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Chapter 265 The Gods Descend Again, Death Never Retires

Madison Square Garden.

Qin Yue, who responded to the Knicks in several rounds, has become a thorn in the side of the fans at the stadium.

However, at this crucial moment when the home crowd needed Durant to match Qin Yue's offensive firepower with his individual performance, Durant surprisingly remained calm.

Has Death lost the ability to wield his scythe?

of course not.

Durant's continuously evolving ball-handling skills and his innate static talent mean that he can now fire from any angle and at any distance whenever he wants.

Even on the Finals stage, facing intense pressure from the Warriors' forwards, Durant was still able to maintain his status as a historically great scoring machine.

But compared to Qin Yue, who is universally recognized as the king of hard-solving.

Durant's lack of stamina, insufficient to sustain his relentless scoring throughout the game, resulted in his output gaps being much longer than his idol's.

Therefore, in the phase where Qin Yue went on a rampage trying to take the game away, Durant had to rely on and trust his teammates if he wanted to win.

After all, Durant, whose energy was depleted early in the crucial fourth quarter, couldn't help the Knicks decide the outcome of the game.

Indeed, the third quarter of that night was a true test for the Knicks' other stars.

The scoreboard reads 88 to 84.

This is the score between the Warriors and the Knicks at the end of the first three quarters.

Judging from the results, the other Knicks players did indeed step up.

However, to everyone's surprise, the player who held up the pressure for the Knicks in the second half of the third quarter was not Harden, who had performed exceptionally well in the first half.

Instead, it was Iguodala who was incredibly accurate from three-point range in the second half, scoring a total of 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Knicks in that quarter.

In Qin Yue's previous life, although Iguodala's Finals MVP award was highly controversial, it seemed more like the judges wanted to highlight that anyone could put up star stats as long as they could match up against James.

But there is no denying that Andre Iguodala is indeed a player with a big heart.

After all, not every player from the same era as James could seize the opportunity to match up against him.

For example, Qin Yue remembers DeMar DeRozan as someone who would be intimidated before even facing James.

Iguodala, in superb form, became the Knicks' X-factor in the second half.

Of course, Qin Yue's outburst that night failed to extend the Warriors' lead, which was also related to the Knicks' various non-basketball contact with Warriors players in the second half, with the referees' tacit approval.

The intense and high-level physical contact inevitably caused other players on the Warriors roster to experience a decline in their shooting touch.

Among them, Curry, who was directly guarded by Iguodala, found it extremely difficult to even take a shot.

TNT's Reggie Miller spoke up for Curry, saying, "In my opinion, if Stephen can adapt to the Knicks' defensive intensity in the fourth quarter tonight, those criticisms that he couldn't shoot threes like he does now in the 1990s should stop."

As a veteran, Miller didn't believe that Curry, whose three-point shooting skills were unparalleled, couldn't adapt to the so-called tough defense of the 1990s.

Unfortunately, Miller didn't know that even if Curry hit those inexplicable three-pointers on the court time and time again, this baby-faced killer would still have to prove himself again in the next possession.

Fortunately, Curry is lucky in this life.

Because if the GOAT's teammates are too bad, it will only make the GOAT seem too strong. Curry, who plays alongside Qin Yue, not only doesn't need to prove himself time and time again like Qin Yue remembers, but Curry also always gets to enjoy the benefits of being Qin Yue's teammate.

For example, this match.

In the fourth quarter, Qin Yue, who remained on the court, unhesitatingly passed the ball back to Curry during a break while playing.

And with the switch from "no ball storage" to "with ball storage".

It became impossible for Iguodala to limit Curry's off-ball movement with a lock-down defense, as he did in the third quarter, and then reduce Curry's shooting percentage through physical pressure.

For a long time, Curry's one-on-one scoring ability has simply been overshadowed by his exceptional three-point shooting ability.

Although Qin Yue before his time travel didn't know that the 37-year-old Curry could still "make a shot if you dare to give me a one-on-one opportunity" against the Houston Rockets' suffocating defense.

But on this night where star power was on full display, 24-year-old Curry repaid Qin Yue's trust with 11 consecutive points for the Warriors at the start of the final quarter.

On the Knicks' side, Harden, whom you can always trust as long as it doesn't come down to Game 5 or Game 7, has set the stage for the upcoming showdown with his duel with Curry on the court.

Leveraging their home-court advantage, the Knicks successfully witnessed the ultimate form of Qin Yue, the big boss, that night.

With 5 minutes and 48 seconds remaining in the game.

