Chapter 761: Some Advice, Do Not Anger Chen Yan
After the All Star break, the Knicks received good news.
Curry was finally ready to return.
Unfortunately, his 1st game back was against the Miami Heat.
Curry had not played in more than half a year, so simply adjusting to the rhythm of an NBA game was already difficult. Facing such a powerful opponent only made matters worse.
Throughout the game, Curry looked as though he were sleepwalking.
By halftime, he still had 0 points.
It was an awkward return.
The Knicks entered the 2nd half trailing 58 to 51.
Miami was clever enough to recognize Curry's condition and repeatedly targeted him after his return from injury.
Curry recovered slightly in the 2nd half and managed to make a 3 pointer.
Even so, Nelson did not dare leave him on the court for too long.
First, Curry had not experienced a game with this level of intensity in far too long. Nelson feared that excessive minutes might lead to another injury.
Second, Curry could not keep up with the pace, especially on defense, where Wade and James constantly attacked him.
With 7 minutes and 12 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter, James drove into the paint and passed the ball directly into Chen Yan's hands.
Barkley immediately laughed.
"It looks like LeBron really enjoyed being Chen Yan's teammate. Every time he sees Chen, he cannot help passing him the ball."
Kenny Smith smiled.
"Those 2 should seriously consider playing together. Their chemistry during the All Star Game was excellent."
The game remained fiercely contested until the final moments.
Neither team's core players managed to convert their crucial opportunities.
Clutch shots were inherently difficult and rarely came with a high conversion rate.
Fans mistakenly believed superstars should always make them because they had watched too many of Chen Yan's games.
That created a false impression.
Even Kobe, a player famous for embracing decisive shots, converted only 37.4 percent of his clutch attempts.
The psychological pressure and defensive intensity during those possessions were completely different from ordinary moments.
Missing was normal.
A monster such as Chen Yan, whose clutch shooting percentage was higher than his regular shooting percentage, was virtually unprecedented in NBA history.
After the game entered overtime, DeAndre Jordan fouled out.
The attacking styles of James and Wade placed tremendous pressure on opposing interior defenders.
New York's widespread injury problems became obvious during overtime.
Inside, they could rely only on David West.
Al Harrington was essentially half perimeter player, half interior player.
The backcourt rotation was also severely depleted.
Although Curry had returned, his current form was even worse than Jeremy Lin's.
The balance of the game gradually tilted toward Miami.
Ultimately, the Heat survived the overtime battle and earned a 122 to 115 victory.
Chen Yan finished with 43 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds.
After the game, Curry's eyes revealed a mixture of disappointment and guilt.
Chen Yan understood exactly what he was thinking.
He walked over and patted Curry on the head.
"Winning and losing are both part of the game."
Curry nodded and said he would recover his rhythm as quickly as possible.
Chen Yan told him not to rush.
He needed to regain his form gradually.
Remaining healthy was the most important thing, and there was still time before the Playoffs began.
On February 29, the Knicks crushed the Cavaliers at home.
Chen Yan sat out after 3 quarters, finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Triple doubles had become routine for Chen Yan this season.
Through the Knicks 1st 36 games, Chen Yan had recorded 27 triple doubles.
The Cavaliers best performer that night was Kelenna Azubuike, who scored 28 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.
Azubuike's playing style was very similar to Chen Yan's.
Some of his moves had even been personally taught to him by Chen Yan.
Fans commented that Azubuike had grasped Chen Yan's essence.
At certain moments, it almost felt as though 2 versions of Chen Yan were playing on the court.
Irving struggled again.
He needed 19 shots to score 19 points.
However, the Cavaliers were not afraid of Irving struggling.
They were afraid of him becoming too scared to shoot.
Their plan this season was to allow Irving to develop through experience.
Just as in the previous meeting, Irving wanted to prove himself in front of Chen Yan.
Unfortunately, he was still too inexperienced.
Chen Yan controlled him from every angle and in every aspect of the game.
The more Irving focused on proving himself, the more difficult it became for him to perform naturally.
