The longest river

Chapter 62 Yang Shuai is a ruthless person
"When did Indiana have two Reggie Millers?" Brin couldn't help but exclaim.

After he said that, some fans belatedly realized that Yang Shuai's three-point shooting ability, coupled with his arrogant celebration, did indeed resemble Miller to some extent.

One Miller is already enough of a headache for the opponents. If there are two of them, how can anyone survive?

At this moment, Scott rushed up to Yang Shuai and gave him a passionate chest bump.

Yang Shuai's performance is truly a source of pride.

"Well done." And to Yang Shuai's surprise, Miller actually came up to him when he left the field, bumped fists with him, and praised him.

"Positive energy from Reggie Miller +521".

Because of the trade on draft night, it will be very difficult for Yang Shuai to change his teammates' attitudes towards him, especially since he believes the trade has nothing to do with him and refuses to compromise or flatter.

But now, he has done it in his own way.

Yang Shuai remained on the court at the start of the second quarter.

However, he didn't get the same three-point opportunities as in the first quarter.

The Knicks swarmed him, treating him like Miller on defense.

At halftime, the two teams were tied at 54.

The top scorer on the court was Ewing, who racked up a near double-double of 20 points and 8 rebounds in the first half, and also dished out 3 assists.

Yang Shuai also scored 11 points, which is a new high in his personal career.

Returning for the second half, Ewing continued his offensive onslaught, scoring 6 points in four minutes, bringing his total to 26 points and helping the Knicks regain the lead.

Just as the Pacers couldn't contain Jordan in the opening game, they also couldn't contain Ewing's performance tonight.

This time, Brown didn't hesitate for long and quickly called Yang Shuai up from the bench.

Yang Shuai's appearance on the court had an immediate effect; when he stood in the weak-side corner, the Knicks had to assign someone to specifically guard him.

And when they did that, the defensive pressure on Miller and Schmitz on the strong side was greatly reduced, and Miller made a beautiful off-ball movement followed by a three-pointer.

In fact, Yang Shuai had already demonstrated his ability to create space on the weak side in the previous game against the Bulls, and tonight he made three three-pointers in the first half, making that effect even more obvious.

Starks hit another mid-range shot after using a screen.

Yang Shuai still doesn't have a good solution for this kind of high pick-and-roll.

Especially since the screener in this scene was Oakley, a guy with excellent speed and width, it's very difficult to get around his screen.

But then Miller drained another three-pointer!
Although three-pointers are not the mainstream in this era, there are still many excellent shooters in the league, such as Price and Mallley whom Yang Shuai has already met, as well as Glen Rice and Dennis Scott whom he has not met. However, only Miller can become the core of a team based on his shooting skills.

This significantly increased the defensive pressure on the Knicks.

Miller is in good form, and their current defensive intensity can't match it. But if they increase the defensive intensity against Miller, it will inevitably give Yang Shuai opportunities on the outside.

After all, it was clear from the first half that Yang Shuai is not just a spot-up shooter; he has the ability to shoot three-pointers while moving.

After much deliberation, the Knicks decided to increase their defensive commitment against Miller.

After the halftime break, no one knew whether Yang Shuai still had the same touch as in the first half.

Miller passed the ball to Yang Shuai, who had moved to the weak side at a 45-degree angle, during the double-team.

Oakley was quickly moving towards Yang Shuai to provide defensive support.

Given his movement speed, Yang Shuai's attack is likely to be disrupted.

Yang Shuai made a shooting motion, and Oakley immediately accelerated and pounced on him.

However, Yang Shuai was not actually shooting. He quickly gathered the ball when Oakley jumped, and then quickly broke through.

Actually, not only is the Knicks uncertain, but Yang Shuai himself is also unsure of his shooting touch in the second half.

But one thing is certain: the three-point threat he displayed in the first half remains, which is key to his ability to easily outmaneuver Oakley.

Before the rest of the Knicks could react, Yang Shuai had already driven into the paint.

At this moment, Schmitz, who was under the basket, saw this and immediately turned around to block Ewing behind him.

Yang Shuai rushed into the three-second zone, leaped up, and pulled the ball high with his right hand...

"Oh!"

It's a smooth, powerful tomahawk dunk.

The crowd erupted in excitement; Yang Shuai's shot showcased his exceptional football intelligence.

Yang Shuai was very excited after landing, and he pounded his chest and roared at the sidelines.

That dunk that wasn't completed in the first half was finally made up for in the second half!

Moreover, his dunk helped the Pacers tie the score again.

"Hanson Young is the X Factor in Indiana tonight."

Brin then gave another objective assessment.

Yang Shuai came off the bench twice and turned the tide of the game twice. If the Pacers can win tonight, Yang Shuai's contribution will be indispensable.

Albert, meanwhile, remained silent with a serious expression. He never expected that Yang Shuai would go to such lengths to humiliate him, even coming all the way to his home!

