Champion, please stay!

Chapter 147, Page 145: So you're really good.
After returning to New York and resting for one night, the Knicks hosted the Raptors on February 4th.

Tonight, D'Antoni fielded a starting lineup of Duhon, Curry, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Swift, focusing on counter-attacks.

Because the opposing team's starting lineup was quite unusual—guards: Calderon, Anthony Parker; forwards: Bargnani, Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal.

In the first quarter, the Knicks scored 30 points by speeding up the pace, but the Raptors kept the score close!
Bosh scored 27 points in the first quarter by attacking and passing the ball to the three shooters at positions 1-3 on the perimeter, with Jermaine O'Neal receiving the ball in the mid-range and passing it to the shooters. Combined with the pick-and-roll offense between Calderon and Bosh, they scored 27 points in the first quarter!
In the second quarter, Bosh received the ball, turned and drove past Harrington into the paint, dunking over Birdman.

Immediately after, the Knicks missed a three-pointer, and Bosh responded with another isolation play, passing the ball to the sideline. Calderon received the ball on the left sideline after a screen and hit a three-pointer, giving the Raptors a 32-30 lead!

7投5中，加上2中2的罚球，波什已经12分3助攻了！
Yi Shui proactively switched defense with Harrington and matched up against Bosh.

The effect... wasn't great, but at least it prevented Bosh from getting away with whatever he wanted. Yi Shui's basic shot interference and positioning for drives were much better than the team's inside players.

In the remaining 11 and a half minutes of the second quarter, Bosh scored 8 points on 3-of-6 shooting plus 2-of-3 free throws. Considering he got off to a good start in the first quarter, it was quite impressive that Yi Shui was able to do this in one-on-one defense.

Bosh is no longer so unstoppable, and the Raptors' offense, which he single-handedly led, has declined. In those 11 minutes, the Raptors' score dropped to 24 points.

Meanwhile, the Knicks maintained their offensive firepower with Yi Shui leading the charge, scoring 29 points!
At halftime, the Knicks regained a 3-point lead, 59-56!
For the Raptors, getting off to a good start shouldn't be difficult, given that they have one of the league's top offensive big men, Chris Bosh, who averages 24.1 points and 10.7 rebounds (3 offensive rebounds) per game.

But once the momentum was contained, it was not something the Raptors could do to regain it. At this point, they were facing a situation where the perimeter players were leading the team with their individual abilities. The Raptors' strongest perimeter player, Calderon, was a pure point guard. He was good at organizing the offense and facilitating shots. Asking him to score and lead the team was asking too much of him.

Calderon has only scored 20 points in one game in his career so far, which was last month against the Timberwolves.

In that game, Bosh was injured and sidelined, so Calderon was forced to share Bosh's shot attempts with Bargnani. Calderon took 21 shots, made 7, and scored 20 points, but was outplayed by rookie Mayo, who made 9 of 19 shots and scored 25 points.

In the third quarter, the Knicks' scoring dropped to 25 points due to fatigue, but the Raptors scored even less, only 22 points. In the final quarter, the Knicks scored 25 points again, while the Raptors only managed 21 points...

上半场被猛龙队惊到了的尼克斯队，最终以109比99有惊无险地击败猛龙队，拿下4连胜，从29胜15负冲到了33胜15负！
易水14投8中，其中三分球2中1，加上6中6的罚球，拿到23分7板8助攻1抢断1盖帽。

If he launches a fast attack, the opponent will block him; if he is caught in a pincer movement in positional warfare, he will be severely attacked, and he will not have a good chance to make a move.

The speed drop to 91 has little impact on his straight-line acceleration, but it does affect his lateral movement, change of direction, and rhythm. He hasn't fully adapted yet. When he encounters double teams, he will attack if he can, and if the conditions are not good, he will choose to pass the ball.

So he didn't take many shots tonight, but he had a lot of assists.

Moreover, Curry's form has gradually improved in recent games, and Yi Shui is more willing to pass the ball out when double-teamed.

32投16中，其中三分球2中0，加上9中7的罚球，波什拿到了39分，差一点点拿到赛季第4次单场40+。

Before Bosh, he scored a season-high 42 points against the Cavaliers and 40 points in both games against the Magic. He ranks first among interior players in the number of 40+ point games this season.

Yi Shui looked at Bosh's data on the big screen...

