Champion, please stay!

Chapter 263, Section 261: The Frenzied Finale in Progress

On April 15th, at 7 PM, the Knicks' away game against the Bucks began at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

From the very beginning, Yi Shui was relentlessly attacked from both sides.

Yesterday's report by the Milwaukee Plain Dealer quickly sparked a heated debate.

The controversy is immense, with some fiercely criticizing him; others say Yi Shui is too honest, as everyone else only dares to do things secretly, and no one else is as open as him about wanting to rack up honors; Yi Shui's fans, on the other hand, are thrilled by his arrogance...

The NBA's official website reposted this report and placed it as a headline link, titled "Who Can Stop Embiid's 10th Player of the Week?"

The topic has also been added to the primetime programming of American cable sports.

Yi Shui's management team also contacted partner brands and media outlets to promote the product extensively...

This massive influx of traffic has delighted all stakeholders.

The most annoyed teams, of course, are the Knicks' next few opponents, especially the Bucks, who had just had a conflict with the Knicks last month and will not allow Yi Shui to continue scoring.

But the wildness of Yi Shui's actions exceeded the Bucks players' expectations!

Despite being attacked from both sides and facing interference from reinforcements, Yi Shui continued to launch a frenzied attack!

The key is that Yi Shui's height and wingspan are too outstanding. Even Bogut, who is 210 cm tall with a wingspan of 221 cm, could not stop Yi Shui from throwing the ball.

Yi Shui started poorly... scoring very poorly, going 1-for-5 on his first 6 shots, plus 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, for a total of only 4 points. However, David Lee and Chandler grabbed 3 offensive rebounds and each scored on a second-chance opportunity. David Lee also assisted Curry on a three-pointer.

易水独打5铁，尼克斯队开局4分钟以11比6领先雄鹿队5分！
The Bucks' relentless double-teaming of Yi Shui disrupted their defensive formation, allowing the Knicks' starting twin towers to exploit the openings and also impacting their offense.

The Bucks want to win tonight and desperately need this victory. They only have 3 games left to play, and currently have a record of 42 wins and 37 losses, trailing the Heat, who have a record of 43 wins and 36 losses, by one game.

The three teams at the tail end of this year's Eastern Conference playoffs have been competing fiercely since March.

The Bobcats, who acquired Kaman and Harrington in a trade, became a disruptive force in the lower half of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Originally, the Celtics, having no hope of making the top four and facing a difficult challenge to reach fifth place, wanted to coast through the remaining games after their record dropped to sixth, allowing their veterans to rest more.

But the Bobcats' surge to seventh place forced the Heat and Bucks to fight tooth and nail for the final playoff spot. The Bobcats, determined to hold onto seventh and also hoping to avoid the Magic by aiming for sixth, also put in a lot of effort, forcing the Celtics to join the fray. They didn't want to face the Magic or Knicks in the first round either, and in March, they went on an 8-4 run to secure sixth place...

After the Bucks called a timeout, they started to focus on rebounding, but they overcorrected and collapsed the defense too much, leaving the perimeter open again. Blocking the paint and the perimeter gave Yi Shui another opportunity to score one-on-one... Their offense and defense were completely in disarray!

The Bucks drafted Brandon Jennings, a player with excellent immediate impact, capable of driving, shooting, and passing, and able to handle a large number of shot attempts. Combined with the roster they had built up over the years, the Bucks had the strength to make the playoffs. However, with their star scorer, Reed, who averages 25+ points per game, out for the season, the team's ceiling under Jennings' leadership is only the tail end of the Eastern Conference playoffs. They lack consistency and don't have anyone who can stabilize the situation. Once the rhythm is disrupted, it's basically impossible to regain it, and tonight was no exception.

The Bucks wanted to defend against both Yi Shui and the rest of the Knicks, but they lacked a clear and firm objective, and in the end, they accomplished nothing...

