Chapter 579: A Rising Force Not to Be Underestimated
The starting lineups for both teams were quickly announced at center court.
Boston Celtics: Derrick Rose, Tony Allen, Kevin Durant, Big Baby Davis, Perkins.
Phoenix Suns: Nash, Chen Yan, Raja Bell, Diaw, Stoudemire.
Before the game even began, Durant was already bouncing on his toes and slapping hands with his teammates. KD body language made it obvious, he was fired up for this one.
Chen Yan, meanwhile, kept clenching his fists and breathing warm air into his palms. He only had one thought in mind.
He had to get hot from the opening minute.
Stoudemire won the tip, and Nash gathered the ball in the backcourt. As he advanced, he flashed a quick signal to his teammates.
Nash took the ball a step beyond the arc. Chen Yan stepped up to screen for him. Rose had all his attention on Nash and never saw Chen Yan arrive at his side. He tried to slide over and ran straight into the screen.
Tony Allen, however, reacted instantly. The veteran defender rotated over without hesitation and cut off Nash's easy path toward the baseline.
Nash slammed on the brakes, pulled the ball back out beyond the 3 point line, and reset the possession.
Chen Yan drifted closer to him. After crossing paths with Nash, he did not receive the pass. Nash kept dribbling near the top, and the Suns stayed patient on their first trip down the floor.
A championship team cannot survive on fast breaks alone.
Even when Phoenix slows down, it is still one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
Nash tapped the top of his head at the arc. Stoudemire came up and covered his groin, a familiar sight in any Suns set.
Just when everyone expected the classic pick and roll, Nash suddenly snapped a pass into the paint.
An early pass.
Diaw had slipped inside on the cut. He pump faked once, then rose again and drew a shooting foul from Big Baby Davis.
"Oh, he hesitated too much there," Barkley barked from the broadcast booth. "If he just goes straight up, nobody is blocking that."
Kenny Smith nodded. "That was overthinking it. If Diaw finishes in one motion, Big Baby has no chance. He wasted a great pass from Nash."
They were right. Diaw had been too cautious. If he had simply used his momentum and gone up strong, Davis would have struggled to contest him.
Diaw missed the first free throw. After a small adjustment, he calmly knocked down the second.
1 to 0.
Rose brought the ball up for Boston. Nash was locked in from the first possession. Explosive guards like Rose were the kind he feared most on defense.
Rose did not attack on the first trip. Once across half court, he passed to Tony Allen, and Durant immediately came up for the handoff.
Raja Bell drew the Durant assignment. Bell gave up a full head in height, but he had veteran timing and very quick hands. In the previous 2 seasons, he had made Durant miserable more than once.
But after 2 seasons of growth and a brutal summer of work, Durant had changed.
He held the ball just outside the 3 point line and drifted to his right. Bell deliberately shaded him that way. Durant used to bring the ball across to the far side of his face on the release, and moving right made that motion awkward and easier to contest.
Durant knew that flaw better than anyone. Over the summer, he had rebuilt that part of his jumper.
After 1 dribble, Durant stopped short and rose.
Bell immediately noticed the change.
The release was quicker. The shooting hand came straight up from the bottom instead of sweeping across.
Swish.
The ball dropped cleanly through the net.
1 to 3.
Even after just 1 possession, Bell understood he was in for a very long night.
Phoenix came right back. Nash dribbled to the right wing, then turned and fired a pass behind him to Chen Yan. As he released it, he subtly screened Tony Allen.
Chen Yan immediately lowered his center of gravity and knifed into the lane.
What looked simple on the surface was filled with detail.
Starting 1 step beyond the 3 point line gave Chen Yan a full runway. Boston's defense instantly bent out of shape, and 3 defenders converged on him. Chen Yan stopped on a dime and whipped the ball out with his right hand.
A dark figure flashed in from the perimeter toward the lane.
Raja Bell caught the pass, attacked the rim, and finished easily with a dunk.
3 to 3.
Chen Yan pointed at Bell as they ran back. He did not need to score to tear a defense apart. His passing could do it just as well.
Boston answered immediately.
It was Durant isolation time again.
Though he was only in his 3rd year, he was already the unquestioned focal point of this team. Danny Ainge had treated him like a franchise cornerstone from day 1, giving him all the shots he needed to grow into a superstar.
Durant came off a screen on the right side, received Rose's pass, and rose without hesitation.
Bell sprinted out to contest, but the difference in height and reach was simply too large. The pressure he applied was minimal.
Swish.
Another one.
3 to 5.
The crowd roared, and Durant's eyes lit up. His first 2 shots of the night had both fallen. That was all the confirmation a scorer like him needed.
Phoenix tried to answer, but the possession fell apart.
Nash fed the ball into the paint. Stoudemire took a hard step but could not get the shot up, and the ball was knocked out of bounds.
The crowd erupted again. Even though Phoenix retained possession, Boston had strung together another strong defensive stand.
Diaw stepped out of bounds on the baseline to inbound. Boston tightened up everywhere, denying easy options. With the count ticking, Diaw hesitated.
Chen Yan quickly pointed skyward, then backpedaled and signaled for the lob.
Diaw understood and threw it long.
The pass was nearly too long. Diaw's heart jumped into his throat.
Fortunately, Chen Yan's burst was absurd. He reached the ball just before it drifted into the backcourt and kept the possession alive.
Tony Allen immediately smothered him.
Chen Yan found himself teetering on the edge of a backcourt violation, his body drifting awkwardly toward the line. Just before he fully lost balance, he leaped and fired the ball forward.
It was a dangerous pass, but standing still would have been even worse.
Doing nothing had never been his style.
The moment the ball left his hands, 3 Celtics broke toward it.
Turnover.
Boston flew the other way. In the frontcourt it became a 4 on 1 break. Rose took the middle lane, exploded to the rim, and hammered home a vicious 2 handed dunk.
3 to 7.
The cheers crashed down in waves. Boston had hit its first real surge of the night.
The Celtics still had the same core lineup as last season, but their overall strength had clearly jumped. Rose was better. Durant was better. And that made the entire team feel sharper.
After only a few minutes, Chen Yan could already sense it.
This young Boston team was no lightweight.
It was more dangerous than some veteran contenders.
…..
Check out my newly released fanfic on my 2nd account: - FanficLord02
One Piece: My Crew Is Full of Monsters