Chapter 584: Transformation into a Beast
That basket pushed Durant's total to 46 points.
Chen Yan, with the 3 plus 1 he had just converted, was up to 50.
No matter how this ended, their duel was already destined to become one of those games fans would remember for years.
"Defense!"
"Defense!"
"Defense!"
As Phoenix brought the ball up, the entire arena thundered in unison.
Boston's fans were fully alive now. With 4 minutes and 33 seconds left, they could already taste the possibility of watching their team bring down the two time defending champions.
Nash crossed half court and gave it to Raja Bell, who swung it to Diaw.
The noise inside the building was overwhelming. Under that kind of pressure, none of the Suns seemed eager to force a solo shot right away.
The ball kept moving, and eventually it found Chen Yan in the right corner.
The other Suns instinctively shifted to the left side, clearing the floor for him.
Chen Yan backed Tony Allen down once, then turned and went into a string of jab steps.
He had almost no angle to work with. Tony Allen was too experienced. One foot was already set toward the corner, taking away the baseline and leaving Chen Yan with only 2 real options, pull up or drive upward.
Tony Allen guessed right. Chen Yan put the ball on the floor with his left hand and moved up the sideline.
He read the direction correctly, but he still could not stop it.
Chen Yan took 2 dribbles, suddenly turned his body sideways as if he were about to play with his back to the basket, then spun into a fading jumper.
Durant came flying over on the help, and Chen Yan caught him in the corner of his eye. He leaned even farther back on the release.
It was an absurdly difficult shot.
It still dropped.
120 to 118.
Boston came back roaring.
Rose crossed half court and pounded a fist in the air to call the set.
Durant came up to screen for him again, but this time Rose kept the ball. He used the screen, rose from 1 step behind the three point line, and fired without hesitation.
No one got a real contest on him. It was a clean look, and from there it came down to nerve.
The ball rolled around the rim, then spilled out.
Nobody secured the first rebound. Diaw and Davis both got a hand on it, and the ball was tipped loose.
For a split second, nobody knew who would get there first.
Then Rose flashed in like a bolt of lightning.
He gathered it, took a hop step into the lane, and attacked immediately.
Diaw came over to challenge, but Rose went right through the contact, never shying away from the hit.
The whistle blew.
And 1.
The building exploded.
Rose hit the floor, roaring. Humphries and Davis rushed over to pull him up, and Durant came in right behind them, slapping his back and shouting in his face.
The emotion on the Boston side was boiling over.
Rose took a moment, bounced the ball 5 times, and forced himself to settle down. He knew he could not let the adrenaline ruin the free throw.
Then he shot.
Swish.
Boston led 121 to 120.
"This game is unbelievable," Kenny Smith said. "Neither team is backing off. Every possession feels like a knockout punch."
Charles Barkley let out a laugh. "That is playoff basketball, America. This is the kind of game fans dream about."
Rose ran back with both arms raised, urging the crowd to get even louder.
They answered immediately.
Phoenix tried to calm things down. Nash slowed the tempo and looked to stabilize the team with patient ball movement.
Then the Suns turned it over.
Diaw caught the ball with his back to the basket, and Boston swarmed him. The ball was poked free, and the Celtics were off and running.
Chen Yan, Nash, and Bell were the first 3 men back for Phoenix. Rose had a chance to force the issue, but the moment he saw the wall waiting for him, he pulled it out.
That was the difference between Rose and a more reckless guard. He wanted points, but he also wanted the right points.
He brought it back out and ran the clock.
With 14 seconds left on the shot clock, Doc Rivers suddenly called timeout.
He believed this possession was too important to leave to improvisation. One basket would not end the game, but it could deal a serious blow to Phoenix's momentum. He wanted a set play.
Durant walked toward the bench with a puzzled look. The Celtics had all the energy in the world, and from his perspective the timeout only gave Phoenix a chance to regroup.
Still, he kept those thoughts to himself.
The short timeout passed quickly.
Boston inbounded in the frontcourt. Tony Allen popped out to receive it.
He caught and immediately swung it to Durant.
Phoenix was draped all over him. At this stage of the game, the Suns were not giving him anything clean. Help defenders were already leaning his way.
Durant saw nothing he liked and sent it back to Tony Allen.
The pass came in low and nearly became a turnover. Chen Yan jumped out hard to pressure the catch, but Tony Allen held his composure and got the ball under control.
Once he did, he fired a skip pass back across the floor to Durant.
Durant caught it, and Davis came up to screen.
Durant took 1 dribble and pulled from just inside the arc with total confidence.
It was good.
After the shot dropped, Durant pointed straight down at the hardwood beneath his feet.
This was his house, and he was not ready to give it up.
Phoenix answered by putting the ball in Chen Yan's hands again.
He attacked off a Stoudemire screen above the arc. Tony Allen fought over it. Humphries stepped up to trap.
Chen Yan kept going, slid toward the wing, and then rose from beyond the line.
Swish.
It was an incredibly hard shot.
But when the scoreboard changed, it only added 2 points. Chen Yan had clipped the line, the same mistake Durant was notorious for making.
Even so, those 2 points mattered.
The camera zoomed in on him.
Chen Yan bared his teeth, nothing like his usual calm expression. He looked feral, almost like a beast.
That look was for the Celtics, but it was also for himself.
To survive a fight like this, he knew he had to become something meaner.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
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