Chapter 71

Kub hurriedly walked out, and by the time he returned, the game had already resumed. Although Yang Mo was hungry, he had no choice but to get on the court.

Before Yang Mo entered the game, Spoelstra made a slight adjustment to the lineup, replacing Haslem with Beasley at power forward, and Dorrell Wright took over at small forward. This substitution indicated that Spoelstra was entrusting the entire rebounding responsibility to Yang Mo. Compared to his previous lack of trust in Yang Mo, Yang Mo had now become his key player in the run-and-gun offense.

What no one expected was that D'Antoni would take a different approach, replacing Zach Randolph with the Italian Gallinari. Although Gallinari stands at seven feet tall, he is essentially a pure perimeter player and a pure shooter. Their lineup now consisted of center David Lee, power forward Wilson Chandler, small forward Gallinari, shooting guard Jamal Crawford, and point guard Chris Duhon.

D'Antoni's current strategy was clearly a gamble: either use the run-and-gun to quickly pull away and crush the Heat, or get bogged down and be outmaneuvered by the opponents. The key to this strategy lay in the battle inside.

Although the center position is not crucial in a run-and-gun offense, the importance of rebounds is undeniable.

Now, D'Antoni was putting all his chips on David Lee. He had confidence in David Lee, believing that his rebounding ability was very strong, with top-notch positioning, strength, and rebounding instincts in the NBA. Against Yang Mo, David Lee also had a height advantage. In D'Antoni's view, David Lee would not lose to Yang Mo.

However, basketball is a round game. It's not just about comparing physical attributes and technical skills to determine the winner. Moreover, apart from his height, David Lee had no other advantages over Yang Mo.

As the referee blew the whistle to resume the game, both teams immediately sprinted into action. Both teams were now playing a run-and-gun style.

Quickly moving to the front court, Chris Duhon immediately passed the ball to Gallinari, who took a shot as soon as he received it... *thud*!

Although the arc was beautiful and his wrist action was excellent, the ball still missed the rim by a centimeter, hitting the rim and bouncing out.

David Lee immediately prepared to grab the rebound, but Yang Mo calmly positioned himself to block David Lee. Dwyane Wade easily picked up the rebound and quickly initiated a fast break, with Yang Mo also sprinting forward.

Although his stomach growled in protest as he ran, there was no choice. This was a game, a battlefield. The opponents wouldn't stop the game just because he was hungry, and the enemies wouldn't stop attacking just because he was hungry. They would take advantage of his weakness!

Yang Mo ran on the court despite his hunger, while on the sidelines, Christina, who was also hungry, picked up her third hot dog. She savored the hot dog while intently watching Yang Mo run on the court.

The more she watched, the more she liked him. She even felt that her previous standards for men were distorted. She realized that the ideal man should be strong, muscular, and handsome.

Yang Mo ran to the front court and stopped at the three-point line. David Lee also had to stop, as Yang Mo's previous three-pointer had warned him that if he didn't closely guard Yang Mo, their net would be shredded.

Running to the three-point line, Yang Mo quickly set a screen for Dwyane Wade. After the screen, David Lee smartly did not continue to block Wade but only slightly delayed his movement.

However, that slight delay allowed Yang Mo to quickly break through his defense and rush to the inside, while Dwyane Wade also charged to the basket from the other side.

David Lee's defense had failed to cover both players.

Even D'Antoni, who usually didn't emphasize defense, shouted from the sidelines, "David, what are you doing? Hurry up and help!"

David Lee quickly chased after them, but he didn't know whom to defend.

Yang Mo and Wade sprinted side by side to the basket.

Just as he was unsure whom to chase, Dwyane Wade jumped and lifted the ball with one hand. David Lee hurriedly sped up and leaped high, trying to block Wade from behind.

At that moment, Wade's hand movement changed, and he slammed the ball against the backboard. Before David Lee could react, Yang Mo had already leaped high... catching the rebounded ball with both hands... *boom*!

He slammed it into the basket!

Although Yang Mo was hungry, his strength was still there, and the rim was instantly creaking under the impact, looking like it was about to collapse.

*Whew*!

Yang Mo landed lightly, smiling at David Lee and said, "David, your defense is really great. We only completed a dunk under your defense and didn't even get a foul. You're really smart."

Yang Mo's smile was full of praise, but David Lee's face turned ashen, as if he had been slapped.

"Rookie, you wait and see!" David Lee gritted his teeth, spitting out a few angry words.

Yang Mo, however, was unfazed and even kindly reminded him, "David, your coach is urging you to inbound the ball. Look... you've wasted valuable offensive time, and my teammates have already run back to defend."

Hearing Yang Mo's reminder, David Lee subconsciously looked at the bench. D'Antoni was furious, clearly dissatisfied with David Lee's performance. His defense had allowed two opponents to easily penetrate the key and score, as if they were strolling in their backyard.

David Lee quickly inbounded the ball and ran to the front court.

At this moment, David Lee undoubtedly hated Yang Mo, but Christina on the sidelines was extremely excited. If she hadn't had a hot dog in her mouth, she would have jumped up to cheer for Yang Mo. After finishing the hot dog, she wanted to cheer, but the fans around her were already booing maliciously. She didn't want to stand out and risk encountering an angry Knicks fan.

However, she was still cheering for Yang Mo in her heart, thinking he was amazing. When Yang Mo leaped and slammed the ball into the basket, she felt that he met all her ideal standards for a man. She couldn't help but wonder if he was just as aggressive in bed.

Thinking about it, her face flushed, and her underwear became damp.

Due to David Lee's delayed inbound, the Knicks had to play a set offense.

Their lineup was designed for run-and-gun, so playing a set offense was awkward.

However, the brave David Lee still did it. As soon as he entered the key, he aggressively pushed Yang Mo to position himself. He was determined to teach this rookie a lesson and show him that the NBA's interior wasn't easy to navigate. He even thought of what to say after scoring: "Hey, rookie, welcome to the NBA."

Although this line had been said by many veterans, he still found it very cool.

Seeing him aggressively positioning, Chris Duhon quickly passed the ball inside. David Lee caught the ball, and Yang Mo didn't attempt a risky steal. He had a better plan to deal with him.

However, the moment David Lee caught the ball, he was momentarily confused because he suddenly realized he wasn't good at post-up play!

...

[Third update delivered, please support with recommendations and collections. PS: Thank you to "Tao Ze" for the 100起点币 (Qidian coins) and "mm123" for the new vote.]

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