Chapter 347: Advance to the Finals, Mamba OUT!
When the timeout ended, nothing about the Los Angeles Lakers' situation looked healthier.
Their 3 point shooting was cold all night, and most of their points had come the hard way, drives, contact, and bruising finishes in the paint. Without outside shots to loosen the floor, every comeback felt like pushing a boulder uphill, and every time they gained an inch, the lead threatened to jump again.
Phoenix did not ease up. A lead was not a lullaby, not for this Suns team. They kept the pace high and the engine loud, sprinting into fast breaks and hunting early offense. As long as they ran and controlled tempo, the Lakers would have to spend too much energy just to keep the score respectable.
After 3 quarters, the Suns led 95 to 71, a 24 point cushion.
"This one's starting to tilt," Kenny Smith said during the break, eyes on the scoreboard. "Game 5 was a classic. Tonight, Phoenix has been dictating everything."
Charles Barkley shook his head, half sigh, half laugh. "Man, this ain't even a wrestling match no more, Kenny. This is a track meet, and the Lakers showed up in boots."
Kenny nodded. "Kobe's limited by the knee and the finger. Meanwhile Phoenix is playing as a full unit. Simple, fast break, space, 3 point shots. This is their identity, and they've been true to it."
…
To start the 4th quarter, both teams went to their benches.
With the lead that big, the Suns' second unit played loose and fearless. Kelenna Azubuike drilled a 3 right away, and Grant Hill attacked in the half court and finished with a 1 handed dunk.
The Lakers, on the other hand, looked drained to the bone. The gap swelled toward 30, and the Suns' firepower felt like the Arizona sun itself, hot, relentless, and suffocating.
Kobe could not sit still.
He rested less than 3 minutes before checking back in. This had been the closest the Lakers had been to a title shot since the Shaq and Kobe era, and he refused to let the season end with him watching.
The moment he stepped onto the floor, he put his head down and attacked. He drove, drew contact, and knocked down both free throws.
Next trip, he barreled in again, forcing a 2 plus 1 over Matt Barnes and Azubuike.
The message was clear. If the jumper would not cooperate, he would make the game physical enough to drag the scoreboard along with him.
Garnett followed with a hard turn and a strong drive, banking in 2 more.
They scored 8 straight, but it did not fool anyone. The Lakers were running on fumes, and every point came with a price.
After the dead ball, Phoenix brought the starters back.
Chen Yan immediately went to work, using a pick and roll to get the matchup he wanted, then overpowering Garnett to steady the team. Garnett's real height was 215 cm, and for all his agility, he could not stay in front of Chen Yan at full speed.
From there, the Suns kept the lead comfortably out in front, never letting the rope get close enough for the Lakers to grab.
With 3:49 left, Kobe drove and kicked, drawing a double team before firing the ball out to Derek Fisher.
Fisher rose for a 3.
Chen Yan exploded into the air for the contest.
His block changed the ball's path so sharply it looked like the shot got interrupted mid sentence, dropping out of the sky.
Chen Yan did not chase the loose ball. He turned and sprinted past Fisher instead.
Boris Diaw secured it and, without waiting for it to land cleanly, launched a long pass anyway. The French magician had that kind of touch.
The lead pass hit perfectly.
Chen Yan took 3 steps and finished with a reverse layup dunk, a little extra flair made possible by a big lead.
US Airways Center erupted, and whatever morale the Lakers had left took another hit.
Chen Yan was not done.
He turned toward the front row and blew a kiss to Taylor Swift.
She had flown in from Los Angeles because she believed there would not be another game in this series.
Taylor laughed and sent a kiss back.
The big screen caught it, the crowd volume spiked, and the building shook like it had just discovered a new sport, romance.
Online fans went wild.
"Block, dunk, and the kiss, that was smooth."
"That's not showmanship, that's emotional damage."
"Forget the scoreboard, somebody check on the Lakers' feelings."
On the floor, Garnett found a moment for a powerful dunk and got 2 back, but he did not pound his chest. He did not roar. The Lakers' momentum had bled out, and even his fire looked tired.
With 2 minutes left, Suns fans were already celebrating. They pulled on Western Conference Champions gear, singing and dancing along the baseline.
[TL: Damn idk why I'm tearing up reading this moment 🤧]
Kobe and Garnett felt the humiliation, but there was nothing to argue with anymore. The ending was written.
The final score was 123 to 98.
Phoenix crushed Los Angeles by 25 at home.
Nobody had predicted a result like this before tipoff.
Chen Yan played 40 minutes, shooting 8 for 15 from the field, 4 for 8 from 3, and 5 for 7 at the line. He finished with a near triple double, 25 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Stoudemire went 10 for 19 from the field and 7 for 8 at the stripe, leading the team with 27 points, plus 9 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Diaw, and Azubuike all scored in double figures.
It was a total team eruption, 123 points at full speed, and this was the Western Conference Finals, in the 2007 2008 season, before small ball had fully taken over the league.
If Game 5 was Chen Yan collapsing the Lakers by himself, then Game 6 was a full team victory.
As the final buzzer sounded, Kenny's voice lifted with the moment. "That's it. The Phoenix Suns win the series 4 to 2. They are the 2007 2008 Western Conference champions."
Charles Barkley let out a loud exhale. "And that young fella Chen Yan, rookie season, starting, and he's going to the Finals. That's crazy."
Confetti and streamers poured down like a storm.
US Airways Center exploded.
It was not the NBA championship yet, but for Phoenix, it was still a reason to shake the city awake.
The last time the Suns reached the Finals was 1992.
That year, they traded for Charles Barkley, hired Cotton Fitzsimmons, moved into a new arena, and chased something big. They backed it up with a franchise best 62 to 20 record, and Barkley won regular season MVP.
In the playoffs, the Suns survived everything.
Round 1, they came back from down 0 to 2 to beat the Lakers 3 to 2.
Round 2 and the Western Conference Finals, they eliminated the Spurs in 6 and the SuperSonics in 7.
Then they fell to the Chicago Bulls in the Finals, the old bully at the height of power, and Phoenix became another stepping stone in a dynasty's path.
That was the closest the Suns had ever been.
Now, 16 years later, this new group lit the championship dream again.
At midcourt, Suns players celebrated like they had been saving it for years.
The cameras kept cutting to Kobe.
His face was heavy, and the limp said the rest. Losing here meant an entire season's work had ended at the edge of the door.
As Kobe headed toward the tunnel, Chen Yan jogged over.
Basketball was war for 48 minutes, but it was also a league built on respect.
They had battled all series, jawing, competing, refusing to blink. The buzzer changed the tone. Rivals became friends again.
Kobe had genuinely admired the kid, and Chen Yan had never been shy about it either, calling late at night, asking questions, pestering for post up details and game feel like a student who refused to sleep.
In front of the cameras, they hugged.
"Congratulations, Chen," Kobe said, generous even through the disappointment. "You earned it. You deserved to advance."
Chen Yan smiled and patted his back. "You made me feel real pressure this series. See you next season."
Kobe's mouth curved, just barely. "It won't be that long. We'll see each other in 2 months. I'll make it tough on you in the Olympics."
Both of them were confirmed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and as group stage opponents, they would meet in the opening game.
Chen Yan's smile stayed calm. "I'll be waiting."
Kobe walked into the tunnel, shoulders heavy.
Black Mamba OUT.
Chen Yan turned back toward center court, toward his teammates, toward the confetti, toward the fans who had waited 16 years to feel this again.
The defeated exited.
The victors kept celebrating.
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