Champion, please stay!

Chapter 293, page 291: Overpowering the Spurs, the longest winning streak at the start of the new season!
易水看战报里，热火队三巨头打得都挺好的，詹姆斯26分7板7助攻、斯塔德迈尔29分8板2助攻、乔-约翰逊19分。

Conley also performed well, scoring 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He didn't have many ball possessions, but his catch-and-shoot plays and his playmaking when James was tired were all solid.

In particular, the pick-and-roll between Conley and Stoudemire was so effective that when Stoudemire broke down the defense and drove to the basket, Duncan, Parker who switched onto the rim, and Richard Jefferson who came to help on the wing couldn't stop the Little Giant.

Conley's positioning after the pick-and-roll was also excellent. Stoudemire's two assists both came from the pick-and-roll being followed by a pass back to Conley, who then hit a three-pointer.

But apart from those four, the rest of the Heat only scored 17 points combined, with 12 of those points coming from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, whom James brought from the Cavaliers, and Beasley, who was already on the Heat.

That group of veteran players on minimum contracts with impressive names only scored a total of 5 points in this game, and were shut down by the Spurs' rotation defense, which had decreased in intensity but greatly improved in mobility!
The Spurs' stats are...unusual! Their highest scorer, Ginobili, only had 18 points, but seven players scored in double figures!
This performance was truly exaggerated. Yi Shui recalled that their Knicks team had only one game in which seven players scored in double figures, the game where they defeated the Bobcats by 50 points.

The Spurs are facing the Heat!
Yi Shui checked the NBA official website and the Spurs' homepage... In 9 games, they averaged 107.9 points, second in the league. Six players averaged double-digit points, with Parker and Ginobili averaging 17 points each, and Gary Neal averaging 10 points. The other three players averaging double-digit points were Duncan (14 points), Richard Jefferson (11 points), and George Hill (10.9 points).

Besides these six players, Blair averaged 9.2 points per game and Bonner averaged 8.8 points per game.

Even knowing that the Spurs were in this state during Duncan's fourth peak, Yi Shui still felt it was unbelievable when he saw it with his own eyes.

Their Knicks team, averaging 113.2 points per game, are far ahead of the league leaders. Only he, Curry, Ray Allen, and Chandler average double-digit points per game!

With the Lakers, Thunder, and Heat's winning streaks coming to an end, only the Spurs and Knicks remain undefeated, making them the most popular teams among the media and fans.

Yi Shui saw many articles and posts comparing them to the Spurs. Many of the comparisons were quite normal, comparing player abilities, tactical coordination, playing styles, defensive chemistry, etc. But some of them were not normal.

Dave McMena-Mine, an ESPN correspondent based in Miami, is the same reporter who was previously based in Cleveland.

In his column published overnight, Milne first praised James' performance and then criticized Pat Riley for his poor performance in recruiting role players... Yi Shui searched through Milne's column account and found that the column Milne wrote in August praising James' strong appeal and how a large number of veteran stars could join him with just a wave of his arm.

In his new column, Mien also said that the Spurs are indeed very strong, but their victory over the Heat was just good luck. In the final summary, he brought up the Knicks, saying that the Knicks are definitely no match for the Spurs, nor for the Heat.

Yi Shui also saw many posts praising the Spurs, it's amazing how fast the world changes!

However, he also saw many comments that still disliked the Spurs, but they were drowned out by the volume of the media and bandwagon fans.

...

After a day of rest, on the 18th, the Knicks hosted the Celtics at home.

After entering the court, the two teams did not exchange words. The Eastern Conference Finals rivalry, Ray Allen joining the Knicks, and the preseason game where they dominated the Celtics by more than 20 points in a single quarter... In the hearts of the Celtics players, the Knicks were already their mortal enemies.

Yi Shui didn't really care about the 'new and old trio' on the other side, but looking at the data on the big screen, he felt that the three guys on the other side were indeed powerful.

Despite losing Ray Allen, the Celtics still managed a 6-3 start, surpassing the Magic to rank fourth in the Eastern Conference.

