Champion, please stay!

Chapter 261, 259. A new record for the most best performances in a week!

As the score of 134 to 133 was displayed on the big screen above the stadium, and the Knicks logo showed the word 'win', the fans cheered wildly. Their voices were already hoarse, but not many stopped, and they continued to shout at the top of their lungs.

This rollercoaster of emotions was so thrilling!
Throughout the final quarter, the fans in the arena were on the edge of their seats. Many were both confused and delighted, wondering why the Lakers, who had been dominating the first three quarters, suddenly gained such an overwhelming advantage in the final quarter. Fortunately, after being overtaken, the Lakers responded with wave after wave of high-scoring plays and withstood the Lakers' comeback!

In the final possession, when Kobe hit the game-winning shot, some fans were almost in tears, but their Embiid immediately countered with a game-winning shot!

Just as Yi Shui charged forward, Kobe, who was frantically chasing after him, caught up with him, took three big steps from the three-point line, and made a buzzer-beating layup. The fans were practically screaming themselves hoarse!
Kobe was going crazy when he saw Yi Shui surrounded by the entire Knicks team, with his fists raised!

He fought until the very last moment, and it seemed like he was about to win and had even surpassed Yi Shui in points, but in the end he lost completely!

The Lakers scored 12 points in the last 2 minutes and 35 seconds, including 8 of their first 10 points.

Of the Knicks' last 10 points, Yi Shui scored the first 8, with two coming from Chandler's putback, Curry's three-pointer, Webster's long two-pointer, and Barnes grabbing an offensive rebound and drawing a foul, making one of two free throws...

After hitting a game-winning shot against four opponents, Kobe Bryant's score reached 49 points, surpassing Yi Shui's 48 points.

But Yi Shui's final counterattack and game-winning shot not only secured the victory but also raised the score to 50 points! Once again, he scored 50+ points against him!

Kobe really couldn't blame anyone. Even if none of his teammates realized that the opponent hadn't called a timeout or retreated on defense, he couldn't really complain. After all, even he, who was closest to the backcourt and in the best physical condition, couldn't catch up, let alone the others.

Thinking of this, Kobe looked at Curry... This second-year player who inherited the shooting talent of the Hornets' all-time leading scorer, he seems to have made 6 three-pointers tonight, right?

While his offensive organization skills are only average, mostly consisting of passing within the tactical framework or passing after drawing double teams, his leadership is excellent, much like that superstar point guard with the most MVPs in their draft class. His passing fundamentals are also very good; those long passes and lobs are incredibly accurate and precise…

In short, the old blacksmith will remember this grudge from tonight!

...

36投19中、其中三分球11中4、加上9中8的罚球，易水狂轰50分，在篮球圣地绝杀湖人队……战报一出，连即将开始的疯三最终四强赛的风头都抢走了不少。

Originally, this game was only attracting attention because of New York vs. Los Angeles and Yishui vs. Kobe. As for how exciting the game itself would be, many people did not have high expectations before the game.

The Lakers had just been through a tough game against the Bobcats the night before. Bynum had elbowed Gerald Wallace last year, and Harrington led the retaliation, which made Phil Jackson hesitant to put Bynum on the court. Odom and Gasol were forced to play the entire second half and still lost the game. After the game, several Bobcats players received additional technical fouls and fines.

The Knicks had just played three games in four days and only rested for one day. In the second game of a back-to-back, they almost lost to the Jazz after leading by 18 points.

Before the match, which took place on the last day of the month, the commentators mentioned that neither team might be in great form.

Unexpectedly, the two teams put on such a spectacular offensive battle!
It seems that neither team had the intention to score high points, but rather had targeted tactics and strategic arrangements. However, both teams scored 130+ points, and after scoring so high in the first three quarters, they set a new record in the final quarter!
In terms of tactics, after the game, commentators from various TV stations spent a lot of time analyzing the game. The Knicks' tactics and strategies, the Lakers' psychological warfare, etc. were all analyzed. Phil Jackson's plan to turn the tide in the final quarter drew continuous praise from the commentators. D'Antoni's tactical arrangements in regulation time and the Knicks' players' beautiful counterattacks in the back-and-forth phase also amazed the commentators.

The focus of New York media reports was Yi Shui's double comeback victory over Kobe.

California media called the game the most exciting scoring duel in a regular season game since the beginning of the 21st century.

Kobe scored 49 points, Yi Shui scored 50 points, the Lakers scored 133 points, and the Knicks scored 134 points. Both the scoring and the process deserved the praise from the California media.

