NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 534: Disappearing Tactics. (9500 words chapter)
On Christmas Day in 2007, the NBA launched a total of three games for fans. ABC was responsible for two matches between Eastern Conference teams, and ESPN broadcast the new games.

The most watched matchup was between the Knicks and the Celtics, with the core players of both teams scoring 30+, which was considered "old man basketball."

The Cavaliers and the Heat are a dialogue between the class of 03. LeBron James and D'Andre Wade both made it to the conference finals at a young age. They are both leaders of the "Mesozoic era".

The Sonics and Trail Blazers entering the Christmas game is the league's encouragement to new players. Durant and Oden started competing before the draft. This is a conversation between young people.

The three games involving three generations of players, old, middle-aged and young, can be regarded as a microcosm of the current league.

In order to take care of the old guys, the matchup between the Knicks and the Celtics officially started at 2:30 pm. After the game, players from both sides can go home for dinner and spend a perfect holiday.

New York is very lively every Christmas. Although there seems to be problems on Wall Street this year, merchants are still working hard to promote.

Stores such as Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue have carefully decorated their holiday windows to infect tourists and consumers with the Christmas atmosphere.

Winter activities in Central Park continue as usual, with families and couples gracing the ice skating rink, and winter carriage rides allowing visitors to enjoy the views in the cold weather.

There are various holiday markets in Union Square and Bryant Park. The beautiful handicrafts are a good choice for Christmas gifts. If you are tired of shopping, you can also enjoy delicious food such as hot cocoa.

Marbury, who returned to New York early, has been greedily enjoying the festive atmosphere of his hometown since he got home last night. This is the happiest Christmas he has had in these years!
The eldest son has made great progress. The whole Marbury family feels proud, as if even God is taking care of him.

His father suffered a sudden heart attack and was rescued. The family reunited on Christmas. With the encouragement of his many brothers and sisters, Marbury almost cried. This was almost the life he had always dreamed of.

Marbury was not happy during his years in Atlanta. Although there were many black brothers there, the TNT headquarters was also there, and basketball commentators always laughed at him.

Although he earned less after coming to Boston, Marbury gained respect. He was no longer the team's first choice or the core, but fans and the media cheered for him.

The long-lost respect inspired his motivation to play. No matter how Garnett rolled over, Marbury always took the lead in the charge.

When he came to Madison Square Garden for warm-up in the morning, Marbury felt that everything was back when he entered this familiar yet unfamiliar venue and looked at the low passages with messy pipes.

Even though this old stadium has been renovated several times, some of its environments still cannot compare with those of a newly built stadium.

When he stepped on the floor and looked up at the sky above the stadium, the championship banners made Marbury wake up again. New York had changed a long time ago. Someone changed his childhood dream.
A large number of sports reporters also gathered during the warm-up. This nationwide live broadcast was almost at the level of the finals, and they even deliberately added interviews with the head coaches of the two teams during the intermissions.

"Great, everyone move!"

"Let's go!"

Rivers' head coach, who was wearing a training suit, kept clapping and shouting. The camera did not affect his mood, but made him more eager to perform. This feeling of being the focus can be traced back to his time with the Magic.

Ray Allen, wearing a green training jersey, kept shooting meticulously from beyond the three-point line. He was not affected by the coach and always maintained his own shooting rhythm.

Pierce seemed overly excited and showed off several low-flying dunks in front of reporters. When he heard his teammates' teasing, he burst into laughter.

Marbury and Garnett practiced together. They passed the ball to each other and did pick-and-roll. The basketball went into the net again and again, showing that both of them were in excellent competitive form.

Celtics' head athletic trainer Ed Lasseter still looks the same, wearing glasses and observing the players carefully. He has been working for this team since 87.

He has a deep affection for the team. At noon, when the warm-up was over, Ed Lasseter took the initiative to find Rivers and give his opinion:
"Doug, the afternoon game has calmed everyone down. We have to control the tempo of the game."

