Chapter 349: The Biggest Winner Is Actually AeroWing, Main Quest Updated!
The Suns were heading to the NBA Finals with their heads high, and the headlines outside were already throwing a parade.
"The Phoenix Suns Return to the NBA Finals Stage After Many Years!"
"Max Level Rookie, Chen Yan Leads the Team to Break Through!"
"Chen Yan's Dominance Sends the Lakers Home!"
"Unwilling, Lakers' 2 Superstars Fall in the Western Conference Finals, Kobe Dejected in Postgame Interview"
"Shocking, This Rookie Has Done Something Even Jordan Never Did!"
"FMVP Locked Early, Chen Yan Only Needs to Play His Normal Level After the First 2 Rounds"
"Suns Advance to the NBA Finals, Chen Yan Calls for a Matchup Against James and the Cleveland Cavaliers"
After knocking out the defending champion Spurs, then taking down the Lakers, the league's shiny new favorite, the general mood around the basketball world tilted hard toward Phoenix. Compared to overseas coverage, the domestic hype was even wilder. Some outlets were already handing Chen Yan the Finals MVP before the Finals had even been set, treating the East like cannon fodder.
That kind of talk was premature, but there was a reason it spread so fast. Based on what Chen Yan had done in the West, he was absolutely the top contender for Finals MVP.
There was just 1 condition.
Phoenix still had to win the Finals.
…
The day after the loss, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa followed through on the pregame agreement and invited Phoenix mayor Emanuel R. Arita to dinner in Los Angeles.
The deal had been simple. If the Suns won, Arita would host Villaraigosa for steak in Phoenix. If the Lakers won, Villaraigosa would host in Los Angeles.
Phoenix won.
So Arita arrived smiling like he owned the night, while Villaraigosa could only hang the Suns logo in City Hall until the season ended, exactly as promised.
On May 29, after clinching the Western Conference Finals, Mike D'Antoni gave the whole team a day off.
That was his style. He did not believe in grinding his guys into dust. In his mind, the right balance of work and rest was how you unlock a team's strongest form.
Everyone spent the day differently.
Stoudemire slept in at home. He had celebrated until sunrise at a nightclub the night before.
Boris Diaw took his 2 dogs out to a nearby park. Coffee was not his only obsession, he loved being a dog guy too.
Grant Hill stayed home with his family, the kind of calm that made everything else feel quieter.
Nash booked a private therapist for a full body session. His back had haunted him for years, and if he wanted to look right in the Finals, he had to do more maintenance than most.
Chen Yan woke up at 10 AM and decided to go out for food with Taylor Swift. Last night's battle was not 300 rounds, but it was still a late night fight that did not end early.
For most couples, shopping was normal.
For them, it was rare.
They were both busy, and Chen Yan was too famous in Phoenix. Even elementary school kids could recognize him.
They tried to keep it low key anyway.
It did not matter.
"Hey, Chen!"
"Chen, you're the best!"
"BEAT LA!"
"BEAT LA!"
"BEAT LA!"
Someone spotted him, and the street turned into a miniature parade. Fans swarmed from every direction, chanting like the game was still going, still riding the high of sending the Lakers home.
For the next 30 minutes, Chen Yan did nothing but sign, pose, smile, and repeat. Photos, autographs, more photos, more autographs. The crowd treated the sidewalk like a playoff arena.
When they finally escaped the chaos, Taylor puffed her cheeks.
"Are the fans here always this crazy?"
Chen Yan shrugged.
"It's the playoffs, and we just handled our old rival, the Lakers."
"But we were wearing masks," Taylor said, still confused.
Chen Yan gave her a helpless smile.
"Next time, buy a full face mask. The kind that covers your whole head. Otherwise Phoenix fans will still recognize me."
Taylor nodded. He was not bragging, that was just reality in this city right now.
They scrapped lunch and shopping on the spot. That kind of street parade date was exhausting. It sounded a lot better to go home, cook something or order takeout, then curl up on the couch with the dogs and watch movies.
…
That night, the Eastern Conference Finals restarted with Game 7. Phoenix's Finals opponent would be decided before the Suns even went to sleep.
It took overtime, and it was ugly, the kind of game where every point feels like it came from a fistfight.
In the end, the Cleveland Cavaliers edged the Detroit Pistons 81 to 79 on the road, punching their ticket to the NBA Finals for the 2nd straight year.
After overtime, both teams still ended that low.
You could imagine what the game looked like.
It was also why the East's ratings were less than half of the West's. In 7 games, the teams scored under 80 points in 4 of them. Who wants to watch basketball that feels like dragging a boulder uphill for 48 minutes?
Especially after watching Phoenix and Los Angeles trade punches at full speed, fans were even less patient with a defensive grind like that.
Still, compared to Detroit, most people preferred Cleveland advancing. The Pistons' style plus their roster was box office poison. The Cavaliers, at least, had a superstar like LeBron James to give the game a heartbeat.
James was the difference again. He posted a near triple double with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists, and he set up Larry Hughes for the game winning mid range shot in the final moments of overtime.
Shaquille O'Neal played 33 minutes, went 5 of 11 from the field and 3 of 8 at the line, and finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 block.
The Shaq and James pairing became one of the biggest talking points of the season. Shaq was past his prime. His paint dominance was at least 50 percent lower than his peak, and on defense, his foot speed and his natural weakness in pick and roll coverage made him a target.
Even so, Cavs coach Mike Brown praised him hard in the postgame interview, calling him a crucial factor and an indispensable part of the win.
Most media and fans did not take that seriously. If praising had a ranking system, Mike Brown would sit on the throne. Win or lose, he always found something glowing to say.
On Detroit's side, ever since hitting the peak and winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2004, the Pistons had been sliding. The last 2 seasons were especially rough, repeatedly getting stopped by James and Cleveland.
After this loss, the front office was already considering a rebuild.
…
Once the Finals matchup was official, domestic media immediately shouted a new conclusion.
The biggest winner of the season was actually Li-Ning.
The logic was simple.
O'Neal and Chen Yan were both Li-Ning athletes.
Fans even joked the NBA was about to enter an Li-Ning civil war.
Li-Ning did not miss the moment. They prepared a special NBA Finals edition signature shoe for Chen Yan, the Flame One, Coronation.
The entire shoe was drenched in bright orange across the upper and midsole, loud enough to start an argument from across the room. On the heel, there was a commemorative message in Chen Yan's own handwriting, a reminder to himself, and a promise.
That same night, as soon as the Finals opponent was set, the system updated its main quest.
Main Quest: Road to Champion
Completion Condition: Hoist the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, claim the highest honor an NBA player can earn.
Reward: Superstar Skill Gift Pack
A Superstar Skill Gift Pack.
Just hearing it made Chen Yan's pulse pick up.
Now, he had 1 more reason to win the NBA Finals.
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