After the timeout, the Cavaliers' offense and defense still haven't improved much.
At 5 minutes and 37 seconds of the first quarter, Chen Yan came out of the top of the arc to catch the ball.
In this round, Larry Hughes followed closely. Chen Yan made a test move and then drew his gun and fired furiously!
"Whoa!"
Hit the fourth three-pointer in a single quarter!
Even Reggie Miller shook his head when he saw it: "The basket is as wide as the sea in this guy's eyes."
Barkley smiled and turned to ask: "Do you think he is the best shooter currently?"
Reggie Miller thought for a moment and said: "He is one of my favorite shooters. It is a pleasure to watch him shoot."
Reggie Miller avoided the topic in a very sneaky way, because no matter whether he answered yes or no, he would offend people.
Barkley continued by asking: "Do you think Chen will break your three-point record in the future?"
"He definitely has the potential! If he breaks my record one day in the future, I will definitely be the first to send a message of congratulations." Reggie Miller smiled.
What Reggie Miller said was polite. Although Chen Yan is very accurate, he is only in his second year after all. There is still a long way to go before he can break the 2,560 three-pointers created by Reggie Miller in his career.
Seeing Chen Yan's performance from beyond the three-point line tonight, Cavaliers fans began to complain about the team's defense. They didn't understand why Chen Yan always had room to shoot three-pointers.
What the fans can see, the Cavaliers coaching staff can naturally also see. They are neither blind nor stupid, but Chen Yan is such a special player. Even if all his shots are completed from outside the three-point line, the Cavaliers do not dare to push too hard.
Tight, because he can burst, shoot and pass, and is a threat throughout his body.
Before the first quarter was over, Larry Hughes was already sweating profusely. He felt that he was under a lot of pressure. This pressure was more psychological.
Larry Hughes has put all his energy into the defensive end, and he has almost become invisible on the offensive end, but even so, he still cannot restrict Chen Yan.
Trying your best but still not being able to defeat your opponent, this feeling is very frustrating.
"Larry, come down and take a rest." Cavaliers coach Mike Brown saw Larry Hughes' predicament and replaced him on the next dead ball.
New Pavlovich took over Larry Hughes' defensive duties.
Chen Yan didn't give him time to adapt to the game. Using a counter-attack without the ball, Chen Yan suddenly accelerated and cut inside.
Pavnovic, who just came on the field, was obviously not on the same beat as Chen Yan, and could only watch Chen Yan catch the ball and score a layup.
Chen Yan played a lot without the ball tonight. In his opinion, this is the most efficient and labor-saving way to score.
The most direct beneficiary of Chen Yan's style of play was Nash. In less than one quarter, Nash sent out 5 assists, three of which were obtained by Chen Yan.
Nash is not a data maniac, but who doesn't want his data to be better? Looking at the rising number of assists, Nash is also very motivated.
The Cavaliers realized that they could not let Chen Yan continue like this. Mike Brown issued instructions from the sidelines. In the next round, the Cavaliers increased their defensive intensity against Chen Yan. Chen Yan wanted to use running without the ball again to seek shooting opportunities. He did this tonight
The feeling of catching and shooting is very good, a bit like Klay's peak period in his previous life.
But in this round, as soon as he received the ball, Pavlovich and James came up, a sudden double-team!
Chen Yan is not afraid of double teams, but he still chooses to distribute the ball, because once he is caught in a double team, one of his teammates will be free.
Nash received the ball in the high post and chose to pass the ball across the ball, and Diaw continued to move.
The Suns rotated the ball very quickly in this round, and Raja Bell from the corner seized the opportunity to hit an open three-pointer.
This is why the Cavaliers did not double-team Chen Yan from the beginning. The Suns had too many firepower points.
In the next few minutes, Chen Yan was still the key target of the Cavaliers. Chen Yan would double-team whenever he picked up and rolled, and would switch defenses whenever there was no ball screen.
Chen Yan's personal offense has temporarily stalled, but the Suns' rhythm is still smooth. The Cavaliers' defensive strategy has given many opportunities to other Suns players.
At 2 minutes and 39 seconds of the first quarter, Chen Yancai scored two more points through counterattack.
After scoring this goal, Chen Yan's single quarter statistics reached 16 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 steal.
The next dead ball, "Mustache" D'Antoni replaced the main players to rest, and Jordan and Novak had the opportunity to make their debut.
"Be active, defend more, fight more, concentrate, don't think too much." Chen Yan patted Jordan on the shoulder before he came on the court.
Chen Yan could see that the young man was a little nervous, but this was inevitable. Who wouldn't be nervous for the first time?
Although Novak is also a new addition to the Suns this season, he has played in the league for several years and has much more experience.
Jordan listened to Chen Yan's words and grabbed two rebounds in the last two minutes of the first quarter, including one offensive rebound, and also made a big shot.
Although he didn't score, the coaching staff was very satisfied with Jordan's performance. Jordan's draft position is blue-collar. He can protect rebounds and do a good job of protecting the rim. The Suns' first-round draft pick was worth it.
20 to 30, the Phoenix Suns entered the second quarter with a 10-point lead.
At the beginning of the second quarter, the Suns sent out substitutes Barea Azubuike, Grant Hill-Barnes and Jordan.