During his morning preparations, he noticed that the Celtics ranked 29th in the league in terms of pace of play this season. The only team slower than them was the Grizzlies, who had Boozer and Gasol, while the Pacers were slightly faster.

Their defensive efficiency ranks third in the league, with only the Grizzlies and Pacers outperforming the Celtics; they allow only 91.9 points per game, second only to the Grizzlies' 91 points, making it the second lowest in the league.

However, the offense will rely entirely on the Big Three.

Rondo averages 13.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 11.1 assists, and 2.67 steals per game. He ranks third in scoring, second in rebounding, second in assists, and first in steals in the league.

加内特，场均16.8分7.9板3助攻1.9抢断1.1盖帽；

Pierce averaged 20.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal per game.

The team averaged only 94 points per game, ranking sixth from the bottom in the league.

The competition started at 8 p.m.

The Celtics made very thorough preparations for this game.

Having learned from their preseason game, analyzed the Grizzlies' poor defense against the Knicks, and drawn inspiration from the Jazz and Lakers' successful defensive examples... they delivered a fierce first quarter to the Knicks!
The inside-outside combination of Garnett and Rondo, the best defensive lineup, slowed down the pace of the game considerably.

In half-court defense, the Celtics' shooting guards, centers, and small forwards relentlessly engaged in physical contact, employing rough defensive moves and committing harsh fouls.

With Garnett and Rondo providing help defense, the Knicks' score was limited to 16 points in the first quarter!
For the first time this season, the Knicks' fast-paced offense was completely thwarted in the first quarter, something neither the Jazz nor the Lakers could achieve!
However, the Knicks' offensive coordination was only disrupted briefly at the beginning of the game.

Rivers, the Celtics' veteran team, and Rondo are adept at summarizing experiences and learning from mistakes, while the Knicks maintain a similar drive.

When playing against the Jazz and Lakers, Yi Shui discovered a problem—the current NBA rules cannot fully implement the small-ball philosophy.

If the opponent's perimeter defense is very strong and they are physically aggressive, and they insist on slowing down the pace, they don't really have a good way to increase the speed. The current rules are still very suitable for tough defense.

Just like the Suns back then, they were able to dominate the Spurs in the 07 playoffs not because of their run-and-gun offense, but because of Nash and Stoudemire's mid-range shooting, the same tactics Kobe used against the Spurs.

If the opponent has the ability to cut off the middle defense, then even if the ball is passed out at the high post, the shot can only be taken from one side of the three-second zone. If the opponent helps defend quickly, then it all comes down to the player's shooting touch.

Just like the Suns in last season's Finals, they lost because the ball was always passed around on one side of the three-second zone. Facing Yi Shui and Chandler's sweeping passes and interceptions in the high and low post, the ball could only be passed to Frye at the top of the arc for shooting and Jordan under the basket for receiving. The two of them could score more than 10 points in a game, and they were very efficient. But they couldn't handle more shot attempts.

The Celtics, on the other hand, combine perimeter pressure and tight defense with mid-range passing interception!
The Knicks coaching staff made thorough preparations for their upcoming matchup against a team with one of the league's top three defenses. Just over three minutes into the game, D'Antoni called two timeouts within a minute to stabilize the offensive flow.

If there's an opportunity to launch a fast attack, go for it; even if you can't break through, still try to maintain that momentum.

Even when forced into positional warfare, the goal is to attack and pass quickly, regardless of whether the attack is successful or not, striving to maintain the momentum of the attack and keep the pace of the attacking force steady.

Ignoring their poor shooting performance of 6 out of 19 in a single quarter, and focusing solely on the Knicks' tactical coordination, it becomes clear that, under Yi Shui's leadership, they executed well in most possessions, only missing shots.

Moreover, although the Knicks were not making shots, their defense was very good. The Celtics only made 8 of 20 shots in the quarter, only 1 of 6 three-point attempts, and only 4 of 6 free throws.

