Chapter 508: Sweeping Through and Moving On, McGrady's Fate
Game 4 between the Suns and the Jazz tipped off 2 days later.
During that short break, Chen Yan's game winner was replayed over and over across major sports channels. Fans everywhere began imitating his goodnight celebration. Chen Yan had become a trendsetter. Young people loved him.
But when Game 4 arrived, Utah looked like a team that had already run out of belief.
After emptying the tank in Game 3 and still losing at the buzzer, the Jazz came out flat. Their will to win was nowhere near what it had been before. Phoenix, by contrast, entered the game with energy and purpose. They wanted the sweep, and they wanted it fast.
The Suns came out firing in the first quarter, knocking down 5 shots from beyond the arc. Every starter except Stoudemire connected from deep.
Stoudemire still could not find his rhythm. That was understandable. He had been out for nearly half a season, and form like that does not come back in 1 or 2 games.
What Phoenix did get was a bounce back from its role players.
In the second quarter, the Suns bench thoroughly outplayed Utah's reserves.
Sloan hurried Deron Williams and Boozer back onto the floor, but by then the Jazz had already begun to unravel. Boozer looked more concerned with his own numbers than with winning, while Deron seemed to be openly at odds with Sloan. The more Sloan told him not to isolate, the more he forced the issue. The more Sloan demanded order, the more Deron wanted chaos.
He played like a rebellious kid trying to do the opposite of whatever his parents said.
The clearest example came near the end of the first half. Sloan drew up a 4 up set, but Deron, as the floor general, ignored it and ran the exact opposite, a 4 down alignment.
That infuriated Sloan. During halftime, the 2 got into a heated argument in the tunnel.
Stoudemire saw the whole thing and leaned toward Chen Yan with a grin.
"Teacher and student turning on each other. This is getting good."
Chen Yan shrugged. "Amare, you should worry more about yourself."
Stoudemire instantly lost interest in the drama.
He had played 15 minutes in the first half and produced just 3 points and 3 rebounds. His trademark face up attacks had become hesitant and awkward. Part of it was rust from the long layoff. Another part was mental. Even with the goggles on, he was still afraid of taking another shot to the eye. Whenever contact came, he instinctively pulled back.
That was not something he could fix overnight.
The outside world had been optimistic about his return, but as a teammate, Chen Yan could see the reality clearly. If Stoudemire could get back to even 70 percent of himself during this playoff run, Phoenix would already be getting excellent value.
The second half brought more of the same.
Utah never made a serious push. Playing at home, they somehow looked even more disorganized than before. Phoenix kept leaning on them and finally put the game away with a 12 to 3 run over the final 3 minutes of the third quarter. That surge pushed the lead past 25.
At that point, Utah's spirit broke completely. The fourth quarter was garbage time. Even their most loyal fans started filing out early.
Sloan stood on the sideline in silence. This had to be one of the most frustrating losses of his coaching career. His team had shown almost no fight from start to finish.
The final score was 114 to 88.
Phoenix completed the sweep and moved on to the second round.
The Suns players did not celebrate much on the floor. A few high fives, a few nods, and that was it. Advancing had been the expectation all along, so there was no wild release of emotion.
Their next opponent would be the winner of the Mavericks and Trail Blazers series, which was tied 2 to 2. Game 5, the swing game, was coming in 2 days. Whoever took it would seize control of the matchup.
After the game, a reporter asked Chen Yan which opponent he preferred in the next round.
Chen Yan answered calmly, "I do not pick opponents. There is no meaning in that. If you want to defend a championship, you need the strength and confidence to beat whoever is in front of you. No matter who we play next, we will go all out."
Chen Yan did not care about picking opponents.
The league office, however, had its own thoughts.
...
New York, NBA headquarters.
David Stern sat down with deputy commissioner Adam Silver.
"Portland or Dallas," Stern asked. "Who gets through?"
Silver thought for a moment. "Portland is younger, faster, and more explosive. Dallas has a superstar and Finals experience. Both teams have a real chance."
Stern narrowed his eyes. It was the kind of answer that said something while saying nothing at all.
Silver was not a basketball technician, so he could not truly predict the winner. What he was good at, though, was reading Stern.
He continued, "Compared to Portland, Dallas has the larger fan base. They also have a clear star. A matchup between Nowitzki and Chen Yan would generate more attention. Both franchises are established powers in the West, and I think fans would be more drawn to that series."
After hearing that, Stern nodded slowly.
Box office. Ratings. Storylines. Money.
That was the way executives thought.
In Stern's view, Silver was right. And once Stern leaned a certain way, the league had ways of subtly leaning with him. If the Mavericks could get a little help in a close series, maybe they would be the ones to see Phoenix in round 2.
This was not new.
Dallas had received help before. Years earlier, when they fell behind 0 to 2 against Houston, a friendly whistle helped swing the series back in their favor.
That was the truth of the business. Nothing in this world was completely clean. Basketball was no exception.
Still, favoritism only mattered when the gap between 2 teams was manageable. If the difference in strength was too wide, no whistle could save it. The league had once wanted to help Cleveland steal a game or 2 in the Finals for the sake of bigger profits, but against the Spurs and later against the Suns, those efforts had been meaningless.
In the end, Dallas did not disappoint the league.
After winning Game 5, they seized the momentum and closed the series out in 6, knocking off the Trail Blazers 4 to 2 and advancing to face Phoenix.
The rest of the playoff picture kept moving as well, while the Suns waited calmly and watched from above.
The Lakers also won their series 4 to 2.
Even though Houston fell in the first round again, they earned real respect. On paper, the Lakers were clearly stronger, and before the series began, many fans predicted Houston would lose 4 to 1 or even get swept.
Instead, the Rockets fought them all the way to Game 6.
In the decisive game, McGrady, already burdened by injuries, chose to play after taking a painkilling injection. He delivered a brilliant performance, finishing with 31 points and 6 assists.
But that decision would alter the course of his career.
When Chen Yan read the report about McGrady playing through the pain with an injection, he suddenly understood something.
The butterfly effect of his own existence had not erased certain events. It had only delayed them.
And this outcome fit McGrady's nature perfectly.
To outsiders, McGrady often looked lazy, even detached. But deep down, he was fiercely competitive. Otherwise, Kobe would never have grown close to him.
Someone with Kobe's mentality does not truly bond with a man who lacks fight.
This time, McGrady wanted to prove himself. He wanted to step over his good friend's body, get past the Lakers, and finally push through the door that had always stayed shut for him.
Instead, fate dragged him down at the doorstep again.
.....
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