Chapter 698: Fight to the Bitter End
In the 2nd quarter, led by Barea and Turiaf, the Knicks bench played exceptionally well.
The 2 constantly ran pick and rolls, relentlessly attacking the paint. By the time the starters returned, New York's lead had already reached double digits.
After Chen Yan entered the game, he continued the tactics from the 1st quarter.
With his teammates shooting well tonight, he felt even more confident dedicating himself almost entirely to defending Wade.
Wade was extremely frustrated.
At 1st, he had thought Chen Yan was only trying to intimidate him in the 1st quarter. He did not expect Chen Yan to defend him the same way in the 2nd quarter as well.
Was he really going all out against him?
Wade was no pushover.
He was also a superstar.
At this moment, he certainly could not back down.
He immediately took the ball and went directly at Chen Yan.
Wade repeatedly took the ball in the backcourt to challenge Chen Yan 1 on 1, showing tremendous intensity. But he only succeeded 1 time in 3 attempts, and on 1 possession, Chen Yan defended him into a traveling violation.
Wade received the ball in the backcourt, and Chen Yan stayed glued to him.
Kobe had specifically emphasized yesterday that Wade could not be given space. If he was not guarded in the backcourt, he might accelerate all the way into the paint.
"That is right! Just like that!" Kobe said, pumping his fist in front of the TV.
Chen Yan was defending Wade exactly as he had instructed, which made Kobe feel as if he were fighting alongside Chen Yan.
It was a truly unique feeling.
Wade constantly used back to the basket moves and dribbled between his legs, taking almost 7 seconds just to cross half court.
This was exactly what Chen Yan wanted to see.
The more complex the moves, the higher the probability of a turnover, even for a superstar.
Wade also realized this, so after crossing half court, he protected the ball with his back to the basket.
Chen Yan applied immense pressure, guarding him tightly.
Wade realized he was in a passive position and immediately swung his left hand, sprinting 2 steps to his right.
Chen Yan quickly followed, extending his left hand as if trying to steal the ball.
There was purpose behind this action.
Chen Yan was intentionally forcing Wade to go left.
Wade indeed took the bait, changing direction and switching the ball to his left hand.
Wade dribbled continuously, trying to find a path to drive, unaware that he had already stepped into the trap Chen Yan had set.
Wade's consecutive between the legs and behind the back dribbles eventually led to a turnover.
Chen Yan applied even more pressure, forcing Wade to gather the ball. In his panic, Wade was called for traveling.
The crowd booed loudly.
Wade shook his head.
The last person who could defend him like this was Kobe.
"Beautiful! That is how you defend!" Kobe cheered with a clenched fist, instantly transforming into a Chen Yan fan.
"Oh! Beautiful defense, very beautiful defense!" Kenny Smith said.
Barkley said, "Chen's defense has always been underestimated. People love describing him as strong offensively and weak defensively, but the truth is, he has top tier physical talent and excellent defensive awareness. That means his defense can never be poor. Tonight's performance is enough to prove that. Wade is a top 3 shooting guard in the league, and he ranks very high among shooting guards in NBA history."
Chen Yan devoted almost all of his energy to defense in the 1st half, taking only 8 shots and making 5 of them, including 4 of 6 from 3 point range, scoring 14 points.
Wade took 9 shots in the 1st half, making only 3, and scored 7 points including free throws.
Wade was completely shut down tonight, and James suddenly became flustered.
In previous series, Wade had been the primary scorer, with James focusing on playmaking.
Now that Wade was completely locked up, James suddenly became the primary scorer.
James shooting ability during this period was limited. Both his 3 point shot and mid range shot were inconsistent.
The Knicks adopted a compact defense, severely restricting James.
Without Wade drawing defensive attention, James struggled greatly, making only 6 of 14 shots in the 1st half.
Both of Miami's core players were silenced tonight.
The only good news for the Heat was perhaps that Chen Yan was also limited as a result, so the point differential was not particularly large.
At halftime, the Knicks led 55 to 42, a 13 point advantage.
In the 3rd quarter, New York's shooters went cold.
Nelson changed tactics, and Chen Yan began taking over the offense.
Wade was freed on offense, but Miami still could not catch up.
Chen Yan scored 16 points in a single quarter, exceeding his total from the 1st 2 quarters combined.
In the 4th quarter, the Knicks shooters regained their touch, and Chen Yan focused on driving and dishing.
For Miami, Wade's seal loosened.
His offense ignited the Heat's overall firepower, and James also began to get going.
Even so, the point differential remained consistently above 10 points.
In the final 2 minutes, Chen Yan hit 2 consecutive difficult jumpers, 1 from 3 point range and 1 from mid range, completely killing the game.
Miami conceded and pulled all its starters.
They already led the series 2 to 0, so there was no need to fight desperately in a game where they were trailing by such a large margin.
The Knicks won a game, and the home fans began celebrating wildly.
Chen Yan finished with 35 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds, while Wade, his direct counterpart, had only 15 points and 5 rebounds.
It was a complete underperformance.
At the post game press conference, Wade expressed his frustration.
"The Knicks changed their tactical deployment, and that disrupted our plans. Chen's defense was very effective. I did not expect him to guard me full court. I did not play up to my usual standard, so the blame for this loss is on me."
Wade took responsibility, showing great leadership.
James said, "Dwyane will not stay out of rhythm forever. We will help him find his rhythm and give him support. He is my brother, and I trust him unconditionally."
When a reporter asked about Chen Yan, James expression darkened.
"You know, Chen Yan is an extremely excellent player. Tonight, he displayed all the qualities an excellent player should have. He was impeccable on both offense and defense. We will go back and carefully study the tape from tonight's game."
The Heat coaching staff held a meeting late into the night to discuss countermeasures.
They came up with 2 strategies.
The 1st was to sacrifice Wade, having him run extensively without the ball to drain Chen Yan's stamina.
The 2nd was to constantly set screens for Wade, preventing him from directly facing Chen Yan.
Winning Game 3 significantly boosted the morale of the entire Knicks team.
The atmosphere at home for Game 4 was electrifying.
Both teams kept their starting lineups unchanged, and Kenyon Martin won the tip.
The Knicks had the 1st possession.
Chen Yan circled out to receive the ball, and Wade immediately stuck to him, signaling his intent to play with intensity.
Just as Chen Yan had done to Wade in the previous game.
Chen Yan nudged Wade with his elbow before trying to accelerate toward the wing to receive the ball.
Wade, unwilling to be outdone, immediately followed with tight defense, constantly making small fouls.
The tension between the 2 was palpable.
Tonight, Wade had made up his mind.
He had decided to sacrifice himself for the team.
His main task on both offense and defense was to wear down Chen Yan.
In fact, ever since James came to Miami, Wade had been sacrificing.
From ball handling duties, to team status, to media spotlight.
James was the 1st overall pick of the 2003 draft, a prodigy, a man who came with his own aura.
From the 1st day he arrived in Miami, Wade was no longer destined to be the team's most popular player.
Chen Yan circled around 1 and a half laps but still could not shake Wade off.
It was then that he realized Wade was determined to go head to head with him all night.
.....
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