Champion, please stay!

Chapter 269, Section 267: The Eastern Conference Finals Begin, the Powerful Celtics!

Yi Shui went to the gym and tried jumping around a bit and lifting weights... It seemed that the strengthening of muscles, bones and ligaments was only related to health and did not bring about any improvement in physical fitness.

But that's not important. With this skill, you won't have to worry about injuries when you start playing defense or when the intensity of the confrontation increases.

Strengthening muscles and bones should reduce the risk of stress injuries caused by excessive long-term exertion. Even if you are unfortunately injured, you will recover quickly as long as you are not with the Trail Blazers.

The daily stamina recovery from the 'Skill Repair Card Day 7' and the stamina recovery effect from the 'Golden Gun' make it difficult for fatigued combat to occur, and the probability of regular accidental injuries is relatively low.

Relying on their fearlessness of injury to act recklessly... Yi Shui couldn't do that; if he got hurt, he would be the one in pain! But he did have fewer worries and his future was more secure.

The next day, on the morning of the 14th, Yi Shui arrived at Madison Square Garden early. This time, he wasn't there for extra practice. After only one day of rest following the second round, the Knicks began preparing for the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Celtics have swept the Magic 3-0!
During the second round, Yi Shui knew that the Celtics were playing well in their series against the Magic, but at that time his focus was on his own team's game and watching the Cavaliers' antics, and he only knew that the Celtics were leading 2-0.

While browsing news about the other three series yesterday afternoon, I learned that the Celtics, back at home, had won their game against the Cavaliers half an hour before it started the night before.

On the 7th, the Celtics and Magic played a very close game in their first match. In the final moments, the Magic tied the score at 88-88 thanks to a three-pointer from Carter. However, Ray Allen responded with a mid-range jumper, and Carter's next three-pointer missed. The Celtics, thanks to Garnett's 26 points (9 of 15 field goals and 8 of 8 free throws in regulation time) and Ray Allen's clutch performance, narrowly won 90-88.

Game 2 on the 9th was another tough defensive battle. The Celtics led by only 3 points with 5 seconds left. Carter's game-winning three-pointer missed, and the Celtics narrowly won 95-92 thanks to Rondo's triple-double of 11 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals.

On the night of the 12th, in Game 3, the Magic, trailing 0-2 and on the verge of elimination, found their three-point shooting hot on the road, making 16 of 31 three-point attempts and combining inside and outside play to score a whopping 113 points. However!

Ray Allen on the other side made 8 of 12 three-pointers!

With one layup and two free throws, Ray Allen scored 28 points.

靠着雷-阿伦的绝对牵制力、隆多传球、加内特策应，皮尔斯20投12中、其中三分球7中3，加上7中7的罚球，狂轰34分。

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for 62 points, leading their team to a 119-113 victory over the Magic and taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

Before the start of the second round, most media outlets and fans favored the Celtics in the matchup against the Magic, thanks to the twin towers of Garnett and Perkins. However, no media outlet or expert predicted that the Celtics would take a 3-0 lead after starting the game on the road.

The Celtics' star group, known as 'The Big Three,' has become 'The Big Four' during this series, with the addition of Rajon Rondo, who averaged 11 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in 3 games!
However, the Magic's performance wasn't as bad as the score suggests; they actually played quite well.

霍华德3场比赛分别拿到14分21板、15分12板、30分13板，投手们、外线单打的球员，大部分时间表现不输给凯尔特人队。

However, in crucial moments, Carter, Nelson, and Lewis were simply no match for Ray Allen and Pierce.

In terms of luck, the Magic were also terrible. In every game, the opposing team had a star player who exploded. In Game 1, it was Garnett; in Game 2, it was Rondo; and in Game 3, the Magic finally had a three-point shooting spree, but then Ray Allen and Pierce on the opposing team exploded together.

That's the strength of a super team; there's always a star player who can step up.

Instead of blaming any Magic player for the 0-3 deficit, or even Carter for missing consecutive game-winning shots, people started attacking the Magic's management.

The general consensus is that the Magic's style of play is not suited to dragging the game into the final moments; instead, they should focus on attacking during regulation time, led by Turkoglu, rather than bringing in Carter.

In the Western Conference, the Lakers-Jazz series, as expected, was a foregone conclusion. It started on the 6th and ended last night.

The Lakers swept the Jazz in four straight games, winning by an average of 16 points, achieving the second-largest margin of victory in this year's playoffs.

这还是湖人队G4半场65比41领先24分后，下半场科比、加索尔都没上，最后爵士队的几个替补把比分追到了101比112，不然都快赶上尼克斯队与骑士队的分差了。

According to Salt Lake City media reports, Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan had several arguments during the series, and Carlos Boozer wanted a max contract, which the Jazz were unwilling to offer...

The Jazz's situation was similar to the Cavaliers'. Both teams had accumulated numerous internal conflicts, and when they encountered their nemesis from the past two playoffs, these conflicts erupted, leading to their collapse.

Some media outlets commented that although the Knicks played against the Cavaliers and the Lakers played against the Jazz, both teams displayed performances similar to the 01 Shaq-Kobe duo's dominance over the Spurs, there was still a significant gap in strength compared to the invincible Shaq-Kobe duo.

