Chapter 598: 89 Points, It Was Not That They Did Not Try
Coming out of the timeout, the Portland Trail Blazers made a substitution.
McMillan replaced veteran Andre Miller with the Brazil Lightning, Leandro Barbosa. The intention was obvious. Portland needed more firepower.
As soon as Barbosa entered the game, he blew past White Chocolate Williams. He had fresh legs, and he had the individual ability to punish that matchup.
After breaking through, Barbosa passed the ball to Aldridge, who was fouled by Diaw under the basket.
Aldridge made 1 of 2 free throws.
112 to 105.
White Chocolate Williams brought the ball across half court and controlled the tempo.
Stoudemire received the ball at the free throw line to facilitate. He had been extremely restrained with his own offense in this game, especially in the second half. Almost every possession, he was thinking about how to set up Chen Yan.
Stoudemire held the ball high. Chen Yan circled around him twice, then suddenly accelerated and cut into the paint.
Stoudemire had been waiting for that exact move. He delivered the ball cleanly inside.
The 2 completed a beautiful give and go.
Environment truly shaped people. After spending so much time beside Chen Yan and Nash, even Stoudemire had learned how to pass.
Chen Yan caught the ball on the move and finished the cut with a 1 hand dunk.
114 to 105.
His 79th point.
Fans in front of their televisions drew another sharp breath.
Did this man's stamina have no bottom?
In truth, Chen Yan also wanted to conserve energy, but some energy could not be saved.
On that last possession, Marion had been trailing him the entire time. If Chen Yan had tried a layup or a scoop finish, Marion likely would have blocked it from behind.
Once that happened, Portland could have launched a fast break in the other direction. That was the kind of play that could become a 4 point swing.
Chen Yan was not overthinking it. Those were all real possibilities on the court.
McMillan called another timeout.
"Trap him. Trap him before he catches it. Do not let him receive the ball, and do not let him shoot."
McMillan's focus had shifted.
At this point, his priority was no longer simply winning the game. It was stopping Chen Yan from scoring.
If Chen Yan kept going, he might actually break the record. If that happened, the Trail Blazers would become the background image for history.
Compared with losing 1 regular season game, McMillan found that far harder to accept.
On Portland's first possession after the timeout, their offense stalled again.
They could not find a clean shot. With 6 seconds left on the shot clock, Marion tried to drive, but fumbled the ball off his own foot in an embarrassing sequence.
Roy managed to recover it just before it went out of bounds.
Raja Bell immediately tightened his defense. He had enough experience to know that with time running out, Roy was going to shoot it himself.
Sure enough, Roy rose into a deep 3 point shot over Raja Bell.
"Clank!"
The shot was forced. The arc was high, and the ball bounced hard off the front rim.
Chen Yan did not think about the rebound. His first instinct was to sprint forward.
He was like a beast smelling blood.
His fast break awareness had already reached its peak.
Unfortunately, the Suns and Trail Blazers got tangled in a rebound battle. By the time Phoenix secured the ball, the fast break window had closed.
As soon as White Chocolate Williams crossed half court, Chen Yan ran toward him and demanded the ball.
Marion was chasing him tightly. Chen Yan wanted to flow directly into a handoff, but Barbosa immediately stepped up to trap.
The Brazil Lightning would rather leave White Chocolate open than let Chen Yan catch the ball comfortably.
Everyone on Portland understood it now. Chen Yan could not be allowed to score again. This had become a matter of team dignity.
Seeing himself unguarded, White Chocolate decided to drive.
Near the free throw line, Aldridge stepped up to help.
White Chocolate bounced the ball to Diaw, who immediately slipped an inside pass to Stoudemire.
With a 3 on 2 advantage in the paint and 2 skilled passers handling the ball, Stoudemire easily found space under the rim.
He finished with a 1 hand slam.
116 to 105.
On Portland's next possession, they still could not find a clean shot. With 7 seconds left on the clock, Roy used a screen and passed to Aldridge, but Aldridge missed a high post jumper.
