Chapter 710: Pyrrhic Victory
Miami had the ball.
Wade was too eager on this possession, driving into a crowd with the ball.
Chen Yan stood waiting on Wade's side, ready to interfere with his shot or block his passing lanes.
Wade was an experienced veteran.
If he passed rashly at this moment, the probability of a turnover would be high.
He simply steeled himself and took a difficult fadeaway.
Chen Yan reached out and provided enough interference, while Kenyon Martin also tried to block him from the front.
Although neither of them managed to block Wade's shot, Wade's form was clearly a little twisted this time.
Battier grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan did not push a fast break. Instead, he slowed the pace and brought the ball into the frontcourt.
Chen Yan stopped the ball at the top of the arc, and Kenyon Martin, who had just caught up from behind, set a screen for him.
Wade immediately chose to go around Kenyon Martin.
He could not let Chen Yan score from the same spot twice.
Chen Yan did not shoot. After a change of direction, he accelerated straight to the basket.
The Heat players went crazy.
Everyone collapsed on defense, rushing toward Chen Yan.
They absolutely would not let him score on this possession.
Chen Yan threw a high lob while moving.
A very unconventional shot.
No one expected this choice.
But what they expected even less was that Chen Yan was not shooting.
The basketball arced in a strange trajectory toward the other side of the rim.
Kenyon Martin, who had just set the screen and rolled, lightly tipped the ball in midair and scored.
By this point, Kenyon Martin's stamina was also declining.
If he were younger, he definitely would have dunked that ball fiercely.
Miami offense.
James drove and dished to Wade.
Wade, with the ball in his hands, showcased his individual skill, completing a pass through tight space to assist Pau Gasol for a bank shot under the basket.
New York offense.
After a double screen, Chen Yan chose to pass across the court to Battier.
Not every double screen was effective on every possession, especially after Chen Yan's continuous scoring. The Heat players were pressing Chen Yan even tighter now.
Battier faked a shot, then drove to the baseline.
After 2 dribbles, the ball hit his thigh and rolled out of bounds.
A little awkward.
This kind of drive was not his specialty.
Chen Yan patted Battier's shoulder in encouragement.
At this point in the game, the nerves of both teams were stretched tight.
Turnovers were perfectly normal.
Battier made up for it on the next possession, poking the ball away from James.
Wade went all out, sliding on the floor to regain control of the basketball.
It was clear that his desire to win tonight was overflowing.
After getting the ball, Wade immediately passed it to James on the spot, just to prevent Chen Yan from stealing it.
James had a 1 on 1 opportunity against Battier, but he chose to pass.
Chalmers caught the ball and took a 3 pointer.
Missed.
Barkley could not help but say, "LeBron passed again? He should have taken that shot himself. That was a 1 on 1 opportunity."
Kenny Smith agreed. "James needs to be more decisive. This is when a superstar has to step up."
Chen Yan secured the defensive rebound and dribbled the ball forward.
Wade stood up and followed.
Chen Yan drove and paused 1 step outside the 3 point line, then shimmied his shoulder and went between his legs, switching the ball to his left hand.
This move was not difficult to defend.
The challenge lay in Chen Yan's unique rhythm changes.
Chen Yan used his rhythm to directly break through Wade's defense.
Miller and Pau Gasol came over to help, and Chen Yan twisted his body to pass to Al Harrington.
If this shot went in, the gap between the 2 teams would be extended to 10 points.
However, at the moment Al Harrington went for the layup, a pair of large hands pinned the ball against the backboard.
James had once again completed his signature chase down block.
After securing the ball, James made a long pass to assist Wade.
Chen Yan was in the paint at this time.
He did not have teleportation ability and could not catch up to Wade.
He could only watch Wade dunk with 1 hand.
101 to 95.
"That was a shame," Barkley said, shaking his head. "Al Harrington did not finish, and that is a 4 point swing right there."
"You cannot blame Al Harrington too much," Kenny Smith said. "That was James chasing him down. His physical tools are simply too outstanding."
For the next few minutes, the Knicks continued letting Chen Yan attack with the ball.
New York's strategy was simple.
Create opportunities for Chen Yan.
A desperate 4 man support system built around 1 player.
They had basically shown their hand.
But even so, Miami still found it very difficult to contain him.
It was not without drawbacks.
This approach placed a heavy burden on Chen Yan's physical and mental stamina.
In the final 2 minutes of the game, Chen Yan's stamina visibly dropped.
In tonight's game, he not only had to attack and organize, but was also responsible for defending the opponent's main offensive threat.
Especially after Curry was injured and left the game, the burden on Chen Yan became even heavier.
In the final 2 minutes, Chen Yan's efficiency declined, and Miami pushed hard to catch up.
The score stood at 110 to 107, with New York leading by 3.
With 31 seconds left in the game, Miami had possession.
This could be called Miami's most crucial offensive possession of the entire game.
The ball was in James hands.
James moved back and forth, signaling a play.
Until there were 8 seconds left on the shot clock, he inexplicably whipped the ball across the court. It sailed over Wade and reached Miller on the wing outside the 3 point line.
Mike Miller did not even expect the ball to be passed to him.
Relying on a shooter's instinct, he fired from beyond the 3 point line.
The basketball swished through the net.
The Heat bench erupted in cheers.
New York's last shot missed, and the game went into overtime.
The Knicks started the 1st possession of overtime.
Chen Yan had the ball.
He had consumed a massive amount of energy tonight, but Nelson still stuck to the previous strategy, letting Chen Yan play 1 on 1.
