Champion, please stay!

Chapter 283, Section 281: The Blooming Rose

Curry ran a lap around the court, showing off his championship ring, which made Rose so angry that he wanted to turn around and leave!

However, Ross held back, not wanting others to see his jealousy.

Soon, the ceremony came to an end, and Rose regretted it. He should have waited until the game was about to start before coming out of the locker room!
In an interview, Curry said, "I was already a champion before I joined the national team, and I don't know why I can't win a championship with the national team..."

The Emperor, standing to the side, said: "Why is our little kid making such a fool of himself tonight? Isn't he afraid of offending people? Oh, no, we're in New York, we're the champions, we've already offended a lot of people, this little bit won't make a difference."

If it were a different opponent, the elementary school student wouldn't be a laughingstock, but the opponent is Rose...

After the World Championships, some media outlets reported that a heated argument broke out in the US team's locker room after the final. Although everyone denied it, the incident is true.

I don't know who started complaining, but in the second half of the final, the pitchers couldn't create space anymore; several pitchers were unhappy, saying that the players who drove to the basket couldn't draw the defense... At first it was just complaints, but later it turned into arguments and personal attacks.

There was a war of words. At first, someone said that Chandler was like a piece of toilet paper in front of Yao Ming. Chandler then criticized Rose for practicing sprints with the ball in the paint. Rose then turned around and said that Curry was far inferior to Yi Shui. This war of words ended there.

Curry really couldn't refute it; his older brother is an MVP, a super P among Ps who collected AMVP, MVP, FMVP, and World Championship MVP in one year.

He was just lucky to be selected as an All-Star reserve and the team's second-in-command.

Curry was angry about this for a long time, and on the night he was awarded the championship ring, he wanted to provoke Rose.

After the ceremony, the Knicks players returned to their bench and noticed that the opposing players were looking at them with hostility and anger.

But nobody cares about that. Tonight is the day the championship rings will be awarded. If the kids want to cause trouble, of course they'll indulge them. Their relationship with the other side wasn't good to begin with.

Rose lost to Yi Shui in a head-to-head matchup during the Madness 3 game, a grudge he will probably never forget throughout his basketball career.

Marc Gasol's relationship with Yi Shui deteriorated after losing to them at the 08 Olympics.

The opposing team's two key players have a poor relationship with their star player, and the team's overall relationship has always been strained.

Yi Shui and Gay were teammates in college and maintained a decent personal relationship after leaving college. However, Gay, despite almost becoming the fourth option on the Grizzlies, doesn't have much influence within the team...

Another reason for the rivalry between the two teams is that in last season's playoffs, the Grizzlies defeated the Nuggets led by Carmelo Anthony from the 03 draft class and advanced to the second round. After that, the media gave the Grizzlies a nickname - the Western Knicks.

On the surface, it means that the Grizzlies' style of play is out of place in the Western Conference, just like the Knicks' style of play is in the Eastern Conference; in reality, it puts the two teams on opposite sides.

The Grizzlies players who were compared to someone else were unhappy with this comparison, and being compared to other teams meant they were inferior to other teams.

Many Knicks players are unhappy about being compared to others – one player said: "A bunch of country bumpkins who only know how to grind out defense, how are they like us?"

The fans of both sides, as well as the local media, argued endlessly as a result. Saying that the two teams were like oil and water was a bit of an exaggeration, since they had never faced each other in the playoffs. But the fact that the young player ignited this fire meant that at least a few key players from both sides had completely broken off relations.

The happiest people were undoubtedly the TV stations broadcasting tonight's game. They immediately embellished Curry's words in their reports, creating new topics to attract fans to watch the live stream...

After listening to the coaching staff's final pre-match instructions, Yi Shui looked at the opposing team... Rose, Vazquez, Tony Allen, Xavier Henry, Guy, Sam Young, Lyon Powell, Boozer, Marion, Darrell Arthur, and Gasol.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace, a former Celtics player but mentored by the "Logo Man" (a nickname for a player known for his logo), has connections with both the Celtics and the Yellows, so his resources are truly exceptional. In 08, he acquired Derrick Rose, and with Rose and Marc Gasol forming the core duo, the roster became incredibly strong in just two years!

The shooting guard position, which had been the weakest point in the past two years, was also brought in thanks to the personal charisma of head coach Lionel Hollins, who attracted Tony Allen to join.

But when it comes to star players and roster depth... Yi Shui glanced behind him and thought, who's afraid of who?

He looked at Danny Green, who was standing next to Cheeks. After a while, Danny Green's appearance had changed.

