Chapter 388: A 52 Point Explosion, A Milestone Win
That head on rejection did more than stop a dunk, it stole Fernandez's swagger. Over the next few possessions, he looked hesitant any time Chen Yan was in front of him, second guessing angles, pulling up instead of attacking. Coach Reneses saw it too and, at the next dead ball, pulled him.
About a minute later, Jonas answered with his own adjustment, subbing Wang Zhizhi in for Yao Ming. The bigger the body, the faster the gas tank drains, and with Yao's foot still not right, Jonas could not ride him the way he rode Chen Yan.
China went small around a single big.
Wang Zhizhi, Zhu 8, Li Nan, Chen Yan, Liu Wei.
It was an all shooter lineup. Everybody on the floor could hit a 3 from deep, and the idea was simple: put the ball in Chen Yan's hands and let him create. If he had a look, he fired. If the help came, he drove and kicked to the perimeter.
Simple, but not easy.
That kind of offense only works if your isolation guy is elite. China had not had that player before. Now they did.
The first trip with the new group proved it.
Chen Yan got Navarro on an island and went one on one. A hard crossover shifted Navarro's balance. With 7 seconds left on the shot clock, Chen Yan sold the drive, and when Navarro retreated to cut off the lane, Chen Yan rose straight up.
Swish.
A pullup 3.
It was pure NBA, 1 man attacking while 4 teammates spaced and watched. Nobody in Wukesong complained. Jonas did not say a word, either.
Because it went in.
And because the point of offense is still the same in every rulebook, score the ball.
That make pushed Chen Yan to 41 points.
Back to back Olympic games, back to back explosions, and both against real opponents. Before the tournament, some fans worried he would not blend into the national team quickly enough, or that the international rules would slow him down.
Two games later, those worries were gone.
Chen Yan was a problem on any court.
…
Spain answered the right way, by going inside.
Pau Gasol punished the smaller look and finished for 2. He was carrying Spain almost by himself, efficient and relentless.
Spain's advantage was size.
China's advantage was speed.
Zhu inbounded fast from the baseline. Two dribbles later, Liu Wei found Chen Yan.
Chen Yan hit another gear. To the crowd, it looked like he was playing at 1.5 speed. Navarro was a step behind from the first stride.
Chen Yan raced into the paint and laid it in before Spain could react.
"Look at that burst," Kenny Smith said on the broadcast. "That is pure individual ability. When he turns the corner, you either foul him or you are chasing."
Chen Yan's urgency was obvious. China's legs were fading. If they did not build a cushion, a Spanish run would get dangerous fast.
…
Spain went right back to the same pressure point.
Without Yao on the floor, China's interior looked vulnerable. Pau attacked again and earned a 2 plus 1 on Wang Zhizhi, forcing contact and finishing through it.
Spain was not quitting.
Chen Yan responded immediately.
He used a double screen and drove hard into the lane by himself. Rubio rotated over to help. Chen Yan stopped in the restricted area, dead calm.
A quick turn, a shot fake, Rubio did not bite.
So Chen Yan pivoted on his right foot, stepped through with his left, and then flashed the ball like he was going to slip a pass under Rubio's arm.
Rubio turned his head for a split second.
Bad idea.
It was another fake. Chen Yan laid it in clean.
Rubio's face tightened. He knew he had been played.
The cameras caught it, and the arena laughed.
People had compared Chen Yan and Rubio before the game, two young guards who rose fast, both seen as the future for their countries.
By now, that comparison felt unfair.
Chen Yan was at 45 points.
Rubio had 1.
…
With Chen Yan pulling defenders toward him, China's shooters finally got oxygen.
On back to back possessions, Zhu and Wang Zhizhi drilled 3s.
The 1 big, 4 small lineup hit harder than Spain expected, and the lead ballooned toward 20.
On the bench, Yao Ming swung a towel like a kid celebrating a game winner. A few minutes earlier, when Jonas subbed him out, he had looked irritated. Now he was smiling so wide it could have been printed on a sticker.
"Hold this lead," Yao said. "Give me half a quarter of smart basketball and we win this thing."
Wukesong began to believe.
And that was exactly when the nightmare showed up.
…
Spain made their push.
This was a game they expected to win. Getting punched like this was humiliating. They refused to go quietly.
In about 2 minutes, Spain knocked down consecutive 3s and cut the lead to 10. On defense, they simplified everything and doubled Chen Yan the moment he caught.
Next trip, Chen Yan received on the right side and Navarro plus Reyes came immediately.
Chen Yan stepped back to create a passing window and fired it to Zhu.
Zhu drove and went up, but Pau Gasol met him with a high hand.
To avoid the block, Zhu twisted in mid air and flung the ball out anyway. The angle was ugly, the body control was worse, and the shot had no chance.
Clank.
It slammed off the rim and dropped into Pau's hands.
Spain pushed, then flowed into half court motion. A quick cut freed Reyes, and he banked in 2.
90 to 98.
China's defense was scrambled. It was not effort, it was legs. Their feet simply could not keep up anymore.
Jonas did not wait.
Timeout, then subs.
Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Dasheng checked in.
Wang Zhizhi, Li Nan, Liu Wei checked out.
The moment Yao returned, Chen Yan's burden eased. Spain could not sell out with double teams the same way, not with Yao rolling and popping into space.
On the very next pick and roll, Yao drifted toward the free throw line and Spain hesitated.
Chen Yan attacked that hesitation like it insulted him.
He burst into the paint and floated it up before Pau could fully rotate.
Pau's reach covered a continent, but Chen Yan's timing was perfect. The ball skimmed past Pau's fingertips and dropped in.
Swish.
90 to 100.
Spain answered again. Navarro came off a screen, got to the free throw line, and hit a soft runner with a similar rhythm.
92 to 100.
China needed a surge, something loud.
They got it.
Another pick and roll. Chen Yan drove, drew special attention, and when the lane tightened, he tossed the ball up, half pass, half shot.
It kissed the backboard hard.
And Yao Ming came flying in from the side.
Boom.
A 2 hand putback dunk.
92 to 102.
Wukesong went insane. That dunk snapped the air back into China's lungs.
Next possession, under pressure, Pau missed a midrange jumper. The crowd volume climbed again, convinced the finish line was right there.
Chen Yan secured the rebound, and Spain immediately pressed, trying to steal time and possessions. Every trip mattered now.
Chen Yan stayed calm.
He weaved through the pressure and drove into the paint again.
Rubio reached in.
Slap.
A foul across the arm.
Chen Yan yelled, pure release, and still forced the shot up. The ball rattled around the rim, touched iron twice, then fell through.
Whistle.
2 plus 1.
Chen Yan slammed his fist down.
The building chanted in one voice.
"MVP!" "MVP!" "MVP!"
He stepped to the line and, with the entire arena behind him, knocked down the free throw.
Swish.
92 to 105.
That was the play that broke Spain's posture.
After that, they gambled, firing from deep because 3s were the fastest way back. The more they rushed, the uglier the misses became.
China's shooting dipped too, but Chen Yan controlled everything, slowing the game when needed, speeding it up when Spain looked unbalanced, never letting the moment spin away.
In the past, Chinese fans dreaded late game pressure because shaky guard play often meant turnovers.
Not tonight.
Not with Chen Yan holding the wheel.
China closed it out.
111 to 101.
Chen Yan played 34 minutes, went 17 for 26 from the field, 8 for 13 from 3, and 10 for 12 at the line.
52 points.
7 rebounds.
5 assists.
For him, it was a ridiculous performance.
For China, it was a milestone.
Their first win over a top tier powerhouse like Spain on a major international stage.
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