Champion, please stay!

Chapter 128, Section 126: The difference in quality is immediately apparent!

Varejao's lips would naturally curl into a smile when he heard the whistle, but when he heard the deafening cheers from the fans instead of booing the referee or yelling at him, and saw the referee make a blocking gesture towards him, his expression froze.

Just then, the top scorer's voice came through to his ears—"Hey country bumpkin, open your eyes and look around, this is New York."

His voice was gentle, but what he said was absolutely despicable!

However, this calmed Varejao down, and he pulled Ben Affleck's hand to get up and stand on the side of the three-second zone.

Unlike at home, he didn't complain like the leader when his flopping attempt failed. The leader rarely gets technical fouls in big cities, but he's different.

Yi Shui was unaware that his words had cost his team a potential technical foul penalty, but he didn't care even if he did!
His teammates got excited when they heard him say that!
Curry longed for big cities even during his college years!
Duhon and Birdman rejected contracts from the Heat and Nuggets respectively, and came to New York, both drawn by the big city!
Most commentators on various TV stations were joking that Varejao's dive was a complete waste, resulting in a humiliating fall on his butt.

However, some TV stations still claimed that it was the Knicks' home court, but when the replay was shown in close-up, Varejao's big foot landed solidly on the arc of the restricted area, with his heel completely inside!

Even if Yi Shui had only jumped up and grazed Varejao, or even if he had actually knocked Varejao down, as long as he wasn't on the ground with his shoulder raised and elbow raised, or in the air with his hand pressed down and his leg raised, it would still be a blocking foul by Varejao!

The commentators from these TV stations slapped themselves in the face, which is a case of mistaken identity.

Yi Shui made the free throw amid cheers, bringing the Knicks within one point at 23-24!

It was the Cavaliers' turn to attack.

As James listened to the fans' renewed chants of "Defense!" and saw the opposing players' even more excited expressions, he felt that Varejao was incredibly stupid!

The attempt to draw foul failed, but it gifted Yi Shui a dunk that could be ranked among the top five of the day, top ten of the week, or even top 100 of last season.

This also allowed Yi Shui to regain his momentum!
Only one ball was used!
They worked hard to suppress the opponent for almost a quarter, but this one shot ruined everything!

However, James at this age is very responsible.

Despite his complaints, the younger brother had caused him trouble, and after grumbling to himself, the boss's first goal was to regain his dignity!

Take it back! Put the pressure on them again!

A few seconds later... another Akron started cursing...

James was trapped on the baseline by Birdman and Yi Shui, unable to move. This was the holy ground of basketball, and he dared not make any more footwork, so he had no choice but to pass the ball out.

Fortunately, Mo Williams stepped up and scored two points against Durant in a one-on-one situation.

During the transition between offense and defense, Du Hong heard a whistle from the sidelines when receiving the serve. He turned around and saw the man with the mustache pressing down on his hand. He nodded in response and told his teammates to slow down the pace.

The Cavaliers players sprinted back to their positions, only to see the opponent steadily advancing. Although their speed was still faster than most teams, it was much slower than before, giving them an uncomfortable feeling of punching cotton.

D'Antoni was willing to recklessly increase the pace and cause his scoring efficiency to plummet, all to keep Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the court. Now that he had achieved his goal, with the opponent's defensive formation so good that it was clear he couldn't launch a fast break, he naturally had to return to the normal half-court offense rhythm.

To adjust the rhythm, stability is key. Du Hong signaled Yi Shui to go to the right 45-degree angle, Curry to the left 45-degree angle, and Harrington to pull up to the top arc. After passing the ball to Harrington, Du Hong ran towards the right bottom corner.

After Duhong pulled away, Harrington passed the ball to Yi Shui.

Facing James's pressing defense, Yi Shui dribbled between his legs to create space and accelerated forward during the opponent's retreat!
James can defend Westbrook, Beasley, or even Rose well even without gaining weight, but he just can't keep up with fast-paced players like Yi Jianlian and Curry! Especially Yi Jianlian, if he leaves even a tiny opening, the opponent can leave him behind in just two steps!
Yi Shui drove straight to the basket. Varejao didn't dare to be clever this time and rushed up to block him. Before Varejao and James could double-team him, Yi Shui grabbed the ball, crouched down, and took a step to the right front. He squeezed Varejao and leaned out, throwing the ball with his hand before Big Ben could rush back to the basket from the free-throw line... and it went in!
The Knicks kept the score close at 25-26!
D'Antoni on the sidelines clapped excitedly, the effect of subtracting Harrington's limitations was evident! With the increased weight and more stable lower body and shooting, Harrington could focus on staying in the high post, creating much greater control than his previous all-around style of play, capable of controlling, passing, and shooting! This time, it successfully affected Ben Wallace's speed in closing the gap to the basket.