To win, there was no other way.
After consecutive screens, Chen Yan handed the ball off to Barea.
Barea dribbled with his left hand to the top of the arc, then passed to Battier.
Chen Yan cut toward the paint at that moment, and Miami's defense collapsed.
Barea saw an open shot and decisively took a 3 pointer.
Swish.
113 to 110.
For Miami, James directly controlled the ball across half court.
His defender had become Chen Yan.
In the final moments, defending James saved more energy than defending Wade.
James held the ball 2 steps outside the 3 point line at the top of the arc, observing the movement on the court.
Chen Yan stood on the 3 point line, giving him 2 steps of space.
If James could make an ultra long 3 point shot, Chen Yan would accept it.
However, James usually would not make such a risky move.
James dribbled the ball while making ineffective movements.
He deliberately ran down the shot clock until only 9 seconds remained.
Wade cut through, and Battier stuck very close to him.
James had no space to pass, so he decided to take it himself.
After a spin move, he drove inside, then suddenly pulled the ball back with a behind the back dribble around the right elbow.
A fluid sequence of moves.
Unfortunately, the shot was a little short.
The basketball hit the front rim and bounced out.
New York offense.
Barea slowly pushed forward.
At this stage, both teams were heavily fatigued, and rashly initiating a fast break could significantly increase the chance of a turnover.
Chen Yan used a screen to run to the elbow area.
The moment he received the ball, Wade and James immediately trapped him.
The defensive pressure from the 2 of them was immense.
They did not only want to prevent Chen Yan from shooting.
They did not even want him to pass.
Chen Yan passed the ball back to Barea through the gap between them, then ran to the other elbow area.
Barea passed again.
Chen Yan caught the ball and shot immediately, not giving Miami a chance to double team.
Swish.
2 points made.
"Chen Yan is playing the most efficient basketball in the simplest way," Kenny Smith said.
"Miami needs to change its approach if it wants to win this game," Barkley said. "1 player holding the ball until the final 8 or 9 seconds before making a decision is not going to work."
Fans joked that Barkley might as well just say James name directly.
Miami offensive possession.
James hesitated again.
The closer it got to the critical moments of the game, the heavier James psychological burden became. He wanted to win, but he feared losing.
James dribbled at the top of the arc for a few seconds, then passed to Wade.
Pau Gasol came up for a screen and roll, and Battier and Kenyon Martin were both very smart, simultaneously taking 1 step back.
If Wade drove, he would walk right into their trap.
If he did not drive, 3 point shooting was not his strength.
Wade, helpless, could only pass back to James.
James paused, then passed to Pau Gasol, who had position.
At the critical moment, neither of the team's 2 superstars stepped up to take responsibility.
Pau Gasol could only take it himself.
After a jab step, Pau Gasol dribbled toward the baseline.
This play was too obvious.
Al Harrington reached out and poked the ball.
The ball hit Pau Gasol's thigh and bounced out of bounds.
The 2 sides argued for a while over possession.
Finally, after reviewing the replay, the referee still gave possession to the Knicks.
The Knicks quickly inbounded, and Barea controlled the ball across half court.
Chen Yan moved closer to Barea, faked a screen, then immediately retreated to the 3 point line.
Barea quickly passed the ball.
Chen Yan raised his hand and shot.
Swish.
It pierced the net.
118 to 110.
Miami quickly called timeout.
They were showing signs of crumbling.
Spoelstra did not know how to adjust.
He could only encourage James to intensify his offense, because Wade's stamina was already close to its limit. Letting Wade continue to attack would certainly not be efficient enough.
Returning from the timeout, James tried to drive inside using a screen, but it was not effective.
James gathered the ball around the elbow and almost turned it over, but Wade came to help and successfully got the ball out.
"James seems a little dazed by New York's opening flurry in overtime," Barkley commented.
"He is a bit lost on the court right now," Kenny Smith said. "He might not know what he wants to do."
Wade caught the ball and took a hurried shot.
Missed.
The hearts of Miami fans had already gone cold.
The scales of victory in this game had completely tipped toward the Knicks.
Barea lobbed the ball to Kenyon Martin, who then passed to Battier.
Chen Yan used Al Harrington's screen to run into the paint.
Battier passed the ball in stride.
Chen Yan caught it, stopped abruptly, and shot at lightning speed.
Swish.
120 to 110.
Chen Yan made 3 consecutive shots in overtime.
With little stamina left, Chen Yan used the most classic and practical catch and shoot method to dismantle Miami's defense.
With only 2 minutes and 23 seconds left in overtime, the gap was 10 points.
Miami needed to score quickly, but James calmly ran the shot clock down to 12 seconds before taking his shot.
James missed a long range shot.
Pau Gasol desperately tipped the rebound out.
James caught the ball and shot again.
Clang.
His teammates truly trusted James.
But James truly could not make the shot.
The more anxious James became to shoot, the wilder his shots became.
However, this time, Miami again fought for the offensive rebound, and finally Pau Gasol made a layup for 2 points.
120 to 112.
On the next offensive possession, Miami finally stopped Chen Yan once.
However, they were already past the point of no return.
These 1 or 2 shots could no longer determine the outcome of the game.
In the end, the Knicks defeated the Heat 124 to 114 at home.
The home fans were extremely excited, but Chen Yan could not truly feel happy.
He had pushed himself to the brink of exhaustion in this game, and Curry was also injured.
For the Knicks, this was a hard won victory.
But it was also a painful one.
.....
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