Chapter 284: He And I Are Not Playing The Same Basketball
Even after the final buzzer, the crowd inside America West Arena refused to sit down, let alone go home. For Phoenix, there was nothing sweeter than a playoff win over the Spurs.
The final box score told the story.
Chen Yan finished with a game high 47 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 3 turnovers.
Amar'e Stoudemire added 21 points and 9 rebounds.
Steve Nash had 9 points, 15 assists, and only 2 turnovers.
Off the bench, Azubuike delivered a huge spark with 14 points and 3 rebounds, anchoring the second unit and swinging the game in the Suns' favor.
For San Antonio, Tim Duncan led the way with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili chipped in 16 and 14 points, but it was not enough.
Chen's scoring did not quite reach the 50 plus explosion of Game 1, but dropping 47 points with 9 boards and 8 dimes on a Spurs defense built to take away everything was still outrageous.
In the postgame studio, the TNT crew broke it down.
Kenny Smith leaned toward the monitor. "This one stopped being a clash of styles in the third quarter. Once Phoenix got running, led by Chen, they blew the game open. That stretch in the late third, that is where they won it."
Charles Barkley squinted at the stat line. "Man, he was this close to a 40 point triple double. In the playoffs. That is hard, I do not care who you are playing."
As a former player, he knew how ridiculous that stat line was.
Kenny nodded. "If he keeps developing, he is the kind of guy who could flirt with a 50 point triple double one day. That does not happen in this league."
Back before Russell Westbrook ever hit the NBA, a triple double was still treated like an event. Dropping 40 with it was almost mythical.
"I will say this," Barkley added, tapping the screen, "he could have chased it if he wanted. But he sat when the game was over. That tells you he is more worried about winning than about putting up numbers."
And that was the truth. In the closing minutes, once it was clear San Antonio had waved the white flag, Chen did not ask to go back in. If he had wanted to pad the box score, a triple double was well within reach.
The familiar chime rang in his mind.
Ding. Congratulations to the host on the playoff win. 6 Honor Points.
There were no record bonuses tonight, so the Honor Points were modest, but Chen did not mind. Honor Points were a reward for winning, not the reason he played.
…
At the postgame press conference, Mike D'Antoni walked in with his trademark mustache and easy smile, flanked by two players.
Chen Yan was obvious.
Azubuike was the surprise.
He almost never sat at the podium, which made it clear that this was D'Antoni's way of rewarding his performance.
"Kelenna," a reporter began, "you had 14 points tonight, third on the team, and you led the bench unit in holding off that Spurs run. What would you like to say about your performance?"
Azubuike shifted in his seat and scratched his cheek, a little shy in front of all the cameras.
"I am really happy," he said. "Happy I could play well, and happy so many fans were cheering for me. But it was not just me. My teammates gave me great screens and open looks. And Chen, once he checked in, he kept finding me. A lot of the time I feel like I am just living in his top five plays."
The room chuckled.
Chen leaned into the mic with a grin. "He is being humble. He was incredible, especially in that second quarter stretch. There were a couple possessions where I honestly thought Kobe had checked in."
The press room burst into laughter.
Azubuike fired back with a smile. "Chen was unbelievable tonight. I just grabbed a pair of his signed shoes from the locker room for my nephew."
An ABC reporter raised an eyebrow. "You just got two pairs?"
Azubuike could not help laughing. "Yeah, the other pair is for me. I am his biggest fan on this team and a huge AeroWing guy. I have every colorway of his signed AeroWing shoes."
The questions then shifted to Chen.
"Chen," another reporter asked, "you hit several of those super deep threes again, especially that buzzer beater before halftime that was almost on the midcourt logo. What was going through your mind on that shot?"
Chen shrugged lightly.
"Just a feeling," he said. "When you shoot, feel is everything."
The reporters exchanged looks. Shooting logo threes "just on feel" was the kind of thing that sounded simple only when he said it. Lately, he seemed to be feeling it a lot.
"Tonight you put a lot of Spurs players on the highlight reel," another reporter said. "You broke down Parker and Bowen, and you dunked over Duncan again. What do you want to say about all those plays?"
Chen smiled.
"For me, those are beautiful moments," he admitted. "I will definitely be watching the film when I get home. But I do not go hunting for ankle breakers or dunks. Every move I make is about helping us win."
The next question came quickly.
"You will be heading to San Antonio for Game 3. Do you feel confident about winning on the road?"
"As long as I stay locked in," Chen replied, "the results will take care of themselves."
He did not say the word "win," but the calm in his eyes said everything.
…
Down the hall, the Spurs' postgame press conference had a very different feel.
After back to back losses, the mood was heavy.
Tim Duncan was the first to face the microphones.
"Tim," a reporter began, "how would you evaluate the Spurs' overall performance tonight?"
"We can play better," Duncan said flatly.
"Chen dunked over you again tonight," another reporter pressed. "Two straight games with the same guy putting you on a poster. That has never really happened to you before. Does that affect you mentally at all?"
"No," Duncan replied. "That is part of the game."
"Next game you will be back in San Antonio. Are you confident you can lead the team to a win at home?"
"I will give everything I have," he said simply.
Short answers, stone face. It was the same Duncan everyone saw on the court, the same Stone Buddha.
Ginobili stepped up next.
"Manu," a reporter asked, "the Suns scored at a very high rate in transition tonight. Is there something wrong with the Spurs' defense?"
"I do not know," Manu said with a helpless smile. "All I kept seeing was that guy in a white jersey, running everywhere, putting the ball in the basket again and again while we tried to chase him down."
When asked about Chen's string of long range threes, Ginobili could not help but laugh bitterly.
"He and I," he said, "are not playing the same basketball."
The room laughed with him, the humor covering the frustration.
Then it was Popovich's turn.
"The Suns outscored you on fast breaks tonight by a margin of 24 to 4," a reporter noted. "How do you explain that?"
"That is on me," Popovich answered without blinking. "My game plan was wrong."
He took the hit straight on, shielding his players from the heaviest criticism. A veteran coach knew where the pressure needed to land.
"Chen scored against your defense again tonight," the reporter continued. "How would you evaluate his performance?"
Popovich exhaled.
"His drives and his threes were both unguardable tonight," he said. "Right now he is a dark cloud hanging over us. He is the chain holding us down."
"We are only two games into the series," another reporter followed. "Have the Spurs figured out how to contain him yet?"
"I think we have," Popovich said dryly. "Keep him in the locker room."
The room cracked up. The joke was half humor, half confession. For two games, there had been no real answer for Chen on the floor.
His comments exploded online, sparking debates and memes across fan circles.
"Pop looks like he is genuinely scared of Chen now."
"Keep him in the locker room? With his range, the locker room might still be in his shooting zone."
"There is no game plan for a guy who can shoot that far and that accurately."
"Forget the locker room, just do not let him into the arena."
"Better idea, make sure he never gets out of bed on game day."
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