Chapter 897 Nothing can be done against him
The score between the two sides in the first quarter was 31 to 27.
Chen Yan went berserk but the score difference did not widen. The Knicks only had one strong offensive point tonight, which is reasonable.
It is precisely because of this that Bulls fans became nervous.
Chen Yan has already scored 25 points in the first quarter, and his shooting percentage is very terrible. If the score continues to be stalemate, he may have a chance to break the scoring record.
In the second quarter, D'Antoni first arranged for Chen Yan to rest.
D'Antoni is very prophetic. He feels that tonight's game is likely to go to the end, so he gives Chen Yan as much rest as possible. After all, the only person who can rely on this lineup until the end is Chen Yan.
Barea and Ray Allen led the second team. Although Ray Allen became a role player after coming to the Knicks, he never slacked off, whether it was training or games.
Ray Allen hit a three-pointer as soon as he came up, and his competitive state was very good.
This is also the reason why the Knicks signed Ray Allen. This guy is too self-disciplined. The management does not have to worry that he is here to win the championship. As long as he plays, it will definitely be effective.
At 8 minutes and 05 seconds in the second quarter, Chen Yan reappeared.
Coupled with the three-minute break in the first quarter, Chen Yan is now very energetic.
D'Antoni kept Ray Allen on the court and replaced Beverley, Battier and Barnes.
This is an extremely small lineup. Barnes, who is 203cm tall, plays center, while Battier moves to the power forward position.
The Bulls' internal offensive power is weak, so D'Antoni dares to play this boldly.
The advantage of playing this ultimate run-and-gun lineup is that once things go smoothly, the game can be taken away in half a quarter.
Beverly controlled the ball past halftime, and the score was 40-32.
The Bulls asked Westbrook to guard against Chen Yan.
The Bulls' tactic is to let different players take turns to defend Chen Yan, while others help defend.
Chen Yan changed direction and Westbrook followed.
Westbrook sticks very close to him. He knows that Chen Yan's hand is very smooth tonight, and he will never give him any room to take shots from the outside.
Chen Yan pulled back suddenly, pushed the ball away, and immediately wiped away Westbrook's defense.
However, the Bulls' defense against Chen Yan will never be so lax, especially after he scored 25 points in the first quarter.
Hamilton on the wing and Luol Deng in the bottom corner both made up for it.
Asik also rushed out from the inside.
Chen Yan made a throw before the three-man double-team was formed.
This casting choice was a little hasty and ended up being a strike.
Thibodeau applauded and encouraged the players on the sidelines: "Just defend like this, that guy is not that scary!"
Luol Deng got the rebound and threw it directly in front of the court.
Westbrook gets the ball and rushes.
Thibodeau's task for the team during the break was to stay in position as much as possible and not fall into the New York Knicks' run-and-gun rhythm.
But this does not mean that the Bulls cannot play fast breaks at all. For example, in this round of offense, after Westbrook took the ball and accelerated, there was no one in front. At this time, it would be foolish to choose to listen to the coach and stay in position.
Beverley gave up after chasing for a few steps. Westbrook's impact could not be blocked.
After fighting all the way to the penalty area, Westbrook's legs looked like they were tied with explosives. He kicked off the ground and slammed his hands!
40:34.
After landing, Westbrook took the step of not recognizing his relatives.
This dunk really made Westbrook happy.
Westbrook is the kind of player who takes his competitive state to the next level once his emotions are high.
The Knicks attacked, and Westbrook, who was extremely excited, pressed Chen Yan from the backcourt without the ball.
Chen Yan wanted to get the ball in the paint area, but Westbrook made a bold half-step forward.
Chen Yan ran around to the penalty area, and Westbrook also used the fastest reaction to block Chen Yan's side.
Seeing Westbrook's performance, Chen Yan knew that this kid was high.
If Westbrook can successfully defend himself in this round, this kid will be even more exciting, and it will be difficult to solve this problem by then.
Chen Yan pushed Westbrook while going from the bottom line to the top of the arc. Chen Yan's move was very subtle and took advantage of the referee's blind spot.
What seems like a simple push is filled with experience and details.
The moment Chen Yan caught the ball, Westbrook rushed over desperately.
Chen Yan is very experienced in dealing with stupid boys like this.
Chen Yan clicked and Westbrook took off immediately.
Chen Yan leaned forward and took a step forward. After Westbrook landed, his first reaction was to quickly chase back.
Westbrook turned around fiercely, and as soon as he took a step after him, he realized something was wrong.
Chen Yan disappeared?
It turned out that Chen Yan took a step back and retreated beyond the three-point line before Westbrook turned around.
"Hey! What a playful move!" Zhang Lili said with a smile.
"Wei Shao is confused and still can't find anyone. Chen Yan is teaching his little brother again." Director Xu said with a smile.
Hamilton and Luol Deng blocked the situation immediately, but were still a step too late.
"Shh!"
Chen Yan crossed Yang with a hundred steps and hit a three-pointer.
43:34.
After the goal was scored, Zhang Lili began to judge the Bulls' defensive strategy: "If you want to restrict Chen Yan from being so defensive, you have to double-team him the moment he catches the ball, and then double-team him after he makes a move. It's too late."
Director Xu smiled: "I think there will be double teams during the off-ball phase."
Bulls offense.
Thibodeau predicted that Westbrook would take the ball and shouted on the sidelines in advance: "Don't mess up! Russell! Make a strategy! Let's cooperate!"
Westbrook wanted to block the coach's words, but Thibodeau shouted two or three times in a row, which forced Westbrook to execute.
Although Westbrook is now the Bulls' top star, he is far from the level of a superstar, so he will not do anything above the coaching staff. In fact, with Westbrook's character, even if he plays at the level of a superstar, he will not Doing things that disrespect the coach.
Except when it's over.
Westbrook and Hamilton played hand-to-hand at the top of the arc.
Hamilton dribbled the ball and prepared to take a shot. Chen Yan's defense was not out of position. Hamilton glanced at Chen Yan in front of him and gave up the idea of shooting.
Hamilton passed the ball to Asik at the free throw line.
The moment Asik got the ball, Luol Deng started.
A very clean cut.
There was no problem with Asik's pass, hitting the ground and entering the penalty area.
Luol Deng's finishing was also stable enough. After getting the ball, he flew over and made a reverse layup.
43:36.
Bulls coach Thibodeau continued to applaud. This kind of teamwork is what he wants to see.
Knicks offensive possession.
Beverley dribbled the ball leisurely across half court.
There was obviously no chance for a fast break in this round, so Beverly simply stopped wasting energy.
Chen Yan took one step outside the paint area in the bottom corner and asked for the ball.
Beverley moved to the wing at a 45-degree angle and lobbed the ball in.
Chen Yan turned his back to get the ball, and Westbrook was ready to hit the ball.
Hamilton took over directly.
The space in the bottom corner was already small, and Hamilton wanted to directly block Chen Yan's possibility of turning around and shooting.
Chen Yan didn't play behind the back, or even dribble. He flicked the ball back like he had eyes in the back of his head.
Westbrook was already shorter than Chen Yan, and because he was wary of hitting him from behind, the ball flew over his head easily.
By the time everyone reacted, Beverly had already cut in.
After getting the ball, Beverley took off and hit the board, scoring two points.
45:36.
Everyone in the Bulls sighed. When a super scorer also has top-notch passing ability, there is really no way to deal with him.
