Champion, please stay!

Chapter 220, Section 218: The Talented Squad Arrives
After the timeout, the Suns inbounded the ball in the frontcourt.

Of course, it was Nash who brought it on.

Facing the high-level pick-and-roll defense from Hughes and Yi Shui, Nash actually found a chance to shoot. Using DeAndre Jordan as a support, before Hughes and Yi Shui could close in on both sides, he launched a high-angle three-pointer... It was a little high, the direction was right, but it hit the front of the rim.

Birdman secured the defensive rebound over Stoudemire, and the Suns did not commit a tactical foul.

On the sidelines, Gentry said helplessly to the assistant coach, "DeAndre's pick-and-roll is more consistent than Amare's, but his awareness is far inferior. If DeAndre had left the top arc in time, Steve wouldn't have needed to shoot from such a high angle, and it would definitely have gone in... DeAndre needs to practice more!"

DeAndre Jordan's athleticism, finishing ability, and fast break defense greatly compensated for the loss of Shawn Marion.

Pick-and-roll offense is an easy job for Nash, but it's a tough job for the team's big men who need to score and demand the ball. Stoudemire alone is not enough.

The reason why O'Neal and Howard were unwilling to run pick-and-rolls was precisely this.

Ideally, a tall small forward or an athletic power forward should execute pick-and-rolls, while the center is usually a pure role player.

Previously, Yao Ming foolishly screened for perimeter players who weren't good at ball-handling and pick-and-roll offense, and was even criticized for not being quick enough to penetrate.

The Rockets no longer have a star player on the perimeter. Yao Ming's offense is either one-on-one or spreading out to facilitate. Now that he has a compatriot in the NBA who is more famous and more controversial, he is also trying to adopt the attitude of a superstar center.

At 10:18, the game ended, with the Knicks breaking the Suns' season single-game scoring record of 136 points, defeating the Suns 140-135!
After the final buzzer sounded, the entire Knicks team celebrated around the Yi River.

Although they are the top team in the league, tonight, for most of the time they genuinely felt they couldn't win and could only rely on Yi Shui.

But the Yi River held firm!

The reason why his teammates were able to hold on and grit their teeth to fight the opponent was because Yi Shui could score in one-on-one situations!
首节13分、第二节5分、第三节11分、末节17分，易水29投16中，其中三分球7中4，加上11中10的罚球，狂砍46分11板4助攻1抢断4盖帽！

强压对面小霸王一头！斯塔德迈尔今晚20投13中、加上11中9的罚球，拿到35分7板2助攻2盖帽。

库里今晚表现也极好，生涯第5次单场30+！19投11中，其中三分球7中4，加上5中5的罚球，拿到31分3板5助攻2抢断！

He scored one point more than Nash! Although his assists were only a third of Nash's 30+15 performance…

David Lee's isolation plays played a crucial role, scoring 16 of his 22 points in isolation against Stoudemire and Frye. Together with Curry, Chalmers, and Hughes, he carried the team's regular isolation plays, allowing Yi Shui to coast for most of the time and conserve his energy for the final quarter.

After defeating the Suns, the Knicks improved their record to 19 wins and 2 losses, and improved the Western Conference standings to 16 wins and 5 losses!
...

"Mission: Top Player, Completed. Congratulations on receiving the reward: Passing Talent +1. Your current passing ability is 86 and your passing talent is 89."

"Mission: Emperor and King... (Your score: 46 points, dunks: 5; Stoudemire's score: 35 points, dunks: 3)."

After the match, Yi Shui was busy until the early hours of the morning before finally finishing his team work and returning home.

He opened the system, looked at the completion status of the two tasks, and recalled the game tonight, still feeling excited.

However, after opening the computer and looking at the battle report details...

The team scored 140 points. He, Curry, and David Lee combined for 99 points, while his teammates only scored 41 points. The team's overall score was slightly lower than usual.

In terms of run-and-gun offense, they are still quite far behind the Suns.

If any of him, Curry, or David Lee has a bad mid-range or long-range shot tonight, they'll probably lose to the top team in the West.

On Nash's side, he scored 30 points in 38 minutes, shooting 10-for-16 from the field, including 5-for-8 from three-point range, plus 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. He was on fire, and Duhon, Curry, Chalmers, and Hughes couldn't stop him.