However, it is also related to Ben Wallace's age. At the beginning of the game, he looked no different from when he was young. His help defense and assist defense were as fierce and effective as a sweeping attack. But his speed is obviously slower than in the first half of the game.

The fans at the scene were also very excited and cheered loudly again. Just now, James was double-teamed when he broke through and had to pass the ball. Yi Shui was also double-teamed when he broke through, but he scored!

Sit down!

With the dunk in the last possession and James missing a shot but Yi Shui scoring in this possession, the Knicks' momentum has completely taken off, and the Cavaliers can no longer contain them!

With Varejao protecting the rim and Harrington creating space on the other side, it was truly impossible to defend against him, especially after Ben Wallace was substituted at the end of the first quarter.

Not only that, but the offense is no longer as good as it was when Big Z was there!

Their offense relies too heavily on LeBron James; every player on the team is a role player.

Even Mo Williams, who looks like a point guard, doesn't have real leadership ability. His role is just a one-on-one scorer and a catcher. If you want him to lead the team... he can bring back Bogut to help the team rebuild.

And James thrives against stretch big men...

In the final possession of the first quarter, with four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Knicks capitalized on their momentum, going on a 12-8 run to take a 37-34 lead over the Cavaliers, forcing a Cavaliers timeout!
...

After the timeout, Mike Brown substituted Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace back into the game.

When he was young, Zydrunas Ilgauskas only played 30 minutes a game. Now 33 years old, his playing time this season is less than that of his substitute Varejao. He usually plays five or six minutes at the beginning of the first quarter, four or five minutes at the end of the second quarter, a few minutes at the beginning of the third quarter, a total of fourteen or fifteen minutes in the first three quarters, and another eight or nine minutes in the final quarter... He needs to play twenty-three or twenty-four minutes a game to maintain his performance.

But tonight, Da Z played for 9 minutes in the first quarter, which was already more tiring than usual, and now he came on early... Da Z's physical condition is better, but he usually only plays for a little over 30 minutes in a game.

But Mike Brown couldn't care less. His star player needed rim protection and a shooter, and the pressure was intense, so he had to bring the players in early.

On the other side, the Knicks coaching staff guessed that the opposing team would bring back their twin towers, who were both big and good at help defense, but they unanimously decided to substitute Yi Shui, who had already played for 16 minutes, to rest.

Nate Robinson, Duhon, Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Swift are on the field!

It's time to 'walk the giant' again, and with DuHon as the engine, that's enough.

The reason Yi Shui played so aggressively at the start was to prevent them from being overwhelmed by James's explosive start. Now that the toughest phase is over and their momentum is fully established, D'Antoni has nothing to fear! Even if he can't stop James, it doesn't matter! He just needs to get the opposing twin towers off the field first!
As expected, the Knicks fell into a disadvantage as soon as the Cavaliers' twin towers came on.

However, the situation is much better than the Knicks coaching staff had anticipated!
They launched a fast break, with Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson charging forward. Although their efficiency wasn't high, the former played with all his might and the latter was fast and strong, and they managed to get going!

In positional play, Nate Robinson and David Lee, whoever has the better matchup gets to take one-on-one shots. The fast-paced offense, fast-shooting, fast-retreating rhythm must be established... and the success rate is quite good!

The main problem is that the Cavaliers' offense didn't improve after Zydrunas Ilgauskas returned to the court. They only scored 4 points in the first 4 minutes of the quarter and 13 points in the next 6 minutes.
The Knicks' frontcourt duo's double-teaming of James was a completely mindless tactic. James's passing opportunities were much better than in the first quarter, but his teammates' open shots after receiving the ball were far less effective than in the first quarter!
Midway through the second quarter, star players should step up and use their individual skills to solve problems, which is precisely when role players start to tire.

Nate Robinson and David Lee were able to perform well against the Cavaliers' formidable half-court defense precisely because their ball-handling offense was their core playing style!

D'Antoni was prepared for the opponent to go on a run, so he let Yi Shui take a break and bring him on with four or five minutes left in the second quarter. However, the three-point difference was dragged out until less than two minutes left in the second quarter before the Cavaliers took the lead!

With the score at 46-47, the Knicks called a timeout and brought on a lineup of Curry, Q, Yi Shui, Harrington, and Anderson!
The Cavaliers did not substitute their twin towers, and James continued to play. They only brought in their two backup shooters, Wally Szczerbiak and Alexander Pavlovic, whose combined annual salaries are $1800 million.

They hoped to use these two shooters to create spacing again, but under pressure, Szczerbiak couldn't handle it, not even during his prime before his major injury, let alone now. Pavlovic is a pure overpriced role player. The two missed all three of their three-point attempts at the end of the quarter...

Meanwhile, Yi Shui, Curry, and Birdman, who had rested for most of the quarter, really got going! They launched three counterattacks in a row, and the twin towers of Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas couldn't keep up at all!

