Chapter 636: Unfavorable Situation
The Suns' current lineup was Rondo, Chen Yan, Grant Hill, Gallinari, and Jordan.
This lineup was different from Phoenix's regular rotation. Its defense was stronger than its offense.
Rondo and Chen Yan were both excellent perimeter defenders. Jordan's athleticism meant his rim protection would not be poor. Grant Hill's defensive ability was also above average.
The only slight liability was Gallinari, but that was not a major problem. His teammates had good defensive awareness and could help him at any time.
D'Antoni used this lineup because it had played well in the 3rd quarter, surviving Dallas's barrage during the most critical stretch.
Naturally, he extended it into the 4th quarter.
The Mavericks also did not dare to be careless. They sent out their full starting lineup, except for Kidd.
Kidd was replaced because of his age. Rick Carlisle was afraid he could not handle playing the entire quarter. Otherwise, Carlisle definitely would have kept him on the court.
Dallas gave everything in the final quarter, but Phoenix's desire to win was even stronger.
This was their home court.
No one wanted to lose in front of the home fans.
Rondo immediately completed a beautiful fake pass into a real layup. Using Chen Yan to draw away the defense, he elegantly finished with 1 hand.
91 to 83.
"Beautiful!"
Chen Yan stepped forward and high fived Rondo.
They had their rivalry off the court, but on the court, they were brothers fighting side by side.
"That is a great play," Barkley shouted. "That is what Phoenix needs. Somebody has to step up and help Chen carry this thing. Rondo handled that possession with confidence."
Dallas offense.
Terry, who had replaced Kidd, came in with a strong desire to attack.
Terry used a screen to shake off Rondo's tight defense. Facing Gallinari, he faked once, then pulled up for a mid range jumper.
The ball went in.
91 to 85.
Terry was a very special piece for Dallas.
He was not a starter, but he had a skill the starters lacked. He could handle the ball and create his own shot.
Nowitzki could create his own shot too, but first, his teammates had to feed him the ball in a comfortable position.
Kidd could handle the ball, but his 3 point shooting was questionable. It was hard to call that true shot creation.
Ray Allen had been a good 1 on 1 player when he was young, but now he had gradually transitioned into a pure shooter.
Artest was not suited to creating his own shot either. Letting him attack once or twice was fine, but if Dallas expected him to do it every possession, the Mavericks would be in trouble.
Terry could make up for that weakness.
But he also had a fatal flaw.
Inconsistency.
He was a typical streak scorer.
Suns possession.
Rondo tried to use Chen Yan's gravity again, but this time Dallas was prepared.
Rondo was very smart. He did not force it. He dribbled around once, then passed the ball to Grant Hill.
Old Hill used a triple threat, drove 2 steps along the right side, then passed to Gallinari at the top of the arc.
A shooting opportunity appeared, but Gallinari did not take it.
He chose to pass to Chen Yan in the corner.
Chen Yan caught the ball on the move and immediately faked a shot.
Artest flew straight into the air.
Even while airborne, Artest's heart had not given up. He stretched out his right leg, trying to pull off a small trick.
Chen Yan did not give him a chance to play dirty.
After faking Artest into the air, Chen Yan dribbled 1 step sideways with his left hand. Before Ray Allen could close in, he released a 3 pointer.
The ball spun rapidly, drawing a rainbow arc through the air.
Before it even entered the hoop, Chen Yan had already turned and pointed toward the stands.
He knew his own shot.
"Yeahhhh!"
"Wow!"
The overwhelming cheers told Chen Yan the result.
94 to 85.
On the next possession, Artest took the ball and charged inside.
He was completely furious.
Grant Hill could not stop him. Rondo came over to help, but Artest could not stop himself, and the 2 collided.
The referee decisively called an offensive foul on Artest.
"Calm down! Pass the ball more! Always think about the team!" Rick Carlisle roared from the sideline.
Artest got up expressionlessly.
Rondo was also expressionless, but the collision had clearly hurt.
Artest's frame was much larger than his. After a full speed collision like that, it was impossible to feel nothing.
