Sports Medicine Master System

This year’s free agent market wasn’t exactly bustling.

There were big fish, of course, like Kobe, who had the option to opt out of his contract.

If he opted out, he would become the biggest fish in this year’s free agent market.

But any fool could guess that Kobe would definitely opt out, but he would also definitely stay with the Lakers.

A big market, Yao Ming rapidly developing, and the team still benefiting from his rookie contract—Kobe had no reason not to opt out and sign a max deal.

The remaining free agents, like Rashid Wallace, Kenyon Martin, Quentin Richardson, Eric Dampier, Jamal Crawford, Camby, and Divac, were all quality players.

Especially Divac.

Players like Martin and Dampier were starters looking for big contracts. The Phoenix Suns couldn’t hope to get them, nor could they afford them.

But a veteran like Divac, if they could sign him with the mid-level exception to fill the void left by Sabonis’s retirement, was a very attractive option.

He was only 36, after all.

In Brian’s eyes, the 36-year-old Divac was as young as the morning sun.

Plus, he’d never won a championship. That alone made the Phoenix Suns a hugely appealing destination.

However, compared to these free agents, the biggest trade rumor this past week wasn’t about them. It was about the Magic—and Tracy McGrady.

After a tough 4-2 series win over the Nicks to advance to the East finals, Tracy McGrady appeared in a television interview with a local Orlando station. He talked about the series—Chen Yu couldn’t remember the exact words, but the gist was that McGrady complained about how weak the Magic’s frontcourt was.

The only reason the Nicks lasted so long against the Magic was because of Stoudemire’s performance in the post.

Then, as he was wrapping up, he said, "I need to change."

In that context, he probably meant, ’I need to see the team make some changes.’

But the media didn’t interpret it that way. They read it as Tracy McGrady expressing his disappointment with the Magic’s management—that if they didn’t make a breakthrough this year, he would want a change.

And how would he get that change? Obviously, by being traded to another team.

Once that interpretation got out, it sent shockwaves through the industry. The entire American sports world exploded.

Tracy McGrady! One of the top four shooting guards! The cool and stylish Tracy McGrady actually wanted to leave the Magic! The explosive nature of this news was on par with Kobe telling Jackson, "You’re as stupid as a pig, I want to leave the Lakers."

The Magic’s management immediately responded, denying the rumors.

Tracy McGrady himself also refuted it, claiming that wasn’t what he meant at all.

But at this point, what Tracy McGrady himself thought no longer mattered.

Even his denial was seen by the media as a stopgap measure. After all, they were still in the playoffs, and you couldn’t afford to disrupt the team’s morale.

The whole affair caused a huge stir, but Chen Yu knew the real situation.

Because he had stayed in constant contact with Tracy McGrady, Hill, and the others.

Besides, analyzing the actual situation, it was impossible for Tracy McGrady to leave the Magic.

First, why would he leave? It would obviously be to chase a championship.

But he was already on a championship-contending team. Looking across the East, where else could he go besides the Magic?

Coming to the West would be brutal!

Unless he went to the Spurs.

If the Spurs got Tracy McGrady, they would instantly become explosive, a team that could soar to the heavens.

But the Spurs didn’t have the trade assets. Unless they were willing to trade Duncan, there was no way the Magic would ever send Tracy McGrady away.

So Tracy McGrady couldn’t go anywhere, leaving him in a truly awkward position.

That night, the first game between the Phoenix Suns and the Spurs tipped off.

Chen Yu was at home watching the national broadcast.

A little over two minutes into the fourth quarter, Chen Yu suddenly frowned.

On the court, McDyess shot forward in a flash, rushing straight for Mutombo.

Not far away, Marion reacted with lightning speed and tried to pull him back, but he couldn’t hold on. McDyess had already charged forward and given Mutombo a hard shove.

Mutombo staggered and fell to the ground.

Beside him, Bowen, not to be outdone, rushed over as well.

In an instant, the remaining players all squared up against each other.

The referee was already blowing his whistle and running over. On the benches, Popovich and Skiles were holding back their reserve players.

Fortunately, both sides kept relatively cool heads, and the conflict didn’t escalate further.

Thomas Carter and his assistant rushed onto the court to check on O’Neal, who was on the ground.

The whole thing started because of O’Neal.

Mutombo had just elbowed him in the face.

"He did that on purpose!" Lexi shouted angrily beside him.

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed.

’Without a doubt, it was intentional.’

Chen Yu felt that the Spurs’ strategy today was: ’If we can’t beat you with tactics, we’ll start playing dirty.’

Not to mention Bowen; it felt like his elbows were never down, constantly jabbing people in the back on the sly.

But the key was still O’Neal.

Mutombo was the primary defender, with Duncan helping.

Mutombo’s movements were huge, full of pulling, grabbing, and fouling.

That last play was Mutombo’s sixth foul.

As O’Neal was about to jump, Mutombo used an unconventional move, throwing his entire body at him, pressing down on O’Neal’s shoulders. Then, as O’Neal lost his balance and fell, Mutombo’s left arm swept around and slammed into his face.

’Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought they were wrestling.’

The camera focused on O’Neal.

His nose was crooked, and his face was covered in blood. It was unclear if any of his teeth had been knocked out. He ended up covering his face and heading back to the locker room on his own.

Mutombo was fouled out. As for McDyess, who had pushed him, the head referee, Joe Crawford, thought for a moment and only gave him a technical foul, not an ejection.

On the sideline, Popovich instantly shot up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He leaped up, rushed in front of Crawford, and started yelling, spittle flying everywhere, his neck turning red.