As for why the California media specifically labeled it 'regular season'... In the second round of the 01 playoffs, the scoring duel between Iverson and Carter that lasted the entire series was something a regular season game couldn't possibly match.

The playoff matchup between the answer and the demigod went down to the wire with two seconds left in the series, before Carter missed his game-winning shot, which ultimately decided the outcome.

Putting aside the high score, just in terms of the excitement of the series, since the beginning of the 21st century, only the 00 Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers and the 06 second round series between the Spurs and the Mavericks can compare.

The Knicks really showed their true colors in this run of 4 games in 6 days at the end of March!
The refereeing standards are not much different from those in the playoffs, and the schedule is tight, yet the Knicks have defeated four strong teams in a row: the Cavaliers, Magic, Jazz, and Lakers!

...

The next day, April 1st, a new month began.

Yi Shui received a call from Curry early in the morning, inviting him to go out and prank the head coach... but he refused.

This can be resolved by letting the elementary school students and their teammates cause some trouble.

Firstly, he wasn't interested in this kind of holiday that somehow got passed down, and secondly, he was worried about really getting into a fight with the head coach. If Curry caused trouble, he could still cover for him, as the other party would definitely give him face. But if he himself had a conflict with the head coach, it would be difficult to salvage the situation.

If the prank target were Cheeks, that would be fine. This assistant coach has a fiery temper and is straightforward, so he might even cooperate and not hold a grudge overnight. But with the two D'Antoni brothers, Dan D'Antoni is openly petty and Mike D'Antoni is taciturn and petty, it's better to be cautious. Sometimes trouble always arises unexpectedly.

He took a nap, but was woken up by a phone call around noon. It wasn't because his teammates had pranked the head coach and gotten into trouble, but because of good news—he had won an award!

The league informed the Knicks that he won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for March!
Yi Shui got up, snored, washed up, went to the study, turned on the computer, and at 12 o'clock sharp, the league's official website announced the latest monthly player awards.

I saw his name on the homepage of the official website. He won the monthly best player award for three consecutive months!
Before the awards were divided into Eastern and Western Conferences, only Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O'Neal had achieved consecutive Player of the Month awards. From December to February of the 2003-04 season, Kevin Garnett won the Player of the Month award for three consecutive months, setting a historical record.

Today, his pretentiousness has been caught up with Yi!

易水看了下他上个月的表现……场均38.5分9板5助攻1.5抢断2.5盖帽，16场比赛，有7场40+、其中3次是50+！

This run at the end of the month, with 4 games in 6 days and 3 of them scoring 50+ points, significantly boosted his monthly average points per game.

His season scoring average has also soared to 34.82 points per game, reminding him of the question Wei Ping Bryant asked Kobe before the game last night...

Yi Shui shook his head. No, we can't focus on that right now. Improving our record and preparing for the playoffs are the most important things.

In the Western Conference, Amar'e Stoudemire won Player of the Month.

15场比赛，场均25.6分8.2板2.2助攻1盖帽，率队取得12胜3负的战绩。

目前太阳队打了73场比赛了，战绩来到50胜23负，抢在49胜23负的魔术队之前，成为了联盟第2支拿到50胜的球队。

联盟第一，当然是3月份打出13胜3负表现、面对四大强队拿下4连胜后战绩提升到59胜14负的尼克斯队。

Rookie of the Month: Harden in the East, Evans in the West.

哈登3月份表现不错，15场比赛场均拿到14.2分4板4.8助攻。

Without Curry as a competitor, Evans was unmatched among Western Conference rookies, winning Rookie of the Month for five consecutive months.

Coach of the Month awards went to Mike D'Antoni and Alvin Gentry.

Yi Shui opened the websites of various media outlets and took a look... Feeling good!
He saw some experts whose names he frequently heard saying that running and attacking the enemy was an easy way to achieve results.

They seemed to be expressing their feelings, but they were actually being sarcastic. Every one of them mentioned that the run-and-gun offense had never won a championship.

But at this point, the guiding remarks of these clowns have no effect whatsoever.

He has won Player of the Month for three consecutive months, plus the Player of the Month award he won in the first month when he had a perfect record, bringing his total to four Player of the Month awards and seven Player of the Week awards, both of which are the most in history, making him an even stronger contender for MVP!
...

After lunch, Yi Shui went to Madison Square Garden, received the Player of the Month trophy, and then began to warm up and prepare for extra training.

He opened the system and looked at the two tasks he had completed last night and their rewards.

See you in New York:

You led your team to avenge the Lakers at home. Mission complete. Congratulations on receiving the reward: Fadeaway Expert (Skill).

