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NBA: Basketball Legend.

Chapter 781: Trailing at Halftime · Oct 12, 2026

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Chapter List (818)

Page number / 17

751 Chapter 751: Triple Double 2026-10-12
752 Chapter 752: Little Handsome Thinks He Has It Again 2026-10-12
753 Chapter 753: Chasing Points! 2026-10-12
754 Chapter 754: Setting a New Record 2026-10-12
755 Chapter 755: A Desperate Shot 2026-10-12
756 Chapter 756: A True Judge of Character 2026-10-12
757 Chapter 757: All Stars! 2026-10-12
758 Chapter 758: Did This Kid Get Tricked Again? 2026-10-12
759 Chapter 759: Iron Blooded Showdown 2026-10-12
760 Chapter 760: The 2nd All Star MVP Trophy 2026-10-12
761 Chapter 761: Some Advice, Do Not Anger Chen Yan 2026-10-12
762 Chapter 762: The MVP Is Here! 2026-10-12
763 Chapter 763: Even the Players Who Did Not Play Got Tormented 2026-10-12
764 Chapter 764: Some Are Happy, Some Are Sad 2026-10-12
765 Chapter 765: A High Profile Debut 2026-10-12
766 Chapter 766: A Rare Supporting Role 2026-10-12
767 Chapter 767: The Ultimate Double Standard 2026-10-12
768 Chapter 768: Changing Direction on Ice 2026-10-12
769 Chapter 769: A Chance to Break the Record 2026-10-12
770 Chapter 770: The Assists Just Keep Coming 2026-10-12
771 Chapter 771: A New Assist Record 2026-10-12
772 Chapter 772: Chen Yan and Curry Put on a Show 2026-10-12
773 Chapter 773: Unorthodox Tactics, A Bizarre Start 2026-10-12
774 Chapter 774: The Mid Range Takes Over 2026-10-12
775 Chapter 775: Are These 2 Going at It? 2026-10-12
776 Chapter 776: The Gap Between Superstars and Ordinary Stars 2026-10-12
777 Chapter 777: Seizing the Opportunity 2026-10-12
778 Chapter 778: Winning Game 3, Exhausting Hamilton 2026-10-12
779 Chapter 779: Sweeping Through Advancement 2026-10-12
780 Chapter 780: The Second Round Begins 2026-10-12
781 Chapter 781: Trailing at Halftime 2026-10-12
782 Chapter 782: King of Empty Stats 2026-10-12
783 Chapter 783: Conceding the Game 2026-10-12
784 Chapter 784: Shouldering the Responsibility 2026-10-12
785 Chapter 785: Deron Steals the Show 2026-10-12
786 Chapter 786: Helping Curry Get Revenge 2026-10-12
787 Chapter 787: A Meaningful Smile 2026-10-12
788 Chapter 788: Never Give Up 2026-10-12
789 Chapter 789: Relentless Pressure 2026-10-12
790 Chapter 790: Winning Game 3 2026-10-12
791 Chapter 791: No Pressure 2026-10-12
792 Chapter 792: Just 1 More Game 2026-10-12
793 Chapter 793: Gentleman’s Sweep 2026-10-12
794 Chapter 794: Fan Discussion 2026-10-12
795 Chapter 795: Eastern Conference Finals Analysis 2026-10-12
796 Chapter 796: Eastern Conference Finals Begin, Ewing’s Embarrassment 2026-10-12
797 Chapter 797: No Chance at the Start 2026-10-12
798 Chapter 798: Continuing to Lead 2026-10-12
799 Chapter 799: A Provocative Gaze 2026-10-12
800 Chapter 800: The Pressure on James 2026-10-12

Chapter 781: Chapter 781: Trailing at Halftime

Chapter 781: Trailing at Halftime

Carmelo Anthony received the ball beyond the arc.

Yao Ming stepped up to set a screen.

Anthony took 1 dribble and immediately rose for the shot.

Swish!

Clean.

No hesitation.

”That is exactly how Carmelo likes to play,” Kenny Smith said. ”He does not need to pound the ball forever. If he sees the opening, he gets straight into his shot.”

