The longest river

Chapter 94 The Beginning of a Legend

Yang Shuai was also very excited after scoring the goal, and he turned around and clenched his fist forcefully towards the sidelines.

This scene happened right in front of the Knicks' bench.

"Negative energy from John Starks +268".

"Negative energy from Derek Harper +108".

"Negative energy from Cary Grant +58".

……

The Knicks players were on edge.

It's worth noting that Yang Shuai has a history of elbowing Oakley and beating Starks while pinned down during regular season matchups between the two teams.

"What is Jeff doing? Why didn't he put John on sooner!" Albert was getting impatient.

Although the Knicks still maintained a 10-point lead, the key was that Yang Shuai scored 8 points in a row, bringing his total score from 8 to 16.

Putting aside the outcome of the game, if Yang Shuai really scores 20 points, then he'll be the one eating wasabi!
Van Gundy called a timeout.

"Well done!" Miller greeted Yang Shuai as he left the court and gave him a high five.

Although Miller can't play, he's the one who really wants Yang Shuai to play well.

You could tell from his speech at the opening banquet that he was the kind of person who only cared about the team's victory.

Moreover, he knew that Yang Shuai's performance was crucial for the Pacers to advance to the second round.

This scene, however, made Brown frown. Now the team has two three-point shooters who can escape his control, instead of one.

After the timeout, both sides gradually brought back their main players.

Van Gundy didn't want to bring on his starters early, but Yang Shuai's sudden outburst forced him to do so.

With 7 minutes remaining in the match, both sides entered the final battle ahead of schedule.

Ewing initiated the attack in the low post, while McGee continued to help defend the basket.

This time, Ewing didn't pass the ball. Instead, he turned and drove to the basket, forcing Schmitz to shoot and score again.

尤因本赛季常规赛场均得到22.5分10.6板2.1助攻2.4盖帽，得分篮板都是近7个赛季以来的新低。

His knee injury worsened, preventing him from dominating the basket like he did in his prime.

But tonight he already had 23 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.

Facing the Pacers, the team that eliminated him last season, he once again delivered a performance exceeding his season average, just like when the two teams first met in the regular season.

The Knicks still held a 12-point lead at 73-85.

Moreover, once they retreated to the defensive end, the Knicks' defense became watertight.

Although Riley has moved to Miami, the ruthless New York gang he built still exists.

The Pacers' offense failed to continue.

The fans at the scene were getting anxious.

"Defend! Defend!"

All they could do was shout in unison.

Ewing remained in a low position.

His attention was focused on McGee on the strong side, and he didn't notice Yang Shuai's sudden contraction on the weak side.

By the time he realized Starks's shouts of warning were too late.

He was about to lift the ball when he felt it become lighter in his hand.

Yang Shuai used this method to steal one of O'Neal's players back then, and now he's using the same method to steal one of Ewing's players!
Moreover, after winning the ball, Yang Shuai immediately launched a fast break forward.

Only Starks from the Knicks team kept up.

But Yang Shuai advanced very quickly, and Starks dared not make a move easily, so he could only defend and retreat.

The two crossed the center line one after the other.

Just then, Yang Shuai suddenly slowed down.

Starks judged that Yang Shuai was going to slow down and then speed up to get past him, so he immediately took a big slide step back.

However, Yang Shuai's next choice completely exceeded his expectations.

Of course, it also drew gasps of amazement from everyone present.

Larry Brown's blood pressure spiked instantly.

Because Yang Shuai slowed down and then launched a three-pointer from the three-point line!

In a one-on-one fast break, Yang Shuai surprisingly opted for a three-pointer!

This choice would make any coach, let alone Brown, furious.

However, Yang Shuai's unconventional choice successfully created a comfortable shooting space for himself.

Starks misjudged the situation on defense, but it was too late for him to pounce.

Under the watchful eyes of the fans in the stadium, Yang Shuai drifted through the air into the three-point line and then took the shot.

The basketball, propelled forward by inertia, slammed straight into the backboard, and then...

"boom!"

It bounced off and shot into the net!
Yang Shuai's three-pointer came in!

He's made all three of his three-point attempts in this quarter; his hands look like they're on fire!
"God! What happened?!" This comeback three-pointer sent Johnson into a frenzy.

Just like Riley had done, he had a premonition that Yang Shuai might have a breakout performance.

But unlike Riley, that premonition was positive and exciting for him!
Albert had stopped talking at this point.

After sinking that three-pointer, Yang Shuai's personal score reached 19 points.

They now have only one point left to reach the 20 points they agreed on in the bet!

Moreover, given Yang Shuai's current form, what was once a pipe dream has become a highly probable event. Yang Shuai's three-pointer reignited the emotions of the fans in the arena, with shouts of defense echoing throughout the City Square Stadium.

