Chapter 721: Skillful and Daring
The game was also broadcast back home.
"The opening game is a Christmas Day matchup. That is pretty interesting. It might even be a 1st in NBA history," the commentator said.
"There are many highlights in this game," another commentator replied. "Last season, the Knicks created a Black 8 miracle by eliminating the Celtics. This season, both teams have strengthened to varying degrees."
The analysis continued.
"I am optimistic about the Knicks. Their offseason reinforcements were very targeted. They brought in David West, DeAndre Jordan, and Yi Jianlian for the interior. All 3 of them have clear strengths. David West was an All Star with the Hornets, and his fundamentals are very solid. He can form an inside outside combination with Chen Yan. Yi Jianlian and DeAndre Jordan are both extremely athletic players, and on the Knicks, they can easily showcase their strengths. On the perimeter, they have a super scorer like Chen Yan and a defensive ace like Battier. Once Curry returns from injury, this will definitely be a team capable of contending for a championship."
The broadcast had high expectations for the Knicks.
Of course, this was also the expectation of all the domestic fans.
"Currently, the Knicks are the most popular team in China," the commentator said with a smile. "With 2 Chinese players on the roster, their popularity is far ahead of the team in 2nd place."
"Yao Ming was actually a free agent this season. If he had joined the Knicks too, with 3 Chinese players on the same NBA team, that scene would have been spectacular."
"There will be opportunities in the future. Tonight, let us first watch the cooperation between Yi Jianlian and Chen Yan. They are national team teammates, so there should be natural chemistry between them. Alright, the starting lineups for both sides are out now."
New York Knicks starters: Barea, Chen Yan, Battier, David West, DeAndre Jordan.
Boston Celtics starters: Derrick Rose, Daniels, Durant, Stoudemire, and Kostić.
DeAndre Jordan won the jump ball against Stoudemire, and the Knicks got the 1st possession.
From the start, DeAndre Jordan was very active.
He first rushed to Chen Yan's side to set a screen, then quickly rolled to the basket.
However, the opportunity was not good, and Chen Yan chose not to pass.
DeAndre Jordan wanted to pull out and set another screen, but Chen Yan refused.
Boston did not double team, and Chen Yan wanted to try scoring on his own to open the game.
This was DeAndre Jordan's 1st game in a Knicks jersey, so he was very excited.
Chen Yan went 1 on 1 against Daniels, continuously crossing the ball between his legs.
As soon as Daniels reached out, Chen Yan immediately changed rhythm and quickly dribbled the ball back to his left hand.
Daniels immediately moved laterally.
After Chen Yan slid 1 step to the left, he suddenly executed a behind the back dribble, pulling the ball back to his right hand. Then, with 1 burst of acceleration, he got past Daniels.
Daniels lost his balance and could only watch Chen Yan break through his defense.
In the 1st game of the new season, Daniels once again remembered the fear of having his ankles broken.
The other Celtics players tried to help, but Chen Yan chose the simplest and most practical solution.
A high post pull up jumper.
The next second, the pleasing sound of the net rang out.
2 to 0.
"From this shot, you can see that Chen Yan maintained his form very well during the offseason," the commentator said.
"After 2 more shots, Boston will probably start double teaming. It is hard to imagine any opponent not double teaming Chen Yan in a game like this."
Boston offense.
Their pattern was similar to New York's.
Both teams gave the ball to their star player to handle.
Rose had the ball, and Durant came up to set a pick and roll.
This move was very difficult to defend.
If the defense switched, Rose would immediately pass the ball to Durant, creating a mismatch.
If they did not switch, with Rose's explosiveness, finding space to drive would not be difficult.
The Knicks adopted a switching strategy, with Barea guarding Durant.
Durant did not even think about it. He directly took the ball and went 1 on 1.
After 1 dribble, he turned and squeezed inside.
Facing a player of Barea's height, even a tall player with exceptional ball handling skills like Durant did not dare to dribble too many times head on.
Barea kept up with Durant, but the physical difference between them was enormous.
Durant rose directly for a jumper near the free throw line.
If he went any farther inside, the double team would arrive.
As the reigning MVP and a top tier scorer in the league, Durant's ability to read the game was also very strong.
