mountain top

Chapter 293 You may be strong, you may be arrogant, you may be domineering

One-handed three-threat ball control.

Shift your weight to the left, but actually take a step to the right and accelerate accordingly.

In the Knicks' halftime, the basketball was slammed into the basket by Qin Yue, who looked down on the world.

GOAT, appearing in "Gundam form," ignited the entire stadium almost instantly.

On TNT, O'Neal joked, "In my opinion, the league must introduce a rule that prohibits players taller than 210 centimeters from dribbling, otherwise Messiah will be unstoppable."

Barkley laughed and said, "Among players who are over 210 cm tall with shoes on, Messiah's ball control is truly unparalleled throughout history."

After a pause, Barkley added, "Especially compared to those players who have played in the NBA for ten years but still can't dribble properly."

Upon hearing this, O'Neal said, "Charles, you can't say that about that kid. You know he's still a young player with little experience."

That child.

Young players.

At that moment, even if James were truly an idiot, he would know that the TNT comedy duo were making sarcastic remarks about him.

Although, for James, who currently suffers from a severe lack of exposure, the fact that Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley still remember him so fondly has, to some extent, ensured that this "forsaken son" would not be forgotten by the world.

but.
In the NBA, who actually enjoys playing the clown?

On the court, the Knicks are on offense.

In this play, Qin Yue, noticing Love's attempt to move him away from the paint, switched defensive assignments with Wallace and took on the responsibility of guarding Durant.

Seeing this, the Grim Reaper, who had just wielded his scythe in Auckland in the previous round, immediately retreated to that dark and cold corner.

At this moment, Durant's choice to avoid Qin Yue's sharp edge was not out of fear of Qin Yue's defense.

Compared to last season, Durant now has more reasons to trust his teammates.

At the top of the arc, Durant used himself as bait to "fish" Qin Yue away.

Knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Harden immediately used Love's screen to penetrate deep into the Warriors' defense.

Then, a brilliant pass to Love.

The latter then steadily pressed down on Wallace as he got up and put the ball into the basket.

In this Finals series, the Knicks, having fully learned from their matchups against the Lakers and Warriors, perfectly demonstrated what it means to avoid the opponent's strengths and attack their weaknesses.

CCTV reporter Yu Jia frowned and said, "The Warriors seem to have no way to deal with the Knicks on the weak side tonight."

Zhang Weiping added, "This is indeed a problem. Although we perceive the Warriors as an offense-oriented team, their defense is actually the key to their championship wins over the past three seasons."

Since entering the playoffs, the Knicks have averaged 4 more points per game than the Warriors.

The Knicks have just too many offensive options on the court.

So even though the Warriors were the team with the highest defensive efficiency per 100 possessions in the NBA playoffs, they still had a hard time limiting the Knicks' offense.

Moreover, after the start of the game, the Knicks players were clearly in better form than the Warriors.

Therefore, in order to give his teammates enough time to adjust, Qin Yue initiated and finished the Warriors' first seven offensive possessions tonight.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, the Knicks' bench.

When D'Antoni noticed that Qin Yue was single-handedly going toe-to-toe with the entire Knicks team.
to be frank.

If possible, D'Antoni really wants to trade the entire Knicks team for Qin Yue.

In the first quarter, the visiting Knicks led 17-15 when the game went into an official timeout.

At that moment, on the Warriors' bench, Mike Malone, who was preparing to make a substitution, suddenly put his hands together in a prayer gesture.

"Mike, what are you doing?"

"Don't bother me, I'm praying."

"."

As is well known, JR Smith, who possesses both "Jordan Mode" and "Super Ghost Mode," has always been a player with a huge gap between his upper and lower limits.

Therefore, before bringing in JR to help Qin Yue relieve offensive pressure, Malone must pray fervently.

However, as Malone's vice-president...
Hollins could never believe that prayer would become one of Malone's "secret weapons" in the Finals.

So, all you need to do is pray to become the head coach of this team?
However, after the pause.

Perhaps Malone's prayers were not sincere enough.

Perhaps Hollins' interruption prevented Malone's prayer from reaching God.

In short, JR Smith, on whom Malone had placed high hopes, almost immediately turned into an undercover agent as soon as he stepped onto the court.

On the court, the Warriors are on offense.

Facing JR who had dribbled the ball to the instep of his foot, the quick-thinking Iguodala stole the ball in one swift move and immediately launched a fast break, scoring a basket.

