Champion, please stay!

Chapter 205, Section 203: A 10-Game Winning Streak at the Start!

He was having a great time and only focused on the score, not paying attention to his own points. After the final buzzer sounded, Anthony saw the player statistics for both teams posted on the big screen and couldn't help but swear.

53 points! 26 points in a single quarter! He even gave the opponent two more points with just over ten seconds left!

But then he shook his head and laughed: No wonder this guy is so confident, he's really good! He took 25 shots in the second half and scored 40 points!
In the post-match interview, the TV station called Yi Shui and Anthony together again.

The reporter asked Anthony the same question again—who is the best scorer?
Anthony smiled helplessly and said, "At least tonight, Embiid is the best scorer."

The microphone was handed to Yi Shui, who responded with a "Thank you."

Having played against Anthony only a few times and only knowing him from the news, Yi Shui discovered after this match that each of the 03 lottery picks had such distinct characteristics, each one unique...

Back at the hotel that evening, Yi Shui went online and saw that the match had become incredibly popular!
4连客2次50+！5天内、时隔一场比赛后再拿50+，他又一次登上各大媒体头条！
He noticed that the voices of haters in the news and forums had become much quieter. Apart from those who insisted on finding fault with him, saying that he was "selfish" and "did not pass the ball", no one was criticizing his performance.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points, including 15 in the final quarter. Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith both scored over 20 points. Anthony's 26 points in the final quarter helped the opponent win, so it's hard to find fault with his performance.

Yi Shui scribbled on the keyboard. It was the first consecutive away game of the new season, and he had forgotten to bring the keyboard he bought in Los Angeles. It was a waste of money.

Before going to bed, he saw the live broadcast data released by the media: more than 2600 million paid views, surpassing the officially designated popular opening game 23 vs 24 and the OK game! It was also more than 70 views higher than the Christmas game between the Lakers and the Celtics last season!
With a high-scoring duel and star player one-on-one battles, Yi Shui himself felt that this was the most enjoyable game he had played since entering the NBA, even more so than the game against the Lakers where he scored 58 points.

In recent years, Kobe Bryant, unless he had no other choice or was particularly excited, would generally not engage in such a long offensive battle with his opponents. Instead, he would suppress his shooting instincts and play the triangle offense with Odom and Gasol.

Thinking back to the two seasons from 05 to 07, the two years that connected the end of 8 and the beginning of 24, Yi Shui once again felt the regret of "I was born when you were already old".

However, looking at their own team's point differential, with an average score of 118 points per game, it's almost impossible for them to continue like this. Last season they were on a tear, scoring 122 points against the Nets in the last game of the season before breaking 110.

However, after conceding 128 points tonight, the average points allowed per game has soared from 98.8 to 103.6, making it difficult to reduce it below 100.

Fortunately, their defense has indeed made a qualitative improvement compared to last season. Last season, their average point differential seemed to never exceed 5 points, and in the end, it was less than 3 points.

Before going to bed, Yi Shui opened the system to check the task progress.

"The Road to the Scoring Title... Goal 1... (VS Anthony: 53 to 39...)"

They're not in the same division and only faced each other twice in the regular season. This time, he scored 50+ points, so surpassing Dong in total points in a head-to-head matchup shouldn't be a problem. The real focus now is on the other two players in the East, Cheek and King.

...

After a six-game road trip, the Knicks got two days of rest.

After a fierce offensive battle against the Nuggets in Denver, even though few players went out partying that night, most of them slept until noon the next day.

Walsh changed the scheduled departure time of the private jet, and the Knicks did not leave Denver until 2 p.m. to fly back to New York. The coaching staff had notified them well in advance that they would have two days off.

With the league's second-most relaxed schedule, Yi Shui felt very comfortable, mainly because it was in contrast to last season's schedule, which was treated like dirt.

Moreover, although their schedule is slightly worse than the Cavaliers' throughout the season, they have one more back-to-back game and play one more game in February and March.

But with 14 games in November and 9 games in April, the Knicks have the best schedule at the beginning and end of the season, better than the Lakers and Cavaliers.

Upon arriving at New York Airport, Yi Shui saw a large number of fans who came to greet him. The scene was so grand that anyone who didn't know better would think they had won a championship in California.

He first returned to Madison Square Garden with the team to receive the Player of the Week trophy and certificate, and to give interviews.

After returning home, he went to his study and noticed that he hadn't brought the pendant back with him. This was the first time he had achieved a two-game winning streak on the road since entering the NBA. No wonder the fans were so excited; his overall performance on the road last season was indeed mediocre, with a winning percentage of just over 5%.

