Chapter 654: A Significant Victory
Chen Yan's debut came on February 25 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After James left, Cleveland had completely become a bottom feeder. Their goal this year was very clear.
Compete for the number 1 pick.
Chen Yan's appearance sparked loud cheers, even though the game was in Cleveland. The fans were eager to see the performance of this court artist.
Chen Yan had not deliberately chosen his opponent, but making his debut against a struggling team was indeed a good thing.
He had not fully integrated into the new team yet. He was still unfamiliar with the Knicks tactics and with his new teammates.
New York Knicks starting lineup: Stephen Curry, Chen Yan, Balkman, Turiaf, Jeffries.
This was basically a depleted lineup. Some old players had already been traded, and the new reinforcements had not yet arrived.
Cleveland Cavaliers starting lineup: Ramon Sessions, Anthony Parker, Azubuike, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson.
The Cavaliers had a civilian lineup with no true stars. Their scoring mainly relied on Jamison and former Suns player Azubuike.
Before the game, Azubuike warmly greeted Chen Yan and Barea.
In a way, it was a blessing in disguise.
After leaving Phoenix and joining Cleveland, Azubuike 1st spent half a year as James's teammate. Now, he had become the team's 2nd leading scorer.
Although Cleveland was weak, he had gained a bigger platform.
Seeing Azubuike's rising status on the team, Chen Yan was also very happy.
After all, Azubuike was a player signed by his shoe studio.
The game began, and Cleveland won the opening possession.
Azubuike received the ball and immediately started showing off. He dribbled once between his legs, then pulled up for a jumper.
The shot was a little wild. It barely touched the rim and almost became a complete air ball.
Since last season, Azubuike had always been excited to play against Chen Yan.
He wanted to perform well and prove himself in front of his former teammate and boss.
New York possession.
Curry crossed half court and wanted to pass directly to Chen Yan, but Chen Yan was thinking of running a back cut.
This was their 1st official game together, and their chemistry was lacking.
The ball went straight into Anthony Parker's hands.
Parker took 2 steps, then passed to Azubuike, who was completely unguarded.
Azubuike slammed it down with 1 hand.
2 to 0.
The Knicks 2nd offensive possession did not go smoothly either.
Chen Yan had not yet integrated into the team's system, and the play failed to develop.
Curry had no choice but to take a rushed 3 pointer from beyond the arc before the 24 second shot clock expired.
Missed.
At this stage, Curry often took such deep 3 point attempts, but he had not yet reached the absurd accuracy of his peak from Chen Yan's previous life.
This was only Curry's 2nd professional season.
Not every player was Chen Yan.
Cleveland settled into its offense.
Ramon Sessions stopped the ball at the right 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line, and Azubuike came up to receive it.
Azubuike used a screen from JJ Hickson and accelerated straight toward the paint with strong momentum.
Just as Jeffries barely kept up, Azubuike suddenly executed a behind the back dribble, followed by a sudden stop.
After creating space, he rose for a jumper.
Missed.
After gaining more possession and shot opportunities, Azubuike had started wildly imitating Chen Yan's playing style from his Suns days.
Sometimes, 1 or 2 of his moves really did carry Chen Yan's shadow.
After all, he had practiced beside Chen Yan for 2 and a half years and absorbed many tricks.
But the biggest difference between them was finishing ability.
Chen Yan could make all kinds of difficult shots. Even when off balance, he could still put the ball into the basket.
Azubuike could not.
The Knicks quickly inbounded from the baseline, directly into Chen Yan's hands.
Chen Yan pushed the ball past half court, then began to slow down.
He noticed that Cleveland had retreated quickly and had not given him any fast break opportunity.
At the left 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line, Chen Yan leaned against Anthony Parker, then dribbled toward the arc.
Turiaf's screen had already arrived, and Jamison immediately left Turiaf, joining Anthony Parker to double team Chen Yan.
Turiaf was a rough player.
Letting him grab rebounds or finish easy layups under the basket was fine, but outside the paint, he had no shooting range.
So Jamison's choice was very smart.
Chen Yan was at the left 45 degree angle, close to the sideline. His space to handle the ball was limited, so he made a wide pass to Curry.
Curry caught the ball but did not shoot.
He waited for Chen Yan to run to the arc, then handed the ball back to him.
After receiving it, Chen Yan immediately signaled for isolation.
This was called no move being better than any move.
When chemistry with teammates was low and tactical understanding was not yet complete, isolation was often the most efficient scoring method.
Chen Yan quickly executed 2 between the legs dribbles, immediately making Anthony Parker tense up.
Then Chen Yan switched the ball to his left hand, hung the dribble, and quickly changed direction, completing the breakthrough.
Anthony Parker kept reminding himself that Chen Yan was going to use that move again when his left hand hovered.
But when Chen Yan actually made the fake, Parker's body still involuntarily reacted.
Chen Yan's crossover had already been refined to an almost unmatched level.
His speed was no slower than Iverson in his prime. Because of Chen Yan's height and arm length, the range of his fake was even greater.
Chen Yan drove straight into the paint, drew JJ Hickson's defense, then dished the ball to Jeffries.
It was a stylish no look pass.
Just as Chen Yan was about to celebrate, Jeffries made a mess of it.
He was startled by Jamison's recovery and missed the layup off the backboard.
If that shot had been taken by Stoudemire, Diaw, or Jordan, it would have been an easy basket.
Although it was only 1 shot, it clearly revealed the huge gap between the Knicks interior and the Suns interior.
This meant that if Chen Yan wanted to win here, he would have to work even harder.
Chen Yan was a little speechless, but he could not show it.
He still actively called for his teammates to get back on defense.
Azubuike quickly sprinted past half court, looking for a fast break opportunity.
That was a good habit he had developed with the Suns.
Jamison threw a long pass to him.
Azubuike dribbled once, took 2 steps, and launched himself toward the basket.
"Bang!"
Azubuike only had eyes for the rim, completely ignoring Chen Yan behind him.
With a loud thud, the basketball in Azubuike's hands was pinned directly against the backboard.
Chen Yan turned around and immediately hit Cleveland with a counterattack.
This time, he did not pass.
He pushed the ball to the 3 point arc and pulled up immediately.
"Swish!"
3 to 2.
The Cavaliers and Knicks went back and forth in the 1st quarter, with no significant separation in the score.
By the 2nd quarter, the lead began to stretch into double digits.
Chen Yan handled both scoring and playmaking. He not only got himself going, but also activated Curry, who had been modest in the 1st quarter.
Curry hit 4 3 pointers in the 2nd quarter, then added another 2 in the 3rd.
The other Knicks players performed only average, but with the 2 star guards on fire, Cleveland simply could not hold them back.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers lost at home, 109 to 94.
Chen Yan racked up a massive triple double with 52 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds.
For the fans, this was just an ordinary regular season game.
For Chen Yan, it was different.
This was his 1st victory since joining the New York Knicks.
That made it deeply significant.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]