Chapter 724: Lucky Data
Boston had the ball.
After a pick and roll, Durant found himself matched up against Beverley.
Beverley clung to Durant like a mad dog.
His attitude was impeccable. His teammates, the fans, and the coaching staff could all see it.
However, Durant was not Rose.
The gap in their physical tools was not something Beverley could make up for with sheer effort.
Durant drove down the right side, took 1 dribble, and pulled up directly.
Beverley was right there, but his contest barely bothered Durant.
Swish.
2 points.
After the shot, Beverley glared at Durant, full of defiance.
Durant did not acknowledge Beverley.
He did not even seem to see the skinny young man in front of him.
On offense, Chen Yan and DeAndre Jordan completed a pick and roll.
Kostić switched, while Daniels chased from behind.
Seeing this, DeAndre Jordan cut to the basket without the ball.
Boston's defense collapsed, but Chen Yan did not pass to DeAndre Jordan in the middle.
Instead, he turned and found Beverley.
Beverley did not hesitate. He pulled up for a 3 pointer.
Swish.
It went in.
Beverley's 3 point shot was not very stable. He did not rely on shooting to make a living.
But in Nelson's system, if you stood on the perimeter, you had to have the courage to shoot.
Otherwise, you should not be standing in that position.
During practice, Beverley had hesitated several times on open shots and had been thoroughly scolded by Nelson.
Chen Yan had also talked to Beverley, telling him that only by shooting would he have a chance to score.
A Knicks perimeter player without shooting would eventually be eliminated.
Beverley clearly took those words to heart.
During this period, he had been practicing his 3 point shooting intensely.
The results were not yet obvious, but at the very least, his open 3 point shooting had improved somewhat.
This 3 pointer greatly boosted Beverley's confidence.
On Boston's next offensive possession, he began pressing Rose from the backcourt.
Beverley knew his playing time was limited, and he wanted to burn all his energy in that limited time.
He cherished this NBA contract.
It was his dream, and perhaps his last chance to stay in the NBA.
Rose continuously protected the ball with crossovers and spins.
Although Beverley did not steal the ball, constantly making moves still affected Rose's stamina and rhythm.
After crossing half court, Rose executed a behind the back dribble into a pullback.
Very flashy.
Beverley stumbled, but he still kept up.
Immediately after, Rose pushed off his left foot and burst 2 steps to the right.
Beverley still followed.
The next second, Rose suddenly stopped, then suddenly accelerated again.
At this time, Rose was the most explosive point guard in the NBA, bar none.
Beverley was struggling to keep up.
Rose also became competitive with Beverley and suddenly pulled up from beyond the 3 point line.
This shot was extremely difficult.
Clang.
The ball bounced off the rim.
After DeAndre Jordan secured the rebound, he passed it to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan continuously changed direction while moving forward, and Boston's defense kept retreating.
2 steps beyond the 3 point line, the Celtics players began to tense up.
They knew Chen Yan's shooting range.
Chen Yan indeed started to slow down at that spot.
Daniels rushed up, and Durant also moved toward Chen Yan.
Chen Yan slowed down, then suddenly accelerated again.
He directly slipped through the gap between Daniels and Durant.
Then he scored 2 points with a powerful dunk.
On Boston's offense, Stoudemire took the ball for an isolation.
He used a perimeter player's move, continuously extending his right leg. After a jab step, he drove hard to the right.
DeAndre Jordan followed, but Stoudemire muscled his way to a layup.
It went in.
The reason Stoudemire was called the strongest face up power forward had a lot to do with his soft touch.
"The Celtics 3 musketeers are taking turns attacking," Kenny Smith said. "Although the Knicks roster has been strengthened this year, their offense still relies too much on Chen Yan."
"They can give David West some opportunities," Barkley said. "He did not play much in the 1st quarter, and he is still resting now."
"David West's form tonight looks average," Kenny said. "Maybe his injury has not fully healed, and Nelson is intentionally giving him some rest."
Just as the media had predicted, David West's performance did decline after his major injury.
Chen Yan had anticipated this long ago.
But as long as David West recovered to 70 or 80 percent of his original form, the Knicks would not lose out.
In other words, Chen Yan would be satisfied if David West could average 15 points and 7 rebounds in the new season.
Once Curry returned, along with Chen Yan himself, the Knicks offensive firepower would definitely be enough.
But all of this depended on Curry's return and David West further adjusting his form.
In the latter half of the 2nd quarter, Chen Yan took charge of New York's offense.
He continuously scored against Boston's defenders.
Whether it was Daniels, Durant, or Derrick Rose, Chen Yan scored against all of them.
Chen Yan became stronger every season.
Now, trying to guard him 1 on 1 was simply giving away points.
At halftime, the Knicks held a 10 point lead, 61 to 51.
Chen Yan scored 16 points in the quarter, finishing the half with 31 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The long offseason had caused many players to lose their form.
But this was not true for Chen Yan.
He seemed poised for a major breakout in the 1st game of the season.
During halftime, Nelson emphasized the tactics.
Continue the high pressure strategy from the 1st half.
Constantly use jump shots and scoring to disrupt Boston's rhythm and lead them by the nose.
This was the Knicks preferred rhythm.
It was also the rhythm Chen Yan was most familiar with.
Since entering the league, he seemed to have always played this way.
Control the ball in his hands and overwhelm the enemy with powerful firepower.
Throughout the entire 3rd quarter, Chen Yan attempted 13 shots.
To limit Chen Yan's scoring, Boston double teamed him almost the entire quarter.
But so what?
Chen Yan's scoring ability had already reached another level.
Give him even a small gap, and he could take the shot and make it.
He made 8 of 13 shots, including 3 of 4 from 3 point range.
Given Boston's full court defense and repeated double teams, that was already extremely efficient.
Tonight, Chen Yan had no intention of passing.
He just wanted to defeat the Celtics with his scoring.
Unless Boston double teamed him when he was off the ball and prevented him from even receiving the pass.
That would be a hilarious scene.
Curry had once received such treatment in college games, but such a scene had never appeared in the NBA, and no coach would use such a tactic.
It would look far too foolish and incompetent.
Moreover, anyone with common sense knew that such a tactic would never be effective.
The level of college leagues varied greatly. Stopping the opponent's top scorer often meant winning the game.
The NBA was different.
If you dared to play that way, it meant leaving an opposing player completely wide open.
That was not much different from giving away points.
Entering the 4th quarter, New York's lead was already greater than 15 points.
Chen Yan temporarily rested, and Nelson gave David West more tactical emphasis, hoping he could showcase his ability in the paint.
After David West hit a mid range shot, he then committed several turnovers in a row, almost allowing Boston to launch a counterattack surge.
Fortunately, Nelson quickly sent Barea and Chen Yan onto the court to stabilize the situation.
The game entered garbage time with 1 minute and 51 seconds remaining.
The Knicks led 113 to 98, a 15 point advantage.
Nelson substituted out all the starters.
Chen Yan's debut in the new season ended with 66 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
This was a number that domestic fans really liked.
Despite the team being on the verge of winning, David West did not show much joy.
He had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 turnovers tonight.
He had played very poorly.
Chen Yan also saw David West's struggle to adapt.
He did not go over to comfort him.
Sometimes, letting someone process things alone was more important than saying a pile of useless words.
.....
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]