Chapter 664: That Man
Chen Yan had always been one of the players most beloved by New York fans.
In past games, fans at Madison Square Garden often cheered for him, but this time was different.
This time, Chen Yan was wearing a Knicks jersey.
Charlotte offense.
Paul ran a high pick and roll.
The Knicks deliberately did not switch. This was Nelson's intention. He had seen Paul start the game with poor shooting touch, so he intentionally gave him some room to shoot.
Paul had a strong desire to attack tonight. While Curry was navigating the screen, Paul found a gap and took a 3 pointer.
"Clang!"
It still missed.
Paul's touch tonight was clearly off, and most of his shots were short.
The ball hit the front rim and dropped into Al Harrington's hands.
It fell very quickly, and Harrington did not secure it cleanly on the 1st attempt. Fortunately, his reaction was quick. He bent down in time and controlled the basketball the moment it bounced.
Although the Knicks secured possession, they missed a good fast break opportunity.
After settling into the half court offense, Curry passed the ball to Chen Yan.
The formation spread out, and Chen Yan began to isolate.
At the left 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line, Chen Yan took a probing step before making his move.
He dribbled 1 step to the right, then immediately connected it with a crossover to his left hand.
Willie Green retreated to the free throw line, ready to double team at any time.
Chen Yan read that movement, so after the crossover, he chose to accelerate along the baseline.
There was very little space on the baseline, and Ariza, with his rich defensive experience, stayed tightly in front of Chen Yan.
As soon as Chen Yan broke through, Charlotte's defense immediately collapsed.
3 players were in the paint, while Paul and Willie Green were 1 step outside the paint.
Chen Yan drove into the heart of the paint, then suddenly executed a lightning quick spin.
Strong and sharp.
Chen Yan faced the recovering Okafor in front of him and Ariza beside him without fear.
After contact, Chen Yan lost his balance but still shot a scoop layup.
It missed.
However, the referee's whistle blew.
Okafor was called for a defensive foul.
Chen Yan made both free throws.
2 to 11.
While Chen Yan was at the free throw line, some fans had already started chanting "MVP."
Knicks fans finally had a chance to release their excitement.
In the past, they had chanted "MVP" for many players in this arena, but most of those chants were for opposing stars.
This time, they finally did not have to be sarcastic or turn against their own team.
They had their own MVP.
Charlotte quickly called timeout.
Before the game, they had thought this would not be easy, because the Knicks now had Chen Yan and were riding a winning streak.
But no one expected it to be this difficult.
The Knicks fluid offense left the Hornets disoriented.
Of course, Charlotte's own offense also had problems.
"Chris, slow down. Do not rush. Do not let them dictate the pace," Hornets head coach Monty Williams said, tapping the whiteboard.
Monty Williams spoke very politely to Paul.
He was a coach with little experience. This was his 1st year as an NBA head coach. Before that, he had been an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Paul also nodded respectfully.
"Understood, coach."
Before the timeout, Paul had already realized that he had played too impulsively at the start and needed to adjust.
After the timeout, Paul clearly changed his style.
He used screens to dribble into Knicks territory, but he did not shoot. He only disrupted the Knicks defense.
Then, suddenly, he passed to David West on the cut.
West received the ball and completed the layup in 1 smooth motion.
4 to 11.
On defense, the Hornets tightened up.
They noticed that tonight, both Chen Yan and Curry were primarily attacking the paint.
This defensive strategy produced an immediate effect, but only for 1 possession.
On the next trip, after a series of perimeter passes, Al Harrington hit a 3 pointer.
Charlotte's offense improved slightly compared to before the timeout, but their defense was completely ineffective.
At the end of the 1st quarter, the Knicks had scored 36 points, while the Hornets managed only 22.
The gap was already 14 points after just 1 quarter.
Hornets head coach Monty Williams regretted his strategy a little.
His decision to collapse the defense had given New York more 3 point opportunities, and the Knicks made 7 3 pointers in the quarter.
Chen Yan was the team's undisputed primary scorer.
He made 3 3 pointers in the quarter, scoring 19 points, along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
"Ever since Chen Yan joined the Knicks," Van Gundy murmured, "after every 1st quarter, I feel like he is definitely going to get a triple double tonight."
Mike Breen laughed. "We all know he has that ability. Coming to New York, he has more responsibility than he had in Phoenix, and the burden is heavier too."
Paul's 1st quarter numbers were a little embarrassing.
