Chapter 393: Triple Doubles in a Row, A Strong Qualification
Coming out of halftime, China flipped the script.
Instead of trying to trade baskets with Greece, Jonas tightened the screws and made the game about defense. With Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu , Chen Yan, and Sun Dasheng on the floor, China had size, mobility, and enough length to switch and recover without breaking shape.
Greece was clearly caught off guard by the sudden shift. In the third quarter, they scored only 13 points, and for a stretch it felt like China was beating Greece with Greece's own identity, discipline, physicality, and patience.
But Greece adjusted fast.
Early in the fourth, Yiannakis went bold, leaning into a 3 guard look to crack the pressure with spacing and outside shooting. China, meanwhile, hit the wall that had been stalking them all tournament. The legs got heavy, the closeouts got late, and the mental focus started to split between offense and defense.
Greece pounced, strung together a short run, and stole the lead back.
Jonas called timeout, and China finally steadied itself. Chen Yan went back to what kept them alive, drive, collapse the defense, and spray the ball out. By the midpoint of the fourth, he had already posted a triple double with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
It also made history.
He became the first player in Olympic men's basketball to record a triple double in 2 straight games.
Chen Yan did not even have time to register it. The score was still tight, and Greece kept dragging China into uncomfortable decisions with their constant motion and perfect extra pass.
On the sideline, Jonas wrestled with the same dilemma every coach hates. He wanted the win, but he did not want his core players burning their legs out right before the knockout rounds. At the same time, losing this game would directly affect seeding, and seeding could decide your entire path.
In the critical moment, Chen Yan made the choice for everyone.
He saw his teammates fading. So he changed gears.
Earlier, he had been conducting, feeding rhythm to the offense. Now, with the team's efficiency dropping, he understood the truth of the moment, if the others could not finish, he had to finish.
He took the inbounds himself and exploded up the floor.
A spin past Spanoulis, a hard burst into space, then he leaned into Diamantidis and created just enough separation at the top of the arc.
Stop.
Rise.
Fire.
Diamantidis had the tools, 1.96 meters with a 2.16 meter wingspan, the kind of frame built to swallow guards. But Chen Yan's balance was different. He could pull up immediately at full speed and still land the shot with clean mechanics. Diamantidis had to brake first, and by the time he gathered, the ball was already gone.
Swish.
73 to 77.
For a beat, Greece went quiet, not because they were stunned by a 3, but because almost nobody in Europe took that shot off that move. It was an NBA pull up, and Chen Yan had lived in that world.
Greece inbounded quickly. Diamantidis pushed it past half court, took the return pass from Spanoulis, and tried to get downhill.
Slap.
Chen Yan tracked back and stripped it clean on the first step.
Diamantidis threw his hands up and yelled, hoping for a whistle, but the official had a clear angle. All ball.
Chen Yan secured it and surged forward. Greece sprinted back in transition, and Chen Yan slowed 2 steps beyond the arc, eyes scanning.
Yao was still jogging into the play, just crossing inside the 3 point line.
Most people thought Chen Yan was waiting for Yao to set up.
Instead, he raised up and launched another 3, deeper and faster than the last one. No contest arrived in time.
Before the ball even reached the rim, Chen Yan turned and jogged back on defense, calm like he was checking the scoreboard.
He knew it was good.
Swish.
73 to 80.
Wukesong detonated.
The international broadcast booth could barely hold it together.
"He turned before it landed," the play by play voice shouted over the crowd. "That is pure confidence."
The analyst laughed. "When Chen Yan feels it, he does not need confirmation. He already knows."
As Chen Yan crossed half court, Siskauskas ran up beside him, jaw tight.
"You're not going to keep making those," he snapped.
Siskauskas had a fighter's temperament and he hated the swagger.
Chen Yan glanced at him once and answered with 2 simple words.
"Try me."
He did not raise his voice, but the message landed heavier than the trash talk.
Greece's rhythm wobbled after the back to back daggers. On the next possession, they nearly turned it over, and Spanoulis ended up forcing a floater that came up short.
Yi Jianlian secured the rebound and immediately looked for Chen Yan.
