Champion, please stay!

Chapter 295, Section 293: A More Balanced but Wilder West
Yi Shui said a few kind words and a few harsh words, but didn't say anything more.

The management, team doctor, trainer, his teammate, and even the elementary school student's own father—all they can do when it comes to training is offer advice.

Otherwise, how could Howard and Simmons, after playing for so many years, still not be able to improve their basic free throws? DeAndre Jordan, who is also a raw and tough guy, trained with Nash for two and a half years and his free throw percentage improved to 70%.

Duncan's free throw percentage was poor when he first entered the NBA, but he kept improving. By the 1999-2000 season, it had reached 76%. However, he suffered a serious injury at the end of the season and was sidelined for the rest of the year. After returning, he changed his leg power and his percentage dropped back to just over 50%. After two years of training, he improved to 79% in the 2001-2002 season. Then he suffered from plantar fasciitis, which caused his percentage to decline year after year, falling back below 60%. After the plantar fasciitis was resolved, he was over 30 years old and his percentage started to rise again. From the 2007-2008 season to the present, it has been stable at just over 70%.

For players like O'Neal who simply don't want to train, and for players like Howard and Simmons who insist on training haphazardly, no amount of advice will change anything.

It would be best if elementary school students could listen to this, but if they can't... then we can only wait for them to tear their own ankles. Severe cases require strong medicine.

To Yi Shui's delight, after hearing "Fulfill your promise now," the elementary school student remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Originally, given Curry's personality, he would never turn back until he hit a brick wall.

He will keep trying to prove himself right... until he tears his ankle ligaments and misses the rest of the season, then he will admit that he was wrong.

This overly self-centered personality isn't necessarily a bad thing. He was never considered promising from a young age, with poor physical abilities and static physical conditions. Even though he performed no less than anyone else in high school, he was only ranked in the 200s. He was rejected by his father's alma mater, rejected by the emerging powerhouse Huskies, and rejected by Duke University, where he had dreamed of becoming a member since childhood.

If it weren't for that strong will, I would have given up long ago.

But since the boss has already said all that, even the most stubborn kid would feel embarrassed to persist... The boss is comparing his talent to Hill's!
That's Grant Hill!

Moreover, he lost a bet, and that fellow countryman actually left the Cavaliers. He had promised the team leader to fulfill a promise, and since the team leader had brought it up, he was determined to do it.

Besides, the boss's request was for his own good.

However, for some reason, the elementary school student felt that the tone of Brother Bi's last sentence was strange, and had an urge to jump up and slap Brother Bi's hand...

...

After chatting for a while, team doctor Cy Young and trainer Clark came to install fixed protective gear on the elementary school student's feet. Before the ligament and soft tissue strain recovers, the best way to protect the ligaments is to avoid putting force on that area and prevent accidental falls.

After Curry was put in a wheelchair, Yi Shui said, "Let's go play soccer together," but unfortunately, the elementary school student didn't understand the joke...

After having lunch together, Yi Shui and Chalmers returned to Madison Square Garden for a coaching staff meeting.

With three days of rest, D'Antoni has scheduled the first two days as pure rest days, with training only scheduled for the 28th, which is tomorrow. However, the strategy for the upcoming back-to-back home games against the Suns and Nets will depend on these two days of rest.

Upon arriving at the head coach's office, seeing the mustachioed man's worried expression, Brother Bi, who was initially happy that the elementary school student had finally listened to his advice, also realized that the pressure was about to increase!

The potential problems with Curry have most likely been resolved, and it's unlikely that he'll suffer a season-ending injury and miss the rest of the games.

But now a problem has arisen! Just now at the hospital, Yi Shui and Sai Yang had a brief chat about how to treat Curry's injury.

The first step is to immobilize the ankle. Because Curry's ankle has been in a state of fatigue for a long time, even a sprain has caused fluid buildup. This process will take longer than for a normal sprain, possibly 1-2 weeks, to wait for the soft tissue contusion of the sprain to heal and for the fluid to stop accumulating.

Once the situation is under control, ankle rehabilitation training will be necessary. Curry is young, so it might not take long, but conservatively speaking, Curry will probably not be able to participate in games before Christmas, until he reaches a level that Clark can train with peace of mind.

Even if the injury heals, adjusting one's power level afterward will be a huge undertaking.

