Chapter 799: A Provocative Gaze
Chen Yan scored 13 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound in the 3rd quarter.
Through 3 quarters, his numbers had climbed to 35 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Miami changed its lineup again to begin the 4th.
James moved to power forward.
Mike Miller played small forward.
Chalmers and Wade formed the backcourt.
Pau Gasol remained at center.
On the first possession after the change, James found himself battling David West inside.
For a moment, he was almost speechless.
After all those adjustments, he was the one doing the blue collar work?
Spoelstra had little choice.
If Channing Frye stayed on the floor, Gasol would be placed under enormous pressure defensively.
But if Joel Anthony or Haslem played, Miami's offensive firepower would drop considerably.
The Heat were trying to erase a double digit deficit.
Putting 2 limited offensive players on the floor at the same time would only result in a slow death.
Miami simply could not find a lineup that balanced its interior defense, perimeter defense, and offensive spacing.
Even before the season began, Pat Riley had envisioned James spending more time at power forward.
He had repeatedly encouraged James to add weight for precisely that reason.
James had not been particularly enthusiastic about the idea.
Still, his professionalism was unquestionable.
After a few possessions, he adjusted and began defending David West effectively.
But moving James inside relieved a great deal of pressure from New York's perimeter players.
Mike Miller simply did not possess the necessary lateral quickness.
He was consistently half a step late when Miami switched.
Chen Yan and Curry immediately took advantage, repeatedly finding opportunities from beyond the 3 point line.
Nelson had originally planned to substitute Al Harrington.
The moment he saw James guarding the interior, he changed his mind and kept David West on the floor.
As New York's head coach, Nelson was perfectly happy to watch James wrestle with a power forward and burn even more energy.
The coaching battle continued.
Every substitution produced a response.
Every tactical adjustment forced another counter.
And when it came to those kinds of chess matches, Nelson had never lacked confidence.
Spoelstra had no intention of resting Wade or James during the final quarter.
If Miami wanted any chance of coming back, neither star could spend meaningful time on the bench.
New York simply continued playing at its preferred pace.
Chen Yan and Curry alternated as the primary initiators, keeping Miami's defense moving from possession to possession.
With 5 minutes remaining, the lead had nearly reached 20.
At that point, Spoelstra had to acknowledge the obvious.
His plan for Game 1 had failed.
When James finally left the floor, he did not exchange a high 5 with Spoelstra.
Instead, the 2 brushed shoulders as James walked past.
Rumors about tension between them had existed for a long time.
That brief moment would only give the media more reason to talk.
In the closing minutes, Jeremy Lin finally received an opportunity.
He controlled the ball, slowed the pace, and helped New York protect the lead until the final buzzer.
Lin had received rotation minutes during the first 2 rounds of the Playoffs.
The Eastern Conference Finals were different.
His opportunities would be limited.
Curry and Barea were already ahead of him.
Even Beverley had moved ahead in the rotation because of his defensive value.
Nelson needed Beverley to harass Wade.
Tonight, Beverley had done exactly that.
He could not completely stop a superstar like Wade, but his physical, relentless defense forced Wade to work for everything and drained his energy.
Despite seeing his minutes decline, Lin never complained.
He respected Nelson's decisions.
Lin had always been grateful for the opportunity New York had given him.
He knew that without Nelson and the Knicks, he might already have been out of the league, watching NBA games from home instead of participating in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The final buzzer sounded.
New York Knicks 111.
Miami Heat 94.
The Knicks had taken Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Chen Yan played 36 minutes.
He shot 14 of 22 from the field.
7 of 11 from beyond the 3 point line.
8 of 10 from the free throw line.
43 points.
11 assists.
9 rebounds.
He had finished only 1 rebound short of another triple double.
When the game entered garbage time with about 5 minutes remaining, Nelson had even asked Chen during a timeout whether he wanted another 2 minutes to chase the final rebound.
Chen immediately refused.
An artificially manufactured triple double meant nothing to him.
And triple doubles were hardly something Chen Yan lacked.
James played 39 minutes.
He shot 9 of 17 from the field, including 2 of 5 from beyond the arc and 7 of 8 from the free throw line.
27 points.
8 assists.
8 rebounds.
The numbers were balanced.
But anyone who watched the game could see the same problem.
James had not been aggressive enough offensively.