Fadeaway expert: 1. Significantly improved balance during a fadeaway jump shot; 2. Significantly improved core strength when forced to fade away.

"Reject Milestone Tragedy:"

You led your team to victory against the Lakers, achieving objective 1.

Your score in this game: 50 points, Kobe Bryant's score: 49 points, Goal 2 completed.

Congratulations on winning the reward: Quick Guide to the Turnaround Jump Shot (Patrick Ewing Version).

'Fadeaway Expert' is the shortest-described skill that Yi Shui saw in the skill section, but its effect is also the most direct, hitting the two key points of the fadeaway jump shot.

He's been developing his fadeaway jump shot for almost three months now, and he wants to perfect it. However, he hasn't been investing much time and energy into it yet. His development is limited to having a decent form and being able to use it when necessary. The biggest challenge with the 'conscious' fadeaway jump shot is maintaining balance while leaning back and getting his body used to that shooting motion. But training like that for too long might affect his normal shooting form. He and Clark both believe that this move shouldn't be developed during the season. They can learn the motion in their spare time, but if they really want to practice it, they should do it during the offseason, when they have enough time for more complete and professional training.

As for the forced lean back shot that was not prepared for, Yi Shui has occasionally encountered it since he started playing games in his junior year. It is a shot that relies on core strength. As for accuracy, it still depends purely on feel and luck.

After warming up, Yi Shui went to the court and took 10 fadeaway jump shots from the right 45-degree angle, from the free-throw line... Sure enough, it felt completely different!
He doesn't need to consciously maintain his balance to generate power! However, the change in his shooting motion has noticeably affected his accuracy... but it's still much better than during previous training sessions!
Yi Shui never expected that after acquiring this skill, he would use it for training first... It's fantastic.

After practicing for a while, he temporarily stopped practicing his fadeaway jump shot, set up the camera he brought, adjusted the angle, and prepared to practice his 'rabbit kick'.

I'll take a picture and see if his pose is ugly or... That's why he didn't ask his trainer for help today, and found a small, deserted training area by himself.

Last night before bed and at lunch today, he "watched" the "demonstration video" many times. Ewing's turnaround jump shot was really hard to watch...

However, Ewing's turnaround jump shot wasn't just about the "rabbit kick" technique. To be precise, it shouldn't be called a "turnaround jump shot," but rather a "turnaround offense."

The "rabbit kick" consists of a "power leg" and a "supporting leg," designed for a large lateral movement to quickly shake off the defender and allow for a direct shot. Alternatively, the ball can be dribbled before the jump, landing on one foot after the jump to transform a turnaround jump shot into a three-step initiation. If the defender closes in, the foot closest to the defender can be used as the pivot foot to create a rhythm difference, using the shoulder to hold off the opponent before turning and shooting...

After watching the 'technical breakdown video' for the first time, Yi Shui felt only one word – difficult!

The "leg kick" requires extremely high levels of basic jumping skills, core strength, and balance.

Furthermore, it places high demands on the position from which the attack is initiated: sufficient strength is required to secure the position; a good understanding of the distance and mobility of players providing help defense and rotation is also necessary; and during rapid 'jumps', the movement of the direct defender must be observed precisely...

Turnaround offense demands a high level of fundamental skills such as shooting, hook shot, step-back, and spin move.

Fortunately, he didn't learn it directly; he had a cheat code!

After placing the training block in his usual low-post back-to-the-basket position, Yi Shui began practicing the most basic 'bunny kick'.

After each training session, the system will correct his movements continuously until he has mastered the movements. Then it will correct his force application, and then the details... This cycle repeats until he develops basic muscle memory, which is the entry level.

After finishing the first set of 50 balls, Yi Shui's first stage... was not yet complete, and it had only been a short while.

He paused training, eagerly took out the camera's memory card, went to a seat in the rest area, turned on his computer, and watched the recording.

He skipped straight to the last few training shots, and after watching them... the sky fell!

Unlike Durant's crossover dribble, which looks good as long as you have a handsome face and broad shoulders, Ewing's "bunny kick" is ugly to begin with!
Yi Shui practiced the most basic right-side low post jump turnaround shot.

This move is used when the opponent on the other side of the basket cannot reach the front of the rim, so there is no need to worry about being blocked. Instead, you need to worry about your own defender having a good jump and jumping up to block it. Therefore, when you shoot again, you need to lean your upper body forward and stick your butt out to maintain your balance. The quick shooting motion is close to a 38-inch push shot...

However, after resisting the urge to shut down the computer and watching it several more times, Yi Shui discovered that because it was his first time practicing this move, he was exerting all his strength, and his lateral movement distance during the "rabbit kick" was much wider than Ewing's!

