Chapter 434: Unique Skill, What's the Use of Knowing How to Hold Back?
Miami came out of the break with Wade demanding control.
He called for the ball and brought it past half court himself, a clear message to everyone in the building. He was taking over.
Haslem stepped up at the top to set a screen. Phoenix collapsed immediately, packing the lane and leaving space above the free throw line, exactly the look they were willing to live with.
Wade stopped on a dime and rose for the midrange.
The shot kissed the back rim and dropped.
35 to 44.
Wade was money from that area in this stretch, and most teams would never concede it. The Suns were not most teams. D'Antoni would rather give up long 2s than slow the game down. He wanted pace, possessions, and pressure, because volume was the engine behind Phoenix's offense.
…
Phoenix answered by putting the ball right back in Chen Yan's hands.
Nash swung it to him on the wing. Chen Yan dribbled with his right, drifting toward the top while scanning the floor. Wade stayed at the perfect distance, close enough to contest, far enough to react.
At the arc, Chen Yan went into a string of crossovers, isolating Wade cleanly. Nash waved everyone out. Wade loved creating from pick and roll, Chen Yan preferred to create alone.
Chen Yan kept bouncing the ball, patient, almost casual. Then he turned his eyes toward Nash on the far side, a look that screamed pass.
Wade bit.
Just a small slide, just a tiny step, but it was enough. He was already thinking about jumping the lane.
That was the trap.
The instant Wade shifted, Chen Yan put the ball down and exploded left.
Wade tried to recover, shoulders tensing as he slid and chased. Chen Yan did not keep sprinting. He floated the ball in his left hand and paused, a hesitation that made Wade surge forward, expecting the pull up.
Then it happened.
Chen Yan snapped the crossover back to his right, switching hands in the same motion and blowing past Wade completely.
A clean Crossing Move, sharp and ruthless.
He gathered, stepped back beyond the 3 point line, and let it fly.
Swish.
35 to 47.
The crowd rose with a roar. Fans loved that move, especially when he used it on a superstar like Wade. He had already put it in highlight reels all season, so often that people had started calling it his signature.
Kobe had the fadeaway. Nowitzki had the one legged fade. Nash had the running floater. Wade had that slithering step into the lane. LeBron had the freight train drive.
Chen Yan was perfectly fine being known for his Crossing Move. It sounded cool, and it got results.
…
Wade answered immediately.
He called for another high screen, took a hard push dribble, and squeezed through the gap between Raja Bell and Stoudemire like it was a doorway.
He had plenty of nicknames, but the one that fit moments like this was simple. Wade after a pick and roll was a problem that never went away. He was a master at turning a tiny angle into an open lane.
Once he cleared the first line, it was his stage.
He took a long stride into the paint. Diaw rotated over to help. Wade rose and hammered it home with 1 arm.
37 to 47.
As he landed, Wade hit his motorcycle celebration, feeding off the moment.
Chen Yan barely reacted.
A dunk could be beautiful, but it was still only worth 2 points.
…
Phoenix came right back, and Chen Yan did what Chen Yan did.
He sprinted off the ball, used screens, found daylight, and popped open a step beyond the 3 point line. Miami's switch was late. The shot was clean, the release smooth.
Swish.
37 to 50.
Back to back 3s.
Chen Yan held up 3 fingers as he jogged back, tracing along the court like he was signing his name on the floor.
Wade's face darkened.
If there was one thing he hated, it was someone celebrating in front of him.
…
Miami's next possession, Wade came in angry.
He caught with a foot near the 3 point line and went instantly, no hesitation, driving left past Raja Bell with pure force and speed.
Wade loved pick and roll, but he was never dependent on it. Give him a lane and he could take it without help.
Raja Bell could not stay in front on that first burst. Once Wade got his shoulder past, the possession tilted hard in Miami's favor.
Wade leaned in, accelerated again, and sealed Bell behind him. From there, Bell was useless. This was Wade, not some guy you could bother from the rear.
Stoudemire stepped up to help. Wade fired the ball to his right, then spun back immediately, the turn so fast it looked like he teleported.
By the time Stoudemire processed it, Wade was already rising beside him.
There was no safe contest. A wild swipe would be a foul.
Wade hung, then slammed a 2 handed dunk with authority.
39 to 50.
That one hit harder than the first.
Wade was the most dunk hungry guard in the league, and it wasn't close. He treated the rim like it owed him money.
Mike Breen's voice climbed. "A spin and a 2 handed power dunk after the strong drive, Dwyane Wade putting on a show!"
Van Gundy nodded. "Even with Phoenix collapsing the defense, they still struggle to stop him. When Wade decides to get to the rim, it's relentless."
"And both teams have been scoring," Breen added.
Van Gundy laughed. "It's not both teams. It's Chen and Dwyane. They're responsible for everything in this stretch."
As Wade ran back, he barked at Chen Yan, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Stop floating out there shooting 3s, drive at me."
Chen Yan did not even blink.
If he stopped shooting because Wade asked, that would be the real embarrassment.
…
Phoenix crossed half court, and Chen Yan turned the dial up.
More cuts, more sprints, more sudden changes of direction. Wade stayed with him, step for step, because Wade's engine was legendary too.
Finally, Chen Yan broke free on the wing and caught the ball.
Stoudemire stood near the free throw line with the ball raised earlier in the action, reading the floor and waiting for Chen Yan's route. The Suns were happy to feed the hot hand. Stoudemire could sacrifice touches when Chen Yan was rolling, the same way Chen Yan stepped aside when Stoudemire was eating.
As soon as Chen Yan caught, Diaw arrived to screen. Diaw was not the heavier version of himself yet, but he positioned perfectly, and he planted just enough to block Wade's path.
Chen Yan curled toward the top, his favorite spot for 3s.
Haslem reacted fast, taking a big stride into Chen Yan's lane to delay him and buy Wade time to recover.
Chen Yan muscled sideways anyway, created just enough space, and rose from about 1 meter beyond the 3 point line with a hand in his face.
Swish.
Another one.
The net snapped like it had been punched.
3 straight 3s.
39 to 53.
As the ball dropped, Chen Yan glanced at Wade.
You can dunk all you want.
But what's the point of living on 2s when the other guy is burning you with 3s?
.....
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