Chapter 791: No Pressure
The final score was 114 to 90.
The moment the buzzer sounded, the Knicks players jumped to their feet in celebration.
This was more than just a comfortable road victory.
By winning Game 3, New York had reclaimed the home court advantage it lost in Game 1.
The Nets arena fell silent.
The home crowd had nothing to celebrate.
The Knicks did not celebrate for long either.
This was still enemy territory, and there was no reason to make a scene after the game had already been decided.
Chen Yan dominated from beginning to end.
54 points.
11 assists.
10 rebounds.
Another triple double.
Carmelo Anthony continued his strong scoring run and finished with 35 points.
Yao Ming recorded 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
It was a quiet night by his standards.
New York had completely dictated the pace, and Yao struggled to establish himself in such a fast game.
Deron Williams finished with 21 points and 7 assists, respectable numbers on the surface.
But the box score did not tell the entire story.
Kenny Smith summed it up afterward.
"This was a classic Chen Yan game. For Brooklyn to beat New York, all 3 of their stars probably need to play well at the same time. Yao never really got comfortable tonight. Deron had decent scoring and assist numbers, but the efficiency was not there, and he also finished with 6 turnovers."
At the post game press conference, Avery Johnson was unusually candid.
"Nelson outcoached me tonight," he admitted. "His decision to let Curry and David West lead the 2nd unit in the 2nd quarter disrupted our rotation. Once that happened, we spent the rest of the night reacting to New York instead of controlling the game ourselves."
A reporter followed up.
"How would you evaluate Chen Yan's performance tonight?"
Johnson gave a helpless smile.
"I do not think we need to keep emphasizing what Chen does. He is our nightmare every night."
A few reporters laughed.
Johnson continued.
"Before every game, you almost have to pray that he has a bad shooting night. Unfortunately, the odds of that happening are not very high."
It was hardly the kind of statement a coach wanted to make during a Playoffs series.
It sounded almost like he was praising the opponent while discouraging his own team.
Johnson would never have said something like that if Chen Yan had not made him feel genuinely helpless.
After the loss, Brooklyn was under enormous pressure.
The Nets had stolen Game 1 at Madison Square Garden.
Now New York had taken that advantage right back.
The Knicks led the series 2 to 1.
Anthony refused to panic.
"The series is not over," he said quietly. "Being down 2 to 1 is not the end of the world."
He looked toward the reporters.
"I already know what people are going to say after tonight. They are going to say Brooklyn is finished, that we lost control of the series, that New York has all the momentum."
Anthony shook his head.
"I am not listening to any of that."
"For me, this series is still early. I would rather focus on the next game than worry about what people outside this locker room are saying."
He paused.
"The only thing that matters now is protecting our home court in Game 4 and tying the series."
Compared with Brooklyn's frustration, New York looked almost completely relaxed.
Curry spoke first.
"Everything is still under our control. When we really want to win a game, it does not matter whether we are home or away."
Several reporters exchanged looks.
That was already a confident statement.
They had plenty of material for tomorrow's headlines.
Then Chen Yan spoke.
"We already made our mistake in Game 1."
The room became quieter.
"We will not make the same mistake twice."
Chen Yan looked completely calm.
"From this point forward, we are not losing another game before we advance."
The reporters stared at him.
That was not confidence.
That was a declaration.
Chen Yan had just placed an enormous target on himself.
Bold predictions had a way of becoming embarrassing when they failed.
Chen Yan did not care.
He had confidence in himself.
More importantly, he had confidence in the Knicks.
Brooklyn had plenty of offensive talent.
But the Nets still struggled to function as a single unit.
That difference alone separated them from New York.
The Knicks certainly depended heavily on Chen Yan offensively.
But their offense still contained structure, movement, and cooperation.
Chen Yan could dominate the ball.
He could also play without it.
If his teammates were hot, he was perfectly willing to become a facilitator.
If the offense collapsed, he could take over with isolation scoring.
