Chapter 371: Chapter 283: A pass spanning the entire field!
Inside the Pepsi Center, the atmosphere was as fiery as a blazing flame, with the match between the Nuggets and the Spurs underway fiercely.
Pope accurately delivered the ball once again to Jokic up front.
After receiving the ball, Jokic’s gaze locked onto Zeng Xingyang running quickly, and a sharp hand-to-hand pass landed precisely in Zeng Xingyang’s hands.
At that moment, Leonard quickly closed in on Zeng Xingyang, attempting to bypass Jokic to disrupt his offensive rhythm.
But Zeng Xingyang had no intention of attacking aggressively himself; he suddenly slammed the ball toward the inside.
Who was the ball for?
Butler, like a cheetah, swiftly cut inside.
With a swift motion, the basketball landed right into Butler’s arms.
Butler clutched the ball tightly, stepping seamlessly, relying on his strong build and excellent sense of rhythm to easily take the initiative.
Facing Gasol under the basket, he first faked to deceive his opponent, then turned to adjust his footwork for a layup.
The basketball traced a beautiful arc in the air, bank shot into the net.
The Nuggets fans instantly erupted, jumping from their seats one after another, with cheers and shouts interweaving, resounding throughout the entire venue.
This was Butler’s first basket in his Nuggets career!
Butler raised his hand high in gesture towards Zeng Xingyang.
In the commentary box, Barkley shouted excitedly, "This is the Nuggets stars connecting! Brilliant!"
Smith concurred beside him, "I said there’d be no pairing issues between Jimmy and Zeng; their on-court chemistry is impeccable, always finding the optimal scoring method. Zeng’s pass was fantastic; he has immense trust in Jimmy’s scoring ability inside!"
On the court, Zeng Xingyang smiled responding with a nod to Butler.
No matter how the outside world questioned Butler, and no matter how the rookies viewed Butler, Zeng Xingyang unwaveringly believed in Butler’s super prowess.
He is a smart player who knows how to play on the court.
Although Butler’s shooting sometimes appears unstable, he always skillfully uses solid fundamentals to create scoring opportunities on the court.
Just like he deftly faked out Gasol inside and completed the offensive conclusion, such skill and capability aren’t what just any guard can achieve.
Now it’s the Spurs’ turn to attack.
Parker steadily dribbles the ball all the way to the front.
On the other side, Zeng Xingyang closed in to defend Leonard; at this moment, Zeng Xingyang completely disregarded the wear of physical strength, thinking that with the Nuggets’ deep lineup, many teammates can take turns defending Leonard.
Parker passes the ball to Leonard.
Leonard did not choose to forcefully break through Zeng Xingyang’s defense but instead signaled to Alderidge for a screen.
Upon receiving the response, he sped through with Alderidge’s screen effectively blocking Zeng Xingyang, allowing Leonard to dash smoothly into the inside.
However, Gordon and Butler reacted extremely swiftly, rushing over immediately to encircle Leonard.
"Bang!" "Bang!" Under their formidable squeeze, Leonard found himself in a predicament, unable to complete the finisher.
In desperation, he could only pass the ball close to Danny Green.
As Danny Green was about to shoot, the corner of his eye caught Butler swiftly coming over for help defense like a phantom.
Feeling tense, Danny Green had no choice but to pass the ball back out to Parker on the perimeter.
Parker leaning hard against Zeng Xingyang, finally managed to get the ball without any delay and launched it inside attempting to pass to Gasol.
Gasol just reached out to grab the ball, intending to contend with Jokic.
"Pop!" Butler once again pounced like a leopard, precisely reaching out to intercept the ball.
The ball was caught firmly by Jokic.
Throughout this round, the Spurs’ ball movement speed was nothing short of fast, and the players’ coordination was indeed harmonious, yet the Nuggets’ defense was like a tight web enveloping them, leaving no gaps for the Spurs.
Jimmy Butler’s defensive round saw him practically run through every position on the field, his intensity and focus baffling the Nuggets audience.
Fans stood up one after another, calling out with all their might, cheering for Butler’s defense.
Barkley shouted hoarsely, "Such defense is horrifying! The Spurs can’t find any shooting opportunity whatsoever."
Smith agreed excitedly, "Indeed! The Nuggets’ defense intensity has escalated to another level."
"Jimmy, defended beautifully!" Zeng Xingyang couldn’t help but shout praise towards Butler.
Butler slightly adjusted his headband, his expression serious, then nodded firmly.
He very much relishes the Nuggets’ team’s competitive match atmosphere, with an internal eagerness to fully showcase all his capabilities here.
On the sidelines, Nuggets’ head coach Mike Malone couldn’t help applauding after witnessing this scene.
Butler’s excellent performance perfectly demonstrated two key aspects of his top-tier defensive ability - help defense and team defense.
Butler’s outstanding defensive awareness was vividly illustrated during this round, consistently predicting passing routes accurately, making timely help defense adjustments, significantly boosting the team’s rotation speed and defensive toughness. Furthermore, his proactive defensive attitude is hugely infectious, easily motivating teammates to collectively increase defensive intensity.
On the court, the Nuggets launched another attack.
Zeng Xingyang received the ball, steadily dribbling it forward.
Just when everyone thought the Nuggets would play a set offense, Zeng Xingyang suddenly leapt up high, throwing the ball forcefully forward. Who was this pass directed to?
The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air, just managing to exceed Gasol’s long arms, landing accurately into Jokic’s hands while he was moving fast.
It turned out that during this offensive play, Jokic had already been using his body to keep Gasol behind him, continuing to run forward.
Zeng Xingyang astutely sensed Jokic’s intent, and just as Jokic dashed past the free-throw line, he decisively sent out an excellent lob.
Jokic, catching the ball, comfortably laid it in.
to 4
"Beautiful!" "Another connection!"
The Nuggets fans on-site cheered enthusiastically.
This seemingly simple play in fact demanded high precision concerning the pass’s angle and timing.
Given Gasol’s long arms weren’t merely for show, even minor inaccuracies would easily lead to him intercepting the ball.
At this juncture, the Spurs players were still in an utterly bewildered state, unable to fathom how the Nuggets seemingly intended to play a slow pace but were actually executing efficient offenses, catching them off guard.
"This pass was truly daring."
"The Zeng-Jokic connection is my favorite to watch."
"Jokic daring to want the ball, Zeng Xingyang daring to pass it, the synergy between the two is very smooth."
Domestic fans chattered animatedly.