Chapter 453: Unparalleled Three Part Ability
"Chen Yan was ridiculous tonight," Charles Barkley said, staring at the box score like it had personally offended him. "40 shots, 25 makes. That's 62.5%. Then you look at the 3s and it gets even nastier. 13 for 21, that's 61.9%. He went 5 for 7 at the line and finished with 68. That's not a hot night, that's a crime scene."
Kenny Smith nodded. "And it wasn't just that he made them. It was how he got them. He started off ball, then once the Clippers realized he was scorching, it was already too late. They tried to top lock him, they tried to switch, they tried to deny. He still found clean looks because the timing and the movement were perfect."
"If somebody asks me what an elite scorer looks like," Barkley added, "tell them to go home and watch this replay. That's the lesson."
Kenny leaned forward. "Any All Star can shoot that kind of percentage for a quarter. Doing it for an entire game is different. In the 2nd half the Clippers were already selling out to keep him from catching. Chen Yan was sprinting through off ball routes, catching and firing immediately. One extra dribble and you're staring at a second defender. He never gave them that chance."
Even Amar'e Stoudemire, who had seen plenty of fireworks, looked a little jealous when he glanced at the final line. His career high was 54. Chen Yan had already hit 60 plus multiple times, and the season was not even halfway done.
"Chen," Stoudemire said before the reporters even reached the locker room, "how do you do it? Is scoring really that easy for you?"
Chen Yan laughed. "There's a secret."
Stoudemire's eyes lit up. "What secret?"
"3s," Chen Yan said, grinning. "I made 13 tonight. That's the difference. Turn those into 2s and it doesn't look so crazy anymore."
Stoudemire nodded like the universe had just explained itself. He was an interior scorer with soft touch. Early in his career his mid range was shaky, but after years of reps it became automatic. For a second, he even imagined stretching his range another step.
On a night that belonged to Chen Yan, the rest of the Suns were mostly supporting cast.
Only 2 other Phoenix players reached double figures. Stoudemire had 19. Grant Hill had 13. Steve Nash never got to 10, not because he could not, but because he spent the entire night feeding the fire. He took 6 shots for 9 points and handed out 15 assists.
For the Clippers, Linus led the way. He went 10 for 21 from the field, 4 for 8 from 3, and a perfect 6 for 6 at the line for 30 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. For a rookie, it was a strong line. Next to 68, it barely registered.
Baron Davis finished with 20 points. His efficiency improved once the pace opened up, and most of his damage came in transition layups. Inside, Paul Davis and Snell combined for 9 points. Their impact on offense was close to invisible.
...
The postgame press conference was packed.
Phoenix had just hit 20 straight wins, and Chen Yan had broken the NBA single game record with 13 made 3s. That is the kind of headline reporters fight over.
Before tonight, the regular season single game record was 12, shared by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall.
Kobe set his 12 in the 2002 to 2003 season, when the Lakers hosted the SuperSonics. That year, injuries had slowed Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe had started carrying more of the load. He was already averaging 30 points, more than O'Neal's 27, and the Lakers still won 50 games with Kobe in the top 5 of the MVP conversation.
On January 8, 2003, against a Gary Payton led Seattle team, Kobe caught fire from deep. He made 12 3s on 18 attempts, 66.7%, and became the first recorded player to hit 12 3s in a game. Even then, he only scored 45 because he went 1 for 1 at the line. More free throws and the number could have ballooned.
That record did not stand alone for long.
On March 14, 2005, when the Raptors hosted the 76ers, Donyell Marshall came off the bench and detonated. In 28 minutes, he went 13 for 22 from the field, 12 for 19 from 3, no free throws, and finished with 38 points and 10 rebounds as Toronto won.
In that era, 12 made 3s felt unreal.
Tonight, Chen Yan pushed it to 13.
And he had done it before in the playoffs too, setting his own postseason single game 3 point mark last spring. Now the regular season record belonged to him as well.
Asked what it felt like, Chen Yan said, "It was refreshing. I took over 20 3s and just kept letting them fly. They kept falling. I have to thank my coach and teammates, their trust is what lets me play that aggressively."
He laughed as he finished. D'Antoni picked up the mic beside him.
"If he makes 13 3s every night," D'Antoni said, "I'll let him be aggressive every night."
The room erupted.
The Suns' postgame interviews were always loose like that, especially after a win like this.
Another reporter tried to bait him. "Do you think you're already the best shooter in the league?"
Chen Yan smiled, calm and careful. "There are a lot of great shooters. At most, I'm just one of them."
A different reporter asked, "Everyone knows you have a deep bag, but why are you always so eager to shoot from beyond the arc?"
Chen Yan looked straight into the camera with a serious face. "Because there's no 4 point line."
The room laughed again.
It was an old quote from Celtics legend Antoine Walker, said during an All Star interview back in 2002. Most people remembered it as a joke. Tonight, coming from Chen Yan, it made some fans think a little harder.
A few even argued that if the league ever added a 4 point line, Chen Yan's range might finally make Wilt Chamberlain's 100 feel touchable.
...
After the game, the debate around Chen Yan's 3 point shooting only got louder.
Phoenix had played 31 games so far. Chen Yan had already made 141 3s, an average of 4.5 per game.
Before this season, the single season record belonged to Ray Allen, who hit 269 in 2005 to 2006. That year he took 653 attempts, made 269, averaged 3.4 per game, and shot 41.2%.
Fans started doing the math immediately. If Chen Yan kept this pace, he would not just break Ray Allen's record, he had a real chance to become the first player in NBA history to clear 300 made 3s in a season.
And it was not only volume.
It was volume plus brutal efficiency, a combination that sounds simple until you try to live in it.
If you only count spot up 3s, Chen Yan would sit in the excellent shooter tier.
Where he separates is everything else.
He can sprint through off ball screens and catch and fire. He can dribble into pull ups. He can come off a screen, turn the corner, and both start and finish the possession himself.
A typical good shooter is someone you create clean looks for, like Steve Kerr or Peja Stojakovic.
A step higher is a movement shooter who weaponizes cuts and screens, like Reggie Miller or Ray Allen.
Chen Yan is a different type entirely.
Give him the ball and he can create a 3 off the dribble. Do not give it to him and he will shake free anyway and bury you on the catch.
Most 3 point specialists wait for opportunity.
Chen Yan manufactures it.
Analysts broke down his form with mechanical models, release angles, repeatability, footwork patterns, even math.
They all landed on the same conclusion.
Talent is the base that makes the percentage possible.
Fans heard that and rolled their eyes.
"Yeah," one joked, "thanks for explaining. Listening to you is like listening to someone talk."
.....
[Check Out My Patreon For Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]