Champion, please stay!

Chapter 284, page 282: The Knicks are playing a very new tactic.
Guy, who had just become a background character, tried even harder to defend and actively countered, but to little avail.

His bare feet are 201 cm long and his weight is 107 kg, which is not a disadvantage, but his first-class strength is significantly different from that of the top-class strength of the Yi River.

Even during the confrontation, Yi Shui was still able to perform the movements smoothly. He straightened his body, took a half step back, and started by pulling the ball to the left! He received the ball with his left hand and quickly pressed it down, using his legs to start the movement.

The moment he saw Yi Shui's body veer to the left, Guy exerted force with his left leg, blocking Yi Shui's turning path at an even faster speed than when Yi Shui turned in the previous round... The expected confrontation did not occur; there was no one in front of him!
A gust of wind swept between his outstretched legs!
Yi Shui took a small, quick step with both legs, without moving sideways. As she landed, she pushed off with her left foot and leaped forward to the right, brushing past Guy who was moving sideways to the right!

With a quick press of his left hand, not a smash, but a flick to the right front, the ball passing perfectly between Guy's legs as he moved laterally...

Yi Shui made a breakthrough down the right flank, and Boozer collapsed to block him from the left side of the three-second zone, but he was too far away. By the time Boozer reached the free-throw line, Yi Shui had already reached the elbow area.

Tony Allen collapsed into position, blocking Yi Shui's space to go to the baseline.

Yi Shui charged straight to the basket, facing the onrushing Gasol, grabbed the ball and took the initiative to meet him. He took two steps, turned to the right, and came to the front of the basket. Leaning against Gasol, he raised the ball with his left hand, used his right foot to jump, and hooked the ball... and it went in!
The moment the ball hit the basket, the cheers from the fans instantly rose, and the entire stadium erupted!
The home team's substitutes jumped up, some waving towels, others shouting.

The players on the court were also having a blast, and Ray Allen even gave Yi Shui a high-five when he retreated on defense.

Ray Allen wasn't excited by the spectacular play; he's 35 years old and has seen countless amazing moments.

Instead, he recalled the early 2000s, when he reached his peak and every time he met Iverson, Kobe, Carter, Pierce, Mashburn, and others, they would go toe-to-toe with several rounds of intense battles.

Even superstars from their generation would fight each other when they met in their youth.

But as that generation of players entered their prime, such scenes became increasingly rare.

The new generation of young talents, under the guidance of more professional management teams, are all more 'mature' than their predecessors, both in terms of their image in front of the media and their playing style on the court.

It's rare to find someone like Anthony who loves one-on-one battles, yet he's still considered an anomaly.

Seeing Yi Shui and Rose, two rising stars, go head-to-head right from the start, Ray Allen can't help but feel a little excited.

Offense and defense transition.

After Ray Allen retreated, he took the initiative to switch defense with Yi Shui and followed up with Gay. Yi Shui immediately understood what the other party meant and moved in from the 45-degree angle to the space between Tony Allen and the basket.

Rose advanced to the frontcourt, unaware of the changes in the opposing defense's positioning. As he approached the three-point line, he bent down and drove forward!
Curry was once again easily beaten, and Gibson, who was helping to defend in the mid-range, was also beaten. Rose went straight to the basket, changed direction without slowing down to avoid Chandler's help defense, came to the left side of the basket, jumped high, and was about to dunk with both hands... when someone appeared in front of him - Yi Shui!
Rose quickly stopped his dunking motion, twisting his body in mid-air to release the ball.

Although it successfully avoided Yi Shui's block, the force was a little weak, and it hit the inner left edge of the rim before bouncing to the right.

Chandler blocked Boozer's attempt to grab the rebound and secured the defensive rebound.

The fans cheered again. The opposing team couldn't stop their Emperor, but their Emperor stopped the opposing Rose!

Yi Shui received a pass from Chandler, threw it to Curry, and ran up the court.

He was naturally excited to have blocked it, but he was still a little taken aback, as Rose had almost made a miraculous shot.

Rose's ability to change direction without slowing down and his explosive speed are both incredibly impressive.

On the Grizzlies' side, during the transition defense, Tony Allen directed his teammates to adjust their defensive positioning.

Over the past month, Grizzlies head coach Hollins, together with Tony Allen, has transformed the team's defensive approach.

Although Gay still prefers to play on the perimeter on offense, after seven preseason games, under the guidance of his coach and defensive leaders, he has caught up with his teammates on defense, becoming more aggressive, more tenacious, and more ruthless.

However, tonight, Tony Allen discovered that 'ruthlessness' doesn't fit Gay's defensive style!

