Chapter 127: 1 vs. 4, Chen Yan-style Fast Break
After warm-ups, Chen Yan jogged back through the player tunnel toward the locker room. Along the way, fans flanked both sides, shouting—some cheers, mostly jeers.
This was San Antonio, after all—the Spurs' territory. The crowd wasn't about to give him a warm welcome. Hostility was the default here.
The Suns-Spurs rivalry had always been heated. Two high-octane teams, both hunting championships, and no love lost between them. Their past battles were packed with tension, and last year's playoff war had nearly broken into an all-out brawl.
Game 1? Steve Nash took a shot to the face in a collision with Tony Parker—broken nose, six stitches. He played the rest of the series with a bandage wrapped across his face.
Game 3? Bruce Bowen went full dirty and threw a vicious kick right into Nash's groin. Nash dropped instantly. The camera zoomed in—you could see the pain in his eyes.
Then came Game 4—the turning point. Suns were up by three with 18.2 seconds on the clock. Robert Horry committed a hard tactical foul, body-checking Nash straight into the scorer's table. The impact flipped the series on its head.
Benches cleared. Emotions exploded. Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw stepped onto the court from the bench area—an automatic suspension, thanks to the post-Malice at the Palace rule. The league came down hard. Game 5? No Stoudemire, no Diaw. And just like that, Phoenix's title run evaporated.
Tonight, the Suns had revenge on their minds.
In the visitor's locker room, the atmosphere was serious. Everyone was locked in. Spurs games were always a grind—it wasn't just the crowd or the physicality. San Antonio's coaching staff knew Phoenix's run-and-gun system like the back of their hand. They wouldn't let the Suns sprint coast-to-coast like they were pouring liquid mercury down the hardwood.
After going through matchups and sets, Coach Mike D'Antoni turned specifically to Chen Yan.
"If it gets tight, I'm giving you the green light," he said. "You see a crack, you go. Attack at will."
Over in the home locker room, Gregg Popovich was drawing up his own plan—centered around stopping Chen Yan.
"This kid's dangerous in transition," Popovich said, dead serious. "I want our wings back on defense right after the shot goes up. Forget the offensive boards. No second chances. Just get back."
Pop's tone left no room for doubt.
In just over a month, Chen Yan had flipped the league upside down:
— 59-point game to break the rookie scoring record
— Multiple 50-point triple-doubles
— Two cold-blooded buzzer beaters
No one in the NBA thought of him as a rookie anymore.
Once pre-game prep wrapped up, the players began filing out of the tunnel to the booming noise of the AT&T Center crowd.
Starting Lineups:
San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, Tim Duncan, Fabricio Oberto
Phoenix Suns: Steve Nash, Chen Yan, Raja Bell, Boris Diaw, Amar'e Stoudemire
At center court, Duncan and Stoudemire squared up for the tip.
The ball went up.
Duncan got a fingertip to it first—Spurs' possession.
Tony Parker took control near half-court. No rush. He let the game breathe, walking it into a half-court set.
Raja Bell picked him up.
Coach D'Antoni had made a point not to put Nash on Parker—he'd get cooked too easily. Instead, Nash was assigned to Bowen, who was mainly a spot-up guy in the corners. Nash's job? Stick to those corners and don't lose him.
Up top, Parker called for a screen. Duncan slid up to the high post.
The second Duncan moved into position, Stoudemire switched onto Parker without hesitation.
They weren't about to let Parker get downhill with speed—that was a death sentence.
Since the 2005 rule changes, slashing guards had taken over. The drive-and-kick game had eclipsed old-school post-up plays as the league's most dangerous weapon. But somehow, the Spurs still ran both like a well-oiled machine.
Tim Duncan? He was still feasting on All-Star bigs, year after year. And with Parker and Ginobili, San Antonio had two of the most lethal inside finishers of the last two decades.
That inside-out balance? It was a massive part of why the Spurs stayed elite year after year.
Duncan stepped into the high post, received the ball from Parker, and pulled up for a mid-range jumper. The Spurs kept it simple to start the game.
"Clang!"
The shot hit the rim and bounced out. Duncan had just checked in and hadn't found his rhythm yet.
Even before Duncan released the ball, Bowen, Parker, and Finley had already begun retreating. Popovich's orders were clear: no fast breaks. He didn't want to give the Suns even a sliver of transition opportunity.
Stoudemire snagged the rebound and quickly handed it off to Nash.
Nash sprinted past half court, but the Spurs were already set on defense. Their transition D was fast—lightning fast.
The Spurs were that rare team capable of matching the Pistons in grit and defense and keeping up with the Suns in pace and execution.
Bowen locked in on Nash, just like last year's playoffs. His defense was aggressive, even dirty at times, but against a finesse point guard like Nash, it worked. Bowen stayed glued to him, hounding him every step.
At the top of the arc, Nash called for a screen.
After the pick, the Spurs switched immediately—textbook defensive execution. Their game plan was crystal clear: take the ball out of Nash's hands. He was the brain of the Suns' offense, the engine that kept the system humming.
They'd rather take their chances with Stoudemire going iso than let Nash orchestrate.
Nash saw the switch and didn't force the pass to Stoudemire, who had popped out beyond the arc. That wasn't Stoudemire's sweet spot. Instead, Nash shifted gears and attacked.
As the Spurs collapsed into the paint, Chen Yan slipped free from Finley on a sharp cut.
Nash, eyes on the rim, pulled off a slick behind-the-back dish.
Chen Yan caught it in stride—no hesitation. Whether it was a long two or a three-pointer didn't matter. He rose and fired with full confidence.
"Swish!"
The ball kissed the back iron and dropped through the net.
2-0, Suns.
"Great shot! That was cold-blooded!" Zhang Weiping shouted from the CCTV5 broadcast.
"Nash with the dish, Chen Yan with the splash. First points go to Phoenix!" added Yu Jia.
Parker brought the ball up the court, setting the tempo for San Antonio. The Spurs swung the ball around until it landed in Duncan's hands on the left block.
Backing down Stoudemire, Duncan went to work—two jab steps, a shoulder fake, then the signature turnaround off the glass.
2-2. Classic Tim Duncan. Simple, sound, and automatic.
While Duncan was finishing the move, the rest of the Spurs were already back on defense. No transition leaks tonight.
From the baseline, the Suns inbounded quickly.
Chen Yan got the rock and jogged just outside the arc, glancing over his shoulder, acting like he was waiting for the offense to set up.
Finley, sensing no immediate danger, loosened up a bit.
And Chen Yan struck.
One explosive first step—blown by!
Finley bit hard on the bait. The veteran got caught looking.
Then came the second gear—another burst!
Bowen was late sliding over and didn't even have time to commit a foul before Chen Yan split past him too.
Now it was Oberto in the paint and Parker recovering from behind.
Chen Yan dipped his shoulder and launched into the lane—he deployed [Magic Shadow], weaving through the tightest of gaps.
A long stride between the two defenders, then an acrobatic right-handed layup, slicing through the defense like a hot knife through butter.
It was clinical. Cold. Unstoppable.
The fans watching at home went wild. This wasn't just a routine drive—it was a highlight-reel play, a "Top 5" moment.
"That's a 1-on-4 fast break, folks! Chen Yan just took on the entire Spurs half-court defense and came out with a bucket!"
"That's just disrespectful… this guy's playing on another level!"
"You're looking at elite-level isolation and transition ability in one play."
"Pop's iron defense just turned into wet tissue in front of Chen Yan."
"And get this—if there aren't five guys already set in the half court, it's basically a fast break for Chen Yan. That's how dangerous he is!"
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