Chapter 355: Chen Yan, the God of Efficiency!
The final horn had barely finished echoing before the internet lit up.
Fans flooded sports forums and message boards with hot takes, memes, and the kind of overconfidence that only shows up after a blowout.
"This was a demolition."
"Is this the Finals or a preseason scrimmage?"
"Not even close to the Western Conference Finals."
"LeBron looks like he wants to teleport back to Ohio."
"Man has no help, his teammates look replacement level."
"Phoenix is on a championship runway now."
"Relax. It was Game 1. Do not jinx it."
The Suns did not just win, they looked comfortable doing it.
Chen Yan logged 33 minutes, went 9 for 15 from the field, 2 for 4 from 3, and 3 for 4 at the line. He finished with 23 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds.
And the scary part was how little he needed to force it.
Phoenix had so many guys killing it that Chen Yan could pick his spots, keep the offense organized, and let the game come to him.
The top scorer was Steve Nash.
Phoenix's brain executed the game plan perfectly, repeatedly using pick and roll action to pull Cleveland's bigs into uncomfortable territory. Nash finished with 25 points and 8 assists.
Behind them, the Suns got production from everywhere. Amar'e Stoudemire had 18 points and 9 rebounds. Grant Hill added 12. Raja Bell scored 11. Boris Diaw and Azubuike both had 10.
Cleveland got numbers, but not enough answers.
LeBron put up 29 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Larry Hughes kept them afloat with 23 points. Shaq added 17 points and 8 rebounds.
After that, the drop off was brutal. Cleveland's bench scored 14 total points.
Phoenix's bench scored 34.
That was the difference between a team and a guy trying to drag a wagon uphill.
…
At the postgame press conference, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown looked like a man staring at a math problem written in flames.
"This game was very difficult for us," he admitted. "We were like a leaky pipe with holes everywhere. You plug one hole with your finger, and water gushes out from another. We have to find more fingers, but unfortunately, we do not have them."
LeBron's answer was as polished as ever.
"We do not like losing," he said. "But we have to accept it and turn it into motivation. The series has just begun. We need to regroup and chase the win in the next game."
On Phoenix's side, Mike D'Antoni praised the entire roster without holding back.
When asked about Chen Yan's free throw line dunk, D'Antoni just shook his head.
"Unbelievable."
Nash got the same question, and he answered with a straight face that made the room laugh anyway.
"In practice, Chen kept telling me the rim felt shorter," Nash said. "I had technicians check it. We even replaced the hoop in the training gym. Chen dunked a couple of times, then looked at me and said, 'Steve, this rim is still short.' That's when I realized it wasn't the rim. He was just jumping higher and higher."
To the media, it sounded like Nash was gassing up his teammate with a joke.
To Nash, it sounded like the truth.
When Chen Yan was asked about it, he shrugged.
"When I got to a step before the free throw line, I felt great," he said. "I did not overthink it. I just jumped. I knew I could do it, and I proved it."
A reporter tried to push the moment further.
"Does the big win in Game 1 make you feel like the championship is already secured?"
Chen Yan shook his head.
"Game 1 just ended. It's too early for that," he said. "All we can do is keep our style, play our basketball, and win game by game. If we do that, what we want will come."
For him, the blowout was already yesterday's news.
He took his parents back to their place in Phoenix, then the system prompt sounded.
This win brought him 10 honor points.
He did not spend them. He saved them.
…
3 days later, on June 8, Game 2 arrived with a sharper edge.
The day before tipoff, a weird little headline popped up around town.
Someone stole a giant "Go Suns" banner that had been hanging from the top floor of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce headquarters. Police opened an investigation. The chairman raised another $1000 to remake it and get a new one up on the roof.
He even issued a statement that sounded like it belonged on a playoff poster.
"Do not think stealing our slogan will make Phoenix lose. The spirit of Phoenix lives on."
When reporters asked Chen Yan about it, he smiled like he had been waiting all day.
"Maybe the police should start by investigating the Cavaliers," he said. "They had a day off yesterday. Maybe LeBron used the time to pick up a part time job."
The room laughed.