Chen Yan secured the rebound and immediately pulled up for a trailing 3 point shot over 2 defenders.
Everyone stood up.
Even the Portland fans.
If this shot went in, Chen Yan would break Kobe's 81 point scoring record.
"Clank!"
The shot was too rushed, and Chen Yan failed to control his aim.
The record was right there. How could he not feel anxious?
Chen Yan always placed victory first, but he would never pretend that he did not want the record. That would have been hypocrisy.
Over the next few minutes, Chen Yan missed all 3 of his attempts.
Declining stamina was one factor. Portland's increased defensive pressure was another. His own eagerness was also part of it.
A combination of factors kept Chen Yan from breaking Kobe's record for the moment.
Fortunately for Phoenix, Portland was also near its limit. Their shooting percentage was miserable, and they only cut the deficit by 2 points through free throws.
116 to 107, with 2 and a half minutes left.
D'Antoni called timeout.
There was no special tactic. He simply wanted Chen Yan to breathe.
The entire Trail Blazers team now seemed to have only 1 goal: stop Chen Yan from scoring again.
Whenever Phoenix settled into the half court, Chen Yan faced tight traps, and at times even a third defender shading toward him. If he wanted to keep scoring, he had only 2 choices.
First, regain his shooting touch and force shots over defenders.
Second, speed up and find openings before Portland could set its defense.
Coming out of the timeout, Phoenix inbounded from the sideline.
Chen Yan used a teammate's screen to loop all the way around to the far side. Diaw saw him and fired a long, precise pass into his hands.
The moment Chen Yan caught it, he dribbled and stepped back.
He knew Portland's plan. The slow trap was definitely coming.
The step back created space immediately.
Chen Yan drove left. Stoudemire set a screen for him. Diaw set a second screen.
Phoenix no longer cared about rebounding. Their only objective was to create shooting space for Chen Yan.
After 2 screens, Chen Yan found a brief clean look.
He did not hesitate.
He rose and fired.
Every Trail Blazer on the floor hoped the shot would miss again.
The ball did not listen.
It spun rapidly and snapped through the net.
3 point shot made.
His 82nd point.
Chen Yan ignited the hearts of countless fans with an almost ordinary pull up 3.
A miracle that everyone once thought impossible had happened.
The broadcast numbers for Suns versus Trail Blazers were soaring. As news of Chen Yan's eruption spread, fans told one another, switched channels, and tuned in to witness history.
"A new record. 82 points," Kenny Smith said, almost breathless. "We have been waiting for that shot for a long time. Everyone believed Chen Yan could do it, and he delivered."
Barkley laughed in disbelief. "Man, I do not even know what to say. 82 points. That is video game stuff, and even the video game might ask you to lower the difficulty."
After that shot went in, Portland's morale shattered completely.
Their next 2 possessions produced 1 absurd turnover and 1 desperate shot taken with the 24 second clock nearly expired.
Chen Yan capitalized on a Portland miss and launched another fast break.
Marion failed to stick close to him at the start, and once Chen Yan accelerated, he could not catch up.
Barbosa chased Chen Yan down the floor. His nickname was Brazil Lightning, and in pure speed, he was not much slower than Chen Yan.
Chen Yan leaned into Barbosa, accelerated inside the 3 point line, and then suddenly stopped near the right elbow.
"Screech!"
"Screech!"
Chen Yan's sudden stop made the hardwood scream.
Barbosa could not stop in time. His momentum carried him 2 steps forward.
That was the difference between offense and defense. The offensive player always held the initiative.
"Swish!"
85 points.
Watching this, Kobe silently turned off the television.
He knew very well that from now on, whenever reporters asked him about Chen Yan's scoring ability, he could no longer use his 81 points to overshadow him.
Portland's psychological defense completely collapsed.
With 55 seconds left in the game, Chen Yan raised his personal total to 89 points.
In the end, the final score was fixed at 128 to 119.
Looking at the final score and then at Chen Yan's individual statistics, the Trail Blazers players collectively shook their heads.
It was not that they had not tried.
It was just that their opponent had been too incredible.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]