Chapter 816: Landmark Goal
The 2nd quarter began with Chen Yan leading New York's reserve unit.
Barea.
Jeremy Lin.
Chen Yan.
Yi Jianlian.
Al Harrington.
A typical small ball lineup.
Miami countered with James and 4 reserves.
On the Heat's first possession, James attacked the paint and drew the defense inward before kicking the ball outside.
Channing Frye caught it.
3 pointer.
Swish!
On the next possession, Miami ran almost the exact same action.
James drove.
The defense collapsed.
Kick out.
This time, Mike Miller received the pass.
Clang!
Miss.
Strangely enough, James looked more comfortable playing with Miami's reserves than with the starting lineup.
There was a simple reason.
All 4 players around him could shoot from beyond the arc.
It gave James exactly the kind of offensive structure he loved.
1 star surrounded by 4 shooters.
The lane stayed open.
If the defense collapsed, he could pass.
If it stayed home, he could attack.
New York's lineup had an equally obvious identity.
Speed.
The Knicks played even faster than they had in the 1st quarter.
With this group on the floor, slowing into half court basketball would surrender their biggest advantage.
So New York ran at every opportunity.
Chen repeatedly pushed the ball in transition and created scoring chances for Barea and Jeremy Lin.
Both guards attacked the basket successfully off his passes.
Nelson's plan before the game had been simple.
Let Chen attack.
Let him establish himself.
Force Miami's defense to react.
But basketball was not a game where players had to follow every instruction mechanically.
Tonight, Chen's teammates were playing well.
So instead of forcing shots, he naturally shifted toward playmaking.
Once again, the matchup between Chen Yan and James became the center of attention.
Fans could hardly believe what they were watching.
"Are these 2 made of iron?"
"Do they ever need to rest?"
"They are playing harder now than they did in the 1st quarter."
"Chen might actually play the entire game tonight."
"He rarely starts the 2nd quarter. You can tell how badly he wants to finish this series."
"I am not surprised by his stamina anymore. What is crazy is that his dribbling, shooting, and passing remain this stable after playing so many minutes."
"He is basically a complete player."
"Not completely. Chen still has 1 weakness."
"What?"
"He is too good. His teammates rely on him so much that sometimes the coach's original tactics disappear."
"That is not a weakness. Giving Chen the ball is the tactic."
The debate continued.
Meanwhile, Chen controlled the game in his own way.
James gradually began feeling frustrated.
He was scoring.
He was creating.
He was generating open shots.
So why was Miami still falling further behind?
Spoelstra responded by bringing Wade back onto the floor.
The moment Wade saw New York's small lineup, his eyes sharpened.
He immediately began attacking.
Screen.
Drive.
Another screen.
Another drive.
The tallest Knicks player protecting the paint was Yi Jianlian.
Asking Yi to contain Wade repeatedly in space was extremely difficult.
Fortunately for New York, the offense continued producing.
The lead remained around 10 points.
For several possessions, Wade became Miami's primary offensive weapon.
New York eventually tightened its coverage.
Yi could not be left alone against Wade every time.
If the matchup continued like that, Wade would eventually destroy his confidence.
So New York began sending help.
On one possession, Wade attacked the paint and drew the double team.
Instead of forcing the finish, he wrapped a smooth pass behind him.
Mike Miller was waiting.
Catch.
3 pointer.
Swish!
Elite players were rarely limited to scoring.
When Wade wanted to pass, his court awareness and basketball IQ were more than good enough to punish an aggressive defense.
Nelson called timeout.
When play resumed, DeAndre Jordan and Curry returned.
DeAndre's role against Miami was extremely important.
Protect the rim.
Control the glass.
Provide physical presence inside.
Nobody else on New York's roster could completely replace those things.
His offensive production barely mattered.
With Chen, Curry, and David West providing scoring, New York did not need DeAndre taking shots.
If he finished with 0 points, the Knicks could live with it.
