Chapter 585: Little Handsome Thinks He Is Great Again
"God, Chen Yan is starting to show his superpowers. This guy never gets soft in the big moments!" Barkley exclaimed.
"He is like a superhero out there," Kenny Smith said with a smile. "Chen Yan has never disappointed his fans when the game is on the line."
On the court, Rose brought the ball across half court.
Durant came up to set another screen.
By now, the Rose and Durant pick and roll had almost become Boston's secret weapon in crunch time. Both could drive. Both could shoot. Both were mobile enough to attack from multiple angles. A pairing like that would give any defense a migraine.
Rose kept changing direction around Durant's screen, selling the drive with his shoulders, but his true goal was the jumper.
Seeing both Suns defenders drop back, Rose pulled up from the high post.
Short.
The ball bounced off the front rim.
Humphries grabbed the rebound and immediately tried a short floater in the paint.
"Swat!"
Stoudemire rose up and blocked it cleanly.
At the most critical moment, Stoudemire delivered a huge rim protection play.
Nash advanced the ball into the frontcourt and passed it to Chen Yan.
If Boston's ultimate weapon was the 2 man pick and roll between Durant and Rose, then Phoenix's ultimate weapon was even simpler.
Give the ball to Chen Yan and let him go to work.
The home crowd rose to its feet, the noise swelling across the arena.
Because on this possession, the defender in front of Chen Yan was Durant.
It was a direct clash between the 2 franchise cores.
"Now this is what everyone wanted to see," Barkley said. "Durant and Chen Yan are friends, but they are rivals too. This is the kind of matchup fans dream about."
"Durant has the height and wingspan advantage," Kenny Smith said. "Boston is clearly trying to take away Chen Yan's 3 point shot. Chen's edge is his movement, rhythm, and burst. Let's see how he attacks this."
On the floor, Chen Yan shifted Durant's center of gravity with a series of between the legs dribbles.
Against Tony Allen, he could pull up after the slightest shake. Against Durant, that was too risky. If he did not create enough separation, Durant's length would bother the shot.
After several dribbles between his legs, Chen Yan did not move forward. Instead, he retreated a few steps.
Durant followed immediately.
For most players, stepping back meant resetting the offense.
For Chen Yan, it might mean launching from deep.
If Durant gave him space, it was no different from handing him an open shot.
Chen Yan suddenly accelerated to Durant's right, switched the ball to his right hand, then swayed his body left.
Durant was tall, but his agility was outstanding. A single fake was not enough to beat him.
He slid laterally and stayed in front, while also preparing to jump at any moment in case Chen Yan pulled up.
Durant believed he understood Chen Yan's style and tendencies.
What he did not understand was that Chen Yan had no fixed style.
He changed according to the defender.
When the first change of direction failed to shake Durant loose, Chen Yan immediately went into a second one.
He dropped his center of gravity and pulled the ball from his right hand back to his left.
A quick early crossover.
Durant turned his body, ready to follow again.
At that instant, Chen Yan reached his left hand behind his back.
A behind the back change of direction.
After the move, Chen Yan drove middle with the ball in his right hand.
Durant wanted to keep up, but his body could no longer obey his mind.
Little Handsome slipped and went straight to the floor.
Man down.
Durant's mind went blank.
By the time he recovered, Chen Yan had already charged into the paint.
That long stride made him look unstoppable.
Humphries tried to meet him in the air, but he was a step below Chen Yan. Chen Yan switched hands in midair and softly scooped the ball in with his left, finishing with effortless control.
124 to 123.
Boston offense.
The crowd immediately began chanting Durant's name.
The fans wanted to lift him after the last possession and urge him to answer Chen Yan on the other end.
Durant was starting to get heated. The embarrassment of being dropped, combined with the voices of the crowd, made him lose some of his composure.
On this possession, he caught the ball, took 1 step, and immediately pulled up.
"Clang!"
Air ball.
Stoudemire secured the rebound.
Boston adjusted its defensive strategy again.
Chen Yan's shot was hot, so they sent a double team. If 2 defenders were not enough, they were ready to send 3.
Under Boston's pressure, Chen Yan was forced to pass.
Raja Bell took an open 3 pointer.
Missed.
Over the next few minutes, both teams suffered a drop in efficiency.
The game quickly reached the final 1 minute and 5 seconds.
The score was 128 to 127.
Phoenix still led by 1.
Boston possession.
Rose dribbled at the top of the arc, patiently searching for an opening.
Durant posted up near the elbow, and Rose lobbed the ball to him.
Even though Durant had been inefficient over the last few possessions, his teammates still trusted him.
Durant backed down, dribbling with his left hand as he tried to create shooting space.
Raja Bell read his intention and stayed attached to him, refusing to give Durant room to rise.
Bell understood that Durant's stamina was fading too. At this stage of the game, it was difficult for him to explode with a quick drive or sudden change of direction.
This time, however, Durant helped the team in another way.
He dribbled near the free throw line, then suddenly stopped.
Immediately after, Durant faked a shot, drew the defense, and passed to the right corner mid range area.
Rose had sprinted there after giving up the ball, and Nash failed to keep up.
Rose caught it and fired.
"Swish!"
At that moment, the sound of the net became the sweetest music in the world for Boston fans.
128 to 129.
Boston took the lead again.
The game had reached its most intense stage.
Chen Yan controlled the ball at the top of the arc, and every Suns player spread out.
Diaw and Stoudemire set off ball screens in both corners, freeing Nash and Raja Bell.
Chen Yan faked a drive, then quickly passed to Nash.
The moment Nash caught the ball, there was no defender behind him.
He knew it clearly.
Without hesitation, he turned and shot.
Good.
130 to 129.
Only 32 seconds remained.
Another critical moment.
Rose quickly dribbled across half court. After using a teammate's screen, he gained a brief pocket of space beyond the 3 point line.
Chen Yan was slightly worried Rose would pull up immediately.
If Rose made that shot, Phoenix would be in a difficult position, because there would still be more than 24 seconds left afterward. Even if the Suns scored on the next possession, Boston would still control the final say.
Fortunately, Rose did not shoot.
He did not dare handle the possession so recklessly. If he missed, he would become the scapegoat.
Rose held the ball and observed.
Tony Allen came out, but Rose had no intention of passing to him. Tony Allen's outside shooting was too unreliable. Letting him shoot would be worse than Rose taking the shot himself.
Rose handled the possession with extreme caution.
The clock kept running.
With 12 seconds left in the possession, he finally chose to drive.
Nash could not contain Rose's momentum, so Raja Bell stepped over to help.
Stumbling under the double team, Rose managed to pass the ball out.
Even though his shooting touch had dropped badly over the last few minutes, Durant still chose to take the shot himself.
That was the necessary path to becoming a superstar.
If a player avoided the ball or passed away responsibility whenever his touch was off, he would never learn to survive in the hardest moments.
The basketball traced a high arc through the air.
In those brief seconds, Durant felt as if half a century had passed.
His entire body tightened.
His mind tightened.
Then he heard it.
"Swish!"
130 to 131.
The clutch shot was good.
It was also Durant's 50th point of the game.
Durant clenched his fist and roared, encouraging himself.
He felt he had done it.
Seeing Durant's reaction, Chen Yan could already guess what was going through his mind.
Durant probably thought he was great again.
.....
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