Chapter 483: Defense vs. Offense
drop!
Stan Van Gundy called a timeout. He suddenly sensed something was amiss. Ever since Yang Mo entered the game, he'd felt the game was slipping out of his control. He needed to deploy targeted defense. He couldn't let Yang Mo lead the Knicks to their best form. Although they still held a significant lead, everyone knew how formidable the Knicks could be when they went ballistic.
"We're going to strategically give up some of our defense. We're going to start with offense and completely crush the Knicks. Ryan Anderson, you'll play power forward. Lewis and Vince Carter, you'll be the forwards and guards. And Nelson, the five of you must use your offense to crush the opponent..."
While Stan Van Gundy was furiously laying out his tactics, the Knicks were relaxed and at ease. Everyone was calm and composed, not even a hint of anxiety from the defeat. Yang Mo's return undoubtedly gave the Knicks a sense of security. They seemed accustomed to Yang Mo pulling them out of a quagmire. Therefore, at this moment, they had no worries at all. After all, they had long been accustomed to Super Yang's last-minute performances to turn the tide.
In other words, as long as Yang Mo is still on the court, their confidence will always exist.
This is undoubtedly the ultimate manifestation of a star's leadership charisma. Being able to make teammates trust themselves unconditionally under any adverse circumstances is an amazing achievement.
"The Magic's lead is now down to 16 points, and Super Yang has clawed back five points in just over a minute," Collins commented. "I bet Stan Van Gundy must be terrified right now. If they get blown out by the Knicks after leading by over 20 points, then... not only will Super Yang, the returning king, become a legend, but they'll also be stigmatized. After all, the Magic are far stronger than the Knicks, and... they have home-court advantage."
"If this were a Hollywood script, then... the Magic would definitely lose tonight. Super Yang's comeback already imbued this game with a legendary feel. So, why not have a happy ending ?" Charles Barkley chuckled. "As for the Magic's strength, I don't think they're that strong. Their biggest reliance is nothing more than Dwight Howard's powerful inside presence, a plethora of mismatched shooters on the perimeter, and Nelson, who's barely considered a master in chaotic play."
"Dwight is the best center in the league today. Although Lewis's super-large contract is a bit high-paid and low-skilled, his three-pointers are indeed very difficult to defend. Although Vince Carter has lost the jumping ability of his youth, his offensive skills are becoming more and more sophisticated. As for Nelson, he is an All-Star guard in the Eastern Conference. Besides, with a point guard lineup like the Knicks, they have no right to laugh at Nelson." Kenny Smith refuted Charles Barkley's arguments almost one by one. He still believed that the Magic were very strong.
"That's just the strength on paper," Charles Barkley immediately corrected. "The Magic have a lot of good scorers and centers, but... they don't have a signature player. Howard is good, but his ballhandling is doomed to failure. As for the remaining players, which one do you think can compare to Super Yang? Which one can compete with Super Yang on offense and defense? None! A team without even a star player can only be considered a pseudo-strong team."
"Then, can you explain why the Pistons won that year?" Kenny Smith directly gave an example: "The Pistons back then didn't have a single ace core player. They didn't have an ace core player either, but they defeated the Lakers, who had four ace core players, and won the championship."
"Man, wake up! They were able to beat the Lakers because the Lakers had too many ace core players. They had internal conflicts, and their ace core players were caught up in infighting and couldn't bring their full strength to bear. Under such circumstances, of course they were bound to lose."
"Whatever you say makes sense. You have such a sharp tongue anyway." Kenny Smith shrugged and gave up arguing with Barkley.
Barkley, however, immediately got serious and pressed the issue, saying, "Since you're not convinced, let's just make a bet on who will win tonight. I'm betting on the Knicks, what about you?"
As soon as Barkley suggested the bet, Kenny Smith immediately flinched. He didn't want to bet with Barkley, especially not with Yang Mo. He'd never won a bet involving Yang Mo, and he'd been subjected to nothing but humiliation. As the saying goes, once bitten, a person becomes afraid of ropes for ten years. He didn't want to be mentally provoked again.
Kenny Smith was dispirited and didn't dare to fight, so Barkley could only give up in disappointment.
At this time, the game has already started.
When Yang Mo took the court and saw the Orlando Magic's lineup, he couldn't help but smile. He then turned to Wilt Chandler on the bench and said, "Get ready for warm-ups. If there's a ball stoppage later, you'll replace Turiaf."
After saying this, Yang Mo said to Jeffries, "Rashard Lewis is now in your hands. I don't want to see him make any three-pointers. I believe you can do it. Show your fangs and let him see your defense."
"Okay, no problem," Jeffries nodded, quickly following Rashard Lewis. Other forwards would easily be overwhelmed against Lewis, who stood nearly 6 feet 4 inches tall, but Jeffries had no problem at all, thanks to his height and strong defensive pressure. His only shortcoming was his relatively thin frame, but that wasn't a problem against Lewis, who wasn't particularly strong.
"Tony, I'll leave Nelson to you. Let him shoot, but don't let him get inside the three-point line."
"clear!"
"Turiaf, that guy is in your hands. Remember, he's a pitcher."
"No problem, Boss!"
"Miličić, your mission is to prevent Howard from dunking on you. Can you do that?"
"Can."
After giving a flurry of orders, Yang Mo quickly came to Vince Carter's side. As soon as he approached, he gave Vince Carter his most heartfelt greetings... Bang! Bang! Bang!