Gay used to rely on anticipation and physical attributes for defense, and liked to disrupt shots rather than stick close to the defender. After becoming more aggressive and offensive, his defensive effectiveness against Yi Shui, who is good at playing with a slow pace, is not as good as last season.

The usual double-team defense wasn't enough, so Tony Allen directed his teammates to set up a 1-2-2 zone defense. Although Gay couldn't stop Yi Shui's breakthrough, his aggressive and tenacious close defense, combined with his athleticism, prevented Yi Shui from taking a pull-up jumper and forced him to drive to the basket.

But when Yi Shui arrived at the right 45-degree angle, and the Grizzlies players prepared for a zone defense, the ball did not fly towards Yi Shui, who was leaning against Gay to ask for the ball.

The instant Rose turned his head toward the Yi River, Curry suddenly grabbed the ball, pushed off with his right foot, and stepped back diagonally!
Rose reacted quickly and pounced, but Curry had already lifted the ball during his step-back.

Curry faced off against Rose's onslaught and launched a long-range fadeaway three-pointer... and it went in!
The Knicks took a 5-point lead to start the game at 7-2!
This could be considered stealing the spotlight, but Curry isn't afraid of Yi Shui's dissatisfaction. First of all, when the star player makes a threatening play, he should seize the opportunity to expand it into an advantage, which is what he, as the second-in-command, should do.

Secondly...

As Curry retreated on defense, he paused for a moment, turned around, and bent over to collide with Yi Shui's flying rear end to celebrate the three-pointer!

He didn't know why, but over the years, whether it was a normal three-pointer, a forced three-pointer, or a stealthy attack, as long as he made a three-pointer, Yi Shui was even happier than he was.

In his younger days, he would have been confused, but now he no longer thinks about why. He only knows that when it's time to act, he should act!

Offense and defense transition.

Rose moved up the court and continued to break through to launch an attack.

Curry couldn't stop him, but he didn't get discouraged. He moved to the left mid-range to cover for Boozer, who was left open, and made sure the team's defense was in place.

Rose drove straight into the paint, breaking into the encirclement of Gibson, Chandler, and Yi Shui, and jumped up... to pass the ball!
Marc Gasol received the ball close to the left baseline, and Gibson quickly covered for him. Gasol then passed the ball to Boozer, who was leaning against Curry on the left side of the free-throw line. Boozer received the ball, turned to the left, and blocked Curry to the side. He then took a jump shot over Chandler who was rushing towards him at the free-throw line... and it went in!
Boozer received the ball, turned, and jumped for a jump shot—nothing special, his bread and butter. Gasol's baseline play and subsequent pass to his teammate on the same side drew gasps of admiration from the commentators.

On Yi Shui's side, they were surprised that Ross didn't lose his temper.

Having just had one shot blocked and then being hit with a difficult three-pointer by elementary school student Yan Ye, Rose calmly drove and dished out the ball instead of forcing a shot!
Rose, after passing the ball, jogged away from the paint and immediately retreated to defend after his teammate scored.

His rebounding is very poor. In the first two seasons, he averaged 3.6 rebounds per game, and his offensive rebounding ability was almost non-existent. Last season, he played 78 games and only got 35 offensive rebounds in total. He often went an entire night without getting a single offensive rebound. Of course, this has nothing to do with physical ability; it's just that he has no rebounding awareness.

However, he doesn't care about rebounding statistics, or even assists or points. When he gets the ball, all he thinks about is how to break through the opponent's defense, create offensive opportunities, and score.

If you don't have a talent for rebounding, then actively retreat on defense and lead your teammates to push the opponent's offense into a half-court game.

After passing the ball, Gasol ran back, showing no intention of pressing.

With no opportunity to transition the ball, Curry received the ball and directed his teammates to get into position while advancing the ball.

Rose didn't get distracted this time and focused on guarding Curry's shot.

Rose was furious after being outplayed by the Emperor in a one-on-one match and then getting hit with a three-pointer by the elementary school student Yan Ye.

But... it's not the first time I've been outmatched by Yi Shui in a head-to-head battle. It started back in my freshman year of college.

When Curry scored a basket, Rose calmed down instead.

I can't defeat Yi Shui by myself, so I'll team up with my teammates!
Rose always faces any opponent with an indomitable spirit, which has deeply inspired his teammates over the past two seasons, and has also influenced the newcomer Boozer; the addition of Tony Allen has further infused the Grizzlies with a gene of resilience and ruthlessness.

The Grizzlies' fighting spirit remained unaffected by their inability to stop Yi Shui's one-on-one play at the start and by Rose being blocked by Curry.

