Champion, please stay!

Chapter 117, page 115: When it comes to bad luck, look to the Trail Blazers.

After two consecutive away games, Yi Shui returned to New York with the team.

He checked the schedule and realized he wouldn't need to travel for the rest of the month. There were four home games left, giving him more time to practice Beasley's mismatch one-on-one play. As for the away games next month... he'd deal with that next month!

After a night's rest, on the 23rd, the Knicks hosted the Wizards at home.

尼克斯队开局不利，首节25比28、第二节26比31，半场51比59落后8分。

In the third quarter, the Knicks continued to score 25 points, while the Wizards' offense suddenly stalled, scoring only 23 points. The Knicks finally stopped their losing streak!
On one hand, Arenas is out injured, leaving them without their key player in the third quarter, a situation that has plagued them in previous years.

The Knicks' defensive adjustments also paid off. In the first half, they were surrounded and shot by Jamison and Caron Butler. At halftime, Cheeks finally came up with a way to cut off the passing, and the Wizards' outside shooting went cold!
Wizards center Andre Blatche took advantage of the situation to attack the basket, scoring 13 points in the quarter, but it still couldn't stop the downward trend in the offense.

After three quarters, the Knicks narrowed the score to 76-82, reducing the gap to 6 points!
In the final quarter, the Wizards were unable to replicate their first-half offensive momentum.

The Knicks found their rhythm with their outside shooting, and Yi Shui set screens for Harrington before cutting in to receive assists or draw double teams.

Curry and Durant made runs on the wings, received a pass from Harrington, and together with Harrington himself, the three of them rained down three-pointers!
易水6分、哈灵顿7分、库里6分、杜洪9分，加上轮换上场吃饼的威尔森-钱德勒和鸟人加起来的8分，尼克斯队末节狂轰36分！
The Wizards' star players Jamison and Butler shot hard, but the team only scored 25 points and couldn't stop the opponent from turning the game around.

易水22分12板6助攻、库里12分4助攻、杜洪14分5助攻、哈灵顿13分4助攻、大卫-李14分10板、威尔森-钱德勒11分……尼克斯队6人得分上双，以112比107逆转奇才队！
The two highest scorers tonight were both on the Wizards: Jamison with 29 points and Butler with 31 points. However, both of them could only score in regulation time and needed to score through isolation plays, so neither of them could really contribute significantly.

In his post-game analysis, a US cable sports commentator discussed Arenas's massive contract, which seemed destined to fail as soon as it was signed. He argued that the Wizards had no choice but to pay him, even though Arenas was confirmed to be out for a year, since the roster was entirely built around him.

...

After playing the Wizards, the Knicks got two days of rest.

On the afternoon of the first rest day, the Knicks gathered and did not have any high-intensity training. They just practiced defensive positioning and movement, and then transitioned between offense and defense.

Over the past four games, D'Antoni has deeply felt the benefits of disciplined defense.

They didn't manage to stop them. They blocked this spot, and unless the opposing team only had Caron Butler and Mike James to pass the ball like the Wizards, they could shift their focus to the players outside the blocked area.

However, after implementing a pincer attack defense with clear positioning and movement range, their ability to switch between offense and defense and seize opportunities to gain momentum has indeed improved significantly!

That was evident in the second half of the game against the Celtics.

Yi Shui also had impressive rebounding skills. In the nine games before the Heat, he grabbed a total of 67 rebounds, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game.

从打热火队开始，4场比赛分别拿到10板、8板、8板、12板，场均9.5板！
Yi Shui's ability to secure rebounds, whether by pushing the ball up the court directly or by finding Duhon, Curry, Chalmers, and Nate Robinson, was far superior to that of David Lee, Swift, and Birdman.

Moreover, in the same amount of playing time, Yi Shui's physical condition in these few games was significantly better than in the previous 9 games!
Yi Shui's foul count has also decreased significantly. In the first 9 games, he never committed fewer than 3 fouls, averaging 3.7 fouls per game, which is more than Gui Gui's. However, in the last 4 games, he has committed 1 or 2 fouls.

