Chapter 511 I Want to Fight Five
The game resumed, and the Celtics replaced their starting lineup, except that Rasheed Wallace was at power forward. After all, Kevin was getting older, and he played the full twelve minutes of the first quarter, so it was time for him to rest.
When Rajon Rondo brought the ball across half court, he immediately noticed that the Knicks' defense had switched from man-to-man to zone. Other teams might have a headache when encountering a zone, but the Celtics wouldn't, as they had a unique technique for breaking the zone.
The Celtics players ran a few times and quickly gave Pierce an open space, and then he easily made a mid-range jump shot...swish!
The basketball went into the net. The shot was in his rhythm and he was very comfortable shooting, so it was natural for him to score.
Regarding Pierce's goal, Yang Mo was very calm. He believed that the team's defense had no problems, even though Gallinani missed a man. The current situation was originally to give teammates a rest, so it was nothing to miss a man on defense.
Anthony Randolph leisurely passed the ball to Yang Mo, who didn't initiate another fast break, instead slowly strolling downcourt. The Knicks, uncharacteristically slowing down the tempo, had Doc Rivers rubbing his chin. He couldn't figure out what Yang Mo was planning. Was he going to play half-court with this lineup? Or...was he trying to draw another foul from Perkins?
Doc Rivers had barely had time to think this before he could even warn Perkins. Yang Mo, who had been dribbling slowly up the court, had already bolted into the restricted area with lightning speed. With lightning speed, he slammed into Perkins, who was already in the proper collision zone, and then, with a twisted motion, tossed the basketball into the net... Swoosh!
As the basketball went into the net, the referee blew the whistle and without hesitation called a defensive foul on Perkins, earning him his fourth foul of the game.
"Asshole, what are you doing? You actually fouled me. Don't you know he was doing it on purpose?" Perkins, who hadn't played for four minutes but had four fouls, suddenly became furious. He pointed at the referee who fouled him and roared viciously: "I doubt your professional ability. You should be banned for life!"
drop!
The referee didn't argue with him and simply gave him a technical foul. He then coldly warned Perkins, "Sir, if you don't want to be ejected from this game, please shut up. Being called a foul only demonstrates your defensive stupidity, not my professionalism. If you have any objections, you can file a complaint with the referee committee. Of course, it 's up to the committee to decide whether to accept the complaint. After all, there's a certain IQ threshold for making a complaint."
The referee mercilessly activated his taunting skill, clearly angered by Perkins's mindless rant. Perkins, irritated by the referee's taunting, instantly became even more furious. Even when Pierce ran over to hug him, he couldn't calm down: "Black whistle, you dirty bastard who took bribes, you don't deserve to officiate..."
Drop! Drop! Drop!
The referee grabbed his whistle and blew a barrage of whistles, then quickly made the ejection gesture. Clearly, he'd called Perkins' second foul of the game. Doc Rivers, standing on the sidelines, was frantic. What the hell was Perkins doing? Was he trying to get the Celtics into trouble? Why was he so out of control? Didn't I already tell him the referee tonight was a hothead?
Doc Rivers's mind raced, but it was too late. Perkins was quickly escorted off the court. He cursed as he left, but Kevin Garnett, who rushed over, quickly covered his mouth. He didn't want Perkins to face further punishment after being ejected. What if he got suspended? Although the Celtics had a huge advantage over the Knicks, Perkins was, after all, the Celtics' most reliable center inside!
Yang Mo was a bit surprised by Perkins' ejection. He had originally only wanted to get a two-and-one, nothing more. Who knew happiness would come so suddenly? Perkins, like a powder keg, actually lit the fuse and blew himself out of the game. This, in a way, greatly increased the Knicks' chances of winning.
What Yang Mo didn't expect was that he got five free throw opportunities, and the team also got an extra serve.
When Yang Mo stepped onto the free throw line, all the Celtics fans tried to stop him from throwing the ball into their basket. But it was obviously impossible. Although Yang Mo's mid-range shots were not very accurate, his free throws could easily kill all the opponent's rebounding hopes.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Five easy baskets allowed him to complete one of the few feats in his career. He scored seven points with one shot and also got the opponent's center off the court.
Yang Mo scored seven points, instantly widening the gap again, and then they had the ball. After Yang Mo received the ball from Gallinari, Ray Allen actually stepped forward and took the initiative to defend Yang Mo.
