Chapter 663: So Shameless, I Love It
The Hornets were on offense, and the Knicks still used the same compact defense they had used in the previous game.
Charlotte's lineup was similar to Miami's. They did not have many outside shooters.
After going around a screen, Chris Paul made a bounce pass to Okafor, who had a mismatch and took a mid range jumper.
Okafor had some mid range ability, but not much. His main offensive method was still low post play.
"Clang!"
Okafor missed the jumper.
Al Harrington grabbed the defensive rebound. Curry received the ball and organized the offense, while Chen Yan came up to screen for him.
Curry used the pick and roll to accelerate toward the paint.
A step inside the free throw line, Curry suddenly stopped with a crossover, then made a bounce pass to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan and Curry began playing a two man game.
After receiving the ball, Chen Yan drove to the basket and scored with a light layup.
0 to 4.
"Chen Yan has entered the game very quickly," Mike Breen said. "That is not good news for Charlotte, because usually when Chen scores smoothly at the start, there is a good chance he puts up a big number."
"This is a rhythm fans are very familiar with," Van Gundy said. "Charlotte's perimeter defense tonight is not good. They are treating Chen Yan like an ordinary player, and that is a very dangerous thing to do."
Charlotte offense.
Chris Paul quickened the tempo, drove, then passed the ball to David West.
David West's mid range space was sealed off, so he immediately put the ball on the floor and drove into the paint.
He used his strong body to push Al Harrington aside, then turned inside.
Chen Yan left his man and came over to help.
David West passed the ball out to Willie Green on the perimeter.
Curry immediately rotated to cover, and Willie Green made a cross court pass.
The basketball returned to Chris Paul's hands.
Paul took an open 3 pointer.
The ball bounced off the rim.
Paul's desire to score was very strong tonight, but his touch was poor. His first 2 shots both missed.
Kenyon Martin grabbed the defensive rebound and threw it to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan dribbled up the sideline.
The Knicks finally launched a fast break.
Curry and Battier both sprinted across half court immediately.
Chen Yan had many options.
During the retreat, Ariza was still constantly observing his teammates movements.
Ariza was thinking too much because he knew Chen Yan could drive, shoot, or pass in this situation.
While Ariza was still backing up, a sharp braking sound rang out.
"Screech!"
Chen Yan's stop almost sparked fire from the Madison Square Garden floor.
He suddenly stopped and took a 3 pointer from the right 45 degree angle beyond the arc.
By the time Ariza reacted, Chen Yan had already released the ball.
The basketball spun rapidly and dropped through the net.
Nothing but net.
0 to 7.
The atmosphere in the arena was ignited again.
Chen Yan's unreasonable 3 pointers were truly thrilling to watch.
"That shot looked rushed, but it was actually Chen Yan's rhythm," Van Gundy said slowly.
"Exactly," Mike Breen said. "Everyone knows Chen has that ability."
On Charlotte's next possession, Chris Paul was anxious. He called 2 plays in a row, but neither worked.
Finally, with 8 seconds left on the shot clock, he seized an opportunity and passed the ball to Okafor.
After receiving the ball, Okafor bumped his defender, quickly turned inside, and gently hooked the ball in with his right hand.
That shot exposed New York's weak interior defense.
The Knicks had Chen Yan and Battier on the perimeter, so their perimeter defense was actually not bad, aside from Curry occasionally being targeted.
But inside, the Knicks were truly helpless.
Kenyon Martin and Al Harrington were not considered good defensive players.
When Kenyon Martin was young, he could make up for his defensive awareness with his athleticism.
In the fans impression, he was an explosive shot blocker who often delivered incredible blocks worthy of top 5 highlights.
But most of those came through weak side help defense.
As he aged, his athleticism declined year by year.
Although Kenyon Martin was not a defensive liability, he was certainly not a defensive ace.
2 to 7.
New York offense.
Chen Yan played off the ball on this possession, cutting out from the baseline.
Ariza guarded him tightly, so Curry did not force the pass.
Curry called for a screen and drove in himself.
Nelson hoped to replicate the championship era Suns backcourt combination, so his demands and expectations for Curry were quite high.
He wanted Curry to score with the ball, take open shots, and assist teammates.
Of course, Nelson was not making unreasonable demands.
He knew Curry had that potential.
Curry simply needed time and game experience.
Chen Yan also believed in Curry.
As someone who knew the future, he could not possibly be unaware of Curry's strength.
David West switched onto him, and Curry did not accelerate straight into the paint.
He drove toward the baseline at a relatively steady speed, then feinted toward the perimeter.
Suddenly, Curry made a crossover spin.
His turnaround move caught David West completely off guard.
David West hesitated for 0.5 seconds, and Curry used that chance to slip in for a reverse layup.
Very agile.
2 to 9.
On the way back on defense, Chen Yan high fived Curry in celebration.
In Chen Yan's first game with the Knicks, Curry had still played somewhat timidly. After setting up the offense, his first reaction had been to pass the ball to Chen Yan instead of holding it himself.
After these few games, he was playing with more and more confidence.
For Chen Yan, he naturally wanted a confident Curry beside him, not a utility player Curry.
The better Curry played, and the stronger his offensive firepower became, the less opponents would dare to heavily guard Chen Yan.
Charlotte offense.
Chris Paul directly signaled for a clear out.
He wanted to isolate Curry.
Curry was very thin at this time, so Paul uncharacteristically chose to post him up.
Paul backed Curry down to the free throw line.
On one hand, Paul had a clear strength advantage.
On the other hand, Paul was a nimble small guard, and Curry did not dare to push him too aggressively. Otherwise, Paul could easily find a weakness and blow by him.
"Bang!"
A step inside the free throw line, Paul forcefully pushed Curry away, then took a fadeaway jumper.
The rhythm of the shot was excellent, and he had created the opportunity.
But he still missed.
Paul's touch tonight was unusually bad.
The ball bounced far out, and Chen Yan grabbed the rebound.
Paul and Willie Green both boxed out their men to prevent a Knicks fast break.
That move was very effective.
The Knicks players did not immediately sprint across half court, making a fast break difficult to execute.
Chen Yan dribbled past half court, tapped his head, and gave a tactical signal.
New York's formation immediately changed.
Curry, who was closest to Chen Yan, stepped up.
Everyone thought Curry was coming up to run a handoff with Chen Yan.
In reality, he was there to screen.
But it was not over yet.
Kenyon Martin also rushed over from the paint.
Double screen.
Using the screens to build speed, Chen Yan blew past Okafor in 1 step.
Giving Chen Yan space to accelerate was simply unstoppable.
Chen Yan took off from a small step inside the free throw line, gliding through the air for a graceful reverse layup.
David West, the help defender, only raised his hand symbolically.
As a player who stayed close to the ground, he truly had no way to stop Chen Yan.
The Knicks home fans cheered loudly.
Chen Yan's style of play was shamelessly slippery.
But they loved it.
.....
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