Chapter 826: Surrender
On San Antonio's next possession, the Spurs moved the ball patiently through a series of passes before Parker found an open mid range jumper.
Miss.
The execution had been good.
New York's defense had already been pulled out of position.
San Antonio simply failed to finish the possession.
DeAndre Jordan secured the rebound and immediately looked for Chen Yan.
The pass did not need to be perfect.
When throwing the ball to Chen, DeAndre only needed to get it there quickly.
A little too high?
Chen could catch it.
A little too hard?
Chen could handle it.
The important thing was delivering the ball before San Antonio's defense recovered.
Chen caught it and immediately pushed up the floor.
Only Ginóbili and Leonard had managed to retreat.
2 defenders against Chen Yan.
For most players, that would be a disadvantage.
For Chen, it looked like an opportunity.
He accelerated toward Ginóbili.
As Manu moved into his path, Chen suddenly raised the ball high and swept it directly over his head.
Then came the next step.
Chen planted his right foot and took an enormous stride toward the left.
Euro step.
Ginóbili knew the move as well as anyone.
He had spent years using it to twist through defenses.
Logically, that familiarity should have helped him defend it.
But Chen's Euro step and Ginóbili's were fundamentally different.
Manu relied on rhythm, timing, and deception.
Chen combined those things with overwhelming explosiveness.
His version was built around physical tools that almost nobody else possessed.
Understanding the move did not mean you could stop it.
Ginóbili felt Chen flash past him.
Years ago, a burst like that might have sent his long hair flying.
After all the punishment Duncan had supposedly inflicted on it over the years, there was considerably less hair left to move.
Now the breeze went straight across his scalp.
Leonard waited ahead.
Chen did not give the rookie enough time to establish legal guarding position.
He attacked his body immediately.
Contact.
Whistle.
Blocking foul.
Leonard raised both hands toward the referee with an innocent expression.
Chen did not care.
The possession was still alive.
He flicked the ball softly off his fingertips.
Glass.
Good.
"And 1!"
Chen pointed toward the floor and celebrated the 3 point play.
Madison Square Garden erupted.
The broadcast booth replayed the finish.
"Leonard is learning how unforgiving this matchup can be. Chen attacked before he could get completely set, absorbed the contact, and still finished."
"And now he gets the free throw too."
Chen walked to the line.
Swish.
64 to 73.
New York's lead was 9.
San Antonio needed an answer.
Parker crossed half court and immediately passed to Duncan.
The Spurs needed their veteran to stop the bleeding.
Duncan backed DeAndre down twice.
The position did not feel right.
He immediately passed back outside to Ginóbili.
Manu caught it and paused.
He understood the situation.
This was not the time to improvise wildly.
He lobbed the ball straight back into Duncan.
This time, Duncan changed his approach.
No prolonged back down.
No hesitation.
Catch.
Turn toward the paint.
Attack.
Duncan had lost some speed with age, but his footwork and agility remained excellent.
DeAndre stayed attached.
The 2 made contact.
Duncan released a short floater.
Good.
66 to 73.
The broadcast booth nodded in appreciation.
"When San Antonio needs stability, they still go back to Tim Duncan."
"That is what a veteran like Duncan gives you. Everything can be falling apart around him, and he still finds a solid possession."
New York did not allow San Antonio time to settle.
DeAndre quickly inbounded to Chen.
But unlike previous possessions, Chen did not immediately accelerate.
He calmly dribbled across half court.
Popovich could no longer tolerate what he was seeing.
"Double him!"
His voice carried across the sideline.
Chen had been scoring like a machine.
Popovich had finally decided enough was enough.
San Antonio prepared to send help.
Chen noticed.
Then he did something unexpected.
He pointed toward the floor several steps beyond the 3 point line.
Right near the center court logo.
Leonard stared at him.
What was that supposed to mean?
Chen gave him the answer.
He rose immediately.
Deep 3 pointer.
The release was lightning quick.
The instant the ball left his fingertips, Chen turned around.
Both arms rose into the air.
The basketball was still flying behind him.
Pure confidence.
Pure arrogance.
Pure swagger.
Chen took 2 steps toward the other end without looking back.
He did not need the sound of the net.
He did not need to check the scoreboard.
The explosion from Madison Square Garden told him everything.
Swish!
66 to 76.
Leonard raised his hands again.
His expression was almost confused.
The fans lost their minds.
"He did it again!"
"The turn before the shot even goes in!"
"That is ridiculous confidence!"
"That celebration is basically his signature now."
"He pointed to the spot, told Leonard exactly where he was going to shoot from, fired, then turned around before it even reached the rim."
"Chen looks more relaxed in the NBA Finals than most people look in a pickup game."
That shot changed the atmosphere completely.
The lead had reached 10.
Before that moment, Game 2 had been a battle.
Now the momentum was entirely with New York.
Popovich extended the minutes of Duncan, Parker, and Ginóbili.
It changed nothing.
The game had shifted.
By the 4th quarter, the difference in stamina between the teams became increasingly obvious.
New York still had energy.
San Antonio did not.
During the first 3 quarters, the Spurs had switched quickly and retreated with excellent discipline.
Now those rotations were a step late.
Their transition defense deteriorated even more.
Tired legs prevented San Antonio from consistently getting back.
New York recognized the weakness and attacked it repeatedly.
Fast break.
Another fast break.
The lead continued growing.
Defensively, New York simplified everything.
Protect the paint.
San Antonio was never an elite 3 point shooting team to begin with.
Now fatigue had made its perimeter shooting even less reliable.
The Knicks were willing to live with outside attempts.
As long as they denied easy baskets near the rim, they believed the game was theirs.
San Antonio's frustration began to show.
The Spurs became increasingly physical.
Hands reached more aggressively.
Bodies collided harder.
The home crowd responded with loud boos after every questionable contact.
The pressure affected the atmosphere around the officials.
On 2 consecutive possessions, San Antonio was called for fouls and violations.
The situation continued slipping away.
With 4 minutes remaining, Chen broke through the defense on consecutive possessions.
That was effectively the final nail.
San Antonio had nothing left.
The game ended 114 to 96.
New York Knicks 114.
San Antonio Spurs 96.
The Knicks now led the NBA Finals 2 to 0.
Chen finished with 51 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
His decisive explosion came in the 3rd quarter.
21 points in a single period.
Most of them scored directly against Leonard.
When the final buzzer sounded, the rookie looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Mentally.
After 2 games of trying to contain Chen Yan, his confidence had taken a serious beating.
Later, reporters surrounded Leonard in the locker room.
Most were from New York.
They knew exactly what they were doing.
Question after question focused on the same subject.
What was it like guarding Chen Yan?
How difficult was it?
What could he have done differently?
Leonard finally gave them an answer.
"Chen made things very difficult for me tonight."
His tone remained calm.
"A lot of those shots were extremely difficult. I was there. I contested them."
He paused.
"But sometimes there was nothing else I could do."
Leonard looked down for a moment.
"I kept guarding him with my hands raised."
Then he added dryly,
"By the end, it probably looked like I was surrendering to him."
…..
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Frieren: The Demon Who Learned to Love