Chapter 737: Unparalleled Scoring Ability
"Great job! Excellent work!"
As Chen Yan came off the court, he did not forget to high five each teammate as encouragement.
Chen Yan constantly thought about uniting the team on the court.
This leadership quality seemed innate.
During the timeout, Lakers head coach Mike Brown once again emphasized the team's defensive system, instructing them to maintain their current zone defense and rotate quickly.
He also stressed the importance of attacking the paint more on offense.
First, it increased the success rate. The closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage. That was an unchanging truth in basketball.
Second, driving inside meant that even if the shot missed, the rebound would not bounce too far, preventing the Knicks from getting fast break opportunities.
After the timeout, the Lakers fed the ball into the paint.
After several possessions, David West's confidence was obvious.
He went head to head with Garnett and refused to give an inch.
Garnett had never been a power based offensive player. He relied on skill and agility to win.
When facing a tougher defender, he could only pass.
The ball went back out to the perimeter.
After a series of passes, the Lakers shot clock had only 8 seconds left.
This possession was undoubtedly a failure for the Lakers.
Kobe took a forced 3 pointer from beyond the arc.
Missed.
The ball bounced very far.
It hit the backboard and flew out.
What Mike Brown least wanted to see had happened.
Barea and Chen Yan reacted swiftly, sprinting across half court at light speed.
Battier grabbed the rebound and threw the ball into the frontcourt.
The frontcourt instantly became a 2 on 1 situation.
And that 1 was Old Fish Fisher.
Old Fish Fisher pretended to retreat.
He knew he could not defend this, but he could not simply give up either. That would hurt morale too much.
Old Fish Fisher retreated into the restricted area.
Barea suddenly tossed the ball into the air.
Immediately after, Old Fish Fisher felt a chill above his head.
A shadow loomed over him.
The next second, Chen Yan soared over Fisher and completed an alley oop.
The Knicks bench erupted.
The visual impact of this play was incredible, and many Lakers fans covered their mouths.
Curry, still recovering from injury, also jumped up.
It was clear from his expression how excited he was.
Curry yearned to return to the court soon and play alongside Chen Yan.
Of course, what he yearned for most was to dunk like Chen Yan.
Curry always had a dunking dream.
Only Old Fish Fisher did not see what had happened.
Everything happened too quickly, and Chen Yan came from his blind spot.
However, looking at Chen Yan hanging on the rim, then looking at the reactions of the Knicks bench and the crowd, Fisher could probably guess what had happened.
"A between the legs dunk!" Barkley shouted. "A classic moment is born."
Kenny Smith was also stunned. "This is redefining the between the legs dunk. He flew over an opponent's head and left the opponent between his legs."
"UFO sighting!"
"With that jumping height, I would not be surprised if Chen Yan competed in Olympic high jump someday."
"Old Fish is stunned."
"Will Chen Yan participate in another dunk contest?"
"Probably not. The dunks he pulls off in real games are already more difficult and creative than the ones opponents carefully design."
Fans were mesmerized by Chen Yan's incredibly difficult alley oop.
Mike Brown's face was grim.
He really wanted to call another timeout, but he held back because he had just called 1 on the previous possession.
Old Fish Fisher dribbled across half court.
Kobe had already been camped in the low post, constantly reaching out for the ball.
Kobe practically had I want to isolate written on his face, and Chen Yan naturally noticed it.
The moment Kobe received the ball, Chen Yan immediately rushed over without hesitation.
When Kobe got the ball in the low post, he still commanded respect.
Kobe struggled to dribble while being double teamed, but relying on his experience and vision, he still managed to pass the ball out.
Matt Barnes took a 3 pointer from the corner.
Missed.
Mike Brown's expression did not look good.
The team was not playing according to his plan.
However, he could not say much, because the open shot on the perimeter had indeed appeared.
Fortunately, the ball did not bounce too far, so the Knicks could not launch a fast break immediately.
After Barea crossed half court, Chen Yan signaled for him to pass inside.
David West had already established position.
David West was playing very excitedly during this stretch, and Chen Yan was happy to let his teammate shine.
He was not the type of person who feared his teammates stealing his spotlight.
The Knicks had brought in an All Star big man like David West precisely to share his offensive burden.
Chen Yan was not afraid of David West wanting to isolate.
He was afraid of David West not wanting to attack.
After consecutive backdowns, David West suddenly took a lateral step, followed by a pump fake.
After getting Garnett to bite, David West pivoted on his left foot, twisted his body, stepped out with his right foot, and finally finished with his left hand.
The move was simple, but it showed David West's incredibly solid footwork in the paint.
The Lakers offense stalled.
Kobe could not take it anymore.
He grabbed the ball and drove straight inside.
He forced a shot against 3 defenders and drew a foul.
Standing at the free throw line, Kobe made both shots.
