Champion, please stay!

Chapter 256, Section 254: This is a superstar moment!

The Magic fielded a starting lineup of Nelson, Carter, Pietrus, Lewis, and Howard.

The Knicks fielded a starting lineup of Curry, Hughes, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Chandler.

At 9 p.m., the game started. Howard defeated Chandler to win the jump ball, and the Magic went first!

Nelson dribbled past Howard, who was staying at the top of the arc, and drove down the right flank, while Howard cut down the middle.

Lewis and Carter circled around the high post from the two-point mark on either side of the baseline.

Nelson drove to the right and elbowed Carter to pass the ball. Carter received the ball but encountered help defense and passed it again... Lewis used Pietrus's screen to come to the left 45-degree angle, received the ball and hit a three-pointer!
Van Gundy's signature tactic, which used to be a pick-and-roll drive-and-kick back pass to Turkoglu for ball distribution at the high post, has been adjusted this season to a drive-and-kick + wing-to-middle passing combination.

The Magic's performance after the tactical adjustments is even better than last season. So far this season, the Magic are averaging 11.1 three-pointers per game, the highest since the NBA introduced the three-point line, bar none.

However, it's not that the adjusted tactics are better. Turkoglu's role is irreplaceable, and the tactical performance is stronger than last season, all because of one person—Howard.

Howard, who has improved for another year, is averaging 5 of 6.6 shots in the paint, with a field goal percentage of 75.7%. His effectiveness in compressing defense is the best in the league. The last player to be better than Howard in this aspect was 10 years ago, Shaquille O'Neal in the 99-00 season... Even after winning his first championship, O'Neal's performance in compressing defense in the regular season could not compare to Howard's this season.

Van Gundy's offensive system, built around Howard, can be considered the ultimate version of the "one star, four shooters" basketball philosophy.

The Knicks are on offense.

Yi Shui blew past Pietrus and drove into the paint, taking a floater over Howard's defense... but missed.

The fans in the stadium let out a sigh of regret. Yi Shui had just gotten past Pietrus with a wide-open and graceful move, but unfortunately Howard's defensive positioning, footwork, and timing of pressing and interfering were all too good. If it had been that high school center from the Celtics, Yi Shui would definitely have dunked on him.

Although no goal was scored, Yishui did not come away empty-handed – the opening offensive and defensive round confirmed the referee's whistle-blowing standards.

Just like in the recent game against the Celtics, the refereeing standards were no different from those in the playoffs!

When the Magic went on offense, the Knicks players, under Yi Shui's direction, intensified their physical play.

Howard received a pass from Carter on the wing, jumped over the onrushing David Lee, and made the layup.

The Knicks did a good job of providing adequate help defense and avoiding being easily out of position. To improve, they need to prepare defensively for players like Yi Shuichi, Chandler, and Cheeks, and increase physicality when allowed by the referees. Otherwise, they should just do their best.

Tonight's strategic adjustments will focus on the offensive end!
When it was the Knicks' turn to attack, Yi Shui continued to drive to the basket with the ball!
This time, Yi Shui didn't use the crossover dribble. Instead, he used a McGrady-style triple threat breakthrough, stepping his right leg to the left and forcefully straddling Pietrus to block him, then making a breakthrough through the middle!
Durant's crossover dribble can create better space for a breakthrough and reduce the physical exertion of physical contact, but Yi Shui's ball control in subsequent combos is still a bit lacking. It only works well against Perkins, who is slow on foot. Against Howard... his brain knows what to do, but his hands and feet don't obey his commands.

Yi's mid-court drive drew Howard's attention and forced him to close the gap. Yi jumped and passed to the left side of the basket, where Chandler received the pass and attacked the rim... Howard, who was just outside the restricted area, turned and jumped up, managing to disrupt the shot!

Fortunately, Yi Shui rushed up immediately after landing and, before Howard could get up again, used his height and wingspan advantage to tip the ball and score a putback!
Yi Shui and Chandler were on a two-on-one situation under the basket, and they were almost stopped. The TV commentators were amazed by Howard's defensive ability.

