May 7, 2007, late.
The American Airlines Center was brightly lit and bustling with people.
Ever since Steve Nash started Arizona's fast-playing whirlwind, the Suns' basketball market has become extremely hot, and the fans here are full of passion.
Nuggets starting lineup: Li Yan, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby;
Suns' starting lineup: Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Amar'e Stoudemire.
The Suns' lineup actually has better space capabilities. Except for Stoudemire, all other players have three-point ability.
The Nuggets have stronger inside impact.
Beep! The buzzer sounded to start the game, and Camby and Stoudemire jumped to their feet.
Snapped! Stoudemire won the jump ball.
Nash holds the ball and faces Iverson's pressing. The "Son of the Wind" is very stable.
Li Yan pays attention to Nash's movements at all times, and his defense is crucial to the Nuggets' defense.
Li Yan's defensive sense is very good, and his ability to quickly discern the opponent's offensive intentions is his specialty.
But facing the sun, he hesitated.
After the pick-and-roll, the Suns players lined up on the outside, with La Gara Bell, Shawn Marion, and Boris Diaw all ready to take three-point shots.
After Stoudemire finished covering the screen, he immediately moved down.
What choice will Steve Nash make? Li Yan couldn't predict at all, he could only keep an eye on his defender.
"Whoa!" Steve Nash shot a three-pointer directly after covering the screen. The basketball drew a beautiful arc and hit the net.
3 to 0!
Nash has a 45.5% three-point shooting percentage this season. The very difficult "180" club is as easy for Nash as going home.
Nash's three-threat ability of "breaking out, shooting, and passing" is among the best in the league. It is difficult to restrict him.
Nuggets round.
The one guarding Li Yan is Shawn Marion. Marion's static talent is as good as Li Yan's, but his dynamic talent is even better.
Like Prince, Marion is the defender Li Yan least expects to encounter.
After Li Yan passed halftime, he handed the ball to Anthony.
Anthony opened up Diaw in singles, and Li Yan and Iverson wandered on the weak side.
This is a theoretical advantageous matchup for the Nuggets. The other team is naturally Iverson playing Nash, and Li Yan expected to play a supporting role.
Anthony's "triple threat" started, Diaw followed Anthony, and Anthony turned and rushed into the Suns' defense.
The Suns were very well prepared, and Anthony could only pass the ball after being flanked.
The basketball was given to Li Yan, who immediately transferred it to Iverson who got rid of Nash.
But as soon as Iverson made a three-pointer, Shawn Marion rushed over from one side. It was too exaggerated. Marion was still in front of Li Yan just now.
But now, Marion slapped Iverson's shot out of bounds.
Li Yan was shocked. Marion was really an underestimated defender. His defensive range on the flanks was terrifyingly large.
The Nuggets served again, and Anthony forced a jump shot against Diaw.
"DUang!" Blacksmith adds one.
Stoudemire got the defensive rebound and quickly passed it to Nash, who galloped forward.
In the transition between offense and defense, the Suns' rhythm immediately picked up.
The Nuggets are also chasing madly.
Nash gave the ball to Laga Bell, and Li Yan immediately rushed over to cover.
Raja Bell directed the ball to Marion, and Kenyon Martin switched defenses in place.
Marion passed back to Nash, and Iverson blocked Nash's shot.
However, this time Nash lobbed the ball inside.
Stoudemire turned around and pressed Camby, "Boom!" and slammed the ball into the basket.
5 to 0!
The "Little Overlord" overwhelmed this year's DPOY in the confrontation.
Next round.
Iverson deflected Nash and hit a mid-range shot to open up the Nuggets' scoring account.
The transition between offense and defense after the start of the game was very fast.
The Suns kept speeding up, and the Nuggets could only speed up along with them. Li Yan wanted to slow down the rhythm but couldn't.
Li Yan discovered a serious problem. Marcus Camby seemed to be no match for the "little bully" Stoudemire, and the Nuggets were at a disadvantage inside.
Due to the Suns' targeted defense, Anthony's performance today was very average.
The Nuggets can only continue to attack Nash's weak link.
Whether it's Iverson or Li Yan, they are constantly using pick-and-roll defenses to face Nash.
However, the Suns have obviously done their homework, and it is normal for them that Nash is attacked by name.
The Suns' response was very simple. They directly used flanking defense to protect Nash.
Raja Bell and Shawn Marion kept filling in for Nash, and in doing so they left the Nuggets open.
The Nuggets did take advantage of their opportunity.
If the Nuggets meet a normal team, hitting these open shots will be enough to gain the upper hand.
But this is the Suns, and the Suns are the best offensive team in the league.
Even if they lose some points for this, they can offset it with crazy offense.
As long as they keep Nash and don't let the Nuggets consume their "engine", the Suns are completely able to accept these empty spots.
The Nuggets played without too many problems, but the Suns were more prepared.
The rhythm of the game was under the control of the Suns, and George Karl looked very anxious on the sidelines.
He called four timeouts in the first quarter to adjust, and even replaced J.R. Smith to have a blast with the Suns in advance.
However, no advantage was taken.
25 to 32! The Nuggets trailed by 7 points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Li Yan stepped up some individual singles, causing some damage to the Suns' inside line.
The pick-and-roll between him and Kenyon Martin was also quite effective. In order to overtake the score, Li Yan used his skills regardless of physical strength.
Anthony, JR Smith, and Iverson all gained from the outside, and the Nuggets stabilized the situation.
At halftime, the Nuggets were still 6 points behind, 58 to 64.
The strength of the Suns exceeded Li Yan's expectations, based on the idea that it is better to rely on oneself than to rely on teammates.
After the start of the second half, Li Yan directly used the status card "Spider Web".
But after using it, Li Yan regretted it.
The Suns did not have a core attacking point like Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash did not play alone after being intercepted twice by Li Yan.
The Suns kept moving the ball and then shooting. They were a "shooting team". This made Li Yan very uncomfortable, as if he had been punched on cotton.
Fortunately, on the offensive end, Li Yan, whose attributes have been greatly improved, has become unstoppable.
The Suns' defense was "to pieces" by Li Yan. Marion was panting. He couldn't understand why Li Yan's speed and strength increased after half a game.
Is it true that Li Yan has mysterious oriental power in his body as the rumors say?
The crazy attack between the two teams made the fans excited.
The Nuggets finally recovered the point difference due to Li Yan's crazy cheating.
At the end of the three quarters, the Nuggets led the Suns by 1 point, 96-95.
Li Yan paid the price of a "Spider Web" and an "Infinite Battery Life", two status cards.
Looking at his "confident" teammates, Li Yan felt very tired. He only won by one point by cheating like this.
Could it be that these big brothers thought that they would reverse the situation just by fighting?
If this continues, you can win, but the consumption will be too high.
The Spurs will definitely not be easier than the Suns. With the Nuggets in their current state, wouldn't it be too embarrassing if they can't beat them even if they cheat?
Li Yan felt a sense of crisis in his heart. If he didn't work hard, it would be too late.
Li Yan made up his mind that after this game, he must contact "Taylor Swift" and Jessica Alba to ensure that one of them goes with the team.
Time waits for no one, and we cannot slack off in our "ball possession" mission.
