Chapter 140: Full Firepower, the Walking Scoring Machine is Online Again!
Dunks are the ultimate morale booster, and Chen Yan's two thunderous slams to start the game instantly lifted the Suns' spirits.
On the bench, Phoenix's substitutes couldn't even sit still—they stood waving towels and dancing in celebration. The Suns weren't just a team with an elite record; they also had one of the liveliest atmospheres in the league.
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On Toronto's third possession, Paul Pierce finally touched the ball.
Despite not being the most popular figure in the locker room, Pierce was still the core of their perimeter offense—eventually, the ball had to find him.
Isolating at the 45-degree wing, Pierce went into his familiar routine. For nearly seven seconds, he probed with deliberate jab steps and shoulder feints. On TV, it looked less like NBA offense and more like an old man warming up at the park.
But appearances could be deceiving—Pierce's style was old-school, yes, but highly effective.
With nine seconds left on the shot clock, he made his move. Two slow steps to the right, then—bang!—a sudden retreat dribble.
Signature step-back.
"Swish!"
Pure. 4–4.
Before Harden even entered the league, Pierce was the king of the step-back jumper. Unlike Harden's unpredictable rhythm, Pierce's was simple, deliberate, and efficient. With his size and strength, he leaned into defenders, absorbed contact, and created just enough space to rise and fire.
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Nash brought the ball up for Phoenix. With no fast break available, he called Stoudemire for a pick-and-roll.
As the defense collapsed on Amare's roll, Nash's eyes stayed glued to him. But just as all five Raptors turned toward the paint, Nash flicked a no-look bounce pass to Chen Yan slashing along the baseline.
Chen Yan caught, exploded, and took flight.
Bargnani stepped up—but too late. Chen Yan powered through the contact, twisted mid-air, and banked it in.
"And-one!"
The whistle blew. Bargnani had tried to foul, but his swipe was soft, barely grazing Chen Yan's arm. Fouling meant stopping the basket, not gifting a three-point play.
Chen Yan walked to the free throw line as the arena erupted.
Chinese fans waved posters with his face, chanting his name in Mandarin. The atmosphere felt almost like a home game in Beijing.
The free throw clanged off the front rim, bounced high, and dropped through.
7–4, Suns.
---
Back came the Raptors. Once again, Pierce demanded the ball. Same setup, same move—fake drive, body bump, retreat jumper.
But just as he rose into his slow, methodical release—snap!
A black shadow soared behind him.
Chen Yan swatted the shot clean, snatching it mid-air.
Pierce froze. When did he get there?!
Chen Yan had studied Pierce's tape. His step-back was deadly in one-on-one, but not without flaws—his release was low, his motion slow. With perfect timing, it was blockable.
Chen turned, sprinting the other way. The court opened up—fast-break, 1-on-0.
Only Calderon gave chase, but the gap was two strides, and Calderon's athleticism was average at best.
Still, Chen suddenly braked, slowing down to tempt contact. He wanted to bait Calderon into a rear-end foul for another and-one.
But Calderon read it perfectly, sidestepping just in time.
No foul, but no problem—Chen glided to the rim for the easy layup.
9–4.
Barkley laughed from the TNT booth. "Calderon almost flew into the stands! That's the first time I've seen someone defend a fast break like that."
Kenny Smith added, "And honestly, Calderon did well—if he didn't, that's another and-one for Chen."
On the next Raptors trip, Bargnani popped outside the arc. Off a pick, he got just enough space to launch—and swished a clean three.
9–7.
His defense might have been tissue-soft, but his shooting touch kept him in the lineup. In a future era, Bargnani's style would've been celebrated; here, it just made him the poster boy for "soft bigs."
--
On the Suns' possession, Chen Yan called for the ball at halfcourt. Nash, recognizing his hot hand, delivered immediately.
Chen patiently waited, using his vision to spot Stoudemire crossing the lane to set a screen. The Raptors switched instantly, leaving Chen isolated against—of all people—Bargnani.
Exactly what he wanted.
Basketball had no mercy for the weak. Stars hunted mismatches, and Chen Yan was no exception.
Bargnani, terrified of Chen's first step, sagged back.
Chen advanced one dribble. Bargnani retreated two.
The space opened wide—too wide to ignore.
Chen stopped on a dime, rose smoothly, and launched from beyond the arc.
The ball traced a perfect rainbow through the Air Canada Centre.
Before it even swished through, Chen and the Suns bench were already celebrating.
"Swish!"
Net. Nothing else.
First three-pointer of the night. Chen Yan's personal tally: 12 straight points.
---
"Holy hell, Chen Yan's showboating again!"
"Bargnani should just step aside and sit under the rim."
"Twelve straight points? This is insane!"
"He looks unstoppable tonight!"
"Full firepower—the walking scoring machine is online again!"
Chen Yan wasn't just back. He was announcing to the league that suspension hadn't slowed him down at all.
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