Chapter 436: A Disgusting Schedule, Public Enemy Number 1
After 1 day of rest, the Suns were right back on the grind. Another road trip was waiting for them, and it was the kind that made trainers start counting ice packs before the plane even took off.
In the next 4 days, Phoenix had 3 games.
Charlotte Hornets.
Mavericks.
Jazz.
It was brutal, not just because of the mileage and the short turnarounds, but because there were no easy outs. Even the Jazz, the "weakest" of the 3 on paper, were still sitting 7th in a Western Conference that was stacked from top to bottom.
The league had not been kind to the Suns early this season. Too much intensity, too many back to backs, and a schedule that felt like it was designed by someone who lost money on Phoenix last year. But nobody in that locker room was looking for sympathy.
They were defending champions.
If you wanted to repeat, you accepted that the road would be ugly.
…
After beating Miami, the Suns flew straight to New Orleans.
At the airport, there were fans waiting with signs. For a split second, Chen Yan actually felt warm inside. It was late, people still showed up, that kind of loyalty mattered.
Then he got close enough to read the signs.
F**k Chen.
Chen, get out of New Orleans.
You are not welcome here.
When Chen Yan stepped into view, the noise hit like a wave. People screamed every insult they could find in their vocabulary and then went searching for new ones.
Police and security formed a wall and escorted the Suns through, keeping it from turning into something worse.
Ever since Chen Yan knocked out Chris Paul, his reputation in New Orleans had cratered. To the locals, he was not just an opponent. He was a villain, the guy who put hands on their beloved Mr. Paul.
In the eyes of fans, their own guy was always right.
Chen Yan could only sigh. He just wanted to play basketball. Somehow he kept collecting enemies like souvenirs.
At least nobody followed them to the hotel. If the crowd had brought that energy to the lobby, Phoenix would not have gotten a minute of peace.
That night, nobody went out. No clubs, no late dinners, no "quick" adventures that turned into bad sleep and worse legs the next day.
The schedule and the travel had already drained the room.
Back in his suite, Chen Yan dropped onto the bed, stared at the ceiling for a moment, then opened his attribute panel. It had been more than 2 months since he last checked it.
Name: Chen Yan
Height: 198 cm
Weight: 94 kg
Wingspan: 218 cm
Standing Vertical Jump: 105 cm
Running Vertical Jump: 117 cm
Ball Handling: 92
Speed: 96
Stamina: 95
Vision: 87
Driving: 92
Layup: 92
Mid Range Shooting: 93
3 Point Shooting: 99
Free Throw: 86
Passing: 86
Off Ball Movement: 91
Stealing: 89
Strength: 86
Rebounding: 86
Defense: 86
Blocking: 81
Mentality: 98
Skills: God Tier Steal, The Answer Crossover, Magic Shadow Maze, Hot Start, Perfect Hand Shape, Juggling Finish, Godly Pull Up Jumper, Passing Master Lv3, Sam Good, Iron Will, Mamba Step Lv2, Post Up Skills Lv2, Lightning First Step, Fingertip Floater, Divine Shot Baptism, One Leg Fade Away, Classic Floater, Magnetic Gloves (Passive), Rebounding Beast (Passive), Mental Leader, Buddha Crossing Move
Honor Points: 169
Overall Rating: SS
After the international games and the NBA grind, some of his attributes had crept upward. Chen Yan had known for a long time that games and training could raise stats, but once you got near the top, every extra point became stubborn. At his stage, adding points was the only realistic way to level up fast.
A year ago, he used points to patch weaknesses.
Now he did not really have weaknesses.
Offensively, he was a nightmare. For a perimeter player, he rebounded and blocked shots at an elite level. Even his "worst" area, defense, was already above average by NBA standards, and that was while spending most of his energy carrying the offense.
Chen Yan believed that if he locked in on defense full time, without the burden of scoring, he could hang with anyone who called themselves a specialist.
Still, he could not relax. If the ceiling was not reached, improvement could not stop.
He had 169 honor points total, 104 earned in the first month of the season, plus 65 left over from the Olympics.
Chen Yan studied the panel and made his decision.
Shooting efficiency was the foundation of everything. His 3 point shooting was already at 99, so he aimed at mid range.
A 3 was more efficient, sure, but in tense playoff games, mid range shot making often decided possessions that mattered most. He could not afford to let that weapon dull.
He spent 40 honor points.
Mid Range Shooting went from 93 to 95.
Then he spent another 40 honor points, converting them into 4 attribute points in the 85 to 90 range. He put all 4 into Free Throw.
Free Throw went from 86 to 90.
People assumed good mid range shooters had to be great at the line. Not always. Jump shots had rhythm, movement, timing, the flow of dribble stop rise. Free throws were static, almost sterile. Plenty of great shooters were only decent at the stripe.
McGrady and Duncan had solid mid range games, and still struggled at the line.
Jordan was one of the greatest mid range scorers ever, living above 50% for years on heavy volume, and even he hovered a little above 80% from the stripe.
