The longest river

Chapter 223 Iverson's Humiliation Between His Legs
The day after the Trail Blazers eliminated the Lakers, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals also began.

Prior to this, the 76ers had already taken a 3-2 lead in the series and reached match point.

With their backs against the wall, the Bucks unleashed incredible energy.

雷·阿伦三分线外13投9中狂轰41分，帮助雄鹿队在上半场就领先了76人队29分之多。

They ultimately defeated the 76ers, forcing a decisive Game 7.

With the Western Conference Finals already over, fans' attention was quickly drawn to this decisive Game 7.

The media announcements were also overwhelming.

Allen Iverson, a lone hero, battles the Bucks' Three Musketeers.

The Trail Blazers are waiting for their final opponent in the NBA Finals, and naturally they are also paying close attention to this Game 7.

After training, Lu also chatted with Yang Shuai.

"I think the 76ers will definitely win," Lue said confidently.

"What news have you received this time?" If he weren't a time traveler, Yang Shuai might not be certain that the 76ers would win, especially since the Bucks had just easily won Game 6.

"No, but I think the league needs the best talking points."

Yang Shuai couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. It seems that Lu also has a clearer understanding of this alliance.

However, he couldn't help but recall some historical stories.

For a time, Stern was really trying to create a 23 vs 24 buzz, but even though he fouled out Howard in three games in the Eastern Conference Finals and the referees were practically blowing their whistles, James still couldn't lead the Cavaliers to that damn NBA Finals.

So ultimately, while the whistle may be off-target, the core quality is also very important.

Two days later, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals officially began.

Lue's judgment was correct. Mutombo received preferential treatment in the paint, and with his already advantageous position, he transformed into a version of Hakeem Mlajuwon.

Throughout the game, he made a total of 19 free throws, ultimately contributing an explosive performance of 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 blocks.

However, Iverson proved his worth in this game.

他全场比赛33投17中，三分球6投4中，外加7罚6中，轰下44分6板7助攻2抢断，并且只出现了2次失误。

Especially in the crucial fourth quarter, he hit two consecutive three-pointers, scoring 14 points in the quarter and helping the 76ers advance to the Finals with a 108-91 victory.

Immediately after the Eastern Conference Finals Game 7 concluded, the media launched a new round of publicity and hype.

Allen Iverson, a lone hero, battles the dynasty Portland Trail Blazers.

Familiar formula, familiar taste.

Or, even though the 76ers were clearly the top team in the East, they used headlines that made them seem like the underdogs, essentially hyping up a potential NBA Finals series.

A lone hero leads his team to challenge a dynasty team, and the storyline is at its peak at this moment.

Individual heroism is incredibly popular in the United States.

With two days to go before the NBA Finals begin, the Portland Trail Blazers are well-rested and ready to play at home.

With no games for almost a week and the Lakers having already overcome the toughest challenge, the players seemed very relaxed, perhaps even overly relaxed.

Carlisle was worried upon seeing this.

Just then, the league announced the All-NBA Team.

Carlisle took this opportunity to give his players a little push.

For the Trail Blazers, Yang Shuai's selection to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-NBA Second Team was no surprise.

Besides him, Wallace was also selected to the All-NBA Third Team for the first time in his career.

But that's all.

Meanwhile, their potential rivals, the 76ers, have seen Iverson selected to the All-NBA First Team, and Mutombo selected to both the All-NBA Second Team and the All-Defensive First Team.

Including the MVP and DPOY awards previously given to the 76ers, the 76ers have won more honors than the Trail Blazers this season.

"We can despise our opponents strategically, but we must take them seriously psychologically."

There must have been a copy of "Selected Works of Mao" on Carlyle's desk in his office.

The 76ers arrived in Portland the day before the NBA Finals began.

The media flocked to the 76ers' open practice.

Their eyes involuntarily fell on Iverson.

This season, the league's strong support has propelled Iverson to unprecedented heights.

He has even been compared to Yang Shuai by many media outlets.

