NBA: Miracle Workers

Chapter 634: The True and False "Flash" (9700 words chapter)
On Sunday, May 2009, 5, the Western Conference semifinals kicked off, and the only seventh game in the first round also attracted much attention.

The Heat failed to seize the opportunity and after losing their home court, they had to fly to Atlanta again for the seventh game.

For both teams, the fight so far can be considered a lose-lose situation, especially the Heat. Even if they win in the end, they will have to fly to New York on Monday.

Regardless of the outcome of the semifinals, the Hawks fans at the Philips Arena just wanted to see the home team win, with more than 18000 fans fully engaged, shouting loudly to put pressure on their opponents as soon as the game started.

At the end of the first half, the offensive efficiency of both teams was not very good. Relying on the inside advantage, the Hawks temporarily took the lead 46:48.

After the start of the second half, players from both sides continued to miss shots, but Joe Johnson was the first to recover, scoring 10 points in a single quarter, helping the team expand its lead in the third quarter.

After the start of the fourth quarter, the Heat were unable to narrow the gap, and the Hawks fans at the scene became even more excited. Until there was only one minute left in the game, Artest, who had been missing shots, suddenly broke out.

Through his big-hearted performance, he made three-pointers in succession and successfully helped the team overtake the score!

Looking at Artest beating his chest and roaring and the Heat players celebrating wildly, Jeff Van Gundy on the ABC commentary booth also excitedly exclaimed loudly at this moment:
"This is the role of a champion striker. Meta has experienced too many big scenes. He saved the team at the last moment!"

14 of 3, 7 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, and 7 of 4 free throws. With 23.6 seconds left in the game, Artest finally scored in double digits. Although the 12-point performance was inefficient, it was enough to win the game.

"We must praise this offensive choice. World Peace played a huge role at the critical moment. It's time to test the Eagles!"

Mark Jackson also showed excitement on his face. While praising the goal, he also analyzed the tactics that the Eagles might adopt. 91:90, they only needed to get 2 points to complete the counterattack.

The Philips Arena became increasingly noisy. Unlike the Heat's crazy celebration, Hawks head coach Mike Woodson tried hard to control his emotions on the bench.

Mike Woodson said nothing on his dark face, but he couldn't help but speak faster. He gave the last attack to Joe Johnson. This was his choice. Success or failure depended on it:
"Patience, we have enough time to get the ball into the basket, the big guys have to be ready and pay attention to the rebound."

Josh Smith and Al Horford had no objection to the coach's arrangement. After all, Joe Johnson performed the best tonight. His sudden outburst in the second half allowed them to maintain the score difference.

Until the referee reminded them, the coaching staff kept reminding the players that this was a round that would decide the outcome of the game and they did not want to lose in the tiebreak.

On the other side, head coach Spoelstra's face turned red with excitement. Leading a team in the first round and leading a team in the semi-finals are completely different. He pulled the players aside to give them final instructions. At this moment, he wished that the other team would make a mistake.

Because they were going to fight against the main players tonight, Wade and the others were taking deep breaths. Their physical strength had reached its limit, and the only thing supporting them now was the desire for victory.

The director kept focusing the camera on the players of both teams. Joe Johnson became the protagonist on the court at this time, with a determined look on his face. As the sideline ball was sent out, Mike Bibby was immediately guarded by Wade.

Artest had to control his defensive actions. As time passed, with the help of a screen, Joe Johnson prepared to go to the right wing to receive the ball.

The Heat made lineup adjustments in the second half of this round of games, with James Jones starting and Wade moving to the number one position.

In crucial games, Artest still took on more defensive tasks as the coaching staff believed in the championship forward's defensive ability.

Deliberately controlling the time, when Joe Johnson received the ball outside the three-point line, there were less than 10 seconds left in the game. The Hawks fans were shouting and cheering louder and louder.

Guarding the ball sideways and facing the oppressive defense, Joe Johnson immediately dribbled between his legs and switched to his right hand after releasing the ball, then immediately lowered his shoulders and accelerated.

Unable to shake off Artest, Joe Johnson drove towards the baseline with the ball. Finally, when he approached the baseline, he confronted while moving, quickly stepped back, then drifted to the right and rear, and forced a jump shot!
"state!"

The strong Hawks fans screamed, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced out. Before everyone had time to sigh, Al Horford seized the opportunity and stretched out his right arm across Haslem.

