Chapter 506: Facing the Celtics
Is this guy coming to the Knicks too? Why would he want to come to the Knicks?
Yang Mo thought about it for a moment, then asked, "He wants to come to New York? For the high-paying contract?"
"I think so," Isaiah Thomas replied somewhat awkwardly. The Knicks were often seen as a treasure trove of money and foolish people. It couldn't be helped, after all, he had given away so many junk contracts when he was general manager last time.
"To me, Stoudemire is only somewhat useful in mid-range shots, and his head-on singles are also OK, but... his height and defense are very problematic, although we have Tyson Chandler who can help him solve many defensive problems. But... his knee problem worries me. If he is sure to come, I will give him a maximum of $75 million over five years. The lower the better. You can tell him directly that this is what I mean . If he wants to win a championship, he can come. If he just wants more money, please ask him to find another way." Yang Mo said very bluntly. To him, Stoudemire is not a must-have player, although he is also an All-Star level player and his offensive ability is very good.
"Okay, I'll tell you the truth." Isaiah Thomas nodded, then added, "If we don't get him, we also need a power forward, preferably one who can score, because Chandler's offense is very problematic."
"Based on your professional analysis, are there any good prospects among this year's rookies?" Yang Mo asked.
Isaiah Thomas shook his head and replied somewhat dejectedly, "No, the power forwards in this class are pretty weak. And the draft picks before the exam are particularly difficult to operate."
"I understand." Yang Mo nodded slightly. He also felt a little embarrassed. There really aren't many scoring power forwards in the league right now. They're basically the team's treasures, making them difficult to deal with. Yang Mo sighed slightly and said slowly, "Take your time. There's still plenty of time. Take your time, and you might catch a big fish."
"Okay, then I'll continue planning and try to give you a definitive answer as soon as possible."
At this moment, a league press officer, familiar to Yang Mo, approached. Seeing his ingratiating smile, Yang Mo knew without a doubt that he was planning to invite her to a press conference. However, since this was their home game, Yang Mo had no reason to hesitate. He figured that after winning the game, he should talk to the local reporters so they could boost the Knicks' reputation through publicity.
So, before the press officer could speak, Yang Mo took the initiative to say, "Let's go. Lead the way."
Upon hearing Yang Mo's words, the press officer hurried forward, a beaming smile evidently brimming with joy. After all, Yang Mo was rarely so cooperative. He was practically the least willing player he'd ever met to interact with reporters, yet he was also the player most covered. His ability to grab headlines was nearly ten times greater than all the players in the league combined. Sometimes, he felt it was unfair. Some players were incredibly cooperative with reporters, yet the next day, Yang Mo was always on the front page. But there was no way around it; the world was unfair. God truly favored some people, and Yang Mo was clearly one of them.
When Yang Mo arrived at the press conference, the entire venue erupted in applause almost instantly. Almost all the reporters stood up and spontaneously applauded Yang Mo. This was clearly beyond Yang Mo's expectations. He had recently felt that his relationship with the New York reporters was getting better and better, but he never thought that one day the New York reporter who had been the most aggressive in criticizing him would one day support him so much.
Amid the applause, Yang Mo sat down in his seat with a slight surprise. After the applause gradually died down, he took the microphone and said with a smile, "Are you sure you're applauding for me? Or is it because you like my look today?"
Yang Mo's words caused the reporters to burst into laughter and applause.
Such a harmonious relationship makes it hard to believe that two months ago, the New York media was completely smearing Yang Mo. In fact, going back even further, the smear campaign was even more despicable. But… things are so strange in this world. The very people who once smeared Yang Mo have suddenly turned around and praised her to the skies. Now, there's almost no negative news about her in the New York media; all the coverage is skewed towards the positive. The only criticism is that Yang Mo works too hard and doesn't take enough rest, as if they were giving feedback to their superiors.
Soon, a reporter stood up and asked Yang Mo, "Yang, just now in the stadium interview with TNT, you claimed that you would sweep the Magic and asked us to prepare a broom for Nelson. You are not kidding, right?"
