NBA: Basketball Legend.

Chapter 31: The Ultimate Solo Performance – Kobe Logs In from a Different Location

The big screen replayed Chen Yan's latest bucket. Watching it unfold again, Lamar Odom shook his head in disbelief.

"F**k," he muttered. "The NCAA's really at this level now?"

Kobe leaned forward, eyes sharp. "It's not the NCAA—it's that kid. He's different."

Whether it was his vision, his control, or that silky finish, Chen Yan had just played several straight possessions like a seasoned pro, not some college freshman. He was already way past NCAA level.

Swish!

Chen Yan calmly stepped to the line and knocked down the free throw.

Play resumed.

Florida inbounded the ball from the baseline, and point guard Taurean Green took his time bringing it up, shielding the rock carefully as he crossed half-court. Compared to Texas, Florida clearly had the edge down low—and they knew how to use it.

Joakim Noah got into position on the block and called for the ball. Once he had it, he didn't waste a second.

Back down. Bump. Bump.

He turned and slipped past the defender, threading an inside pass to Al Horford, who was already sliding into position. Horford went straight up and kissed it off the glass—clean and easy. Like a vet.

That was Florida's style: patient, smart, efficient. They played like the college version of the Spurs. No matter how hot you got, they never rushed, never cracked. You couldn't beat them with one punch.

Texas's possession.

After some off-ball movement, DJ Augustin hit Chen Yan at the top of the arc.

Chen raised a hand, signaling for Dexter Pittman to come up and set the screen. Pittman set a solid pick, shaking loose Corey Brewer and forcing a defensive switch.

Horford stepped up on the switch—and Chen Yan went to work.

A quick hesitation, then a lightning pull-back through the legs—Horford was sent flying two meters backward!

Horford had seen what Chen had done to his teammates. His whole posture was too stiff, too cautious.

Chen had planned a whole sequence of combo moves, but seeing Horford bite so easily…

Not even necessary.

He rose up effortlessly from mid-range.

Swish!

Pure.

Chen gave a subtle shoulder shake as he backpedaled—it looked too easy.

Texas fans lost it. Cheers and whistles erupted around the arena. They loved that confident swagger—borderline cocky. That was their guy.

Meanwhile, Florida fans in the opposite section were furious. They hurled curses and flipped international hand gestures toward Chen, taking his confidence as disrespect.

On the sidelines, Texas head coach Rick Barnes finally exhaled. He had expected trouble when Durant had to sit early, but Chen was taking control of the game like a seasoned All-Star.

So far, at least—he didn't need any help.

Timeout!

Florida coach Billy Donovan had seen enough.

Chen Yan had just dropped nine straight, and Donovan wasn't about to let this turn into his one-man highlight reel in the Final Four.

Pulling out his whiteboard, Donovan didn't waste time.

"When you get back on the court—double-team him."

Simple as that.

He couldn't come up with anything else. Every Florida starter had already taken a turn trying to guard Chen. Every single one had gotten cooked.

It didn't matter who it was—each one got torched in their own way. The only difference was the method of destruction.

So now, with Durant off the floor, they had a window.

"Trap him," Donovan barked. "Hard. Don't give him space to breathe."

His players exchanged glances.

Truth be told, it felt a little humiliating to have four juniors and NBA-bound players swarm a freshman just to slow him down.

But no one spoke up.

This wasn't the NBA. In college, the coach's word was law. You could be a projected lottery pick—but if you challenged the coach, you'd find yourself glued to the bench.

Meanwhile on the Texas bench—

Chen Yan had barely sat down before the bench mob surrounded him.

One handed him a water bottle. Another tossed him a towel. Someone even stepped up to give him a quick shoulder rub.

Chen didn't push them away.

He knew the deal—March Madness wasn't for everyone. Some guys wouldn't log a single minute on the floor. But this? This was their way of contributing. Of staying involved.

Back to the game.

Florida moved the ball around smartly. After a few crisp passes, Taurean Green found daylight from deep—and knocked down a three.

Florida's strength was in their balance. Anyone could score. You couldn't just shut down one guy—they'd kill you with the others.

Texas on the attack again.

Florida's double-team came early—and Chen was caught a little off-guard.

For a split second, he looked like he might lose the ball.

Luckily, DJ Augustin reacted quickly, swooping in to bail him out and keep the possession alive.

Chen reset. Got the ball back. Time for Round Two.

As Fryehan came over to trap, Chen attacked his side with a hard dribble. Before the defense could close in fully, he dropped a lightning crossover under his legs.

One move. Two moves.

He changed direction again and accelerated—shaking both defenders.

From the right wing near the horn, he pulled up.

