Chapter 431: A Perfect Ending in November
This season, the Phoenix Suns were averaging 115.7 points per game, best in the entire league. Nothing reflected their identity more clearly than that number. Their system did not just create good shots, it created waves of them.
Of course, points do not appear out of thin air. High scoring comes with a high pace. More possessions mean more chances to score, and more chances for the opponent to score too. Phoenix was allowing 102.1 points per game, 11th in the league.
For most contenders, that would feel uncomfortable. For the Suns, it was perfectly acceptable.
Last season, they won the championship while giving up 102.1 points per game, and that number ranked 6th. This year, they were allowing the same 102.1, but relative to the league, it was 11th. In practice, they were better.
The reason was simple and slightly cruel. Their offense had become even more overwhelming.
Phoenix was burying teams in 3 quarters. Then the 4th turned into garbage time, rotations stretched, intensity faded, and opponents could not pile up points even if they wanted to. Defense looked better when the game had already been decided.
That kind of dominance filled Suns fans with the most dangerous emotion in sports, confidence. The defending champs looked even sharper, and the only team the public truly treated as a threat was the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
Some fans were already joking about skipping straight to a Western Conference Finals clash.
Reality, as usual, did not care about fan fantasies.
The Suns had more obstacles than just Los Angeles. Dallas had upgraded in a major way after acquiring Artest. He brought more than tactics, he brought temperament. The Mavericks, from stars to role players, often had a reputation for being too gentle when games turned ugly. Artest's natural edge filled that gap, giving Dallas a harder spine and a nastier pulse. That made them dangerous in a way spreadsheets could not fully explain.
San Antonio remained the same old problem, patient, disciplined, and difficult to break.
Denver, after adding Billups, had already shown strong chemistry, winning 10 of their first 15. And that record came while they were still adjusting. Once the pieces settled, they would only get tougher.
Phoenix could not afford to stare at the horizon anyway. November had 16 games for them, packed tight by the league like someone wanted to test the limits of their legs.
After beating Minnesota, the Suns finally got 1 day to breathe before returning home for another game.
Fortunately, the next opponent was another Western Conference cellar team, the Grizzlies.
…
It was smooth from the opening tip.
Phoenix dictated pace with speed, then targeted Memphis inside. Their plan was simple, stretch the floor, force rotations, and punish big men who could not sprint with them possession after possession.
The Grizzlies' interior pairing of Pau Gasol and Kevin Love could not keep up with the Suns' storm.
If Memphis had 1 advantage, it was on the glass.
Gasol had real size and touch. Love had elite rebounding instincts, the kind that looked ordinary if you only watched highlights, but showed up every night in the numbers and the second chances. In another life, plenty of fans had labeled Love as an average athlete who just shot 3s. That was lazy. His career rebounding rate, 19.5%, told the real story. He was not just good for a power forward, he was the best in the league at reading where the ball would land. Not one of the best. The best.
And there was another part of Love's scouting report that made coaches dream. His full court passing.
For a point guard, a long outlet is routine. For a power forward, it is a weapon. It means the fast break starts the moment the rebound is secured. It means wings get layups before the defense even turns around.
In Chen Yan's mind, the idea of Love in Phoenix fit too well. Humble personality, low drama, quick decisions. A jumper to keep defenders honest. Elite rebounding to fuel the run. Quarterback passes to punish slow teams.
If Love ever wore a Suns jersey, Chen Yan would never allow him to become a stationary shooter parked beyond the arc.
But it was not happening. Not now. Love was Memphis's baby, the piece they planned to build around.
And Chen Yan knew the truth that rarely sounded polite. Love was worth developing, but like Gasol, he was not built to be the lone engine of a contender. The skill was real, the touch was real, the passing was special, but the physical ceiling was limited. In a league that worshiped unstoppable primary options, Love looked more like the perfect second star.
Gasol's situation felt even more complicated.
In Chen Yan's previous life, a huge portion of Gasol's growth came from Kobe. Kobe had dragged the softness out of him, pushed him into uncomfortable moments, and forced a mental rebirth. In that first year with the Lakers, Gasol was still effective, even in the playoffs, but the Finals exposed him brutally. Boston's big men took turns bullying him. After that failure, after Kobe's relentless pressure, Gasol came back different and won championships.
In this life, Kobe and Garnett were already together. The odds of Gasol ever joining the Lakers were basically 0. Which meant Gasol might never find that same kind of pressure, that same kind of ruthless partner who demanded more from him than he demanded from himself.
Maybe his fate would change. Maybe it would not.
Tonight, it did not matter.
Memphis was down 26 after 3. In the 4th, they waved the white flag and emptied the bench. Suns fans in the arena were already clinking cups, celebrating early, because everyone knew the ending.
119 to 89.
Phoenix closed November with a 30 point win and a perfect finish to the month.
Chen Yan coasted to 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks. The team was rolling, so he never needed to hunt the game.
Nash posted a clean double double, 20 points and 10 assists. Stoudemire was the monster of the night, 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Azubuike added 18, a total that would have led the entire Grizzlies roster.
For Memphis, Gasol finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Love had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists. Perfect second option stat lines, almost textbook.
But Memphis did not need perfect second options.
They needed a true first option.
Rudy Gay struggled, 4 of 12 for 11 points and 4 rebounds. Conley was quiet too, 13 points and 5 assists.
After the buzzer, Chen Yan hugged Gasol. They had seen each other enough times, NBA courts and international stages, to count as familiar faces.
Chen Yan did not offer advice.
They were acquaintances, not friends, and he had no interest in pretending otherwise.
.....
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