Chapter 414: Mr. 70, A Gentleman Loves Points, But Earns Them Cleanly
At halftime, Westbrook's face was tight with frustration.
He rarely wore his emotions so openly, but tonight Chen Yan had come dangerously close to cracking his confidence.
Yi Jianlian noticed it and, after a moment's hesitation, walked over.
"Russell, don't look like that," Yi said, trying his best. "There's nothing to be frustrated about. You'll get used to Chen's… crazy scoring."
Yi was not the comforting type. His tone was honest, almost flat, and it somehow made Westbrook feel worse, like the universe had officially confirmed he was getting outplayed.
…
The second half started, and Chen Yan stayed in rhythm.
His teammates could feel it too. Screens came harder, angles were sharper, and every possession looked like it was designed to feed him oxygen. Phoenix pushed the pace, hunted matchups, and turned defensive rebounds into runway lights.
Chicago called timeout after timeout. Their goal was clear, slow the game down, make Chen Yan work, and drag Phoenix into half court possessions.
When play resumed, the pressure did rise. Chen Yan felt bodies leaning, hands reaching, help shading earlier. So he simplified.
No extra dribbles. No unnecessary heat checks. Cleaner reads, better shots.
That quarter, he went 5 for 6 from the field, 3 for 3 from deep, and 2 for 2 at the line, a casual 15 points on near perfect efficiency.
He did not even take many shots, yet he still outscored everyone on the floor.
The Bulls had already stopped letting Westbrook be the primary defender. Hinrich tried, Ben Gordon tried, and the result looked the same. Chicago simply did not have an elite stopper. Without trapping him with multiple bodies, they could not keep him from getting to his spots.
Phoenix won the quarter by 6.
After 3 quarters, it was 95 to 74, and the lead had ballooned past 20.
On TNT, Kenny leaned forward. "Chen has 55 through 3. He's getting 60 tonight."
Barkley nodded, half laughing. "If he plays the whole 4th, he might mess around and hit 70."
Kenny raised a finger. "It depends on whether Chicago can keep this from turning into garbage time."
Barkley grinned. "Suns fans might be the only people in the building hoping the Bulls score more right now."
Back home, viewers felt the same conflict. They wanted to watch Phoenix run, but they also needed the Bulls to hang around just long enough to keep Chen Yan on the floor.
…
In the fourth, Chicago tried something different.
They put Tyrus Thomas on him.
Thomas was 2.00 meters, fast end to end, and could jump out of the building. A classic athlete with elite tools, and questionable decision making, the kind of player who could do something spectacular and then immediately forget what sport he was playing.
On the very first possession, he made himself a highlight for the wrong reason.
Diaw hit Chen Yan on the wing. Chen Yan faked one way, drove the other. Thomas got tugged off balance, but his athleticism let him recover and stay attached.
Then Chen Yan stopped on a dime, snapped into a reverse crossover, and drifted back behind the arc.
Thomas's brain arrived half a second late. His feet betrayed him, and he spilled to the floor.
Chen Yan rose and buried the 3.
Swish.
98 to 74.
Point 58.
Kenny shook his head. "That's a tough look. You can't lose him like that."
Barkley laughed. "You can't lose anybody, but you definitely can't lose a man who already has 60 in his sights."
Chicago pushed back. Ben Gordon attacked, could not shake Chen Yan, and forced a layup that missed.
Stoudemire and Gooden collided, the ball squirted loose, and Thomas cleaned it up with a quick putback off the glass, trying to get his dignity back.
It lasted about 10 seconds.
Phoenix came right back. Chen Yan cut, Thomas froze like someone unplugged him, and Nash hit Chen Yan for a reverse layup.
That made it 60.
The arena buzzed, Suns fans leaning forward, Bulls fans bracing for impact.
…
Chicago missed again, Deng left a mid range jumper short, and Phoenix punished them with clean execution. Nash and Stoudemire ran pick and roll, swung it, and Diaw hit from the high post.
102 to 76.
Chen Yan did not touch the ball that trip.
Even when you are on fire, you cannot take every shot. This was still a team, not a solo show.
The gap kept stretching. Chicago called timeout.
During the break, TNT broke down why Chen Yan's number was so obscene tonight.
Barkley said, "He's hot. His touch is ridiculous. He's making everything."
Kenny laughed. "He made shots he had no business making. That buzzer beater earlier, come on."
Barkley continued, "Chicago doesn't have a real rim anchor, and they don't have a lockdown wing. Then they decided to run and gun with Phoenix. That's basically an invitation for Chen to put on a clinic."
…
After the timeout, Chicago swapped Thomas out and brought Yi back in.
On defense, they still used Hinrich and Gordon on Chen Yan. They could not stop him, but at least they would not lose him completely.
Chicago opened with a quick give and go. Stoudemire fouled, sending Yi to the line.
Yi took a deep breath and went 1 for 2.
102 to 77.
Phoenix answered immediately.
Chen Yan looped off the baseline, caught at the right wing, jabbed, created a sliver, and rose.
Splash.
105 to 77.
Point 63.
Now Suns fans got nervous.
The Bulls were down huge. If they waved the white flag, Phoenix would pull starters too, and Chen Yan's chase would end right there.
For the first time, Phoenix fans were begging the opponent to score.