While most NBA players don't rely on their brains for a living, those who are intelligent generally do better than their peers.

This "brain" doesn't just refer to learning ability. Among his teammates, the most academically gifted are definitely Fields and Frye. Both of them grew up receiving elite education, especially Fields, who got into Stanford and won scholarships purely based on his academic performance. However, in terms of creating opportunities to come into the coaching staff's sights, Fields is far inferior to Danny Green.

Danny Green's self-proclaimed persona as a "defensive mad dog with shooting talent" hit a nerve with D'Antoni—the pain of being reversed by the Spurs in the 06-07 season.

This will allow him to become the team's 13th man, just like Swift and Birdman last season, and give him the opportunity to be a substitute in the 12-man active roster.

Fields and Jeremy Evans are confirmed to be assigned to the Brooklyn Island Bay, the Knicks and Nets' affiliate team, for development after the G League starts in mid-November.

As Yi Shui was pondering this, a thought struck her. She opened the system, and sure enough, a mission had arrived!

"In the world of competitive sports, there are some super geniuses who rise into the sky like fireworks, dazzlingly brilliant. Derrick Rose is one of them... Mission: Blooming Rose Triggered."

Objective 1: In this game, you need to score more points than Rose in close-range situations. (This includes free throws scored after drawing fouls in close-range situations)
Objective 2: Lead the team to defeat the Grizzlies and win the opening game.

Reward: Auspicious Start (Skill).

A great start: You're always at your best in the season opener, making the most of your performance to kick off the new season.

This mission excited Yi Shui; the beautiful roses were finally about to bloom!
It's a pity the Grizzlies aren't in the Eastern Conference, so they can only play each other twice a year.

However, given the situation in the Western Conference this season, some things are uncertain.

The rewards are decent, and I'll make sure I'm in top form for the opening match to give the new season a good start.

This task is a bit difficult!

Objective 2 is not a big deal; on the night the championship rings are awarded, they must secure the victory.

But for Target 1, Yi Shui remembers that the scouting report stated that Rose averaged 3.1 field goals made under the basket and 2.5 field goals made from close range last season, which alone would have given him 11.2 points. He also averaged 6.9 free throws and made 5.5 of them. Most of Rose's free throws were probably due to his attacks on the rim, right?

Don't be fooled by his 35+ points per game last season; if we only consider points scored within close range, he might not actually score as many as Rose. Rose averaged 22 points per game, and if you include free throws, at least 70% of his points came from close range. Rose's shot selection is more evenly distributed, with just over a third of his shots coming from close range, accounting for less than 50% of his points. Furthermore, their opponent, the Grizzlies, is one of the strongest rim protectors in the league, with an interior defense comparable to tanks like the Pacers and Celtics!
...

Tonight, D'Antoni fielded a starting lineup of Curry, Ray Allen, Yi Shui, Gibson, and Chandler.

The starting lineups for positions 1, 2, 3, and 5 are fixed, while the power forward position is adjusted as needed.

Tonight's opponents have a twin towers duo of Boozer and Gasol, which places high demands on the power forward position in terms of overall ability.

Amir Johnson is powerful but lacks a shot; Frye is good at spacing but lacks defensive ability and athleticism.

Gibson is a perfect fit. While his physical attributes are not as good as Amir Johnson's, they are still top-tier. His defensive style is aggressive and effective. After experiencing a major setback this summer, he has higher aspirations for both work and life, and he trains harder. His mid-range and close-range shooting has improved significantly, especially his free throws. In the preseason, he made 14 out of 19 free throws, a full 10 percentage points better than in the regular season last year.

The opposing team fielded a starting lineup of Rose, Tony Allen, Gay, Boozer, and Gasol.

At 8 p.m., Chandler defeated Gasol to win the jump ball, and the game began!
In the first offensive play of the new season, amidst cheers from the crowd, Curry passed the ball to Yi Shui at a 45-degree angle on the right side of the court. He then moved two steps to the left to create some space and directed his teammates to coordinate with Yi Shui's one-on-one movement and the opponent's defensive movement to create positioning.

However, as soon as Curry faced off against Rose, he sensed a change in the opponent's defense.

In addition to being as tough and aggressive as before, it now has an added ruthlessness!
On the other side, Yi Shui, who received the ball while facing Gay from the side, also sensed the change in the opponent's defense.

Unlike Curry, who believed Rose was provoked by him, Yi Shui knew it was the ruthlessness that the man brought to the Grizzlies—Tony Allen.

