Champion, please stay!

Chapter 101, 99. Overwhelming Aura
"Dominator in the paint: "
1. When you launch an attack at close range, facing the frame, your power increases by 1. When encountering a confrontation, if you have a power advantage, the interference with your jump will be greatly reduced.

2. When you receive the ball at close range and shoot, your jump will reach the level of a running jump. If there is only one defender under the basket, it will greatly reduce the interference of the jump caused by the confrontation.

3. Your training efficiency for close-range face-up one-on-one techniques will be increased by 50%.

Originally tired and sleepy, Yi Shui suddenly became energetic, jumping up and down a few times before lying back down.

He reopened the system screen and carefully read the description of the new talent.

The direct 'skill effect' is divided into two parts: with the ball and without the ball.

The off-the-ball movement is more 'hard', but it relies on teammates for passes.

The ball-handling aspect offers greater autonomy, but requires a strength advantage to fully utilize its potential.

Like the 'Guardian of the Basket' and 'Rhythm Type', with the addition of 'Skill Effect', the 'Pure Talent Attribute' is greatly reduced to only 50%, unlike the 'Angle Genius' and 'Low Post Genius' which have a 100% bonus.

If it were during the off-season, Yi Shui would definitely prefer a talent with high training efficiency like the 'Angle Genius', but the new season starts tomorrow, and the 'half talent, half skill' will immediately come into play.

Right? The combined effects of "Heavy Tank" and "Interior Overlord" somehow give off a "brutal stomp on weak opponents" vibe.

After completing the 'loan', Yi Shui's confidence increased significantly, not because of the newly acquired talent, but because of the 'loan' itself.

Having already received several bonuses, he discovered that the system wouldn't give out bonuses in advance for things that were absolutely impossible. In other words, the system also determined that they had the potential to make the playoffs in the upcoming new season!

As for not making the playoffs... at worst, he'll get two fewer talents in the future. He already has one, so he'll only lose one. And it won't deduct from his existing talents. He gets a 50% training efficiency bonus, so he can enjoy it sooner rather than later.

Considering the overall performance of those preseason opponents... thank goodness New York is in the East!

……

The next morning, during the Knicks' pre-game practice, Yi Shui consciously tested the effects of his new talent, specifically targeting Jeffries.

David Lee also tried, but couldn't get a foot in. Although his teammate's defense was terrible, his static strength was excellent, not inferior to most centers.

Yi Shui discovered that he needed time to actively adapt to his new talent.

He adapted to the 'heavy tank' as soon as he got his hands on it because he was already used to having a strength advantage on the backcourt during his junior year of college, and he often pushed past his opponents to get into the paint when he had a chance to break through.

He really lacks experience in attacking the basket from the inside, which is completely different from cutting in to receive passes or driving to the basket from the outside. When he's 'out of mind', he always habitually pulls away.

Moreover, when he attacks from close range facing the basket, he has no other option but to rush up, jump, and pull up for a layup to avoid the defense. He still needs to practice.

He compared the face-up and back-up shots at close range based on his actual experience.

He learned about the "advanced" aspects of back-to-the-basket play that people often talk about—better visibility and more room to maneuver.

When facing the basket at close range, you're only aiming for the rim, with a 'complete blind spot' of vision. But facing the basket also has its advantages—you don't need as much space as you would for a back-to-the-basket game, and it doesn't require much post-up positioning ability. Even without skill, you can just go for it. But with a back-to-the-basket game, you simply don't have that advantage.

The Knicks had very little time to prepare today. After a pre-game meeting and a brief tactical drill of less than 30 minutes in the morning, they began a day of various interviews.

It wasn't until after 3 p.m. that Yi Shui finally had time to take a nap, but when she got up around 4 p.m. to prepare for lunch, the imperial television station broadcast a live interview.

Finally, around 6 o'clock, when it was time to start warm-up training, the training field was cleared out, leaving only the team members.

Yi Shui complained to Curry, "There are so many reporters today! Anyone who didn't know better would think we're here to receive the championship trophy tonight."

Curry, on the other hand, was completely excited, exclaiming, "Yeah! It's really amazing! This is the Big Apple!"

Yi Shui: "..."

A primary school student with absolutely no sense of propriety, slapped Okumura!

...

At 7:30 p.m., Madison Square Garden was bustling with activity.

Inside the visiting team's tunnel, Westbrook looked at the famous stars, officials, and tycoons on the sidelines, feeling somewhat envious of his 'business partners'.

As a basketball player, who wouldn't want to play every night at the Staples Center, the holy grail of basketball? He once thought how wonderful it would be if he had become the number one draft pick and stayed in the arena where he was selected.

But now that he's a member of Goose Village, he has to serve Goose Village to the death!

Off the court, Turtle is actually very smart. He started making business plans right after leaving college and before his rookie season even started. But on the court, he's just so clueless.

After a while, staff came to announce that the entrance ceremony had begun, the lights went out, and the crowd of fans began to boo.