According to Clark, it's not just the initial shot, but also the drive, defensive lateral movement, and jump for a block... In short, all of Curry's ankle-related movements need to be adjusted.

It's not too difficult; it's just repetitive and tedious practice to rebuild muscle memory and get the body used to new exertion movements.

Yi Shui wasn't worried about Curry's patience and perseverance; he had confidence in his younger brother.

But it's extremely time-consuming! If it were the offseason, and specifically the offseason of the Warriors who couldn't even make the playoffs in 2012 in the original timeline, four or five months would be enough time for Curry to train, and this would be easily accomplished. But the Knicks are currently in the middle of their season.

Moreover, the volatility of the situation during the adjustment period is foreseeable.

The anxiety written all over D'Antoni's face was precisely because of this.

So far this season, excluding the two games where he only played half a game due to injury, Curry has averaged 17.5 points, 3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals in the first 12 games.

投篮命中率48%，12场比赛三分球合计60投27中，以45%命中率场均投进2.25个三分。

Curry is not only the team's second-leading scorer, but also the team's most accurate three-point shooter, even more accurate than Ray Allen, who averages 2 three-pointers per game with a 44.4% shooting percentage; his three-point percentage is second only to Yi Shui, who averages 2.5 three-pointers per game with a 41.6% shooting percentage.

This is after Yi Shui made a total of 9 three-pointers in the last two games. In the previous 12 games, Yi Shui made 26 three-pointers, averaging 2.16 per game, fewer than Curry.

For any strong team, the absence of such a player for at least a month, followed by a prolonged period of fluctuating form, would have a huge impact.

Despite his worries, D'Antoni didn't neglect his work, drafting several plans to deal with the current emergency for the coaching staff and core players to discuss.

The simplest and most direct way to deal with Curry's absence is to increase Ray Allen's playing time.

This plan was collectively rejected by the teaching assistant, trainer, Yi Shui, and others.

Ray Allen has been in great form this season, averaging 14.5 points per game with career highs in field goal percentage (49.1%) and three-point percentage (44.4%). But he's already 35 years old and can't afford to be overworked.

Moreover, Ray Allen is a key member of their championship-contending cycle for the next three years, so they need to use him sparingly.

According to Clark's stamina management plan, after the initial adjustment period, Ray Allen's playing time will be reduced from the current 32 minutes to 24-28 minutes.

Yi Shui's suggestion to increase his playing time and shot attempts was unanimously rejected by the entire team.

Despite Yi Shui's improving physical condition and his stamina becoming increasingly impressive this season, D'Antoni is still worried!

Curry seemed to be doing well the previous two years, playing 80 and 78 games respectively.

Moreover, Yi Shui has a heavy workload this season: regular scoring, playmaking core, one-on-one scoring in close situations, and perimeter defensive core...

Ultimately, the coaching staff decided to give the substitutes more playing time and increase the use of passing and cutting plays around the three-point threat of players like Mike Miller, Webster, and Frye.

This surprised Yi Shui a bit. Having worked together for so long, D'Antoni had always been very aggressive in making decisions, but this time he was surprisingly conservative.

Upon learning of Yi Shui's thoughts, Walsh whispered, "In the past two years, we were short-handed and the players we picked up were unwanted by other teams. Of course, Mike had to be aggressive and try all sorts of possibilities. But now that we have such a deep roster, he will naturally make the safest choice."

As for Curry's absence, D'Antoni didn't consider anything else and immediately decided to select Danny Green for the vacant active roster spot.

In addition to these, Walsh also plans to bring in German equipment and staff to assist Clark in monitoring the physical exertion and injuries of all players on the team.

This is a professional sports equipment that Germany started promoting in 2006. Over the years, it has spread throughout the European sports scene, but it is not popular in the United States.

Yi Shui first heard about this equipment in King's offseason training videos.

It's hard to say how useful it is, but having more professional stuff certainly won't do any harm, except it costs money... but Dolan has money!

...

After two rest days, the Knicks team held a training session on the 28th.

Curry's absence has a significant impact on the team's strength. Players like Chandler, Amir Johnson, and Gibson, who rely on Curry's pick-and-roll offense, will be in a terrible predicament, as it will definitely affect their offense.

But for guards and shooting forwards, this is a rare opportunity.

