Chapter 496: The Art of Eye Deception, Schooling Okur
After the usual pregame rituals, both starting lineups gathered at center court.
It was obvious that Phoenix had made a slight adjustment. Matt Barnes replaced Jordan in the starting 5.
Against the Jazz, the Suns did not need size as much as they needed mobility. Utah's 2 interior players, Okur and Boozer, were not traditional low post bruisers.
Boozer's most reliable offense came from his mid range jumper and from rolling hard to the rim after a pick and roll. His favorite move was catching the ball around waist level, pivoting with a half turn to create space toward the high post, then releasing the ball from behind his right ear with that awkward but effective shooting motion.
Okur was even more perimeter oriented. Despite standing 211 centimeters tall, he often floated outside the 3 point line for most of a possession.
Those 2 made up Utah's frontcourt, and because both preferred finesse over physical punishment, many old school centers around the league had mockingly labeled them the "Soft Combo."
Against a pairing like that, Phoenix's big men would not be under much physical stress.
Although Stoudemire had publicly announced that he was fully recovered, he did not return for this game.
He sat on the sideline in a black suit, cheering on his teammates.
D'Antoni had his reasons. A player in Stoudemire's situation could easily suffer a setback by returning too early, but waiting too deep into the playoffs could also hurt team chemistry. It was a situation that demanded caution.
Utah, meanwhile, stuck with its regular season starting lineup: Deron at point guard, Brewer at shooting guard, C.J. Miles at small forward, Boozer at power forward, and Okur at center.
Kirilenko, despite having the highest salary on the team, had already been moved out of the starting lineup before the season began.
Jerry Sloan's explanation was that sixth man Matt Harpring had no timetable for returning from ankle surgery. To keep some scoring punch with the second unit, Utah shifted C.J. Miles into the starting small forward role and asked Kirilenko to lead the bench.
It sounded reasonable on the surface, but the logic still had holes. Kirilenko had never been a volume scorer anyway, so using him as a bench offensive spark did not fully explain the decision.
Still, the whistle blew before anyone had more time to think about it.
Phoenix opened its 2008 to 2009 playoff run.
Diaw lost the opening tip, giving Utah the first possession.
It was Diaw's first time standing at center circle for a jump ball in his career, and he was clearly uncomfortable. His reaction was half a beat slow.
Deron brought the ball to the top of the arc. Phoenix opened in a hybrid defense, 2 men in tight man to man coverage and 3 players zoning the floor behind them.
It was an ideal scheme against a team with 2 real offensive threats and 3 limited creators. Utah's starting lineup fit that mold perfectly. Phoenix only needed to focus on Deron and Boozer. The other 3 were not players who could consistently create for themselves.
Deron did not call for a pick and roll on the first possession. He crossed over, took 2 steps to his left, then swung the ball to Brewer on the wing.
Chen Yan sagged off him by 2 full steps.
Brewer was shooting just 25.6 percent from 3 this season. He averaged 1 attempt per game and made only 0.3. If Brewer hit that shot, Chen Yan was willing to live with it.
Chen Yan knew Brewer very well. They had faced each other in March Madness back when Brewer played for Florida. In that game, Brewer had almost been mentally broken by him.
Brewer felt the disrespect.
He hesitated, then still failed to summon the courage to shoot. Instead, he forced a lob entry to Boozer in the post.
Boozer caught the ball with his back to the basket, and Chen Yan immediately came over with a hard double team, denying him any chance to turn.
Boozer was an interior player who loved to face up. If he could not turn, half of his threat disappeared.
Chen Yan led the league in steals this season. Boozer knew how quick his hands were. He did not even dare put the ball on the floor and immediately kicked it back out to the perimeter.
Brewer still refused to shoot, but the space at least gave him a lane to drive.
After 1 dribble, Brewer took off toward the rim. Barnes rotated off Boozer to help, and Brewer, already in the air, twisted his body and tried to sling the ball back to Boozer.
The idea was good. If that pass got through, Boozer would have had a perfect mismatch.
It never got there.
The ball was only halfway to its target when Chen Yan suddenly stepped in front of Boozer and intercepted it cleanly.
Chen Yan dropped his center of gravity, pushed the ball out in front, and raced across half court.
Raja Bell sprinted diagonally ahead of him. Only Deron had managed to retreat into position for Utah.
Phoenix had a numbers advantage right from the opening minute.
Chen Yan looked toward Raja Bell while driving, then rose up himself and finished with a gliding layup.
