Chương 379: Chapter 379: A Slam Dunk is Worth a Thousand
After the timeout, the Suns had four starters on the court and four reserves.
Not only Green but also the Suns' starting lineup, except for Curry, were on the bench, resting.
Curry, Yi Nan, Whiteside, Carter, and McCollum took the court!
The Kings' offense. Yi Nan positioned himself in the low post, looking a bit nervous.
Carter approached and patted Yi Nan's palm, comforting him, "Don't be nervous."
"Thank you, bro," Yi Nan replied.
From 2008 to 2010, Yi Nan and Carter had been teammates on the New Jersey Nets for two years. Carter was the team leader at the time, so it wasn't an exaggeration to call Yi Nan his junior. During those two years, Yi Nan also had some standout performances, including a stretch of four consecutive 20+ point games and a 20-point, 19-rebound game, as well as a 31-point, 5-rebound game.
So, when Yi Nan joined the Suns, aside from Wade Dong, he was closest to Carter, who was also the first player to welcome Yi Nan to the team.
Landry received a pass from his teammate in the low post and turned to shoot over Yi Nan's defense.
Smack!
Yi Nan hit Landry's wrist before he could release the shot.
The referee blew the whistle, signaling a defensive foul on Yi Nan.
Landry stepped up to the free-throw line, and his teammates encouraged Yi Nan, "Good defense, buddy!"
Swish!
Landry made the first free throw.
Twenty-three to fourteen!
Then, as Landry prepared for the second free throw, Yi Nan quickly positioned himself for the rebound, keeping his eyes on the ball above the rim.
Clang!
The free throw hit the rim, and Yi Nan immediately jumped, catching the ball with one hand and securing it to his chest.
The Kings' players started to retreat on defense, and Yi Nan passed the ball to Curry before running to the frontcourt.
Thibodeau said, "Yi Nan left a deep impression on me during the Olympics. He has a stable mid-range shot, good rebounding instincts, and explosiveness."
Wade Dong asked, "You watched the Olympics?"
Thibodeau screwed the lid on his thermos and said to Wade Dong, "I was the head coach of M Country's men's basketball team."
"Oh," Wade Dong shrugged. "I usually don't remember my defeated opponents."
Thibodeau: (T ^ T)
He knew Wade Dong was teasing him, but he couldn't help feeling a bit down.
...
On the court, Curry dribbled past his defender and passed to Yi Nan at mid-range.
Yi Nan received Curry's pass and took a mid-range shot. As the ball was in the air, millions of Chinese fans held their breath.
Yi Nan, returning to the NBA after several years, had a chance to make his first shot count. Even if he missed, it wasn't a big deal, but the Chinese fans wanted a good omen.
Swish!
Fortunately, the ball didn't disappoint the millions of Chinese fans, swishing through the net.
"Yes! It's in!"
"Yes! It's in!"
"Yes! It's in!"
Some of Yi Nan's fans were as excited as if they had witnessed a game-winning shot.
Twenty-five to fourteen!
After making the shot, Yi Nan's tension eased. He was a professional player, and while he was initially nervous, he couldn't stay that way.
Clap, clap, clap!
The home crowd also stood and applauded Yi Nan's basket.
This gesture touched Yi Nan, and he thought to himself that coming to Phoenix was a great decision. The fans here were fantastic.
His teammates encouraged him, "Nice shot, Yi Nan!"
The Kings responded. Gay and Thomas ran a pick-and-roll, with Thomas passing to Gay, who drove to the basket for a layup.
Twenty-seven to fourteen!
There were less than four minutes left in the first quarter.
Yi Nan received another pass at mid-range, but the Kings wouldn't give him another easy shot. Landry aggressively defended Yi Nan.
Yi Nan felt a bit overwhelmed by this level of defense, which he rarely encountered in the CBA. Just as he was about to lose the ball, Carter came to his aid, saying, "Pass me the ball."
Yi Nan immediately passed to Carter.
Carter received the pass, drove along the baseline, and soared for a reverse slam over Evans!
"Damn!"
This dunk got the Suns players on the bench to their feet!
Carter was... reliving his youth?
Twenty-nine to fourteen!
Carter's dunk not only energized the team but also prevented a potential turnover by Yi Nan.
...
The first quarter ended.
Thirty-two to seventeen!
The Kings scored only 17 points in the first quarter, indicating their aggressive defense. The Suns scored 32 points, but 13 of those came from free throws.
In his four and a half minutes of playing time in the first quarter, Yi Nan shot 1-for-2 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line, contributing 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.
After coming off the court, Yi Nan sat on the bench, waiting for Thibodeau to discuss the second-quarter tactics. He still felt a bit tense, as he cared about how the coach and teammates evaluated him, especially head coach Thibodeau, as it would affect his playing time.
Yi Nan was also aware that his return to the NBA was due to his personal ability, Tian Zhen's efforts, and Wade Dong's influence.
So, he wanted to prove himself, not just for the two-year, $5 million contract.
"We'll stick with this lineup for the second quarter."
Thibodeau didn't make any substitutions at the start of the second quarter. "If the Kings foul you, respond with fouls of your own. Be aggressive!"
Regarding aggression, Thibodeau thought for a moment and added, "Tucker, you can sub in for Carter later. The playoffs are about to start, and we need to protect Carter's old arms and legs..."
"..."
Carter frowned, pretending to be unhappy, "Old Thibs, I just slammed a dunk!"
Thibodeau smiled, "I saw it; it was fantastic! But you can save those dunks for the playoffs. I might even apply for a bonus for you, like $1,000 for each dunk."
"Is that possible?"
Wade Dong raised his eyebrows. "Old Thibs, apply for one for me too."
"Forget it; you're already making too much. Tian Zhen will cry if you get a bonus for every game."
Thibodeau shook his head. Seeing Curry's eagerness, he added, "But I can also apply for a dunking bonus for Curry."
Curry said, "Dunking is a bit difficult for me. I think it's better to apply for a three-point bonus, like $1,000 for each three-pointer I make..."
"Is that possible?"
Wade Dong said, "Old Thibs, apply for a three-point bonus for me too."
Whether it was for dunks or threes, Wade Dong wanted to be included. Thibodeau unscrewed his thermos and pretended to drink water.
When everyone looked at him, Thibodeau said, "Why are you all looking at me? The second quarter is about to start; get ready for the game!"
Curry asked, "Old Thibs, what you just said..."
"I didn't say anything."
Thibodeau denied it and pushed Curry, "Go and increase our lead to over 20 points."
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