Chapter 809: What Do I Have to Fear Against All 3?
99 to 94.
Miami had possession, and the home crowd was roaring.
Pau Gasol facilitated from the high post.
James came off a screen while Wade cut toward the basket.
James spotted the opening and fired a brilliant bounce pass through the defense.
Wade caught it in stride and immediately attacked with his right hand.
Chen Yan was waiting.
Smack!
Blocked.
But the possession was not over.
James had continued moving after the pass.
He crashed the glass, collected the loose ball, and finished the putback.
99 to 96.
After scoring, James and Wade exchanged an emphatic high 5.
Every Miami player on the floor was playing with tremendous urgency.
That intensity was the only reason the Heat had managed to stay within striking distance despite Chen's incredible performance.
New York came back on offense.
Chen and Curry showed a handoff.
At the last moment, Chen broke left and dragged 2 defenders with him.
Curry kept the ball.
1 dribble to the right.
Open.
He immediately rose.
Swish!
Curry's outside shot remained reliable.
102 to 96.
Miami answered.
Gasol once again operated from the high post.
Wade cut behind the defense while James drifted toward the perimeter.
Gasol surveyed both options.
Wade did not have enough separation, so he passed outside to James.
James caught it, dribbled laterally for 1 step, then used Joel Anthony's screen.
Long 2 pointer.
Good.
102 to 98.
Kenny Smith nodded.
"Both teams are executing right now. Every time 1 side scores, the other has an answer."
Barkley leaned forward.
"This one feels like it is going all the way down to the final possessions."
New York returned to offense.
Chen moved toward the baseline corner, taking the defense with him.
Curry and Al Harrington ran a pick and roll.
Harrington received the pass.
Pump fake.
The defender left his feet.
Harrington took 1 dribble forward.
Long 2 from near the top.
Swish!
104 to 98.
Spoelstra immediately called timeout.
The last 2 New York possessions had been concerning.
Chen had not attempted a shot.
He had not even touched the ball.
And the Knicks had scored on both possessions anyway.
For Miami, that was terrible news.
If the entire defense was built around stopping Chen, then the Heat needed those possessions to end badly whenever the ball stayed away from him.
Instead, New York was still producing clean looks.
After the timeout, Spoelstra made another adjustment.
Channing Frye replaced Joel Anthony.
Miami wanted more offensive pressure.
Frye immediately justified the decision.
He found space after a pick and roll and rose from beyond the arc.
Swish!
104 to 101.
Barkley laughed.
"Frye came off that bench ready. He did not need any time to warm up."
Kenny nodded.
"That is why Spoelstra keeps going back to him. His defense creates problems, but his shooting changes the geometry of the floor immediately."
New York came back down.
Chen moved toward the wing to receive the ball.
Miami instantly sent 2 defenders.
The Heat had changed their defensive approach again.
Chen had gone 2 possessions without touching the ball.
Now Miami wanted to keep denying him until his rhythm completely disappeared.
With Chen tied up by the defense, Curry took over.
He dribbled toward the free throw line.
Frye stepped up.
Curry moved the ball to Harrington.
Another opportunity.
Harrington shot.
Clang!
The ball hit the front of the rim.
Gasol fought underneath and repeatedly tipped at the rebound until he finally controlled it.
That was the drawback of using Frye.
With another perimeter oriented big on the court, much of Miami's rebounding responsibility fell back onto Gasol.
Gasol secured the ball and immediately launched a long outlet pass.
Miami accelerated.
James and Wade were the first 2 players flying down the floor.
Only Chen had retreated quickly enough for New York.
He positioned himself between them.
Wade glanced toward James.
Then, while still running, he threw the ball high into the air.
Very high.
James exploded upward.
He barely reached it.
With the tips of his fingers, he redirected the pass toward the basket.
The ball dropped in.
104 to 103.
James had not attempted his usual alley oop dunk.
He could not.
Wade's pass had been far too high.
Almost any other player would have watched it sail out of bounds.
But the height had been intentional.
Chen was positioned directly between Wade and James.
A normal pass risked interception.
In fact, Chen almost got this one.
He jumped and barely grazed the ball with his fingertips.
Had Wade thrown the pass at the usual height for a connection with James, Chen would have taken it away.
New York quickly inbounded.
The ball went directly to Chen.
James and Wade, fresh off their scoring play, turned around and trapped him.
Chen used the width of the floor.