Warriors head coach Malone, who requested a timeout, changed the team's lineup after the timeout to Brown, Qin Yue, Wallace, Green, and Curry.

Ma Long's intention in making this substitution was to free Qin Yue from the defensive end.

Seeing this, Barkley of TNT commented, "The Warriors' clutch moments are always so unoriginal."

It certainly lacks originality.

On the sidelines, watching Malone gazing at Qin Yue with deep affection, veteran coach Hollins couldn't help but complain, "Mike, is your only tactic to pass the ball to Messiah?"

Upon hearing this, Malone countered, "So if you were coaching this Warriors team, Leonard, what tactics would you choose to employ in a situation like this?"

Coach Hollins stated confidently, "I would find a thousand ways to pass the ball to Messiah."

"."

What's the difference between him and me?
Difference? Of course there is a difference.

The next second, Hollins said, "You should retire, Mike. It's time for you to give opportunities to younger coaches like me."

A young coach?

At this moment, looking at Hollins, who will turn sixty next year, forty-one-year-old Malone couldn't understand. Wasn't the old guy who should retire Hollins himself?

"Coaching Messiah makes you at least twenty years younger," Hollins defended himself on the Warriors' bench. "On the contrary, Mike, you've developed a dependency on Messiah at such a young age. What will you do when Messiah retires?"

“You’re absolutely right, Leon.”

Malone nodded and said, "But no matter what you say, I am the head coach of the Warriors, and I always will be."

On the court, the timeout ends, and it's the Warriors' offensive possession.

He started from the three-point line, chasing Jeffries who had switched onto Howard's defense, and drove hard into the paint.

He then turned and hooked the ball before the Knicks could triple-team him.

At Madison Square Garden, even the most arrogant Knicks fans couldn't help but offer heartfelt praise for Qin Yue's brilliant basket. Compared to last year, with the Knicks opting to bench LeBron James this year, their united efforts and tactical adjustments allowed them to match the Warriors' offensive and defensive levels starting from Game 2.
Without a doubt, this is the episode that Knicks fans find most incomprehensible: why James was able to be compared to Qin Yue for so long in the past.

Perhaps Knicks fans don't understand basketball.

But you can't say they don't understand James.

In the eyes of Knicks fans, if LeBron James could pull off a move like Qin Yue's unparalleled hard-break on the court even once, his team would likely package it as crucial evidence of Thanos James destroying the universe.

As for the scene where Qin Yue personally took over the defense against Durant and used such suffocating defense to stop Durant?
Sorry, but Knicks fans have never witnessed such a scene in the past two years.

On the court, the Warriors have possession of the ball.

Faced with the Knicks' early double-team, Qin Yue calmly passed the ball to Wallace on the wing and cut in, cleverly breaking the Knicks' double-team tactic by perfectly combining off-ball and on-ball play.

Then, Qin Yuefei scored a layup under the Knicks' basket.

On TNT, Smith shook his head repeatedly, saying, "If 'KD' doesn't want to retire tonight, he has to quickly find a way to match the offensive firepower of this basketball god."

He once again faced Qin Yue in the Warriors' half.

This time, Durant, having learned his lesson, decisively called Howard over to provide cover for him.

At this moment, Durant seems to be avoiding confronting Qin Yue.

But Durant's choice was undoubtedly the right one in order to win.

On the right wing, just inside the three-point line, Durant made a long two-pointer.

This was a long two-point shot that Durant had to seize the opportunity to take.

Because if Durant dares to hesitate, Qin Yue will bypass Howard's screen and force him into a situation where he can't shoot.

Meanwhile, in front of the television, as Qin Yue began to display his unparalleled dominance on the court, James fell silent.

Despite James's high hopes that the Warriors, led by Qin Yue, could conquer Madison Square Garden that night.

But in that moment when he put himself in Durant's shoes, James, who had already requested a trade from the Knicks, discovered...
If a Durant like this and a Knicks team that has fully unleashed its energy and has home-court advantage still can't beat Qin Yue and the Warriors, how many decisions will he have to make in the future to play for a team that can compete with the Warriors?

Moreover, what worries James the most is that, for the time being, he doesn't even have the ability to decide his own fate.

There is no veto power over transactions.

Unable to choose their preferred destination in the Knicks' upcoming trades.

At that moment, James realized that he was about to be traded by the Knicks to a bad team.
James's mood immediately plummeted.

On the court, Qin Yue sealed the victory with 47 seconds remaining.

New York has reached a point where its defenses are truly breached.

