Chapter 353: Gains a Female Fan and Smashes James' Headband!
"What the hell was that?"
Jeff Van Gundy sounded like he had forgotten he was on live television.
Mike Breen was still catching up to the replay. "A free throw line dunk in the Finals. That is not supposed to happen in a real game."
Mark Jackson laughed under his breath, half amazed, half offended on Cleveland's behalf. "That's a moment. That's what the great ones do. He just put the whole league on notice."
Van Gundy shook his head. "I want to know what goes through your mind when you decide to take off from the free throw line with LeBron chasing you. Dinner plans? Club plans? Or just, I'm going to make this building lose its mind?"
Jackson fired right back. "As long as he doesn't hit the backboard with his forehead, I think he'll be fine."
Van Gundy deadpanned. "Or the arena roof. Let's keep it realistic."
During the timeout, the production crew replayed the dunk over and over. The slow motion angle caught Chen Yan's face as he landed, calm, almost casual.
The camera cut to the crowd.
A young woman near courtside covered her mouth, eyes wide, and then started screaming like she had just seen a pop star walk into her living room. The shot lingered long enough to make the point clear.
Chen Yan had not only stolen points. He had just stolen a brand new fan.
Back on the floor, Cleveland was still under pressure.
Phoenix did not change its approach. They kept targeting the Cavaliers' big lineup, kept forcing the twin towers to defend in space, and kept firing from the outside whenever the defense hesitated.
By the end of the 1st quarter, the Suns led by 10.
32 to 22.
Chen Yan had 8 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Nash had 7 points and 4 assists.
Stoudemire had 5 points and 3 rebounds.
Diaw had 4 points.
Raja Bell had 3 points.
Azubuike had 3 points.
Grant Hill had 2 points.
The scoring was spread out, and that was the nightmare. When 7 of the 8 guys who touched the floor in the quarter had already scored, you could not load up on anyone. A balanced attack was the hardest thing to guard.
For Cleveland, Larry Hughes led them with 7 points and 1 rebound.
LeBron only had 6 points, but he had 4 assists, keeping the team connected the way he always did.
And then there was Shaq.
The guy Cleveland fans had been praying would tilt the series.
He went 1 for 3 from the field and 2 for 4 at the line for 4 points. Phoenix did not even need to reach for a Hack a Shaq plan. They simply kept him from getting the ball where he wanted it.
The other 2 shot attempts from Shaq missed, and it was impossible to ignore the truth. Phoenix's interior was not scary on paper, yet even here, Shaq could not consistently bully his way to easy points.
Time had left fingerprints all over him.
Between quarters, the ABC crew stayed on it.
"The Cavaliers have problems on both ends right now," Jackson said. "Twin towers looks powerful, but it doesn't naturally fit with LeBron. He's a downhill force. He needs space. He needs shooters."
Van Gundy nodded, sharper. "And if you play 2 traditional bigs, you are basically volunteering to defend pick and roll in the most uncomfortable way possible. Phoenix is hunting that."
Breen kept it simple. "Phoenix looks ready. Cleveland looks like it's still figuring out what it wants to be."
On the Cavaliers bench, Mike Brown leaned in.
"LeBron, we need you attacking," he said, voice tight. "Get downhill. Put pressure on the rim."
LeBron nodded.
When teammates are not hitting shots, passing does not solve everything. Sometimes you have to put the defense in survival mode.
To start the 2nd quarter, LeBron stayed in with the second unit. Cleveland wanted him to chase the game while Phoenix's starters rested.
He came out aggressive immediately.
He used a screen, turned the corner, and exploded to the rim.
Boom.
A tomahawk dunk, violent and clean, the kind that made the bench stand up even if they were losing.
Phoenix answered right back.
Grant Hill caught it, dribbled into his spot, and knocked down a smooth mid range jumper. The Suns' second unit had real firepower too, with Hill, Barea, Azubuike, and Barnes all capable of hitting shots and keeping the floor spaced.
Cleveland came back again.
LeBron waved for another screen, clearly looking to repeat the same attack.
But Barnes was waiting in the paint, and he had zero interest in letting LeBron put on another highlight.
LeBron drove.
Barnes stepped up.
Smack.
A hard foul, the kind that had a message attached to it.
LeBron hit the floor, and his headband went flying.
For LeBron, the headband was practically part of the uniform. It caught sweat, sure, but it also served a second purpose he never talked about.
Now it was on the court for everyone to see.
LeBron popped up furious and charged straight at Barnes.
Barnes did not back down.
He walked right into LeBron's space and pressed his forehead to LeBron's forehead, chest to chest, daring him to do something about it.
That was Barnes. He would stare down anyone.
And there was history.
Earlier in the season, LeBron had caught Barnes with an elbow that left Barnes bleeding. LeBron later said it was not intentional, but that was an explanation, not an apology. Barnes clearly never accepted it.
Now they were nose to nose in the Finals, with the crowd rising like a wave behind them.
The fans near the baseline were screaming everything they could think of, loud and personal, feeding the moment with home court energy.
On the Suns bench, Chen Yan and the rest of the starters stood up immediately.
LeBron was a superstar.
But this was Phoenix.
And in Phoenix, nobody was going to let him act like he owned the place.
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