Chapter 735: Yi Jianlian's Change
After Garnett made both free throws, the tension on the court remained high.
The 1st quarter was a close contest.
Although the Lakers veterans were old, their fighting spirit had not declined at all.
The Lakers finished the 1st quarter leading by 2 points, 32 to 30.
However, their fans were not happy at all.
Chen Yan had scored 25 points, completely finding his rhythm in the 1st quarter.
"Tonight is another rampage night!"
"They cannot defend him. The Lakers absolutely cannot defend him."
"25 points in 1 quarter. Would that not be 100 points in 4 quarters?"
"When Chen Yan's shot is on, he is terrifying."
Chen Yan's performance captivated domestic fans.
"Continue maintaining the defensive strategy from the 1st quarter," Mike Brown said. "Rotate quickly in the zone defense. The Knicks definitely will not win if only Chen Yan scores."
As soon as Mike Brown said this, many Lakers players showed puzzled expressions.
Could they really not win?
Especially Matt Barnes.
He had been teammates with Chen Yan for over 3 years and had seen Chen Yan single handedly defeat opponents countless times.
Kobe noticed his teammates wavering and said, "We must strictly follow the coach's tactical arrangements. We have only 1 goal, and that is to win the game. For that, we must stay united."
Mike Brown had just arrived with the team and had not yet established his authority.
Kobe was still the one who truly called the shots for this team.
For the Lakers to remain united, Kobe had to speak from the coach's perspective.
If he voiced a different opinion, the Lakers would immediately split.
As a veteran, Kobe knew very well that unity was the foundation for achieving any goal.
The main reason the Lakers F4 had missed out on the championship back then was precisely this.
On the other side, Nelson specifically reminded Chen Yan not to get flustered when double teamed.
He wanted him to pass the ball more and use passing to break the Lakers zone defense.
Even Nelson himself had not expected Chen Yan to score 25 points in the 1st quarter while the Lakers still refused to double team him in the 2nd quarter.
In the 2nd quarter, both sides sent out their rotation lineups.
In the new season, the Lakers 2nd unit had not been strengthened.
In fact, they had lost several important rotation players, with Vujacic, Shannon Brown, and James Posey all leaving the team last season.
The 5 players currently on the court for the Lakers were Steve Blake, Kapono, Ariza, Murphy, and McRoberts.
The Knicks sent out Beverley, Anthony Carter, Yi Jianlian, Al Harrington, and Kenyon Martin.
Nelson had Yi Jianlian and Al Harrington take turns playing small forward to see how it worked.
The regular season was the phase for experimenting and integrating lineups.
Nelson often had some eccentric ideas.
For instance, he believed Yi Jianlian's athleticism and flexibility could be tested at small forward.
The Knicks bench performed better, and Yi Jianlian even used off ball cuts to drive in for 2 consecutive dunks.
This immediately excited the domestic fans.
Yi Jianlian was stepping up.
Since the start of the new season, Yi Jianlian's performance had not been very consistent.
After the last game, Nelson specifically talked with Yi Jianlian.
He believed Yi Jianlian's mobility could be tested at the small forward position.
At small forward, Yi Jianlian had a height advantage, creating a natural mismatch against almost anyone.
Durant's success had also given many NBA coaches inspiration, leading them to try some mobile big men at small forward or even shooting guard.
Yi Jianlian also felt Nelson's suggestion was good.
The Knicks interior competition was too intense.
David West, DeAndre Jordan, Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin, Turiaf.
If he played small forward, it would be easier to secure playing time.
To survive in the NBA, a player could not simply act according to his own impulses.
Whether star or role player, countless people had already served as negative examples.
Yi Jianlian was willing to accept some changes in order to survive.
Today was Yi Jianlian's 1st game playing small forward, and it seemed to be working well.
However, this was also because the Lakers backup big men lacked mobility.
Neither Murphy nor McRoberts was known for physical talent.
To truly evaluate the experiment, Yi Jianlian still needed to play a few more games.
After Yi Jianlian repeatedly attacked the interior, the camera focused on Nelson.
The corners of Nelson's mouth curved upward, showing his satisfaction with Yi Jianlian's offense during this stretch.