Because the two of them had too much in common.

They participated in Nike training camp together back then, joined Reebok together, and even had a showdown at the end of this year's All-Star Game.

However, Iverson did not give any interviews today and went straight back to the locker room after practice.

Perhaps it's just his personality, or perhaps it's because the 76ers coaching staff wanted to avoid him being disturbed too much before the game.

Reporters could only turn their attention to 76ers head coach Larry Brown.

Most of their questions were related to Iverson and Yang Shuai, with one from a Fox News reporter asking the following question:
"Who do you think is the better player, Hansen or AI?"

This is arguably a rather provocative issue.

Normally, coaches would choose to avoid talking about such questions, but Brown did not do that.

"We all know who the MVP is this season."

Although he didn't give a direct answer, Brown has already provided the answer.

Brown's answer was more provocative than the reporter's question, even full of defiance.

It was only then that the reporters remembered the past grievances between Brown and Yang Shuai.

Everyone knows the story of Brown's departure from the Pacers; he was forced out by Young and Vaccaro.

So this year's Finals, besides Iverson challenging the Trail Blazers, also featured Brown's revenge story.

Coincidentally, just before the start of the finals, a Reebok executive also expressed his views to the media.

"I think AI and Hansen are athletes of the same level."

Reebok has grown rapidly in recent years, and naturally, there are various factions within the company.

By allowing these voices to be heard, they are indirectly reminding people that the core players of both teams in this year's finals came from Reebok.

This is the NBA Finals, and also Reebok's internal battle.

On the opening day of the Finals, the Rose Garden Arena in Portland was not only packed, but also saw the presence of many celebrities.

The league and media's publicity worked, making this year's Finals far more popular than last year's, almost rivaling the Finals between the Trail Blazers and Wizards.

During the pre-game warm-up, the camera frequently cut to Iverson and Yang Shuai, which whetted the appetite of the fans.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.

76ers: Eric Snow, Allen Iverson, Aaron McGee, Tyronn Hill, Dikembe Mutombo

Trail Blazers: Billups, Sura, Young, Wallace, Sabonis

Unlike previous matches, Yang Shuai launched an attack right from the start.

He received the ball outside the three-point line, then used a crossover dribble to get past McGee's defense, and then suddenly accelerated straight to the inside, performing a flying dunk over Mutombo.

This move stunned everyone present, even Mutombo was caught off guard.

"Oh!"

When a muffled thud was heard and the basketball slammed into the basket from the side of Mutombo's long arm that had blocked the shot, the crowd immediately erupted.

While everyone was speculating about Iverson challenging the Trail Blazers, Yang Shuai delivered a powerful dunk right from the start, slapping everyone in the face.

"The biggest mistake the 76ers made was provoking Hansen before the game!"

The commentators for this game were Barkley and Albert. Because of their diametrically opposed stances, TNT often paired them up for the sake of the show's entertainment value.

After seeing Yang Shuai's powerful dunk at the start of the game, Barkley immediately exclaimed in admiration.

He knows very well that when he played for the Trail Blazers, Yang Shuai would always explode against the Jazz.

Barkley had barely finished speaking when an even bigger uproar erupted in the crowd.

Because the person guarding Iverson was Yang Shuai!
Iverson was running along the baseline, using consecutive screens from the power forward and center to try and get rid of Yang Shuai.

However, Yang Shuai had anticipated this. Instead of chasing Iverson from behind, he crossed the half-court from the middle of the free-throw line and the three-second zone, and then arrived at the tactical receiving point almost at the same time as Iverson.

Iverson switched to shooting guard this season, and the biggest difference from his previous point guard position is the reduction in the amount of ball he handles.

Or rather, that's the basis for Brown's "one-for-four" strategy to work.

If Iverson were spared the physical exertion of dribbling and only focused on "catching and shooting," he could reach his maximum output potential.

But right now, Yang Shuai is targeting Iverson's moment when he receives the ball.