For example, Danny Green, who was on the active roster for the first time, was incredibly aggressive during tactical drills, actively showcasing his strengths.

Yi Shui noticed the different mindsets of his teammates, but didn't care. After all, everyone has their own selfish desires.

Back then, his backup, Wilson Chandler, practically had "I hope he gets hit by a car" written all over his face...

Around noon, the Phoenix Suns, tomorrow's opponents, arrived at the arena.

Yi Shui received a call and, along with Chalmers, went to have dinner with DeAndre Jordan.

DeAndre Jordan is having a phenomenal season and is often compared by the media and fans to other top young centers like Joakim Noah and Brook Lopez.

In the first 15 games, he averaged 15.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 2 blocks, helping Nash lead the team to a 10-5 record, tied for fifth in the Western Conference with the Warriors and Mavericks, far exceeding people's expectations for the Suns' record before the season started.

Although most Black players aren't very bright, and DeAndre Jordan isn't exactly a genius either, he has one redeeming quality—he remembers the kindness others have shown him.

At the beginning of the joint tryouts in May 2008, everyone really treated him as the 'next Howard', letting him rush the rebounds and pass the ball to him to post up... His performance was extremely poor. At first, no team management even called him in for a tryout, while Love, Brook Lopez, and others were busy from morning till night.

It wasn't until he partnered with Yi Shui in a training match that the other guards learned how to utilize him, and his performance returned to normal.

From Yi Shui's perspective—DeAndre Jordan here is much luckier than he was with the Clippers.

When DeAndre Jordan was drafted by the Clippers, Kaman was at his peak and had been selected as an All-Star.

After two years of hard work, Kaman suffered a serious injury, and DeAndre Jordan finally made it into the starting lineup. However, with the emergence of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan could only play a supporting role.

It wasn't until Paul joined that DeAndre Jordan finally had a chance to shine, eventually becoming the Clippers' all-time leader in rebounds and blocks, and ranking among the top ten in scoring. He was even selected to the All-NBA First Team, although he was tied with Noah for the worst All-NBA First Team selection, but he was at least the best center that season... until Paul left. In other words, DeAndre Jordan relied heavily on point guards.

After being drafted by the Suns, DeAndre Jordan had fewer opportunities in his rookie year, but as soon as Shaquille O'Neal left, he immediately had the chance to stand out alongside Steve Nash. He seized the opportunity and became a starter in his second year. This season, he has become the number one pick-and-roll executor and the leading scorer in the paint.

The next day, the 29th, marked the Knicks' 15th day of the regular season.

This morning, the Knicks released Curry's injury report, causing some public discussion.

As Yi Shui had predicted, voices predicting Curry's downfall appeared.

Why did Curry's injury attract the attention of everyone involved, including management, coaching staff, team doctors, and trainers?
Because most players who suffered similar injuries in the past shared a common nickname later in their careers—"glass man".

The two most famous examples are Bill Walton and Grant Hill, who both suffered similar injuries early in their careers.

A recent example is Paul, who suffered a similar injury in the 08-09 season, but he rushed back to the court after only a week of absence and before his soft tissue had fully healed.

The reason why Walsh, D'Antoni, and others have confidence in Curry is also because of Paul's performance this season.

Paul proved that as long as you are determined and grit your teeth to adjust your playing style, it is possible to cope with such injuries.

Curry has an advantage over Paul: his playing style doesn't rely on explosiveness. Of course, he also has a significant disadvantage.

Even when Paul isn't shooting, he plays a huge role in orchestrating the offense and defense. If Curry's shooting becomes erratic, it could be very detrimental...

Playing basketball in New York, both good and bad things are magnified infinitely.

If he had a different teammate, Yi Shui would worry that the teammate would lose his composure in the face of so many negative opinions.

But he had complete confidence in the elementary school student; once he made a decision, he would stick to it.

At 7:40 p.m., the Suns and Knicks entered Madison Square Garden one after the other.

The two teams exchanged pleasantries before the match... very harmoniously.

It's very rare for two teams that just faced off in the finals and have a championship rivalry to have such an atmosphere in their first meeting of the new season.

The main reason is that the Suns no longer have any hope of winning the championship. Half of the 10 key players who made it to the Finals last season are gone.

