Chapter 450: The Touch Is Scorching Hot, It's Going on a Rampage
On January 2, the Suns opened the new year at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Before tipoff, the Clippers were sitting at 8 and 23. One look at that record told everyone what kind of night this was supposed to be.
Still, the arena was packed.
There were 2 real questions hanging over the game. Could Phoenix make it 20 straight wins, and could Chen Yan drop another 50.
The Clippers' leading scorer was Zach Randolph, who had arrived from the Knicks shortly after the season started. For both sides, it was a clean deal. New York dumped a toxic contract, and the Clippers patched the massive hole left behind when Elton Brand bolted.
Randolph had a reputation. Wherever he went, he could manufacture a pretty 20 and 10. But numbers were not the same thing as impact, and he rarely moved the needle when it mattered.
Tonight, it did not matter anyway. Randolph was out with an injury. Chris Kaman was also on the injury list.
With both of them gone, the Clippers' already fragile interior got even thinner.
Kaman's absence sparked jokes all over the place. Some fans claimed he was faking it. Media outlets piled on, saying he looked full of energy a few days ago, so how could he suddenly be hurt.
The conclusion was simple, according to them.
He was dodging Chen Yan.
The Olympics had left him traumatized by that infamous poster, the so called Death Dunk.
Kaman nearly exploded when he saw the headlines. He complained to teammates, "If these people are so good at reasoning, why don't they become Sherlock Holmes?"
Baron Davis tried to calm him down. "The media makes money off nonsense. That's the whole business."
Snell nodded. "Don't get dragged into it. Or we can grab a reporter before the game and clear it up."
"Forget it," Kaman said, waving him off. "The more you explain, the worse it gets. They'll just twist it into something crazier."
…
Before tipoff, Chen Yan glanced at the Clippers' active roster and their scoring numbers.
He was surprised.
The highest scorer available tonight was their rookie, Eric Gordon.
Baron Davis, the original big beard, had fallen off hard. Last season he could still give you 21.8 a night. This season he was down to 14.9, and his efficiency had collapsed with it. His field goal percentage fell from 42.6% to 37%. He looked like a different player.
The big contract, the Los Angeles lifestyle, the lack of discipline, it all piled up. Add in early season groin issues and constant friction with the coaching staff, and it was a full stack of bad luck and bad habits.
Then the ball went up.
Phoenix started with the first possession.
Right away, Chen Yan attacked like he was trying to send a message. He kept cutting backdoor, then circling out, hunting space on the perimeter. Gordon matched him with energy, chasing over and around every route.
Stoudemire set a screen beyond the arc. Nash drifted laterally, waited until Baron Davis got caught, then exploded off his right foot and drove down the right lane.
Paul Davis, the Clippers big, rotated a step late.
Nash pulled up for a running jumper.
Clang.
His touch was ice cold to start. The first shot did not even look clean.
Snell went up for the defensive rebound.
Then a hand appeared over his head.
Chen Yan tipped it in softly, stealing an offensive board and turning it into 2 points.
0 to 2.
Gordon only realized he had lost him when Chen Yan was already in the air. His defense was tight early, then careless late. Classic rookie mistake. He assumed the possession ended when Nash released the ball.
Charles Barkley laughed on the broadcast. "That's the difference right there. Chen Yan plays every second like it matters. But come on, he could've dunked that. Give the people something."
Kenny Smith answered, "He had the lift. He's just getting warm. First 2 minutes, you don't want to waste your legs on a highlight if you don't need to."
Clippers ball.
Phoenix loaded up on the perimeter. The 2 bigs on the floor, Paul Davis and Snell, had no real self created scoring. If they wanted to beat Phoenix, it had to come from the guards and wings.
Baron Davis brought it up, hit a rhythm dribble, got past Nash, forced help, and kicked out.
Al Thornton caught it, sold a fake, then took 1 hard step into the lane and floated it up.
2 to 2.
Thornton, the 14th pick in 2007, was built like a prototype small forward, 203 cm, 100 kg, and he moved like a track athlete. His combine numbers were wild. A max vertical around 104 cm, a 3 quarter sprint at 3.16 seconds, the kind of speed you see from guards. In college, he even held scholarships in both basketball and track, and for a long time he debated which path to choose.
His athleticism once saved him for real. After a workout, he got caught in a car accident. In the moment of impact, he jumped away from a direct collision. It sounded like a story people made up, except it actually happened.
But talent does not erase flaws.
Thornton entered the league older, already 24, and his ceiling was always going to be limited. Worse, knee issues followed him. For an athlete who lived off lift and speed, bad knees were a death sentence.
…
Phoenix settled into their next possession.
Nash crossed half court, read the floor, then swung it to Diaw in the weak side corner.
Chen Yan cut out of that corner, and Gordon chased him like his life depended on it. Chen Yan faked a handoff with Diaw, then slammed on the brakes and cut back into the paint.