Dragic's performance during Nash's 10-minute rest also impressed Yi Shui; his crossover dribble and screen-assisted drives were both impressive.

Then there's DeAndre Jordan. In 24 minutes, he scored 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks on 6-of-8 shooting plus 2-of-3 free throws. He was a perfect fit for Nash. It's just a pity that it's another case of "I was born when he was already old." By the time DeAndre Jordan had honed his defensive skills for four or five years and reached his peak, Nash would probably have already retired.

The post-game news was incredibly lively, a level significantly higher than when they played their away game in Denver.

The number of paid viewerships also broke their previous record of over 2700 million against the Nuggets, but still fell short of 3000 million, failing to match the 3006 million viewership record for the regular season game between the Lakers and Celtics at Staples Center last season, 'only' over 2900 million.

They won the game, and the voices were all very pleasant to hear. Yi Shui browsed the portal websites and forums for quite a while.

Before going to bed, he reviewed the game against the Suns again. It was a great game, but also very stressful. However, under the pressure, he also learned a lot.

When facing strong opponents, you can delegate some of the scoring tasks to your teammates. These teammates don't necessarily have to be the ones with an advantage in their position; as long as the opponent can't defend against them, that's fine.

This can effectively extend the time he stays on the field, allowing his teammates more time to utilize him as a distraction point.

The "side effect" of "Snake Heart (Fake)" wanting to shoot as soon as the score is close and the situation is dangerous has an effective way to avoid it - by not taking the ball, it can be restrained.

At the same time, this skill's effect allows you to maintain high concentration, read the opponent's defense more clearly, think of simpler positioning moves to move the opponent's defense around, and create easier opportunities for your teammates...

The improvement from playing one game against a top team is greater than the effect of playing 10 games before that!

...

After a day of rest following their game against the Suns, they will host the Kings on the 13th.

The Knicks easily defeated the Kings 111-93.

易水打了32分钟，19投12中，其中三分球2中2，加上7中7的罚球，拿到33分8板5助攻2抢断1盖帽
He played 8 minutes in the first two quarters, the whole third quarter, and 4 minutes in the final quarter. Against weaker teams, he controlled his playing time very well, and the tactical emphasis on shot attempts and ball possession was also greater when playing against stronger teams.

D'Antoni wants to reduce Yi Shui's playing time, but doesn't want to suppress Yi Shui's stats too much to avoid causing unnecessary trouble. So, when playing against weaker teams, he'll let Yi Shui have more possession and more opportunities to shoot.

Tonight's game gave Yi Shui another insight into just how peculiar the Kings' management's little brains are.

Losing games to secure a high draft pick is fine; letting talented stars pad their stats and increase their trade value is also normal—it's a tanking team, after all.

The Kings' management has achieved both of its objectives.

今晚过后，国王队开局2胜21负，史诗级战绩，比老鹰队拿到13胜69负的04-05赛季开局战绩还差。

Kevin Martin is averaging 25.3 points per game, and his stats are skyrocketing. However, in previous years, a player averaging 25+ points per game, even from a tanking team, would be hyped up. But this time, the Kings are not. Kevin Martin's trade value has not only not increased, but has actually decreased.

He averaged 8.9 of 23 shots per game, for a shooting percentage of 38.6%!

During the game, Yi Shui felt that Kevin Martin himself seemed to lose interest in shooting, but the ball would always end up in the hands of this expert at faking injuries who looked like a Walmart employee...

Jason Thompson, who averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per game, is another example. Normally, a center who can average a double-double in his second year would be praised to the skies. DeAndre Jordan, who averaged 8+9, was already being called for a multi-million dollar annual contract.

But DeAndre Jordan not only gets the rebounds himself, but he also has to clean up Stoudemire's messes.

Jason Thompson was positioned by his teammates to box out for defensive rebounds, as instructed by the coaching staff. He did get more rebounds, but he lost even more defensive rebounds. Moreover, out of 10 rebounds, only 1.7 were offensive rebounds, a ratio of over 1:4, which is highly abnormal.

It's normal to have star players pad their stats to increase their trade value, but the Kings' actions have made everyone think these two are stat padders. Rumors suggest the Kings originally wanted to trade these two for lottery picks or young stars, with Eric Gordon, a surplus player from the Bulls, being one of their targets.