"Of course. Have you ever seen me joke like this?" Yang Mo replied with a smile, "I said whoever I want to destroy will be destroyed. Now if I want to sweep through magic, I will naturally crush it completely under my feet."
Yang Mo's dominance once again drew applause from the audience. A moment later, another reporter stood up and continued, "So, are we ready for the next round against the Celtics? The Celtics are already leading Atlanta 2-1. Barring any unexpected events, they'll win the series."
"We haven't studied the Celtics yet. But I think after we defeat the Magic, we will have plenty of time to study the Celtics' tactics." Yang Mo answered calmly. He indeed had not studied the Celtics' tactics.
"So, do you think we can beat the Celtics after beating the Magic?" a white reporter stood up and asked loudly.
As soon as he said this, the reporters in the audience looked at him like he was an idiot: "Hey, man, those are the Celtics! They're not the Magic. We don't even have a big man right now, how can we compete with them? We're just here to learn experience this year. Next year is our chance to win the championship, okay?"
Although the reporters below weren't particularly satisfied with the question, Yang Mo still gave his answer very seriously: "No matter who the opponent is, my confidence is 100%. No one, and no one, can make me feel intimidated before the battle. The Celtics are strong, but not so strong that we can't win. So, my answer to you is, yes!"
When Yang Mo said 'yes', there was screaming and applause at the scene. It was obvious that everyone was very, very, very satisfied with Yang Mo's answer.
Then, another reporter asked: "Yang, your data in this game broke our team's record. Will you continue to make history in the next game?"
"I am making history every day. If you ask me if I want to make history, my answer is of course, yes!"
Yang Mo's second "yes" was immediately met with a standing ovation, and the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious. It was clear that Yang Mo's relationship with the New York media had entered a honeymoon phase. The press conference quickly concluded in a harmonious atmosphere.
After leaving the press conference, Yang Mo went to take a shower. When he arrived at the parking lot and was about to get in his car, he heard Lu Xuefei's voice behind him: "Hey, brother-in-law, don't you want to have dinner with us?"
Yang Mo looked in the direction of the voice and saw a row of five Hollywood stars sitting in an extended Lincoln with its doors open. All of them were wearing miniskirts, showing off their long legs. It was a very beautiful sight. Any photo of them could be used as a promotional poster for a movie, and the box office in North America would definitely exceed 100 million easily.
"I don't think I have any reason to refuse." Yang Mo shrugged and walked into the Lincoln.
As soon as he got in the car, the door was closed, and he sat directly in the middle. Soon, Emma Watson handed him a glass of red wine, and then they toasted in a very romantic way. At the same time, the car drove out.
"Hello, are you a reporter from the New York Times? I'm Paris Hilton, and I have a big story. Send two reporters over here, and I'll give you proof tonight." At that moment, Paris Hilton's urgent voice came from a Maserati in the corner of the parking lot: "I'll prove to you that I wasn't lying before. If you don't want to miss this big news, send someone over here right away. I'll keep in touch with you at all times."
After saying this, she drove the car violently and quickly followed. She was obviously a little perverted now. For her, since she couldn't get Super Yang, she had to destroy Super Yang. What she couldn't get, no one else could get.
Meanwhile, after Yang Mo finished a glass of red wine with everyone, he couldn't help but ask Lu Xuefei in front of him, "Xuefei, where are we going for dinner? There's bound to be a lot of paparazzi taking pictures lately. It wouldn't be good if they caught anything."
"I'm just worried the paparazzi won't come and take pictures." Lu Xuefei chuckled, pointed at the rearview mirror, and said slowly, "See that Maserati? That's Paris Hilton's car. She's following us now. Another car will surely join her soon. She's definitely trying to get some so-called evidence by taking pictures tonight. Unfortunately... she's too stupid. She doesn't know she's fallen into my trap from the beginning. She must still think she can destroy us all in a moment."
"Then how do I cooperate?"
"Well, just sit in the car and drink red wine." Lu Xuefei smiled.