After a day of rest, on the second day of rest, the three-person team from the Class of 2008 had a dinner party at Curry's big villa.

Around noon, a freeloader showed up for lunch – the newly drafted number one draft pick, James Harden.

During lunch, Yi Shui asked, "Stephen, James, you two have known each other for a long time?"

Yesterday, Curry mentioned that he would invite a friend over. Yi Shui thought it was Eric Gordon, who had gone out to have dinner with Curry when they went to Chicago for an away game last season.

According to Curry, they met when they participated in an AAU amateur competition in their early years, and they also met Oden that time.

Curry replied, "I was in 11th grade... in the summer of 05, my dad took me to Tyronn Lue's training camp. LeBron James was there too, and oh yeah, DeRozan, Mayo, Love, and the Lopez twins were there as well."

Harden chimed in, "Yeah, Lue is DeMar's teammate's uncle, and he invited us to the training camp for free. But Stephen, I remember you used to love telling corny jokes back then, why didn't you tell a single one today?"

Chalmers asked in surprise, "Stephen has such a lively side?"

Yi Shui was also very curious. He recalled that the Curry in his memory had never seemed to be a calm person, but since they became teammates, Curry had been very calm most of the time.

The elementary school student looked up at the chandelier and said: "Don't ask, it's all tears. The team leader is a jerk, so the second-in-command can't be unreliable either!"

That's right, starting in his second season, Curry has been acting as New York's second-in-command.

Although he's not as good as David Lee in terms of stats and dominating weaker opponents yet, he's determined to be the second-in-command!
...

Basketball is important, but life is also important. Yi Shui had a good rest during his two days off.

However, during this dinner, Yi Shui learned that 'circles' are always defined very early on.

Curry, Harden, and DeRozan seem to have nothing in common, with the former in Charlotte on the far east and the latter two in Los Angeles on the west coast. However, Curry's father is a former NBA player, and the Los Angeles duo have teammates whose relatives play in the NBA, so they've known each other for a long time.

November 12th marked the Knicks' seventh game day of the new season.

The Knicks' home game against the Bulls attracted a lot of attention.

The 08 and 09 number one draft picks face off!

Yi Shui just scored 50+ twice in a 4-game road trip, and his average score has soared to 37 points, making him a rising star.

哈登开季7场比赛，表现也还不错，每场打31分钟，拿到15.9分4板3.7助攻1抢断。

He averaged 6 of 14.7 shots per game, including 1.2 of 3.3 three-pointers, for a field goal percentage of 40.8%, which is relatively poor.

But a 36.3% three-point shooting percentage is quite good for a rookie.

He averaged 3.3 free throw attempts and made 2.7, for a shooting percentage of 81.8%, demonstrating solid shooting fundamentals.

He's certainly not as ferocious as the Timberwolves' "guard LeBron James," but his overall performance is slightly better than the Bucks' former number one high school player in the nation.

Yi Shui hadn't paid much attention to the Bulls before, but after receiving the scouting report and seeing the Bulls' data sheet during training, he couldn't help but marvel at how decisive this team truly was when it needed to be!

Since the preseason, Harden has been the undisputed starter. Two years later, the team signed John Samuels, a tall shooting guard who is good at shooting and cutting to the basket and has decent defense, to create better opportunities for Harden to attack with the ball.

Eric Gordon, who averaged 16 points per game in his rookie year, continues to be relegated to the bench as the sixth man.

Hinrich, who averaged 15 points and 7 assists per game before the All-Star Weekend last season, has also been relegated to the bench.

Is Harden stronger than Eric Gordon in his second year or Hinrich at 28? Yi Shui probably isn't.

With a round face, he had a 45% field goal percentage and a 39% three-point percentage in his rookie year. He is a strong player right away and has the potential to become a top-tier scorer averaging 20+ points per game.

Averaging 20+ points per game is not low; he has the talent to earn a max contract. Even someone as talented as Iguodala, who has played for so many years, has never had a season averaging 20+ points per game.

But Harden has better physical talent, showed top-notch basketball IQ in college, and his fundamental skills are decent. Maybe only the Thunder in the entire NBA would treat Harden like a nobody...

The game between the Knicks and the Bulls at 8 p.m. will start.

From the start of the game, the Knicks had a clear advantage!
The Bulls actually had a decent start to the season, with a 3-4 record. Harden averaged 15+ points, Luol Deng averaged 20.3 points, and Noah averaged 9 points and 11 rebounds. This core lineup would be considered mid-tier in the Eastern Conference. Sixth man Eric Gordon played incredibly hard, averaging 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists, trying to reclaim what he believes is his rightful core position.

