The rise of basketball legends

Recently, Chen Yan has been frustrated not only on the court, but also in love.

His girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is still in a cold war with him. After the All-Star Weekend, Chen Yan called several times and she didn't answer. Chen Yan felt that he might be written into a song by the other party at any time.

But now Chen Yan can't distract too much off the court. The Suns are currently in the final sprint stage of the season, and Stoudemire, the core insider of the team, has been reimbursed due to injury. May fall short.

On February 2, the old man finally paid in the game against the Raptors.

Nash's physical condition looks good, and he didn't force his comeback for the team's record.

Before the game, Nash cheered up every teammate in the locker room. He was not the kind of player who would yell "Let's have a big fight". The old man's personality was relatively restrained, but every team and Nash boxed. You can feel his energy all the time.

The tactics of the Raptors in this game are very targeted, that is, the main defense is the outside line, because the absence of Stoudemire is bound to greatly reduce the Sun's inside offense.

This idea is very good, but the Raptors have overlooked one point, that is, they have no reliable defensive players on the perimeter. Calderon is a loophole. Pierce let him defend against muscle sticks. A small player will be restrained to death, his lateral movement speed is too slow, as long as the center of gravity is slightly transferred, there is a risk of being overstepped.

In the first half, the Raptors were still able to deal with the Suns, but in the third quarter they suddenly collapsed. This quarter became the performance time of Chen Yan and Nash. Yan Kuang scored 25 points, and Nash scored 10 points while sending out 6 assists.

Chen Yan also contributed a stunning dunk in this quarter, with Pierce in the background again.

At 4 minutes and 15 seconds into the third quarter, Pierce missed an outside shot and the ball just bounced between Grant Hill and Anthony Parker. Old Hill had better experience and got the ball to Chen Yan before Anthony Parker. before.

After Chen Yan got the ball, he turned around and counterattacked. As the last line of defense for the Raptors, Pierce ran to the penalty area with all his might. As soon as he turned around, Chen Yan was already flying.

"boom!"

After a crisp sound, the audience fell into a boil, and Raptors coach Jane Triano was forced to call a timeout.

In the commentary, Kenny Smith joked: "Paul Pierce was dunked tragically. This is the end of the floor player trying to challenge the slam dunk contest champion."

Barkley laughed and said, "Pierce wanted to hide, but Chen Yan was too fast to dodge."

Pierce walked back to the bench with a blank expression. He and Chen Yan already had too many old and new enmities, and he had experienced even more humiliation. The dunk just now was nothing.

After a timeout, the Suns continued to rub the Raptors on the ground. What's more frightening is that the Suns' bench firepower is also very strong. The performance of Azubuike + 'White Chocolate' Williams tonight is simply a low-profile version of Chen Yan+ Nash and the two coming off the bench frequently played exquisite cooperation. The Raptors' inside line couldn't withstand the erosion of the two, and Novak's shooting was still stable.

The game quickly entered garbage time in the fourth quarter.

In the end, the score was fixed at 113 to 131, and the Suns beat their opponents at home.

In fact, the Raptors performed very well on the offensive end tonight. Six of the team scored in double figures. Pierce scored a team-high 6 points, but he was no match for Chen Yan's 25 points and Nash's 43 points and 22 assists.

Azubuike scored the team's third-highest 20 points, and now he is the best sixth man of the season. probability event.

After this game, the Suns had a day off.

In March, they met their old rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The day before the game, the Suns players took a special plane to Los Angeles.

Everyone on the plane was talking about the game against the Lakers.

This is the last match between the two sides during the regular season this season. The record of the previous three matches was 1:2, with the Lakers leading.

Suns coach D'Antoni attaches great importance to this game. The two teams are now very close in record. This game may directly affect the final regular season ranking, and if the Suns fall behind the Lakers by 1 to 3 in the regular season, then the playoff encounter will be difficult. loss of psychological advantage.

In addition to skills and tactics, basketball is a psychological competition. If you are mentally timid and afraid of your opponent before the game, then the game will most likely lose.

