Chapter 266: The Strategic Significance Of The Long Three Pointer, A Perfect Start
Three long three pointers. Every one straight through the heart.
Fans at America West Arena were already on their feet, and not even two minutes had gone by. Some of them were screaming until their voices cracked, some were yelling MVP at the top of their lungs.
They had never seen anything like this. Not in the playoffs. Some of them were sure they had not even seen it in a regular season game.
A stretch like this only belonged to one kind of player.
A killer.
On the Spurs sideline, Popovich cupped his hands and shouted, "Get up on him. Do not give him air. No space."
Chen Yan's three deep threes had not just put 9 points on the board. They had bent the entire defensive map. The Spurs system did not plan for a guy who could pull from that far with no drop in accuracy.
During the timeout, Bowen could not stop glancing up at the jumbo screen, watching the replays.
If Chen Yan was a problem, then this version of him was something beyond that. It went against everything Bowen had learned across his career. Kobe was the kind of scorer you knew was going to shoot and still could not stop. With Chen, you did not even know when or from where the shot would come.
On the bench, Ginobili shook his head with a half smile. He had always seen himself as an unpredictable player, but even he felt like a conservative veteran watching Chen Yan pull these shots. If any Spurs player tried that, he was pretty sure Popovich would sit him down immediately.
The timeout ended. The game rolled on, but the crowd still buzzed about those three bombs.
San Antonio ball.
Once again, Parker initiated the offense. He used an Oberto screen, turned the corner, and darted toward the paint. Stoudemire slid over, ready to contest at the rim.
Parker stayed calm. Instead of forcing a tough finish, he rose, twisted his body in the air and slipped the ball around Stoudemire's hip to Duncan trailing behind the play.
Duncan caught, gathered, and laid it in off the glass.
9 to 6.
After the score, Duncan pointed back at Parker. The chemistry between them ran deep. By the time Parker lifted off, Duncan already knew where the pass was going.
The Suns came the other way.
Nash crossed half court and used a high screen from Stoudemire. He snaked around it, pulled up at the free throw line, and took the open jumper.
Bang.
Off the back iron.
Diaw fought inside for position and came down with the offensive rebound. For Phoenix, that was rare. They averaged only 8 offensive boards a night, last in the league. He did not waste it.
Instead of forcing a putback, he stepped out, lifted his head, and swung the ball to Chen Yan.
Chen had already started to retreat on defense when Nash released the shot. As soon as Diaw grabbed the rebound, Chen slammed on the brakes and turned back toward the frontcourt.
The Spurs defense never panicked. Their formation stayed clean and organized. That was their habit. Make or miss, they trusted the system.
Chen Yan dribbled into the front, saw no clear driving lane, and signaled for a screen.
Diaw came up again, planting himself near the three point line. The screen was solid. Chen dribbled sideways, took one step outside the arc, and found just enough daylight.
"Take the shot," Popovich yelled from the sideline. He did not want to watch another deep three drop through untouched.
The fans anticipated it instantly.
Here it comes. Four in a row.
Under old school defensive logic, nobody would sprint out to challenge a shot from that far. The odds were supposed to be tiny. But the first three makes had erased that logic. Spurs defenders were on edge, and Popovich's voice pushed them even harder.
Duncan lunged out to contest. Bowen fought over the screen, sliding past Diaw and rushing at Chen.
As the double team closed in, Chen saw the trap coming and slid the ball between Duncan and Bowen with a quick push pass, then burst between them like a knife through fabric.
The crowd let out a collective shout as he split the defense.
This was the real strategic value of the ultra deep three. Once you proved you could hit it, defenders had to stretch out with you. The more they chased you outside, the more space they left behind for drives and cuts.
Oberto, the last line of defense, left Stoudemire and stepped up to stop Chen Yan.
Chen stayed calm. At the last second, he dropped a bounce pass right through the lane.
Stoudemire caught it in stride.
Time for his favorite play.
The rim shaking finish.
Boom.
He rose off two feet and hammered the ball through the hoop with both hands.
11 to 6.
On the scoreboard, a layup and a dunk both counted for 2. But in the building, they did not feel the same at all. The sound, the vibration in the floor, the rush through the stands made that clear. The momentum that dunk generated was different.
Oberto shook his head as he jogged to the baseline to inbound. He knew the risk the moment he stepped to Chen. Leave Chen, and it might be an easy drive. Leave Stoudemire, and you might give up a highlight. Pick one.
This time, Chen made sure the choice hurt.
The Spurs went back to their steady, methodical attack. Duncan set up as the hub, with shooters spaced around him. He backed down twice, drawing a second defender both times, then slung a one handed pass out to the perimeter.
For a big man, his vision was elite. With Duncan reading the floor like that, the Spurs shooters always had a chance to thrive.
Bowen caught in the corner, set his feet, and fired.
Bang.
Off the rim.
The miss was Phoenix's cue.
Diaw snatched the rebound, pushed it to Nash, and Nash wasted no time getting the ball ahead to Chen Yan already sprinting down the sideline.
Chen blew past Finley first. The veteran's legs simply could not match his burst. Parker dropped back to protect the paint, trying to angle him toward help.
Chen Yan attacked straight at him, forcing Parker to commit. When he got half a step away, he suddenly shifted his tempo.
Fast, then slow.
He threw out an in out dribble to pull Parker off balance, then snapped the ball behind his back. The move protected the ball and changed direction at the same time. At that range, any front side crossover risked Parker stripping it.
Parker lunged one way, Chen glided the other.
He stepped through the gap and lifted off, extending for a smooth low hand layup off the glass.
13 to 6.
One fast break. One sequence that showed off his handle, control, and balance all at once.
"Chen Yan!"
The arena DJ drew out his name over the speakers, and the fans echoed him, chanting in waves. Under his lead, the Suns had opened the game with a perfect punch.
Back home, thousands of fans watching on screens were just as fired up.
"The Spurs are getting pushed back by the Suns right from the start. You never saw that in past years."
"They are not being pushed by the Suns. They are being pushed by Chen Yan."
"11 points and 1 assist. All 13 points on the board are tied to him."
"The Spurs defense has no answer for him tonight."
"Missing work for this game was worth it. Chen Yan is unbelievable."
"Those early deep threes really shook the Spurs. They did not know what hit them."
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