He single-handedly made the Magic one of the top six defensive teams in the league!

Meanwhile, Van Gundy, the away team's substitute, had already stood up and walked to the sidelines.

It's the Magic's turn to attack.

Seeing Chandler, despite being at a clear disadvantage in physical confrontations, actively engage with Howard; David Lee, collapsing to help defend, also moves aggressively; combined with Yi Shui's consecutive drives to the basket...

Van Gundy saw through the opponent's strategy tonight—to launch a fierce attack on Howard.

Seeing Pietrus left open, his long two-pointer missed, and Van Gundy grabbed his already wrinkled suit and started to rub it.

Trading Courtney Lee for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson was definitely a huge win, but it also affected the starting lineup's ability to catch and shoot on the wings.

There are two great shooters on the bench, Redick and Ryan Anderson, but one is short and the other is slow, and they don't even have the ability to hold up Yi Shui's lower body on the outside.

When it was the Knicks' turn to attack, Curry received the ball and ran a pick-and-roll with Chandler before driving and dishing.

Seeing Curry drive towards the paint after Lewis switched onto him, Chandler cut inside from the left... Van Gundy confirmed his prediction.

However, the Magic's wing players also proactively collapsed to help Howard protect the rim. Curry passed the ball to the high post, where Yi Shui received it, and Lewis immediately filled in... Van Gundy was very satisfied with the players' defensive adjustments.

However, Yi Shui bent down and headed past Lewis, raised his hand, jumped, and faced Lewis who rushed over and Carter who was diving to help defend, he pulled up for a long two-pointer... and it went in!
Just as Van Gundy was about to applaud his players' defensive performance, he froze.

This scene reminded him of Kobe's various fancy mid-range shots in last year's Finals... The defensive tactics were executed very well, and the defense was in place, but he just couldn't stop him!

This is quite difficult for head coach Van Gundy. He's done everything perfectly on defense, it's hard to do anything better, but the opponent can still make shots despite the defense...

Fortunately, they still hold the initiative. As long as their three-pointers keep coming, they can score without fear of the Knicks, because the Knicks' defense is average, while their three-pointers are hard to stop. Of their 12 starting rotation players, apart from Howard, Gortat, and Bass, all the others can shoot three-pointers.

His three-point shooting averages are 11.1 out of 27.3 per game, both of which are league-leading!

As for the opponent targeting Howard on both offense and defense, there's no way to solve that, but there's no need to worry for now. Since the All-Star break, the referees have stopped giving Howard four or five fouls in every game and ejecting him from time to time. Especially tonight, both sides increased the intensity of the competition from the start, and the referees were very lenient in their calls, not giving any whistles yet.

When playing against this number one draft pick, there's no need to worry about the referees changing their officiating standards or applying double standards.

As Van Gundy analyzed, the Knicks persisted in attacking the paint, trying to force Howard to run and jump as much as possible, even if they couldn't draw fouls.

After Yi Shui made a breakthrough, Curry and the center ran a pick-and-roll.

After playing for more than four minutes, the Knicks made four substitutions, leaving only Yi Shui, Duhon, Webster, Gibson, and Ben Wallace in the game. In half-court sets, Yi Shui would take long-range shots from the outside, while Gibson and Ben Wallace would rush the ball. The tactical objective was the same: to get Howard to run and jump more.

The Knicks' offensive style is extreme, and coupled with the opponent's good defense, their scoring efficiency is naturally difficult to guarantee.

With 8 minutes and 35 seconds remaining, the Knicks called a timeout.

Yi Shui scored 8 points on 3 out of 7 shots, plus a pull-up jumper that drew a foul on substitute Ryan Anderson, who made 2 of 3 free throws. However, the team only scored 12 points as a whole.

Meanwhile, the Magic scored 18 points in just over 8 minutes, making it 18-12 and giving them a 6-point lead.

However, D'Antoni called a timeout not because the point difference had widened, but because he saw that Howard's wing cut had failed to shake off Birdman who had come in as a substitute!
The combination of Curry, Hughes, Webster, Yi Shui, and Chandler is on the field!