He pushed the dribble directly toward the space between them.
Then accelerated.
Once Chen reached full speed, even Wade struggled to stay attached.
In barely 1 second, the double team was broken.
Near midcourt, Chen launched a long pass ahead.
Curry caught it.
Immediate pass inside.
DeAndre Jordan received it.
Turn.
2 handed dunk.
Boom!
106 to 103.
Beautiful basketball.
The Knicks had broken Miami's pressure from one end of the floor to the other without hesitation.
Miami answered.
James drove and kicked to Wade.
Wade immediately swung the ball again.
Corner.
Channing Frye.
Catch.
Rise.
Swish!
Another 3 pointer.
106 to 106.
Tie game.
The arena exploded.
Barkley nodded approvingly.
"Frye has come in and hit 2 huge 3s. That is exactly what Miami needed from him."
Kenny agreed.
"People talk about how his offense can come at the expense of the defense, and that is fair. But Spoelstra put him out there because he needed spacing. Frye has rewarded that decision."
Nelson called timeout.
The Knicks gathered around him.
Nelson looked directly at Chen.
"Chen, how are your legs?"
Chen nodded.
"I'm good."
"Then you are still our primary option. We cannot keep giving Miami chances."
Chen immediately responded.
"Leave it to me."
Then he turned toward Curry.
"I'll bring the ball up from now on. Stephen, move without the ball and hunt for shooting opportunities."
Curry nodded.
That was exactly what Chen wanted.
For the rest of the game, Miami was not going to give him breathing room.
At minimum, 2 defenders would be waiting.
Sometimes 3.
So Chen decided to start every possession in the backcourt.
That gave him the entire length and width of the floor to attack the pressure.
Just like before.
Play resumed.
Chen received the ball in the backcourt.
Wade immediately pressed him.
1 step before half court, James came up too.
The trap was forming.
Chen accelerated directly toward James.
Just before the collision, he spun.
James lunged past.
Wade remained attached.
But James possessed incredible mobility.
He stopped, turned, and immediately recovered from behind.
Before the trap could fully close again, Chen jumped and passed ahead to Battier, who stood just beyond midcourt.
Battier quickly swung the ball across the floor.
Harrington caught it in the corner.
Bounce pass inside.
Chen had already sprinted toward the edge of the paint.
Catch.
Triple team.
3 Miami defenders surrounded him so tightly that he barely had room to turn.
Chen did not force anything.
A quick flick of his right hand sent the ball back outside.
Battier caught it at the top.
Chalmers sprinted toward him.
But Miami still refused to release Chen.
3 defenders remained focused on him.
Battier passed to Curry on the wing.
Gasol had already rotated out.
Miami's defensive recovery was incredibly fast.
Curry looked inside for DeAndre.
No passing lane.
He put the ball on the floor with his right hand and dribbled toward the top.
8 seconds remained.
Curry prepared to attack.
Then Chen appeared again.
He had started the possession in the backcourt.
He had fought through pressure.
He had posted near the paint.
Now he was sprinting back toward the top to receive the ball once more.
The possession had demanded an enormous amount of energy.
But if New York scored, none of that would matter.
Curry passed.
Chen caught it and turned immediately.
Wade was already there.
James came flying from the side.
Chen moved toward the right, where the floor appeared slightly less crowded.
Then Frye joined the chase.
The shot clock was dying.
3 Miami defenders converged.
3 seconds.
Chen suddenly stopped.
For an instant, Wade, James, and Frye all froze.
Was he shooting?
No.
Chen dropped low again.
Explosion.
2 quick steps toward the baseline corner.
Then he jumped.
All 3 defenders lunged at him simultaneously.
Wade.
James.
Frye.
Chen drifted away from the basket.
His body was no longer square.
The space was almost nonexistent.
Still, he released.
High arc.
The ball climbed over 3 outstretched defenders.
For a moment, the entire arena seemed to hold its breath.
Then the ball descended.
Swish!
109 to 106.
Silence.
Miami's home crowd had been roaring seconds earlier.
Now the building felt frozen.
Chen landed and turned.
He raised 3 fingers.
Then tapped them fiercely against his temple.
Once.
Again.
Pure confidence.
Pure swagger.
Miami had sent Wade.
James.
Frye.
3 defenders at once.
It still had not been enough.
Chen's expression said everything.
If all 3 of you come at me together, what do I have to fear?
....
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