Champion, please stay!

Chapter 235-233.6: A brutal January ends with a winning streak!
The official pause has been lifted.

The Heat brought in a lineup of Arroyo, Wade, Beasley, Haslem, and Joel Anthony.

The Knicks brought in a lineup of Chalmers, Hughes, Yi Shui, Harrington, and Birdman.

The rhythm of star players dribbling and attacking has begun, and Spoelstra knows that it won't stop until a winner is decided.

This is also an opportunity for them. If they can gain the upper hand over Yi Shui, they might win more easily tonight than in the previous two encounters.

But Beasley's first attempt at a pull-up jumper was slapped down by Yi Shui, who had anticipated it perfectly!

Chalmers on the wing rushed up to contest the loose ball with Beasley, who had fallen to the ground after being blocked. Yi Shui, Arroyo, and Wade also joined in... The referee blew the whistle, and Arroyo almost pulled down Yi Shui's pants. It was a foul for pulling, and the Knicks got the ball in the backcourt.

The block failed to launch a counterattack, and the game fell into a half-court battle. Yi Shui didn't care and went to the frontcourt to ask for the ball and go one-on-one!

Facing Beasley's defense, Yi Shui broke through to the right side of the three-second zone, and before Wade could collapse and double-team him, he pulled up and shot... and it went in!
This play, the one where Beasley was blocked by Yi Shui, is almost identical in technique and shot selection, except for the shooting form. Even the positions are similar, except that Beasley was on the left and Yi Shui was on the right!

Yi Shui's intention to toy with the runner-up of his class was far too obvious!

American cable sports commentators exclaimed, "This is the most brutal domination of the first pick against the second pick ever! Never before seen in NBA history!"

The top three scorers in the same year will definitely be compared together for a long time.

Milicic's situation, where he was completely out of form, is of course an exception, and it's difficult to make comparisons between different positions.

Players who have both made a name for themselves and play in the same position, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, or Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, may have differences in their leadership abilities and accolades, but when they face each other head-to-head, even if it's Mourning against O'Neal, they can average 20+ points per game, so they can at least go toe-to-toe with each other.

Beasley has finally made a name for himself. Last summer, he spent time in Paul Pierce's grueling training camp, where his fundamentals improved significantly. He's currently averaging 16+ points per game, and many believe he has the potential to become a top-tier scorer averaging 20+ points per game during his rookie contract, potentially becoming an offensive virtuoso like Paul Pierce.

But every time Beasley faced Yi Shui head-on, he suffered a terrible defeat, without exception, from college to now!

During the offensive and defensive transition, Beasley ran and called for the ball... but Wade waved him away to the wing to create space.

Wade was extremely frustrated as he received a pass from Arroyo and waited for his teammates to get into position.

He just caught a glimpse of the head coach covering his face...

With Beasley's physical gifts, it's hard not to have high expectations.

Other players are either not fast enough to play the small forward position or not strong enough to play the power forward position.

But Beasley is different. He has enough speed to play small forward and a physical advantage against most small forwards. He has enough strength to play power forward and an absolute mobility advantage against most power forwards.

Even though Beasley had been thoroughly defeated by Yi Shui seven or eight times since entering the NBA, including the preseason, Wade and Spoelstra were still willing to let Beasley give it another try.

Then we saw such a cruel scene... Even now, some uninformed fans think that Beasley, the second overall pick, was imitating the offensive methods of the first overall pick, Yi Shui.

The key point is that Yi Shui's use of technique, shot selection, and basic skills are all better than Beasley's, and his movements are also more fluid and beautiful!

Where can they complain?
The one-on-one between the two just now really suffocated Wade. White had already demonstrated how to defend, but Beasley's physical attributes are much stronger than White's. Sticking to the defense to interfere with long-range shots and guiding Yi Shui towards the elbow area are things that Beasley couldn't do!

Wade grunted, clearing his mind of distractions. His plan to have Beasley handle the first few rounds had fallen apart at the very beginning, so he would have to do it himself!

Wade drives to the side and then drives to the basket!
With his first step, Wade left Hughes behind, drove into the paint, and faced a double-team from Yi Shui and Harrington on the wings in the elbow area. Wade grabbed the ball, changed direction to the left, and took his first step.

Birdman anticipates Wade's movement, blocking the direction of Wade's most likely second step change of direction, but Wade jumps immediately after landing and throws a floater right in front of the basket... and it goes in!
When Wade started his Euro step, the rest of the Heat had already retreated on defense, led by Haslem.

