Champion, please stay!

Chapter 183, Chapter 181: Tonight's touch is on fire!

After the draft lottery, Yi Shui watched the live broadcast of Game 2 between the Lakers and the Rockets... Unfortunately, despite Yao Ming scoring 26 points and Artest scoring 24 points, combining for 50 points, they still couldn't beat Kobe, who scored 40 points, and lost 95 to 107.

看到布鲁克斯15投5中拿到14分，三分球8投仅2中，易水想起了昨晚刷新闻看到的魔术队的战报，阿尔斯通13中7、其中三分球6中3，加上2中2的罚球拿到19分7助攻，帮助魔术队以93比85击败步行者队，成为了霍华德身边最准的一杆枪……造孽啊！
Another day of feeling sorry for the little giant.

The next day, May 11th, marked the second day of the Knicks-Cavaliers series.

At 7:40 p.m., at Quicken Loans Arena, Yi Shui and his teammates entered the court.

Tonight, Cleveland fans were even more frenzied than the night before, and there were significantly more security personnel.

After the opening ceremony, the two teams did not communicate with each other before the match.

When Yi Shui was warming up with a shot, he saw Curry's serious expression and asked curiously, "Stephen, what's wrong? Are you upset because your hometown fans scolded you? I didn't see you like this when they scolded you the day before yesterday."

Curry rolled his eyes at Yi Shui, looked back at the other side, and replied, "My hometown is in Africa. Look over there, James is practicing his post-up game! If he learns how to generate power, I'm worried I won't be able to defend him."

Yi Shui followed Curry's gaze and saw James practicing a back-to-the-basket move, the kind where you push the ball against thin air, then gather it and turn to shoot.

The fans outside the baseline on the other side were cheering and screaming...

Yi Shui patted Curry's head and said, "Don't worry, it's fine. Basketball is an art that requires aesthetics. Those kinds of back-to-the-basket moves won't be able to break through Akron Mountain."

Elementary school student: [_?]
What kind of logic is this?

But Curry felt that the leader's confident demeanor meant he wasn't being sabotaged. He was often sabotaged, but it seemed like he had never been on the court.

He tried to connect 'aesthetics' with strength in his thinking... and it seems that he wasn't wrong!
Magic Johnson's Showtime was dazzling and unparalleled; Larry Bird's technique was both stylish and entertaining; Michael Jordan's playing style was like a painting; Hakeem Olajuwon's footwork was magnificent; Shaquille O'Neal represented the pinnacle of power and beauty; Kobe Bryant's playing style was also beautiful... His older brother's movements were also very attractive.

After letting his mind wander, Curry shook his head, dismissing these strange thoughts. Regardless of how well James performs in the post-up game tonight, he just needs to focus on offense. If he defends well, great; if he doesn't, so be it. They don't rely on that…

...

The match starts at 8 PM!
Both teams kept their starting lineups unchanged. The Cavaliers continued with their combination of two point guards, two forwards, and a center, while the Knicks also fielded their combination of two point guards and three forwards.

Swift wins the jump ball, and the Knicks go first!
The Cavaliers abandoned the 'diamond formation' that some media outlets had touted before the series as being able to stop the Knicks' fast breaks, and instead adopted a strategy of full-court press at positions 1-3, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas retreating to defend the basket and Ben Wallace providing high-post defense.

After Yi Shui rushed into the three-point line, he was stuck to Ben Wallace. He ran to the right side of the basket and received Curry's jump ball. He turned around with his back to the basket, grabbed the ball and pushed it in a crossover direction.

James, who had been closing in, took a step back and turned around... no one was on the sideline! He turned around and saw Yi Shui turn around, and despite being blocked by Ben Wallace at the bottom, he forced a shot... and it went in!
This shot wasn't technically difficult; it was just a matter of timing. Before James could back off and Big Z could double-team him, he relied on his height and the shooting fundamentals he had honed over two years to force the shot!
With Big Z present, Yi Shui followed D'Antoni's strategy, determined not to engage in real positional warfare, and to keep Big Z on the move!
He managed to make the shot despite the resistance from his waist and legs, which served as a test of his touch and gave him more confidence for tonight's game.

