CHAPTER 475: CHAPTER 387: THE MASTERFUL TRIO

Jokic first, followed by Butler.....

And finally, Zeng Xingyang.

When it was Zeng Xingyang’s turn, the DJ announced: "Let’s welcome the All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-NBA, Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, and the owner of this arena!!!.....Zeng....Xingyang!"

Zeng Xingyang’s entrance electrified the scene, and all the fans were cheering.

"Clack clack clack!!"

All eyes were on him, with virtually every camera in the arena aimed at Zeng Xingyang.

This 21-year-old has become the top superstar in the NBA!

The Jazz’s rookie Mitchell looked at all of this with envy.

He wanted to attain the same status as Zeng Xingyang.

The feeling was incredibly cool.

As if knowing Mitchell was envious, Rubio patted Mitchell on the shoulder and said, "Rookie, when you win Regular Season MVP and Finals MVP, you’ll have this status too."

"I definitely will," Mitchell said firmly. "Starting with beating them tonight."

Before the game, the Nuggets held a championship ring ceremony, and Harris and Grant would receive their rings when the Nuggets played on the road.

The Pepsi Center in Denver raised its first championship banner!!

Most of last season’s championship team members were still with the team, and they all felt a sense of pride.

Xiao Ding and Dillon weren’t as touched, but during this time, they felt the reason why the Nuggets were so strong.

Besides having great strength, the Nuggets were extremely united.

Both Zeng Xingyang and Jokic were very selfless and dared to take responsibility on the court.

After receiving the rings, Zeng Xingyang went to the commentary table and gave shoulder bumps and hugs to legendary stars like Barkley, Smith, Reggie Miller, and O’Neal.

Barkley said, "Zeng, looks like you guys are well-prepared. I hope to see an exciting game tonight."

Zeng Xingyang nodded. The number of nationally broadcasted games for the Nuggets this season surpassed those of the Warriors, Knicks, Lakers, and other teams, so he wouldn’t lack opportunities to meet these legends.

O’Neal laughed and said, "I’ll be rooting for Utah, hope you don’t mind."

Zeng Xingyang shrugged and laughed, "You can pray they hold on a bit longer."

Miller chuckled, "Don’t get too complacent, or you might get upset."

Zeng Xingyang replied, "I’ve never been complacent, so there won’t be any upsets."

After greeting the commentators, Zeng Xingyang went over to Jokic, and they performed a hand gesture routine.

This was a kind of entrance ceremony they came up with during their time in Serbia.

All ceremonies concluded.

Both teams’ starters took the court.

The Jazz’s starters were: Rubio, Mitchell, Ingles, Favors, Gobert.

In July, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Rubio to the Jazz for a first-round draft pick.

The Jazz acquired Rubio hoping he could get the team running smoothly.

This Jazz team had good defense; almost no position would be a weak point.

Of course, that’s for other teams; for the Nuggets, their defensive weaknesses were quite apparent.

Gobert became a top-tier big man last season, averaging 14 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. His characteristics were clear—rim protection and rebounding, both top-notch. As for his offense, he could only finish lobs and grab a second-chance rebound here and there.

Jump ball between Gobert and Jokic.

Gobert easily tapped the ball with his height advantage.

Rubio controlled the ball, directly matching up with Zeng Xingyang.

Rubio, also a veteran, knew how strong Zeng Xingyang’s defense was. After reaching the frontcourt, he quickly passed the ball to the right side to Ingles.

Ingles faced Siakam but found no opportunity and passed to Gobert.

Gobert was even less able to make a play and passed the ball out to the perimeter to Mitchell.

Mitchell took the ball and faced Butler.

Butler shouted at Mitchell, "Rookie, I’ll take good care of you."

Mitchell didn’t back down but instead executed a series of dribbling crossovers facing Butler.

Butler stuck close, and Mitchell moved right with a forced drive, stepped back after planting his foot, and attempted a long two-pointer.

The shot was very difficult.

But Mitchell demonstrated his strong shooting ability.

"Swish!"

"Good shot," Zeng Xingyang couldn’t help but say.

Despite being only a third-year player, perhaps due to his mature mindset, Zeng Xingyang watched Mitchell play with a sense of watching a kid play.

The shot was incredibly challenging, managing to make it against Butler’s defense—none of the young Nuggets players might possess that kind of ability.

Mitchell punched the air emphatically, gaining a huge boost in confidence from that shot.

Butler shook his head, refraining from talking more trash. Although the opponent was just a rookie, he could sense there was something unique about this guy.

A shooting guard picked at the 13th pick—maybe it’s best not to underestimate that pick.

Nuggets on offense.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled to advance to the frontcourt, calmly passing the ball to Butler.

After receiving the ball, Butler initiated a pick-and-roll with Jokic.

Butler broke through on the right side, with Gobert and Mitchell both defending him.

Butler passed the ball to Jokic in the middle.

Seeing Favors come over to help, and unable to fully rid himself of interference, Jokic chose to fling the ball away.

Zeng Xingyang caught the ball outside the left three-point line and executed a fake three-point shot.

Rubio flew up, leaving a wide-open path for Zeng Xingyang, who didn’t hesitate a bit and charged in for a clean tomahawk dunk.

"Boom!!"

Zeng Xingyang’s jumping height was incredibly high, with his head even above the rim at the apex.

The score was quickly tied.

"Beautiful fake, the Nuggets demonstrated very fluid coordination right from the start."

"That offense was very easy."

Barkley shouted.

Both O’Neal and Miller couldn’t help but clap.

Indeed, from the first possession, one could see the intensity difference between the two teams.

The Jazz were forced into tough opportunities, whereas the Nuggets players handled the ball on the court with finesse.

The initiated plays were simple and effective, passing to teammates when there was no personal opportunity.

Butler, Jokic, and Zeng Xingyang were all players with high basketball IQs, and the chemistry among the three was superb.

This scenario might often show up this season.

Although Gobert looked taller than Jokic, he was very passive, seemingly unable to grasp the defensive focus.

The Jazz were on offense again.

Gobert came up to set a pick for Mitchell.

After the pick, Gobert rolled down, and Mitchell passed with a bounce pass.

Mitchell wasn’t too familiar with Gobert yet, but he assumed Gobert could just grab this and dunk.

However, Gobert’s movements were too clumsy; he chose to dribble after catching the ball.

As a result, Jokic directly stripped the ball.

"Smack!"

Zeng Xingyang quickly controlled the ball, followed by a pass to the fast-breaking Butler.

Butler also executed a two-handed slam.....