At the top of the key, just as the Warriors' shot clock was about to expire.

When Qin Yue turned and faded to three-pointer under Howard's defense, widening the gap between the two teams to 7 points, the fans in the arena, knowing that the team's fate was sealed, almost unanimously let out the sigh that said, "It is easier to shake the heavens than to shake Qin Yue."

47 seconds, a 7-point difference.

With neither LeBron James on the opposing team nor Tracy McGrady on their side, Qin Yue's difficult three-pointer for the Warriors essentially sealed the Warriors' fate, sending them back to Oakland with a 3-1 lead in the Finals.

The final score was 114 to 107.

After the game, Durant, who gave his all for the Knicks and scored a total of 38 points, instantly became the focus of attention.

After all, before the game, in order to show the world his determination, Durant said that he would retire immediately if he couldn't win this game.

So now the question is, will Durant really retire?

At the press conference, Qin Yue offered Durant a way out, saying, "I think you shouldn't care so much about what 'KD' said before the game, but rather look at what he did during the game."

After a pause, Qin Yue added, "Anyway, I will never allow 'KD' to retire."

You see, since even the God of Basketball won't allow Durant to retire, Durant naturally has no choice but to obey the God of Basketball's orders.

"Now it seems that my determination is nothing compared to his dominance." Durant said in a post-game interview with extreme helplessness. "He is a player who can dominate a 48-minute game. His strength is completely beyond my understanding of basketball."

Seeing this, a reporter followed up by asking, "Do you think this competition will affect your confidence in competing against Messiah in the future?"

Durant bluntly stated, "Competition? There is no competition between us, because the prerequisite for competing with him is that I can at least touch the hem of his shirt."

Upon hearing this, the reporter continued, "Without DNP LeBron, do you think you had a chance to win this game?"

In response, Durant scoffed, "Without DNP LeBron, we would never have been able to go to the final moments with the Warriors."

"'KD,' isn't your opinion of LeBron too subjective?"

"Subjective? No, I have no prejudice against LeBron whatsoever. It's just that in my mind, he's just a second-rate player who thinks he's a first-rate player."

In Game 4, the Knicks failed to defend their home court, which should have given James a chance to turn things around.

However.
Contrary to expectations, the next day, both fans and the media clearly showed more support for Durant.

Entering the second decade of the 21st century.

As Nike's influence in the NBA grows, many media outlets that work closely with Nike have signed protection clauses with Nike in advance to protect Kevin Durant, Nike's heir apparent.
As it turns out, Nike can certainly vindicate Durant off the court if they want to.

Since James is now just a discarded pawn abandoned by capital.

How could Nike possibly allow this "Durant vs. James" battle to affect the bright future of their new crown prince?
"Perhaps one day, we will lose interest in the NBA. Because even today, the Warriors, led by the Messiah, still dominate the NBA. But that will never be today, because today, the selfless 'KD' has shown us the courage of the new generation of players. The Knicks will continue to fight tooth and nail; this team led by 'KD' will never surrender to the Warriors." —The New York Times

"In the NBA, there are always young people who refuse to give up and will throw punches at the gods. Isn't that precisely why we love basketball?" — ESPN's post-game summary of Game 4 of the NBA Finals
"I wouldn't criticize a player like 'KD' who's willing to risk his entire career." — Barkley's post-game comments on TNT.
"I have absolutely no intention of criticizing LeBron James, but in my opinion, 'KD' is far more 'manly' this season." — Shaquille O'Neal's post-game comments on TNT.
Although Qin Yue, as someone who had been through it all, knew very well after Game 4 of the Finals that Nike would definitely try to get its allies involved to defend Durant.

But Qin Yue still didn't expect that Durant would gain a lot of praise after losing the game.

At the same time, Qin Yue hadn't expected this either.
Just a month ago, James was full of vigor.

It actually turned into a roadside stall.

"So what?" Brown said after learning Qin Yue's thoughts. "In my opinion, LeBron has just returned to where he belongs."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue laughed and said, "And what about you? Aren't you worried that one day you'll follow in LeBron's footsteps?"

Brown immediately shrugged and said, "So what? You know, I've always only cared about whether I can make enough money."

……

PS: Update brought to you (So you all need Ah Qiao's predictions, right? Then the Timberwolves, who are well-rested, can't possibly lose to the Warriors, who are already exhausted, right? And the Pacers, Ah Qiao doesn't believe they can win two games in a row at the Cavaliers' home court.)
(End of this chapter)