Champion, please stay!

Chapter 204, Section 202: Yiku Shoots Three Shots!
'Guardian of the Basket' improves the ability to anticipate the cutting player's path when defending in the restricted area, and the ability to generate power from a standing jump to the level of a running jump; 'Skyward Cover' improves the ability to judge the ball's movement and enhances balance in the air when helping to block shots...

Kenyon Martin was tackled by Yi Shui, along with the ball, and fell sideways to the ground!

The baseball caps were completely clean, and the two players didn't make any contact in the air!

David Lee, who had chased in, grabbed the ball, but Yi Shui, who had landed and was steady, snatched it away and passed it to Hughes, initiating a fast break.

5 against 4! Kenyon Martin lies on the ground and doesn't get up!
Despite playing with a 4-on-5 defense, the Nuggets actually defended fast breaks better than in the first half, with a more targeted approach. Billups blocked Curry, and Afflalo, Anthony, and Nene all came to the basket.

With no chance to shoot, Curry, who received a pass from Hughes, decisively passed the ball to Yi Shui.

Harrington, Barnes, and Hughes spread out to the sides, but failed to get the Nuggets' defense moving. Afflalo, Anthony, and Neneza were in the middle.

Yi Shui didn't pass the ball. He dribbled one step into the free throw line, grabbed the ball, and took a step to the left front, getting past Afflalo who rushed to steal it. On his second step, he jumped directly, raising the ball over the double-team of Anthony and Nene. With a low hand, he pulled up and threw the ball towards the basket, dodging their outstretched arms!

As the ball left Yi Shui's fingertips, Nene's hand slapped his wrist, and the referee's whistle blew!

With the whistle blowing, the ball spun out from the right side of the basket, hit the rim, and fell into the hoop!
Yi Shui's goal stands, but an additional penalty is due!
Dead ball, official timeout!
George Karl on the sidelines covered his head with both hands. He was being charged by Yi Shui like that, and without Kenyon Martin's close-range interception, Nene couldn't stop him either!
As for Afflalo and Anthony, conventional defense can cause trouble for Yi Shui in different ways, but with such defense, the former's physical difference is too great and the latter's defensive awareness is insufficient.

A wicked thought flashed through George Karl's mind, but seeing Harrington and Barnes hugging and celebrating with Yi Shui, and Birdman and Ben Wallace running onto the court from the opposite bench, and remembering how Yi Shui was elbowed back by Wu Sheng after being fouled... he decided to check if the old number one draft pick was alright.

这两年，一直有媒体、球迷抨击当年他们给肯扬-马丁7年9000万顶薪合同，认为场均12分6板的老状元拿着1500万年薪已经是垃圾合同。

But in reality, within their team, after Billups and Anthony, Kenyon Martin has the strongest tactical role.

With over 1 steal and 1 block, and a low turnover rate of only 1.2 per 30 minutes, aside from a slightly poor shooting touch and a bit too small, he's a perfect piece for a championship contender.

Fortunately, Kenyon Martin only fell hard, hitting his back on the floor and in so much pain that he couldn't get up immediately, but he wasn't injured, which relieved George Karl.

...

After the official timeout, D'Antoni did not make any substitutions; Curry, Hughes, Barnes, Yi Shui, and David Lee continued to play.

D'Antoni was also helpless, as the team's strongest rim protector was actually Yi Shui! Even Ben Wallace and Birdman couldn't compare.

But using Yi Shui to protect the rim now is just a temporary measure; he doesn't want to fight like that later.

Not to mention him, even Cheeks and Mark Jackson, who emphasize defense, refused to let Yi Shui play center to protect the rim. They were unwilling to let him play in the rotation, and at most he would play power forward like Garnett.

On the other side, George Karl substituted Malik Allen to give Kenyon Martin a break, replaced Afflalo with JR Smith to enhance their one-on-one ability, and Billups, Anthony, and Nene continued to play.

Yi Shui executed the penalty, and it went in perfectly.

The Knicks tied the game again at 86-86!
With just over half of the third quarter gone, the Knicks and Nuggets had scored 17 and 19 points respectively, their scoring efficiency matching that of the most aggressive run-and-gun offense in the first quarter.

The Nuggets were on offense. JR Smith isolated against Curry and, despite the interference, hit a long fadeaway two-pointer!
Sometimes, boosting morale doesn't necessarily require dunks or blocks. Unpredictable shots and unconventional baskets can also be very motivating.

In the possession before the timeout, Kenyon Martin was blocked by Yi Shuichi, who then scored a 2+1 against a triple team, severely impacting the Nuggets' morale.

But the unpredictable, erratic striker scored right away, a goal that was like Kobe's, where he deliberately created difficulty even when it wasn't, which greatly inspired his teammates.

