116

Chapter 116 Away Challenge to the Nuggets! Anthony's Persistence

When it comes to Denver, the first thing that comes to fans' minds is altitude sickness.

Then the Nuggets come to mind.

Since drafting Carmelo Anthony in 2003, the Nuggets have made the playoffs, but have been eliminated in the first round every year.

In the 2006-2007 season, the Nuggets completed a deal that shocked the entire league, trading Iverson from the 76ers.

As a representative of the 96 golden generation, Iverson is a superstar in the league and the youth of a generation of fans.

He once led the 76ers to the finals, and even defeated the powerful Lakers led by the OK combination on his own.

That game was also the only one the Lakers lost in the playoffs that year.

There is no doubt that Iverson possesses the best offensive ability in NBA history, and his four-time scoring champion is the best proof of this.

Anthony is also making continuous progress, averaging 31.2 points per game in the 2006 season!

The Nuggets management is counting on Iverson and Anthony to form the strongest firepower in the league to improve their performance.

But the chemistry between the two was not ideal.

Although there is no decline in statistics, the two have indeed become one of the most offensively talented combinations in NBA history.

But most of the time they were fighting alone, and the constant one-on-one play prevented other players on the team from performing well.

This also led to the Nuggets' unsatisfactory performance and continued to be eliminated in the first round.

Today, this is their sixth year in the first round.

The first-round curse is more powerful than the Rockets.

Facing such an opponent, many American media also made pre-match predictions.

There is no suspense about the outcome of the game, but the two matchups between Anthony vs. Jiang Chen and Iverson vs. Kobe are full of highlights.

Iverson and Kobe are both from the 1996 generation and have been rivals for many years.

The two of them respect each other and encourage each other. It can be said that they appreciate each other and fight each other with all their might.

Jiang Chen and Anthony had already faced off against each other during the Olympics.

But Anthony mostly played the role of a three-point shooter who opened up space for the U.S. team, and his strength was not truly demonstrated.

After all, Anthony's offensive skills had already reached a high level in college and he was known as the "offensive kaleidoscope."

So this game is also highly anticipated by fans!!

Of course, what tests the Lakers is not only the two superstars of the Nuggets, but also Denver's altitude sickness.

After flying to Denver, we completed the hotel check-in process.

Head coach Phil Jackson called the players together to complete two rounds of training to adapt to the altitude sickness in advance and prepare for tomorrow's game.

At the same time, the Nuggets were also training in another arena.

The training is coming to an end.

Most of the players began to rest, only Anthony continued to practice, standing two steps away from the top of the arc, shooting three-pointers continuously.

But the hit rate is somewhat dismal.

Anthony frowned from time to time, and was very dissatisfied with his shooting performance.

"Dude, what are you doing? You're going to have a low hit rate shooting a three-pointer from such a long distance!"

Seeing this, Iverson walked over with curiosity in his eyes.

"I want to improve my three-point shooting ability. Jiang Chen, the Chinese rookie, can shoot three-pointers easily near the logo with a very high hit rate!"

Anthony said, with a strong desire in his eyes.

Only by improving yourself and having the shooting ability like Jiang Chen can you become stronger.

It will also allow him to be less passive in his matchup with Jiang Chen tomorrow.

"Hey, man, relax a little. I've watched one or two of Jiang Chen's games. He's really good at shooting three-pointers, but he can't be so accurate in every game!"

"No one in this league can keep his three-point shooting percentage above 50% in every game."

"Not even Ray Allen."

Iverson shook his head and said he didn't care.

Maybe Jiang Chen is very strong, but how strong can he be? Can he still turn the tables?

It's not surprising to occasionally score 40 or 50 points in a game or two.

After all, his scoring ability is also capable of achieving god-level performances such as scoring 50 points in two consecutive games.

"But in his last game against the Rockets, facing Artest's defense, he scored 49 points!"

"He scored 44 points in the opening game. If you count his score in the Olympics, he has scored over 40 points in several games in a row!"

Anthony said seriously, and was shocked in his heart.

Because he was defeated by Jiang Chen and witnessed Jiang Chen's great performance in the Olympics, Anthony paid special attention to Jiang Chen's performance in the NBA and watched all of his games.

But Iverson had never played against Jiang Chen directly. He only watched game videos or read some news, so he had no intuitive experience.

Even so, when Iverson heard Anthony say Jiang Chen scored another 49 points, he was obviously stunned.

"That doesn't matter. Although this Chinese player has great offensive ability, his defense is average!"

"I will use my sharp breakthrough to penetrate Jiang Chen's defense and smash him into a sieve!"

"The one we really have to focus on is Kobe. When he starts to explode, no one on this planet can limit him."

Iverson said this very confidently, and when he mentioned his old rival, there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

"I hope so!"

Anthony murmured, knowing that Jiang Chen's defense was indeed average, but once he exploded, his defensive ability was also very terrifying.

He continued to devote himself to training and practiced long-range three-point shooting tirelessly.

Even though it was difficult, he wanted to incorporate this skill into his regular arsenal.

Once he has the ability to shoot from a distance, his offensive ability will be raised to a higher level!

BANG!

BANG!

The training hall was filled with the sound of Anthony's iron...

If Jiang Chen were here, he would definitely persuade Anthony.

Perhaps years of hard work can give you a certain ability to shoot long three-pointers, but for the average player, this is unlikely to become a regular weapon.

In the future, Curry will occasionally shoot ultra-long-range three-pointers, relying on his talent.

And Jiang Chen relies on... cheats, which are beyond human power!

...

The next day, two hours before the game.

The Pepsi Center, the home arena of the Denver Nuggets, is already packed with people.

Regardless of the team's record, the Nuggets, with two superstars, are also one of the teams with the highest attendance.

After all, Iverson and Anthony both have strong personal appeal and are the team's box office guarantee!

Time passes.

Accompanied by the huge cheers from the fans, the players from both teams ran out from the player tunnel.

The game is about to begin!