Chapter 398: Stable as a Machine
"What a shot," one of the commentators said, voice crisp as the ball dropped through. "He drives in, then circles back out and buries the 3. Spain never saw it coming."
His co-commentator piled on immediately. "To keep hitting 3s after that many quick changes of direction, that's pure individual skill."
If Chen Yan scored an easy basket, it was "smart basketball." If he hit something ridiculous, it was "individual skill." Either way, Commentators always found a way to make it sound like Chen Yan was doing advanced calculus while everyone else was still counting fingers.
…
Spain's next possession went through Calderón. He crossed half court and swung it to Navarro, who ran a pick and roll with Jiménez and turned the corner hard toward the paint.
Yi Jianlian switched onto him and stayed glued to his hip.
Navarro underestimated Yi's mobility. He accelerated all the way to the baseline and floated a high arcing attempt, thinking he could loft it over the contest.
Swat.
Yi exploded from the side like a missile and sent it away with a volleyball style block, clean and violent, the ball slapped out of the air like it owed him money.
In pure run and jump terms, Yi was elite even by NBA standards. Navarro was not getting a free advantage there.
Wukesong erupted. Chen Yan and Zhu took turns slapping Yi's hand. That block did more than save 2 points, it jolted the entire building awake.
Yi's eyes were sharp, almost burning. He had been active on both ends early, and you could feel his confidence rising by the possession.
Spain inbounded from the baseline with the clock bleeding down. The ball moved quickly, Reyes took a midrange look, and it rimmed out.
Yao Ming controlled the rebound, and Chen Yan reached for the outlet.
Spain sprinted back in transition. No fast break. Chen Yan slowed at the top of the arc and organized.
China spaced the floor. Everyone was clearing lanes for Chen Yan because his 1 on 1 success rate was simply higher than anyone else on the roster.
Chen Yan went right at Navarro near the high post. A few crossovers, then a long drag step created half a step of daylight. He followed it with a pose fake that shifted Navarro's balance, then he drove.
Spain's defense collapsed immediately. They were never planning to stop him with 1 body, and they could not.
Chen Yan's Olympic run had been impossible to ignore. By this point, he was sitting near the top of every major category people cared about, and a few they did not even know existed.
Scoring leader. Assist leader. Steals leader. 3 point leader. Top isolation efficiency.
With the tournament almost finished, those rankings were not likely to move.
As Chen Yan took his first step into the gap, he kicked the ball to Zhu at the left wing, the 45 degree angle outside the arc.
He had read Spain's rotation and refused to walk into a trap. He moved the defense first, then moved the ball. Simple, ruthless, professional.
Zhu caught, took 1 dribble to settle his feet, and rose.
Swish.
Clean.
7 to 10.
Zhu raised his hand and pointed right back at Chen Yan. That shot was comfortable because Chen Yan's pressure had forced the defense to bend.
Drive and kick sounded easy, but no one on China could make it look that automatic. Not because they lacked heart, but because they did not have Chen Yan's first step, his gravity, and his ability to draw 2 defenders without even asking.
On the sideline, Jonas nodded. China's start was balanced. Unlike the Argentina game where Chen Yan had to carry everything, China's first 10 points came from 4 different players. That was exactly the kind of sign a coach prayed for.
…
Spain stayed in the half court. Pau Gasol operated as a screen hub, Reyes made his signature cut, and Yao Ming held the paint.
Reyes tried to slip behind, Yao stayed big and vertical, and the official whistled a foul on Yao.
"Yao, watch your fouls," Chen Yan said as he walked over.
Last game, foul trouble had turned Yao's night into a stop and start nightmare.
Yao nodded once. "I know. I'll be careful."
Yao was smart. He was not stepping in the same hole twice.
Reyes made both free throws.
9 to 10.
…
China's next possession. Spain's defense spread out more now. China had hit 2 early 3s, and it forced Spain to respect every perimeter touch.
Liu Wei brought it up, then swung it to Chen Yan. Chen Yan fed Yao Ming at the high post and started moving without the ball.
Yao could attack from there, or he could become the pivot that made everything flow. Either way, he mattered.
Chen Yan ran along the baseline. Yao glanced at him, then chose the safer read and fired it to Zhu on the weak side because Spain's eyes were clearly following Chen Yan.
Zhu let it fly again.
Clang.
Miss.
Spain looked to run, but China sprinted back and walled it off. No cheap points.
This team's confidence had climbed over the last week. They were not afraid of Spain's name anymore. They dared to shoot on offense, and they dared to meet contact on defense.
Calderón slowed it down and went half court again. Off the pick and roll, Pau Gasol missed a midrange jumper.
Now both teams started clanking.
This was a bronze medal game. Every cut got bumped. Every catch got hit. Under that level of contact, nobody was staying hot forever.
Over the next 2 and a half minutes, China managed only 1 made field goal from Chen Yan. Spain did not make a single field goal, living at the line instead.
The first quarter ended as a grind.
24 to 22, China up 2.
…
In the second quarter, Spain brought in their young weapons, Rubio and Fernández. They wanted pace, chaos, and a fresh look, hoping the kids could crack China's defense.
It didn't work.
Fernández, in particular, had a brutal stretch, 0 for 3 with 2 turnovers in just 3 minutes. One fast break ended with Chen Yan erasing his shot straight into the backboard, like the rim had suddenly moved out of the way to avoid embarrassment.
Spain reacted fast and without sentiment. The moment the experiment failed, they pulled the plug, bringing Pau Gasol, Navarro, and Calderón back early.
With Pau back, Spain adjusted. Instead of wrestling with Yao in the paint, he floated to the high post and leaned into jumpers, the same kind of approach Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer used when they wanted to drag Yao away from the rim.
On the other end, Spain used Marc Gasol's size to body Yao, forcing him to fight for every inch.
The plan was obvious.
Wear Yao down on both ends.
It worked in spots. Yao felt the attention, the constant contact, the push and pull. But Chen Yan stayed efficient, kept producing, and kept China just ahead on the scoreboard.
Halftime.
49 to 45, China up 4.
Chen Yan's line at the break was exactly what it looked like, machine work.
8 for 13 from the field. 3 for 4 from 3. 3 for 3 at the line.
22 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block.
From the group stage to the bronze medal game, he had not wobbled once.
Stable as a machine.
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