Yi Shui didn't ask for the ball again, and ran to the left baseline. The elementary school student rushed to shoot in the previous round, which can be regarded as an announcement that the Knicks had ended the star-studded shootout and started the team offense mode.

Curry and Chandler initiated a pick-and-roll offense. Curry drove to the right, and Yi Shui turned and slid along the baseline at the same time, stopping abruptly on the left side of the basket and turning back towards the top arc.

Gibson, positioned at mid-range on the left, moved to the center of the left sideline of the three-second zone. Gay moved swiftly, bypassing Gibson and keeping up with Yi Shui's pace. However, there was a second screen: Chandler positioned himself in front of Gay!
With the help of Gibson and Chandler's double screen, Yi Shui successfully shook off Gay's pursuit.

Curry drove to the right elbow area, but was covered by Boozer who switched and Gasol who had spread out under the basket. He then lobbed the ball back to the top arc.

The timing was perfect; Yi Shui rushed out of the top arc to receive the ball, turned around... but was stopped by Tony Allen and Rose at the bottom!

The Knicks were the hottest team during the preseason, bar none. The media and fans focused on the Knicks' two instances of taking more than ten three-pointers in a single quarter. However, different teams focused on the Knicks' new tactical combinations.

As a top-tier defensive team and the Knicks' opening game opponent, the Grizzlies coaching staff began to think of ways to counter the Knicks' 'multiple screens' formation after the Knicks' first preseason game against the Celtics.

Hollins discovered a flaw in this tactic – with a bunch of players in the middle, when Curry drives in, the left and right sides are separated, and Curry has no way to pass directly to Ray Allen on the left!

When Tony Allen was running back towards the top arc, he left Ray Allen open on the left sideline and rushed towards the top arc. Rose also went around from the right side of the free throw line when Chandler went to screen Gay. Although the two of them could not stop Curry and Yi Shui from passing the ball with good understanding, they completed a double team in time!
After being blocked by Chandler, Gay immediately moved to the left sideline to cover Ray Allen's passing space as he moved to the corner; Boozer moved to the right mid-range to block Curry's passing lanes; Gasol retreated to the basket to defend against Gibson, Chandler, and Curry cutting in for a pass.

The Grizzlies executed their defensive plays flawlessly!
Tony Allen and Derrick Rose aggressively guarded Yi Shui, waiting for him to dribble the ball and ready to steal it at any moment.

If Curry pulls up to receive the pass, Rose is confident he can fill the gap.

This guy is just an emperor, not a king! He can't just back away without dribbling!

But! Yi Shui didn't come himself, nor did he pass to Curry who ran out from the right high post. Instead, he passed to the left side of the three-second zone... Gibson received the ball in the left elbow area and took a close-range jump shot!

Gasol stepped forward and successfully disrupted the play, but he regretted it as soon as he stepped out and tried to turn back, but it was too late.

Gibson's jump shot missed... Chandler cut to the right side of the basket and dunked for two points!
The fans in the stadium erupted in another frenzy of cheers.

The Knicks' offense was complicated, but what the fans saw was Curry and Yi Shui making two passes that messed up the opponent's defense, and Gibson and Chandler outmaneuvering Gasol with a shot and a steal!
In fact... that's exactly right!

The "closed-door tactic" is only used when Curry executes it with the goal of taking a shot.

When Yishui is used as the execution point, the goal is not to shoot baskets!

This tactic isn't difficult to block a shooter; there are plenty of ways to do it. In the previous game against the Celtics, Rondo and Garnett were able to direct Daniels to complete the help defense and block Ray Allen, the best receiving point. The Grizzlies' defense is no weaker than the Celtics', so it can certainly work.

However, once the opponent uses switching and rotation to limit this tactic, the defensive formation will inevitably be disrupted, and there will inevitably be weak points that are misaligned or left open.

As the Knicks' team offense unfolded, the Grizzlies were completely overwhelmed after a few possessions.

Why aren't the three All-Star shooters on the other side taking shots? Why are they only feeding the ball to two role players in the paint?

When Rose chose not to go out to defend the shot, but instead moved back in front of Curry so that Boozer could go back to help Gasol protect the rim, Yi Shui received the ball at the top of the arc, turned and took a step to the side, and shot directly!
The Grizzlies were not only thrown into disarray on the defensive end by the Knicks' new and ever-changing 'multiple screen formation', but their offense was also hampered!

As the game progressed, the Knicks stopped focusing on Rose alone and instead utilized the mobility of Yi Shui, Gibson, and Chandler to rotate and switch on defense indefinitely.

Rose drove in and passed the ball out, but Boozer and Gasol's passing and assists resulted in teammates with shooting efficiency that was even lower than Rose's own shot against the defense!
(End of this chapter)