Chapter 60 – The New Season Begins: A War of Words with Pierce!
October 5.
The Suns tipped off their first preseason game at home in the America West Arena, squaring off against the Houston Rockets, featuring the much-hyped Yao-McGrady duo.
Since the Summer League was held in Las Vegas, this marked Chen Yan's first time wearing the Suns jersey on home turf. The atmosphere was electric. Tickets had sold out three days ago—fans were buzzing, eager to witness the debut of their new rising star.
The game was also promoted as a "Chinese Derby," a showdown between China's two biggest basketball names.
But in the end? Just hype. Pure marketing fluff.
Yao Ming only played 8 minutes, going 1-for-1 from the field. He barely broke a sweat—mostly just jogging up and down to get a feel for game rhythm. Meanwhile, Chen Yan saw 17 minutes of action and dropped 15 points. Efficient as hell.
Coach D'Antoni was still fine-tuning rotations. He experimented a lot—sometimes sending in full line changes, other times mixing starters and bench players. Despite the scattered minutes, Chen Yan made the most of every second, lighting it up when he touched the floor.
Oddly enough, Yao and Chen never shared the court. Their minutes didn't overlap, so the so-called "Chinese Derby" ended up being more of a fantasy matchup than reality. The fans didn't get the two of them facing off.
As for McGrady? He clocked just 11 minutes, hit 1 of 3 shots. Didn't really try—just checked the preseason box.
That's how it is. Preseason's not about winning—it's about getting warm, getting a feel, and easing into the grind. No coach is risking their stars this early.
After the game, Chen Yan took Yao out to dinner. Last time in Houston, Yao treated him. This time in Phoenix, it was Chen's turn to return the favor.
Throughout the rest of the preseason, D'Antoni kept tinkering. He gave Barea, Azubuike, and Matt Barnes a lot of run, mixing them into different lineups to test chemistry.
Chen Yan remained consistent—every time he played, he delivered. Efficient buckets, smart reads, unselfish play.
He didn't chase numbers. It was preseason—dropping 50 or 100 points wouldn't mean anything if it didn't translate to real chemistry. Instead, he focused on building rapport with Nash and Diaw, two elite playmakers. Their passing IQ was off the charts, and Chen knew syncing up with them was the key to thriving in Phoenix's run-and-gun system.
The Suns wrapped up the preseason with a solid 6–2 record. One week later, the regular season would begin.
During training camp and the preseason, newcomers like Barea, Azubuike, and Barnes showed promise. But everyone knew—real trust from teammates came from proving it in the regular season… and the playoffs.
That included Chen Yan.
Honestly, Chen thought his Summer League earnings were already bad. But preseason? Even worse. Eight games earned him just 3 honor points. Brutal.
He added them to the 8 points he earned from the Summer League—11 total.
After thinking it through, he cashed in 10 honor points for two attribute upgrades in the 80–90 range and dumped both into his three-point shooting.
Phoenix's offensive system ran on threes. Period. If you couldn't shoot from deep, you were a liability. So Chen locked in on that.
[Personal Panel]
Name: Chen Yan
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 93 kg
Wingspan: 218 cm
Standing Vertical: 98 cm
Max Vertical: 105 cm
Ball Handling: 90
Speed: 92
Stamina: 90
Court Vision: 84
Drive: 90
Layup: 85
Mid-Range: 81
Three-Point: 82
Free Throw: 80
Passing: 85
Positioning: 90
Steal: 88
Strength: 76
Rebounding: 60
Defense: 76
Blocking: 68
Spirit: 95
Skills:
God-Level Steal
Answer Crossover
Magic Shadow
Hot Start (Passive)
Perfect Touch (Passive)
Honor Points Remaining: 1
Overall Rating: A+
Some other stats had ticked up slightly as well—progress from months of sweat in the gym.
Chen closed his panel, eyes gleaming. He was ready. All that was left now was the opening tip.
---
November 1. Opening Night.
The Suns were hosting the Toronto Raptors in the season opener.
Last season, the Raptors had finished 6th in the East. But this year, they'd added Paul Pierce, giving them a serious upgrade in firepower and veteran presence.
Alongside rising star Chris Bosh, and solid pieces like TJ Ford, Jose Calderon, and Andrea Bargnani, this new-look Raptors squad had the media buzzing. Many picked them as the dark horse of the East.
At the pregame press conference, Pierce and Bosh showed up representing the Raptors.
"Paul," one reporter asked, "Tonight marks your debut in a Raptors jersey—and also the NBA debut of Suns rookie, Chen Yan. Got any thoughts on the kid?"
Pierce didn't flinch. "Never heard of him," he said flatly. "Maybe ask me about someone I actually know… like Nash."
The room stiffened.
The reporter tried again. "You're known as one of the most complete scorers in the league, and Chen has drawn a lot of praise for his scoring too—especially after breaking NCAA records. Between you two, who do you think puts up more points tonight?"
Pierce's face turned cold.
He was still salty about how things ended in Boston over the summer. Now these clowns were comparing him to a rookie? A kid who hadn't even logged a single NBA minute?
"What kind of question is that?" he snapped. "Y'all serious? This guy's never played a game in the league, and you're already putting him next to me? That's disrespect. You wanna compare stats? Let the kid earn it first."
The room went dead quiet.
Even Bosh looked uncomfortable, craning his neck like he wanted to disappear.
Word of Pierce's comments reached Chen Yan quickly.
Chen understood how the media worked. Stirring the pot. But that didn't mean he'd just take the shot without swinging back.
He smiled coolly.
"Pierce is right. I'm not worthy of being compared to him," he said. "I mean, I'll never achieve what he did—getting stabbed thirteen times in thirty-five seconds and surviving it."
Laughter exploded in the media room.
Pierce had famously survived a nightclub stabbing back in 2000—taking 11 hits, with 2 misses counted by Chen for dramatic effect. That night, Pierce had scrapped with some gangsters over a girl and nearly died. But he recovered, came back tougher than ever.
Still, Chen's jab hit hard. Too smooth, too quick.
If Pierce heard it?
He'd probably blow a gasket.
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