The Suns' owner wants to retain the roster that made it to the Finals and continue their championship run while Nash is still in form, which is normal practice for Finals teams... The Magic's reluctance to offer their tactical core a multi-million dollar annual salary, but their willingness to offer a pure shooter a 6-year, $1.18 million contract, is an extremely rare exception.

However, Stoudemire made it clear before the free agency period began that he would not renew his contract, which led to the subsequent departures of Frye, James Jones, and others.

The feud between Stoudemire and Kerr ran deep, even spreading to the entire Suns management. Even after the Suns owner fired Kerr, Stoudemire still publicly put his house in Phoenix up for sale, effectively blocking any way out.

At 8 p.m., Chandler lost the jump ball to Jordan, and the game started with the Suns on offense!
Suns starting lineup: Nash, Richardson, Dudley, Hill, Jordan.

Knicks starting lineup: Chalmers, Ray Allen, Yi Shui, Gibson, Chandler.

Nash and Jordan initiated a pick-and-roll offense, pressing down on both sides to draw defenders Yi Jianlian and Chandler's help defense. Nash passed to Hill on the wing, who dribbled one step back to the sideline and passed to the high post.

Richardson used a screen on the weak side to get around to the top of the arc, stopped abruptly, turned and ran, shaking off Gibson who was switching on defense, and received the ball a step outside the free throw line. He took a long two-pointer... and it went in!
From the start, the Suns showcased their strengths—speed and accuracy!

The Suns' offensive firepower has declined significantly compared to last season, but they are still one of the three strongest offensive teams in the league, averaging 107.6 points per game.

Only the Knicks (109.8 points per game) and the Spurs (108 points per game) have higher average scores than the Suns.

The Thunder, averaging 105.8 points per game, and the Heat, averaging 105.5 points per game, are both inferior to the Suns.

Moreover, while the Suns' offensive firepower is not as strong as the Knicks', their fast-paced style is more refined than the Knicks', even more refined than their own style last season.

There will definitely be phases where defense is needed, one-on-one plays are needed, and stalemates need to be broken... but Gentry and Nash completely ignore them and play team offense during regular time. If someone has to step up to solve the one-on-one problem, it's no longer Nash who takes the responsibility, but Dragic off the bench.

Facing the Suns' purest run-and-gun offense and fast-paced style, the Knicks were suppressed from the start!
The main reason is Curry's absence.

Not only are they missing their team's most accurate three-point shooter on offense, but the Knicks have also weakened on defense.

Previously, no media outlets or fans thought Curry's defensive contribution was significant; it was only when he was absent that the difference became apparent.

Curry's one-on-one defense at the top of the arc, while not particularly strong, is quite good at defending shots; when defending pick-and-rolls and collapsing to the inside, he helps defend opponents cutting to the wings, demonstrating excellent positioning and defensive skills.

Chalmers' defensive performance in the second unit against opposing rotation players doesn't seem any worse than Curry's, but when he's in the starting lineup, the difference becomes apparent.

The most obvious point is—strength.

Curry's static physical strength is a bit of a bug among point guards. Of course, he can't compare to muscle monsters like Fisher and Bibby, but he doesn't lose out in physical battles with Baron Davis and Tyreke Evans. When boxing out, he completely dominates point guards with explosive athleticism like Westbrook and Rose.

The key is that while he has such power, he is also quite fast. He just lacks explosive acceleration, but his agility and sense of rhythm are among the best of point guards.

He provides help defense on the wing and can even effectively slow down James and Josh Smith's drives.

Chalmers was directly pushed aside by old Hill...

Although they were initially pressured, the Knicks did not fall too far behind and kept the score close.

This brings us to D'Antoni's choice for starting power forward tonight – Gibson!

In terms of shooting, he can't compare to Frye and Mike Miller; in terms of impact, he can't compare to Amir Johnson and Birdman, but he can do a little bit of everything.

Against teams with strong defenses, such as the Hawks, Magic, Pacers, and Celtics we've faced before, Gibson, who doesn't have any standout strengths, performed poorly. In fact, in the second game against the Hawks, he only played 5 minutes and was essentially benched for that game.

However, against the Suns, who average 105.8 points allowed per game and have the 29th best defensive efficiency in the league, Gibson's style of play, which combines shooting, receiving, and even passing, is very effective.

While D'Antoni may not be good at coaching defense, his ability to analyze opponent's defense is among the best in the entire league.