After Lu Xuefei finished speaking, the car had already entered the highway. Soon, Paris Hilton sped up to catch up. About ten minutes later, another red Toyota commercial vehicle followed. In order not to lose the two cars, Lu Xuefei deliberately slowed down a bit and drove around in circles with the two cars. After circling most of New York City, the car returned to New York City and stopped at high-end hotels one after another. With each stop, a person got out. Soon, all five Hollywood stars got out, and the car drove steadily back to Yang Mo's villa.
When Yang Mo returned home and the Lincoln drove away, Paris Hilton received a call. As soon as the call was connected, an angry curse came from the other end: "Ms. Paris, do you think we are easy to deceive? Is this what you call big news?"
"I...things changed a little tonight, but at least you captured the six of them getting out of the same car, right? You can write about them having sex in the car?" Paris Hilton tried hard to use her imagination to edit material for the New York Times.
"We are a responsible media outlet. It's not our specialty to write stories based on pictures. Also, are you sure that car can accommodate six people having sex in it? You can actually make up something that even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe. Your prank ends here. Don't make such harassing calls again." Soon, the person on the other end hung up the phone.
Paris Hilton listened to the beeping coming from the microphone and suddenly felt extremely wronged. This time, it seemed like she had really lost everything. Not only did she not win Yang Mo's favor, but she also lost the friendship of her sisters. Most importantly, the reporters no longer believed her. Everyone thought she was crazy, that she had a mental problem, and she could actually make up such a bizarre story.
But what she said was obviously true!
No one cares whether what he said is true or not. All we need to know is one thing: Paris Hilton does have a problem, a serious problem with her head.
The next day, all news reports did not report the failed tracking, and the news that had been widely circulated before also began to cool down. After all, in a group movement, as long as one person wakes up, everyone will soon wake up. After all, IQ is contagious.
Yang Mo's outrageous words surprisingly elicited no rebuttal from the Magic, not even Nelson. At this point, the Magic players were even more relaxed than the Knicks. Many of them had already booked their vacations, their minds already focused on things beyond the court. They didn't believe they could pull off a comeback after going 3-0, considering Dwight Howard had already suffered a sprained ligament and would be out for at least two weeks.
The Magic players lost all their confidence, and Stan Van Gundy, infected by this emotion, no longer had any desire to win. He also gave in. He had already accepted the fact of being swept, even though the fourth game had not yet arrived.
Before the series began, the Magic were full of confidence, even promising a sweep. But now, after three games, they've completely shrunk from a powerhouse to a puny, pathetic force.
The fourth game was held as scheduled on Friday night. That night, Knicks fans brought in more than 20,000 brooms, and they specifically asked for Mr. Nelson to give them to. It was obvious that Mr. Nelson's words before the start of the series hurt the hearts of Knicks fans, and now it was time for him to be slapped in the face.
Another thing that attracted the attention of Knicks fans was that Mr. Jeff Van Gundy really kept his promise and brought a sanitary napkin to the live broadcast. He brought an extra-long night-use one, the two sides of which were almost folded to the back of his head, making it look like a towel.
However, this still received merciless ridicule from Charles Barkley, who had been calculating how much blood this sanitary napkin could hold before the game started. He analyzed from the area to the volume, and finally concluded that it was probably the amount of Jeff Van Gundy's brain matter.
His deliberate sarcasm irritated Jeff Van Gundy, but he held his anger in his chest and remained silent, having remained silent from the start of the game. He was like a mute. The TV station offered no comment on his silent broadcast, simply continuing to focus on him. To them, a Jeff Van Gundy wearing a sanitary napkin was worth his salary; whether he spoke or not was irrelevant.
In reality, the game wasn't much to watch. From the outset, the Knicks used a frenzied offense to widen the lead, while the Magic completely lost their fighting spirit. They even seemed listless in their resistance, and everyone seemed a step behind on offense. Almost all of their attacks were completed from 18 feet away, as they evaded defense rather than challenged it.
What else can the Knicks do? Of course, they'll try to crush the Magic. They won't give up on their offense just because the Magic aren't interested in a fight. After all, winning is their ultimate goal.
