TL: 100PS
Chapter 363: Postgame Interviews, and the Unlucky Old Man
"The game is over," Charles Barkley said as the final buzzer echoed through Cleveland. "The Suns steal one on the road again, and because of another Chen Yan eruption, they are now sitting on championship point in the NBA Finals."
Kenny Smith nodded toward the floor, still staring at the box score like it had personally offended him.
"Chen Yan was flawless tonight. Not only did he drop 50, he handed out 9 assists too. The Cavaliers tried everything, and none of it worked."
Barkley laughed, satisfied in the way only a former star can be when he sees the next generation do something disrespectful to reality.
"Back to back 50 point games. This kid is treating the Finals like his own personal stage show."
Kenny didn't forget the home team's fight.
"And give Cleveland credit, they deserved to win with how hard they played. They competed all the way to the end. LeBron was special tonight, 45 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds. That's as complete as it gets."
It was the cruel part.
Game 3 was in Cleveland. The whistles leaned home. The crowd was a storm. The Cavaliers had every advantage you could reasonably ask for.
And it still wasn't enough.
If anyone wanted a summary, it was simple. Cleveland got their chance, and Phoenix still walked away with it.
…
After the final horn, a small incident flared in the tunnel.
As Chen Yan headed toward the locker room, a couple of furious fans reached out from the stands near the walkway and splashed water at him.
Security reacted instantly. The offenders were restrained and escorted out.
Chen Yan barely blinked.
He had taken harder contact than that just trying to get an entry pass.
Back in the locker room, Phoenix celebrated like a team that could already feel the trophy's weight in their hands. Up 3 to 0, the Suns were 1 win from a title, and to them it looked almost easier than surviving the Western Conference.
…
The Cavaliers' postgame press conference started with the questions everyone dreaded.
"Coach Brown, what does 0 to 3 mean for you and for this team?"
Mike Brown pursed his lips. He knew what it meant, but head coaches did not survive long by saying the quiet part out loud on a microphone.
"We have to look forward," he said. "The series isn't over. We have to fight for this city, and for the fans who support us."
The next reporter pressed harder.
"Do you expect to get swept? If it happens, you'll be the first team to be swept in the Finals in 2 straight years."
Brown adjusted the microphone again, buying time the way coaches do when there is no good answer.
"We're going to give everything we have. We're going to focus on Game 4, prepare the right way, and compete."
LeBron James took the seat beside him with his shoulders heavy.
His voice was low when he spoke.
"This is a hard result to accept. We gave everything and still lost," James said. "But we can't fold. The series isn't over. I hope this loss stays with us."
He did not sound angry.
He sounded exhausted.
…
After a short celebration, Phoenix took the podium.
A reporter asked Mike D'Antoni, "Coach, you're up 3 to 0. Do you feel like the series is already decided?"
D'Antoni shook his head.
"It makes me happy, but it won't make me comfortable. We're going to play Game 4 like we played the first 3 games."
Another reporter followed up. "Cleveland made a big push in the 4th. You were close to losing that lead. How do you feel right now?"
D'Antoni replied, "It's their home floor. When they cut it down, the crowd gets loud and the pressure goes up. But we have the best player in the league, and we stayed composed."
Then the obvious question.
"Coach, Chen Yan scored 50 plus again. Was it the plan to let him isolate and take as many shots as he wanted?"
D'Antoni smiled.
"I remember the plan was for Chen to get going, then bring the whole team with him," he said. "He clearly only heard the first half."
The room burst into laughter, including D'Antoni.
The reporter turned to Steve Nash.
"Steve, you're the closest you've ever been to a championship. If you sweep and win it in Cleveland, do you feel any regret that it isn't in Phoenix?"
Nash smiled, calm as always.
"Not at all. A championship is a championship anywhere. I just want to feel what it's like to hold the Larry O'Brien Trophy. I've wanted that for a long time."
He did not hide it. Some stars collect individual awards. The one thing they cannot fake is a ring.
…
Then it was Chen Yan's turn.
"Chen, another 50 plus game in the Finals. How does it feel?"
"Great," Chen Yan said. "First, I have to thank my coaches and teammates. They created so much space for me. They put me in positions where I could attack the rim the way I like to."
The room was not surprised. Chen Yan's interviews always started with praise, then ended with a blade.
A reporter asked, "Do you think you'll be the 2nd player after Magic Johnson to win Finals MVP as a rookie?"
Chen Yan smiled.
"That's not for me to decide. You decide. The votes aren't in my hands."
Another reporter brought up the tunnel incident.
"Chen, what do you think about the fans splashing water on you?"
Chen answered without hesitation.
"It just means I did my job. I made them mad enough to do that," he said. "I know Cleveland doesn't want to see me. I'll try my best to end it in Game 4."
One more question, and it was the one everyone wanted.
"LeBron had 45 plus tonight. Do you feel like you have a good way to stop him?"
Chen Yan shook his head.
"No. Just like defending me, you can't stop him."
The reporters laughed, because they could not tell if he was praising LeBron or praising himself.
Maybe both.
…
The next morning, the headlines came in waves.
Chen Yan Drops 50 Again, Suns One Win From Title.
LeBron's Big Night Not Enough as Cavaliers Fall Behind 0 to 3.
Suns On The Brink, History Says No One Escapes 0 to 3.
The early celebration was everywhere, and the comments were even louder.
He's unreal.
A scoring machine.
The league is changing, speed wins.
Offense wins too.
Game 4 was still in Cleveland, so the Suns stayed put. There were only 2 days off. Chen Yan went nowhere except the hotel and the arena.
His parents stayed in the hotel too. Cleveland's reputation for safety was not the kind of thing he wanted to gamble with. He planned to take them out after the job was finished, after the trophy was secured, after they flew back to Phoenix.
June 14 arrived quickly.
Game 4 day.
In the locker room, Suns players were already joking about how to hold the trophy, how to pose, who would lift first. The first 3 wins had given them a dangerous level of confidence, but the game started exactly the way they expected.
Halftime.
Phoenix Suns 59, Cleveland Cavaliers 45.
A 14 point lead.
Less than a minute into the 3rd quarter, disaster found Cleveland again.
Larry Hughes, the Cavaliers' 2nd leading scorer in the series, went down hard in a scramble and stayed down, face tight with pain.
The arena went quiet in that specific way, the way crowds get when they know something is wrong.
Hughes's injury made an already impossible climb even steeper.
And the irony hit like a punch.
Just hours before tipoff, Hughes had been on the cover of Sports Illustrated. During an interview, he had joked, "Man, this is bad luck. People on magazine covers always get hit with something. Why'd you pick me?"
Now the joke was real.
He had called himself the unlucky guy, and the basketball gods, cruel as ever, decided to agree.
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