Chapter 471: Ten Moves Yet Rejection
After Yang Mo said this, he did not perform any fancy dribbling like before, nor did he have any tendency to change direction in a large arc. He just turned around very easily, then raised his butt and leaned his back against Kirilenko, then exerted force... bang!
When Yang Mo's body hit Kirilenko like a mountain, Kirilenko was knocked two steps away before he even had time to use his strength. He staggered and almost fell down.
At this time, Yang Mo had already turned around and shot at an incredible speed... When Yang Mo waved his fingers and threw the basketball into the sky, it was impossible for Kirilenko to block it. He had lost the initiative, or in other words... he was too far away from Yang Mo, and the distance was so far that his height advantage was completely offset.
To be fair, Yang Mo is now practically one of the two most unguardable players in the league. His physique is truly exceptional; no perimeter player, at least not one, can withstand his sheer power. His technique is also maturing daily. Combined with these two factors , defending him is incredibly difficult. As for completely containing him by a single player, that's practically impossible.
It's true that Kirilenko is a good defensive player, but he's not good enough to be a bug.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc in the air... and then... whoosh! It went right into the Jazz's net, without a trace of difficulty, simply and directly.
"Look, you didn't defend yourself again." Yang Mo shrugged helplessly at Kirilenko and said, "You'd better call for help. You're really no match for me alone. I told you a long time ago that I don't like to bully the weak."
Yang Mo's sarcasm was undeniably thorough. Kirilenko listened, his anger threatening to consume him. Just as his impulse threatened to overwhelm his reason, a sudden image of Yang Mo punching a man's brains out flashed through his mind. He instantly came to his senses, silently lowering his clenched fist. He might be a Russian bear, a warrior species, but... he was also afraid of death.
"I won't let you continue to be so arrogant." Kirilenko said this viciously to Yang Mo, then quickly ran to the half court.
"Heh, a weakling is a weakling. Your words are getting softer and softer. Before, you called me a coward, but now you only dare to stop my arrogance. Tsk!"
Yang Mo sneered, not taking Kirilenko's words seriously at all.
At this moment, Sloan requested a timeout. The Jazz had been playing so poorly in the past period, and he had to make some changes. Otherwise, they would be swept away by the Knicks' wave, which would be a big miscalculation.
Sloan requested a timeout, and Yang Mo returned to the bench with his teammates. Once there, he quickly made personnel adjustments: "Next, Milicic, Jeffries, Wilt Chandler , Tracy McGrady, and Douglas, the five of you will play. I'll rest for three minutes on the sidelines. You guys play well. I hope you don't bury the lead."
After saying this, Yang Mo sat down. He wasn't tired; he just wanted to see if the Knicks could still play without him. After all, the playoffs were coming up, and the intensity of the playoffs was such that Yang Mo couldn't push himself for 48 minutes every game. He needed a break to catch his breath. He'd need them , so for now, let them get used to it.
Yang Mo substituted himself, and Sloan did the same without hesitation, replacing Kirilenko with rookie Matthews. The reason was that Kirilenko needed more rest due to his back injury. Kirilenko knew this was just a way to save face. After all, he had already failed to defend Yang Mo four or five times in a row. Keeping him on the court at this point would not only cause the team to lose points, but would also likely be a blow to his confidence.
While substituting Kirilenko, Sloan also replaced Okur with Fesenko. Unlike Kirilenko's excuse of a back injury, Okur was truly injured. His fragile ankle couldn't support his high-intensity confrontation. Moreover, at 31 years old, he was already a veteran . Too much playing time would actually be a disadvantage for him.
"Super Yang looked quite aggressive tonight. He actually took down four or five Kirilenko players in a row." Meanwhile, TNT commentator Collins used a timeout to offer his in-game commentary: "I bet Kirilenko was about to break down under his pressure."
"Kirilenko won't break down that easily. His defense is incredibly fierce, with that uniquely Russian ruggedness." Kenny Smith quickly spoke up for Kirilenko. "Kirilenko is definitely one of the league's toughest perimeter defenders. His willpower is exceptional."
"But, unfortunately, he met Super Yang!" Charles Barkley laughed and said calmly, "No matter how tough and resilient he is, he will have no choice but to surrender. You know, Super Yang is best at destroying the enemy's willpower!"
"I bet that the Chinese can never beat the Russians. The Russians are the Chinese's big brother." Kenny Smith had obviously forgotten the pain and actually brought up the bet again.