If he gave them 2 points, that was a bonus.
As the 2nd quarter moved past its midway point, Nelson gradually returned the starters to the floor.
The game quickly returned to the same rhythm as the opening quarter.
Fast.
Aggressive.
Constant movement.
Both teams pushed the pace.
But Miami still could not close the gap.
At halftime, New York led 65 to 53.
12 points.
Barkley leaned back in his chair.
"These teams want to play the same kind of game tonight. Fast possessions, quick decisions, get out and run. The difference is New York is simply doing it better."
Kenny Smith nodded.
"They are also winning the 3 point battle by a huge margin. New York attempted 23 3 pointers in the 1st half and made 13. Miami attempted 13 and made 6."
Barkley shook his head.
"And that is dangerous. Teams play New York and somehow get dragged into New York basketball. Suddenly everybody wants to shoot more 3s than they normally do."
He pointed toward the court.
"You cannot beat a team this good by copying what they do best. You have to force them into your game."
Kenny turned toward guest analyst Sun Yue.
"Do you think New York finishes the series tonight?"
Sun Yue considered the question.
"The Knicks look very comfortable. The game is being played at their pace."
He continued.
"And it is not only Chen Yan tonight. Curry is playing well. David West is playing well. When all 3 are in rhythm, it becomes very difficult to send extra defenders toward any 1 player."
Barkley smiled.
"This New York offense is built around speed, movement, and quick decisions. Sounds like something you would have enjoyed."
Sun Yue gave an awkward smile.
Returning to the NBA was not something he could simply decide to do.
New York already had 4 point guards.
The position was crowded.
And even teams that needed guards would have questions about his fit.
Sun Yue's athleticism had always stood out in China, but it was far less exceptional against NBA competition.
His shooting and passing had never developed enough to compensate.
Kenny noticed his expression and laughed.
"Charles is already trying to turn the Knicks into an international reunion."
Barkley laughed too.
With Chen Yan and Yi Jianlian already on the roster, adding another Chinese player really would make New York look like a miniature national team.
The halftime numbers showed how much Chen had controlled the game without forcing his scoring.
18 points.
7 assists.
7 rebounds.
3 steals.
1 block.
A remarkably complete stat line.
But by Chen Yan's standards, it did not look explosive.
Fans were waiting.
They knew the eruption would come eventually.
They simply did not know when.
They got their answer almost immediately after halftime.
New York's first possession of the 3rd quarter.
Chen isolated Wade.
Between the legs.
Crossover.
Another crossover.
Wade stayed in front as long as he could.
Then Chen suddenly stepped back beyond the 3 point line.
Rise.
Swish!
There was almost no defense for that move.
Create separation.
Rise before the defender recovers.
Release from a height the contest cannot reach.
Simple in theory.
Almost impossible in practice.
On the next possession, Chen moved without the ball.
New York set up the elevator action.
The screen closed behind him.
Chen emerged beyond the arc.
Catch.
Shoot.
Swish!
Another 3 pointer.
Miami barely had time to recover before New York struck again 2 possessions later.
The Heat missed.
New York ran.
Chen pushed into the frontcourt.
Then, before Miami could fully retreat, he suddenly stopped several steps beyond the 3 point line.
Pullup.
The ball flew.
Swish!
3 consecutive 3 pointers.
Kenny Smith raised his voice.
"That is Chen Yan's shot. Deep in transition, no hesitation."
Barkley shook his head.
"3 straight 3s to open the half. Spoelstra better call timeout before this gets out of control."
Kenny nodded.
"That is about the only thing you can try. Stop the game and hope the break cools him down."
Barkley looked toward the Miami bench.
"That is what makes Chen so dangerous. You know the scoring burst is coming."
He paused.
"You just never know when."
Another replay showed Chen's 3rd shot dropping cleanly through the net.
Barkley laughed.
"And sometimes, even when you know exactly when it is coming, there is still nothing you can do about it."
....
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