Mountain Peak System: a Path to NBA-Chapter 729 - 259: As Long as He Fights, I Won’t Fight!

After months of sharpening, Durant, with James as his whetstone, has forged himself into a peerless sword.

Oracle Arena, Knicks' offensive possession.

Though Wallace quickly shuffled into Durant's path, Durant was quicker and got his shot off first.

His gaze was firm, with a hint of fierceness.

At this moment, Durant's three-pointer traced a perfect C-shaped arc in the air.

This was to show the world who really runs the Knicks.

Swish—!

6 to 4.

On the court, Durant, a veritable dragon from the start, undoubtedly became a major concern for the Warriors' guards and forwards.

On the sidelines, the Warriors' bench, Ma Long knew better than anyone that to truly match up defensively with Durant, he would have to let Qin Yue personally guard this young Death God.

But unless necessary, Ma Long did not want to do that in this finals series.

Why?

Because as Durant continues to grow, the cost for Qin Yue to lock him down is destined to be huge.

"Leon, do you know the difference between me and other coaches?" Ma Long turned to Hollins and said.

After a pause, Ma Long added, "It's that I am never just a coach who only helps his team win."

In Ma Long's view, if winning with the Warriors was all he did, he wouldn't be showcasing his coaching prowess.

Only if the Warriors win and Qin Yue delivers a spectacular stat line on court can he prove he is the only coach of this era qualified to coach Qin Yue.

Therefore, knowing that high-intensity defense is bound to irreversibly affect Qin Yue's offense, Ma Long naturally hopes that this finals win against the Knicks will not come at the cost of sacrificing Qin Yue's personal stats.

On the court, it's the Warriors' turn to attack.

After Durant called out James twice in a row, James helplessly switched to guarding Qin Yue.

James' helplessness comes from his inner fear of Qin Yue.

But in fairness, this time around, James wasn't as helpless as he felt.

Because as a DPOY, Howard immediately signaled the other Knicks players to switch to zone defense.

And Howard kept his position ready to trap Qin Yue at any moment.

This could be called a textbook perfect semi-trap defensive stance.

However...

This still couldn't change James' deeply ingrained fear of Qin Yue, which only surfaces before the media.

From the right-wing high position, Qin Yue easily pushed past James' defense.

Then suddenly stopped and shot.

Swish—!

On the court, seeing James not offering any help defense, in that instant, Howard threw his hands up in exasperation, both venting his frustration and lamenting James' defensive effort.

"It's the finals, Brown."

Howard said earnestly to James, "We can't let him play so easily."

This might be the episode where "man-child" Howard shows the most maturity.

Don't ask why, just know that even as a man-child, Howard desperately wants to win on the finals stage.

But here's the question.

Does James not want to win?

The answer to that is clearly no.

Just, if wanting to win meant winning, he wouldn't always play a supporting role in the rise of new kings in Qin Yue's memory.

That night, just a few possessions into the game, James was forced to wear the mask of pain.

And what's more painful...

In the first quarter, aside from him, all four other Knicks starters performed well.

Durant blasted 14 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist in the first quarter, second only to Qin Yue on the court.

Harden, responsible for directing the Knicks, also contributed 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.

As for Iguodala and Howard, they did everything within their power.

The former was 2 for 2 from beyond the arc.

The latter, without requesting any post-up moves, set screen after screen for his teammates in almost every offensive possession.

Additionally, Howard's excellent protection of the defensive rebounds ensured the Knicks weren't subjected to too many second-chance points by the Warriors.

Only James seemed to become an outsider on the court.

The full first quarter, James was 0 for 2 from the field, only different from being invisible because...

When Qin Yue targeted him off screens, he provided the Warriors fans in attendance with an unprecedented sense of security.

On TNT TV Station, a less-than-happy Barkley said, "Statistics show that of the 35 points the Warriors scored in the first quarter, 28 were earned under LeBron's defense."

Qin Yue's targeted plays and the Warriors' passing and cutting strategy dealt a destructive blow to James' poor defensive habits.

Even if James wishes to defend on the court, he cannot stop the Warriors from doing whatever they want under Qin Yue's lead.

Because even at twenty-seven, James' defense remains as immature as when he was eighteen.

After a brief intermission, the second quarter saw Harden, James, and Iguodala lead the Knicks.

This should have been the perfect opportunity for James to take advantage of staggered playing time and prove himself.

After all, in the first half of the second quarter, the Warriors sent out a lineup mainly composed of veterans.