Everyone rushed to the basket, and while everyone was still pulling, the basketball suddenly went into the basket. Then the Hawks players all rushed to their teammates like crazy to celebrate wildly.

"what!!"

The fans in the front row jumped and danced, Al Horford pumped his fists and roared. Although the Heat requested a timeout, the remaining time was probably less than one second, and the referee was still reviewing to determine the final time.

"Fuck you! You are soft as shit, you wasted my goal."

Artest, sweating profusely, was in a rage as he walked to the bench. He cursed Haslem, who was already upset, and for a moment he glared at him, then turned around and said back:

"If you could get a few more points, we would have advanced at home! You bastard!"

The two began to push and shove, and everyone on the bench rushed forward to separate the two sides. On the other side, Wade just felt sore all over, and he was out of breath. Now he felt more and more tired.

There was only a two-minute break in the entire game, and the Flash didn't rest for even a minute in the second half. He really couldn't hold on any longer at this point and was even too lazy to get involved in the conflict.

The assistant coaches all crowded in front of the technical table, trying to buy more time. Head coach Spoelstra was also annoyed. He could not accept such a low-level mistake that ruined the game.

David Lee, sweating profusely, saw the coach rigidly drawing the tactics and still giving the ball to Wade. He immediately stood up, bent over, pointed at the tactics board and loudly suggested:

"If the opposition is focused on Wade and passes the ball to the basket, I can take advantage of it."

"."

Seeing David Lee excitedly gesturing on the tactical board, Wade wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Coach Spoelstra didn't scold the players, but called everyone to "listen."

The Hawks began to put pressure on the referee, saying the review time was too long, and the Atlanta fans at the scene also began to boo to express their dissatisfaction. Finally, after reviewing the clock, it returned to 1.3 seconds.

Head coach Mike Woodson was still dissatisfied. In his opinion, the time should have been less than one second and they had already won the game. He did not like this kind of forced time.

"Can the Heat seize the opportunity? With 1.3 seconds left, they have a chance to make the shot!"

Mike Breen, who loves to watch the fun, began to discuss with his two partners in the commentary booth, and predicted what tactics the Heat would use.

"Defense!."

The protest was ineffective, and the Hawks fans began their final shout. Victory was already beckoning to them, and as long as the basketball was kicked, they could celebrate to their heart's content.

The camera was facing Artest standing outside the sideline. He still had an angry look on his face, and was obviously very dissatisfied with the previous round. The Heat first created an opportunity for James Jones, and then Wade shot from the center.

One of them ran to the right wing, and the other ran to the top of the arc. Seeing that the sideline ball was about to be lost, Artest suddenly threw the ball directly to the upper right side of the basket.

Hawks fans watched as David Lee, who had completed the screen, suddenly moved down and jumped high before Al Horford. Some fans couldn't help but exclaimed, and then their fingers touched the basketball.

"Buzz!"

Amid the buzzing sound, David Lee, who touched the ball briefly, was knocked to the ground by Horford who was defending him. As the basketball hit the backboard and fell into the basket, many Hawks fans gasped, and many of them covered their faces with their hands.

"what!!"

The Heat's atmosphere team all rushed to the field and yelled loudly. Artest even pushed everyone aside, pulled David Lee up immediately, and hugged his little brother and yelled loudly.

Wade was also overjoyed. He didn't care whether the goal was valid or not. He wanted to squeeze over to join the celebration immediately. However, as soon as he took a step, David Lee, whose curly hair was messed up by his teammates, rushed over.

Wade thought his teammates were bumping chests with him to celebrate, but before he could jump, he found that David Lee had pushed him aside and was quickly walking to the center circle surrounded by the crowd.

In front of the camera, David Lee's face flushed with excitement. He pulled at his Heat jersey and shouted loudly, showing off his leadership qualities:
"This is my house!"

When the referee announced that the goal was valid, head coach Spoelstra couldn't help but clench his fist to celebrate. No matter what the result of the subsequent games is, as long as he defeated the opponent in a game seven, this season would be a success.

93:92, amid the boos that resounded throughout the stadium, the Heat won the game with a score of 4:3 and successfully advanced to the semifinals.

Al Horford sat on the bench in frustration and didn't stand up. Losing in this way made his eyes red. He was just one step away from breaking through the first round.