That flexibility was something Brooklyn did not possess to the same degree.
After 1 day of rest, the Nets returned to their home floor determined to redeem themselves in Game 4.
They won the opening tip and immediately attacked.
Anthony used a screen, created separation, and rose for a stepback jumper.
Clang!
Miss.
It was one of Anthony's favorite shots.
Tonight, however, the rim seemed hostile from the very beginning.
New York came back the other way.
Curry used a pick and roll, then pulled the ball behind his back to create space.
He stepped beyond the 3 point line.
Rise.
Release.
Swish!
A difficult 3 pointer.
Curry's confidence was clearly growing.
He was even beginning to bring some of the more creative dribbling moves he used during the regular season into the Playoffs.
Brooklyn returned on offense.
The home crowd roared together.
The arena was still packed.
Nets fans firmly believed that a team featuring 3 All Star players could defeat New York.
Anthony cut behind the defense toward the basket.
He caught the pass.
DeAndre Jordan met him immediately.
Block!
Anthony was not only struggling with his shot tonight.
His decision making looked rushed as well.
He seemed too eager to force himself into rhythm.
Chen Yan secured possession and immediately accelerated.
No hesitation.
Straight to the basket.
He gathered and exploded upward.
Boom!
Tomahawk dunk!
5 to 0.
After landing, Chen Yan turned toward the crowd and raised his right hand to his ear.
He wanted to hear them.
The gesture was deliberately provocative.
The crowd responded instantly.
Insults poured down from every direction.
Some fans even began imitating the chants once heard from Los Angeles crowds.
"F**k Chen!"
"F**k Chen!"
Brooklyn fans despised him.
Unfortunately for them, their team was not giving them much to cheer about.
After 3 excellent games, Anthony completely lost his touch in Game 4.
He went 0 of 5 from the field in the 1st quarter and scored only 2 points from free throws.
His shooting was so poor that he barely resembled the scorer who had tormented New York earlier in the series.
By the end of the 1st quarter, Brooklyn trailed 28 to 18.
A 10 point deficit.
Kenny Smith looked toward the scoreboard.
"Falling behind by double digits in the 1st quarter is not the kind of start Brooklyn needed."
Barkley nodded.
"They better fix it fast. If they let New York get comfortable again, this game is going to be over before the 4th quarter."
The 2nd quarter only made things worse for the Nets.
New York's reserve guards took control.
Barea was particularly effective.
He attacked the basket.
He hit from outside.
He created opportunities for teammates.
By the time his stint developed, Barea had already scored 8 points.
His strengths and weaknesses were obvious.
He was undersized.
His defense was average.
But his energy never disappeared, and he played with constant attacking intent.
Beverley contributed in a completely different way.
Defense.
Relentless, suffocating defense.
Brooklyn backup point guard Jordan Farmar could barely bring the ball up comfortably.
Every time Farmar turned, Beverley seemed to be attached to him.
Farmar grew increasingly frustrated.
Where did this lunatic come from?
Beverley treated every Playoffs minute like it might be his last.
He knew exactly how crowded New York's guard rotation was.
Barea wanted his minutes.
Jeremy Lin wanted his minutes.
If Beverley did not play well, somebody else would happily take his place.
So whenever he stepped onto the floor, he gave everything he had.
Chen Yan returned around the middle of the 2nd quarter.
For New York, that usually meant the game was going exactly according to plan.
There was no pressure.
After checking in, Chen Yan did not immediately become the primary scorer.
He focused instead on organizing the offense and connecting his teammates.
He occasionally took an open perimeter shot, but there was no need to force anything.
By halftime, New York led 58 to 42.
Chen Yan already had 14 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds.
He had also gone 4 of 4 from beyond the 3 point line.
When Chen Yan was allowed to play patiently and choose only the best opportunities, his efficiency became terrifying.
Almost every shot he attempted felt inevitable.
Of course, there was 1 requirement for Chen Yan to play this way.
His teammates had to be doing their part.
Tonight, they were.
....
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