Champion, please stay!

Chapter 132, Question 130: Your Emperor is a Monster! (7K)

When Yi Shui denied it three times, Yao Ming laughed so hard he made a meme.

How afraid are they of being assigned to play inside by the team? They're so stressed out.

But it makes sense when you think about it. If you have enough mobility to play on the perimeter, who would want to go inside and stand still and fight those muscle men?
Magic Johnson is the best example. He was almost never injured when he played point guard, but after scoring 42 points as a center in Game 6 of the Finals in his rookie year, he was assigned to play power forward in his second year to form a twin towers pair with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Due to the immense pressure of the physical contact, his legs were constantly fatigued, and after playing more than 30 games, he suffered a stress fracture in his knee and was out for the rest of the season. That season, the Lakers were swept out of the first round.

After Magic Johnson returned to the point guard position in his third year, the Lakers won another championship. It was the Lakers' head coach at the time, Paul Westherd, who made Magic Johnson play power forward, that directly caused the Lakers to miss out on a three-peat and wasted a year of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's prime.

Even during his physical testing, Kevin Garnett, currently in the league, faked a hunchback, precisely because he was afraid of having to stand and fight in the paint.

Yao Ming's smile made Yi Shui want to whistle twice, but unfortunately he didn't have the ability.

Curry, who was standing to the side, wanted to say something, but with Yao Ming, whom he was still relatively unfamiliar with, present, he opened his mouth but didn't say anything.

Chalmers, who was older and more socially mature, joked, "What secrets are you talking about? Why are you laughing so hard?"

Yi Shui then remembered that he had two younger brothers with him, and replied in English, "Big-Yao seems to be having a baby, he's happy."

"You're the one about to give birth... Stop right there, don't run away!"

Yao Ming reached out his large hand towards Yi Shui, pretending to hit him, but the agile Yi Shui nimbly dodged it. Curry, who was standing nearby, saw Yi Shui's figure and his eyes lit up.

While they were fooling around, Yi Shui noticed something and asked, "Da Yao, have you really lost weight?"

Yao Ming stopped what he was doing and replied, "Is it that obvious? I reduced my strength training and protein intake, and I've lost 10 pounds in the last few months. I feel much lighter overall."

Yi Shui: "Uh, actually you don't look much different overall, it's just that your face looks squarer than it did at the Olympics... Hey, I can't catch you!"

Curry's eyes lit up as he watched Yao Ming suddenly start moving and reach out, only to be nimbly dodged by Yi Shui shaking his shoulder once again.

He quietly moved his position, and when Yao Ming could no longer catch up, he suddenly launched a surprise attack!
Curry's sneak attack was noticed by the top draft pick, and he was not surprised. He tried to dodge the pick's big hand by shaking his head and shoulders... but his head was caught precisely, and he could only strike the pick's palm with the top of his head again.

Primary school student: o(╥﹏╥)o, as expected, all the fairy tale stories of overcoming adversity are lies!
Chalmers: Is this why my relationship with the boss isn't as close as that of elementary school kids? I guess... I think I'd better not. It's better to keep our relationship distant. Being a regular underling is fine too...

...

After playing around for a while, the car that Yi Shui had called arrived, and the four of them headed to the restaurant where they had made a reservation. The car was spacious enough that even he and Yao Ming, both tall, didn't feel cramped.

During lunch, Yao Ming inquired about how Yi Shui's rookie year was going and also shared some interesting stories and difficulties he encountered when he first entered the NBA, essentially imparting his experience so that Yi Shui could refer to his approach when facing similar situations.

Having known each other for so long, Yao Ming knew that although Yi Shui was outgoing and seemed to be able to chat with anyone, he was not good at or willing to cultivate relationships.

But the NBA is, after all, a place of fame and fortune, and being in New York, a melting pot of all sorts of situations, means that all sorts of things will happen. It's good to offer some pointers if possible.

Yao Ming also mentioned that he has been exceptionally healthy this season and believes that his decision to lose weight was absolutely the right one.