Westbrook was somewhat unwilling, but he still went to the player tunnel and stood in a row with the other substitutes.

After Durant quipped, "I didn't expect New Yorkers could unite like this," he walked to the player tunnel. Hearing the DJ call his name, he ran out amidst the boos. Watching Durant, Earl Watson, Desmond Mason, Jeff Green, and Nick Collison all run out one after another… Durant: I'm definitely going to get my starting position!
When the home team entered the field, the fans in the stadium began to cheer.

Westbrook stared at the opposite player tunnel; he knew that guy was definitely a starter.

The first one to enter was... David Lee!
Turtle: Really?

Television commentators, even those from American cable sports, were equally shocked.

Even back then, James and Duncan weren't the last to enter the court in the first game; it took them quite a while before they officially became the 'leader'.

The Thunder did the same; even though Durant was in his second year, he was still the first to play, leaving the last chance for veteran Nick Collison.

Commentators sitting in different positions offered different opinions.

Some say Yi Shui doesn't know how to be considerate of veteran players, while others say that's how Yi Shui should be...

Then Swift, Curry, and Big Q came out of the player tunnel one after another. Westbrook stared at Curry for a while. He knew that Curry, who averaged 16 points and 5 assists per game in the preseason, would most likely be a starter, but seeing him in person still made him unwilling to give up.

When the DJ announced the last name, the volume suddenly increased, and the cheers from the fans in the stadium reached their peak.

Watching Yi Shui run into the spotlight, high-five his teammates, and hear the cheers and shouts of the fans, Westbrook was extremely envious!
Yi Shui, Curry, Love in Los Angeles, Mayo in Minneapolis, Rose in Memphis, Gordon in Chicago... Westbrook counted all the lottery perimeter players in his draft class, and he vowed to defeat them one by one!

After the lights came on, Yi Shui and his teammates exchanged pleasantries with the opposing players.

When Yi Shui greeted Westbrook, who had just become her 'business partner', she noticed that the other man's eyes were full of hostility.

As expected of the basketball warrior, the younger brother of the Turtle, his eyesight is amazing!

Yi Shui had no idea how much of a stimulus his appearance as the leader and Curry's debut as a starter had given Westbrook; otherwise, he would definitely have gloated and called Curry up with him.

Having known them for so long, he knew that elementary school students, though seemingly innocent, were actually quite secretly passionate.

When the greeting reached Durant, Yi Shui and Durant looked at each other but neither spoke first.

The teammates noticed the situation and all eyes were on the two players. The fans in the stadium also noticed this and cheered loudly again, and the live broadcast cameras zoomed in on them.

Durant couldn't withstand the gazes and pressure from those around him. He looked away from Yi Shui's eyes and said, "Everyone is comparing us and discussing who is stronger. I'm curious too."

The moment Durant averted his gaze, his teammates felt their morale falter. After Durant finished speaking, they were stunned – the opponent was just a rookie! Even a number one draft pick is just a rookie, and you're a second-year second overall pick!

Yi Shui chuckled and replied, "No need to be curious, I'm better than you."

After saying that, Yi Shui waved to his teammates and turned to walk back to the backcourt.

The fans at the stadium didn't hear what the two said; they were just jeering. However, the fans watching on TV saw Durant's subtle gesture of looking away through close-up shots. The microphone pushed up by the reporters on the sidelines also transmitted the brief conversation between the two to the ears of the fans watching on TV.

As the third player in the 21st century to average 20 points per game in his rookie season, Durant is highly anticipated by fans, and his talent has been praised to the skies. When Thunder head coach Carlesimo compared him to Klay Thompson, Wesley Wade, and LeBron James, people just felt that it was too early to think about such things, rather than that he was unworthy of the comparison.

Fans imagine that Durant should be as domineering as Kobe, Wade, and James.

But in that scene just now, Durant was incredibly domineering, but he didn't have any presence at all. He was completely overwhelmed by Yi Shui, who had never even played a single NBA game!

...

Yi Shui dribbled the ball to warm up his hands while opening the system.

"Who is the best new generation star? Let's make this question a foregone conclusion from the start... Mission: Debut Triggered."

Objective 1: To score higher than Durant.

Objective 2: When facing Durant's defense while on offense with the ball, if not double-teamed, you must complete the attack by shooting.

Objective 3: Win the game.

Reward: Long-range shooting talent +1. Note: This mission has a hidden objective, so give it your all!

The task began when he faced Durant face-to-face; the subsequent 'eye-to-eye duel' was purely accidental.

Suddenly, Yi Shui felt a burning gaze. She glanced at it and, sure enough, it was a schoolbag.

After greeting everyone and returning, Yi Shui could feel the gazes coming from behind her from time to time.

Cowardly to your face, cursing behind your back... Netizens are full of style.

How about creating a new account and adding the backpack's new account as a friend?
(End of this chapter)