Champion, please stay!

Chapter 178, Section 176: He can't possibly leave here!

After writing down the plan in a small notebook, Yi Shui put aside all the trivial matters unrelated to the competition.

He checked the voting results for the best defensive player.

Howard naturally deserves the award; Camby is increasingly unable to rack up points, Garnett is out for the season, and Duncan's defense has been mediocre for over a decade with no highlights...

The remaining players, such as Artest, James, and Josh Smith, are not competitive.

This season, Beast is far ahead in defense.

However, the number of votes was even more astonishing than Yi Shui had expected!

With 115 people voting, Howard received 107 first-place votes, accounting for 50.56% of the total score!

Since the Best Defensive Player voting changed from a 'number of votes' system to a 'points system' system, before this season, Ben Wallace was the only player with over 100 first-place votes and a total score percentage of 50%, at 50.36% in the 2002-03 season.

Howard broke the records for the number of first-place votes and the percentage of total points!
Upon arriving at Madison Square Garden, Yi Shui immersed herself in her work, giving interviews and shooting commercials.

After the interviews with the media that Nike had arranged were over and the commercials were filmed, Dolan also sent people over, and then there was a live interview with domestic media at 8 pm... I was busy until after 9 pm, and I didn't get home until almost 11 pm. I didn't even have time to watch Game 6 of the Celtics vs. Pacers game.

In the end, the defending champion Celtics became the second team to be upset in the first round!
步行者队上来就抢走主场优势；第2个客场失利后，回到主场的步行者队连赢两场把大比分打成3比1；凯尔特人队以92比88艰难守住G5后，今晚，兰多夫狂砍20分22板、格兰杰拿到23分6板，率领步行者队以83比75守住主场，4比2晋级。

Yi Shui genuinely believes that without Garnett, the Celtics would just be an ordinary playoff team.

If Perkins hadn't committed a flagrant foul on Granger in Game 2, and Randolph hadn't retaliated with a flagrant foul that sent Pierce out, the Celtics might have been swept.

Randolph and Granger have been an outstanding forward duo in this playoff run! During their regular season matchup, Yi Shui believed that apart from Pierce and Garnett, no other forward duo could compare to them.

Thinking about Randolph... if Randolph really stays with the Pacers for $100 million, would anyone still dare to step on Granger's foot?
Given Larry Bird's drafting acumen and management skills, Yi Shui believes that this Pacers team could potentially become his biggest rival in the Eastern Conference in the future!

In fact, after Harrington's ability to pick and roll with the ball at the top of the key was discovered and integrated into the fast-paced style of play, Walsh also revealed that he wanted to keep him long-term.

Yi Shui estimates that this old management team valued Harrington's ability to play, not only because he was good at it, but also because he was good at it.

In the West, there was also an upset team: the fifth-ranked Rockets defeated the fourth-ranked Trail Blazers 4-2.

After taking a 2-0 lead, Roy sealed the victory in one game. When they were up 3-1, Roy had another breakout game. In Game 6, Yao Ming and Artest gave their opponents no chance. Together, they led their team to hold the Trail Blazers to just 76 points, winning the series by a 16-point margin.

However, that series can only be described as an upset by the underdog in terms of ranking, as both teams had the same record.

Although the Trail Blazers had a 2-1 record against the Rockets in the regular season and ranked high, Yao Ming put in a lot of effort in the playoffs, averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks per game, making Oden invisible.

In 5 games, Oden averaged 5 points, 4 rebounds and 0.8 blocks, and his field goal percentage plummeted from 56% in the regular season to 40%. His rim protection method, which relied purely on physical confrontation and jumping, worked well against centers like Howard, but he still defended Yao Ming in the same way, highlighting his lack of basketball IQ.

...

After a day of rest, the Knicks held a training session in New York on the 7th.

They get three days of rest before starting the second round of matches away from home on the 9th.

Compared to the first round, Yi Shui clearly felt that the offensive tactics were simpler and the training volume was less in this preparation training. D'Antoni gave Cheeks a full training session in both the morning and afternoon.

Between the two opponents, the Cavaliers are definitely stronger. If these two teams were to face off directly, Yi Shui believes the Cavaliers would be able to sweep the Hawks.

He can force the Hawks' defense to collapse simply by driving to the basket; in this respect, James' bulldozing style of play is definitely better.

Moreover, the Cavaliers' defense is far superior to that of the Knicks, and they are likely to effectively limit the Hawks' low-ceiling offense.

