Chapter 789: Relentless Pressure
New York had possession.
Curry dribbled across half court, and the Knicks settled into their set offense.
New York preferred to play fast, but even the best transition team could not create a fast break on every possession.
Chen Yan received the ball and immediately drew a double team.
He was not bothered by Brooklyn's defensive attention.
If anything, he seemed to enjoy it.
Chen Yan instantly passed the ball back to Curry.
Curry swung it toward a wide open Battier.
Battier caught and fired.
Deron Williams sprinted over on the closeout and managed to disturb his rhythm slightly.
Clang!
Miss.
Yao Ming secured the rebound.
Rather than rushing the outlet, he protected the ball first before handing it to Deron.
Brooklyn had no intention of matching New York's pace.
Deron leisurely crossed half court.
Once Yao established position inside, Deron bounced the ball directly into his hands.
Yao turned.
Short hook.
In.
74 to 64.
Yao against Al Harrington was an obvious mismatch.
New York's lineup was extremely small, which made it vulnerable against bigger players inside.
That was the nature of small ball.
Its greatest strength could also become its greatest weakness.
The Knicks came back on offense.
After crossing half court, Curry initiated a handoff with Chen Yan.
The instant Chen Yan received the ball, Curry turned and screened Gerald Wallace.
The 1st screen.
Al Harrington quickly moved over from the wing and picked off Deron, who had switched onto Chen Yan.
The 2nd screen.
New York executed the action smoothly.
It was a familiar design intended to create just enough space for Chen Yan to attack.
After clearing both screens, Chen Yan immediately spotted the opening.
He lowered his dribble, changed direction, and attacked.
1 moment, Yao Ming was directly in front of him.
The next, Chen Yan had already shifted to his side.
There was nothing Yao could do.
Chen Yan was simply too fast.
He did not even need to completely beat Yao off the dribble.
The moment Chen Yan gained a step, the possession was already tilted in his favor.
Yao chased as hard as he could.
The distance only increased.
Chen Yan leaned forward and finished quickly with his left hand.
75 to 64.
A textbook guard against big man mismatch.
Brooklyn was not the only team capable of exploiting favorable matchups.
Chen Yan calmly turned and retreated on defense.
The Nets again looked toward Yao.
Deron lofted another entry pass into the paint.
This time, Yao had not established nearly as deep a position.
New York could not allow him to catch the ball inside the restricted area on every possession.
If Yao consistently received the ball that close to the basket, there was almost no realistic way to stop him.
Bang.
Yao took 1 dribble.
Curry immediately came down to double team.
A few years earlier, this kind of pressure might have created serious problems for Yao's balance and ball control.
Now, after losing weight and improving his mobility, he handled it much more comfortably.
Yao gathered the ball and passed back outside to Deron at the top of the 3 point line.
Deron rose for 3.
Curry reacted quickly.
He immediately turned and recovered toward the shooter.
He could not block the attempt, but his contest was enough to affect it.
Miss.
David West secured the rebound and passed to Curry.
New York instantly shifted into transition.
Chen Yan ran ahead and set a screen for Curry 1 step beyond the 3 point line.
After screening, Chen Yan immediately cut toward the basket.
Curry saw him.
Pass inside.
Brooklyn's defensive attention remained centered on Chen Yan.
He did not care.
The moment he caught the ball, he attacked anyway.
Chen Yan was simply using his physical gifts to overwhelm Brooklyn's interior defense.
He had already built up momentum before receiving the pass.
Once he caught it, he charged straight into the paint.
The Nets had no choice but to foul.
Yao and Deron both reached toward him.
Whistle!
Yao immediately raised his hand.
His foul.
It was an intentional gesture.
Deron had already accumulated 3 fouls.
Yao had only 1.
New York did not feature much traditional interior scoring, which meant Yao had been involved in fewer physical battles around the rim and had accumulated fewer fouls.
The referee charged the shooting foul to Yao.
In situations where several defenders made contact, officials often accepted the player who immediately admitted responsibility.
Chen Yan walked to the free throw line.
Swish.
Swish.
Both free throws.
77 to 64.
The margin was beginning to grow.
Brooklyn needed someone to answer.
Once again, Anthony stepped forward.
He isolated on the perimeter.
2 probing steps.
Then suddenly, explosion.
1 hard dribble with his right hand.
Pullup jumper.
Swish!
77 to 66.
The move looked almost too simple.
That was what made Anthony so difficult to defend.
There were no unnecessary movements.
No complicated sequence.
He created his space and rose directly into the shot.
New York immediately tried to inbound quickly and trigger another fast break.
Gerald Wallace anticipated it.
He reached into the passing lane and knocked the ball out of bounds before it could reach its target.
Brooklyn did not gain possession.
But Wallace had stopped New York's transition attack.
That alone made the play worthwhile.
Nelson made another adjustment.
Al Harrington went to the bench.
DeAndre Jordan returned.
New York's interior defense had become too vulnerable during the previous stretch, particularly around the rim.
The Knicks prepared to run another set.
This time, they went into a horns alignment.
Chen Yan and David West positioned themselves on opposite sides and screened for Curry.
Curry used the action to penetrate.
Brooklyn's defense immediately shifted.
The formation became scrambled.
And suddenly, Deron Williams found himself guarding Chen Yan.
A glaring mismatch.
Curry recognized it instantly.
Pass.
Brooklyn tried to send help.
Chen Yan gave them no time.
He backed into Deron once.
Then turned.
Deron's vertical ability was already nowhere near Chen Yan's.
After absorbing that physical contact, he could barely elevate at all.
Chen Yan palmed the ball in 1 hand and exploded straight upward.
His body seemed to rise endlessly.
Deron sensed trouble.
Too late.
Once Chen Yan was airborne, there was nowhere left to escape.
Impact.
Deron was knocked backward and landed hard on the floor.
Above him, Chen Yan descended like a force of nature.
Boom!
A thunderous dunk.
Chen Yan grabbed the rim with both hands.
Before dropping back to the court, he gave it a hard pull.
The officials allowed it.
From their perspective, Chen Yan was simply protecting himself after a violent finish.
79 to 66.
Once again, Chen Yan had punished Brooklyn's rim.
The arena could only marvel at his athletic ability.
No matter the situation, he always seemed capable of turning a possession into a dunk.
Even more frightening was how effortless it looked.
Moves that demanded everything from other players appeared almost casual when Chen Yan performed them.
On the court, his athletic limitations seemed almost nonexistent.
Yao Ming and Anthony helped Deron back to his feet.
Chen Yan had already produced several memorable highlights tonight.
Unfortunately for Deron, he had appeared on the wrong side of many of them.
The consecutive dunks sent New York's energy soaring.
Momentum could be cruel.
When 1 team gained it, the other usually felt it slipping away.
Brooklyn came back on offense.
Yao set a screen and rolled hard toward the basket.
Deron delivered a bounce pass.
Yao caught it in stride.
But he failed to recognize what was waiting in front of him.
David West had already established position in Yao's path.
Yao crashed directly into him.
West went flying backward and slid out of bounds.
Whistle!
Offensive foul.
Yao Ming.
David West clenched his fist while still on the floor.
He had anticipated the roll and deliberately positioned himself to draw the charge.
The crowd erupted in boos.
They hated the call.
Whether the whistle was correct hardly mattered.
That was part of home court pressure.
When a decision went against their team, the fans had only 1 responsibility.
Make enough noise to ensure the officials heard exactly how unhappy they were.
....
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