Chapter 556: The All-Stars Are Coming
After Carmelo Anthony spoke with Yang Mo, he arrived at the training hall early the next morning, intensified his practice, and constantly asked Iverson how to integrate into the team. He even took out his iPad to watch game highlights during breaks.
Yang Mo noticed the change in Anthony, but he didn't say much, because now it wasn't the Knicks begging him, but he needed to beg the Knicks.
As for Stoudemire and Michael Beasley, seeing how hard Anthony was working, they couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis. If Anthony really integrated into the tactical play, they would definitely be the ones who suffered the greatest impact.
Seeing them both actively training, Yang Mo was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Anthony to actually stimulate the internal training enthusiasm. Previously, he had been unable to deal with Stoudemire and Michael Beasley. As their external performance continued to rise, they naturally developed a sense of arrogance, thinking they were the best in the world, and had become somewhat slack in training.
Yang Mo was very worried that they would be turned into useless people who could not withstand any blows because of this kind of comfort and ease. But now the appearance of Anthony gave them a sense of crisis from within, forcing them to work hard.
"It seems that having some internal conflicts is a good thing. At least it can stimulate competitors in the same position." Yang Mo smiled. He finally understood why the Bulls were able to win six championships despite such a big conflict between the players and the management. The cracks in the OK combination were known to the world, but they still won the three championships.
Sure enough, if internal conflicts are handled well, a good competitive atmosphere will be created.
Anthony is a talented player, his talent is no less than any superstar in the league. When he tried to integrate into the Knicks wholeheartedly, he soon reaped good results.
When the next game came around, Anthony was still in the starting lineup, much to the fans' surprise. Weren't the Knicks in turmoil? Didn't Anthony provoke Yang Mo? Why was he still in the starting lineup? Super Yang has always been known for his vengeance! Tonight's opponent was San Antonio. Were the Knicks trying to repeat the tragedy they suffered against Boston?
These concerns filled the entire Madison Garden, but when Carmelo Anthony's huge body was the first to rush into the Spurs' penalty area, received a pass from Yang Mo, and scored a dunk, all doubts were dispelled.
Is Carmelo Anthony's positioning so good? Isn't he just a one-on-one player with the ball?
This question arises in the minds of all fans. In their opinion, the three super outside players of the 03 generation are all masters of singles with the ball, but now Anthony has shown a running skill that he has never shown before. Although he is a little fat, his coquettish counter-run is quite gorgeous!
The fans were surprised, and Yang Mo was also a little surprised. When Carmelo Anthony ran over, Yang Mo said in great surprise: "Why have you never demonstrated your off-ball running skills before?"
"You know, when a player can solve all problems by holding the ball and playing one-on-one, he won't give the ball to others and let himself run to get assists." Carmelo Anthony said this a little arrogantly.
However, he quickly flattered Yang Mo again, "But now the Knicks' ball-handling attackers are better than me. I can score more easily if I run. Why not do that? I'm not a one-track mind."
Hearing this, Yang Mo smiled helplessly. He knew what Anthony meant. He just wanted to find a way to save face and explain the change in his playing style.
"Your choice is correct and great. If you can improve your defense, you will be the best small forward in the league today. I can definitely help you surpass LeBron James." Yang Mo patted his shoulder and said with certainty.
"Are you sure?" Anthony was very surprised, but more excited. He has been suppressed by LeBron for so many years, and now no one even regards him as a rival of LeBron James. Now no one in the league wants to beat James more than him.
"You can look in the newspaper and see what I said that didn't come true."
Yang Mo smiled slightly, said this, and quickly ran back to defend.
Anthony, however, was filled with anxiety. If he could surpass James, he would do anything. He didn't want to be outplayed by James his entire life. As a man, he had to fight back.
"Okay, I'll believe you this time." Kami Evil Dragon Ah Nongni shouted at Yang Mo's back, then quickly chased after him, trying his best to restrict his opponent.
Anthony is not a person who can't defend at all, he just doesn't want to focus his energy on defense. What he prefers to do is to keep throwing the ball into the basket. Now, when he becomes active, his defense is actually quite good.
Seeing Anthony so motivated, the commentators' jaws dropped. Are the Knicks looking like they're in turmoil? How did Anthony become like this? Wasn't he the type who hated getting dirty? He looked like a blue-collar player now. Did Super Yang cast some kind of spell on him? He could actually make his defense so reliable? Wouldn't George Karl be furious? He'd coached him for seven years, but Anthony still went his own way. And then, within seven days of joining the Knicks, he was transformed.
Stoudemire's jaw dropped just as much. Ever since Anthony started training aggressively, he'd sensed he was falling out of favor. When Anthony unexpectedly ran back down the fast break, he panicked to the extreme. Now, with Anthony's aggressive defense, his sense of crisis was overwhelming: No, I can't let him replace me in Super Yang's heart. I can't let him steal all of Super Yang's passes. I have to position myself and defend too.
Thinking of this, he quickly and actively supported Tim Duncan.
Duncan was surprised to see Stoudemire playing so aggressively. Is this the same Stoudemire? He's actually playing so hard? He's even trying to hold my lower body. Wasn't he the one who loved jumping and blocking shots?
And with the secret competition between the two forwards, the Knicks' defense actually improved to a higher level.
On offense, the interplay between these two players ripped the Spurs' vaunted defense apart like a sieve. Yang Mo didn't even need to sprint; he simply had to pass the ball. Sometimes, passing became a sweet nuisance, as the two players would often simultaneously find themselves in perfect positions, leaving him completely at a loss as to how to proceed.