开局5中1后，易水在后面的时间里33投19中，合计38投20中，其中三分球10中4，加上10中9的罚球，狂轰53分8板2助攻1抢断2盖帽。

Led by Yi Shui, the Knicks easily defeated the Bucks 109-95!
D'Antoni was all smiles. With a record of 66 wins and 14 losses, his coaching record improved by one more win!
When D'Antoni saw the report of Yi Shui's interview yesterday, he not only did not feel that something was wrong, but also felt that tonight's game was in the bag.

Instead of trying to limit Yi Shui's reckless play, he proactively arranged for Yi Shui to start with one-on-one plays and inside scoring.

As he predicted, Jennings, Bogut, Ilyasova, Luc Mbah a Moute... how could the young Bucks withstand the stimulation from Yi Shui? They would inevitably make irrational defensive choices, making the game much easier.

D'Antoni was still somewhat wary of the Bucks. Although Jennings' performance was mediocre, he was just the core player of a team at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoffs. But he was still a 50+ point rookie. If he had a breakout game, the Knicks' defense might not be able to stop him.

Furthermore, they lost to the Bucks once in their previous three meetings, so given the opportunity, the Bucks still have a chance to beat them...

...

The Knicks' game report has once again ignited public opinion!

After Yi Shui said those words, many people were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Some media outlets made sarcastic remarks, saying that he should just enjoy his good performance and stats, instead of saying it out loud, and that he would definitely be annihilated by the Bucks.

Unexpectedly, Yi Shui, who had just scored 43 points in two consecutive games, scored 53 points in this game against the Bucks, marking his 27th 40+ point game of the season. This tied him with Kobe Bryant for the most 40+ point games among active players, and is second only to Michael Jordan's 37 40+ point games in the modern basketball era, only behind Jordan's 37 in the 1986-87 season.

This marks his 6th 50+ point game of the season, further solidifying his third-place ranking in the number of 50+ point games in a single season in modern basketball!

前二是科比06-07赛季的10次50+、乔丹在86-87赛季的8次50+。

Looking at the entire history of the NBA, aside from Chamberlain, the top three on these two lists are also these three.

Yi Shui's 50+ point performance this time was even more impressive to fans than his previous 50-point performance against the Lakers.

Because he was clearly aiming to score high, but his opponents just couldn't stop him!
Of course, there were still some strange voices. Some media outlets and a large number of fans said he was cheating, and his fans passionately argued with him online...

By noon on the second day, Yi Shui and the team had arrived in Indianapolis.

When he arrived at the hotel, he learned from Curry that a congratulatory telegram had been sent from Los Angeles!
He scored 50+ points last night, and the other player mentioned most often was naturally Kobe.

"If the Knicks had traded back Chandler for Big sooner, he would have surpassed my 27 40+ point games long ago, and maybe even caught up with Michael."

Every era produces such incredible scorers: Mikan, Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan…

When I first entered the NBA, Michael Jordan was still playing, and I had opponents like Allen, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen, and Stephen Jordan. Later, there were Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony... That's why I love basketball so much. You never have to worry about not having opponents; there will always be such epoch-making players.

In my opinion, this season is just the beginning of his legendary basketball career. I really enjoy watching him play and playing against him. His performance in every game fascinates me. I look forward to playing against him again and I also imagine sitting on the sidelines watching him play after I retire..."

After watching the video clip of Kobe's interview with TNT that morning, Yi Shui thought of... Allen Iverson.

A few days ago, Iverson appeared in Europe and said in an interview that he would not return to the NBA. He couldn't accept the feeling of not being able to control the game and wanted to start a new life.

Rumors circulated that a Turkish team wanted to sign Allen Iverson, offering a high salary of 200 million euros after tax. However, Turkish league teams... or rather, the people of this country, are notoriously shameless and disregard contractual obligations, comparable to India. Yi Shui has seen many Iverson fans expressing their concerns.

But for Iverson, this might be a choice he had no other option. He had helped so many of his brothers back then, and although seven or eight out of ten of them are now dead, a large family still depends on him for their livelihood.