JR Smith has a low career field goal percentage, just over 40%. He can be particularly bad when he's on a slump, once having a record of missing all 15 shots. But when he's on fire, he has a record of seven consecutive three-pointers, second only to Kobe Bryant, and a 7+ point game that led his team to a comeback victory against the Hawks, who had the "Poor Man's Five".

However, while the unpredictable play boosted the Nuggets' morale, it couldn't dampen the Knicks' momentum!

Before the timeout, Yi Shui's inside defense single-handedly took down the opposing team's two towers, and now their momentum is unstoppable!
With Kenyon Martin out, David Lee called for the ball close to the basket, creating space for a baseline drive with his footwork. He squeezed past Nene and cut along the baseline, drawing Malik Allen to collapse the defense, and then passed to the high post.

Yi Shui used Matt Barnes' screen to shake off Anthony, received the ball, ignored Billups who came to help, and took a long two-pointer... and it went in!
It would be difficult for Yi Shui to single-handedly defeat the trio of Billups, JR Smith, and Anthony on the other side, mainly due to his stamina; he can't keep swinging like Kobe.

But the elementary school student had a good shooting night and got carried away; although David Lee is a bit of a bully, he dared to attack the basket since Kenyon Martin, who is faster and stronger than him, wasn't there.

With two effective points of attack, one inside and one outside, and the ability to take a break after a series of fierce attacks without worrying about a lack of players to step up and attack, Yi Shui has regained the performance they showed at the beginning of the third quarter!
In the final possession of the third quarter, David Lee went around to receive the ball and made a long two-pointer, but missed. Before the countdown reached zero, Yi Shui went around to Anthony, jumped up and tapped the ball in mid-air.

The long whistle blew, the ball fell into the basket, and George Karl and the Nuggets players on the court all signaled that the time was up, but the referee reviewed the replay and confirmed that there were still 0.4 seconds left when Yi Shui poked the ball with his finger!
After the official timeout, excluding Yi Shui's free throw, the two teams scored 15-15 in 5 minutes and 40 seconds, both scoring over 100 points in the third quarter, and entered the final quarter tied at 101-101!

After the break, Curry, Yi Shui, and David Lee continued to play, while Billups, JR Smith, and Anthony also continued to play on the other side.

Having come this far, neither D'Antoni nor George Karl is sure they can get back into the game. Both of them have had instances in the playoffs where they tried to force a fast break but were outscored by the opposing star's main scorer.

George Karl's most recent victory was in last season's Western Conference Finals; D'Antoni was defeated by Ginobili and Duncan in the 05 Western Conference Finals with the Spurs, and by Nowitzki in the 06 Western Conference Finals.

Having learned their lesson, both players chose to continue their star-studded battle!

However, in the final quarter, the only players left on both teams who could maintain offensive momentum were Yi Shui and Anthony.

Billups is getting old and can no longer maintain his form like he did in the Finals 5 years ago, playing for more than 40 minutes.
JR Smith's stamina... or rather, his stamina management has always been terrible. He never considered this aspect at all. If Ginobili's "magic blade" slashes at opponents is like 20 minutes of Jordan, then his "erratic blade" slashes at opponents is like 20 minutes of Kobe.

The key reason why Curry cannot be called a star at the moment is his lack of physical strength. He has to run around and play, and also support the backcourt in one-on-one situations. The burden is still too heavy for him at the moment.

In the first half, with the fast-paced offense, neither Yi Shui nor Anthony were the main offensive options, and all three players shouldered heavy responsibilities. In the third quarter, Curry and JR Smith battled it out for half a quarter, while Billups played the entire quarter. In the final quarter, the three players were no longer reliable.

David Lee is in good physical condition, but he is the weakest among the six top singles players from both teams.

With half of the fourth quarter gone, the Knicks led the Nuggets 115-114 by one point.

The two teams scored 14-13 in the first half of the quarter, with the scoring concentrated on Yi Shui and Anthony. Yi Shui scored 9 points and Anthony scored 8 points!
首节7分、第二节6分、第三节14分，加上这9分，易水得分冲到了36分！
首节8分、第二节5分、单节11分、末节8分，安东尼得分也来到32分了。

Both players made 3 of 7 shots and 2 of 2 free throws in this half of the quarter. Yi Shui scored 1 more point because he made a three-pointer.

After missing two three-pointers in the latter part of the third quarter, Anthony stopped going beyond the three-point line in the final quarter, only shooting from the high post and elbow area, avoiding the basket. Playing like that was too physically demanding and he couldn't keep up. During the official timeout, reflecting on Anthony's offensive choices over the past few minutes, Yi Shui felt that Anthony's playing style over the past two years had been incredibly beautiful – efficient offense, excellent transitions between playing styles, and aesthetically pleasing technical moves.