那年的邓肯首轮表现狂暴场均25+14+4+1+2.75，大卫-罗宾逊场均16+12表现也很出色，OK组合是在马刺双塔状态正佳的情况下，吊打对方场均20+分差，完成了对99年被横扫的复仇。

8号开打的太阳队和灰熊队的系列赛，G1罗斯表现惊人惊艳，21投12中，其中三分球1中1，加上12中10的罚球，轰出35分8助攻，率领灰熊队以115比110险胜太阳队，客场1比0领先。

But this year's exciting second round didn't generate much buzz, because the day before, Yi Shui won by 45 points against LeBron James' 40+ triple-double, Ray Allen and Vince Carter went head-to-head on crucial shots, and the Lakers continued their revenge against the rivalry from the late 90s...

However, the Grizzlies' impressive performance was only for one game. On the 10th, the Suns tied the series 109-99, and last night the Suns regained home-court advantage with a 111-101 victory.

The Grizzlies' lack of outside scorers became apparent. Game 1 relied entirely on Rose's outburst to defeat the Suns. Rose returned to his normal form, scoring 24 or 25 points and 6 or 7 assists, while the Grizzlies only scored around 100 points.

Defensively, the Grizzlies are good at slowing down the pace, which theoretically counters the Suns. However, the run-and-gun offense led by Nash, Stoudemire, and Jordan went beyond what the Grizzlies could contain, and the Suns scored around 110 points in every game...

On this pre-game preparation day, the Knicks didn't train much; the entire morning was spent in meetings, watching video clips, and analyzing the Celtics' offensive and defensive performance.

After a day of preparation, Yi Shui felt immense pressure, yet also high expectations.

The pressure stems from the Celtics' performance in the playoffs, and the anticipation also comes from the Celtics' strength.

Last year, Garnett was sidelined halfway through the season due to injury, and the theoretically peak "Celtics Big Three" never appeared in the playoffs. This was a regret not only for the media and fans, but also for Yi Shui.

However, the Celtics in front of him is definitely the strongest Celtics team he could ever face!

That evening, Yi Shui sat in front of the TV to watch the live broadcast of Game 4 between the Celtics and the Magic.

If the Celtics win tonight, only the Suns and Grizzlies series will remain. If the Suns win tomorrow and on the 17th, the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and the Celtics will begin on the 18th, after the Celtics have had a three-day break.

But the Celtics couldn't complete the sweep, and the Magic rallied, shooting 13-for-24 from three-point range. Howard added 21 points and 17 rebounds, leading the Magic to a 103-92 victory over the Celtics and avoiding a sweep.

前天飙得很猛的雷-阿伦和皮尔斯都萎了，雷-阿伦11投仅2中只拿到9分，皮尔斯16中6只拿到18分，隆多和加内特表现中规中矩。

Yi Shui felt a little regretful. The Celtics' three veteran superstars were getting too old and lacked a bit of power, failing to deliver a decisive blow to the Magic.

If they don't win this game, the two teams will play Game 5 at the Magic's home court on the 17th, which may drag on and finish even later than the Suns' game.

Yi Shui was eager to face off against the Big Three... or Big Four, but he also knew that it would be good for the Magic to drag out the series a few more times, as it would not only wear down the Big Three but also provide them with more reference material.

...

In the following days, Yi Shui devoted himself to extra training and team practice.

Despite the Magic winning one game, D'Antoni's hypothetical opponent in preparation is still the Celtics.

In terms of Yi Shui's personal extra training, he mainly practiced the big fat hook shot for strong inside attacks, Lan Pang's turnaround and back turn fake move, and the gorilla's jump step turn.

In his spare time, he pondered Pierce's triple threat and what aspects could be incorporated into his playing style.

Pierce's triple threat was more comprehensive than Anthony's and McGrady's, but it didn't have any particularly outstanding points like those two. It was very balanced, but also 'mediocre'.

From a long-term training perspective, Pierce's is more suitable; it will still be effective even when athletic ability declines in one's thirties or forties.

However, for Yi Shui, who is athletic and still on the rise, Pierce's triple threat doesn't really have any direct "big moves" that he can use right now. Anthony's triple threat is good at creating pull-up jumper space, and McGrady's triple threat is good at creating space for driving and step-back opportunities. Pierce has "nothing to offer".

However, it's not entirely without merit. Pierce's triple threat requires the highest level of rhythm. When Yi Shui was practicing Durant's crossover, he discovered that there were aspects of Pierce's rhythm difference in the triple threat that could be learned from.

As time went by, on the 15th, the Suns defeated the Grizzlies 107-98, taking a 3-1 lead on the road. On the 17th, the Suns returned home and narrowly defeated the Grizzlies 113-109 in overtime, sweeping the series 4-1 to advance and meet the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Before the Suns advanced, the Celtics, playing on the road, lost again.

In regulation time, Carter finally stepped up on the clutch, hitting a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer, bringing the Magic to a 96-96 tie and forcing overtime.

