Chapter 515: The Horn of Counterattack
In Game 1, Chen Yan shot 12 of 18 from the field, including 4 of 6 from three and 5 of 6 from the line, finishing with a team high 33 points, along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
He did not take an overwhelming number of shots, but his efficiency was absurdly high, which was exactly the ideal winning formula for Phoenix.
Hill added 22 points and 5 rebounds, the second highest total on the team. He was everywhere offensively that night, driving, pulling up, and knocking down outside shots.
After the game, many fans sighed that only injuries could stop Hill, not even age itself.
Others could not help wondering how high Hill might have climbed if injuries had never derailed him.
That was a common topic in sports. Competition and injuries always went hand in hand, but fans still loved to imagine the brighter version of history. In a way, those fantasies reflected something beautiful.
Compared with many other injury plagued stars, Hill was fortunate. Late in his career, he found Phoenix and its miracle medical staff. That was why he managed to enjoy a second spring in the NBA.
Nash scored 19 points, but his bigger contribution remained his orchestration. He also handed out 13 assists, thoroughly outplaying Kidd in both scoring and playmaking.
Phoenix had 6 players score in double figures. Even Stoudemire chipped in 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block, showing the first real signs that his form was beginning to return.
For Dallas, Nowitzki finished with a game high 34 points. But because the Mavericks lost, he once again became the latest honorary member of the Empty Stats Club.
Ray Allen added 20 points and 6 rebounds, while Terry came off the bench for 18.
Artest finished with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 turnovers. He failed on both ends of the floor. He could not score efficiently, and he certainly could not defend Chen Yan, who poured in 33. After the game, Artest no longer dared to keep talking big. Forget one on one, he could not even keep Chen Yan in check with two defenders all over him.
At the postgame interviews, the question reporters asked Chen Yan most often was not about this game or the next one. It was about the MVP award, which would be announced in the coming days.
Chen Yan said, "MVP isn't something I'm thinking about right now. I only care about whether we can win the next game and how far the Suns can go."
It was a textbook answer. Chen Yan had no intention of getting dragged around by the media.
But he had clearly underestimated the media's gift for twisting a narrative.
"Chen Yan Says He Does Not Care About MVP, Is It Already Decided?"
"Has the MVP Become a Formality? Chen Yan Says He Cares More About the Next Win."
"With a Faint Smile, Chen Yan Suggests the MVP Is Already His."
The next day, that kind of headline flooded the internet. Chen Yan could only stare at them in disbelief, wondering if those outlets had simply run out of real news.
Still, it was not entirely their fault. He was a top tier superstar now. Any story attached to his name meant instant traffic, and with the MVP announcement looming, the topic was already one of the hottest in the sport.
...
Two days later, back at US Airways Center, the Mavericks opened Game 2 with a very different look.
After being blown out in Game 1, Dallas adjusted quickly and immediately dragged Phoenix into a dogfight from the start.
Carlisle used Nowitzki as a decoy on offense, letting him threaten the defense and pull extra attention, only to create opportunities for teammates.
Dirk was involved in far more actions as a screener and secondary initiator than he had been in the previous game. Carlisle especially leaned into repeated pick and rolls and off ball actions.
Because Nowitzki had been so dominant as a scorer in Game 1, D'Antoni made containing him a priority. That was exactly what Carlisle wanted.
The clearest example came with 7:16 left in the first quarter. Dirk made a hard cut toward the high post as if he were coming to receive the ball, dragging two defenders with him. That movement opened a clean lane for Artest, who cut right to the rim for 2 easy points.
Nowitzki had been scorching hot in Game 1, so of course Phoenix was going to adjust for him. Carlisle, thinking long term about the series, also wanted to reduce the physical toll of endless Dirk isolations. It was both an energy management decision and a redistribution of the offense.
That was the brilliance of Rick Carlisle. He did not cling to one approach, nor did he make blind changes. He adjusted with purpose.
By halftime, the move had clearly worked. The Mavericks led 59 to 52.
D'Antoni had been outmaneuvered in the first half. Carlisle had thrown an entirely different offensive structure at him. In Game 1, almost half of Dallas's offense had flowed through Nowitzki isolating on the right side. But by halftime of Game 2, Dirk had finished only 2 true isolation possessions after the floor was cleared for him.
That caught D'Antoni off guard.
Dirk had been on fire in the opener, yet Carlisle was not simply feeding him over and over?
That was not how D'Antoni thought. He would never willingly turn a hot star into a decoy for long stretches.
In game adjustments had never been his strongest trait, so asking him to immediately unravel Carlisle's scheme was never easy.
Only after the team reached the locker room did D'Antoni fully understand what Dallas was doing.
In the second half, he responded by inserting Azubuike and Jordan, increasing both the team's mobility and its average size on the floor.
The effect showed up immediately on Dallas's first offensive possession of the half.
Nowitzki set a screen for Ray Allen, and Jordan jumped out hard before quickly switching onto Dirk. Allen tried a second pick and roll with Nowitzki, but again the action stalled.
Jordan was still raw, but for a big man, his mobility defending the pick and roll was elite. His size and reach also gave him enormous disruptive value.
Seeing no opening, Allen kicked the ball to Kidd. Kidd, unlike Allen, did not punish space as quickly, so the Suns shifted again.
Kidd called for a screen against Nash. Stoudemire switched onto him, then the Suns immediately rotated back, restoring Nash to the matchup.
That defensive rhythm threw Dallas off.
In this game, Dirk had essentially become the trigger man in many of these actions, using his gravity to create jumpers for the guards. But once those screens stopped generating an advantage, everything after that became much harder.
With the shot clock dwindling, Kidd dumped the ball to Artest.
Artest, without much thought, launched a fading shot.
Clang.
Airball.
There was no miracle there. Artest could hit 3s, but he was not the kind of player who thrived on emergency bailout shots.
The ball bounced near the free throw line. Chen Yan and Ray Allen both burst toward it. Allen had the inside angle, but Chen Yan's explosiveness was better. He got there first.
The instant he touched the ball, Chen Yan spun with it in one motion.
He slipped past Ray Allen with stunning fluidity.
His handle was terrifying. The ball seemed glued to his hands, as if man and ball had become one.
Artest tried to cut him off at the top of the arc, but Chen Yan crossed over in front of him and blew by him too.
Kidd took 2 desperate strides, then gave up.
How was he supposed to keep up?
Could an old sedan beat a supercar in a straight line?
Chen Yan tore down the court as if someone had pressed a turbo button.
Gather.
Rise.
Wind up.
Hammer.
Two handed dunk.
54 to 59.
It was a full force slam, the kind that shook the whole arena.
That dunk sounded like a battle horn for Phoenix's comeback.
.....
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