Chen Yan has recently been frustrated not only on the court, but also in love. He has become extremely depressed.
His girlfriend Swift is still in a cold war with him. After the All-Star Weekend, Chen Yan called her several times but she didn't answer. Chen Yan felt that he might be written into his song at any time.
But now Chen Yan can't be too distracted off the court. The Suns are currently in the final sprint stage of the season. Stoudemire, the team's core inside player, has been reimbursed due to injury. If they are not stable during this period, the Suns' efforts in the first half will be very difficult.
It may fall short.
On February 27, in the game against the Raptors, I finally paid my dues.
Nash's physical condition seems to be good, and he is not forcing his comeback for the sake of the team's record.
Before the game, Nash cheered up every teammate in the locker room. He was not the kind of player who shouted, "Let's have a big fight." His personality was relatively reserved, but every team member fist bumped with Nash.
You can feel his energy all the time.
The Raptors' tactics in this game are very targeted, focusing on defending the perimeter. Because of Stoudemire's absence, the Suns' interior offense will be greatly reduced.
This idea is very good, but the Raptors have ignored one thing, that is, they have no reliable defensive players on the outside. Calderon is a loophole. Pierce will let him guard against muscle sticks, which will be effective, but it will be more flexible to guard against Chen Yan and Nash.
A small player will be severely restrained. His lateral movement speed is too slow. As long as his center of gravity is slightly shifted, there is a risk of being passed by in one step.
In the first half, the Raptors were able to go back and forth with the Suns, but in the third quarter they suddenly collapsed. This quarter became Chen Yan and Nash's performance time. The two combined perfectly to tear the Raptors' defense into holes. In this quarter, Chen Yan
Yan Kuang scored 25 points and Nash scored 10 points while also dishing out 6 assists.
In this section, Chen Yan also performed an amazing dunk from behind, with Pierce on the background.
At 4 minutes and 15 seconds of the third quarter, Pierce missed an outside shot and the ball just bounced between Grant Hill and Anthony Parker. Old Hill was more experienced and moved the ball to Chen Yan before Anthony Parker.
before.
After Chen Yan got the ball, he turned around and pushed for a counterattack. Pierce, as the Raptors' last line of defense, ran to the penalty area with all his strength. As soon as he turned around, Chen Yan was already flying.
"Boom!"
After a crisp sound, the entire court was in a state of uproar, and Raptors coach Jan Triano was forced to call a timeout.
In the commentary box, Kenny Smith joked: "Paul Pierce was dunked miserably. This is what happens to players who try to challenge for the dunk contest championship."
Barkley smiled and said: "Pierce wanted to hide, but Chen Yan was too fast and didn't avoid it."
Pierce walked back to the bench with an expressionless face. He and Chen Yan already had too many old and new grudges, and he had experienced even more humiliations. The dunk just now was nothing.
After the timeout, the Suns continued to grind the Raptors to the ground. What's even more frightening is that the Suns' bench also has strong firepower. Tonight, Azubuike 'White Chocolate' Williams' performance was simply a low-profile version of Chen Yan Nash.
The two men who came off the bench frequently played exquisite cooperation. The Raptors' inside line could not withstand the erosion of the two men, and Novak's shooting remained stable.
The game quickly entered garbage time in the fourth quarter.
In the end, the score was fixed at 113 to 131, and the Suns defeated their opponents at home.
In fact, the Raptors performed very well on the offensive end tonight. Six players on the team were in double figures. Pierce scored a team-high 25 points, but they were no match for Chen Yan's 43 points and Nash's 22 points and 12 assists.
Azubuike scored the third-highest 20 points on the team. Now he has a lot of calls to be elected as the Sixth Man of the Year. If the Suns continue to remain first in the league, then he will win the Sixth Man of the Year.
Probabilistic event.
After this game, the sun takes a day off.
Entering March, they met their old rivals the Los Angeles Lakers again.
The day before the game, the Suns players took a special plane to Los Angeles.
Everyone on the plane was talking about the game against the Lakers.
This is the last meeting between the two sides during the regular season this season. The record of the previous three meetings was 1:2, with the Lakers leading.
Suns coach D'Antoni attaches great importance to this game. The current records of the two teams are very close. This game may directly affect the final regular season ranking. Moreover, if the Suns fall behind the Lakers 1-3 in the regular season, then the playoff encounter will be difficult.