Back to the point, Ewing established position in the low post on the strong side, while Starks and Oakley ran high pick-and-rolls on the weak side to draw the defense away from the defense.

Yang Shuai chose to get past the screen early this time.

He timed it well this time, but just as he was about to pass, he felt a heavy blow to his cheek, and then he lost his balance and fell to the ground. The referee blew his whistle, indicating that Oakley had committed an offensive foul.

Yang Shuai lay on the ground for a while before his teammates pulled him up. He shook his slightly dazed head.

At this moment, the big screen replayed the previous round, in which Oakley had given him a good beating.

In the era before Yang Shuai's time travel, this action would have been considered a malicious foul, but in this era, it's just an offensive foul.

Moreover, the warning signal sent by Oakley's elbow was also very clear: being arrogant in Madison Square Garden will come at a price.

Yang Shuai opened his mouth and moved his jaw.

If it were him in the past, when he was unwilling to suffer a loss, he would have retaliated with an elbow to anyone, whether it was Oakley or Rodman, after watching the replay.

However, after experiencing a loss against the Bulls and suffering a setback against Rodman, he learned from his mistake.

You can't deal with these seasoned veterans openly, otherwise you'll only end up hurting yourself.

He needs to find an opportunity.

The opportunity soon arrived.

Miller's three-point attempt missed, and both teams rushed to the basket for the rebound.

In the ensuing chaos, it was Schmitz who finally managed to send his racket flying.

Yang Shuai saw that there were many people around, so he didn't rush towards the basket, but he kept his eyes on the ball. When the ball flew out, he rushed over and grabbed it immediately.

After controlling the ball on the left side of the free-throw line, he accelerated and broke through, then leaped into the air a step outside the three-second zone.

The person standing between Yang Shuai and the basket at that moment was Oakley.

Both being short centers, Oakley's jumping speed wasn't as good as Rodman's, but his ferocity was even greater.

Facing Yang Shuai, who had already jumped up, he stretched out his long right arm, ready to tackle Yang Shuai and the ball together.

However, just as the two were about to make contact, Yang Shuai revealed his elbow.

When Yang Shuai dunked over Rodman, he learned to use his supporting hand to support the defender and maintain his balance.

He did the same thing this time, only this time he changed the location from the palm to the elbow.

The elbow struck Oakley in the jaw.

Oakley was struck dumb and knocked down, and Yang Shuai used the momentum to steady himself and slammed the ball hard into the basket with his right hand.

"Oh!"

The impact was so strong that Yang Shuai swung on the rim before landing.

After landing, he glared at Oakley on the ground, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

The referees were stunned. After regaining their senses, they immediately blew their whistle, indicating that Yang Shuai had committed an offensive foul.

As Scott pointed out, this method is prone to being called an offensive foul.

But that doesn't matter anymore. Both were offensive fouls, but Yang Shuai got up immediately after falling, while Oakley is still lying on the ground after being hit, and even the team doctor has come onto the court.

The fans at the scene were completely stunned.

If they hadn't been staring, they wouldn't have believed they were seeing an Asian player.

In this era, let alone Asian players, even European players are seen as passive and weak.

But Yang Shuai returned the favor without a single break!

And it will be repaid double.

Even the Knicks couldn't use this as an excuse to attack, because Yang Shuai's shot wasn't actually aimed at a player.

At this moment, the players on both sides looked at Yang Shuai with lingering fear, especially the Pacers players who were isolating him.

They could understand why Yang Shuai never yielded to them and even dared to directly confront Johnson; this guy was definitely ruthless!
The game resumed after a brief interruption. Oakley had a cut on his chin, but after emergency treatment to stop the bleeding, he remained on the court.

Oakley showed his tough side, but after all that back and forth, the momentum of the game had shifted to the Pacers.

The Pacers rallied from a set down to win the first quarter, outscoring the Pacers 30-20 in the third quarter and taking an 84-74 lead at the end of the third.

Yang Shuai scored 4 more points in this quarter, raising his career single-game scoring record to 15 points.

However, the Knicks did not give up. Ewing came on at the start of the fourth quarter and scored 5 points to help the Knicks narrow the gap.

This forced Brown to bring in his main players early for an early decisive battle.

Yang Shuai was the only substitute who was not substituted off the field.

With Miller on the court, he played a more restrictive role, just like in the third quarter.

However, unlike the third quarter, he seized the opportunity in this quarter and hit another three-pointer.

Moreover, he was fouled in the final moments and made both free throws, helping the Pacers secure a 106-100 victory.

Yang Shuai's 20 points were the Pacers' second-highest, second only to Miller's 27 points. Moreover, his efficiency was extremely high, making 7 out of 11 shots, including 4 out of 5 three-pointers.

However, the best performer tonight was Ewing, who scored 34 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.

If it weren't for Yang Shuai's unexpected emergence, he would have led the Knicks to victory and avenged their playoff defeat last season.

But now, he can only apply to join the season's empty stats group.

(End of this chapter)