Chapter 749: It Is Chen Yan's Time Now
The game had become a grind.
This was a problem both head coaches had already considered before the game.
The Knicks started with the ball.
David West tried to post up Channing Frye, but his turnaround hook shot missed.
Although Channing Frye was soft, his height was still a factor. Shooting over him was not easy when that length could still bother the release.
David West was 2 of 10 tonight and only had 5 points, including free throws.
Fans looked at his numbers with disappointment. If he had played normally today, the lead might have reached double digits much earlier.
The Heat launched a 2 man fast break.
James passed to Wade, and when Beverley saw that he could not stop him, he quickly committed a tactical foul.
Wade forced the shot despite the foul, but it missed.
The fans breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it was Wade.
If it had been James, it probably would have become a 3 point play.
This was Beverley's 4th personal foul of the game.
He had been consciously trying to control his foul count tonight, but the Heat were too good in transition. For a large part of the game, he had also been guarding Wade, the man best at drawing fouls in the league.
Swish.
The 1st free throw went in.
The Knicks requested a substitution.
Jeremy Lin returned to the court.
After his explosive performance in the 2nd quarter, Nelson had only given Jeremy Lin 2 minutes of playing time in the 3rd quarter.
The fans had almost forgotten about him.
In the crucial 4th quarter, Nelson was still unsure about putting Jeremy Lin on the court.
The more intense the game became, the less likely Jeremy Lin was to get as many opportunities to perform as he had in the 2nd quarter.
In comparison, Beverley's defensive ability was more practical.
Wade made both free throws.
95 to 93.
Knicks offensive possession.
Jeremy Lin dribbled past half court, with Chalmers guarding him.
Chen Yan used a screen to cut to the top of the arc.
Chen Yan made a handoff motion, appearing to ask for the ball, then suddenly accelerated and ran past Jeremy Lin.
Jeremy Lin understood him perfectly and accelerated directly toward the basket.
Chalmers attention was completely drawn to Chen Yan.
He was still thinking about how to double team Chen Yan.
By the time he reacted, Jeremy Lin had already burst inside the 3 point line.
Chalmers wanted to chase back, but Jeremy Lin was too fast.
He could not catch up.
Absolutely could not catch up.
Pau Gasol also wanted to help from the side.
Jeremy Lin drove hard to the basket, used a pump fake on a reverse layup, avoided Pau Gasol, and finished at the rim.
95 all.
The Knicks fans were completely excited.
Not many fans had believed Jeremy Lin could maintain the form he had shown in the 2nd quarter.
On the return, Chalmers wanted to score on Jeremy Lin and get the point back.
But James reached out for the ball before Chalmers even crossed half court.
When the boss wanted the ball, there was no refusing him.
Chalmers reluctantly passed the ball to James.
James orchestrated from the top of the arc.
On the court, James directed traffic with his left hand while dribbling with his right.
With 14 seconds left on the shot clock, James finally made his move.
After 1 dribble, he passed to Pau Gasol.
Pau Gasol made 2 quick moves before passing the ball back out to the perimeter.
Chalmers received the ball and faked a shot.
Jeremy Lin jumped to block it, only realizing in midair that he had been fooled.
Jeremy Lin was still too green and lacked game experience.
Chalmers drove straight to the basket, and Pau Gasol screened DeAndre Jordan for him.
Chalmers jumped off 1 foot and slammed it down with his right hand.
97 to 95.
After landing, Chalmers roared furiously.
On the surface, he was roaring at the broadcast camera.
In truth, he was roaring at Jeremy Lin.
Although Jeremy Lin had played well in this game, Chalmers still looked down on him.
In Chalmers mind, he was a championship level NBA point guard, while Jeremy Lin was only a fringe player who could be cut at any time.
Not to mention, Jeremy Lin was also Asian.
The league's lack of friendliness toward Asian players was an undeniable fact.
Chen Yan and Yao Ming had also faced all kinds of provocation when they first entered the league, but both of them had used their strength to silence those people.
If Jeremy Lin wanted to stay in the NBA, this was an inevitable stage.
Jeremy Lin also felt Chalmers provocation.
His eyes and demeanor changed instantly.
This game had helped Jeremy Lin grow a lot, not just technically and tactically, but more importantly, psychologically.
Jeremy Lin dribbled to half court, passed to Chen Yan, then started running off the ball.
He exerted himself tirelessly, continuously cutting without the ball.
Chalmers felt as if Jeremy Lin was leading him through a maze and nearly made him dizzy.
