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

The Mavericks' offensive rhythm used to be led by the injured Stackhouse, but now it is carried by the second-year superstar Devin Harris. His playing style is like Barbosa's, and he does not have a reliable shot. Facing the Suns' endless rotations and fast double-teams, he cannot break through, and his offensive rhythm is suppressed.

Van Horn was heavily guarded, leaving Diop open. Passing him to the Suns was exactly what they wanted to see. With Daniels' contract extension on both wings meaning he won't be playing, Christie's reserves are only good for defense!

Although the Suns made mistakes at the start of the second quarter, the momentum shifted completely to their side as Chen Dong led the team to control the game.

In the 5th minute of the second quarter, Barbosa broke through and passed the ball to Chen Dong. Chen Dong raised his head instantly upon receiving the ball. Just when Christie hesitated in his defensive action, thinking that Chen Dong was trying to trick him into blocking the shot, and then faked him out, Chen Dong broke into the paint without any extra movements and made a precise three-pointer into the basket.

Swish-!

"The Suns have taken the lead, with Chen Dong hitting a pull-up three-pointer after receiving the ball."

"Chen Dong has too many cards to play. No matter how the Mavericks guess, Chen Dong can always reveal another card."

「陈东2投2中，砍6分1助攻，率队打了小牛队一个12比7的比分，反超1分。」

The Mavericks called an emergency timeout, and Terry, Nowitzki, and Dampier entered the game in succession, attempting to break the Suns' rhythm and regain control of the game.

Facing the Mavericks' renewed use of their twin towers in the paint, D'Antoni quickly responded, bringing on Nash, Raja Bell, and Marion simultaneously.

Chen Dong and Diaw remained on the court. When it was the Mavericks' turn to attack, Terry broke through Nash's defense and accelerated towards the basket. Diaw then used his acting skills to draw a charging foul, and possession of the ball changed hands.

In the next possession, Terry made a series of crossovers, suddenly broke forward, forced Nash back, and backed down to the three-point line before launching a three-pointer.

Clang!

Without a doubt, Avery Johnson ruined Terry. He's a shooting guard in the body of a point guard. Starting him as a point guard alongside Nowitzki and Josh Howard meant one ball wasn't enough. Without enough shot attempts to feed his shooting touch, he often couldn't get into his rhythm... or go crazy!

For the Suns, Marion only made 2 of 6 shots in the first quarter. After Nash called for a pick-and-roll, Marion drove into the three-point line and unleashed a powerful shot.

Swish! ! !

When Nash was the team's playmaker and his teammates couldn't lead the offensive rhythm, he immediately transformed into Kobe, using scoring to control the game's tempo.

In the next possession, Nash was double-teamed and passed the ball to Chen Dong to act as a transit point. Nash evaded the heavy defense, received an assist from Chen Dong, and made a three-pointer.

Swish! ! !

Provoked by Nash's unstoppable scoring, the Mavericks fans in the stands booed even more fiercely.

Nash tossed his long hair, his refined face growing even colder. He continued playing music, then executed a pick-and-roll, driving into the paint. Despite Dampier's help defense and block attempt, he pulled up for a shot, a sharp arrow piercing the heart.

He made 5 of 6 shots, scoring 12 points in a single quarter, while also casually delivering two assists!

Nash is furious, and the consequences will be severe!

Although Chen Dong didn't score again, Nash's shots were almost always accurate, and Chen Dong racked up two assists, scoring 6 points and 3 assists in the second quarter, continuing to amaze everyone.

The Suns are a team built around Nash, while the Mavericks are built around Nowitzki. Witnessing Nash destroy his team with his unstoppable offense, he naturally couldn't stand it and wanted to respond with points. However, under Marion's defense, he only made 2 of 4 shots and 2 of 3 free throws, scoring 6 points and 1 assist, only playing at half the level of Nash. Even with Josh Howard added, it was still half and half, because Josh Howard went 0 for 2. Against his Wake Forest junior Chen Dong, there was no doubt that he held back too much.

In the second quarter, the Suns outscored the Mavericks 31-19, each team having one good quarter. At halftime, the score was 58-50. With Nash's offensive outburst, the Suns turned the tide and established an 8-point lead.