In overtime, the veterans all faltered. Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace combined for 0-for-7 shooting. Rondo grabbed 4 offensive rebounds and scored 6 points on 2-for-2 shooting plus 2-for-2 free throws, but that was all the Celtics had for the entire team.

Rondo had an offensive rebound and passed the ball out, but his teammates missed. The commentators were saying that Rondo should have just run into Howard and thrown the ball himself, since the Magic had only scored 7 points in overtime.

The Magic narrowly defeated the Celtics 103-102 at home with a strategy of playing their veterans, bringing the series score to 2-3!

The Class of 08 team watched the game live at Yi Shui's house. After the broadcast, the three of them discussed the Celtics' performance and reached a consensus.

The Big Three were truly formidable when they were in top form, but as they aged, their performance dipped and they really did fall apart.

With Garnett setting up the defensive system and Rondo carrying the basic offense, the Celtics have a very high floor, but their ceiling is unpredictable. When they are at their best, they are invincible, but when they are at their worst, they can only rely on Rondo, who is not good at scoring, to score.

After the live broadcast ended, the TV commentator, while reviewing the game, mentioned the 03 series between the Mavericks and the Trail Blazers.

In that series, the Trail Blazers fell behind 0-3 at the start, then tied the series 3-3 before losing Game 7, almost completing an epic comeback.

The commentators believe the Magic have a chance to replicate or even surpass the Trail Blazers' performance from that year.

But after checking the details of that series, Yi Shui realized it was all nonsense.

That year, the Trail Blazers were able to tie the series 3-3 because Randolph was used as a regular substitute in the first three games, averaging 8 points per game. In Game 4, Maurice Cheeks boldly started second-year substitute Randolph, and Randolph played the role of a surprise weapon.

The Magic were already at their strongest from the start, with no room for improvement. It was only because the Celtics' Big Three fluctuated so much in Games 4 and 5 that the Magic had an opportunity.

However, most people won't be as determined as Yi Shui to research those materials; a sensational story is enough.

Immediately, the media speculated that the Magic were poised to complete an unprecedented 0-3 comeback in NBA history.

New York fans have all become Magic fans, cheering for Howard online.

For fans, who would want to play against the Celtics when they can play against the Magic?

It's the 19th now, and the Knicks have had their 7th day of rest.

Even Yi Shui, who had filled his training time every day until he could trigger the '7th day of skill repair' effect, was getting impatient.

If the Celtics and Magic don't decide a winner tonight, the Knicks will break the record for the longest rest period between two series.

The previous record was held by the Lakers. After the Western Conference Finals in 01, the Lakers rested for 9 days. After the Western Conference Finals in 1989, the Lakers also rested for 9 days.

不过这一次三巨头没有掉链子，皮尔斯21分、雷-阿伦20分、加内特21分8板3助攻、隆多13分13板11助攻，凯尔特人队主场以106比99击败魔术队，大比分4比2晋级东决。

...

After the second round concluded, the league announced the schedule for the conference finals.

The Western Conference Finals will begin on the 21st, and the Eastern Conference Finals will begin on the 22nd.

从13号休息到21号，尼克斯队追平了湖人队在89年和01年创下的9天休息时间的历史纪录。

On the 20th, D'Antoni led the team in a day of high-intensity training.

Having ample rest time was certainly a relief for the man, but too much time actually made preparations more difficult.

Regarding the Magic's comeback, D'Antoni's view is the same as Yi Shui's; his hypothetical opponent has never changed, and it has always been the Celtics.

But with such a long rest period, they couldn't afford not to train hard, and the Lakers missed out on the undefeated championship in 01 because of this.

But too much training is also bad. After the Western Conference Finals in 89, the Lakers trained too hard, resulting in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's season-ending injury and retirement, Magic Johnson's serious injury, and a crushing defeat in the Finals, ending their two-peat.

These days, D'Antoni and his coaching staff are arranging different training sessions for different players, chatting and communicating with them, trying their best to ensure the players' condition and psychological motivation... He's even more tired than the players, and he doesn't know how much of an effect it will have, but he has to do it, because he doesn't want to repeat the Lakers' mistakes.

Now, I've finally made it through that week.

On the 21st, the Celtics arrived in New York in the morning. On the Knicks' side, D'Antoni reduced the training volume, only conducting two targeted offensive and defensive training sessions, which can be considered a good balance.

Back in Yishui, he continued to train extra. After the final day of training, he went home and watched the Lakers vs. Suns game live.

The game between these two teams was the most entertaining one he had watched live in the playoffs this season. The Lakers led 32-29 in the first quarter and 27-25 in the second quarter, and led the Suns 59-54 at halftime. However, the Suns went on a scoring spree in the second half, scoring 32 points in two consecutive quarters, while the Lakers only managed 27 and 25 points in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.

科比全场24投13中，其中三分球5中2，加上8中8的罚球，高效拿到36分9板11助攻2抢断，突投传，表现都几近完美。

拜纳姆14投9中拿到23分、加索尔15投8中拿到18分，表现也都很好，携手率队拿到111分。

但对面纳什20分16助攻、斯塔德迈尔32分、小乔丹8投8中加上5中3的罚球拿到19分11板、理查德森20分！
Four players on the Suns scored in double figures as they defeated the Lakers 118-111, securing their first home game!
The Lakers scored 52 points on 21-of-43 shooting in the second half, which wasn't bad either.