Vince Carter's strongest body met with the most powerful impact. How could his aged bones withstand the force of Yang Mo's impact? He retreated repeatedly, dodging. Unfortunately, Vince Carter 's positioning wasn't particularly impressive. He'd been a ball-handling center since entering the league, and he wasn't good at off-ball movement. And with his legs and feet not as strong as Yang Mo's, how could he possibly escape?
Vince Carter was practically suffocated by Yang Mo, and the other players were no better off. Jeffries, with his skinny frame, constantly hounded Lewis, making it impossible for him to escape open space. Nelson, meanwhile, was hobbled by Tony Allen's aggressive, beast-like defense, unable to advance even a single step. Anderson was even more frustrated by Turiaf's defense. The only player who felt any better was Howard in the paint, but... Nelson's passes simply couldn't get through. His passing ability was only slightly better than Yang Mo's in the past, and he was completely helpless against lobs.
In this situation, seeing the time quickly passing, Stan Van Gundy on the sidelines hurriedly yelled: "Hey, Dwight, pick-and-roll, pick-and-roll quickly."
Upon hearing this, Howard rushed from the restricted area to the three-point line and hastily set a screen for Nelson. Using this screen, Nelson quickly broke through the restricted area, but ran head-on into Milicic. Just as he tried to change direction to escape Milicic's defense, Tony Allen had already closed in on him with incredible speed.
Seeing that the ball was about to be intercepted, Nelson had to throw it back and pass it to Howard.
Howard received the ball and looked at the three-point line at his feet. He was a little confused. He was about to break through when he heard Stan Van Gundy yelling, "Shoot quickly, shoot quickly, 24 seconds are almost up!"
Hearing the 24 seconds were almost up, Howard quickly took the shot... But just as he was about to release the ball, a dark figure suddenly flew over from the side... Snap! The ball had barely left his fingers when it was snatched away by a hand.
Howard was stunned. The figure reflected in his pupils at this moment was as powerful as the golden-winged roc.
Soon, the black shadow landed and then ran towards the front court.
Howard quickly turned back to chase. Only then did he see the number on the back of Yang Mo's jersey and recognize him. As he desperately chased after him, a single thought kept running through his mind: How did he appear? He was clearly defending Vince Carter? How did he suddenly appear and steal my shot?
Howard was slower than Yang Mo to begin with, and he was also multitasking. Therefore, before he even crossed half court, he was already three or four steps behind. By the time he desperately ran across half court, Yang Mo had already pulled up and shot a jump shot from outside the three-point line... swish!
The ball went into the net, a crisp three-pointer that extended the Magic's lead to 13 points. Previously, the Magic had thought they could rest easy with a 20-plus-point lead, but now, with 13 points, they understood the reality of their precarious situation.
"New York!" After Yang Mo scored, he swung his right fist hard, then held up his jersey with both hands, pointed at the two words and shouted, "The winner tonight is New York, and Orlando is unstoppable!"
Yang Mo's words were filled with arrogance, and this arrogance soon caused the entire arena to be drowned in boos. But at the same time, the New York area was boiling with excitement. Countless New York fans watching the game began to dance and some even shed tears. They were so moved. They had waited for almost ten years, and finally a basketball star who could support the city of New York appeared again. Although everyone questioned and slandered this guy when he first came here, he is now a city hero. Although some guys still can't save their dignity and declare that they hate Super Yang and his arrogance, in their hearts they have long accepted him to the extreme. If fans from other places dared to provoke Super Yang, they would definitely be the first to rush to the front line and curse at the other side.
Amidst the resounding boos, Stan Van Gundy didn't call for a timeout. He still believed the Magic's focus now was offense, not defense. This approach contrasted sharply with Yang Mo's, who, even when trailing by over twenty points, insisted on focusing on defense. In a sense, the Knicks were more like the team leading. After all, normally, a team in a lead defends its position, while a team behind resorts to frantic offense to close the gap. Now, the order has been reversed.
As Nelson brought the ball upcourt, Van Gundy stood up excitedly, clapping his hands and urging his players to run pick-and-rolls. With his shouting, the Magic's halfcourt began to liven up, and chances gradually emerged. But... there was a problem. Nelson wasn't the type to pass the ball quickly. His passing reaction arc was very slow, and he was better suited to passing from a standing position. But... the Knicks' defense was not to be trifled with. How could they possibly give Nelson a chance to pass from a standing position?
In this situation, all running, screening and pick-and-rolls are in vain because they cannot directly cause damage.
Finally, Nelson threw the ball before the 24 seconds were up, but the ball naturally missed. Yang Mo easily jumped up and grabbed the rebound. Then he slowly and leisurely initiated a fast break.
When he was one step outside the three-point line in the frontcourt with the ball, he raised his right hand and shouted, "Guys, to prove that the last ball was not lost, please be ready to catch it at any time. This time, I want to complete a wonderful assist!!"
Assists? The boss wants to assist? Is that right? Is he going to ruin the momentum he's worked so hard to build?
Almost every Knicks player had some bad suspicions in their minds. Tony Allen quickly reminded them, "Hey, boss, you're not kidding anymore, are you?"
Yang Mo shook his head gravely and said, "I'll repeat myself again. Everyone, please be prepared to receive this wonderful pass. This pass has a very good chance of making you one of the top five plays of the night. I'm not kidding, I'm not kidding!"
