Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 181 - 132: Preseason, Hardaway’s Debut

Canceling the game was out of the question.

The qualification situation in the Central and North America Division was currently very tight.

Costa Rica stood above the rest with six wins, essentially guaranteeing their qualification.

Of the remaining two spots, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago had already been eliminated from contention long ago.

Meanwhile, the United States, Mexico, and Honduras all had four wins each.

Therefore, every match was crucial. They needed to win at least one more to secure a qualifying spot.

In this match, Donovan came through again. Thanks to goals from him and forward McBride, the United States Team won 2-1, securing a crucial three points.

Most importantly, Mexico, who played on the same day, drew with Costa Rica.

The scales of qualification were already tipping in favor of the United States Team.

But what relieved Chen Yu more than qualifying was that nothing had happened.

Perhaps Jamaica was aware that the United States was on edge, baring its fangs and looking for enemies all over the world. From the moment the team deplaned, they were under the constant protection of armed soldiers, ensuring the United States Team would not be attacked.

After the game, the entire coaching staff was full of emotion as they discussed the experience.

"I’ve never been through a game like this before," Alina sighed.

An assistant coach next to him gave a wry smile. "Honestly, I feel like I saw more police than fans."

For safety reasons, Jamaica had even limited the number of fans allowed into the stadium.

Chen Yu sighed, also filled with a great deal of emotion.

The group couldn’t help but talk about *that* incident again. On the day of the game, the 7th, the president had even officially declared war.

The topic was too heavy, so after a brief discussion, they shifted back to the world of sports.

There wasn’t much to talk about with soccer, as Americans didn’t pay much attention to it.

Alina and the others were, however, very curious about Jordan’s comeback, and Chen Yu obviously knew more about the inside story.

There was nothing to hide; reporters would break the story sooner or later.

As the conversation wound down, Alina looked at his assistant coaches and said in a serious tone, "Actually, we should also work hard and strive for a good result in next year’s World Cup."

The assistant coaches all nodded.

Chen Yu shook his head to himself. ’Easier said than done. With the United States Team’s current roster and strength, getting a good result in the World Cup will be incredibly difficult.’

When they returned to Phoenix, training camp had already ended, and the preseason was about to begin.

The Phoenix Suns’ first game would be an away match against the Lakers.

Although the media called the Phoenix Suns a team of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, their public profile was quite high after signing two top-tier centers and with Hardaway’s impending return.

Before the season started, the Phoenix Suns had even climbed to eighth on the official NBA power rankings.

This was ESPN’s commentary on the ranking: "Let’s be clear, we don’t expect a 38-year-old Olajuwon and a 39-year-old Ewing to perform at their peak. It will be an accomplishment in itself if they can just make it through a full season."

"But we can’t ignore the fact that the Phoenix Suns have Chen Yu, the nationally renowned Miracle Doctor. One seriously injured player after another has recovered under his care. Perhaps with him watching over them, these two legends can still put on a special show."

In other words, Chen Yu played a part in the Phoenix Suns’ eighth-place ranking.

Because of this, some media outlets even boldly proclaimed that the Phoenix Suns could win the championship this season.

After all, ignoring their ages, the names on their starting lineup alone were quite intimidating.

What the outside world was saying didn’t affect the Phoenix Suns.

This was Hardaway’s first game after a long rehabilitation period, so Chen Yu made a special trip to Los Angeles with the team.

The world-famous Staples Center.

Chen Yu sat courtside, watching the Phoenix Suns players warm up.

J Kidd was shooting, CLANG, CLANG, brick after brick.

In comparison, Hardaway’s shot was much more accurate.

Jon Hamm was practicing with Hardaway, constantly reaching out to disrupt his dribble drive.

Under his pressure, Hardaway’s drive was impeded, so he pulled back for a contested shot.

CLANG. A brick.

Nelson, sitting beside Chen Yu, said with a smile, "He looks really healthy. Not a single problem."

It wasn’t just his health; it was his explosiveness and speed.

Nelson was clearly familiar with Hardaway from his time with the Magic, and the Hardaway before him now was virtually indistinguishable from the player of that era.

His powerful core strength allowed the two-meter-tall player to remain agile, and with his ambidextrous skill, he could execute any move he wanted.

He also had outstanding explosiveness and a first step comparable to Hill’s, allowing him to blow by many defenders with sheer speed.

He looked like Hardaway in his prime, not at all like a player who had suffered a major injury like a torn ACL.

Chen Yu chuckled. "You’ve said that I don’t know how many times already."

During the rehabilitation training at the clinic, Nelson had been present the entire time, so he knew full well what condition Hardaway was in.

Nelson gave a wry laugh, then frowned. "It’s just that these rule changes have made driving to the basket much harder."

With that, he couldn’t help but sigh.

This year’s training camp was spent just practicing how to adapt to the new rules.

Never mind the paint; the introduction of the defensive 3-second rule was especially hard for veterans like Olajuwon to adjust to. They always had to dedicate some of their focus to checking if they were too far from their man and whether the count was about to start.

And it was just as troublesome on the perimeter.

Last season, after tightening the enforcement of hand-checking fouls from the ’97-’98 season, they changed it again this season to allow for brief contact.

As a result, it became even more difficult for perimeter players to drive to the basket.

