Chapter 815: Coach, I Want to Play the Whole Game!
Both teams had decided to fight fire with fire.
Miami wanted speed.
New York answered with even more speed.
It was exactly the kind of basketball both teams enjoyed, and for the fans, it was a spectacle.
The ball raced from one end of the court to the other so quickly that there was barely time to process one possession before the next had already begun.
Once the tempo increased, Miami finally found its rhythm.
In the half court, the Heat had looked stagnant and lifeless.
But when the game opened up, James and Wade immediately became much more dangerous.
Their speed, athleticism, and chemistry created several smooth offensive sequences.
Even so, Miami could not close the gap.
The reason was simple.
New York loved this pace too.
The Knicks continued scoring in transition, answering almost every Miami basket with one of their own.
Most possessions lasted less than 10 seconds.
When both teams attacked that quickly, the number of possessions naturally increased.
And with more possessions came more opportunities to score.
8 minutes into the 1st quarter, New York led 29 to 22.
Chen Yan had 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
But the Knicks leading scorer was Curry.
11 points already.
Curry was the kind of shooter who became increasingly dangerous the hotter he got.
Once his confidence rose, there was almost no shot he was afraid to take.
And when those shots started falling, his swagger followed.
After another basket, Curry turned toward the crowd and shook his shoulders in celebration.
Miami fans were not amused.
Chen saw how comfortable Curry looked and willingly gave him more opportunities.
He had no problem surrendering some of his own shots when Curry was rolling.
Whenever both of them caught fire in the same game, New York was extremely difficult to beat.
James looked just as sharp as he had over the previous 2 games.
His confidence was clearly back.
He received the ball near the top and used a screen to reach the free throw line.
David West stepped in front of him.
James attacked hard.
West absorbed the contact.
The result was not what James wanted.
West was not Battier.
His frame was every bit strong enough to withstand James's physical drives.
Trying to simply overpower him would not work consistently.
So James adjusted.
Some fans liked to claim that James relied entirely on athleticism and had little actual skill.
That was obviously an exaggeration.
A player could not reach his level through physical gifts alone.
James gathered the ball.
Turned his back.
Spun toward the opposite side of the basket.
Then finished softly with his left hand.
29 to 24.
West had not been able to stop him.
But New York immediately went back the other way.
Curry crossed half court.
Chen moved toward him to receive the ball.
Curry glanced at Chen, then noticed David West had established deeper position.
He made the correct decision.
Pass to West.
That was how New York needed to play if it wanted to go all the way.
The offense could not become mechanical, with everyone blindly searching for Chen on every possession.
The ball had to go to the right player at the right moment.
West caught it deep.
James was behind him.
West immediately backed into him.
James puffed out his chest and absorbed the contact.
West did not continue trying to overpower him.
His body was strong, but his game had never depended entirely on strength.
His footwork was excellent.
His touch was soft.
West spun.
Short floater.
Good.
31 to 24.
"Beautiful! Great response, David!"
Chen ran over and exchanged a high 5 with him.
He deliberately emphasized that it had been a response basket.
West was being asked to spend a great deal of energy defending James tonight.
Chen wanted to make sure his confidence remained high on offense as well.
Miami continued pushing the pace.
James received the ball and advanced quickly before looking for Wade.
Wade did not force an attack against Chen.
Instead, he used Gasol's screen to create a mismatch.
Pullup from the mid range.
Clang!
Miss.
Battier had already retreated toward the basket.
He secured the defensive rebound.
Wade immediately pressured him.
He was not necessarily trying to steal the ball.
His first goal was simply to prevent Battier from launching an immediate outlet pass.
Of course, if Battier forced the issue carelessly, Wade would happily take the steal.
Battier stayed patient.
He protected the ball until Chen came back to help.
With the transition opportunity gone, New York settled into half court offense.
David West moved outside to set a screen.
Chen used it and dribbled right.
James switched onto him.
Chen had not been especially aggressive as a scorer tonight, so Miami was no longer automatically sending a second defender.
Meanwhile, Battier had finally crossed into the frontcourt.
Instead of drifting toward his usual spot in the corner, he cut toward the basket.
Chen saw him immediately.
Bounce pass.
Battier caught it with Mike Miller on his body.
He tried to finish through the contact.
Miss.
Battier was not naturally comfortable shooting through physical pressure.
DeAndre Jordan exploded upward.
Offensive rebound.
Gasol had failed to secure the glass.
He immediately raised both arms and pressed tightly against DeAndre, trying to prevent a second jump.
Curry and Chen both called for the ball outside.
DeAndre did not see them.
His court vision and decision making had never been among his strengths.
Instead, he tried to attack Gasol directly.
The athletic advantage was obvious.
But Gasol stayed attached to his body and prevented DeAndre from elevating cleanly.
The ball came loose.
Battier reacted first.
He grabbed another offensive rebound underneath.
Kenny Smith nodded.
"Battier stayed with the play. That is 2 extra possessions New York created on the glass."
Battier's first instinct was not to force another shot.
He knew his role.
Kick it out.
Chen caught the pass.
No hesitation.
Rise.
Shoot.
It was the movement of a pure catch and shoot specialist.
But Chen was just as comfortable without the ball as he was creating off the dribble.
His hands were already set the instant the pass arrived.
The ball climbed in a high arc.
Swish!
34 to 24.
Spoelstra immediately called timeout.
When play resumed, Miami became noticeably more physical.
The Heat began targeting Curry, the smallest and most vulnerable defender in New York's lineup.
Curry was knocked to the floor multiple times.
But unlike Game 3, the officials were much stricter tonight.
Miami was at home, but the whistle was not overwhelmingly tilted in its favor.
New York responded with physicality of its own.
Neither team backed away from contact.
During the final 2 minutes of the 1st quarter, the scoring finally slowed.
Both defenses tightened.
Shots stopped falling.
But the pace earlier in the period had already produced a high scoring quarter.
After 12 minutes, New York led 37 to 28.
Nearly a 10 point advantage.
Chen still did not feel comfortable.
Not against this team.
Not after what had happened in Games 4 and 5.
During the break between quarters, he walked directly toward Nelson.
"Coach."
Nelson looked at him.
"Let me stay in for the 2nd quarter."
Chen's expression was serious.
"I want to play the whole game tonight."
Nelson studied him for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Do what you think you need to do."
Nelson had always respected his players when they felt strongly about something.
And after watching James and Wade's workloads over the previous games, he understood Chen's thinking.
James had even played an entire game until his body cramped.
If New York truly wanted to finish the series tonight, Nelson knew he could not be overly protective of his own stars.
Still, he gave Chen a warning.
"Save something on defense."
Chen listened.
"Do not burn everything early. If this game is still close in the 4th quarter, I am going to need you."
Chen nodded.
"I understand, Coach."
Nelson added one more thing.
"Protect yourself."
He had seen how physical Miami became near the end of the 1st quarter.
Of all the things that could go wrong tonight, an injury to Chen was by far the worst.
If Chen went down, New York's championship path could end with him.
When the rest of the Knicks heard that Chen intended to play the entire game, their confidence immediately rose.
Having Chen on the floor for all 48 minutes felt like insurance.
Then Chen stood and prepared to return for the 2nd quarter.
Before stepping onto the court, he glanced toward Miami's bench.
He had already suspected what he would see.
He was right.
LeBron James was still on the floor too.
....
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