Curry found a little rhythm during the game.
He scored 13 points and recorded 4 assists while making 2 of his 6 attempts from 3 point range.
On March 4, the Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 119 to 115.
New York had now beaten Boston 3 times that season.
The Celtics had no shortage of talent.
Their Big 3 possessed frightening offensive firepower.
However, they repeatedly collapsed during the final moments.
The outside world concluded that Boston's problem was psychological.
Durant, in particular, appeared to suffer from Chen Yan phobia, a condition that might require professional treatment.
On March 7, the Knicks lost to the Mavericks.
Vince Carter seemed to rediscover his youth that night and erupted for 36 points.
Dirk Nowitzki added 31.
Together, they tore apart New York's defense.
Chen Yan scored 50 points, but even he could not carry the team by himself.
The following night, during the 2nd game of a back to back, the Knicks lost 110 to 103 against the San Antonio Spurs.
Calling the entire Spurs roster ageless would not have been an exaggeration.
Their 3 core players, the famous GDP trio, had a combined age of more than 100 years.
Even so, they remained remarkably competitive.
The Spurs currently held the best record in the Western Conference, something almost no one had expected before the season began.
Tony Parker exploded for 32 points and 6 assists that night.
Parker had become San Antonio's unquestioned offensive centerpiece.
He possessed complete freedom to shoot, while even Duncan had accepted a secondary role.
Over the previous 2 seasons, Parker's stable and efficient performances had gradually allowed him to replace Duncan as the team's central figure.
Of course, Popovich had quietly approved the transition.
Another franchise player might have complained or created trouble after losing his position.
Duncan was different.
He had never cared about fighting for status.
He simply followed the coach's instructions.
Whether he was considered the central figure did not matter.
Winning was the only thing he valued.
Duncan finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Ginóbili also scored 17.
San Antonio's victory did not rely solely on its Big 3.
Another 4 Spurs players reached double figures.
Gary Neal scored 12 points.
DeJuan Blair scored 10.
Kawhi Leonard scored 10.
Tiago Splitter also scored 10.
Popovich was extremely skilled at developing players.
Many athletes who appeared ordinary elsewhere managed to shine under his guidance.
Those were the only 2 games New York lost during March.
As the month progressed, Kenyon Martin, Yi Jianlian, Barea, and the other injured players returned.
Curry's form also steadily improved.
The Knicks had finally regained their full strength.
New York's 1st game in April was against the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers were unquestionably one of the season's surprise teams.
They currently ranked 4th in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Knicks, Heat, and Celtics.
They were even ahead of the Nets.
At 1st glance, Indiana's roster did not appear especially impressive.
Its leading player was Danny Granger, who had not even been selected as an All Star.
However, a closer examination revealed that nearly every player on the roster had a balanced skill set.
They could contribute at both ends of the court and possessed no glaring weaknesses.
The Pacers also placed great importance on finding useful role players.
Their ability to accomplish great things with limited spending was something the Nets would probably never understand.
Before the game, Chen Yan noticed George Hill standing near the sideline in a suit.
"Nice suit," Chen Yan said as he approached him. "You look a little like Durant."
George Hill appeared slightly overwhelmed.
Since entering the league, he had rarely spoken with Chen Yan.
Chen Yan, however, remembered him clearly.
Hill had spent several years with the Spurs.
Whenever Phoenix played San Antonio, Popovich often assigned Hill and Bruce Bowen to take turns guarding Chen Yan.
Chen Yan still scored plenty of points, but he respected Hill's defensive ability.
Hill laughed awkwardly.
"Thanks. My ankle is a little injured, so I cannot play tonight."
"Then who is guarding me?" Chen Yan asked.
George Hill pointed toward a player standing nearby.
"Paul George."
Chen Yan chuckled.
"That 2nd year rookie? Then I will score 60."
The moment George Hill heard those words, he hurried toward Paul George.
"Paul, you have only 1 mission tonight."
Paul George looked at him curiously.
George Hill spoke with complete seriousness.
"Do not provoke Chen Yan."
....
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