Chapter 713: The Season Ends, What Comes Next?
In the final 2 minutes of the 3rd quarter, Chen Yan made 2 consecutive 3 pointers.
That gave the home fans new hope.
Ever since the Knicks had fallen behind, the fans had been waiting for Chen Yan to step up again and save the team.
However, Miami would not simply give away its lead.
James and Wade immediately launched an 8 to 0 run.
James first assisted Wade for a quick layup, then powered his way inside for a 2 plus 1. Before the end of the 3rd quarter, he also hit a buzzer beating mid range jumper.
In the 4th quarter, Nelson simply took Chen Yan out for a rest.
It was not surrendering the game.
It was conserving what little energy Chen Yan had left, giving New York 1 final chance to come back.
Nelson's idea was good, but executing it was extremely difficult.
Miami gave New York no time to breathe.
While Chen Yan was off the court, James and Wade took turns running pick and rolls with Pau Gasol, using their most familiar tactics to bombard New York's paint.
After resting for less than 1 minute and a half, Chen Yan returned to the court.
If he did not play, the game would completely turn into garbage time, and the stamina he had recovered would become meaningless.
Nelson decided to take a risk.
He put every player who could shoot 3 pointers onto the court.
The essence of going all out was the word out.
It carried the nature of a gamble.
If they bet correctly, the Knicks would come back to life.
If they bet wrong, they would collapse completely.
New York's role players once again underperformed under pressure, failing to capitalize even on open opportunities created by Chen Yan's continuous passes.
This was extremely damaging to morale.
Seeing New York's situation, Miami immediately triple teamed Chen Yan, making sure he would not get a clean shot.
The Knicks role players were too reliant on Chen Yan.
Even when Chen Yan was triple teamed, they still hoped he would be the one to finish.
The players took turns screening for Chen Yan, collectively turning into wooden stakes.
This style of play had some effect, but it consumed too much of Chen Yan's energy.
Whether he had the ball or not, he had to keep moving.
Chen Yan was known as an energy monster, but he had already been overworked more than once in this Playoff series.
Fighting an entire team by himself, how could he not be exhausted?
The game reached the final 6 minutes and 21 seconds.
Chen Yan received the ball at the top of the arc after 2 off ball screens.
Upon receiving the ball, Chen Yan immediately took 1 step back. He first used Battier's screen to go right, then used Al Harrington's pick and roll to change direction toward the middle.
After finding a driving lane, Chen Yan accelerated and lowered his center of gravity, breaking through the defense and finishing with a reverse layup.
The stamina consumed on just this 1 possession exceeded what an ordinary player might spend in 3 minutes.
The most heartbreaking thing was that after Chen Yan scored, he looked up and saw that the deficit was still a staggering 18 points.
To describe it in 2 words, it was despair.
To describe it in 3 words, it was very despairing.
Miami immediately retaliated.
Pau Gasol attacked the paint forcefully. No 1 on New York could stop him, so they had no choice but to foul.
Pau Gasol made both free throws.
The deficit returned to 20 points.
Chen Yan felt a sense of powerlessness.
The team was not only struggling offensively, but also defensively.
Even so, Chen Yan still encouraged his teammates.
This was the quality of a leader.
A true leader stepped up when the team was in adversity and needed him most.
A false leader only appeared when the team had a big advantage, then disappeared when the team was in trouble, or even came out to criticize and complain about his teammates.
In the latter half of the final quarter, Chen Yan was repeatedly double teamed.
Each time, he used his extraordinary ability and astonishing willpower to break through the encirclement.
In the final 2 minutes of the 4th quarter, he even narrowed the deficit to 10 points at 1 point.
Miami experienced a 2 minute scoring drought.
James jump shot was off under New York's high pressure defense, and Wade's continuous drives failed to draw any fouls.
However, in the final minute, both superstars stepped up again.
James missed a jump shot, but Pau Gasol tipped the rebound back to him. James took 1 step in and scored with a floater.
New York lacked tall interior players, and their rebounding had been dominated by Miami in almost every game.
On the next possession, Wade used a screen and hit a high post jumper near the top of the arc.
After those 2 shots went in, New York's fate was sealed.
Even so, Chen Yan still did not give up.
In the final 30 seconds, he hit a super long 3 pointer.
Throughout the entire 4th quarter, Chen Yan scored 15 points under heavy encirclement.
Considering the defensive intensity he faced, that scoring output was extremely exaggerated.
Ultimately, the Knicks were still outnumbered.
They lost the game 119 to 107.
The Heat players celebrated wildly.
In the 1st year of their Big 3, they had successfully advanced to the NBA Finals.
Chen Yan finished with 46 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists.
After the game, fans back home still repeated that classic line.
The Knicks lost.
But Chen Yan did not lose.
In this game, all 3 members of Miami's Big 3 performed at a high level.
Wade had 27 points and 7 assists.
James had 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Pau Gasol had 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists.
"Lads, do not hang your heads," Nelson said, delivering his final speech. "Go shake hands with the opponent. We performed well enough this season, and everyone has the right to leave this court with his head held high. Listen to the applause from the crowd. It is all for you. Let us end this season gracefully."
All the Knicks players shook hands with the Heat players with great sportsmanship.
When Chen Yan shook hands with James, James suddenly gave him a hug and whispered some words of encouragement in his ear.
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, both sides returned to their respective locker rooms.
For Miami, they still had the Eastern Conference Finals championship ceremony to attend.
For New York, and for Chen Yan, their journey this year truly ended here.
Stopping at the Eastern Conference Finals did not satisfy Chen Yan himself.
His pursuit had always been only 1 thing.
The championship.
But in the eyes of the fans, this year was definitely a successful season for the Knicks.
The fans were full of anticipation for next season.
New York's performance this year also attracted many players.
Veterans and players in their prime all wanted to join the Knicks, because it meant an opportunity to contend for a championship.
Knicks owner James Dolan had already announced that New York would make major acquisitions this summer, with no spending limit.
Only the owner of the Knicks could make such a grand statement.
However, for New York, the biggest problem had never been money.
It was their eye for talent.
So this offseason, Chen Yan was destined not to have it easy.
He had to participate in player acquisition work.
Otherwise, with New York's eye for talent, Chen Yan would definitely see a bunch of teammates next season who would make him spit blood.
Besides acquisitions, he also had many important things to handle, such as negotiating a contract extension with the Knicks and thinking about where he would go during the league lockout.
According to the current trend, the NBA next season was expected to enter a lockout, just like in his previous life.
Chen Yan could not go months without touching a basketball.
Would he go to the Drew League?
Or the CBA?
Or train by himself?
This was a question worth pondering.
.....
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