Chapter 509: Seizing the Initiative
Lu Xueman was gone all night, doing some ideological work, leaving Yang Mo with no opportunity to take advantage. When he woke up the next morning, Lu Xueman had already gone back to her original location to discuss work. There was no other way; such a good opportunity had to be wasted.
When Yang Mo woke up the next day, he went to look for Karl Malone. He had to learn mid-range shooting, otherwise his offensive firepower would not be able to cover the entire half court. For the Celtics defenders, it would eventually provide an extra safe zone.
Karl Malone's teaching wasn't as mysterious as Stockton's. He immediately taught Yang Mo how to generate power and shoot, personally teaching him the secrets of power. But for three days, Yang Mo couldn't find the perfect shot. Although his touch improved and his mid-range accuracy improved, these slight improvements still didn't allow Yang Mo to use it as a regular weapon.
On the fourth day, Yang Mo suddenly remembered the shooting style of a veteran Celtics player, Rasheed Wallace. This guy always threw the ball with a straight-arm shot, and his hit rate was quite high. How about trying that too?
As he spoke, Yang Mo forcibly corrected his mid-range shots, resolutely preventing his shooting arm from bending to improve his control over the force. With this deliberate straightening of his arm, his shooting percentage actually shot up. While not reaching a stratospheric level, it was still practically usable as a regular weapon. While not a significant threat, his accuracy was still quite good against lax defense.
While Yang Mo was constantly improving his mid-range shooting, the Celtics and Atlanta were also playing out. The battle between them was intense, with Atlanta showing its tenacity and not letting Boston easily defeat them. This was undoubtedly a good thing for the Knicks; if they could play more tirelessly, the Knicks, who were more relaxed, would have a greater chance of success.
Finally, after the Knicks rested for a week, the game between the Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks was finally decided. The Celtics defeated the Hawks with difficulty 4:3. This was the first Game 7 in the Eastern Conference of the playoffs. In the end, the experienced Celtics won.
This fierce battle was extremely physically demanding for both teams, so some commentators even suggested that the Knicks would use a surprise attack to win the first game. After all, their physical strength was far superior to that of the Celtics.
Boston's point guard Rajon Rondo was dismissive of this analysis: "That team of only seven players obviously can't pose any threat to the Celtics. The toughest battle is over. We'll use the next four games to relieve our physical fatigue, and then we'll have a showdown with the Cavaliers to finally win the championship ring!"
Rajon Rondo's words were full of dissatisfaction with the Knicks. In his opinion, the Knicks were just a bunch of guerrillas, like a bunch of chickens and dogs, and were not worth mentioning at all.
Compared to Rajon Rondo's disdain, their head coach Doc Rivers was much more cautious: "There's no weak team in the NBA. A team that makes the playoffs is a strong team, and a team that easily defeats the Magic is a strong team among strong teams. It took us seven games to defeat Atlanta, seventh in the Eastern Conference, and it took us all our energy. Clearly, the Knicks have the advantage. And even if they don't have the full complement, Super Yang will definitely come up with a perfect countermeasure."
"It will be a tough matchup. Super Yang is a tough nut to crack. We don't have to look at them with conventional eyes." Celtics' main power forward Kevin Garnett also said so.
The Celtics expressed the utmost respect for the Knicks, and Yang Mo also gave them high praise: "The Celtics are very strong, and I will try my best to defeat them."
Yang Mo has almost never praised a team like this, let alone admitted that any team is strong, but the Celtics are the only exception.
Before the game, they were completely friendly and harmonious. But once they arrived at the TD Garden, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Everyone wanted to win, everyone came for victory, and no one wanted to go home empty-handed.
In the locker room before the game, Yang Mo finally gathered his teammates for a small meeting. He felt it was time to chat with everyone. His opening remarks were direct and straightforward: "I know everyone is very satisfied with the current situation. We believe that we have exceeded our team's goals and even exceeded the fans' expectations."
Yang Mo's words hit the nail on the head for almost everyone. They were indeed reluctant to continue fighting because they knew they had no way of defeating the Celtics and no way of snatching food from the tiger's mouth.
"But, are we really not going to give it another try?" Yang Mo's slow and heavy voice continued, "Do we really not need dreams anymore? What if they come true?"
