Chapter 222: Follow-Up to the Punishment, Six Consecutive Triple-Doubles!
The day after the Suns–Cavaliers clash, the "James elbow incident" dominated every major sports outlet. Headlines and highlight reels replayed the scuffle on loop, drowning out even Chen Yan's record-setting performance. For once, he wasn't the center of the storm—he was caught in its wake.
Former players and analysts flooded the airwaves with their takes.
Reggie Miller said on TNT, "I've watched the replay a few times. I don't think LeBron meant it. He's never been a dirty player. When you're in a physical battle, sometimes you swing too wide."
Olajuwon took a diplomatic stance. "LeBron's a competitor and a good guy. Things like this happen on the court. It shouldn't define him."
Karl Malone offered a more old-school take. "I don't think Barnes overreacted. You take an elbow to the face, your instincts take over. Any tough guy's gonna respond."
And then there was Dennis Rodman. "You call that a fight? Please. Nobody even got tossed into the stands."
By noon, the NBA had made its ruling.
LeBron James: one-game suspension.
Matt Barnes: two-game suspension.
The official statement read: "James made illegal contact to the head area of an opponent, initiating the altercation. Barnes' repeated unsportsmanlike behavior further escalated the situation."
The punishments sparked an uproar across social media and fan forums.
"One game for the elbow, two for the guy who got hit? What kind of logic is that?"
"Correction — Barnes hit LeBron's elbow with his face."
"Don't twist it. LeBron's not that type of player."
"Barnes has been dirty for years. Karma came quick."
"I'm a LeBron fan, but he swung hard. Let's not sugarcoat it."
The internet split into factions. James loyalists defended him, critics roasted him, and neutral fans watched in amusement as comment sections turned into battlegrounds.
Later that afternoon, LeBron addressed the media for the first time since the altercation.
"I know everyone's talking about what happened," he said calmly. "But I promise, I'm not that kind of player. It was an accident. We were both fighting for position and lost balance. I hated seeing it blow up like that. If I'm being honest, yeah, the ejection was fair. Suspension? I don't think I deserved that, but the league made its call. I'll take it."
His tone was measured, but the tension between him and Barnes had already become personal. Both men would remember this night.
---
Two days later, before the headlines even cooled, the Suns hosted the New Jersey Nets.
Since Jason Kidd's departure to Dallas, the Nets had lost their identity.
Carter and Jefferson could still drop 20 a night, but neither could glue the team together. On top of that, both players were quietly unhappy with management and hinting at moving elsewhere.
The result was predictable.
Phoenix steamrolled New Jersey 110–83, notching their sixth straight win.
And once again, Chen Yan recorded a triple-double — his sixth in a row.
In 36 minutes, he posted 31 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds.
"Six straight triple-doubles!" Kenny Smith shouted during the TNT postgame show. "This guy looks unstoppable right now!"
Barkley nodded. "He's on fire. Nash going down opened the floor for him, and man, he's made the most of it."
Kenny pulled out a printed stat sheet. "Check this out, Chuck. Chen's one game away from tying Michael Jordan's record — seven consecutive triple-doubles. Like I've said before, this guy either breaks records or gets one game away from breaking them."
The mention of Jordan's name lit up Barkley's face. "Oh, I like that! If Chen ties it next game, I'm calling Michael live on air. I want to hear how it feels having his record matched by a rookie!"
Kenny laughed. "So if Chen ties it, does that make him more complete than Jordan?"
Barkley shot him a glare. "Let's not get crazy. Chen's a monster, no doubt, but he's still got a long way to go before we start that conversation. But hey, I'll tell you what — watching him chase Michael's records is gonna be fun."
---
Late in the fourth quarter of that same game, something unusual happened.
With 5:30 left, Chen already had points and assists in double figures but only six rebounds.
That's when Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw started boxing out the Nets' big men like madmen, clearing the lane for Chen. Every missed shot became his rebound.
The crowd noticed. Some cheered; others laughed. But it worked — with two minutes to go, Chen grabbed his tenth rebound, sealing yet another triple-double.
At the postgame presser, reporters immediately brought it up.
"Coach D'Antoni," one asked, "some fans are saying your players were deliberately helping Chen pad his stats. What's your response?"
D'Antoni raised an eyebrow. "Stat-padding? No, that's strategy. It's part of our system. Securing the backcourt rebound lets us trigger the fast break faster. If it helps the team and shows up on the stat sheet, that's efficiency, not padding."
The reporter went quiet. D'Antoni had flipped the question on its head.
When Chen faced the same question later, his answer was even sharper.
"Getting big numbers and losing? That's stat-padding," he said. "Getting big numbers and winning? That's contribution. Have we been losing lately?"
The room fell silent.
Chen smiled slightly. He didn't care about the label.
Everyone loves good stats — but only if they come with wins. Without victory, numbers meant nothing.
---
On March 22, after a brief day of rest, the Suns boarded a flight to Milwaukee to face the Bucks.
Across the country, every conversation centered on one question:
Could Chen Yan tie Michael Jordan's record of seven consecutive triple-doubles?
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