On the Knicks offensive possession, David West again called for the ball.
Chen Yan lobbed the ball in.
Just when everyone thought David West was about to enter isolation mode in the paint, he suddenly chose to pass.
Old Fish Fisher quietly came over from the corner for a double team.
David West noticed it.
This was the difference between an All Star player and an ordinary player.
Although David West's physical ability had declined after surgery, his experience and awareness were still at an All Star level.
After Barea received the ball, Barnes rotated to cover him.
Barea passed across the court without looking, finding Chen Yan.
The Lakers wanted to double team again, but it was already too late.
Chen Yan rarely got such open opportunities.
He would not let it go.
Swish.
All he had to do was raise his hand, and the ball went in.
The Lakers players mentality was shaken by Chen Yan.
On the next offensive possession, Kobe directly shot a 3 pointer over a defender.
This shot carried the flair of his prime.
Unfortunately, it missed.
Chen Yan grabbed the long rebound and immediately accelerated.
The Lakers transition defense awareness was good, but their legs simply could not keep up.
Chen Yan used his speed to overpower Kobe, then made a change of direction while dribbling to get past Fisher.
Chen Yan's movements were grand and incredibly stylish.
Boom.
With a simple tomahawk dunk, Chen Yan ended the battle.
"A very beautiful drive," Kenny Smith said. "The phrase driving straight through feels tailor made for Chen Yan."
Barkley said, "During this stretch, the Knicks have scored consecutively, while the Lakers offense has gone cold. That lead has suddenly stretched open."
The lead quickly reached more than 15 points.
In the final 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter, both sides gradually brought in their bench players.
The Lakers bench could not contend with the Knicks bench, and the lead was extended even further.
The Lakers bench offense was awkward.
Several shooters had no opportunities at all.
As the saying went, their lineup lacked a slasher.
3 point king Kapono had no room to play in this lineup.
The Lakers signed him this year for his 3 point shooting ability, but for his type of player, without someone to help create shooting space, he was useless.
In addition, the Lakers 2nd unit had another serious flaw.
Both Murphy and McRoberts were perimeter oriented big men.
Their playing style involved drifting outside, and this type of big man usually was not very tough.
That was why Yi Jianlian could wreak havoc in their paint.
Toward the end of the 3rd quarter, Yi Jianlian dunked again.
Murphy's attention was divided.
While he was still calling out to his teammates on defense, Yi Jianlian had quietly slipped into the paint.
Yi Jianlian cut without the ball, and Beverley immediately found him with a bounce pass.
Yi Jianlian received the ball and immediately leaped for a 2 handed power dunk.
McRoberts was also soft.
Seeing Yi Jianlian charging aggressively, he simply chose to get out of the way.
This scene made Garnett furious.
No matter how much Big Tough Garnett could not defend, he would at least try to foul the opponent.
What was this about just getting out of the way?
After Yi Jianlian landed, the camera gave him a close up.
He looked very cool, completely expressionless.
Chen Yan knew this kid was probably ecstatic inside.
He was just a bit repressed.
Final quarter.
The Lakers could only rotate Kobe and Garnett to lead the 2nd unit, which added more burden to the 2 veterans.
At the start of the 4th quarter, the lead was already over 20 points.
It was a complete mess.
The 2 old men ran tirelessly on the court, making even the fans tired just watching.
The game was not even over, and fans were already complaining about Mike Brown on forums.
But from Mike Brown's perspective, the Lakers bench truly had no options.
The 2 veterans rotated onto the court and managed to cut the lead to under 15 points, but they could not get any closer.
After the Knicks starters returned, they stabilized the lead.
Chen Yan was not aggressive in the 4th quarter, mostly using drive and kick plays to tear apart the Lakers defense.
Garnett fouled out halfway through the 4th quarter, further worsening the already thin Lakers frontcourt.
This was the result of Chen Yan targeting him.
Before coming on in the 4th quarter, Chen Yan saw that Garnett already had 4 fouls, and his strategy immediately became clear.
Once Garnett was out, the Lakers offense would have to rely solely on Kobe, and their interior defense would drop another level.
Camby was a former Defensive Player of the Year, but he was already 38 years old, almost at retirement age.
He was more name than substance now.
This type of player might still be crucial in key games, but expecting him to be the team's defensive anchor in every regular season game was impossible.
Kobe still wanted to play.
The word give up was not in his dictionary.
But Mike Brown felt it was unnecessary and pulled him out.
It was not worth risking injury to a core player in a regular season game.
1 minute later, the game entered garbage time.
Chen Yan eased up in the 4th quarter, scoring 7 points and adding 2 assists, finishing with 70 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.
After the game, fans widely commented that Chen Yan's scoring ability had reached its peak.
He could score 70 plus points even while holding back in the 4th quarter.
.....
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