On the other side, Van Gundy had a very keen sense of defense, and he brought in a lineup of Anthony Johnson, Carter, Pietrus, Brandon Bass, and Howard.

After the timeout, the Knicks went on offense. Curry and Chandler ran a pick-and-roll and drove and dished. Howard didn't follow out; he stayed under the basket. The other four Magic players blocked the passing lanes and pressured the ball, forcing Hughes to come to the three-second sideline to shoot.

Because of Howard's rim protection, Hughes rushed his shot and hit the ball too hard, missing the shot!
On the other end, Bass received the ball and made a mid-range jumper, making it 20-12, with the Magic leading by 8 points.

But Van Gundy was not at ease at this moment. In positional play, they could effectively force opposing role players to receive the ball in positions they were not good at, which was their basic skill.

The real difficulties are here!
After Bass scored, Yi Shui, who was covering high up on the left, and Chandler, who was covering Bass's elbow area on the right, immediately made a quick run down the court!

Curry, who had collapsed to the wing, immediately picked up the ball and passed it to Hughes, who then launched a fast break!
Howard, who had been playing for 9 minutes, failed to stop Chandler immediately. Fortunately, Bass reacted quickly and blocked him, effectively delaying the attack.

Carter and Pietrus caught up with Yi Shui and, with their team defensive formation, blocked the two main attacking forces of the opposing team.

After Howard rushed back to the backcourt, he didn't move inside. Sure enough, Curry and Webster followed up from behind!
Hughes rushed into the top arc and passed back to Howard, who anticipated the pass and lunged at Curry, who had stopped abruptly at a 45-degree angle on the left.

But Curry didn't hesitate, jumped, and released a three-pointer... It went in!
15 to 20, the score difference has narrowed to 5 points!
Both head coaches clapped their hands vigorously at the same time.

D'Antoni's face flushed red with excitement; he knew his opponent would most likely see through his strategy.

This season, when he was working on new tactics, he no longer cared much about whether the opponent would figure them out, because he had Yi Shui in his hands!

Just like Popovich with Duncan and Phil Jackson who coached Jordan and the OK combination, they only considered whether the tactics could be played when they were setting up the play, without considering that the opponent might discover the purpose of the tactics and target them.

He's the same now!
Once Yi Shui gets going, unless the opposing center retreats to his defensive position in advance, at least two players will have to block him, and they need to be perimeter players with good footwork. When Howard's stamina declines and he is not in a position to rush back to the backcourt first, when Yi Shui gets going, one of their guards will definitely be open.

Curry's shooting is always so confident, which makes D'Antoni like him even more.

Van Gundy was in a bind. He made lineup adjustments to defend against the opponent's fast break and defended very well. Howard even filled in on the perimeter. But the opponent's second-year point guard was quick and accurate in his shots!
The Knicks launched a relentless offensive onslaught, creating opportunities for long-range shots!
When the Magic miss, they charge; when they score, they charge again!
With less than three minutes remaining in the quarter, the Knicks hit another three-pointer, with Webster sinking a pull-up three after receiving a pass from Curry. Of the other seven points, Chandler scored on a fast break dunk, Hughes drove to the basket for a three-point play, and Yi Shui hit a long two-pointer in a half-court set.

During this period, the Magic's offense was decent, scoring 7 points and maintaining their previous scoring efficiency, but they couldn't stop the defense.

Yi Shui played the entire first quarter, shooting 4-for-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free-throw line for 12 points, leading the Knicks to close the gap to 25-27, trailing the Magic by two points going into the break!

...

D'Antoni's strategy was very successful in the first quarter, creating conditions for a fast-paced game.

In their previous two games against the Magic, the Knicks' biggest problem was their poor fast break performance, as Howard's athleticism was simply too good.

Van Gundy figured it out and tried to target them, but failed. Moreover, their luck wasn't as good tonight as it was in their last encounter.

The opposing team's strategy, during the scoring phase, heavily relied on the shooting touch of Curry and Webster, the two players responsible for chasing down shots. If the two missed, the strategy would be useless. But those two each took one three-pointer in 3 minutes and made both!