"As we saw in the videos, all the opponents who were defeated had more than 85 rounds. Slow down and let the excitement turn into motivation."

These words also made Rivers feel nervous. If the Christmas game was defeated miserably, he couldn't imagine what he would face after the game. He put his hands on his waist and nodded vigorously, then whispered:

"I know, we still have some time."

The Knicks only started to warm up officially in the afternoon, which is also an advantage for the home team. They can start the game after warming up and get into the game earlier.

Since 97, New York has never missed the Christmas game, with % attendance every year, proving that the basketball market in the Big Apple is booming.

This year's game, some celebrities also showed up to support it. One hour before the game started, ABC interviewed Bernard King, who was wearing a black suit and had a neckless smile:

"Now my favorite thing to do every morning is to buy a Boston newspaper."

"They're kidding themselves, and I understand the sentiment, the Celtics haven't won in so long, but they're not going to succeed."

"When a scorer's hit rate exceeds 5%, he will be unstoppable, and Lee is not just a scorer. They have not experienced the Eastern Conference Finals or the Finals, so they can't understand that kind of desperation."

"."

Although the ABC reporter thought that Bernard King's words were suspected of bragging about himself, he finally smiled and nodded, paying tribute to the former "King of New York".

Mike Breen and Mark Jackson were in the center of the field, surrounded by Knicks players who were warming up in advance. They faced the camera and introduced themselves to the fans earnestly:
"In the past 10 years, the Knicks have never lost a Christmas game. They have defeated all their opponents!"

"Perhaps they will face their biggest challenge this afternoon. Both teams have only lost two games in the new season, which is rare in the past few years."

Hearing his partner's words, Mark Jackson also showed an expectant look on his face. He really wanted to see a different game. The "Big Four" is the team closest to New York in strength in recent years:
"Lee missed two games before this, but his condition did not seem to be affected."

"We don't talk much about Lee's statistics recently, but Lee is still ahead of most players in the scoring list."

"I think everyone, like me, is looking forward to how Coach Rivers will limit Lee."

Li You arrived not too late, but he met a bunch of old friends in the corridor of the stadium. Together with the family members they brought with them, just greetings, taking photos and signing autographs took up a lot of time.

The fans who entered the stadium early finally found out that Li You’s warm-up time was compressed. There were too many people at the game tonight, and everyone just came to join in the fun.

At 2 p.m., half an hour before the game started, the sponsor's activities had already started in advance, and the live DJ once again announced to the packed stadium that there would be basketball acrobatics at halftime.

The fans in the back row who were shouting along with the music gave the stadium a feeling of a riot of demons, and when the two teams came on the court, the atmosphere gradually reached a climax.

It is difficult for most NBA players to have such an experience. New York fans who like to watch fun will only cheer sincerely when they meet strong opponents.

The shouting made several people on the Celtics bench have different expressions. Marbury automatically ignored "Li You's title" and he just felt his blood boiling.

He liked this kind of atmosphere, which gave him a feeling of fulfilling his dream. He clapped his hands continuously. When the lights came on, Marbury jumped up and down to stretch his body. He looked at Garnett, bumped his fists again and said loudly:

"Bro, let's start with this game!"

Garnett, who had already taken off his training uniform, bumped fists with his old partner and then punched himself twice. He was very satisfied with Marbury's training attitude, and the relationship between the two was "reconciled":
"Yee, this is the game!"

The increasingly noisy stadium also made Pierce's face show excitement, and he couldn't help smiling. He didn't feel much after winning against a bottom-ranked team. This was the game he had imagined.

Compared to the excitement of their opponents, the Knicks did not react much. The recent atmosphere of internal competition has made the locker room a little tense.

The director will also focus on Artest, who has recently returned from injury and has been on the bench. The latter has lost his former ostentatious smile. The kid from Queens is still on the bench tonight.
When the players from both teams came to the center of the court, Li You, wearing the white Knicks jersey, smiled and hugged Ray Allen, who was wearing green.

