Champion, please stay!

Chapter 207, Section 205: Battle Against Peak Paul!
On November 22nd, the eyes of the media and fans were focused on New York, where Paul led the Hornets to challenge the Knicks on the road!
The Knicks rested for two days to recharge and were in good form when preparing for the next game.

D'Antoni exclaimed to his assistant coach, "This is what you call a schedule! Last season's schedule looked like Stern typed it out with his ass on a keyboard."

At 7:40 p.m., the Hornets entered Madison Square Garden first.

Like the visiting players who came to New York for the first time this season, Paul was also a little unaccustomed to the overwhelming boos from the fans in the arena...

After the opening ceremony, the two teams exchanged pleasantries in a pleasant atmosphere.

Yi Shui: "Chris, I thought you wouldn't be playing today, and I was really disappointed. I'm so happy to see you on the court."

Paul laughed and said, "I only come to New York once a year, so of course I can't miss it."

Yi Shui and Okafor went to the same school; Curry is considered half North Carolina, having started high school at North Carolina in 02 and attending Davis College at North Carolina, while Paul is a native North Carolina who came to North Carolina after leaving college.

Last season, Yi Shui and Paul only met four times a year, including the Olympics. In the NBA, they were separated into the East and West conferences, so they didn't have much of a relationship or any grudges. Now, with Okafor as a bridge, the two finally have something to talk about... mainly Paul. Last season, Yi Shui was selected to the All-NBA First Team and led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now he treats Yi Shui as a superstar of the same level, unlike last season when he only regarded him as a talented rookie.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yi Shui returned to the bench and looked at the big screen, where a set of data was displayed separately.

His senior, Jahlil Okafor, a 'leader of the second generation of African American basketball players,' finally became teammates with the superstar guard he had always dreamed of.

Paul, Peja, David West, and Okafor – this combination was indeed, as the media commented when the trade was first completed, a match made in heaven.

Paul is a top-tier player in pick-and-roll offense, capable of both driving and shooting;
Okafor's pick-and-roll execution is among the best in the league; he excels at driving to the basket, is strong in second-chance points, and consistently has a close-range shooting percentage of 65%+.

David West is also a top-notch pick-and-roll player, an excellent catch-and-shoot player, and capable of taking on necessary post-up duties.
Peja's off-ball movement and accurate long-range shooting...

With Okafor joining the team, if Paul can play, they will win every game!
However, the data displayed separately on the big screen showed that in the Hornets' first 12 games, Paul only played in 6, and in those 6 games, Okafor joined the team and won all 5.

In the six games Paul missed, the Hornets only managed one win and five losses, currently holding a 6-6 record, tied for tenth in the Western Conference with the Thunder.

After last season's playoffs, Paul was diagnosed with a right knee injury, underwent surgery during the offseason, and recovered well. He played very well in the preseason, and although the season ended in a loss, his individual performance was still solid.

In his first game with Okafor, Paul played 17 minutes in the first half, scoring 13 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals, showing his MVP aspirations. However, he fell and injured his left knee before the end of the first half and had to leave the game due to injury.

In that game, although the Hornets led by 27 points at halftime (68-41) and ultimately won 108-101 against the Trail Blazers, Paul's playing time became intermittent afterward.

James Posey and Peja are still in good form; David West is at his peak; they acquired Okafor at his peak; they drafted Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton, two seniors ready to contribute immediately; and they also have decent bench players like Devin Brown, Darius Sangala, Bobby Brown, Julian White, and more.

For Paul, who had just finished his rookie contract and was in the first year of his big contract, this season should have been the best opportunity to compete for the MVP and the championship.

But Paul, as Yi Shui recalled, is now nearing the end of his prime...

In the games when Paul was out, players who heavily relied on point guard passing, such as Peja, Okafor, and James Posey, all performed particularly poorly, including the two rookie guards.

Marcus Thornton's playing style is too selfish, so he can only be a sixth man; Darren Collison's current playing style is not good. When he rushes in, he doesn't care about his teammates or whether they are in the right position when he passes the ball. He has had this problem since college. Otherwise, with such strong immediate impact and such good athletic talent, he would not have almost fallen out of the first round.

Yi Shui recalls that after Paul returned, apart from David West, who had the ability to attack with the ball, the other core teammates experienced a precipitous decline in performance, with Peja even fading out of the league altogether.

Yi Shui turned away from the big screen. In the world of competitive sports, there are always countless regrets... Enjoy the match with Pao Ge at the tail end of his two and a half years of peak performance!
...

The match is about to begin, and the starting lineups for both teams are on the field.

Hornets: Paul, James Posey, Peja, David West, Okafor.

Knicks: Duhon, Curry, Yi Shui, David Lee, Ben Wallace.

