Chapter 830: The Bold Popovich
"Pick up the pace!"
Nelson's voice thundered through the timeout huddle.
"If they want to run, then we run faster. Understand?"
The way the game had started irritated him.
San Antonio looked like New York.
New York looked like San Antonio.
The Spurs were attacking quickly, while the Knicks had somehow allowed themselves to fall into slower, drawn out possessions.
That was the exact opposite of what Nelson wanted.
"The defensive plan stays the same."
He pointed toward the court.
"Collapse into the paint and stay focused on Duncan."
San Antonio had already made 2 3 pointers, but Nelson was not ready to abandon the original strategy.
He knew where the Spurs' greatest advantage still existed.
Tim Duncan in the low post.
Until San Antonio proved it could consistently punish New York from outside, the Knicks would continue protecting the paint.
The timeout ended.
Curry brought the ball across half court.
About 1 step beyond the arc, he stopped and immediately looked toward Chen on the wing.
Pass.
Then Curry started moving without the ball.
Curry was perfectly capable of creating off the dribble.
But within New York's offense, he often became even more dangerous as a shooter constantly moving through screens.
Chen caught the pass.
He glanced toward Curry.
Then inside.
Nothing was available.
Chen took 1 lateral dribble.
David West came up to screen.
Chen retreated slightly.
Then exploded.
He squeezed through the narrow space between West and Bonner.
Into the free throw line area.
San Antonio collapsed.
Chen immediately swung the ball toward Battier.
Battier had a shot.
He did not take it.
Extra pass.
Curry was in better position.
Curry caught the ball.
He could have shot too.
Instead, he saw Chen continuing his movement toward the corner.
Pump fake.
1 dribble.
Pass back.
Chen caught it.
Turn.
Rise.
The entire possession had been patient and precise.
Now Chen had an open look.
Open did not mean easy.
He barely had time to square himself.
His body was already drifting backward.
Fadeaway 3 pointer.
Release.
Swish!
9 to 8.
The shot went in as though difficulty no longer mattered.
The broadcast booth immediately reacted.
"That is ridiculous."
"He is completely locked in tonight."
"3 for 3 from beyond the arc, and we are barely 2 minutes into the game."
Popovich frowned.
There was very little to say.
If Chen continued shooting like this, there was no defensive system in basketball capable of completely stopping him.
Maybe tying him up with a rope would work.
San Antonio came back down.
Parker immediately lobbed the ball inside to Duncan.
Exactly as Nelson expected.
The Spurs still wanted to attack through their veteran big man.
New York's defense contracted.
Duncan received the ball and found himself surrounded by bodies.
There was barely enough space to turn.
He passed out.
Parker caught it.
For a moment, he had an open 3 pointer.
He hesitated.
Then decided against it.
Drive.
Parker attacked toward the free throw line.
The lane was packed.
Going all the way to the rim would have meant running directly into several defenders.
Parker stopped suddenly.
Curry stayed attached to his right side.
Parker rose.
Curry jumped with him.
Parker hung in the air.
Shooting would have been extremely difficult.
So he twisted his body and passed back outside.
Dangerous pass.
Curry's positioning had forced Parker into a desperate decision.
Ginóbili received it.
The pass arrived awkwardly because Parker had thrown it while twisting in midair.
By the time Manu secured the ball, Battier was already in front of him.
Ginóbili lowered his shoulder slightly and attacked the baseline.
Battier had deliberately given him that path.
The available space was narrow.
It limited Ginóbili's ability to change direction, and New York's interior defenders could collapse quickly from there.
Ginóbili understood the trap.
Before it closed, he passed out.
San Antonio continued moving the ball.
Pass.
Another pass.
Still no clean opening.
Eventually, the possession returned to Duncan.
Exactly what New York wanted.
DeAndre and Chen converged.
Duncan attempted a short floater through the pressure.
Miss.
Chen grabbed the rebound.
Instant acceleration.
Transition.
Long strides carried him through the middle.
San Antonio's defense naturally collapsed toward him.
Nobody wanted Chen scoring again.
Chen gathered the ball high.
Left foot forward.
For a moment, it looked as though he would attack the rim himself.
Pass.
Curry caught it outside.
Rise.
Swish!
