Chapter 632: Unleashing a Barrage of Firepower, A Sudden Change in the Weather
Mavericks possession.
Kidd crossed half court and gave the ball to Nowitzki for an isolation.
Dallas had started slowly in its previous few games, and the coaching staff had concluded that the tactics were too complicated. For this game, they decided to simplify things and let their stars open the game with individual ability first.
Dirk Nowitzki received the ball and observed Diaw's defensive stance.
Diaw was giving him a little too much space.
Dirk decisively rose into a jumper.
The ball hit the rim and bounced out.
Nowitzki's hand was not warm yet. At the start of the game, he still needed a few shots to find his rhythm.
DeAndre Jordan and Grant Hill jumped at the same time. There were no Mavericks players under the basket, so the rebound should have belonged to Phoenix.
But the 2 of them messed it up.
They both scrambled for the ball and tipped it away.
Haywood was not exactly graceful either. When he bent down to pick it up, he fumbled the ball, and it was poked toward the baseline.
Diaw hesitated for a moment, then decided to save it.
Unfortunately, he threw the ball directly into Haywood's hands under the basket.
Could the ball really go out and then come back by itself?
Haywood suddenly felt as if he had recovered something lost.
Just as he was rising to dunk, DeAndre Jordan and Grant Hill pulled him down together.
It was a tactical foul, sending Haywood to the free throw line.
Haywood's free throw percentage this season was 57 percent, so putting him on the line was better than giving him a free dunk.
Sure enough, Haywood missed the 1st free throw and made the 2nd.
1 for 2, perfectly consistent with a player who shot around 50 percent from the line.
7 to 4.
Suns offense.
Phoenix ran the same action as the previous possession.
Chen Yan received the ball for an isolation. This time, Artest did not dare to reach in. He focused on maintaining his defensive position.
After a fake, Chen Yan drove hard to the left, took 1 step, and passed the ball to Grant Hill in the corner.
After passing, Chen Yan relocated to the left 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line.
Grant Hill passed the ball back to him.
Chen Yan could not score on every possession by forcing 1 move. Sometimes, if 1 attempt did not work, he simply tried again.
Chen Yan entered a triple threat stance.
Grant Hill ran from the corner to the top of the arc, helping open more space for him.
After 2 fakes, Chen Yan accelerated toward the baseline.
He shook off Artest by half a step.
Nowitzki quickly rotated from the paint to help defend.
Chen Yan slammed on the brakes, then executed a reverse spin before releasing a graceful left hand floater.
The ball dropped in.
9 to 4.
The shot was not only smooth, it was extremely difficult.
Chen Yan's sequence of moves drew cheers from the fans watching back home.
"He just slipped through? It looked like Dallas had the double team ready a second ago."
"If anyone asks me why I say Chen Yan's game is beautiful, I will just show them that clip."
"Coordination and ball feel are really pure talent."
"That was so difficult. Nondominant hand, reverse spin, left hand finish."
"For Chen Yan, both hands are dominant hands."
Chen Yan once again took over Phoenix's early offense, accounting for 7 of the Suns' 1st 9 points.
The fans were not surprised.
The Mavericks were also calm.
This was Chen Yan's playing style, and he had maintained it almost consistently from the regular season into the playoffs.
Mavericks offense.
Ray Allen came off a screen.
The play looked designed for Ray Allen, but in reality, it was for Nowitzki.
The moment Phoenix switched, Kidd immediately lobbed the ball to Dirk.
Nowitzki caught it and shot right away, firing directly over Chen Yan for a 3 pointer.
9 to 7.
Chen Yan could do nothing about that shot.
The height difference between him and Nowitzki was obvious. When an opponent exploited that mismatch and shot over him, he could only contest. Stopping it completely was impossible.
Suns possession.
This time, Artest defended very well.
He anticipated Chen Yan's route, stayed tight to his chest, and even managed to sneak in an elbow.
Chen Yan could not receive the ball.
Nash and Diaw ran a screen action, and Diaw missed a mid range jumper.