But for the Suns, Nash and Stoudemire combined perfectly in the second half with passes to DeAndre Jordan's cuts and the Slam Dunk Contest champion's long-range passes, scoring 64 points on 25-of-45 shooting to complete the comeback.

Yi Shui was incredibly excited watching the live stream, wishing he were one of Kobe or Nash, and could face them head-on...

May 22nd has arrived, marking the first day of the Eastern Conference Finals.

After a long nine-day break, every Knicks player is full of energy today.

It wasn't just them who were incredibly eager for the game; New York fans felt the same way. They had waited too long. After the Eastern Conference Finals opponent was announced on the 19th, the New York basketball market became incredibly lively. The most direct way to demonstrate the enthusiasm of New York fans was through spending.

In just two days, the Knicks sold tens of thousands of the 'Emperor MVP Commemorative Edition' T-shirts they released after the first round, which was more than the combined sales of the second round over 7 days and the 7 rest days before the end of the second round, a total of 14 days.

All Knicks players benefited from this. Of the T-shirt sales, the supplier took 50%, the league took 10%, the team and the players each took 20%, and the players' share was split equally among the team. In just two days, each of the Knicks' 15 players earned an extra $15,000. For them, who are all millionaires, this amount of money may not be much, but they were happier to receive the extra income than to receive their salaries.

New York fans are certainly full of confidence for the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals.

However, other fans have high expectations for the Celtics.

This year's Celtics are very similar to the 94-95 Rockets. They had a poor start to the regular season, but their performance improved as the season progressed. They finished sixth in their conference and made it to the playoffs, pulling off upsets all the way up.

The Celtics also benefited from the "nostalgia" factor in terms of public opinion, with many long-time fans wanting to see another Lakers-Celtics showdown.

The Celtics performed very well in this year's playoffs, but everyone knows that this team will inevitably decline year after year.

Of course, there are also many casual fans who support the Knicks. The Knicks won all four of their regular season games against the Celtics. In particular, the younger fan base has a much higher level of affection for the Knicks than for the Celtics.

At 7:40 p.m., the Celtics and Knicks entered Madison Square Garden one after the other.

The pre-match greetings were quite tense.

The Wolf King, relying on his seniority, said, "I believe you will have many opportunities to compete for the championship in the future, but not now." The sharp-tongued elementary school student responded, "Who knows what the future holds? If we don't win the championship in 12 years, I'll have to find a big shot to help me out."

What followed was a war of words, with the most vocal fighter being, of course, a certain player number 13 who wished to remain anonymous.

The phrase "homeless child" infuriated Pierce, and after the 08 NBA Finals, Los Angeles fans had already "expelled" him from their fandom.

The Celtics have never played a clean game, with a lot of dirty tricks on defense and a lot of trash talk; the Knicks are a bunch of young players, journeymen, impulsive, even arrogant.

The two teams have faced each other eight times in the past two years, and have already developed a lot of animosity.

This time, they meet in the playoffs, and it's the final battleground in the East. The two teams not only want to determine who is superior, but also to settle their scores about the grudges they've accumulated over the past two years.

After a barrage of verbal sparring, Yi Shui and his teammates returned to the bench to listen to the coaching staff make their final pre-match instructions... and then a system notification appeared!
"An old horse in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles, but the Celtics, after countless difficulties and tribulations this season, have returned to where they belong... Mission: Let the veterans wither away! Final mission triggered."

Objective: To eliminate the Celtics.

Reward: One random trait transformation skill from one of the Celtics' Big Three.

The mission has finally arrived for this year's playoffs!
Yi Shui thought for a moment, what were the defining characteristics of the Big Three? Wolf King's defense? Gentleman Sword's shooting? Truth's... ability to withstand punches?
Let's not think about it now, let's talk about it after we win.

But they've already reached the Eastern Conference Finals, so why haven't they yet discussed the championship?

As Yi Shui thought of this, the content on the system screen changed. Seeing the prompt, he remembered that before the start of the rookie year playoffs, he had already received the reward for his first championship, 'Holy Land Monarch'. Moreover, since he didn't win his first championship last year, he would have to win two more championships to make up for it.

For some reason, the desire to wear championship rings on every finger intensified...

…At 8 p.m., Chandler defeated Perkins to win the jump ball, and the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals began!
Knicks starting lineup: Duhon, Curry, Yi Shui, David Lee, Chandler.

Celtics starting lineup: Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins.

The Knicks were full of fighting spirit and launched a fierce attack from the start... but their performance was dismal!

It wasn't that D'Antoni's tactical arrangements were bad. With several attempts during the regular season, reference to the offensive and defensive tactics of the Pacers and Magic, and ample preparation time, he made excellent tactical arrangements.

It's not that the players didn't execute well. Most of the main players have been playing together for two years and have excellent chemistry. Although some players in the lineup have limited ability, the depth of each position is quite good. There are many players with special skills, and they play very well together.

But even with the tactics executed perfectly and the opportunity presented, the shot still wouldn't go in!

