Chapter 295: Unreasonable Chen Is Online
The Spurs opened their offense.
Tim Duncan set an off ball screen for Michael Finley.
Early on, the Stone Buddha focused more on helping teammates than hunting his own shot. He leaned into Chen Yan, blocking his path and freeing Finley to curl out beyond the three point line.
Amar'e Stoudemire was a beat late on the switch, never his strength to begin with.
Finley saw daylight in the corner and rose without hesitation for a three pointer.
He was the Spurs second most frequent three point shooter this season, launching 4.4 attempts per game, just behind Manu Ginobili's 5.3.
But this time, he could not cash in.
Bang.
The ball clanged off the side of the rim.
Stoudemire and Chen Yan both left the floor for the rebound, but Chen's quicker reaction won out. He snatched the board in front of his own big man.
The moment he landed, Chen Yan turned and exploded up court.
"Get back, do not reach, just get in position!" Popovich barked from the sideline.
He did not need to say it twice. None of the Spurs dared gamble for a strip. Everyone in the league knew Chen Yan's handle was on nightly highlight tapes.
Just like in the previous games, San Antonio sacrificed the offensive glass and sprinted back to set their defense.
Bowen, Parker, Oberto, and Duncan were the first to retreat and wall off their own half.
Finley, who had just launched from the corner, could not recover in time.
Chen Yan continued to push the ball straight down the middle.
Steve Nash flared out to Chen's left.
Since Chen joined the Suns, their fast break had evolved. It was no longer a one man push. With both Nash and Chen capable of initiating, Phoenix had more layers in transition.
Nash broke toward the left wing at a 45 degree angle.
Tony Parker chased him immediately. Everyone understood how dangerous Nash was from deep. He was the one Suns player you simply could not leave.
From any tactical perspective, it looked like the smart play was for Chen Yan to slow down and wait for help.
Instead, in an instant, Chen dipped his shoulder and exploded past Bowen.
Pure acceleration. No hesitation, no dance.
Oberto and Duncan were already parked in the lane, one stepping up, one dropping back, ready to sandwich him at the rim.
Chen instantly triggered Shadow Trace.
With lightning quick footwork, he zigzagged through the narrow gap between them, his steps almost gliding over the paint.
Oberto reached back and raked across Chen's arm instead of the ball.
Off balance, Chen Yan launched a one handed toss toward the glass, body twisting in the air.
These improvisational releases were his specialty.
The moment the ball left his fingers, Jugglery End activated.
The whistle shrieked.
The ball bounced softly off the rim, rolled once, then dropped cleanly through the net.
"And one!"
Chen let out a roar, lifting both arms high, feeding off the crowd and giving it right back to them.
America West Arena answered with a wall of sound.
In the TNT booth, Charles Barkley could not hold back.
"Now that is how you start a game," Barkley shouted. "Four Spurs already back, they think they got him bottled up, and he still goes straight through the chest of the defense. That is big time."
Kenny Smith nodded, his tone measured but impressed. "Yeah, that is all individual talent right there. This is not even a pure fast break. San Antonio is set, but Chen still gets to the rim, absorbs the contact, finishes, and gets the foul. That is elite stuff."
Swish.
Chen Yan stepped to the line and drilled the free throw.
He had 5 points in a row and the noise inside the building climbed even higher.
San Antonio came back the other way.
The moment Duncan caught the ball on the block, the Suns sent the second defender.
He could not turn, but his vision and patience still allowed him to pick out open teammates.
That was Phoenix's game plan on defense. They were willing to live with Spurs role players shooting from the perimeter. What they refused to do was let San Antonio pound them in the paint all night.
If they were going to lose, it would be to jumpers, not post ups.
The ball swung to Bruce Bowen, wide open on the right side at about a 60 degree angle.
He rose for a three.
Bang.
Another miss.
Two clean looks, two empty trips for Spurs shooters to start the game.
On the sideline, Popovich's expression darkened.
The Suns ran again.
Chen brought the ball up the middle. Once more, the Spurs completely abandoned the offensive glass, all five jerseys flooding back.
The sequence felt like a replay of the last possession.
This time, though, something in the Spurs defense had clearly changed.
"The Spurs are in a 2 3 zone now," Kenny observed right away on the TNT broadcast. "They are trying to wall off the paint and take away Chen's drives. He has already attacked the lane hard on 2 straight possessions."
As Chen crossed half court, he could see the floor was unusually open in front of him.
He recognized the look instantly. San Antonio was daring him to shoot from deep and trying to close the rim.
Give up the three to stop his penetration?
Chen almost laughed to himself. Did they really think that would solve their problem?
From roughly 2 meters behind the arc, right on the center circle logo, Chen pulled up on the move and let it fly.
The shot was even more decisive than the bombs he had taken in Game 3 and Game 4. It was not just better rhythm. The Status Boost Card had his body in perfect shape and his confidence at full charge.
Bowen, camped at the three point line, froze for half a beat when he saw Chen rise from that distance, then lunged forward and raised a hand.
On camera, it looked like a desperate, all out contest. In reality, he was still 2 full strides away. He never got close enough to bother the release.
The ball cut through the air in a tight spiral, then dropped straight through.
Swish.
8 to 0.
The purest sound in basketball echoed through America West Arena.
The home crowd went wild. No matter how many times they had already seen this shot in the series, every new one still hit like a shockwave.
Online, fans were just as hyped as the people in the building.
"Oh my God, another deep bomb."
"That three was filthy."
"He is pulling these every game now. Has this become a regular weapon?"
"Chen just opened with 8 straight. He might go nuclear tonight."
"The Spurs defense looks off."
"It is not their defense, it is Chen's offense that is insane."
"Irrational drives, irrational threes."
As many fans pointed out, the Spurs were most afraid of players who looked irrational but still scored anyway.
San Antonio was the league's master of control. If you tried to beat them within the normal patterns of the game, within their rules and rhythm, they could usually find a way to smother you.
But when an offensive player drifted to the opposite extreme, breaking the script with wild looking, unconventional choices that kept working, the Spurs were the ones who grew uncomfortable.
That was why their fans never liked seeing Kobe on the other side.
Chen Yan was cut from the same cloth. Once he heated up, every decision came straight from feel and instinct. Even he did not know exactly which move he would choose on the next possession.
If he could not predict himself, the Spurs had no chance.
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