Chapter 473: Nash Injured, It Helps to Have the Emperor's Backing
All Star Weekend was supposed to be a celebration.
For Chen Yan, it was overtime.
He was already locked into the All Star Game and the Rookie Challenge. On top of that, he had accepted invitations to both the Slam Dunk Contest and the 3 Point Contest. While most stars treated the weekend like a vacation, Chen Yan's schedule was packed to the brim.
The 3 Point Contest was non negotiable. He was the league's best long range shooter this season, leading by a wide margin in both attempts and makes. He also lost the contest last year, which made this the perfect chance to run it back and get his win.
The Dunk Contest was public pressure, pure and simple. Ever since Chen Yan's "Death Dunk" at the Olympics, the calls for him to enter the NBA's biggest showpiece event had only gotten louder. Add in the parade of solo fast break posters he had put on the league this season, and fans were basically begging to see him on that stage.
Chen Yan agreed without hesitation. He was not LeBron, he did not carry the same image baggage. Losing a dunk contest would not stain his legacy.
And honestly, he was confident.
He did not do anything dramatic to prepare, just a few extra reps after practice. Even though this year's field was being hyped as the most stacked in nearly a decade, with Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, and J R Smith joining Chen Yan, he still felt comfortable.
He had too many ideas.
Some were memories from his previous life. Some were variations he had already tested in games. Either way, he knew that just pulling out a few would be enough to make the building shake.
…
On February 2, the Suns handled the Washington Wizards at home, 105 to 87.
Washington had only 9 wins and did not even have double digits yet. With Gilbert Arenas done for the season, the Wizards had lost their pulse and were living in full tank mode.
Nick Young got plenty of minutes, and Chen Yan made sure the poor guy remembered exactly what it felt like back in the NCAA, when the matchup used to ruin his night.
Chen Yan finished with 31 points and 6 rebounds.
Nick Young had 4 points and 3 turnovers.
The broadcast crew even joked that if the Wizards coaches left him on the floor 2 more minutes, his turnovers might catch his points.
Young's minutes had increased this season because of Arenas's injury, but his overall level had not climbed nearly as much as people expected. He could feel it clearly in real time. The Chen Yan in front of him was not the same player from the NCAA tournament.
Back then, Nick Young's scouting report on Chen Yan was simple.
Impossible to guard.
Now it felt worse than that. Chen Yan had more counters, more tempo changes, more ways to finish. Even his signature move alone fooled Young twice.
That move had become a nightmare for perimeter defenders across the league. If you gave Chen Yan space, he would shoot immediately. If you stepped up, he would change direction and blow by you before you could reset your hips.
When a player has accuracy, speed, and skill at the same time, the court becomes his playground.
Fans everywhere started copying Chen Yan's Hesi Move on street courts, both at home and overseas. Of course, most of them did not have hands anywhere near Chen Yan's size, so instead of looking sharp, it looked like they were carrying a dinner plate.
And if we are being honest, a lot of it was traveling.
…
After a day off, the Suns took another loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Phoenix actually played fine, putting up 114 points with 6 players in double figures. It did not matter. Golden State played like the rim was magnetized.
Four Warriors scored over 20. Stephen Jackson posted a triple double with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Jamal Crawford, newly acquired mid season from the Knicks, added 29.
The back to back upsets set off a wave of talk. Fans started calling the Warriors the Suns' kryptonite. Some even fantasized about a "Black Eight" miracle if Golden State somehow crawled into the playoffs as the eighth seed.
That part was pure daydreaming. The Warriors were 15 and 34. Making the playoffs from there was about as likely as the national soccer team qualifying for the World Cup again.
Still, the label spread.
And Chen Yan hated it.
…
On February 6, Phoenix faced Golden State again, and this time the Suns treated it like a statement game.
They had heard the noise. They rejected every bit of it, especially that "kryptonite" nonsense.
Before tipoff, an ESPN reporter asked Chen Yan about the talk.
Chen Yan answered without blinking.
"The Jordan era Bulls used to lose to the Jazz in the regular season," he said. "So what, was Utah the Bulls' kryptonite too?"
The reporter swallowed hard. Chen Yan's tone was calm, but the anger was obvious.
And Chen Yan did not stop at words. He opened the game with a message.
First possession, he caught it on the wing, jab stepped, and snapped Corey Maggette's balance. Then he exploded into the paint and detonated a dunk over the 211 centimeter, skinny center Andris Biedrins.