This means that his low-post back-to-the-basket distance can be farther than Ewing's, and he can still reach the front of the basket!
Moreover, this is just a back-to-the-basket move played by a center. Once he masters the movement, refines the details of his power generation, and develops the supporting fundamentals, his range of skills will expand significantly.

He's not a true center. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't post up against the opposing center. Instead, when facing opponents who are physically weaker than him, he doesn't need to worry about being blocked by the defender after a turnaround shot. Instead, he often faces help defense from the opposing center. What he needs to do is back up to avoid the defense, not stick his butt out in the air to shoot...

Yi Shui turned off the computer, deciding not to watch anymore. He also decided not to record any videos when developing this move, but to first master all the techniques and basics of the "Ewing Rabbit Kick"!
...

Entering April, the Knicks got two days of rest.

On the afternoon of April Fool's Day, Yi Shui didn't practice his fadeaway or turnaround attacks for a long time. He practiced them briefly and then called his trainer over to practice his current regular offensive moves. With the playoffs coming up soon, strengthening his strengths was the most important thing.

However, during this low post training, he noticed something: whether he was backing down in the high post or the low post, it seemed like he was always on the right side, and his routine was somewhat fixed. He also practiced backing down on the other side, but he rarely used it, mainly because he wasn't strong enough... Offseason plans +1.

Yi Shui didn't know how much training he had accumulated during the offseason. Anyway, Clark and Mark Jackson, who were worried about not having enough time last summer, no longer cared about that and focused on training itself.

The next day, the 2nd, Yi Shui arrived in Philadelphia with the team. That evening, he and several teammates watched the live broadcast of the Spartans vs. the Bulldogs semi-final.

The game was very intense, and in the end, Gordon Hayward's Bulldogs narrowly defeated Drummond Green's Spartans 52-50. This marked Butler University's first appearance in the Third Madness finals in the team's 58-year history.

After two rest days, Yi Shui and the team began their final month of competition. On the evening of the 3rd, they traveled to the Wachovia Center to challenge the 76ers.

12投5中、其中三分球3中1，加上11中11的罚球，易水三节拿到22分4板5助攻1抢断2盖帽，率领尼克斯队以107比92轻取76人队，拿下本赛季第60场胜利！
今晚尼克斯队表现最好的球员——大卫-李，23投12中，加上9中7的罚球，拿到31分20板。

David Lee had 11 rebounds in the first half, and Yi Shui was helping his teammate box out in the third quarter. D'Antoni also continued to give David Lee playing time in the final quarter to rack up more rebounds.

With Dalembert sidelined due to injury, Brand slow, and Thaddeus Young thin, David Lee had excellent matchup conditions and was in good form tonight. The head coach and team leader naturally had to help him out, as they felt quite indebted to him.

After playing the Wizards, the Knicks got two more days of rest.

It's rare to have two consecutive rest days for away games, especially since this time it coincided with the March 5th Finals and the NBA's one-day break.

Normally, after a series of away games, players would choose to stay longer in big cities, but the Knicks did not. They left Philadelphia early the next morning for Charlotte.

Philadelphia is indeed richer than Charlotte, with a much larger city area and more skyscrapers. However, during the offseason, even the 76ers' own players don't want to stay there. The Black people in Detroit are generally considered to be of higher quality than those in Philadelphia. Philadelphia also has a nickname – the Zombie City.

Many low-budget zombie movies choose to film in Philadelphia. They don't need to hire extras, do special effects makeup, or use special effects to create backgrounds. They can just film directly, and the results are more realistic than those with actors or special effects.

After resting overnight in Charlotte, on Monday the 5th, Yi Shui arrived at the Time Warner Center with the team to prepare for the game. After the morning training session, the moment he had been looking forward to finally arrived!
The league announced the third-to-last Player of the Week awards for this season.

After defeating the Wizards the day before yesterday, Yi Shui watched TV and browsed the news online, and saw that the media and experts were discussing last week's Player of the Week, and the subject of their discussion was him!

Although many bizarre comments emerged online, citing several people who said he deserved to win the award, none of them could stop him from winning it.

靠着上周3战全胜，场均36分7板6助攻1.6抢断2.3盖帽的表现，易水拿下了本赛季第8次周最佳，刷新了詹姆斯保持的单赛季7次周最佳的历史纪录！

One 50-point game and two buzzer-beating game-winners – no doubt about it!
What annoyed Yi Shui was that the topic wasn't as popular today as it was the day before yesterday, because the final of Crazy Three was tonight... During his lunch break, he opened a new account, wielded the keyboard, and fought against the haters!
...

