Chapter 499: Organizing Center
"Milic is gone, Turiaf is gone, and now Wilt Chandler is gone too. Are you afraid to win?" Yang Mo glanced at everyone and said rudely, "Did I work so hard to get you to the playoffs just to lose? If you like losing so much, why did you even make it to the playoffs?"
No one responded to Yang Mo's harsh questioning, and everyone's heads subconsciously lowered.
"Perhaps I misjudged you. I thought you were just temporarily down, and I thought I could lead you to regain your confidence. Turns out, you're still so fragile." After Yang Mo's harsh questioning, he sighed heavily and sank down on a nearby chair. If all his teammates were hopeless, then there was really nothing he could do.
When Yang Mo sat down like this, everyone's heart sank.
At this moment, Jeffries was the first to raise his head. He clenched his right fist and raised it above his head, saying loudly, "Boss, I'm going to play with you. Tonight, I'm going to fight to the death to prove my worth. I'm now a father of two children. Maybe I'll be a defensive player all my life, but tonight I'm going to do something that will make my son proud. Now that God has created an opportunity for me, I have no reason to back down!"
Jeffreys's declaration of war struck a chord. Really? Since there was no turning back, since everyone had already decided we were going to lose, why not give it a try? Who knows, maybe we could even win. And if we did, it would be great bragging material in the future!
"I also want to prove that I am not born unable to pass the second round. I also want to prove that I can still be the Tracy McGrady who scored thirteen points in thirty-five seconds. Yang, I will fight you!" McGrady also quickly stood up to express his position, his right fist also raised high.
drop!
Just then, the whistle sounded and the game was about to start again.
Seeing this, Stein quickly called another timeout. The oath-taking ceremony hadn't yet concluded, and he didn't want to rush into battle so hastily. As the saying goes, sharpening the knife doesn't delay the chopping of wood; only by doing a good job of ideological work can combat effectiveness be doubled.
"I want to tell my daughter that there is nothing in this world that is invincible. Yang, please let me fight on the court!" Larry Hughes, who had not played for a long time, stood up and said to Yang Mo very seriously.
"And me, Yang, I like this stimulating atmosphere. I'm from Chicago and I have fighting blood in my body." Tony Allen also sounded his battle cry at the first opportunity.
Soon, Anthony, Randolph, Gallinani, Douglas and others also joined the battle. All of a sudden, the Knicks, who had originally had low morale, became very eager to fight. Each of them had a kind of tragic spirit of the wind whistling and the Yi River cold, like those brave warriors who were ready to die bravely.
Seeing this, Yang Mo immediately stood up and said, "Since everyone is willing to fight to the death, willing to show your courage, and willing to fight a good battle, then let's go on the court. Tony Allen, Larry Hughes, Tracy McGrady, Jeffries, follow me. I'll be the center from now. Howard will be my number, and I'll take care of the rebounds as well."
"One, two, three, kill the magic!"
Tony Allen shouted, and all the Knicks players including Yang Mo shouted out this sentence in unison. In an instant, the momentum reached its peak.
If the previous Knicks were like Xiang Yu, surrounded by enemies and ambushed on all sides, then the current Knicks are Xiang Yu, desperate to fight with his back to the river. The momentum shifted in a split second, the so-called "risking one's life in order to survive" is probably true.
drop!
The whistle blew again, the timeout ended, and the game resumed.
As the Knicks players stormed onto the court, Stan Van Gundy, sitting courtside, was visibly stunned. What was going on? The Knicks players' eyes had been filled with bewilderment before, but now they were all filled with burning desire? What had happened? Was there some kind of magic trick?
Stan Van Gundy was astonished. Jeff Van Gundy, sitting in the live studio, couldn't sense this dangerous aura, so he easily released his taunting skill. "Look, the Knicks are already cautious. They actually sent out this nonsensical lineup. The tallest player is Jeffries. There's also Tracy McGrady, a former All-Star with broken legs. Larry Hughes is also an aging veteran. As for Tony Allen, what else does he have left besides defense? I really don't understand what Stan is thinking. Is he sending these people out to bring about garbage time?"
Whenever Jeff Van Gundy proudly unleashed his taunting skills, Sir Charles Barkley would always calmly say, "Come on, director, cut to the camera and let us admire Jeff's new hairstyle again."
In response, Jeff Van Gundy could only grit his teeth and sternly say, "Charles, you don't have to be so arrogant. Next game, I'll ask the director to cut to the sanitary napkin on your head."
"Let's talk about it next game. Anyway, I think your hairstyle tonight is particularly unique and contains a unique humanistic atmosphere. Like an artist, or a poet." Charles Barkley didn't argue with Jeff Van Gundy, but just kept insulting Van Gundy: "Oh, by the way, are these not original thongs?"
