Chapter 566: The Most Perfect Way to Win the Championship
The Suns fans were on their feet, the bench was whipping towels through the air, and even the commentators were marveling at the possibility that Chen Yan might break the NBA Finals single game scoring record tonight.
Only Chen Yan himself did not care about the number beside his name.
He was thinking about only one thing.
How to win.
Stan Van Gundy immediately called timeout. Even though Orlando trailed by only 3 points, with so little time remaining, those 3 points felt enormous.
Amway Arena fell into an eerie silence. The fans in the building were thinking the same thing D Antoni was thinking. A 3 point deficit with just over a minute left was bad news.
"What a game," Jackson said from the booth. "This one is going right down to the wire."
"The next possession is everything for Orlando," Reggie Miller added. "Whether they go for 2 or 3, they absolutely have to score here. Otherwise they are playing from behind the rest of the way."
Van Gundy kept jabbing his finger at the clipboard, drawing up the next play with urgency.
On the other bench, the Suns were just as tense. Lewis and Turkoglu had both hit 3 point shots late in the quarter. Phoenix knew exactly where the danger was.
After the timeout, Orlando still chose the safest approach. They put the ball in Turkoglu's hands at the top of the arc and let him organize.
At a moment like this, the cleanest approach was star basketball. Give the ball to the player with the best handle and let him solve the problem.
Turkoglu had not looked impressive against Chen Yan throughout the series, but he was still Orlando's best perimeter creator. Howard, meanwhile, had no interest in demanding the ball on the block for a late game isolation. He did not trust his own post game, nor his ability to finish under this kind of pressure. Even without the coach saying a word, Howard naturally shifted into the role of screener, rebounder, and dirty work specialist.
Howard stepped up to set a high screen. Turkoglu used it and went left.
Jordan switched immediately and got chest to chest with him.
"Do not give up a 3."
That was the phrase D Antoni had repeated over and over during the timeout.
Turkoglu tried to turn the corner from the 3 point line, but he simply could not shake Jordan. His burst looked like an old ox dragging a broken cart.
He drove all the way to the baseline, then spun back and found Howard.
Howard caught it and wasted no time moving the ball to the right side.
Lewis rose into a high arcing jumper.
Swish.
108 to 107.
It was only a 2 point shot, but it was massive.
On the sideline, D Antoni clenched his fist in frustration. He was furious at Barnes for not fouling Howard the moment Howard caught the ball. In his mind, sending Howard to the line would have been a better outcome than giving Lewis a clean look.
After the basket, 58 seconds remained.
Less than a minute.
Not only were the fans in the arena on their feet, but people watching at home had risen too.
This could be the final 58 seconds of the entire season.
Nash brought the ball up and made no signal at all. He simply waited for Chen Yan to come toward him.
Still Chen Yan.
Still isolation.
At this point, no play was the best play.
Chen Yan caught it, and Courtney Lee immediately crowded him.
Do not let him turn. Do not let him get comfortable. Do not let him breathe.
Chen Yan dribbled laterally to the right. Turkoglu left Barnes and came over to trap.
Orlando committed to the double team.
Chen Yan tried to split it with speed, forcing his body between the two defenders.
Lee and Turkoglu had obviously prepared for exactly that. They knew this was one of Chen Yan's signature answers against traps. They closed the gap early, but because both men were still moving, the space never fully disappeared. There was still a crack.
Chen Yan squeezed through it.
He pushed the ball forward first, then launched himself through the narrow lane between them, almost folding his shoulders inward just to fit. The angle was absurdly tight.
But in his effort to burst through quickly, he pushed the dribble a little too far and began losing control.
Even then, he accelerated one more time and tried to shovel the ball toward Diaw in the corner before it got away from him.
If that pass had connected, it would have been an instant top 5 highlight.
Unfortunately, Lewis read it.
He jumped the lane and stole it clean.
Chen Yan was not a god. He was always going to make mistakes eventually. The problem was the timing. That turnover felt almost fatal.
The Magic crowd exploded.
Lewis, the hundred million dollar man, had just delivered the biggest defensive play of his season.
A huge part of the crowd's excitement came from one detail. It was Chen Yan who had turned it over. Taking the ball from him made the moment feel even bigger.
Fans could only say that at least Phoenix still held the lead.
