Champion, please stay!

Chapter 199, Section 197: Your Majesty, you're cheating!

After two home games, Yi Shui left New York with the team on the 2nd to begin a four-game road trip.

After a night's rest in Los Angeles, the team arrived at Staples Center on the 3rd to challenge the Clippers.

Before the game, Yi Shui, Curry, Chalmers, Love, and Thabeet gathered together to chat.

This game was not broadcast nationwide, but it was streamed on American cable television systems in New York and surrounding states, and Time Warner Cable Sports also streamed it in California.

When the camera focused on the five players, the commentator remarked, "The story of the past two NCAA seasons has unfolded around these five."

Seeing Love and Thabeet getting along so well, Yi Shui was reminded of his junior year of college when the two elbowed each other on the court, as if it were just yesterday.

This big, fluttering moth, the wings flapped by the top draft pick, actually changed the fates of these two guys! Their careers started much better than in their original timeline!

Love was originally supposed to be Al Jefferson's backup for two years, but he only secured a starting position in his third year and then soared to new heights, averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds per game in the 10-11 season.

After being drafted by the Clippers, with their original core center Kaman sidelined for the season, Love stepped up and averaged 14+10 in his rookie year.

To give Love more room to grow, the Clippers' management and head coach decided to bench Camby, who was earning $1000 million a year, after the All-Star Weekend last season.

After selecting Thabeet in last season's draft, the Clippers used a second-round pick to send Camby to the Trail Blazers, who were still benefiting from the rookie success of Roy and Aldridge, to make room for the two young rookies.

Thabeet's selection by the Clippers is a world apart from his original selection by the Grizzlies.

赛季前两场，塔比特分别打了24分钟和23分钟，拿到4分5板3盖帽、6分6板2盖帽，看起来除了盖帽效率高，得分、篮板、传球都不咋滴。

But Thabeet's impact on his inside partners is significant! Love's rebounding efficiency skyrockets when he's on the court!
After arriving in Los Angeles yesterday, Yi Shui saw an analysis of rookie opening performances that mentioned Thabeet. In the two games with the Clippers, number 30 and number 1, Love and Thabeet played together for 38 minutes, during which Love grabbed 18 rebounds; Love played together with Kaman and Drew Gooden for 32 minutes, grabbing 10 rebounds.

Some people's lives improve, while others' lives deteriorate.

Kaman was unlucky. He had a peak season in 07-08, averaging 15.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. After being sidelined for the rest of last season, he returned from injury to find the team completely different. At 27, in his prime, he was relegated to a backup role for rookies a year early...

...

The game between the Knicks and the Clippers started at 8 p.m.

The effectiveness of the Knicks' defense against top teams remains to be seen, but it works very well against weaker teams!
In the summer of 08, at the peak of his career, Baron Davis insisted on returning to his hometown to play, wanting to team up with Kobe and Gasol to compete for a championship.

当时他刚刚打出21.8分4.7板7.6助攻2.3抢断的巅峰表现，29岁当打之年，湖人队也在08年夏天给出了奥多姆为核心筹码+到期中产匹配合同的报价。

But the mad scientist wouldn't have it; he wanted to go back home. Fine! They sent the bearded man to the Clippers...

短短一年，巴郎-戴维斯心气儿直接被快船队磨没了，从差不多场均21+5+7+2的全明星控卫，变成了场均15+7、命中率不到40%、三分命中率不到30%的垃圾合同。

Cheeks's strategy of having Duhon leave Baron Davis open for long-range shots, Curry double-teaming on the wing, and Yi Shui cutting off passes on the weak side worked very well.

Although Love averaged 18 points and 14 rebounds in the first two games of the season, showing the potential of a top-tier center, his one-on-one game was still slightly lacking. His scoring relied on shot attempts and second-chance rebounds, with a field goal percentage of just 45%. Against David Lee's defense, Ben Wallace's help defense, or Yi Shuichi's help defense, his one-on-one performance was very poor.

The Knicks played a great defense, and their offense... well, their running game was pretty good too.

In half-court sets, the Clippers' interior players really gave the Knicks a lot of trouble, their rebounding was excellent!
Yi Shui, Birdman, Gibson, Big Ben... none of them could grab offensive rebounds.

David Lee's inside scoring and Curry's drives to the basket were both very difficult for him.

Yi Shui couldn't penetrate the interior rotation of players like Love, Thabeet, Gooden, and Kaman... but he could shoot!

Facing the same year's number one draft pick, Love really wanted to win; Thabeet, although his relationship with Yi Shui wasn't bad, was still considered Yi Shui's little follower after winning the MOP, and wanted to prove himself; Kaman was also unwilling to be relegated to the bench and wanted to reclaim his starting position... He defended very hard.

However, Yi Shui was frantically jumping and shooting around the perimeter, and they could only watch helplessly, unable to get out of the way to help!

What drove the Clippers' frontcourt crazy was that they could tell Yi Shui was using them to practice his pull-up jump shot!

The Knicks' half-court offense was decent, their fast breaks were excellent, and their defense was targeted enough to prevent the opponent's star players who relied on isolation plays from getting going... The Knicks won this slow-paced game 106-95.

