The Basketball Court Swordsman

The Energy Solution Arena of the Utah Jazz has always been one of the most famous homes of the Devil in the NBA. In addition to the toughness of the Jazz during the Jerry Sloan period, there is another reason for the energy solution arena at an altitude of 1,297 kilometers. Many players are unable to perform at their best in such thin air.

However, the elevation of the Energy Solutions Arena is nothing compared to the Pepsi Center in Denver. The altitude there is directly 1,606 kilometers, and it is the highest home stadium in the NBA.

Many players who are new to the Nuggets will be tortured by the thin air. This includes the very legendary center Mutombo. According to him, he couldn't even complete training when he first arrived in the Nuggets.

However, once you get used to this place, the Nuggets players can turn this place into a nightmare for the enemies in the half.

Yao Ming once said that playing a game in Denver will be very difficult just for a while.

McGrady hates Denver even more, and his words are even more exaggerated: "In the first five minutes of playing in Denver, I felt like I was going to die."

To put it a bit closer, after the Lakers VS Nuggets game this season, even the "humanoid tank" LeBron James also said that the Denver Plateau contained his performance.

Although on the surface, the players playing games at the Pepsi Center seem to rarely show poor performance. But only the players know how uncomfortable it is to play in that place.

Maybe some players can adapt after five minutes, but the five-minute adaptation period is enough to give the Nuggets a great advantage.

Professional players who are strong and fit naturally have no difficulty adapting to the thin air of Denver. But for Henson, a 40-year-old man with an ordinary physique and still suffering from heart disease, it is a bit reluctant to adapt to the height of Denver.

"Boss, how do you feel?" As soon as the plane got off the plane, the players cared about Henson.

In the previous two seasons, whenever he came to Denver to play games, Henson reacted very strongly. After all, as an Eastern Conference team, the Pacers only come to Denver once a season. In the playoffs, Henson does not have to worry about meeting Denver.

But precisely because he only came once a season, Henson has always had a hard time getting used to it.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Henson smiled and waved to everyone, not wanting the team to worry about him. In fact, Henson did feel a lot more comfortable this year, not as strong as the previous two seasons. But if there is no reaction at all, that is impossible.

Although altitude sickness usually occurs when the human body quickly enters an altitude above 3000 meters above sea level, Henson may be a little too sensitive to thin air.

In the first two seasons, Henson had a strong reaction to physical discomfort, but even if he handed over the game directly to Becky Harmon, there would be no problem.

But this year is different. The Denver Nuggets are no longer a lottery team. They have become one of the hegemons of the Western Conference. A team that can compete with the Warriors in the West is naturally not underestimated.

Henson only hopes that he can hold on on the court today and not be blinded by uncomfortable reactions.

In key games, the coach's on-the-spot scheduling is very important. Especially teams like the Nuggets, as long as there is no response at all, they will use fierce attacks to completely bury their opponents.

This season, many teams have suffered at the Pepsi Center. Among them, including the Golden State Warriors!

In any case, this trip to Denver will certainly not make Henson happy.

Nikola Jokic was sitting on the bench. The arena was still empty at this time, and the Nuggets players were actively warming up.

As the team that has the opportunity to compete with the Warriors for No. 1 in the Western Conference this year, the Nuggets, like the Pacers, are unwilling to give up any game victory.

Perhaps the Warriors who have won the championship and 73 wins don't care about the first place in the Western Conference. But the Nuggets are different. They have been silent for too long too long, and they urgently need achievements and honors to prove themselves.

Even with this result, it is only ranked first in the Western Conference during the regular season.

At this point, the Nuggets have done several rounds of warm-ups, and they attach great importance to this game. When Jokic was resting, the visiting team entered.

As soon as Henson led the team into the Pepsi Center, his eyes were unconsciously looking for Jokic. He also paid attention to that magical second-round show, but with the chips at the time, he could only get Siakam instead of Jokic.

Sure enough, most of the people who are optimistic about Henson can be mixed. In Cousins's state is not as good as before, Henson thinks that Jokic is the league's first center, it is not an exaggeration.

Although this guy does not have the excellent running and jumping ability of Embiid and the brilliant dunk performances of Capela and others, he is the most comprehensive.

Coping, three-pointers, ball possession, low-post offense, defense, reading the game... Jokic is very balanced in every ability. To him, cutting off a triple pair is like taking something from a bag.

This season, Jokic averaged 20.5 points, 7.2 assists and 10.8 rebounds per game. Such a versatile skill, not every big guy can beat it.

Finally, Henson saw the amazing big man on the bench in the other half. In the first two seasons, Jokic's performance has not yet had that strong dominance. This year, the white center undoubtedly needs Henson to focus on guarding.

After staring at Jokic for a few moments, Henson's eyes suddenly widened. Because he found that Jokic sitting on the bench had several layers of fat on his stomach...

"Uh... that guy's body is not like an NBA-level professional player..." Henson smiled. The nickname of Human Pork Belly Essence is simply a perfect match for Jokic.

Of course, Henson also knows very well that this seemingly harmless little fat man is not so easy to deal with on the court. Whether or not Jokic can be contained will be the key to Henson's ability to win the game today.

Unlike the containment of most insiders, Henson does not need to send heavy insiders and Jokic in the low post. To really curb Kic's power, it is his passing that needs to be curbed!

The Nuggets are a team that has a very good combination of pass and cut. With Jokic as the high point of support, the Nuggets' pass and cut are very popular.

What Henson has to do is to use excellent defense to contain the Nuggets' offense. After the Nuggets start to get tired, use a fast-paced offense to disrupt the Nuggets' own rhythm.

Although Jokic is versatile, he is always a slow center. Once the tempo is increased, this guy has nothing but to follow and run back and forth.

As long as you grasp the opponent's weakness and amplify it, it is actually not that difficult to defeat No. 1 in the West.

The biggest problem Henson faces now is actually the elevation of the Pepsi Center.

As the head coach, as long as Henson calms down a bit today, don't yell at will, there should be no physical condition.

But the players are different. They need to exercise at this altitude and high load, and their physical fitness will be affected.

At the critical moment, I hope that physical problems will not become a burden to the walkers.

"Nikola Jokic has been in good shape recently. In the last game against the Wizards, he scored 15 points, 8 assists and 14 rebounds in a quasi-triple double. The previous game against the Knicks, 21 points and 6 Assists with 17 rebounds. There is no doubt that Jokic will only be in better shape today."

Before the game started, the commentators were all talking about a topic-Nikolai Jokic.

He is the key to the Nuggets' victory, and it is also the reason why the Nuggets can rank first in the West.

"Of course, in addition to Jokic, Denver's thin air is also a big obstacle for the Pacers. Oh, the starters of both sides have played. Let's see what kind of lineup Coach Henson will put out this time."

The on-site commentator took the starting list in his hand, and compared the starting lineup actually sent by Henson, which was a little disappointed.

Brogdon, Oladipo, Paul George, Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, Henson did not change, but sent a very regular lineup to deal with the West.

"Um...It seems that Coach Henson is very confident. He has not changed today. This lineup is simply too regular. I don't know if Coach Henson's self-confidence can be transformed into a victory."

"Damn, so look down on No. 1 in the West?" On the other side, Nuggets coach Mike Malone pouted.

He was not angry, Mike Malone wanted Henson to look down on himself. Because the more he despised himself, the greater the Nuggets' win.

But in fact, Henson never underestimated his opponent. The reason why he did not change is just because he was afraid of Mike Malone's sudden change of play.

If it turns out that Mike Malone is still fighting with conventional tactics, Henson will be confident and boldly implement his plan.

Champion godfather, it's not so easy to be careless.