It's a pity that Billups will be 33 this summer. If the Pistons had drafted Anthony, who has both talent and immediate impact... I wonder if they could have beaten the Lakers. Prince's defense is also very important.

During the two-minute break, Yi Shui took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and went back on the court to continue swinging!
In the second half, Yi Shui and Anthony continued to swing.

Anthony enjoys these star matchups; he loves them.

Yi Shui also enjoyed it very much. The last time he went head-to-head with Ellis, it was very exciting, but the Warriors' interior defense was too weak. The game was deadlocked for a quarter and a half, and then the Knicks completely took control of the game... This time is different!
At 6:59, Anthony made a close-range floater; at 7:14, Yi Shui stopped abruptly in the elbow area, rose up strongly, and made a close-range jump shot over Nene's help defense.

At 7:54, Anthony grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul from David Lee on the second-chance opportunity, making both free throws; at 8:11, Yi Shui drove to the baseline, turned, and before Kenyon Martin could close in, jumped from the right side of the basket and slammed the ball into the hoop.

At 8 minutes and 36 seconds, Anthony hit a long two-pointer from the high post and drew a foul from Yi Shui, making the free throw. On the other hand, at 8 minutes and 51 seconds, Yi Shui drove to close range, turned his back to Kenyon Martin who was helping to defend, then turned and walked to the baseline, bending down to make a layup.

比分来到123比123平！这期间除了安东尼的6中3的7分、易水的5中3的6分，两队只有内内进了一个中投！
After a brief moment of brilliance, both players started missing shots, contributing two consecutive rounds of missed attempts, leaving neither team with a single point in a minute!
When it was the Nuggets' turn to attack, Anthony was being guarded by Webster and Barnes in rotation and was starting to struggle. This time, instead of driving inside, he pulled up for a three-pointer... missed, but!

Kenyon Martin scored two points with a putback dunk!

The Nuggets' morale soared after the offensive and defensive transition! Anthony's physical battles against Yi Shui became even more brutal.

Static body conditions played a crucial role at this moment. Yi Shui received the ball at close range, turned around, and despite being double-teamed by Kenyon Martin and Anthony, he launched a high-arcing floater... and it went in! He also drew a foul from Nene, who lunged over Kenyon Martin!

Yi Shui made the free throw despite the boos from the fans, bringing his personal score to 45 points, and the Knicks took a 126-125 lead over the Nuggets!
When it was the Nuggets' turn to attack, the Knicks' defensive focus was on Anthony, Kenyon Martin, and Nene. All 11 points the Nuggets scored in the latter part of the fourth quarter came from these three!
Anthony, backing down in the post, received a pass from JR Smith, turned and drove forward... then passed the ball!
Curry collapsed into the paint, leaving Billups open!
Carmelo Anthony is overconfident in himself in crucial moments. He doesn't trust JR Smith, and he always tries to take the key shots when playing with Allen Iverson, but he trusts Chauncey Billups!

Billups, who missed two shots in the final quarter, didn't falter in the crucial moment. He caught the ball and shot without any adjustment, hitting the three-pointer!

128-126, the Nuggets rallied to take a two-point lead in the crucial moments!

D'Antoni wanted to call a timeout, but stopped when he saw Curry waving for the ball.

In that instant, he thought of Nash... Nash also didn't like to call timeouts in crucial moments.

Curry received the inbound pass and quickly advanced to the frontcourt to set a screen.

His posture of wanting to retaliate after leaving his man open led Billups and Kenyon Martin, who was defending the pick-and-roll, to believe that he was going to throw the ball.

But Curry didn't shoot after using Birdman's screen. Instead, he ran to the right at a 45-degree angle. Billups and Kenyon Martin chased after him for two steps around the cones, then suddenly realized what was happening, turned around and rushed back... Just as he turned around, he saw the ball flying over his head. He reached out, but couldn't stop it.

After Birdman sets a screen for Curry, he moves to the left, to the high post on the left side of the free-throw line, to screen Anthony.

Yi Shui circled around to the top arc, met Billups who was lunging at him, received the ball, and launched a three-pointer... After the ball was released, before it even hit the ground, he looked at Billups who was diving in front of him, and the corners of his mouth turned up...

The 'Tower Sniper' skill has been triggered with a high probability of success! The FMVP turret has arrived just in time!
Seeing Yi Shui smile, Billups turned his head and just in time to see the ball fall into the basket...