The match started at 8 p.m.

Yi Shui leaped into the air, narrowly defeating Okafor, who also jumped with great speed, and flicked the ball to the back, giving the Knicks the first attack!

Curry and Ben Wallace initiated a pick-and-roll offense... but it didn't work!

Okafor switched between guarding big men and small men, and he covered Curry very well.

David West retreated to the basket, and even Ben Wallace couldn't get in. Paul and Posey blocked Yi Shui's cut in, and Peja moved in to front David Lee... Duhon was left open, but the position to receive the ball was a high post long two-pointer, which was not in his shooting range!
Duhon stepped out from the three-point line, and Paul had already come out from the left side of the free-throw line to cover... Byron Scott's signature zone defense!
Du Hong didn't rush. He protected the ball under Paul's close defense and passed it to Yi Shui, who had pulled out of position.

With 9 seconds left on the shot clock, Yi Shui received the ball and started a one-on-one attack. Although he wasn't closely marked, he felt that if he raised the ball, Posey would cut it away, so he drove!

With a twist of his waist and a stride, Yi Shui drove past James Posey to the right side of the free-throw line. Unable to shake off his opponent, he jumped and launched a pull-up mid-range jumper from a 45-degree angle on the right side...

The hard shot hit!

Posey was so angry during the first round of defense that he wanted to curse. He did a great job of guarding and interfering, and he didn't lose his position at all.

But the Emperor was being completely unreasonable. He stopped abruptly without any rhythm, grabbed the ball when he got into position, and jumped up! And he even made the shot!

In the transition between offense and defense, Paul and Okafor initiated a pick-and-roll offense, and Ben Wallace switched to defend Paul but couldn't keep up!

Peja moved in time, drawing Curry away from the right side who was responsible for help defense! David Lee blocked the right elbow area, Paul passed the ball early from the right side of the free throw line, and David West received the ball right in the middle of the three-second zone.

Yi Shui promptly collapsed to the basket, and David West immediately tried to pass to Posey, who was left open on the left sideline. However, after being beaten, Ben Wallace moved to the left side of the free-throw line and spread his arms to interfere with the pass.

David West made a quick decision, taking a step forward to the edge of the restricted area to challenge Yi Shui. Seeing Okafor cutting in from the left, he passed the ball... to the right!
After passing the ball, Paul, having spread out, cut back, evading David Lee's defense, received the ball on the right sideline of the three-second zone, and made a short floater... "Whack..."

Just as the ball was flying over the bottom edge of the backboard and about to reach its highest point, it was swatted away by Yi Shui, who rushed out from under the basket!
Yi Shui smashed the ball to block it, and the ball bounced heavily on the floor. David Lee, who rushed to catch the ball, felt like he had been punched in the stomach.

After Paul regained his footing, he quickly turned around to grab the ball. Although he failed to steal it, he prevented David Lee from passing the ball to Duhon immediately.

He controlled the defensive rhythm very well, without pressing continuously, and withdrew in time to maintain a defensive formation with his teammates.

Hearing the enthusiastic cheers from the fans, Paul thought of Yi Shui's block earlier and wanted to curse.

He watched the Knicks vs. Nuggets game and thought Yi Shui's block on Kenyon Martin was incredible.

But only after experiencing it firsthand did I truly realize how outrageous it was.

After he dribbled past David Lee with a back-and-forth movement, he was a bit careless with his shot, attempting an open layup. However, David West provided enough contact with Yi Shui, and Yi Shui was also well-protected by the restricted area.

Who would have thought that someone like Yi Shui could jump up so high and so far?

Yi Shui receives the ball in the frontcourt, initiates an attack with a one-on-one move, and breaks into the paint.

Although Posey lost his blocking position, he kept up with Yi Shui's pace. Paul collapsed on the wing, and Yi Shui passed the ball to the right sideline. Peja played well in defense and covered for him in time from the high post.

Du Hong supported the play from the sideline, passing the ball to the right 45-degree angle. After Yi Shui passed the ball, Posey quickly extended his reach and lunged at Curry, who had circled around to the right 45-degree angle.

The Hornets' right-side defense was excellent, comparable to the Nets' defense at the beginning of the century!

Curry faced Posey, who was rushing out with his arms outstretched, and without hesitation, he caught the ball, jumped, and launched a three-pointer... and it went in!
The fans in the arena cheered wildly, and the Knicks players jumped around and high-fived and bumped chests as they retreated to their own court.

5 is better than 0!

With a 10-game winning streak and Yi Jianlian and Kuzma scoring consecutive points at the start of the game, the Knicks are on a roll!
Even the aloof Ben Affleck felt his blood boil at this moment.

If it were the Nuggets, in a situation like this, all three would be in a frantic rush to fire a shot.