“It’s great to see you here!”

Hearing Li You's words, Ray Allen also laughed happily, no longer covering his mouth when speaking, and joked generously in front of the camera:

“Maybe I can still win the game!”

The simple greeting between the two made Garnett frown. He didn't like to talk about friendship with his opponents on the court, but he didn't know what to say at this time.

Noticing Gasol's relaxed look, Garnett, who was preparing for a jump ball, immediately glared at him, showing his tough attitude, leaving the Spanish big man with a question mark on his face.
Pierce also learned from him, but Prince didn't react at all. He continued to move his legs and feet, and his eyes were always fixed on the basketball in the referee's hands.

Marbury felt that he was being ignored, so he immediately clapped his hands and shouted a few times, but Raja Bell's attention was focused on Ray Allen, and tonight was also a test for him.

The afternoon game did not affect the enthusiasm of New York fans. At 2:30, the game started on time. Chandler reacted quickly and jumped up to pass the ball at the first opportunity.

The basketball flew directly to his own half of the court. The big man who landed slightly punched his fist and simply encouraged himself. If he wins the game tonight, he will have a greater chance of entering the All-Star Game.

"Let's go Knicks!."

Amid the cheers that resounded throughout the arena, Marbury went on defense early. When he was on the Hawks, he rarely played defense because the team was in a bad state, but when he came to Boston, he spared no effort and tried his best every night.

Years of playing badly have made Marbury develop some bad defensive habits. When the two rushed across half court, Chandler's high pick-and-roll made the referee blow the whistle immediately.

"squeak!"

As the whistle sounded, the referee pointed at Marbury's hand movements. The cheers in the stadium made the outdated "Son of New York" frown and spread his hands. Rivers on the sidelines stopped hanging up and stood up and shouted.

Li You threw the ball to the referee with a smile on his face. Without even looking at his opponent, he stood outside the sideline, looked at his teammates, and made tactical gestures.

Always paying attention to the movements behind him, Marbury controlled the defensive distance while raising his hands to interfere, but this time the Knicks' sideline ball tactics were simple and crude, and Gasol quickly ran outside the three-point line.

Although Garnett stayed close to the defense, his defensive intensity dropped a lot after he was away from the three-point line, and he loudly reminded his partner:
“Move!”

He threw the ball to his teammate, and at the moment Gasol caught the ball, Li You entered the court and suddenly started, pretending to pass the ball to someone, and then instantly accelerated and ran back.

Marbury quickly adjusted his center of gravity, and Gasol passed the ball past his opponent, allowing Li You to receive the ball directly on the left wing.

Li You accelerated the ball and cheers rang out again. Marbury, who was trying hard to defend, gritted his teeth in the first round, but he was still left half a body length behind even though he slid hard.

Perkins under the basket felt Li You rushing in in the blink of an eye, and instinctively moved his feet to assist in defense. Before he could make a defensive move, Li You threw the ball into the air with his left hand while moving.

Watching the basketball fly to the upper right side of the basket, Marbury and Perkins stopped and turned their heads at the same time, watching Chandler jump high, grab the ball in the air, and dunk with both hands!
"what!"

Chandler pulled hard to relieve the force and completed the dunk, then yelled at his opponent, saying that he had gotten the dunk again.

Seeing such an easy score, some New York fans became even more excited. This was different from what they expected. The opponent didn't seem that strong?
Head coach Rivers noticed that Li You stopped at the baseline waiting for the serve and immediately reminded his players loudly. Perkins simply threw the ball to Ray Allen, who was quickly defended after receiving the ball.

Unlike previous games, the Knicks expanded their defense greatly. D'Antoni rarely stayed idle and simply gave simple instructions on the sidelines.

When Ray Allen approached the right wing, he had to protect the ball with his back to the basket for safety. Pierce wanted to go directly to the right blocking area for the ball, but Prince stuck very closely to him and disrupted his chance to catch the ball.

