Chapter 804: One More
New York came back on offense.
Chen Yan crossed half court, used a screen, and immediately pulled up.
No hesitation.
Miami was half a step late on the switch.
The ball arced toward the rim.
Swish!
11 to 3.
Kenny Smith leaned forward.
"Another 3. Chen is putting together a ridiculous shooting stretch."
Barkley shook his head.
"They cannot stop him right now."
Spoelstra immediately called timeout.
Chen Yan's opening burst had stunned Miami.
The moment the Heat starters reached the bench, Spoelstra raised his voice.
"Double him! The second he crosses half court, send 2 defenders!"
James frowned.
"But he has Stephen Curry and David West out there."
Spoelstra slapped the tactical board.
"I do not care if the open player is Stephen Curry or Michael Jordan. Double Chen!"
Chen Yan was driving him crazy.
If Miami continued guarding him this way, Spoelstra was starting to wonder how many points Chen might score on an Eastern Conference Finals stage.
50?
60?
Even more?
But pride was not the real reason for the adjustment.
Chen's 3 point shooting could genuinely destroy a defense.
Miami returned from the timeout.
Its offense still failed to find rhythm.
Pau Gasol rose from the mid range.
Clang!
Miss.
Barkley looked at the floor.
"Miami cannot buy a basket right now."
Kenny nodded.
"And that is dangerous because New York already has control of the pace. If Miami keeps missing while Chen keeps shooting like this, the hole is going to grow quickly."
Curry crossed half court and passed to Chen.
Chen caught the ball near the top, about 2 steps beyond the 3 point line.
The instant he touched it, the pressure arrived.
Wade and James attacked him from both sides.
Chen pulled the ball back between his legs.
They kept coming.
Both defenders understood exactly what a ball handler hated in a trap.
No space.
No clean driving lane.
No comfortable angle to turn.
They squeezed Chen from the left and right.
Chen retreated 2 steps and finally bounced the ball toward Battier.
Battier was open.
But he was still about 1 and a half steps beyond the 3 point line.
That was not his preferred range.
James immediately recovered.
Battier moved the ball sideways to Curry.
Curry caught it at the left 45 degree angle.
Meanwhile, Chen had already moved toward the free throw line.
Then he suddenly accelerated back outside.
Curry saw him.
Pass.
Chen caught it.
The moment he put the ball on the floor, Wade and James trapped him again.
The changing rhythm made it difficult for Chen to immediately find an opening.
He retreated under pressure and finally threw a wide pass toward Al Harrington in the corner.
Harrington shot.
Miss.
Kenny nodded.
"That is exactly what Miami wanted. They forced Chen to give the ball up twice and eventually made someone else take the shot."
Barkley agreed.
"LeBron and Wade are putting real pressure on him. They are not giving him room to drive or rise into a jumper."
Miami attacked the other way.
Wade found a transition lane and drove hard toward the basket.
Chen and David West both rotated.
Smack!
The ball was blocked.
At almost the same instant, the whistle sounded.
Chen immediately turned toward the official.
"I got the ball."
West raised his hands too.
"I did not touch his arm."
The referee did not change the call.
Foul.
Spoelstra immediately shouted from the sideline.
"Keep attacking the rim! Keep going inside!"
Wade and James exchanged a glance.
They understood.
Both were experienced enough to recognize how the game was being officiated tonight.
Swish.
Swish.
Wade made both free throws.
11 to 5.
Miami immediately retreated.
If the Heat wanted to trap Chen effectively, they needed the defense set in the half court.
Letting him build speed in transition would make the entire strategy far more difficult.
Chen received the ball near the top.
Again, 2 defenders came.
David West stepped toward the high post and screened for him.
Chen quickly dribbled left around the screen.
James waited in front.
Wade fought around West and chased from behind.
Still trapped.
Both defenders stayed attached.
Chen controlled the ball with his left hand.
Then suddenly changed direction.
Explosion.
He split the gap between Wade and James.
The trap had not disappeared.
But Chen had seen the opening before it closed.
He gathered.
Attacked the basket.
Gasol stepped over.
Chen continued under the rim and finished with a reverse layup.
13 to 5.
Kenny smiled.
"That is the adjustment. Miami bothered him on the previous possession, and Chen immediately found a way through the trap the next time."
Barkley nodded.
"That is pure individual skill. There is only so much a scheme can do when a player can split 2 defenders like that."
Miami came back down.
James created space and attacked.
His first step was powerful.
Battier could not stay in front.
Once James gained the angle, defending him from the side became almost impossible.
He brushed past Battier and charged directly into the paint.
New York's defense was already compact.
David West and Al Harrington both stepped toward him.
Their intention was obvious.
Do not let him finish.
James was too powerful once he built momentum.
So they grabbed him before he could rise cleanly.
Whistle.
Foul.
Chen walked over and exchanged high 5s with both big men.
"Good job."
Against someone as strong as James, half measures were dangerous.
If the foul was too soft, he could simply finish through it and create an and 1.
Kenny broke down the play.
"That was help defense, not a true double team. James beat the initial defender, then New York collapsed into the lane and met him before the finish."
Barkley nodded.
"There is an important difference. Miami is trapping Chen while he still has the dribble. New York is mostly waiting for LeBron to attack before sending help. That is because LeBron is so dangerous as a passer. If you trap him too early, he will find the open man."
James stepped to the line.
He made 1 of 2.
13 to 6.
Curry brought the ball across half court.
This time, Chen established position near the baseline with his back to the basket.
He called for the pass.
Curry lobbed it over.
The instant Chen caught the ball, Miami sent the trap again.
Wade was behind him.
James came from the high side.
Barkley laughed.
"They are still sending both guys. LeBron and Wade are basically attached to Chen tonight."
Normally, this was an automatic passing situation.
There was almost no room to operate.
Chen did not pass.
He put the ball on the floor and turned toward the baseline corner.
His center of gravity dropped extremely low.
Wade immediately moved to seal the baseline.
James shifted in the same direction.
Then Chen suddenly exploded.
Not toward the baseline.
Back the other way.
Hop step.
Straight through the gap between Wade and James.
Both defenders froze for a fraction of a second.
Neither had expected him to attack the space between them.
What player deliberately drove into the middle of 2 elite defenders?
Chen did.
And it worked.
He emerged cleanly from the trap.
Gasol did not even have time to rotate.
Chen pulled up.
Swish!
15 to 6.
Kenny stared at the replay.
"That is unbelievable. Look at the space he was working with. Almost none. Chen created a path where 99 percent of players would have simply passed the ball out."
Barkley started laughing.
"Look at his face. Look at him. He is basically telling Miami that 2 defenders are not enough."
Chen turned toward the other end with the faintest trace of satisfaction in his expression.
If Miami wanted to stop him tonight, perhaps they really did need 1 more.
....
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