1分44秒钟，尼克斯队打了骑士队一个7比0，易水2分1助攻、库里3分1助攻、鸟人2分！
At halftime, the Knicks led the Cavaliers 53-47, a six-point advantage going into the break!
In the third quarter, the Knicks, who had already taken the lead, firmly controlled the initiative. Although their offense didn't pick up as much as it did at the end of the first and second quarters, they steadily suppressed the Cavaliers' comeback with their drive and momentum.

James couldn't break through defenses and lacked confidence in his outside shooting. The Cavaliers' shooters rotated through the court like a revolving door, but it didn't change anything.

After three quarters, the score was 73-65. The Knicks and Cavaliers outscored each other 20-18 in the quarter, and the Knicks extended their lead to 8 points!
In the first possession of the fourth quarter, a determined James finally stepped up. He first attacked the paint on the defensive end, blocking Swift's shot after a screen. Then, after Mo Williams missed a three-pointer over Curry's defense, James grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback.

When it was the Knicks' turn to attack, Yi Shui's three-pointer missed and bounced off the rim.

Varejao secured the defensive rebound in a battle with David Lee... The Brazilian actor's defensive style is a bit soft, and his strength and jumping ability are lacking, but his playing style is incredibly tough, and his aggressiveness in rebounding is among the best in the entire league.

After being suppressed for more than a quarter, the Cavaliers players shuddered, realizing their chance to fight back had arrived!
Mo Williams received the ball and advanced up the court, immediately passing it to James.

James was well aware of the importance of this shot; whether he could turn the tide depended on it.

Once his teammates were in position, James drove past Duhon and charged into the three-point line. To avoid being blocked on the right by Yi Shui and David Lee, he drove diagonally into the three-second zone... But Swift, who had shrunk back, didn't dodge or avoid him and collided head-on with him!

Swift was knocked over and slid back a meter after hitting the ground, but James was also forced to stop!
Swift showed a tendency to move and block, and James also made a small elbowing motion during the confrontation, but the referees did not call it on either side!
James was positioned just inside the free-throw line, a step in the middle. There was no time for a help defense to get out of the way. Just when the Knicks players thought they were about to concede a point, James held onto the ball and didn't shoot, even though he was facing the basket and closer than the free-throw line!

David Lee immediately pressed forward to steal the ball, while Yi Shui moved to the penalty area and cut off the pass with a curved shot.

Fortunately, Delonte West circled around from the baseline to the 45-degree angle, and James, who had been forced by David Lee to turn around and protect the ball with his back to the basket, quickly passed the ball out.

Delonte West received the ball and attempted a three-pointer over Curry... but it missed!
The Cavaliers quickly retreated on defense, with the combination of JJ Hickson and Varejao playing aggressively, successfully forcing the Knicks into a half-court game.

Du Hong advanced into the attacking third and passed the ball directly to Yi Shui, who was calling for the ball at a 45-degree angle on the right.

James, who was guarding Yi Shui, did not stick close to him anymore because Yi Shui had just missed a three-pointer, and instead adopted a standard defensive stance.

The defensive choice itself isn't the problem, but against Yi Shui, that's where the issue lies...

Yi Shui received the ball, turned around, and jumped immediately, completely disregarding whether his rhythm would be affected. James reacted quickly and immediately pressed forward.

But Yi Shui had already lifted the ball!
Even with James's explosive jumping ability and his height of 206 cm and wingspan of 214 cm, it's impossible for him to block the shot.

King's cannon is in position, Yi Shui's three-pointer... goes in!
The Knicks extended their lead to 9 points, 76-67!
He wanted to get going, but after driving in and creating an open shot, he didn't dare to shoot. He turned around and stuck out his butt to protect the ball, which made him a laughingstock among the fans. He was even blocked by Yi Shuiyan... James got anxious!

When it was the Cavaliers' turn to attack, James received the ball in the frontcourt, and Duhon immediately closed in.

James executed a fake drive followed by a step-back jumper... The fake was real, but Duhon saw through it immediately. He didn't care about being beaten; he just wanted to slow James down a bit with that close defense. He pressed forward directly against James.

James dribbled heavily to clear the ball and grabbed it, but his lower body was blocked by Duhon, which affected his jump. However, the arrow was already on the bowstring and he had no choice but to release it. He forced a jump and shot a three-pointer... The ball hit the rim and missed! The referee didn't call a foul!

David Lee held off Varejao's aggressive rebound, secured the defensive rebound, and passed the ball to Yi Shui. Yi Shui turned and shrugged off Delonte West, who was closely marking him, to launch a fast break. He rushed to the left side of the three-second zone but was double-teamed, so he passed the ball back to the top arc.

Curry received the ball and faced James, who was leaping out from just inside the free-throw line. He fast-breaked the ball, received it, and launched a three-pointer... and it went in!
Yi and Kuer connected, and the two hit consecutive three-pointers, bringing the score to 79-67, extending their lead to 12 points!
The Cavaliers are in trouble!
(End of this chapter)