Garnett was forced to pull up to the top of the arc to shoot a three-pointer by Yi Shui and Amir Johnson, but he missed both times.

Despite the Knicks scoring only 16 points in the first quarter, they trailed by only 5 points at the break, allowing the Celtics to score just 21 points!
...

The Knicks' persistence on offense and their fighting spirit on defense in the first quarter paid off in the second.

In the first quarter, the Knicks maintained a fast pace after initiating their offense, with Yi Shui and other players working hard to pass the ball in place and take shots when necessary. Although the Celtics defended exceptionally well, they also expended a great deal of energy on the defensive end.

The Knicks were certainly exhausted as well, but D'Antoni's two substitutions were not only about emphasizing the need to maintain tactical continuity, but also about—substitution!
This season, stamina is no longer an issue for the Knicks; on the contrary, it is their absolute advantage against the vast majority of opponents!

Nothing more than a lot of people!

D'Antoni made a four-in-four-out rotation, with Yi Shui as the high post core, Willie Green as the one-on-one attacker, Ray Allen as the strong side defender, and Frye and Chandler as the inside pairer.

After the start of the second quarter, the Knicks continued to play at a fast pace, even faster than in the first quarter, and the Celtics' defensive rotations couldn't keep up! Frye played 7 minutes in this quarter, making 2 of 3 shots, plus a foul on a three-point attempt that resulted in 2 of 3 free throws, for a total of 8 points, earning him the nickname "wing cannonball" from the commentators.

钱德勒抓住威利-格林突进吸引防守、雷-阿伦和弗莱两翼牵制带来的空间，连续切入，单节2投2中加上5中3的罚球拿到7分；
Ray Allen made a three-pointer, and Curry, who came off the bench, made a free throw for a three-second violation by the opposing defense.

还有易水……9投4中、其中三分球3中1，加上3中3的罚球，单节拿到12分！
尼克斯队单节轰出31比21的比分，以47比42反超凯尔特人队5分结束上半场！

After halftime, the Celtics came back strong, once again displaying top-notch defense and suffocatingly controlling the pace of the game.

Not only did they play well on defense, but the two veteran stars also exploded on offense!
Garnett made all four of his tough mid-range jumpers. Chandler and Birdman were close behind, but Garnett still managed to hit a fadeaway jumper. He also made both of his free throws, scoring 10 points in the quarter.
皮尔斯那边，单节6投3中，其中三分球1中1、加上2中1的罚球，拿到8分，两位老巨头合砍18分！
However, the other players' offense was not very good. The Knicks' defensive strategy against the Lakers worked again. Although they only scored 22 points in the quarter and allowed the two veteran stars to score 18 points, they held the other players to only 8 points on 9 shots!
The score for the first quarter was 22-26. After three quarters, the score was 69-68, with the Knicks holding onto a slim one-point lead!

Having weathered the Celtics' peak physical condition after halftime, the Knicks, relying on their roster depth, superstar individual abilities, and steady play, seized absolute control in the final quarter!

末节前10分钟，尼克斯队打出了22比15的比分，将领先优势扩大到8分，91比83领先凯尔特人队。

However, Coach Long, the Truth, and the Wolf King really have something in the clutch.

Pierce scored two baskets in the final moments, a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer, for a total of 5 points. Garnett also made a mid-range jumper and defended both possessions.

隆多抢断库里的边线传中、加内特收缩封盖吃饼的钱德勒……打出了一波7比0，将比分追到90比91，分差缩小到1分！
In the final moments, Yi Shui received the ball at the high post, turned and pulled up for a long two-pointer, which he made. Curry controlled the tempo well this time, passing the ball to Yi Shui to reduce the time, leaving the Celtics with only 2.3 seconds left.

After the timeout, Pierce stepped up again, receiving the inbound pass from Garnett after a series of screens, turning around, and hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer over Chandler, tying the Knicks at 93-93 and forcing the game into overtime!
However, the Celtics' mix of veteran and new stars only lasted until this point.