Clang!
The ball hit the rim hard and bounced out.
Although it did not go in, it had almost nothing to do with Barea.
Durant simply had not found his shooting touch at the start of the game.
DeAndre Jordan leaped up and secured the rebound.
Barea retreated inside to receive the ball and organize the offense.
Boston's transition defense was very quick.
After Barea settled into the half court, he lobbed the ball to David West.
With David West present, Chen Yan's offensive pressure was reduced greatly.
David West was also someone who could initiate offense with the ball.
David West backed down Stoudemire twice, then quickly turned and released a short hook.
Clang!
It was short by half a foot.
After a major injury, David West still had not recovered his form. This could be seen from both his footwork and his shooting touch.
DeAndre Jordan powered up under the basket and gently tipped the ball in.
The put back went in.
4 to 0.
This scene was something the Knicks had almost never seen last season.
With DeAndre Jordan, New York's rebounding ability had taken a big step forward.
10 million dollars a year had not been spent in vain.
This was exactly what the Knicks valued in DeAndre Jordan.
Boston offense.
Durant pulled out 2 steps beyond the 3 point line to demand the ball.
After a jab step, he immediately drove with his left hand, then suddenly stopped near the left elbow.
Swish.
After testing his touch on the previous possession, Durant quickly adjusted and found his rhythm.
The score became 4 to 2.
New York offense.
Chen Yan and David West executed a pick and roll, then Chen Yan passed the ball.
David West shot from the free throw line, but it missed.
This was David West's shooting range, but he did not seem to be in form tonight.
Boston quickly pushed a fast break.
This possession was a bit too rushed, and Rose drove to the basket against 2 defenders before missing the layup.
New York offense.
Chen Yan had the ball, and Durant immediately came out to defend him.
Durant was different from James.
He was not afraid to guard Chen Yan.
His long arms gave him a natural advantage in defending both shots and drives.
Chen Yan was not afraid of any defender, but relatively speaking, the type of defender that gave him the most trouble was someone like Marion or Prince.
In terms of build, Durant also belonged to a similar category.
Chen Yan used a pick and roll to shake off Durant.
During his lateral movement, he attracted the attention of Boston's defense, then suddenly slammed the ball to the floor, passing it to David West in the paint.
The timing of the pass was perfect.
After receiving the ball, David West could directly turn and shoot a hook.
However, he missed again.
Nelson looked at Al Harrington on the bench, ready to put him in at any time.
David West's advantage over Al Harrington lay in his ball handling and interior scoring ability.
But all of that depended on him making shots.
If he was not in form, it would be better to put in Al Harrington, who had longer range. At least Harrington could help Chen Yan create space to drive.
On Boston's side, Rose drove with the ball, and Stoudemire came up to set a pick and roll.
After driving into the crowd, Rose turned and passed the ball to Durant.
Durant took 1 step after receiving the ball, adjusting himself.
He faked a shot, and after Battier stepped up, Durant quickly put the ball down and got past him.
Battier felt that Durant had evolved again.
Compared to last season's Playoffs, Durant's offensive details were richer.
Durant drove straight to the basket with the ball.
DeAndre Jordan gathered all his strength, and the 2 of them jumped at the same time.
Durant failed to dunk over DeAndre Jordan.
The ball came loose in the air, hit the backboard, and bounced out.
Durant's shot had tremendous force, and his jumping height was more than enough.
If it had been any other Knicks big man, he probably would have successfully dunked over him.
Unfortunately, he had run into a beast like DeAndre Jordan.
David West secured the rebound.
He was not in form on offense, but his attitude was definitely not a problem.
Barea exploded forward like a mini supercar, charging straight out.
Chen Yan had already observed his run with his peripheral vision.
The moment he stepped forward to receive David West's pass, he directly threw the ball over his head.
This pass showed both great skill and great daring.
Chen Yan did not look at Barea's run at all.
He simply threw the ball based on feeling.
The pass was almost perfect, landing about 1 body length in front of Barea.
Barea caught the ball and went for a layup, scoring 2 points.
6 to 2.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers roared from the sideline, clearly furious that Barea had been left completely open.
.....
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