2 points and 4 assists.
At first glance, the numbers clearly showed that he was not in rhythm.
After resting on the bench for 4 minutes in the 2nd quarter, Paul returned to the court.
He immediately used a Knicks defensive lapse to hit a 3 pointer.
Hornets fans shouted that Paul's touch had returned.
Reality soon proved that this was only an illusion.
Paul made only that 1 shot throughout the entire 2nd quarter.
The Knicks, on the other hand, fully committed to their run and gun offense.
They played freely on the offensive end. Everyone was confident, and whenever an opportunity appeared, they shot.
Chen Yan finally understood why the Warriors had pulled off that 8th seed upset back then.
Nelson's offensive philosophy gave players strong confidence.
For a shooter, confidence came first. Everything else came afterward.
In a team like this, shooting touch was contagious.
When 1 or 2 players got hot, the others also gained the confidence to put the ball in the basket.
At halftime, the Knicks held a large lead, 67 to 50.
New York led in every statistical category except rebounding.
This seemed to be a common problem for run and gun teams.
When a team wanted to speed up the pace, it inevitably had to sacrifice height on the court, making it difficult to gain an advantage on the glass.
"The Knicks firepower is too strong," Kenny Smith said. "They almost scored 70 points in the 1st half. They kept 3 or 4 shooters on the court at all times, and that gave Charlotte a huge headache."
Mike Breen said, "This reminds people of the Suns from a few years ago. Chen Yan is still Chen Yan. Only the jersey has changed. Now it says New York."
Many fans felt the same way.
In the 2nd half, Paul wanted to lead his team in a comeback.
Right from the start, he continuously lobbed the ball to David West and Okafor, letting them attack the paint for several straight possessions.
The effect was good, but the score difference kept widening.
Charlotte would score a 2 pointer, and New York would immediately answer with a 3.
Monty Williams called 2 consecutive timeouts, but it still did nothing.
The entire Knicks team had found its shooting touch tonight.
On the Hornets side, Paul had no touch, and neither Willie Green nor Ariza could make up for his missing offensive firepower.
The difference quickly passed 20 points, and Chen Yan came off the court midway through the 3rd quarter.
Chen Yan rested for a few minutes and observed the situation.
If the Knicks reserves continued their offensive momentum, he could clock out early.
After Chen Yan and Curry left the floor, Barea began to shine.
He could unleash his maximum ability only when the primary ball handlers were off the court.
Barea could shoot 3 pointers, hit mid range jumpers, and drive to draw fouls.
Aside from being a little short, he was perfect as the team's 6th man.
With his teammates playing well, Chen Yan and Curry became even more relaxed.
The 2 chatted and joked on the bench.
Chen Yan occasionally patted Curry's head and put an arm around his shoulder.
Curry was very easy to get along with, and Chen Yan was the same.
The 2 had become familiar with each other after only a few games.
In the 4th quarter, the Knicks not only sent in their reserves, but also put in their benchwarmers.
All 12 players made an appearance.
Of course, this was because Charlotte could no longer catch up and had given up on the game.
Paul played 3 minutes in the 4th quarter and did not return.
David West and Okafor were much the same.
The Knicks routed the Hornets, 133 to 105.
The home fans were ecstatic.
Chen Yan's 1st home game ended with a blowout win, and that feeling was exhilarating.
David West was Charlotte's best performer, scoring 27 points and 10 rebounds.
Okafor also had 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Paul's full game stats were rather awkward, with 9 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds, making him a triple single player.
The Knicks had multiple players score, with 5 players reaching double digits.
The most outstanding, of course, was Chen Yan.
Chen Yan played 26 minutes in total, scoring 34 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds.
The most terrifying thing was that these numbers were basically achieved in the 1st half.
Spike Lee, the famous director and devoted Knicks fan, was also present tonight.
After the game, he admitted in an interview, "New York fans are picky. Extremely picky. This was Chen Yan's 1st home game in a Knicks jersey, and he conquered the fans here in only half a game. Listen to these cheers. Chen Yan, you are already the King of Madison Square Garden."
Chen Yan did not hear Spike Lee's interview.
He had already returned to the locker room.
In his opinion, this was just an ordinary regular season game, and he had not put up any astonishing numbers.
He really could not understand why Knicks fans were so excited.
But for Knicks fans, they had been waiting desperately for a savior to lead the team out of the mud.
And now, it seemed that Chen Yan was the man they had been waiting for.
.....
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