After the break ended and overtime began, Pierce and Garnett, who had recovered for a few minutes, couldn't get back into form. They missed shots and committed a lot of defensive fouls. Garnett picked up two fouls during overtime and was ejected with his sixth foul.

Throughout overtime, the Celtics only managed 4 points from a fast break by Rondo, failing to score a single point in half-court sets.

On the Knicks' side, their stamina was also excellent in overtime. With Yi Shui drawing attention, Chalmers, Webster, Mike Miller, and Gibson took the lead in the offense, shooting 3-for-8 from the field, including 1-for-3 from three-point range, plus 4-for-6 from the free-throw line, for a total of 11 points!
The match ended at 10:44 PM.

易水常规时间打了41分钟、加时赛打满，出战46分钟，22投10中，其中三分球9中3，加上11中10的罚球，拿到33分15板7助攻1抢断2盖帽。

He led the Knicks to a narrow 104-97 victory over the Celtics in overtime!
...

The game between the Knicks and the Celtics is highly anticipated, with the rivalry between Ray Allen and the Celtics' mix of veterans and newcomers, the grudge from last season's seven-game Eastern Conference Finals, and the frenzy in the first quarter of the preseason opener making this game extremely exciting.

Although the Celtics lost the game, their comprehensive and powerful defensive capabilities still amazed the fans who watched the live broadcast.

The Celtics can effectively block defenses in the middle like the Jazz, and Garnett's help defense coverage is better than Kirilenko's, as he can both collapse the rim and help out at the high post.

They can also employ a tenacious, physical defense like the Lakers, utilizing their three perimeter positions.

They really lost because of Pierce and Garnett's age!
If Rondo maintains his current level, and Pierce and Garnett return to their 07-08 season age, this Celtics team could win even without Ray Allen.

Or perhaps Garnett hadn't suffered that major injury in 09?
But time and injuries are both so cruel; that Celtics team in 08 was just a flash in the pan.

The Knicks, who won the game, were the subject of even more discussion! The main topic was Yi Shui.

When the opponent's defense was at its most aggressive, Yi Shui made good use of the team's depth advantage and played a slow and steady game. He scored 6 points in the first quarter and 5 points in the third quarter, which was an average performance. However, when Garnett's stamina declined and his help defense slowed down, Yi Shui seized the opportunity to attack decisively. He scored 12 points in the second quarter and 10 points in the final quarter, and hit the key shot at the last moment to avoid being defeated by the opponent.

In this match, Yi Shui's control over the rhythm of his shots was absolutely amazing!
However, while most media outlets and fans were discussing Yi Shui's 33 points against the Celtics' formidable defense and his usual 15 rebounds against the Celtics, some experts and knowledgeable fans were even more amazed by Yi Shui's playmaking performance.

Seven assists isn't a lot, but he only had two turnovers!

It's important to know that in the first and third quarters, when the opponent was defending the most aggressively and the game was in a half-court setting, the ball basically had to be distributed by Yi Shui's hands. The 7 to 2 assist-to-turnover ratio was already quite impressive. If you look at the comparison between mid-range passes and turnovers, it's even more exaggerated!

In contrast to the last three possessions of the quarter, Curry was in charge, but Rondo stole the ball once, and he misjudged the timing of his pass once. Ray Allen passed the ball to Chandler on the sideline, but it was blocked by Garnett. At that time, both Rondo and Garnett had experienced a significant decline in stamina, especially Garnett.

However, some New York fans were dissatisfied with Yi Shui's performance—why didn't he drive and pass more in the second and fourth quarters? His open teammates might have made the shots, and then he would have had another triple-double!
After four consecutive triple-doubles, Yi Shui's assists per game soared to 8.7. However, back at home, his assists dropped to 8.3 per game, with 6 against the Hawks and 7 against the Celtics.

好在易水这场比赛拿到了15个篮板球，将前9场的场均9.3板提升到了场均9.9板，破10有望！

Fans are a diverse group, some are driven by actual performance, others by statistics... The same goes for New York fans, who just want to see Yi Shui perform well in terms of statistics.