But Rondo cared about his image. He could not lose in terms of momentum, so he pretended nothing had happened.
That was simply his personality.
Suns offense.
Chen Yan received the ball and immediately faced a double team.
Rondo pulled out 2 steps beyond the 3 point line to receive the pass.
After catching the ball, Rondo quickly drove inside.
Terry, who had left the double team, chased Rondo, but he was 1 step slow.
Ray Allen could only leave Grant Hill to help.
Rondo's basketball IQ was very high. He knew exactly what to do in that moment.
With a flick of his wrist, he immediately found Old Hill.
Hill was also extremely experienced.
After receiving the ball, he did not choose to shoot immediately. Instead, he paused for a moment.
When Ray Allen ran back in front of him, Hill suddenly burst forward and drove inside.
Ray Allen had just stopped and could not immediately turn to follow.
Hill entered the paint and scored with a gliding layup.
96 to 85.
Seeing Phoenix's performance at the start of the 4th quarter, D'Antoni nodded in satisfaction.
His players had executed the tactics from the break very well. Besides Chen Yan, the others were also brave enough to step up and score.
That not only eased Chen Yan's pressure, but also placed a psychological burden on Dallas.
If the Suns had multiple players scoring, then the Mavericks would find it very difficult to focus all their attention on limiting Chen Yan.
At that moment, Nowitzki stepped up.
He chose to answer Chen Yan with a 3 pointer.
96 to 88.
That shot was extremely tough, made over Gallinari's defense.
Throughout the 4th quarter, Nowitzki played the role of a true tough guy.
Whenever Phoenix was about to build momentum, he responded with shots that looked soft but carried steel underneath.
With 3 minutes and 21 seconds left in the final quarter, the score was 108 to 100.
The Suns still held an 8 point lead.
Mavericks possession.
The Suns fans shouted, "Defense!"
Everyone in the arena was full of confidence.
At this rate, Phoenix was sure to win this game.
As long as nothing unexpected happened.
Just then, the whistle suddenly sounded.
"Beep!"
The moment the whistle blew, Nowitzki launched a 3 pointer.
"Swish!"
3 plus 1.
A wave of regretful sighs immediately rose from the crowd.
Although this 3 plus 1 could not be called fatal, it would definitely affect Phoenix's morale and the Suns players' mentality.
Nowitzki calmly made the free throw.
108 to 104.
Suns possession.
Rondo organized from the perimeter, and the other players looked as if they were running plays.
In reality, they were all disguises.
With 3 minutes left, Phoenix had only 1 tactic.
Give the ball to Chen Yan.
After some entanglement, Chen Yan finally received the ball at the left 45 degree angle beyond the 3 point line.
Kidd, who had returned to the game, immediately came over from the top of the arc to double team.
Chen Yan made his decision without hesitation.
He dribbled with his left hand and drove hard inside.
Haywood hesitated in the paint, unsure whether to help.
Chen Yan had already pulled up for a fadeaway jumper from mid range along the baseline.
The shot was extremely difficult.
Besides the pull up, Chen Yan's body was slightly tilted, and there was a hint of drift in the air.
"Swish!"
A perfect splash.
A precise strike.
110 to 104.
Dallas followed the same logic on offense, continuing to give the ball to Nowitzki.
Grant Hill came over from the side to double team.
He was experienced enough to know that they could not let Nowitzki shoot again.
That guy had the ability to shoot a team to death.
The moment Nowitzki jumped, he passed the ball out to the 3 point line.
Artest caught it.
Chen Yan did not leave Ray Allen to help.
If he had left Ray Allen open, Artest might have passed to him.
After all, an open Ray Allen was more terrifying than an open Artest.
Artest had not been accurate from 3 tonight. Before this shot, he was only 1 for 4.
But this guy also had a big heart, and he did not flinch on this crucial attempt.
110 to 107.
D'Antoni called timeout.
Dallas's recent comeback momentum was fierce.
The situation was no longer favorable for Phoenix.
.....
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