As someone who once played under Brown, Yang Shuai knows all too well the monotony of Brown's offensive tactics.

So before the Finals started, he watched a few more 76ers games and figured out Brown's three-pronged tactics.

The 76ers' offensive possession ultimately failed to reach Iverson, and McGee's mid-range shot on the other side was interfered with by Sura and bounced off the rim.

This 76ers team has strong defensive talent, but its offensive talent is rather average.

Yang Shuai continued to penetrate McGee's defense, and this time Snow quickly provided help defense. Excellent defense is the foundation for the 76ers to make it to the Finals.

But facing Snow, who is only 1.91 meters tall with shoes on, Yang Shuai immediately pulled up for a sudden stop.

The choice was so decisive and so fast that Snow seemed frozen in place, watching the ball fly over his head.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball swished into the pocket.

Cheers erupted again, and Yang Shuai's offensive desire was particularly strong at the start of the game tonight.

Just then, the camera followed Yang Shuai's gaze and finally landed on Brown, who was sitting on the sidelines.

Brown's remarks were naturally reported by the media, and automatically exaggerated.

But that made no difference to Yang Shuai.

Although he wasn't a petty person, he wasn't so magnanimous as to pretend that what happened back then never happened.

The fans now understood where Yang Shuai's motivation for starting the game came from.

This made them even more excited.

This season, thanks to the growth of Wallace and Billups, they haven't seen Yang Shuai at his full potential in the playoffs yet.

Perhaps they will have that opportunity tonight.

Iverson successfully received the ball through a pick-and-roll, but Yang Shuai quickly got back on defense.

Mutombo attempted a second pick-and-roll, but Yang Shuai bypassed him with his puppy-dog footwork.

At the same time, Sabonis also allowed Mutombo to double-team Iverson.

Carlisle's defensive strategy was clear: the 76ers' offense relied entirely on Iverson, so all they had to do was limit Iverson.

Furthermore, Yang Shuai was interfering with Iverson's passing lane to Mutombo, leaving Iverson with no passing angle and forcing him to dribble back to the three-point line.

Although Sabonis retreated to defend Mutombo, this back-and-forth action consumed offensive time, and the tactic eventually turned into a one-on-one play.

Iverson intended to pass the ball back to Snow to reorganize the offense, but the Portland fans in the arena started to boo.

Brown said Iverson is the MVP and better than Yang Shuai. Does that mean he won't dare to go one-on-one with Yang Shuai and will slap Brown in the face?

Iverson, with his high spirits, abandoned the attempt to return the ball after hearing the jeers and went straight for a one-on-one attack.

His speed is an advantage over Yang Shuai, but it doesn't mean he can't fight her.

Yang Shuai's defensive choice at this point was also to give way significantly, a standard defensive approach that allowed the drive to be broken and the shot to be taken.

Iverson knew that even if he closed the distance, it would be difficult to break through Yang Shuai, so he opted for a three-pointer.

Three-pointers are not his forte, but it's not that he doesn't shoot them. He averaged 4.3 three-point attempts per game in the regular season, the highest on the 76ers, and that number increased to 6.5 in the playoffs.

Just like in the previous Game 7 against the Bucks, if you give him a chance, he can really deliver an efficient performance like going 4-for-6.

However, just as Iverson jumped, Yang Shuai pounced on him.

Although there was a distance between the two, the height difference was also a factor, and Yang Shuai's fingertips eventually touched the basketball.

The basketball's parabolic trajectory changed, eventually landing in Wallace's hands under the basket.

Yang Shuai blocked Iverson's shot!

The Trail Blazers quickly launched a fast break, and Sura received a long pass from Yang Shuai and delivered a powerful dunk.

Amidst the continuous cheers of the fans in the arena, when the game reached the halfway point of this quarter, the score became 16-5, and the Trail Blazers had built an 11-point lead.

Yang Shuai scored 8 of his 16 points and dished out 2 assists.