12 to 8.
Barkley laughed.
"Another 3. New York's first 4 baskets tonight have all come from behind the arc."
Kenny nodded.
"That is their philosophy. If the 3 is available, they are going to take it. They would rather create that shot than settle for 2."
Curry danced his way back on defense.
Among Knicks players, San Antonio fans unquestionably hated Chen the most.
Curry was quickly earning second place.
His celebrations irritated opposing crowds.
To Curry, the dancing was simple joy.
Nothing more.
The fans did not interpret it that way.
Some viewed it as taunting.
Others saw it as outright disrespect.
Parker quickly crossed half court.
San Antonio continued playing fast.
Duncan received the ball near the top and began facilitating.
Pass to Leonard on the wing.
Leonard held the ball in 1 hand and surveyed the floor.
Then he returned it to Parker.
Parker lobbed the ball inside to Duncan.
The instant the pass left his hands, Parker cut toward the basket.
San Antonio knew New York was crowding Duncan.
So Parker wanted to use movement around the post to disrupt the defense.
Duncan saw the cut.
Pass.
The timing looked perfect.
Curry read it too.
Reach.
Steal.
Curry intercepted the pass cleanly.
He turned and prepared to run.
Duncan instinctively grabbed him.
Whistle.
Foul on Duncan.
"Good job."
Chen walked over and patted Curry on the head.
To Chen, drawing a foul on Duncan might have been even more valuable than converting the fast break.
Duncan was San Antonio's interior foundation.
He was also the emotional foundation of the team.
Get him into foul trouble, and New York's chances of winning would rise dramatically.
The Knicks inbounded.
Half court offense.
Both New York big men moved toward the high post.
Double screens.
Curry passed to Chen.
Then used DeAndre's screen to sprint toward the opposite side of the 3 point line.
Chen used David West's screen and attacked toward the baseline.
San Antonio reacted aggressively.
They did not want to be late.
Switch.
Then another defender came.
Double team.
The baseline offered very little space.
Now 3 tall bodies were crowded into the same area.
San Antonio believed Chen had nowhere to go.
Even an elite passer would struggle to escape that trap.
But Chen had already been watching Curry.
While moving at full speed, Chen suddenly jumped.
Both hands on the ball.
Then he fired it across the court.
Long diagonal pass.
Accurate.
Perfectly timed.
Curry had just cleared the screen and entered open space.
The ball arrived exactly as he reached his spot.
This was the rhythm every shooter wanted.
Catch.
Rise.
Swish!
15 to 8.
Curry turned and saluted Chen.
Popovich immediately called timeout.
5 3 pointers.
New York had opened the game by raining shots from beyond the arc in San Antonio's own building.
Barkley shook his head.
"All 5 made by Chen and Curry. When those 2 are shooting like this, San Antonio has a serious problem."
Kenny agreed.
"You cannot lose track of either one. Chen creates the pressure, Curry punishes the rotation, and then they can reverse those roles on the next possession."
The timeout ended.
San Antonio changed its offensive focus.
Ginóbili controlled the ball outside.
He called for a screen to free himself from Battier.
Then attacked.
DeAndre switched onto him.
Ginóbili changed rhythm.
Fast.
Slow.
Then fast again.
Euro step.
DeAndre lost the angle.
Ginóbili slipped around him like a snake and finished with an unconventional reverse layup.
15 to 10.
New York inbounded.
Curry received the ball.
Immediately, he noticed something different.
Leonard was guarding him.
Ginóbili had moved onto Chen.
The broadcast booth understood Popovich's thinking.
Kenny explained it first.
"This is interesting. Leonard is moving onto Curry."
Barkley grinned.
"And you know what that means."
Kenny nodded.
"Popovich has decided that putting Leonard on Chen is not solving anything. Chen has scored regardless of who guards him."
"But Curry is different. He can be disrupted. If Leonard slows Curry down, San Antonio can take away 1 major source of New York's offense."
Barkley started laughing.
"I will give Popovich credit. That takes courage."
He looked toward Ginóbili standing in front of Chen.
"You are taking your best perimeter defender off Chen Yan and refusing to double him?"
Barkley shook his head.
"I only have 1 question."
"How many points does Chen plan to score tonight?"
....
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