Just as Jeremy Lin cut to the wing for a 3 point opportunity, Chen Yan began his drive.
Chen Yan had originally wanted to organize from the top of the arc and see whether his teammates had an opening.
But the Heat defense had intensified, and everyone's attention was very focused.
Time was running out on the shot clock.
Chen Yan could only force a drive.
Chen Yan's drive immediately pulled the entire Heat defense toward him.
He drove hard and pushed past Wade.
As he took his 1st step, Wade tried to swat the ball away from him.
Chen Yan reacted quickly, immediately raising the ball above his head while swiftly taking his 2nd step.
Wade was a little out of position, but James and Pau Gasol came over to double team.
It truly looked like 3 heroes battling Lu Bu.
Chen Yan passed around James body and sent the ball to Battier.
Battier shot an open 3 pointer.
"An opportunity!"
The clang of the rim almost overlapped with Kenny Smith's shout.
Clang.
DeAndre Jordan exploded upward and grabbed the offensive rebound.
"Here!"
Jeremy Lin knew DeAndre Jordan's court vision was not good, so he shouted a reminder.
DeAndre Jordan immediately passed the ball to Jeremy Lin in the corner.
Chalmers focus had been on the paint, and he was caught off guard as Jeremy Lin slipped to the corner.
A 3 pointer on the 2nd chance possession.
Clang.
Swish.
The basketball hit the inner rim and bounced in.
98 to 97.
"It is in!" Barkley shouted excitedly.
"A huge 3 pointer," Kenny Smith said. "That was beautiful, and it lifts the whole team."
Jeremy Lin nodded continuously as he retreated to half court, and Chen Yan rushed up to chest bump him.
Jeremy Lin's confidence had been fully unleashed tonight.
"His 18th point tonight," Kenny Smith said, shaking his head. "An undrafted player. That is not easy. Truly not easy."
Barkley nodded.
"That is the charm of the NBA."
No sooner had Barkley finished speaking than Wade missed a 3 pointer.
The ball bounced long, directly into Jeremy Lin's hands.
Jeremy Lin did not think.
He immediately dribbled and pushed the fast break.
Like lightning.
Charging forward relentlessly.
Jeremy Lin had open court in front of him.
This was a 1 on 0 opportunity.
Step.
Jump.
Shoot.
Jeremy Lin gently flicked the ball off his fingertips.
But in the next second, what he heard was not the sweet sound of the basketball swishing through the net.
Bang.
James chased back at full speed and gave Jeremy Lin a super block.
James displayed his absolute talent.
This block was like a volleyball spike, directly slapping the ball hard against the backboard.
After landing, James was about to turn around for a fast break when a familiar figure quietly appeared in front of him.
"Shit."
James could not help cursing.
In the next second, Chen Yan picked up the ball and soared into the air.
He did not even give James time to move out of the way.
Boom.
Chen Yan completed a dunk over him.
The huge impact knocked James down.
The referee's whistle blew.
It was also a 3 point play.
"Are you okay?"
Chen Yan extended his right hand.
James heart skipped a beat.
Is this guy really that warm?
However, in the next second, a voice shattered his illusion.
"I am fine."
Chen Yan pulled Jeremy Lin up.
Only then did James realize that those words had not been directed at him.
Facing a chorus of boos from the crowd, Chen Yan made the additional free throw.
101 to 97.
Heat offensive possession.
James continued distributing the ball from the top of the arc.
After organizing for a while, James realized his teammates had not gotten open, so he decided to take it himself.
With a change of direction, James sprinted directly toward the paint.
A tank like drive.
Battier definitely could not stop him.
DeAndre Jordan and Chen Yan came together.
James made an extreme pass.
Wade shot a mid range jumper.
Still missed.
David West grabbed the rebound and passed to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan dribbled past half court, and the Heat's transition defense was still swift.
Chen Yan suddenly accelerated 2 steps outside the 3 point line on the left side.
Then he stopped abruptly with his foot on the 3 point line.
He crossed the ball from his right hand under his legs to his left hand.
His right foot stepped back 1 step.
Wade quickly rushed over.
He understood that Chen Yan was going to shoot a stepback 3 pointer in transition.
But the meaning of a stepback 3 pointer was that even if you knew I was going to step back, I could still create shooting space.
Chen Yan completed the stepback and shot over Wade.
Swish.
104 to 97.
"That is just unreasonable!" Kenny Smith shouted excitedly. "It is Chen Yan's time now!"
.....
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