In the first half of the quarter, the Knicks had three open three-point opportunities, but Yi Shui, Du Hong, and Hughes, who came off the bench, all missed.

The more inaccurate the Celtics' shots, the more aggressively they can collapse their defense, the better they can defend mid-range and long two-pointers, and the more advantageous their collapse becomes.

The Knicks trailed 9-16 halfway through the quarter. After the official timeout, Yi Shui adjusted his tactics, attacking the paint like Howard!
The effect was immediate. In four regular season games against the Celtics, Yi Shui grabbed a total of 64 rebounds, averaging 6.5 offensive rebounds per game. The Celtics increased their pressure on the defense, and Curry and David Lee seized the opportunity to frequently fire at close range, finally lifting the offensive momentum and scoring 13 points in the second half of the quarter.

But their defense was still poor; Rondo drove to the basket and no one on the Knicks could keep up!

The Celtics' defense, which surrounded the basket, was able to stop Rondo's baseline drives and floaters, but Rondo's vision was too good. Even when surrounded, he could still get the ball to Garnett. After Garnett passed the ball around, the Celtics played very well, cutting to the weak side and receiving passes on the strong side. They scored 15 points in the second half of the quarter, widening the gap by two points!

The Celtics led the Knicks 31-22 after the first quarter.

During the break, D'Antoni took advantage of the extended time to boldly adjust the overall playing style.

In the second quarter, the Knicks adjusted their offense and it was indeed quite effective, but they still couldn't solve their problem with outside shooting. The Celtics seized on this and used their defense to guide the game. As the Knicks played, they eventually reverted to their old approach of attacking the basket in the frontcourt and trying to get close to the rim to shoot, and they scored one less point than in the first quarter.

单节21比25，半场打完，尼克斯队以43比56落后凯尔特人队13分！
易水半场12投4中，其中三分球3中1，加上3中2的罚球，拿到11分7板1助攻1盖帽。

His shooting percentage was extremely low, but he was still the best player on the team because he took 12 shots and grabbed 4 offensive rebounds in the first half. However, he missed 3 second-chance shots and was blocked once. Of the rebounds he got, he only drew a foul once and made one of two free throws.

Putting aside those three shots, he actually made 4 out of 9 shots, which was a pretty good performance.

The team's shooting was terrible; they took 45 shots in the first half! D'Antoni's tactics were very effective, and the Celtics couldn't control their pace, but they only made 17 of 45 shots combined. He made 4 of 12, and his teammates only made 13 of 33, for a team shooting percentage of 37.8%!

The effects of a 9-day break are ultimately unavoidable.

In the week leading up to the end of the second round, Yi Shui noticed that the coaching staff was also trying to avoid this problem. From the 15th to the 19th, they arranged a training match every day, hoping to maintain their form through a combination of training and matches. However, the team's training matches were still far from the real matches.

Even if D'Antoni consciously put Cheeks and Mark Jackson on another team, imitating the Celtics by increasing physicality and engaging in close combat, it's impossible for their own teammates to defend like Tony Allen, Garnett, and Perkins.

In the actual game, when the intensity increases, their defense can rely on its drive to gradually lower the Celtics' scoring efficiency, but their offense becomes more difficult.

Back in the locker room, Yi Shui washed her face with hot water to ease her tense nerves and calm her anxiety.

At this moment, D'Antoni also arrived and washed his face, but with cold water.

The two exchanged a few words. Although D'Antoni didn't say it explicitly, Yi Shui could sense that his head coach was at a loss in the face of this situation and even wanted to go on the court and shoot himself.

The head coach, the backbone of the team, turned a deep red with embarrassment when he spoke, showing no composure whatsoever. Yi Shui was helpless, but this also calmed him down.

Yi Shui quickly recalled the games he played against the Celtics and the Celtics' performance in the playoffs.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "We haven't played a match in too long, and the intensity of the competition from them is so high. Given the current situation, let's take a long-term view. This series isn't just about this one game. In the second half, should we try this or that? If we turn it around, we'll have gained something; if we don't win, we won't lose anything..."

...

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

D'Antoni fielded a lineup of Curry, Hughes, Webster, David Lee, and Yi Shui.

After the start of the third quarter, the Knicks changed both their offensive and defensive strategies.

On the defensive end, Ray Allen will shoot threes, Garnett will shoot mid-range shots, and Pierce and Rondo will be guarded one-on-one. If they can stop them, great; if not, so be it.

But when the opponent plays aggressively, they play even more aggressively!
On offense, Curry and Yi Shui initiate the attack with a pick-and-roll, Curry shoots or passes the ball to the wing, and Yi Shui rushes to steal the ball;
When Yi Shui gets tired of his aggressive play and needs a break, he will replace David Lee in the mid-range receiving role, and Chandler, Birdman, Ben Wallace, and Gibson will continue to drive the ball.
Curry was exhausted from playing long hours on the perimeter, so Hughes and Duhon took turns supporting him with shots and launching fast breaks; Webster and Barnes took turns guarding Pierce, not aiming to completely shut him down, but just to provide enough physical contact.