The moment Chen Yan touched the ball, Yiannakis barked from the sideline, sharp and urgent.
"Double. No clean looks."
Diamantidis and Siskauskas both jumped to him, Greece's best perimeter defenders by physical profile.
Chen Yan did not pass.
Before the trap could fully close, he took a long step and shoved the ball straight between them, threading the gap like he owned it. He burst through the weak seam, took 1 more long stride, then gathered hard.
The entire arena rose, already reading the ending.
Stop.
Ignite.
Fire.
Swish.
73 to 83.
3 straight 3s, and the net snapped again.
Siskauskas cursed under his breath. He had prayed in midair on that closeout, but it felt like the basketball gods were ignoring him tonight.
Greece had no choice. Timeout.
Siskauskas glanced over as they walked to the huddle, expecting Chen Yan to follow and chirp.
Chen Yan did not bother. He went straight to his bench and took chest bumps from his teammates, businesslike, almost bored, like the job was not finished yet.
…
China held the lead until the final 1 minute and 47 seconds.
Siskauskas cut off a pass, got downhill, and drew a foul on Yao Ming. The whistle was loud, and the hand signal was worse.
Foul number 5.
Yao had to leave the game.
The score at that moment was 80 to 88, China up 8.
Yao hesitated before walking off, like he wanted to tell Chen Yan something, but he swallowed it. He did not want to dump extra pressure onto him in front of the whole building.
Siskauskas hit both free throws.
82 to 88.
China's next possession mattered.
Liu Wei had just checked back in and brought it across half court without rushing, trying to bleed clock and keep the rhythm steady. The awareness was right.
The handle betrayed him.
Slap.
Spanoulis darted in and stole it clean. Liu Wei, panicking and trying to fix the mistake, slapped down hard on Spanoulis's forearm as Spanoulis rose into a shot.
Spanoulis released at the last possible moment.
It banked in.
And 1.
The Greek bench exploded to its feet. They could smell the comeback.
The crowd rained boos, but Spanoulis looked unaffected. He buried the free throw.
85 to 88.
Now the possession truly became the game.
This time, Chen Yan walked the ball over the timeline himself. After what just happened, he was not letting anyone else be responsible for the handle.
Yi Jianlian moved up to set a screen.
Chen Yan waved him off.
In the most critical moments, he trusted the simplest thing, the play with the highest success rate for him.
1 on 1.
Greece refused to give it.
Spanoulis left Liu Wei and sprinted over, doubling with Diamantidis. Greece's message was clear, stop Chen Yan and you win.
Chen Yan did not swing it to Liu Wei. He kept the ball, kept the risk, kept the responsibility.
If Greece flipped this game, it would not only hit the standings. It would punch a hole in the confidence China had built across 3 straight wins.
Chen Yan attacked immediately, before the trap could lock in.
Two quick changes of direction, a sudden burst, and he slipped the pressure. Hop step into the lane, and he lifted a floater over Fotsis.
The arc climbed high, and every heart in the arena climbed with it.
Swish.
The release of sound was instant.
The roar felt like relief more than celebration.
Chen Yan did not celebrate. He knew the math. A 5 point lead with a minute left was not a trophy. It was a warning.
China still had to defend.
Greece used a timeout to draw up their final set. China subbed out Liu Wei for Sun Dasheng to strengthen the perimeter defense.
On the next possession, China locked in, switching, bumping cutters, denying the first option, then the second, then the third. They nearly forced a full 24 second violation.
With the clock bleeding out, Papaloukas had to fling a corner 3.
Clang.
Miss.
Chen Yan sprinted back into the paint to protect the rebound. His timing was perfect, and his instincts were even better. He rose above the crowd and pulled down the golden board.
Wukesong erupted again.
This one sounded like victory.
…
The final score settled at 85 to 92.
Chen Yan finished with 41 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
A third straight triple double, another night with history attached to his name, and most importantly, China's 4th straight win.
Out of the so called Group of Death, and into second place in Group B.
By the time the night ended, the headlines were everywhere. In China, only 1 other story that day could rival the attention, Liu Xiang's withdrawal due to injury.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +50 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]