Perkins took the initiative to move up and set a screen for his teammate near the extension line. Facing Chandler's long delayed defense, Ray Allen finally passed the ball back to his teammate who was left open, and then cut into the basket without the ball.

As Chandler returned to defense, Perkins near the right elbow area failed to complete the pass. In desperation, he quickly passed the ball to Garnett who bounced out to the left elbow area.

When the latter received the ball, Marbury was on the left wing. He used to pass the ball easily, but failed due to Li You's interference.

Unable to find an opportunity for counter-running, Marbury could only choose to create space and run to the right corner with Li You.

"Defense!."

Seeing that the opponent's first offensive round was somewhat stagnant, the fans cheered even louder for a moment. Garnett turned around and did not pass the ball again in the face of Gasol's defense. After a tentative step, he immediately released the ball with his right hand.

Ray Allen, who had already run to the left corner, wanted to cooperate with Garnett again. Just as he moved upwards, his teammate had already dribbled one step to the free throw line and made a quick stop jump shot.

Garnett, who sent the ball into the basket against the defense and completed a fierce jump shot, seemed to be overwhelmed with emotion. He also shouted and punched his chest twice while retreating.

"A resolute response! The Celtics seem to have found their offensive rhythm, and Garnett's attack is more decisive than ever!"

Mark Jackson was the first to comment on the attack. Although the tactics did not seem to work, scoring a goal was a good thing.

"It seems that Li has no intention of speeding up after the opening. Perhaps both sides are testing each other."

Mike Breen on the side was laughing and saying half of his words, when Li You, who had just crossed half the court, suddenly dribbled the ball between his legs. As his left hand touched the ball again, he gained half a body position and immediately accelerated.

Seeing that Marbury was about to be passed, the fans cheered again. The Celtics who had just stopped and returned to the half court had no time to assist in defense before Li You broke through to the elbow area.

Marbury, who was whistled at the beginning of the game, didn't dare to move his hands at this time. He slid to the right rear desperately. The moment he reached the left elbow area, he could no longer control his body as Li You pulled back with a cross step.

Under inertia, Marbury wanted to continue defending, but he finally stumbled and almost did the splits on the spot. He watched Li Youhe catch the ball and make a steady jump shot.

"Swish" the basketball went into the net. Perkins, who was still trying hard to get into position, was stunned. Another serve?

"Oh!"

There were endless shouts of joy. Li You sent out a positive signal after the opening, which made the old fans shout even louder. There is a high probability that we will see an offensive performance tonight.

“Am I too slow?”

As Marbury was about to catch the ball, an idea came to his mind, and then he felt something was wrong. He had been beaten before and had never felt this way before.

This time, Raja Bell stuck to Ray Allen in advance, and the Knicks once again tightened their defense. Marbury, who received the ball, was ultimately unable to speed up, and chose to dribble across half court with his butt sticking out amid the fans' booing.

Facing Li You's serious defense, Marbury felt that his opponent wanted to start cutting the ball at any time, and the defensive distance after the confrontation made it difficult for him to speed up.

The left wing was on a pick-and-roll at the three-point line, and Garnett's screen quality was pretty good. When Marbury briefly got rid of the defense, he immediately increased his stride and rushed into the arms of Gasol who was switching defense.

Trying to use his speed to break through the basket, as Marbury rushed to the lower left side of the basket, Chandler also began to move.

At the moment when he attracted two defenders, he found Perkins at the lower right side of the basket through the gap between the two players, and passed the ball too low, forcing the latter to adjust after receiving the ball. When Perkins lifted the ball with force, trying to push away the opponent and shoot the rebound, Li You, who had followed Garnett to the inside, saw the opportunity and suddenly jumped up!

Perkins barely managed to push Chandler away, but the moment the basketball slipped out of his hands, Li You raised his right arm and pressed it onto the backboard.
"OH—! Blocked by Lee!"

