Chapter 673: No Need to Worry About Falling Behind
"KD! Come up and get the ball!"
Rose's shout snapped Durant out of his daze.
Durant came back to his senses and ran to the top of the arc to receive the ball from Rose.
Kostic set an off ball screen for Durant, leaving Battier behind.
Kenyon Martin made a mistake. He should have switched in time, but instead, he chose to keep following Kostic, leaving Durant with an open lane.
Durant strode into the paint and threw down a 1 handed dunk.
5 to 4.
Boston's opening offensive strategy mainly involved high pick and rolls.
Both Rose and Durant had strong attacking ability, and the Celtics tactics were similar to the previous game. They wanted their ball handlers driving to the basket again and again.
Turiaf could not stop those 2 beasts.
Nelson's lineup adjustment had limited effect, and with 8 minutes left in the 1st quarter, Turiaf was replaced by Al Harrington.
Boston continued to run frequent high pick and rolls.
With Kenyon Martin pulled out of the paint, New York lacked rebounding protection.
Al Harrington's rim protection and rebounding ability were both very average, so Chen Yan was forced to shrink into the paint to box out and protect the glass.
Relying on his excellent physical tools and instincts, Chen Yan grabbed 4 rebounds in a single quarter.
Magic Johnson, serving as ESPN's guest commentator today, smiled and said, "Sometimes I get the illusion that the Knicks only need Chen Yan. He can score, assist, and rebound."
Mike Breen said, "A lot of people call him a super scorer, even the most selfish player, but I do not see it that way. I think he plays very much within the team. When the team needs him to score, he scores. When they need him to assist or rebound, he does that too. He is not the kind of player who plays for stats, but after every game, his stats are more impressive than anyone else's. That is what I admire most about him."
Van Gundy nodded. "Chen Yan already has 9 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds in the 1st quarter. Very complete numbers. No one would be surprised if he gets a triple double today."
At the end of the 1st quarter, the Knicks led by 3 points, 28 to 25.
In the 2nd quarter, Stoudemire led Boston's bench unit.
The Celtics second unit lacked a true offensive core.
The only player who dared to handle the ball, Weaver, had been benched by Rivers after Game 1.
There was no other way.
He was simply too bad.
Weaver was the type of player who had star syndrome without the destiny of a star. His skill level was not suited for a stage this intense.
The Knicks, on the other hand, used a full bench lineup.
On Stoudemire's 1st possession, he forced a foul while attacking 1 on 2.
Stoudemire's high mobility gave Turiaf a headache.
Not just Turiaf. Even the best interior defenders in the league had trouble stopping Stoudemire during this period.
There was only 1 way to defend Stoudemire.
Do not let him face the basket.
It was important to understand that Stoudemire facing the basket and Stoudemire with his back to the basket were basically 2 different players.
On the next offensive possession, Stoudemire continued isolating.
After catching the ball at the elbow, he made 2 consecutive jab steps, then drove hard to the right.
Stoudemire's playing style relied on powerful physical tools and explosiveness.
In other words, he was a player built on athletic talent.
Turiaf's physical talent was not on the same level.
Stoudemire forcefully drove past Turiaf and scored 2 points.
After scoring on 2 straight possessions, Stoudemire displayed an extremely strong desire to attack.
In the starting lineup, he had to fight Durant and Rose for touches, which inevitably left him feeling somewhat suppressed.
This was the downside of having 3 offensive powerhouses on the same team.
There was only 1 ball.
However, if managed properly and distributed reasonably, this kind of Big 3 would be almost impossible to stop on offense.
4 and a half minutes into the 2nd quarter, Boston had already taken a 3 point lead.
35 to 32.
Knicks head coach Nelson immediately called timeout.
New York's second unit was not pleasant to watch.
The only player who could really play was Barea, but because of his height, he was easily targeted by opponents.
To win the game, New York still had to rely on its backcourt duo.
After the timeout, Chen Yan and Curry entered the game at the same time.
Boston also sent out its starters.
New York offense.
Curry brought the ball across half court, with Rose applying physical pressure.
Curry created space with 2 nimble behind the back dribbles, then used Al Harrington's screen to drive.
Ball handlers liked running pick and roll with players like Al Harrington because he had shooting ability and could effectively create driving space for teammates.
Curry accelerated into the paint.
Kostic's help defense was already in position, but Curry did not force a shot. He chose to wrap around the baseline.
Curry rarely played recklessly.
