Chapter 364: Returning with a Great Victory
Yang Mo didn't know why he reached out to grab Emma Watson's flying kiss. He knew that he was already overwhelmed by too many women, but he still couldn't help wanting to flirt with her, as if he was being controlled.
Damn, it’s the hexagram again!
After Yang Mo couldn't find the cause in himself, he could only blame everything on the hexagram.
While Yang Mo was blaming the Hexagram, major entertainment gossip media had already begun reporting the matter frantically. After all, Yang Mo is now openly flirting with Emma Watson. How could this not cause a public outburst?
Yang Mo was unaware of the fermentation and spread of public opinion. He only knew that when he returned to the locker room, Chris Duhon was already sitting in the middle of the room in a suit, with his legs crossed and looking ready to accuse someone.
Seeing him like this, Yang Mo knew what he was trying to do without having to guess. She glanced at him coldly, suppressed her anger and ignored him, instead walking aside and sitting down.
Yang Mo suppressed his anger and ignored him, but he stood up, walked to Yang Mo, and suddenly asked, "Why do you want to freeze my chance to play? Am I not better than Nate Robinson? I was the starting point guard last season. I averaged nearly 20 points per game. I am the leader of this team. Why do you want to block me at will?"
"Are you done?" Yang Mo glanced at him coldly and said indifferently: "Get out of here. Since you are so capable, you should be able to find your next team soon. Goodbye, go contact your next team by yourself. I will never stop you from becoming a leader in another team. However, you will no longer get a chance to play here, because in my eyes, Nate is much better than you. Besides, we still have Douglas."
Yang Mo's words were like sweeping him out. Although Chris Duhon was not as good as he said, if the Knicks really didn't have him, the point guard position would definitely be a big flaw. But it was obvious that obedience was more important to Yang Mo than strength. He was new here, and if Chris Duhon succeeded in forcing him out so easily today, it was hard to guarantee that there wouldn't be another player who would continue to force him out tomorrow. Over time, where would the leader's prestige be?
At this time, we should take drastic measures, or kill the chicken to scare the monkey.
Chris Duhon was immediately furious after being told off by Yang Mo. He said viciously, "New York is not your world right now. D'Antoni is still our head coach. When he comes back, you will be taught a lesson."
"Really? His return can't change the fact that you can't play." Du Hong was furious, but Yang Mo still smiled: "Just leave with peace of mind. Douglas and Nate can do the work you can do. We don't need you."
“You…you…you…”
Chris Duhon pointed at Yang Mo with his fingers trembling, while Nate Robinson beside him urged him impatiently: "Why don't you leave now? Mr. 'Twenty plus ten'! We don't need you!!"
As soon as Nate Robinson said this, the exasperated Chris Duhon glared at him fiercely, then snorted angrily and walked out of the locker room with a roar in his heart. Before he started the fight, he thought that at least one of his teammates would stand up to help him, but the fact was that all of them chose to wait and see, and Nate Robinson even took advantage of the situation.
When he left the locker room, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful, because he really didn't want to leave New York. Everyone knew that his data last season was based on run-and-gun tactics, and he knew that even if he went to the free market to test the waters, not many teams would extend olive branches, let alone offer any big contracts.
Now, he and the team boss have embarked on an irreconcilable road. If one of the two stays, even a fool knows who New York would prefer to stay. His only hope now is D'Antoni, so he couldn't wait to call D'Antoni.
D'Antoni received his call and learned the details from him before he slowly said, "I understand. I will handle it carefully. You go home and rest first. I will see their winning rate in these three games and then make corresponding arrangements."
D'Antoni didn't give an accurate answer because he was also panicking. After watching the first and second quarters, he was completely terrified. He didn't expect Yang Mo's technical and tactical level to be so high. He could actually lead the Knicks to push the defending champion into such a desperate situation. If it were him, he wouldn't have the confidence to achieve this.
He used to think he was at least 50% sure, but now he finds that he may not even have 10%.
What kind of monster is this! How can he understand tactics so well and execute them in such a short time? His ability to change tactics on the spot is simply at the master level!
D'Antoni looked at the data analysis on the TV screen and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
His thoughts at this time were exactly what Phil Jackson was thinking. He felt that the situation was difficult and that Yang Mo on the other side was too terrifying. He could predict every step in advance and also targeted his weak spots. This could no longer be described as genius. This was simply the combination of five genius players and five genius coaches!
The biggest problem facing Phil Jackson now is not Yang Mo's strange tactics, because in essence, his tactics are create space through chaos and order, and to get easy scoring opportunities by speed. This is not difficult to crack.
The biggest question now is how to release Kobe Bryant on the defensive end.
Although Kobe Bryant is a top star, he is not a god, and he also needs to take a nap. He can't carry the entire team's offense while madly chasing after Super Yang who is running madly.
