Chapter 709: Favorable Situation
Chen Yan personally dribbled the ball past half court.
He did not rush to accelerate. Instead, he dribbled in place 2 steps beyond the 3 point line on the right side.
Wade's eyes kept darting left and right, wary of a screen that could come at any moment.
Chen Yan saw Wade distracted and did not wait for a teammate to set the screen.
He immediately started his drive.
At the edge of the 3 point line, Chen Yan faked a change of direction.
The moment Wade reached out to steal the ball, Chen Yan executed a cross body dribble and went to his right.
With a gliding layup, Chen Yan jumped before Pau Gasol and easily scored.
94 to 88.
"That was beautiful," Barkley shouted. "A solo charge straight into the dragon's den. That was pure individual skill."
"That is Chen Yan," Kenny Smith said. "Always ready to deliver a fatal blow to your heart."
Miami remained calm.
A 6 point deficit still offered them a chance.
James continued to dribble past half court.
In the 4th quarter, Miami's point guard was merely a prop. Chalmers main role was to help move the ball around and occasionally take open 3 point shots.
James was doing the work of 2 men by himself.
After signaling a play, James passed to Chalmers, then ran left to 1 step inside the 3 point line and posted up.
The moment Chalmers passed the ball, Chen Yan immediately moved behind James.
If James had hesitated for even 1 second, the ball would undoubtedly have been stolen by Chen Yan.
But James seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. The instant Chen Yan came to double team, he flicked the ball away with force.
The basketball was passed directly into the paint, and Wade, cutting without the ball, attacked the rim.
Kenyon Martin reached out to block, but Wade executed a pump fake and scored.
Not only did he score, he also drew a foul from Kenyon Martin.
A 2 plus 1.
James glanced at Chen Yan before high fiving Wade.
Only then did Chen Yan realize he had been outsmarted by LeBron.
James had displayed his top tier basketball IQ and vision on this possession.
But this was also the fun of playing against a player like James.
When masters faced each other, they countered every move and tried to guess each other's intentions.
Wade made the free throw.
94 to 91.
Knicks fans began to get nervous as the score drew closer.
New York offensive possession.
Once again, Chen Yan dribbled the ball past half court himself.
He felt that at this moment, he needed to step up and stabilize the team's morale.
And the best way to stabilize the Knicks was to keep the ball in his hands.
After crossing half court, Chen Yan handed the ball off to Barea.
Then Chen Yan moved without the ball.
Chen Yan first set an off ball screen with Al Harrington at the top of the arc, then drove toward the paint.
Then Kenyon Martin set a 2nd screen for Chen Yan, who ran to the right baseline corner.
Barea immediately passed the ball with a bounce pass.
Chen Yan received the ball and stepped into a pivot turn at the same time.
The movements were seamless.
The defender could not keep up and could only watch Chen Yan shoot.
The basketball swished through the net.
Chen Yan's shooting always gave the fans a sense of calm.
96 to 91.
Miami continued to let James orchestrate the offense.
As Barkley said, James offensive desire gradually decreased as the game progressed.
James passed the ball to Wade, letting The Flash attack.
After observing Chen Yan's defensive positioning, Wade made a change of direction and drove aggressively.
Chen Yan stuck to him, and the 2 moved with sparks flying until they reached the free throw line area.
Wade suddenly stopped short, then pulled back with a reverse between the legs dribble.
This ability to accelerate and stop instantly was unique in the league.
Even Chen Yan could not claim to do it better than Wade.
Wade pulled back and shot a fadeaway from the high post.
Chen Yan's body control was also 1st class, but even so, it was still difficult to disrupt Wade.
Wade's shot was an extremely difficult move.
Swish.
The basketball dropped through the net.
96 to 93.
Wade pounded his chest, extremely excited.
At this point, the game had become a stage for Chen Yan and Wade.
The 2 stars went back and forth, trading baskets.
New York offense.
Barea crossed half court.
Chen Yan came out to receive the ball, and this time, Miami's double team was executed very decisively.
Spoelstra shouted frantically from the sideline, "Do not let him shoot! Double him! Double him!"
Chalmers, who was closest to Chen Yan, closed in.
Chen Yan calmly stepped back and passed the ball out without rushing.
Barea took an open 3 point shot.
It hit the front rim.
Barkley could not help but sigh. "Oh, he missed it. That was a wide open opportunity."
Kenny nodded. "Barea rushed that shot a little. He had plenty of time to adjust for 1 more second."
Miami offense.
Wade continued driving with the ball.
He was hot now and ready to strike while the iron was hot.
Pau Gasol came up to set a screen. Kenyon Martin immediately stepped up, refusing to give Wade any space to drive.
Only by forcing Wade beyond the 3 point line could his offensive threat be minimized.
Then Chen Yan made a very unexpected move.
He did not go around the screen to chase Wade. Instead, he ran directly to the corner where Mike Miller was waiting.
Al Harrington, who had originally been guarding Mike Miller, immediately understood and moved into the paint to help.
Wade accelerated past Kenyon Martin, then faced Al Harrington's help defense and leaped up, powerfully passing the ball toward the baseline.
But he did not know that Chen Yan had already anticipated his move.
Chen Yan leaped while running, completing a stylish steal with a half turn in midair.
This play was not only a testament to Chen Yan's awareness, but also to his athleticism.
His jumping height on this play was incredibly exaggerated, and he even completed a midair rotation.
His coordination and body flexibility were so impressive that one might think he was a gymnast.
"That was beautiful," Barkley muttered. "That steal was beautiful. How did he know Wade would pass? And how did he know where the ball would fly?"
"Maybe that is what people mean when they say he has eyes in the back of his head," Kenny joked.
After stealing the ball, Chen Yan did not immediately launch a counterattack.
It was not that he did not want to.
He had lost his balance in the air, landed while leaning backward, and stumbled, nearly falling out of bounds.
After regaining his balance, Chen Yan dribbled the ball past half court.
Chen Yan's way of advancing the ball into the frontcourt was very unique.
He used 1 hand to brace against Kenyon Martin's back while slowly dribbling forward with his right hand.
The 2 looked like conjoined twins, making it impossible for Wade to press tightly and drain Chen Yan's stamina.
The 2 moved together until they reached 2 steps beyond the 3 point line at the top of the arc.
Chen Yan suddenly pulled up.
Wade could not block it, because the person in front of Chen Yan was Kenyon Martin.
The basketball swished through the net.
The net bloomed.
99 to 93.
This 3 point shot was a huge morale booster.
The roar of the fans immediately erupted.
James threw up his hands, signaling to the referee that it was a moving screen.
The referee indicated that the basket was good, because Kenyon Martin had stopped and was standing still when Chen Yan shot.
The fans in the arena saw James getting anxious and erupted with an even louder roar.
Many fans began mocking James as a school kid who liked to complain to the referees.
"Defense!"
"Defense!"
"Defense!"
Overwhelming chants filled the air during Miami's offensive possession.
Miami offense.
James continued to organize the play.
After a pick and roll, James passed the ball to Pau Gasol in the high post.
On the sideline, Spoelstra showed his dissatisfaction.
He wanted James to display stronger offensive desire, not just organize.
Pau Gasol's high post shot missed.
With less than 5 minutes left in the game, the situation on the court was favorable for the Knicks.
.....
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