So, after the second quarter, the Knicks were already leading by 28 points. If this situation continues, the Knicks will soon become the first team in the Eastern and Western Conferences to advance in the 2009-2010 playoffs, and the only team to complete a sweep. All other matchups have been decided, and no sweep is possible.
In fact, before the playoffs began, the Knicks were even rated the weakest of the sixteen playoff teams because they had the most incomplete roster, lacking not only a point guard but also a center and power forward, with only a handful of small forwards. As a result, they relied on this lineup to defeat the Magic three consecutive games, and this was done despite losing all their big men and their main small forward, and now they are on the verge of a sweep.
There was still no suspense in the second half of the game. The Knicks advanced all the way. In the third quarter, they had even expanded their lead to 45 points.
So, in the last three minutes of the third quarter, Yang Mo went off the court to rest. He was unwilling to slaughter the Orlando players who had no fighting spirit anymore. They were already pitiful enough.
After Yang Mo left the court, the situation remained firmly in the Magic's favor, despite being without a center or a guard. Who could blame them for already being completely focused on a vacation? For them, losing was a relief.
The game continued smoothly. Near the end of the game, a scene that once again pierced the hearts of Knicks fans occurred on the court. Jeffries, unguarded, missed a dunk. His right hand couldn't hold the rim tightly, and he fell straight from the air, landing on his back. Everyone heard a dull thud, followed by Jeffries's wail.
It was obvious that his injury was particularly serious. Soon, after , everyone's suspicion was confirmed. Jeffries was eventually carried out of the court. He was carried out on a stretcher. His back seemed to be unable to move.
As Jeffries was carried off the court, Yang Mo's face nearly turned livid. He almost wondered if God was playing a trick on him. The Knicks had already lost four key players, and their injuries had all been bizarre. Milicic fell in the bathroom, Turiaf was injured while unguarded, and Wilt Chandler was also injured while unguarded. And now Jeffries's injury was even more bizarre. He'd been injured after losing his grip on the rim and falling. How could there be so many accidents? Why did all of them happen to the Knicks?
Now, the Knicks are not only without their big men and secondary attackers, but also without their most reliable defenders on the wing and backcourt. Their only remaining capable players are: Anthony Randolph, Tracy McGrady, Danilo Gallinari, Douglas, Larry Hughes, Tony Allen, and Yang Mo. That's just seven players left, and without Yang Mo, they probably wouldn't even be able to play in the NBDL, let alone the NBA. And yet, they're now facing the playoffs, and their next opponent is likely the formidable Celtics.
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Magic 119-79, sweeping their way into the second round of the playoffs. At the end of the game, every Knicks fan simultaneously threw their brooms into the air, creating a scene of joy. For them, the team had already delivered so many surprises this season that even if they couldn't defeat the Celtics next, they would be content. After all, the Knicks finished second last last year, and this year they'd already made it to the second round. What more could they ask for?
Tracy McGrady also burst into tears after the game. He excitedly punched the air a few times. He was so excited, so happy. He finally took off the hat of a second-round virgin, he finally broke the curse of his career, and he finally entered the second round.
He had waited for this day for too long, so he almost fainted from crying on the court.
Compared to the fans' excitement, Tracy McGrady's dream came true. Yang Mo's expression was much more serious. When the final whistle sounded, his smile lasted less than thirty seconds before being replaced by a deeper sadness. Now that the first round victory was secured, he had to prepare for his opponent in the next round.
Whether the opponent is the Celtics or the Atlanta Hawks who advanced unexpectedly, this will be an insurmountable peak for the current Knicks, and he, as the leader of this team, must lead his players over it.
Soon, reporters came over to interview him. When asked about his feelings after the sweep, his answer was simple: "The only thing this sweep means to me is that the first round is over. We have a few more days of rest than our second-round opponents, which gives us more time to study them."
When asked what they would do if they faced the Celtics, Yang Mo's answer was straightforward: "We don't have many chips left. We can only go all-in. We can only fight to the death. So, I think everyone will see my dominance on the scoring end."