However, now, except for Kobe Bryant who can limit Yang Mo, the rest of the Lakers either can't keep up with the speed or the defensive intensity can't limit him. Yang Mo is always out of position when playing against anyone. Compared with inside players, he is faster and more accurate. Compared with outside players, he is stronger and more cunning. If his offensive skills were not mature and complicated enough, he would have been a bug-type player in the NBA long ago. In fact, he now has the tendency to become a bug.
Are we really going to be defeated by the Knicks today?
Phil Jackson was extremely distressed when he looked at the tactical board. He knew the weakness of that crazy tactic, but he had no way to overcome it. It felt like an elephant chasing a mouse, never able to catch it.
Compared to the Lakers, the Knicks' overall strength is indeed no different from that of a mouse, and the elephant's strength is needless to say. However, under Yang Mo's leadership, this is how they complement and restrain each other.
After hesitating for three or four minutes, Phil Jackson finally made a decision: "Attack!"
Then he decisively picked up the tactical board and made tactical arrangements: "Next, let's give it a try. I believe that with your talents, you can definitely beat the Knicks in a head-on battle. They only have one Super Yang who is an All-Star. Lamar, you will be the center, Luke, you will be the power forward, Kobe, you will be the small forward, Farmar, you will be the shooting guard, and Shannon Brown, the five of you will form the starting lineup, play fast, break through , and pass the ball continuously..."
According to Phil Jackson, the Lakers' talent is indeed better than the Knicks'. However, talent is precisely their biggest enemy, and Kobe Bryant is a player who is not born to play run-and-gun. If he had enough courage to simply throw Kobe Bryant aside and replace him with other players, he might still be able to fight, but with Kobe Bryant on the court, they would definitely not be able to win.
Soon, the third quarter began.
When the Lakers also used the running and gunning lineup, the Knicks were still a little unresponsive in the first three minutes, and their rhythm was slightly disrupted during the transition between offense and defense, so the success rate was not high. But soon, three minutes later, the Lakers themselves were the first to get confused.
The reason is simple: Kobe Bryant.
Kobe may be considered the first offensive master in the NBA, but he is not suitable for the role of shooting after catching the ball. He likes to touch the ball and find the feel before shooting. In other words, his skills are only suitable for half-court positional battles. When it comes to the stage of running and gunning, he is completely useless, which will stagnate the ball and cause the rhythm of the game to be unsmooth. It's like when a video tape is fast-forwarded and he suddenly replays it.
So, after the Lakers maintained the advantage for three or four minutes, they were quickly reversed by the Knicks.
Although Yang Mo is not as good as Kobe, he is both serious and humorous, and can be good at both being a lady and a cook. He can be a red flower or a green leaf, can attack in positional warfare, and can be a turret in a run-and-gun battle.
Phil Jackson knew that Kobe Bryant was not suitable for this lineup, but he still did not replace him. Because he knew better than anyone that what was more important than this game was the relationship with Kobe Bryant. If they lost this game, they would lose it. It was just one of the 82 regular season games. But if the relationship with Kobe was strained, it would affect more than just the regular season.
Therefore, the Zen Master simply chose to ignore it in the second half of the third quarter. Even though the score difference in the game was getting bigger and bigger, he did not react at all and watched the game enter garbage time.
In the fourth quarter, Phil Jackson tried the starting lineup for a few minutes, and Yang Mo also changed to the previous starting lineup. The two teams fought hard, and Kobe was almost exhausted, so the game was a close one. Three minutes later, Phil Jackson waved his hand and announced the arrival of garbage time without any delay.
He was used to the ups and downs of life, and he could bear a failure. Moreover, this game did not have any special meaning to him, it was just a regular season game.
However, for Kenny Smith, it was an important game to decide who would win the game. So, when he replaced five bench players and announced his surrender, Kenny Smith, who had always had illusions about the Lakers, collapsed. He slammed the table, tears instantly fell, and he said in a sobbing voice: "How could this be? How could this be? Don't bully people like this!"
Unlike him, who was in tears and choking with sobs, Charles Barkley said arrogantly: "I told you long ago that Super Yang can win, but you didn't believe it. Those stupid critics also said that the Knicks would lose. Now you see, your faces are all swollen from being beaten by Super Yang, right?"
"I have to say that Super Yang won this game with strategy. He confused the Lakers at the beginning, and then changed his tricks twice, which made the Lakers unable to extricate themselves. In the end, they simply gave up the game and surrendered." Collins still maintained his professionalism and made a professional analysis: "The Lakers lost this game, but no one can say that the Lakers are weaker this year than last year. However, what is certain is that the Knicks with Super Yang will definitely play the role of a spoiler this year. In the future, we may see the Knicks defeat strong teams such as the Celtics and San Antonio Spurs the night after losing to the Bobcats. There are too many uncertainties in their team."
