Chapter 657: Assists Lead the Team
The Miami Heat quickly initiated a baseline inbound, and James passed to Wade, who had already slipped into the frontcourt.
After receiving the ball, Wade did not slow down at all. He gathered, rose, and finished with a powerful 1 handed dunk.
Miami immediately answered.
They were built for this kind of play. Both James and Wade possessed terrifying attacking power in transition.
15 to 9.
The Knicks inbounded the ball, and Curry threw a long pass to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan received it sideways and immediately rose for a 3 pointer.
"Clang!"
Missed.
For most players, that shot would have earned a severe scolding from the coach.
But for Nelson, it was perfectly acceptable.
As long as there was an opportunity, the player had to shoot.
Whether it went in was another matter.
Not daring to shoot was the real problem.
Nelson would quickly substitute that kind of player.
The Heat countered, and Wade pulled up for a mid range jumper.
Missed as well.
Both teams chose to speed up in the 1st quarter.
Half court offense seemed like a hot potato. Whenever either side had a chance, they immediately pushed the pace and ran. Even after giving up a basket, they would quickly inbound from the baseline.
That tempo had the fans completely fired up.
At the end of the 1st quarter, the score was 30 to 25, with the Knicks slightly ahead.
Chen Yan contributed 10 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds.
"Chen has not taken that many shots tonight," Kenny Smith said. "The Knicks players are in good form, and Chen is focusing more on organizing the team."
The Knicks had the upper hand, but they could not pull away.
Miami's Big 3 was still the foundation of the team, and they were not so easily defeated.
In the 2nd quarter, New York made substitutions.
Barea, Anthony Carter, Bill Walker, Al Harrington, and Williams came on.
Miami sent out Eddie House, Mike Miller, James Jones, Joel Anthony, and Dampier.
Both teams placed their strongest bench units on the court, but there was no real spark.
Miami even looked slightly inferior.
Starting at the 9 minute and 46 second mark of the 2nd quarter, Barea continuously attacked the defense, first scoring on a layup, then assisting Al Harrington for a 3 pointer.
Seeing that the bench could not hold on, Miami quickly brought Wade back to save the situation.
Once Wade returned, he activated isolation mode.
He had no choice but to isolate.
His teammates could not handle the ball.
The interior combination of Joel Anthony and Dampier had almost 0 offensive ability. They were only responsible for setting screens and fighting for rebounds.
On offense, Miami was essentially playing 3 on 5.
The Knicks defensive strategy was also very smart.
As soon as Wade looked for a pick and roll, they immediately double teamed him because they knew Miami's 2 big men had no offensive threat.
If Wade isolated, they let Anthony Carter guard him on the perimeter, while Bill Walker on the wing and Al Harrington inside prepared to help.
This defensive decision was excellent.
To avoid falling into the Knicks trap, Wade could only rely on pull up mid range jumpers.
Wade's shooting touch was only average in this game, and he missed 2 mid range shots in a row.
However, Wade actively defended Barea on the other end.
As a superstar, Wade had more than 1 weapon.
He locked down the previously effective Barea defensively, even sending back Barea's drive with a huge rejection at the rim.
After the block, Wade immediately turned defense into offense, scoring 2 points with a powerful dunk.
Neither side scored on the next possession, and the game entered an official timeout.
After the timeout, Chen Yan, Curry, Kenyon Martin, and Battier all returned to the court.
Miami also pulled its bench and brought all its starters back in.
The score was 45 to 37, with Miami trailing.
New York offense.
Curry held the ball at the top of the arc.
Chen Yan ran to the corner, and Battier used Kenyon Martin's screen to move near the elbow.
Battier received the ball and took a mid range shot.
Missed.
The Knicks executed the play, but they could not convert.
Chalmers brought the ball across half court, and James posted up on the low block, demanding the ball.
Since joining Miami, James had increased the number of these low post touches.
This came from the insistence of general manager Pat Riley, who wanted James to gain weight and play at power forward.