Every word of Barkley's sarcasm was heart-wrenching, and each one was like a bullet, which hurt Jeff Van Gundy deeply and deeply.
But he had no choice but to endure it. After all, he was the one who lost the previous game. He could only store his resentment. If he won this game, he would return the favor twice as much in the next game , making Barkley also taste the humiliation in front of the American audience.
Meanwhile, the game had already begun. Tony Allen brought the ball upfield and quickly passed it to McGrady, who feinted a drive and then passed it to Jeffries, who was running into the open space. Jeffries made a quick nod and then passed it to Larry Hughes, who caught the ball and shot it...whoosh!
A stable mid-range shot recovered two points.
The team played with a calm demeanor, a touch of the San Antonio Spurs. This is teamwork!
On the offensive end, they were strong, and on the defensive end, they were all trying their best to keep up. However, in terms of footwork, McGrady could not keep up with his cousin. Although Carter was older, he had not suffered the same serious injuries as McGrady, so he easily got the mid-range shot opportunity and made two points steadily.
The ball swung again, and Yang Mo expected McGrady to retake the court. However, this time, he didn't. After Tony Allen passed him the ball, he actually looked for an open spot and passed it to Yang Mo. Yang Mo caught the ball inside the restricted area and immediately backed up, employing Michael Jordan's positioning strategy. With a few fake moves, even without exerting any effort, he found a nearly open spot. With a powerful backwards thrust, Howard was completely dislodged. Yang Mo spun around and launched himself, slamming the ball into the hoop... BOOM!
This dunk immediately received thunderous responses from the entire Madison Square Garden. Their game was finally back to normal, and they finally played well for two consecutive rounds.
At this moment, Yang Mo also raised his hands high, rushed to the technical table, and shouted loudly: "Even if the whole world doesn't believe we can win, we will fight for victory with all our might. I hope you can always be there! Come, cheer for our team! Defense! Defense!"
Yang Mo's shouting quickly made Madison Square Garden frenzied. Just like the Miami fans of the past, they excitedly shouted loudly: Defense! Defense!
This was Yang Mo's first time jumping onto the technical table at Madison Square Garden, but the response he received was no less than the support he received at the American Airlines Center.
After receiving the fans' response, Yang Mo quickly returned to defense, quickly keeping up with Howard's pace. He didn't want to give Howard any offensive space. Similarly, his teammates were unwilling to give their opponents any offensive space. Tonight, they all had something to prove and defend.
Under tight defense, Nelson finally had to pass the ball to Howard. When Howard received the basketball, there were less than five seconds left, and he had to shoot as soon as possible.
So, he quickly turned around and faced Yang Mo head-on. He felt that his height advantage would give him an advantage in a frontal attack.
Howard faced him head-on, and Yang Mo retreated instead of advancing. He actually took a half step back, giving Howard ample space to shoot. However, Howard hesitated because he was afraid of Yang Mo. He was really afraid of Yang Mo. Yang Mo had once taught him a lesson in first grade, leaving a scar on him.
So, he quickly used his footwork, trying to deceive Yang Mo using the moves that Olajuwon had taught him. However, he hadn't mastered them well enough. And even if he had, he wouldn't have been able to deceive Yang Mo, because Yang Mo's current basketball experience came from Michael Jordan.
Howard feinted twice, but Yang Mo remained motionless . With less than two seconds remaining, he could only grit his teeth and leap backwards...
At the same time he jumped, Yang Mo rushed forward quickly, jumped before him, and opened his arms with a ferocious look.
Howard couldn't help but feel scared when he saw this, and his arms couldn't help but tremble. But at this time, time was about to run out, and he had to throw the ball quickly, and he didn't care whether to block the shot or not.
Ding! A muffled thud echoed from the court, signaling the end of the shot clock. The basketball was still in mid-air, and just as Howard was hoping for a buzzer-beater... Snap! A sharp, piercing sound exploded in his ears. Simultaneously, his pupils detected an incredibly swift afterimage, darting off the court... Bang!
The basketball eventually flew to the 20th row of the court, where it was finally caught by a burly black man. He quickly shook his arm, feeling a slight numbness in it. This showed just how powerful Yang Mo's shot block was.
At the moment when the basketball was hit by Yang Mo's slap, the entire Madison Garden let out a scream of "Wow". When the basketball flew to the 20th row outside the court, the scream reached its peak!
When the shouting was about to stop, Yang Mo suddenly walked to the sidelines, put his right hand to his ear as if listening, and shouted loudly: "So... now tell me, are you guys enjoying it?"
When Yang Mo asked this question in Chinese, the Knicks fans were stunned for a second, and then burst into cheers like a hurricane: Awesome!
Madison Square Garden erupted with almost the loudest roar since its establishment.
Knicks fans had expected Super Yang to ask this question in Chinese in this place, but they did not expect that he would make his first attempt when the team was in such an unfavorable situation.