This was a contingency plan that Yi Shui and the coaching staff came up with during halftime, before the teammates returned to the locker room.

He provided the ideas, specific tactics, and lineup arrangements, while the D'Antoni brothers, Mark Jackson, and Cheeks were responsible for the specific tactics.

The main idea revolves around the word "reckless"! Maximize their advantage in roster depth.

D'Antoni adopted Yi Shui's suggestion not only because Yi Shui was the team's star player.

The main reason is that the consensus among the Knicks' management and coaching staff is that "Big is always exceptionally sharp and has an exceptionally good mind when it comes to basketball."

When it comes to the game, even if Yi Shui's ideas seem unreliable at first glance, D'Antoni will carefully consider whether he has overlooked this point.

The idea proposed by Yi Shui was indeed sound in every way, and even impressed D'Antoni with its maturity and long-term vision.

Once the strategy was implemented, the offensive performance was even better than D'Antoni had anticipated!
In the third quarter, they attempted 11 three-pointers and made 4!
A 36.3% three-point shooting percentage is certainly not good for them, but compared to 2 of 11 shots made in the first half, their three-point efficiency has more than doubled!
Their aggressive frontcourt, employing a rotation-style offensive rebounding strategy, proved highly effective, securing 5 offensive rebounds in just one quarter and converting 3 of them into points.

With 9 of 24 field goals made, including 4 of 11 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws, the Knicks defied the odds and scored 26 points in the third quarter!
However, their defense was a disaster. The Celtics made 11 of 19 shots, including 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 6 of 8 free throws, for a total of 29 points.

After three quarters, the Knicks trailed the Celtics 69-85 by 16 points. Yi Shui, who played center, was the worst off, getting dribbled past by Rondo and Pierce... But!
The four superstars—Rondo, Garnett, Pierce, and Ray Allen—play unselfishly, don't care about stats, can cooperate with each other, create opportunities for each other, easily deal with the Knicks' defense, and score high points.

However, they couldn't avoid the problem of getting older. In the final quarter, the Knicks' perimeter defense, physical battles, and inside rebounding and fast breaks became evident!

The Celtics' offense plummeted in the final quarter, shooting only 8-for-22 from the field, including a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range, and adding 2-for-3 from the free-throw line, for a total of just 18 points.

On the Knicks' side, after a period of poor shooting, they suddenly found their rhythm, going 10-for-23 in the final quarter, including 4-for-10 from three-point range, and adding 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, scoring 28 points!
Unfortunately, the Knicks were too far behind in the first three quarters. With 8 seconds left, they couldn't even score 8 points in 8 seconds. Yi Shui's three-point attempt missed, and when David Lee grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Curry, Curry's three-pointer also missed...

皮尔斯24分5板3助攻、雷-阿伦20分2板3助攻、隆多16分8板7助攻、加内特12分7板3助攻、拉希德-华莱士14分5板。

He outshone the Knicks' three star players.

易水全场打了45分钟，27投10中，其中三分球7中2，加上8中7的罚球，拿到29分16板4助攻1抢断2盖帽。

库里15投6中，其中三分球9中3，加上2中2的罚球，拿到17分3助攻。

大卫-李13投5中，加上5中4的罚球，拿到14分8板。

凯尔特人队5人得分上双，队以103比97击败尼克斯队，客场1比0领先！

...

He made 35 of 92 field goals, including 10 of 32 three-pointers.

That evening, Yi Shui returned home and looked at the game report: 38% field goal percentage, 31% three-point percentage... If they had scored just two more goals in the first half, they probably wouldn't have lost.

Furthermore, given the high level of intensity tonight, their entire team only had 22 free throws. When playing in the playoffs against the Celtics, the referees are expected to be very lenient.

However, they made their free throws quite well, going 17 for 22, for a team free throw percentage of 77.3%, which is very impressive.

Moreover, the opposing team had fewer free throws, making 15 of 21, for a 71.4% success rate.

But the opposing team took 82 shots, a full 10 fewer than them, yet made 4 more shots, shooting 39 of 82. Despite shooting terribly in the final quarter, they still had a team field goal percentage of 47.6%.

Losing is painful. It was so close to a comeback, with the opponent only having 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. In the last two minutes, Pierce and Ray Allen made two mid-range shots to seal the victory. The comeback failed, which was even more painful... But during the halftime break, Yi Shui encouraged the player with the mustache and told him to think long-term. He remembered those words.

The disadvantage is clear: the loss in this game was not just due to a poor shooting performance, but also because the opponent was able to exploit this and suppress their shooting performance even further.

The frontcourt rotation of Garnett, Pierce, Perkins, Rasheed Wallace, and Glen Davis formed a defensive wall in the middle, which even their fast-paced positional attacks couldn't handle, and their offense was always restricted to the strong side.

The defensive abilities of the four rotation guards – Rondo, Ray Allen, Tony Allen, and Daniels – were maximized, giving Curry, Duhon, Hughes, Chalmers, and others a lot of trouble.

There's also Ray Allen and Paul Pierce's clutch ability; after all, they're players who have been selected as All-Star reserves for many consecutive years, and they're superstars recognized by coaches from various teams. Someone will always step up.