The Cavaliers are also full substitutes, Gibson Pavnovic, Terrence Kim, J. Hickson, Big Z Ilgauskas
Big Z has now become the team's second center. Although most of the time his contribution on the court is greater than O'Neal, O'Neal has the team's largest contract. His salary this season has reached 21 million US dollars.
, even higher than the salary of the star James. If such a player is placed on the bench, Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown and the management that introduced the Sharks last season will be under great pressure.
Unlike last season, when they were worried about being laid off all day long, this season Barea and Azubuike have transformed into important rotations for the championship team, and their confidence has also skyrocketed. This is not difficult to see from their performance on the court.
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Especially Azubuike, he now dares to make moves on the court and is very decisive whether shooting or transferring the ball.
Azubuike and Chen Yan are similar in height, and they are his substitutes. They also have a good relationship in private. Over the past season, he has deliberately imitated Chen Yan's ideas and playing style, which has greatly improved Azubuike.
Azubuike scored two goals in a row at the beginning of the second quarter, a three-pointer and a mid-range shot.
Last season, Azubuike's field goal percentage reached 46.8%, and his three-point shooting percentage was an exaggerated 44.8%. He is the kind of player who is born with good touch. This summer, Azubuike followed Chen Yan's suggestions and further
By practicing hard on outside shooting, he has already prepared ammunition for his breakthrough in the new season.
"This season is his contract year. News reports say that Azubuike has been working hard on shooting throughout the summer. It seems that he is preparing to win himself a big contract in the contract year." Barkley laughed.
"He was already an important firepower on the Suns' bench last season. If he continues to maintain this efficiency and makes some progress this season, I think even if the Suns don't renew his contract, there will be teams willing to match him with a salary that satisfies him.
Make an offer," Kenny Smith said.
The gap between the Cavaliers' bench lineup and that of the Suns is too big. The Suns' Azubuike, Grant Hill and Barea all have strong independent offensive capabilities. The Cavaliers can only let Big Z go inside and Gibson
and Pavnovic are pure pitchers who need their teammates to create opportunities for them, while Terrence Kinsey and J. Hickson have even less offensive ability.
In less than three minutes of the second quarter, the Cavaliers went from being 10 points behind to 15 points behind.
James couldn't sit still and took the initiative to ask Ying to appear in advance.
He would be embarrassed if the Cavaliers were defeated in the opening game, after all, the two teams were opponents in last season's finals.
Mike Brown agreed to his request with a wave of his hand. An important reason why Mike Brown can occupy the Cavaliers coaching position for a long time is that he knows how to follow James.
After James came on the court, he stepped up his personal offense, first throwing in a three-pointer and then forcing a charge that caused a foul on Barnes and made two free throws.
Chen Yan is waiting on the court to wait and see what happens. Currently, the score is still within a safe margin and he is not in a hurry to play. Everything is subject to the arrangements of the head coach.
A minute later, D'Antoni called Chen Yan to his side: "Chen, it's your turn to play. Show your performance in the first quarter and attack their basket."
Chen Yan nodded, and he was joined by "White Chocolate" Williams and Raja Bell.
Nash was still resting on the billboard. As he got older, D'Antoni became more and more careful in using Nash.
'White Chocolate' Williams made a mistake when he came on the court. After the pick-and-roll, he wanted to pass the ball without looking at anyone. The ball passed between Chen Yan and Laja Bell. The two could only watch the ball fly out.
Sideline...
‘White Chocolate’ raised his hand to apologize, and Chen Yan said it was okay. It was not that Jason Williams’ passing was not good, it was just that he had not formed a tacit understanding with his teammates when he joined the team for too short a time.
The Cleveland Cavaliers were attacking, and James also made a mistake. After breaking into the crowd, James wanted to pass to Mo.
There was a big gap when the ball was passed, but it was a pity that Ragah Bell touched the ball halfway through the flight. "White Chocolate" Williams quickly grabbed the ball and pushed back to counterattack.
During the game, 'White Chocolate' Williams found Chen Yan with a behind-the-back pass, which was his specialty.
Chen Yan received the ball one step outside the three-point line and shot directly with a sniper. His rhythm was great and his shot was very decisive. This kind of counterattack three-pointer is almost impossible to defend.
"Whoa!"
With a flick of the wrist, you get a three-pointer!
Chen Yan hit his fifth three-pointer of the game!
"Here we go again, a super long three-pointer!" Kenny Smith laughed.
Reggie Miller also smiled: "It's not that far for Chen Yan."
Barkley shook his head: "Chen Yan's condition is so good. He scores as soon as he comes on the court. As soon as he takes the shot, I feel that the ball is stable. If they want to limit Chen Yan's scoring, the Cavaliers must find a way to keep him from playing."
"Chen Yi has been playing games throughout the holidays. After the finals, he went to the national team for training. First a series of warm-up matches and then the Olympics. He has been in a state of competition." Kenny Smith said.
Reggie Miller added: "If he continues to maintain this state, Chen Yan's statistics in this game will be very scary."
Barkley nodded in agreement: "In the first game of the season, Chen showed a strong desire to attack. It seems that his goal this year is to be the scoring champion. Chen has this ability, both in terms of mentality and skills compared to last year.