However, the Bulls' star-studded bench performed far below expectations!
After experiencing the team's 'forced tanking' operation last season, Kirk Hinrich has completely lost his spirit. At 28 years old, he looks like he is 38. After less than two weeks of playing in the season, his trade value has almost collapsed, and he is averaging only 8 points and 4 assists per game.

The situation is similar for quality role players like Brad Miller, Tyrus Thomas, Hakeem Warrick, and Ronald Murray. Last season, teams were vying to trade these players to the Bulls, but now no one is interested in them.

Bulls head coach Negro had no choice but to start Aaron Gray, a second-round pick from the 07 draft, alongside Noah.

As for the bench players, apart from Gordon who has a consistent 30 minutes of playing time per game, Hinrich and Brad Miller get a little more playing time. Many quality role players have been benched, and Negro prefers to use players like James Johnson, Ash Law, and Joe Alexander.

Joe Alexander, the 'Chinese boy' who stole the spotlight from Yi Shui in college, was released by the Bucks after his rookie year, and the Bulls traded him back for just Lynch Hunter's expiring $200 million contract.

The Bulls' game basically relied entirely on their starting three stars and sixth man, a style of play that ran right into the Knicks' defense!
The Knicks' primary target in their double-teaming efforts is... number one draft pick James Harden!
Future King: Great Emperor, Big Brother! Elementary School Student, Second Brother! Captain Mario, weren't we having a great time eating together yesterday? Don't do this!

Perhaps he used up all his shooting touch during the four-game road trip. Tonight, Yi Shui only made 2 of 7 attempts from mid-range, long two-pointers, and three-pointers, including just one three-pointer. However, the Bulls' seemingly strong interior defense was poor. The Knicks executed their passing and cutting plays, keeping Noala out of the paint, and their rim protection collapsed. Yi Shui only made 7 of 11 close-range and under-the-basket shots!
18投9中，其中三分球3中1，加上8中6的罚球，易水拿到25分9板6助攻2抢断2盖帽，率领尼克斯队以104比95击败公牛队，开局7连胜！

The "top draft pick showdown" wasn't as intense as the pre-game hype suggested, mainly because the two players didn't really match up. Throughout the game, Yi Shui and Harden were on the court together for more than 20 minutes. Yi Shui switched and helped defend Harden more often, while Harden switched to defend Yi Shui only twice.

不过哈登今晚表现确实惨，12投3中、其中三分球4中1、加上3中2的罚球，拿到9分3板4助攻，进NBA后首次得分不上双。

His performance on regular offense and defense was decent, but when faced with targeted defense, his drives and shooting were not as good as Eric Gordon's in his second year.

...

The next day at noon, when Yi Shui left New York with the team, he met Harden at the airport, who was returning to Chicago with the team.

Harden's emotions were written all over his face; when he saw the 08 draft class, he ignored them completely.

He recalled the grinning faces of the three men as they ganged up on him last night.

Yi Shui, Curry, and Chalmers exchanged glances and ignored Harden... but after a while, Harden took the initiative to come over.

When people are in a bad mood, they like to confide in others.

Harden didn't say anything the day before yesterday, but he poured out his grievances today.

Harden was happy to be the number one draft pick and to be developed as the absolute core player, but the atmosphere within the team was beyond words. He could clearly feel that many of his teammates were resistant to him.

The only player on the team who takes care of him is the current star player, Luol Deng, but Luol Deng has no leadership qualities whatsoever and can't motivate his teammates.

Generally speaking, Yi Shui doesn't like to be an emotional dumping ground, but she bullied Xiao Dengdeng a bit too much yesterday, so let's hear what she has to say.

After Harden poured out his heart, he asked, "Stephen, Brook, Mario, what do you think I need to do to get their approval?"

Curry and Chalmers looked towards the Yi River.

Harden glanced at Yi Shui, remembering how this guy taught him how to be the number one draft pick during the draft... and immediately said, "Never mind, never mind... Brook, can you teach me?"

Yi Shui was speechless: "Are you going to ask or not?"

Harden: "I want the answer!"

Yi Shui thought for a moment and replied, "You should practice hard, improve your skills, and perform better than them in the game. Then we'll see if they recognize you. If they don't, go to the team and tell them to get out!"

Harden stared blankly at Yi Shui, not because he thought there was anything wrong with what Yi Shui said, but because he was shocked—the Great Emperor was actually speaking properly!

Curry and Chalmers were not surprised at all by Yi Shui's domineering remarks; this was their boss after all.