In the last three quarters, Yi Shui was basically the one defending Bosh. Apart from the first possession in the second quarter, Bosh played for 29 minutes. He took fewer shots in the second quarter, but took 9 and 10 shots in the third and fourth quarters respectively! Although his shooting percentage of 8 out of 19 shots in the second half was not high, he exhausted Yi Shui who was guarding him one-on-one.

And sometimes, even when facing strong opponents, Bosh could still make a high, one-handed, backward-leaning throw!

Yi Di: Bo Yiban, you're so fierce, it makes me feel very uncomfortable!

However, Yi Shui immediately understood why Bosh played so relentlessly tonight after the game.

This guy is talking loudly into the camera right now, I have no idea what he's saying.

Bosh's three 40+ point games against LeBron James, a clash of top stars from the 2003 draft class, should be broadcast live. His game against Dwight Howard, a clash of top centers, should also be broadcast live.

...

The Knicks had a rest day on the 5th. D'Antoni did not schedule any practice today. There is a game tomorrow, followed by a three-game road trip.

Although the players' enthusiasm has been boosted recently because the All-Star Weekend is approaching and they're about to have a break, they can't afford to be careless. Health is far more important than preparing for these few games.

However, this doesn't matter to Yi Shui; he needs to make the most of his rest days at home games to train.

In the morning, I practiced all the techniques I had learned in one session. The amount was small, just to accelerate my adaptation and to analyze, with the help of the training, what minor adjustments I should make to my playing style.

In the afternoon, we continued to strengthen our training in mid-range and long-range shooting.

During a break in afternoon training, Curry ran to the arena, found Yi Shui, and excitedly told him that he had been selected for the Rising Stars Challenge.

Yi Shui was overjoyed to hear the news.

He paused training, went to the locker room with Curry, and opened the NBA website. At noon, the NBA officially announced the specific roster for this year's Phoenix All-Star Weekend.

The official website's front page headline is the All-Star reserve roster, while Yi Shui clicks on the secondary headline, which shows the Rising Stars Challenge roster.

First-year players: Backcourt: Rose, Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Curry, Mayo; Frontcourt: Yi Shui, Love, Gasol, Oden.

Second year: Backcourt: Brooks, Al Thornton, Rodney Stuckey, Durant; Frontcourt: Wilson Chandler, Scola, Jeff Green, Thaddeus Young, Horford.

Seeing Curry's name actually appear on the Rising Stars Challenge roster, Yi Shui breathed a sigh of relief and was very happy.

He was worried that Curry wouldn't make it into the Rising Stars Challenge because Curry's performance in January was really bad; he didn't even make the 'outstanding rookie' list in the media's latest ranking of the 2008 rookies.

After the Christmas Day games, Curry's performance continued to decline. By the end of December, he was averaging 14.2 points and 4.8 assists in the first 30 games. At that time, although he could not be squeezed into the 'super rookie' or 'top rookie' category, he was definitely in the 'excellent' category.

可1月份库里过半比赛得分没上双，16场比赛合计189分80助攻，场均11.8分5助攻，1月份打完时，整体数据下滑到13.3分4.9助攻，这还是靠着最后两场打灰熊队和勇士队拿到15+5和14+10撑起来的。

其实也不止库里一个新秀表现下滑，梅奥前两个月场均19+，1月份场均17.6分；乐福12月场均13分11板，1月场均11分11板；大洛佩茨12月场均14分8板，1月场均12分6板；埃里克-戈登前俩月场均15.5分，1月场均13.2分……

Most of the promising rookies hit a wall in January, some because their playing styles were countered, and others because of stamina issues.

Only four top rookies showed little fluctuation or improvement, while Rose performed steadily, demonstrating the strongest rookie talent besides Yi Shui.

Westbrook moved from the bench to the starting lineup, got more playing time, and was favored by the new head coach. His tactical role was better than that of Durant in his second year.

Beasley was moved to the bench as the sixth man, where he faced weaker opponents, had more playing time, and more shot attempts, resulting in improved stats. However, his field goal percentage plummeted from 44% when he played alongside Wade to 41%.

However, Curry's decline is more pronounced compared to other top rookies because he primarily scores with long-range shots. Most importantly, in New York... having received the third-highest All-Star starting vote among Eastern Conference guards, he now faces even higher scrutiny.