Swish!

Nothing but net.

Next possession, Florida tried the same trap—but Chen flipped the script.

As Fryehan stepped up, Chen immediately rose into the air—not for a shot, but for a skip pass.

Bullet pass. Right to AJ Abrams.

AJ didn't hesitate. One swing pass later, DJ Augustin caught it in the corner…

Just when everyone's attention was focused on Augustin, Chen Yan suddenly exploded—cutting hard to the basket without the ball!

Augustin saw it right away and fired a sharp pass inside.

Chen Yan caught it in stride and finished with a smooth layup!

"Watch his off-ball movement! Don't stick too close! The help defense needs to rotate faster, and everyone needs to wake up!!" Coach Billy Donovan, usually composed on the sidelines, couldn't help but shout this time. The urgency in his voice echoed through the arena.

If double-teaming Chen Yan didn't work, Florida was in real trouble.

Bang!

Joakim Noah bricked a mid-range jumper.

Florida wasn't just struggling on defense—they were starting to look rattled on offense too.

Chen Yan grabbed the rebound and pushed the tempo!

But credit to Florida's players—after Noah's miss, they hustled back in transition, denying Chen a clean path to the rim.

Pulling up at the left 45-degree angle, just inside the arc, Chen suddenly slowed down… and pivoted.

It looked like he was waiting for his teammates to set up—but in truth, his eyes were already locked on the rim behind him.

Then—bang!—he spun around!

With a lightning-quick, shifty move, Chen left Corey Brewer in the dust!

Now three defenders closed in—Noah, Al Horford, and Lee Humphrey—all converging at once!

Chen didn't flinch.

One long stride, and he launched from the baseline.

Half-turn. Pull-up. Mid-air drift. Fadeaway!

Floating through contact, Chen twisted his body and created just enough space to get off a clean look.

The ball hit the rim—bounce… bounce… bounce—splash!

Triple-team? Forced shot?

Nah. That was vintage Kobe energy right there.

For a moment, it felt like the Black Mamba had logged into Chen Yan's body for a possession.

The Florida defenders just looked at each other, speechless.

A minute ago, they thought it was overkill to double Chen. Now? Even triple-teaming him didn't do a thing.

"You see that? Man's out of his mind right now!"

"Is he about to break his own 62-point record tonight?"

"Yo, that core strength is insane."

"I bet being Chen Yan's girlfriend must be amazing."

"Boyfriend too… I'd take that deal."

The crowd was buzzing. Every fan in the arena was on edge, shouting, laughing, screaming in disbelief.

Up in the commentary booth, Mike Breen called it with energy:

"Absolutely electric! Double-teams, traps—it doesn't matter! Florida has no answers for Chen Yan right now!"

Jeff Van Gundy chimed in, taking a more measured approach:

"As much as I admire Chen's individual brilliance, basketball is still a team game. You can't iso every possession and expect to win. The shots are pretty, sure—but he can't keep this up all night."

This was their usual routine—one takes the hype, the other brings the reality check. It kept the broadcast lively.

But Baldy had a point. Chen knew it himself. He couldn't keep hero-balling every possession.

Tough shots like that had a lower hit rate, and they drained his stamina fast.

Next possession, he changed gears—off the ball again.

He made a hard diagonal cut that pulled three Florida defenders with him. The scene was ridiculous.

It was like Florida saw only Chen on the court. His Texas teammates? Practically invisible.

Augustin burst out laughing, saw the open paint, and casually finished a wide-open layup.

"Shoutout to Florida for the free bucket," he grinned.

Next trip down, the moment Chen got doubled, he kicked it to Augustin wide open behind the arc.

Splash!

Back-to-back buckets—Augustin had five points in a flash.

All March Madness, DJ Augustin had played the role of a facilitator—a glue guy, not a scorer. Scouts had expected more offense from him, but when you're playing next to Chen Yan and Kevin Durant, touches are hard to come by.

But tonight, when Chen needed help, Augustin stepped up.

Chen adjusted his playstyle even more in the next few minutes. He deliberately stretched the defense, baiting double-teams and swinging the ball to the open man.

He knew every Florida defender had their eyes locked on him.

With 3:05 left in the first half, Texas led 48–42 heading into the TV timeout.

No Durant. No problem.

No one expected Texas to take the lead without their star forward on the floor.

After the break, Chen finally checked out to rest. Meanwhile, Durant stripped off his warmup pants.

He'd been chilling for most of the half—but now, it was time to go to work.

Durant glanced up at the scoreboard with a smirk.

He'd spent most of the quarter lounging on the bench, and his squad was still up.

"Can't ask for more than that," he muttered.

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