Mike Breen in the commentary booth almost cheered along. When he saw Li You take off a second time after landing and pass the ball to his teammates in front of Garnett, he subconsciously shouted again:
"The Knicks launched a transition offense!"

Gasol, who controlled the ball, immediately passed it to Prince, who received the ball and accelerated along the right sideline, instantly shaking off Pierce who was about to grab the rebound.

On the other side, Ray Allen retreated quickly and finally stopped his opponent who was going straight to the basket when approaching the paint area, but Prince attacked resolutely, ignoring Pierce behind him and forced a layup with both of them hanging on him.

When the three players flew out of the baseline, the referee blew the whistle again, Ray Allen committed a foul and gave Prince a free throw.

D'Antoni on the sidelines smiled and clapped. Li You, who was standing in the half court, was too lazy to run over. He gave his teammates a thumbs up and stopped at the free throw line waiting for his opponent.

Although Artest was cheering along with the atmosphere group while sitting on the bench, he was not in a good mood. Prince's performance was improving visibly, and he seemed to be replacing him.

At 2:6, Prince made two free throws and the cheers in the arena became louder.

It is difficult to get a personal feel for the Knicks' offensive rhythm by watching the video, and bottom-ranked teams can't actually experience "playoff Li You" during the regular season.

Marbury, who was closely guarded after crossing half court, tried to push the ball and change direction to get rid of the defense, but the acceleration of lowering his shoulder with his strong side hand did not play much role. In the end, he had no choice but to dribble behind his back with his right hand again and pass the ball to the three-point line again.

Relying on his strong body, Pierce arched all the way up from the low post on the left side, and finally received the ball with his back to the basket near the blocking area.

Garnett, who was in the right elbow area, wanted to go up for a screen, but the former boss pretended to be cool and shook his head, indicating that he wanted to play one-on-one.

"Defense!."

Amid the cheers of the defense, Pierce swayed to the right and then to the left, letting go of the ball with his left hand, and tried to trap Prince behind him with a crossover step, then forced himself to accelerate in an attempt to shake off the defense.

Before he could rush to the baseline, Chandler went up to block him and help defend. Seeing that he was about to be surrounded by two people, Pierce finally chose to pass the ball on the ground.

The basketball came into Perkins' hands, and he tried to dunk under the basket, but Gasol, who had returned to the inside, caught him and blocked his shot.

"Oh!"

The moment the ball fell, Perkins yelled, and Garnett behind him reacted quickly, grabbed the ball, and tried to shoot in the crowd, but was interfered by Chandler again.

The basketball hit the rim and bounced out. Several players scrambled for it, but in the end Chandler grabbed the ball. Garnett cursed and tried his best to retreat.

When Li You, who had been "watching the show" in the right corner, received the ball again, the Celtics had completed their defensive positioning. Head coach Rivers on the sidelines shouted at the top of his lungs, signaling Perkins to concentrate.

After passing the ball, Chandler lagged behind, and after half court there was another high pick-and-roll.

When his teammates stood still, Li You, who was holding the ball in his left hand, took advantage of Marbury adjusting his defensive position and suddenly lowered his center of gravity. He pushed the ball outward, pretending to accelerate, and then suddenly moved the ball behind his back.

Marbury, who had just taken over the screen, watched the basketball disappear. Amid the cheers of the fans, the basketball that seemed to be out of control instantly returned to Li You's hands.

Perkins instinctively stretched out his left arm, and in the blink of an eye, he saw Li You holding the ball in his right hand and starting to accelerate laterally.
The coach's reminder played a role. Dragging his slightly bulky body, Perkins slid hard and retreated to the right wing of the three-pointer. While moving, Li You suddenly stopped and shot the ball without waiting for the two of them to make physical contact.

Clearly seeing Li You exert force with his left foot, and then drifting towards the right sideline, Perkins subconsciously opened his mouth and shouted, trying to interfere in this way:
"what!"

