Chapter 781: Trailing at Halftime
Carmelo Anthony received the ball beyond the arc.
Yao Ming stepped up to set a screen.
Anthony took 1 dribble and immediately rose for the shot.
Swish!
Clean.
No hesitation.
"That is exactly how Carmelo likes to play," Kenny Smith said. "He does not need to pound the ball forever. If he sees the opening, he gets straight into his shot."
Barkley nodded.
"And after the way he played in Game 7, you can tell he brought that confidence right into tonight."
The Knicks quickly inbounded from the baseline.
Curry immediately sprinted across half court.
That was exactly what Nelson wanted.
Yao Ming had become far more mobile after losing weight, but he was still 226 centimeters tall.
Forcing a player that size to repeatedly sprint from 1 end of the floor to the other would inevitably drain his stamina.
Curry crossed half court and passed ahead to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan caught the ball without slowing down and continued attacking toward the basket.
Barkley laughed.
"Look at these 2. Curry runs the 1st leg, gives Chen the baton, and Chen finishes the relay."
Chen Yan penetrated deep enough to draw multiple defenders.
He remained calm, took another step, then dropped a right handed pass toward the trailing David West in the middle.
West caught the ball and softly flipped it toward the rim.
There was almost no defensive pressure.
Unfortunately, he did not put enough force behind the shot.
Miss.
It was still early.
David West had not found his touch yet.
The moment the shot came off, Chen Yan immediately signaled for everyone to retreat.
The Nets secured the rebound but showed no interest in racing the other way.
Their personnel was far more comfortable operating in the half court.
Once Brooklyn settled into its offense, Anthony immediately called for the ball again.
His post game was excellent.
The moment Anthony established position, Battier could no longer effectively front him or play halfway around his body.
Anthony received the entry pass with ease.
He turned and faced the basket.
Triple threat position.
Battier maintained a disciplined defensive distance.
Anthony jabbed several times.
Then he put the ball down with his right hand and turned his back toward the basket.
He bumped Battier twice near the left side of the free throw line.
Turn.
Fadeaway.
The entire sequence was smooth and familiar.
1 of Anthony's signature moves.
Battier reached a hand toward Anthony's eyes as a final attempt to bother the release.
It did not matter.
Anthony buried the mid range jumper.
That area belonged to him.
When Anthony was in rhythm, he probably felt he could make that shot with his eyes closed.
New York immediately pushed the pace again.
This time, Chen Yan and Curry created the opportunity together.
Curry found space beyond the 3 point line and fired quickly.
Good look.
Miss.
Nelson could only shake his head.
The fast pace was doing exactly what he wanted.
New York was creating open shots before Brooklyn could fully establish its defense.
But none of that mattered if the ball refused to go in.
The Nets remained patient.
Anthony once again fought for position in the post.
Battier battled him aggressively.
Anthony's first 2 baskets had already made his rhythm obvious.
Battier understood that when a superstar scorer became hot, the best chance to stop him was often before he even caught the ball.
Deron Williams looked toward Anthony.
Battier was denying the entry pass too well.
Deron wisely refused to force it.
Instead, he called for a screen near the top.
Yao came up and set the pick.
Then he immediately popped out toward the perimeter.
Deron took 2 dribbles, suddenly turned, and kicked the ball back outside.
Yao Ming was completely open beyond the 3 point line.
He did not hesitate.
After the NBA had increasingly shifted toward smaller lineups and greater floor spacing, Yao had also spent time developing his 3 point shot.
His natural touch had always been excellent.
Extending that range had not been especially difficult.
The shot was not consistent enough to become a primary weapon.
But when defenders left him completely open, Yao was capable of punishing them.
Swish!
3 pointer.
The Nets bench rose together.
Yao's shot immediately lifted their energy.
As the teams moved back up the floor, Chen Yan reached over and patted Yao on the backside.
"You have been practicing that?"
Yao smiled.
"I have watched a lot of your highlights."
Even in the middle of a Playoffs game, the 2 managed to share a brief joke.
But that was all.
There was still a game to play.
New York came back on offense.
Curry deliberately slowed the pace.
The Knicks had opened the game sluggishly.
He wanted to settle them down and create a reliable basket.
