Chapter 810: How Did You Still Have Another Step?
The online basketball community had completely erupted.
"He shot over 3 defenders!"
"That man is a monster. Everything is going in tonight!"
"I do not even know how to describe that shot. My cousin just sat there staring at the television afterward."
"Chen Yan wants this road win badly. You can see it in every possession."
"LeBron and Wade have defended him about as well as anyone possibly could, but Chen is playing on another level tonight."
The Knicks players were just as fired up.
Chen's shot over 3 defenders had given the entire team an enormous emotional boost.
Miami came back on offense.
Neither James nor Wade took the shot.
Instead, the possession ended with Pau Gasol.
Gasol tried to use his footwork against DeAndre Jordan.
Pump fake.
Turn.
Jumper.
Clang!
Short.
DeAndre grabbed the rebound.
Even Miami's own fans groaned.
Gasol had always faced criticism for being too finesse oriented in physical games.
In another version of NBA history, much of that reputation changed after he became Kobe Bryant's teammate.
Kobe had a unique way of provoking his teammates.
After winning the 2008 Olympics, Kobe once placed his gold medal inside Gasol's locker.
Gasol initially thought Kobe was simply showing off.
Then Kobe walked over.
"You lost in the NBA Finals."
He pointed toward the medal.
"You lost in the Olympic final too."
Kobe's expression turned serious.
"Does it hurt?"
Gasol said nothing.
"Remember that feeling. Do not experience it again. This season, we win the championship. No excuses."
Those words had stayed with Gasol.
But in this timeline, there was no Kobe beside him delivering that challenge.
Gasol's mentality still resembled the player he had been in Memphis.
Talented.
Skilled.
Close to All Star level.
But when games became brutally physical, questions remained.
After DeAndre secured the rebound, Gasol immediately pressured him.
DeAndre was never known for elite court vision.
With Gasol bothering him, he could not find a clean outlet.
New York lost its chance to run.
Curry came back to receive the ball.
He crossed half court and held it near the top, deliberately allowing the clock to run.
When the shot clock reached 12 seconds, New York finally began its action.
Chen used an off ball screen and cut back toward the ball.
Wade stayed in front.
James hovered behind.
A direct pass was impossible.
A lob was equally dangerous.
Curry quickly processed the defense.
Instead of forcing the ball to Chen, he passed backward to Battier.
Battier immediately redirected it.
Chen finally caught the ball.
A roundabout solution, but it worked.
Chen attacked the baseline with an explosive first step.
Wade's positioning was excellent.
He planted himself directly in Chen's path.
Chen spun back toward the middle and continued dribbling horizontally with his right hand.
James stepped into him.
Contact.
Chen's center of gravity was already extremely low.
The collision knocked him off balance.
He fell to the floor.
The arena erupted.
James and Wade had combined to produce one of their best defensive sequences of the night.
Chen's previous shot over 3 defenders had not broken their confidence.
If anything, it had intensified their determination.
For a moment, it looked like Chen had turned the ball over.
Then he moved.
Chen pushed himself off the floor with remarkable core strength while never losing control of the ball.
Wade circled behind him and reached for the steal.
Chen immediately accelerated.
Wade missed.
James recovered from the front.
Chen took a hop step into the paint.
Then, while heavily leaning away from the defense, he released a difficult jumper.
Clang!
The ball struck the front of the rim.
Then bounced upward.
Swish!
In.
111 to 106.
Even Chen's misses seemed determined to fall tonight.
The entire sequence had required enormous energy.
The spin.
The collision.
The fall.
Getting back up.
Escaping Wade.
Attacking James.
Then finishing while off balance.
His final release had lacked its usual stability and came up slightly short.
But sometimes, the bounce went your way.
Luck was part of basketball too.
The reactions came immediately.
"What else can Miami do?"
"They are probably already desperate."
"LeBron looked angry earlier. Now he just looks exhausted."
"Chen literally fell down, got back up, and still scored."
"You need elite explosiveness, elite handles, and elite finishing ability to make a play like that. Take away even 1 of those things and the possession is over."
Barkley shook his head.
"I do not care who wins tonight. Chen has earned the right to walk out of this building with his head up."
Kenny Smith nodded.
"He has definitely made an impression on this crowd."
Barkley laughed.
"Impression? Kenny, these people hate him right now."
Kenny smiled.
"Probably."
"I want to check the teeth of a random Miami fan after this game."
Kenny stared at him.
"Why?"
"To see how many molars they have ground into dust."
Despite the tension on the floor, the broadcast booth remained loose.
Over the next several possessions, neither team scored.
The defensive intensity had climbed too high.
Every catch was contested.
Every drive met bodies.
Every shot felt rushed.
Then came the final 2 minutes.
The whistles began coming more frequently against New York.
The Knicks had already reached the team foul limit.
Every additional defensive foul meant free throws for Miami.