"You've done well enough, man, congratulate your opponent and then go home and have a good rest."

Although Joe Johnson was a little disappointed, he remained emotionally stable after the loss and was the first to step forward to simply comfort his teammates.

In fact, he didn't want to go to New York. He didn't like playing in Madison Square Garden at all. It made him feel like a "clown".

Mike Bibby also felt relieved. As a veteran, he didn't want to play against Li You, especially on MVP night. He felt a headache just thinking about it.

It's just that the veteran will never show this emotion. After all, the label of "soft egg" is not acceptable. Although it is regrettable to lose in this way, Mike Bibby secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

"Don't blame yourself, Bro, you are still young and time is always on your side."

Hearing the veteran's comfort, Al Horford stood up after being pulled by everyone. He wanted to give the victory to his new girlfriend, but now he could only swallow the bitter fruit of failure.

On the other side, although Wade was smiling happily during the interview, he felt a little complicated after seeing David Lee surrounded by the crowd in the back. He always felt that he had lost some status in the team.

"You will face the defending champion, Wade, in the semifinals, and meet Lee again in the playoffs. How do you feel about this?"

Wade came back to his senses and looked down at the reporter. After a moment's silence, he smiled confidently and said seriously:

"I will go all out to lead the team to victory. I hope the New York media will apologize by then. They shouldn't laugh at Allen Iverson. The No. 3 jersey deserves more respect!"

"."

At the post-game press conference, Wade, Artest and David Lee were present together, and Haslem completely lost his position on the team.

After winning the game, Artest, who was previously in a bad mood, returned to normal. However, he was too lazy to take care of the core. When talking about the final buzzer-beating moment, he talked endlessly about his championship experience:

"David and I both know how to win. This is just the first round and we won't feel any pressure!"

"As for the connection of the championship forwards, we actually already had a tacit understanding. You know, even though we left New York, the championship experience will not disappear!"

"The team still has a lot to improve and we could have won the game more easily."

David Lee was beaming with joy as he was the "protagonist" for the first time. He was also a little excited. The feeling of beating his opponent was so great that he even yelled the wrong "line":
"Metta is right. As one of the leaders of the team, I need to step up at this time."

"We have to play for each other. This is also a valuable experience I learned from playing with Lee. At the critical moment, everyone should stand up."

"I'm very happy to enter the semi-finals and return to New York. I still have an attitude of learning. I'm very happy to see Li Neng win the MVP again."

The two of them talked nonstop in front of the reporters, and Wade's limelight was completely stolen. He made 24 of 9 shots and scored 31 points. This performance was already very outstanding, but at this time everyone wanted to interview the championship forward who "returned home".

It wasn't until a Yahoo Sports reporter suddenly asked a question that Wade came back to his senses, but his smile soon disappeared again.

"Wade, after the tiebreaker, will you insist on facing Lee in the next semifinal?"

"Yes, I will not back down. I am ready."

On Monday, May 5, the NBA officially announced the Most Valuable Player Award for this season, and the Knicks' Li You defeated all opponents with almost a crushing number of votes.

LeBron James, who was the most popular candidate, still failed to defeat "Old Deng" and had to finish second. The semi-finals will start tonight. The Chosen One immediately sent his blessings when he was interviewed in the morning:

"Congratulations to Lee. I have no doubt about the result. You know, the Knicks have a better record. Lee's personal data surpasses everyone in the league. He deserves the trophy."

"I appreciate the support of Melo, but I don't like 'extra criteria'. I believe I will have a chance to win this award in the future!"

"."

In another game last night, the Nuggets crushed the Jazz at home 96:109, making it the first semifinal in his career, with Carmelo Anthony clocking out in three quarters.

After winning the game easily, Anthony did not talk much about the game. Instead, he spoke up for his friend, saying that the league was suppressing young people and that James should get the trophy.

As we all know, Anthony has completely "turned against" Scarlett and Lala Vasquez since they "torn each other apart" on social media.

Unlike Wade, the "fake fan" who confronts head-on, Anthony is more sarcastic and also calls on his friends to "fire" at his opponents together.

However, LeBron James is still the same as before, always expressing his views modestly, and even declared more than once that "Lee has always been my idol and we have a very good relationship."

