he'll probably end up on the same path as Rose, Paul, and Roy.

Beasley's technique is different. He has all of Beasley's physical advantages, and he's even better!
Yi Shui didn't feel anything when he faced Beasley, but after watching the technical breakdown video, he was certain that he was no match for Beasley in utilizing physical advantages in a one-on-one situation.

Of course, Beasley's style of play has obvious weaknesses. Without a physical advantage, he can't make plays. If his lower body is blocked, he won't have any long-range shooting opportunities. If there is a center in the paint to help defend, he can be locked down.

But he only learned Beasley's techniques and how to utilize his physical advantages, not his style of play where all he cared about was the basket.

...

The day after playing the Heat, the Knicks flew to Boston.

Having learned new technologies, Yi Shui rested at the hotel for a while before calling his trainer to go to the North Shore Garden Stadium.

Curry also came to train with Yi Shui this time, as he was really bored staying in the hotel.

Boston, along with Dallas and Salt Lake City, is notorious as the most hated away game for non-white players, and even sane white players don't like playing away games here.

Of course, Curry didn't train himself to the point of exhaustion like Yi Shui did; he just practiced dribbling, driving, and shooting to pass the time.

He mostly stood aside, watching Yi Shui train. After watching for a while, he asked in surprise, "Brook, are you learning Beasley's offensive techniques?"

Yi Shui replied, "Yes, I think there's something we can learn from his technique in utilizing his physical advantages."

Curry's first thought was to offer a reminder, saying, "You can learn his skills, but you don't need to adopt his playing philosophy."

Then she added sarcastically, "I really envy you. You have such good physical fitness, you can learn any playing style."

Curry often felt frustrated when playing with Yi Shui.

Each time he recovers, he transforms setbacks and blows into motivation to keep going.

But at this moment, it's still hard not to feel resentful and blame others.

Upon hearing this, Yi Shui encouraged him, saying, "You are different from me. You will embark on a path that no one has ever taken before. I believe you can create a new style of basketball."

Curry chuckled and ran off to practice passing.

If Yi Shui hadn't exaggerated so much, he would have believed him, but what this guy said was always so outrageous.

If Yi Shui said he would destroy the NBA in the future, Curry would believe him.

But what kind of nonsense is this guy spouting things like "Reggie Miller is not as good as you", "You have the greatest three-point talent in history", and "I thought you would be my strongest enemy in the future"?

However, those seemingly nonsensical statements did indeed stir a slight restlessness in Curry, making him want to work towards that goal... This guy once said something like, "How do you know if you can do it if you don't try and put in the effort? What if you see a ghost?"

...

Yi Shui spent most of the afternoon learning Beasley's technical moves.

In terms of one-on-one awareness and utilizing physical advantages, Beasley is truly a genius.

In Beasley's 'mismatch offense', the move he practiced most was the inside face-up fake.

Actually, it's not that suitable. Beasley is 204 cm tall barefoot and has a wingspan of 214 cm. His physique is not advantageous in the paint, and he mainly tries to avoid shooting when he gets to the basket.

Yi Shui himself often has a physical advantage in the paint, so his offensive moves don't need to be so complicated most of the time. Mark Jackson also mentioned that he needs to simplify his skills in some offensive situations.

Because he learned most of his skills when he played as a guard, back when his physical advantages weren't as great as they are now.

But right now, the main focus is on learning the technical movements and mastering the rhythm of feints.

There's another reason why he practiced Beasley's techniques so enthusiastically—it could trigger the 50% bonus of 'Rhythm', plus the corresponding shooting training card, resulting in 2.5 times the efficiency!
The next day, November 19th, marked the Knicks' 11th game day.

In the morning's pre-game practice, D'Antoni arranged the team's defensive drill for the first time!
It's not that he suddenly liked defense, but that he found it helpful for offense!

Previously, when they were on defense, their positioning would be a mess after being broken through by the opponent or pulled apart by wing screens.

They don't protect defensive rebounds well, and the opposing team's strong forwards often steal offensive rebounds.

They've already encountered a player who usually averages five or six points per game, but has managed to score ten or more points or even double-doubles, four or five times in just 10 games this season.

The chaotic positioning also affected their formation during offensive and defensive transitions.

But last night, with a clear defensive objective and Cheeks constantly emphasizing positioning during timeouts, regardless of whether they could defend or not, their formation and rhythm were noticeably better than before when they pushed forward during the transition between offense and defense after the opponent's attack ended!
D'Antoni used to dislike defensive assistant coaches because they all wanted to build a complete defensive system, and their ideas didn't consider how much they would affect the run-and-gun offense, so he naturally rejected them.