After receiving the ball with his back to the basket, James saw Al Harrington coming to double team him from the corner of his eye.
James had excellent court vision and made a no look pass to a wide open Haslem.
The Miami arena erupted in cheers.
That assist was indeed spectacular.
However, in the very next second, Haslem immediately cooled down the crowd.
Haslem originally intended to make a layup, but after hearing the cheers, he wanted to dunk it.
That moment of hesitation created an awkward scene.
Haslem slammed the ball directly onto the front rim.
Fortunately, it did not fly away.
Haslem jumped a 2nd time and tipped the ball in.
45 to 39.
Barkley chuckled. "He did not let LeBron get the assist. Haslem got himself an offensive rebound instead. That is one way to protect a teammate's stat line."
New York offense.
Chen Yan and Kenyon Martin ran a classic play.
Chen Yan used Kenyon Martin's screen and drove toward the right elbow area.
The drive was fake.
The pass was real.
After attracting defensive attention, Chen Yan tossed the ball into the air.
"Boom!"
Kenyon Martin finished with a 2 handed dunk.
47 to 39.
This was Kenyon Martin's most comfortable offensive method.
Back when he was with the Nets, he often played this kind of pick and roll with Kidd.
Years later, Kenyon Martin once again received such a comfortable alley oop.
He was visibly excited.
After landing, he high fived Chen Yan and said, "Great pass! Chen, great pass!"
Miami offense.
Wade held the ball on the perimeter, and Chen Yan pressured him tightly.
Chen Yan was treating this game like a playoff game. He was not holding back on either end.
With the Knicks current record, if they wanted to make the playoffs, they had to fight for every upcoming win.
Wade continuously dribbled between his legs but could not find a driving lane.
Chen Yan's defense instantly reminded him of Kobe.
The 2 had similar height and build, but more importantly, they shared the same fierce competitive spirit.
Wade called for a pick and roll.
He did not want to spend too much energy battling Chen Yan.
James actively came up to the high post to set the screen.
The Knicks switched.
Battier followed Wade, while Chen Yan stood in front of James.
Wade dribbled 2 steps to the right, created space, then passed the ball to James.
James against Chen Yan.
This was a mismatch.
Just as James was about to use a triple threat and observe the floor, Chen Yan directly gave him 1 step of space.
James felt disrespected.
Chen Yan seemed to be daring him to shoot.
Without hesitation, James pulled up for a 3 pointer.
"Swish!"
The shot went in.
47 to 42.
After making it, James glared at Chen Yan.
It was as if that shot proved something.
In Chen Yan's view, however, it only proved that 1 shot.
James's outside shooting had not fully developed yet. If he kept shooting like that throughout the game, Miami would definitely suffer.
New York offense.
Curry used Al Harrington's screen and moved to the left 45 degree angle for a 3 pointer.
Chalmers defended very well on this possession, sticking tightly to Curry and not giving the shooter any space.
After setting the screen, Al Harrington also retreated beyond the 3 point line at the top of the arc.
Miami's paint was very open.
Chen Yan immediately moved inside to post up.
Wade firmly defended Chen Yan.
His strength was superior to Chen Yan's, so Chen Yan did not get very deep position on this play.
Curry immediately passed the ball to him.
Chen Yan leaned his back against Wade while reading the situation on the court.
Suddenly, Chen Yan turned into a difficult fadeaway.
There was no warning.
Completely unexpected.
Wade quickly rushed forward, but Chen Yan did not shoot after hanging in the air.
Instead, he passed the ball sideways.
The timing of the pass was perfect.
Al Harrington cut in, received the ball, took 1 step into the paint, and finished with a 1 handed dunk for 2 points.
49 to 42.
Chen Yan still chose to use passing to involve his teammates.
Against a super team like the Miami Heat, involving teammates was the best way to win.
Every move Chen Yan made was for victory.
After scoring 101 points last season, he no longer needed to prove his offensive ability through scoring.
.....
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