The domestic media did not miss this detail.
A news article titled A Slight Smile, He Has Won the Coach's Trust quietly appeared on a portal website.
The Knicks 2nd unit quickly erased the deficit.
For the Lakers, Kapono and Blake were both excellent shooters, but the Lakers 2nd unit lacked a primary scorer.
Because of that, even if those shooters stood beyond the 3 point line until their legs went numb, they still would not get clean looks.
The Lakers brought Kobe back early.
At 6 minutes and 58 seconds of the 2nd quarter, Chen Yan and DeAndre Jordan returned to the court.
Yi Jianlian did not come off.
He had been playing well during this stretch, and Nelson was prepared to give him more opportunities to perform.
This old coach had that kind of personality.
Whoever played well would get minutes.
At the beginning of the season, Nelson had stated in an interview that except for Chen Yan, the other starting positions were not fixed.
He would adjust the lineup according to the players performance in practice and games.
This was also a form of incentive mechanism.
As long as they fought hard and played well, they would receive more playing time.
Unlike Van Gundy during the Rockets years, whose lineup was fixed every season regardless of the players form.
After Chen Yan came on, he continued the individual scoring firepower from the 1st quarter.
The Lakers did not double team him, but their defensive actions became much more aggressive.
On fast breaks, if they could foul early, they fouled early, refusing to give Chen Yan a chance to attack the rim directly.
The Lakers knew their disadvantage.
Against the Knicks, they could only slow down the pace.
Chen Yan's scoring momentum did not diminish in the 2nd quarter.
He scored 21 points, finishing the half with 46 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The Knicks role players also performed well in the 2nd quarter.
At halftime, New York had overtaken the lead by 5 points, 66 to 61.
"Chen Yan is maintaining his excellent form from the start of the season tonight," Kenny Smith said. "His goal is very clear. Attack the rim and kill the opponent with scoring. You can see that from his stats and his on court performance."
"And he has not even played that many minutes tonight," Barkley said. "He has played 1 minute less than Kobe. He played around 10 minutes in the 1st quarter and came back about 6 minutes into the 2nd quarter. That shows how high his efficiency is. He definitely has the advantage in physical reserves. I am optimistic that he will continue exploding in the 2nd half."
In the 2nd half, play resumed after the change of ends.
Both teams sent out their starters.
Barkley immediately spotted the problem with the Lakers lineup.
"The Lakers bench and starters are too far apart. If they want to beat the Knicks, their starters need to play extended minutes. But their starting lineup is precisely the oldest in the entire league, even more extreme than the Spurs."
Kenny Smith agreed.
"The physical gap will become apparent in the 4th quarter. The Lakers only solution is to mix their starters with the bench so the starting players can get rotational rest."
What they said was correct.
If Kobe and Garnett were 5 years younger, both could play the entire game without issue.
But now, at their age, some things could not be accomplished by willpower alone.
The Lakers 1st offensive possession of the 2nd half.
Kobe and Garnett executed a simple pick and roll.
After receiving the ball, Garnett made a smooth spin, got past David West, and scored with a layup.
The fans in the arena cheered continuously.
Garnett handled that play beautifully, showing a glimpse of his former brilliance.
On the Knicks offense, David West immediately called for the ball after reaching the frontcourt.
He had been scored on several times by Garnett today and still had not made a response shot.
Chen Yan understood David West's intention in the paint, so he had his teammates clear space and lobbed the ball in.
David West immediately turned after receiving the ball, choosing to face up and attack.
However, David West did not rush to dribble.
He first took 2 probing steps.
Seeing that Garnett did not close in, he decisively took a mid range shot.
Garnett immediately rushed over.
Although his momentum was strong, David West seemed to say, What do I have to fear?
Garnett's explosiveness was no longer what it used to be.
David West was confident that Garnett would not interfere with his shot before he released it, so his shooting form remained very stable.
Swish.
A successful response.
The Knicks bench erupted in applause.
Nelson nodded.
He had signed David West precisely for this purpose.
A big man with isolation scoring ability could relieve a lot of pressure from Chen Yan.
.....
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