RiverOfPassion

The Battle of Defensive Strategies — Switching vs. Drop Coverage, Who Will Come Out on Top?
The finals have always been a contest of defense. The Knicks and Spurs excel at two completely different defensive systems: the Knicks favor switching, while the Spurs prefer drop coverage. Which system will prevail in a best-of-seven series?
The Knicks' Infinite Switching
Thibodeau’s defense is known for its "switching flexibility." Mitchell Robinson, though a traditional center, has enough lateral speed to switch onto three-point shooters. In Game 1, after Brunson and Robinson set a screen, the Knicks

Factor X — The Depth of the Bench Determines the Series Outcome
In a best-of-seven NBA Finals, the strength of the starting five is often evenly matched, with the real difference coming from bench depth. Whichever team’s bench can hold the lead or cut the deficit when the starters rest will hold the advantage in the series.
Knicks’ Bench Mob: Immanuel Quickley + Josh Hart
Quickley is ranked second in this season’s Sixth Man of the Year voting, averaging 15.2 points and 4.5 assists in the regular season. In Game 1, he played 28 minutes off the bench, contributing 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 as

Brunson vs Wembanyama——Superstar Showdown Determines Who Takes the Championship
In every Finals series, it essentially comes down to a contest between the two teams’ core players. For the 2026 championship series, the deciding factor falls on two names: Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama. Their respective peak performances will directly determine whether the Knicks or the Spurs get to lift the O’Brien Trophy.
Brunson: “Killer Instinct” in Critical Moments
In Game 1, in the final 6 minutes, Brunson went 5-for-4 and scored 11 points. Throughout the playoffs, in the fourth quarter, Brunson avera

The Spurs’ room for adjustment—How Wembanyama can break the “meat-shield endurance battle”?
Despite losing Game 1, the San Antonio Spurs are still one of the most tactically astute teams in the NBA. After countless series deficits during his career, coach Gregg Popovich’s greatest strength is making adjustments. If the Spurs want to claw back in the upcoming games, they must solve one core problem: how to keep Wembanyama from getting into direct contact with Mitchell Robinson?
Increase Wembanyama’s off-ball movement
In Game 1, Wembanyama frequently received the ball in the low post, only to be

**The Reversal of the Trend After G1 — Why the Knicks Are Now the Better Side to Bet on?**
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks turned things around on the road with a 105:95 win over the San Antonio Spurs, taking home-court advantage. Before G1 began, 66% of users on Polymarket backed the Spurs, while only 35% supported the Knicks. However, after the game ended, the odds quickly reversed— the Knicks’ championship probability rose to about 54%, while the Spurs fell to 46%. This 18 percentage-point swing is absolutely not just an emotional reaction from the market, but a real reasse

The Last Article — Written for Myself, Also for Newcomers to the U.S. Stock Market
This is the 50th article in this series (if you count the previous 34+8+6+2? Never mind). By now, I’m starting to feel a bit exhausted. But I want to seriously wrap it up.
As someone who transitioned from the crypto world to the U.S. stock market, my biggest feeling is: the essence of trading hasn't changed, but the rhythm has. In crypto, I pursued “getting rich quickly”; now in stocks, I pursue “not losing money.” This shift took three years and cost me a few thousand dollars, before I finally understood.
Gate

The "liquidity trap" in U.S. stocks — avoid heavy positions in small-cap stocks
I once bought a small-cap stock on Gate (name not disclosed), with a daily trading volume of only a few hundred thousand dollars. I bought 0.1 shares, placed an order and waited several minutes for it to fill. Selling was even worse; I placed a slightly below-market sell order, and it directly pushed the price down by 0.5%.
This is called a liquidity trap. Small stocks have very thin order books, big players can't get in, and retail investors can't either. Because as soon as you buy, the price is pushed up; as you

Starting from Gate's "Stock Trading Challenge," I want to explain why I keep writing posts
This activity is almost over, and I've written so many articles, not for the 50U reward (although I do want it). The real reason is: writing itself is a form of investment review.
Every time I write one, I reorganize my understanding of this stock. When I write about NVDA, I reconsider its moat; when I write about PURR, I reflect on my impulsive trades; when I write about Apple and Tesla, I clarify my reasons for not buying them. If I don't write down these thoughts, they might fade over time.
Moreover,

How to Play the “Earnings Season” in U.S. Stocks? A Retail Investor’s Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls
Every quarter, U.S. stocks go through earnings season, and the stock price swings are huge. Before NVDA’s last earnings report, I made some moves—let me review what I did.
A few days before the earnings are released, the market will have expectations. If expectations are high, the stock price will be pushed up in advance. NVDA rose 5% in the week before its last earnings report. I chose to sell half of my position three days before the earnings (even though I only had 0.02 shares), locking in the p

