Chapter 276: A textbook example of small against big
The crowd was still roaring from the early fireworks. Chen Yan gave a quick nod toward the noise, then turned and hustled back on defense.
He could feel the difference in his shot now. Those Honor Points had not been wasted. With his three point rating pushed to 96, the ball came off his hand cleaner, heavier, and more certain. Add the Sun and Sky boost on top, and even Chen Yan had to admit his range was starting to look ridiculous.
Popovich stood calm on the sideline, but inside he was doing math he did not like. Game 1 had been shredded by those deep threes. If Phoenix got another night like that, San Antonio would be chasing ghosts again.
Barkley couldn't hide his excitement. "There he goes again, the deep one. He lived out there last game. If that starts falling early, the Spurs are in trouble."
Kenny followed. "And the fans love it. But from San Antonio's side, you can't let him get comfortable. If he's getting clean looks, you're already behind the play."
San Antonio answered with offense.
Parker and Duncan ran a pick and roll and swung the ball to the wing. Bowen caught it, showed a three to freeze Nash, then drove hard to the rim and drew contact for two free throws.
Diaw did clip him, but the fans were louder about Bowen's tumble than the foul itself. He hit the floor like a man auditioning for a soap opera, and the Suns bench cracked up.
Manu had rubbed off on him. Teammates long enough, you start picking up each other's tricks.
Bowen hit one of two to make it 10 to 5.
Phoenix tried to push on the inbound, but the Spurs sprinted back and built their wall early. Popovich knew the key. Take away the Suns' runway and they lose half their bite.
Nash and Stoudemire went into a high pick and roll up top.
"Switch," Duncan barked, and San Antonio snapped into the coverage, cutting off the lob and the drive at once.
Nash didn't force it. He swung it to Diaw as a release valve. Diaw took one touch and moved it right to Chen Yan beyond the arc.
A quick touch pass situation, and Phoenix trusted one man with it more than anyone.
Bowen anticipated. He slid past Diaw's body before Chen Yan could even gather, planting himself right in Chen Yan's path.
Chen Yan jabbed twice and drifted laterally. Bowen stayed glued, hands buzzing, pushing the line of what officials would tolerate. In most games he'd foul out by halftime if they called everything. Bowen knew exactly where the invisible fence was.
Chen Yan didn't pull up or blow by.
He stepped back.
Clean, smooth, almost gentle.
He rose, let it go, and the ball arced high.
It rattled out.
Phoenix fans groaned. That move wasn't his bread and butter, and the timing was just a hair off.
Popovich showed nothing on his face, but the miss felt like a false alarm turning off. If that one had dropped too, he might have needed to call in backup.
The rebound kicked long.
Before the ball even hit the rim, Chen Yan had already read the bounce. He didn't pose. He didn't watch.
He sprinted.
Bowen was still near him, but nobody expects an offensive rebound from a step back three. Nobody except Chen Yan.
He stormed into the lane and grabbed the long rebound near the free throw line.
No pause.
Using the momentum, he exploded to the rim. Duncan slid over to help, and Chen Yan protected the ball right handed, then switched hands midair and finished off the glass with his left.
A clean, creative finish.
10 to 7.
Popovich snapped. "Rebound the damn ball! That's unacceptable."
Diaw and Stoudemire met Chen Yan with quick high fives. Phoenix trusted him because of his scoring, sure, but also because he fought for every possession like it was the last one on earth.
San Antonio returned fire.
Parker used Duncan's screen and took a straight pull up from the foul line.
It short rimmed.
But Parker did not chase the rebound like Chen Yan had. His instincts weren't wired that way. Chen Yan slid in and grabbed it clean.
Bowen turned to get back, then a gust of wind blew by him.
Chen Yan was already gone.
He pushed the ball past the logo without slowing. One hard change of direction, and Parker, the French sports car, was reduced to background scenery.
San Antonio had retreated deeper this time, but Chen Yan still forced the break. More accurately, he created it himself.
A knife through the front line.
Two steps from the foul line, Chen Yan rose and spun into a windmill dunk.
Boom.
A rare show for him in game, but the moment was right.
10 to 9.
America West Arena lost its mind.
"Keep tearing the rim up, Chen!"
"Send them home!"
"Unstoppable!"
At home, fans leapt off their couches. The second Chen Yan grabbed that rebound and turned on the jets, they knew something spectacular was coming.
Popovich burned a quick 20 second timeout. The crowd noise was so loud it felt like it was shaking the Spurs bench.
Out of the timeout, Parker took a mid range look again.
Miss.
A timeout can calm your head, but it can't fix your touch.
Popovich didn't love the result, but Parker had run the set exactly as drawn. The shot was there. It just wasn't falling.
Stoudemire snagged the rebound one handed and tried to outlet to Nash. Parker gambled for a steal, sprinting into the passing lane to make up for the miss.
Nash reacted faster, secured it first, and Parker crashed into him.
Whistle.
Defensive foul on Parker.
Popovich's frustration came out sharp. The Spurs didn't like gambling for steals, because if you miss, you hand Phoenix a 5 on 4 runway.
Parker raised both hands, owning it. He knew he'd overreached.
Phoenix reset.
Nash handed it to Chen Yan outside the arc. Chen Yan waited for the screen, calm, patient. Against a team like San Antonio, he needed to use teammates to save energy and keep his efficiency high.
Stoudemire came up high. Chen Yan fed him quickly.
San Antonio switched again, and Duncan floated out to the three point line. At his size, his reach covered too much ground for Chen Yan to feel good about a straight pull up.
Chen Yan planted, stepped back, then slowed down even more.
He wanted Duncan one on one.
Chen Yan crossed the ball left to right in one sharp motion and changed direction.
Duncan lost half a step.
That was all Chen Yan needed.
He turned the corner, Oberto backed off to avoid gifting an and one, and Chen Yan floated in with a soft fingertip layup.
10 to 11.
Phoenix took the lead.
The arena erupted.
"Too smooth!"
"He just shook Duncan!"
"Textbook small against big!"
Chen Yan barely reacted. To him, it was just a basic change of direction, the kind he'd done a thousand times.
To everyone watching, it looked like a lesson.
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