He was a player who used his brain.
Halfway through the baseline wrap, Curry flicked a 1 handed pass to Battier in the corner.
Battier was ready. He had been waiting in the corner for a long time.
But this shot was a little unlucky.
It rattled out.
Durant grabbed the defensive rebound and pushed the ball forward.
Chen Yan stepped up and blocked Durant's path.
Chen Yan was not trying to steal the ball from Durant.
He simply did not want Durant to build speed.
A player of Durant's height, once he got going full court, was almost impossible to stop.
Durant was forced to pass.
Rose received the ball, activated his burst of acceleration, forced his way past Curry, and made the layup for 2 points.
37 to 32.
A 5 point deficit.
"Spread out! Spread out!"
As the deficit widened, Chen Yan began to unleash his big move.
"Double him!"
Rivers shouted from the sideline, his voice already hoarse.
With the ball in his hands, Chen Yan bounced back 2 steps, preventing himself from falling into Boston's double team trap.
At the same time, Chen Yan continued reading the floor and directed his teammates.
"Cut inside, Stephen!"
Curry received Chen Yan's instruction and cut without hesitation along the 45 degree angle.
Chen Yan leaned back and flung the ball with both hands.
This pass was crucial.
Boston's defense immediately panicked.
Rose quickly retreated, and Stoudemire in the paint also rushed over to cover.
Curry passed the ball to Kenyon Martin.
At that moment, Chen Yan appeared behind Kenyon Martin like a ghost, his movement truly unpredictable.
"Kenyon!"
After Chen Yan shouted, Kenyon Martin turned and passed the ball.
It was too late for Boston to double team now.
Chen Yan caught the ball and shot in 1 fluid motion.
Daniels jumped to contest, but as he rose, he increasingly felt something was wrong.
Chen Yan's jumping height on this shot was simply too exaggerated.
Daniels even had the illusion that Chen Yan's lower body might hit him in the face at any moment.
After receiving the pass, Chen Yan had taken a step, so he had plenty of power for this jump.
Chen Yan hung in the air for a moment, then fired the ball down toward the basket.
The arc was extremely flat, and the basketball burst through the net like a cannonball.
37 to 34.
Fans in the arena and in front of their televisions cheered, all stunned by Chen Yan's jumping height on that shot.
"That looked fake. Is Chen Yan shooting with the same jumping height as a dunk now?"
"Just look at the trajectory. The release point was at least 20 centimeters above the rim."
"A rim level jump shot?"
"Freakish physical talent."
"How do you defend that?"
"Chen Yan jumped above the rim and then shot the ball downward. I did not expect that at all."
Boston offense.
Rose drove inside off a screen.
Over these 2 possessions, Boston's offensive core had shifted to Rose.
Rose passed the ball from outside the paint to the middle.
The pass was very low, and Stoudemire did not catch it cleanly on the 1st try.
After adjusting, his shot under the basket missed.
Rose's passing was not actually bad.
But Stoudemire had previously received passes from passers at the level of Nash and Chen Yan.
Back then, lobs were practically fed straight into Stoudemire's mouth.
Now he had to reach for them himself, so there was naturally a difference.
Curry brought the ball into the frontcourt.
Chen Yan moved without the ball, shook off Daniels, then received the pass. He took a sideways step back, drew defensive attention, and passed the ball back to Curry on the far side.
Curry faked, then drove inside with the ball.
Chen Yan followed.
Curry made a 1 handed cross court pass, and the 2 played a 2 man game.
Chen Yan caught the ball and smoothly tossed up a floater.
"Swish!"
37 to 36.
On the next possession, the Knicks suddenly changed their defensive look.
Boston was restricted by New York's 2 to 3 zone defense, and Durant's attempt to attack the paint went nowhere.
The Knicks seized the opportunity to launch a fast break.
Curry led the charge, with Chen Yan and Kenyon Martin running on his left and right.
New York executed a very classic 3 man fast break.
As soon as the 3 players crossed half court, the fans at Madison Square Garden were already on their feet.
They had a feeling that a spectacular play was coming.
Sure enough, Curry passed the ball to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan took 1 step into the paint, then tossed the ball backward and to the side.
The force was perfect.
Kenyon Martin threw down the alley oop.
"Boom!"
38 to 37.
The Knicks went on a 7 to 0 run and took the lead.
Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers.
To be honest, ever since Chen Yan arrived, the fans had never worried about falling behind.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]