Yi Shui ran to the frontcourt, but was immediately marked just outside the three-point line... The cheers from the fans in the arena suddenly increased!

The visitor was none other than Dwyane Wade!
The Emperor vs. The Flash!
This is the matchup that New York fans have been most looking forward to!
Despite his height disadvantage, Wade compensated with physicality, relentlessly using his lower body to front the opponent.

This was a combination of Tony Allen's defense against Durant when the Celtics played the Thunder, and Carmelo Anthony's defense against Yi Shui when the Nuggets played the Knicks.

However, Yi Shui's role with the Knicks is very different from Durant's role with the Thunder.

When Durant is fronted like that, Westbrook drives in himself; when Yi Shui is fronted, Chalmers just waits.

After Hughes moved to the right sideline and Birdman moved to the left baseline, Yi Shui followed the force of Wade's fronting and physical battle, turned left and cut into the baseline!

Wade yelled "Double-team!" and turned to chase after him... but was blocked by Harrington, who had pulled him up!

Yi Shui drove straight into the paint, received the ball in the elbow area, took a step to avoid Haslem's defense, and came to the right sideline of the three-second zone, close to the baseline.

He turned and jumped, releasing the ball over Joel Anthony's head as he jumped to contest the shot... He caught the ball close to the basket, pulled up, turned, and made the layup!

This play prompted Wade to pay tribute to his fellow number one draft pick, shaking his head with his hands on his hips.

Which small forward would think that avoiding the power forward's defense and taking a jump shot over the center is a better offensive option? He saw it tonight!

Wade didn't care about anything else; he just went for it!

In the past two years, Wade has not only been the best in the league in terms of penetration, but his mid-range and close-range shooting accuracy is also amazing. So far this season, he has a 46% close-range shooting percentage, a 43.9% mid-range shooting percentage, and a top-tier 68% shooting percentage at the rim. He can shoot from anywhere inside the free-throw line and maintains the league's top offensive efficiency.

When Wade is on offense, even against the Lakers' three big men, he can still score 40+ points in a single game, and even lead the team to a two-point lead in the final moments... giving Kobe the opportunity for a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

When Wade gets going, the frontcourt combination of Yi Shui, Harrington, and Birdman is simply not enough. If Hughes were three or four years younger, he might be able to limit Wade's bursts of speed, but with years of serious injuries, Hughes can now only hold off technical scorers.

On the Yi River side, they also entered full-scale attack mode.

The elementary school student withstood the pressure of Wade's fierce attack at the start of the game, and he could not waste the advantage that the elementary school student had created for him with all his might!
They couldn't stop Wade, and the Heat couldn't stop him either!

Wade closely guarded and fronted Yi Shui, who focused on cutting in. Chalmers wasn't good at organizing the offense, but he was absolutely calm and composed. He didn't make any other choice but to wait for Yi Shui to run out of opportunities to receive the ball. Relying on his solid passing fundamentals, he passed the ball to Yi Shui. In this respect, Chalmers, who was already at his 'complete form' when he entered the NBA, did a better job than Curry.
Wade failed to close the gap in time, and Yi Shui pulled up and threw the ball, using the opponent as a cannon emplacement.

Beasley defends, Yi Shui just goes straight for it...

Wade was indeed fierce. Towards the end of the first quarter, he led his team to narrow the score to 26-27, reducing the gap to 1 point!
Harrington then hit a three-pointer with a wide-open shot!
When the Heat were on offense and were about to take the lead, Wade, despite being exhausted, chose to take matters into his own hands. He blew past Webster, who had come in as a substitute, drove into the paint, used a Euro step to avoid Yi Shui and Birdman's help defense, and reached the left sideline of the three-second zone, where he turned and jumped for a shot...

The preceding moves were all very skillful, but the release was too short! The close-range jump shot hit the outside of the rim!
The ball grazed the rim and bounced vertically down. Yi Shui pounced on it and stole the ball before Wade could reach it. He then passed it to Du Hong, who had come on as a substitute, and launched a fast break!
The Heat's defensive execution was very strong. When Wade entered the paint, everyone else would retreat, and they did a great job of collapsing and blocking the defense.

After Yi Shui rushed to the frontcourt, he was a bit exhausted. After attacking for half a quarter, he was blocked at close range. He then turned around and ran to the right corner. Wade, who was rushing back, couldn't close the distance immediately. Wade only managed to get into position after Yi Shui received a pass from Harrington.