Yao Ming played in all 27 games of the season, averaging 20.6 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. His scoring was the lowest since he gained weight in 05, but his scoring efficiency was a career high, and his free throw percentage was an absurd 87% for a center.

His rim protection efficiency also reached a career high. When he was on the court, opponents scored only 101 points per 100 shots inside the paint, which was terrifying.

The last center to be more efficient at protecting the rim than Yao Ming was Shaquille O'Neal before he won his first championship. In the 99-00 season, when O'Neal protected the rim, opponents could only score 95 points out of every 100 shots taken inside the paint.

In the 00-01 regular season, O'Neal's defense began to slacken, but in the playoffs, he once again demonstrated his terrifying rim protection ability from the previous season, limiting opponents to 96 points per 100 shots inside the paint.

So in the summer of 01, Stern introduced the defensive three-second rule to limit O'Neal.

With the defensive three-second rule in place, O'Neal's best rim protection performances in the 04-05 and 05-06 seasons were roughly equivalent to Yao Ming's rim protection efficiency this year.

Of course, Yao Ming's defense was still no match for Shaquille O'Neal at the tail end of his prime. O'Neal could extend his reach to close range, while Yao Ming couldn't.

In this respect, even the two combined cannot match Howard. Just looking at the scoring limit in the paint, Howard is a step behind the two. However, Howard can cover the mid-range and even defend smaller players.

Yi Shui had been listening or answering the questions, but when the conversation turned to this, he took the initiative to say, "I think the main issue is that your playing time has decreased. The slight change in weight only plays a supporting role in reducing the pressure on your legs. The key is that you're only playing an average of 32 minutes per game this season."

Yao Ming nodded: "Last season I played 37 or 38 minutes a game, and I also felt tired. Every time I reached the fourth quarter, I couldn't walk anymore, but there was nothing I could do then. Now that Artest is here, my defensive pressure has been reduced a lot, it's easier to win, and my playing time has also decreased."

Yi Shui: "Yes, suitable teammates are very important. As soon as I was drafted, the management started to clean up the roster and match me with suitable teammates. Unfortunately, our team's salary bill still has four contracts on it: Marbury, Mobley, Curry, and James, which together account for half of the total salary. The management can't bring in any new players..."

"..."

Little Giant: Stop talking, I'm getting jealous again!
Regarding Yao Ming's injury concerns, Yi Shui didn't really have any ideas. He's been injured for so many years and has long passed the best adjustment period. But losing weight and reducing the burden is definitely the best solution right now.

If Yao Ming can play for a few more years, Yi Shui will definitely be happy. If he retires early... I've given him a heads-up, and he can at least have a clear conscience.

...

The lunch was a pleasant affair for both host and guests. After returning to Madison Square Garden, Yi Shui, along with his two younger brothers, parted ways with Yao Ming.

The afternoon is going to be busy. Although their Christmas Day game tonight isn't generating much buzz across the US, it's generating far more buzz domestically and in the greater New York area than the other two games. The afternoon will be packed with interviews...

At 5 p.m., the Cavaliers and Nuggets kicked off their Christmas Day game at the Cavaliers' home court.

After finishing his pre-match meal, Yi Shui watched the live broadcast in the lounge.

The Cavaliers, with a record of 22 wins and 5 losses, and the Nuggets, with a record of 17 wins and 10 losses, seem to have a clear difference in strength, but the Nuggets have the upper hand.

Carmelo Anthony really put in a lot of effort against LeBron James. Under Billups's guidance, he, along with Kenyon Martin and Nene, went all out to attack.

He discovered that George Karl seemed to be imitating D'Antoni's strategy of outmaneuvering Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace.

After the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers, some teams tried to learn their methods to deal with the Cavaliers, but the results were mediocre.

Just like how the Celtics demonstrated a defensive strategy that other teams couldn't replicate, such as Pierce's close guarding, Garnett's delaying tactics, and Perkins' early blocking of James's starting path.

Their Knicks' frontcourt movement speed is the fastest in the entire league, bar none.

