After the entrance ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides remained in the center of the field.
Suns starting lineup: Nash, Chen Yan, Raja Bell, Diaw, Stoudemire.
Celtics starting lineup: Rajon Rondo, Tony Allen, Durant, Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins.
The Celtics' lineup is actually not bad.
Second-year Rondo is mature enough, Al Jefferson is a 2010-level post-killing inside man, and Tony Allen is a Kobe finisher, one of the best perimeter defenders currently in the league.
In addition, they also have a number of strong role players on the bench including Kris Humphries, Delfino, Garbajosa, etc. who were traded from the Raptors.
If Pierce leads the team, it shouldn't be difficult to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs, but the maximum limit is almost the playoffs.
Durant's potential is higher than Pierce's in all aspects. With him as the core, the Celtics will have a higher ceiling in the future. What they have to do now is to first improve their coaching level.
The game starts soon.
Facing Perkins, Stoudemire easily won the jump ball.
Perkins is a defensive nuclear weapon in the penalty area. His body is strong enough to compete with O'Neal at his peak, but his huge weight also brings great side effects. Perkins can't jump at all, which is why his rebound count has not been increasing.
reason.
Nash led the half and played a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire.
With the help of Stoudemire's cover, Nash walked towards the Celtic hinterland.
Looking back at the moon, Nash shot the ball one point beyond the three-point line.
Chen Yan used a ball-free screen to catch the ball at a 45-degree angle from the three-point line.
After receiving the ball, Chen Yan did not take action because Tony Allen bypassed the cover and followed up!
Tony Allen is 193cm tall and has a wingspan of 206cm. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this season. Looking at the data alone, he is an inconspicuous role player, but his real role is on the defensive end.
Tony Allen is the best perimeter defender in Kobe's eyes. In addition to his excellent physical fitness and defensive skills, Tony Allen's defensive will is also top-notch.
He will try his best no matter what, just like the ball just now, an ordinary defender would have let it go long ago.
Tony Allen's defense made Chen Yan feel a certain amount of pressure. After continuous shaking, Tony Allen still did not lose his position.
At this time, Nash went around to the outside line, preparing to catch the ball and reorganize.
The moment Chen Yan stopped the ball and looked at Nash, Tony Allen was ready to intercept the cross pass. He is very good at this.
However, the next second, Chen Yan flicked his wrist and threw the ball towards the baseline!
【Pass Master】!
Laga Bell made a baseline cut and then caught the ball and hit the board!
The upgrade of the passing master has improved Chen Yan's assist ability a lot.
"Oh, Chen Yan is different from usual. He got an assist today! This ball is a bit like Nash. It seems that he has learned a lot from Nash!" Zhang Weiping's voice was slightly excited in the cctv5 studio.
"This pass is very exciting! In fact, Chen Yan has this ability. The 50 triple-double in the last game is a good proof!" Yu Jia also boasted from the side.
When returning to the defensive half, Nash smiled and patted Chen Yan's butt.
With the ball just now, Chen Yan not only deceived all the defensive players, but also deceived Nash.
Celtics offensive possession.
Durant starts the singles mode with the ball.
Facing Raja Bell's defense, Durant swayed his hips and dodged half of his body.
This is a reflection of physical talent. Durant's height and wingspan make his swing much larger than that of regular outside players.
However, Durant's finishing ability during this period did have some problems and was too unstable.
He is thin and had weak core strength as a rookie, so his shooting stability naturally failed to improve.
"Clang!"
kd strikes an iron blow in anger!
Diaw turned around to grab the board and the counterattack began!
It was rare that the fast break in this round did not pass through Nash's hands.
Diaw passed Nash and threw the ball directly to Chen Yan.
Because out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Chen Yan's sports car had started!
Tony Allen did not steal the ball rashly. Now he is the Celtics' last line of defense. If the ball was not broken, it would be equivalent to giving Chen Yan two points.
Chen Yan accelerated the ball and rushed into the penalty area. Tony Allen barely kept up, but the defense had become passive.
Sprinting and taking long strides, Chen Yan combined the ball to bypass Tony Allen's head and then blitzed to the basket!
One-arm chop to end the fight!
“It’s so cool to see Chen Yan fight back!”
"The signature steps, the signature dunk!"
"It's so easy. For his level, Chen Yan's dunk is equivalent to me making an empty basket."
The fans cheered one after another. Chen Yan's fast break method has a strong visual impact, giving fans a feeling that they will never tire of it.