The impact was violent.
It looked less like a basketball play and more like a punch delivered with two hands.
Biedrins stumbled on the landing and crashed straight into a baseline photographer.
Kenny Smith nearly shouted through the headset.
"Oh! What a poster to start the game! Chen's attack mindset is screaming at you tonight!"
Barkley laughed.
"That's not a dunk, that's a rehearsal. He's warming up for the dunk contest."
Twenty seconds later, it got worse.
Golden State turned it over. Phoenix ran. Chen Yan filled the lane, took 2 steps, and hammered a reverse folding dunk.
0 to 4.
His fold was massive, pulling the ball down between his legs in midair. It was elegant and violent at the same time, the kind of dunk that makes the crowd react before the ball even hits the net.
The building went insane. Don Nelson had no choice, he burned a timeout just 20 seconds into the game.
Phoenix never let go.
They were up 12 after the first quarter. Up 21 at halftime. The Warriors were a momentum team, fearless when they were hot, fragile when the energy died. Once Phoenix stomped out their confidence, Golden State collapsed fast.
Final score, 116 to 89.
A thorough home beatdown.
Phoenix proved the Warriors were not kryptonite. They just had an unusually hot hand in the earlier meetings.
…
On February 8, the Suns went on the road to face the Detroit Pistons.
The officiating was chaotic. Amar'e Stoudemire fouled out in less than 3 quarters. Chen Yan picked up fouls too. The Suns needed someone to carry them through the mess.
Nash did it.
He finished with 31 points and 11 assists, and his control of the second half saved the game.
But after the final buzzer, Nash did not stop to talk. The Suns announced his back issue had flared up again.
That was the last thing Phoenix fans wanted to hear, especially with All Star Weekend approaching in their own city.
The next day, the report became official.
Nash would be out 2 to 3 weeks.
He would miss the All Star Game in Phoenix.
Even though the Suns had won in Detroit, most fans felt the trade was not worth it. Losing Nash for a regular season win felt like paying for a bottle of water with a diamond.
With Nash confirmed out, the league moved quickly and activated the emergency replacement plan, adding Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets to the All Star roster.
Billups was averaging 18.5 points and 6.4 assists. His production and team success both justified the selection.
…
Phoenix then squeezed past the 76ers, then lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Chen Yan started cold from 3, and Cleveland adjusted immediately, betting on a simple idea.
Take away the drive.
Mike Brown later admitted it was a gamble.
This time, it paid off. Chen Yan never found his usual rhythm from deep, finishing with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, solid but not game breaking.
Cleveland also did not win purely on defense. Their offense exploded for 111 points, notable because their season average was only 98.
LeBron played well, 26 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds.
But the headline belonged to someone else.
Mo Williams went nuclear.
He hit 18 of 26 shots, including 7 of 9 from 3, and poured in 44 points to carry Cleveland to the win.
Williams was not on the All Star roster announced a week earlier, despite a season that looked worthy. This felt like his public protest, scored in buckets.
After the game, LeBron did not hide it.
"My brother Mo deserves an All Star spot," he said. "This just proves Cleveland teams still don't get respect. I'm not going to talk about who made it, but we grind every year, and we still don't get a stage. That's disrespectful."
A day later, the story flipped.
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh was ruled out of the All Star Game with a knee sprain, creating another vacancy. By rule, the replacement would be chosen directly by Commissioner David Stern.
Stern gave the spot to Mo Williams.
Online, people joked that LeBron's " wrath" had reached the commissioner's office.
For Williams, it was a career landmark. Since entering the league in 2003, he had never made an All Star Game.
And before being traded to Cleveland this season, he was not a headline guard. Next to LeBron, wearing the Cavaliers jersey, his production jumped.
This season he was averaging 17.1 points and 4.2 assists, shooting close to 50% from the field and a ridiculous 94.3% from the line.
Even with career highs, Williams's numbers were not dazzling compared to the league's elite guards. His selection was boosted heavily by the LeBron effect.
It was exactly what people meant when they said it was comfortable under the King's shadow.
…
At the All Star break, the Suns stood at 44 and 6.
The Lakers were right behind at 42 and 10.
Phoenix still owned the top record in the league, and if they kept holding that position, Chen Yan's case for regular season MVP would only get stronger.
If he won it, it would not just be a personal award.
It would open a new page in the league's history for players, and for Asian players as a whole.
.....
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