Seeing that James did not "take the bait", sports reporters were a little disappointed. The chosen one lacked the temperament of old-school players. Look at Kobe, who constantly challenges without fanning the flames and never compromises.

Like his partner, Dwight Howard, the young center has shined in this year's playoffs, showing strong dominance in the interior.

When talking about MVP, they sent their blessings as usual, and then laughed and joked about tonight's opponent, showing that they were determined to win:

"I just want to taste revenge! I can't wait to beat the Celtics at home!"

The Celtics flew to Cleveland very low-key, which was related to Garnett's inability to return from injury. Head coach Rivers emphasized in front of the media more than once that the Celtics had won:
"I'm proud of my players for getting through the first round despite the injuries."

"."

Don’t ask about the expectations for the next games. If you ask Rivers, he will say that the Celtics have achieved their goals.

In contrast, Boston fans are more "stubborn". At least they still resist the Knicks and launch counterattacks on Reddit from time to time.

The person who was most unhappy about Li You's award was Kobe. During the warm-up in the afternoon to prepare for the game against the Mavericks, Mamba had a sullen face again. When he heard the reporter's question, his face darkened for a moment:

"I think the league lacks respect for me! I don't know why you keep putting me fifth!"

"Maybe you should ask other people this question. I always believe that I deserve the award. Don't forget that the Lakers won 67 games."

After saying a few words with a sullen face, Kobe stopped accepting interviews and became even more silent during the warm-up. He couldn't even get the second place. In his opinion, this award was simply a joke!
Everyone on the Lakers, except Kobe, sent their blessings. Since Barnes began to share his championship experience, many role players feel that New York basketball seems to be better.

Although Duncan, who was eager to go home, was not affected, after learning that the past reports were true, he also admired Li You's persistence. After the age of 30, physical decline is inevitable.

Different from his previous attitude, when asked about the MVP question, Duncan expressed his serious attitude:
"I know how difficult it is to maintain physical condition after the age of 30. Li has made great efforts for this. At the age of 31, averaging 38.4 points per game, it is more difficult than when he was young!" "I am very happy to see Li win the award."

Recently, New York media revealed that Li You has been training actively and is the last one to leave the training hall every day, which has touched countless fans. Ge Ge is really working hard!

Duncan obviously saw the report and was a little skeptical about what Fish said last year, but the arrival of tough guy Barnes made him completely believe it.

Seeing Li You working so hard to prepare for the playoffs, Duncan couldn't help but feel admiration in his heart, and at the same time, a little bit of indescribable relief.

New York's championship experience has spread to Los Angeles. Among the teams that have reached the semifinals, only the Cavaliers and Celtics lack the "championship element."

The Knicks have made tremendous contributions to the development of the league. After winning the championship, they did not forget their opponents and led the entire league to make progress together!
In the game that night, Kobe played with anger and at full speed. He kept shooting and attacking again and again, igniting the atmosphere of the Staples Center.

In the end, the Mavericks won the first game away from home with a score of 110:102. Nowitzki made 22 of 12 shots and efficiently scored a double-double of 28 points, winning the game in a low-key manner.

"shush"

There were some boos in the stadium after the game. Kobe played 42 minutes, made 31 of 14 shots, 6 of 1 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 3 free throws, contributing a game-high 32 points.

Although the core players performed well, Phil Jackson looked serious after the game and criticized pointedly in an interview:
"We have to move the ball instead of getting into more singles. We lost our rhythm of the game. Kidd saw this opportunity. Unfortunately, we lost a home court!"

"."

Kobe, who was the first to return to the locker room and calmed down, also felt a little regretful. He lost all the games in which he took 30+ shots this season. He still felt a little sad when he thought about the lost trophy:

“Why is it always like this?”

On Tuesday, May 5th, early in the morning, the news about the Celtics in Boston newspapers were all "pessimistic". 5:94, the Cavaliers won a crushing victory at home last night.

Half of the content about the game in New York newspapers mocked the Lakers for losing, while the other half congratulated Li You on winning the seventh MVP trophy of his career.

This is a historic moment. The 31-year-old Li You officially surpassed Kareem Jabbar to become the player with the most MVPs in NBA history!
After experiencing the seventh game in Atlanta, the Heat players rushed to New York without much time. After arriving in the city, they found that they were completely ignored.

