Who will be the role players now that everyone's been reborn?

The game continued in the second quarter. As soon as the Knicks started, Nate Robinson switched to off-ball offense. He picked up David Lee, who was receiving the ball at the high post, and quickly passed the ball to Nate Robinson who was cutting into the paint.

He received the ball, accelerated, and drove to the basket for a layup over Pat Burke's block attempt, scoring two points.

Playing with smaller players against faster opponents and scoring through mismatches is that simple.

In the second minute, Nate Robinson accelerated his pace, made a sudden burst of speed, and shot.

Clang!

The shot went astray.

As the 30th overall pick in the first round, David Lee didn't have the luxury of casually pulling out to the perimeter to shoot like the 8th pick Channing Frye. He needed to squeeze into the paint and do the dirty work. Taking advantage of his 2.06-meter height, his strong jumping ability, and his accurate judgment of the landing point, he beat Hayes to the punch and grabbed the offensive rebound.

David Lee dribbled out, but suddenly turned around and launched a fadeaway jump shot. Hayes was a step too slow. Although he blocked David Lee's face with his defense, the shot had already been fired and hit the bullseye.

Swish-!

The knife falls, the ball goes in.

"The 30th pick is so proactive!"

"He's practically everywhere on the court," D'Antoni commented.

"Hmm, his playing style is somewhat similar to Chen Dong's."

However, the Knicks have too many talented players, and David Lee's status on the team is nowhere near as high as Chen Dong's is now. "Gentry shook his head and said with feeling, "The Knicks are not only a black hole for star players, but also a black hole for rookies."

"With established star players available at high prices, why rely on inexperienced rookies?"

On the court, David Lee, a player who is ready to contribute immediately, fully emerged, taking on the roles of playmaker, rebounder, and scorer, helping the Knicks launch a 9-4 offensive run and narrowing the gap to just one point.

The chance to turn things around is right in front of you!

However, Hayes quickly became more aggressive and gradually suppressed David Lee, who would have to go home and inherit a fortune if he didn't play well. Hayes made a living from basketball, and if he didn't play well, he would go hungry. This kind of crazy ruthlessness made David Lee, who had a way out, completely suppress his momentum.

David Lee couldn't play as a playmaking forward, and his dirty talk in the paint couldn't compare to Hayes, who aspired to be Rodman but couldn't become Jordan or Pippen. The difference in their awareness of basketball survival was like night and day!

Without David Lee doing the hard work, Nate Robinson, the tactical backcourt core, was once again caught in a double-team predicament when it came to organizing the ball and scoring. Chen Dong then played his part, creating open shooting opportunities for Ariza.

As a result, Ariza's charge was stopped by Hayes and Pat Burke.

He tried a two-point jump shot but couldn't find his shooting rhythm.

Taking a three-pointer immediately after pulling up the ball is like giving up on treatment.

Offensively, Ariza really has no talent!

Scoring a goal isn't something you can just do whenever you want; Ariza was clearly getting impatient.

In the 6th minute of the second quarter, Ariza missed a three-pointer, Hayes grabbed the rebound, and seeing David Lee trying to steal it back, he quickly grabbed the ball and swung his elbow into the air. David Lee couldn't get close; he didn't want to open up his meridians like Harden.

Hayes dribbled the ball a couple of steps, passed it to Calderon, and advanced it to the frontcourt. He immediately became a utility player. The moment Chen Dong received the ball in the frontcourt, he raised the ball and pretended to shoot a three-pointer.

Ariza moved closer, but was not shaken and jumped up. He covered Chen Dong's eyes with his hand.

When the first move failed, Chen Dong gathered the ball and continued to poke. Ariza moved laterally to close in and press, but Chen Dong shielded the ball with his side, used his shoulder to create space, and then raised the ball to make a series of feints. Ariza was not fooled at all. Then, Chen Dong pulled up and, like a spring from the ground, made a precise three-pointer.

Swish!!!

After scoring, Chen Dong blew on his burning hands and grinned at Ariza, saying, "You almost stopped me."

Unfortunately, my touch was too hot; to hit that ball was definitely luck.

Players who love to attack are usually lucky.

Therefore, defense is a dead end.

Good defense doesn't necessarily limit the opponent's scoring; a good offense, at least statistically, ensures you won't lose.

"Also, I've scored 9 points now."

In the 7th minute of the second quarter, Ariza received an open three-pointer but didn't shoot. He then dribbled past his opponent and passed the ball to Channing Frye, who cut inside. Under close defense from Pat Burke, Frye's jump shot missed.

