At the beginning of the second quarter, George Karl arranged for Li Yan to lead the Nuggets' second team.
Nene and JR Smith both have certain personal abilities, and Li Yan can lead them to play more proactively.
It's not like George Karl never thought about letting Iverson lead the second team.
Iverson has a brilliant past resume, and everyone knows that the "answer" with the ball in hand is the strongest.
Putting Iverson on the second team and letting him play his ultimate offense seems like a pretty good choice.
It's just that the Nuggets' second team is not a defensive "engineer" player.
JR Smith and Nene Hilario are even a bit offensive and defensive.
They are not the defensive anchors of the "one offense, four defense" lineup that Larry Brown installed for Iverson in Philadelphia.
If Iverson is forced to lead the Nuggets' second lineup, there is a high probability that it will be an offensive battle between the Nuggets and the opposing team.
Such an attack has no meaning other than improving Iverson's statistics.
But Li Yan is different. He is an absolutely elite player on the defensive end. Not only does Li Yan not hold back, he can also check for gaps in the team's defense.
"Brazilian Lightning" Barbosa was locked hard by Li Yan, who did not give him enough space to accelerate.
Barbosa, who has lost his speed, poses no threat to Li Yan. If he plays with rhythm alone, even Nash on the Suns side is no match for Li Yan.
Barbosa couldn't get rid of Li Yan at all. As the value on the timer became less and less, Barbosa could only pass the ball.
However, Barbosa is not a passing master like Nash. His passing intention is too simple.
Li Yan easily saw through Barbosa's passing line.
"Whoosh!" Li Yan kicked the ground violently and rushed out like a cheetah.
"Bang!" The basketball was intercepted by Li Yan as soon as it flew out.
Li Yan quickly poked the ball forward and then followed the basketball towards the Suns' half.
The only person on the Suns side who could keep up with Li Yan was Barbosa, whose pass had just been intercepted.
But Barbossa stopped after chasing him twice.
The memories Li Yan left for Barbosa were not good. He was bullied by Barbosa during the fast break in the first game.
I brushed 3 boards in one round, scored 4 points, and gave Barbosa a technical foul.
Li Yan's figure has an overwhelming advantage over Barbosa, and the "Brazilian Lightning" no longer wants to humiliate himself.
There was no obstacle in front of Li Yan. After catching up with the ball, he simply dribbled twice and took off directly. Li Yan rounded his arms and slammed the ball into the basket.
The Pepsi Center was boiling, and the fans were cheering for Li Yan crazily.
Suns offense.
Barbosa was obviously wary of Li Yan's defense, and he began to use pick-and-roll and other means to avoid a head-on confrontation with Li Yan.
Li Yan is the nightmare of the "Brazilian Lightning". He is timid at heart and is completely controlled by Li Yan.
"Super Six" Barbosa was restricted by Li Yan and couldn't take care of himself, and the Suns' offense immediately died down.
As for the Nuggets, Li Yan doesn't have to charge into the battle himself. With Nene and JR Smith as two "vanguards", Li Yan only needs to sit firmly in the "Chinese Army Tent."
Li Yan used assist after assist to give the Nuggets the lead.
Seeing that the point difference was widening, D'Antoni couldn't sit still.
In such a close game, one step behind is likely to result in being passive every step of the way.
After all, Doc Rivers is one of the few coaches who just sits there and enjoys the team's reversal. The Suns requested a timeout.
After the timeout, both teams changed into their starting lineups.
Nash's court control ability is obviously several levels better than Barbosa's, but in this round, the Nuggets still made an offensive and defensive transition.
Iverson and Li Yan "double ghosted the goal". Nash, who had just come on the court, was obviously not prepared enough and the basketball was interrupted. Then Li Yan made a long pass to assist Kenyon Martin who was about to leave.
Kenyon Martin's diligence has paid off. Li Yan's passing is so comfortable. As long as you dare to move, Master Li will have a way to feed the "cake" into your mouth.
Li Yan's assists increased rapidly today. His ability to seize opportunities during counterattacks is comparable to that of a "magician". In pick-and-roll attacks, Li Yan possesses all of Stockton's abilities.
The advantages of the two biggest point guards in NBA history are now combined in Li Yan.
"Li Yan's assist ability is too strong. The Nuggets were very efficient today."
“The point difference has widened, and if this continues, it shouldn’t be a big problem for the Nuggets to win the game.
"The Suns were stunned. Obviously the Nuggets' strengthening on the defensive end worked wonders."
In the TNT studio, Smith and Barkley were analyzing the situation on the court.
Nuggets round.
Li Yan controlled the ball past halftime and handed the ball to Iverson.
After "Answer" received the ball, he made a classic cross change and easily got rid of Nash.
Marion immediately came over from the wing to cover, and Iverson attracted a lot of defensive attention.
The opportunity was great, Iverson gave the ball to Li Yan.
After Li Yan received the ball, he continued to attack the basket.
Stoudemire also felt the feeling of being exhausted. His attention has been on Li Yan and Iverson, and he was also powerless in this round.
I could only watch as Camby received the pass from Li Yan and completed the alley-oop.
"WOW! Take off!"
"Needless to say, Lee's passing is really sharp."
"There's no use flanking Lee, he can always find an open teammate."
"It's no big deal. I'm so excited that I can only give Li a big thumbs up."
The fans were conquered by Li Yan's tough performance, and the Nuggets teammates also trusted Li Yan very much.
Everyone is running and playing instead of standing, so the effect of the game is completely different.
The Nuggets occupied the advantage on the court, and they quickly opened the point difference to 10 points.
After a pick-and-roll, Li Yan assisted Anthony and hit a mid-range shot.
Li Yan's assists in this game reached an astonishing 25 times.
Bright red numbers flashed on the big screen at the Pepsi Center, and the audience burst into thunderous cheers.
Li Yan set a new playoff record for assists in a single game.
The previous record was jointly held by "Magic" Johnson and John Stockton, who both sent 24 assists in a single game in the playoffs.
Li Yan tied the record of the two "greats" in G1 of the first round series with the Jazz, and today he broke this record in only 3 quarters.
Under Li Yan's organization and coordination, the Nuggets' offensive was overwhelming.
They used their offense to overwhelm the Phoenix Suns, which has the league's highest offensive efficiency, at their home court.
At the end of the third quarter, the score difference between the two teams widened.
The Nuggets lead the Suns by 15 points 96-81.
