Chapter 558: A Hopeless Case
Chen Yan was just as excited as everyone else. A back to back championship was now within reach.
After showering, he put on some upbeat music in the locker room. A few teammates started dancing to the rhythm, and even D'Antoni twisted along with the beat, which made the whole scene look ridiculous in the best possible way.
The Orlando Magic's post game numbers were solid on paper. Dwight Howard finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 blocks. Turkoglu had 24 points and 5 assists. Alston added 17 points.
But on the Phoenix side, the headline was obvious.
Chen Yan exploded for 55 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds. Stoudemire added 17 points and 7 rebounds. Nash chipped in 14 points and 15 assists.
Chen Yan had dominated the game from start to finish, and the box score made that impossible to ignore.
From a team stat perspective, Orlando only held two clear advantages over Phoenix: rebounding and free throws.
The Magic grabbed 32 rebounds as a team. The Suns had only 25.
The free throw gap was even more glaring. Orlando attempted 35 and made 23. Phoenix went to the line only 16 times, less than half of the Magic's total.
After the game, some fans joked that Chen Yan had not only beaten the Magic, he had beaten the referees too.
Others even brought up old arguments about the 2002 Kings and the 2006 Mavericks. Before, many fans insisted those teams lost because of officiating. But after watching Chen Yan tonight, a lot of people suddenly realized something simple. In the end, those teams still had not been strong enough. If they had possessed a player capable of doing what Chen Yan just did, no amount of outside interference would have mattered.
Back home, the media and the fans praised Chen Yan to the skies once again.
The Suns were now only one win away from the title. At the post game press conference, a reporter bluntly asked, "Coach, the Suns have basically secured the championship already. Were you celebrating with the players in the locker room just now?"
D'Antoni waved it off immediately.
"No, no. The series is not over. You all saw how tough Orlando was tonight. They gave us a lot of trouble, and next game they are going to come back even harder. I always remind my players that nothing is in our hands yet, so there is no room to relax."
Standing beside him, Chen Yan almost lost it.
A few minutes earlier, D'Antoni had been the one dancing the hardest in the locker room.
The reporters knew exactly what was going on too. D'Antoni was just being polite. His mouth was saying one thing, but the expression on his face made it obvious he was already thinking about how he wanted to pose with the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Another reporter pressed on.
"Last year you swept your way to the championship, and this year, after taking a 3 to 0 lead, you again have a chance to sweep. Everyone knows a sweep is a sign of total dominance. How did the Suns manage it?"
D'Antoni answered without hesitation.
"Unity. Everyone doing his job to the limit. That is how we win."
Somewhere deep inside, Van Gundy was probably on the verge of tears. If Orlando had two MVP level players, he would have been the one showing off at the podium.
Then another question came, this time about Chen Yan's performance. D'Antoni had answered versions of that question so many times his ears were practically numb.
"I do not think I need to say much about Chen Yan anymore," he said. "Because that guy simply does not have bad games."
For most coaches, a 50 point game in the Finals would be enough to trigger a full speech. But D'Antoni sounded almost casual.
His real attitude was simple. He had seen too many explosions from Chen Yan already. Tonight was spectacular, sure, but it was still just another chapter in a season full of them.
Since D'Antoni refused to overdo it, Stoudemire stepped in instead.
"Chen controlled the whole game tonight. Without him, we do not win. Without him, we do not have a 3 to 0 lead. He is a magical dude, and honestly, an enviable one. He puts up numbers in real games that I can only get in a video game."
At this point, Stoudemire had completely let go of any remaining thoughts about competing with Chen Yan for Finals MVP.
After the Suns finished, it was Orlando's turn at the podium.
Van Gundy kept trying to lift his team up.
"The guys fought hard. They competed all the way to the end. We are obviously disappointed to lose, but they respected the fans who came out and supported us. I want them to go home, shower, sleep, and wake up ready for tomorrow. The Finals are not over yet. There is still another game ahead of us. I want every Orlando player to fight for the fans in Game 4."
He was trying to encourage them, but as a head coach, he knew the truth too. Deep down, he already believed this was a hopeless situation.
Howard said the right things afterward.
"We were missing a little luck tonight. We had chances to win, but we could not hold on at the end. I am disappointed, and I have to take responsibility for the loss."
That did calm Orlando fans down for a moment. It even made some people feel like the rebellious Superman had finally matured.
Then the next day happened.
The media caught Howard partying at a nightclub with a group of beautiful women, and his face showed absolutely no trace of the pain of losing an NBA Finals game the night before.
In the past, Howard's supporters always used the same excuse. He was just a big kid. This time, even that shield broke. Very few fans stood by him. Even some longtime Orlando supporters began blasting him for lacking any sense of responsibility.
Then came O'Neal's comment. Short, cold, and brutal.
"You cannot carve rotten wood."
.....
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