When it was the Cavaliers' turn to attack, Curry was ready to continue blocking the shot in the low post, but James didn't call on anyone and directly drove hard through Yi Shui's defense!

Demonstrating a back-to-the-basket move before the game is just to tell fans that you "can" use it, but it doesn't mean you'll actually use it in the game.

James didn't name names and chose to face the defense directly. The Knicks really didn't have a good solution but could only double-team and block the space for James to get his feet moving, making it impossible to defend him when he got into the paint.

James passed the ball to the wing, Delonte West received the ball, Yi Shui made a help defense, Delonte West passed it again... Big Z hit a high-post jump shot!

The Knicks were unaffected and immediately launched a fast break, chasing down the two 96-born veterans in the paint.

The Cavaliers' defensive formation was good. Although they couldn't completely stop the Knicks' fast breaks, after so many matchups, Mike Brown already had a way to reduce the Knicks' fast break efficiency.

Actually, this was already happening before the second round, but the star player was unwilling to make changes in terms of 'success' and only accepted it after losing a game.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas lingered at the high post on offense and retreated on defense immediately. The two point guards were fast, and the James-Benjamin frontcourt duo had strong delaying capabilities. When Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were at their best, the Knicks' success rate in launching fast breaks was indeed not high.

In an effort to play fast and get quick shots, the Knicks were forced into a half-court game and focused their shots on Yi Shui.

Duhon and Curry are capable, but expecting Duhon to shoot under pressure or having the 21-year-old Curry maintain a high success rate when isolation against Delonte West is really asking too much. Birdman is a pure role player, so that's even less likely. David Lee's mid-range shooting isn't great against James and Ben Wallace, but getting past them isn't difficult, especially with Zydrunas Ilgauskas under the basket...

Yi Shui has an inescapable responsibility!

Fortunately, he had a good shooting night, performing well with close-range high-post shots, long two-pointers, and three-pointers!
Ben Wallace was helpless against close-range help defense; LeBron James' defense was too tough.

All they know is confrontation!
It works very well against role players and star players who rely solely on their physicality.

But when facing Yi Shui, they either get blown past or faked out for long-range shots!

With half of the first quarter gone and an official timeout in session, the score was 13-14, with the Knicks trailing by only one point!
With only 5 points scored in total, including one corner three-pointer from Duhon on 5 shots and two free throws from David Lee's putback, Yi Shui single-handedly withstood the Cavaliers' pressure defense and aggressive drives and passes!
开局顶着大本进了一个近距离跳投、2分16秒进了一个急停长两分还造成了詹姆斯犯规、5分16秒炸球突破三步来到篮下放篮命中2+1……6投3中加上1中1的罚球，拿到8分！
After the official timeout, the Knicks brought in a lineup of Curry, Q, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Swift, focusing on Curry and Swift's pick-and-roll offense in half-court sets.

D'Antoni actually needs to use his brain more when playing against the Cavaliers than he does when playing against the Hawks.

The Cavaliers are definitely stronger than the Hawks. Just like at the start of the last game, the Hawks couldn't exert the same absolute dominance as the Cavaliers.

However, the Cavaliers played a very simple game: James would drive and pass the ball, the two point guards would attack with the ball, and James would cut in to receive passes without the ball. They had no other tricks up their sleeve.

D'Antoni's strategy is the same as in the regular season—have Cheeks find ways to block James' scoring, prevent James from attacking the rim and the shooters from hitting long-range shots, and go all out on offense!
As for the possibility of being shot to death by the Cavaliers' pitching squad... well, let them be shot to death, we'll come back for the next game.

