Chapter 689: The Black 8 Miracle
"The New York Knicks have won Game 5!" Barkley shouted excitedly from the broadcast table. "Chen Yan has won Game 5!"
"The Knicks now lead the series 3 to 2," Kenny Smith said, his tone also carrying excitement. "They are only 1 step away from completing a Black 8 miracle."
Chen Yan and the Knicks players immediately slipped into the player tunnel.
Everyone was thrilled after winning Game 5, but they did not dare celebrate too openly on the court.
This was someone else's territory.
They could not be too arrogant.
Kenny Smith and Barkley both marveled at Chen Yan's divine performance tonight.
Chen Yan shot 20 of 34 from the field, an astonishing 58.8 percent shooting rate, nearly 60 percent.
Considering the high volume of shots and the intense Playoff pressure, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Among those shots, Chen Yan made 6 of 12 from 3 point range.
He was also clutch at the free throw line, making 8 of 9.
He scored 64 points, dished out 11 assists, and grabbed 10 rebounds.
It was a truly spectacular stat line.
If another player produced such numbers in the regular season, it would probably become the hottest topic in the league for a week.
For Chen Yan to create that same effect, he had to do it in a crucial Playoff game.
After all, he had already delivered far too many stunning performances.
He had scored 80, 90, and even 100 points before.
So to the fans, a 60 plus 10 plus 10 stat line was no longer considered too exaggerated.
Just as a famous commentator once said, statistics were merely a string of numbers to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan himself had once said during his rookie season, "I do not like stats. I have no interest in them whatsoever."
Of course, Chen Yan had not fought alone tonight.
Curry scored 28 points and added 6 assists, making a significant contribution to the team's victory.
Boston's Big 3 also performed well.
Durant scored 36 points.
Stoudemire had 23 points.
Rose scored 20 points.
The 3 of them combined for a formidable 79 points.
This was why Boston had been able to secure the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference.
When those 3 worked together, very few teams could withstand that kind of firepower.
The Knicks were an anomaly.
They had a bug level player.
At the post game press conference, Rivers expression looked somewhat helpless.
"Our players performed great throughout the entire game. It is hard to imagine a team losing with that kind of performance. I am not a coach who likes praising opponents, but tonight, I have to praise Chen. He fulfills all my fantasies about a basketball player.
"When I was still playing, I imagined becoming that kind of player, someone who could score, assist, rebound, and lead teammates to victory. During my coaching career, I have also imagined coaching that kind of player.
"I can say with certainty that we tried every possible way to limit him in this game. He handled double teams perfectly. He not only scored, he also gave out 11 assists. For the entire game, we were scrambling on defense, but the effect was very limited."
Durant's voice was very low.
"Tonight was a victory for the Knicks. A victory for Chen. I had a chance to end the game, but... you know."
Durant spread his hands helplessly.
His expression was dejected, and he clearly had not moved past the loss.
Stoudemire sighed helplessly.
"I know his strength and his characteristics better than anyone. Before the game, I gave the coaching staff many suggestions, but obviously, we failed. Chen is the kind of player that even if you know how to defend him, you still cannot limit him."
The Knicks also accepted interviews after the game.
Nelson said, "This was a great victory, an exciting victory. We dominated for most of the game, but some problems appeared in the final moments. Fortunately, we have the best player in the league, and he stepped up."
A reporter asked, "Was it intentional to have Chen guard Kevin Durant in the final moments?"
"To be honest, that was not my tactical arrangement," Nelson replied. "Chen requested it himself. We had Shane guarding Kevin Durant for the entire game. Changing defenders at the last moment carries some risk, but we trust Chen unconditionally, and the result proved that he is indeed trustworthy."
Kenyon Martin also accepted an interview after the game.
When asked what Chen Yan had said to him in the final moments, Kenyon Martin answered bluntly.
"He said we would definitely win this game. With him there, it was a sure win."
When Chen Yan was interviewed by reporters, he was asked what he had kept saying to Durant during the final defensive possession.
There were simply too many NBA broadcast cameras.
No small detail between players could escape the eyes of reporters.
Chen Yan answered honestly.
"I told him he definitely would not make that shot. That is all."
As soon as the interview spread, the fans went wild again.
"Chen Yan is showing off again!"
"His words really come true. Damn it!"
"This guy took all the spotlight for himself!"
"The King of Bragging has a new quote. Hurry up and write it down in your notebook."
After 5 games, the situation in the East and West had largely become clear.
In the East, the Miami Heat, Magic, and Nets had already advanced.
In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and Charlotte Hornets had also reached the 2nd round.
As more and more teams advanced, everyone's attention naturally focused even more on the Knicks vs Celtics series.
Although New York had won the crucial Game 5, many outsiders still believed Boston had a chance.
The Celtics had already beaten the Knicks on the road.
If they won Game 6, then Game 7 would return to the Boston North Shore Garden. At that point, Boston's chances of winning would be very high.
Everyone expected Game 6 to be a fierce battle.
At the very least, the Celtics players were expected to give everything they had.
But the result surprised everyone.
The Knicks absolutely crushed the Celtics at home, 112 to 89.
Boston played well in the 1st quarter, trailing New York by only 3 points.
But in the 2nd quarter, they inexplicably collapsed.
And it was a complete collapse, the kind that was hard to explain with logic.
By the 4th quarter, the game had become pure torment for the Celtics players, both those on the court and those on the bench.
In the 4th quarter, the Knicks starters, led by Chen Yan, came off early.
But New York's bench showed no sign of letting up, continuing its relentless assault.
Durant did not want to give up and remained on the court, but his mentality had already changed.
He began taking all kinds of forced, unreasonable shots.
In the 1st 4 minutes of the 4th quarter, he missed all 6 of his attempts, leading fans to joke that Durant might as well surrender, and that his performance tonight looked like that of an undercover agent among undercover agents.
Some fans also believed that the previous loss had dealt a huge blow to Durant.
After losing Game 5, Boston had lost its morale, which directly led to the complete collapse in Game 6.
After winning this game, the Knicks successfully advanced with a 4 to 2 series victory.
When the final whistle sounded, the fans suddenly realized something.
The 1st seed in the Eastern Conference had been eliminated.
The New York Knicks had created a Black 8 miracle.
.....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]