Because there were too many outstanding rookies in the same class, and Oden from the 07 class was out for the rookie season due to injury, Yi Shui, after being selected as an All-Star starter, once planned to withdraw from the rookie game to make room for Xiao Xuesheng.

But Walsh rejected his idea, arguing that "the Rising Stars Challenge needs you. With you on the team, the Rising Stars Challenge will have greater exposure, and your contemporaries and previous draft picks will be seen by more people."

That makes a lot of sense. Some responsibilities and obligations must be taken on, so Yi Shui was mentally prepared that the elementary school student wouldn't make it into the rookie game... Unexpectedly, the league picked Beasley out, and didn't even select the big Lopez who had performance but little popularity, but instead selected the elementary school student!
Looking back now, Curry was third in the Eastern Conference starting lineup vote, so his popularity speaks for itself. Besides, Curry's performance wasn't worse than Beasley's or Lopez's; he just had a slight dip in form in the dozen or so games after Christmas, which led to a decline in his reputation during that period.

...

After extorting dinner from the elementary school student's younger brother, Yi Shui closed the rookie competition roster webpage and opened Toutiao (a Chinese news and information platform).

The All-Star Game reserve roster is determined by a vote from each team's head coach. Each team needs to cast 7 votes, and the roster consists of 3 forwards, 2 guards, and 2 liberos. Coaches cannot vote for players from their own team.

One rule is that votes for 'fixed positions' have higher priority than votes for 'free agents'.

Simply put, even if the third-placed player in the 'libero' position receives more votes than the third-highest voted player in the attacking position, they cannot be selected; however, if the fourth-highest voted player in the attacking position receives more votes than the second-highest voted player in the 'libero' position, they can still be selected, and the same applies to the defense.

Fourteen All-Star reserves were selected through a vote by 30 head coaches.

Eastern Conference: Backcourt: Jameer Nelson, Ray Allen, Joe Johnson; Frontcourt: Garnett, Bosh, Pierce, Granger.

Western Conference: Backcourt: Billups, Roy, Parker; Frontcourt: O'Neal, Gasol, Nowitzki, David West.

Curry exclaimed upon seeing the roster, "Nash, Anthony, McGrady, Ginobili, none of them made the All-Star team?"

He received a call from the general manager and agent informing him that he had been selected for the Rising Stars Challenge, so he rushed to the arena immediately. He knew that Yi Shui was training there and wanted to share the good news, but he hadn't seen the specific roster.

Yi Shui replied: "Anthony has never been well-liked. He was only selected to the All-Star team twice in the previous five years, one of which was as a starter. If Anthony hadn't been a starter last season, he probably wouldn't have been a substitute either. This year, the Nuggets' record improved after Billups joined, so he has even less of a chance."

Nash... The Suns probably won't make the playoffs this year. O'Neal was selected because he had the third-best performance at center in the league, and he even had the upper hand against Howard one-on-one. Nash probably won't even make the All-NBA team this year, which is really bad.

McGrady and Ginobili both suffered numerous injuries this year, missing almost half the games and performing poorly, so it's normal that they didn't make the cut.

Curry nodded to indicate he understood, then quipped, "Big, you really love browsing the news."

Yi Shui: "You're on the news every day, so you'll also love browsing the news."

Curry: "...That makes sense!"

Yi Shui opened the list of three events in the recommended news list.

Upon seeing the elementary school student's name, Yi Shui asked, "Are you going to participate in the three-point competition?"

Curry nodded: "I was worried I wouldn't make the Rising Stars Challenge, but I wanted to participate in the All-Star Game, so I accepted the invitation... Didn't you participate too?"

Yi Shui: "I'll go join in the fun. If I'm lucky, I might bring back a trophy."

Curry: "Impossible! I didn't shoot as accurately as you in the game because I'm not as tall as you. In games like this, which are similar to practice, I'm definitely better than you! The championship is mine!"

Yi Shui thought about Curry's many competitions and repeated near misses... and asked, "Let's not talk about winning or losing. What if my results are better than yours?"

Curry: "If you get better grades than me, I'll cover all your expenses in Phoenix!"

Yi Shui clenched his fist and extended his hand: "Deal!"

Curry clenched his fist and touched Yi Shui's hand together, saying, "Deal... Wait, what if my grades are better than yours?"

Yi Shui: "Then you're really good."