But to be able to change Guy, who dislikes confrontation so much, Tony's reputation as a teacher is well-deserved.

Yi Shui straightened his body, took a half step back, and quickly pulled the ball back.

Guy quickly pressed forward, chest out to meet the challenge. Yi Shui stopped his crossover move, forcefully slapped the ball with his left hand, and pressed forward to meet Guy's attack. He quickly turned around Guy, his powerful strength rendering Guy, who was trying to move sideways, completely immobile.

As he turned, Yi Shui swung the ball, which had bounced rapidly off the floor, forward with his right hand and charged forward!

Yi Shui took two steps to the free-throw line distance, received the bounced ball, stopped abruptly, and launched a jump shot over Boozer who was coming to help... and it went in!
This shot ignited the entire stadium!

McGrady's signature move during his time with the Magic: a dribble followed by a spin move!
Unlike McGrady's graceful and agile style, Yi Shui's style was more aggressive, but his height and wingspan combined with his skillful ball control made him even more visually impactful than McGrady was at that time!

His teammates excitedly rushed out and high-fived Yi Shui.

The first attack of the new season, such an outrageously wasteful goal... some anonymous elementary school student... I'm envious! Jealous!

Yi Shui was also very excited. He hadn't focused on training this move from the 'McGrady version of the triple threat' because it was too impractical. But he hadn't completely stopped practicing it either. He would add it to his turn-off offense training in case he needed it. Because he hadn't practiced it much, almost two years had passed, and he still found it difficult to use it skillfully in matches.

After returning to the team at the end of September, his training focus, apart from practicing three-pointers with Curry, Ray Allen, and Mike Miller, was on Randolph's low-post back-to-the-basket game. The training card brought him the biggest improvement in his basic turnaround skills.

The defensive move Gay just used was perfect for this tactic, so he instinctively used it.

When he spun around Guy and charged in, his thought was to rush in and dunk.

Unfortunately, Boozer moved too close to the left sideline of the three-second zone, and was blocked in just two steps.

With Marc Gasol behind Boozer, he immediately opted for a pull-up jumper.

Luckily I made it in, otherwise even if he was handsome, he would look like a silly person spinning around in circles.

As for Gibson's failure to contain the space, it was within Yi Shui's expectations. This will take time, and before that time comes, Gibson needs to be given enough opportunities to make mistakes and for this promising second-year player to grow.

The game transitions to offense, and the Grizzlies launch an attack.

Curry, who was standing in front of Rose, was very unhappy. This guy in front of him didn't even acknowledge him.

The elementary school student fought hard on defense... but was faked out by Rose's crossover dribble!

Rose burst forward, and with his second step, he had completely left Curry behind.

Facing the combined defense of Yi Shui in the middle and Ray Allen on the wing, Rose changed direction while moving, turning 45 degrees to the left, but his speed did not decrease at all. He broke through the encirclement of Yi Shui and Ray Allen and went straight to the basket!

Roses strike!

Charge! Charge forward without hesitation!

Chandler did an excellent job on the defensive rotation, his timing and footwork were perfect, but Rose still managed to get past him with a turnaround jump step!
Rose landed right behind Chandler and to the left of the basket, then jumped vertically with both feet and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands!
Gasol, who had been pulled out, excitedly charged towards Rose, who landed and pounded his chest in anger.

His shot was no less impressive than Yi Shui's spectacular 360-degree spin breakout!

But the reaction of the fans at the stadium was different from what Rose had imagined.

He thought he could silence the fans, but when he dribbled past four players and slammed the ball into the basket, there were gasps, but some fans were actually cheering!
The shouts of "Big," "Emperor," and "Brook" that followed made Rose understand why he was being cheered, and he clenched his fists even tighter.

New York fans just wanted to see Yi Shui continue playing one-on-one, that's why they reacted that way!

Ross ran back to the backcourt, turned around and looked at Yi Shui who was running towards him... This guy was staring at him, his eyes and expression full of excitement!

He paused for a moment, then raised his chin and retaliated with a snort.

Yi Shui moved to the right 45-degree angle and reached out for the ball.

Unlike Rose, he wasn't thinking about this or that. He was already used to his own fans' behavior. At this moment, he only wanted to respond to Rose's goal!
Rose's breakthrough just now was amazing, much better than the breakthrough I saw at the World Championships two months ago.

He didn't know how much effort Ross had put in over the past two months, or how he had damaged his knees and ankles. That didn't matter to him; he just wanted to overshadow the blooming rose!
(End of this chapter)