But for the Knicks, playing the Cavaliers is actually less troublesome than playing the Hawks in terms of preparation.

They faced off four times in the regular season, and in their last meeting, the Cavaliers played exactly the same style of play as in their first meeting.

The Cavaliers' improved defensive consistency after Joe Smith's return and James's reduced ball-handling and increased off-ball drives to the basket are not considered changes to the team's playing style.

After finishing his extra training session for the '7th day' in the evening, Yi Shui returned home and watched the live broadcast on TV.

Seeing Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant being interviewed together on TV, he suddenly felt as if he had returned to his junior high school days, skipping class to go home and watch Yao Ming's first second-round game.

Before the game, the commentators all said that the Lakers would advance easily. However, after the game started, the Rockets defended the Lakers and they only scored 18 points in the first quarter and 40 points in the first half, leading 57-40!

In the second half, Kobe Bryant went on a scoring spree, scoring 13 points in the third quarter and 11 in the final quarter, leading his team to a 52-43 lead over the Rockets. However, the Lakers were still down by 17 points at halftime...

姚明面对湖人三高，17投9中、加上10中10的罚球，拿到28分10板2盖帽，力压31投14中拿到32分的科比，率队以100比92抢走主场优势！

Yi Shui was incredibly excited!

Yi: Well done, Little Giant! Smash the old blacksmith!
Although Yao Ming led his team to victory, the problems were still obvious. The Rockets could put up a very strong offensive and defensive showdown against the Lakers, but their consistency was too poor. The first and second halves were completely different teams.

Yao Ming scored 28 points, with 10 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, 6 points in the third quarter, and only 4 points from free throws in the final quarter.

The defense was the same. In the first half, Battier and Artest took turns guarding Kobe on the perimeter, and with Yao Ming protecting the rim, Kobe only made 4 of 12 shots and scored 8 points in the first half, without being given a single free throw.

Meanwhile, Yao Ming also held Bynum to just 4 points and 3 rebounds in the first half, while Gasol had 8 points and 6 rebounds...

But Kobe single-handedly wore down Battier, Artest, and Yao Ming! He went 10-for-19 in the second half, made a three-pointer, and went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, scoring 24 points in the first half!
Kobe's stamina and powerful drives to the basket made him a game-changer among modern players.

...

On May 8th, Yi Shui arrived in Cleveland with the team.

The basketball atmosphere was incredibly strong at this away game, with thousands of fans even coming to the airport to greet them... or to yell at them.

After getting away from the noise with his teammates, Yi Shui said to Curry, "The fans here really support King. I wonder how they would react if LeBron left." Curry tilted his head and looked up, replying, "Impossible. This is LeBron's hometown. How could he leave? The Cavaliers would never trade him. Even if the Cavaliers drafted me, I wouldn't leave on my own."

Yi Shui wasn't surprised by the elementary school student's certainty. To be honest, based on what he saw of James now, even disregarding his memories of the future, he didn't believe that James would one day leave the Cavaliers.

The James that Yi Shui saw, although he had flaws in many aspects, such as often passing the ball to his teammates in crucial moments, he was indeed hardworking and gave his all for victory.
The Cavaliers' management is willing to spend as much money as possible to build a championship roster. If it weren't for the Knicks, Mavericks, and Trail Blazers spending money so outrageously, the Cavaliers could have topped the league in total salary and luxury tax.

This is entirely a two-way journey between the players and the team.

But Yi Shui knew the future… He shrugged and said, “Nothing is absolute. What if? How about we make a bet?”

Curry hesitated for a moment, feeling like he was about to fall into another trap, but he figured he was sure to win this time, so he replied, "Okay, let's bet! What's the stake?"

Yi Shui: "I haven't thought it through yet, but I want to make a bet. Whoever wins will make the demands."

Curry: "Okay! It's a deal!"

Chalmers, standing to the side, opened his mouth, puzzled: Why don't elementary school students set a time limit for this kind of bet?
With the Knicks arriving in Cleveland, a new battle has begun between Knicks and Cavaliers supporters online and on television.

However, this war of words was quite special. No matter what the Cavaliers fans and supporting media said, the Knicks only had one answer: 3-1 in the regular season.

If there were more to say, Knicks fans would say even more, but since there's nothing else to say, they'll stick to this one thing.

New Yorkers are arrogant and thick-skinned.