Loss of psychological advantage.
In addition to skills and tactics, basketball is also a psychological competition. If you are mentally frightened and afraid of your opponent before the game starts, then you will lose the game in all likelihood.
This is why young players in the sports world often win upset games, because they have the mentality of newborn calves and are not afraid of tigers, and they dare to do whatever they encounter against any opponent.
D'Antoni called the starting players to the square table prepared for the coach's meeting in the middle of the plane and laid out tactics in advance.
"DeAndre, you're going to start this game." D'Antoni took the lead in pointing out Jordan: "Don't think too much, grab rebounds, protect the frame, help your teammates cover, and do your job. Do you understand?"
Little Jordan nodded: "I understand, head!"
Stoudemire's reimbursement is a bad thing for the team, but it is a good thing for Jordan. He has got a lot of opportunities because of it. As long as he can seize the opportunity, he can further win the trust of the coach.
D'Antoni continued to lay out the tactics: "Chen, you are still the main offensive point on the offensive end. Remember, don't fight Kobe. When you encounter Kobe, try to call a screen and save energy as much as possible. Your offensive burden tonight is very heavy. In addition, whether it is you
It’s better for Steve to fight alone when he meets Derek Fisher and don’t be soft-hearted!”
Chen Yan and Nash nodded at the same time. Chen Yan's naming was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and D'Antoni has now included this move in his tactical manual.
D'Antoni continued to arrange: "You all know how to do it on the defensive end. Watch Kobe and don't let this guy's hands get hot. Once he makes consecutive shots, use some rough methods to stop his offense! Laga, you try to stay as close as possible.
Point, interfere with his shooting, if he rushes in, double-team him, be decisive!"
D'Antoni's method of dealing with Kobe is similar to other coaches in the league, which is to try not to let him shoot away.
"If he uses the screen to switch defenses as much as possible, the outside players should not steal the ball when guarding the inside, but reach out to interfere with the shot. This is the simplest hybrid defense. I don't want to emphasize it a second time."
The whole team was infected by D'Antoni's serious mood, and everyone knew that this was more than an ordinary regular season game.
Chen Yan clapped his hands and encouraged his teammates: "Cheer up, tomorrow's victory belongs to us, let the Staples fans go home crying."
The surrounding teammates followed Chen Yan and shouted "We must win". Stoudemire's absence affected the team's overall strength but did not affect the team's morale and belief in winning.
...
...
This game was full of gimmicks, and many fans were waiting in front of the TV before the game started.
Lakers fans hope that the home team will win and overwhelm the Suns. Stoudemire's injury has caused a big flaw in the Suns' inside line. On the other hand, the Lakers have a well-organized team. From this perspective, the Lakers' probability of winning is slightly higher.
Before the game, reporters interviewed Kobe and asked him if he was confident in winning the game.
Kobe replied confidently: "Of course, no matter what opponent I face, I will answer 'yes'."
The reporter continued to ask: "Does Amar'e Stoudemire's absence increase the probability of the Lakers winning?"
Kobe shook his head: "I won't care if my opponent is absent. I will just focus on myself, do what I need to do, and then win the game."
Garnett also expressed his views: "The Suns have Chen Yan and Steve Nash. Their record is still ranked first in the league. No one will take it lightly when facing such a team. Of course,
, so do we.”
When Chen Yan played, the Los Angeles fans were still very enthusiastic and kept greeting Chen Yan and his family. Occasionally, a few Chinese fans cheered Chen Yan, and Chen Yan was even a little uncomfortable with it.
Kobe tried to shoot in the other half with a cold face, while Fisher looked at Chen Yan and Nash from time to time, with a vague premonition.
Both sides made their debut.
The Lakers lineup is relatively conservative, with point guard Fisher, shooting guard Kobe Bryant, small forward Walton, power forward Garnett, and center Camby.
The Suns lineup has changed a lot, including point guard Nash, shooting guard Chen Yan, small forward Azubuike, power forward Diaw, and center DeAndre Jordan.
In addition to Jordan, Azubuike, the sixth man in the regular lineup, was also mentioned by D'Antoni to the starting position, leaving Hill to lead the second lineup. D'Antoni's intention is very clear, which is to speed up!