Artest had barely managed to defend Chen Yan successfully for 1 possession, and even that came with the help of small actions in the referee's blind spot.
There was no other way.
Artest could only defend like this.
If Chen Yan caught the ball cleanly, it would not be something Artest could handle alone.
Dallas capitalized on Phoenix's miss and pushed a fast break.
Kidd quickly dribbled into the front court and passed to Ray Allen.
It was a great opportunity, but Chen Yan chased from behind and startled Ray Allen.
Under pressure, Ray Allen put a little too much force into the shot, and the ball bounced off the rim.
Phoenix immediately answered with a fast break of its own.
Chen Yan cut to the corner, creating space for his teammates.
Nash dribbled near the free throw line, then suddenly stopped and turned right.
Diaw had just run up from the defensive half, and Nash cleverly used him as a screen to create an open look.
A stylish mid range jumper went in.
11 to 7.
Mavericks offense.
Kidd deliberately slowed the pace.
He noticed that the pace of the last 2 possessions had become a little too fast. His experience told him that this could not continue, or Phoenix would quickly take control of the game.
Dallas slightly changed its tactics on this possession.
Ray Allen and Artest took turns cutting inside to disrupt Phoenix's defensive shape.
Nowitzki no longer stood still asking for the ball. He moved from the left 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line down toward the baseline.
Chen Yan stayed glued to Ray Allen, trying not to give him any open looks.
However, Ray Allen was not the main scorer for Dallas on this possession.
Kidd used a screen, then passed the ball to the baseline.
Nowitzki caught it and shot immediately.
It could not be called an absolutely perfect opportunity, but this year was Nowitzki's peak, and he had absolute confidence in himself.
His ability and current form lived up to that confidence.
Since the playoffs began, he had rarely faltered, regardless of wins or losses.
"Swish!"
The 3 pointer went straight through the net.
11 to 10.
Both teams had started evenly.
The Mavericks were not intimidated by Phoenix's home court momentum. They focused on themselves and maintained their concentration.
The 2 teams traded blows until the final 2 minutes and 20 seconds of the 1st quarter.
At that point, the score was 25 to 23, with the Suns leading by 2.
There were some subtle changes in both lineups compared with the start of the game.
Dallas replaced Ray Allen with Terry, while Phoenix brought in Gallinari and rookie Danny Green, who had performed well in the previous 2 games.
Suns possession.
Chen Yan used a screen and dribbled to the top of the arc.
After observing the defense, he passed to Nash.
Nash immediately transferred the ball without stopping it, sending it to Gallinari in the corner.
Gallinari's 3 pointer went in.
Gallinari played very comfortably with the Suns.
As long as he was in his designated spot, his teammates always found a way to pass the ball cleanly into his hands.
Gallinari raised his right arm to celebrate while retreating on defense.
The camera gave him a closeup, then immediately cut back to a wide shot.
Chen Yan had directly stolen Dallas's inbound pass in the front court.
After the steal, Chen Yan's destination was clear.
The 3 point line.
Chen Yan retreated beyond the arc and paused.
Terry rushed over.
The moment Chen Yan shot, Terry directly knocked him down.
As Chen Yan fell, the basketball swished through the net.
In that instant, the sound of the ball dropping through the net mixed with the sudden eruption of the crowd.
32 to 23.
Dallas was stunned by the sudden barrage.
On its next offensive possession, the Mavericks nearly committed a 24 second violation. Kidd's desperate shot barely avoided the embarrassment of a turnover.
Phoenix quickly pushed the fast break.
Chen Yan pulled up from beyond the 3 point line and hit a step back 3 pointer.
It went in.
35 to 23.
A torrent of firepower.
A sudden change in momentum.
Chen Yan had led the Suns to a 10 to 0 scoring run.
Rick Carlisle was forced to call timeout, something he had not intended to do at this point.
Just when the fans thought the 2 teams would remain locked in a deadlock, Phoenix suddenly surged ahead.
.....
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