Champion, please stay!

Chapter 203, Section 201: The Emperor vs. Melon!

When the Nuggets were on offense, Anthony received the ball at the high post. Webster pressed him closely, and Anthony turned around, bumped into Webster, and then drove forward!

Webster was not at a disadvantage in physical confrontations, but his lateral movement was a bit slow, so he couldn't stop them.

Anthony's close-range floater... was blocked by the retreating Yi Shui, but!

Anthony grabbed the offensive rebound himself and took another shot... and it went in!
The score was 71-71, and less than a minute into the third quarter, both teams had scored over 70 points!

Seeing the smile on Melon's face as he retreated, Yi Shui's lips twitched.

He had read a report that said Anthony's actual field goal percentage under the basket should be between 65% and 70%. He would make the shot once or twice a game after being blocked, which lowered his field goal percentage under the basket to below 60%. His actual performance in the paint should be among the top three for a small forward.

In the transition between offense and defense, it was Anthony's turn to put his hands on his hips.

The defensive tactics simply couldn't be executed! Before he, Billups, and Nene could even begin to cut off passes and form a tight defensive perimeter, the opponent had already scored!
Yi Shui used a rhythm difference to get to the right side of the free throw line and made a pull-up jump shot!

Using 'Little LeBron' as a sparring partner!

Anthony thought of the second round of last year's playoffs when Yi Shui played against James... At least the real James could keep his long-range shooting in check, and Graham couldn't even give Yi Shui much contact when he went up to defend him!
Standing at 201 cm tall and weighing 102 kg, with sprinting speed comparable to LeBron James and Maggette, Graham played as a substitute for the Raptors last season, averaging 7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. He was very effective at defending physically strong forwards, and even against players like Josh Smith and Stoudemire, he didn't suffer much in physical battles. The Nuggets had high hopes for him at halftime... and this is what happened?
When it was Anthony's turn to attack, Webster displayed the mental maturity that has been praised since he graduated high school. Despite being hammered twice, he remained calm on defense and defended as he always had.

Anthony blew the ball and stepped back to shake off Webster's tight defense, then took a long two-pointer...missed!
Carmelo Anthony: They're both from the 05 draft class, but this high schooler is so composed. My LeBron James is practically jumping up and down defending him.

Harrington grabbed the rebound and launched a counterattack... The Nuggets retreated to their defense, but Duhon and Hughes were both out, and the fast break couldn't be pushed forward.

Yi Shui came to the frontcourt wanting to continue to get the ball and go one-on-one. Against an opponent like Graham who relies purely on physical attributes and reaction defense, the jump shot was too comfortable. However, the opponent made a substitution!

Anthony immediately stuck to Yi Shui at the three-point line, physically battling to get in front of him!
Yi Shui turned and cut inside. The 203cm tall and 109kg Little Melon was not at a disadvantage in terms of footwork and physical strength! She entangled with Yi Shui all the way until they got close!
Yi Shui frantically blocked and positioned himself, while Anthony fiercely contested the situation; the scene looked like a fight was about to break out!

Relying on his physical advantage and static strength beyond what one would expect, Yi Shui managed to receive a bounce pass from Chalmers on the wing in a low position, then took a step forward to remove himself from the contact.

Anthony continued to press forward and engage in a physical battle. Yi Shui quickly dribbled the ball, turned to the right, passed Anthony, and drove into the three-second zone for a floater... but was blocked by Nene.

The fans in the stadium cheered wildly!

Although Anthony couldn't stop her, his intense physical battle gave Nene the opportunity to help defend and also disrupted Yi Shui's vision and focus on the defense!
Their Dong Ge (Liu Qiangdong) stood up and confronted the Emperor head-on!

Iverson's biggest contribution during his two years with the Nuggets wasn't helping the 45-win Nuggets become a 50-win team. That was simply ensuring the Nuggets maintained their playoff strength in the Western Conference. During those two years, the Western Conference collectively "rose" to the top, and the 50-win team was just on the edge of the playoffs, only to be swept by the Lakers in the first round.

In his early years, Anthony faced not only league boycotts and media criticism due to his alleged involvement in organized crime, but also significant issues on the court. Aside from facing LeBron James, Anthony was particularly unmotivated on defense, similar to Gilbert Arenas. He would put in a lot of effort on offense, but his defense would be easily overwhelmed.

In the 05-06 season, Carmelo Anthony, in his third year, led his team to the top of the Northwest Division, averaging 26 points per game and being selected to the All-NBA Third Team. However, he was not selected as an All-Star reserve by any team's coaches because he made a very bad impression on them on the court.

In the 06-07 playoffs against the Spurs, the Nuggets were eliminated 1-4. When Anthony was matched up against Finley, who was already 34 years old and had been waived by the Mavericks, Finley averaged 15 points per game! He showed no effort on the defensive end and was almost brought to tears by Iverson's criticism.

Thus, we have Carmelo Anthony, who went on an elbowing spree with Kobe in every game during the first round of the 07-08 season and the Western Conference Finals of the 08-09 season.

When it was the Nuggets' turn to attack, Billups was one-on-one against Chalmers. Nene pulled out to set a screen, and Chalmers and Harrington were ready to switch on defense. But Billups didn't use the screen and drove straight to the left, pulling up for a quick shot on the left side of the free-throw line... and it went in!
The only feeling I had after replenishing the Yi River was that the flounder was really cocky!

He was still lunging forward when suddenly he pulled it up and threw it. Even an old blacksmith wouldn't do that!

When the Knicks were on offense, Yi Shui went straight to the low post to box out Anthony, instead of wasting energy on the perimeter.