Although a little annoyed, Yi Shui still got together with Curry, Chalmers, and others that evening to watch the final between the Dukes and the Bulldogs.

Yi Shui hoped Hayward could win; he's a dark horse, and who wouldn't like that? But unfortunately, the Bulldogs couldn't pull off the upset until the end... They missed all five of their free throws in the second half, which was absurd. Even if O'Neal, Howard, Duncan, or James were in their shoes, they wouldn't have been this bad at free throws.

The Dukes narrowly defeated the Bulldogs 61-59, and Kyle Singler was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

Yi Shui recalled something: back then, the Tar Heels missed out on a talent in their efforts to acquire JJ Hickson to strengthen their frontcourt. That talent was Kyle Singler... The key point is that the Tar Heels didn't even get Hickson before the North Carolina Wolves tricked him away.

After two rest days, on the 6th, the Knicks returned to the Time Warner Center to play the Bobcats on the road.

In this game, not only Yi Shui, but everyone on the Knicks team wanted to win, and they played very hard from the very beginning!
However, the Bobcats, with their frontcourt of Kaman, Harrington, Gerald Wallace, Kwame Brown, Diaw, and Mohammed, have a truly formidable defense.

With the intensity approaching that of the playoffs, the Knicks' fast-paced style didn't perform well.

Fortunately, D'Antoni is no longer just thinking about running and shooting; he's already prepared to launch fast breaks whenever possible, and if not, he'll rely on the individual abilities of his star players.

Facing the Bobcats' formidable defense, the Knicks shot only 35-for-88 from the field, a mere 39.8% success rate. They made only 6 of 20 three-point attempts, a mere 30% success rate, and added 14 of 20 free throws, scoring just 90 points... but that was enough!
The Bobcats shot 34-for-82 from the field, including 3-for-13 from three-point range. They attempted 25 free throws, but only made 14. Their lethal frontcourt didn't have many good free throw shooters!
The match ended at 8:30 p.m.

26投11中、其中三分球6中2，加上8中7的罚球，易水拿到31分11板4助攻1抢断5盖帽，率领尼克斯队以90比85险胜山猫队，报了开局连胜被终结的仇！
After the final whistle blew, Yi Shui received a system notification that the win rate for the "Reverse Battle in Southeast" mission had reached 50%. He had a record of 6 wins and 6 losses against all other teams in the Southeast Division except the Wizards. Only the final game remained. If he won, the mission would be completed and he would receive a three-point talent point.

After playing the Bobcats, the Knicks left Charlotte early the next morning, flew to Detroit, rested for an afternoon, and then played the Pistons back-to-back that evening.

Tonight, D'Antoni opted for pure offense, leaving Cheeks to set up a basic defensive formation.

So far this season, the Pistons are averaging 94 points per game and allowing 102 points per game. D'Antoni feels that there is no need to worry too much and that reducing physical exertion is more important.

Unexpectedly, the Pistons really got into a shooting streak tonight. Hamilton made 5 three-pointers, shooting 14-for-24 overall, including 5-for-7 from three-point range, plus 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, scoring a whopping 38 points and leading the Pistons to a total of 109 points!
Fortunately, Yi Shui went out partying with Curry last night and even brought back a female student from Curry's college to the hotel, partying all night long... Tonight, his performance was not affected by the back-to-back games. He made 15 of 28 shots, including 3 of 6 three-pointers, plus 10 of 12 free throws, scoring a whopping 43 points!
Although the elementary school student was a bit weak tonight and didn't score in double digits, only getting 8 points and 4 assists, David Lee, Webster, Chandler, Chalmers and others all had good scoring performances.

The Knicks narrowly defeated the Pistons 115-109, securing their seventh consecutive win!

After playing back-to-back games, on the 8th, Yi Shui and his team arrived in yet another 'place where NBA players cannot survive'—Boston.

The final game of his four-game road trip was against the Celtics, the team he feared most in the playoffs.

As for the Celtics, there are 7 games left in the regular season. They have played 75 games and have a record of 42 wins and 33 losses. 50 wins are no longer possible, and making it into the top five is basically out of the question.

Even so, Yi Shui dared not underestimate this opponent in the slightest. After two months of poor performance, the Celtics have now achieved a 55% winning percentage and secured sixth place in the East. Their performance since the beginning of 2010 is no worse than that of the teams ranked second to fifth!
This matchup at the end of the regular season is very important for them. If they can sweep the Celtics, it will give them a greater psychological advantage if they do meet the Celtics in the playoffs!
(End of this chapter)