However, the Nuggets, who also play a fast-paced offense, have a sufficient frontcourt, even if they are not as fast. Moreover, the Nuggets' defense is much better than theirs, with their average points allowed reduced to 103 points per game. Unlike their opponents, who have to slowly build up their strength, the Nuggets established their advantage in the first quarter.

Yi Shui remembers that when the 03 draft class first entered the NBA, Anthony always had an advantage when directly matched up against James, but recently he has started to lose. Now that Billups has joined, with an "engine," Anthony can once again outmaneuver James. However, this will only last for one year. After this season, Anthony will be far behind James.

Carmelo Anthony will become Fat Carmelo Anthony, his training attitude and self-discipline will be crushed by LeBron James...

Near the end of the first quarter, a primary school student knocked on the door. Yi Shui didn't watch the rest of the game and was warming up with his teammates.

At 6:40 p.m., the players entered the field at Madison Square Garden.

Yi Shui stood at the entrance of the home team's player tunnel, watching McGrady enter the field amidst boos... and felt quite sad.

This season, McGrady has suffered a career-high number of injuries, playing only 14 of the first 27 games, with an attendance rate of just over half. But that's not the worst part.

Compared to Reed, Yi Shui paid more attention to the Rockets with Yao Ming on the team.

He has seen many stars who have faced McGrady this season bewildered – how did McGrady become so weak?

Just like the shock he felt when he last faced Reed.

Last season in the playoffs, McGrady played with pain-relieving injections, which aggravated his injury and completely ruined his career.

Yi Shui saw in the scouting report that McGrady has averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in 14 games this season, which is a new low since he started playing. His shooting percentage is even worse, at only 38%.

Back then, McGrady, not yet 24 years old, won the scoring title and led the Magic to the playoffs. He was so full of vigor. In less than 6 years, McGrady, who was not even 30 years old, has become like this.

Although it's a pity, Yi Shui feels their chances of winning have increased with McGrady playing tonight!

McGrady was indeed formidable in his early years, and he had every reason to be arrogant. When you're powerful, whatever you say or do is right.

But even now, he remains arrogant, and has become even more so. He looks down on everyone in the team, and hasn't even adjusted his playing style. He still thinks he's the same person he used to be...

...

After the opening ceremony, Yi Shui, along with several teammates, exchanged pleasantries with Yao Ming, Artest, McGrady, and others in front of the camera in a very formal manner.

Subsequently, Yi Shui received a system notification that a task had been assigned.

"You are making your first appearance on the Christmas Battle stage. Mission: Have a good New Year."

Objective: To win the game.

Reward: Intensive Training (Monthly Pass).

"Your pull-up three-point shooting is often compared to McGrady's. Task:"

Objective 1: If you are facing McGrady's defense, you need to make at least one pull-up three-pointer.

Objective 2: The number of pull-up three-pointers made in this game must be higher than McGrady's.

Bonus: A guide to the Three Threats Offense Techniques (McGrady version).

Monthly card! Yi Shui's eyes lit up after reading the first task. This was a great thing. It included a designated training program, and with the addition of talents and training cards, training efficiency could be increased by up to 3 times!
His ability to adapt to the NBA three-point line so quickly from late April to mid-May, especially his significant improvement in 45-degree angle shooting, was thanks to the monthly card, the angled genius card, and the long-range shooting training card. When he looked at the second task, he thought it would be related to McGrady's pull-up jumper, and wondered if he could acquire related skills or refine his techniques. He didn't expect it to be learning a new technique.

Thinking about all the things he still needed to improve, Yi Shui couldn't help but feel a little annoyed... but he would try his best to get the reward first!
This task also served as a reminder to Yi Shui.

McGrady's performance wasn't great, but he still averaged 15 points per game. If he's on defense, it shouldn't be a big problem. But he has to guard Artest. Teammates... can't be careless! If we lose tonight, we won't be able to have a good 'New Year' holiday'.

At 7 p.m., the Christmas Day game between the Knicks and the Rockets began at the Knicks' home court.

Knicks starting lineup: Curry, Q, Yi Shui, David Lee, Swift.

Rockets starting lineup: Alston, McGrady, Artest, Scola, Yao Ming.