There was basically no content about them in the newspapers, and what made Wade upset was that the few articles that did appear were all about touting the "champion forward connection."
After the morning press conference ended, ESPN and several sports media immediately updated the columns on their websites.

The photo of Li You wearing a black striped suit and posing with seven trophies began to circulate widely on the Internet. Some people expected Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to express his opinion, but the Lakers legend did not choose to speak out.

During the afternoon warm-up, the Heat did not receive any extra attention. It seemed that no one cared about the outcome of the game. Many reporters preferred to discuss the news they received at the press conference:
"Seven trophies, this is a good thing for the little ones, no need to worry about not having enough trophies to share!"

When Li You was holding his 3-year-old son and joking about the number of trophies, the MSG reporter also asked about the future.

Li You seemed very calm about the eighth child. In the afternoon, everyone started gossiping about the "new family members", which took some of the heat off the competition.

Wade, who overcame difficulties and reached the semi-finals, felt extremely uncomfortable when he was treated like this. No one respected him!
At 19:30 p.m. that evening, Madison Square Garden was packed. Many New York fans were holding up white boards with "MVP" on them. The scene was filled with joy as everyone was waiting for the award ceremony to begin.

The Heat players, wearing their red and black away jerseys, were waiting for David Stern to arrive at the other end of the court. Wade was secretly sulking again. The New York fans had not forgotten him:
"Flash, RUN!"

Some people also prepared a whiteboard for him, quoting content from the Flash comics, which seemed friendly, but combined with the actual situation, it was obviously a mockery of him.

As the lights in the arena gradually came on, the cheers grew louder. In the middle of the field, David Stern held the microphone and waved his hands. The New York fans at the scene began to shout loudly:
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

This year, Li You's first choice rate in the selection reached 90%. Considering that there were two teams with 67 wins in the regular season, this vote rate was a bit outrageous. James and Kobe could hardly share the votes.

"It's incredible. We witnessed new history at Madison Square Garden tonight. Lee has created a miracle again with his seventh trophy in his career!"

"I don't want to repeat those excellent statistics. At the age of 31, we have seen countless wonderful qualities in Li!"

"."

David Stern praised Li You's self-discipline and hard work, and also gave him the "One Man One City Award", praising his loyalty. Finally, amid the cheers of New York fans, he announced again:
"NBA is a place where miracles are born. Congratulations again to Lee for winning the 2008-09 Most Valuable Player Award! This has been an amazing season!"

“Lee! Lee! Lee!”

Amid the shouts that echoed throughout the arena, Li You, wearing the Knicks' white home training suit, raised the trophy above his head with both hands. Under the lights, the little bronze man seemed to emit a different kind of brilliance.

In Wade's eyes, the trophy seemed to be glowing. Such a scene made his blood boil. It was a pity that he was not the protagonist. MVP is definitely an important honor for professional players, and no one can refuse the trophy.

The shouts of joy were getting louder and louder. Wade came to his senses and didn't hear Li You praising his teammates before, but the laughter at this time made his face even darker:

"I'm so happy to see Mehta and David succeed in Miami. They helped the Heat win the game in Game 7. I'm really proud of them!"

"I am not just a professional player. Like you, I hope to see more exciting games. I hope the championship experience can help other teams get better and better. The Knicks will not be afraid of any challenge!"

"."

Artest and David Lee, who received cheers, waved to the New York fans. This scene made Haslem very angry. If he continued to stay like this, he suspected that he would be fired.

"Show some respect to our opponents tonight! Now let's just enjoy the game!"

On the TNT broadcast booth, Kevin Harlan saw that the atmosphere was dull during the Heat's warm-up and could only introduce it euphemistically:

"Coach Spoelstra's bold change of formation worked in the first round. Wade has taken on the responsibility of the No. 1 position very well, but he needs to control his number of mistakes!"

Doug Collins expressed his opinion a long time ago that he was not optimistic about the Heat, and he talked about the gap between Wade and Li You more than once in related programs. Tonight he did not hold back:
"High-quality screens can help Wade, but it's hard for the Heat to maintain the quality of the screens."

"More importantly, Wade can't 'see' his teammates like Lee can. His assists often come from breakthroughs. Tonight will be a huge test for him in terms of controlling the rhythm of the game."

Head coach Spoelstra on the sidelines seemed a little nervous. Seeing Gasol also warming up actively, he immediately felt that the situation was not good. The tall lineup would curb their counterattack.