But so far, the trade targets linked to Kevin Martin are players like McGrady and Brad Miller whose contracts are expiring...

After playing three consecutive home games, the Knicks embarked on a series of road games.

On the 15th, they will face the Trail Blazers on the road.

Yi Shui had been hoping for Oden's return to play, but now, every game against Oden is one less they'll get. But Oden is injured again, and not only that, Roy is also injured!

He then remembered that Roy's chances of playing one less game after another seemed to be dwindling...

However, Camby and Przybilla returned to the court, causing considerable trouble for the Knicks in the paint.

The Trail Blazers' super frontcourt, touted as being on par with the Lakers' Big Three, is no exaggeration. Without the team doctor, their frontcourt depth would undoubtedly be the best in the league.

Aldridge, back at power forward, completely dominated the Knicks' frontcourt.

Fortunately, in the last 4 minutes, Yi Shui, with Curry, Harrington, Webster, and Birdman, scored 14-6, reversing a 4-point deficit to win by 4 points.

The Knicks defeated the Trail Blazers 110-106 on the road, securing their third consecutive victory!

Yi Shui was heavily guarded tonight. He played 39 minutes, shooting 11 of 24, including 2 of 6 three-pointers, and 4 of 5 free throws, scoring 'only' 28 points and grabbing only 7 rebounds, but he did have 8 assists!
Tonight, the Knicks had multiple players contributing, with only Yi Shui and Curry scoring over 15 points and 18 points respectively, but six players scored in double figures.

阿尔德里26投14中、加上9中7的罚球，拿到赛季个人第二高的35分8板，但队友们不是内线群伤一半、就是外线群伤一半……

On the 16th, the Knicks traveled to Salt Lake City to face the Jazz in a back-to-back away game.

The Knicks and Jazz battled into overtime!
德隆拿到25分14助攻，布泽尔拿到35分13板4助攻，替补上场的科沃尔14投8中、其中三分球9中6、加上2中2的罚球，拿到24分。

力压拿到31分10板6助攻的易水、20分5助攻的库里、17分4助攻的休斯。

The Jazz ended the Knicks' three-game winning streak with a 131-125 victory.

The feeling of Yi Shui in this match can be summed up in one word—a natural counter.

They couldn't stop Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer's pick-and-roll offense at all.

He went to guard Boozer, and Deron Williams drove and dished to destroy their inside and wing defense. He went to defend pick-and-rolls, but Boozer could shoot, pass, and attack the basket.

Ben Wallace didn't play tonight, but I doubt it would have made a difference. He's very good at dealing with Stoudemire's style of play, which relies on explosiveness and mobility. He can anticipate and box out Stoudemire, but Boozer relies on static strength and rhythm. Wallace didn't defend him well during his time with the Bulls and Pistons.

On the 18th, Yi Shui traveled with the team to Toronto in the north for the third game of their four-game road trip, facing the Raptors on the road.

The Knicks almost suffered a defeat tonight. Bosh saw the live broadcast on American cable TV and played incredibly actively, shooting 13 of 20 in the first three quarters, plus 6 of 6 free throws, scoring a whopping 32 points!
After three quarters, the Knicks trailed the Raptors by 11 points, 69-80!
The Knicks' offense was weak and their defense was also poor in the first three quarters.

Fortunately, they regained their form in the final quarter. Yi Shui, Curry, and Du Hong all hit three-pointers, leading the team to score 37 points in the quarter. On the Raptors' side, Bosh couldn't keep up in the final quarter and was tired. He only scored 4 points on 1-of-4 shooting and 2-of-4 free throws. The team's offense collapsed, and they only scored 19 points.

The Knicks rallied to defeat the Raptors 106-99, winning by a mere 7 points!
易水拿到31分16板3助攻、杜洪18分8助攻、库里连续3场20+拿到21分！
On the 19th, the Knicks flew from the northernmost point of the NBA to the southernmost point, rested for a night, and on the 20th, they came to the American Airlines Arena in Miami to challenge the Heat.

The Knicks' sluggish performance in the first quarter repeated itself tonight, with Wade and Conley seizing the opportunity to lead a fierce attack, scoring 34-18 in the first quarter and taking a 16-point lead!
In the last three quarters, the pressure from the huge point difference brought the Knicks back to form, and their overall strength advantage was on full display. They dominated the Heat for the last three quarters.