Barkley nodded.

”And after the way he played in Game 7, you can tell he brought that confidence right into tonight.”

The Knicks quickly inbounded from the baseline.

Curry immediately sprinted across half court.

That was exactly what Nelson wanted.

Yao Ming had become far more mobile after losing weight, but he was still 226 centimeters tall.

Forcing a player that size to repeatedly sprint from 1 end of the floor to the other would inevitably drain his stamina.

Curry crossed half court and passed ahead to Chen Yan.

Chen Yan caught the ball without slowing down and continued attacking toward the basket.

Barkley laughed.

”Look at these 2. Curry runs the 1st leg, gives Chen the baton, and Chen finishes the relay.”

Chen Yan penetrated deep enough to draw multiple defenders.

He remained calm, took another step, then dropped a right handed pass toward the trailing David West in the middle.

West caught the ball and softly flipped it toward the rim.

There was almost no defensive pressure.

Unfortunately, he did not put enough force behind the shot.

Miss.

It was still early.

David West had not found his touch yet.

The moment the shot came off, Chen Yan immediately signaled for everyone to retreat.

The Nets secured the rebound but showed no interest in racing the other way.

Their personnel was far more comfortable operating in the half court.

Once Brooklyn settled into its offense, Anthony immediately called for the ball again.

His post game was excellent.

The moment Anthony established position, Battier could no longer effectively front him or play halfway around his body.

Anthony received the entry pass with ease.

He turned and faced the basket.

Triple threat position.

Battier maintained a disciplined defensive distance.

Anthony jabbed several times.

Then he put the ball down with his right hand and turned his back toward the basket.

He bumped Battier twice near the left side of the free throw line.

Turn.

Fadeaway.

The entire sequence was smooth and familiar.

1 of Anthony’s signature moves.

Battier reached a hand toward Anthony’s eyes as a final attempt to bother the release.

It did not matter.

Anthony buried the mid range jumper.

That area belonged to him.

When Anthony was in rhythm, he probably felt he could make that shot with his eyes closed.

New York immediately pushed the pace again.

This time, Chen Yan and Curry created the opportunity together.

Curry found space beyond the 3 point line and fired quickly.

Good look.

Miss.

Nelson could only shake his head.

The fast pace was doing exactly what he wanted.

New York was creating open shots before Brooklyn could fully establish its defense.

But none of that mattered if the ball refused to go in.

The Nets remained patient.

Anthony once again fought for position in the post.

Battier battled him aggressively.

Anthony’s first 2 baskets had already made his rhythm obvious.

Battier understood that when a superstar scorer became hot, the best chance to stop him was often before he even caught the ball.

Deron Williams looked toward Anthony.

Battier was denying the entry pass too well.

Deron wisely refused to force it.

Instead, he called for a screen near the top.

Yao came up and set the pick.

Then he immediately popped out toward the perimeter.

Deron took 2 dribbles, suddenly turned, and kicked the ball back outside.

Yao Ming was completely open beyond the 3 point line.

He did not hesitate.

After the NBA had increasingly shifted toward smaller lineups and greater floor spacing, Yao had also spent time developing his 3 point shot.

His natural touch had always been excellent.

Extending that range had not been especially difficult.

The shot was not consistent enough to become a primary weapon.

But when defenders left him completely open, Yao was capable of punishing them.

Swish!

3 pointer.

The Nets bench rose together.

Yao’s shot immediately lifted their energy.

As the teams moved back up the floor, Chen Yan reached over and patted Yao on the backside.

”You have been practicing that?”

Yao smiled.

”I have watched a lot of your highlights.”

Even in the middle of a Playoffs game, the 2 managed to share a brief joke.

But that was all.

There was still a game to play.

New York came back on offense.

Curry deliberately slowed the pace.

The Knicks had opened the game sluggishly.

He wanted to settle them down and create a reliable basket.

Chen Yan received a handoff from Curry.

Whenever New York’s offense stalled, giving Chen Yan the ball had become almost automatic.

Al Harrington moved over from the wing to set a screen.