Diaw slipped the pass right into him.
The timing was perfect. Gordon got fooled clean.
Chen Yan took the ball and attacked the lane instantly. Snell and Paul Davis both collapsed to trap him.
Chen Yan hit his Shadow Step, first step baseline, second step outward, pulling both defenders with him. Then he threaded the ball through the seam, finding Stoudemire right on target.
Stoudemire rose and hammered a 1 handed dunk.
2 to 4.
Chen Yan had his first assist.
Kenny nodded. "That's the right play. The double comes, you punish it fast."
Barkley added, "And that pass ain't easy. That's not some basic kick out. He zipped it through 2 bodies. That's skill."
Clippers possession.
Baron Davis ran pick and roll and threw a slick between the legs pass to Snell on the cut. The idea was pretty. The finish was ugly.
Snell missed the layup under pressure from Stoudemire.
Stoudemire secured the rebound, but he could not outlet cleanly. Nash came to take it. Phoenix pushed past half court, saw no fast break, and flowed into their half court set.
Chen Yan sprinted to the corner, selling spacing.
Then, once everyone settled, he shot out toward the top.
Gordon reacted quickly and chased.
Bang.
Two steps later, Gordon ran straight into Stoudemire's chest.
Chen Yan did not wander into that screen by accident. He had already spotted Stoudemire's angle out of the corner of his eye.
Nash saw it too. He delivered the pass immediately.
Chen Yan caught, took a natural step, and rose from deep.
Gordon was stuck. Paul Davis could not get out in time.
The shot dropped clean, barely brushing the net.
2 to 7.
Chen Yan had 5 points already.
Clippers possession again.
Baron Davis hunted his own shot. He called for a screen and pulled up from the high post.
Brick.
The touch was still gone.
Diaw boxed out Snell. Paul Davis won the rebound over Stoudemire, using his 211 cm size to muscle inside. He tipped it back up for a putback.
4 to 7.
Phoenix came right back.
Nash crossed half court. Chen Yan ran the exact same action. Gordon was a step late navigating the screen.
Catch.
Quick rise.
Swish.
The arena exploded.
"Back to back 3s," Kenny said. "That's how you know it's one of those nights."
Barkley laughed. "He's already cooking and he ain't even touching the ball much. That's the scary part. He might be going for 50 again."
Chen Yan was not hunting off ball to save stamina. He had enough gas to score 50 even as a full time creator. He was simply playing the most efficient basketball the floor was offering him.
Clippers ball.
Baron Davis got impatient. He forced the drive, lowered his shoulder, and got called for an offensive foul.
Turnover.
Phoenix set up again.
Once Nash crossed half court, he looked for Chen Yan, who waved everybody away and went into his first isolation of the game.
Chen Yan pounded the dribble between his legs. Gordon locked in on his feet, bracing for the burst.
But Chen Yan's handle had weight to it. Every bounce threatened something.
Gordon tightened up. On camera, his body looked stiff.
Chen Yan read it instantly.
Bang.
A hard between the legs dribble, left to right. Gordon shifted.
Then Chen Yan snapped into a big pullback, and his off hand nudged Gordon just enough.
Gordon lost balance and hit the floor.
No whistle. This was the NBA. If you could not hold your ground, you paid for it.
Chen Yan stepped back behind the arc as the crowd erupted.
Wide open.
He rose.
Before the ball even dropped, he turned and started jogging back on defense, no celebration, no extra movement, like the result was guaranteed.
Swish.
Another perfect net snap.
Chen Yan flashed a faint smile toward the camera.
4 to 13.
Clippers ball.
Baron Davis ran pick and roll again, drove, then dumped it to Paul Davis. Paul Davis hesitated. He did not want to shoot. By the time he decided, Phoenix's defense was already set.
He held the ball high and waited for help.
Thornton cut off ball, took the handoff, and attacked with a long step into the paint.
He believed in his athleticism.
So did Stoudemire.
They met at the rim, and Stoudemire smacked the ball away.
Diaw scooped it, and Chen Yan was already leaking out.
Diaw launched a long pass with perfect lead, soft and comfortable right into Chen Yan's path. With Chen Yan running lanes like that, Diaw had turned into one of the best long pass bigs in the league.
Chen Yan caught, took off, and Gordon had no chance to match his speed.
In desperation, Gordon fouled from behind.
The foul was not the issue. The problem was he did not commit it clean. He grabbed an arm instead of wrapping the body.
Chen Yan threw the ball up the moment the whistle sounded.
Beep.
Swish.
The ref signaled continuation. Basket counted. And 1.
4 to 15.
The Clippers' coach immediately pulled Gordon.
If he let a nervous rookie guard Chen Yan any longer, it was going to turn into something historic.
.....
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