Chapter 179: Chen Yan's Sneak Attack — Durant's Shoe Defense
The second quarter began at full speed, but D'Antoni decided to give Chen Yan a breather. After his scorching first quarter, he had earned it.
For the first few minutes, the benches went head-to-head. The Celtics' reserves played surprisingly well, cutting the Suns' lead down to just two points — 43–41.
Garbajosa and Delfino, the Celtics' European snipers, carried the second unit, raining down threes. Humphries and Davis fought hard inside, grabbing rebounds and bringing energy.
Before his Kardashian-era fame, Humphries was all hustle — a seven-points, seven-boards kind of grinder who made life miserable for big men.
Once the starters returned, the game's pace exploded again.
Phoenix launched an 8–0 run, only for Boston to punch right back with an 8–2 burst.
That's the beauty of a young team — fearless, reckless, and hungry to prove themselves, even against the West's number-one seed.
Chen Yan checked back in midway through the quarter. He still had that glow — that rhythm that made every motion feel like art — but Boston had adjusted.
Tony Allen turned up the physicality, bodying Chen on every screen, bumping him on every cut. His "death coil" defense was suffocating, trying to break Chen's rhythm before he even touched the ball.
So Chen shifted gears. He took fewer shots but moved constantly without the ball, creating gravity and space for his teammates.
With 1:43 left before halftime, Chen, Nash, and Stoudemire shared the floor again.
Boston had possession.
Durant came off a screen, caught the ball on the right wing, and launched a confident jumper. He'd been cooking — 16 points on 60% shooting — one of his best halves of the year.
But the second he released it, he frowned. The rhythm was off.
Clang!
The ball hit the rim hard.
Stoudemire leapt for the rebound — and got bulldozed from behind.
"Man, what the—!" Stoudemire spun around, glaring. Perkins, all muscle and zero subtlety, had crashed into him like a moving wall.
But before Perkins could secure the loose ball, Diaw swooped in from the side and poked it away.
A perfect steal.
Nash grabbed it and sprinted down the court.
Chen Yan was already gone — full sprint, eyes locked on the rim.
Tony Allen gave chase, but in transition, nobody in green could match Chen's speed.
Nash lobbed it high.
Chen soared — light as air, fierce as thunder.
"BOOM!"
The alley-oop rocked the rim and ignited the crowd.
"Good God!" someone shouted courtside. "That's not a dunk, that's an exclamation mark!"
The bench erupted.
Chen and Nash bumped chests, then Chen turned and gave Diaw a quick pat on the back. "Nice defense, big man."
Boston brought it back up.
Rondo orchestrated at the top, signaling for Durant to cut.
Durant weaved around the arc, used Jefferson's screen, and burst toward the rim.
Rondo hit him perfectly in stride — Durant rose and slammed it home.
But as he landed, he slipped, tumbling backward.
His left shoe flew off and bounced to the baseline.
Chen Yan, ever the opportunist, grabbed the ball from the net and threw a lightning-fast inbound pass.
Durant froze.
"Hey! That's a sneak attack!" he yelled, half-laughing, half-annoyed.
Chen grinned. "Nah. That's called taking opportunities."
The Suns raced down in transition — five-on-four.
Durant, now shoeless, sprinted awkwardly down the court, one sock squeaking on the hardwood, clutching his loose sneaker in his hand.
Up front, Nash threaded a perfect bounce pass through two defenders.
Chen caught it, blew by Tony Allen, and sliced into the lane.
Al Jefferson rotated over, forcing Chen to switch hands midair.
He floated from left to right, twisting into a layup —
—and out of nowhere, Durant's sneaker came flying in like a projectile.
Smack!
It hit the ball midair and sent it veering off course.
For a second, everyone froze.
Chen landed and just stared at him. "Bro… did you just block me with your shoe?"
Durant, still running barefoot, shrugged helplessly.
The whistle cut through the confusion.
Beep!
Goaltending. And a technical foul on Durant.
Doc Rivers buried his face in his hands. "What is he even doing…"
On the broadcast, Kenny Smith couldn't stop laughing. "Everybody's out here using their hands — and Durant just played defense with his AeroWing! That's innovation!"
Barkley cackled beside him. "Man, I've seen blocks, I've seen swats, but I ain't ever seen a shoe rejection before!"
As Chen Yan sank the free throw, he smirked and glanced at Durant, who was finally retying his laces.
"Next time," Chen said with a wink, "use your hands — not your shoes."
Durant just laughed, shaking his head.
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