Swift, who is 20 centimeters shorter, quickly bounced up and won the jump ball, giving the Knicks the first possession!
Curry tried to push the fast break, but failed.

Jeff Van Gundy left the Rockets with a complete defensive system that was no worse than what the Cavaliers did.

Artest, Alston, and Scola formed a three-pronged interception, while Big Q and Swift did rush out, but couldn't receive the ball.

But the Knicks didn't come away empty-handed from this opening surge; they created a mismatch!
Curry rushed past the center circle and quickly passed the ball to Yi Shui, who had moved to the left 45-degree angle, preventing the opponent from switching back their defender. Standing in front of Yi Shui was McGrady!
McGrady didn't close in, or even get too close. Yi Shui caught the ball and immediately pulled up and threw it. It was too late for McGrady to press forward, and he couldn't interfere. His role... became a sniper platform for the 'tower'!

As the ball slammed into the basket, the fans in the stadium erupted in cheers!
McGrady has three signature moves: a three-step drive to the basket, a Z-step back jumper for mid-range and long-range shots, and his most iconic offensive technique is the pull-up three-pointer that Yi Shui just used!
Facing McGrady, who is best known for his pull-up jumpers, McGrady used a pull-up jumper, and the fans in the arena went wild from the start!

Unlike the direct impressions when playing against other players, in the eyes of fans, McGrady is still a superstar, just having a bad start to the season.

毕竟麦迪上赛季季后赛首轮6场比赛打出了场均27分8板7助攻的劲爆表现，加上还不到30岁，不少球迷还期待着其能王者归来。

As the Rockets inbounded the ball during the offensive transition, the fans in the arena began chanting "T-Mac".

This is something that New York fans are quite peculiar about; they love to jeer at opposing stars, encouraging them to challenge their own star to a one-on-one match, especially after their star has just scored against an opponent.

There is no doubt that this could easily provoke the opponent, and could even cause the opponent to explode.

At first, Yi Shui found this situation quite annoying. It was unpleasant to hear his home fans chanting the names of the opposing team's stars, even if it was just jeering. But after almost three months of preseason games, he has gotten used to it.

But this time, he really wants to give the fans a thumbs up.

McGrady responded as expected, demanding the ball for a one-on-one opportunity in the frontcourt.

The atmosphere had been built up, and despite feeling uncomfortable, Alston still passed the ball to McGrady.

Big Q was already close to McGrady when he asked for the ball. McGrady could have easily gotten past Big Q and made a drive after receiving the ball and turning around, but he didn't!
McGrady straightened his body and faced the basket, pressing down on Big Q, using his head and shoulders to push the opponent away, and then pulled up and threw!
His movements and posture were the same as before, but the height of his jump after the confrontation was far less than before. His flat and straight shot hit the front of the rim directly and missed!
Yao Ming, with his long legs, stepped into the three-second zone from the left elbow area, about to grab the offensive rebound, when a handsome profile appeared in his line of sight, and he snatched the ball first.

Yao Ming pressed forward to try and delay him, but as soon as he moved his foot, the opponent had already turned around and rushed out, and it was too late!
He was just as annoyed by Yi Shui's ability to "steal boards" during the Olympics as he was by his own.

Yi Shui dribbled the ball and charged up the court on a fast break. Amid cheers from the fans, he drove straight to the basket from the right side. Facing McGrady and Artest who were blocking his way, he lobbed the ball to McGrady... and Da Q slammed it home with an alley-oop dunk for two points!

It was Rockets' turn to attack again. Alston, who had just run back, received the inbound pass from Artest and heard the crowd chanting "T-Mac" again.

Having lost face in two consecutive rounds, McGrady continued to demand the ball, determined to respond.

Big Q was much more aggressive on defense this time, and he shut down McGrady! This is the first time in his career that he has done so!
McGrady's performance plummeted? Isn't he still McGrady?

But this time Alston didn't pass! He simply waved McGrady aside.

Big Q heard McGrady, who was right next to him, swear in slang, but contrary to his expectations, McGrady actually ran to the sideline to create space, and he had no choice but to follow.

