Champion, please stay!

Chapter 172, page 170: The Playoffs Begin!
Yi Shui's "declaration of his championship aspirations" has attracted considerable attention and discussion, with most comments praising him.

Of course, there were dissenting voices, as well as some harsh criticisms and attempts to incite arguments, but their impact was minimal.

That's too positive and overly optimistic.

When Yao Ming saw the interview video, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed: Why didn't I think of saying that all those years ago?
A few years ago, in the 03-04 season, he led his team to the playoffs for the first time with a record of 45 wins and seventh place in the Western Conference. Alexander's side in China bought articles to say that they were championship contenders.

When asked about the issue by reporters, he felt extremely embarrassed and his mind was filled with thoughts of changing the subject and talking about other things. In the years that followed, he never gave a direct answer.

Now we see the correct example of response... but it's too late to learn from it. The backlash from the Rockets' forced creation of a 'championship favorite' persona has already begun. He was a beneficiary back then, but now he can only bear it.

After two rest days, April 23rd marked the first day of the 2008-09 season playoffs.

In the morning, D'Antoni's face turned a deep, liver-red from smiling.

In yesterday's Coach of the Year voting, he received 91 votes out of 115 votes from journalists, experts, announcers, and commentators, defeating Mike Brown, Phil Jackson, George Karl, and Stan Van Gundy to be named Coach of the Year!
From just over 20 wins to 55 wins, a surge of more than 30 wins, this award is basically a foregone conclusion.

The Best Manager award was also announced at the same time, with Denver Nuggets General Manager Mark Wakendien winning the award.

The trade that brought in Billups in exchange for Iverson was considered an S-level trade from the start, and the actual situation proved that this rating was correct. The Nuggets climbed from outside the top eight to finish the regular season as the second seed in the Western Conference.

Major media outlets have given the Denver Nuggets their regular season overall assessment, all believing that they have the ability to compete for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

...

After three days of hustle and bustle, at 5:3 pm, after warming up, Yi Shui and his teammates arrived at the players' tunnel.

Listening to the cheers of the fans in the stadium and looking at the cheerleaders performing, he opened the system and received a notification.

"You made it to the playoffs in your rookie season, fulfilling your promise."

Your playoff journey is about to begin. You've been given one wish. Will you use it?

"Of course we should use it!" Yi Shui commanded in her mind.

"You have committed to winning the championship this season. Congratulations on receiving the reward in advance: Holy Land King (Special Skill)."

Holy Land King: Triggered when you play a game at Madison Square Garden, known as the 'Holy Land of Basketball'.

1. The loyalty and enthusiasm of the fans at the stadium have increased significantly.

2. The opponent's momentum was suppressed, and they felt greater pressure in the match.

3. When you perform well, it is easier to inspire your teammates' confidence and fighting spirit, and to boost the morale of the whole team.

Note: Failure to fulfill this commitment will result in the deduction of two championship bonuses in the future.

The promise was indeed made, and he became the champion... Yi Shui had guessed it, but he had no regrets.

Yesterday he said his goal was the championship, and he really meant it. If you make it to the playoffs and don't aim for the championship, what's the point of playing basketball?

Even if you fail, getting a championship reward first will help you in your future championship aspirations. Besides, losing a championship reward is not an option... A championship ring is the best reward for fighting on the basketball court!

But this reward... is it a home-field advantage? Yi Shui wasn't sure if it was a good reward or a bad one...

After the pre-match presentations ended, the players' entrance ceremony began.

Players from other teams love to travel to New York for away games.

Even though the Knicks' record has soared this season, with a home winning percentage of over 80%, a home record of 33 wins and 8 losses with many victories against strong teams, and an away record of 22 wins and 19 losses with many of them being easy wins against weaker teams.

This is partly due to habit, and also because New Yorkers see themselves as a 'world city,' so they have more appreciation and tolerance for visiting team stars.

Even in the highly publicized game between Kobe and Yi Shui, when Kobe hit two consecutive three-pointers, the fans still cheered for him. Of course, this was partly because Yi Shui responded immediately; they enjoyed watching Yi Shui go head-to-head with various star players.

This 'inclusion' does not include Reggie Miller.

So many years have passed, and Reggie Miller still has to buy his own ticket to watch games at Madison Square Garden, and he gets booed by the entire stadium every time the camera focuses on him.

And then there's the Big Apple, the basketball mecca, a place to yearn for. But this time, when the Hawks players entered the arena, the fans erupted in a ferocious barrage of boos and jeers, reminiscent of the Energy Solutions Arena!
When it was the Knicks' home court, the Hawks players heard even louder cheers than when they had played here before!
This change made the Hawks players somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn't just that the fans were more excited because it was the playoffs instead of the regular season; they felt that the atmosphere in the arena had undergone a qualitative change!
When Yi Shui was the last to appear, the cheers from the fans reached their peak, as if they were about to punch a hole in the ceiling.

Hawks players: Yes, it's this man. He not only changed the fate of the Knicks, but also changed the basketball atmosphere of this city!

Yi: You guys are right this time!

Yi Shui hadn't expected the 'Holy Land Monarch' skill to have such an immediate effect.

