Chapter 540: City Hero
LeBron James came upcourt with the ball, and Jeffries and Ronnie Brewer were about to double-team him. Wade suddenly jumped up and set a screen for LeBron James. This screen gave LeBron James an open space, and he immediately drove forward. When Yang Mo stepped forward to block him, he suddenly turned around and passed the ball to Wade, who was cutting into the penalty area. Wade used Haslem's screen to escape Stoudemire's help defense and easily scored a layup.
This offense can be described as smooth and flowing. Although the Knicks' defense tried hard, there was really no way to defend.
These two players were already superstars, impossible to defend individually, and even double-teaming wouldn't guarantee them. But now they were teaming up, even going so far as to set pick-and-rolls. This kind of movement directly enriched their play, making their offensive routines completely unpredictable for defenders.
With the two superstars playing this way, Yang Mo had no other options. He could only change his strategy, switching from double-teaming to close-range defense. He took care of Wade while Jeffries focused on dealing with LeBron James.
There is no other way to change this strategy, so we have to do it this way.
Although these two players exploited his defense, Yang Mo remained unstoppable on offense. To conserve energy, he called on Jeffries to set a pick-and-roll for him, and under the cover of the pick-and-roll, he could almost do whatever he wanted.
Similarly, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade teamed up and scored a few points. However, their accuracy wasn't very high, as Yang Mo practically strangled Wade. LeBron James also found Jeffries's persistence somewhat difficult.
With Yang Mo's dominance on the scoring end, the Heat seemed to be struggling. Ultimately, in the third quarter, Yang Mo scored 26 points, while LeBron James and Wade combined for just 16. The difference in strength became even clearer.
The Heat also fell behind by 20 points, which was almost a foregone conclusion.
Everyone thought the Big Three were strong, but tonight's game clearly showed everyone that Yang Mo was still the strongest player. If the Big Three could work together better, they could steal victory from the Knicks. But if they don't work together to their full potential, they're definitely no match for the Knicks. The Knicks seem more like a team with clearly defined divisions of labor.
After the third quarter, Miami's board of directors walked out, disgusted by the disastrous performance. They'd spent a fortune and connections to secure the Big Three, only to find they couldn't defeat the player they'd just let go. Could anything be more awful? Apparently not. They should have kept Yang Mo. They wouldn't have spent so much, and they could have gotten better results. Why make that foolish decision?
Obviously, Miami's owners are very dissatisfied with Pat Riley's plan. They think Pat Riley made a decision that couldn't be more wrong.
However, Pat Riley firmly believed he was right, that he had simply made the right decision. After all, no one could have predicted Yang Mo would surpass LeBron James so quickly. At the time, he was diagnosed with career-ending injuries. And… he himself didn't particularly want to stay in Miami. While he might have been a bit over the top,… with LeBron James' promise, who could resist? At that time, LeBron James was the league's best player.
Yang Mo did not continue his killing spree in the fourth quarter. Nuclear weapons do not need to be used all the time. It is enough to use them occasionally to scare the enemy.
After five minutes of the fourth quarter, both teams replaced their bench lineups. The game ended with a whimper, a result that was clearly beyond everyone's expectations. Everyone thought the Miami Heat would be able to stop the Knicks' 12-game winning streak, but who knew the Knicks would crush the Heat with such ease?
No wonder they were talking about winning the championship. With such a strong team, they truly had the right to be proud. In comparison, the Heat were a bit superficial . Their Big Three still hadn't found chemistry, and the team's defense also had significant issues. This led to a defensive meltdown and a disjointed offense. As a result, they were brutally beaten by the Knicks, ultimately being trounced like dogs.
The final score was 121-99, a 22-point victory for the Knicks. Stoudemire scored another 35 points, successfully defending his scoring title. Yang Mo, on the other hand, put up eye-popping numbers: 36 points, 38 assists, and 11 rebounds. This triple-double shattered all records. No one had ever achieved a 35+35+10 triple-double, and Yang Mo was undoubtedly the first to do so.
Yang Mo was indifferent to such records. In a post-game interview, he calmly replied, "I think such records are meaningless. I can set a record in every game, which only shows that the league's data work is very good. But that's all. I really don't want to leave behind records that future generations can't break. It would put a lot of pressure on the new players. They would feel like I'm a mountain constantly suppressing them."
When asked about his opinion of the Heat, Yang Mo answered objectively: "Their three stars are all good, but without chemistry, they are like a toothless tiger. They look scary, but they can be knocked down with one punch. If they can find a way to coexist peacefully, they might be able to make further progress, but I think they will probably never find chemistry. But then again, even if they do find chemistry, they won't be our match."
When asked by Miami reporters whether he would return to Miami, Yang Mo smiled and replied, "There will be a chance, and I would also like to win a championship ring for Miami. But... you all know that I am a dictator. I don't like my team to be filled with people I hate, including the general manager, including players and so on. If I can choose the personnel of Miami, of course I will come back. After all, this is where my dream began."
Yang Mo's answer gave Miami endless imagination. They understood the meaning of Yang Mo's words very well, which was that if Miami fired Pat Riley and sent away LeBron James, Chris Bosh and others, Yang Mo might come back.
Almost 80% of the fans agree with this possibility. For them, they have no sense of identity with Pat Riley and LeBron James. Only Super Yang is the city hero.
