Chapter 421: The Cunning Little Cannon, the Simple and Brutal Chen Yan
Coming out of halftime, New Orleans went back to its full starting group: Chris Paul, Rasual Butler, Peja Stojakovic, David West, and Tyson Chandler.
Phoenix countered with Chen Yan, Kelenna Azubuike, Grant Hill, Boris Diaw, and Amar'e Stoudemire.
D'Antoni kept Nash on the bench a little longer. He had just returned from injury, and Azubuike had been electric in the second quarter. The wing had put up 9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in that stretch, with a couple of plays that made the arena buzz, a fearless fast break dunk and a tough turnaround fadeaway.
At halftime, even some Hornets fans had joked that their bench had made Azubuike look like Kobe.
…
Phoenix opened the second half with the ball.
With Nash sitting, Chen Yan brought it up like a point guard. He crossed half court, drifted toward the right side beyond the 3 point line, and Stoudemire sprinted up to meet him.
No matter who initiated, Nash or Chen Yan, Phoenix's half court foundation stayed the same.
Pick and roll, then punish whatever the defense gave you.
Paul dropped into a low stance.
Chen Yan looked like he was strolling, then snapped into a crossover and exploded toward the screen. The Hornets' entire defense tightened in an instant.
Paul and West both shaded over, turning it into a trap.
Chen Yan lunged forward, hit a second burst, and slipped through the gap between them.
To be precise, he threaded between 3 bodies, because Stoudemire's screen was right in the middle of it.
Butler stepped toward the free throw line, ready to plug the lane.
Chen Yan took 1 dribble, then fired a right handed pass to the wing.
Azubuike caught and rose immediately.
Swish.
67 to 53.
Chen Yan started the half by feeding an open 3.
Kenny Smith chuckled on the broadcast. "They got so worried about Chen scoring that they forgot he can pass."
Barkley grinned. "That pass looks simple, sure. But you gotta beat 2 guys and pull a 3rd before it becomes simple."
…
New Orleans answered.
Paul orchestrated from the top. Peja used a screen, curled to the right side near the 60 degree slot beyond the arc, and the pass arrived the moment he did.
Azubuike closed hard.
Peja gave a shot fake, drove, and tried to turn the corner.
Azubuike stayed disciplined and slid with him. Peja did not have great burst, and his handle was only average. After 2 leaning dribbles, he turned and dribbled back out beyond the 3 point line.
Paul stepped toward him to receive the ball. Azubuike focused on cutting off that lane.
Then Peja hit a back spin.
It was not fast, but it was crafty, and it froze Azubuike for a beat.
With Stoudemire waiting in the paint, Peja did not force contact. He floated one up before the help could rise.
The ball kissed the glass and fell.
67 to 55.
It was veteran basketball, a small window, one smooth finish.
…
Phoenix inbounded quickly. Chen Yan crossed half court, right hand on the dribble.
This time he did not look to pass.
Paul guarding Chen Yan straight up was a mismatch, and Chen Yan decided to punish it.
Outside the arc, he stopped short and switched the ball left on a crossover. Paul read "pull up" and stepped forward.
Chen Yan never gathered.
He took 1 dribble left, then snapped into a step back 3.
Paul lunged again. Before he could even jump, Chen Yan launched from a step beyond the 3 point line.
From the stands, it looked unfair. Chen Yan was taller, he jumped better, and he created even more space with the step back. Paul had no clean way to bother the release.
Chen Yan's motion was quick and smooth. From that deep, it almost looked like a casual throw.
But when those go in, they crush your spirit.
Swish.
The arena went quiet. The loudest sound came from Phoenix's bench.
Kenny Smith laughed. "New Orleans might need to put somebody else on Chen."
Barkley shook his head. "He already proved it, man. It does not matter who guards him one on one. If you want to slow him down, you gotta send 2."
Kenny spread his hands. "But look at the floor. Azubuike is hot, Hill is cooking, and Amar'e is waiting inside. It's hard to double Chen without giving up something."
Kenny barely finished the sentence before New Orleans paid for it.
…
On the next Phoenix possession, the Hornets tried to bring extra help.
Chen Yan rose before the trap could fully arrive, twisted mid air, and floated a pass to the open side.
Azubuike was waiting.
Butler tried to recover, but it was too late. All he could do was watch.
Azubuike launched.
Swish.
70 to 55.
Azubuike held his follow through like he owned the building. Chen Yan stared at him for a second and almost looked annoyed, like a proud teammate who also wanted to tell him to relax.
Azubuike was too insane tonight.
Phoenix kept scoring, and New Orleans started pressing.
Paul drove hard, kicked to Peja, and Phoenix rotated quickly to take away the clean look. Peja still forced it anyway.
Clang.
An open catch and shoot 3 was Peja's comfort zone. A contested one was not.
Hill grabbed the rebound and pushed.
Azubuike filled the top of the arc and raised his hands like he wanted a transition 3. With how hot he was, New Orleans immediately snapped attention toward him.
Azubuike read it, hesitated, then swung the ball to Chen Yan cutting diagonally at full speed.
Chen Yan caught a step inside the arc, took off with momentum, and finished with a folding windmill reverse dunk.
The explosion was so violent that even the home crowd had to react. Some of them shook their heads like they had just seen something they did not want to admit was real.
On the Phoenix bench, Nash leaned back against the advertising board, relaxed. If the game kept going like this, he might not need to play another heavy minute.
That was exactly what Nash wanted. He did not care about stats anymore. He had collected the individual honors already. At this stage, the only things that mattered were winning and staying healthy, because those were the pillars of a title defense.
Then something ugly happened.
…
Phoenix missed a high post jumper. Azubuike crashed hard, going after the rebound with real intent.
Paul got there first and snatched the ball.
In the same motion, with Azubuike flying past, Paul swung his right arm low.
Azubuike hit the floor and curled up, stunned by a sharp pain that froze his breath.
It was not accidental.
Paul was not a clean player, and a role guy stealing the spotlight while you were fighting for your home floor could make you bitter.
The whistle never came. The move was subtle enough to escape the officials.
But players notice everything.
Chen Yan saw Azubuike down, saw Paul wearing an innocent face, and the irritation hit him immediately.
D'Antoni called timeout at once.
He subbed Nash back in for Azubuike and swapped Hill for Raja Bell. Chen Yan slid back to shooting guard.
Azubuike was not seriously injured, but pain like that does not just vanish. It lingers, it steals your legs, it steals your rhythm.
Azubuike sat on the bench furious. He rarely got a night like this, and now it was being ruined.
Paul, meanwhile, looked satisfied, even flashing little looks to teammates like he had accomplished something clever.
He would stop smiling soon.
…
At 7:08 of the quarter, New Orleans coughed the ball up in transition. Raja Bell dove for the loose ball in the frontcourt and spotted Chen Yan slicing through a gap toward the rim.
Bell hit him in stride.
Chen Yan caught and went straight to the basket.
Paul rotated over to help.
Chen Yan jumped.
In mid air, Chen Yan kept the ball in his right hand, and with his left hand he pressed down on the top of Paul's head, using it like a brace as he powered through.
Then he brought the ball down like a hammer.
A violent dunk.
For a split second, the arena felt muted, like the sound had been turned off.
Paul's face twisted with rage. He hated having anyone touch his head. Chen Yan did not just touch it, he used it, then dunked on him in front of his own crowd.
That was humiliation.
On the Phoenix bench, Azubuike forgot the lingering ache and sprang up, rushing to the sideline for the high five. He looked like a man who had just watched someone deliver his revenge for him.
.....
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