Champion, please stay!

Chapter 99, Section 97: They really started running!

Watching Yi Shui running on the field, completely unaffected by the consecutive away games.

Walsh, who was traveling with the team, exclaimed, "His recovery ability is incredible. I think he would be very suitable for the high-intensity games of the playoffs."

D'Antoni: "Brook's physical talent is truly terrifying. In fact, I started observing him when he came to our team for training in June. I thought he would be plagued by stamina issues in his rookie season, like Kevin Durant. I didn't expect his stamina to improve so much in just one summer, and he even participated in the Olympics in between."

I can't even imagine how great he would be now if he hadn't wasted his sophomore year.

Watching Yi Shui run out after setting a screen for his teammates on the wing, receive a pass from Daniels, immediately start moving, directly knock Iguodala to the other side to drive into the paint, and score a floater before Brand could get into position to help defend, with almost no decrease in speed throughout, Walsh exclaimed in surprise again.

D'Antoni shook his head: "I really feel sorry for Iguodala. He didn't say or do anything, yet he became the object of Brook's desire to prove himself."

易水前两场季前赛，打热火队31分钟时间拿到23分6助攻3盖帽、打篮网队34分钟时间拿到25分5助攻，表现都非常出色，新闻都是一路追捧。

But after playing 28 minutes against the Celtics and scoring only 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting, negative reports exploded! The hottest topic was that when facing strong defenders, they could only rely on the team and avoid physical contact, which was not tough enough.

They edited together footage of Yi Shui using Curry and Duhon's passes to get rid of defenders when he was matched up against Wade, Carter, and Pierce, and used it as evidence.

Normal fans would be completely baffled by this statement—when faced with a strong defender, instead of finding a way to avoid contact and play more easily, why would you go in and fight head-on? Isn't that crazy?

Upon seeing the 'evidence' video, they were even more puzzled—shouldn't this teamwork and chemistry be praised? Is it wrong for a run-and-gun team to play well together?
Wade is short and heavy, with a stable lower body and fast movement, giving him a significant advantage in static confrontations.

Carter and Pierce are physically strong, experienced, and have the advantage of being shorter and heavier in static confrontations.

Yi Shui's choice of playing style demonstrated his excellent football intelligence and defensive reading ability.

But the majority of people in the world are just a mob; they don't read or think about it. They just see the headline and start commenting and reposting.

Coincidentally, the Knicks' next opponent is the 76ers, and the 76ers happen to have Andre Iguodala, a swingman known for his physicality and toughness. So the topic started to get hyped up – another tough guy standing in front of the number one draft pick.

And that's when Iguodala got into trouble.

He hasn't yet decided to gain weight after nearly getting swept by LeBron James in the 11 playoffs. At 198cm and 94kg, his speed and explosiveness give him a significant advantage as a guard, but guarding Yi Shui...

It was like a roadblock encountering a heavy tank, being mercilessly crushed.

Walsh laughed and said, "That's how the world of competitive sports is. Being low-key won't help you avoid trouble. Only strength is the key... I heard you really wanted to draft Iguodala back then, is that true?"

D'Antoni replied, "That's right. That year, the Suns got the 7th pick, and I wanted to select Iguodala, but Colangelo rejected my suggestion and gave the 7th pick to the Bulls... It's a pity that Iguodala ended up in the hands of the 76ers. It's a waste. If it weren't for his talent, the 76ers would have ruined him."

Andre Iguodala joined the Arizona Wildcats in 02 and played for two years. Mike D'Antoni, who had been a scout and assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns since 01, had long admired this college prodigy but failed to draft him. He continued to occasionally keep an eye on this 'local talent'.

D'Antoni regrets the early years of Iguodala's career.

During his college years, Iguodala almost never shot three-pointers, with a shooting percentage of less than 30%, averaging 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He was a versatile ball-handling forward/guard.

When he joined the 76ers, he was groomed to be the "Raptors McGrady". He didn't get the ball, so he was trained to move and rotate the ball. He wasn't allowed to drive to the basket, so he was trained to catch and shoot, plus defense.

After playing like this for two and a half years, Iverson left...

Midway through his junior season, the 76ers had him handle the ball and organize the offense like he did in college, and also be responsible for scoring. However, due to his poor stamina, he couldn't do that much, so he gave up on defense.

Another year and a half later, because Iguodala could not average more than 20 points per game, the 76ers felt that Iguodala had no chance of becoming a top scorer. So when they renewed his contract, they changed his playing style to that of a second option, with ball-handling and organizing the offense and defense as the main focus and scoring as a secondary role.

To this end, the 76ers spent a whopping $8200 million over 5 years to poach Elton Brand from the Clippers.

However, according to media reports, Brand, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in the summer of 07 and missed the entire season, performed far below expectations in training camp, and the 76ers continued to rely on Iguodala for scoring...

Iguodala now has everything, but isn't good at anything.

Although it was a pity, during the timeout, D'Antoni told Yi Shui all the defensive weaknesses he had observed when he was matched up against Iguodala, so that Yi Shui could hit the ball even more aggressively.