Yi Shui had already raised the ball, using the onrushing Wade as a cannonball, and unleashed a three-pointer...

This shot was lucky; the 'Tower Sniper' buff was triggered!
Yi Shui hits a three-pointer!

When it was the Heat's turn to attack, Wade continued to attack! Even if they couldn't take the lead, they had to at least close the gap to the point where they could have been caught up with just one basket at the start of the second quarter.

After getting past Webster, he didn't go deep into the paint like before; he pulled up for a jump shot from the free-throw line... and it was too short again!

Harrington secured the defensive rebound and quickly found Duhon. Yi Shui broke free from Beasley's blockade and, seemingly unaffected by the contact and previous one-on-one plays, charged towards the other side at full speed!
Running so fast, and having just hit a fast break three-pointer, the Heat's retreating defenders collectively blocked Yi Shui's path. Du Hong rushed into the three-point line and passed back... Webster, following up, stopped abruptly at the top of the arc to receive the ball, pulled up for a three-pointer... and it went in!

With his strong physique and powerful core strength, Webster charged from the backcourt free throw line to the frontcourt three-point line, and his shooting motion looked like he was making a simple reverse cut outside the three-point line, incredibly steady!

The first quarter ended with Arroyo's long-range three-pointer from midcourt, which missed completely.

靠着最后35秒打出的两次反击，尼克斯队将1分优势扩大到7分，以33比26领先热火队！
...

During the break, the fans at the stadium were incredibly excited.

大屏幕上贴出了韦德的数据，12投6中、加上6中4的罚球，单节拿到16分3助攻。

But they still managed to build a 7-point lead!
易水9投5中、其中三分球3中2、加上4中3的罚球，也有15分，外加3板2盖帽！

The Knicks players and coaches were naturally very excited.

Wade is truly amazing; his defensive reading ability is incredible!

With Ben Wallace back in action, Cheeks made targeted defensive adjustments based on the Heat's offensive targets from their previous two games against the team, and started the game very well.

But after two possessions, Wade decisively stepped up to initiate a one-on-one attack, quickly disrupting Cheeks' defensive plan.

Moreover, Wade's one-on-one offense is truly formidable! If we disregard the two shots in the last 35 seconds when his stamina was clearly affected, he made 6 out of 10 shots in the first 11 and a half minutes!
The TV commentators' analysis of the first quarter clearly showed a bias.

American cable sports are raving about how Yi Shui withstood Wade's explosive offense and led his team to widen the gap in the final moments.

The key point is that Yi Shui scored 11 points in the second half of the quarter, more than Wade's 10 points in the second half of the quarter.

ESPN expressed regret that Wade couldn't hold on in the final moments, but praised his ability to create shooting opportunities.

Regarding the Knicks' 7-point lead, the ESPN commentator attributed the success to their long-range shooting and emphasized luck.

Because the Knicks had 11 minutes of playing time, their three-point shooting was particularly poor, making only 2 of 7 attempts.

But in the 30 seconds before the official timeout, Curry and Hughes hit two consecutive three-pointers, and in the last 35 seconds, Yi Shui and Webster hit two consecutive three-pointers on the counterattack... They managed to raise their three-point performance in the quarter to 6 out of 11!

The Knicks scored 18 points from just three-pointers, accounting for more than half of their first-quarter total!
Let alone Wade, even Jordan would be stumped in this situation.

In addition, the Heat's roster problems were also clearly exposed in this quarter.

The long-range shooting was terrible; Conley was the only one to make a three-pointer in the quarter, for a total of 1 of 5 shots.

When Wade was playing one-on-one for too long and was exhausted, and needed a break, no one could step up to help him.

Conley is decent in one-on-one situations, but as a third-year player, he can play a supporting role for Wade, but he's not ready to carry the team.

When Beasley encountered the Yi River, a pit opened up to the heavens.

Arroyo performs well in one-on-one situations against opponents like Iverson and James whose defense is unpredictable, but he struggles against solid defensive players like Chalmers and Duhon.

ESPN commentators tried every possible way to downplay the role the player played in widening the Knicks' lead.

However, their analyses, which were conducted with a clear purpose, were mostly spot on.

On the home team's bench, D'Antoni made adjustments to the offense, focusing on the three-point threat he made in the crucial moments of the first quarter.