Channing Frye's playing style is very similar to Lewis's. He has a very accurate mid-range shot, but he is too thin. Pat Burke doesn't even need to try to block his jump shot. He just needs to give him some physical contact, and his shot will become unreliable and inefficient.

At this moment, the Knicks' two open interior players were completely suppressed. Point guard Nate Robinson was still unable to handle the ball well in the face of double teams. Wing forward Ariza was too bad on offense. He was neither a "one-star" nor a "four-shooter," and three of his shots had already been taken care of. The rhythm of the game had completely fallen to the Suns.

Who would have thought that the Suns, who were supposed to be playing a fast-paced, high-scoring game, would actually control the tempo and initiative on the court through their defense?

Indeed, offense wins popularity, defense wins championships—this saying is absolutely true!

At the end of the first half, the Suns were firing on all cylinders on both ends of the court, widening the gap to 11 points.

With the score at 58-47, the Knicks have two quarters and 24 minutes left, and the suspense of the game is not yet over.

Regardless of the circumstances, even if the strength of the two sides is currently 80 to 60, the Knicks still have the advantage.

In the locker room, Herb Williams kept analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing team's squad depth for his players, trying to inspire their confidence in winning the second half!

The second half began, and from the very first minute, the entire Suns team charged forward, running as one, ignoring defense and focusing solely on offense!!!

As the saying goes, hesitation leads to defeat!

Just as the Knicks were considering whether they should tone down their offense and focus more on defense, the Suns went all out on offense.

Calderon quickly advanced to the frontcourt, passed the ball to Chen Dong, who then cut to the left wing, received the ball, raised his hand, and launched a three-pointer. The shot went in perfectly.

In response, the Suns employed aggressive, pressing defense, forcing the Knicks away from the basket and battling them for shots.

By the end of the first half, the Suns had already figured out the Knicks' offensive strategy.

They say they want to compete with the Suns in a run-and-gun offense, but they don't even have a single reliable three-point shot.

David Lee later became a two-time All-Star player. In his 12-year professional career, he only had one season with a three-point shooting percentage record, and all other seasons had zero statistics.

Channing Frye's highest three-point attempt per game in his first four years was 0.5, with 0.3 and 0.1 attempts in other seasons, and his shooting percentage was only around 30%. In addition, although Eme Udoka did a very good job as a head coach, as a player, he was a 2-and-D player, the kind who dared to take shots but couldn't kill the game.

Let's not even mention Ariza and Nate Robinson.

On the court, David Lee set a screen, received the ball under pressure, and fired a mid-range two-pointer that pierced the heart.

With their first three-pointer of the second half, the Suns extended their lead to 14 points and paid no attention to the Knicks' two-point comeback.

In the 5th minute, it was another outside pass and cut. The moment Chen Dong received the ball, he faced the 1.78-meter-tall Nate Robinson, raised his hand and shot. The shot, which was close to an A-level three-pointer, was an easy hit, just like in training.

Swish! ! !

After scoring, Chen Dong raised his hands to form a victory V-sign in celebration.

At this point, the point difference between the two sides had widened to 15 points.

In the following games, the Knicks had to try shooting their three-point offense, which they were not good at.

As if they had anticipated the Suns' plan, they stretched their defense out completely, adopting a "two-pointer is easy, three-pointers are a death sentence!"

Thus, the Suns went on to defeat the Knicks 111-104, achieving an unbeatable 6-6 record and clinching the Long Beach Summer League championship by defeating the Knicks.

Chen Dong, Hayes, and Azubuke were all selected for the Long Beach Summer League All-NBA First Team.

The other two are Deron Williams of the Jazz and David Lee of the Knicks.

陈东最后一场只有19分进帐，不过送出15次助攻5篮板，以场均26.6分8.3助攻4.8篮板当选了这次夏季联赛的MVP。

Azubuke is averaging an impressive 24.2 points, 4.1 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game, with a 42.1% three-point shooting percentage and excellent defensive skills. It's almost certain that he will sign with the Suns.

Hayes averages 13.2 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 3.5 blocks per game. While his scoring ability is not a good fit for the Suns, he is the kind of interior player the Suns desperately need. The Suns have expressed interest in signing him, but a final decision will depend on how well he integrates into the team during training camp.

After all, D'Antoni is good at using his starters, and rotating seven or eight players is a basic practice. The Suns have the confidence to be selective and not compromise on quality!