Chapter 767: The Ultimate Double Standard
Swish!
Curry made the free throw.
5 to 5.
Chicago came back the other way, and Hamilton immediately resumed his relentless movement without the ball.
Compared with the regular season, Hamilton was clearly playing with greater intensity in the Playoffs.
That was common among experienced veterans. During the regular season, they conserved energy whenever possible so they could raise their level when the postseason arrived.
Thibodeau had deliberately assigned Hamilton to drain Chen Yan's stamina.
Hamilton did not necessarily need to shoot every possession.
He simply needed to keep running.
Chen Yan stayed attached to him.
This was the Playoffs, and Chen Yan had no intention of conserving energy on either end of the floor.
Westbrook saw that Hamilton could not get open, so he turned and passed to Luol Deng on the opposite side.
Deng raised the ball and surveyed the floor.
When he saw that the interior players had no good opportunity, he decided to attack himself.
Deng possessed respectable ball handling ability.
Curry immediately stepped toward him from the top of the arc, joining Battier to form a pocket around Deng and trap him inside.
Deng jumped and passed the ball back outside.
That was the essence of Luol Deng.
He was a versatile forward who could do almost everything reasonably well without possessing a single overwhelming skill.
That limited his chances of becoming a true superstar or franchise centerpiece.
But as a 2nd or 3rd option, he was nearly ideal.
Curry had collapsed deep into the defense, leaving Westbrook completely open.
Westbrook caught the ball, took 1 step forward, then paused for a moment to line up the rim.
Clang.
After all that preparation, he still missed badly.
Not every player preferred open catch and shoot opportunities.
Some actually shot much worse in those situations than they did after dribbling into rhythm.
Westbrook was 1 of them.
He often needed the ball in his hands to find the rhythm of his jumper.
Aşık fought hard for the rebound, but Al Harrington managed to tip the ball away.
Chen Yan stepped forward to collect it and immediately pushed up the floor.
Chicago retreated quickly.
3 Bulls players were already back in the defensive half.
Chen Yan did not force the transition opportunity.
After a crossover, he settled outside the 3 point line on the left side.
David West stepped up to set a screen.
Chen Yan used it and drove right.
His eyes immediately shifted toward Curry on the perimeter.
Westbrook tensed.
His feet were ready to explode toward the passing lane the moment Chen Yan delivered the ball.
Chen Yan flicked his wrist.
Instead of passing to Curry, he bounced the ball toward David West, who had rolled toward the basket after setting the screen.
A feint.
By the time Chicago realized what had happened, David West was already attacking the rim.
Taj Gibson rushed over from the side.
Slap.
He failed to block the ball and instead caught David West across the wrist.
"Ah!"
West shouted and threw the ball toward the basket.
It bounced on the rim 3 times before finally dropping through.
The basket counted.
And 1.
David West pounded his chest with emotion.
Madison Square Garden answered with a roar.
"That was a tough finish," Kenny Smith said as the replay appeared. "David West absorbed the contact and still completed the play."
Barkley laughed.
"New York has started well. Curry has scored, David West has scored. Now everybody is waiting for Chen Yan to get his."
"Chen already has 3 assists," Kenny replied. "He may be looking to facilitate more tonight."
"And he can do that," Barkley said. "Everybody talks about the scoring because the man puts up ridiculous numbers, but people forget how good a passer he is. He led the league in assists this season. That did not happen by accident."
Kenny nodded.
"Chen can ignite the entire offense with his passing, especially when his teammates are making shots."
David West made the free throw.
8 to 5.
Chicago possession.
Westbrook dribbled to the top of the arc and passed to Deng.
His intention was simple.
Let Deng initiate the action, then get the ball back and attack afterward.
Deng raised the ball and surveyed the defense.
Instead of returning it to Westbrook, he passed toward Hamilton, who had just come off a screen.
Deng believed Hamilton had the better opportunity.
Hamilton's movement was meticulous.
He first made a wide circle along the 3 point line.
Then he suddenly accelerated along the baseline before using Aşık's screen to cut back in the opposite direction.
Hamilton caught the ball and immediately turned into his shooting motion.
His expression almost seemed to say that Chen Yan could not possibly keep following him forever.
Then Hamilton turned fully toward the basket.
His face changed instantly.
Chen Yan had appeared directly in front of him.
Hamilton looked as though he had just seen a ghost.
He hurriedly increased the arc of his shot.
Air ball.
Hamilton stared at Chen Yan in irritation.