...

23投14中，其中三分球3中1，加上5中4的罚球，易水打了34分钟，狂轰33分8板3助攻2抢断2盖帽，率领尼克斯队以109比101击败76人队！

同时还把伊戈达拉防得12投5中，只拿到14分5板6助攻。

Iguodala certainly has the ability; last season, as a fourth-year player, he averaged 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. However, he can only dominate weaker opponents; against top-tier or higher teams, he rarely shines.

Facing a team that understood its strengths and focused on developing tactics around them, Iguodala, whose direction was still unclear, became a 'tool' for Yi Shui to counterattack their opponents. Dolan and Bartelstein capitalized on this, and the media switched sides, from criticizing to praising…

Yi Shui and Dolan were pleased to turn the enemy's attacks into their own traffic.

The media outlets were happy to receive their publicity fees.

The fans had something to watch and were happy.

Stern was pleased to see such a lot of buzz surrounding a mere preseason game.

Everyone was happy... except for Iguodala, who was injured.

On the 18th, the Knicks played their last game of a four-game preseason road trip, and it was a very tough game.

Facing the inside duo of Bosh and O'Neal, the Knicks' interior defense was thoroughly outmatched.

Anderson tried his best to defend, but he really couldn't stop these two.

Bosh is a dominant force in the paint, his post-up turnaround jumper is difficult to defend, and he is very strong on offensive rebounds. In his five years in the NBA, he still averaged 2.4 offensive rebounds per game in his lowest year. His passing is also excellent for a power forward, averaging 2.5+ assists per game for three consecutive years.

Jermaine O'Neal, having just switched teams, has regained his motivation. With his contract nearing its end and just turned 30, he's playing with great effort, and you can vaguely see the shadow of the top power forward who averaged 20+10 in his prime.

Fortunately, the Knicks did a good job of receiving shots on the wings tonight, creating good space for players like Yi Shui, Swift, and Birdman to attack the basket.

Du Hong initiated a counterattack, combining Yi Shui's quick run with Curry's follow-up support, and they also managed to get out of the game.

Jermaine O'Neal couldn't keep up with the fast break, and Chris Bosh was almost ready to give up on the fast break, only to be overpowered by a small forward who came right up to him...

In the final moments of regulation time, Yi Shui made a run and received the ball, hitting a three-pointer over Kapono to force overtime, tying the score at 107-107.

In overtime, Birdman made a crucial contribution, completing three putbacks and leading his team to an 11-5 score.

最终，靠着易水的31分、替补上场的安德森12分12板、库里17分5助攻、大Q13分、大卫-李15分10板、杜洪9分7助攻……尼克斯队以118比112险胜猛龙队！
...

At noon on the 19th, the Knicks returned to New York, where thousands of fans came to greet them at the airport, and security measures were deployed to maintain order.

Seeing this, Big Q and Little Potato were amazed.

Hearing this, Yi Shui, who was waving to the fans, asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is something wrong? Aren't they here to pick us up? Are they here to pick up the Yankees?"

Nate Robinson: "The Yankees season is long over, and they're all wearing your jersey! What we're lamenting is that it's been so long since anyone picked us up at the airport. No, in all the years I've been in New York, nobody's picked us up at the airport, right, Big Q?"

Big Q nodded: "Yes, it's been 3 years, and we haven't had one. We're being scolded by fans every day."

Nate Robinson: "But now, we just came back from playing preseason games and there are so many fans, it's crazy."

Yi Shui: "Oh, that's a pity. I've never experienced that feeling. When I was in college last year, there were even more people coming back after each away game than here. I really want to experience getting off the plane in peace... I'll try not taking the team's chartered plane next time."

Big Q and Little Potato both raised their middle fingers at Yi Shui.

The elementary school students standing nearby also silently raised their middle fingers.

The Knicks players were joking and boasting in public, and the New York fans were genuinely excited!
After scoring 30+ points in two consecutive games against the 76ers and Raptors, Yi Shui's average score in the first 5 preseason games soared to 26 points!
Even if they get a 20% discount during the regular season, they'd still be over 8, right?

Even more importantly, they really pulled off the run-and-gun offense!
After the first game against the Heat, some media outlets suggested that the Knicks' run-and-gun offense was just a fluke. However, after five games, this claim has been proven wrong.

The fast-paced offensive style, based on Curry, DaQ, Yi Shui, David Lee, and Swift, has really gotten going!

After two rest days, the Knicks will host the remaining three preseason games at home.

Against the Wizards, facing a leaky combination of Mike James, Nick Young, Butler, and Jamison, the Knicks racked up a resounding 118-97 victory.

Against the Bucks, Reed and Bogut were injured after returning from the Olympics, and the opponent was disorganized, so the Knicks easily won 107-95.

Playing against the Pistons was a tough game. In the last preseason game, the Pistons played like it was a regular season game, with only 11 players in their rotation.

But the Knicks, who had already built up momentum, upset the Pistons' former "Big Four" 102-97, ending their preseason with a five-game winning streak!
(End of this chapter)