Wade finished with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Channing Frye added 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Those were the only 3 Miami players who reached double figures.
Pau Gasol finished with 9 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
His role had been reduced almost entirely to blue collar work.
If someone covered his name on the box score, fans might have mistaken those numbers for DeAndre Jordan's.
New York had 5 players in double figures.
Behind Chen Yan, Curry was the leading scorer.
He made 5 3 pointers and finished with 27 points.
Game 1 had been surprisingly comfortable for the Knicks.
At the post game press conference, Chen Yan made no attempt to sound modest.
"This game showed the real difference between the 2 teams."
The room immediately became attentive.
Chen continued.
"We are going to try to win the series in 6 games."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Of course, 5 would be better. 4 would be even better than that."
It was a direct declaration.
Miami had little ammunition to respond with after losing by 17 points.
James and Wade could only offer the usual answers.
Forget Game 1.
Review the mistakes.
Prepare for Game 2.
Patrick Ewing was also interviewed afterward.
He had looked irritated before tipoff.
After watching New York dominate Miami, his mood had completely changed.
Ewing smiled broadly as he spoke.
"The Knicks controlled the game from beginning to end. They were the stronger team tonight, and they played like it."
He showed Miami no mercy.
"If I were in that Heat locker room right now, I would be worried. I did not see much tonight that would give me confidence about this series."
Other NBA legends shared similar opinions.
Reggie Miller focused on New York's shooting.
"Chen's perimeter game is already terrifying. Put Curry beside him and that outside shooting becomes almost impossible to deal with. I am not only talking about teams today. Historically, that kind of perimeter firepower is rare."
Magic Johnson was equally confident.
"Before the series started, I picked New York to reach the NBA Finals. After watching Game 1, I believe in that prediction even more."
For Game 2, Spoelstra changed course.
Joel Anthony returned to the starting lineup.
If Frye could not outshoot New York anyway, Spoelstra preferred to return to a more balanced lineup and play Miami's own style.
Pau Gasol won the opening tip.
Miami had the first possession.
Chalmers passed to James.
James caught the ball, took a step backward, and called for a screen.
Gasol came up.
James used it, dribbled horizontally for 2 steps, then suddenly bounced the ball toward the cutting Gasol.
Gasol caught it with the ball held high.
Pump fake.
Then hook shot off the glass.
Good.
2 to 0.
Tonight, Gasol no longer had to carry nearly every physical responsibility on both ends.
With Joel Anthony beside him, his role was less exhausting.
That freedom immediately showed.
Gasol opened the game looking much more aggressive offensively.
New York came back the other way.
Wade was pressed tightly against Chen Yan.
After reviewing Game 1, Wade had concluded that he had defended Chen too passively.
Tonight, he intended to increase the pressure from the opening possession.
Chen circled from the wing toward the top of the arc to receive a handoff from Curry.
Curry did not notice how aggressively Wade was attacking the exchange.
He exposed the ball for just a moment.
Wade squeezed directly between them.
Smack!
Steal.
Wade exploded toward the other end.
No one could catch him.
Boom!
Dunk.
4 to 0.
Barkley reacted immediately.
"Wade can still move. You give him a clean steal like that and he is gone."
Kenny Smith nodded.
"That was a communication mistake between Curry and Chen. Wade read the handoff perfectly and attacked the ball."
Curry immediately raised his hand.
"My bad, Chen."
Chen patted him on the shoulder.
"Small problem. Forget it."
New York reset for its next possession.
Wade continued applying heavy pressure.
Chen once again came around the baseline and moved toward Curry for a handoff.
This time, Curry was ready.
He protected the ball and gave Wade no opportunity to attack the exchange.
Wade realized the steal was not available.
So he accelerated and forced his way around Curry instead.
Curry's lighter frame could not absorb Wade's momentum.
But Chen Yan had already anticipated it.
The instant Wade fought through the action, Chen leaned into the contact.
Then he rose from beyond the 3 point line.
Wade's momentum carried him forward.
He could not stop.
Contact.
Whistle!
The ball was already in the air.
Swish!
Madison Square Garden exploded.
3 pointer.
Foul.
A chance at a 4 point play.
Chen Yan landed and immediately turned toward Wade.
There was no smile.
Just a provocative stare.
You want to pressure me that aggressively?
Fine.
Keep doing it.
....
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