Tonight, the Knicks had some luck; their fast-paced offense was more effective than expected, and they didn't fall behind significantly at the start. The Cavaliers' increased physical defense also had an impact on the team's shooting touch sooner than anticipated!
In the latter part of the first quarter, the Cavaliers' long-range shooting began to falter, going from 4 of 7 in the first half of the quarter to 2 of 6!
With James scoring a fast break dunk, drawing a foul on a drive and making one of two free throws, and Varejao adding a putback dunk, they only managed 9 points in half a quarter!
For the Knicks, taking advantage of Yi Shui's presence, Curry and Swift initiated the offense with pick-and-roll plays, and a fast-paced half-court offense began!
His shooting wasn't very accurate, making only 3 of 8 shots in half-court situations, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, for a total of 7 points, but he maintained a basic scoring level. Moreover, taking advantage of the Cavaliers' increased missed long-range shots, Yi Shui led three fast breaks, scoring on two of them: a layup and drawing a foul on the retreating defender, making both free throws. Adding to this, Swift scored an easy basket, bringing the total to 6 points on fast breaks!
At the end of the first quarter, Yi Shui, who was on fire, made 5 of 9 shots, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 14 points and leading the Knicks to a 26-23 lead!
...

After the break, both teams rotated their players.

The Cavaliers brought in a lineup of Mo Williams, Pavlovic, James, JJ Hickson, and Joe Smith.

The Knicks brought in a lineup of Duhon, Curry, Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Swift.

Hickson can drive, Joe Smith sets good off-ball screens, Mo Williams is the only 'shooter' on the Cavaliers who still maintains accuracy in the second half of the first quarter, and Pavlovic is a shooter on the Cavaliers who has not yet played.

These players can receive James' drives and passes, and can follow James on fast breaks. After the start of the second quarter, the Cavaliers' offensive firepower increased significantly!

Mike Brown, who has served as an assistant coach to Bickerstaff, Popovich, and Carlisle, is actually quite capable. He is strong in building defensive systems, and although he is not good at coaching offense, his offensive lineup combinations have always been good. Moreover, he is not as stubborn as Woodson.

But he has problems with both his preparation and his adjustments on the day!
The problem with preparations is that the team has too little control and can't make decisions.

The key to on-the-spot adjustments is always being a step behind.

After the first quarter was over, he realized that if he had switched to the lineup from the second half of Game 1 in time and paired two athletic power forwards in the paint, the offense would have been better.

Moreover, pairing two power forwards in the paint weakens rim protection, but allows for faster switching and help defense, potentially having a greater impact on the opponent's outside shooting touch!
However, as the saying goes, it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. Mike Brown realized this and put the lineup back in, but this time it was really too late... The Knicks' team offense had already taken off!
With 6 minutes and 22 seconds left in the second quarter, James received the ball on a fast break and dunked for two points, prompting the Knicks to call a timeout.

It wasn't stopped by a crackdown; it's just that the time has come for the official pause and replacement of personnel.

After James' dunk, the Cavaliers scored 18 points in half a quarter, but the score was still 41-42, with the Cavaliers trailing by 1 point!
While Yi Shui was still resting on the sidelines, Curry and Swift launched a pick-and-roll offense in the half-court, Duhon seized the opportunity to push the fast break, and David Lee played one-on-one. They all played very well and scored 16 points in half a quarter!
The Cavaliers were on the offensive end in the second quarter, and they were also on the offensive end before the timeout. In other words, in the same offensive possession, without Yi Shui, the Knicks and James' offensive lineup were tied!
After winning Game 1, the Knicks players were already in high spirits, and they built an advantage in the second half of the first quarter, which boosted their momentum!

Just as Phil Jackson said to Kobe Bryant – the Knicks are not a young team, but they are even more young than a young team!
Furthermore, the pressure on the Knicks' role players from the Cavaliers' 64-win record and LeBron James' MVP-caliber performance dissipated after that interview the night before last.

In fact, until the last game, from Yi Shui to Curry, from Swift to Birdman, every Knicks player did not and could not disrespect or belittle James, who was the regular season MVP.

But after the "crown incident," the Knicks players felt that Wade seemed more deserving of the title of "best player of the middle generation"...

...

After the official timeout, Mike Brown did not make any substitutions for the Cavaliers.

For the Knicks, D'Antoni substituted Curry and David Lee, while Duhon and Birdman continued to play, and Yi Shui, Da Q, and Harrington entered the game.