Because of Gibson's excellent performance in receiving the ball, Yi Shui chose to continue to link up the offense, playing steadily and not rushing into attacks at the slightest provocation.

In the first half of the first quarter, the Knicks trailed the Suns 13-16 by 3 points.

After being rotated into the rotation, Yi Shui began to exert his strength. In the last 4 games, he took more than 25 shots in 3 of them. He felt great in one-on-one, so he started to attack fiercely and immediately broke the balance.

With 9 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter, Yi Shui drove hard to the basket and scored with a hook shot, putting the Knicks ahead of the Suns 22-21 by one point. He also got an extra free throw!
When Stoudemire was on the court, the Suns could effectively counter Yi Shui's aggressive offense, but now, Nash is a year older, and Dragic is still in his long developmental stage...

The score was 18-12 in the second half of the quarter. After the first quarter, the Knicks took a 30-28 lead over the Suns by two points!
However, Yi Shui was a little dissatisfied with only taking a two-point lead. After his 2+1 play, his drive and pass opened up the scoring. Normally, Curry would have rested for three or four minutes and then come back to replace Ray Allen to receive his shot and create a scoring surge to widen the gap.

This time, Ray Allen was substituted out, and the perimeter combination of Willie Green, Danny Green, and Mike Miller came on. Their performance was greatly reduced, and they failed to create any high points against the Suns' poor defense. Instead, the score was tied 7-7 in the last 3 minutes.

The second quarter was similar, with the score at 31-30. The Knicks had the upper hand, but the Suns fought back fiercely and managed to keep the score close. Some opportunities that Curry would normally take were missed by Chalmers and Willie Green. The Knicks led the Suns 61-58 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the real advantage finally came. Yi Shui played for more than 9 minutes, making 5 of 8 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, plus 3 of 3 free throws, scoring 14 points and 2 assists. During this period, he led the team to a score of 23-15, extending the gap to 11 points and leading the Suns 84-73.

When Yi Shui was substituted to rest at the end of the quarter, Ray Allen and Chandler, who came on as substitutes, led a combination of Chalmers, Mike Miller, and Frye to score 6-7 against the Suns in the last two minutes, maintaining a double-digit lead and ending the third quarter with a score of 90-80.

In the final quarter, Nash got going, hitting two three-pointers and scoring 10 points with 3 assists. He single-handedly led the team to recover from their sharp decline in scoring in the third quarter, with the Suns scoring 28 points... but it didn't have a significant impact.

The Knicks played steadily, scoring 26 points in the final quarter.

易水全场打了36分钟，18投11中、其中三分球3中2，加上7中6的罚球，拿到30分11板12助攻1抢断1盖帽；雷-阿伦拿到16分3板4助攻。

力压20分3板14助攻的纳什、21分3助攻的理查德森。

钱德勒的15分11板、吉布森的12分7板2助攻，也不逊色于小乔丹的16分10板、希尔的10分6板5助攻。

116比108，尼克斯队8分优势击败太阳队！将战绩提升到14胜1负！
...

The Knicks and Suns traded baskets on offense, sparking a heated discussion among fans after the game.

People were very much looking forward to this game before it even started. In the past two seasons, every time the four run-and-gun teams—the Knicks, Suns, Nuggets, and Warriors—played each other, the viewership ratings were very high.

The Warriors are now playing traditional half-court offense, while the Nuggets are caught in a soap opera about "Where is Carmelo Anthony?" and their run-and-gun offense is gone.

Only the Knicks and Suns remain as the sole representatives of the run-and-gun offense.

And Nash will turn 37 in less than 3 months... The focus of the post-game discussion was on Yi Shui's 6th triple-double of the season and Nash's individual performance this season.

Yi Shui recorded 12 assists in this game, bringing his total to 123 assists in 15 games. He returned to the ranks of players averaging 8+ assists per game, ranking tenth on the assist list with an average of 8.2 assists per game. Following him are Kidd with 8.1 assists per game and Rose with 7.8 assists per game.

When Yi Shui saw the assist leaderboard after almost a month, he noticed a lot of 'new faces'. He didn't mean rookies, but players who had never been on the leaderboard before.

Nash, Rondo, and Deron Williams are in the top three, all averaging 11+ assists per game, which is not surprising.

Fourth, Westbrook, averaging 10.4 assists per game, which is a bit surprising.

