Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 653 - 225: Super Knicks and Ordinary Warriors (Two-in-One - )

Two days after the Warriors secured their finals ticket, the Knicks didn't keep the defending champions waiting long.

On the 30th night.

The Knicks easily defeated the Heat, led by the Gua Wei Brothers, at the American Airlines Arena by a score of 114 to 102, emerging from the wild Eastern Conference with a 4-2 series victory to secure another ticket to the finals.

To be fair, in this Eastern Conference Finals, the credit for the Knicks' victory over the Heat surely goes largely to James, who has lost the title of King.

This is because the Heat had obvious lineup weaknesses, lacking an effective rim protector, and Pat Riley allocated most of the defensive resources to restrict Durant during the game... 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Thus, James showed the form that people hadn't seen in a long time, the James who was above all but one before being upset by the Bobcats last season.

"If there were an MVP vote for the conference finals, I'd certainly cast my vote for LeBron," said ESPN expert Brian Windhorst. "This series belonged to LeBron; he moved freely within the Heat's defensive system."

In the Eastern Conference Finals, James averaged 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Knicks.

His main shooting percentages were 58%, 38%, and 70% respectively.

Except for the less-than-ideal free throw percentage...

Even with a noticeable decline in ball possession compared to his Knight's career, James indeed showcased a highly efficient team play series that swayed the outcome for the Knicks.

This allowed James, who had recently been unsatisfied with his life, to exhale a sigh of relief while restoring much of his on-court image, which had been smashed by Qin Yue in last year's Christmas battle.

Moreover, even after delivering his signature performance since joining the Knicks, James did not rush to discuss hierarchy with Durant based on his outstanding contributions in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Because after reaching the finals again after four years...

Facing the Cosmic Warriors led by Qin Yue, James knew better than anyone that only victory could reclaim the title that the United States' fans had stripped from him.

James yearned to return to the spotlight bearing the titles of "Chosen One" and "King James" as before.

Now, with the Knicks taking the wild Eastern Conference by storm—defeating the Hawks 4-1 in the first round, overcoming the Pacers 4-2 in the semi-finals, and knocking out the Heat 4-2 in the conference finals.

When James realized he had the best chance to defeat Qin Yue in this chapter...

He certainly wouldn't choose to be the one to disrupt the team's chemistry.

The Knicks, who emerged successfully from the trials of the wild East, have fully proven their worth.

To be honest, since Andre Iguodala joined the team, this young team, improving every night, even in Qin Yue's eyes, is a galaxy battleship of an era.

Arguably, if this team in the finals wasn't facing the Warriors led by Qin Yue, they would definitely be the only championship favorite this year.

But...

Since standing before the Knicks, who are returning to the finals stage after twelve years, is Qin Yue, described by Marion as at least three thousand times stronger than prime Jordan, before the finals start, ESPN's seventeen experts certainly have reasons to blindly favor the Warriors.

"Sean's statement is clearly exaggerated, but this finals series, how to resolve the Messiah, is indeed a major problem that the Knicks need to solve," said former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy on a preview show before the finals started.

Upon hearing this, A. Smith asked, "Jeff, with last Christmas' game lessons, do you think Mike D'Antoni will still use LeBron to match up against the Messiah?"

"I think Mike should use Andre to match up against the Messiah." Van Gundy analyzed for D'Antoni, "Andre is a top-notch wing defender with both speed and strength, if I were Mike, I would definitely choose to use Andre to limit the Messiah on the perimeter and have LeBron assist in double-teaming the Messiah appropriately."

A. Smith nodded and said, "You're making a good point, Jeff, but I'm still curious, can the Knicks let down their guard with this strategy?"

Let down their guard?

Van Gundy frowned and said, "Honestly, unless Andre can gain 10 centimeters in height while maintaining his current athleticism, I think the Messiah will still be the one player in the finals who can't be limited."

As a defensive specialist, no one probably understands better than Van Gundy...

In defense, to effectively suppress the opponent's offensive core, you must first form a direct matchup with the opponent.

This year, Iguodala was selected for the first defensive team, and in Van Gundy's eyes, he is certainly more capable in defense than the aging Marion, but in front of Qin Yue...

Iguodala can still only be considered as someone who can barely match up with Qin Yue.

What does it mean to barely match up?

In later generations, the matchup between Draymond Green and Nikola Jokic is a classic example.

The former, as a top defender of the small-ball era, isn't he defending well enough against Jokic?

But, what's the use of that?

Because the latter's physique is naturally a size larger than Green, even if Green exerts all his strength in the game, Jokic can still put up impressive stats against Green.

This is what it means to barely match up.