NBA: Basketball Legend.

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: ESPN Power Rankings, James’s Soul-Questioning

Chapter 102: ESPN Power Rankings, James’s Soul-Questioning

Of course, the players’ breakout performances couldn’t happen without their own talent and potential.

At most, Chen Yan was just the spark—an elite catalyst who pushed others in his draft class to grind harder in both practice and games.

In his previous life, the 2007 draft class was generally considered a step below the legendary 1996 Golden Generation and the star-studded 2003 Platinum Generation.

But now that Chen Yan was in the mix? He had a gut feeling the 2007 class might just stand toe-to-toe with those iconic drafts someday.

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November 20 – Phoenix Suns vs. Memphis Grizzlies, America West Arena

This game was practically over before it started.

The Grizzlies were without their cornerstone big man, Pau Gasol, who was sidelined due to injury. With him out, the offensive load shifted heavily onto their athletic wing, Rudy Gay.

Gay dropped 22 points on 9-for-21 shooting, including a rough 1-for-6 from deep. He grabbed 4 rebounds, but his inefficient shot selection and tunnel vision did more harm than good.

Despite having freakish athleticism and one of the best physiques at the small forward spot—earning him the nickname ”Baby McGrady”—Gay’s iso-heavy style constantly killed the team’s offensive rhythm. His solo plays dragged the team into chaos, and the Suns absolutely feasted on that disorder.

By the time the third quarter was winding down, Memphis had already waved the white flag.

Final score: Phoenix 99, Memphis 71.

It was a blowout from start to finish.

Back when Jerry West was the Grizzlies’ basketball president, he turned them from league bottom-feeders into a playoff staple for three straight years. But ever since West stepped down this past summer, the wheels started coming off.

Ownership had one foot out the door, looking to sell the team, and the front office was in shambles.

Let’s be real—no team stuck in disarray was ever gonna make noise in the league.

They started the season 2–8, and both of those wins came against the equally tank-happy Seattle Supersonics. Honestly? It might be in Memphis’s best interest to tank for a high draft pick this year.

As for the game stats:

Chen Yan played 25 minutes, finishing with 20 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

His numbers could’ve been better, but the Grizzlies’ early surrender cut his minutes short.

Steve Nash’s streak of 10+ assists per game since the season started came to an end. He finished with 14 points and 8 assists.

Amar’e Stoudemire dominated the paint, dropping 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. With Gasol out, no one on Memphis could stop him.

The man tasked with guarding Stoudemire? None other than Darko Miličić—the infamous 2003 No. 2 overall pick. The big man had talent, sure, but his confidence and development were wrecked during his Detroit days under Larry Brown.

On the Memphis side, only Mike Miller (13 pts) and Mike Conley (11 pts) managed to score in double figures.

It was ugly.

After the game, Conley made his way over to Chen Yan.

They weren’t close or anything, but both were repped by Bill Duffy’s agency, so they ran into each other often.

”Yo Chen,” Conley said, clapping him up. ”Man, your defense got nasty!”

He wasn’t just being nice. During the game, Chen Yan had switched onto Conley a few times and even stripped him on one possession—forcing a clear-path foul.

The pressure Chen put on him? Way different than last time they played.

Chen grinned, knowing full well that upgrading his defense rating to 85 was already paying off.

With that win, the Suns extended their season-opening streak to 10–0.

It was the best start in franchise history.

Fans were hyped—and ESPN caught some serious heat. Before the season began, the network had ranked the Suns 7th in their NBA power rankings.

Now? Fans were having none of that.

”This is the seventh-best team?! You serious?”

”ESPN’s power rankings are garbage!”

”Fire the analysts, they clearly don’t watch the games!”

”Yo, ESPN—hold this L and apologize!”

Still, not everyone was convinced.

Some skeptics called the Suns a regular-season team—deadly in the 82-game grind with their fast-paced system, but too soft to survive playoff basketball.

But no matter how you spin it, ranking a team like the Suns seventh in the league was just flat-out disrespectful.

Whether it was the fans’ outrage or common sense finally kicking in, ESPN updated their Power Rankings. Phoenix climbed up to third—finally earning a sliver of the respect they deserved—trailing only the Lakers and Spurs.

But rankings or not, the Suns were rolling.

They had just notched their 10th straight win. Nash was locked in, Stoudemire looked like a grown man out there, and Chen Yan had filled in the team’s biggest hole—offensive versatility. For the first time in years, Suns fans dared to believe this could be the year. Championship dreams were suddenly realistic.

November 23 – Suns vs. Pacers.

The Suns kept the good times rolling, blowing out the Indiana Pacers 111–90.

That made 11 straight wins.

It wasn’t a one-man show either. Seven different Suns scored in double figures. That’s classic Phoenix basketball—fast-paced, unselfish, and explosive. When they catch fire, it’s over before you even blink.

Nash led the way with 27 points. Chen Yan played within the system, taking only 10 shots but hitting 7 of them, plus some free throws, to finish with 19 points. No need to force anything.

He knew the deal: in the NBA, you can’t go supernova every night—not unless you want your teammates side-eyeing you in the locker room. Everyone’s chasing contracts, and in a league where numbers matter, hogging the ball is a fast way to kill chemistry.

November 25 – Suns vs. Pistons.

All good things come to an end.

The streak snapped with a hard-fought 88–91 loss to the Detroit Pistons at home.

Chen Yan couldn’t stay on the floor. Two quick fouls in the opening three minutes parked him on the bench for the entire first quarter. He finally got going in the second, but not even two minutes in, he got whistled again.

By the end of the third quarter, he’d racked up five fouls. The scattered minutes wrecked his rhythm, and with their spark dimmed, Phoenix couldn’t close the gap.

November 26 – Suns vs. Jazz.

One night later, it didn’t get any easier.

The Utah Jazz came into town and ran the Suns out of the gym, 107–91. The back-to-back fatigue was real.

Utah’s young duo went off, dropping a combined 61 points. Meanwhile, Phoenix couldn’t buy a bucket. The team looked gassed, and the shots reflected it.

Chen Yan tried to carry the load late. He went 13-of-22 from the field, nailed 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and went 7-for-10 at the line. He dropped a game-high 36 points.

But when only Stoudemire and Grant Hill joined him in double digits, it just wasn’t enough.

Two straight Ls stung, but no one on the squad was panicking.

It’s an 82-game season. Slumps happen. Losing early can be a blessing in disguise—it exposes flaws, builds grit, and keeps egos in check. Better now than in the playoffs.

November 28 – Suns @ Cavaliers.

Back on the road.

First stop? Cleveland, home of ”The Chosen One”—LeBron James.

During warmups, Chen Yan and James locked eyes from across the court. They’d chirped a bit on Twitter, but this was their first face-to-face.

James strolled over to center court, grin on his face.

”Chen,” he said, ”what do you think of Cleveland?”

A loaded question if there ever was one.

Chen paused, then smirked. ”It’s chill. Real laid-back. Feels like a good place to retire.”

Low EQ: What kind of dump is this?

High EQ: Great place to retire.

LeBron burst out laughing. They both knew what he meant.

Truth was, not many players loved Cleveland. It had a rep—cold winters, a losing culture, and not much else going for it. Even LeBron, the hometown hero, always made sure to remind folks he was from Akron, not Cleveland.

The subtext was loud.

James chuckled and nodded. ”I know this city inside out. If you need anything while you’re here, hit me up.”

Chen nodded back. ”Appreciate it.”

LeBron had always been smart about networking. Whether for future recruitment or just building ties, he knew talent when he saw it—and Chen was the real deal.

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