"Okay, what shall we bet this time? Do we bet that you take off your underwear in front of the entire American audience or that you get the word 'loser' tattooed on your face." Barkley was not afraid of betting with Kenny Smith. He had never lost before, so of course the bigger the bet, the better.
When Kenny Smith heard Barkley's bet, he immediately remembered the pain of the past and quickly closed his mouth and said weakly, "Anyway, Kirilenko's defense is very fierce."
"Yes, Kirilenko's defense is fierce." Barkley chuckled and said contemptuously, "But from the beginning of the game until now, he hasn't defended Super Yang once! You can praise him as the best player in the league, but the statistics don't lie."
Barkley presented the facts, and Kenny Smith was speechless. He could only lower his head and pretend that he heard nothing.
Meanwhile, the game has resumed.
After the game resumed, Sloan scanned the court and spotted Yang Mo sitting on the bench, legs crossed and a carefree expression on his face. He was stunned: Could this guy have foresight? Had he sensed I was going to double-team him, so he simply didn't play? This guy truly was a tactical genius. His on-the-spot reactions surpassed even Popovich's.
Yang Mo had no idea Sloan was silently praising him. He had no foresight at all. He simply figured he'd taken so much damage from Kirilenko that Sloan would definitely sub him out. Since Kirilenko was going to go down, why not let his teammates play individually? They were still ahead, so they could just treat it as practice for the playoffs.
Yang Mo was prepared for this lineup to lose points, but it didn't, as Milicic finally showed his strength. After countless quiet games, he seemed to have found his rhythm again. Assisted by Tracy McGrady's passes, he put up a dazzling display in the paint. Fesenko was completely helpless against his flashy footwork and sharp hooks, practically stunned. For four consecutive rounds, Milicic easily dominated him.
Milicic was unstoppable in the paint, and the Jazz seemed to be in disarray. With his teammates languishing, Deron Williams resolutely challenged himself to a one-on-one matchup. However... the defender wasn't Douglas, but Jeffries.
Deron is indeed strong, but how can he perform normally when a defensive expert nearly seven feet tall sticks to him like taffy?
After a few rounds of back and forth, the Jazz fell behind again.
Seeing that this set of substitutes played so well, Yang Mo simply held off on calling a timeout. He wanted to see what they could achieve.
Yang Mo could hold back from calling a timeout, but Sloan couldn't. When the team was trailing by 13 points, he finally gave up and called a timeout.
When he called a timeout and the referee announced the end of the game, Milicic could no longer contain his excitement. He quickly ran to the sidelines, knelt on one knee, and shouted to Paris Hilton: "Paris, I love you! I want to give you happiness and take care of you for the rest of my life. I am willing to be your personal angel. Let's... be together!"
Milicic's cry was affectionate and passionate. He was like a burning flame. He wanted to burn Paris Hilton into his sea of love.
This scene quickly moved the 20,000-plus gossip fans in the stadium. They had come for love in the first place, and now another brave love story unfolded before their eyes. Of course, they wanted to support it. Someone took the lead, but the stadium suddenly erupted in waves of chants: Marry him! Marry him! Marry him!
The sound grew louder and stronger.
It soon started to look like a marriage proposal.
When this scene was beamed to millions of homes via satellite, the true fans were stunned: Is this even a basketball game? It started with two women pursuing Super Yang, which was tolerable, considering Super Yang is the Knicks' star player. But... why are they so jealous now? Is Milicic, a minor character, planning to pull off a Prince and Cinderella story? Damn, are we even allowed to watch commercials?
Paris Hilton was deeply moved by Milicic's public advances, and the cheers from the crowd also satisfied her vanity, giving her a romantic feeling like she was on a movie set. However, she already had someone in her heart, and she couldn't convince herself to settle. So, deeply moved, she finally rejected him: "Just focus on your game. We'll talk about this afterward!"
Paris Hilton's words were a subtle refusal of Milicic, but Milicic took it as Paris Hilton's tacit approval. So... he howled with excitement, pounding his chest fiercely, then stood up and shouted, "I dedicate this victory to you. For you, I'll fight to the death and defeat my opponent!"
"Come on! You will definitely become Super Yang's best helper." Paris Hilton also did not hesitate to give her encouragement.
However, this encouragement sounded a bit strange to Milicic. He just frowned and shook his head without further consideration. Whatever, let's win first!