Finally, Chen Yan spent 20 honor points on Driving.
Driving went from 92 to 93.
That was it.
He kept the remaining 69 honor points untouched.
With this schedule, injury prevention was not optional. It was survival.
…
The next day, the Suns arrived at the arena for a light warm up. Nobody was fooled by the casual pace. Everyone knew the night would be tense.
Charlotte, from players to fans, came with anger.
The last time Chen Yan and Chris Paul got into it, Chen Yan only got 3 games. New Orleans never forgave that.
Nash found Chen Yan after a few minutes of shooting.
"Chen," he said quietly, "they're coming for you tonight. Just keep your head."
Chen Yan smiled. "Steve, you talk like I'm walking into a boxing ring. I'm here to play."
Nash's eyes stayed serious. "Last time, you knocked out Chris. He went down right in front of me."
"That was an accident," Chen Yan said.
A voice behind them burst into laughter.
"Accident?" Stoudemire howled. "Chen, you call that uppercut an accident?"
Chen Yan and Nash turned. Stoudemire had appeared like a ghost, grinning from ear to ear.
"Amare," Chen Yan said, "next time say something before you pop up like that."
Stoudemire kept laughing. "My bad. I just wanted to know what you guys were talking about."
Nash pointed at him like he was handing off a responsibility. "Amare, talk to him."
Stoudemire nodded seriously, then immediately ruined Nash's plan.
"Chen, don't worry," he said. "If that little dude Paul tries anything dirty again, I'll be first in line to help you take him down."
Nash looked like he wanted to swallow his own mouthguard.
That was not what he meant.
Chen Yan cut in before Nash could argue. "I get it. If they play fair, I play fair. If nobody messes with me, I'm good."
Stoudemire leaned in. "And if they mess with you?"
Chen Yan paused for 2 seconds. "Then we crush them on the court. That's it."
His tone sharpened. "I know what you're worried about. I'm not repeating the same mistake."
He understood the stakes. Another violent incident would hurt the team and stain his own image in a way that could not be cleaned up. The league's patience was not endless. Nobody was going to promote a star who fought every other week.
…
That evening, in the visitors locker room, D'Antoni gave Chen Yan the same talk Nash did.
Chen Yan felt helpless.
Had he become the team's designated heavyweight in everyone's mind?
When Phoenix and Charlotte came out for introductions, Chen Yan and Chris Paul did not acknowledge each other. No handshake, no smile, no small talk.
The broadcast caught every second. The camera lingered on purpose, because everyone wanted to see what would happen when they were in the same building again.
On TNT, Kenny Smith leaned forward.
"Chen and Chris didn't even nod at each other. The game hasn't started and you can already smell the smoke."
Charles Barkley laughed. "Greet each other? Man, it's good they didn't swing. I get it. When I played, I didn't greet Shaq either. Only way we talked was talking trash."
Kenny nodded. "Exactly. Opponents are opponents. No need to be polite. Some of these young dudes now want to be brothers with everybody. F**k that. Is this still basketball?"
Barkley cackled. "Kenny came to work angry tonight."
…
Opening tip.
Stoudemire won it clean.
The moment Phoenix secured possession, Chen Yan took off like he was shot from a cannon, sprinting straight into the paint before Charlotte could even get organized.
Baseline cut to the corner.
Turn back to the right wing.
Hard cut across to the opposite elbow.
Rasual Butler could not keep up, so Chris Paul rotated over instantly. He refused to give Chen Yan a free second.
Nash's pass came right on time.
If Paul did not switch, Chen Yan would have been wide open.
Chen Yan caught it and tucked the ball behind his back with 1 hand. He did not plan to be the early volume scorer, but now he had a mismatch, and he was not going to waste it.
He waited for spacing.
Then he started.
Crossover to the left.
Crossover back to the right.
Two wide fakes, then he dropped his hips and drove right.
Paul stayed low and slid into the lane before Chen Yan could fully explode.
Perfect anticipation. Paul earned his All Defensive Second Team reputation with reads like that.
Chen Yan shifted instantly, turning it into a post up.
Bang.
He drove his shoulder into Paul's chest. Paul braced and held.
He was small, but he was not fragile.
Using the recoil from contact, Chen Yan began his turn. Paul reached, ready to strip the ball the moment Chen Yan faced up.
But Chen Yan never faced up.
Halfway through the turn, he took a small step back and rose into a pull up jumper from the high post.
That tiny step back broke the defense. The height difference did the rest.
Paul lunged, but the space was already there.
Chen Yan released in rhythm.
The ball spun, kissed the inside of the rim, and dropped.
Swish.
2 to 0.
And almost on cue, the arena erupted.
"F**k Chen!"
"F**k Chen!"
"F**k Chen!"
Chen Yan blinked.
For a second, he thought he was back at Staples Center.
Charlotte fans screamed until their throats went raw, and in that moment they finally understood why Los Angeles loved that chant so much.
Once it started, it was hard to stop.
.....
[Check Out My Patreon For Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]