"How does he have the nerve to complain?" Lexi exclaimed indignantly. She then stroked her belly, admonishing her future son not to learn from people like that.

Chen Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

But in a situation like this, anger was one thing, but he also knew this was just a part of competitive sports.

It wasn’t just basketball; deliberately taking out opponents on the soccer field was even more common.

When winning is on the line, no one can truly remain calm.

The one good thing, however, was that Chen Yu had a faint feeling the officiating for the whole game had been leaning slightly in the Phoenix Suns’ favor.

Duncan also had four fouls on him.

’It feels like the league wants to give the Phoenix Suns a push.’

’After all, the first three-peat of the new century would represent something.’

The game had to go on.

Mutombo, on his way out with six fouls, had landed a final blow, taking out O’Neal, their biggest threat.

Popovich immediately moved Duncan to the five position, and Horry came in to replace him.

Without the threat of O’Neal, the aging Sabonis was no match for Duncan, and the Spurs began a furious comeback.

On the perimeter, the Spurs’ defensive strategy was also clear: play tight on the three-point line and let you drive inside.

Because once you got inside, Duncan was waiting for you.

The score slowly tightened.

Chen Yu frowned silently. When a team has two dominant forces, containing them is incredibly difficult, like a game of whack-a-mole.

But if only one strong point remained, it was like the critical piece in a complex Go puzzle. Once that single point collapsed, the entire board came alive for the opponent.

That was the situation now. The Spurs, through their team defense, had dragged the Phoenix Suns down to their level, and then, relying on Duncan’s unstoppable presence in the paint, they continuously chipped away at the lead.

They were truly working Duncan like a horse, running him into the ground.

The score remained tight until the very end. With Hardaway’s crucial, wide-open long-two clanking off the rim, the Spurs pushed the fast break. Ginobili contorted his body, magically tossing the ball in while falling away, drawing a 2+1 on Sabonis. With 7 seconds left in the game, the Spurs took the lead once again.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but stare at Ginobili. His hair seemed to be getting sparser, and he was playing with a demonic energy. In the final few minutes, he had somehow completed three incredibly difficult drives to the basket.

He had no idea how Ginobili even got through.

And this miracle shot was absolutely lethal.

He calmly sank the free throw, putting the Spurs up by 3.

With 7 seconds left, as Marion’s forced three-pointer went wide, the game’s outcome was sealed.

Chen Yu sighed to himself.

Without a doubt, the turning point of the game was O’Neal’s injury. With him out, there was no one left in the paint who could contain Duncan.

O’Neal could be lazy on defense, but just having him stand under the basket was a deterrent in itself.

And in the final moments, Hardaway couldn’t save the Phoenix Suns either.

You couldn’t blame him, though. With O’Neal struggling in the first three quarters, it was Hardaway who exploded for 24 points to keep the Phoenix Suns in the lead.

In the final quarter, facing double-teams and intense pressure, he was truly running on empty.

A loss was a loss. Chen Yu didn’t dwell on it.

All he could say was that this season, after winning two consecutive championships, the Phoenix Suns themselves had become a bit complacent.

Or rather, their opponents had gotten stronger.

Mutombo’s arrival was a huge boost for the Spurs.

Chen Yu took out his phone and called Carter.

A moment later, the call connected.

Chen Yu asked about the condition of O’Neal’s nose.

"It’s okay. It’s probably broken, but it doesn’t need surgery. It can be reset manually. He can play the day after tomorrow with a mask."

Carter’s diagnosis let Chen Yu breathe a sigh of relief.

In the NBA, a broken nose is a relatively common injury. And compared to injuries to the knees or shoulders, a nose injury is better; the recovery is fast, and you can play with a mask.

"Thanks for your hard work, then," Chen Yu said before hanging up.

Fortunately, it was just the first game. Losing one game wasn’t unacceptable.

Besides, after that elbow, Mutombo was certain to be suspended for the next game.

If Popovich’s goal was to trade a one-game suspension for Mutombo in exchange for stealing a home-court victory, then his plan had succeeded.

Sure enough, on the morning of the day after next, before Game 2 of the West finals, the league announced Mutombo’s punishment: a fine plus a one-game suspension.

’Even with that, the league went easy on him,’ Chen Yu thought. ’They were probably afraid the West finals would get too ugly or one-sided. Otherwise, it should have been a two-game suspension.’

On May 24th, Game 2 of the West finals began.

In the afternoon, Chen Yu went to the office for a meeting with Brian to discuss this year’s draft. The lottery was on the 27th, only a few days away.

Brian was still mulling over whether they should try to trade for a first-round pick and replicate the miracle of 2002, where they struck big with a small bet.

He’d had the same beautiful dream before last year’s draft lottery.

After the meeting, Chen Yu didn’t rush to leave. He stayed with Brian and the others to watch that night’s game together in the conference room.

With Mutombo suspended and O’Neal returning with a mask, it felt like the Phoenix Suns were in a stable position.

Losing one of two away games wasn’t an unacceptable result.

However, just before the game started, Brian got a report from the arena.

"The air conditioning is broken?" Brian yelped.

Beside him, Chen Yu shot bolt upright.

The arena’s AC was broken? It was already late May, and the weather was getting hot. In an indoor arena, with the AC out, the whole place would be like a steam basket.

"When can they fix it?" Chen Yu asked immediately after Brian hung up the phone.

Brian plopped back into his seat and shoved his phone aside in frustration. "They’re not going to fix it! They did it on purpose! Dammit, the SBC Center was just built. How could the AC possibly break!"