Fifth, Paul, averaging 9.6 assists per game, mainly due to reduced playing time, averaging only 34 minutes per game, a full 4 minutes less than the past 3 seasons, and his outside shooting is inconsistent and his ability to draw defenders has declined.

Sixth, Calderon of the Raptors, with 9 assists per game, a career high; seventh, Felton of the Pacers, with 8.6 assists per game, a career high; eighth, a true rookie, Wall of the Wizards, with 8.6 assists per game; ninth, Evans of the Timberwolves, with 8.4 assists per game.

Yi Shui looked at himself in tenth place. He never imagined before the season that he could make it onto this list... but he was playing very comfortably! When the team's offense was going well, he had that feeling of 'everything being under control'.

Nash's individual performance was so poor that even Yi Shui, the player himself, felt sorry for him, let alone the fans.

At 36 years and 9 months old, Nash played 16 games, averaging 15.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists, with a field goal percentage of 49.7%, a three-point percentage of 42.6%, and a free throw percentage of 93%.

If Nash had known how to manage a team, he could have signed a 1+1 contract in 09, bringing Gentry and Little King to Miami, allowing Riley to keep Eric Gordon and Conley, and using the remaining max contract cap space to sign role players... But unfortunately, it's rare to find a player who still has that kind of mindset at 36. Although Nash isn't exactly a good person, he wouldn't do something like that.

The following day, on the evening of the 30th, the Knicks played their second game of a back-to-back at home against the Nets.

这次打得没有上次客场那么多波折，首节30比24、第二节33比23、第三节27比21、末节26比27……

易水打了31分钟，15投9中，其中三分球5中3，加上4中4的罚球，拿到25分7板8助攻3抢断1盖帽，率队以116比95屠杀篮网队，用胜利收官第1个比赛月！

...

With Duncan's game-winning putback at Oracle Arena, the Spurs narrowly defeated the Warriors 105-103, officially ending the first month of the season.

When Yi Shui returned home late at night, he saw that major websites had launched their 'first month summaries'.

He recalled the NBA news he saw during his junior year of college, where media outlets only provided summaries at important times, such as Christmas and All-Star Weekend. But in the last two years, things have changed. The media outlets now produce large summaries every week for fans to discuss... but fans love to discuss these things too.

The most impressive team at the start of the season is the Spurs, with a record of 15 wins and 2 losses in 17 games, ranking first in the Western Conference and second in the league.

The idea of ​​'the fourth peak period of basic skills' has emerged.

Duncan's stats were average, averaging 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. His playing time was a career low, averaging 29 minutes per game. However, his efficiency was a career high. When he was on the court, the Spurs scored 126 points per 100 possessions, which was ridiculously high!
The last player to have a similar offensive impact was Michael Jordan in the 90-91 season, when his team scored 128 points per 100 possessions while he was on the court. Before that, it was Magic Johnson and Bird during the golden age of offensive basketball.

In other words, Duncan's offensive impact this season has set a new record for all NBA players in the past 20 years!
What's most incredible is that last season, Duncan and his Spurs were part of the Tank Army, a top defensive team, but this season they've become the second-best offensive team in the league!
Moreover, their defense is quite good. The Spurs average 107.7 points per game while allowing only 99.3 points per game, ranking 12th in the league in defensive efficiency. Their overall performance is better than that of the Knicks and Suns last season.

However, in terms of performance, the Knicks are still superior, with a record of 15 wins and 1 loss in 16 games, averaging 110.7 points per game and allowing 98.5 points per game. They rank first in offensive efficiency and ninth in defensive efficiency.

In terms of points allowed, neither the Knicks nor the Spurs allowed as many points as the Heat, who averaged 97.5 points per game, but both teams had higher defensive efficiency than the Heat.

The Knicks have the second-fastest offensive pace in the league, second only to the Suns, while the Spurs have the sixth-fastest pace, making them among the fastest teams. The Heat, on the other hand, have the seventeenth-fastest offensive pace in the league, a mid-range level, and allow fewer points, simply because they have fewer possessions than the two teams. The Heat's defensive efficiency is only sixteenth in the league, just barely in the mid-range.