Seeing this scene, Yi Shui recalled a rumor he had seen before—the Streetball King had a strained relationship with McGrady since he joined the Rockets in 05, because unlike Bob Sura, who would pass the ball to McGrady whenever he asked for it, he preferred to play team-oriented football rather than simple drive-and-kick plays.

On one hand, they felt Yao Ming was stronger, and on the other hand, McGrady would drive and dish, leaving Alston as a spot-up catcher.

Over the past three seasons, the two often clashed. During that period, it was always Alston who was criticized and punished by the coach and management. Even the "good guys" Yao Ming and Mutombo advised Alston to improve his relationship with McGrady.

This season, McGrady's performance plummeted, and Alston directly broke off relations, refusing to pass the ball if he felt it shouldn't be passed, and the two almost got into a fight during team practice... But this time the situation changed.

The head coach and management no longer show favoritism.

Yao Ming and Mutombo stopped playing the "nice guy" and sided with Alston, who was more willing to play teamwork.

The newcomer, Artest, and McGrady didn't have much of a relationship.

The other role players also had little say.

Over time, McGrady seems to have been forced to accept the current situation...

Memories are fleeting. Yi Shui followed Artest closely, steadily guarding the space between Artest and the basket.

After his teammates were in position, Alston started his run, changed direction, and broke through!
Curry played his best on defense, but was completely beaten.

Yi Shui immediately retreated, but not towards the basket. Scola cut in, Alston drove forward, and Yao Ming moved from the left elbow area to the free-throw line!
As Yi Shui had predicted, Alston neither shot himself nor passed to Scola, who was being covered by the two opposing big men. Instead, he passed to Yao Ming and then stuck close to Yao Ming himself.

Yao Ming may be slow on his feet, but he has quick reflexes. He catches the ball and raises it to avoid being stolen by the "Chinese Garnett," who averages nearly two steals per game. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the ball flies towards the top arc.

Artest ran to the top of the arc and received the ball, but was immediately blocked by the onrushing Big Q, who then flicked the ball to his left.

McGrady received the ball at a 45-degree angle on the left side, jumped to face Curry who was rushing towards him, and took a three-pointer... and it went in!
This time, the Rockets made no attempt to grab the offensive rebound; McGrady jumped, and the others started retreating on defense.

Adelman was prepared for the opponent to walk around the little giant like he was walking around Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and he had made preparations in advance. The reason why the inside players did not retreat in time in the last round was because Yao Ming had a really good offensive rebounding opportunity, but he just ran into Yi Shui.

Yi Shui clicked his tongue as he watched the notification flash by: "Pull-up three-pointer, 1-1".

Curry is actively making up for the past mistakes, and he's become a sitting duck again... Wait, why "again"?
McGrady, a former superstar who was extremely arrogant, was not intimidated by Curry's defense, and his shooting rhythm was not affected at all.

Moreover, McGrady hasn't completely regressed this season. Scouting reports show that his catch-and-shoot percentage is a career high of 44%, demonstrating his efforts to change his current situation.

However, he couldn't shake off his long shirt, and his numerous pull-up jumpers with the ball dragged down his overall three-point shooting percentage to 37%.

Yi Shui didn't complain about the elementary school student's "unnecessary actions." On the contrary, he was very happy. At the beginning of the season, Curry was almost driven to a loss of defensive motivation by D'Antoni. After Cheeks came, the elementary school student was the one whose motivation rebounded the fastest. He also showed excellent wing help defense talent in "brainless double-team" defense.

Yi Shui receives the ball from David Lee and quickly passes it to Curry. Charge!
The opponent retreats early on defense, making it difficult to launch a fast break. Their formation is also good, making it hard to disrupt their defensive positioning. However, when they rush, it forces Yao Ming to run even harder!

In a half-court game, Curry closely guarded Alston and initiated the offense with a pick-and-roll with Swift.

The Rockets' team defense unfolded, cutting off passes in the middle and blocking three-pointers, drawing Knicks players towards the basket into Yao Ming's rim protection zone.

Yi Shui was entangled in a physical battle with Artest and found it difficult to get into position to receive the ball!

