Chapter 146: The Away Game Turned Into a Home Game, Chen Yan Narrowly Defeated the Raptors!
The Suns walked into halftime with a 63–48 lead.
During the break, the entire arena buzzed about two things:
One—Paul Pierce collapsing in "mysterious pain" and being wheeled out, and two—Chen Yan's jaw-dropping 40 points in just the first half.
Some fans were already daring to imagine the impossible. Could Chen Yan actually challenge Kobe's legendary 81-point game?
It wasn't far-fetched. Since Kobe's 81, that number had become the modern benchmark for individual greatness. Wilt's 100? Sure, it was real, but too far back, too grainy, too mythical. Kobe's 81 was the record players and fans still measured against.
The second half tipped off.
Suns starting five: Nash, Chen Yan, Grant Hill, Diaw, Stoudemire.
Raptors starting five: Calderon, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, Bargnani, Bosh.
Sharp-eyed fans quickly noticed who wasn't there. Pierce. After his "incident" before halftime, he was socially finished for the night. Officially it was an "injury," but everyone knew the truth—he wasn't coming back.
The Suns wasted no time. Nash and Stoudemire executed a perfect pick-and-roll to open the third. Amar'e popped to midrange and let it fly—off the back iron.
Bargnani spun to secure the board… and then—
BOOM!
Chen Yan came flying in from nowhere, crashing straight through Bargnani with a put-back dunk that shook the rim.
With Bosh dragged out of the paint on the pick-and-roll, poor Bargnani was left as the only line of defense. Against Chen Yan, that was no defense at all.
The broadcast crew even cut to a cheeky close-up of Bargnani's shorts before zooming back out, as if to check whether history had repeated itself. The crowd roared with laughter.
Chen Yan was locked in. Transition threes, backdoor cuts, midrange pull-ups—everything dropped.
With 7:56 left in the third, his personal tally already crossed 50.
The Raptors tried to answer with threes of their own. Bargnani splashed one, Calderon another, and for a brief stretch Toronto's shooters kept the game from turning into a total blowout.
Watching at home, Kevin Durant started to sweat.
"No way… is he really about to break Kobe's record?!" Durant muttered, sinking deeper into his couch. "And why aren't they double-teaming him?!"
On the court, Toronto finally threw two bodies at Chen Yan—Bosh and Anthony Parker collapsed hard out of a pick-and-roll.
Chen Yan didn't care. He rose between them and drilled a jumper right in their faces.
Durant went silent. This isn't defense. This is paper mache.
Midway through the third, Chen Yan switched gears. Instead of pounding the ball, he moved off it, running defenders ragged through screens. It saved energy and made him even deadlier.
He curled off a Diaw pick, caught Nash's pass, and rose without hesitation.
"Splash!"
Another three. Another dagger.
"He's at 55!" a fan screamed.
"This is insane, it looks like he's just drinking water out there!"
"Why isn't Sam Mitchell trapping him? This is literally how Kobe got 81!"
"Hahaha, nah, don't double him. Let him cook all night. This is beautiful."
The Suns hit Toronto with a 10–0 run, ballooning the lead to 26. With under a minute left in the third, Raptors diehards were already filing out.
But the Chinese fans weren't leaving. They were too busy turning the Air Canada Centre into Chen Yan's house. Ordinary Raptors fans even started joining in, swept up by the energy.
On one possession, Chen Yan sized up Anthony Parker. A quick fake right, then a hard crossover left. Parker stayed with him step-for-step. For once, he didn't bite.
But Chen Yan wasn't done. He spun at the free-throw line, gave Parker a light bump to clear space, and rose smoothly into a jumper.
"Swish!"
Parker stumbled backward. The shot was pure.
63 points.
And with that, the Raptors' home crowd exploded in cheers.
Viewers at home rubbed their eyes.
"Wait—what? Aren't they in Toronto?!"
"The whole building's cheering for Chen Yan!"
"This isn't an away game anymore. It's his home court!"
"Just wait, the MVP chants are coming."
The third quarter closed 93–62. The game was over in everything but name.
On the bench, cameras zoomed in on Chen Yan as the graphic flashed:
Chen Yan — 63 points in three quarters
Raptors team — 62 points in three quarters
"63 to 62," Charles Barkley cackled in the TNT studio. "Chen Yan just beat the entire Raptors roster by one point!"
With the blowout secured, D'Antoni rested all his starters in the fourth.
Final score: Suns 119, Raptors 79.
Durant quietly turned off his TV. He didn't need to check the morning papers. He already knew whose name would be splashed across every headline.
Chen Yan's.
The only thing Durant could be thankful for… was that he hadn't played tonight. At least his own headlines wouldn't get stolen—this time.
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