Next, the next offensive round.

JR, who was taking the initiative to support his teammate, acted impulsively and, without prior observation, threw a cross pass to Wallace on the opposite side.

On the basketball court, any lateral pass that is not observed beforehand and ensured that the opponent cannot intercept the ball is always a major taboo.

On the field, Iguodala intercepted the ball again.

Harden then scored on a fast break layup.

"Mike, should we call a timeout?"

On the Warriors' bench, as the game gradually turned in favor of the Knicks, Hollins reminded Malone.

However.
Just as Malone also thought the Warriors needed to call a timeout and was about to personally kick JR twice.
Curry, who had been patiently observing the Knicks' defense throughout the game, took advantage of Qin Yue's screen after his teammate quickly inbounded the ball from the baseline, and moved to a position about half a meter from the three-point line before firing a shot.

Unlike the Lakers, who can field Paul and Curry in a trade.

If you want to lock down Curry
The Knicks only have one option: to have Iguodala relentlessly guard Curry.

However, Iguodala's presence on the wing is a crucial part of the Knicks' defensive system.
Therefore, in this first game of the Finals, defensive genius D'Antoni's choice was to trust Harden.

The first half
Noticing Qin Yue's exceptional form, Curry didn't rush to ask for the ball.

Therefore, Curry, who was constantly taking Harden around, gave the Knicks players the illusion that Harden could defend Curry.

So the question is, can Harden really stop Curry?
Swish-!
On the perimeter, Curry, who swiftly hit a three-pointer for the Warriors, immediately gave Qin Yue a meaningful look after scoring.

Seeing this, Da Qin, who was known for his fierce fighting spirit, immediately approved Curry's request to play.

Unlike traditional inside-outside combinations where there is a clear distinction between primary and secondary players.

What is the strongest aspect of the combination of the core Qin and the core?
Both Qin Yue and Curry are players who can play off-ball and are willing to play a supporting role when their teammates are having a better shooting touch.

On the court, Harden's step-back shot missed.

Qin Yue secured the rebound and, in the instant he dribbled the ball across half-court, quickly turned around to set up a support for Curry.

Immediately after
boom--!
Swish!
Curry, following behind, used Qin Yue's screen and hit another three-pointer. 21-21.

If it doesn't make a sound, it's a blockbuster.

At Oracle Arena, Curry's two three-pointers ignited the crowd in Oakland, perfectly demonstrating his ability to adjust to the game.

This also demonstrates Qin Yue's strong ability to provide a safety net.

With Qin Yue as his backup, Curry has undoubtedly far surpassed Curry of the same period in history.

Because Curry can constantly try and fail on the court, his theoretical chances of having a breakout performance are bound to increase significantly.

in fact
In this year's playoffs, judging solely from the overall strength of the team's roster, the Warriors' dominance is no longer what it used to be.

However, the duo of Qin Yue and Curry, the two kings, allows them to hold their own against any opponent.

On the court, it was the Warriors' offensive possession again.

Having already hit two three-pointers, Curry easily shook off Harden and successfully drew a strong delay from Howard for Qin Yue.

Unlike the previous severe delays.

This time, Howard, who dared not let Curry shoot a three-pointer, had already pounced on Curry.

Although Curry's subsequent behind-the-back pass was somewhat risky.

However, Qin Yue, who used his wingspan advantage to control the ball before Harden, also gained a direct path to the Knicks' paint.

In the first quarter, the two stars of Golden State scored 29 of the team's 33 points.

In response, Barkley commented, "I think no one will doubt now that Stephen is the perfect partner for the Messiah."

O'Neal chimed in, "That's right. Just like no one doubts that LeBron should first find a quiet corner and hone his fundamentals to the level of an average high school student before he can realize his full potential."

Barkley frowned and said, "Shaq, aren't you putting LeBron too hard? Is his basic skill level really that bad?"

O'Neill sighed, "Charles, you know I'm always pretty strict."

Although making fun of James has become a staple of this season's TNT comedy duo.

But it must be stated for O'Neal that
He is not wrong to believe that James needs to hone his fundamentals to a high school level in order to realize his physical talent.

In Qin Yue's memory, if James' "411 Project" had relied less on traveling to score, he wouldn't have been studied frame by frame by video analysts, who would have torn off the veil that was known as the Emperor's New Clothes.

