Chapter 419: Chapter 331, G1 Battle! (2)
Zeng Xingyang steadily walked up to the free throw line, took a deep breath, and adjusted his mindset. With a firm gaze, he focused on the basket and calmly released the ball.
"Swoosh!"
"Swoosh!"
Both free throws were successful, and the Nuggets took the lead with 2 points, 2-0.
"Xingyang played tough, drawing a foul through a strong drive right at the start, showcasing his powerful aggressiveness!" exclaimed CCTV commentator Zhang Weiping, his voice filled with admiration.
Xu Jicheng nodded in agreement: "This is the intensity of the playoffs! On this stage, if you don’t show a tough attitude, you’ll be suppressed by the opponent. Little Gasol getting a foul right at the start will certainly make him cautious for the rest of the first quarter, affecting his performance."
By the sidelines, Grizzlies head coach Fizdale frowned, a trace of worry in his eyes.
He knew well that this opening foul would significantly impact the team’s defensive setup, requiring swift adjustments, or the situation would become increasingly unfavorable.
It was the Grizzlies’ turn to attack; Conley dribbled past half-court at a noticeably slowed pace, almost taking the full 8 seconds to cross the midline.
Clearly, the Grizzlies were trying to disrupt the Nuggets’ offensive rhythm by slowing the game pace, playing to their defensive strengths.
After a series of patient ball passes, the ball finally reached Little Gasol in the low post.
At this point, only 7 seconds were left on the shot clock, but the Nuggets’ defensive formation remained solid, with Jokic firmly guarding Little Gasol, defending the Grizzlies’ key inside player one-on-one.
Little Gasol is known for his defense and relies more on teamwork in offense.
Confronted by Jokic’s tough defense, he attempted two consecutive back-down moves, trying to use his physical advantage to force his way inside. However, Jokic, with his excellent size and solid defensive skills, held his ground, leaving Little Gasol with no room to attack.
With no choice, Little Gasol had to pass the ball back to Conley on the perimeter.
When Conley caught the ball, only 2 seconds remained, forcing him to take a hurried step-back three-pointer under Zeng Xingyang’s tight defense.
As the basketball left Conley’s fingertips, Zeng Xingyang leaped high and extended his arm.
"Swipe!" The basketball lightly brushed his fingertips, altering its flight path and veering off course.
The Grizzlies’ first offense ended just like that with a 24-second violation, not even touching the rim.
"This is the league’s top defensive strength!" Barkley sighed in the studio, his tone filled with admiration, "The Nuggets have the highest average points scored, the fewest points conceded, holding a historic lead with their net scoring margin. Their defense is flawless."
Smith continued the analysis: "You see, the Nuggets’ defensive advantage is that players at every position have strong defensive abilities. Even an experienced player like Mike Conley gets successfully disturbed by Zeng Xingyang’s defense during crucial moments."
"Zeng Xingyang is undoubtedly the defensive leader of this team. He consistently steps up at critical times, relying on excellent defensive awareness and physical attributes to eliminate opponent threats." Barkley added.
Domestic commentators were equally praising of Zeng Xingyang’s performance. Zhang Weiping, smiling, said: "With Xingyang’s level of defense, winning the Best Defensive Player award would be easy! Perhaps this season, we might witness a historic moment where he wins both the MVP and Best Defensive Player awards, haha!"
Xu Jicheng jokingly added: "I think the NBA should establish a Best Sophomore Player in history award specifically, and award it to Xingyang. He absolutely deserves it!"
Hearing the unabashed praise from the CCTV commentators for Zeng Xingyang, domestic fans were delighted.
This season, Coach Zhang had many famous sayings, especially the classic:
"Xingyang, shoot him!"
"Xingyang, hit him!"
These had long become his catchphrases, and whenever Zeng Xingyang delivered an outstanding performance on the court, these phrases would unconsciously echo among the fans.
In the next possession, the Nuggets initiated an attack.
Coach Zhang’s voice echoed again: "Hey! Watch Xingyang dribble into the frontcourt, collaborating with Jokic on a pick-and-roll. What a beautiful pass, returning to Jokic! Jokic advances with the ball, attracting defenders, and timely passes to the trailing Gordon. Gordon leaps high, slamming it home with two hands! Although this score and assist didn’t directly involve Xingyang, his crucial pass successfully drew away much of the Grizzlies’ defense, creating a great opportunity for the Jokic-Gordon connection. What an ingenious pass!"
In reality, it was just a regular passing play, but in Coach Zhang’s narration, Zeng Xingyang seemed to be the key factor in determining the course of the game.
The fans were accustomed to Coach Zhang’s hyperbole and didn’t find it awkward.
Inside the Pepsi Center in Denver, Zeng Xingyang and Jokic excitedly high-fived to celebrate, as the Nuggets appeared to be in complete control on the court.
Meanwhile, on the sideline, Grizzlies’ core player Little Gasol’s expression grew increasingly stern as he knew well of the Nuggets’ high offensive efficiency. Their defense had already fallen into a passive position.
The score advanced to 0-4.
The Grizzlies launched another offense. Again, they did not manage to break their scoring drought this round.
Conley and Little Gasol attempted a pick-and-roll, but Zeng Xingyang stuck tightly to Conley, like a solid barrier, making it difficult for Conley to find a breakthrough opportunity.
With no other options, Conley decided to make a jump pass to Randolph in the paint.
However, due to the hurried pass, Randolph failed to securely catch the ball, and it bounced out of bounds, resulting in a Grizzlies turnover.
The Nuggets quickly launched a counterattack, and Zeng Xingyang dribbled into the frontcourt for a pick-and-roll with Jokic again.
Jokic’s screen was highly effective, blocking Conley completely, preventing him from keeping up with Zeng Xingyang’s pace.
Zeng Xingyang seized the opportunity, made a side step, and easily evaded Conley’s defense.
Seeing this, Little Gasol rushed over to help. However, his steps were slightly slow, and he didn’t fully catch up to Zeng Xingyang, leading to a disrupted defensive rhythm.
Zeng Xingyang seized this moment, at the right-wing beyond the three-point line, quickly gathered, leaped high, and shot.
The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and swished through the net, "Swoosh!"
0-7!
"Timeout!!" Grizzlies head coach Fizdale reluctantly called for a timeout, needing to use this short break to reorganize strategies and stabilize the players’ emotions.
From the start of the game until now, the Grizzlies hadn’t even touched the basket and were already trailing by 7 points. This was clearly not the start they wanted.
Inside Pepsi Center in Denver, Nuggets fans were jubilant as the atmosphere hit its peak, confident that the Nuggets would secure the win in this match.