Yang Mo's words seemed to be knocking gently on the door of their hearts. Although it did not change their thoughts all at once, it finally made a different voice appear in their hearts.
"Actually, if you just play four games halfheartedly and then go home to go fishing, I wouldn't blame you. After all, not everyone takes winning so seriously. But are you sure you don't want to be brave just for a glimmer of hope? Rather than defeating a strong opponent, what we should conquer is our own heart, right?"
Yang Mo finished speaking slowly, turned around, and continued, "A man who can overcome fear and cowardice is a real man. I hope to hear your response through action."
After saying this, Yang Mo turned and walked out of the locker room.
Soon, the night's game arrived, and over 20,000 fans, uniformly dressed in green, madly poured into the TD Garden, instantly transforming the entire arena into a vibrant spring scene. Green usually symbolizes peace and hope, but tonight, it undoubtedly symbolized war and destruction for the Knicks. Their mission was to create a terrifying road game, forcing the visiting players to flee without a fight.
A minute before the game, Yang Mo finally confirmed his starting lineup: Anthony Randolph, Gallinani, Larry Hughes, Tony Allen, and himself. It was a skinny lineup with no height or center. From this lineup, it seemed they could only play a run-and-gun offense. However, Yang Mo told his teammates before the game: "We're going to play a positional offense." He repeatedly emphasized the need to slow down the pace.
His teammates didn't understand what Yang Mo was trying to do. Instead of playing fast breaks, this lineup played positional attacks. Isn't this just courting death?
Yang Mo knew that this was a suicide mission, but he had to do it. He had to risk his life in order to survive.
Ding! When the referee blew the whistle, Anthony Randolph and Perkins took off simultaneously on either side of the center line. Finally, Anthony Randolph, with his physical fitness and mental eagerness, successfully secured the first kickoff for the Knicks. He slapped the basketball into Yang Mo's hands.
As soon as Yang Mo received the ball, he praised Anthony Randolph: "Well done, Randolph. It's time to prove to the world how amazing the talent you have is. Start your legendary journey!"
Yang Mo's praise was poetic, yet also filled with sincerity. Anthony Randolph couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. "Yes, it's time to prove my talent to the world. If I can score 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Celtics, the whole world will be stunned, right? Nelson, who traded me from Golden State, must be regretting it, right?"
Anthony Randolph thought so angrily, and as he thought so, his fighting spirit involuntarily began to burn.
After Yang Mo secured control of the ball, he immediately and calmly dribbled forward, his teammates following his instructions and moving into position. Yang Mo reached the three-point line with the ball and quickly stopped. Rajon Rondo quickly closed in on him. His terrifyingly long arms extended, instantly blocking Yang Mo's theoretical path.
It must be said that Rondo's arms and palms are long and big enough. However, this is still not enough to support him in defending Yang Mo.
"You said you would easily sweep us, right?" Before breaking through his defense, Yang Mo asked him in a relaxed tone while tilting his head.
In response to Yang Mo's question, Rajon Rondo repeated with extreme disdain, "Yes, that's what I said. Do you think you guys can threaten our victory? I said it before, and I still say it now. We will easily sweep you."
"very good!"
Yang Mo smiled and nodded. He then took a slight step back, then sprinted forward with incredible speed, almost instantly breaking through Rajon Rondo's defense. Even though Yang Mo's movements were simple and his direction was clear, he still couldn't mount any effective defense. Yes, he knew exactly where Yang Mo was going to break through, but he couldn't stop him.
This was undoubtedly a humiliating defensive failure for Rajon Rondo.
After easily breaking through his defense, Yang Mo didn't even pause, sprinting straight into the paint. Yang Mo's momentum was so fierce that Garnett tried to stop him from the middle, but couldn't keep up, so he had to let him cut straight into the paint. At this point, Perkins was the only one left in the Celtics' paint.
Seeing Yang Mo's aggressive approach, Perkins subconsciously recalled the time he'd been dunked on by Yang Mo before, and quickly retreated. But as soon as he did, Yang Mo had already clung to him, twisting her body and throwing the ball in an awkward position... Swoosh! Drop!
The ball goes in and the whistle blows!
The referee ran over and announced that Yang Mo's goal was valid, and awarded an additional free throw. Perkins was called for a defensive foul.
