Chapter 504
It is true that Yang Mo is the only Knicks player who can shoot now, but... there are more than just Yang Mo who can make layups.
As the Magic players repeatedly double-teamed him, Yang Mo backed away, constantly wasting time. When the clock hit five, Yang Mo quickly lobbed the ball into the paint. The players who doubled Yang Mo turned around, but it was too late for them to return to defense. Yang Mo had already led them to near the midfield. Meanwhile, Anthony Randolph caught the ball in the paint and, with a single jump, slammed it into the net... Swoosh!
drop!
The moment the basketball went into the net, the bell rang and the third quarter ended. This buzzer-beating two-pointer once again ended the Magic's defensive hopes.
"Hey, Sixth Man of the Year, this shot is entirely yours." Yang Mo did not forget to express his gratitude to Stan Van Gundy: "I think the technical staff should give you an assist. If it weren't for your full defense, how could we have had such an easy chance to score?"
Stan Van Gundy was angry and ashamed of Yang Mo's thanks, but he remained silent in the end and endured the humiliation. There was nothing he could do. It was his own tactics that had loopholes and gave others a handle.
At this time, the Knicks were already leading by nearly 30 points, which means that in the fourth quarter, as long as the Knicks did not make any catastrophic mistakes and could keep their offensive time firmly under control, then... there was almost no suspense about them winning the game.
"Unbelievable, totally unbelievable. The Knicks are leading the Magic by so many points, and they were even trailing by double digits in the first quarter," TNT commentator Collins said in shock during a timeout. "Before this series started, I thought the Magic would easily win and advance, but they lost two games in a row. Now, they look like they're going to lose again. Are the Magic really that weak ?"
"Yes, the Magic is not a team that can fight tough battles. At the critical moment, no one of them can stand up and turn the tide. On the Knicks' side, as long as the opponent launches an offensive, Super Yang can make an effective counterattack. This is the role of a superstar, and the Magic obviously does not have a superstar." Charles Barkley said bluntly.
"Isn't Dwight Howard a superstar? His stats in the first two games were 21.5 points and 16.5 rebounds." Jeff Van Gundy retorted forcefully.
Unfortunately, his rebuttal was powerless against Barkley. Barkley simply smiled faintly and casually displayed Yang Mo's stats. "Excuse me, Super Yang's stats in the first two games were 29.5 points, 11.5 assists, and 9.5 rebounds. He only played less than fifteen minutes in the first game. In terms of stats, Super Yang is the most impressive player in the league right now. Even stat-obsessed LeBron James only averaged 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists in the first two playoff games."
"Data can't tell everything..." Jeff Van Gundy said this subconsciously, but as soon as he said it, he knew he was wrong.
Almost instantly, Barkley launched into a fierce rebuttal: "I presented the statistics, and you said the statistics can't tell the whole story. I presented the record, and you said the record can't tell the whole story. What do you want? The Knicks have been undefeated from start to finish, and Super Yang is also far ahead in the statistics. Can't you just stand up to losing?"
"I..." Jeff Van Gundy was speechless after being choked by Charles Barkley. After a while, he squeezed out a sentence: "The game is not over yet?"
"Do you think this game is still in suspense? The Magic can't even score 30 points in a single quarter. Even if they can, can you guarantee that the Knicks won't score a single point?"
"I……"
Jeff Van Gundy hesitated, his despair utter. He hadn't expected the Knicks to be so resilient, relying on the tireless running of their rotation players to build a nearly thirty-point lead. Like his brother, he expected the Knicks to tire and collapse. However, the Knicks were simply tired, not broken. They gritted their teeth and played their masterpiece.
Meanwhile, the Knicks bench remained vigilant , even though they had almost secured victory. However, until the final whistle blew, it was not yet time for them to celebrate.
"Guys, from now on we will completely give up on defense. We just need to keep up with the opponent's pace. Don't try too hard. You need to save your energy for the victory carnival after the end of the game. As for the offense, leave it to me. I will handle everything!" Yang Mo said calmly to his teammates. Now that they have such a big lead, the defensive alarm can be eliminated.
Yang Mo announced the all-clear for the defense, and he immediately crossed Jeffries off the fourth-quarter roster and replaced him with Gallinani. Jeffries had accomplished his mission; he was practically the most commendable hero of the night, and his fighting spirit deserved immense praise.
Soon, the game continued.
As the fourth quarter began, the Magic's defense was indeed tightened. Yang Mo, the Knicks' point guard, continued to dribble the ball calmly and effortlessly, moving downcourt. Once he reached the three-point line, he stopped the ball and waited for time to run out.
There's no doubt Yang Mo was playing conservatively, but there was no other way. Given the Knicks' situation, how could he be anything but conservative? Could he continue to compete with the Magic? Yang Mo wasn't as foolish as Stan Van Gundy. He knew when to quit and how damaging the accelerated pace could be on him.
When there were five seconds left, Yang Mo broke through quickly. His breakthrough was so fast and fierce that Nelson, who was defending him, had no way to stop him. Vince Carter, who came to defend, dodged repeatedly. After all, Yang Mo, who was moving at full speed, was not something that his old bones could stop.
In the blink of an eye, Yang Mo rushed into the restricted area. After rushing into the restricted area, he quickly jumped up and stretched his body completely in the air, pinching the ball with his right hand and slamming it towards the basket.
In the past, Howard would not defend against Yang Mo's dunks, but this time, he somehow got up some courage from somewhere, and actually jumped up on the spot, stretched out his arms and tried to knock Yang Mo down with the ball.
His courage was commendable, and his spirit in defending the restricted area was even more commendable. However... he still underestimated Yang Mo's impact. Even though Yang Mo had expended a lot of energy in this game, he was still no pushover. His immense physical strength instantly collided with Howard's body.
In just a moment, Howard felt regret, and his body began to fall. Although his blocking had changed Yang Mo's flight trajectory, it only turned the dunk into a layup.
But he... suffered a devastating blow when he landed!