But their strengths are also obvious!

Their rebounding advantage against the Celtics is no less than that against the Magic.

In this game, they had a total of 17 offensive rebounds and 36 defensive rebounds, for a total of 53 rebounds, a full 15 more than their opponents.

Their youth and abundance of players are also advantages. To ensure their defense, the Celtics can only rely on those nine starters.

Nate Robinson, who averaged 9.1 points, 2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the regular season, has been benched since the first round against the Pacers. He averaged 19 minutes per game in the regular season, but only played 5 out of the first 11 playoff games, averaging 7 minutes per game. Tonight, he didn't get a single second of playing time.

If you can't avoid the short-term gains, then go all out to attack your strengths!

The next day, the 23rd, marked the second day of the Western Conference Finals.

The Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Suns are just as popular as the Eastern Conference Finals.

The two MVPs from the 96 draft class met on the final stage of the Western Conference, and the media even dubbed it the "Battle of the Century".

However, the Knicks lost their home-court advantage last night, and even with Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals today, the post-game buzz surrounding Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals continues to be high.

The fans of Yishui... aren't really that much better than Kobe fans or LeBron fans.

He himself is not a low-key person, and New York fans are like nouveau riche. After many years, they finally had Yishui and rose again. New York fans are just as good at attracting criticism online as Kobe fans and LeBron fans.

The Knicks were winning all season, with 68 wins in the regular season, breaking the record for the new century. Yi Shui won 10 Player of the Week awards, 5 Player of the Month awards, the current top scorer, All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive Second Team MVP, and an 8-game playoff winning streak that led them to the Eastern Conference Finals. During those months, other fans couldn't criticize the Knicks or Yi Shui, so they could only keep quiet.

Now, the Knicks have finally lost in the playoffs, and even lost home-court advantage. The chant of "Come on, keyboard!" echoed throughout America, and everyone was playing with full force!

...

纳什20分12助攻、斯塔德迈尔21分8板、小乔丹15分7板、理查德森18分、希尔11分7助攻、德拉季奇末节单节13分……

力压36分的科比、22分的加索尔、15分的拜纳姆、15分10板11助攻的奥多姆。

The Suns defeated the Lakers 122-115, taking a 2-0 lead at home.

The two teams were evenly matched in terms of strength, and their performance in crucial moments was also difficult to distinguish. The Lakers had Kobe and Fisher, while the Suns had Nash, Hill, and Stoudemire.

Home-court advantage played a significant role at this point. After the game, Phil Jackson complained that Kobe had his wrist touched but the referee didn't call it. He said that if the referee had called it, Kobe could have scored 50 points.

Kobe didn't seem to care about that. When the media relayed Phil Jackson's words, he responded, "I also touched Steve's wrist, and the referee didn't call it. I just took the shot a little more, so you could see it."

According to the Phoenix Matrix, Kobe stayed at the American West Arena that night to practice shooting for an extra hour, during which Odom poked his wrist every time he contested a shot...

When Yi Shui saw this report, he once again showed Er Kang's expression: "So this is how training can be done! I've learned something new!"
After a rest day, the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals will begin at 8 p.m. on the 24th.

At the start, D'Antoni immediately adopted the strategy from the second half of Game 1: aggressive rebounding and a barrage of outside shots!

However, an unexpected situation occurred. The opponent actually anticipated that they would play like this and focused on Rondo's defensive counterattacks!
The Celtics have taken a 1-0 lead in the series for the third consecutive time on the road, but Rivers doesn't seem to have the same sense of security he had after securing home-court advantage in the first two rounds.

This time, the opponent is different from the previous two rounds!
Rivers could predict how the Pacers and Magic would play at a glance, and his pre-game preparations were always effective. Even the two games he lost to the Magic weren't due to poor preparation, but rather because the opponent had a breakout performance or their own veterans experienced significant fluctuations in form.

He really couldn't figure out the Knicks. The day before yesterday, they had already suppressed the Knicks' offense so much in the first half, but the opponent abandoned tactics in the second half and just went all out, managing to score 28-18 in the final quarter. If it weren't for Ray Allen and Pierce hitting crucial mid-range shots at the end, the opponent might have even had a chance to win the game.

Before this game, Rivers didn't even have a clear tactical plan at the beginning, because the opponent had three ways to beat them in the regular season. Those methods weren't particularly powerful, but each one targeted their weaknesses. Moreover, each of those three methods was very different, and if he bet on the wrong one, he could be in a very passive position.

Yesterday, Rivers struggled all day without finding a solution. This morning, before the pre-game meeting, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Since his predictions about the Knicks were always wrong, he decided to think in the direction he thought was impossible... and he guessed right!
The opposing team actually didn't use any tactics; they just went straight for offensive rebounds and outside shooting!

隆多首节成为主攻点，9投5中、加上4中3的罚球，狂轰13分！其中有8分是反击得分！

And they held the Knicks' offense to just 18 points in the first quarter!
However, Rivers' defensive adjustments were effective, and he capitalized on the Knicks' fast break weaknesses, but the pace of their half-court offense was also greatly affected!

