After returning to a familiar place, Li Yan couldn't hide his excitement.
For Li Yan, Denver is a special place and the starting point of his dream.
Li Yan came to the Pepsi Center. The administrator of the arena was very happy to see Li Yan:
"Lee, welcome home. Nuggets fans will never forget what you brought here. I will always support you."
Li Yan hugged the uncle in greeting. He smiled and thanked the uncle for his support.
Li Yan is familiar with everything in the Pepsi Center. The only thing he is unfamiliar with is the visiting team's locker room.
Now that he appeared in the visiting team's locker room, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Life is like this, with ups and downs, valleys and ravines, wind, frost, rain and snow. The gap between heaven and earth in life is as sudden as the passing of a white horse.
The Pepsi Center was filled with fans early at night.
Basketball has become even more popular in Denver since the Nuggets won their first championship trophy in franchise history last season.
In the stands, there were many fans wearing Li Yan's Nuggets No. 1 jersey from last season.
In their eyes, Li Yan is the Nuggets' hero.
There is no intrigue or entanglement of interests. Li Yan left purely because the Nuggets' salary space was unable to provide a satisfactory contract.
Li Yan and the Nuggets broke up peacefully, and their friendship was not affected.
During the warm-up, the Nuggets players came over to hug Li Yan and greet him.
Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, JR Smith, NeNe Hilario…
One familiar face after another, everyone's enthusiasm made Li Yan feel very warm.
Finally, coach George Karl also came over and gave Li Yan a big hug: "Welcome home, kid!"
Li Yan's emotions were aroused, but as a tough guy, crying was absolutely impossible.
He lowered his voice to control his emotions.
Suddenly, the lights at the Pepsi Center dimmed and footage began playing on the big screen in the center of the arena.
Li Yan looked up and saw a video paying tribute to himself.
From being drafted by the Nuggets, to being called upon at a critical moment in Madison Garden, to finally winning the championship.
Contains various famous scenes: passing the ball across the court to connect with Iverson, nO-lOOk-paSS during the fast break, the real man roaring after completing the block... the high-spiritedness of holding the trophy after winning the championship.
This tribute video is 8 minutes long and includes almost all the good memories of Li Yan's rookie season.
Finally the video finished playing, and the DJ at the scene shouted in a long voice: "Denver's miracle son, Lee, welcome home!"
Led by the DJ, fans throughout the Pepsi Center chanted Li Yan's name in unison.
Now, the atmosphere was up, and Li Yan could no longer suppress his emotions.
What are you doing? Labor and management are tough men! Forget it, it’s normal for a macho man to cry!
The lights at the scene came back on, and Iverson and Anthony walked towards Li Yan holding the championship rings.
Li Yan took the championship ring from the hands of the two big brothers and raised it high, and the entire Pepsi Center burst into warm cheers.
Li Yan waved to greet the fans at the scene. His eyes were red. The Nuggets really moved him.
Iverson took the microphone from the host and handed it to Li Yan. Li Yan slowly said:
"Well, I want to make it clear that I really didn't cry, I just had sand in my eyes."
"Hahaha!" Everyone was amused by Li Yan.
"Thank you all, Denver will always have a special place in my heart. I will never forget you all. No words can express my gratitude. I hope the Nuggets will get better and better, and we will meet at the top! "
After Li Yan finished speaking, the audience burst into warm applause.
Nate Robinson said with emotion: "It's so awesome. What you said is so beautiful. No wonder the beautiful sister is so fascinated by the boss."
"You think," Randolph said, "We still have a lot to learn."
Yi Jianlian: (⊙O⊙)…
…………
The warm pre-game ceremony ended and the game started soon.
Both starters stayed on the court.
Nuggets: Allen Iverson, JR Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby;
Knicks: Li Yan, Quentin Richardson, Ron Artest, Yi Jianlian, Zach Randolph.
The referee blows the whistle and the game begins.
Yi Jianlian and Marcus Camby jumped the ball, and Marcus Camby took the lead and passed the ball.
"The Knicks made a change, and A Lian replaced Randolph with a jump ball." Director Zhang said: "Indeed, Randolph's jump ball was too bad."
"Well, Ah Lian was a little nervous. He didn't get the timing of his jump right. This time he was a little behind."
Nuggets round.
Li Yan went to defend Iverson.
This season, Iverson averaged 25.5 points, 3 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 2 steals in the first two games.
It can be seen that after Li Yan left, Iverson came to the point guard position, and he will devote more energy to connecting the team.
In the first round, Iverson did not choose to fight Li Yan. He gave the basketball to "Melon" Anthony.
The Knicks guarding Anthony is Artest.
Artest is the Knicks' defensive leader. He is responsible for defending the opposing team's ace, while Li Yan is responsible for assisting in defense.
Artest gave Anthony a physical confrontation. Instead of performing a round of "broadcast gymnastics," Anthony played a pick-and-roll with Kenyon Martin, who pulled out to cover.
It can be seen that after last season's championship experience, the Nuggets players have made some progress more or less.
Kenyon Martin's screen was of high quality and Artest was stopped.
Facing Yi Jianlian, who switched defenses, Anthony used the change in rhythm to find a shot opportunity.
Very solid mid-range pull-up jump shot.
The basketball drew a rainbow in the air, and "Wha!" hit the net hollowly.
Anthony scored two points steadily.
"Don't take it to heart." Li Yan encouraged Ah Lian when he caught the ball.
Anthony's singles level is top-notch in the entire NBA, and it is normal for him to be singled out.
"Anthony's skills are still exquisite. In this round, he beat the Arab League with a poor rhythm." Director Zhang explained:
"Well, these are top players. In such a competition, UAE will grow very quickly."
Knicks round.
Li Yan held the ball for half the game. On the Nuggets side, JR Smith came to confront Li Yan.
JR Smith opened his arms. It was not easy for him to defend Li Yan.
JR-Smith knew that Li Yan was an expert in playing rhythm, and he wanted to use physical confrontation to stop Li Yan.
His idea is right, but the current Li Yan is completely different from last season.
JR Smith's defense did put a lot of pressure on him, but Li Yan changed direction and almost missed JR's waist.
After collecting the ball and changing direction for the second time, Li Yan passed JR Smith cleanly.
JR Smith did not give up after being passed. His pursuit was different from Fisher. JR really wanted to make up for his defense.
Li Yan increased his horsepower to the maximum, and he penetrated the Nuggets' inside line.
At this time, the Nuggets' two major insiders, Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, are ready.
JR Smith, who was chasing back, blocked Li Yan's passing route. The Nuggets are the team that knows Li Yan best and they know Li Yan's passing ability.
Li Yan rushed up close to the baseline. He broke through the defense and went straight for a layup. The Nuggets' three men covered the defense. Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin raised their hands to form an aerial defense line.
He was heavily guarded, but Li Yan was not afraid at all.
Mastering Kobe's extreme pull-up bar, Li Yan relied on his strong waist and abdominal strength and ability to stay in the air to fly from one side of the basket to the other.
He seemed to have escaped gravity. At this moment, Newton's coffin boards could not hold him down.
"Whoa!" With an incredible mid-air dodge, Li Yan completed an extreme pull that could be recorded in NBA history.
