Chapter 549: No Deep Meaning, Damn It
After easily defeating the Lakers, the Knicks continued to advance triumphantly, because their next opponents are all teams like the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Minnesota Timberwolves. It is naturally easy to deal with such teams and maintain their winning streak all the way.
Soon, the Knicks, unstoppable, won their 18th game in a row, then their 20th, then their 25th, and then their 26th. Suddenly, the Knicks were at the peak of their powers, unstoppable.
Before the season, everyone predicted the Knicks would be strong, but no one could have predicted their sheer strength. They'd been undefeated since the start of the season, practically unbeatable. Given the Knicks' dominance, major bookmakers have lowered their championship odds, from 2 to 1 to 1. Some are even considering lowering the odds to 0.000, as the Knicks look poised to sweep the championship.
Now the only thing the NBA thinks about the Knicks is when will they lose a game? Aren’t they tired of winning like this all the time?
In response, Stoudemire boasted in front of the media : "We were really low-key. Even the main players played no more than 25 minutes, but... they still couldn't win. They still let us break the team's winning streak and still let us easily lead the league. It's really tiring. The pressure to win is too great."
Since arriving at the Knicks, Stoudemire has completely taken over Yang Mo's legacy, becoming increasingly arrogant with each statement he makes in front of the media. In his own words, "I'm with someone as awesome as Super Yang, so how can I not be awesome too?"
Stoudemire was a cocky and conceited player. He had already pulled a significant gap in the scoring standings, with Kevin Durant, in second place, trailing him by a full seven points. He was practically guaranteed this year's scoring title. While many questioned his high score thanks to Yang Mo's passes, he always shrugged, saying, "Not many people can turn Super Yang's passes into dunks, and I'm one of them." So, it was an honor for me. How could it be a distraction?
Equally boastful as Stoudemire was Michael Beasley, who was now averaging nearly 16 or 17 points per game and was once considered a top contender for Sixth Man of the Year. He constantly railed against the Heat in front of the media, saying, "The dumbest thing Pat Riley ever did was send Super Yang and Michael Beasley away from Miami Beach. Now they've spent a fortune on two supposed superstars, and they're still no match for us. We could have formed an even more formidable Big Three, but Pat Riley's foolishness ruined that wonderful combination by sending away two of the strongest players from the 2008 class."
Whenever Beasley said this, Pat Riley would get so upset that his liver ached. He wasn't upset because he lost Michael Beasley, but he really didn't think highly of players of Beasley's level. He was upset that Super Yang had actually led the Knicks to a victory over Miami, beating the Heat without even a lick of his temper.
At this point, the Heat's front office would also criticize him to some extent. Pat Riley no longer felt trusted by his superiors as much as before, and that they were involved in every decision. This made him feel constrained and somewhat tired.
Like Beasley and Stoudemire, Iverson and the others were enjoying a comfortable life. Almost everyone was enjoying themselves and putting up impressive numbers. Only Wilt and Chandler felt a bit frustrated. They weren't getting much playing time, as the Knicks seemed to prioritize defense these days. He was the type of player who needed the ball in his hands to thrive, but with Yang Mo controlling the ball, how could he possibly produce impressive numbers? Consequently, he repeatedly requested a trade from Isaiah Thomas. Thomas's response to his requests was: "Wait a little longer. As soon as the trading window opens, I'll trade you."
This answer made Wilt somewhat happy, but more so sad. He didn't even bother trying to persuade me to stay, treating me like garbage.
In fact, he didn't know that Isaiah Thomas had already found a new team for him before the start of the season. He was not traded before the season because Super Yang was still hesitant at the time. Now Yang Mo has figured it out, so there is no value in him staying.
Soon, the Knicks would host their 27th opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This team was completely rebuilding, and everyone expected the Knicks to achieve their 27th consecutive win. After all, the Cavaliers were last in the Eastern Conference, while the Cavaliers were at the top of the league, their morale soaring. It was easy to tell who was the egg and who was the stone.
