Chapter 487: Easy Victory
"The Magic were completely stunned by the Knicks' fast break. If Stan Van Gundy hadn't called a timeout, I expect they would have been completely crushed if they had continued playing this way," TNT commentator Collins said during an intermission. "Stan Van Gundy obviously doesn't know how famous Super Yang is in the fast break world. When he was in Miami, there wasn't even Dwyane, yet he was able to lead that group of NBDL players to the top eight in the Eastern Conference. With the Knicks, he even used his fast break tactics to drive away D'Antoni, who was famous for his run-and-gun style."
"Yeah, Van Gundy's idea of using a fast break against the Knicks wasn't smart at all." Charles Barkley shook his head and said with regret, "In fact, ever since Super Yang came on the court, Van Gundy has been making stupid moves. He actually went on offense when he was leading by over 20 points. He really didn't take Super Yang seriously at all. So, it's no surprise that they lost like this."
"Yes, if the Magic lose tonight, it will definitely be Stan Van Gundy's fault." Kenny Smith also said very straightforwardly: "If I were the Magic coach, I would give a lot of ball possession to Howard. Although Howard's offensive skills are unreliable, with his abnormal physical fitness, it is not a problem for him to attack inside players like Milicic and Randolph."
"In fact, the Magic's only advantage is Howard, but Van Gundy didn't take it seriously. Fortunately, this is a series, and they still have a chance to set things right in the next game." Collins shrugged and said so.
At this moment, the whistle sounded on the field and the game started again.
After the restart, Yang Mo immediately stayed by Howard's side. Stan Van Gundy might not know the importance of Howard, but Yang Mo knew. He knew from the beginning that this was the real beast of the Magic team that could bite people. The rest were just chickens and dogs, not worth mentioning.
As Nelson dribbled upcourt, he took the initiative and attempted to dribble past Tony Allen. Allen immediately responded forcefully. With no other options, Nelson quickly passed the ball to Courtney Lee on the other side. After all, the team's defeat was already apparent, and he didn't want to create further blemishes and risk being slammed by the fans.
After receiving the ball, Courtney Lee took a quick tentative step forward in the face of Gallinari's defense, and Gallinari quickly retreated. His movements were extremely exaggerated, and it was obvious that he was not an actor.
Courtney Lee didn't realize Gallinani was deliberately retreating. He thought his fake move was realistic and powerful. Taking advantage of the space that Gallinani had deceived and walked away, Courtney Lee quickly took big strides and ran towards the penalty area.
He's strictly following Stan Van Gundy's playbook.
At this time, the Knicks players were also strictly implementing Yang Mo's tactics.
When Courtney Lee broke through to the safe zone, Yang Mo quickly shook off Howard and suddenly slid forward, blocking Courtney Lee's path. Once Courtney Lee's path was restricted, he could no longer advance.
He had no choice but to try to pass the ball backwards. However, before he turned around, he found that Jeffries and Tony Allen had surrounded him, leaving no room for him to pass the ball. At this time, there seemed to be some space for Yang Mo's outstretched arms in front of him.
He spotted the opportunity and immediately took advantage of the gap, squeezed out a gap, and then awkwardly threw the ball. Just as he threw the ball and thought Howard would definitely grab the rebound, a slightly skinny big hand suddenly rose out of thin air. After showing joy, this big hand swept down fiercely... snap!
The basketball was viciously swiped by his large hand, and then flew out of the court at high speed... Bang! The basketball finally hit the camera on the sidelines and bounced out. The referee quickly blew the whistle, indicating that the ball was out of bounds and the Magic had possession of the ball.
Although the Magic still had the ball, the Knicks players were incredibly happy because the route they'd drawn on the tactical board had finally become a reality. It felt like lighting a lantern that illuminated the night sky, a sense of accomplishment. Anthony Randolph, who blocked the shot, was especially excited; he practically broke into song.
It's not hard to tell from his expression that he likes this tactic.
The Magic quickly reorganized their serve. After the serve, they stubbornly chose to break through. This time, however, the breaker was Vince Carter. He continued to penetrate the left side guarded by Gallinani, who had just switched defense with Jeffries. Of course, when you're bullying the lion, you pick the weak ones, and Gallinani was undoubtedly the weak one.
Yang Mo also knew that Gallinani was a soft persimmon, but he added a needle inside this soft persimmon, and if the opponent dared to pinch it, they would definitely be pierced. Of course, Vince Carter was no exception.
He rushed into the penalty area like Courtney Lee, only to be intercepted by Yang Mo. He tried to pass back, but Jeffries and Tony Allen precisely and promptly double-teamed him. Just as he panicked in the double-team... Snap! Tony Allen, with his swift, sharp hands and quick eyes, slapped the ball away from him. Yang Mo quickly stooped before Carter and retrieved it. Then, slowly controlling the tempo, and once he was sure no one was trying to steal the ball, he slowly launched his attack.
Back in the frontcourt, Yang Mo's assist gave Tony Allen an easy mid-range shooting opportunity. An accurate shot from the left forty-five corner again added two points for the Knicks.
The Magic continued their aggressive drive into the Knicks' restricted area. However, under the pressure of the "closed-door, close-door" strategy, they were often intercepted or intercepted by Anthony Randolph. Of course, there were a few good passes, but unfortunately, these were of no use to the Knicks, who were already leading by more than ten points.
After fighting for five or six minutes, the Magic found that the score was getting bigger and bigger, and their fighting spirit quickly collapsed. In the end, Stoudemire Van Gundy had to replace the main players and use substitutes to accept the humiliating defeat.
In the end, as the final whistle blew, the Knicks defeated the home team Magic 99-90. This score difference may not seem that big, but if you consider that the Knicks were already trailing by 21 points before Yang Mo came on the court, then you can understand how heavy the slap in the face the Magic suffered was.
When the Magic team members left, almost every face was filled with sadness and humiliation. Such a counterattack might be a legend for Yang Mo, but for the Magic team, it was an absolute humiliation.
When Yang Mo was about to leave the field, she was interviewed by a TNT sideline reporter.
"Yang, first of all, congratulations on your first playoff win. Secondly, I want to applaud your comeback victory in this game. You successfully performed an epic legend." The reporter started with a stream of flattery before getting to the point: "Before the game, you disappeared for over ten hours. Where did you go during those hours? Can you tell us?"
"At the time, I was practicing. I forgot the passage of time and was completely absorbed in my practice. It was precisely because of this period of closed-door practice that I successfully mastered the technique of passing the ball. Regarding the results of this training, I believe you all saw it. In this game, I played for 15 minutes, got 9 assists, and had 0 turnovers." Yang Mo said with pride. He was indeed practicing, but his method was a little special, and the trick to starting the practice was even more special. Of course, he would never tell the reporters about these special things, let alone the audience behind the TV.
"Practicing? Can you tell us about your practice skills? You seemed to be unable to pass the ball in the last game, but in this game you passed it more accurately than the point guard. This makes the audience very curious." The reporter immediately followed up on Yang Mo's words.
"You can ask John Stockton, he taught me how to train and he has been my personal trainer for over six months."
"Stockton? Oh my god, he's your personal trainer."
"Why are you surprised? Karl Malone is also my coach." Yang Mo didn't find this surprising at all and gave his response very straightforwardly.
This made the reporters even more surprised, and the audience watching the TV program in front of the TV all opened their mouths wide.