As for Iverson, he was completely shut out by Yang Shuai!
Allen Iverson's popularity stems not only from his compelling story, but also from the fact that as a player who is less than 1.8 meters tall barefoot, he resonates strongly with ordinary people.

It's like Captain America, in the Avengers universe, having the feeling of "a mortal being on par with gods".

But no matter how great Iverson was, he still couldn't overcome the talent gap caused by his height.

When Yang Shuai was substituted by Carlisle to rest, the Portland fans in the arena erupted in a deafening roar of cheers. At that moment, Brown's pre-game remarks became a complete joke.

This is exactly what Yang Shuai and Carlisle wanted to achieve.

The Trail Blazers have had too much rest, while the 76ers just won a decisive Game 7. Even with Carlisle keeping things in check, there will be a difference in morale and form between the two teams.

Yang Shuai unleashed his full offensive and defensive power at the start of the game, directly making up for the gap.

Of course, the price of all this is that Yang Shuai has to leave the court early to rest. If he doesn't control his stamina, he will inevitably run into stamina problems later on.

After Yang Shuai left the court, Iverson immediately used a tactic to receive the ball, shake off Sura, and drive to the basket, but his attempt to lift the ball was swatted away by Wallace.

Because it's a home game, even without Yang Shuai, the morale is still on the Trail Blazers' side.

The Trail Blazers launched another fast break, and Sura once again scored with his aggressive fast break.

With 5 and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter, the score difference was 18 to 5.

This looks like a one-sided massacre.

"Master, the race is over."

Barkley couldn't resist popping a bottle of champagne at that moment.

Neither the 76ers nor the Bucks can be a match for the Trail Blazers.

As the score gap widened, the emotions of the fans at the stadium grew increasingly high.

Amidst deafening defensive shouts, the 76ers' offense was on the verge of 24 seconds remaining.

However, in the final moments, Iverson received the ball on the baseline and took a difficult mid-range shot from the corner before the whistle blew.

The sound of the basketball going through the net and the whistle blew almost simultaneously, instantly causing a stir in the stadium.

This shot was incredibly satisfying and helped Iverson regain his confidence.

In the next 5 minutes, Iverson made his shots frequently, scoring 8 points on his own.

His performance allowed the 76ers to close the gap to 22-24 before the end of the first quarter, just one possession behind.

Barkley then covered his mouth with his hand; if they weren't in a public place, he probably would have slapped himself for his milky mouth.

However, more crucial than the "jinx" is Iverson's ability.

Yang Shuai's defensive prowess is not just for show; the Trail Blazers have no other defensive players besides Yang Shuai. Whether it's Sura or Billups, they are basically beaten by a single step.

To say that Iverson is better than Yang Shuai is complete nonsense, but this season's Iverson certainly deserves the MVP award.

Moreover, besides speed, Allen Iverson has another advantage over Yang Shuai: his physical fitness.

Shorter players naturally expend less energy, not to mention Brown even had Iverson switch to shooting guard.

Iverson played the entire first quarter, and then continued playing at the start of the second quarter.

His continued playing time allowed him to maintain his shooting touch in the latter half of the first quarter. When Yang Shuai came on, he even hit two consecutive mid-range shots over Yang Shuai's defense.

The difference between a superstar and an All-Star is that once a player gets hot, they become unguardable.

艾弗森开场在杨帅的防守下4投0中，但是半场打完，他20投9中已经得到了22分。

At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the 76ers 54-50.

This first half of the game perfectly met the fans' expectations.

Yang Shuai's strength, the Trail Blazers' strength, and Iverson's lone heroism.

If they continue playing like this, the 76ers aren't entirely without a chance.

Before entering the locker room, Yang Shuai stopped Carlisle.

"AI was on the field in the second half, and so was I."

Yang Shuai absolutely does not want to lose tonight's game.

To achieve that, the only option is to do as he said: have him constantly defend Iverson and prevent Iverson from finding his rhythm.