After saying goodbye to Harden, Yi Shui traveled with the team to Boston, rested for a night, and then faced the Celtics on the road on the 14th.

两个半小时比赛打完，易水20投12中，其中三分球2中1，加上8中7的罚球，拿到32分16板6助攻1抢断5盖帽！

He led the Knicks to an easy 114-101 victory over the Celtics, extending their winning streak to eight games at the start of the season!

虽然赛前就知道加内特开局表现不佳，但看着加内特15投4中、加上2中1的罚球拿到9分6板2助攻，易水还是感觉不可思议。

This is Kevin Garnett!
But Garnett's performance tonight was particularly poor. He was slow to move to help on defense, and he was blocked 4 out of 5 times when he attacked the rim. His only offensive option was open mid-range shots.

Of Yi Shui's 5 blocks, 3 went to Garnett.

Not just tonight, but in the Celtics' first 8 games, Garnett played 6, scoring in double figures in only 3 of them: 8 points in one game, 9 points in another, and 3 points from free throws in one game where he missed all 7 of his shots.

Ke Yishui remembers that Garnett was still selected for the All-Defensive Second Team in 2012 and led his team to a Game 7 against the young Big Three Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In other words, even with his declining athleticism due to a major injury and such a poor performance in the early stages of recovery, Garnett will eventually return to the top four defensive positions among forwards.

When people talk about the ability to adjust their playing style as they age and their physical condition changes, they always mention Jordan, Duncan, and Kobe.

Compared to these people, the old wolf king doesn't seem to be any worse...

...

After the match, Yi Shui saw that they were on the front page – an 8-game winning streak at the start of the season, the first time since the 96-97 season!
That season, the Knicks started with a 10-game winning streak and eventually won 57 games. Their longest winning streak since then has been a 7-game winning streak at the start of the 00-01 season and a 7-game winning streak at the start of last season.

As for the Celtics' latest crushing defeat... people are used to it.

Before the season started, when the Celtics announced Garnett's return from injury, the media and fans predicted that the Celtics would be the first or second in the Eastern Conference again, with a minimum of 60 wins.

However, the Celtics suffered a crushing 86-107 defeat to the Hawks in their opening game, starting with a 3-5 record. After half a month, everyone realized how important Garnett was during the Celtics' dominant run in the league over the previous year and a half, and believed that the Celtics' golden era had come to an end with Garnett's major injury.

两个休息日后，17号，尼克斯队主场以111比100击败来访的篮网队，易水拿到35分，易建联打得也还行，9投5中、加上5中5的罚球，拿到15分7板2助攻2抢断。

On the 19th, the Knicks came to the Palace of Auburn Hills and played a game that started at 1:30 p.m. because the Michigan Spartans had their season opener that evening.

Ben Wallace returned to the Palace of Auburn Hills, and the fans in the arena cheered.

The Pistons players also showed Ben Wallace the utmost respect – to fight the Knicks to the bitter end!

The starting lineup of Stuckey, Hamilton, Prince, Jason Maxiell, and Austin Daye performed well.

Ben Gordon, with his massive 6-year contract worth over $1000 million annually, was a liability for the Pistons. He relied too heavily on passing; playing alongside Hinrich, he averaged 20 points per game. However, his performance declined significantly with the Pistons, and he was relegated to the bench after just 3 games, allowing Hamilton to return to the starting lineup. He was still a very good sixth man, just a bit pricey.

With Jonas Jerebko and Charlie Villanueva as two quality reserves, the Pistons, who mainly used an 8-man rotation tonight, played with great enthusiasm and went toe-to-toe with the Knicks!

After running for 40 minutes, Hamilton managed to find an open shot on the last possession, allowing the Pistons to tie the game at 107-107 and send the two teams into overtime!

Last season, overtime was a sore point for the Knicks, winning only 2 out of 6 overtime games.

But this season is different. There are only one star player and two or two half players, but we have a lot of players!

On the Pistons' side, with an eight-man rotation, even long-distance running legend Hamilton couldn't hold on in overtime.

常规时间出场不多的鸟人，加时赛打满，2投2中加上2中2的罚球拿到6分4板；易水低位高举高打，4投2中、加上1中1的罚球拿到5分。

Add to that a three-pointer from Chalmers, and Curry's two-pointer from just outside the three-point line after coming off the bench...

Overtime score 16-7!

Playing for 49 minutes, shooting 13 of 27, including 3 of 8 three-pointers, plus 5 of 5 free throws, Yi Shui scored 34 points, leading the Knicks to a narrow 123-114 victory over the Pistons, securing their 10th consecutive win to start the season!

(End of this chapter)