A day later, Game 6 tipped off.
On the 2nd, the series in the East had already concluded. The Magic had the last laugh.
This season, Howard’s stats surged drastically once again. Entering his second year in the league, he had developed a pair of massive, terrifyingly muscular arms. Chen Yu figured he must have used some heavy-duty stuff. It wasn’t the usual supplements professional athletes took, but highly advanced muscle-building products. Otherwise, his muscle mass wouldn’t have increased so rapidly. He had been incredibly skinny when he entered the league, yet now he was fully three sizes larger. But he was naturally gifted anyway; his strength and explosiveness kept pace with his bulk, so using them wasn’t an issue.
He was now an absolute monster in the paint, more than capable of anchoring the Magic’s interior defense. One could only say that while the Magic’s front office was a chaotic mess, their luck was genuinely incredible. They always managed to land top-tier centers and top-tier perimeter players. From O’Neal and Hardaway to Howard and Tracy McGrady, they could always scrape together a foundational championship duo.
However, the Phoenix Suns couldn’t afford to worry about the Magic; their absolute priority was getting past the Pioneer team.
Skiles hurriedly wrapped up his pre-game press conference and then sought out the media to find out what Rivers had said. Generally, the home team had a dedicated media room for their pre-game presser, while the visiting team didn’t enjoy such luxuries. Most of the time, they just hung a backdrop outside their locker room and took questions from reporters there. Although head coaches rarely revealed any vital information, their words still held some reference value. For instance, a reporter might ask if they planned to adjust their tactics after losing the previous game. If he said yes, the opposing team could at least mentally prepare themselves.
Sure enough, according to the reporters, Rivers remained highly confident, believing they could hoist the West championship trophy at the US Airways Center today. As for tactical adjustments, they had definitely made them.
Skiles initially thought it would be a minor tweak, but upon receiving the Pioneer starting lineup before the game, he realized how drastic their changes actually were. They had actually taken a scalpel to their starting five.
"Are they abandoning the interior?" Boylan frowned.
To Lower Randolph and push Milicic to the five-spot seemed fine on the surface, but in reality, it created massive problems. Chen Yu had told them long ago that the Pioneer team had used Milicic as a center from the very beginning. But it was always a mismatch, a poor fit. Only after finally moving him to the four-spot did Milicic start playing comfortably. He had the height but lacked the weight to be a traditional post-up center. His playstyle also required him to operate outside the paint, punishing opponents on mismatches.
"Then, just like Chen said, they’re probably going to push the pace," Frank Johnson noted.
During their previous strategy meetings, Chen Yu’s team had mentioned that the Pioneer squad might employ a specific tactical shift: abandoning Randolph and bumping Milicic up to the five. Then, they would bring Dior in to play the four. It was an extreme approach. It practically meant giving up the paint and sacrificing defense entirely to win the game purely on offense.
Surprisingly, Chen Yu had guessed it dead-on.
Skiles crossed his arms, sinking into deep thought.
It was perfectly normal for Chen Yu to predict Rivers’ intentions. He had spent so much time helping the Pioneer team rebuild that he knew their playstyle and personnel inside and out. Anticipating their moves was hardly surprising. The real question now was how the Phoenix Suns should respond.
In response to this lineup change, Chen Yu’s team had proposed two solutions. The first was to ignore the opponent’s shift, play their own game, apply full-court pressure, and do everything possible to limit the Pioneer fast breaks and transition offense. On the offensive end, they would feed Chandler more. They would also rely more on jumpers off screens and drive less, considering Milicic had incredible leaping ability and was a solid shot-blocker.
Aside from that, there was a second option. It was just as extreme as the Pioneer adjustment: bench Chandler, slide Nowitzki up to the center position, shift everyone else up a spot, and bring on Ben Gordon. They would also play with pace and rely entirely on offense.
"Let’s play it out and see."
Skiles hesitated for a moment before choosing the first option. The coaching staff had discussed it among themselves and agreed this approach was safer. The second option was far too extreme. In a crucial do-or-die game, a single misstep meant they would be packing up and going home for the summer.
The coaches exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
At 8:00 PM, the game officially tipped off.