However, Carlisle did not agree, as doing so would be too risky. If the game dragged on to the final stages or even overtime, the Trail Blazers would undoubtedly lose.

Just then, Lu walked past them to go to the toilet.

How is Tyron?

As Yang Shuai watched Lu's figure, he suddenly recalled the glorious deeds of Iverson that his father had shared with him, including a scene where Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue.

Theoretically, Lue was just a background character in that story, but Yang Shuai keenly captured the key information: Lue was sent to defend Iverson in the Finals.

That means Lue is at least capable of going toe-to-toe with Iverson.

Although I don't know how effective it will be, it shouldn't be worse than the effects of Billups or Sura.

When the second half started, the game was exactly the same as it had been at the beginning.

Yang Shuai demonstrated his high efficiency and consistency, driving the team's offense while also suppressing Iverson's performance.

After halftime, Iverson lost his hot streak and was inefficient against Yang Shuai.

Brown, however, remained calm, knowing that Yang Shuai couldn't keep playing like this indefinitely.

With seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Trail Blazers made a personnel change.

However, it wasn't Yang Shuai who was substituted; rather, Lu came on to replace Billups.

Carlisle's arrangement was sound; he didn't wait for Yang Shuai to leave the field before substituting Lu, which allows for more flexibility in adjustments.

Both Yang Shuai and Carlisle have high hopes for Lu.

However, the ideal is very full, but the reality is very skinny.

On the very first defensive possession, Lue was tricked into committing a foul by Iverson.

Lue also had a chance to play in last year's Finals, but it was mostly during garbage time.

He seemed visibly nervous when asked to guard an MVP-caliber player like Allen Iverson.

"He's not taller than you, he can't jump as fast as you, and he can't even talk as well as you."

Yang Shuai went over and patted Lu on the shoulder, signaling him to relax.

That had some effect, as Lue stuck to Iverson on the next defensive possession.

But at that moment, Iverson used a drive and pull back to shake off Lue and score.

Lu's desperate attempt to contest the ball failed. When he looked back at the ball, he didn't notice his footing and felt that he had stepped on Iverson's foot. He then slid backward to protect himself.

But the result of his actions was that he ended up sitting right next to Iverson.

At that moment, Iverson glanced at Lue on the ground and then did something unexpected, the same scene that Yang Shuai's father had mentioned.

Iverson stepped over Lue.

There was an uproar at the scene.

Iverson didn't actually need to do that, but he did it anyway.

Perhaps he was frustrated by Yang Shuai's defense and needed an outlet for his emotions, or perhaps it was simply to give a newcomer like Lu a hard time.

But whatever the reason, this is destined to become a classic moment in Iverson's career.

Carlisle had already called Walter Williams up.

Although Lu was benched, in terms of results, Lu was indeed better than Billups and Sura.

However, at that moment, after returning to the offensive end, Yang Shuai took the initiative to set a screen for Lue, and then received the ball and was mismatched against Iverson.

After gesturing to create space with one hand, he immediately went one-on-one against Iverson.

However, contrary to his expected back-to-the-basket attack, he opted to drive past Iverson like a tank.

Iverson couldn't stop Yang Shuai's breakthrough and could only retreat while walking.

Then, just as he retreated to the three-second zone to wait for his teammates to help defend, Yang Shuai had already jumped up in advance.

To the wide-eyed fans, Yang Shuai looked like a helicopter taking off, flying over Iverson's head with his legs spread wide.

This scene instantly brought to mind the French center who was dunked on by Carter at the Sydney Olympics.

"Oh!"

When Yang Shuai stepped over Iverson and slammed the ball into the basket, the Rose Garden Arena fell silent for a moment, then was filled with an explosive cheer from the fans.

"Damn it, Hansen killed the AI!"

After a moment of stunned silence, Barkley also swore.

Iverson's hop was classic, but Yang Shuai's hop was simply brutal!

Iverson's expression on the camera looked incredibly grim.