129-128, the Knicks have taken the lead again! George Karl calls a timeout!
Seeing Yi Shui and Curry tilting their heads in the same way, pouting and making "tsk tsk" sounds while high-fiving, Billups laughed when he thought about how Yi Shui had just shot the ball... He wanted to curse but didn't know what to say.

These two second-graders are so confident, and they actually manage to make the shots!
After the timeout, neither team made any substitutions.

Curry, Webster, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Birdman continued to play; Billups, JR Smith, Anthony, Kenyon Martin, and Nene also continued to play.

The Nuggets inbound the ball in the frontcourt, and Billups quickly passes it to Anthony.

With 37 seconds left, George Karl arranged for a quick shot; if it missed, he could still defend for another possession. Billups felt that the head coach lacked confidence, as Larry Brown would run down the clock at times like this, letting him, Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace take crucial shots.

However, this arrangement makes sense. He made 1 of 3 shots in the final quarter, and JR Smith missed both of his shots. The opponents had left both of them open, and Anthony also missed 3 consecutive shots from the outside.

However... taking quick shots is not a good arrangement for Anthony, who needs to find his rhythm by tapping the ball.

Anthony, facing Yi Shui's interference, took a long two-pointer but missed!

Kenyon Martin pushed the ball out, giving it his all, but the direction was wrong, and he flicked it to the right high post. Yi Shui grabbed the defensive rebound from Anthony, turned around, and charged!
At this point, Yi Shui was already running out of energy, but he still chose to launch a fast break... successfully pinning Billups, JR Smith, and Anthony, who had retreated, inside the paint, and then passing the ball back!
Curry followed up to the top arc, received a pass from Yi Shui, adjusted... and then passed back to Anthony and JR Smith who were rushing out!
Seeing that Curry didn't immediately pull up for the ball after receiving it, Yi Shui tacitly understood his opponent's intention. He pushed past Billups, who hadn't pushed out, and drove into the paint to receive the ball. He then went for a strong... floater!
Billups immediately grabbed Yi Shui's waist, committing a tactical foul, but this only prevented Yi Shui from dunking directly; it didn't stop the opponent from throwing the ball out.

As the referee blew his whistle, the ball went into the basket!
The referee confirmed the goal was valid, making it 131-128, with the Knicks leading by 3 points. Yi Shui has an additional free throw!

Amidst the deafening boos from the fans, Yi Shui took a few seconds to adjust and, urged by the referee, made the free throw, extending the Knicks' lead to 4 points, 132-128!
The Nuggets only had 22 seconds left!

After the Nuggets called a timeout, they substituted Nene with Afflalo, with four shooters lined up and Kenyon Martin attacking the basket alone.

For the Knicks, the lineup of Duhon, Hughes, Barnes, Yi Shui, and Ben Wallace was on the court, a purely defensive lineup.

During the last timeout, the Nuggets took the initiative to shoot; this time, they were forced to shoot.

Billups received the ball and rushed to the right side of the top arc, attempting a three-pointer despite Duhon's interference... Unfortunately, his touch didn't come this time, and it missed!
Kenyon Martin attempted to steal the ball, but Ben Wallace anticipated it and blocked his position. Yi Shui, who had retreated, secured the defensive rebound but was then grabbed by Anthony, resulting in a tactical foul by the Nuggets.

In this defensive rebounding play, Ben Wallace demonstrated his shrewdness. He had the opportunity to secure the rebound before the water was cleared, but he chose to only box out. When he went to the free-throw line, he was slightly worse than Howard, and even O'Neal was considered to have accurate free throws compared to him.

Although the score difference was 4 points and the opponent had no possession of the ball, which basically sealed the victory, we decided to play it safe with T-Mac's precedent in mind!
After celebrating with his teammates, Yi Shui went to the opposite half of the court and stepped to the free-throw line. The boos from the fans were deafening, but he was completely relaxed and made both free throws!
The Nuggets didn't call a timeout. JR Smith rushed to the frontcourt for a three-pointer but missed... Ben Wallace grabbed the defensive rebound, and the opposing team didn't foul again.

首节7分、第二节6分、第三节14分、末节26分……35投18中，其中三分球9中5，加上12中12的罚球，易水狂轰53分！
力压30投14中、其中三分球9中2、加上11中9的罚球拿到39分的安东尼！
库里今晚整体表现出色，关键球的决定做得也很好，13投6中、其中三分球9中4，加上3中2的罚球，拿18分7助攻。

David Lee had 12 points and 12 rebounds. His scoring wasn't great, but his rebounding was solid...

Although they couldn't match Billups' 23 points and 7 assists or JR Smith's 20 points, they provided significant help to Yi Shui!

The Knicks won this high-scoring game 134-128, extending their winning streak to six games and ending the Nuggets' five-game winning streak!

(End of this chapter)