目前东部排名，尼克斯队第一，热火队以13胜3负、力压12胜5负的公牛队，步行者队11胜5负排在第四。

The Magic had a dismal start, but improved thanks to Howard's explosive performance, briefly climbing back into the top four. However, the Pacers and Bulls rallied at the end of the month, pushing the 11-6 Magic down to fifth place.

The Celtics and Hawks both started the season in the top four of the Eastern Conference, but as the season progressed, they both fell back down, or rather, they returned to where they belonged, both with a record of 10 wins and 7 losses, ranking sixth and seventh respectively.

There's a significant gap in record between the eighth and ninth seeds in the Eastern Conference, with both the Bucks and the 76ers holding an 8-9 record.

Starting from tenth, it's even more unbearable to look at. This season, the Eastern Conference may be 'record-breaking': Bobcats, Pistons, Wizards, Nets, Raptors, Cavaliers. The Bobcats have the best record with 5 wins and 11 losses, and 6 teams are in the tanking zone.

In the West, the performance in the first month was exceptionally... balanced.

Apart from the Spurs (15 wins, 2 losses) and Lakers (13 wins, 3 losses), who both had long winning streaks at the start of the season, the records of the other teams were very close.

第三的灰熊队12胜5负、第四的雷霆队11胜5负、第五的勇士队11胜6负、第六的太阳队10胜6负……第九的掘金队也有9胜7负。

Even the Timberwolves, who finished 13th, had a record of 8 wins and 9 losses.

Only the Clippers and the Kings are truly in the tanking zone.

Yi Shui estimates that the competition in the Western Conference this season may be even fiercer than last year when nine teams achieved 50 wins.

Towards the end of last season, the competition for playoff spots in the West was not as fierce as in the East, with only the sixth to ninth teams vying for them. However, this year, the thirteen teams in the West have had a run of good form, managing to climb into the top eight. Teams near the end of the playoffs are unlikely to have the same record as in the past three seasons, but the competition will definitely be more brutal.

The players' individual performances, the ones most mentioned by the media... just like the past two seasons, it's Yishui again!

The New York Times headline: "Yi, Born to be King!"

Yi Shui scored a total of 500 points in 16 games in the first month, averaging 31.25 points per game, which is not as exaggerated as the average of 35+ points per game in the first month of last season.

However, his 161 rebounds in a single month, averaging 10 rebounds per game, were career highs; and his 131 assists in a single month, averaging 8.2 assists per game, were also career highs.

He became the first player to average 10 rebounds and 8 assists in a single month, following Magic Johnson, Larry Bird in the 1986-87 season, and Michael Jordan in the 1989-90 season. Since the beginning of modern basketball, only these four players have been able to achieve this level of performance!
If we include players who average 30+ points per game, only Jordan and Yi Shui qualify.

乔丹89年11月那次单月场均31分11板9助攻，是真正意义上刷出来的。

Because he was criticized for scoring high points but not winning games and being dominated by the Pistons in the previous season, Jordan started the new season with triple-doubles, achieving triple-doubles in 7 consecutive games and 10 triple-doubles in 11 games... During this period, his record was only 4 wins and 7 losses. He himself said, "For a player like me, it is meaningless to get 10 assists every game. I will never do that again."

As for Yi Shui, since the start of this season, the most criticized aspect by New York media and fans is that they don't care enough about statistics.

Against teams like the Hawks, Celtics, and Nets, if he had just passed the ball a few more times instead of taking open shots in the high post, he would have had more than six triple-doubles in his first month. He could have had at least two or three more, and might even have become the second player after Jordan to have 10 triple-doubles in a single month.

The shooting percentage also looked better. At the beginning of the season, the Yi Shui shooting percentage reached 55%, but during the four-game road trip, they averaged 28 shots per game, which dragged down the shooting percentage. In the first month, they made 167 of 336 shots, and the shooting percentage dropped to 49.7%, which made New York fans very sad.

因为易水首月三分命中率40%+，罚球场均8.75个、命中7.875个，命中率刚好到90%，就差那0.3的投篮命中率就单月180俱乐部了。

The next day, April 1st, a new month began.

This morning, the league announced the Player of the Month awards for the first month.

In the Eastern Conference, Yi Shui defeated James, Wade, and Randolph to win the first Player of the Month award of the new season.

In the Western Conference, a classic moment from the 02-03 season when three Mavericks players won Player of the Month was recreated – Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan were all named Western Conference Player of the Week!
(End of this chapter)