JR Smith and Carmelo Anthony are not known for their composure. Chauncey Billups, while having a steady personality, plays a more reckless style than anyone else and is not known for his composure.

This is also the last time the Knicks played away, when their core lineup was fatigued and their interior defense was at a significant disadvantage, they were still able to withstand the pressure and create conditions for Yi Shui to defeat their opponents in the second half through one-on-one battles.

Curry's aggressive play can easily get opponents off guard, and Yi Shui's playing style itself is also prone to getting opponents off guard.

But Paul didn't fall for it. After receiving the inbound pass and advancing to the frontcourt, he continued to run pick-and-rolls with Okafor and continued to use the long-range shooting threat from the two and three positions to attack the basket! He was not affected by Yi Shui's 'one against three' rim protection block!
David West continued to push forward in the middle to receive the ball, and passed it back to Paul over the bar. Paul went deep into the three-second zone, crossed the ball from the baseline, his hand already out of bounds, and passed it to Okafor on the left sideline of the three-second zone.

Okafor catches the ball close to the basket and makes a jump shot!

Despite having his vision completely blocked, Paul still managed to pass the ball accurately, demonstrating an amazing awareness of playmaking!
Paul is certain. His blocks are visually impressive, comparable to Howard's. His defense has also improved significantly compared to his rookie year. In his first 10 games, he averaged 1.7 steals and 2.6 blocks, a slight increase from last season. He also reduced his interior fouls and performed exceptionally well in collapsing defense and switching on perimeter defenders. Paul has no doubt that he will be selected for the All-Defensive Team this season.

But speaking solely of rim protection, aside from his strong shot-blocking ability, Paul believes Yi Shui is only just good enough. With David Lee as an accessory, he doesn't have the ability to protect the rim on his own.

The threat of blocking the view didn't have much effect, and Yi Shui was already mentally prepared.

The opposing twin towers are unlikely to back down like role players such as Maxiel and Daye of the Pistons when their shots are blocked. Players like Brook Lopez, Nene, and Kenyon Martin have already shown them that confident players are not afraid of being blocked.

When the Knicks went on offense and the game became a half-court affair, Yi Shui continued to dribble and break through to initiate the attack, drawing double teams before passing the ball out, and the team's offense kicked in!

Last season, Posey closely guarded Yi Shui and was able to limit Yi Shui's breakthroughs to some extent. This season, the gap between the two is even greater, and he really can't stop him.

Yi Shui's passing and ball control have improved significantly compared to last season thanks to his 'rhythm-oriented' talent, especially his passing, which is now at a top-tier level. Combined with his height, which gives him the best vision, he can always get the ball out before the Hornets can double-team him.

He didn't take on the role of the primary finisher from the start, letting Curry, David Lee, and Duhon handle the regular shots, while he took the blame or went one-on-one when the team's offense wasn't working.

The teammates continued their excellent performance since the start of the season: David Lee performed well in close-range catch-and-shoot, Duhon's sideline passing on the left side was excellent, Curry's long-range shooting from the high post was decisive, and Ben Wallace's off-ball screens were solid...

The 10-game winning streak at the start of the season not only boosted the morale of the Knicks players and built up their confidence, but also brought them a high level of focus and helped them develop better teamwork faster!
After Yi Shui and Curry created offensive threats with their individual abilities in the first two possessions, the Knicks' team offense really took off under Yi Shui's leadership!
However, their defense was poor. The opposing team's two shooting guards were left open for a moment, and Posey hit a three-pointer from the 45-degree angle.

Paul opted for a pick-and-roll with Okafor to bring Ben Wallace out, leaving David Lee in the paint. Lee's defensive role was limited to blocking Paul's drives in at the elbow or holding off David West. He was lucky if he didn't cause trouble for the collapsing Yi Shui team.

Having David Lee guard pick-and-rolls is something D'Antoni hasn't done since emphasizing defense; that would allow Paul to go on a mid-range shooting spree.

Fortunately, the Knicks were mentally prepared for the situation where they couldn't defend against a team-oriented offensive team. As long as their offense was on fire, they were confident that they could win!
Regardless of whether they can be defended or not, they maintain a high level of offensive fighting spirit. The Knicks' momentum is enough to make Paul feel uneasy, especially since the opponents are in really good form!

He was certain that the Knicks couldn't maintain their 116-point average from the first 10 games all season, but right now, the opposing team was averaging 116 points per game!
Despite Paul's best efforts to slow down the pace of the game, on the last possession of the first quarter, Yi Shui used a screen to slow down, received a pass from Curry on the sideline, turned around and jumped to shoot before Okafor could close in... and it went in!
The Knicks led the Hornets 30-25 going into the break!
(End of this chapter)