In crucial moments, the Knicks' key player is Starks.

He received a pass from Ewing and hit a clutch three-pointer.

As an undrafted player, Starks was able to grow into the Knicks' core perimeter player thanks to his fighting spirit and clutch performance.

He was responsible for that crucial three-pointer in Game 2 last year that narrowed the gap to two points, as well as for stopping Mark Jackson's drive and floater.

The cheers at the scene came to an abrupt halt.

"You can't win! Your resistance will only excite us more!" Starks shouted trash talk as he ran towards Yang Shuai after landing.

During the Pacers' offense, Yang Shuai directly reached out for the ball and signaled to spread out for a one-on-one attack.

This scene immediately made Brown, who was far away, put his hand to his chest.

Yang Shuai is really not pretending anymore this time!

If Eddie Johnson were still with the Pacers, he would definitely jump up and shout, "Feed me peanuts! Feed me peanuts!"

He was publicly reprimanded by Brown for calling for a one-on-one during a practice match, but Yang Shuai actually did it on the playoff stage!

In fact, not only Johnson, but everyone on the Pacers team was stunned.

If Yang Shuai's previous three-pointers were merely challenging Brown's authority, then this play completely shattered Brown's authority.

Unfortunately, Brown can't do anything about it right now.

But that's the wonder of the world. If Brown hadn't used Young, Miller wouldn't have gotten injured, and if Miller hadn't gotten injured, Young's importance would never be what it is today.

"Come on! That's it!"

Starks then adopted a fighting stance and continued to provoke Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai is indeed a high school student. He fought with him back then because Yang Shuai pushed him, and now he's provoked by Yang Shuai's trash talk and wants to have a one-on-one fight with him.

After his teammates spread out, Yang Shuai started playing one-on-one.

He broke through, changed direction to shake off Starks's hand that was on him, changed direction again to shake off Starks's hand that was on him again, stepped back and pulled back to shoot a three-pointer.

Yang Shuai's shot was all about rhythm and was a classic Harden-style three-pointer.

Moreover, he even waited for Starks a moment before making his move.

That shot was clearly aimed at drawing a foul from Starks.

He is indeed a man who retaliates in kind, but as someone who has long relied on trash talk to earn points and knows how to provoke his opponents, he obviously wouldn't fall for Starks's trick so easily.

He succeeded. Due to the difference in height and wingspan, as well as his previous hot streak of three-pointers, the experienced Starks was fooled into jumping up.

The referee blew his whistle, and Yang Shuai successfully drew a three-point foul from Starks.

And it's not over yet.

After successfully drawing a foul, Yang Shuai did not stop his three-point attempt. Instead, he paused in mid-air, pulled back, and then completed the shot.

The ball's trajectory was disjointed because the action was interrupted, and the ball's parabola appeared very flat.

But what Yang Shuai himself didn't expect was...

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, the ball went in!
This is a 3+1!

Perhaps his consecutive three-pointers had made him hot, and even fouls couldn't stop him from putting the ball in the basket.

"God is wearing the number 16 jersey!"

Ernie Johnson uttered that classic line, and perhaps only that line can explain what happened on the field at that moment.

Albert was no longer just silent; his face was extremely grim.

Because after Yang Shuai made that 3+1 play, the wasabi that was supposed to go into Johnson's mouth is now being eaten by him!
Yang Shuai goes to the free throw line.

"Hansen! Hansen!"

The fans began chanting Yang Shuai's name in unison.

Yang Shuai's performance in this quarter was nothing short of miraculous.

Amid cheers from the fans, Yang Shuai calmly made the free throw.

He scored his 23rd point, helping the Pacers narrow the gap to 8 points.

Moreover, this 3+1 play was a fatal blow to the Knicks' morale.

The Knicks committed a turnover on their next offensive possession.

Moreover, they also over-defended against Yang Shuai.

With Schmitz drawing attention, Robertson seized the opportunity to drive to the basket, not only scoring but also drawing a foul from Grant who was helping on defense.

After Robertson made the free throw, the score difference instantly became 5 points.

Van Gundy had no choice but to call another timeout.

With four minutes remaining in the game, there was a real chance to close the five-point gap.

During the timeout, Yang Shuai's statistics for the fourth quarter were displayed on the court.

5投5中，三分球4投4中，罚球1罚1中，15分。

100% shooting percentage, and most of them were three-pointers.

"We are witnessing the birth of a legend!"

Johnson won the bet with Abbott, and at this point he completely dropped his pretense.

His bet with Albert had a certain element of entertainment value; he didn't actually have much confidence in Yang Shuai.

Even after three quarters, all he could do was keep up his stubbornness.

But Yang Shuai did it in the end, and in a way that exceeded everyone's expectations.

(End of this chapter)