Again and again, Heat players went to the line.
New York fans watching the game became increasingly furious.
The officials ignored the complaints.
They had received clear instructions before the game.
David Stern did not want the series reaching 3 to 0 tonight.
The NBA was a commercial league.
A short Eastern Conference Finals would cost the league valuable television interest and revenue.
With 43 seconds remaining, New York led 119 to 117.
Miami had possession.
At the most important moment of the game, the Heat put the ball in the hands of their most trusted player.
LeBron James.
James stood at the top of the arc.
Wade moved to the wing and waved everyone away.
Isolation.
James crossed hard in front.
Then pulled back.
No opening.
He reset.
2 steps backward.
Another change of direction.
Left hand.
Battier slid with him.
Reading the initial direction was not especially difficult.
James was not known for dazzling combinations of crossovers.
The real challenge came after the first step.
Could you survive the force of his drive?
Miami's players cleared the lane.
James lowered his shoulder and attacked.
Battier gave ground.
Then more.
James practically pushed him all the way toward the paint.
There was no hesitation in his approach.
He wanted the rim.
And with the way the game had been officiated, James knew that any obvious contact might bring a whistle.
Battier raised both hands and tried to remain vertical.
James went up strong.
Left handed layup off the glass.
Good.
119 to 119.
Kenny Smith raised his voice.
"LeBron has not had his best shooting night, but that is a huge basket. When Miami needed him, he attacked the rim."
Barkley looked at the clock.
"27 seconds left. Tie game. Now we get to see who handles the pressure."
Nelson did not call timeout.
He had a reason.
If New York stopped the game, Miami would have time to organize its entire defense around denying Chen.
Nelson preferred to attack before the Heat could fully prepare.
New York inbounded.
Chen received the ball and advanced.
Wade immediately crowded him.
James waited ahead.
Battier tried to step up and screen after inbounding, but the angle never developed.
Wade and James kept steering Chen toward the sideline.
Chen accelerated.
He crossed half court.
Chalmers suddenly stepped up.
3 defenders.
Triple team.
In the final seconds of a tie Playoffs game, Miami was sending 3 players toward 1 man.
Chen jumped and fired the ball toward Battier, who had cut forward after the inbound.
Battier did not dribble.
Immediate pass to Curry.
Chalmers abandoned Chen and sprinted back.
Still too late.
Curry had space.
He rose instantly.
Ordinarily, New York would have wanted to hold the ball until the final seconds.
But opportunities this clean rarely appeared late in close games.
Curry did not hesitate long enough to think about the clock.
His shooting instincts took over.
Kenny Smith leaned forward.
"Curry took it. Let's see."
The ball flew.
Swish!
The arena went quiet.
Barkley jumped on the call.
"Big shot! Curry knocked it down!"
For a moment, it looked like a 3 pointer that might have nearly ended the game.
Then the scoreboard changed.
121 to 119.
Kenny watched the replay.
"His foot was on the line. That is a 2."
The replay confirmed it.
Curry had barely stepped on the 3 point line.
Still, the basket was enormous.
Miami now faced all the pressure.
20 seconds remained.
The Heat trailed by 2.
Spoelstra called timeout.
The instruction in the huddle was simple.
"LeBron, you take the last shot."
No complicated diagram was necessary.
Put the game in James's hands.
Spoelstra also inserted Mike Miller and Channing Frye.
If James attacked and changed his mind at the last instant, at least Miami would have dependable shooters waiting around the perimeter.
The timeout ended quickly.
The Miami crowd stood in tense silence.
James controlled the ball.
He allowed the clock to fall.
8 seconds.
Go.
At the top of the arc, James dribbled with his left hand.
Sudden step back.
Separation.
He did not shoot.
James knew his outside jumper had not been reliable tonight.
Before the game, he had already made a decision.
If the season came down to 1 possession, he was going to the basket.
No settling.
James changed direction and brought the ball back to his right hand.
Drive.
Free throw line.
Takeoff.
5 seconds.
No time to hesitate.
James exploded toward Battier and initiated contact.
Battier's feet were not properly set.
The collision knocked him backward.
James continued.
1 step.
2 steps.
The moment James rose, Chen Yan rotated from the baseline.
Chen tracked the ball perfectly.
His hand came down.
Smack!
Clean contact on the ball.
Chen had only 1 thought.
Mine.
Then something strange happened.
James pulled the ball back while still moving forward.
And took another step.
Chen froze.
For a fraction of a second, his expression went blank.
What?
How did you still have another step?
James continued naturally.
He landed under control.
Then finished softly off the backboard.
Good.
121 to 121.
The Knicks bench exploded.
Several players immediately spun their hands.
Travel!
Travel!
But the referee pointed toward the basket.
Count it.
Tie game.
Chen stared toward the official, then back at James.
The same thought was still running through his head.
How did you still have 1 more step?
....
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