Faced with the Knicks fans' unsportsmanlike tactics, the Cavaliers fans broke down...

On May 9th, the eyes of the media and fans were focused on Quicken Loans Arena.

There's another series starting today, which is also attracting a lot of attention – the Pacers playing the Magic on the road.

People were really looking forward to the Pacers' performance, hoping they could pull off a run like the Knicks did back in the day. But unfortunately, they ran into a playoff version of Embiid vs. Kings, and the rising super wing duo of Granger and Randolph became a thing of the past.

At 7:40 p.m., Yi Shui and his teammates entered the stadium amidst a cacophony of boos and shouts.

After the entrance ceremony, he and his teammates watched James' MVP award ceremony and speech.

He felt that James really loved giving speeches...

The atmosphere at Quicken Loans Arena is incredibly fervent. LeBron James's attitude of treating his opponents like 'tribute bearers' or witnesses to his 'coronation' can easily get them carried away.

But the Knicks didn't take it seriously at all. At this point, their mentality was similar to that of the fans—"Do whatever you want, Cavaliers."

They are no match for the other side!
In terms of both record and roster, they can't even come close to the opponent.

Szczerbiak, a fringe player in their perimeter rotation, is no less capable than their starting shooting guard, Big Q; JJ Hickson, a fringe player in their interior rotation, is no less capable than their starting center, Swift.

If you give Szczerbiak and Hickson the same playing time and tactical roles as Big Q and Swift, it's really hard to say who will play better.

That's why Yi Shui and his teammates felt no pressure at all, and just remembered one thing—a 3-1 lead in the regular season.

55 wins is two levels lower than 64 wins? But that doesn't matter, 3-1, the advantage is in my hands!
After the Cavaliers' pre-game stunt, the Knicks players entered the arena and faced the cameras. The series hadn't officially started yet, so they had to give the cameras some face.

But James felt the Knicks players weren't giving him enough face...

What he hopes for is that after he wins the MVP, his opponents will treat him with the same respect they would show to Jordan. Even if they can't match Jordan, they should at least treat him with the same respect they would show to Iverson.

But surprisingly, no one on the other side said more than a few words to him, and when they went to take a photo with Ben Affleck, they didn't even ask him for a photo!
...

The Cavaliers' pre-game performance took up too much time; after Yi Shui and others took a photo with Ben Wallace, there were only a few minutes left for pre-game preparation.

D'Antoni has been coaching for so many years and has seen it all. Back when he was coaching the Suns, there was a regular season game against the Cavaliers on the 2nd. The day before, James won Player of the Month, and a Player of the Month award ceremony was held before the game.

So he was prepared this time. He emphasized everything before the players entered the court, and then let them practice shooting and dribbling to warm up.

However, they weren't at a disadvantage either. The opposing team also didn't have time to prepare before the match, and it's unclear what their 10-minute speech was all about.

When Yi Shui heard that the Player of the Month award would have an award ceremony, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "What a pity! I won it twice this season, why didn't I think of having an award ceremony for me? At least the first one could have been celebrated, since he's the only player in NBA history to win Player of the Month in his debut game."

The pre-match preparation time ended quickly, and the referee informed both teams of their starting lineups to come on.

D'Antoni made changes to the starting lineup tonight – Duhon, Curry, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Anderson.

The Cavaliers' starting lineup remains unchanged—Mo Williams, Delonte West, James, Ben Wallace, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Yi Shui stepped onto the court... and the mission notification appeared!
"You, nicknamed The Emperor, meet LeBron James, nicknamed King, in the playoffs. Mission: The second phase of the Imperial Power is triggered."

Objective 1: Your highest single-game score in this series must be higher than James'.

Reward: Double Strength Training Efficiency Card (month).

Objective 2: Win this series.

Rewards: Startup speed +1; if you win by a large margin in 5 or fewer matches, you will receive an additional bonus of +1 launch speed.

Note: Your speed is 91, starting speed is 92, jumping ability is 91, and spring speed is 89.

Unleash your physical prowess!

When Yi Shui worked with his assistant coaches, consultants, and college trainers to develop McGrady's explosive drives, Beasley's mismatch isolation plays, and Kobe's pull-up jumper, they all focused on developing his strengths, height, and other advantages for an explosive start. However, the gap between him and a healthy McGrady was still quite obvious, and his jumping speed was also inferior to Beasley's...

His desire to win was already strong tonight, and now it's ignited!
(End of this chapter)