Celtics offensive possession.
After halftime, Rondo called a tactic. Durant ran back from the baseline and then caught the ball and shot from mid-range.
"Clang!"
Strike another iron.
This ball was saved in time by Diaw, who was changing defense, and interfered with Durant's shot.
The ball hit the front of the basket and bounced very far.
Chen Yan took a step back to pick up the rebound and handed it directly to Nash.
Advancing with the ball is never as fast as advancing without the ball. Chen Yan turned around, accelerated and ran towards the frontcourt!
Rushing again!
Tony Allen had a headache and could only grit his teeth and keep up.
In these two rounds, Tony Allen felt like he was not a basketball player, but a sprinter.
Two steps beyond the three-point line, Chen Yan received a pass from Nash.
The ball was very comfortable, and the amount of advance was just right. After receiving the ball, Chen Yan did not slow down and continued to charge inside!
Tony Allen is closely following Chen Yan. He has already thought about it. If Chen Yan dares to use ghost steps again this round, he will directly pull Chen Yan down!
But Chen Yan didn't give him this chance. Near the free throw line, Chen Yan suddenly dribbled the ball from behind and made a sudden stop!
Chen Yan successfully braked on the spot, but Tony Allen's braking system seemed to have failed, and he rushed directly to the bottom line!
Although he didn't fall down, the scene was exaggerated enough.
Facing the open space in front of him, Chen Yan raised his hands and kicked his legs!
"Whoa!"
Easy hit!
Falling into the fast break rhythm that Chen Yan is most familiar with, even top defensive player Tony Allen has nothing to do against him.
Looking back, the Celtics' tactics are still executed around Durant.
Durant took the pass from Rondo and Al Jefferson stepped forward to cover him.
The Celtics' biggest goal this year is to upgrade Durant, and the team's record is irrelevant to them.
To be precise, the worse the team's record, the better. After all, next year is a big year for the draft. If we can select another young talent, there is hope for the Celtics to revive.
Durant's third shot finally blossomed.
Using Al Jefferson's screen, Durant hit a high jumper!
2 to 6.
"We finally scored. If you continue to hit the ball, I will call the police for deliberately damaging public facilities in the arena." After the ball scored, Chen Yan patted Durant on the butt.
Durant also smiled: "Chen, have you learned all this trash talk during your time in the NBA?"
The two of them were smiling on the surface, but secretly they were already competing with each other.
Sun attack round.
Nash circled the baseline and had no chance to play the ball, so he handed the ball to Chen Yan.
Laga Bell in the bottom corner took the initiative to move over to cover him.
Laga Bell does not have the ability to attack independently, and basically relies on running or covering for his teammates to gain offensive opportunities.
After the two cooperated, Tony Allen and Durant switched defenses.
Just face the brothers and form a 1v1 situation!
Durant clapped his hands fiercely: "Come on, come on! I know where you will break through, you can't get past my defense!"
Facing his former teammates, Chen Yan performed his signature "answer crossover"!
KD knew Chen Yan's crossover very well and moved ahead to block his path!
Chen Yan's change of direction was huge, but Durant's defensive slippage was even greater!
This is Chi Guoguo's static talent, there is nothing we can do about it.
The next second, Chen Yan leaned over and lowered his center of gravity.
Just when Durant thought he was about to force himself, Chen Yan suddenly pulled out!
Caught off guard!
This shot is very difficult, but Durant doesn't have any time to react when shooting like this. Whether he can make the shot depends entirely on himself.
Chen Yan tightened his core in the air, swung his legs, moved the ball, and shot!
"Whoa!"
The moment he entered the net, the momentum of the home fans suddenly became louder!
It's difficult for one thing, but the more important thing is that Chen Yan's kick is so cool.
Durant spread his hands. He didn't expect Chen Yan to do this.
His offensive routine against Chen Yan is still in the NCAA, focusing on breakthroughs with the ball, supplemented by running jumpers.
Since entering the NBA, the pull-up has become a regular weapon for Chen Yan to score.
The Celtics did not cause any trouble for the Suns at the beginning. When the two sides entered the rotation in the first quarter, the score was 20 to 10, with the Suns temporarily leading.
Chen Yan made all 3 shots and scored 7 points.
Durant also scored 7 points, but he took 7 shots.
Returning to the bench, Durant reflected on Chen Yan's performance in the first quarter and fell into thinking.
From passing to strength, from offensive options to offensive methods, Chen Yan is already a level better than in the NCAA.