Chapter 776: The Gap Between Superstars and Ordinary Stars
Hamilton called for the ball as soon as Chicago crossed half court.
After hitting several shots in a row, his confidence had completely returned.
He caught the ball and immediately changed direction to his left.
Hamilton wanted to attack Chen Yan directly.
But he quickly realized that this was not his strength.
Chen Yan was faster, reacted quicker, and reached for the ball the instant Hamilton changed direction.
Hamilton nearly lost possession.
He had no choice but to stop his dribble and pass the ball back to Westbrook.
The moment he gave it up, Hamilton immediately started moving again.
Westbrook understood what he wanted and quickly threw a lob ahead.
Hamilton caught the pass, brought the ball down, then looked toward the rim.
In his mind, the next 2 points were already his.
He had no idea that a shadow had already covered him.
Hamilton never expected Chen Yan to be there.
Because Chen Yan had jumped far too early.
Even Chen Yan realized it the moment he left the floor.
Too early.
Normally, that would have been a defensive mistake.
Chen Yan refused to give up on the play.
He stabilized himself in the air and relied on his absurd hang time.
Hamilton finally began his shooting motion.
Chen Yan was still there.
The instant Hamilton released the ball, Chen Yan reached out and grabbed it directly from his hand.
Not a deflection.
Not a normal block.
A clean catch block.
Hamilton froze.
For a moment, he did not even know where the ball had gone.
By the time he turned around, Chen Yan was already sprinting toward the other end.
A defensive mistake had somehow turned into one of the most spectacular blocks of the night.
The crowd immediately erupted.
Big offensive plays were not the only things capable of sending adrenaline through an arena.
Sometimes, a display of raw athleticism on defense could be even more exciting.
"Did Chen Yan just stop in midair?"
"That hang time was ridiculous."
"For a second, I thought the broadcast froze."
"He jumped early, then just waited for Hamilton up there."
"That did not even look real."
"If the other players were not moving, I would have thought someone paused the screen."
"Chen Yan always finds a way to make impossible plays look normal."
Chen Yan pushed the fast break.
Once he crossed the 3 point line, he suddenly stopped 1 step beyond the arc.
It looked like he was preparing to capitalize on the momentum with a transition 3 pointer.
Westbrook sprinted desperately toward him.
Hamilton was still behind the play, which meant Westbrook was the only defender with any chance of contesting.
Chen Yan stared directly at the rim.
But his hands never fully rose into a shooting motion.
Halfway through bringing the ball up, he pushed it with his right hand toward the opposite side.
No look pass.
Curry was completely open.
He caught the ball and smoothly flicked his wrist.
Swish.
Curry had struggled with his shooting earlier in the night, but elite shooters rarely stayed cold forever.
Players at his level constantly adjusted during games.
Their feet.
Their release.
Their rhythm.
Their timing.
That was why it was common to see a star miss badly early, then gradually recover over the course of a game until the final shooting line looked perfectly respectable.
Curry had begun finding his touch.
With that 3 pointer, New York regained the lead.
43 to 41.
Curry turned and performed Chen Yan's signature 3 point celebration.
Ever since Chen Yan had introduced the gesture, Curry had happily borrowed it whenever he made a big shot.
Chicago came back on offense.
Westbrook crossed half court and signaled for a play.
Hamilton ignored him.
He immediately extended his arm and demanded the ball.
The previous possession had embarrassed him badly.
Now he wanted revenge.
Hamilton called for the ball so aggressively that Westbrook could only give it to him.
Hamilton received the pass with his back to the basket.
Chen Yan pressed tightly against him and refused to give him room to turn.
For Hamilton, that was uncomfortable.
He needed to face the basket to attack effectively.
Luol Deng recognized the problem and came over to set a screen.
Hamilton dribbled sideways around it.
Battier switched onto him.
Hamilton took a short lateral hop and reached a position just in front of the free throw line.
Then he raised the ball.
Shot fake.
Battier immediately left his feet.
The fake was convincing enough to fool Chen Yan too.
Chen Yan had anticipated the shot and left Luol Deng early, moving toward Hamilton from behind.
But this time his read was wrong.
Chen Yan was not a prophet.
He could not predict every possession perfectly.
Hamilton waited for Battier to come down.
Then he rose for the real shot.
Battier was already back on the floor.
Hamilton believed he had created the opening he wanted.
What he did not know was that the defender behind him was still in the air.
The instant Hamilton jumped, the ball disappeared again.
Chen Yan had caught another shot.
Another early jump.
Another impossible hang in the air.
Another catch block.
2 possessions in a row.
Hamilton stood there stunned.
Chen Yan had not merely rejected his shots.
He had taken possession of the basketball both times.
There was nothing Hamilton could even say.
For the 1st time tonight, genuine doubt entered his expression.
What kind of player was he dealing with?
A few possessions earlier, Hamilton's hot streak had briefly created the illusion that he could trade baskets with Chen Yan.
Those 2 consecutive catch blocks shattered that illusion immediately.
Barkley burst out laughing.
"Come on, man. Chen is not even letting him finish the shot anymore."
Kenny Smith shook his head while watching the replay.
"This is the difference between a good All Star and a true superstar. Hamilton can get hot. He can score. But Chen can affect the game on another level entirely."
Chen Yan wasted no time.
He immediately turned and attacked in transition.
His acceleration was explosive.
Westbrook reacted quickly and sprinted back.
Chen Yan chased directly toward him with the ball.
He first dribbled toward Westbrook's right side.
The moment Westbrook turned his body to cut him off, Chen Yan changed direction and crossed behind him toward the left.
Westbrook turned again.
Chen Yan changed direction a 2nd time.
Westbrook was forced to spin back.
Chen Yan was doing it deliberately.
With the ball in his hands, he controlled the matchup.
He refused to give Westbrook enough time to square his body and establish a proper defensive stance.
By the time Chen Yan reached the paint, Westbrook was still trying to recover.
Chen Yan exploded into the air.
Westbrook had barely completed his turn.
Chen Yan cocked the ball back with 1 hand and brought it down violently.
Boom!
A devastating tomahawk dunk.
45 to 41.
The baseline photographers fired their cameras rapidly, capturing Chen Yan suspended above the rim.
The dunk completely energized the Knicks.
Over the next several minutes, New York went on a 13 to 2 run.
Chicago called 2 timeouts trying to stop the bleeding.
Eventually, the Bulls managed to stabilize themselves through repeated drives from Westbrook and Luol Deng.
Both attacked the basket aggressively and drew fouls, allowing Chicago to keep the game from completely slipping away.
At halftime, New York led 54 to 44.
A 10 point advantage.
Chen Yan's numbers were absurd.
12 of 12 from the field.
2 of 2 from beyond the 3 point line.
4 of 4 from the free throw line.
30 points.
He had not missed a single shot.
The fans could hardly believe the shooting line.
100 percent.
Through an entire half of Playoffs basketball.
That was also Thibodeau's greatest concern.
Chen Yan was clearly unstoppable tonight.
If the rest of the Knicks improved even slightly after halftime, Chicago could be staring at another blowout.
....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03].