Chapter 221: James's Iron Elbow, Conflict on the Court!
Moments after the final buzzer, the giant screen at America West Arena flashed with the announcement:
"Chen Yan has recorded his fifth consecutive triple-double!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers, fans jumping to their feet and chanting his name.
"Chen! Yan! Chen! Yan! Chen! Yan!"
The arena echoed with the familiar rhythm of the "Song of Chen Yan."
As the camera zoomed in on him, Chen flashed his signature confident smile. This was his moment — his triple-double moment — and he soaked in the roar of the fans.
A minute later, during a dead ball, head coach Mike D'Antoni made the call to sub him out.
Chen hadn't sat for a single second of the second half, and with the Suns leading 97–83, D'Antoni decided it was time for his star to rest.
With Nash still sidelined, D'Antoni knew he had to manage Chen's minutes carefully. Losing him now would be catastrophic for their playoff push.
The Suns' new lineup hit the floor: Barea, Azubuike, Barnes, Diaw, and Stoudemire.
The Cavaliers countered with Gibson, Devin Brown, James, Varejao, and Ilgauskas.
LeBron noticed immediately — Chen Yan was on the bench.
It was his chance to strike back.
The Cavaliers took possession, and the "King" went straight to work.
James lowered his shoulder, bulldozed through the double-team from Barnes and Bell, and finished a powerful 2+1 at the rim.
As the whistle blew, he flexed and let out a primal roar, pounding his chest toward the baseline. The frustration of the game spilled out in that one moment.
On the next play, James blocked Barea's layup attempt with a monstrous swat that sent the ball flying into the stands.
One play on offense, one on defense — and suddenly, the Cavaliers had life again.
But James's fire soon burned out of control.
On the next possession, Devin Brown missed a three. As Barnes and James battled for the rebound, things escalated. In the chaos of fighting for position, James swung his elbow — hard.
It connected squarely with Barnes's forehead.
The impact was brutal. Barnes staggered, blood trickling between his eyebrows as he hit the floor.
James immediately raised a hand, signaling it was accidental. But Barnes wasn't having it.
"You made me bleed and think you can just wave it off? No way!" he shouted, furious.
Before anyone could react, Barnes sprang up and charged straight at LeBron.
The referees lunged between them, trying to restrain him. Players from both sides rushed in, forming a wall to separate the two men as the crowd roared in disbelief.
The Suns' trainers hurried in, guiding Barnes toward the sideline to treat the cut.
For a moment, it looked like the situation was under control — until Barnes suddenly pulled a fake-out.
As the medical staff turned their heads, he broke free, sprinting down the court like a man possessed.
From the baseline to half court, Barnes cut past two trainers, dodged around Raja Bell, and charged back toward James at full speed.
The crowd went insane.
"Barnes just broke through three people!"
"Oh my God, he's running like a linebacker!"
"This is madness! Someone stop him!"
"Barnes isn't in the NBA — he's in the WWE!"
The arena exploded with cheers and laughter, fans losing their minds over the absurdity of what they were seeing.
But James didn't move.
He stood tall near half court, his expression calm — or at least pretending to be.
In truth, he was terrified.
LeBron had the size of a tank, but he wasn't a fighter.
He'd grown up with discipline, not street brawls, and now Barnes was sprinting at him like a raging bull.
Luckily, his teammates formed a wall in front of him, protecting their star.
The Suns' bench, meanwhile, was in chaos.
The camera panned over to D'Antoni and his assistants — all three were physically holding Chen Yan back from storming onto the floor.
"Chen! Calm down!" D'Antoni yelled, grabbing his arm.
"I'm calm! I just want to intervene!" Chen protested, eyes locked on the unfolding chaos.
The word "intervene" sent a chill down D'Antoni's spine. Images flashed in his mind — Chen's infamous "intervention" against three Spurs players earlier in the season that ended with knockout blows.
"Not again," D'Antoni muttered under his breath, gripping Chen tighter by the waist.
Chen sighed in frustration, throwing up his hands. "Coach, I'm serious this time!"
But D'Antoni wasn't taking any chances. With the playoffs near, the last thing he needed was another brawl — or a suspension for his MVP candidate.
Back on the court, Barnes's charge was finally stopped by officials and teammates, who surrounded him like handlers restraining a wild animal.
The entire arena buzzed with disbelief. Even the commentators were speechless.
NBA Commissioner David Stern, watching from the league office, could only shake his head.
He had scheduled this game for national broadcast to showcase Chen Yan's fifth triple-double. Instead, it had turned into a near-wrestling match live on prime time.
Five long minutes later, the referees finally restored order.
After reviewing the footage, they made their ruling: both players ejected.
James received a flagrant-2 for unnecessary contact, while Barnes was charged with two technical fouls for multiple unsportsmanlike acts.
With LeBron gone, Cleveland's comeback hopes evaporated.
The Suns tightened their defense, stretched the lead, and closed out the game 103–84.
Six players for Phoenix scored in double digits, but once again, Chen Yan stood above them all.
In 38 minutes, he tallied 24 points, 11 assists, and 13 rebounds — extending his streak of triple-doubles to fifth straight games.
James, before his ejection, had posted an impressive 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, but it all went to waste.
The Cavaliers barred him from attending the postgame press conference, trying to shield him from media backlash.
Barnes, however, had no such restraint.
Speaking to reporters afterward, his tone was cold and direct.
"I don't care if LeBron meant it or not," he said. "If he doesn't apologize publicly, next time we meet, I won't be the one bleeding."
When Chen Yan stepped in for his own postgame interview, the reporters couldn't resist asking about the altercation.
Ironically, his fifth consecutive triple-double wasn't the biggest story — the scuffle was.
"My view was blocked by the referee when Barnes went down, so I don't know exactly what happened," Chen said calmly. "But whatever it was, I'll stand by Barnes. He's my teammate — my brother on the court."
His message was simple and powerful. Team first, always.
A reporter smirked. "So you were about to rush the court just now to help him handle LeBron?"
Chen quickly waved both hands. "No, no, no. I was just worried things were getting out of control. I wanted to intervene. You know me — I'm against violence on the court."
The room went silent for a second. Then, laughter erupted.
Against violence on the court? No one was buying it.
Fans online joined the fun:
"It was absolutely a fight — a knockout waiting to happen!"
"Let him 'intervene' next time! I wanted to see that!"
"Chen vs. LeBron would've broken the internet!"
"After hearing that, Bowen, Ginobili, and Finley all nodded in respect."
"D'Antoni didn't hold Chen back — he saved LeBron's life!"
The legend of Chen Yan just kept growing, both on and off the court.
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