"Anyway, the winner tonight is Super Yang, and at the same time, I also won a bet under the glory of Super Yang." Charles Barkley reached out and knocked on the table, staring at the collapsed Kenny Smith and said: "By the way, Kenny, when are you going to fulfill your promise? Tonight?"
Kenny Smith sniffed and said with great sadness: "No, wait two more days!"
"Okay." Charles Barkley agreed very readily, and he didn't press the issue at all. After a while, he said, "Then I'll trouble all the expectant audience friends to wait for two more days. Kenny is a man who keeps his promises, and he will definitely ask about my buttocks."
Barkley's words were like rubbing salt into Kenny Smith's wounds, and his already broken mood became even worse.
At this moment, the whistle sounded, signaling the end of the game.
This game, which was originally thought to be a massacre by fans, ended up being a massacre, except that the target of the massacre was changed. The defending champion Lakers were massacred, and they were massacred by 21 points.
The instigator of all this, Super Yang, contributed 32 points in the whole game, and his hit rate was... 100%! His three-point, mid-range and free throw hit rates were all 100%.
This has to be said to have created another miracle of varying degrees.
For Yang Mo, the statistics are not the most important thing, winning is the most important thing. When the game was over, Phil Jackson stood up with great effort, and then walked to the Knicks bench, found Yang Mo immediately, shook his hand, and said to him sincerely: "Man, you should ask the Knicks for two salaries. You are the smartest player I have ever seen, and you will definitely become an excellent head coach in the future. Come on!"
Phil Jackson's words represent his recognition of Yang Mo, and he approves of Yang Mo's on-court tactics.
"Thank you. You were very passive in using Kobe." Yang Mo also said honestly: "If you put Kobe on the bench at the beginning of the third quarter, maybe we would not win in the end. But you didn't have the courage, so you lost."
"Haha." Phil Jackson smiled bitterly and shook his head. "You are indeed very smart. It seems that you not only have a strong understanding of tactics, but also have a good understanding of psychology. You will be a terrifying opponent."
"Haha, this is what I'm pursuing." Yang Mo smiled and answered with great confidence: "My goal is to become the public enemy of the league and let those stars know that as long as I'm here, our highest pursuit can only be the runner-up. Although I don't know how long it will take to achieve all this, I believe it won't be too far away."
When Yang Mo spoke with great confidence, Phil Jackson squinted his eyes and looked at Yang Mo very seriously. He suddenly saw the shadow of Michael Jordan in Yang Mo. This was a very ridiculous thing, but he swore that when Yang Mo spoke, he clearly felt the shadow of Jordan overlapping with him.
"If you can get a championship ring, I will help you build a dynasty." Phil Jackson suddenly said.
Yang Mo was shocked after hearing this, and then nodded very quickly and said, "Okay, I will definitely win the championship. When the time comes, don't break your promise!"
"I will never break my promise."
"Then it's settled!" Yang Mo laughed and joked, "I hope my first championship ring is not won by defeating the Lakers."
"This is impossible!" Before Phil Jackson could speak, Kobe Bryant's voice came from the side.
Yang Mo turned around and saw Kobe Bryant walking towards him. He patted Yang Mo on the shoulder and said with a deliberately stern face, "You cunning guy, you stole my skills and now you want to steal my head coach?"
"What do you mean by stealing? This is called heroes respecting heroes." Yang Mo rolled his eyes at Kobe and said, "This is all about the coaching circle. Why are you, a player, involved? Didn't you see that the head coaches of the two teams were shaking hands and talking intimately?"
"Go to hell." Kobe cursed with a smile, and then asked seriously: "Did you really design the tactics tonight?"
"What else? You're not going to say that I stole this tactical system from you, are you?"
"Who knows? Maybe you got support from the assistant coach." Kobe Bryant shrugged and said, "Anyway, I am very unwilling to accept my defeat. Next time we meet, I will definitely beat you and let you know what it means to be a defending champion."
"Let's talk about it next time. I'm not afraid of you." Yang Mo did not give in at all and confronted him tit for tat.
"Okay, wait." Paranoid Kobe nodded and kept all this in mind. Then he pointed at Emma Watson who was sitting not far away and said, "By the way, are you familiar with her? Can you do me a favor?"
"Not familiar!" Yang Mo shook her head, but still asked, "What can I do for you?"
"My daughter is her die-hard fan. Can you help me get an autograph from her? I want to use this to appease my good daughter." Kobe Bryant said lovingly, and then put his hand on Yang Mo's shoulder: "We are friends, right? Friends should help each other, right? Go ahead, help me get an autograph. This will definitely not be a difficult task for you, a super Hollywood star."
Kobe had said this, what else could Yang Mo say? She could only shake her head helplessly, then walked up with gritted teeth.
