TL: 200PS
Chapter 287: Constipation Game, Chen Yan's Standard
Fans back home might have been roasting the game in group chats and forums, but almost none of them turned the television off.
As the 2nd quarter began, they stayed locked in, choosing to sit through this painfully slow contest as their most direct way of backing the Suns and Chen Yan.
The 2nd quarter opened with a battle between the benches.
Popovich kept grinding with the same slow paced offense. After 4 and a half minutes, the 2 units had combined for only 3 made shots from the field. The game was already turning ugly, the rhythm stuck in molasses.
The fans complained, but Popovich could not hear them from the sideline. All he cared about was the scoreboard, and right now the Spurs were in front, which to him only proved that his plan was working.
Even if he had heard the anger outside, he would not have flinched. Under Popovich, San Antonio had always played ruthless, practical basketball, focused on one thing only, winning.
Fan love brings attention and money. It does not secure wins. Popovich understood that better than anyone.
Midway through the 2nd quarter, both starting lineups checked back in.
Chen Yan tried to blow the game open with the same long threes that had shredded the Spurs in Games 1 and 2, but both attempts rimmed out.
He could not stay in the kind of unreal rhythm he had shown in the first 2 games. If he could, the league might as well shut down and let him stand at half court firing threes all season.
His cold shooting only made the Spurs double down on their approach.
With 3 minutes 47 seconds left in the quarter, Finley missed a mid range jumper.
The rebound kicked long, and Nash snatched it in stride, pushing immediately. With his panoramic vision, he spotted Chen Yan sprinting out ahead. At last, a long awaited Suns fast break.
Just as everyone hoped Chen would break the spell with a dunk and wake the game up, Bowen and Parker closed in from his left and right.
The second Chen gathered to attack, the Spurs wrapped him up.
Bowen locked down on his right arm, Parker grabbed his left.
They did not even give him a chance to finish through contact for a possible and one. They simply dragged him down.
"Oh man, Bowen is literally taking a foul just to make sure Chen does not see the ball go through the hoop," Kenny Smith said on TNT.
"That is Spurs basketball tonight," Barkley snorted. "They are constipated, and they are trying to pull Phoenix into the same bathroom with them."
On the sideline, Popovich clapped hard. Even the fouls were part of the identity he wanted. Tough, physical, no freebies.
That sequence summed up the entire night. San Antonio's defense choked off Phoenix's trademark run and gun game. Chen Yan could not find the same smooth rhythm he had in the first 2 games, and he could not drag the Suns out of the mud by himself.
The Spurs offense was nothing special either, but with their collective toughness, they kept grinding until the final horn.
When it finally sounded, the San Antonio Spurs had beaten the Phoenix Suns 89 to 81.
The ATT Center exploded. The series score shifted to 2 to 1, and the defending champs were officially back in it.
Then came the numbers.
For Phoenix, Chen Yan finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, including an uncharacteristic 2 for 8 from three point range. Nash had 11 points and 8 assists. Amar e Stoudemire added 15 points and 7 rebounds, and Grant Hill chipped in 8 points.
Chen Yan's off night from the field and the rest of the Suns getting dragged into the Spurs tempo made the loss easier to understand.
For San Antonio, Duncan led the way with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Parker posted 15 points and 8 assists. Ginobili added 14 points.
The Spurs big 3 did not exactly dominate, but their win was built on team defense and discipline.
In the home locker room afterward, Ginobili spoke with the media.
"We can finally relax and get some sleep," he said with a grin. "My son told his classmates today that the Spurs were absolutely going to win tonight, and I am just glad I did not let him down."
His relief echoed the mood of the entire team. Down 0 to 2, they had been playing with their backs to the wall. Winning Game 3 felt like breathing fresh air again, the tightness of the last few days finally easing.
On the Suns side, D Antoni headed to the press conference with Chen Yan and Nash.
All 3 looked composed. Dropping a road game was not ideal, but it was not a disaster either.
The media, though, had Chen Yan in their sights.
Twenty one points, 4 boards, 4 assists was perfectly fine for a rookie, but the contrast with Games 1 and 2 made the line look ordinary. The questions came sharp.
Nash, as the veteran leader, stepped in to shield him.
"This loss is on all of us," Nash said into the microphones. "Chen did his job. He played hard, and he still made an impact. Our whole offense got pulled out of rhythm, and we did not play our game. That is the main reason we lost."
"Chen only hit 2 of 8 threes tonight. What do you think of that performance?" a reporter asked D Antoni.
D Antoni did not hesitate.
"The Spurs changed their coverages. The kind of pressure he saw tonight was different from the first 2 games," he said. "I have complete confidence in him. His feel will come back."
Finally, they turned directly to Chen Yan.
"Chen, was your poor shooting from outside tonight the result of the pressure Bowen put on you?"
"I missed shots because I missed shots, not because of the defense," Chen answered, short and firm.
"Chen, we know there were a lot of Spurs fans outside the hotel the night before the game, and the team bus was blocked on the way out. Did any of that off the court stuff affect your performance?"
Chen glanced at the reporter, adjusted the microphone, and replied, "No. There is no excuse. If you lose, it just means you did not do enough on the court."
He did not dress the loss up, and he did not reach for a soft landing. Losing was losing.
That was his standard, and his way of seeing the game.
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