The coach's repeated instructions made Wade feel a little impatient. Seeing his two teammates talking and laughing with their opponents, he felt even worse. He once again understood Garnett's point of view: championship experience is not important!
When the referee signaled the players from both teams to come to the center of the court, Li You, who was in a good mood, saw Wade's face was long and immediately teased him again:
"Man, you want to inherit the No. 3 jersey? Win a game and maybe someone will listen to you."

Wade, who spoke up for his idol, became furious when he heard this topic, because Li You "humiliated" Iverson and the No. 3 jersey was also "humiliated".

Some players who are trying to take advantage of the popularity have even expressed on social media that they want to change their numbers, which is simply a mockery.

"You're not going to be young forever. One day, you're going to be in the same situation as AI, man! Everyone is going to decline!"

This is not the first time Wade has said this. Seeing the angry look of the "fake fans", Li You just raised his eyebrows and did not refute. After all, "data" does not lie:
Breakthrough layup: 99;

Ball speed: 99;

【Open three-pointer】: 99;

After his ball control attribute accumulated to the limit of 99, Li You did not relax in the past few days. He practiced hard every night. As a chain reaction, three more data rose to the limit.

Relying on the talents accumulated in the past and the physical attributes that break the limit, Li You can easily deal with high-intensity confrontations with multiple people double-teaming. Now that he is "one with the ball", he feels that he is in excellent shape.

"Let's go Knicks!."

The cheers were getting louder and louder, and Wade raised his head and stopped talking. He was jumping up and down when he met the big man Dio who was silent in the first round, but he was particularly active tonight. The Heat team lacked height, and this was his favorite opponent.

Artest saw Wade's unconvinced look and grinned again.

He doesn't like the Heat's team culture. Wade could have refused to practice more, but he never sought benefits for everyone. Now it's his turn to "refuse."

At 20 p.m., amid the cheers of New York fans, bearded Chandler easily pushed the ball back to half court with his height advantage. After Li You received the ball, Wade immediately stepped forward to lead the defense.

The core players' confrontation was seen at the beginning of the game, and this situation instantly ignited the stadium. Wade, who was somewhat tired, stared at the basketball, while not forgetting to control the defensive distance.

Facing players of the "same type", Wade, who has become stronger this season, thinks he has the experience to defend. He doesn't try to interfere at all, but just slides and is ready to squeeze through the screen at any time.

Seeing Li You throw the ball to JR Smith on the right wing after crossing half court, and then cut into the middle without the ball, Coach Spoelstra on the sidelines immediately reminded loudly:

“Move!”

James Jones saw Dio moving at the free throw line and thought it was a pick-and-roll. After squeezing through the screen, he found that JR Smith immediately passed the ball back.

As Dio bounced out to the right wing and received the ball, Haslem followed out. Noticing that Li You had already run to the left corner, he immediately shouted to Wade who was chasing him.

Although he knew what his opponent was going to do, Wade was unable to interfere. He watched Li You accelerate laterally after receiving the hand-to-hand pass and hurriedly responded to his teammates' switch defense.

Dio ran to the left corner, pretending to be ready to catch the ball at any time. On the other side, JR Smith was already "watching the show" in the right corner.

Prince, who moved to the right wing, didn't seem to have any intention of responding, which made Haslem, who came up to assist in defense, happy and his speed increased.

Wade, who was defending near the top of the arc, was about to squeeze to his side, but he didn't expect that Li You would pass the ball in front of and behind him while moving.

The basketball was within Wade's reach, so he instinctively reached out. He lowered his center of gravity, and the basketball just passed under his left hand, bounced onto the floor, and then he jumped up.

The rash steal instantly lost his defensive position. Haslem, who was moving, had no time to react. Li You, who was dribbling the ball from behind, had already broken through to the right side of his body.

"Oh!"

Amid the cheers of New York fans, Haslem, who moved to the free throw line, seemed to have turned into a wooden stake, watching Li You break through from the side.

The fans sitting in the front row only felt a flash before their eyes, and Li You passed through the encirclement of two people and came to the lower left side of the basket where he encountered David Lee who was assisting in defense. After a brief confrontation in the air, he casually threw the ball towards the basket with his left hand.

"Bang!"

As the basketball hit the backboard and went into the basket, Wade, who was trying to defend, stood still at the left elbow, staring, still looking dazed.