With a slight lean back and a drifting jump shot, Li You showed a teasing smile after landing, watching Perkins' funny defense.

The big man didn't stop and couldn't control his body and almost rushed out of the sideline. The basketball had already flown into the basket and Madison Square Garden was boiling again.

2:9, the score rose again, and the New York fans at the scene became more and more excited. People near the front row started to cheer and yelled at the stunned Perkins:
"You better sit down!"

He was sent back to the bench two minutes into the game. When Perkins came to his senses, he became even more angry. Some people had already said that he was a drag on the "Big Four", and this statement hurt his self-esteem again.

Ray Allen had to remind his teammates loudly, signaling the two big men to cover him during the offense, and then accelerated from the right side near the baseline.

After two screens, he accelerated and bounced to the left wing. Raja Bell's pursuit was delayed, but Marbury's pass was also a beat slow.

Without stopping, realizing that his teammates didn't want to risk passing the ball, Ray Allen simply cut inside the free throw line, accelerated again to get rid of the defense, and at the same time Marbury finally threw the ball in.

After receiving the ball, he adjusted his step. When Ray Allen took three steps towards the basket, Raja Bell, who had been chasing behind him, also stuck to him again.

Rushing to the lower right side of the basket, seeing that the big man was about to assist in defense, Ray Allen finally changed his rhythm, actively leaned towards the defense, and after the collision, he leaned back in the air, tilted his body and threw the ball towards the backboard.

The basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket, and the Celtics bench cheered and responded in time!

The game was still going on, but Mark Jackson, on the ABC commentary booth, felt that something was not right. The Celtics' smooth coordination over the past month seemed to have disappeared, and now they were playing one-on-one.
Before he could express his doubts, at the top of the arc, as Li You passed the ball, Gasol took over the ball in the right elbow area and made another quick counter-run.

Moving laterally and pretending to cut in, Li You on the right wing made Marbury shrink into the three-point line, and then he bounced out again to easily catch the ball. Li You raised the ball and faked it, tricking his opponent into almost taking off immediately.

Some old fans had already stood up, and when Li You released the ball with his right hand, took a step sideways and came to the right sideline, everyone raised their arms and celebrated in advance.

The rhythmic shot did not disappoint the fans. Marbury's symbolic interference did not play any role. The basketball drew an arc and went into the net again.

"Oh my god! We're getting Lee's moment! Perfect sudden rhythm, this is art!"

Mike Breen was emotional, revealing his fan nature. Looking at Rivers who had already walked to the technical table and yelled, Mark Jackson tactfully expressed his opinion:
"The Celtics seemed lost in the opponent's rhythm after the opening, and they had to find a solution as soon as possible."

Pierce asked for the ball early at this time, and when he received the ball outside the three-point line on the right wing, Marbury ran to the opposite side again to open up offensive space.

Ray Allen, who ran towards the right corner from the baseline, did not have many good opportunities. Finally, Pierce called on Garnett to pick and roll, and he went in and out with his left hand, using the screen to block Prince.

After a sudden stop and start, Pierce, who was relying on the defense, accelerated again and forced a breakthrough against Gasol who came to the basket to assist.

Without choosing to pass the ball, Pierce finally fell to the floor when surrounded by three people. The referee blew the whistle, and Prince raised his hand and received a foul.

At 5:12, after making one of two free throws, Pierce's face lost the rebellious look he had before the game, and he couldn't help but recall the experience of being beaten.

The Knicks' offense was fast-paced. When Chandler moved up again and set a fake screen at the top of the arc, Perkins, who was defending, was paralyzed.
While still trying to delay, Li You's sudden pocket pass after lateral acceleration instantly broke through the defense.

After receiving a ground pass in the paint, Chandler wanted to dunk the ball directly, but was finally hugged by Garnett, and there was a burst of boos for a while.

