Chapter 630: Rewinning MVP
The team doctor immediately rushed onto the court and asked the teammates surrounding Nash to give him space.
Nash needed fresh air.
Fortunately, he was still conscious. He kept answering the team doctor's questions clearly.
On the other side, Haywood had already gotten up. He seemed fine, though his thigh was clearly hurting, and he kept rubbing it with his hand.
White Chocolate Williams came on to take over Nash's playmaking duties.
Dallas immediately changed its strategy, beginning to focus even more heavily on Chen Yan. The Mavericks hoped to tie the score, or even overtake it, while Nash was off the floor.
They no longer gave Chen Yan chances to play 1 on 1. They constantly sent double teams at him, and sometimes even trapped him with 3 defenders.
Chen Yan showed his powerful scoring ability in the narrow gaps of the defense, stubbornly resisting Dallas's encirclement.
At halftime, Phoenix still led 56 to 52, holding a 4 point advantage.
Chen Yan already had 26 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds. Judging by the stats alone, Dallas had failed to contain him tonight.
The Mavericks' offense was poor. Ray Allen and Artest were both cold, and the team was relying mainly on Dirk Nowitzki and Terry off the bench.
That situation did not improve in the second half.
Once Nash returned to the court, the Suns' backcourt duo quickly pushed the lead into double digits.
After Nash came back, Chen Yan's burden was noticeably lighter. With an All Star guard who could shoot and pass beside him, Dallas no longer dared to double team Chen Yan recklessly.
Phoenix's role players were only average tonight, which should have given the Mavericks a good chance to win.
Unfortunately for Dallas, the Suns' 2 core players were in excellent form.
By the end of the 3rd quarter, Phoenix led 78 to 68, carrying a 10 point lead into the final quarter.
In the 4th quarter, Phoenix's physical advantage became obvious.
The Suns had rested for nearly a week, while the Mavericks had just played a full 7 game series, and every game had required maximum effort.
In the final period, Nowitzki's efficiency began to decline. For Dallas, that was fatal.
No one on the Mavericks stepped up to fill the scoring void.
Phoenix's role players were not especially brilliant either, but simply maintaining their shooting percentages was enough to secure the victory.
With 3 minutes left, the result was no longer in doubt.
The final score was 107 to 94.
Phoenix won on the road.
Chen Yan played 39 minutes, finishing with 46 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Nash recorded 24 points and 9 assists.
The 2 of them accounted for more than 2 thirds of the team's points.
Dirk Nowitzki had 31 points and 11 rebounds, but the help he received from his teammates was limited.
Ray Allen had 13 points, Artest scored 10, and Kidd finished with 7 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds.
After the game, Rick Carlisle harshly criticized his players. In his view, every Mavericks player except Dirk Nowitzki had lost his fighting spirit and competitiveness tonight.
Carlisle's scolding seemed to wake the Mavericks up.
In Game 2, Dallas came out highly motivated. 5 Mavericks players scored in double figures. Dirk Nowitzki continued to provide stable production, and Ray Allen, who had been sluggish in Game 1, hit 6 3 pointers and finished with 28 points.
Once Ray Allen found his touch, he was extremely difficult to guard.
Most of his shots came off screens, using movement without the ball to catch and shoot. That type of shot was difficult for both Chen Yan and Raja Bell to defend.
The Mavericks won Game 2.
Many media outlets and fans believed Carlisle's comments after Game 1 had made a difference.
To be precise, it was expected for the Mavericks to win Game 2 at home. Losing the 1st game meant they had already lost home court advantage and fallen into a passive position.
If they had lost Game 2 as well, the series would have been nearly out of reach.
For Phoenix, this loss was acceptable.
Returning home with the series tied 1 to 1, the Suns still had a strong chance of advancing.
For Dallas, however, the situation remained grim.
If Phoenix won the next 2 games at home, the Mavericks would be pushed to the brink.
The next day, the league announced the winners of the major regular season awards.
The All Defensive First Team consisted of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Gerald Wallace, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard.
The All Defensive Second Team consisted of Dwyane Wade, Thabo Sefolosha, Josh Smith, Anderson Varejão, and Tim Duncan.
Chen Yan did not make an All Defensive Team.
He had deliberately conserved energy in too many regular season games. Otherwise, with his current defensive ability, he would have had a chance to make the Second Team.
The All NBA First Team consisted of Chen Yan, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard.
The All NBA Second Team consisted of Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
The All NBA Third Team consisted of Brandon Roy, Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Andrew Bogut.
Rookie of the Year went to Tyreke Evans of the Kings.
He averaged a complete stat line of 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds, leading many media outlets to hype him as the next LeBron James.
Purely based on numbers, Evans was indeed impressive.
But when comparing basketball IQ and on court performance, Evans and rookie LeBron James were clearly not on the same level.
The media always liked using exaggerated claims to attract attention and generate traffic.
Evans made the All Rookie First Team without suspense. The other 4 players were Curry, Jennings, Gibson, and Collison.
The All Rookie Second Team consisted of James Harden, Jonny Flynn, Marcus Thornton, Jeremy Pargo, and DeJuan Blair.
Among them, Harden was the most famous, Thornton was decent, and the others were basically NBA journeymen.
Sixth Man of the Year went to Jamal Crawford.
He averaged 18 points and 3 assists for the Hawks. Although he came off the bench, he was the team's second leading scorer, trailing only Joe Johnson.
Crawford played a pure bench role for Atlanta. He did not start a single game in 79 regular season appearances.
Aside from his strong scoring ability, Crawford also had a flashy style. His behind the back dribble was masterful.
Even as a bench player, he was often the most watched player on the court for the Hawks.
Compared with the more solid styles of other players, fans loved Crawford's flamboyant game.
Most Improved Player went to Aaron Brooks of the Rockets.
His scoring average rose from 11.7 points last season to 19.6 points this season.
Aaron winning this award was inseparable from the support of the team's management and coaching staff.
He averaged 16.2 shot attempts per game this season. That was a number neither Yao Ming, the departed McGrady, nor the newly added Martin reached.
Phil Jackson received Coach of the Year.
He was genuinely excited to win the award. Although he had already won 9 championships, this was only his 2nd time winning Coach of the Year.
The 1st came in the 1995 to 1996 season.
Defensive Player of the Year went to Howard, marking his 2nd consecutive year winning the honor.
Howard was not the only one to win an award consecutively.
Chen Yan also successfully defended his award.
And his award carried far greater weight.
The biggest regular season honor.
MVP.
.....
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