In the past, he would often sprint long distances to block and interfere with the shot. Even if the "Covering the Sky" skill helped him predict that he would definitely not be able to block, he still had to fight. If he didn't fight, he would really have no protection at all.

However, with the emphasis now on compact formations, such defensive tactics have decreased significantly, and fouls have also been reduced considerably.

However, Yi Shui is not improving in all aspects. For example, his shot blocking has dropped to an average of 2 blocks per game. The defense of these inside teammates is obviously not comparable to that of Yao Ming and Thabeet in college. Those two former teammates could directly force the opponent to stop the ball and feed the block to him.

...

After two rest days, on the 26th, the Knicks will face the Trail Blazers, their first opponent in a back-to-back home game.

In the morning, during the pre-match meeting, I learned that three key substitutes—Chalmers, Wilson Chandler, and Anderson—would be unavailable. I felt really unlucky.

But by noon, the Trail Blazers announced that Roy, Blake, and Oden, three of their starters, would be out... When it comes to bad luck, the Trail Blazers are definitely the ones who have the worst chance.

As evening fell and the opening ceremony concluded, New York fans, looking at the Trail Blazers' roster, felt a renewed sense of unease.

So, among teams with salaries and luxury tax exceeding 100 million, their roster is the worst?

Aside from Roy, Blake, and Oden, who were sitting behind the bench in suits, the Trail Blazers also had eight key rotation players: Aldridge, Joel Przybilla, Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, Danilo Gallinari, Channing Frye, and Sergio Rodriguez.

Walsh was once again unfairly criticized.

Both teams had a record of 9 wins and 4 losses, and were fourth in their respective divisions, so they seemed evenly matched. However, once the game started, the Trail Blazers showed what a 'Western powerhouse' truly is.

Despite missing three starters, the Trail Blazers, led by Aldridge, still dominated the Knicks in the first quarter, leading 33-25 by 8 points!
However, as both teams rotated more players onto the court, the Trail Blazers' offensive consistency was noticeably inferior to that of the Knicks.

For the Knicks, with Birdman out, Harrington and David Lee can fill in at center. It doesn't matter if they can't defend him; just maintain the formation of collapsing double teams and boxing out for rebounds.

When there was a shortage of small forwards, Big Q stepped up, Curry and Duhon moved to the shooting guard position, and Little Potato came on, with two point guards throughout the game.

The Trail Blazers were a different story. Having competed against top teams in the Western Conference, they were used to striving for excellence in every aspect. The first quarter featured their usual eight starters, so the impact wasn't significant. However, once the players who were originally on the inactive roster entered the game, their offensive performance dropped sharply. Furthermore, with their 216cm center, Przybilla, who played the entire first quarter, being substituted for rest, Aldridge and Channing Frye's interior defense collapsed!

Yi Shui's inside scoring exploded in the second quarter!

Aldridge's rim protection is somewhat better. Yi Shui will drive in from the outside to shoot. When he is well-positioned and can hold his own, Batum or Travis Outlaw can double-team him and create effective interference.

But the Knicks' interior players consciously drew Aldridge out, leaving only Channing Frye in the paint... Yi Shui dunked on him twice in a single quarter!

In the final moments of the second quarter, Yi Shui posted up against Frye in the low post. After a step-back, he grabbed the ball, turned, and raised his hand. Frye jumped immediately, but Yi Shui faked it. He kept his left foot still, stepped out with his right foot, and deliberately moved close to Frye in the air. He grazed Frye as he stretched his upper body under the basket, and with a long arm, he tossed the ball over from the other side of the rim...

hit!

When Curry saw this, he shook his head and clapped, exclaiming, "It's incredible!"
He fakes out his opponent, then leans in for a reverse layup, perfectly avoiding the defense and double teams on the one-on-one side. This is Beasley's signature inside shooting style!
Moreover, this top-scoring player even incorporated this move into his back-to-the-basket one-on-one attacks! It's rough, but if you can't bump into your opponent or your opponent doesn't react to your fakes, you can't win.

