Chapter 582: Comprehending a New Skill
The first quarter ended with the Suns leading 31 to 28, a 3 point edge, and both teams were lighting it up.
Chen Yan delivered another all around quarter, scoring 11 points while adding 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
The commentators and the fans could only shake their heads in admiration. Chen Yan had barely worked out during the offseason, yet after only a few days of adjustment, he was already back at peak form.
Compared to Chen Yan, Durant looked more like a pure scoring machine. He had 13 points and 2 rebounds, but no assists. All he wanted to do tonight was attack.
In the second quarter, both teams turned to their benches.
Boston managed to keep the game close. Their second unit was not much weaker than Phoenix's on offense. They had international scorers like Delfino and Gasol, a floor general like Rondo, and a high level role player like Humphries.
If this Celtics team broke through this season and made a serious playoff run, Chen Yan would not be surprised at all.
There was also one small twist of fate worth mentioning. Humphries' path had changed because of Chen Yan's arrival. Toronto had traded Humphries to Boston, which meant he never got the chance to meet Kim Kardashian.
In that other timeline, Kardashian had wrecked him. He retired early, right in his prime. Without that relationship, Humphries probably would not have become a star, but at the very least he should have lasted a few more good years instead of losing both his career and his money.
Then again, Chen Yan did not feel like he had done some great deed. With Kardashian's personality, if it was not Humphries, it would have been some other unlucky NBA player.
It was only after the 6 minute official timeout that the Suns brought all their starters back.
By then, they were down 6.
Coming out of the break, Nash and Chen Yan started cooking together with a string of sharp 2 man actions, but Phoenix still could not fully close the gap.
One reason was simple. Raja Bell could not stay in front of Durant, and Nash was also getting blown by Rose.
For that stretch, the game turned into a pure shootout. Both teams scored almost at will, and at halftime the Suns were still behind by 5, 60 to 65.
Durant exploded for 27 points in the first half.
Chen Yan answered with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.
This game was always going to be a scoring war. The stars on both sides had way too much freedom, and way too much firepower, for it to be anything else.
In the third quarter, Phoenix made a small adjustment. Novak replaced Diaw at power forward.
That substitution was basically a declaration. The Suns were no longer pretending to care about interior defense. If they were going to trade baskets, then they were going to lean all the way into it.
Boston responded with a small lineup of Humphries and Gasol together.
The third quarter became the most entertaining stretch of the night.
Both teams abandoned caution and traded speed, spacing, and shot making. It was the kind of wide open basketball fans loved, and whether they were inside the arena or watching on television, they got their money's worth.
Novak hit 4 3 point shots in the quarter alone, which said everything about how wild the game had become. Defense was almost optional. It was just pace and shooting percentage.
The scoreboard kept climbing.
By the end of the third, Chen Yan had nearly posted a triple double, 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Durant went even further as a scorer, blowing past 40 points through 3 quarters. Everyone else's numbers looked healthy too, and the Suns entered the fourth still trailing, 90 to 96.
When the final quarter began, both coaches made the same decision without having to say it out loud.
No one was coming out.
At this point, whichever side blinked first would probably get run off the floor. Both teams left their stars in and prepared to fight until the end.
The game did not slow down in the fourth. If anything, it got even more frantic. Neither team looked remotely interested in pacing itself. It had become a contest of whose firepower would crack first.
With 6 minutes and 47 seconds left, the score stood at 109 to 114.
Neither side had cooled off at all.
Kenny Smith said, "This is just shot making on top of shot making. Neither team is giving the other any room to breathe."
Barkley grinned and added, "Boston is still in front, and that is what young teams can do. When they get hot, they look like they can run with anybody. When they start cold, they can fall apart. Tonight, they clearly showed up in the first category."
As soon as he finished, Durant rose at the elbow and buried another jumper.
109 to 116.
That gave him 44 points.
Nash brought the ball up and Chen Yan moved to the wing, calling for it. The moment he caught it, he waved everyone clear.
The game was deep into winning time now, and Chen Yan's desire to win only kept growing.
Since he entered the league, he had never lost to Durant. On a personal level and on a team level, he had no intention of letting tonight become the first time.
The floor opened up, and he attacked Tony Allen one on one.
As he dribbled, Chen Yan looked left, selling the idea of a pass.
Tony Allen knew very well Chen Yan was not looking to give the ball up, but even so, his attention shifted for a split second. That was the whole point. Basketball was psychology as much as skill.
Chen Yan immediately dropped low and exploded.
In one step, he was by him.
Tony Allen panicked and gave ground, taking a big retreat step to avoid getting blown past cleanly.
That was the reputation of Chen Yan's first step. Too many perimeter defenders around the league had already been embarrassed by it, and Tony Allen himself had felt it more than once tonight.
The moment Chen Yan saw Allen retreat, he abandoned the drive. He had the tools to force things, but he almost always preferred the smarter answer.
He planted, whipped the ball behind his back from right to left, and stepped back in one smooth motion.
Another step back.
This time he retreated beyond the 3 point line, instantly opening his shooting window.
Swish.
It was pure net.
112 to 116.
Kenny said, "That step back is so clean. People think it is just a flashy move, but it takes tremendous control to stay balanced and accurate after that much movement."
Barkley nodded. "And Chen has found a rhythm with it. You can tell he trusts that shot now."
As Chen Yan backpedaled toward the defensive end, the system notification suddenly rang out in his mind.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked the original skill: God Tier Step Back!"
"God Tier Step Back: When the Host uses this skill and shoots within 2 seconds, the chance of being blocked is reduced by 10 percent, contested shot accuracy increases by 5 percent, and stability increases by 5 percent."
Chen Yan had already mastered the step back as a move.
Now that it had become a formal skill, it would be even deadlier.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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