However, Yang Shuai completely ignored Iverson and simply turned around to give Lue a hard high five.

It was obvious that his step just now was to stand up for Lu.

Among the Trail Blazers, if you were to ask him who his favorite player off the court is, it would undoubtedly be Lue.

Carlisle, seeing this, called Williams back from the scorer's table.

The Trail Blazers were gaining momentum, and he had no reason to interrupt them.

Carlisle's choice proved to be absolutely correct.

After high-fiving Yang Shuai, Lu's entire demeanor changed drastically.

His initial nervousness vanished, replaced by an even greater enthusiasm than Sura.

That feeling can be described in one sentence: "This humble general, Tyronn Lue, is willing to go through fire and water for Marshal Yang!"

When the team leader is willing to stand up for you, even at the cost of offending other stars of the same caliber, that feeling is something that most people can't understand.

Lue certainly couldn't produce the same defensive effect as Yang Shuai, but as Yang Shuai said, he was a player of similar build to Iverson, and he had speed and athleticism, which made Iverson very uncomfortable.

At least, Iverson couldn't get into his rhythm like he did in the first half when Yang Shuai left the court.

Yang Shuai no longer needed to chase Iverson on the defensive end, and he ended up playing the entire quarter.

After three quarters, the Trail Blazers had re-established a double-digit lead at 84-70.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Yang Shuai rested on the bench.

Iverson didn't rest for a single minute.

Popovich dominated Duncan, Brown dominated Iverson; the two old guys are of the same ilk.

During this period, Iverson also began to adapt to Lue's defensive intensity and performed better than in the third quarter.

After that bench rotation ended, he helped the 76ers narrow the gap to 9 points again.

Brown then looked up at the timer. With 9 minutes left, the 76ers still had a chance to close the gap to 9 points.

But just then, a whistle blew from the sidelines.

Yang Shuai came on to replace Lu.

The cruelest thing in life is when hope is ignited, someone comes and extinguishes it.

When Lu left the field, Yang Shuai reached out and patted the latter on the head.

Lue's performance tonight exceeded both his and Carlisle's expectations.

In his very first possession, Yang Shuai beat McGee and Mutombo's defense and hit a running floater.

Moreover, after returning to the defensive end, he successfully disrupted Iverson's mid-range shot.

Having rested, he was full of energy, and his intensity on both offense and defense immediately returned to normal.

On the other hand, even though Iverson was short and had relatively low energy expenditure, and even though his willpower was far beyond that of ordinary people, he was already exhausted and powerless to turn the tide.

Yang Shuai scored 17 points in the final quarter, and the Trail Blazers ultimately defeated the 76ers 107-93, securing a winning start to the Finals.

艾弗森38投15中，空砍41分5板6助攻4抢断，穆托姆博和斯诺各得9分。

Don't ask, the answer is a lone hero.

开拓者队这边，杨帅27中17得到44分10板7助攻，华莱士19分7板，比卢普斯15分6助攻，苏拉13分。

"AI performed exceptionally well; he proved that he deserves the MVP award."

In the post-game press conference, Carlisle praised Iverson's performance, but then he abruptly changed the subject.
"But we are fortunate to have a better Hansen."

Since Brown answered so directly, there was no need for him to beat around the bush anymore.

When the microphone was handed to Yang Shuai, the reporter naturally asked about his cross-person dunk during the game.

"When you don't respect your opponent, you should be prepared not to be respected by your opponent."

Yang Shuai's answer was much more aggressive than Carlisle's; he didn't even bother with politeness.

There was nothing he could do; he wasn't her father, and he didn't share the same lifelong faith as Zhong Ai.

Of course, the reporter also asked about Brown's pre-game comments.

Yang Shuai didn't confront Brown directly, but his attitude was even more hurtful than any direct confrontation.

"Larry has become the best coach, I'm on my way to my first dynasty, and we both have a bright future."

What is more terrifying than death is being forgotten, and what is more hurtful than hatred is indifference.

(End of this chapter)