With fewer possession-based offensive rounds, their team coordination rhythm, which they relied on for offense, also collapsed. Apart from Rondo, the others only scored 8 points!
The Knicks kept the score close at 3 points in the first quarter, 18-21!
Because the Celtics' anticipatory defensive adjustments were effective, the Knicks' offense fell apart, but the Celtics' own offense also fell apart, and by the second quarter, both teams had entered a chaotic battle.

凯尔特人队单节17投7中、其中三分球8中3，加上10中8的罚球，拿到25分；尼克斯队20中8，其中三分球4中1，加上11中7的罚球，拿到24分，拼了个有来有回。

At halftime, the score was 42-46, with the Knicks keeping the difference within 5 points!
...

The way the game turned out was unexpected by Yi Shui and the coaching staff as well, but they were all very happy!

They'd love for the match to turn into a chaotic free-for-all, but normally they don't have the ability to disrupt the opponent's playing style.

After halftime, D'Antoni fielded a lineup of Curry, Hughes, Webster, David Lee, and Yi Shui.

Rivers fielded a lineup of Rondo, Tony Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace.

Rivers wanted to slow down the pace and get the game back on track, executing tactics one round at a time.

But when Rivers saw Yi Shui retreat to the basket to match up against Rasheed Wallace at the start of the third quarter, he knew that he had lost control of the game, and things were not going as he had expected!

On the first possession, Pierce started with a triple threat to create a rhythm difference, then drove into the paint and scored a layup over Yi Shui, who couldn't stop him.

Turning back, Yi Shui pulled up to the top arc, drawing Pierce's attention. Webster went to the weak side corner and took Garnett away. David Lee faced Rasheed Wallace in the low post and scored a 2+1 with a close-range step-back jumper!

When it was the Celtics' turn to attack, Tony Allen received the pass and made a layup, but missed.

In the transition, Rasheed Wallace moved to the perimeter to defend Yi Shui, while Garnett was tasked with locking down David Lee. He attempted to use Rondo and Pierce to double-team Yi Shui on the wings, but when Yi Shui broke through, Rasheed Wallace couldn't even manage a basic delay. Yi Shui drove to close range, pulled up for a jump shot, and made it, drawing a foul from Rondo and getting a free throw!

With Yi Shui making the free throw, the Knicks started the third quarter with a 6-2 run, tying the Celtics at 48-48!
Rivers immediately called a timeout. He regretted his 'spur-of-the-moment' decision, but at this point, he had no choice but to go all the way.

He recalled his response to the second round of the 08 NBA playoffs against the Cavaliers, when Mike Brown placed James at power forward...

After the timeout, Rivers brought in a lineup of Rondo, Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Pierce, and Garnett – one big man and four small men!
D'Antoni didn't make any substitutions. After only two possessions, seeing the opposing team's lineup, he smiled...

The game continued, Rondo and Garnett executed a pick-and-roll and Ray Allen received the ball at the high post and made a jump shot, making it 50-48, with the Celtics regaining a two-point lead.

It's the Knicks' turn to attack.

Rivers' strategy for the substitution was to allow Pierce to match up against Yi Shui on the defensive end without affecting Garnett's defense against David Lee, just like he did against the number one draft pick frontcourt duo of James and Joe Smith when Mike Brown was brought in in 08.

But Yi Shui isn't James... After he got to the frontcourt, he went straight to the low post, and Garnett had no choice but to stick close to Yi Shui. Pierce's height couldn't handle Yi Shui's low post mismatch and high-post play!

Even with Garnett on defense, Yi Shui still opted to post up and attack the ball!

Garnett's defense was truly formidable. Yi Shui had absolutely no chance to turn and lean towards the baseline to attack. Even when he turned back and attempted a fadeaway shot, his defense was completely blocked.

But he has a new trick up his sleeve!
Yi Shui took a step, turned to the left... suddenly grabbed the ball, turned sharply to the right, and jumped sideways!
Garnett reacted quickly, trying to press forward and block Yi Shui, but Yi Shui jumped fast and powerfully, and landed facing the basket!
Yi Shui's fake move tricked Garnett into moving to the baseline and turning to the right. Pierce, on the left side of the three-second zone, anticipated this and rushed to the basket to block Yi Shui's turn. However, Yi Shui jumped sideways and got right in his face!

After landing, Yi Shui took a half step out with his left foot, jumped up with both feet, and slammed the ball into the basket over Pierce!
Pierce was not standing still when he was knocked down by Yi Shui. As he fell, he reached out and grabbed Yi Shui's jersey. He immediately let go after realizing what had happened, but the referee blew his whistle decisively. The whistle and the sound of Yi Shui dunking and hitting the rim rang out at the same time.

Pulling an opponent's jersey when they jump is one of the most dangerous fouls. It wasn't called a flagrant foul because Pierce released his jersey in time.

Yi Shui's goal stands, and he's even awarded an additional penalty!
The fans in the arena cheered wildly as he dunked over two opponents in the low post. The veteran fans were especially excited, as the scene was all too familiar!

The gorilla who came to watch the game tonight jumped up, assumed a horse stance, opened his mouth wide, pointed at Yi Shui, and yelled strangely!

(End of this chapter)