In terms of speed and agility, Artest is no match for Yi Shui, but he has solid defensive fundamentals, rich experience, strong anticipation ability, and constant small fouls in off-ball defense... Even when Yi Shui used his iron elbow, he couldn't break through the opponent's physical battle.

Trapped at close range, Curry couldn't pass the ball out, so he forced his way into the paint and faked a shot... Yao Ming's huge size advantage made him immune to the fake, and Curry had no choice but to shoot a high-arcing shot. He wasn't blocked, but he didn't make it either.

Scola secured the defensive rebound, and the Knicks quickly retreated on defense.

Yi Shui, who was retreating on defense, grinned. In his 'past life', he had seen a sentence online that said if Yao Ming had given Artest a teammate, they could go toe-to-toe with the champions for 7 games. It was no exaggeration; the positional defense was too dominant!

The Rockets pushed forward at a slower pace, and Alston almost crossed the mid-court line on the 8-second violation, allowing Yao Ming to slowly get into position.

This reminded Yi Shui of the game against the Cavaliers, where veterans Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace seemed to receive no respect whatsoever. Whether it was Mo Williams or Delonte West pushing the ball, they all followed their own habits, and the two veterans were constantly running back and forth when they came on the court.

Once his teammates were in position, Alston began to drive to the basket, and the Rockets' budget version of the Princeton offense was back in action.

The point guard who drives to the basket compresses the defense, the center stretches out to facilitate, and the forwards run to receive the ball...

The ball passed Yao Ming's hand again and came to the top arc. This time, Da Q did not go to Artest to help, but stayed close to McGrady. Yi Shui was also ready this time. He rushed in front of Yao Ming. The moment the opponent passed the ball, he bypassed the opponent and rushed towards Artest again.

Artest saw the opposing team's formation disrupted by their actions, raised his hand to shake off Yi Shui who was rushing towards him, dribbled the ball forcefully, and drove past Yi Shui into the paint... He intended to drive straight to the basket for a dunk, but was blocked by David Lee and Swift who immediately collapsed into the paint. Curry and Yi Shui, who had moved back from the top arc, also rushed towards him!
A question mark popped into Artest's mind, but his body reacted faster than his brain. He pressed forward to block the thinner Swift and launched a powerful throw... but missed.

Artest immediately turned and retreated to defense, refusing to contest the rebound with these guys.

Just now, when he broke through, he was still happy that their half-finished Princeton team could tear the opponent's defense apart so much. The opponent was indeed one of the worst defensive teams in the league.

His thoughts are still the same: this team truly deserves to be one of the worst defensive teams in the entire league. What team would ignore everything and swarm around someone just because they see them driving into the middle?

His four teammates were all positioned at the receiving point! They could have shot as soon as they received the ball!
Curry quickly advanced to the frontcourt, once again falling into a half-court battle. Seeing that the physical battle between Yi Shui and Artest was almost like a fight, he once again launched a pick-and-roll attack, trying to increase the speed... but failed, and was trapped in close range again!

This time, however, when he saw his older brother cutting in, he immediately rushed into the three-second zone, drawing Yao Ming to press forward a step, and then seized the opportunity to pass the ball!

Yi Shui received the ball on the left side of the basket and went up strong!
Without a strength advantage and with multiple defenders under the basket, most of the 'Interior Overlord' effect cannot be utilized, but the fixed strength bonus of +1 when initiating an attack from close range facing the basket is triggered!
Normally, a 1-point increase in strength wouldn't have a noticeable effect, and he would only be in a lower position if he had a strength advantage. This time, however, he was forced to do so, but it was precisely this 1-point increase in strength that allowed him to maintain his balance in the confrontation with Artest.

Yao Ming turned and pressed forward, but Yi Shui received the ball and overpowered it without any feints, leaving Yao Ming no time to help defend.

Yi Shui's high-reaching, high-hitting throw went in!
Artest cursed a couple of times and said to Yao Ming, who was retrieving the ball, "Your emperor is a monster!"

Yao Ming wholeheartedly agreed: "You're right!"

(End of this chapter)