To be fair, Ray Allen is a very good three-point shooter and was once a very well-rounded shooting guard, but his defense has never truly reached a top-tier level. Yang Mo, on the other hand, is one of the few offensive bugs in the NBA. Almost no one can defend him in isolation, and even double-teaming is difficult to contain. And now, the Celtics have only an average three-point shooter to oppose Yang Mo.
As expected, Yang Mo easily passed Ray Allen, and then took a step back to the three-point line when Ray Allen tried to chase him on defense. When Ray Allen fought hard and risked a sprained ankle to turn around, Yang Mo made an easy crossover to completely confuse him, and then he made an extremely easy three-pointer...Swish!
An accurate goal put an end to this offense, and the Knicks actually scored ten points in one round! !
Doc Rivers looked very gloomy. He did not blame Ray Allen's defense, as he knew that Ray Allen had tried his best. He could only loudly encourage his players to continue to intensify their offense and score to make up for the lost points.
However, what he didn't expect was that the Knicks' defense was almost at the tofu shoddy level. Except for Yang Mo's point in the penalty area, the zone defense on the outside almost only followed the footsteps or even did not follow the footsteps at all.
Swish!
This preseason-level defense quickly allowed Ray Allen to score, but it was a two-pointer, and his three-pointer still went off the line. This was his second three-pointer of the night, and it seemed like God was not betting on the Boston team tonight.
After Ray Allen scored, Yang Mo continued to calmly hold the ball and attack the frontcourt, perhaps having learned from his previous mistakes. Before the players could make their own defensive assignments, Doc Rivers had already given his thoughts: "Paul, you go guard Yang. Make sure he feels the pressure from the defense."
Upon hearing this, Pierce rushed forward. He had good strength and defensive footwork. But... if he relied solely on his strength to put pressure on Yang Mo, that would be ridiculous. The Yang Mo of today was no longer the first-year player who couldn't even dribble a ball, let alone the Yang Mo of a month ago. The previous team battle not only allowed Yang Mo to receive a pass from John Stockton, but also gave him all the on-court experience of Michael Jordan.
While John Stockton's passing skills immediately compensated for Yang Mo's shortcomings and yielded immediate results, Michael Jordan's on-court experience was ultimately more valuable. After all, it was the basketball experience of the God of Basketball. Could anyone be a better basketball player than Jordan? Right now, there certainly wasn't, but Yang Mo might give a definitive answer in the future.
With a swift Iverson-like change of direction, Yang Mo created a gap in Pierce's defense. Without hesitation, he pressed forward with his powerful body. Pierce's strength was impressive, but it was still far behind Yang Mo's. Therefore, Yang Mo easily broke through his defense.
After passing Pierce's defense, Yang Mo did not immediately break into the restricted area guarded by Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace. Instead, he chose to jump shot and shot the ball with a weird straight-arm shooting posture...Swish!
The basketball went into the net.
This pull-up jumper left Doc Rivers stunned, and Stein was also bewildered: When did Super Yang learn to shoot from mid-range? Wasn't his only flaw right now his mid-range accuracy? Had he even addressed that shortcoming?
As for Rasheed Wallace, who watched Yang Mo make this straight-arm mid-range shot, he couldn't help but be a little surprised: This guy can actually shoot with a straight arm? Did he learn it from me?
Yang Mo ignored his surprise and turned around to run back to defend. The reason he chose not to break into the restricted area this time was not because he couldn't get in, but because he wanted Doc Rivers to keep this inside duo on the court for more time. After all... these two were one of the Celtics' weakest inside duos!
Back in the restricted area, the Knicks still maintained their relaxed defensive posture. Soon, Pierce got a chance to score, but this time his shot missed the basket.
As soon as the ball went off the target, Yang Mo was naturally the first to find the ball. He quickly shot between Glen Davis and Rasheed Wallace and easily grabbed the rebound. The two guys were completely powerless against him. This was why he hadn't broken through the restricted area before. If Doc Rivers had substituted in another big man, he wouldn't have been able to grab the rebound so easily!
Just as he grabbed the rebound and prepared to run slowly to the frontcourt, Doc Rivers' hoarse voice came over: "Double-team, Paul, Rajon Rondo, you must double-team him, he wants to relieve the team's fatigue by scoring himself!"
Hearing this, Yang Mo couldn't help but chuckle. "Haha, you finally realized it? But... can double-teaming solve my offense? You're so naive!"