Perkins looked aggrieved about the penalty, but he could only accept it. Yang Mo did have physical contact with him, and although he tried his best to avoid it, he still couldn't avoid it.
Swish !
Yang Mo walked up to the free throw line and shot the ball in with incredible ease. For him, this was as easy as eating and drinking water.
Regarding this foul, Doc Rivers on the sidelines seemed to have guessed something: Could it be? Could it be? This guy was trying to force the Celtics' inside players to retreat by drawing fouls?
He thought about this and quickly shook his head in denial. He thought this idea was too difficult to execute. After all, the Celtics' inside depth couldn't be eliminated by fouling. One player had six foul opportunities, and the Celtics had six inside players on the bench. How could they play? Were they going to have to commit thirty-six fouls? How could that be possible?
Doc Rivers thought it was impossible, and his team also encountered the same defense he thought was impossible. Every Knicks player was so tightly entwined with the Celtics that when Rajon Rondo dribbled the ball across half court, he couldn't find a single open teammate. Every Knicks player was like an octopus, clinging to the Celtics.
In Rivers's view, this was simply impossible. He had great confidence in his players and his tactics, and he believed that the Knicks' defense would not be a problem in limiting his offense. However, it all happened, and it happened right before his eyes.
Finally, Rajon Rondo chose a jump shot... BANG! His shot went wide, and the ball bounced high. Garnett tried to get past Gallinani and rush into the lane to grab the offensive rebound, but Yang Mo on the other side was incredibly quick and got ahead of him, leaping high and easily grabbing the rebound.
In this regard, Garnett could only sigh in despair. If he were a few years younger, Yang Mo would have no chance of grabbing this rebound. But unfortunately, he is no longer his young self, while Yang Mo is getting younger.
After Yang Mo grabbed the rebound, he continued to dribble slowly across half court, then paused outside the three-point line. Everything seemed like a repeat of the previous round. However, this time, the defender was no longer Rajon Rondo, but Paul Pierce. Because Yang Mo was also guarding Pierce on the defensive end, Pierce wanted to come over here as well.
Aside from that reason, he also had another reason: to protect Rajon Rondo. He was sure that Rajon Rondo would definitely be more enraged than Yang Mo, given his personality. He had personally witnessed Yang Mo's provocative skills, so he knew how powerful they were.
When the defender became the tall and sturdy Paul Pierce, Yang Mo did not change his offensive strategy. He simply took a swift tentative step forward, tricking Paul Pierce into subconsciously taking a half-step back, and then swept towards the penalty area with lightning speed.
Yang Mo's drive remained straight and unpretentious, yet Pierce couldn't stop him. Yang Mo's speed, explosiveness, and strength were terrifying. As long as he had a gap, he could easily push aside the defender and penetrate deep into the penalty area.
After Yang Mo broke through Pierce's defense, he was back in the deep lane. This time, Perkins didn't dodge because Yang Mo's sprint speed was not fast. He felt that if he collided with him at this speed, he would definitely not be knocked away. So he decided to block Yang Mo.
But? Is Yang Mo really that easy to block?
Yang Mo leisurely approached Perkins, deliberately seeking physical contact. Then, he suddenly nudged the ball upwards, causing Perkins to instinctively leap upwards, arms outstretched. Once he was tricked into leaping, Yang Mo's next task became much easier. He suddenly leaned upwards, clinging to Perkins's body and effortlessly releasing the ball... swish! tsk!
The basketball went into the net, and the referee blew the whistle again, indicating that Perkins had committed a hand foul and Yang Mo was awarded a free throw.
Swish!
Yang Mo easily hit another free throw, increasing his score to six points and also widening the lead to six points. The reason why he scored six points and led by six points was because... the Celtics hadn't scored a single point yet.
In just one minute, Yang Mo committed two fouls. Doug Rivers had to frown even more, but he still didn't make a decision because he was still not sure whether Yang Mo was going to cause him to kill inside.
Back in half court, the Knicks players once again stalked the Celtics, save for Rajon Rondo, of course. Now the Knicks were clearly determined to defend the rest of their players. As for Rondo, who couldn't shoot, they only needed to watch him briefly.
Facing the Knicks' tactical disregard, Rajon Rondo finally took the shot...Bang! He really failed miserably, missing the shot once again.