The game continued, and Yi Shui drove into the paint as soon as he came on, scoring a layup over Hickson's help defense and drawing a foul on the free throw!
Yi Shui also enjoyed the benefits of 'off-peak travel'.
During this offensive play, he clearly felt that James's physical intensity was not as high as in the first quarter!

Playing the entire first quarter and then focusing on drives and fast breaks in the first half of the second quarter, even James' stamina was clearly affected!
Yi Shui made the free throw, making it 45-41, and the Knicks took a 4-point lead, regaining control of the game!
James continued to drive and pass to attack, but he had worked too hard against Wilson Chandler in the first half of the quarter, and now his stamina was waning. He also encountered Yi Shui, whose physical strength was not much worse than his own... The team's performance was significantly worse than in the first half of the quarter.

When James tried to slow down and passed the ball to Mo Williams, the Cavaliers' offense collapsed...

In the first half of the quarter, the Cavaliers' offense was very good when James had the ball, but his teammates only needed to run when they launched a fast break. As long as the game was in half-court, everyone except Hickson who was cutting in was standing still and waiting for James to drive and pass.

With his teammates all positioned, James can make plays, and he excels at that style of play. But giving Mo Williams those offensive opportunities really puts him in a difficult position of not passing the ball...

Moreover, because James wanted to rest, he stood at a distance without the ball, and the Knicks' defense left him wide open and blocked him under the basket!
After Yi Shui came on and scored a 2+1 to stabilize the situation, he, along with Harrington, Duhon, Big Q, Swift, and substitutes Chalmers and Birdman, scored another 15 points in the following time.

On the Cavaliers' side, they only scored 10 points in the 5 and a half minutes after the official timeout!
单节34比28，半场打完，尼克斯队以60比51领先骑士队9分。

5分38秒钟时间，易水延续了首节火热的手感，5投3中，加上3中3的罚球拿到9分，半场23分！反超半场20分的詹姆斯！
In the second half, the Knicks encountered the same problem as when they played the Hawks—their offense was too aggressive, and they were too exhausted.

However, they did not stop their offensive onslaught. The combinations of Duhon + Curry and Yi Shui + Harrington took turns on the court, continuing their charge! Continuing their attack!

At the start of the third quarter, the Knicks were led by James, who had returned from rest, to a 16-12 lead in the first half of the quarter. However, after Yi Shui came on in the second half of the quarter, the Knicks responded with a 13-9 run, tying the quarter at 25-25.
Yi Shui felt that James was a very contradictory player. It was only the second game of the playoffs, but he already had countless things to complain about, such as his tendency to complain, but he also really gave it his all.

I was playing a bit recklessly tonight, like I'd been through something...

He played the full three quarters, attacking with all his might in the first half of each quarter, but in the final quarter, James couldn't hold on any longer.

The Knicks' scoring continued to decline in the final quarter, reaching 23 points, but the Cavaliers only managed 18 points!
The match ended at 10:23 PM.

When the final whistle blew, the boos and jeers from the fans in the arena were much, much quieter than in the previous game. The cheers from the few fans who had come from New York and the local Chinese fans reached the ears of the Knicks players.

The fans at the scene were truly stunned this time!
They're number one in the East! They have the same record as the Lakers, 64 wins! They have a regular season MVP! They're a championship contender!
As a result, they lost two home games in the second round right from the start?
But the score on the big screen, the huge score, was just so glaring...

The fans at the stadium weren't the only ones stunned; the role players were too...

首节打满拿到14分、第二节后半段5分半钟拿到9分、第三节后半段6分钟拿到8分、末节开局和节末加起来打了9分半钟拿到10分……出场35分钟，28投15中，其中三分球3中2，加上9中9的罚球，易水狂轰41分8板4助攻。

力压33投15中、其中三分球4中1、外加11中7的罚球拿到38分10板9助攻的詹姆斯！

The Knicks defeated the Cavaliers 108-94, taking a 2-0 lead in the series!

(End of this chapter)