However, after the break, both players agreed that the situation was beyond their control, and it would depend on the players' performance.

At the start of the second quarter, Van Gundy put Gortat in the center position for a few minutes.

D'Antoni guessed that the opponent would rest Howard, so he sent in a combination of Curry, Hughes, Webster, Yi Shui, and Chandler to continue the game. The five players' formation in the fast break was like the '5' on the dice, with Hughes in the middle, the forwards charging forwards, and the shooters lobbing behind.

前半节，尼克斯队打出了16比11的比分，以41比38反超魔术队3分。

后半节易水被换下休息，魔术队回敬了一波更狠的18比11的半节攻势，以56比52反超尼克斯队4分进入中场休息。

However, during the half-quarter when Howard was being dominated, the players who came on in rotation—Gibson, David Lee, Chandler, Ben Wallace, and Birdman—continued to wear him down.

After halftime, the two teams switched halves and resumed play.

D'Antoni, on the other hand, is prepared to continue with the strategy he used in the first half.

No coach dislikes playing dirty tricks, but they just don't have the same luck as Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich. After Mike D'Antoni arrived in the Big Apple, his luck changed, and he also had the opportunity to play dirty tricks.

Tonight's strategy is that if Yi Shui's scoring can't hold up during the early, attrition-filling phase, and the point difference widens too early, it's game over. Then, if Curry and Webster's three-pointers aren't accurate, it will also collapse.

But if the strategy is executed successfully, it becomes almost unbeatable, unless the opponent rains down three-pointers in the second and third quarters like they did in the last match. But if that happens, the success of the strategy becomes irrelevant, as no team can beat the Magic for making seventeen or eighteen three-pointers.

However, Van Gundy is no pushover either.

If you can't crack the opponent's strategy, then don't worry about it; seize the advantage!

After the start of the third quarter, the Magic launched a full-scale attack!

Nelson, Redick, Carter, Lewis, Howard, the strongest form of one star and four rays!
In the first half of the third quarter, the Magic went on a 21-13 run, and by the time the official timeout, the score was 77-65, with the Magic extending their lead to 12 points!
However, after the timeout, Van Gundy didn't show much joy. It was something to be happy about as the score difference widened, but the opposing player with the mustache was incredibly composed!
Although D'Antoni called a timeout after being outscored 10-5 in 3 minutes, he did not adjust his strategy.

They continued to wear down Howard, bringing on Yi Shui, who had only rested for 3 minutes, to take charge of shooting, and continued to let the twin towers in the paint attack and wear down Howard.

Yi Shui held on, scoring 6 points in just over 3 minutes, plus Barnes's putback for 2 more points. Although they didn't have as many as the Magic's 11 points, they managed to keep the score close!
After the official timeout, Van Gundy substituted Howard, who had scored 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in half a quarter, and brought on a combination of Nelson, Redick, Carter, Ryan Anderson, and Gortat.

His strategy during halftime was to widen the score gap when Howard was at his best after resting, then substitute Howard to rest and prepare for the fourth quarter, letting others withstand the opponent's counterattack.

This strategy is very risky, but given that the opponent's overall strategy is being executed effectively and there is no way to break it, Van Gundy chooses to take a gamble.

However, Van Gundy underestimated the ability and deterrent effect of his star player, just like his future attempt to replicate Howard's one-star-four-shooter strategy around Drummond.

The Magic were able to build an advantage in the second quarter despite starting late, largely because the Knicks were wary of Howard being substituted in at any time, and their offense was somewhat rushed at the start.

But given the current situation, Howard played so hard that his threat level would be greatly reduced whether he played in the second half of the quarter or not. The Knicks would be even happier if he played... During the official timeout, Yi Shui saw that D'Antoni was focused on emphasizing tactics, so he brought this up.

It worked great! After the timeout, the Knicks players went all out and attacked without any hesitation!

After three quarters, Yi Shui received the ball at the last moment and hit a pull-up three-pointer over Carter's defense, bringing the score to 20-10 halfway through the quarter. The Knicks narrowed the gap to 85-87, reducing the deficit to two points!

