The rise of basketball legends

Back from the timeout, the Cavaliers' offense and defense still haven't improved much.

At 5 minutes and 37 seconds into the first quarter, Chen Yan went out of the arc to catch the ball.

This round Larry Hughes followed closely, Chen Yan made a tentative move and then drew his gun and shot!

"Shh!"

Hit the fourth three-pointer in a single quarter!

Even Reggie Miller shook his head when he saw it: "The basket is as wide as the sea in this guy's eyes."

Barkley turned around with a smile and asked, "Do you think he is the best shooter in active service?"

Reggie Miller thought for a moment and said: "He is one of my favorite shooters. It is a pleasure to watch him shoot."

Reggie Miller steered clear of the subject, because answering yes or no would offend people.

Barkley continued: "Do you think Chen will break your three-point record in the future?"

"He definitely has this potential! If he breaks my record one day in the future, I will definitely be the first to send a message to congratulate him." Reggie Miller laughed.

What Reggie Miller said was polite words. Although Chen Yan is very accurate, he is only a sophomore after all, and there is still a long way to go to break the 2560 three-pointers created by Reggie Miller in his career.

Seeing Chen Yan's performance outside the three-point line tonight, Cavaliers fans began to complain about the team's defense. They didn't understand why Chen Yan always had room for three-point shots.

What the fans can see, the Cavaliers coaching staff can naturally see. They are neither blind nor stupid, but Chen Yan is such a special player. Tight, because he can shoot and pass suddenly, and his whole body is a threat.

Before the first quarter was over, Larry Hughes was already sweating profusely. He felt that he was under a lot of pressure, and this pressure came more from psychology.

Larry Hughes has put all his energy into the defensive end, and he is almost invisible on the offensive end, but even so he still can't restrain Chen Yan.

It's a crushing feeling to try your best or not limit your opponent.

"Larry, come down and rest for a while." Cavaliers coach Mike Brown saw Larry Hughes' plight and replaced him at the next dead ball.

The new player Pavlovich took over Larry Hughes' defensive duties.

Chen Yan didn't give him time to adapt to the game, so he used an off-the-ball backrunner to suddenly speed up and cut inside.

Pavnovic, who had just played, was obviously not on the same beat as Chen Yan, and could only watch Chen Yan catch the ball and score a layup.

Chen Yan played a lot off the ball tonight. In his opinion, this is the most efficient and labor-saving way to score.

The most direct beneficiary of Chen Yan's style of play is Nash. Nash sent out 5 assists in less than a quarter, and three of them were obtained by Chen Yan.

Nash is not a data maniac, but who doesn't want his data to be more beautiful?Watching the soaring assist count, Nash is also full of energy.

The Cavaliers realized that Chen Yan could not continue like this. Mike Brown issued an order from the sidelines. The Cavaliers stepped up their defense against Chen Yan in the next round. This kind of catch-and-shoot feeling is very good, a bit of the internal flavor of Clay's peak in his previous life.

But in this round, Pavlovic and James came up as soon as he received the ball, a sudden double-team!

Chen Yan is not afraid of double-teaming, but he still chooses to distribute the ball, because once he falls into double-teaming, one of his teammates will inevitably be empty.

Nash chose a cross after receiving the ball from a high position, and Diaw continued to transfer.

The Suns rotated the ball very quickly this round, and Raja Bell seized the opportunity to hit an open three-pointer.

That's why the Cavaliers didn't double-team Chen Yan at the beginning. The Suns had too many firepower points.

In the next few minutes, Chen Yan was still the key target of the Cavaliers. Chen Yan double-teamed as long as he picked and rolled, and switched as long as he was off the ball.

Chen Yan's personal offense temporarily stagnated, but the Suns' rhythm remained smooth. The Cavaliers' defensive strategy gave many opportunities to other Suns players.

At 2 minutes and 39 seconds of the first quarter, Chen Yan scored another two points through a counterattack.

After the goal was scored, Chen Yan's single quarter statistics came to 16 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.

The next dead ball "Mustache" D'Antoni replaced the main force to rest, and Jordan and Novak ushered in the opportunity to make their debut.

"Be active, defend more, fight more, concentrate, and don't think too much." Chen Yan patted Jordan on the shoulder before he went on the field and said.

Chen Yan could see that the young man was a little nervous, but it was inevitable, who wasn't nervous for the first time?

Although Novak is also a new addition to the Suns this season, after all, he has played in the league for several years and has much more experience.

Little Jordan listened to Chen Yan's words, grabbed two rebounds in the last 2 minutes of the first quarter, and one of them was an offensive rebound, and also sent a block.

Although he didn't score, the coaching staff is very satisfied with Jordan's performance. Jordan's draft position is blue-collar. He can protect the rebound and do a good job of protecting the frame. The sun's first-round pick is worth it.

20 to 30, the Phoenix Suns came to the second quarter with a 10-point lead.

As soon as the second quarter came up, the Suns sent a substitute to play, Barea + Azubuike + Grant Hill + Barnes + Jordan Jr.

