US Airways Center.
"Chen, you lost." Sitting next to Chen Yu, Ronaldo had an unusual expression on his face. Seeing Chen unfazed, Ronaldo offered some consolation. "Honestly, you guys played great. You just lacked a little luck."
to 98. The Phoenix Suns suffered a narrow two-point defeat. In the final 4.2 seconds, Iguodala drained a three-pointer to seal the game-winner. With this, the Phoenix Suns fell behind 1-3 in the series.
Chen glanced across the court. The Pioneer bench was already lost in wild celebration. Surrounded by his teammates, Iguodala cockily kept his right hand raised high, refusing to lower it, as if announcing to the world that this was the very hand that had hit the buzzer-beater. The kid really had nerves of steel. He was a genuinely good player, too. The Pioneer coaching staff had absolutely made the right call promoting him to the starting lineup. He could score, defend, play help defense, and orchestrate the offense, all while racking up steals and blocks. His stats didn’t look flashy, but they were incredibly well-rounded. For Pioneer, he acted as the drivetrain, seamlessly connecting the interior and perimeter.
On the Phoenix Suns’ side, however, morale was noticeably low. Losing by a mere two points was undeniably frustrating. More importantly, dropping this game meant they were now down 1-3. They were standing on the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, applause still echoed from the stands. The Phoenix Suns fans now possessed the composure of a championship franchise, reaching a Zen-like stoicism where they were no longer easily swayed by a single victory or defeat. Having tasted the ultimate glory before, a temporary setback meant nothing to them. For many, eliminating the Lakers and reaching the Western Conference Finals this year was already a massive overachievement and an unexpected delight.
"It’s fine," Chen let out a soft breath. "Like you said, today we only lost to bad luck. The most crucial takeaway is that it proves the direction of our adjustments is right."
This game marked a turning point for the Phoenix Suns. Nowitzki reduced his shot attempts, leading to much more rational offensive selections for the team. As a result, even though Nowitzki only scored 24 points, five Phoenix Suns players scored in double digits. This proved that everyone on the floor was fully engaged. However, since it was a sudden tactical shift, there were inevitable growing pains and chemistry issues. Throughout the game, the Phoenix Suns committed thirteen turnovers, far exceeding Pioneer’s six.
But Chen felt it wasn’t a major issue. It was still the same core group that had been honing their skills for two seasons. They shared excellent chemistry, and the high turnover rate today was merely a temporary growing pain. Since their strategic direction was correct, they just needed to bounce back and win the next game. An ordinary team might panic after falling behind, their morale collapsing entirely. But not the Phoenix Suns. Hardaway, Marion, Poseidon—every single one of them was a veteran of a three-peat dynasty. They had weathered every imaginable storm.
After the game, however, Rivers was feeling rather smug. During the post-game press conference, he simply couldn’t suppress his grin. Last year, his team had been the dark horse, nearly going all the way. Yet this season, despite finishing third in the West, they were still dismissed by pundits who believed they needed a few more years of development to contend for a title. And what was the result? Pioneer had surged forward unhindered, eliminating the Mavericks to reach the Western Conference Finals, and now held a 3-1 lead over the Phoenix Suns. Weren’t people shouting that whoever won the series between the Phoenix Suns and the Lakers would be the ultimate champion? What did they have to say now? Pioneer was the team that truly possessed the look of a champion.
Therefore, after showering the Phoenix Suns with superficial praise, Rivers "accidentally" let his true thoughts slip. "From the very beginning of the playoffs, our goal has been crystal clear: the championship. And I believe we have the talent to make it happen." His face was plastered with a smile, stopping just short of shouting that Pioneer was the champion. He honestly never expected his career to experience a second act with Pioneer. Back when he was fired by the Magic because of Chen, he had truly felt that his life was bleak and his coaching career was over. No franchise would hire a head coach with a tainted track record. Who could have guessed that, thanks to Chen’s recommendation, he would actually make a name for himself in Portland? Perhaps very soon, the label above his head would change, and he would be known as a championship-winning coach!
The next day, after their brief silence following Game 3, the media flipped the script completely and began predicting doom for the Phoenix Suns. The most vocal among them were the local Los Angeles media outlets. They now argued that this was the most regrettable year for the Lakers; had they not lost Game 7 to the Phoenix Suns, the championship would have been theirs. As for Pioneer? The Lakers had absolutely demolished them last year. With a strengthened roster this season, Los Angeles would have won even more easily. The prevailing narrative made it seem as though Pioneer had already secured the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Even Paul Allen enthusiastically extended an invitation, stating that if Chen had the time, he would arrange a private jet to fly him to Portland for a game. Perhaps realizing he was gloating a bit too much, Allen added that if Pioneer won the title, it would also be Chen’s triumph. After all, everyone knew that Pioneer’s rebuild had been almost entirely orchestrated with the help of Chen’s team.
To all this, Chen only had one thought: don’t celebrate too early. The Phoenix Suns hadn’t lost yet. While no team in NBA history had ever overcome a 0-3 deficit, coming back from 1-3 had happened several times. Furthermore, Chen was out of time. The day after the game, he boarded a flight to Europe, where he was scheduled to rendezvous with the United States Team. The World Cup had officially entered its countdown. Over the past two days, the various national teams staying in the United States had gradually departed. Ronaldo left on the same day as Chen. On June 5th, his squad would play their one and only pre-World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand in Geneva.
Originally, before the World Cup, every team was supposed to schedule friendlies against opponents with similar playing styles to their group-stage rivals. This year, however, all the powerhouse teams had flocked to the United States to have Chen tune up their players’ conditions, leaving no time for such preparations. Consequently, the top-tier teams had all scaled back their warm-up schedules. At most, they played two matches; the vast majority only played one. From the perspective of the head coaches, the time spent playing friendlies was better utilized getting their players into peak physical shape. Besides, Pereira was inherently a coach who disliked playing warm-up matches anyway.
The United States Team had also scheduled one warm-up match. It was set for June 4th against Monaco.
Upon arriving in Monaco, Alina personally drove to the airport to pick up Chen. Contiguglia had already headed to Berlin to organize the United States Team’s base camp.
"Chen, honestly, it would have been fine if you came a few days later," Alina said from the driver’s seat. He knew the Phoenix Suns were down 1-3, and this was likely the moment they needed Chen the most. "By the way, Game 5 is tonight, right?" Alina asked after doing some quick mental math.
Chen nodded. There was a seven-hour time difference between Central Time (US) and Europe. With Game 5 tipping off at 7:30 PM, it would be 2:30 AM over here.
Noticing Alina hesitating, Chen smiled. "Were you going to say that at such a critical moment, I should be with the team? Actually, I came to Europe precisely because I believe we can win."
Chen couldn’t afford to miss the World Cup. For the foreseeable future, whether the Phoenix Suns won the championship or not, they would have to rely on themselves. Even if Chen had stayed in Phoenix, there was only so much he could do. More importantly, after everything they had been through together, Chen trusted that the Phoenix Suns squad could keep winning. If they could beat Pioneer, they could beat the Magic in the East, too. The Magic shared the same vulnerability as the Lakers: they were relatively weak at the power forward position. And the Magic lacked the massive influence the Lakers wielded to sway the referees’ officiating. Therefore, if it came down to the NBA Finals, Chen heavily favored the Phoenix Suns.
Alina nodded noncommittally. "Well, it’s fine. Win or lose, your season has already been a massive success." At a time when everyone assumed the Phoenix Suns’ roster had downgraded and their strength had waned, they managed to fight their way upstream, eliminating the Lakers and reaching the Western Conference Finals. That alone was an incredible surprise.

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