He had never seen fans boo and curse at the opposing team so excitedly in a regular season of over 40 games! Not even when LeBron James or Kobe Bryant were playing!
He looked at his teammates at the edge of the spotlight, and sure enough, they were all incredibly excited... When had the 'carefree' New York fans ever been so passionate about their team? Perhaps not even during the heyday of the 90s.

David Lee, in particular, was grinning from ear to ear.

It's understandable. When Yi Shui first met this teammate, he felt that the other person was almost treating playing basketball as a pure 'job'.

That's not David Lee's fault. He entered the NBA and ended up in a 'retirement home' for three years. It's rare for him to still maintain a 'work ethic'.

Just look at Jeffries. Back in his Wizards days, he was a defensive specialist. In the season before he came to the Knicks, his defensive efficiency was sixth in the league. He dared to draw fouls even when James and Wade drove in, despite his thin frame. Now he's almost a 'fraudster,' thinking all day about how to use his 'NBA player' status to buy and sell for money.

With such significant changes to the team and such a great home atmosphere, it's understandable that David Lee is excited.

After the opening ceremony, the spotlights went out and the lights came on.

During the pre-match greetings, the two head coaches were more hostile than the players, smiling at the camera while making sarcastic remarks about each other.

When Yi Shui played against the Hawks in the regular season, he noticed that his own coach and the opposing coach did not get along, but he did not pay attention to it at the time.

During yesterday's training session, he noticed that D'Antoni was unusually strict. At the time, he didn't think it was a feud between the coaches; instead, he thought it was a good thing and even praised D'Antoni to Curry, saying that D'Antoni was different in the playoffs.

The elementary school student, who has recently become obsessed with gossip and neglects his work, told him that it was because D'Antoni didn't want to lose to Woodson.

The two had a history of conflict, which was initially stirred up by Woodson. During the 05 playoffs, Woodson, who had become the head coach of the Hawks, was invited to commentate on the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the Suns. After the Suns were thoroughly defeated, Woodson made a series of comments about the lack of future prospects in the run-and-gun style of basketball... and that's how the feud began.

The main reason for the escalating conflict was the difference in coaching philosophies.

D'Antoni was extremely fond of offense and even completely disregarded defense at one point, until he met Cheeks, a defensive assistant coach who knew how to handle things.
Mike Woodson, on the other hand, advocated for defense above all else and was completely clueless about offense, relying entirely on assistant coach Jack Shemack and tactical linchpin Mike Bibby. Shemack was a member of Adelman's coaching staff during the Kings' "Fab Five" era...

After exchanging pleasantries, the coaches and players of both teams returned to the bench to make final preparations before the match.

D'Antoni's passionate tone when emphasizing tactical details also infected the players who were already excited by the atmosphere at the scene.

Soon, the referee came to inform them that their starting lineup was ready to enter the game.

The entire team of coaches and players gathered together and shouted "GO New York GO!" before Yi Shui led Curry, Da Q, David Lee, and Swift onto the court.

The opposing starting lineup is a "poor man's five": Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and Horford.

At 6 p.m., the referee blew the whistle to start the game and threw the ball into the air. Swift beat Horford to win the jump ball, and the Knicks went first... Go!

Amidst the surging cheers of the fans, Curry strode forward and passed the ball to Yi Shui.

Yi Shui rushed into the three-point line but was held off by Josh Smith. He quickly glanced around and realized that the Hawks' frontcourt athleticism was no worse than theirs. Their defense was quick and in place. Before his teammates could get into position, he passed the ball back to Curry.

Curry received the pass back after crossing the center circle. When he dribbled to the top of the arc, Yi Shui and David Lee were already in position inside. Without pausing, he used Swift, who was at the top of the arc, to set a screen and initiate the attack.

After driving to the elbow area, Curry passed the ball to Big Q, who used a screen to get around to the top of the arc. Big Q received the ball but was blocked, so he passed it to David Lee, who had split up on the left side of the free throw line. David Lee received the ball, turned around and got past Joe Johnson, who was guarding him, and then turned and shot a jump shot... Josh Smith came in to help defend, and the shot missed!

but!

Yi Shui grabbed the offensive rebound, and despite Marvin Williams's turnaround block, he jumped up and scored with a high layup!
When it was the Hawks' turn to attack, Joe Johnson backed down his opponent and made a turnaround jump shot from mid-range.

That back-to-the-basket technique, that turnaround, that fadeaway... it was simply superb! Yi Shui couldn't help but show an expression of envy as she watched!

Of all the guards he'd ever seen, only Kobe Bryant and Andre Miller possessed Joe Johnson's level of mid-range post-up game.

The Hawks made the shot, Curry's fast break failed, he slowed down after crossing the center circle, and just when the Hawks players thought he was going to pass to Yi Shui to start the attack and were ready to imitate the Cavaliers' middle cut-off defense, Yi Shui went straight to the inside!
Curry continued to use screens to initiate the attack, Horford didn't come out to defend, and Curry hit a three-pointer... and it went in!
Curry scored, but the Hawks players' eyes were on Yi Shui... This guy directly knocked Marvin Williams, who was protecting the board, out of bounds!
(End of this chapter)