Chapter 621: The Trail Blazers Picked the Wrong Opponent
Coming back from the timeout, Roy brought the ball up.
After receiving the pass, he probed continuously, but Chen Yan did not bite on any of his fakes. Chen Yan kept the proper distance, lowered his center of gravity, and stayed ready to react whether Roy pulled up or drove.
Brandon Roy chose to attack off the dribble.
Having learned from the turnover on the opening possession, he no longer pushed the ball forward. Instead, he kept it tight by his side, protecting it carefully as he drove.
However, keeping the ball to the side also limited his speed.
Chen Yan cut off Roy's path in advance, denying him the chance to drive comfortably or rise into a clean shot.
Roy was forced to shoot from the 3 point line.
Under Chen Yan's interference, the shot missed.
Diaw secured the rebound.
The crowd erupted again. Chen Yan's full effort performance on offense and defense had already put the fans in a frenzy.
The Suns tried to run, but they could not get the pace up. Chen Yan received the ball and prepared to attack 1 on 1.
Portland did not give him that chance.
Marion and Roy immediately formed a double team. During the timeout, McMillan had emphasized 1 thing clearly. If Chen Yan tried to isolate, they had to double team him without hesitation.
Chen Yan had started too well. McMillan did not want to let him completely heat up. If that happened, Portland would be in serious danger.
Facing the double team, Chen Yan took 1 step back, then passed the ball out.
Diaw caught it, stepped forward, and knocked down a mid range jumper.
The Suns opened the game with a 10 to 0 run.
McMillan was already getting restless. He stood up from the sideline and instructed the Trail Blazers to attack the paint.
Everyone understood that the closer a player got to the rim, the higher the shooting percentage. Driving inside also increased the chance of drawing fouls.
McMillan was anxious now.
He urgently needed his players to score and break the awkward situation.
Andre Miller lobbed the ball to Aldridge.
Aldridge backed down once, gave a shoulder fake, then turned into a fadeaway jumper.
"Swish!"
The shot went in.
This could be considered 1 of Aldridge's signature moves. For a player of his height, a fadeaway jumper after a fake was usually very difficult to contest. Whether it went in depended almost entirely on his touch.
2 to 10.
Suns possession.
Chen Yan came out from the baseline and was double teamed again. Nash decisively passed the ball to Hill.
Andre Miller moved over to cover Hill.
Nash shifted horizontally toward the 60 degree angle beyond the 3 point line. Hill understood immediately and passed the ball back to Nash.
Old Nash released the 3 pointer without hesitation.
The shot went in.
2 to 13.
McMillan could only shake his head after seeing that.
Even after Chen Yan attracted the double team, the other Suns players were still able to score. That was the scenario he least wanted to see.
Even so, Portland still did not dare to let Chen Yan play 1 on 1.
There was a saying around the league now.
Chen Yan in isolation was basically an open shot.
Although it was a joke, there was truth in it. Chen Yan's 1 on 1 ability was absurdly strong. He could score from any position in the half court, and he did it while maintaining a high shooting percentage.
Watching Chen Yan this season, people sometimes felt he was not shooting particularly well because he missed a few difficult shots.
Then they would check the box score and realize he was still shooting above 50 percent.
That was the power of a superstar.
The reason fans felt Chen Yan missed a lot was not because he was inaccurate. It was because their expectations for him were too high.
They wanted him to make every shot.
Roy was a Western Conference All Star guard and the core of the Portland Trail Blazers, but compared with Chen Yan, he still looked dim.
They were not on the same level.
Just in terms of the ability to attract defensive attention, the gap between them was enormous. Chen Yan only had to make a casual move before a double team, or even a triple team, came his way.
Roy could still be defended by 1 man.
If he drove off a screen, the Suns could rotate in time.
Roy was not a player with explosive athleticism. His strengths were refined technique, stable shooting, and a calm mind.
Roy chose to drive hard against Chen Yan.
Chen Yan did not lose position.
Roy protected the ball and advanced toward the free throw line. He wanted to use his own threat to attract help defense and create a driving lane, but the Suns showed no intention of double teaming him.
Chen Yan's defensive positioning was too good. He gave Roy no clean chance to shoot.
Roy could only pass to Aldridge.
Aldridge caught the ball, turned, and prepared to shoot from the high post.
But Diaw guarded him tightly.
Seeing no opening, Aldridge passed the ball to Marion on the perimeter.
Marion hunched his shoulders and shot with a somewhat awkward release. His shot was actually accurate when he had space, but he needed room to get into his motion.
Hill gave him strong interference.
Marion's 3 pointer missed.
Gallinari boxed out, and Chen Yan rushed in to secure the defensive rebound.
Suns possession.
Nash ran a pick and roll, then passed the ball to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan caught it, attacked, and kicked the ball out to Hill on the 3 point line.
Hill missed.
The Trail Blazers players finally let out a breath.
That was the Suns' 1st missed shot of the game. If Phoenix continued shooting with that kind of accuracy, Portland might be buried before the 1st quarter even ended.
The Trail Blazers set up their offense.
Andre Miller passed the ball, then ran to the low post. After receiving it again, he backed down aggressively against Nash and scored 2 points.
4 to 13.
Suns offense.
Nash brought the ball across half court, and Chen Yan came out to receive it.
This time, Chen Yan finally got a chance to play 1 on 1.
The other Suns players had also started well, so Portland could not double team Chen Yan on every possession. If they did, they would collapse even faster.
Chen Yan did not waste time. He immediately drove toward the basket.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Chen Yan dribbled continuously between his legs, the ball moving fast and tight near his shins.
He knew Marion's defensive traits very well.
Aside from height and strong mobility, Marion also had long, ape like arms. 1 careless move, and the ball could be poked away.
Marion was fully focused, his eyes locked on Chen Yan's lower body.
Against Chen Yan, Marion never expected to steal the ball. For him, simply staying in position was already a success.
After the continuous between the legs dribbles, Chen Yan suddenly accelerated.
This was 1 of his skilled driving methods.
Marion was just about to turn and follow when Chen Yan suddenly exploded backward with the ball and completed a step back.
Marion showed his powerful mobility and defensive ability, keeping up with Chen Yan's step back.
If Chen Yan had shot at that moment, Marion would have been able to provide enough interference.
But Chen Yan did not play into his hands.
If defensive players could read him so easily, he would not be Chen Yan.
Chen Yan immediately changed direction into a crossover step and successfully got past him.
Marion forced his body to twist back. His defensive instincts told him he had to keep up.
However, his previous lunge had been too aggressive. That sudden turn caused him to completely lose balance.
Marion slipped and fell to the floor, looking utterly disheveled.
Chen Yan drove straight in, reached the edge of the paint, and released a perfect floater before Aldridge could fully rotate over.
4 to 15.
Portland was already showing signs of collapse at the start of the game.
Kenny Smith chuckled. "You have to send 2 guys at Chen. If you do not, this is what happens."
Barkley could not help adding, "I think Portland picked the wrong opponent. They should have lost a few more games at the end of the regular season. If they played Dallas, they would not be getting pushed around like this."
Although Barkley was joking, his words had some truth to them.
During the regular season, Portland and Dallas had split their matchups 2 to 2.
Against the Mavericks, the Trail Blazers had not fallen behind at all.
.....
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