Was this guy really defending this hard already?
Chen Yan had enormous stamina, and he had no reason to preserve it during the Playoffs.
His teammates were also shooting well tonight, which meant he did not need to carry the entire offensive burden himself.
That allowed him to invest even more energy on defense.
However, Aşık had remained active beneath the basket.
He secured the loose ball and immediately finished a reverse layup off the backboard.
8 to 7.
New York's smaller lineup offered undeniable perimeter firepower.
Its weakness was rebounding inside.
The Knicks quickly inbounded.
Chen Yan brought the ball across half court while Curry moved through screens, constantly searching for a scoring opportunity.
"Interesting," Kenny Smith said. "Chen is handling the ball while Curry is running without it. Their usual roles are almost reversed."
"That is what happens when you have 2 guards who can both create," Barkley replied. "Their positions are not fixed. Either 1 can handle the ball or play away from it."
Chen Yan knew Curry had started the game in excellent rhythm.
He continued looking for opportunities to feed him, encouraging Curry to stay aggressive rather than waste a hot hand.
Westbrook had already been scored on twice by Curry and clearly took it personally.
This time, he chased Curry everywhere.
The 2 moved through the court like children playing tag in a narrow alley.
Westbrook stayed so close that Chen Yan refused to force a risky pass.
Instead, he threw a wide pass across the floor to Battier in the corner.
Chicago's corner coverage had relaxed during the possession.
Battier caught the ball with an open shooting opportunity.
Taj Gibson rushed out to contest.
Battier remained calm.
Rather than shooting over the much taller defender, he pushed the ball with his right hand toward Al Harrington.
Harrington was completely open.
He caught it and fired immediately.
Swish.
11 to 7.
"For 3!"
The arena announcer's voice thundered through Madison Square Garden.
Harrington jogged back on defense while mimicking the motion of cocking a pistol.
Nelson nodded with satisfaction from the sideline.
His lineup adjustment was already producing results.
Westbrook quickly brought the ball across half court.
Deng received a handoff and began organizing the offense at the top of the arc.
Westbrook was primarily an offensive point guard, so Deng needed to share some of the playmaking responsibilities.
After giving up the ball, Westbrook immediately cut inside.
Deng directed the action from above the arc.
The ball returned to Westbrook while he was moving.
He accelerated in a straight line.
Curry simply could not match his physical impact.
However, New York collapsed quickly.
Chen Yan retreated into the paint.
Al Harrington also moved inside.
Westbrook jumped and immediately realized he was in trouble.
Al Harrington was on his left.
Chen Yan was on his right.
Curry was still chasing from behind.
While hanging in the air, Westbrook twisted his body and forced a pass outside.
His athletic ability was undeniable.
Even after changing his mind in midair, he could still generate enough control to make the pass.
But Battier had already read the passing lane.
He stepped forward and stole the ball.
New York did not immediately launch a fast break.
Battier lacked the ball handling ability to lead the transition himself, so he waited for Chen Yan and handed him possession.
"That is a dangerous habit from Westbrook," Kenny Smith said. "You do not want to leave your feet without knowing where the ball is going."
Barkley nodded.
"Once you jump to pass, the defense can read you. Now you have nowhere to go, and everybody knows the ball has to come out."
Chen Yan did not accelerate.
The best transition opportunity had already disappeared, so there was no reason to force the issue.
He slowed down and waited for his teammates to establish their half court positions.
Then Chen Yan suddenly rose from a standstill.
There had been no warning.
No rhythm dribble.
Hamilton barely had time to react.
By the time he rushed forward, Chen Yan had already reached the highest point of his jump.
Chen Yan released the ball with a high motion.
The trajectory was unusually flat.
It flew directly toward the baseline.
It was not a shot.
It was a pass.
By the time everyone recognized it, David West was already beneath the basket.
He caught the ball and softly banked in the layup.
An effortless 2 points.
13 to 7.
Chen Yan had recorded his 4th assist.
"That was beautiful," Kenny Smith said with a smile. "And most of the credit belongs to Chen Yan."
Barkley watched the replay.
"He jumped, stayed in the air, read where everybody was, then delivered the pass. That is elite court vision."
Fans watching the broadcast immediately froze.
When Westbrook jumped and passed the ball, it was called a terrible habit and a major basketball mistake.
When Chen Yan jumped and passed the ball, suddenly it was evidence of elite vision.
The double standard could not have been more obvious.
When it came to praising Chen Yan, Barkley was becoming his biggest supporter.
....
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