Chapter 800: The Pressure on James
Wade immediately glared back at Chen Yan.
Chen had just completed a 4 point play, but Wade understood something every superstar learned sooner or later.
You could never allow yourself to lose momentum on the court.
Swish!
Chen made the free throw.
4 to 4.
Madison Square Garden erupted.
In a single possession, Chen Yan had erased Miami's entire opening lead.
That kind of response was exactly what the home crowd wanted to see.
Miami returned to offense.
James lobbed the ball inside to Pau Gasol.
It was becoming clear that the Heat intended to establish their offense through the paint early.
New York's defense immediately collapsed inward.
It was not because the Knicks were terrified of Gasol's post game.
The greater issue was Miami's perimeter shooting.
Wade was limited from beyond the arc.
James had improved, but his 3 point shot remained inconsistent.
Chalmers was most dangerous when completely open.
In truth, a tall shooter like Channing Frye had been useful because he stretched New York's defense.
The problem was everything else.
His defense was weak.
His rebounding was closer to that of a wing than a true big man.
Gasol received the ball high in the post and initially looked to attack.
The moment he turned, however, he saw the Knicks defense collapsing around him.
He immediately passed back outside.
Gasol's basketball IQ remained excellent.
James caught the ball at the top of the arc.
No hesitation.
3 pointer.
Swish!
7 to 4.
His offense was noticeably more decisive tonight.
New York came back the other way.
Chen Yan used a pick and roll and immediately attracted a double team.
He passed inside to DeAndre Jordan.
The catch came too far from the basket for DeAndre to finish immediately.
He wanted 1 dribble before attacking.
That was all James needed.
Reach.
Steal.
Miami immediately ran.
Chen Yan stayed attached to Wade, so Wade deliberately drifted toward the sideline and cleared the middle.
James attacked.
Hard change of direction.
Straight to the basket.
Curry and Battier both tried to stop him.
Neither could.
James finished through the defense.
9 to 4.
After landing, he stared fiercely at Battier and Curry.
His energy tonight was completely different.
Chen Yan could feel it.
Miami's offensive intensity bore almost no resemblance to the sluggish team from Game 1.
After 1 day to adjust, the Heat had found a much better rhythm.
New York began its next possession.
Chen Yan again used a pick and roll.
Again, Miami sent 2 defenders.
This time, Chen did not pass immediately.
He took 1 dribble backward and reset.
David West cut toward the basket.
Chen Yan's eyes followed his movement.
Joel Anthony immediately turned and chased West.
The floor opened.
Chen Yan lowered his stance.
Now it was just him and Wade.
Wade repeatedly reached toward the ball, trying to disturb Chen's dribbling rhythm.
Chen remained completely calm.
If Wade came too close, Chen could beat him with 1 step.
Wade knew that too.
He had already committed a shooting foul against Chen earlier and was unwilling to get caught again.
So he maintained a little more space.
Chen crossed the ball several times.
Then suddenly rose.
Wade jumped with him.
But Wade's pure vertical ability was inferior.
Without enough body pressure before the shot, the contest barely affected Chen's release.
Swish!
9 to 7.
Another 3 pointer.
Chen did not celebrate.
He immediately turned and signaled for everyone to get back.
Miami looked far more dangerous tonight.
The Heat came down the floor.
Wade handled the ball.
He attacked the paint.
New York collapsed.
Pass to James.
James again rose decisively from the perimeter.
This time, Battier recovered in time.
Contest.
Miss.
James had improved considerably as a shooter over the past few seasons.
But whether shooting off the dribble or without the ball, he still was not on Chen Yan's level.
New York pushed the other way.
Curry pulled up for a transition 3.
Clang!
Miss.
Nelson wanted 2 or 3 Knicks players to score at least 20 points every night.
That way, even if Chen Yan had a poor shooting performance, the offense would not completely collapse.
For that reason, Curry had almost unlimited freedom to shoot.
Miami immediately countered.
James grabbed the rebound and launched a long pass toward Wade.
Wade caught it with Chen Yan in front of him.
New York's defense had not yet fully organized.
Wade wanted to attack before it could.
He used his weight to bump Chen backward 1 step.
Then came his signature Euro step.
Chen Yan knew the move extremely well.
He used it himself.
The moment Wade took the 1st step, Chen read the sequence.
Wade realized he had not created enough separation.
So during the 2nd step, while still airborne, he turned and passed backward.
James was already there.
His effort level tonight was remarkable.
After throwing the original long pass to Wade, James had sprinted the entire length of the floor to rejoin the play.
He caught Wade's return pass.
1 dribble.
Attack.
Chen Yan and Wade both jumped.
Neither could stop him.
Boom!
James finished with his signature tomahawk dunk.
11 to 7.
He landed and immediately exchanged a high 5 with Wade.
Then James roared and pounded his chest.
The criticism after Game 1 had clearly stayed with him.
People had questioned his aggression.
They had said he was too passive.
They had said he had not played like a true leader.
James had carried those words into Game 2.
He wanted an answer.
New York returned to offense.
The moment Curry passed the ball to Chen Yan, Spoelstra shouted from the sideline.
"Double him!"
James immediately left Battier.
He joined Wade.
Wade and James were both excellent individual defenders.
Together, they placed enormous pressure on Chen.
Chen dribbled laterally for 2 steps before finding the passing angle.
Battier was open.
Pass.
But James possessed exceptional recovery speed.
The moment the ball left Chen's hands, James turned and sprinted back.
Battier caught it.
James was already closing.
The speed and intensity of the recovery forced Battier to rush slightly.
Clang!
Miss.
Spoelstra had seen enough to continue the strategy.
For the remainder of the 1st quarter, Miami repeatedly sent double teams toward Chen Yan.
Chen handled them well.
Most of the time, he found the correct teammate.
When the opportunity appeared, he still created his own shot.
Miami quickly discovered that trapping Chen Yan was nowhere near as effective as trapping Durant.
Chen remained too comfortable making decisions under pressure.
But the Heat did not abandon the tactic.
They did not need to completely shut Chen down.
If the extra defender lowered his shooting percentage even slightly, or forced him to expend more energy creating possessions, the strategy still had value.
Miami's offense also looked completely revitalized.
The Heat players were shooting with more confidence.
Their decisions were faster.
Their execution was sharper.
Much of that change began with James.
When the team's primary star played decisively, that mentality spread.
And James had every reason to feel urgency tonight.
The pressure surrounding him had become enormous.
Losing Game 1 on the road was understandable.
Getting beaten convincingly was another matter.
There were already plenty of people waiting for him to fail.
Ever since announcing his decision to leave Cleveland, James had become one of the most scrutinized players in basketball.
The ridicule had never fully disappeared.
If he still failed to win a championship after everything that had happened, the criticism would become even louder.
For James, this was no longer just another Playoffs game.
Every loss added weight to the burden he was already carrying.
....
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