Because everyone understood Chen Yan. The moment the game became garbage time, he would not stay out there.
…
Chicago ran Gordon off a screen. Chen Yan defended him loosely, leaving him space on purpose.
He understood the math. If he wanted a shot at his personal record, he needed the Bulls to keep their starters on the floor. If the other side stayed serious, it was not stat padding. If they emptied the bench and he kept hunting, then it became ugly.
Gordon saw the cushion and fired.
It rattled and dropped.
105 to 80.
The building did not get loud. The gap was still massive.
Phoenix inbounded fast. Nash found Chen Yan in transition. Stoudemire and Bell screened like they were escorting a VIP. The whole team knew what night it was.
Chen Yan pulled for 3.
Clang.
A miss, but not a problem. The pace was fast, possessions were plentiful, and as long as he kept shooting and kept the efficiency respectable, it was fine.
Chicago ran back. In transition, Yi cut through the middle, Hinrich hit him, and Yi finished with a 2 handed dunk.
105 to 82.
The camera caught Yi's line on the screen, 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block.
Solid work.
Even on Chen Yan's night, Yi was still a point of pride for viewers back home. After that dunk, cheers spilled through living rooms.
…
Phoenix went half court. Chen Yan caught and got doubled immediately. He stepped back, swung to Bell in the corner.
Bell missed.
The big lead had loosened him up. The shot looked casual.
Fans groaned, wishing Chen Yan had just shot over 2 defenders instead.
Chicago pushed again. Hinrich hit an open 3 in transition.
105 to 85.
The lead was down to 20.
D'Antoni did not call timeout. Phoenix still controlled the game.
Next trip, Nash hit Chen Yan again. Gordon was attached, Chen Yan used a screen and shook him, and then Hinrich slid over from the other side. Gordon recovered from behind. A trap was forming.
Chen Yan read it instantly and skipped the ball to Diaw.
Diaw caught and did not dribble. He simply held the ball up with his right hand like a human ball stand, waiting.
Chen Yan sprinted into position, took the handoff, and rose into a shooting motion.
Both Hinrich and Gordon launched to contest.
Too hard.
They were already in the air when they realized it was a pump fake.
Chen Yan jumped into the space and absorbed contact from both.
Whistle.
The United Center erupted in boos. Bulls fans did not want him scoring anymore. At this point it felt like an insult.
Chen Yan walked to the line without expression. He did not care whether the foul was on Gordon or Hinrich.
He only cared about points.
He hit all 3 free throws.
That made 66.
…
Hinrich brought it up carefully, turning his shoulders to scan the floor.
Then Chen Yan vanished from Gordon's hip and exploded into a gambling steal from the blind side.
Hinrich was watching Nash and never saw him.
Chen Yan picked it clean, and once he had open floor, it was over. No one was catching him.
He finished with a simple layup.
110 to 85.
Point 68.
At this stage, the biggest enemy of a huge scoring night was not the opponent, it was legs. Chen Yan was not wasting energy on dunks unless he had to.
On the broadcast, Kenny said, "One more bucket and he's over 70."
Barkley laughed. "Tonight, his job description is simple. Score."
Chicago answered with a rushed Gordon 3 that missed badly.
Diaw grabbed the rebound and threw a long outlet.
Chen Yan caught it and pushed up the middle.
Hinrich retreated, careful to keep distance. He knew Chen Yan's first step. If he crowded him, he would get blown by in 1 move. Hinrich was the last line. If he lost, it was automatic points.
Chen Yan slowed 2 steps outside the arc, gathered, and rose from a step beyond the line.
Hinrich could not contest. His vertical was average, and backpedaling made it worse.
For Chen Yan, that distance felt perfect.
The shot was clean.
Swish.
113 to 85.
Point 71.
Across the country, people shouted at their TVs like it was the Finals.
On TNT, Kenny said, "71. He's killing it."
Barkley grinned. "And there's still about 6 minutes left. If this stays competitive, he could go higher."
…
Chicago panicked and started bombing 3s.
Down 28, they would need something like 10 straight makes, plus stops, and that was fantasy.
After about a minute of that, the Bulls finally surrendered and pulled their starters.
During that stretch, Chen Yan attacked in transition, drew contact, and got to the line twice. He went 1 for 2 and climbed to 72.
Once Chicago emptied the bench, Phoenix pulled their starters too.
The moment Chen Yan checked out, the arena rose with a chant of his name. Even Bulls fans wanted to say they saw history. If he somehow chased 81, this building would never forget it.
D'Antoni even asked him if he wanted to go back in.
Chen Yan shook his head.
A gentleman loves points, but he earns them cleanly.
If he chased a record in garbage time, he would get side eyed by players and fans, and worse, he would not respect it himself.
Sometimes padded high scores do not elevate your legacy, they stain it. Everyone remembered the guy in his previous life who forced his way to 70 in garbage time. It earned him a label, not praise.
Chen Yan's night ended at 72 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, a new career high.
The final 5 minutes became a fight between fringe players. With Chen Yan staying seated, plenty of fans headed for the exits.
Final score, 131 to 102.
Phoenix got another blowout win, and Chen Yan walked out of Chicago with a new personal scoring peak, and a record that nobody could dismiss as cheap.
.....
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