The Cavaliers are also full substitutes, Gibson + Pavnovich + Terrence Kinsey + J-Hickson + Big Z Ilgauskas

Big Z has now become the second center of the team. Although most of the time his contribution on the field is greater than that of O'Neal, but O'Neal can hold the team's first big contract. His salary this season has reached 2100 million US dollars , Even the salary of the head star James is higher. If such a player is placed on the bench, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and the management that introduced the Sharks last season will suffer a lot of pressure.

Unlike last season, where they worried about being cut all day long, Barea and Azubuike have transformed themselves into important rotations for the championship team this season, and their confidence has also skyrocketed, which is not difficult to see from their performance on the court. .

Especially Azubuike, he is very daring to make moves on the court now, whether it is shooting or moving the ball, he is very decisive.

Azubuike and Chen Yan are about the same height, and they are his substitutes. They have a good relationship in private. For a season, he has intentionally imitated Chen Yan's thinking and style of play, which has greatly improved Azubuike.

Azubuike scored two goals in a row at the beginning of the second quarter, one three-pointer and one mid-range shot.

Last season, Azubuike's shooting percentage reached 46.8%, and his three-point shooting percentage was an exaggerated 44.8%. He is the kind of player who is born with a good touch. He has worked hard on outside shooting, and he has already stocked up the ammunition for the outbreak of the new season.

"This season is his contract year. According to news reports, Azubuike has been practicing shooting hard all summer. It seems that he is going to win himself a big contract in the contract year." Barkley laughed.

"He was already an important firepower point on the Suns' bench last season. If he continues to maintain this efficiency and make some progress this season, I think even if the Suns don't renew his contract, there will be teams willing to match him. Offer," Kenny Smith said.

The gap between the Cavaliers' bench lineup and the Suns is too large. The Suns' Azubuike, Grant Hill, and Barea all have strong independent offensive capabilities. The Cavaliers can only let the big Z go inside. Gibson He and Pavnovich are both pure pitchers who need their teammates to create opportunities for them. Terrence Kinsey and J-Hickson are even less offensive.

In less than 3 minutes of the second quarter, the Cavaliers went from being behind by 10 points to being behind by 15 points.

James couldn't sit still, and volunteered to play early.

If the Cavaliers are beaten in the opening game, he will lose face. After all, the two teams were opponents in the finals last season.

Mike Brown responded to his request with a wave of his hand. An important reason why Mike Brown can occupy the Cavaliers coach for a long time is that he knows how to follow James.

After James came on the court, he stepped up his personal offense. He first threw a three-pointer and then forced Barnes to make two free throws for a foul.

Chen Yan waited and watched what happened on the court. He is still within the safety margin and he is not in a hurry to play. Everything is under the arrangement of the head coach.

One minute later, D'Antoni called Chen Yan to his side: "Chen, it's your turn to play, show your performance in the first quarter and attack their basket."

Chen Yan nodded, "White Chocolate" Williams and Raja Bell were playing with him.

Nash was still resting on the billboard. As he got older, D'Antoni became more and more careful in using Nash.

'White Chocolate' Williams made a mistake on the field. After the pick-and-roll, he wanted to pass the ball without looking at anyone. The ball was passed between Chen Yan and Raja Bell. The two could only watch the ball fly out. sideline...

'White Chocolate' raised his hand to apologize, and Chen Yan indicated that it was all right, it wasn't that Jason Williams' pass was bad, it was just that he hadn't formed a tacit understanding with his teammates when he joined the team for too short a time.

The Cleveland Cavaliers attacked, and James also made a mistake. After rushing into the crowd, James wanted to give it to Xiaomo.

The pass was wide open, but Raja Bell touched the ball in the middle of the flight, and 'White Chocolate' Williams quickly grabbed the ball and pushed it back.

During the process, 'White Chocolate' Williams found Chen Yan with a behind-the-back pass, which was his specialty.

Chen Yan catches the ball from outside the three-point line and shoots it directly. The rhythm is great and the shot is very decisive. This kind of counter-attack three-pointer is almost impossible to defend.

"Shh!"

With a flick of the wrist, three points are scored!

Chen Yan hit the fifth three-pointer of the game!

"Here we go again, super long three-pointer!" Kenny Smith laughed.

Reggie Miller also smiled: "It's not too far for Chen Yan."

Barkley shook his head: "Chen is in great shape. He scored as soon as he came on the court. As soon as he took the shot, I felt that the ball was stable. If we want to limit Chen Yan's scoring, the Cavaliers must find a way to keep him out of the court."

"Chen Yi has been playing games throughout the holidays. After the finals, he went to the national team for training. First there were a series of warm-up matches and then the Olympics. He has been in the state of competition." Kenny Smith said.

Reggie Miller said: "If this state continues, Chen Yan's statistics in this game will be very scary."

Barkley nodded in agreement: "In the first game of the season, Chen showed a strong desire to attack. It seems that his goal this year will be the scoring champion. Chen has this strength. Compared with last year, he has better mentality and skills. progress."