Chapter 819: Has Basketball Fire Come to Life?
San Antonio stayed with Parker as the primary initiator.
The Spurs went back to the pick and roll.
This time, Curry tried to fight over the screen.
Parker read him instantly.
The moment Curry committed to going over, Parker abruptly changed direction and attacked the opposite side.
That was Parker's experience.
He did not blindly follow the original action. He watched the defender and attacked whatever opening appeared.
Parker reached the area near the free throw line.
Pullup from the mid range.
David West rushed over to contest.
The pressure was not particularly strong.
Still, the shot missed.
Duncan glanced toward the rim.
Then immediately turned and sprinted back on defense.
He did not even consider fighting for the offensive rebound.
Years of battling the Suns had taught Duncan exactly how dangerous run and gun teams could be.
Against an opponent built around speed, sometimes the smartest decision was to sacrifice the offensive glass and protect transition defense.
The rest of San Antonio followed him.
Everyone retreated.
Popovich had emphasized this point repeatedly before the game.
Give up some offensive rebounding opportunities if necessary.
Do not let New York run.
The Spurs executed the instruction perfectly.
The broadcast booth immediately noticed it.
"San Antonio's transition defense has been excellent. Even Duncan is getting back immediately. New York cannot find the easy fast break opportunities it usually creates."
"The discipline is obvious. San Antonio knows exactly what it wants to take away."
New York settled into half court offense.
Curry held the ball near the top and surveyed the floor.
Chen Yan and Battier repeated the movement from the previous possession.
They crossed.
Chen used an off ball screen and moved toward the wing.
Leonard chased.
This time, the rookie was even more alert.
He anticipated the screen and fought around it early.
Chen caught the ball.
He raised his eyes toward the rim.
Calm.
Balanced.
Leonard immediately rushed forward.
The instant Leonard committed, Chen moved.
1 dribble backward and sideways.
Space.
Leonard tried to adjust.
Too late.
Chen rose.
Swish!
Another 3 pointer.
2 to 6.
Madison Square Garden erupted.
2 consecutive 3 pointers.
The home crowd loved watching Chen attack from beyond the arc.
There was something uniquely satisfying about it.
Before Chen Yan, dunks had traditionally produced the strongest reactions from crowds.
NBA fans loved athleticism.
Contact.
Power.
The sharp impact of someone attacking the rim.
Long distance shooting did not usually create the same surge of adrenaline.
Chen changed that.
He turned the 3 pointer into a spectacle.
Normal 3 pointers.
Deep 3 pointers.
Shots from distances where defenders normally felt safe.
When Chen began stacking them together, each make seemed to raise the energy of the building another level.
His shooting was not merely efficient.
It was entertaining.
That was one reason he was viewed as a player changing the direction of basketball.
In his hands, different kinds of 3 point shots became almost artistic.
The broadcast booth laughed.
"That is 2 already. The question now is how many he makes tonight."
"And Leonard is learning how unforgiving this matchup is. Asking a rookie to guard Chen Yan in the NBA Finals is an enormous responsibility."
San Antonio came back down.
This time, the offense began with Duncan.
He established position inside, then turned to face DeAndre.
Duncan probed twice.
Right handed drive.
1 step.
Floater.
Clang!
Miss.
DeAndre had stayed with him and affected the attempt.
Even in his prime, Duncan had never relied primarily on speed.
Now, at 36, his pace was naturally even slower.
Chen secured the defensive rebound.
He immediately turned upcourt.
No waiting.
No allowing San Antonio to organize.
Chen pushed the ball himself.
Long strides.
Rapid acceleration.
Leonard retreated calmly.
He did not reach.
He did not gamble.
He maintained enough distance to protect against the drive.
Leonard knew exactly what Chen could do in transition.
He had grown up watching Chen's highlights.
He knew that reaching carelessly was often the fastest way to get beaten.
Once Chen crossed half court, Leonard finally stepped closer.
He had another problem to respect.
Chen's shooting range.
He could not simply keep backing away forever.
That was exactly what Chen wanted.
The moment Leonard moved forward, Chen lowered his body.
Acceleration.
Hard drive.
Leonard had been disciplined.
He was still too young.
Chen blew past him.
Diaw and Stephen Jackson both stepped up.
Chen gathered.
Pullback.
Then suddenly spun directly between them.
It was an extremely aggressive decision.
He had deliberately turned into the space where both defenders were closing.
Diaw and Jackson had no choice.
They jumped.
Chen jumped too.
But instead of shooting, Chen waited until both defenders committed.
