Chapter 495: A Mental Blow During the Warm Up Phase
On April 18, the Suns held their final practice before the opening round of the playoffs.
The entire team only went through light shooting and layup drills. The session was less about intensity and more about keeping their rhythm sharp.
After practice, Chen Yan accepted an interview with a special correspondent from TNT.
He first greeted the camera warmly, then got straight to the questions.
"The Suns enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, and your first round opponent is the No. 8 seed, the Jazz. With that kind of gap in the standings, do you already feel confident about winning this series?"
Chen Yan smiled.
"I do not want to lie on camera. The Suns will definitely win this series. We have the advantage everywhere. Our starting lineup is better, our bench is deeper, and we have home court advantage."
The reporter smiled too.
He had interviewed plenty of players, but talking to Chen Yan always felt different. No player would speak that directly, yet when Chen Yan said it, it never came off as irritating.
He was not blindly arrogant. He was confident, and he had reason to be. The Suns had swept the Jazz 4 to 0 in the regular season. If they simply played to their usual level, they should take the series.
"Many fans believe the pick and roll between Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer is the biggest threat to the Suns. What is your view?"
"I do not deny that," Chen Yan said. "That is their main offensive weapon. A lot of people say Boozer and Deron are a copy of Malone and Stockton. In style, maybe. In level, no. They are not close. Boozer does not have Malone's body or Malone's consistency. As for Deron, he is basically a selfish player. Compared to creating for others, he always prefers to finish the possession himself. Sometimes that actually makes him the weak point of the Jazz offense."
He paused, then continued in an even tone.
"So yes, that duo can create some trouble for us, but only to a limited extent. The true core of the Jazz is not on the floor. Their real core is Jerry Sloan. As long as the team follows Sloan's system, they can function. Give him a point guard and a power forward that fit what he wants, and he can still produce this kind of result."
His meaning was clear.
In Chen Yan's eyes, Boozer and Deron were not true superstars. They were products of the system.
"So do you believe you can score 40, 50, or even more against Boozer or Deron? Fans would love to see that."
Chen Yan laughed.
"If they guard me."
The reporter followed up immediately.
"Who do you think the Jazz will assign to defend you in this series? Kirilenko? C.J. Miles? Brewer?"
"It is all the same," Chen Yan replied. "I just need to play my own game."
Once the interview aired, fans exploded with excitement.
They loved his attitude. The Jazz had long been one of the least popular teams among the fans.
Chen Yan himself did not carry any special hatred for Utah. He was simply using the moment to speak forcefully before the series and seize the psychological edge.
He believed that if the Jazz players saw the clip, it would affect them, even if only a little.
That night, Chen Yan opened his system.
Since All Star Weekend, he had accumulated a large number of Honor Points. It was time to strengthen himself again.
After a new round of upgrades, his attributes rose slightly across the board.
He stood 198 centimeters tall and weighed 94 kilograms, with a 218 centimeter wingspan. His standing vertical reached 105 centimeters, and his running vertical reached 118.
His Ball Handling rose to 93. His Speed reached 97. His Stamina climbed to 95. His Vision became 88. His Driving improved to 95. His Layup was 95. His Mid Range Shot was 95. His 3 point Shooting rose to a terrifying 99. His Free Throw was 87. His Passing became 87. His Off Ball Movement rose to 91. His Stealing reached 90. His Strength rose to 86. His Rebounding hit 90. His Defense became 86. His Blocking reached 81. His Mentality stood at 98.
His skill set was equally absurd: God Tier Steal, The Answer Crossover, Magic Shadow Maze, Hot Start, Perfect Hand Shape, Juggling Finish, Godly Pull Up Jumper, Passing Master Level 3, Sam Good, Iron Will, Mamba Step Level 3, Post Up Skills Level 2, Lightning First Step, Fingertip Floater, Divine Shot Baptism, One Leg Fadeaway, Classic Floater, Magnetic Gloves as a passive skill, Rebounding Beast as a passive skill, Mental Leader, and Buddha Crossing Move.
He still had 99 Honor Points remaining.
His overall rating remained at SS.
…
On April 19, US Airways Center was packed to the rafters.
Not a single seat was empty.
Even during warm ups, Chen Yan was visibly fired up. This was the playoff atmosphere he had been waiting for.
He started his pregame shooting routine with a 3 pointer from the top of the arc. Then he stepped farther out and hit another. Then another from 2 steps beyond the line. Then one from the logo.
Then he pulled up from half court and buried that too.
With each shot, the crowd grew louder. The arena was already roaring before the game had even tipped off.
US Airways Center had become the hottest building in the league, a true devil's home court.
Unlike places such as Pepsi Center or EnergySolutions Arena, which had altitude as an added weapon, the Suns' home court earned that reputation purely through the madness of its fans.
Phoenix had always supported its team fiercely. Then last year, the Suns won the first championship in franchise history, and that passion went to another level.
Sometimes the noise was so overwhelming that D'Antoni could not even hear himself calling out instructions. More than once after a game, his voice was completely gone.
And it was not just the volume.
Almost every fan in the building wore the orange shirt placed on their seat before the game, each one printed with the words We Are Champions.
A lot of teams did giveaways like that, but not every crowd embraced them with the same spirit. The sight of the entire arena dressed in one color made the place feel even more oppressive.
Then Chen Yan hit one from the tunnel entrance.
"Swish!"
The arena erupted again.
Deron shot him a cold look.
What looked like warm up shooting was really a show of force, and he could not stand it.
"His touch is ridiculous tonight, isn't it?" Okur muttered nearby, swallowing hard.
The game had not even started yet, and Chen Yan had already landed a psychological blow on part of the Jazz roster.
Boozer tried to act calm.
"He is just using up all his touch in warm ups. Once the game starts, he will not be this accurate."
The problem was that even Boozer did not sound like he believed that.
.....
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 10–50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Soul Land, NBA, and more — all in one place.]