Yi Shui remembers that Iverson truly began to live a carefree life when he was almost 50 years old. At that time, he could receive a sum of money from the league every year, and the trust also began to pay out annually.

However, based on Yi Shui's impression of Kobe, he usually wouldn't comment on a shot like that.

He was happy to be praised, but he always felt there was a conspiracy. He rewatched Kobe's interview and discovered something.

Sure enough, in the evening, after Yi Shui finished his extra practice at Conseco Arena and returned to the hotel, he learned from Curry that Carter had dissed him again!

It's the same old story—"Yi's way of playing sets a terrible example; he might lead future players to only think about pursuing statistics and awards..."

After reading the news on his phone, Yi Shui rolled his eyes. It was about Kobe excluding Carter from his 'early rivals,' and this guy actually came to diss him.

Carter was the kind of person with extremely high self-esteem, but also deep-seated inferiority complex.

Among the high-scoring perimeter players who entered the NBA in the 90s and stayed in the NBA, only Allen Iverson was qualified to challenge Kobe. If you add point guards, that would only include Steve Nash and Jason Kidd.

Carter's career accolades were far too few. At 25, he led his team to face Iverson head-on and lost by only 1 point. At 26, he was injured by Bowen's tiptoeing and was sidelined for the rest of the season. At 27, he was injured twice more and was sidelined again... He never truly entered his peak period.

Kobe listed his opponents and omitted Carter. Carter was probably too embarrassed to admit that he was also one of Kobe's opponents, so he could only vent his frustration on Kobe's arrogant attitude.

The old blacksmith said he was happy to see someone catch up with and surpass him, but he still secretly tripped him up.

The Knicks' final opponent was none other than Carter's Magic.

...

On April 17th, at 4:40 PM, the Knicks and Pacers entered the court one after the other at Conseco Arena.

After the opening ceremony, Yi Shui chatted with his college teammate AJ Price. Of those college teammates who went on to play in the NBA, Thabeet was definitely the most successful, followed by Price. The Pacers had a weak point guard position, and as a second-round pick, he averaged only 18 minutes of playing time in his rookie year, scoring 5.2 points and 3.6 assists.

After exchanging greetings, Yi Shui looked at Walsh and Big Bird, who were exchanging pleasantries. The way the two of them acted like best buddies reminded him of that crucial trade in 08.

During All-Star Weekend, with Curry and Randolph both selected for the All-Star game, a hot topic arose: what would the two teams be like without that trade?
After seeing the related discussion posts, Yi Shui felt it was hard to say. Anyway, even if they didn't get Curry, Walsh would definitely still get rid of Randolph and kick all those people from the retirement home out of the team. He would do anything to replace them with empty air or garbage contracts that wouldn't affect the salary cap this summer.

Without Curry, he and David Lee leading the team alone would probably have had a good record, given the weakness of the Eastern Conference. Last season, they didn't even need 40 wins to make the playoffs, but they certainly wouldn't be as good as they are now. They wouldn't have rushed to bring in Chandler this season, but instead firmly maintained two max contract slots.

On the Pacers' side, if they can't get Randolph, even if they draft Curry, they will most likely tank to get draft picks and save salary cap space, waiting to compete for top players in this summer's free agency market.

Randolph was just as important as Granger in the Pacers' rise. He allowed Granger to avoid spending too much time battling in the paint, which greatly improved Granger's stamina and even gave him the opportunity to take risky shots. Most importantly, Randolph was not only a great player, but he was also a very versatile player.

Yi Shui looked at the opposing team's front line...

Randolph has played 75 games so far this season, averaging 20.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1 steal per game, with a field goal percentage of 48.8%, which doesn't seem high. However, he averages 4.2 offensive rebounds per game, second only to Howard's 4.5 per game. Almost all of these rebounds are converted into shots, with many instances of him rebounding and shooting again after grabbing his own rebound.

格兰杰前80场全勤，场均25.4分5.1板2.8助攻1.5抢断1盖帽，命中率44.9%，三分命中率37.1%，场均投进3.1个三分球联盟第一。

Hibbert played in all 80 of his first games, averaging 8.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. While his block count wasn't high, his rim protection was among the best in the league.