The elementary school student's eyes widened: I must win this competition!
...

After a day of training, Yi Shui was scrolling through the news before bed, as usual... There really was big news today! Even the buzz surrounding the announcement of the All-Star reserves had been overshadowed!

The Rockets officially announced that Tracy McGrady's injury has recurred and he needs to undergo minimally invasive surgery. Otherwise, it may affect his career and end his season.

The Rockets spokesperson spoke with a somber tone, using words that were full of affection for McGrady.

But the timing of this announcement felt very awkward to Yi Shui.

If McGrady is selected as an All-Star starter or reserve, does that mean he has to keep playing and raise ticket prices?

It's even possible that after his injury in last year's playoffs, McGrady should have undergone surgery immediately instead of playing with pain-relieving injections, which could have worsened his injury.

Besides McGrady, Yi Shui also saw news about another player being out for the season – the Magic's Nelson, but the number of views and comments on the news was nowhere near that level, and not many people paid attention to it.

The next day, the 6th, was the Knicks' last home game before the All-Star break, as they faced the Hawks.

Before Christmas, the Knicks played against the Hawks once, and suffered a crushing defeat of more than 20 points.

This time, the Knicks were once again suppressed at the start, trailing the Hawks by 4 points at 22-26 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, D'Antoni set up a lineup with Yi Shui and Harrington at the top of the arc, Curry and Big Q shooting on the wing, and Birdman receiving the ball on the baseline. After Yi Shui set consecutive screens, he cut to the low post to receive the ball, and then went one-on-one against Marvin Williams, turning around and dunking for two points, opening the curtain on the Knicks' comeback.

Yi Shui only scored 6 points in the second quarter, but also had 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block, leading the Knicks to a 29-26 score, breaking through the Hawks' defense and narrowing the gap to 51-52, reducing the difference to 1 point!
In the third quarter, the Hawks capitalized on the inside attacks of Josh Smith and Al Horford, which spurred Bibby and Joe Johnson to shoot from three-point range, resulting in a scoring surge and 30 points in the quarter.

However, the Hawks failed to capitalize on their advantage, and the Knicks rallied!

易水7分2板3助攻、杜洪3分2助攻、库里进了两个三分以及一个切入造成犯规两罚中一拿到7分、大Q进了两个三分拿到6分、大卫-李和哈灵顿各拿到4分、鸟人进了一个补扣……尼克斯队全队单节狂轰33分！
The Knicks took a two-point lead, 84-82, heading into the final quarter!
Both teams, who had been relentlessly attacking throughout the first quarter, faltered in the final quarter.

On the Knicks' side, the main issue is that most of their starters are role players who have been playing very hard all season, and they often experience fatigue at this point.

The Hawks... the media called them the 'Little Kings,' and their head coach Woodson seemed to take it seriously, actually using an '8-man rotation.' They averaged 98 points per game, the league average, with 6 players averaging double figures, and two starters averaging 7 and 6 points per game. Almost all the statistics were concentrated in one player.

Bibby is still Bibby, shrewd and clutch, but Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Al Horford are not even close to Christie, Peja, Webber, and Divac. In terms of consistency alone, they are not in the same league.

Facing a struggling Knicks team in the final quarter, the Hawks' five-man lineup failed to gain an advantage in regulation time. By the time they called a timeout with 10:55 left in the quarter, the Hawks were down by 5 points! Trailing 101-106, the score at the end of the quarter was 19-22!

However, looking only at the backcourt, the Hawks are indeed stronger compared to the Kings during their "Fab Five" era.

After the timeout, Bibby and Joe Johnson both scored on one-on-one plays and hit mid-range jumpers. In the middle of the defensive possession, the Hawks tightened their defense, and Horford blocked David Lee's shot from close range.

The Hawks narrowed the gap to 1 point, 105-106!
At the crucial moment, Yi Shui stepped up, directly calling for the ball at the right 45-degree angle. Instead of driving, he lowered his center of gravity in a McGrady-like manner, using his head and shoulders to push Josh Smith aside and gain a moment of space. He then suddenly leaped up, and Josh Smith quickly pressed down again to jump and interfere, slapping Yi Shui's wrist... The referee blew the whistle, a three-point foul!

Amid cheers from the fans, Yi Shui made all three of his free throws, bringing the score difference to four points with only eight seconds left, securing the victory!

(End of this chapter)