易水今晚出手特别多，29投14中，其中三分球7中3，加上5中5的罚球，拿到36分7板3助攻2抢断2盖帽！

He only attempted 5 shots on drives to the basket and fast breaks, making 4. He also took 7 three-pointers and 17 close-range and mid-range jump shots, making 7 of them for a shooting percentage of over 40%, a very good performance! After the game, Yi Shui wanted to see how people would praise his improved mid-range shooting... but the hottest news about them was that they had allowed less than 100 points in the first 3 consecutive games, the first time since the 2005-06 season.

The discussion surrounding their defensive performance generated far more buzz than his 36 points.

He's completely lost, yet people are focusing on this?

And does he remember Larry Brown was coaching in the 05-06 season? The league's best defensive coach! His students were treated like treasures by them, how could he have produced such defense?
Yi Shui checked the team's roster for the 05-06 season... Well, that Knicks team, even if you put together Gregg Popovich, Larry Brown, and Marbury, they probably couldn't build a defense. The starting lineup was Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Big Q, Channing Frye, and Eddie Curry.

...

On the 5th, Yi Shui traveled with the team to his other 'home court,' Oracle Arena in Oakland, to play against the Warriors away.

When he came here last year, although there were many cheers, there were also some boos.

This time was different. As soon as the entrance ceremony began and the lights went out, the fans in the stadium started chanting "The Emperor".

Bay Area media used the description "The Emperor has arrived in Golden State" when promoting the game.

The Warriors switched sides even before the game started, partly because there are many local Chinese fans, and partly because the Warriors confirmed they were tanking after that trade a few days ago.

Biedrins got a big contract and played well for a year, then let himself go. When he came back from the offseason, he was completely worn out. He looks okay in terms of physique, but he started panting after just a few minutes of team practice, and his running and jumping abilities have declined significantly.

Rumor has it that during the offseason, Biedrins hung out with a group of rappers, frequenting nightclubs and private parties, and even took drugs to the point of being hospitalized in order to maintain mobility... ruining himself in just one summer.

This left the Warriors' management completely dumbfounded. Biedrins had just turned 23 in April, and his 6-year, $54 million contract was only in its second year. Was he really going to be ruined like this?

Don Nelson remained decisive; since the team was already out of commission, he decided to let it go. He traded Stephen Jackson at the start of the season and continued to shop for Maggette, freeing up the frontcourt and creating better conditions for tanking.

If they were to tank, Yi Shui guessed that Old Nelson's target was John Wall, the second-best high school student in the nation who had just joined the University of Kentucky.

With Ellis, the ball-handling core player; CJ Watson, a high-quality backup guard who has been developed for two years; Kylana Azubuke, who averaged 14.4 points per game last season and also plays with the ball; and Rubio, a golden boy who plays in Europe but hasn't arrived yet... and still tanking, it reminds Yi Shui of the Warriors' strategy of nurturing talent.

Old Nelson liked to draft a bunch of guards to compete among themselves and select the best of the best.

Back when he was with the Mavericks, they signed Marquese Daniels in 03, who was overlooked in the draft due to his ball-dominant playing style.

In 04, with Nash's contract extension negotiations still in progress, and with backup point guard Tony Delk and Daniels, who had an outstanding rookie year and was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team, there were three perimeter players who had the ball.

The draft pick acquired in the trade for Jamison was used to select Devin Harris, who at the time lacked shooting ability and could not be a shooter; Antoine Walker was traded for Jason Terry, who was then a point guard.

After the lockout in 98, the Mavericks traded Nash back, and it seemed to be a similar situation, with a bunch of talented guards...

Both of those attempts to "raise the worm" (a metaphor for exploiting weaknesses) were successful, with Nash emerging as a standout; Harris improved his shooting and Terry improved his poor playing style on a tanking team.

However, it's hard to imagine what would happen if Rubio and Wall got together.

The Knicks' away game against the Warriors tipped off at 9 p.m.!
With the home game turned into an away game, could Ellis, with his fiery temper, tolerate it? He launched a fierce attack right from the start!

Ellis, who calls himself the 'second best shooting guard in the West', has entered his prime after four years of honing his skills, and his scoring ability certainly lives up to his confidence.

The Knicks' double-teaming strategy on the perimeter failed for the first time after the start of the regular season.

Ellis is so fast! When he breaks through, it feels like all the other players on the court slow down!
After the Warriors' season opener against the Mavericks, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle commented on Ellis, "He makes JJ (Barea) look older than me."

As he drove to the basket to help defend the paint, Ellis's various layups were incredibly stylish, and his waistline reminded people of the old blacksmith from Los Angeles.

After each goal, Ellis would crane his neck and stare intently at Yi Shui.

Yi Shui, of course, had to respond, but it was this response that made Ellis want to jump up and down.

Yi Shui launched a strong fast break, pressuring the Warriors' retreating perimeter players to attack the basket, leading to a half-court set. Maggette defended, Yi Shui went for a low-post isolation play, Biedrins defended, Yi Shui went for a low-post isolation play, Anthony Randolph defended, Yi Shui went for a low-post isolation play...

The sight of that easy score made Ellis, who had given it her all to break through with a layup, think to herself, "That's cheating!"

(End of this chapter)