Chapter 576: Opening Night, James's Feelings
On November 2, the Suns opened the new season against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
This matchup had been carefully arranged by David Stern, and the choice of opponent for a defending champion involved more than a few considerations.
First, the game had to be entertaining. It needed to draw as many fans as possible.
Second, the opponent had to be strong enough. If the challenger was too weak, the game would turn into garbage time too early and ruin the viewing experience.
Third, there was the issue of overexposure. From the standpoint of spectacle and strength, the Lakers would have been the most suitable opponent. But the Suns played the Lakers 4 times every season, and they might even meet in a 6 or 7 game series in the Playoffs. If every major event became Suns versus Lakers, Stern worried fans would eventually grow tired of it.
In Stern's eyes, Suns versus Lakers was a trump card. No one plays their trump card on opening night.
After weighing every factor, the Cavaliers became the perfect choice.
They had a superstar, respectable overall strength, and some unfinished business with the Suns from the Finals 2 years earlier.
So Stern slapped the table and made the call.
"It's the Cavaliers."
James, however, was not thrilled when he learned about it.
Because opening night against the Suns meant he would have to stand there and watch Phoenix receive its championship rings.
For him, it felt like salt being rubbed directly into a fresh wound.
The ceremony was personally hosted by David Stern. Soon, the Suns' second championship banner rose to the rafters, and the arena erupted in cheers.
One by one, the players received their rings of glory.
Even Azubuike returned to collect his. Though he was now a Cavalier, the Phoenix crowd still applauded him warmly. He had left the Suns on good terms, and everyone knew how much he had contributed during their back to back title runs.
"It feels great. I didn't think I'd be back here again so soon," Azubuike said with a smile.
Chen Yan patted him on the head. "Keep that ring hidden. Be careful your new teammates don't jump you for it."
Both men laughed.
Then Chen Yan stepped forward to deliver a brief speech.
"Thank you all for your support. We still have only one goal, and that is to defend our title."
The speech was short, but it lit up the entire building. The crowd answered him with thunderous applause.
James felt worse the longer he stood there.
The honor he had chased with everything he had seemed to come so easily to Chen Yan.
At that moment, James felt Duncan had lied to him.
What future being his?
No matter how he looked at it now, the future seemed to belong to Chen Yan.
That was why James had already made up his mind during the offseason not to sign an early extension with Cleveland. He understood one thing clearly now. If he truly wanted the future to belong to him, he would have to make a change. Staying in Cleveland offered no real future.
Still, once the cameras turned his way, James put on a smile.
"Congratulations. I haven't had the chance to say it to you in person yet," he said.
"Thanks. I appreciate it," Chen Yan replied.
O'Neal also came over to greet him, and after a brief exchange, the opening game finally began.
The Suns started Nash, Chen Yan, Raja Bell, Diaw, and Stoudemire.
The Cavaliers started Mo Williams, Azubuike, James, Varejao, and O'Neal.
After Azubuike joined Cleveland, his status rose immediately. He was a starter now.
Stoudemire won the opening tip over O'Neal, and the Suns got the first possession.
Phoenix went straight to the Nash and Stoudemire pick and roll. Nash shook Mo Williams clean, drew O'Neal's attention, and bounced the ball into the middle.
Stoudemire caught it in stride, took off off one foot, and hammered it home.
A violent dunk.
After landing, he pounded his chest, and the Suns were roaring from the opening seconds.
Cleveland answered on the next trip.
Williams brought the ball over half court and fed James. James directed traffic from the top, while Williams and Azubuike crossed off the ball. After a quick read, he tossed the ball inside to O'Neal.
Shaq took 1 dribble with his back to the basket, turned, and dropped in a hook over Stoudemire.
2 to 2.
He was still a force in the paint, but the Suns had no intention of specially preparing for him, and they certainly were not going to resort to intentional fouling. His stamina was nowhere near what it used to be. He could bully people early, but he would not be a major threat over the full game.
Phoenix attacked again.
Nash and Stoudemire ran the same action, but this time Nash skipped the pocket pass and swung it to Chen Yan.
Chen Yan curled out to the perimeter off a Diaw screen and caught the ball cleanly.
Azubuike flew at him immediately. He thought he knew Chen Yan's rhythm better than anyone else.
What he did not realize was that Chen Yan knew him just as well.
As Azubuike lunged, Chen Yan paused just long enough to create a beat of separation, then rose only after Azubuike landed.
The shot was there, but it rattled out.
Chen Yan opened the night cold, bricking his first 3 attempts. Still, that was not surprising. He had not played a real game in months. Superstars often use the first few games, sometimes even the first half of the season, to find their touch.
He was quiet in the first quarter, finishing with 3 points and 2 assists, but the rest of the Suns played well. Nash and Stoudemire's 2 man game kept Phoenix afloat.
The Suns led 27 to 25 after 1 quarter.
Azubuike's departure had weakened the Suns' second unit a little, but their bench was still among the league's best. Barea had grown more experienced. Grant Hill had not declined much. Shooters like Novak and Danny Green found plenty of clean looks with the second unit.
Cleveland's bench, in contrast, leaned mainly on Big Z and Gibson. The offensive firepower simply was not comparable.
Phoenix quickly stretched the lead to 10.
Chen Yan's touch still was not there in the second quarter, and just when everyone started to think he would have an ordinary night, he suddenly exploded in the third.
It started with a missed Cavaliers possession.
James came off a screen and missed. Chen Yan secured the rebound and pushed the break himself.
Azubuike was backpedaling in front of him. Chen Yan attacked in full stride, then hit him with a Euro step in motion.
Azubuike actually read the footwork, but Chen Yan never slowed. He drove straight into the contact, floated the ball up, and got the shot to fall anyway.
And 1.
That possession opened the floodgates.
Once Chen Yan found the rhythm, the game changed immediately. He scored in bunches and forced the Cavaliers into a timeout.
Azubuike could only look helpless. He felt like he had defended every shot as hard as possible, but nothing worked.
Only after becoming the opponent did he truly understand how hard Chen Yan was to guard.
By the end of 3 quarters, the gap had swelled to nearly 20 points.
The fourth began the same way, with Phoenix pressing the advantage. Chen Yan and Nash each knocked down 3 pointers, and whatever fight Cleveland had left vanished.
James looked strangely flat all night. Once the Cavaliers fell behind, he did not raise his scoring aggression, nor did he truly rally his teammates. He simply let the Suns keep widening the gap.
In the VIP box, David Stern realized he had misread the matchup.
He had expected Cleveland, given its talent, to at least keep things competitive into the fourth. Instead, they unraveled far too early.
The final score was 111 to 90. The Suns put 5 players in double figures and won comfortably.
Chen Yan logged 31 minutes and finished with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
He was not especially aggressive in the opener, and his numbers were solid rather than spectacular.
Barkley even joked after the game, "Chen looked like he was still on vacation. I don't even think he broke a sweat tonight. He probably doesn't need a shower."
Back in the Cavaliers' locker room, James caught sight of the championship ring on Azubuike's finger.
An indescribable feeling rose in his chest.
Some people seemed to collect rings as casually as grabbing a soda from a vending machine, while he had spent 6 or 7 years in the league without winning even 1.
If not for his pride, James thought, he might really have wanted to team up with Chen Yan.
.....
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