"It looks like they’re strengthening the defense, but then they go and add a defensive 3-second rule. I really don’t get what the league is thinking," Nelson said, glancing at Chen Yu.

They changed a full 17 rules last season, and the players hadn’t even fully figured them out yet. Now, this season, they’ve added several more. It’s the very definition of inconsistent policy.

Chen Yu rolled his eyes at him. "What are you looking at me for? I’m not the one changing the rules. Besides, it’s not like we’re the only ones affected. It’s the same for everyone."

Nelson pursed his lips.

That was true, but the media had already analyzed it. They said that introducing the defensive three-second rule, eliminating the illegal defense rule, and thereby tacitly legalizing the zone defense would benefit certain teams.

For example, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach, Sanders, was a zone defense expert who had even published a book on it.

Once the zone defense was allowed, wouldn’t the Wolves take off?

Seeing Nelson drone on and on, Chen Yu clapped him on the shoulder to stop him. "Alright, that’s enough. That’s something for Scott to worry about. Our job is to keep the players healthy. Everything else, we don’t need to worry about."

With that, Chen Yu stood up and walked toward the court.

On the sideline, Olajuwon was practicing the Five Animals Qigong as if no one else was around.

Perhaps due to his faith, the man was especially interested in mysterious Eastern forces. After being introduced to the Five Animals Qigong, he had once solemnly told Chen Yu that by practicing it, he felt an intimate connection with heaven and earth.

Olajuwon even believed at one point that he had developed a sense of "qi".

To this, Chen Yu could only say that he was overthinking it.

But since he was willing to practice, Chen Yu wouldn’t stop him. After all, it wasn’t doing him any harm.

"Hakeem, how are you feeling?" Chen Yu asked.

Olajuwon would be the starting center for this game.

Chen Yu had heard from Nelson that after signing Olajuwon and Ewing, Skiles had a headache trying to decide who should be the starting center.

Both were legendary centers, both had played well last season, and both were starters. Making either of them a backup seemed unreasonable.

So how was the issue resolved in the end? Olajuwon and Ewing had a talk themselves.

Outsiders didn’t know the details of their conversation.

According to team rumors, Olajuwon directly told Ewing, "I have two Championship Rings, you have none, so I should start."

Chen Yu didn’t believe this rumor.

Using Championship Rings to one-up Ewing? Rubbing salt in the wound like that? It’d be a miracle if Ewing didn’t punch Olajuwon.

Later, during one of his ’psychology chat’ sessions, Chen Yu had discussed this with Ewing, and the man had put it perfectly, saying he was willing to make any sacrifice for a championship.

The media called him arrogant and extreme, but wasn’t this a good thing, too?

You could only say that once you reach a certain age, you learn to let things go.

"Good," Olajuwon said curtly, then immediately shut his mouth, afraid that speaking would disrupt his breathing exercises.

Seeing the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, Chen Yu didn’t say any more and turned to leave.

After his last talk with Stern, Chen Yu had burned and distributed DVDs of the Five Animals Qigong to every team in the league.

Whether they were willing to practice it, however, was anyone’s guess.

In any case, the Magic were practicing it quite diligently.

On the other hand, the Ultra-Low Temperature Freezing Chambers and data-monitoring equipment were being adopted quickly, with many teams already following suit and purchasing them.

The Staples Center was packed to the rafters today.

Hardaway versus Kobe, Olajuwon versus O’Neal—there was no shortage of hype.

Before the game, the atmosphere between the two teams was very friendly.

Take Hardaway and O’Neal, for example. They were old teammates, and their relationship was like a first love.

Hardaway was also once Kobe’s idol.

And Olajuwon and Ewing were also very familiar with O’Neal.

Then there was Horry, who was an old championship-winning teammate of Olajuwon’s.

Phil Jackson even sought out Chen Yu specifically to ask if that Five Animals Qigong was effective. If it was, he would require his players to practice it.

There was a lot of opposition within the team, especially from O’Neal, who felt the movements were too ugly and would ruin his image.

’What image does he even have?’

Chen Yu glanced at O’Neal in the distance and said with a serious expression, "It’s very useful. It’s the secret to how Hakeem and Patrick stay healthy. Shaq has problems with his toes; he should practice it even more."

"Oh?"

Jackson nodded thoughtfully.

But just how much of it he believed, Chen Yu had no idea.

After the commotion, the game officially began.

Phoenix Suns starters: Olajuwon, Robinson, Marion, Hardaway, and J Kidd.

Lakers starters: O’Neal, Samaki Walker, Rick Fox, Kobe, and Lynch Hunt.

Old Fish Fisher’s injury hadn’t fully healed yet; he was expected to return to the team at the end of next month.

The players from both teams stood near the center line.

O’Neal looked at Olajuwon standing before him and grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

In the stands, the fervent Lakers fans had already started cheering, the atmosphere electric.

Chen Yu’s gaze, however, was locked on Hardaway.

Olajuwon and Ewing were fine, actually. Having weathered countless storms, they were mentally very stable.

So even though Hardaway kept saying he was ready, Chen Yu was still a little worried.

After all, he hadn’t played a game in nearly a year.

Olajuwon leaped up but didn’t win the tip-off.

The game was officially underway.