Chen Yan put the ball on the floor and took 2 dribbles.

Whistle.

Moving screen.

New York turnover.

Several Knicks players shook their heads.

3 offensive possessions into the game, New York still looked like a team trying to wake itself up.

The advantage of getting 8 days of rest was obvious.

The Knicks were fresh.

The disadvantage was equally clear.

After being away from real competition for so long, they were struggling to immediately find game rhythm.

Brooklyn had the opposite problem.

The Nets were carrying fatigue from their exhausting 1st round series.

But they had played Game 7 only 2 days earlier.

Their bodies were tired.

Their rhythm was sharp.

The difference showed throughout the 1st quarter.

New York managed only 19 points.

Brooklyn scored 26.

The Nets led by 7 entering the 2nd quarter.

Chen Yan had not been particularly comfortable either.

Brooklyn repeatedly sent double teams at him.

With Yao Ming’s 226 centimeter frame protecting the paint, Chen Yan could not simply attack the basket for layups and dunks whenever he wanted.

New York’s other players were also missing shots.

That gave the Nets even more freedom to overload toward Chen Yan.

At different points in the 1st quarter, Brooklyn sent 3 defenders at him.

There were even possessions where practically 4 defenders were watching his every move.

Chen Yan still scored 10 points in the quarter.

For almost any other player, that would have been an excellent opening period.

For Chen Yan, the Madison Square Garden crowd considered it relatively quiet.

Despite trailing, the atmosphere inside the arena remained relaxed.

Fans continued cheering and even began singing Chen Yan’s song.

There was no sense of panic.

As long as Chen Yan remained on the floor, the crowd believed New York could recover from any deficit.

To them, it felt almost like watching a superhero movie.

No matter how dominant the villain looked during the opening act, everyone expected the hero to eventually win.

Tonight, Madison Square Garden had already decided who the villain was.

The slightly heavyset number 7 wearing a Nets jersey.

Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony had been spectacular.

He shot 5 of 7 from the field.

2 of 3 from beyond the 3 point line.

3 of 3 from the free throw line.

15 points in the 1st quarter.

Highly efficient.

Anthony had always possessed the ability to explode offensively and overwhelm opponents with pure scoring.

At the start of the 2nd quarter, New York’s bench finally began reducing the deficit.

Brooklyn’s reserves were stronger overall than they had been the previous season, but their biggest weakness remained unchanged.

They lacked consistent scoring.

Most of their bench offense came from guards Jordan Farmar and MarShon Brooks.

New York’s reserve guards were clearly stronger.

Barea played particularly well tonight.

He created several baskets for teammates before hitting a transition 3 pointer himself.

With 7 minutes and 17 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter, New York had pulled within 2.

34 to 32.

Both teams then returned their starters.

Anthony immediately resumed his efficient isolation scoring.

On 1 possession, he caught the ball, took 1 dribble, and buried a turnaround jumper.

The next time down, he hit almost the exact same shot from the opposite side.

Chen Yan wanted to answer with his own isolation game.

Brooklyn refused to allow it.

The Nets treated Chen Yan with at least a double team almost every time he touched the ball.

During the 2nd quarter, Nets head coach Avery Johnson made another defensive adjustment.

He sent Gerald Wallace onto the floor in place of Anthony Morrow.

Morrow offered more offense.

Brooklyn did not need it tonight.

Several of its core players were already scoring well.

Johnson preferred Wallace’s defense and wanted another physical body to throw at Chen Yan.

By halftime, Brooklyn still controlled the game.

Nets 55.

Knicks 49.

New York trailed by 6.

It was the 1st time the Knicks had entered halftime behind on the scoreboard during this year’s Playoffs.

Chen Yan had recorded 18 points, 5 rebounds, and only 1 assist.

The low assist total was not because he refused to pass.

His teammates simply were not converting the opportunities he created.

Anthony had been the best player on the floor through 2 quarters.

28 points.

5 rebounds.

By halftime, everyone inside Madison Square Garden understood the situation.

Carmelo Anthony was threatening to explode.

....

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