Chapter 723: Except for Chen Yan
The Knicks were on offense.
After a pick and roll, Chen Yan drew a double team from Boston, then passed the ball to the perimeter.
The Celtics quickly rotated back into position.
Chen Yan was not idle either. He set a screen with DeAndre Jordan, then chose to cut along the baseline.
Their tactics were clearly more diverse than Boston's.
This was Nelson's consistent principle.
He wanted his team to have multiple scoring options and rich tactics, rather than simply relying on star players to take turns in isolation.
Battier, standing at the top of the arc, immediately passed the ball to Chen Yan.
After the screen, a mismatch appeared on the court.
If Stoudemire stepped out, Chen Yan would play small against big.
If he did not, Chen Yan would have a direct shooting opportunity.
Stoudemire rushed out, and Chen Yan made a 3rd choice.
A pass.
He lobbed the ball into the paint, and Al Harrington, taking advantage of the mismatch, easily scored 2 points with a layup.
21 to 12.
The Celtics also created a mismatch.
After a pick and roll, Durant passed the ball to Stoudemire.
Stoudemire lowered his shoulder into Battier and forced his way inside.
He scored 2 points with a high layup.
21 to 14.
Battier's physical tools were average, and he really had no good way to deal with such an explosive inside player.
The Knicks were on offense.
Chen Yan held the ball in his left hand and made a tactical gesture with his right.
It was another pick and roll, and Chen Yan shook off Durant.
The pick and roll was indeed the most classic, enduring, and practical tactic on a basketball court.
Even Chen Yan, the king of isolation, would use this tactic extensively in a game.
After the screen, Chen Yan passed the ball to Al Harrington on the perimeter.
Al Harrington's jumper from the top of the arc missed.
Stoudemire grabbed the defensive rebound.
Rose received the ball and quickly advanced. After crossing the 3 point line, he glanced behind him with his peripheral vision and saw Chen Yan following closely.
Rose did not force it.
Chen Yan's chase down defense was terrifying.
Rose circled around, reached the corner, and made a no look pass to Durant, who was cutting inside.
Durant caught the ball and immediately took flight, swift as the wind.
DeAndre Jordan had only just prepared to jump when Durant was already airborne.
DeAndre turned his body, trying his best to dodge.
But he still could not change his fate of being posterized.
Boom!
After a loud bang, DeAndre could only watch Durant roar toward the sky.
21 to 16.
The Celtics had been scoring consecutively during this stretch, and Durant's dunk pushed their momentum even higher.
Nelson wanted to call a timeout, but Chen Yan actively called for the ball in the backcourt and dribbled it across half court himself.
Seeing this, Nelson hesitated.
In the end, he did not call the timeout, choosing to let Chen Yan adjust on the court himself.
Nelson had absolute trust in this disciple.
Durant quickly signaled for Rose to come up with him.
Durant knew Chen Yan well.
Chen Yan definitely wanted to play isolation on this possession, so they could not give him that opportunity.
Chen Yan took 1 step back, then suddenly accelerated.
He went straight to the right.
The 2 followed closely.
Daniels in the corner also rushed up.
Boston had already started triple teaming in the 1st quarter.
If Chen Yan did not pass the ball here, it would mean he lacked trust in his teammates.
He suddenly pulled up, held the ball with both hands behind his head, and made a long cross court pass to Barea.
Barea had a completely open shot.
The trajectory of the basketball was true, but the shot was just a little too strong.
It bounced off the rim.
"What a pity," Barkley said with regret. "That was an opportunity."
"Barea wasted an assist from Chen Yan," Kenny Smith said. "New York's outside shooting has not been very accurate lately. Chen may have to consider taking more shots himself."
If Chen Yan could hear this, he would surely spit blood.
Was it that he did not want to play isolation?
Damn it, the opponent had already triple teamed him in the corner.
Boston pressed its advantage.
Durant broke through the middle, and Chen Yan came over from the wing to double team.
Durant, while airborne, passed the ball to Daniels.
Daniels took a 3 pointer.
Missed.
With a clang, Chen Yan immediately sprinted toward the frontcourt.
Barea could not make the long pass immediately.
After all, he was not Nash or Curry.
Barea's strength was using his drives to create offense, and passing was not his specialty.
After settling into the half court offense, Barea used a screen to drive inside, but his layup missed.
The efficiency of both teams declined in the latter half of the 1st quarter, and they began competing on defense.
At the end of the 1st quarter, the Knicks led 29 to 23 by 6 points.
Chen Yan scored 15 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the quarter, accounting for more than half of the team's total points.
Durant had 7 points, Rose had 6 points, and Stoudemire had 6 points.
The Big 3 accounted for almost all of Boston's scoring.
In the 2nd quarter, both teams brought in their bench players, and Beverley's defensive aggression impressed everyone.
However, in his 1st appearance for the Knicks, Beverley played too excitedly and picked up 2 fouls in 4 minutes.
Nelson could only temporarily replace him with veteran Anthony Carter.
"Good job. That is the defensive attitude we need," Chen Yan said, patting Beverley on the shoulder. "Keep that crazy energy."
Beverley nodded.
The encouragement of the team leader was very important to him.
What a role player joining a new team lacked most was confidence.
After the starting lineups were withdrawn, both sides offensive power and entertainment value immediately dropped a level.
For the Knicks, David West led the bench unit.
Facing Boston's aggressive bench big men, David West found a bit of an offensive rhythm.
He first drew a foul, then scored with a small hook in the paint on the next possession.
1 minute later, Boston called timeout.
Nelson subbed in Chen Yan, DeAndre Jordan, and Beverley, while David West continued to play.
The Celtics, in 1 breath, brought back their Big 3.
Rose chose to play isolation.
Beverley's movements were still very aggressive, and he kept chattering nonstop, greatly annoying Rose.
Rose was now an All Star level player.
Who was Beverley?
Rose said he had never even heard of him.
He did not know which league or G League team this guy had been temporarily called up from.
Beverley guarded him very tightly, but Rose felt he was just bluffing.
After a few fakes, Rose quickly changed direction with a crossover.
Beverley continued to follow.
Rose made a sudden stop and go, changing his rhythm, then suddenly pulled up.
A lightning quick pull up shot.
Beverley did not lose his position.
At the last moment, he continued to stick close and extended his arm to contest.
Clang!
Missed.
Perfectly executed defense.
DeAndre Jordan grabbed the rebound and did not rush to pass the ball.
With people all around him, he first protected the ball with his elbows.
"Great defense! Great defense!" Chen Yan said, patting Beverley on the head.
This kind of defensive player needed encouragement to build confidence.
The Knicks set up their half court offense.
Beverley passed to Chen Yan, and Chen Yan found Battier.
Battier took a transition 3 pointer.
This was his 1st 3 point attempt of the game.
No good.
Boston turned defense into offense, and Durant took a very deep 3 pointer.
It also missed.
"This is the 1st game of the season, and it is difficult for players to be at 100 percent form," Kenny Smith said. "Usually, they adjust during the early part of the season."
Just as Kenny finished speaking, Chen Yan took a trailing 3 pointer in transition.
Swish!
It went in cleanly.
Kenny paused for a moment, then continued.
"Except for Chen Yan."
.....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]