Chapter 77: Extra Points After the Game — Won the First Week's Best Player!
In the end, the Suns defeated the visiting Nuggets 111 to 89, securing a dominant victory at home.
Chen Yan had a phenomenal night, shooting 16 of 24 from the field. That included an impressive 14 of 19 on two-pointers, 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, and 6 of 8 at the free-throw line—finishing with a career-high 43 points!
But he wasn't just a scoring machine. Chen Yan's playmaking also turned heads—he dished out 6 assists, many of them dazzling.
Tonight, he proved he wasn't just Phoenix's primary scorer, but also a capable passer.
Ding! Congratulations to the host for securing the win. Reward: 4 honor points!
Ding! Congratulations to the host for helping the team start the season 4–0. Reward: 3 honor points!
Ding! Congratulations to the host for four consecutive 30+ point games. Reward: 4 honor points!
Ding! Congratulations to the host for scoring 40+ points for the first time in your career. Reward: 4 honor points!
As Chen Yan walked down the tunnel toward the locker room, a flurry of system prompts made him grin with excitement.
The more notifications he heard, the more honor points he knew he'd racked up.
A four-game win streak, four straight 30+ point games, and now a 40+ career-high performance—Chen Yan walked away from tonight with a hefty 15 honor points.
Adding those to what he had saved from the previous games, his total rose to 25 honor points.
While taking a shower, Chen Yan opened the system interface and started allocating points.
He first spent 5 honor points to exchange for one attribute point within the [80–85] range, then immediately applied it to his [Three-Point] shooting.
Boom. His [Three-Point] attribute rose to [85].
Another new tier unlocked.
However, once stats reach the [85–90] range, upgrading costs jump—now it takes 10 honor points for just one attribute point.
Chen Yan didn't blindly continue upgrading threes. Instead, he used the remaining 20 honor points to get 4 attribute points, which he put into his [Mid-Range Shot].
With that, his [Mid-Range Shot] attribute also reached [85].
Combined with his passive skill [Perfect Hand Shape], Chen Yan's shooting ability had now reached upper-middle NBA level.
Good shooting would make his drives even deadlier—the two complemented each other beautifully.
After upgrading, he finally glanced at his personal stats panel, which he hadn't opened in a while.
---
Player Profile
Name: Chen Yan
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 93 kg
Wingspan: 218 cm
Standing Vertical: 98 cm
Running Vertical: 105 cm
Attributes:
Ball Handling: 90
Speed: 92
Stamina: 90
Court Vision: 84
Driving: 90
Layup: 85
Mid-Range: 85
Three-Point: 85
Free Throw: 80
Passing: 85
Positioning: 90
Steals: 88
Strength: 76
Rebounding: 61
Defense: 76
Blocks: 68
Spirit: 95
Skills:
God-Level Steal
Answer Crossover
Phantom Step
Hot Start (Passive)
Perfect Hand Shape (Passive)
Circus Finish (Passive)
Passing Maestro Lv1
Honor Points: 0
Overall Grade: A+
---
Chen Yan's skill set was steadily growing. Nearly half of his current abilities were passive, which meant they didn't drain stamina—a huge bonus. His physical condition could handle this load easily.
After the shower, Chen Yan stepped out of the bathroom only to find a reporter already waiting by his locker.
Before he could even sit down, a microphone was shoved in his face.
"Chen! Can you talk about that move where you shook Iverson tonight?"
"Which shake?" Chen Yan asked, genuinely confused. He'd crossed up AI more than once in the game.
"That one…" The reporter paused and hilariously mimicked Chen Yan's crossover right there on the spot.
The whole locker room burst out laughing.
Though the reporter's impersonation was a bit goofy, Chen Yan had a good idea of which play he was referring to.
He just shrugged and said, "Honestly, I didn't think much of it. It was just a basic move. AI's a great defender—he recovered almost instantly after getting shaken. Not every player can do that. I only hit the shot because of my natural talent and body control."
Chen Yan kept things humble—not just out of respect for Iverson, but also because NBA players never know when they'll be the ones ending up in a highlight reel as someone else's "background."
Meanwhile, in the Nuggets' locker room, reporters naturally brought up the play to Iverson as well.
AI didn't dodge the question.
"Yeah, he got me. Hell of a move. I reached to strip the ball, but he beat me by a step. Not many taller guys pull that off on me—he's the first."
"What do you think about fans calling him 'Answer Plus'?"
"That's their call," Iverson said. "But I'm not a fan of the nickname. Chen isn't some 'upgraded version' of anyone. He's his own man. Same goes for all of us."
Even though Iverson was in his 30s now, his attitude hadn't changed—he still spoke from the heart.
He left the locker room soon after, favoring his right hand. It had taken a hit in the fourth quarter. A few hours later, he would undergo an MRI to confirm the injury.
The next day, the Nuggets released an official statement: Iverson had fractured a finger on his right hand.
Chen Yan posted on social media wishing him a speedy recovery, to which Iverson quickly replied:
"You played great last night, bro. See you next game."
Chen Yan closed the app, still thinking about Iverson's guts. The man had played through a broken finger and still scored 4 points in two possessions like it was nothing. That's heart.
Later that day, the NBA announced last week's Players of the Week for both conferences.
The Eastern Conference pick came as a surprise—Danny Granger of the Pacers.
Led by Granger, the Pacers went 3–1 that week. Granger averaged 22.7 points and 8.7 rebounds, quickly becoming Indiana's most reliable scorer.
The Western Conference race was much tighter.
Nominees included Kobe, McGrady, Chris Paul, and Chen Yan.
But the front-runners? T-Mac and Chen Yan.
McGrady had led the Rockets to a 4–0 start, averaging 30.3 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.3 boards. He'd even dropped 47 points on the Jazz!
Normally, McGrady started the season slow and got into rhythm later. But this year? He was locked in from the jump. Rockets fans were already chanting "Championship!" like it was 1995 again.
Chen Yan? He wasn't buying it.
In his mind: Calm down. You've still got to get past the Jazz in the playoffs—never mind the Suns, Mavericks, Lakers, or Spurs.
Chen Yan had also helped the Suns start 4–0, while averaging 35.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a ridiculous 3.3 steals per game. That included his explosive 43-point game against Denver.
And so, the NBA officially named Chen Yan as the Western Conference Player of the Week for the first week of the season!
It was his first major accolade in the NBA.
He became only the second rookie in league history to win Player of the Week in their first week—after none other than Shaquille O'Neal.
Back in 1992–93, rookie Shaq had averaged 25.8 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks in his debut week, leading the Magic to a 3–2 record.
Now, Chen Yan joined that elite club.
Just as the announcement dropped, the system chimed in again:
Side Quest Complete: Congratulations to the host for winning Player of the Week for the first time in your career. Please open the system to claim your reward…
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