Then he flicked the ball backward over his head.
Battier was trailing the play.
Catch.
1 step into the paint.
Layup off the glass.
Good.
2 to 8.
The crowd roared again.
The broadcast immediately replayed the possession.
"Chen intentionally attacked the gap between both defenders. Once Diaw and Jackson committed, the pass opened behind them."
"And they had to react. If they stayed down, Chen could simply finish. That is what makes the decision so difficult."
Chen's momentum carried him toward the baseline after landing.
San Antonio immediately recognized the opportunity.
Diaw grabbed the ball and inbounded quickly.
The Spurs preferred half court basketball.
That did not mean they were incapable of running.
Basketball was never that rigid.
The best teams changed pace whenever the opportunity appeared.
Parker received the ball near midcourt.
Change of direction.
Duncan stepped into Curry's path with a screen.
Parker accelerated.
Straight into the paint.
DeAndre collapsed.
David West came too.
Parker entered the air between both big men.
For an instant, he seemed suspended.
Then his body twisted.
His back partially turned toward the rim.
Parker flipped the ball backward over his head.
An unconventional finish.
Good.
4 to 8.
Beautiful.
Parker's touch around the basket remained elite.
Both Parker and Ginóbili had built reputations on their ability to finish from strange angles and positions.
Parker had started aggressively.
Curry was clearly being challenged.
And Curry was young enough to take that personally.
New York came back down.
Curry crossed half court.
He called for 2 screens.
Then, from 1 step beyond the 3 point line, he pulled up.
Clang!
Miss.
San Antonio immediately returned to its half court offense.
Parker crossed half court and passed to Leonard.
Chen crowded him.
At this stage of his career, Leonard's ball handling was still developing.
Chen knew that the moment Leonard put the ball on the floor, there might be an opportunity to attack it.
Leonard understood his own limitations.
He did not dribble.
2 probing movements.
Then a horizontal pass toward Diaw.
Diaw controlled the ball near the top.
Facilitating from that area was one of his strengths.
Parker cut toward the paint.
Leonard set an off ball screen for him.
Chen switched.
Parker received the ball and attacked.
He turned past David West.
Layup attempt.
Parker's attention stayed completely in front of him.
He forgot about the defender behind.
Chen exploded upward.
Smack!
The ball was slammed against the backboard.
Huge block.
New York could not immediately secure a fast break from it, but Chen recovered possession and handed the ball to Curry.
This time, Curry stayed patient.
He crossed half court.
Then passed to Chen.
Chen had already made 2 3 pointers.
San Antonio still did not send a double team.
Popovich clearly had his own defensive philosophy.
Fine.
Chen raised a hand.
Clear out.
Isolation.
Everyone moved away.
Chen stood about 2 steps beyond the 3 point line.
Between the legs.
Again.
Slow advance.
Leonard remained in front.
Then Chen suddenly attacked with his right leg.
Crossover.
Stepback.
He rose from deep.
Leonard had been waiting for it.
He lunged forward with everything he had.
His fingertips barely grazed the ball.
The shot continued toward the rim.
Clang!
Miss.
Leonard looked back.
His face remained expressionless.
Inside, however, he felt a flash of satisfaction.
Finally.
A successful defensive possession.
Then Chen sprinted past him.
The play was not over.
DeAndre exploded toward the rebound and forcefully tipped it back outside.
The ball flew toward the top of the arc.
Chen collected it.
Immediately.
Drive.
His speed changed the entire picture.
From the broadcast angle, it almost looked as though everyone else had slowed down.
9 players appeared frozen.
Chen was moving at another speed entirely.
He entered the paint.
Diaw waited.
Duncan was there too.
Chen jumped first.
He did not immediately release the ball.
He rarely did when defenders were already in the air with him.
Chen trusted his elevation.
He trusted his hang time.
Let the defenders reveal their intentions first.
Then decide.
Diaw jumped.
Duncan rose too.
Chen remained airborne.
For a fraction of a second, he found the smallest possible lane between them.
His body twisted through the gap.
He seemed to glide along an invisible line beneath the rim.
Reverse layup.
Off the glass.
Good.
4 to 10.
Madison Square Garden exploded.
The replay looked almost unreal.
Chen had attacked 2 interior defenders, waited for both of them in the air, then changed his body position and finished from the opposite side.
Fans watching online immediately began joking.
"What kind of movement was that?"
"Did he just walk through the air?"
"Is Basketball Fire becoming real life?"
For once, the exaggeration did not feel entirely unreasonable.
....
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