"This is real basketball. The Knicks' offense is too strong now. The two forwards are like two long spears, piercing directly into the heart of the Spurs. This attack mode is almost impossible to defend because it is very reasonable and efficient. The most important thing is that their biggest offensive ace Super Yang has been fully released, and he doesn't even need to score." TNT commentator Collins praised the Knicks today.
"I didn't expect Anthony to be so good at off-ball running. If he had played like this from the beginning, then... he would definitely not be so far behind James?" Kenny Smith said in surprise.
"If he had played like this from the beginning, the Knicks wouldn't even have made it to the playoffs. You have to know, he is the only player on the Nuggets who can attack with the ball. The other players are almost all what you call running without the ball. Besides, I've known for a long time that he can run without the ball. When he and Iverson formed the golden duo, there was no problem in integration. Each of them averaged more than 20 points per game." Barkley acted like a prophet, as if everything was under his control.
Both of them chose to ignore Barkley's hindsight.
The commentators can ignore it, but the Spurs coaching staff cannot. They were caught off guard and unable to fight back because they did not anticipate the Knicks' changes at all.
The current Knicks are obviously more reasonable and disciplined than the Spurs. Everyone is on the right track. The ball is under the control of Yang Mo, who is selfless and powerful.
The Knicks tried to organize a counterattack in the third quarter, but they still couldn't stop the double-teaming of the two forwards. In addition , Yang Mo suddenly broke out in the second half of the third quarter. He sprinted with the ball and directly defeated the Spurs. Finally, they announced to surrender by replacing the main players.
Ultimately, the Knicks defeated the Spurs 128-91. This game showcased the Knicks' current offensive prowess. Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony each scored 32 points, with Carmelo Anthony shooting 13-for-13 from the field, setting a new record: his first 100% shooting percentage in a single game.
In comparison, Stoudemire, with a shooting percentage of only 60%, looked much poorer. He was very dissatisfied and practiced his mid-range shots after the game. He was afraid that because of this, Yang Mo would reduce his passing in the next game.
To this, Yang Mo could only say, "You're overthinking it." However, Yang Mo wouldn't point it out; he simply wanted to create this atmosphere, to cause trouble for them. In a sense, this is called the imperial mindset. A great emperor is undoubtedly adept at balancing things. Qianlong had Ji Xiaolan and Heshen under his command, while Wanli had the Donglin Party and the Eunuch Party under his command. They played this kind of balancing game, letting them fight among themselves while he maintained control of the balance and used them to his advantage.
Of course, even if you tell Stoudemire and Anthony about this advanced technique, they won't understand. They're black, and black people's brains are filled with nothing but muscle.
After the game, Popovich spoke highly of the Knicks and Yang Mo: "The Knicks are the strongest team I've ever seen, including the Lakers and the Bulls back then. Super Yang is the strongest player I've ever seen, bar none. Even Michael Jordan wasn't as good as him. I'm serious. Michael had many ways to solve games, and Super Yang has even more. I think Knicks fans should buy their celebratory fireworks in advance, otherwise they'll be even more expensive when we win the championship."
Popovich's words instantly pushed Yang Mo to the forefront. How could such arbitrary and absolute praise not attract criticism?
Soon, people began comparing Yang Mo to Michael Jordan. Similarly, some fans compared the Knicks to the Chicago Bulls, who had a 72-10 record.
This comparison is boring and uninteresting in a sense, but there are always some people who enjoy talking about it.
This comparison seems to be quite confusing. It's a case of Zhang Fei killing Yue Fei, and there's no direct comparison, so how can we compare them? It's just a matter of each person having their own reasons.
However, this also proves one thing, that is, Yang Mo is already the undisputed number one in the current league. He has no rivals among the active players, so the God of Basketball has to be brought out to compete with him.
Yang Mo was too lazy to pay attention to these disturbances as the game was still going on.
But the result was simple and repetitive, the Knicks won game after game, and no team could survive three quarters under the ravages of the three carriages. At this time, the All-Star Game had quietly arrived.
Unlike previous All-Star Games, this year's All-Star Game had some surprises. Five Knicks players occupied the starting lineups of the Eastern Conference team. Although many people said it was unfair, the votes spoke for themselves and no one dared to disagree.
Before the All-Star Game, Yang Mo outlined his wish list in an interview with reporters: "My goals this year are to win All-Star Game MVP, Slam Dunk King, Three-Point King, and Skill King. Well, to everyone else competing in those categories, I can only say sorry. You should just fight for second place first."
Yang Mo's arrogance was always overflowing, and this time was no surprise. He was actually going to clear the entire level. Was this a sign of his complete disregard for his opponent? History had never seen anyone so arrogant? And certainly no one had ever won every championship. Could Yang Mo make history?
This question was discussed by countless basketball fans, but it was never a problem for Yang Mo. He had actually announced it last year, and the reason was simply because he was worried that the fans had forgotten. It was also a gesture of sincerity to Lu Xueman: Look, I announced it in advance. For you, I'm going all out.
"I will participate in the slam dunk contest, Dwyane will participate in the skills challenge, and Mike Miller will be the strongest contender for the three-point king." LeBron James said tit for tat before the interview: "Our Heat team will take away three trophies, that's for sure."
"Just listen to James." Before Yang Mo could even start, Stoudemire mocked him, "He's never beaten Super Yang! I was originally worried that Super Yang might not be able to complete it, but now that LeBron James has come forward, it's a sure thing."
