NBA: Basketball Legend.

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Getting Used to the NBA Rhythm in the First Game

Chapter 63: Getting Used to the NBA Rhythm in the First Game

The Toronto Raptors were on the attack.

Paul Pierce got to his spot early and called for the ball. As soon as he caught it, he went into isolation mode again.

Chen Yan stood across from him, wearing that signature half-smirk that had just enough taunt to get under Pierce’s skin. That smug look alone was enough to rattle most people—and Pierce was no exception.

Facing Raja Bell’s tight defense, Pierce tried to shake free at the top of the arc and pulled up for the jumper.

”Bang!”

It clanked off the rim.

Raja Bell had stayed right in his pocket the entire possession, keeping just enough pressure to throw off Pierce’s rhythm. Bell might not have been the biggest guy, but he had heart, fundamentals, and a grip on defense tighter than a vice. And if push came to shove, well... let’s just say he wasn’t afraid to go for the throat—literally or figuratively.

On the sidelines, Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell wasn’t hiding his frustration. Pierce was forcing too many iso plays early on, and his low efficiency was throwing off the Raptors’ offensive rhythm.

Back on the court, the Suns wasted no time turning defense into offense.

Steve Nash pushed the ball up the floor, eyes scanning like radar. With a subtle head fake left, he whipped a no-look dime to the right—straight into Chen Yan’s shooting pocket in stride.

No-look pass!

It looked casual, almost careless. But Nash had already clocked Chen Yan’s lane sprint and fed him with surgical precision.

Chen Yan caught it on the break and pulled up for three—no hesitation.

”Bang!”

Off the front iron.

It was a clean look but just a bit short.

”Great shot! That’s how you shoot it—decisive!” Coach Mike D’Antoni clapped and shouted from the bench.

On most teams, a rookie jacking up a fast-break three like that would be suicide. Some coaches would chew him out on the spot or yank him at the next dead ball. For them, fast breaks meant going straight to the rim, not pulling up from deep.

But not for D’Antoni. Not in Phoenix.

From day one, he drilled into his guys: if you’re open—shoot. Doesn’t matter if it’s two or three. If you hesitate, that’s on you.

That was the Mustache’s gospel: shoot with confidence or sit your ass down.

And right then, Chen Yan realized—this was the kind of system he was born to play in.

Anthony Carter secured the rebound and handed it off to Calderon, who slowed things down. From the sideline, Coach Sam Mitchell signaled for a more methodical set.

Against the Suns’ run-and-gun style, you couldn’t get sucked into their pace. If you turned it into a track meet, they’d drop a 10-0 run on you before you even blinked.

Calderon used a screen from Bosh to get separation, then kicked it to Pierce in the corner. But instead of forcing another iso, Pierce swung the ball to Bargnani at the top.

Pierce wasn’t the man here like he was in Boston, and he knew it. Going rogue too often would rub his teammates the wrong way.

Bargnani gave a shot fake, attacked off the dribble, and floated it in from the paint.

Though he stood 6’11”, Bargnani played like a stretch wing. Smooth on offense, soft on defense, and absolutely in love with the three-ball. If he’d come into the league a decade later, he might’ve been an All-Star. But in this era, bigs like him were labeled soft and couldn’t win the crowd.

Still, that bucket came easy—not because of talent, but because of the Suns’ defensive philosophy.

Sometimes, they’d intentionally allow drives into the paint just to speed up the game. One quick inbound and boom—they were gone.

D’Antoni believed in one thing above all else: Offense wins games. If the Suns scored more efficiently than you, they didn’t care how many you got.

Phoenix didn’t just break the rules of traditional basketball—they rewrote them.

Their game plan? Run. Gun. Repeat.

And sure enough, before the Raptors could even blink, the Suns were already inbounding and back up the floor.

Nash led the break with Chen Yan to his left and Stoudemire to his right.

The classic V-formation.

Only Carter and Calderon had gotten back in time for Toronto—3-on-2.

Chen Yan surged ahead like he was about to receive the ball, and Nash locked eyes with him like he was about to pass.

Calderon and Carter bit on the fake.

In a flash, Nash dumped a no-look, behind-the-back pass to the opposite side—right to a wide-open Stoudemire.

Boom!

Amar’e exploded at the rim like a missile, splitting the defense with a thunderous slam.

A textbook Suns fast break—quick decisions, spacing, deception, and power.

In his past life, Chen Yan had seen these kinds of highlights on NBA Top 10 countdowns. Now, he was part of one.

After the dunk, Amar’e didn’t forget to dap up his teammates. Nash’s timing and Chen Yan’s off-ball run made it all too easy.

Next Raptors possession: Calderon came off a high screen from Bargnani, pulled up at the elbow, and knocked down the mid-range jumper.

Bargnani’s elite 40.3% three-point shooting gave him gravity that opened up space for Calderon after the pick.

But the Suns weren’t letting up.

Score or not, they never slowed down.

That’s the 7-seconds-or-less mantra.

Chen Yan didn’t sprint ahead this time—back-to-back full-court bursts would drain him fast. You couldn’t go 100 every play and survive an NBA season.

Instead, he played the trailer role.

The Raptors actually got back in time to set their defense. Nash walked the ball up, then casually dribbled behind the back and dished it backward with a sneaky flick.

The pass landed perfectly into Chen Yan’s hands, who had timed his approach just right.

Pull-up three—wide open.

This time, he didn’t miss.

”Splash!”

Pure.

”Bang! Chen Yan drills the three!”

”That’s his first triple of the game—and what a smooth release! No hesitation at all!”

CCTV5’s commentators were hyped.

In just under four minutes, Chen Yan had shown off his entire offensive package—transition buckets, iso scoring, mid-range pull-ups, and long bombs.

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With 7:11 left in the first quarter, D’Antoni called for a sub at the next dead ball. Chen Yan was replaced by Grant Hill.

”Chen, great job out there. Take a breather—you’ll be back in soon,” Coach D’Antoni said, slapping him on the back.

”Appreciate it, Coach!”

As Chen Yan took his seat, D’Antoni wrapped him in a proud hug.

Through one stretch, Chen had already logged 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. For a rookie? That was a statement.

D’Antoni was beyond pleased—he was stunned.

Most first-timers looked lost. They’d forget plays, force shots, overthink. But Chen Yan?

He played with clarity. Confidence. He knew his spots and picked them clean.

He wasn’t just scoring—he was making reads, opening lanes, and lifting the entire offense.

Originally, D’Antoni had planned to bring Chen Yan along slowly—give him a dozen games to feel the pace, adjust, and build confidence.

But now?

Forget the training wheels.

Chen Yan wasn’t just adapting to the NBA...

He was built for it.

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