At Oracle Arena, after the first quarter, the good news for the Knicks was that the Warriors only managed to keep pace with them in scoring thanks to outstanding performances from Qin Yue and Curry.

As for the bad news?
On the court, it's the Warriors' offensive possession.

There was a figure that, at least in the first quarter, Malone seemed to want to kick twice.

But, it is the owner of this figure.

The instant he received the ball, he used a behind-the-back dribble to get past Beal, one of the few Knicks rotation players trusted by D'Antoni, on the perimeter.

Furthermore, the owner of this figure delivered a beautifully executed step-back three-pointer, once again demonstrating to the Warriors fans in Oakland what true skill is.
The modern-day Jordan.

JR Smith suddenly exploded in the first half of the second quarter without warning.

On the court, JR Smith, who can explode at any moment, scored 13 points for the Warriors in less than six minutes.

For Mike D'Antoni, who has been relentlessly pushing the Knicks' starters every night since the playoffs began, J.R. Smith's breakout performance is absolutely the worst possible news.

This means that the Knicks, unable to capitalize on off-peak travel to widen the score gap, will face a fully recovered Qin Yue and Curry in the latter part of the second quarter.

"You see, this is what I always say: with players like 'Jr,' you can only get a return if you are patient."

On the Warriors' bench, Malone said this to Hollins.

Upon hearing this
If Hollins hadn't known that Malone had already wanted to kick JR to death, he might have actually believed Malone's nonsense.

Have some shame, Mike!
Back in the day, Phil Jackson didn't pat himself on the back like you do!
At this moment, look at Malone.

Hollins didn't want to say that Malone had far exceeded his expectations in terms of shamelessness.

But in today's league.

When it comes to shamelessness, Ma Long is second to none.

Who the hell dares to say they're number one in front of him?

The game continues on the field.

In the latter part of the second quarter, the well-rested core duo of Qin and Li indeed caused the Knicks a lot of trouble.

Howard, who had to repeatedly delay Curry during pick-and-roll defenses, couldn't really transform into Superman and defend both Curry and Qin Yue at the same time.

Moreover, D'Antoni's player management strategy inevitably led to a decline in the physical condition of the Knicks' key players on the court.
The Knicks' defensive rotation speed, which had significantly decreased compared to the first quarter, almost instantly became a toy for Qin Yue and Curry.

On the sidelines, "Iron Bull" aptly described the situation: "Second brother fights, then the eldest brother fights, then the eldest brother fights, then the second brother fights."

Thus, at halftime, the Knicks, who had started strong, ended up trailing.

The scoreboard reads 61 to 69.

秦岳半场轰下29分11篮板5助攻2封盖1抢断。

Curry contributed 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in the first half.

The He Qin and He Li duo scored a combined 48 points in the first half.

If you don't understand, just ask: if they played a full game, wouldn't Qin Yue and Curry combine for 100 points? (Doge)

CCTV commentator Yu Jia remarked on the first half of the game: "Tonight, the Knicks unleashed their full potential, making it a dazzling spectacle. As for the Warriors, they gave the impression of being strong but invincible, like a gentle breeze on a mountain, ruthless but unyielding, like the bright moon shining over a great river. They may be ruthless or vicious, but we remain steadfast in our own strength."

During halftime, Howard, who didn't want to disrupt the team atmosphere or continue to take the blame for Harden, suggested to D'Antoni, "Coach, should we consider changing someone to guard Stephen?"

At that moment, probably no one could have imagined it. It wasn't until Howard reminded him that D'Antoni, who is not good at defense, realized that the Knicks could switch players to guard Curry.

Of course, complaints are complaints.

In basketball, where those involved are often confused while onlookers see things clearly, it would be ideal if every coach could react quickly after the opponent makes a move.
Then where does the NBA coach Gap come from?

D'Antoni's slow-running CPU means that he is actually more suited to be an assistant coach than a head coach.

At Oracle Arena, the game resumed after halftime.

Malone, who decided to make the first move, adjusted the Warriors' starting lineup for the second half.

Qin Yue and Wallace were reassigned to the inside position.

They also brought on veteran Jamison to strengthen the team's attacking firepower.

And the dramatic turn of events that is about to unfold in this match will prove it.
As long as he doesn't match up against Rick Carlisle.
Mike Malone certainly has the right to show off.

……

P.S.: A belated but welcome update! (As promised, as long as I don't take leave, I'll bring you the update no matter how late it is!)

(End of this chapter)