Chapter 338: Double Overtime, The 63rd Point
It was the Lakers' ball.
Kobe, desperate to answer Chen Yan again, attacked into a double team and tried to finish on the move, but it rattled out. In overtime, every bucket felt heavier than it did in regulation. The defense was tighter, the legs were slower, and his finger was still barking every time he released the ball.
But the Lakers had an advantage that never got tired, size.
They won the battle on the glass again. An offensive rebound fell into Garnett's hands, and he powered it back up for the putback.
Garnett did not celebrate, not because he did not want to, but because he barely had the energy left to waste. Tonight he had been everywhere, scoring, defending, rebounding, talking, covering ground like a man doing 2 jobs at once.
Phoenix answered right back. Stoudemire drove hard and finished.
The Lakers came down, Fisher found space and drilled an open 3.
Phoenix inbounded fast, Nash used a screen and hit a trailing 3 of his own.
The game kept proving one thing, this was not just Chen Yan versus Kobe. It was 2 teams dragging each other through a war, possession by possession, with everyone paying a price.
When the horn sounded, the first overtime ended with the score tied at 121 to 121.
In the booth, Kenny Smith leaned forward. "Double overtime. You cannot ask for more than this."
Charles Barkley laughed, half amazed, half exhausted just watching. "Chen Yan either does not do overtime, or he does 2 of them back to back. That's crazy."
Kenny nodded. "No matter who wins, both teams can walk out with their heads up. This is a conference finals type of night."
Charles waved a hand. "And meanwhile, people on the other side of the bracket are out there winning games 70 to 68 like it's a traffic jam. This is basketball."
…
After a short break, the second overtime began.
Lakers on the floor: Fisher, Kobe, Ariza, Garnett, Kwame Brown.
Suns on the floor: Nash, Chen Yan, Barnes, Diaw, Stoudemire.
The changes were not by choice. Both teams had lost their primary wing stoppers. Posey and Raja Bell had fouled out, which told you everything about how physical this game had been.
Phil Jackson went to Ariza for defense. D'Antoni countered with Barnes to body Kobe and bring a little chaos into the last stretch.
Phoenix stayed with the same plan they had leaned on all night.
Give it to Chen Yan and live with the result.
First possession of double overtime, Chen Yan went straight into isolation against Ariza.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
He crossed over at the top, working side to side, probing for balance.
His dribble was slower now, you could see it. That was normal. This was double overtime. Even iron wears down.
But slow was relative. Compared to earlier, Chen Yan had dropped a gear, yet he was still a beat faster than Ariza could handle. Ariza was not a burner to begin with, and his body was not at full condition after returning during this series.
After a string of fakes, Chen Yan burst like a shooting star and tore the first line apart. Near the free throw line, Kobe rotated hard from the wing.
Chen Yan stopped on a dime and rose into a pull up over Kobe's contest.
Clang.
That miss had nothing to do with defense. It was legs. Fatigue changed the arc, changed the touch, changed everything.
Chen Yan did not argue with the rim. He turned and barked the only thing that mattered.
"Defense. Get back."
If you cannot score, you have to take something away.
The Lakers came down and Kobe missed a midrange look too. Front rim. Same story.
For the first 2 minutes of double overtime, nobody scored. It was ugly, slow, and honest. Every player looked like they were running through wet cement. Every step was a negotiation with pain.
With 2 minutes and 50 seconds left, Kobe drove and kicked to Fisher.
Fisher's 3 was open.
It missed.
Even big game players are not robots.
Diaw secured the rebound and kept it, sensing a window. He took 1 dribble forward, lifted his head, and fired ahead to Chen Yan near the sideline at midcourt.
Phoenix pushed.
On the other end, Garnett and Ariza had already retreated. Barnes sprinted the lane hard, pulling Ariza's attention and peeling a layer of pressure off Chen Yan.
Chen Yan attacked into space.
Just inside the arc, he found himself face to face with Garnett, 1 on 1.
He went to a quick between the legs move.
Before the ball even reached his right hand, his right foot darted forward and right.
The instant the ball hit his right hand, his left foot stabbed forward and left.
Ball arrives, feet stop, and the direction flips.
In 1 motion, Chen Yan blended a deceptive crossover into a Euro step, and Garnett's tired legs froze in place.
Staples held its breath.
Garnett looked stuck, like the floor had grabbed his shoes.
Chen Yan slipped past him, flicked his fingers, and finished clean at the rim.
The deadlock broke.
121 to 123.
And with that bucket, Chen Yan hit 63 points.
The number that had been hanging over the night like a storm cloud finally landed.
History did not care that it took 2 overtimes.
It only cared that he got there.
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