Chapter 746: Heat Accelerate
Knicks offensive possession.
At the start of the game, Nelson instructed the team to try attacking the paint.
Beverley dribbled to the left 45 degree angle outside the 3 point line and stopped, while David West fought for position inside.
Pau Gasol was very experienced. Seeing Beverley stop, he immediately increased his strength and boxed David West out hard.
The 2 big men battled fiercely for position, and Beverley suddenly looked a little lost.
He did not dare pass the ball at this moment.
One small mistake could easily turn into a turnover.
Wade immediately pressed up again.
Battier quickly came up from the corner to receive the ball.
It was a protective reception. If Battier had stayed in the corner, Beverley would have been swallowed whole by the Heat's strong perimeter defense.
Beverley saw him like a lifeline and quickly passed the ball to Battier, avoiding the turnover.
After receiving the ball, Battier saw that James had not followed him.
He decisively took the 3 pointer.
No hesitation at all.
Playing for the Knicks under Nelson, every player had this kind of courage, and they had to have it.
On this team, if a shooting opportunity appeared and you missed, that was fine.
But if the opportunity appeared and you did not dare shoot, then sorry, kid. At the next dead ball, you would definitely be subbed out.
Clang.
Battier's shot missed.
The Knicks bench players had already stood up, ready to wave their towels, but when they saw the miss, they calmed down and prepared to sit.
Inside the paint, DeAndre Jordan leaped up and grabbed the offensive rebound.
This season, with DeAndre Jordan's arrival, the Knicks had gained significantly more 2nd chance opportunities.
The fans could see this clearly.
So even though DeAndre Jordan's stats this season were only 9.8 points and 10.6 rebounds, his All Star votes had soared.
Currently, among Eastern Conference centers, he was 2nd only to Howard.
This was partly due to DeAndre Jordan's individual performance, partly due to Chen Yan's popularity, and partly because the East truly lacked outstanding big men.
Besides Howard, the other All Star center candidates could not confidently say they were clearly better than DeAndre Jordan.
Noah's presence was very low, and his stats were not much better than DeAndre Jordan's. Joel Anthony and McGee were even worse.
In terms of strength, Greg Oden had a chance to make the Eastern Conference All Star team.
But he was injured again.
Although in this life, he had left the Trail Blazers medical team and had not been injured to the point of being completely out of action, he still suffered continuous major and minor injuries.
So far this season, he had not played for the Hawks, so there was no point discussing votes when he did not even qualify for All Star nomination.
After DeAndre Jordan secured the offensive rebound, the entire Heat defense swarmed him.
DeAndre Jordan's passing ability was not that strong.
They wanted to force him into a turnover.
"Here!"
Chen Yan's voice guided DeAndre Jordan.
DeAndre Jordan's court vision was not great, but his hearing was good.
He flung the ball in the direction of the voice.
The Heat's defense was very compact, which left Chen Yan wide open.
The Knicks bench players, who had just been about to sit down, immediately sprang back up, their towels eagerly waiting for action.
Clang.
It still missed.
Chen Yan's shot was too relaxed.
The game had just started, and he had not yet found that tense feeling.
The ball fell a little short.
"Oh, that shot missed," Kenny Smith said.
"What a pity. That should have gone in," Barkley added.
From their tone, the fans almost felt as if Chen Yan should have 100 percent accuracy whenever he was open.
After Chen Yan had continuously proved himself in the NBA and international competition, everyone's expectations for him had become extremely high.
Ridiculously high.
Chen Yan was a super scorer, not a player with 100 percent accuracy.
If he converted every opportunity, then he would not be a superstar.
He would be Superman.
The ball bounced twice on the rim, and DeAndre Jordan once again judged the landing spot correctly.
Unfortunately, under the pressure of the surrounding Heat players, DeAndre Jordan fumbled the ball and tipped it out of bounds himself.
Although possession returned to the Heat, Spoelstra sensed that something was wrong.
Channing Frye simply did not have the ability to protect the boards.
His 211 cm height was not the same thing as DeAndre Jordan's 211 cm.
Heat coach Spoelstra directed from the sideline, instructing Pau Gasol to collapse into the paint on the next defensive possession to guard DeAndre Jordan, while Channing Frye would guard David West.
