Chapter 271: Long jump and diving, superstars compete
San Antonio came up the floor with Phoenix still holding a seven point cushion. In a moment this big, Popovich stepped to the sideline and flashed the signal for Ginobili to go get one.
D Antoni read it instantly. He tweaked the matchup, sending Raja Bell to take Manu straight up. Bell had just made All Defensive Second Team, and he played like it, crowding every dribble and cutting off the angles before they opened.
Ginobili rocked the ball side to side, then called for a pick and roll. Bell slid under it early, slipping past the screen without losing his stance.
Manu tried to power through anyway, leaning into Bell and driving hard. He got to the free throw line, rose like he was going to float one in, and Chen Yan left Parker to help. Bell and Chen closed the lane together. For a team that never got labeled as defensive, Phoenix executed this possession perfectly. They squeezed Manu right in the seam between them.
Manu lost the ball, then let out a loud scream and launched forward like he had been shot, both feet off the ground.
Pure theater.
Beep.
The whistle blew.
Chen Yan and Bell swarmed the ref, arguing immediately. They were right there. They knew he sold it. Their teammates rushed over and pulled them back. A bad call was already painful enough, no need to stack a technical on top of it.
Chen Yan exhaled and reset, putting the win ahead of his temper. As Ginobili headed to the line, Chen Yan walked past him on purpose.
"Manu, you ever think about diving? Argentina might pick up another Olympic gold."
Ginobili just grinned. "Chen, that's called using the rules."
Swish.
Swish.
Two free throws.
97 to 92.
Manu had heard worse. He was too tough to flinch over words.
Phoenix ball.
The Spurs sprinted back in transition, refusing to give the Suns any runway. Nash crossed half court and Chen Yan immediately called for it. Nash trusted him and bounced it over.
Chen Yan caught with one hand, shoulder angled into Bowen. Bell slid up to set a screen. Using Bell as a shield, Chen Yan drifted, dipped a pass fake, and cleanly turned the corner as Bowen tried to fight through. Bell popped back out.
Chen Yan had options everywhere. Bell was open on the perimeter. Stoudemire had inside position. But in this moment, Chen Yan kept it for himself.
He took two lateral steps, then made a small hop from the top of the key, that quick gather he liked before rising.
Ginobili had switched onto him, saw the rhythm, and lunged with both arms wide.
Chen Yan gave him a soft shake, just enough to nudge Manu off balance, then jumped forward into Ginobili's chest as he went up.
Bang.
Beep.
The contact jolted Ginobili back two steps. He almost went down. What really set him off was the call.
A three point shooting foul.
"Are you a long jumper now?" Ginobili barked, steadying himself.
Chen Yan lifted his hands with a straight face. "That's exploiting the rules."
Manu had no comeback. He knew what Chen Yan was aiming for, and he knew it was legal.
At the line, Chen Yan was ice.
Swish.
Swish.
Swish.
Three free throws, no hesitation.
100 to 92.
From the booth, Charles Barkley chuckled. "That was veteran stuff right there. He knew Manu was flying at him, so he let Manu do the rest."
Kenny Smith nodded. "It's smart basketball. He reads the closeout, creates contact in the act, and now it's points without burning clock."
San Antonio hurried back with the ball. Parker crossed half court, and Popovich barked the next action, pointing for Manu again. Ginobili was scorching, seven straight points, and the Spurs needed every spark.
Manu took it and attacked Bell one on one. He changed pace, drove left, and Bell stayed attached, chest square, hands clean.
Then Ginobili slammed on the brakes, snapped a behind the back dribble, and shifted lanes. The second Bell slid his foot to recover, Manu twisted like a snake, left foot one way, right foot the other, spinning around Bell's balance point.
Bell froze for a heartbeat.
That was all Manu needed.
He knifed to the rim and laid it in before Stoudemire could rotate.
100 to 94.
Ginobili pumped his fist, adrenaline pouring out. Nine straight points, and he looked like he could score on the Spurs' next possession too if they let him breathe.
Chen Yan turned right back. No pause, no doubt. Phoenix cleared space and let him answer.
Popovich had handed Manu the keys, and D Antoni matched it by giving Chen Yan the same freedom. This was what the playoffs were built for. When games tightened, stars stopped hiding behind systems. They went head to head.
Chen Yan caught, lowered his shoulder, and went straight at Bowen.
Bang.
Bang.
Two hard dribbles down the middle, shifting Bowen's weight again and again. Bowen dug in, every ounce of focus on his stance, refusing to open a lane.
Chen Yan stayed patient. When strength and angles were not enough, he reached for the weapon nobody could teach.
Speed.
Bowen was still an All Defensive First Team guy, and his experience let him read plays early. But experience could not rewind time. At 36, his burst was not what it used to be.
Chen Yan jabbed, then detonated. He shot to the free throw line in a blink, forcing Bowen to chase uphill.
Duncan stepped over to help.
Right in front of him, Chen Yan unleashed his Shadow Trace move. A low dribble into a sweeping step, and he slipped past Duncan like smoke.
Duncan could not match that pace, and he could not get low enough to poke away the ball. He could only watch Chen Yan glide by.
Shadow Trace was dangerous because it came with a dozen reads. Against smaller defenders who crowded him, Chen Yan would shield with his off hand and whip the ball overhead in one motion. Against taller bodies like Duncan, he snapped it down quick or snapped it behind his back to change sides. If a fast break got clogged, he had the soft lob ready, paired with footwork to slide away from contact.
Different counters for different walls, every time.
Chen Yan finished with a reverse layup off the glass.
102 to 94.
The crowd went wild. His footwork had the same slippery feel Ginobili showed on the previous possession, but the energy was different. Manu was a ghost cutting through shadows. Chen Yan was a blade on open ice, fast, direct, and elegant.
Fans were on their feet. This was the postseason they lived for. Two elite talents trading blows with the game hanging in the air.
Strictly speaking, neither man carried the official label yet. Chen Yan was still a rookie. Ginobili was still the league's most feared sixth man.
But in this moment, that did not matter. The duel looked like a superstar showdown, and the beauty of it had the whole arena hooked.
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