The significance of US stock dividends—can you really get paid with just 0.01 shares?
NVDA pays dividends. Although the dividend yield isn’t high (below 0.1%), it is paid out every quarter. I calculated that with 0.05 shares of NVDA, each dividend payout is about less than 0.01 U. What can you do with that? You can’t do anything.
But I still care a lot about dividends. Because they represent that the business you’re holding is really making money—and is willing to share part of its profits with shareholders. This is completely different from the “all it depends on bagholders” model in the cryp

Feeling bored on the weekend, I went through Gate’s US stock listings and found a few treasures
On Saturday night, I had nothing to do, so I went through Gate’s stock list from start to finish—probably a few hundred stocks? Some are well-known large-cap stocks, others are niche. I found a few I hadn’t noticed before:
BRK.B Berkshire Hathaway. By Buffett. A share is less than $500 (Class B), and you can buy it on Gate. I didn’t buy it because my holdings include a lot of companies I can’t figure out, but if you like Buffett, you can take a look.
JPM JPMorgan Chase. The leading bank stock. I did

The story of limit orders — I spent a whole day waiting for a price that wouldn't execute
When I first bought US stocks on Gate, I wanted to save a few cents, so I placed a limit order for NVDA at 224.5 (the current market price was 225.7).
As a result, I waited all day, and the stock price only dropped to 225.0 at the lowest, but the order didn't fill.
The next day, the stock rose to 226, and I had to buy at a higher price.
This was an expensive lesson: to save 0.1% in costs, I missed the buying opportunity and ended up paying a higher price.
Later, I changed my approach: if I am very opt

The “Invisible Positions” Behind the Screenshot of US Stock Holdings—Wealth Management, Savings, and Available Funds
Many people only share the portion of their holdings that’s in stocks, but there are actually “invisible positions” in a Gate account. For example, besides 0.05 shares of NVDA, I also put 20U of USDT into Gate wealth management, with an annualized yield of about 6%. This money can be withdrawn at any time to buy stocks—essentially a “high-yield savings account.”
Why don’t I put everything into stocks? Because I need to keep some follow-up firepower. If NVDA suddenly drops, I hav

Can you buy Chinese concept stocks on Gate? I tried BABA
In Gate's US stock list, there are actually some Chinese concept stocks, such as Alibaba (BABA), Pinduoduo, JD.com. I bought 0.01 shares of BABA out of curiosity, costing about $80 (not sure of the exact price).
The reason for buying BABA is simple: undervaluation. The P/E ratio is less than 10, with cash piled up on the books, and its e-commerce and cloud businesses still competitive. Plus, China's consumer market is still long-term optimistic.
But after holding for two weeks, I sold it and made a few cents profit. Why sell? Because I r

Lessons from energy stocks hit again — I can't even hold an ETF
I mentioned before that I bought XLE and then sold it, but actually I tried again later, buying an ETF related to crude oil futures, I forgot the exact name, it's also available on Gate.
This time I learned my lesson and only bought 0.01 shares, totaling less than 1 USD. What happened? After holding for two days, crude oil prices fluctuated due to inventory data, and my ETF jumped up and down accordingly, with a 10% swing within two days. I couldn't handle it and sold.
These two experiences completely broke my idea of "touching en

If NVDA drops to $100, do I dare to go all-in?
This is a thought experiment. I often ask myself: if tomorrow NVDA drops to $100 (halves) because of a black swan, do I dare to exchange all the USDT in my account for NVDA?
When I asked myself the first time, the answer was no. Because I would suspect: is there some negative news I don’t know about? Will it keep falling to $50?
Now I dare. Because I’ve studied NVDA’s balance sheet: abundant cash, a low liabilities ratio, and strong free cash flow. Even if the AI bubble bursts, its data center business still has real demand. For an annual growth r

Posting a screenshot of your holdings on the square, after being called a "poor ghost"...
A few days ago, I shared my holdings screenshot on Gate Square: 0.05 shares of NVDA, 0.05 shares of ARM, with a total market value of less than $20. As a result, someone in the comment section said: "Sharing 0.05 shares? Poor ghost." "Buying such a small amount and analyzing for so long, hilarious."
Honestly, when I saw the comment, I felt a bit upset. But after calming down and thinking, why can't I share? 0.05 shares are also bought with real money, and they are the result of my careful decision-making.