"shush"

Facing huge boos, Ed Lasseter on the Celtics bench frowned and immediately stood up to remind Rivers during the free throw:

"That's three fouls already! We can replace Kendrick, he's not ready."

The assistant coach's reminder calmed Rivers, who was yelling "Hey, hey", but after looking at Scott Pollard on the bench, he finally refused to make a substitution:

“We need rebounds.”

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Rivers signaled Marbury to use a double screen tactic, and Perkins nodded immediately.

Chandler made both free throws and was in high spirits. He also punched himself twice, which made the New York fans scream. They also have tough guys on the court.
After the game started, the first high-quality tactic was played, with Perkins and Garnett's screen at the top of the arc helping Marbury get rid of Li You.

Holding the ball with his left hand, he immediately stopped at the top of the arc. Facing Chandler who chose to retreat on defense, Marbury decisively made a jump shot and missed.

Seeing the long rebound being picked up by Prince, D'Antoni on the sidelines laughed again, sat back in his seat happily, leaned back tactically, and said loudly to the coaching staff beside him:
"They didn't have any chance to win, and they could only use fouls to stop Lee!"

Mike Malone was so absorbed in watching the game that he came back to his senses, smiled, and nodded. However, he couldn't complain in his heart because he knew that the mustache guy wasn't so confident before the game:

"The strongest tactic is really useful."

In the semi-transition offense, Prince stopped on the left wing and passed the ball to Li You, again at the top of the arc. Before Marbury could get into a defensive stance, the Celtics' defense was broken again.

At the moment of releasing the ball, Li You's body swayed to the left and then changed direction drastically. Marbury lost a position and tried to chase back, but ended up rear-ending him.
Slowing down at the free throw line, Li You leaned against the defense, knocking Marbury's body backward, then he calmly took a step sideways and made a drifting jump shot in the right elbow area without any interference!

After scoring the goal, Li You no longer pressed the ball throughout the court, but instead stepped back, smiling and spreading his hands to the fans.

"Oh!!"

His speed and strength were completely suppressed. Marbury seemed to hear Li You say to him, "Is that your level?" He was so angry that he slammed the ball hard when he received it.

In the offensive round, after the pick-and-roll, he ran into Gasol's arms again. Marbury held the ball with his left hand and went straight to the basket. After being disturbed, he folded in the air, trying to find Garnett who was following up from behind.

The basketball was passed through the gaps between people again, but was intercepted by Li You neatly. Garnett could only delay immediately and the Celtics were forced to retreat again.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The cheers resounding throughout the stadium calmed Marbury down at the top of the arc. He looked at his opponent approaching him and nervously pulled up his shorts.

After a jump dribble, the basketball briefly hovered in Li You's left hand. His opponent moved his body and changed direction under his hips in an instant. Marbury successfully predicted this and immediately changed his center of gravity.

Marbury hurriedly slid to the left rear, trying to block Li You, but found himself half a body length behind again. He could not keep up with the offensive rhythm.

The shouts of encouragement became louder and louder. Li You, who was about to completely break through the defense, pulled back from the free throw line, and Marbury immediately slipped past him.
When Li You raised the ball for a fake shot, he failed to control his defensive movements. Marbury, who instinctively rushed forward, tried to restrain his body, but soon the referee blew the whistle again.

"squeak!"

Li You took a steady jump shot while defending, and watched the basketball go into the net again. Garnett, who was under the basket, also stared with his eyes wide open.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

When the shouts of joy were heard in the stadium, head coach Rivers, who was standing nearby, was stunned for a moment and only requested a timeout after being reminded by his assistant coach.

5:17, before the half-quarter, the main guard committed two fouls and the team was trailing by 2 points.
When Eddie House received the greeting from the coaching staff, he just felt his scalp tingling. In a disadvantageous situation, he really didn't want to face off against Li You. The title of "little killer" was not exaggerated.