Avery Johnson gave Chen Dong a deep look. A rookie scoring 12 points and 3 assists in the first half of his debut was something they hadn't expected before the game. Now that it had happened, the Mavericks were really unlucky!

In the locker room.

After reversing the score and taking an 8-point lead, D'Antoni was praising his players with a circle of approval, but surprisingly, he also emphasized the defense in the second half.

"I don't care about anyone else, I only have one goal: Nowitzki's offense must die!!!"

After a 15-minute break, the second half of the game resumed.

To be on the safe side, D'Antoni sent out Kurt Thomas, Marion, Chen Dong, Larry Bell and Nash. Even if they couldn't contain Nowitzki's offense on defense, Chen Dong might still have some offensive firepower in the frontcourt. Squeezing all that out might be a brilliant move to defeat the Mavericks.

When the second half started, Nowitzki was struggling with his shooting touch and didn't dare to make a mistake. He went down to the low post and reached out for the ball, but Chen Dong pounced on him like a hungry tiger, double-teaming him.

Just as Chen Dong was about to pounce, Nowitzki took Duncan's clever move, passed the ball to Josh Howard, who cut in and used one of his three signature moves: a dribble to the basket and a powerful layup.

Clang!!!

Whether it's for revenge or to prove that the Mavericks' basketball style is the right one, they need to personally kill the extreme run-and-gun style that they once proved to be wrong and therefore abandoned, in order to strengthen the path they are now proving.

"If even the path they've abandoned can become an obstacle they can't overcome, then all this fuss by the Mavericks has been for nothing, hasn't it?" Barkley cautioned from the commentary booth. "So the second half is when the Mavericks will show their true colors..."

There's not much to say. Terry relentlessly pressured Nash throughout the game, pulling the fast-paced run-and-gun offense into a positional game rhythm that Nash wasn't known for.

This is the first step. Nash calls for a pick-and-roll, and Terry and Josh Howard immediately double-team Nash. Kurt Thomas is left wide open for a one-on-one opportunity. The Mavericks are now playing a five-on-four defense. Nash passes the ball to Chen Dong for support, then rushes over to get the ball again, dribbles to the basket, and is still double-teamed...

That said, Nash did have opportunities to find open passing chances, but these were all areas where the Suns' offense was weak. In other words, this was a point where the Mavericks assumed their offense couldn't kill the game and could shoot at will. If Stoudemire were on the court, the Mavericks would be wary of the Suns' interior offense. The reason they weren't wary was because the Suns' interior offense was truly interior-oriented, not just based on their height as interior players. It was essentially an interior offense played by perimeter players.

Nash didn't have a good passing opportunity, and finally, facing a double team defense, he took a quick and hasty shot, but it didn't work and he hit a hard brick.

The Mavericks have a defensive system? That doesn't make sense!

Nash actively maneuvered, acting as the team's commander and playmaker, creating offensive opportunities within the Mavericks' established game rhythm.

He allowed almost every offensive player on the Suns to take shots, but the offense didn't go smoothly. Instead, the Mavericks dragged the Suns into a chaotic, fragmented, and dull game.

Goodness, under this kind of game rhythm, Nash went 3-for-7, Marion 1-for-3, and Chen Dong only 2-for-4. Throughout the entire third quarter, the Suns only scored 21 points. However, surprisingly, the Mavericks' offense also lost its rhythm.

This wasn't the pace of the game they preferred. Their offensive performance was even worse than the Suns', with only 20 points. Josh Howard was the best player, going 4-for-5, followed by Nowitzki (1-for-4), Damian (0-for-3), and Daniels (1-for-3)... It was like killing eight hundred enemies while losing a thousand of your own.

Clearly, the Mavericks are trying to drag the Suns into a game rhythm they don't suit, and then use their greater depth to defeat them.

Perhaps playing one game in the regular season, or one game every few weeks, is not a big deal. But if it's a playoff series of seven games in a row, with that intensity and pace, the Suns would be lucky to win, let alone ensure that their players don't get injured and finish all the games.

"The Suns may be pulling further and further ahead in scoring, but the Mavericks are strategically several levels above the Suns," Kenny Smith remarked from the commentary booth. "The Mavericks are playing with a playoff rhythm."

At this point, the Suns simply cannot win the game with an easy offense.

In other words, the Suns' winning formula has been destroyed, and now it's time for the Mavericks to dominate...