Eye deception.
When elite players face each other, the difference is often made in a single instant. By the time Deron reacted, Chen Yan was already in the air. If Deron wanted to stop him, he would have had to foul, and there was no way he wanted to do that less than 30 seconds into the game.
"A clean, crisp layup," Barkley said. "Phoenix is playing at exactly the pace it wants from the opening tip."
"Steal, push, finish, all in one motion," Kenny Smith added with a grin. "That is Chen's favorite kind of offense."
Brewer shook his head. On that possession alone, he felt completely outclassed.
Utah went back to work.
Chen Yan continued to treat Brewer like a non shooter.
This time he still gave him space, but not for a 3. He was baiting the mid range jumper.
Brewer's 3 point shot was unreliable, but he was at least willing to shoot from 2. Seeing Chen Yan back off by 2 steps again, Brewer felt insulted all over again.
He rose up quickly.
The instant Brewer lifted the ball, Chen Yan exploded forward and lunged at him.
Brewer panicked, put too much force on the shot, and smashed it off the glass.
Chen Yan's defensive plan was extremely specific. Against a quick release shooter, he would never sag that far because even with his speed, he might not get there in time. But Brewer's release was painfully slow.
That came from his unusual shooting form, and that form had a reason. Brewer had been in a terrible car accident as a child and injured his right hand. Even now, his right arm could not fully extend, which meant he needed extra space to shoot. Otherwise, he was very easy to bother.
The ball bounced off the rim, and Diaw turned and grabbed the rebound securely.
The moment Chen Yan landed, he never even looked back. He was already sprinting up the floor.
Diaw did not hesitate either. With 1 hand, he whipped a long pass toward the frontcourt.
Both Boozer and Okur had turned to retreat, but neither had any chance to bother the pass. Diaw threw a quarterback style outlet right into Chen Yan's path.
The lead on the pass was perfect. Chen Yan caught it in stride without breaking rhythm.
Then he accelerated again.
Utah's retreating defenders immediately locked onto him.
Chen Yan charged into the paint, drew 2 defenders with him, then spun and kicked the ball out.
Nash was wide open.
Chen Yan had already located him before he started the drive, and the pass came out clean and direct.
Nash caught the ball at the top of the arc and, carrying a bit of forward momentum, leaned slightly into the shot.
Deron was too late to recover.
The 3 dropped cleanly through the net.
Phoenix led 5 to 0.
Utah attacked again, and this time went to its signature pick and roll.
Its first 2 empty possessions had not really been about great Suns defense. Utah's own offense had simply been unreliable.
After the pick and roll, Deron fed Boozer with a bounce pass. Boozer caught it near the elbow and launched with his usual cannon loading motion.
Clang.
No one was even in front of him. He just missed.
Diaw grabbed the rebound again.
Utah had opened the night 0 for 3. It was a brutal beginning.
Nash crossed half court. Raja Bell retreated to the corner. Barnes and Diaw spaced out. With everyone except the ball handler able to at least keep the defense honest, the lane stayed clean.
After directing everyone into place, Nash swung the ball to Chen Yan.
Phoenix was entering its first true half court possession of the night.
Chen Yan stood still, palming the ball with 1 hand.
He did not rush into an isolation against Brewer. Instead, he chose the less taxing option and called for a screen.
Diaw came up, but his first angle was poor and did not really catch Brewer.
Chen Yan paused, pulled the ball back, then used Diaw on the return angle, turning him into a wall and finally shaking Brewer.
He moved 1 step left, and Okur switched onto him immediately. No one in the league was comfortable giving Chen Yan daylight from deep.
Chen Yan backed up 2 more steps, pulling Okur all the way beyond the 3 point line. He had played against slow footed big men like Okur countless times. The moment they got too far from the paint, the game tilted heavily in his favor.
As soon as Okur settled his feet, Chen Yan hit a large behind the back dribble, snapped into a pullback, then flashed the Buddha Pose.
That sequence nearly broke Okur's ankles.
Okur's body was built to defend other big men. Asking him to crouch down and stay in front of Chen Yan out on the perimeter was a cruel assignment.
Once Okur lost the angle, Chen Yan slipped inside the arc and, before help could arrive, lofted in a short floater.
Phoenix led 7 to 0.
In the playoffs, Chen Yan was already playing with more clarity and efficiency than he had in most regular season games. He wanted the maximum damage with the minimum amount of wasted energy.
.....
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