The day after playing the Celtics, Yi Shui and his team left New York and arrived in Indianapolis to begin their four-game road trip in the East.

After a night's rest, on the 20th, the Knicks arrived at Conseco Arena to play the Pacers on the road.

The Knicks' shooting performance was really poor in this game, making only 6 of 21 three-point attempts!
His overall shooting was also terrible, making only 36 of 88 attempts.

One reason is that the Pacers' defense is truly formidable!
Felton's defense was extremely aggressive, Granger was good at disrupting shots from the outside, Dahntay Jones was a notorious tough guy, and in the paint, Hibbert and O'Neal took turns playing, their rim protection in half-court sets was absolutely explosive.

However, this year's Knicks are not the same Knicks team from last season whose defense was only mediocre.

If you can't make the shot, defend; if you can't make the shot, steal it!
Yi Shui, Chandler, Birdman, Amir Johnson, Gibson, and others fought tooth and nail on the boards, grabbing a total of 13 offensive rebounds.

In addition, Curry and Mike Miller each grabbed a rebound from a teammate's missed shot that bounced far away, for a total of 15 offensive rebounds.

In total rebounds, the Knicks had 52, five more than the Pacers, who had 13 offensive rebounds and 34 defensive rebounds.

Overpowering the frontcourt duo of Hibbert, Randolph, O'Neal, Troy Murphy, Foster, and others!
Their aggressive play also resulted in offensive firepower. Facing a rotation of Hibbert and O'Neal protecting the rim, with Granger, Dahntay Jones, and others collapsing to double-team, the Knicks got 26 free throws as a team, and they were very accurate, making 21 of them!
The Knicks only scored 60 points from mid-range shots and inside three-pointers, and only 18 points from three-point range, but with free throws, they totaled 99 points!
In terms of defense, the Knicks did a mediocre job defending Granger. He capitalized on the gaps in Yi Shui's help defense, scoring 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Randolph's 19 points and 12 rebounds were also difficult to defend.

However, Felton was double-teamed by Yi Shui and only managed 12 points and 7 assists on 4-of-12 shooting.

希伯特虽然有8板3盖帽，防守表现突出，但投篮5中1，加上2中2的罚球只拿到4分。

O'Neal, who came off the bench and played 18 minutes, had a good scoring performance, shooting 4 of 6 from the field and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line, for 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 blocks. On his first offensive play, he dunked over Birdman, just like the West Coast Shaq back in the day... But those were those days. O'Neal only managed to force his way through one possession, and his subsequent points came mostly from assists and second-chance opportunities, failing to turn the tide of the game.

With the Pacers' final quick inbounds pass and fast-paced three-point attempt missing, Yi Shui secured the defensive rebound and did not continue the attack. The Pacers also did not commit any tactical fouls. At 9:24:34 PM, the final whistle blew on time.

易水30投12中，其中三分球6中1，加上7中7的罚球，拿到32分13板4助攻2抢断1盖帽，率队以99比94险胜步行者队，拿下11连胜！

Two hours after the Knicks' game against the Pacers ended, in Dallas, the Mavericks, playing at home, battled the Spurs into overtime before a winner was decided.

Parker scored 29 points and 9 assists, both season highs. Six players on the team scored in double figures, with a total of 109 points in regulation time and 10 points in overtime, showing consistent performance throughout.

But on the Mavericks' side, Nowitzki, Terry, and Caron Butler were shooting like crazy!

在三节71比80落后马刺队9分、马刺队末节还飙出了29分的情况下，小牛队末节狂轰38分，将比赛拖入加时赛，并在加时赛中打出了14比10的比分！
诺维斯基36分、特里29分、卡隆-巴特勒20分，三人合砍85分，率队通过加时赛以123比119逆转马刺队，终结马刺队10连胜！

With the Spurs' 10-game winning streak coming to an end, the Knicks have once again achieved their longest winning streak of the season!
(End of this chapter)