Besides these three, the Pacers also have three excellent backup forwards.

特洛伊-墨菲，场均8.6分4.4板，以38.4%的命中率场均投进1.8个三分；泰勒-汉斯布鲁，场均5.9分3.6板；所罗门-琼斯，场均4.1分2.8板。

Before players like Boozer, David West, and Stoudemire even arrived in the East to "help the poor," the East already had several teams with luxurious frontcourt rosters, such as the Magic, Pacers, and Bobcats.

If Rose had been drafted by the Bulls as he was in the original timeline, the start of his career would have been much more difficult.

Compared to their strong and deep frontcourt, the Pacers' backcourt is much weaker.

Ford's health has been decent this season, playing 70 games, but after years of injuries, he is no longer the man who was faster than Iverson. He is now averaging only 7.6 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Mike Dunleavy, at the peak of 28 years old in the 07-08 season, averaged 19.1 points per game, but suffered a serious injury the following year and was sidelined for the rest of the season. He returned this season, but his strength has dropped significantly, and he has become a pure shooter, averaging only 9.4 points per game.

The three reserves, AJ Price, Dahntay Jones, and Luther Head, represent one of the worst depths in the league at the guard position.

Led by their three star frontcourt players, the Pacers currently have a record of 54 wins and 36 losses, ranking third in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the Cavaliers. They only need one more win to secure their ranking.

At 4:58, Yi Shui and his teammates arrived on the field, and their mission began!
"During this regular season, you have defeated the other 28 teams in the league at least once, and the only opponent you have not yet defeated is the one in front of you... Mission: Refuse to be swept. Triggered."

Objective: Defeat the Pacers.

Bonus: A quick guide to low-post back-to-the-basket play (Zach Randolph version).

This reward... Yi Shui looked towards the other side of the center line, where Randolph was standing with David Lee.

His long arms and legs don't match Lan Pang's skills at all!

Let's take this first! Anyway, the only goal of this mission is to defeat the Pacers, and they were going to go all out to win tonight.

The match started at 5 p.m.

Pacers starting lineup: Ford, Dunleavy, Granger, Randolph, Hibbert.

Knicks starting lineup: Curry, Hughes, Yi Shui, David Lee, Chandler.

Chandler beat Hibbert to win the jump ball, and Curry used his excellent static strength to dribble up the court against Ford's tackle.

Yi Shui received the ball high up against Granger, turned to face the basket, faked a crossover dribble and then stepped back to shoot a long two-pointer, opening the game.

The Pacers' strategy tonight is the same as always—grind!

They averaged 99.4 points per game this season, with an offense just at the league average level, but their defense was excellent, allowing only 94.1 points per game. They had a net point differential of more than 5 points when scoring less than 100 points, a feat unique in the league.

The Spurs, whose offensive and defensive performance is closest to that of the Pacers, averaged 101.4 points and allowed 96.1 points per game in their first 80 games.

The Pacers' playing style is very fixed and simple: defense, with the guards aggressively pressing the defense, not giving them opportunities for long-range shots, putting the opponent inside and handing them over to the frontcourt players to deal with, and the frontcourt players engaging in intense physical contact and battling.

For the Knicks, D'Antoni won't try any new tactics tonight. He'll suppress any ideas he has and just stick to the team's most common and familiar tactics.

In the first three encounters, he tried many strategies, but whether it was the extreme attrition strategy against the Spurs or the star player tactics against the Bulls, he was worn down by the opponent without exception. Sometimes, because he tried new tactics, he was worn down by the opponent and the opponent pulled away in a short period of time.

Since that's the case, let's just do it!

In positional play, the team should coordinate effectively and try to unleash their fast-paced offense. Players who rely on teamwork need to slow down, so Yi Jianlian or Curry can step up and take the lead in one-on-one situations, where both have an advantage. David Lee will be responsible for rebounding tonight, but he only scored a total of 30 points in three matchups against the Pacers' interior defense, with a shooting percentage of 37.5%, so we won't try him out any further.