Far away in Monaco, Chen Yu stayed up late to watch the game. Alina and the others hadn’t come over today. Tomorrow, the 4th, was a friendly match. They needed proper rest and couldn’t afford to pull an all-nighter with Chen Yu. But watching the game alone was too lonely, so Chen Yu simply opened his laptop and video-called Nelson to watch it together. Nelson hadn’t gone to the arena either; he was watching from home.
"Chen, we guessed right," Nelson said, having also noticed the Pioneer lineup change. He honestly hadn’t expected the Pioneer team to actually roll out such an extreme strategy.
Chen Yu replied, "It makes sense. They still have room for trial and error. They identified their problems over the last two games but lacked a solution, so they had to take a gamble."
In the previous two games, their offense had constantly stagnated, leaving them unable to close the point gap. It was very uncharacteristic of the Pioneer squad.
"Most importantly, we don’t have Shaq."
If O’Neal were still around, Rivers wouldn’t dare pull this, even if he were ten times braver. They were only doing it to bully Chandler for his limited offensive arsenal.
Nelson nodded in agreement, grabbed his beer can for a sip, and said, "Scott chose the first option."
Seeing no lineup changes made Skiles’ intentions perfectly clear.
Chen Yu said, "He’s always been a pretty conservative guy."
Stability came first for him. He could only cook a meal based on the exact ingredients handed to him. Expecting him to turn garbage into gold was simply beyond his capabilities.
In fact, there were times when Chen Yu seriously considered replacing Skiles. Because the Phoenix Suns’ future strategy would definitely shift toward developing rookies, it made sense to hire a coach who specialized in mentoring young players. But it wasn’t realistic. The man was a three-time championship hero; letting him go would be too much of a slap in the face. At most, they could just add another assistant coach.
Amidst his random thoughts, the game began.
With Randolph swapped out, the Pioneer team immediately slammed on the gas pedal. From the opening tip, they sprinted full-court. Milicic charged ahead, and the moment he crossed the three-point line, Nash had already whipped the ball over to him. He stopped on a dime at the elbow, spun around, and kicked it back out to the perimeter. Joe Johnson arrived in stride, pulled up, and launched the shot. It was as if the ball were scalding hot.
The basketball clanked off the rim.
From the opening tip to the final release, the entire offensive possession took maybe five seconds.
Nelson’s expression grew noticeably more serious. Although this was the very concept D’Antoni had originally proposed, seeing it executed with such blinding speed was still stunning.
"Chen, do you think the Pioneer team can win?" He had no idea what to expect now.
Chen Yu didn’t dare claim absolute certainty either. He thought for a moment before replying, "It depends on the Pioneer shooters’ touch."
This style of play relied far too heavily on shooting rhythm. Hoping to run the Phoenix Suns into the ground with pure speed or drag them into chaotic brawls was unrealistic. If the Pioneer team wanted to win, the key was entirely in their players’ hands. If they got hot and sank a few more threes, they had a real shot at winning.
And in this game, Chen Yu’s worries actually materialized.
The Pioneer team genuinely caught fire. In the first quarter, they shot 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, erupting for an impressive 31 points. The Phoenix Suns played steadily but only managed to put up 25 points. By the end of the first quarter, they were already down by five.
They had said that to Lower Randolph would liberate Nowitzki, giving him a much looser environment to shoot in. But Dior’s defense was no joke. Despite being ten centimeters shorter than Nowitzki, their weight was practically identical. He was incredibly sturdy and didn’t lose an inch when it came to physical matchups.
In the second quarter, the Pioneer shooters stayed hot, blasting off for another 29 points. By halftime, they had racked up a whopping 60 points and led the Phoenix Suns by eight.
At that moment, Skiles couldn’t help but start panicking. The Pioneer squad still had room for error, but the Phoenix Suns were backed against a cliff—there was no retreating. If they kept playing like this, the Phoenix Suns really might get shot out of the building by the Pioneer team.
Rather than praying for the Pioneer shooters to go cold in the second half, it was better to make their own adjustments first. So, during halftime, gritting his teeth, Skiles decided to bench Chandler.
Now that they were trailing, the first priority had to be figuring out how to close the gap.

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