Chapter 552: Anthony's Debut
The Knicks believed that Carmelo Anthony's signing posed some risks, including a potential instability in ball possession. However, the outside world was incredibly excited about Anthony's arrival, even going so far as to suggest the Knicks had already secured a championship, potentially even securing both next year and the year after.
"Now the Knicks can put together five All-Star starters. In fact, they have too many All-Stars on their team. I can't believe the Knicks can even afford all these people. They are less than $10 million over the luxury tax. Look at the Lakers, look at the Celtics, look at the Miami Heat. They will be mad at them."
"If the Miami Heat are a Big Three team, then the Knicks are the Galaxy Fleet. I can't find a single area where the Knicks aren't strong enough; they've become a formidable sweeping force. This season, the Knicks will definitely break the Bulls' record. As Super Yang said, the Knicks are ready to take charge of the entire team."
"Tremble, those teams with three giants, you will face teams with five or even six giants next!"
This is a false compliment from basketball commentators.
However, Yang Mo completely ignored them. He just listened to what these guys said. They had once sworn that Yang Mo had no chance of making it in the NBA. Now, Yang Mo had beaten their cheeks so hard that they were swollen, and they still had to brag about Yang Mo, believing that Yang Mo could dominate the league.
There's really not much difference between a critic's mouth and a prostitute's pussy. Both are paid to sell their consciences and create something that pleases a few people. Essentially, they're both service industries. The difference is that one requires stripping naked, while the other doesn't.
Soon, the Knicks faced their first opponent since joining Carmelo Anthony, the Boston Celtics. This was a veteran powerhouse in the league, and while the Big Three were aging and they had lost the final game last year, no one could deny their formidable defense.
TNT broadcast the game live and even moved the live studio to Madison Square Garden.
The entire league is paying close attention to Carmelo's debut, and everyone is looking forward to his performance. Knicks fans are even more concerned, as they want to see how strong their team is.
However, in the pre-game locker room, Yang Mo frowned. As Stoudemire had said, their tactics had become somewhat limited after Carmelo Anthony joined the team. Anthony's offense and Stoudemire's role overlapped significantly. After all, Carmelo Anthony was a classic small forward, his driving ability was minimal, and he excelled at settling into the half-court and engaging opponents in one-on-one situations.
This style of play is time-consuming and drains teammates' energy. Constantly having everyone watching you play will definitely dampen your morale. And most importantly, Anthony's defense doesn't fit into the system.
"I wonder if I ruined the chemistry?" Carmelo Anthony said sheepishly as he approached He could sense Stoudemire's hostility, and he himself felt that his teammates' movements became more unnatural when he had the ball. However, he wasn't the type to shoot right off the bat. He had to slowly find his rhythm in isolation and then deliver the winning shot.
"You just got here, this is normal." Yang Mo said with a smile. In fact, he really wanted to say, why don't you play as the sixth man.
This thought eventually settled in his mind. After all, Carmelo Anthony had already surpassed LeBron James in All-Star voting and was now a starter. It would be a disservice if he were to play as a reserve. Furthermore, he had been the undisputed leader on the Nuggets, but now he was being relegated to being a sixth man. Such a disparity was unacceptable.
"I will try my best to play a fast-paced offense," Carmelo Anthony said confidently.
Yang Mo smiled faintly, patted his shoulder and said nothing more. But in her heart, she didn't think Cameron could change his long-standing playing style all of a sudden.
After Cameron left, Stein came over, holding the roster and looking extremely difficult: "Yang, who do you think we should start tonight?"
This is indeed a difficult problem; it's the consequence of having too many good players. But compared to the roster crunch of last year's playoffs, Yang Mo preferred this happy annoyance. He picked up the roster, carefully examined it, and then slowly said, "I'll still be the point guard, Ronnie Brewer the shooting guard, Carmelo Anthony the small forward, Stoudemire the power forward, and Tyson Chandler the center."
"What about Billups?" Stein asked in confusion. In his opinion, considering Billups' status as the Finals MVP, it was unreasonable not to give him the starting position.
"Tell him that the new and old lineups are being adjusted recently, so it's not convenient to add two veteran players for the time being."
"Yeah, good." Stein received the order and hurried down. He was a very good political commissar. Basically, on this team, he was only responsible for defensive training and various adjustments. Yang Mo was responsible for on-the-spot reactions, while Sloan and Old K were responsible for the overall tactical outline.
However, he had no complaints about this arrangement. On the contrary, he felt that he could learn more here. After all, there was no better academic coach in the world than Sloan K. Moreover, Yang Mo's on-the-spot reactions on the court always made him shine.
Stein's appeasement work did not encounter any resistance, and Billups had no objection to this arrangement. In his opinion, Yang Mo was obviously a more suitable point guard than him. After all, there was no better player than Yang Mo on the planet.
Soon, the evening game arrived.
When the Knicks' golden lineup walked onto the court, the fans burst into thunderous cheers, immersing the entire Madison Garden in a luxurious atmosphere.
Yes, Knicks fans now have the temperament of being rich. In the past, they always envied others for having superstars, but now, they have a dozen of their own. After years of poverty, they finally turned their lives around overnight. They are so happy!
"Yang, you guys are really aggressive in recruiting players this year!" Before the game started, Garnett couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"You can come here next year too." Yang Mo laughed and joked, "This is a 100% championship training base."
"I will defend the TD Garden until the end," Garnett said with great determination.
"Don't be so confident. No one knows what will happen next year. And didn't you say yourself that loyalty can sometimes hurt you?"
"Haha!" Garnett chuckled and said nothing more.
At this time, the referee had already blew the whistle, signaling the start of the game.
drop!
When the referee blew the whistle, Tyson Chandler and Kentrick Perkins jumped at the same time... Bang! Chandler easily passed the basketball to Yang Mo.
After receiving the ball, Yang Mo immediately pushed forward. The Celtics didn't know whether to defend Yang Mo. The Knicks now had too many players capable of scoring, and Yang Mo's passing was unpredictable. If you defend, other players will inevitably be left out. If you don't defend, he'll score at will.
This is not just a problem for the Celtics, but for the rest of the league.
As a nearly invincible player, sometimes I am so lonely as the snow. Being too awesome is also a sin!
So, in the end, Rivers only used Rajon Rondo for one-on-one defense. He hoped that Rondo could achieve the ultimate in defense, but he did not have any hope of defending Yang Mo. He just hoped that he could control him a little.
Yang Mo didn't have much of an offensive mindset at this point. He slowed down his pace after reaching the three-point line and observed the players' movements. To his surprise, Carmelo Anthony still hadn't started running. He stood at a 45-degree angle to the left, somewhat bewildered. He was used to receiving the ball here.
After thinking about it, Yang Mo passed the ball. After all, he had just arrived and everyone came to see his performance in the team.
Carmelo Anthony took the ball and immediately went one-on-one with Paul Pierce. In a sense, Pierce and Anthony were the same type of player; they both fell into the category of classic small forwards. So, they knew each other well.
And then...Carmelo Anthony fades away and...bang!
Basketball missed shots.
Carmelo Anthony missed his first shot after joining the Knicks.
Just as Garnett tried to grab the rebound, suddenly a strong wind blew behind him, and a black shadow fell from the sky... Boom!
Yang Mo dunked the basketball into the basket.
Finally, the first attack resulted in a goal.
