Chapter 676: Cohesion!
"A crucial block! Bang! Full of momentum!" Mike Breen shouted.
"Unbelievable," Magic Johnson said. "Chen saved the team again. That block and assist completely extinguished Boston's furious comeback. Now the momentum has returned to the Knicks."
As expected of an NBA historical superstar, Magic Johnson's words were sharp and accurate.
The 7 point gap, combined with the dwindling time, instantly deflated the Celtics players.
Boston's players were all young, and young players usually had larger emotional swings.
"Stay calm! Attack the inside. Make this possession count first!"
Rivers stood on the sideline, loudly encouraging his players.
His voice was loud, but whether the Celtics players truly listened was another matter.
After crossing half court, Rose did not stop.
He used Durant's screen, accelerated, and drove inside.
Curry had already anticipated the play and was preparing to fight over the screen, but Rose's speed was simply too fast.
Rose desperately wanted this victory.
If Boston could win this game, the Celtics would regain home court advantage.
Rose drove in and attempted a big reverse layup, but because he used too much force, he overshot it.
The basketball hit the backboard and bounced out.
A huge cheer erupted from the home fans.
However, the cheer did not last long.
Stoudemire grabbed the rebound.
Stoudemire powered up under the basket and drew a foul from Turiaf.
This was Turiaf's 4th foul of the game.
Chen Yan immediately walked over to him, placing both hands on his head to signal him to calm down.
The game was not over yet.
Anything could still happen.
Stoudemire stepped to the free throw line.
"Swish!"
The 1st free throw was good.
110 to 104.
Magic Johnson said, "Stoudemire is a solid free throw shooter. He had a stable mid range jumper when he was with the Suns, and players with stable mid range shots usually have good free throws."
"Clang!"
As soon as Magic finished speaking, Stoudemire missed the 2nd free throw.
Many fans in front of their televisions chuckled.
Magic's timing was a little too perfect.
Knicks possession.
Chen Yan called for the ball on the perimeter to control the tempo.
At this point, Boston was anxious.
With about 9 seconds left on the shot clock, Chen Yan called for a pick and roll.
Stoudemire immediately left Al Harrington and rushed toward Chen Yan.
Everyone knew that at this moment, no one could give Chen Yan an opportunity.
Stoudemire double teamed him and shouted, "Double him! Do not let him dribble!"
Having been teammates for 3 years, Stoudemire knew very well how terrifying Chen Yan's individual ability was.
But even so, he was still 1 step slow.
Chen Yan did not choose to go left.
He did not choose to go right either.
Instead, he forcefully pushed the ball forward and threaded it between the 2 defenders.
This move directly pierced through Boston's entire defense.
Kostic and Durant quickly closed in to help, but Chen Yan took a small hop step between them and delivered a bounce pass to the cutting Battier.
Battier cut along the baseline and scored with a reverse layup.
The move was simple and clean, but it still drew another burst of cheers from the home fans.
2 solid points had been added to the scoreboard.
112 to 104.
With only 1 minute and 4 seconds left, this gap practically sealed Boston's fate.
The Celtics did not call timeout.
Kostic quickly inbounded from the baseline, and Durant dribbled past half court before pulling up for a 3 pointer.
"Swish!"
The ball hit the back of the rim and went in.
112 to 107.
"A tough 3 pointer!" Magic Johnson exclaimed.
"This shot keeps Boston's hope alive," Van Gundy said. "But their most urgent task now is defending New York's next possession."
The Knicks did not call timeout.
They refused to give Boston a chance to set up its defense.
Right now, the Knicks had no coach on the court.
Calling timeout would only hurt them.
Whatever tactics they needed, Chen Yan could simply shout them out on the floor.
Curry steadily dribbled the ball across half court.
Chen Yan kept shouting from the side.
"Stay steady. Slow down."
Curry was not in a hurry to pass the ball.
He also knew that as long as he ran down the clock, Boston would become more and more anxious.
With 17 seconds left on the shot clock, Chen Yan came off the baseline.
Boston double teamed him, refusing to let him catch the ball.
Curry immediately passed to the open Battier.
Battier caught the ball and adjusted, but he did not shoot immediately.
The help defender quickly arrived.
"Oh, Battier hesitated!" Van Gundy said. "He should have taken that shot."
Actually, Battier had not hesitated.
His basketball IQ was very high.
He knew that even if the possession ended in a miss, New York still needed to run down the clock.
That was the most reasonable offensive choice.
After holding the ball for 5 seconds, Battier passed horizontally to Al Harrington, who then passed it to Curry.
With 8 seconds left on the shot clock, Curry drove.
He failed to shake off Rose, who defended him very well.
Curry took a step back jumper and released the ball with 3 seconds left on the shot clock.
"Clang!"
Although the shot missed, Boston was left with only 34 seconds of offensive time.
A 5 point gap.
As Magic Johnson would say, the Celtics needed a little favor from Lady Luck if they wanted to take home the victory today.
Rivers called timeout.
At this point, calling timeout meant Boston would inbound from the frontcourt, which was more advantageous for a team racing against the clock.
Rivers tapped the whiteboard and shouted, "Whether it is a 2 pointer or a 3 pointer, this shot must go in. Do not deliberately chase a 3. If there is an opportunity for a quick 2, take it, then get a stop on defense. The initiative is still in our hands."
On the other side, Chen Yan was making tactical arrangements.
"Guard your man tightly. Switch on screens. At this time, you must keep a clear head and absolutely cannot give them a 3 point opportunity. If they want a 2, let them have it, but do not let them get a quick 2. Pay close attention on the inbound. Absolutely no mistakes right now."
Chen Yan repeatedly reminded his teammates to stay focused.
A single mistake could lead to losing the entire game.
The current situation was by no means completely safe for New York.
The Knicks players also listened carefully to Chen Yan's instructions.
No one disagreed.
No one raised an objection.
Even the bench players listened with full concentration.
This was not meaningless effort.
This was the manifestation of team cohesion.
The Knicks players had a natural reliance on Chen Yan.
And through his teammates trust, Chen Yan had tightly united this team.
.....
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