Chapter 512: The Most Direct Way to Break a Double Team
Barkley analyzed, "The defensive logic on both sides is basically the same at the start. Phoenix is trapping Dirk, and Dallas is trapping Chen. The difference is simple. Chen already has 5 points, and Dirk still has not scored."
Kenny Smith added, "Chen found his rhythm faster than Dirk. Dirk is still feeling out the game. He sees heavy double teams almost every night, so the pressure itself is not the issue. For him, it usually comes down to touch."
Carlisle gave no new instructions. He trusted Nowitzki and was content to let his players sort it out on the floor.
Dirk did not force bad shots just to get himself going. He was not that kind of scorer.
He dropped to the low post, drew the double team, then kicked the ball back out. Grant Hill collapsed into the lane and could not recover in time, and Artest knocked down the jumper.
7 to 5.
Nash quickly inbounded to Diaw on the baseline, got the ball back, and pushed it up the floor.
Phoenix had the lead, but the pace still was not where they wanted it. Nash deliberately tried to speed the game up.
He used a high screen, drove left with his dribble, and attacked the paint. Dallas switched, and the help defense collapsed. Nash leaned back slightly and rose for a midrange jumper.
Swish.
The ball dropped cleanly through.
9 to 5.
Dallas came back on offense, and Phoenix shifted into a 2 1 2 zone.
It was a zone the Suns liked because it balanced the floor well, helped with rebounding, and made it easier to run after misses.
But it also had obvious weak spots. The area directly above the 3 point line was open, and the 30 to 45 degree areas and the space under the basket could also be exposed.
Kidd dribbled to the top of the arc and had a look, but he did not force it. He had hit one earlier, but Kidd knew his own game. He would shoot when necessary, not just because the defense dared him.
He moved the ball to the wing and stopped. Ray Allen curled up to the top of the key.
After catching it, Ray Allen ran a quick action with Antoine Wright, then drove left.
Diaw stepped up. Ray changed direction and kept going, but he no longer had his old burst. Chen Yan got around the screen and chased the play down from behind.
Ray Allen released under pressure from both defenders, and the shot came out badly, bouncing off the glass.
Antoine Wright, however, crashed hard from the weak side and tipped in the follow.
9 to 7.
Phoenix inbounded again, and Nash kept pushing.
This possession was even quicker. Near midcourt, he bounced the ball back to Chen Yan on the baseline.
Artest immediately cut off the baseline and fronted him, refusing to let him turn the corner. It was a veteran move. As long as Chen Yan could not get downhill right away, the Mavericks would have time to reset their shell.
Chen Yan could not beat the angle on the first move and had to slow it down.
All 5 Dallas defenders settled into place. Chen dribbled calmly with his left hand and waited for the offense to form.
Nash stepped up to screen for him.
Chen came off one step, got Kidd switched onto him, then flipped the ball back to Nash with a reverse handoff and relocated to the low post.
Nash dribbled sideways to the right wing, then bounced it in to Chen Yan on the block.
The rest of the Suns spaced to the opposite side and let Chen and Nash work a two man game.
After a few controlled dribbles, Chen began backing Kidd down.
Kidd was stronger, but Chen's footwork in the post was excellent, and his turnaround jumper was dangerous. Kidd did not dare to lean too aggressively, which allowed Chen to inch him down to the edge of the lane.
Artest cheated only as far as the elbow. He did not dare hard double because he was now attached to Nash, a man who could bury a 3 at any moment.
That was the luxury of strong teammates. Sometimes they do not need to touch the ball. Just standing in the right place already lightens your burden.
Kidd finally pushed hard. If Chen got any deeper, it would be a layup. Nowitzki also stepped down from the high post, ready to squeeze him.
Chen Yan gathered, planted on his right foot, and spun toward the middle.
The move was lightning quick, and he slipped right between Kidd and Dirk.
He rose immediately and floated it up softly with his left hand.
A clean finish.
11 to 7.
Kidd did not even bother jumping on that one. Chen had him beaten in height, reach, lift, and explosion.
"Beautiful spin move. Dirk came to trap, but he clearly underestimated how fast Chen could turn," Kenny Smith said.
"The best time to trap Chen is before he gets into motion. Once he is moving, the difficulty goes way up," Barkley replied.
Dallas came back and ran Kidd and Antoine Wright in a pick and roll.
Kidd threw a sharp bounce pass, right on time, but Antoine Wright was not one of the high flyers Kidd used to feed in his prime. He could not finish the play, and the layup rolled off.
Chen Yan grabbed the rebound and pushed it up himself, then handed it off to Nash a step inside the 3 point line.
Nash caught, gave a quick fake, and drove. Kidd read the fake, got his hand in early, and knocked the ball loose.
Nash was steady, but even steady players make mistakes.
Antoine Wright, hustling back from the offensive end, scooped up the loose ball. Nash lunged desperately, and the two crashed to the floor. Wright managed to shovel it out before landing, and Kidd took it the other way and finished.