Chen Yan received a handoff from Curry.
Whenever New York's offense stalled, giving Chen Yan the ball had become almost automatic.
Al Harrington moved over from the wing to set a screen.
Chen Yan put the ball on the floor and took 2 dribbles.
Whistle.
Moving screen.
New York turnover.
Several Knicks players shook their heads.
3 offensive possessions into the game, New York still looked like a team trying to wake itself up.
The advantage of getting 8 days of rest was obvious.
The Knicks were fresh.
The disadvantage was equally clear.
After being away from real competition for so long, they were struggling to immediately find game rhythm.
Brooklyn had the opposite problem.
The Nets were carrying fatigue from their exhausting 1st round series.
But they had played Game 7 only 2 days earlier.
Their bodies were tired.
Their rhythm was sharp.
The difference showed throughout the 1st quarter.
New York managed only 19 points.
Brooklyn scored 26.
The Nets led by 7 entering the 2nd quarter.
Chen Yan had not been particularly comfortable either.
Brooklyn repeatedly sent double teams at him.
With Yao Ming's 226 centimeter frame protecting the paint, Chen Yan could not simply attack the basket for layups and dunks whenever he wanted.
New York's other players were also missing shots.
That gave the Nets even more freedom to overload toward Chen Yan.
At different points in the 1st quarter, Brooklyn sent 3 defenders at him.
There were even possessions where practically 4 defenders were watching his every move.
Chen Yan still scored 10 points in the quarter.
For almost any other player, that would have been an excellent opening period.
For Chen Yan, the Madison Square Garden crowd considered it relatively quiet.
Despite trailing, the atmosphere inside the arena remained relaxed.
Fans continued cheering and even began singing Chen Yan's song.
There was no sense of panic.
As long as Chen Yan remained on the floor, the crowd believed New York could recover from any deficit.
To them, it felt almost like watching a superhero movie.
No matter how dominant the villain looked during the opening act, everyone expected the hero to eventually win.
Tonight, Madison Square Garden had already decided who the villain was.
The slightly heavyset number 7 wearing a Nets jersey.
Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony had been spectacular.
He shot 5 of 7 from the field.
2 of 3 from beyond the 3 point line.
3 of 3 from the free throw line.
15 points in the 1st quarter.
Highly efficient.
Anthony had always possessed the ability to explode offensively and overwhelm opponents with pure scoring.
At the start of the 2nd quarter, New York's bench finally began reducing the deficit.
Brooklyn's reserves were stronger overall than they had been the previous season, but their biggest weakness remained unchanged.
They lacked consistent scoring.
Most of their bench offense came from guards Jordan Farmar and MarShon Brooks.
New York's reserve guards were clearly stronger.
Barea played particularly well tonight.
He created several baskets for teammates before hitting a transition 3 pointer himself.
With 7 minutes and 17 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter, New York had pulled within 2.
34 to 32.
Both teams then returned their starters.
Anthony immediately resumed his efficient isolation scoring.
On 1 possession, he caught the ball, took 1 dribble, and buried a turnaround jumper.
The next time down, he hit almost the exact same shot from the opposite side.
Chen Yan wanted to answer with his own isolation game.
Brooklyn refused to allow it.
The Nets treated Chen Yan with at least a double team almost every time he touched the ball.
During the 2nd quarter, Nets head coach Avery Johnson made another defensive adjustment.
He sent Gerald Wallace onto the floor in place of Anthony Morrow.
Morrow offered more offense.
Brooklyn did not need it tonight.
Several of its core players were already scoring well.
Johnson preferred Wallace's defense and wanted another physical body to throw at Chen Yan.
By halftime, Brooklyn still controlled the game.
Nets 55.
Knicks 49.
New York trailed by 6.
It was the 1st time the Knicks had entered halftime behind on the scoreboard during this year's Playoffs.
Chen Yan had recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, and only 1 assist.
The low assist total was not because he refused to pass.
His teammates simply were not converting the opportunities he created.
Anthony had been the best player on the floor through 2 quarters.
28 points.
5 rebounds.
By halftime, everyone inside Madison Square Garden understood the situation.
Carmelo Anthony was threatening to explode.
....
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