This is why young and middle-aged soldiers in the sports world often win upsets, because they have the mentality of being newborn calves who are not afraid of tigers, and dare to fight against any opponent they encounter.

D'Antoni called the starters to the square table in the middle of the plane for the coaches' meeting and laid out the tactics in advance.

"DeAndre, you will start this game." D'Antoni took the lead in pointing to Jordan: "Don't think too much, grab rebounds, protect the frame, help teammates cover, and do your job well, understand?"

Little Jordan nodded his head: "Understood, head!"

Stoudemire's reimbursement is a bad thing for the team, but it is a good thing for Jordan. He got a lot of opportunities because of this. As long as he can seize the opportunity, he can further win the trust of the coach.

D'Antoni continued to arrange tactics: "Chen, you are still the main offensive point. Remember, don't fight with Kobe. When you meet Kobe, try to call a cover and save your energy. Your offensive burden tonight is very heavy. In addition, whether it is you It's still Steve who meets Derek Fisher and singles if he has a chance, don't be soft!"

Chen Yan and Nash nodded at the same time. Chen Yan's name-calling was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and D'Antoni has now incorporated this move into his tactical manual.

D'Antoni continued to arrange: "You all know what to do on the defensive end. Be optimistic about Kobe. Don't let this guy get hot. Once he makes consecutive shots, use some rough methods to stop his offense! Raja, try to stick as close as possible Point, interfere with his shooting, double-team if he breaks in, be decisive!"

D'Antoni's approach to Kobe is similar to that of other coaches in the league, just try not to let him shoot away.

"If he uses the screen to switch defenses as much as possible, the outside players should not steal the ball inside, and reach out to interfere with the shot. This is the simplest mixed defense. I don't want to emphasize it a second time."

The whole team was infected by D'Antoni's serious emotions, and everyone knew that this was not just an ordinary regular season.

Chen Yan clapped his hands to encourage his teammates: "Cheer up, tomorrow's victory belongs to us, let the Staples fans go home crying."

The surrounding teammates followed Chen Yan and yelled 'must win'. Stoudemire's absence affected the team's overall strength but did not affect the team's morale and belief in winning.

......

......

The game was full of gimmicks, and many fans waited in front of the TV long before the game started.

Lakers fans want the home team to win and overwhelm the Suns. Stoudemire's injury has caused a big flaw in the Suns' inside line. On the other hand, the Lakers have a well-organized team. From this perspective, the Lakers have a slightly higher probability of winning.

The reporter interviewed Kobe before the game and asked him if he had the confidence to win the game.

Kobe replied confidently: "Of course, no matter what opponent I face, I will answer 'yes'."

The reporter continued to ask: "Does the absence of Amare Stoudemire make the Lakers more likely to win?"

Kobe shook his head: "I don't care who my opponent is absent, I just focus on myself, do what I should do, and win the game."

Garnett also expressed his opinion: "There are Chen Yan and Steve Nash in the Suns. Their record is still ranked first in the league. No one will take it lightly when facing such a team. Of course , so do we."

When Chen Yan played, the Los Angeles fans were still very enthusiastic. They kept greeting Chen Yan and his family. Occasionally, a few Chinese fans cheered for Chen Yan. Chen Yan was not used to it.

Kobe tried shots in the other half with a cold face, while Fisher looked at Chen Yan and Nash from time to time, with some vague premonitions.

The two sides made their debut.

The Lakers lineup is relatively conservative, with point guard Fisher, shooting guard Kobe Bryant, small forward Walton, power forward Garnett, and center Camby.

The Suns lineup has changed a lot, point guard Nash, shooting guard Chen Yan, small forward Azubuike, power forward Diaw, and center Jordan Jr.

In addition to Jordan, Azubuike, the sixth man in the regular lineup, was also mentioned by D'Antoni as the starting position, and Old Hill was asked to lead the second team. D'Antoni's intention is very clear, that is, to speed up!