第二节28比25、第三节27比24，末节更是打出了30比24的比分，但首节落后太多了……

韦德顶住压力，拿到32分10板8助攻，率领热火队以107比103爆冷击败尼克斯队！

让易水34投15中、其中三分球13中6、加上11中9的罚球拿到45分成了无用功！

Of Yi Shui's 19 missed shots in a single game, 9 were in the first quarter. His teammates missed shots, he was bumped by Wade, had to defend Conley on the wing to steal the ball, and had someone block his shot on the wing to interfere with his shot... he still had to miss.

His 3-for-12 shooting in the first quarter was terrible, but his 12-for-22 shooting in the next three quarters was outstanding...

However, after the game, some media reported that "Emperor lost to Flash, 19 irons in a single game brought his fourth loss of the season."

Back at the hotel that night, Yi Shui vented his emotions on a Cuban girl. The next morning, he used a secondary account to engage in a keyboard battle with his haters... finally easing his resentment at losing the game.

“任务：前期之王，你率领的尼克斯队战绩来到22胜4负，未能超越洛杉矶湖人队99-00赛季、波士顿凯尔特人队07-08赛季前期24胜3负的历史纪录，已失败。”

Looking at the notification that the mission had failed last night, Yi Shui thought to himself, "Those two teams are really amazing. They both had a 16-game winning streak at the start, but they still couldn't break the record."

In terms of overall strength, the gap between us and those two teams is still too obvious...

If you've already failed, then adjust your mood and try again next year!

With a record of 22 wins and 4 losses, this far exceeded his expectations. Few teams in NBA history have had such a start, except those two teams' records are just too outrageous.

After a four-game road trip, Yi Shui returned to New York with the team, and they got two days of rest after the consecutive road games.

After a day of rest, training began on the 21st. At noon, Yi Shui received a call from Gui Gui, asking him to go out to discuss business.

Russell Westbrook's streetwear brand is already on sale and selling like hotcakes, but many people don't know that it's Westbrook's creation.

Because all the advertisements designed by Westbrook featured Yi Shui in the center, even those placed in major cities, without mentioning Yi Shui himself as the designer and boss.

Limited by current logistics and network conditions, the streetwear brand is still losing money despite its high popularity. However, the first brand is actually doing much better than expected, mainly because Yi Shui has been incredibly popular this season.

Although his idol is Kobe Bryant, Westbrook is very different from Kobe. He is very tech-savvy and took Yi Shui's advice to focus on smartphones, starting to develop his brand app early on. Of course, Yi Shui also invested money and took a stake in the company...

After lunch, the two returned to their respective teams, reverting from partners back to enemies.

The Knicks' afternoon practice mainly consisted of two 10-minute scrimmages.

In the past nine games, the Knicks have a record of 6 wins and 3 losses, and a record of 2 wins and 2 losses on a four-game road trip. Their record is much worse than in the first month, but it is not without its effects. Yi Shui clearly felt that his teammates were not as casual and arrogant in their shot selection as they were right after the winning streak ended.

However, it's a bit of an overreaction, being overly cautious...

Clark stated, "This is normal; it will get better gradually."

Clark has over 20 years of experience as a college trainer, so he certainly has the ability to make this judgment. Yi Shui doesn't need to focus on this; as long as things improve, that's fine.

After two rest days, the Knicks will have their 27th game of the season, hosting the Thunder on the evening of the 22nd.

During the entrance ceremony, Yi Shui looked at the opposing team's lineup... their talent was off the charts!
With Westbrook, Sefolosha, Krstic, Jeff Green, and Durant all making appearances, rookie Ibaka, who showcased top-tier defensive talent and excellent shooting ability, didn't even receive the treatment of being given special development and could only play as a substitute with an average playing time of less than 20 minutes per game!

On the sidelines sat Griffin, a third-place finisher in the draft who had come to the big city to join in the fun, leaning on a cane!
The most talented team in the entire league, bar none!

The player Yi Shui was most concerned about was Durant. So far this season, Durant has averaged 30.5 points per game, surpassing James' average of 29.8 points per game and climbing to fourth place on the scoring list!
The schoolbag, now in its third year of operation, has finally become an exciting competitor!
(End of this chapter)