Chapter 788: Never Give Up
Swish!
Chen Yan made the additional free throw.
36 to 29.
The next 2 possessions ended in misses on both sides.
The score remained unchanged through the end of the 1st quarter, with New York carrying a 36 to 29 lead into the 2nd.
Nelson changed his rotation to open the quarter.
Curry and David West returned to the floor to lead the reserve unit.
Both had played only about half of the 1st quarter before sitting down, leaving them with plenty of energy.
It was a deliberate adjustment from Nelson.
"New York changed the way it is staggering the rotation tonight," Kenny Smith said. "Curry and David West are leading the bench unit, and that puts a lot of pressure on Brooklyn's reserves."
Barkley nodded.
"This is where coaching matters too. Nelson changes the rotation, now Avery Johnson has to decide how quickly he wants to bring his stars back."
There was another layer to the matchup between the 2 coaches.
In March 2005, Nelson had stepped down during the season and handed the Dallas Mavericks head coaching position to Avery Johnson.
Nelson had placed considerable trust in the coach he had personally mentored.
Now teacher and student were facing each other in the Playoffs.
Curry and David West came out aggressively.
West was an All Star big man.
Curry had not yet made an All Star team, but his production often reached that level.
Brooklyn's reserves simply did not have comparable offensive weapons.
Curry quickly buried 2 3 pointers.
1 of them came from extremely deep range.
David West added a basket from the low post.
Brooklyn's bench could answer only with a mid range jumper from Anthony Morrow.
Avery Johnson immediately called timeout.
Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony returned earlier than planned.
There were limits to what tactics could accomplish when the talent difference on the floor became too large.
Johnson's substitution was made out of necessity.
Yao Ming remained on the bench.
Johnson was well aware of Yao's injury history and deliberately protected his minutes, rarely allowing him to exceed 30 minutes in a game.
Jeff Van Gundy watched from the broadcast table with mixed feelings.
Much of Yao's injury history had developed during the years when Van Gundy coached him and placed enormous demands on his body.
Once Deron returned, he immediately scored against Curry.
On Brooklyn's next possession, Anthony elevated and knocked down another jumper.
On the surface, the Nets had stabilized the game.
In reality, Nelson had already disrupted Johnson's rotation.
Brooklyn had been forced to bring its stars back much earlier than intended.
With 6 minutes remaining in the 2nd quarter, Chen Yan returned.
New York led 55 to 45.
Chen Yan came onto the floor overflowing with energy.
He received the ball in the backcourt and immediately accelerated with long strides.
After resting for half a quarter, his legs were fresh.
Straight ahead.
No hesitation.
Gerald Wallace tried to keep pace.
Chen Yan simply accelerated past him.
Curry and Battier spread quickly toward opposite sides of the floor, ready to punish any help defense.
Chen Yan gathered near the free throw line.
He raised the ball high.
Fake left.
Fake right.
His enormous hand controlled the basketball as though it were attached to his palm.
After the 2 fakes, Chen Yan exploded upward.
Boom!
1 handed power dunk.
Before coming down, he violently pulled on the rim, releasing the energy that had built up while he rested.
Brooklyn came back on offense.
Anthony established himself in the post.
1 dribble.
Turn.
Fadeaway jumper.
Battier stayed close enough to disturb the release.
The ball struck the back rim and bounced away.
Chen Yan charged toward the rebound.
He secured it.
Then immediately turned up the floor.
Faster.
Keep pushing.
Chen Yan sprinted into the frontcourt with Gerald Wallace standing between him and the basket.
1 against 1.
Chen Yan attacked without hesitation.
He swung the ball with his right arm in a wide windmill motion over Wallace's reach while using a Euro step to shift around the defender.
Then he exploded toward the rim.
Boom!
Another 1 handed slam.
Those 2 possessions represented Chen Yan's entire approach after returning in the 2nd quarter.
Run.
Attack.
Run again.
He constantly pushed the ball from 1 end of the court to the other and firmly controlled the tempo for New York.
By halftime, the Knicks led 73 to 60.
Brooklyn's offense had not been poor.
New York had simply been more aggressive.
The greater concern for the Nets was what awaited them in the 2nd half.
Nelson's rotation strategy had forced Avery Johnson to send his starters back onto the floor early.
As a result, Deron and Anthony had played almost the entire 1st half.
And Brooklyn would still need both of them heavily after halftime.
Anthony had scored 23 points in the 1st half.
Deron Williams had 17.
Together, they accounted for more than 60 percent of Brooklyn's offense.
That production came with a physical cost.
Even though the Nets preferred operating in the half court, they still had to sprint constantly on defense just to keep up with New York's movement.
That was exhausting.
The Knicks had played an excellent 1st half.
Nelson had only 1 message for them during the break.
Do not relax.
Chen Yan had already accumulated 26 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Brooklyn's double team strategy had worked reasonably well during the 1st quarter.
By the 2nd, it was becoming far less effective.
Once New York's run and gun attack reached full speed, many possessions ended with a shot within 7 seconds.
Brooklyn barely had time to organize its defense, much less construct a proper double team against Chen Yan.
That was what made this style so dangerous when everything clicked.
A handful of successful possessions could become a scoring avalanche before the opponent even understood what had happened.
For the crowd, few things were more exciting than watching a run and gun team overwhelm an opponent with 1 offensive wave after another.
The 3rd quarter began.
New York stayed small.
Al Harrington joined David West in the frontcourt.
Both could shoot.
Harrington was technically a big man, but his offensive mentality often resembled that of a perimeter player.
He preferred jumpers and frequently operated far from the basket.
West did not possess quite the same range, but his long mid range jumper remained a reliable weapon.
The other 3 Knicks on the floor were all excellent 3 point shooters.
Brooklyn opened the half with possession.
Deron slowly brought the ball across half court.
When he reached the top, he deliberately avoided attacking immediately.
The Nets knew what they needed to do.
Slow the game down.
Reduce the number of possessions.
Do not allow New York to dictate the pace.
Yao Ming came up to set a screen.
Deron used it, took 2 dribbles, then turned and passed back toward Yao.
Yao caught the ball outside the 3 point line.
He did not shoot.
Instead, he surveyed the floor.
At 226 centimeters, Yao had an excellent view over the defense from the top.
The problem was movement.
Anthony and Deron were both accustomed to controlling the ball.
Neither naturally preferred spending long stretches working without it.
Yao held the ball for a moment, waiting for something to develop.
Eventually, Gerald Wallace came toward him.
Yao handed the ball off.
Several passes later, possession returned to Deron.
The shot clock was running low.
Deron lowered his shoulder and used his strength to attack the paint.
Contact.
Whistle.
Foul.
Deron walked to the free throw line.
Swish.
Swish.
Both shots went in.
73 to 62.
The game was difficult.
The deficit was significant.
But Brooklyn had no intention of surrendering.
Not yet.
....
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