At the moment when the basketball was about to hit the iron, Yang Mo had already shaken off Pierce and rushed into the penalty area. Then he jumped high and snatched the basketball directly over Perkins' head, leaving him no chance to grab the rebound.
After grabbing the rebound, Yang Mo continued to move forward slowly. However, when he reached the frontcourt, he did not stop outside the three-point line, but suddenly accelerated, directly shaking off Pierce's defense with his speed, and then cut straight into the penalty area.
Seeing Yang Mo quickly cut into the penalty area, Doug Rivers on the sidelines couldn't help but shout: "Be careful, Perkins, don't foul!"
As soon as he said this, Perkins, who had been trying to avoid Yang Mo's aggressive approach, immediately retreated, and he quickly made way. At this moment, Yang Mo flicked his wrist, completely ignoring the wide-open penalty area before him, and instead passed the ball stealthily to Anthony Randolph. Anthony Randolph immediately understood Yang Mo's intention. He took a slight step forward and deliberately faked an upward move. Perkins quickly pressed forward, brushing against him and then randomly throwing the ball... tsk!
The referee blew the whistle again, and then gave Perkins his third foul of the game without hesitation!
Perkins looked aggrieved and tried hard to argue, but the referee was not moved at all. To the referee, there was absolutely no problem with the decision just now. He saw with both his eyes that Perkins had committed a foul and violated Anthony Randolph's shooting space.
drop!
As the crowd roared with boos and chants of "black whistle" erupted, Doc Rivers called a timeout. In less than two minutes, Yang Mo had already committed three fouls, all three on the same player. Such a targeted attack should have alarmed him. Without a timeout, was he going to be caught off guard by Yang Mo fouling Perkins six times? Doc Rivers didn't want to be the next Stan Van Gundy. Of course, he wouldn't be Stan Van Gundy. Because Yang Mo wouldn't deal with him the same way he dealt with Stan Van Gundy.
"Glen Davis, you'll replace Perkins later. You can't commit any more fouls. If Super Yang rushes into the penalty area, you have to dodge, understand? Also, try not to extend your arms." Doc Rivers made the substitution immediately and then announced, "Although the Knicks only have Super Yang who can score, we still have to give up defending him and let him score."
"But how do we solve the problem of Rajon Rondo? The other four of us are very uncomfortable with the Knicks' tough defense." Ray Allen asked Doc Rivers the question immediately.
"This requires running and inside screens. You see... when Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis pull out of the restricted area and move up, after two or three cross-screens, theoretically, everyone will have an open position. And at that time you will have space to score easily. Although I don't know why the Knicks players have become extremely active, what is certain is that their defensive fundamentals are not top-notch, especially Anthony Randolph and Gallinari. You should look for breakthroughs from them. This is not a difficult problem. I think you can solve it on the court." Doc Rivers did not take the problem raised by Ray Allen seriously. He believed that the Knicks were just fighting with passion. From the technical and tactical level, it was not worth mentioning at all.
The Celtics were actively planning their tactics, while Yang Mo was also speaking slowly, "Next, we need to run. Now that we have seized the initiative and forced the Celtics to react passively, we should take advantage of every tactical advantage."
"Run?" Anthony Randolph was a little surprised. He asked back, "Aren't we going to knock all their inside players off the court?"
"No... our goal is just to reduce their inside presence. If Perkins goes down, Glen Davis will definitely be the next in line. He's okay offensively, but his defense is much worse. Plus... he's not good at running." Yang Mo said directly, "My previous foul was to force Doc Rivers to make this move. Only if he does it can we play fast break! That way, we can maximize our advantage."
"But what if they didn't send Glen Davis, but someone else?" Anthony Randolph continued to ask.
"Impossible." Yang Mo nodded confidently, then looked at Tony Allen: "If you don't believe me, you can ask him. Glen Davis has always been Perkins' first substitute. Doc Rivers is not the kind of coach who would easily change his substitution habits."
Tony Allen was incredibly surprised by Yang Mo's words. He hadn't expected Yang Mo to know so much about the Celtics' personnel layout. How much intelligence does it take to figure that out? And his calculations forcing Doc Rivers to change his tactics by drawing a foul and thus advancing the fast break were flawless. Isn't his IQ too abnormal?