...

This offensive surge in the second half allowed D'Antoni to breathe a sigh of relief; Van Gundy's response at halftime was beyond his expectations.

Daring to try new things, embracing offense and accepting three-pointers, and making bold in-game adjustments... the Van Gundy brothers seem to be about the same in terms of ability, but the older Van Gundy has received more praise and has a better status in the league, and the reason lies in these aspects.

Back from the holiday break.

Van Gundy brought back his entire starting lineup, with Nelson, Carter, Pietrus, Lewis, and Howard taking to the court.

He looked across at the other side, and just as he had predicted, at this point in the game, the other side could no longer afford to continue with a war of attrition; it was time to fight for victory.

D'Antoni substituted Curry, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Chandler into the lineup, paired with Webster as the guard.

前半节，两队打出了激烈的阵地战对拼，魔术队11投5中，进球没有12中6的尼克斯队多，但5个进球里有3个三分！加上霍华德见鬼了的罚球3中3，魔术队这半节时间以16比15小压尼克斯队一头。

The Magic lead 103-100.

But after the timeout, Yi Shui used the triple threat to shake off Pietrus at the right 45-degree angle and took a pull-up three-pointer... After the ball left his hand, Pietrus, who jumped up and couldn't stop, crashed into him.

The referee blew the whistle, and the ball went into the basket...

The linesman confirmed that Yi Shui's take-off point was outside the three-point line!

Yi Shui, amidst chants of "MVP," made the free throw and completed a 3+1 play, putting the Knicks ahead 104-103 by one point!
In the first half of the quarter, the Knicks did manage to take the lead at times, but the Magic responded with a three-pointer to put them back in the lead.

But in the latter part of the fourth quarter, it's no longer the time for wing role players to pitch, even if that pitcher is an All-Star caliber player like Lewis.

This is a superstar moment!

When faced with Yi Shui's one-on-one attack, no one on the Magic's side could step up and compete!
Nelson and Carter, one had the will but lacked the strength, the other now has the will but is too old. Their performance at this stage, let alone going head-to-head with Yi Shui, is not necessarily better than when Curry took over the ball and created rest time for Yi Shui.

Howard, who scored 29 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in 30 minutes of playing time in the first three and a half quarters, missed both of his shots in the last half quarter and did not get any more free throws, only managing to grab two rebounds.

算上那记反超比分的3+1，易水后半节7投3中、其中三分球1中1、加上3中3的罚球，狂飙10分！
Curry added two long two-pointers for 4 points, and Chandler scored 2 points with an easy basket.

The Knicks went on a 16-8 run in the second half of the quarter!
With 11 minutes and 49 seconds left in the game, the Knicks have taken a 5-point lead over the Magic!
After the Magic called a timeout, Lewis received the ball and attempted a three-pointer against Yi Shui, but it was blocked. Du Hong rushed up and grabbed the ball, then sprinted to the opposite half of the court without continuing the attack. Carter, who was chasing after Du Hong, also stopped and opted not to commit a tactical foul.

The match ended at 11:22 PM.

The Knicks narrowly defeated the Magic 116-111!

The fans at the scene cheered wildly, shouting out various nicknames for Yi Shui.

The TV commentators looked at the posted statistics for Yi Shui and exclaimed in amazement, expressing their shock to the fans watching on television.

After scoring his third 50+ point game of the season against the Cavaliers the night before last, Yi Shui took down another number one draft pick tonight!

首节12分、第二节9分、第三节15分、末节16分……37投18中，其中三分球7中3，加上15中13的罚球，狂轰52分！
赛季第4次50+，超越了艾弗森，成为现役单赛季50+次数第二高的球员，仅次于科比06-07赛季的……10次50+。

This is also Yi Shui's 22nd 40+ point game this season!

Yi Shui scored 52 points tonight, bringing his total season points to 2456.

The most hotly debated topic among commentators on major TV stations during their post-game recaps was whether Yi Shui could score at least 44 points in tomorrow night's back-to-back game, becoming the second player after Kobe Bryant to score 2500+ points in a single season!
(End of this chapter)