But on the afternoon before the competition, Yang Mo received a call from Lu Xuefei after training. Lu Xuefei asked Yang Mo to go to the estate in Changdao, which Yang Mo had just purchased. Yang Mo was a little hesitant, but after Lu Xuefei's repeated requests, he finally agreed.
But when he arrived at the manor, he found many familiar faces. These people were all his confidantes. Lu Xuefei actually gathered them all at once, more than 20 of them.
After Lu Xuefei's mediation, they both tacitly accepted each other's existence. After all... everyone knew they weren't Yang Mo's only one. Therefore, the atmosphere at the party was somewhat ambiguous from the start. Lu Xuefei also arranged a series of passionate games, such as human roulette, where Yang Mo would kiss whoever the wheel landed on.
As the game progressed, the atmosphere became more and more heated.
In the end, no one knew who took off his clothes first, and then they started fighting and fighting.
Yang Mo had never experienced intimate contact with more than 20 girls at the same time, and he even doubted his physical strength. But... he soon found that he could take to it like a fish in water and move freely.
The battle started fiercely. It was like a competition, and Yang Mo had to score more than 120 points to satisfy everyone.
The battle lasted all night, and the morning dragged on until it finally drew to a close. It wasn't until three in the afternoon that Yang Mo finally dispatched the last man. With the terrifying outpouring of life essence, he slowly drifted off to sleep. Before him lay a seemingly endless road. The metallic voice in his dream told him this was endurance training, and he had to complete it. Yang Mo asked how long it was, and was told it was twenty-five thousand miles.
Then, Yang Mo began to run tirelessly. An hour passed and he was still running. Two hours passed and he was still running. Three hours passed and he was still running in his dream.
By then, the battle at Madison Square Garden had already begun. Even without Yang Mo, the game would have continued. Without Yang Mo, the Knicks immediately collapsed. Even against a team like the Cavaliers, they couldn't maintain a coherent rhythm. The defenders were powerless, and the offense was disorganized.
At this moment, everyone realized that Yang Mo's importance far exceeded their imagination.
Stein tried to run a fast break, but the results were still unsatisfactory. Coach Sloan personally directed the game, but found that the point guard was not up to his standards. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers were playing better and better. They wanted to be the only team to defeat the Knicks, and this belief made them more united and stronger.
In this situation, the Knicks actually lost in the end, losing to the bottom-ranked team.
This is undoubtedly a dramatic event. The Knicks, who had dominated the league, lost to the weakest Cleveland Cavaliers. Was this a black comedy? Or was it a slap in the face to LeBron James?
Why didn't Yang Mo show up? Was he trying to tell the world what the Knicks' problems were? Was he trying to make them reflect and understand his importance?
Everyone was speculating, believing Yang Mo's actions had a profound meaning. But in reality, Yang Mo had already fallen into a long march in his dream. He was running and running, completely oblivious to time. He didn't want to die in his dream.
After the game, the Knicks players gave a summary.
Stoudemire swallowed his pride. Sitting in the post-game press conference, he said sincerely, "We played like shit today. Without Super Yang's guidance, we'd be nothing. I think Super Yang wanted to dampen our pride this way. Pride is really not a good thing, and we've learned its downsides."
"Our other players had issues, and we didn't even have a reliable point guard at the critical moment. Thanks to Yang, he's a smart and wise leader. He made us realize we're not invincible, and we'll learn from that." Stein also summarized this. They all believed Yang Mo did this on purpose. Because that was the only reason that worked.
At this point, Isaiah Thomas finally understood why Yang Mo had told him to trade for a point guard. After watching the game, a point guard was a must. It would be fantastic if they could get Billups from the Nuggets in a package deal.
Yang Mo had no idea that his absence would lead to internal soul-searching for the Knicks. Perhaps it was the sheer humiliation of this defeat. The once-proud No. 1 team in the league actually lost to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The humiliation was too great. They had to reflect.
LeBron James, who was on the East Coast, also felt humiliated. When he saw the news, his first reaction was that Yang Mo was trying to humiliate him for his summer TV choices. Otherwise, why would he let his team lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the worst team in the league?
Obviously, LeBron James was overthinking it.