Whether it was luck or not, a shot is a shot. With 6 out of 11 three-pointers in a single quarter, he didn't believe the opposing defense wouldn't be paying close attention.

When Cheeks made defensive adjustments, he also focused on two points: the opponent's poor three-point shooting in the first quarter and the inability of anyone other than Wade and Conley to score in one-on-one situations.

After the break, the Heat took the lead, but Wade paused for a moment before continuing his relentless attack!
If you choose to play this way, you can turn an advantage into a team offense and defense strategy, but if you don't gain an advantage, you can only keep fighting.

At the start of the second quarter, the Knicks again had Curry and David Lee as the main offensive force.

韦德率队压着尼克斯队打出了15比12的半节比分，将比分追至41比45，分差缩小到4分。

However, Wade's offensive momentum faltered in the second half of the quarter. Yi Shui, who had rested for half a quarter, led the team to a 16-11 run. At halftime, the Knicks had extended their lead to 9 points, leading the Heat 61-52!
After halftime, the Heat started the third quarter with a surge led by Wade's offensive onslaught, but were quickly brought back down by Yi Shui, falling into a vicious cycle...

The score in the third quarter was 25-24, with the Knicks narrowly defeating the Heat by one point. After three quarters, the score was 86-76, and the Knicks successfully widened the gap to double digits!

In the final quarter, Wade had no choice but to fight hard. After keeping the score close for half a quarter, he finally seized the opportunity and led his team on a 12-6 run around the time of the official timeout, narrowing the gap to 3 points!
Just when the Heat thought their chance had come and the fans in the arena were on tenterhooks, Yi Shui drove straight to the basket, facing the collapsing Wade and the chasing White, and despite Milicic's interference, he pulled up for a layup off the backboard!
Then Conley used a screen to get rid of Curry's tight defense and shot a three-pointer... but it didn't go in.

Turning back, Yi Shui continued to drive to the basket, grabbed the ball at close range, turned and crouched down to take a step, arriving at the left rear of Milicic who had spread out to block him in advance, jumped, and floated... only to be knocked over by Haslem who rushed up.

But before being fouled, Yi Shui had already successfully thrown the ball, and as the referee blew the whistle, the ball fell into the basket!

Amid chants of "MVP" from the fans at the stadium, Yi Shui made the free throw, responding with a 5-0 run and widening the gap back to 8 points!
Yi Shui's two attacks extinguished the Heat players' fighting spirit!

Wade still wants to bounce back, but after playing more minutes than Yi Shui tonight, he's already exhausted...

In the final three minutes, the Heat failed to mount an effective offensive attack, and the Knicks were also struggling. After all, this was their sixth game in nine days, and while they hadn't narrowed the gap to within five points, they also couldn't extend it back to more than ten points.

The match ended at 10:24 PM.

Wade played 45 minutes tonight, shooting 17-for-35 from the field, including 1-for-3 from three-point range, and 10-for-14 from the free-throw line, racking up a season-high of 45 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. This surpassed his scoring record against the Lakers and is the first time this season that he has scored more points than Yi Shui when facing the Knicks.

易水这边，打了39分钟，31投15中，其中三分球5中3，加上9中8的罚球，拿到41分11板5助攻1抢断3盖帽。

但除了易水，尼克斯队还有20投8中、其中三分球12中5、加上3中3的罚球拿到24分4助攻的库里！
When it comes to orchestrating the offense and maintaining a steady court control, Curry is no match for Conley.

But in tonight's high-scoring game, Conley, even in his prime, might not be a match for Curry in his second year!
The Knicks narrowly defeated the Heat 113-106, ending a brutal January with a winning streak!
After the final buzzer sounded, Wade looked up at the score and stats on the big screen, then looked up at the ceiling with a sense of helplessness.

His fifth 40+ point game of the season, and another loss!

He has only won one game this season where he scored 40+ points.

He was reluctant to admit it, but it was indeed the biggest difference between him and Kobe. Kobe was over 30 years old and could still keep shooting whenever needed, while he couldn't; he always had moments when his offense faltered.

In this respect, he is not even as good as the 08 top scorer who was surrounded by reporters on the other side.

A while ago, Wade saw a saying – scoring high in the Yi River Valley won't win the game.

After tonight, the Knicks' record stands at 38 wins and 9 losses, while Yi Shui's 40+ point games have increased to 13... He doesn't know how those media outlets and experts came to such a ridiculous conclusion...

(End of this chapter)