Yang Mo's words seemed to indicate that the conflict between him and Knicks fans had officially resolved. You know, he never interacted with Knicks fans before and even gave them the middle finger. Now, they have finally reconciled!
Taking advantage of the opportunity of Yang Mo's reconciliation with the fans, the atmosphere in the entire Madison Garden instantly reached a terrifying level, and it was transformed into a devil's home court. The momentum was terrifying.
Even as the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden reached a terrifying level and the Knicks' momentum reached its peak, Stan Van Gundy still didn't call a timeout. It's unclear whether he was frightened or simply unwavering, but he didn't make any personnel adjustments, let alone call a timeout, and simply let the situation unfold.
Meanwhile, in the studio, Sir Charles Barkley, who had been mocking Van Gundy with a thong, finally got excited. He slammed the table and shouted, "Super Yang is Super Yang. He successfully aroused the Knicks' fighting spirit and ignited the atmosphere at home. He is a genius leader. The victory tonight belongs to him, and all those who oppose him will be punished. Hahahaha, Jeff Van Gundy, wait for the arrival of sanitary napkins. It will make your hair colorful!"
In response to Barkley's arrogance, Jeff Van Gundy responded angrily: "Come on, we're still ahead, okay? Do you think we can win by just shouting a few words from the fans? Basketball is not a game of who can be the loudest."
"Hmph, you're just being stubborn. Don't you know that for Super Yang, this small difference is just an appetizer, just to whet his appetite?"
"I only know that the Magic are still leading, and the Knicks have no inside players. Young's height can't support the Knicks' restricted area. When the Magic use the double center tactic, he will be trapped to death by the giants, ahahaha!" Jeff Van Gundy also became arrogant, and he seemed to be more confident than Barkley.
"Then you should let the Knicks use the double-center tactic as soon as possible. The Knicks are waiting to play run-and-gun." Barkley responded with a smirk.
The two men were locked in a fierce battle in the studio, and similarly, the situation on the court was becoming tense. The Knicks played a beautiful team game, but without Yang Mo's organization, they lacked many of the flashes of inspiration. They could only advance steadily, unable to catch up quickly. The Magic also played steadily, but they no longer relied on Howard as a single point guard, instead providing support through a dense perimeter attack.
In this situation, the difference between the two sides has been stably maintained at six to eight points, and the Knicks have never been able to catch up further.
In this situation, Yang Mo seemed a little anxious. For him, if he couldn't catch up quickly, then... the next game would be even more difficult. After all, the Knicks were relying on momentum to keep them going. Momentum was a hard thing to predict; it could be there or gone. Therefore, they had to break open the situation quickly. Furthermore, the later the game went, the more obvious the Knicks' lineup limitations became. After all, the Magic had far more players available than the Knicks, giving them a significant advantage in terms of physical distribution.
drop!
Yang Mo requested a timeout. He needed to come up with a plan. The Knicks' current problem was still the point guard vs. center issue. While Yang Mo could potentially solve either the center or point guard problem, he couldn't do both. The Knicks lacked a single capable inside player, forcing him to constantly stay in the paint. Previously, with Turiaf supporting him, he could at least manage both roles. Now, without a single backup, how could he possibly split his time?
"Is there any way to defend the penalty area and organize the offensive strategy at the same time?" Yang Mo was a little confused and muttered.
After pondering this for a long time, a figure suddenly popped up in his mind: Scottie Pippen, a guy known as a point forward. He thought, if we have a point forward, why can't we have a point center? If I can get Howard closer to the free throw line, I can run the offense from the middle. Even in the post, as long as I have the ball, I can still run the offense.
Yes, point center! That's it!
Yang Mo quickly made up his mind, then quickly took the tactical board from Stein, gathered his teammates together, and carefully explained the running route. The tactics he was currently deploying were somewhat similar to the Princeton style, relying on the center's support, but it was not purely a center-to-high-post support.
drop!
After the timeout, the Magic made some minor adjustments to their lineup. They substituted Ryan Anderson to increase the height of the penalty area while minimizing the damage to mobility.
The Knicks didn't make any personnel adjustments and kept the same group of players as before, but their morale was clearly stronger.
At the start of the game, Tony Allen brought the ball upfield and quickly passed it to Yang Mo near the free throw line. Yang Mo received the pass from Ranch, and the other players began to run in an orderly manner. Shortly afterwards, Larry Hughes used Jeffries's pick-and-roll to slip past the baseline and into the penalty area. Yang Mo directly threw the ball into the lane, and Larry Hughes slammed in an alley-oop dunk, easily scoring two points.
Seeing this tactic, Stan Van Gundy couldn't help but frown. "Is this a Princeton tactic? But... the player lineup doesn't look like it!" Princeton's key strength is the three-point shot, but none of these four perimeter players can consistently shoot from three!