Even though Channing Frye was also a defensive sieve, Spoelstra found it even more unacceptable to keep giving up offensive rebounds than to let David West score a few points.
The Heat inbounded from the baseline.
After Chalmers dribbled past half court, James curled out from the corner.
After a handoff pass, James dribbled toward the top of the arc, while Wade received the ball on the left side beyond the 3 point line.
Wade did not rush to drive.
He was waiting for a screen.
The moment Pau Gasol stepped up, Wade made his move.
Wade was a pick and roll master, and his timing was perfect.
The instant Wade started, Pau Gasol had just screened Chen Yan in front of him.
No matter how good Chen Yan's defense was, he could not phase through a wall.
DeAndre Jordan switched.
Chen Yan chased.
Pau Gasol was left open.
Battier covered him.
Wade stopped abruptly at the free throw line, and as everyone's attention focused on Pau Gasol rolling down, Wade twisted his waist and found James.
James received the ball on the perimeter but did not shoot.
After a pause, he bounced a pass to Pau Gasol.
This pass was too obvious.
The passing intention and route had already been read by the Knicks players.
Battier instinctively lifted his leg, and the basketball hit it before bouncing out of bounds.
The referee called a kicked ball, so it was still Heat possession.
Spoelstra was a little speechless.
James had a great opportunity but chose not to shoot.
After last season's loss, James had diligently practiced 3 point shooting during the offseason.
In fact, James had been practicing 3 point shooting for several seasons, but in official games, he often hesitated and struggled with the decision.
Simply put, he still had not built real confidence in his perimeter shooting.
Nelson smiled.
If James were on his team, he would definitely substitute him out during this dead ball.
The Heat attacked again.
It was still Wade driving off a screen.
After a series of fakes and moves, he dished the ball to Channing Frye in the corner for a 3 pointer.
David West quickly rushed out to contest, but Channing Frye's height was a factor. A closeout from that distance could not bother him much.
Swish.
The basketball cleanly dropped through the net.
The arena erupted in cheers.
Spoelstra applauded, signaling that Channing Frye had made an excellent play.
In fact, Spoelstra had put Channing Frye in the starting lineup precisely for this purpose.
5 to 0.
After Beverley brought the ball past half court, he tried to find Chen Yan, but the pass was too casual and was nearly stolen by Wade.
Chen Yan regained control of the ball just as it was about to go out of bounds.
Chen Yan dribbled to the top of the arc.
DeAndre Jordan actively stepped up.
After the pick and roll, the Heat immediately double teamed Chen Yan.
Chen Yan remained calm.
He dribbled with his left hand, took a small step back, then bent down.
A quick early change of direction.
He broke toward Channing Frye.
This way, the Heat not only failed to trap Chen Yan, but their big man, Channing Frye, actually hindered Wade's defense.
Chen Yan occasionally used this trick, turning his opponent into his own screen.
After a fierce drive to just outside the wing 3 point line, Chen Yan suddenly paused, then immediately launched his 2nd burst.
The stop and go rhythm, the change of pace, completely threw Channing Frye out of defensive position.
Chen Yan drove near the right elbow, then suddenly pulled up.
A very smooth mid range fadeaway jumper.
Swish.
Nothing but net.
5 to 2.
"Chen Yan's shot is so stable now," Kenny Smith praised. "That hang time in the air just makes it feel like the ball is going in."
Barkley smiled and said, "Chen Yan's core strength is really good. To keep his shooting balance on that kind of sudden pullup is difficult. And his shooting form is always beautiful. Very standard."
The Heat quickly inbounded.
Wade swiftly dribbled to the frontcourt.
James set a screen for him, then quickly retreated to the corner beyond the 3 point line.
Wade first faked a strong drive into the paint, then stopped abruptly and delivered a bounce pass to James in the right corner.
All the perimeter players were drawn toward Wade, leaving James wide open.
David West quickly rotated out from the paint to cover.
James still did not shoot the 3 pointer.
Instead, he accelerated toward David West, ducked under the baseline, and took a hop step to the basket.
Pau Gasol cleverly screened DeAndre Jordan behind him.
There was no one left to help defend.
James jumped off 2 feet and threw down a powerful dunk.
7 to 2.
The team that sped up 1st in this game was not the Knicks.
It was the Heat.
.....
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