The new teaching assistant's slovenly appearance became more and more pleasing to his eye... No, it wasn't slovenly, it was unruly!

This was something that Yi Shui and Cheeks, who were plotting against Wade last night, hadn't anticipated; it was definitely an unexpected bonus.

Yi Shui was naturally quite pleased. He himself didn't believe that their defense could improve much, but at least it had begun to change.

Cheeks also clarified his work direction and knew what to do.

At 6 p.m., the Knicks' away game against the Celtics tipped off!

The Knicks had a dismal start, with Perkins protecting the rim, Garnett dominating the mid-range, and Rondo, Ray Allen, and Pierce providing above-average defense on the perimeter. Plus, they had Tony Allen off the bench…

首节30比24、第二节33比19，凯尔特人队半场以63比43取得20分领先优势！
就在凯尔特人队以为已经把比赛打花了的时候，到了第三节，尼克斯队飙起来了，单节拿到28分！易水单节6投3中、外加4中3的罚球拿到10分；大卫-李5投3中加上3中3的罚球拿到9分！
Although the Celtics also scored 26 points in this quarter, withstanding the Knicks' comeback and only narrowing the gap by two points, they still led by 18 points after three quarters.

But in the final quarter, Yi Shui, Curry, and Du Hong launched a series of counterattacks, scoring 14 points and 4 assists against the Celtics, bringing the score to 85-93, narrowing the gap to 8 points!
At the crucial moment, Pierce stepped up, hitting two consecutive pull-up three-pointers against Yi Shui, and then responding with two consecutive step-back three-pointers to stop the decline!

The Knicks launched a fierce attack for a quarter and a half, narrowing the gap to single digits before their momentum waned.

In the final half of the quarter, the Celtics maintained their lead through solid team defense.

With the final quarter score at 21-30, the Celtics defeated the Knicks 110-101, avoiding a upset.

However, Yi Shui's performance still gave the Celtics' key players a real scare.

Yi Shui's opening game was a hot affair. They knew that the rookie number one pick was not easy to deal with. Their defense against Yi Shui in the first half was like an ambush from all sides. Pierce stuck to the perimeter, Rondo helped on the wing, Garnett blocked the mid-range shot, and Perkins guarded the basket. They used double teams and other tactics to hold Yi Shui to 2-for-10 shooting and 7 points in the first half.

But after taking a 20-point lead, they relaxed a little and were caught off guard by Yi Shui, who scored 10 points in the third quarter and led the team to a comeback surge, scoring another 11 points in the final quarter. They made 7 of 13 shots and scored 21 points in the first half!
In post-game interviews, when asked about the Knicks' comeback and Yi Shui's performance in the second half, the Celtics' stars had very different opinions.

Ray Allen: "He is the pride of our school. Tonight he once again showed his talent and strength. I am lucky that I am not too old and still have the ability to go head-to-head with him."

Pierce: "He's just wasting his time. We were just careless when the gap narrowed. Once I get serious, they won't have another chance... But he's harder to deal with than James."

Garnett: "He's a tough player, he won't be knocked down, he's definitely going to be a terrible player."

Yi Shui saw the post-match interviews with the Big Three.

The senior student praised him during their last match; there was nothing special about it, it was just alumni complimenting each other, and he praised the other student in return.

Pierce still spoke in the tone of "the best small forward in the universe," but he ended up bringing up James, which made him even more hated... but it doesn't matter.

Ironically, Garnett, who was constantly swearing on the court, also praised him... Was it because he had exchanged insults with this guy during the game?

Old-school players, they're all so eccentric.

After a day of rest, on the 21st, the Knicks traveled to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee to play the Bucks on the road.

The Knicks, still furious about their crushing defeat and failed comeback attempt against the Celtics the day before yesterday, vented their anger on the Bucks.

尤其是前三节7中1只拿到2分、末节才飙进了两个三分球，但全场也只拿到9分的库里，今晚15投8中，其中三分球6中4，拿到20分6助攻！

The most exciting moments of the match—

After receiving the ball at the free-throw line, Yi Shui passed it behind his head to Curry, who had come to the top arc after a screen. Curry, who had just made two consecutive three-pointers, attracted a double team, and even Luke Mbah a Moute, who was guarding Yi Shui, went around Yi Shui and rushed to the top arc.

Curry lobbed the ball out, and Yi Shui rushed into the paint, slamming the ball into the basket while riding on Bogut under the basket.

靠着易水的23分、库里20分、大卫-李18分……尼克斯队6人得分上双，以114比97大胜雄鹿队，将战绩提升到8胜4负！
(End of this chapter)