Analysist never able to blame Chen Yan directly, grumbled that Diaw should have stepped up to meet the pass and that the other Suns should have done more instead of watching Chen Yan attack alone.
Lewis did not rush. He understood how precious the possession was. He held the ball firmly, made sure things were under control, then finally gave it to Alston.
Orlando's confidence surged after that defensive stop. On the other end, they moved with renewed energy. Howard set screen after screen, shooters flew around the perimeter, and every man was searching for space.
With 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Alston found himself briefly open in the corner.
He did not shoot.
His heart was not big enough.
If Alston would not take it, someone else had to.
After a quick reversal, the ball found Turkoglu. He caught it on the wing, slid sideways a step, and let fly from 3.
The ball spun through the air.
For Magic fans, those 2 seconds felt like an eternity.
Then it dropped.
Swish.
110 to 108.
Orlando had taken the lead.
"Big shot," Mike said. "Turkoglu buries a huge 3, and Chen Yan pays for the turnover."
"The Magic finally have the advantage," Jackson said. "That is basketball. One possession changes everything."
"There are still 22 seconds left," Reggie Miller said. "Phoenix can go for a quick 2, or they can hold for the win from 3."
Even the broadcast booth had lost its composure by then.
D Antoni called timeout.
A quick 2 would have been the safe play, but that was not who he was.
He wanted the win from 3.
He kept drawing and erasing on the board.
"As soon as the whistle blows, Chen comes up and gets the ball. No turnover. If the first pass is not there, make the safe pass first, then get it back on the handoff."
Even after the turnover on the previous possession, D Antoni still trusted Chen Yan completely.
"After he gets it, spread the floor. Steve and Grant on the wings. Novak and Azubuike in the corners. If they trap, Chen decides whether to shoot or pass. Run it down all the way. Go, Suns."
At the last moment, D Antoni stripped every defensive specialist off the floor and replaced them with shooters.
It was a pure gamble.
On the other side, Van Gundy barked the only instruction that mattered.
"Keep the ball out of Chen's hands. If he gets it, trap him immediately."
Phoenix would inbound from the sideline.
Azubuike took the ball.
Chen Yan was face guarded so tightly that the direct pass was impossible. Azubuike stayed calm and fed Novak instead.
Chen Yan circled up and got the ball back on the handoff.
Everything unfolded exactly as D Antoni had designed it.
The floor opened.
Everyone else spread wide.
Chen Yan dribbled 3 steps behind the arc, milking the clock.
The seconds bled away. Chen Yan did not move. Orlando did not trap.
Every player on the floor for Phoenix was a shooter. If they sent 2 at Chen Yan too early, one pass would lead to a cleaner look than a warmup shot.
Nobody wanted to be the one who made the fatal mistake.
The whole building was frozen. No one knew what the next 10 plus seconds would bring.
But no one carried more weight than Chen Yan.
The crowd could only wait.
He had to decide how to end the season.
With 7 seconds left, he lowered his hips.
Now the attack began.
Standing on the Magic logo, Chen Yan challenged Courtney Lee one on one.
Lee got low too. He knew Chen Yan's trademark was the deep 3, but in a moment like this, most players would still prefer something a little closer.
Chen Yan exploded right without any setup move.
Lee slid with him.
Then Chen Yan snapped the ball back left with a huge crossover.
The floor was completely empty, his teammates spaced to the corners and wings. With that much room, the move looked impossibly wide.
He vanished to the left like a ghost.
Turkoglu rushed over to help.
Chen Yan gathered a small step behind the arc and lifted the ball.
Pump fake.
Turkoglu flew by.
Chen Yan brought it up again.
Courtney Lee lunged back from the side.
Second fake.
This time Chen Yan held him there too.
He had already changed the rhythm twice. Everybody expected him to rise immediately off the dribble. That was what made him so dangerous. But at a moment like this, predictability got you killed.
After the 2 fakes, he finally rose.
The red light flashed the instant the ball left his fingertips.
Perfect timing.
Everyone in the building stared at the shot, breath held, hearts pounding.
Swish.
The most beautiful sound in basketball.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Amway Arena was dead still.
The Magic players stood frozen in place like statues turned to stone.
Chen Yan held his follow through high as the camera locked onto him.
He had erased his own turnover with a game winner.
There was no better way to win a championship than that.
.....
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