11 to 9.
The score stayed tight.
This time Phoenix did not rush the inbound. Nash stayed down a moment longer after the collision.
Chen Yan and Stoudemire both ran over and helped him up. Nash said his back felt a little tight and needed a moment.
The entire arena tensed. Nash's back had bothered him before, and it had already cost him games earlier in the season.
The team doctor came over immediately. The assistant coach cleared the area around him so he could breathe.
After checking him, Nash got up on his own. He looked all right, but D'Antoni still sat him down to be safe. Barea checked in.
Barea blew into his fists like a man entering a fight.
He used to play for Dallas, and former players always carry a little extra edge against their old team. It is one of basketball's oldest little truths.
Play resumed.
Barea called for a high screen and drove hard. Diaw's screen did not fully catch Kidd, and Kidd got around it to chase the play.
Barea ignored him, leaned into the contact, and forced the foul for 2 free throws.
That was the difference between him and Nash. Barea's instinct was always to attack the rim first.
He missed the first. His hands had not fully warmed up after checking in.
He made the second.
12 to 9.
Dallas came back, and Ray Allen finally scored his first bucket.
He flew off an off ball screen, caught on the perimeter, and Chen Yan fought over the top in pursuit. Ray gave a subtle shot fake, froze Chen for an instant, took one dribble in, and buried the jumper from the high post.
12 to 11.
Chen had done almost everything right. If he did not close hard, Ray would have launched from 3. Better to let a killer like Ray Allen settle for 2 than let him line up 3.
On the next trip, Phoenix moved the ball around the perimeter through Barea, but with Nash off the floor, the offense clearly lost some of its fluidity.
Chen Yan circled up to the top, ready to break the possession open with isolation. The moment he caught it, Dallas sent the trap.
Without Nash, their doubles became even more aggressive. The Mavericks did not want Chen Yan getting downhill and collapsing the defense.
Chen made the simple read and kicked it out immediately.
Barea caught and exploded. One crossover shook Kidd, and he got into the paint in a flash.
The help defense had not even rotated when he finished with a reverse layup.
14 to 11.
Barea knew his minutes might be brief, so he was pouring every ounce of energy into them.
Chen Yan slapped his hand in approval. That was exactly the attitude Phoenix needed.
Dallas answered.
At 6:22 of the first quarter, Nowitzki finally got on the board.
Kidd walked it up and swung it to Dirk on the right side. Then Dallas flattened the floor and cleared out for him.
Kidd stayed above the break. Barea followed D'Antoni's plan exactly, giving Kidd a cushion of 2 steps and hovering around the free throw line, always threatening to dig at Dirk.
Nowitzki saw the floor clearly. After 2 probing dribbles, he rose over Diaw.
Swish.
The ball went up on a ridiculous arc and seemed to fall straight down through the net.
That was one of the most maddening parts of guarding Dirk. Even when you were in position, even when a hand was up, he could still drop it over you as if the contest barely existed.
Phoenix pushed again. This time the ball went directly to Chen Yan.
He drove straight into the lane, drew the help, then kicked it out in midair.
Barea caught at the top, gave it up quickly, and the ball found Stoudemire.
The defense had fully collapsed toward Chen Yan, and Stoudemire had the look he wanted.
It was his spot.
He still missed it.
Even Barkley could not help laughing. "How many games does it take for a man to adjust to one pair of goggles?"
Kidd secured the rebound and advanced it himself.
His rebounding was legendary for a point guard. Even at 36, he still averaged 7 boards a night, which was better than some forwards.
He gave it back to Dirk on the left side.
Same setup as before. Clear one side and let Dirk work.
Barea kept dancing between the free throw line and the 3 point line, ready to stunt or swipe if the chance came.
Dirk leaned into Diaw, took one dribble, and kept his eyes on Kidd at the top of the arc.
He was reading the help, not forcing the issue.
Then, the moment Barea lunged in, Dirk put more force into the dribble, spun toward the baseline, and rose into the fadeaway.
Swish.
Back to back makes.
14 to 13.
Diaw just looked confused.
How exactly was anyone supposed to guard that?
Dirk's back to back buckets finally put some pressure on Phoenix. As soon as Barea crossed half court, Chen Yan put his hand up for the ball. He was ready to answer.
He caught a step outside the 3 point line and called for Diaw's screen.
Dallas switched. Antoine Wright ended up in front of him, and Artest fought over the screen and stayed attached.
The trap was coming.
Chen Yan rose instantly from deep, no hesitation at all.
The crowd came to its feet. The Suns bench threw up 3 fingers before the ball even reached the rim.
Swish.
The net snapped.
17 to 13.
Sometimes the simplest method really is the best one.
Against an overaggressive double team, the most direct answer is still the oldest one in basketball.
Just shoot over it.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 10–50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Soul Land, NBA, and more — all in one place.]