"Be tougher! OK? Turn the ball around! We have to get the rhythm of the game back!"

“Let’s go! We have plenty of time.”

Rivers waved in front of his players. The noise on the scene forced him to yell at the top of his lungs. He was in no mood to care about the frustrated Marbury.
What saved the team after the timeout was Ray Allen's three-pointer. There was still no strategy, and the game stagnated after Eddie House dealt the ball from the top of the arc.

On the left wing, using Perkins' fake screen, Ray Allen released the ball with his right hand and instantly changed direction, then immediately passed the ball and made a very fast jump shot from outside the three-point line.

At 8:17, the score difference returned to single digits, and Ray Allen, who was retreating, clapped his hands repeatedly.

Marbury, who was sitting on the bench, became more and more depressed. He watched Eddie House being crushed by Li You at the top of the arc. Garnett was forced to help defend, and Gasol received the ball at the bottom right side of the basket and dunked with one hand.

Pierce, who was being helped, passed the ball again, and finally scored again with Garnett's fake jump shot at the free throw line.

The game was getting faster and faster, and Eddie House, who was repeatedly bombarded, was about to collapse. The opponent was too aggressive and did not play more pick-and-rolls as he said before the game. It was all face-to-face attacks.
When Garnett missed his jump shot and Pierce finally scored a goal in the open play, the Knicks also requested a timeout, Prince was replaced and Artest came on as a substitute.

With 4 minutes and 46 seconds left in the first quarter, the Knicks changed their lineup and once again limited their opponent's offense. Apart from free throws, the Celtics' offensive goals disappeared for a while.

As time went by, Garnett could no longer hold on. Li You turned around at the top of the arc, held the ball in his right hand, and rushed into the paint area carrying Eddie House.

Garnett wanted to show his tough attitude and was ready to make a ruthless move. He moved his feet, but he saw Li You stop suddenly, knock away his opponent, and then step back and make a jump shot.
He scored continuously in almost the same way near the frame in the paint area. The New York fans at the scene watched Li You make a "C" sign with his thumb and index finger when he retreated, and the shouting became louder for a while.

The sound waves swept the entire stadium, and the Celtics players on the field were almost stunned. Pierce made a slow three-step breakthrough after a pick-and-roll on the right wing, and Artest saw the opportunity and hugged the basketball.

After the fight, the two fell directly into the paint area, with the shouts of fans in their ears. When Pierce saw the referee making a gesture to fight for the ball, he got angry and stood up to "confront" the referee.
After Artest successfully fought for the ball at the free throw line, Pierce almost broke down on the spot when he saw his old rival punching in celebration in front of him.

Ray Allen came to assist in defense in advance, and for a moment the Celtics' defense failed to rotate in time. Raja Bell received the ball on the right wing and made another quick three-pointer!

There was jubilation on the Knicks bench. On the other side, Marbury began to cover his face. Tony Allen and Glen Davis both had confused looks on their faces. This was completely different from what they had imagined.

In the last minute or so, free throws were taken frequently. When Li You's long three-pointer missed, Rivers on the sidelines subconsciously let out a long sigh, and then cursed:
"What the hell!"

At 22:38, when Eddie House walked to the bench, his mind went blank and the game lasted for half a quarter like a nightmare.

打满首节，9中8，三分线外3中2，罚球5中5，23分1篮板5助攻1抢断1盖帽，李佑遗憾小胜凯尔特人队。

D'Antoni was high-fiving his players on the sidelines early in the morning. When he saw Li You slowly walking towards him, he immediately stepped forward and gave him a big hug, with his mustache brows wide open.

The director also turned the camera to this side, and the tactical master gave the opponent a surprise at the beginning. This situation almost stunned the sports reporters on the scene.

When Michelle Tafoya showed up next to head coach Rivers, he looked strange. The 100 tactics he had promised were gone.

"With a 16-point difference, how will the Celtics adjust in the next game?"

"."

(End of this chapter)