Chapter 733: KG Is Getting Old
During the opening tip, Staples Center was incredibly noisy.
But within 3 seconds, Chen Yan would cast a spell and turn the roaring arena into a silent library.
DeAndre Jordan won the tip against Camby.
The ball was tapped directly into Chen Yan's hands.
Chen Yan did not follow the usual rhythm and slow down to control the pace for a set play.
As soon as he got the ball, he charged forward recklessly, like a brute on a streetball court.
Unexpectedly, this tactic worked.
It caught the Lakers completely off guard.
Chen Yan sprinted past Garnett.
Garnett tried to turn and chase, but Chen Yan had already opened 2 body lengths between them.
Looking at Chen Yan's retreating figure, Garnett had to admit that he was getting old.
When Chen Yan 1st entered the league, Garnett could still guard him.
But now, it was like a vintage car trying to chase a supercar.
There was no comparison.
Kobe also chased from the side.
However, Chen Yan's speed had already picked up.
The other Lakers players had not reacted yet, and no 1 stepped in from the front to force Chen Yan to slow down or stop.
Chen Yan lowered his center of gravity and curved past Kobe.
Barnes directly gave up on defense.
He was Chen Yan's old teammate, and he knew there was no need to waste energy in this kind of situation.
After rushing inside the free throw line, Chen Yan took flight.
Boom!
A powerful tomahawk dunk.
The visual impact was immense.
Staples Center instantly fell silent.
"That was insane! His head was level with the rim, right?"
"What do you mean level with the rim? That was above the rim!"
"He glided that far and was still above the rim. Is he human or Superman?"
"Fast and fierce."
Fans in front of their televisions were also extremely excited.
The impact of that play was indeed overwhelming.
Even through the screen, it felt as if they were almost blown away by the air current.
Lakers fans had expected Chen Yan to produce highlights tonight.
But they had not expected them to come so quickly.
The Knicks bench erupted in cheers.
Even the usually quiet Yi Jianlian excitedly shouted and pumped his fist.
Chen Yan, however, returned to the defensive half with no particular expression.
For him, these were just minor plays.
Kobe looked at Chen Yan and saw too much of his 18 year old self.
Now, Kobe could no longer fly as freely as he once did, but he could use a more mature style of play to break down the opponent's defense.
Lakers offense.
Kobe immediately called for the ball after settling into the low post.
Fisher instinctively delivered the ball into Kobe's hands.
Kobe glanced at Battier behind him, indicating that he was about to start his post game.
Kobe and Battier knew each other very well.
They were old rivals.
Battier had been 1 of Kobe's primary defenders since his days with the Houston Rockets.
To guard Kobe, Battier had even developed the so called hand in the face defense.
However, over the past 2 years, Battier no longer used this move much against Kobe.
He found it useless.
Kobe's shot could find its mark even with his eyes closed.
Bang!
Bang!
After 2 consecutive bumps, Kobe suddenly executed a turnaround.
Battier anticipated it, but Kobe's fadeaway created a very wide arc.
Even if you guessed which way he would turn, guessed that he would shoot, and guessed when he would shoot, it was still impossible to defend.
Kobe played with high difficulty.
After a deep fadeaway, Kobe sank the shot with Battier behind him.
2 to 2.
"Fadeaway!" Barkley shouted excitedly.
Kenny Smith smiled and said, "Both core players got into rhythm quickly to start the game. This should be very exciting."
After the Lakers scored, the Knicks immediately inbounded the ball quickly.
Against an aging Lakers roster, regardless of whether the opponent scored or missed, New York had to pick up the pace.
As fast as possible.
Those were Nelson's exact words before the game.
It had to be said that Nelson was indeed a wise head coach.
He formulated different tactical approaches against different teams, and every plan was very targeted.
Barea received the ball and immediately passed it to Chen Yan.
"Do not let him get going!"
Lakers head coach Mike Brown roared from the sideline.
After last season's defeat, a disheartened Phil Jackson chose to retire, and former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown took over his position.
Mike Brown was affectionately called the puppet coach by fans.
During his time with the Cavaliers, people joked that his only tactic was to give the ball to James.
Now that he was with the Lakers, his tactic had become giving the ball to Kobe.
In reality, this was just fans teasing him.
If a coach only knew that 1 tactic, he would never survive in the NBA.
Mike Brown was a renowned defensive expert.
Under his guidance, teams would see significant improvement in both defensive discipline and overall rotation.
His timing for using zone defense was excellent, which was why the Lakers chose him.
Without a good defensive coach, this group of aging bodies would likely be picked apart by opponents every game.
These were things ordinary fans could not see.
They only focused on Mike Brown giving the ball to the core player in critical moments and used that as a punchline.
Fisher stepped forward, attempting to slow Chen Yan's advance.
But Chen Yan blew past him with a simple change of direction.
Fisher almost stumbled.
Chen Yan showed no deference to the players union president.
Garnett immediately reached out.
A tactical foul.
Garnett was a veteran.
He knew that if Chen Yan got 2 consecutive dunks at the start, it would severely damage the team's morale.
"KG, your hands are still fast," Chen Yan said with a smile.
This was actually a taunt.
It implied that Garnett was old, that his legs could no longer keep up with Chen Yan, and that he could only rely on fouling with his hands.
Garnett's mouth was still tough.
"Next time, I will not be so gentle, Chen."
The Knicks inbounded from the sideline in the frontcourt.
Barea stepped up to receive the ball.
The offense transitioned into a half court set.
Mike Brown constantly directed the defense from the sideline.
In his view, if the game entered a half court battle, the Knicks biggest advantage would disappear.
Although the Lakers players had a high average age, once they were in the half court, they could use experience and their system to compensate for their lack of mobility.
Barea stopped the ball at the top of the arc and lobbed it into the paint.
David West posted up Garnett.
Garnett's athletic ability had declined, but his physical tools and experience were still there.
He was still not an easy defender to deal with.
David West struggled, turning and faking multiple times without getting Garnett to bite.
Just as David West found himself in a difficult position, Chen Yan suddenly cut in.
"Pass it here!"
David West had a high basketball IQ and immediately delivered a bounce pass to the middle.
Chen Yan caught the ball and jumped right away.
Garnett came over to help.
Chen Yan's jumping height was clearly higher than his.
Garnett's vertical leap and quickness could no longer compare to the Wolf King of old.
Camby also moved over from the other side.
To be safe, Chen Yan executed a nimble layup, switching the ball to his left hand to score.
Actually, this play was a little too cautious.
With his jumping height, even if Camby came in front of him, it would have been difficult to interfere with the shot.
.....
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