It sounded like a joke, but Chen Yan knew exactly what he was doing. In the Finals, every word was a small shove, and reporters were happy to deliver the shove for free.
…
When Game 2 tipped off, Cleveland's adjustment was obvious.
They tightened up on Phoenix's role players and stretched their coverage wider to keep the Suns from getting comfortable outside.
Early on, it worked. Phoenix's first 3 looks from deep all came up empty.
But locking down the supporting cast meant loosening the grip on the stars.
Chen Yan read it immediately, demanded the ball, and called for isolation on multiple straight possessions.
Larry Hughes tried to hold the line.
It did not matter.
Chen Yan made his first 5 shots. Every one of them.
By the end of the 1st quarter, he had 15 points, and Phoenix led 29 to 24.
Mike Breen summarized it cleanly.
"Cleveland is staying at home on shooters and living with the matchup," he said. "And Chen Yan is punishing it."
Mark Jackson did not bother softening the truth.
"If you are going to let Larry Hughes guard him like this with no help, you are handing him points," Jackson said.
Jeff Van Gundy sighed like a man watching a bad decision repeat itself.
"The problem is not just the points," he added. "It's the confidence you give him. You are telling him he can do whatever he wants, and he believes you."
…
The 2nd quarter started, and Mike Brown stuck with the same gamble.
Even after Chen Yan's 15 point 1st, Cleveland only trailed by 5, because they had kept everyone else from catching fire. That reinforced Brown's belief that the plan was working.
Game 2 was a wager.
They were betting Chen Yan could not beat them alone.
So they gave him space. They gave him isolations. They let him hunt.
Brown's logic was simple, loud, and wrong.
Chen Yan stayed effortless. Step back 3s. Pull up jumpers. Post footwork. Shake, drive, finish.
Hughes could not hold him. Pavlovic could not hold him.
Even LeBron could not fully contain him.
Sometimes you know what is coming, and there is still nothing you can do about it.
With 23 seconds left before halftime, Phoenix led 57 to 47.
Chen Yan's 11 field goal attempts had all fallen. His 4 free throws had all dropped. He had 28 points without a miss.
Cleveland ran one last possession.
LeBron held the ball at the top, milking clock. He waited until 7 seconds, then attacked.
Crossover, change of direction, hard drive left.
Raja Bell slid early and cut him off. Bell had been reading LeBron's lanes all series, and it kept forcing LeBron into late decisions.
With 5 seconds left, LeBron looked to kick it out, but the passing lanes were smothered. Nash and Chen Yan were both sitting on the outlets.
No time. No angle.
LeBron lowered his shoulder and went straight through the traffic.
Near the free throw line, he pushed Raja Bell back, took another step, and lofted a tough floater just outside the restricted area.
Stoudemire arrived a half step late. The ball brushed past his fingertips.
Backboard.
In.
49 to 57.
LeBron glanced at the clock.
0.8 seconds.
A perfect answer before the break.
Mike Brown clenched his fist. Cutting it to single digits mattered, for the scoreboard and for the mind.
Some Cavaliers were already turning toward the tunnel.
But Phoenix did not concede the moment.
Chen Yan sprinted upcourt with his arms out, calling for it. Diaw understood instantly and launched a full court pass.
It was a lead pass, dropping Chen Yan toward the left baseline in the frontcourt.
Chen Yan leaped, caught it with both hands, and before his feet could come down, he flicked the ball toward the rim in one motion, drifting as he released.
Gibson lunged from behind, too late.
Swish.
Buzzer.
The arena went silent for a beat, like everyone needed to confirm what their eyes had just seen.
Then the building exploded.
A 0.8 second catch and shoot in mid air, drifting, clean.
At halftime, Chen Yan's total jumped to 30.
Mike Breen's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? He got it, caught it, and released before he landed. With 0.8."
Mark Jackson laughed, shaking his head.
"That's tough. That's confidence. That's a guy who thinks every possession belongs to him."
Van Gundy sounded almost offended by the physics.
"And Cleveland is going to watch that on replay and ask the same question everyone just asked," he said. "How do you defend that?"
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