Also, seize every opportunity to launch a counterattack!

The Pacers took the lead midway through the first quarter, leading the Knicks 21-17 with 9 minutes and 55 seconds remaining. However, in the final two minutes, Yi Shui hit two mid-range jumpers from the high post, and Birdman, coming off the bench, grabbed the offensive rebound after Chalmers missed a three-pointer, and then slammed the ball over Hansbrough, also coming off the bench, into the basket. The Pacers didn't score a single field goal in those two minutes, only managing two points from Randolph drawing a foul.

They scored 13 points in the first half of the quarter, but only managed 4 points in 3 minutes from 6:22 to 9:55. Yi Shui was on fire, and finally got going when they hit two mid-range jumpers over Granger and Dunleavy.

With a 6-2 run at the end of the first quarter, the Knicks tied the score at 23-23!
In the second quarter, the Pacers, with their absolute advantage in the paint, regained the upper hand, scoring 15-9 in the first half of the quarter and entering the official timeout with a 6-point lead.

Fortunately, Yi Shui, Birdman, and Chandler took turns on the court in the second half of the quarter, starting a block feast. The three players completed 4 blocks in half a quarter, suppressing the opponent's momentum to attack the basket.

Although the Knicks only scored 11 points in the second half of the quarter, they made two more free throws than in the first half, and only made 3 field goals in the second half, but they held the opponent to 10 points.

At halftime, they narrowed the score to 43-48, trailing the Pacers by 5 points going into the second half.

In the third quarter, the Pacers launched a fierce attack.

Granger is firing on the perimeter, Randolph is slamming in the paint – their strongest form is unleashed!
Randolph made 5 of 11 shots in this quarter, which is a very low shooting percentage for an inside player, but he grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in the quarter, and earned 5 of his 11 field goal attempts himself. In addition, he made 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 13 points in the quarter.

外线格兰杰7投3中，其中三分球3中1，加上2中2的罚球，也抡出了9分。

The two led the Pacers to 28 points in a single quarter. From 23 points in the first quarter to 25 points in the second quarter, and now 28 points, the Pacers' offensive firepower has been continuously improving as the two players have increased their offensive input, living up to the title of "strongest frontcourt".

But in this quarter, the best performer wasn't the 'big shots duo,' but... Yiku!
易水8投5中、其中三分球3中2，加上4中4的罚球，单节拿到16分。

Yi Shui received the ball at the high post on both sides and at the top of the arc, turned and pulled up for a layup, forcing the Pacers' perimeter players to rush out to defend, double-team early, or even foul to stop him... Curry's opportunity has arrived!
单节5投3中，其中三分球2中2，加上2中1的罚球，库里9分钟时间拿到9分2助攻！

David Lee capitalized on the opening created by the two point guards, scoring two layups, plus Webster's three-pointer and Chandler's two free throws...

The Knicks scored 34 points in the third quarter, taking a 77-76 lead over the Pacers to end the third quarter!

...

During the break, D'Antoni, his face flushed, excitedly high-fived and hugged his teammates.

Playing against the Pacers was tough, but thankfully Yi Shui got Curry into the game and turned the tide.

One of the advantages of being a former professional player is that when he hugs his teammates, it doesn't look like he's 'throwing himself into their arms'.

Looking at the little mustache's excited expression, Yi Shui still wanted to complain.

D'Antoni always wears his heart on his sleeve and has no self-control. When the team is at a disadvantage, he easily drags the team down emotionally. It's just that they've been working together for a long time and gotten used to it.

However, when they gain an advantage, this becomes a benefit, and everyone can intuitively feel how happy the head coach is, which also boosts morale.

Yi Shui opened the system and glanced at it. At the start of the third quarter, 'Snake Heart' had already been activated and was still active... Although the score had been reversed, the fierce battle continued!

(End of this chapter)