Not seeing how Li You got through the double-team did not affect the mood of the fans behind. Scoring was a good shot. The young people in the screaming seats began to shout excitedly, and the opponent looked vulnerable.

D'Antoni, who was sitting on the bench, noticed that the opponent's defensive strategy was still mainly double-teaming, so he immediately retreated tactically.

But seeing that the opponent also used double screen during offense, David Lee and Haslem had already stood in the elbow area early. The mustache man complained helplessly in his heart, and then stood up and reminded Chandler loudly.

Such tactics were rarely used in the first round of games. In the semifinals, head coach Spoelstra stopped pretending and just "learned from others". He ambushed shooters in two corners and let Wade break through.

"Shh!"

The familiar position of the opponent caused the New York fans at the scene to boo loudly, and after the Suns, someone else "copied 1:1".

Wade dribbled the ball across half court, but it was not as easy as he had expected before the game. Li You didn't seem to care about his speed at all. Not only did he stick to him, but he also kept interfering.

After changing direction between his legs, he accelerated suddenly with the ball in his left hand. Not only did Wade fail to shake off Li You, but he was forced to slow down and protect the ball due to the interference.

When David Lee suddenly came up to provide a screen, Wade turned around and accelerated again, briefly getting rid of Li You, but almost crashed into Chandler's arms.

The big man chose his position just right, and when Wade wanted to speed up, Li You had already caught up with him.

Chandler began to slide towards the basket, giving his opponent a chance. Wade waited for a chance to make a quick stop jump shot, but he noticed Li You's defensive position and hesitated before finally jumping up and dribbling the ball.

David Lee, who was about to run down the court, quickly stretched out his arm, but before he could control the basketball, Li You had already started, came to his side and poked the ball away, then rushed across the center line in the blink of an eye.

Cheers rang out again, and Wade gave up completely after chasing after half court. He watched Li You, who was unguarded, show off his skills, changing hands under his crotch and slamming the ball into the basket!
"Shet!"

With a low curse, Wade quickly raised his arms to indicate that it was his problem. Noticing the head coach next to him signaling him to stay steady, he deliberately slowed down to catch the ball at the baseline.

When Wade calmed down his breathing and dribbled the ball across half court again, he was still entangled by Li You and could not speed up. No matter how he stopped and started quickly, he could not get rid of the defense. Once he stopped the ball, he would encounter continuous interference.

The quality of this pick-and-roll was not high. After being squeezed by Li You, Wade, who was almost double-teamed, quickly threw the ball to James Jones on the left wing.

After the latter received the ball, Wade immediately went down, and then with the help of his teammates, he quickly ran to the right corner.

The noisy stadium was distracting. Li You was always by Wade's side. When Wade tried to get the ball from David Lee on the right wing, he faked, ran back, and struggled for several seconds before finally catching the ball at the baseline.

Without waiting for the pick-and-roll to happen, Wade, who was being pulled continuously, immediately released the ball with his right hand, lowered his center of gravity and broke through.

"Oh!"

Amid cheers, Wade was forced to stop by Li You near the right baseline and had to twist his body to protect the ball. Finally, he held the ball with his left hand and continued to shoot, but failed to squeeze into the basket. He had no choice but to dribble and then made a fade away jump shot.

Unable to squeeze out any space after the confrontation, Wade in the air had to raise the arc, and finally the basketball hit the backboard and barely touched the basket, causing laughter from the fans at the scene.

"Bad shot selection! Wade encountered the same difficulties as Iverson in the first round. He didn't look ready."

Looking at Wade falling to the floor, Doug Collins made a tactful comment. The Knicks had already launched a counterattack. Li You, who received the ball, ran faster and faster without any interference.

Haslem, who was actively retreating to the top of the arc, was still moving his feet. While moving, Li You pushed the ball and changed direction to his right hand. He broke into the paint area immediately as if he was in an empty space.

"what!"

Before the opponent's defense could get into place, Li You took three steps forward, swung his arms and slammed the ball. After landing, he slapped his chest, once again showing his tough guy temperament.

Wade, who was chasing and defending at half court, had a more real feeling that Li You was faster. This was not an illusion at all. Thinking of the other party's 31-year-old age and skin color, he couldn't help but murmured:
"God! It can't be like this!"

(End of this chapter)