Chapter 844: Chen Yan’s Trash Talk

Chapter 844: Chapter 844: Chen Yan’s Trash Talk

Chapter 844: Chen Yan’s Trash Talk

After getting the stop, San Antonio immediately looked to run.

Parker pushed the ball across half court.

He reached the 3 point line, saw nothing clean, and pulled the ball back to reset.

Then suddenly,

Bounce pass.

Duncan was trailing the play.

Catch.

1 step.

2 steps.

Jump.

Yi Jianlian instinctively moved aside.

The lane in front of Duncan was completely open.

Then a shadow appeared from behind.

Chen Yan.

1 explosive step.

He came flying in from Duncan’s rear side, moving from behind him to directly beside him in an instant.

Leap.

Smack!

Chen slapped the ball cleanly out of Duncan’s hands.

Duncan completed the dunking motion anyway.

He grabbed the rim.

But the ball was gone.

The chase down block had come from nowhere.

Duncan had no way of seeing it.

From his perspective, the lane had been completely open.

Then Chen had appeared out of thin air.

Curry reacted first.

He picked up the loose ball and immediately attacked the other end.

Layup.

Good.

55 to 64.

As Duncan turned to run back, Chen looked at him with a completely blank expression.

"I got you."

Short sentence.

Flat face.

Slightly annoying tone.

Exactly Duncan’s style of trash talk.

Most players never knew how to respond to Duncan.

Chen did.

There was only 1 proper answer.

Fight magic with magic.

Duncan looked at him.

"Good job, kid."

Same expression.

Same calm tone.

San Antonio returned to offense.

Duncan immediately fought for position inside.

Chen dropped toward the paint as soon as he saw the entry pass developing.

His rotation was so fast that Duncan nearly lost the chance to pass out.

At the last moment, he barely managed to kick the ball toward the perimeter.

Leonard caught it.

Shot.

Miss.

Curry secured the rebound and pushed.

San Antonio recovered quickly this time.

Curry slowed down and organized from the top.

Chen moved behind him.

Then suddenly exploded toward the paint.

Curry recognized the cut immediately.

Lob pass.

Chen caught it.

1 dribble.

Takeoff.

Bonner rotated over.

Chen went straight into a Euro step and slipped cleanly around him.

Floater.

Duncan came from the opposite side to contest.

Chen noticed him before releasing the ball.

He deliberately increased the arc.

The ball barely brushed Duncan’s fingertips.

Swish!

57 to 64.

Chen turned and ran back.

Without changing his expression, he called out,

"You need to jump higher."

Duncan said nothing.

On San Antonio’s next possession, he received the ball inside.

Turn.

Hook shot.

Miss.

As Duncan started back toward defense, another voice reached him.

"Tim."

Duncan glanced sideways.

Chen continued calmly.

"Your touch needs to be softer."

Duncan’s eyebrow twitched.

He had trash talked Chen once.

Now Chen was following him around returning the favor possession after possession.

And worse, Chen’s tone was even more irritating.

Duncan stopped responding.

He understood psychology better than most.

The original goal had been to get inside Chen’s head.

That strategy had clearly failed.

If he continued, Chen might end up getting inside his instead.

New York returned to half court offense.

Ginóbili fought Chen aggressively away from the ball.

Hands.

Contact.

Constant grabbing.

Most of it could have been called.

The officials let it go.

That was where Ginóbili’s experience mattered.

He had already figured out how the referees were calling the game.

He knew exactly how much contact he could get away with.

Chen did not complain.

He had long since adapted to this level of physicality.

Instead of continuing to fight for the catch, Chen suddenly cut behind the defense.

Not to receive the ball.

To screen for Curry.

San Antonio stayed with its assignments and did not switch.

Curry immediately saw the opening.

Drive.

His ability to recognize space was elite.

Curry was not merely a 3 point specialist.

His scoring instincts were excellent everywhere on the floor.

He reached the free throw line.

Soft floater.

The ball bounced once.

Twice.

3 times.

Then finally dropped.

59 to 64.

Popovich called timeout.

New York’s offense had become increasingly aggressive.

San Antonio’s had started to stall.

After the timeout, Popovich inserted Diaw.

The reason was simple.

Diaw could organize.

The moment he entered, the effect showed.

San Antonio came down.

Diaw caught the ball at the top and studied the floor.

Bounce pass.

Ginóbili cut toward the rim.

Catch.

Reverse layup against Yi’s rotation.

Good.

59 to 66.

Ginóbili shouted as he ran back.

This was easily his best performance of the series.

The 3rd quarter was not even over yet, and he already had 22 points.

New York responded.

Chen sprinted toward Curry and initiated a handoff.

It was the safest way for him to receive the ball under pressure.

San Antonio had to switch.

Leonard ended up in front of Chen.

The Spurs did not send a second defender.

Curry’s shot had finally started falling in the 3rd quarter.

Leaving him open was no longer an option.

Chen immediately attacked.

Large crossover.

Drive.

Leonard stayed with him for a moment.

Then Chen forced his way past.

Takeoff.

Duncan rotated.

He thought he was arriving as the final line of defense.

But there was another player behind him.

Chen released the ball early.

It looked like a floater.

It was not.

Lob.

Yi Jianlian came flying in from behind.

Catch.

Alley oop!

61 to 66.

Yi landed and roared.

He had spent most of the game playing tight and cautious.

There had been few opportunities to attack freely.

That finish released some of the frustration.

San Antonio came back down.

Again, the ball went to Ginóbili.

He was in rhythm.

Parker had no reason to take the possession away from him.

Manu called for a screen near the elbow.

Both Duncan and Diaw moved toward him.

Battier suddenly found himself trapped between multiple actions.

Ginóbili used the confusion perfectly.

He turned the corner.

Battier fell half a step behind.

Yi switched.

Ginóbili accelerated again and left him behind too.

Harrington rotated.

Manu changed hands in the air.

Layup.

Good.

61 to 68.

San Antonio had scored on consecutive possessions since the timeout.

New York needed to answer.

Curry crossed half court and immediately looked for Chen.

He remained the Knicks’ most dependable scorer.

Ginóbili was denying him aggressively.

Chen could not receive the ball immediately.

He stayed patient.

As long as San Antonio was not sending 2 defenders, Ginóbili alone was not going to keep him away from the ball forever.

Back cut.

Ginóbili followed.

Curry passed to Yi at the top.

Yi held the ball.

Chen immediately reversed direction and sprinted back outside.

Handoff.

Catch.

Chen used Yi’s body as a screen and dribbled backward.

He was hunting a 3 point opportunity.

He had taken far fewer outside shots tonight than in Game 4.

San Antonio still refused to relax.

Ginóbili closed.

Duncan stepped toward the play too.

The instant both defenders moved toward Chen, Yi cut.

Chen saw it.

Lob.

Perfectly placed.

Yi caught it going toward the rim.

Bonner rotated late.

Contact.

Whistle.

Foul.

Yi walked to the free throw line.

First attempt.

Swish.

Second.

Swish.

63 to 68.

New York continued chasing throughout the 3rd quarter.

Chen played the entire period.

When the buzzer finally sounded, San Antonio still led.

79 to 75.

Only 4 points.

Popovich stood on the sideline with a dark expression.

His team was ahead.

But after everything San Antonio had done, 4 points did not feel like nearly enough.

....

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