After receiving a pass from Harrington, Yi Shui took a step forward, mimicking the old blacksmith, quickly turned around, attracted Billups to double-team him, and passed the ball at a 45-degree angle.

Chalmers moved up from the baseline, ran to the 45-degree angle to receive the ball, and launched a three-pointer... It went in!
The Knicks lead 76-73, a 3-point advantage!
But then, Anthony dribbled past Webster to the right baseline mid-range, drawing a double team from Yi Shui before passing the ball out to the sideline, where Afflalo received the ball and hit a three-pointer!
The Nuggets have tied the score again!
Chalmers then got an open shot on the second consecutive possession, but missed a long two-pointer from the high post, and Billups grabbed the defensive rebound.

Driven by Billups, Graham, Anthony, and Nene got going!
Anthony received the ball close to the basket, drew the defense, passed it back, and Billups hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc.

The Nuggets lead 79-76, a 3-point advantage!
When it was the Knicks' turn to attack, Yi Shui drove hard to the basket, jumped, and, despite the challenge from Nene in mid-air, pulled away from Graham's diving block, barely managing to throw the ball out through the crowd... Luckily, the ball bounced off the rim and fell into the hoop.

The fans at the stadium sighed in disappointment, but immediately began cheering for the players again.

The Great One is fierce, there's nothing we can do about it. He's a super rookie who averaged 28+ points per game in his rookie year, the greatest rookie in history... Dong Ge and King are good friends, but their fans are not. At the end of last season's regular season, there was a group of fans who insisted that Yi Shui was the greatest rookie in history, including Anthony fans.

But even though the Emperor is strong, they have melons! And halibut!
With Anthony switching onto Yi Shuichi to defend him, the Nuggets started to gain the upper hand!
Anthony's physical battles, Nene's rim protection, and Billups' wing double-teams caused Yi Shui a lot of trouble.

After Billups joined the team last season, George Karl began to change the game in the direction he wanted, adding a run-and-gun offense and defense. In terms of defensive coordination, tactics, and teamwork, the Karl team was stronger than the Knicks!
Two possessions later, after Harrington missed a jump shot from the free-throw line and Yi Shui grabbed the offensive rebound, drawing a foul from Anthony, George Karl substituted Kenyon Martin for Graham, bringing Anthony back to the small forward position to strengthen mid-range defense.

Originally, Yi Shui could rely on the opponent's lack of mid-range help defense to create three-point opportunities for Chalmers and mid-range shooting opportunities for Harrington. However, after Kenyon Martin, who can cover mid-range and long-range shots, came on, it became even more difficult for him to play.

Yi Shui beat everyone numb - how did the old blacksmith manage to suppress Billups and Anthony when Gasol was exhausted and could only stand and shoot, Bynum couldn't penetrate the paint, Ariza couldn't cut in, and Fisher's defense was dominated by Billups?

With 4 minutes and 58 seconds remaining, Anthony hit a step-back three-pointer, extending the Nuggets' lead to 6 points. D'Antoni couldn't sit still any longer and called a timeout.

We don't need a center anymore. Yi Shui and David Lee will partner in the frontcourt, and Curry, Larry Hughes, and Matt Barnes will play on the perimeter. It's a 4-on-4-off lineup!
After the timeout, the Knicks went on offense.

Yi Shui continued to establish position in the elbow area, and the Nuggets were prepared to double-team him and extend their defense to cover for long-range shots.

Suddenly, Curry grabbed the ball, jumped, and launched a three-pointer over Billups who was hastily closing in... and it went in!
Billups was caught off guard by the shot, and while he was a little annoyed, he also developed a certain appreciation for the second-year guard in front of him.

He looks just like him back then! And it's a little unsettling; he's even stronger than he was back then…

In the transition between offense and defense, Billups faced much more pressure when defended by Hughes than when facing Chalmers or Duhon, due to his significant size disadvantage.

On Anthony's side, after being physically challenged by Webster, he is now facing Barnes, who is less physically strong but has better athleticism and a more aggressive defense... but he still has a great advantage in physical attributes!
Just as Billups was about to pass the ball to Anthony, he saw that the player guarding the basket against Nene was not David Lee, but Yi Shui!

He decisively waved for Anthony to spread out at the high post and lobbed the ball inside!
Nene received the ball and went for a low-post one-on-one against Yi Shui, and the fans in the stadium started cheering wildly, a big man against a small man! But... Nene couldn't break through! At 208 cm tall and 113 kg barefoot, he had a certain advantage in the physical confrontation with Yi Shui, but Yi Shui was in a horse stance, and he couldn't break through!

The main disadvantage is height and wingspan!
At this moment, Kenyon Martin moved up from the weak side, pretending to screen for Afflalo, then suddenly cut back and drove into the paint, leaving David Lee behind!

Just as Nene was about to take a strong shot, he noticed his teammate's movement, took a step back, turned around... and passed the ball!
Kenyon Martin receives the ball one step outside the left side of the three-second zone, scoops it up with both hands around his waist, steps into the three-second zone with his left foot, and jumps!
The fans in the stadium cheered wildly, what a beautiful inside pass!
Suddenly, the cheers from the fans turned into terrified screams!

Yi Shui, who was in a horse stance, turned around and took a step forward, leaping high into the air, even higher than Kenyon Martin who was charging!
The outstretched hand was higher than the ball that Kenyon Martin slammed down with his tomahawk dunk!
Kenyon Martin didn't even have time to pull up the ball before he could watch helplessly as Yi Shui's hand slapped the ball!

(End of this chapter)