But Yi Shui wouldn't play like that against opponents like the big center Przybila.

By bullying players with inferior physical attributes, Curry feels that his former number one draft pick has mastered the essence of Beasley's playing style.

With Outlaw's three-point attempt over Yi Shui missing, the score at halftime was 59-57.

In the second quarter, the Knicks responded with a 34-24 run against the Trail Blazers, taking a two-point lead into halftime!

In the second half, the Trail Blazers failed to replicate their first-quarter performance. Without Oden, their defense was only affected in terms of consistency. Without Blake and Roy, their offense simply couldn't pick up after their main offensive surge ended.

In the third and fourth quarters, the Trail Blazers only scored 24 and 23 points respectively.

The Knicks, after scoring 14 points in the second quarter to give the team a head start, couldn't hold on and scored 28 points in the third quarter and 27 points in the final quarter!
首节6分、第二节14分、第三节7分、第四节6分，靠着第二节狂飙，易水拿到新秀赛季第5次单场30+，33分9板4助攻2抢断2盖帽！

The Knicks have once again completed a comeback, winning 114-104!

...

The following evening, less than 24 hours after the previous game, the Knicks faced their second opponent in a back-to-back game, the Pistons.

When the players entered the court, the only Pistons player to receive a cheer was Allen Iverson.

Before the game, young players like Curry, Chalmers, Spud, and David Lee, who were facing Iverson for the first time, excitedly ran to take photos with him, as if it weren't a game but an Iverson fan meeting.

After chatting with Hamilton, a fellow MOP in the semifinals, Yi Shui also went to follow Bo Feng.

In Yi Shui's memory, Iverson was unruly and rebellious, but when he greeted her, the feeling was very different from her impression.

Iverson showered him with praise, and it was clear that it wasn't just empty praise because of the camera; he was able to point out the games he played well and his strengths.

Compared to players like Carter and Pierce, who are both veterans, the difference in this aspect is truly significant.

However, the pre-game greetings left a good impression, and during the game, Yi Shui and Curry played even harder than usual! Chalmers, wearing a suit on the sidelines, also waved his towel with more momentum.

The Pistons' performance... is completely unrecognizable from last season's 59 wins and 2-2 tie with the championship team.

They weren't even as good as they were in the preseason.

One of the main reasons is the change of coach. The Pistons' new head coach, Michael Curry, is clearly far less capable than Flip Saunders, the head coach of the past three years.

Another reason is Allen Iverson.

Iverson's playing style was completely incompatible with the Pistons' style of play. Hamilton needed a lot of space to move around, and the right point guard for him was the kind who could control the tempo. Iverson, on the other hand, needed his teammates to create space for him to go one-on-one.

Last season, Iverson averaged 19 field goal attempts and 26.4 points per game. This season, his performance may have declined, but it certainly won't be too much. However, the Pistons won't give him the opportunity to dribble and shoot like that.

Iverson's playing style was better suited to be the sixth man for the Pistons, but he was unwilling, and so the situation remained deadlocked.

News reports suggest that Pistons general manager Joe Dumars intends to use this opportunity to completely dismantle the existing roster and enter a new rebuilding cycle.

Just as Jae Crowder of the Bulls was confident that winning the championship was due to his roster building, Dumars also felt that he could recreate the glory of 04 through tanking, trades, and signings.

So when faced with Flip Saunders' resignation, Dumars didn't try to retain him, and when Billups requested a trade, he actually did trade him...

The Pistons are currently in their most chaotic period since their tactical core was traded, and the Knicks easily overwhelmed them.

易水打了23分钟，12投6中，其中三分球3中1，加上4中3的罚球，拿到16分5板6助攻2抢断，三节打卡下班，最终尼克斯队以108比95击败活塞队，战绩提升到11胜4负！
(End of this chapter)