Sports Medicine Master System

The Phoenix Suns hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Chen Yu made a point of arriving at the arena a little early and waited for Hardaway in the parking lot.

"I heard from Shaq you have a new girlfriend. Is it serious this time?" Chen Yu asked casually.

He and his ex-wife had been living apart, and after he threatened her with a gun, the marriage was completely over. But life went on, and he was never short of female companions, though whether he was serious about them was another story.

Hardaway thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "I guess you could say it’s serious."

"That’s good." Chen Yu nodded, then got to the point, asking him what he thought about Ma Long’s indefinite suspension.

The two were close friends, so Chen Yu asked him directly.

He asked because he was worried about the team’s morale being shaken.

After all, a player had been kicked out, and it had caused such a huge mess.

Since returning from Portland, Chen Yu hadn’t had a chance to ask the guys what they were thinking.

Normally, this was something Skiles, the head coach, should have done.

But after some discussion, they still wanted Chen Yu to be the one to ask.

Clearly, the players trusted Chen Yu more.

Hardaway understood what Chen Yu was getting at. With a serious expression, he said, "Chen, he was in the wrong, and he has to pay the price. The team’s actions were appropriate. I don’t see any problem with it."

Having been in this league for so many years, Hardaway knew where the line was.

Getting into trouble over women was normal. Many guys in the league had been in that situation, including himself.

But senselessly beating up a teammate, even breaking his ribs, crossed a line. After that, who in the locker room could ever fully trust you again?

He also understood why the team didn’t just cut Ma Long.

"That’s good."

Chen Yu nodded, then added, "Anfernee, starting this season, I’m not traveling with the team anymore. I’ve also got a ton of my own stuff going on and I’m very busy. I’m not as familiar with the team’s situation as I used to be."

When he used to travel with the team, he would have psychological chats with the players before practices and games. Chen Yu understood their physical and mental states better than anyone.

Like this incident with Ma Long. If he had still been with the team, he definitely would have noticed the signs right away.

His wife wasn’t in Phoenix, and hooking up with another woman would have surely put him in a good mood. Chen Yu wouldn’t have missed such subtle emotional changes.

But now, not only did the team have a new doctor, but they also had a new psychologist. He was busy flying all over the world and had no idea what was going on with the team.

He’d thought, ’With a bunch of veterans, there won’t be any problems,’ but in the end, a problem still arose.

"With Shaq’s personality, he’s not going to manage these things. So in the locker room, we need you."

The only players on the team qualified to be the locker room leader were Hardaway and O’Neal.

Hardaway honored his promise, respected O’Neal, and treated him as the leader.

But with O’Neal’s personality, he did nothing but fool around and crack jokes, not caring about anything else.

"So you need to step up, manage the relationships between the veterans, lead the rookies, and set a good example for them," Chen Yu said with a smile.

Players and management are naturally at odds. When a problem comes up in the locker room, the best solution is to handle it internally.

"Anfernee, I know the team can’t win forever, but we’re only one season away from a dynasty. Now is not the time to get complacent or relax. You’re a smart guy. You should know what I mean."

Hardaway probably knew the situation in the locker room better than he did.

Hardaway thought for a moment, then nodded firmly.

They were friends, so saying this much was enough.

He said it, and he actually did it.

Right before they were about to take the court, after Skiles finished explaining the strategy, he suddenly stepped forward, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

"Listen up, everyone. I know the team has had some incidents these past few days. Some of you might be frustrated, and some of you have had your focus affected."

Hardaway’s gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Stockton.

Stockton and Ma Long’s relationship was exceptionally deep; they were godfathers to each other’s sons.

Stockton’s face was cold, and he said nothing.

Hardaway continued, "But I want to tell you all, we came to this team, we are here, for one reason and one reason only: to win. To win a championship! So I’m asking all of you to work with me to achieve this goal, to win that title!"

As he spoke, he extended his right hand, his fiery gaze turning to Old Miller beside him.

Of everyone on the team, the one who craved a championship the most had to be Old Miller.

He had truly left everything behind and endured a storm of criticism to come to the Suns.

Old Miller stood up, put his hand in, then looked at Stockton and yelled, "John!"

Stockton felt everyone’s eyes on him. He hesitated for a moment, then stood up.

As a friend, he couldn’t blame Ma Long, but as a teammate, he knew Ma Long was in the wrong.

And just as Hardaway said, they were here for one thing: a championship!

One by one, hands piled on top of each other.

"Championship!"

Hardaway roared.

"Let’s go!"

Hardaway waved for the others to head out, then glanced back at the corner where Chen Yu was standing and talking with Thomas Carter. He gave a slight nod and quickened his pace to catch up with David West.

Today, he would be coming off the bench to replace Ma Long.

The Wolves were not weak.

They were currently ranked fourth in the West.

And the fifth-place Lakers were only four wins behind the first-place Spurs.

It was easy to imagine how fierce the competition was in the West!

Losing just a couple of games could cause a team to drop several spots in the standings.

Today’s game was a battle for positioning.

If the Suns lost, they would drop directly to third in the West.

After nine years of grinding it out in the league, Garnett was averaging 23.2 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists so far this season. Looking at the stats alone, his numbers were even more impressive than Duncan’s.

A two-way force who could do it all, he had clearly reached the peak of his career.

Add to that the Summer acquisition of "Alien" Cassell, "Madman" Spree Well, and an in-his-prime Nestorovic, whose stats were getting better and better.

During the Summer, Nestorovic had considered testing the free agent market, but ultimately chose to remain with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

So the Minnesota Timberwolves were truly strong; their fourth-place spot in the West was well-earned.

As soon as the game started, Garnett, as the primary attacker, scored consecutive baskets over McDyess’s defense.

McDyess was an excellent defender, especially since last season. Playing alongside O’Neal, he had begun to transform into a diligent, blue-collar defensive player.

But against Garnett, while he could keep up with his footwork, the height and wingspan difference was still a significant disadvantage.

Moreover, because Chen Yu was still in Phoenix for this game, Sanders didn’t hesitate to crank up the intensity, treating it like a playoff game. Right from the start, they hit the Suns with an 8-2 run.

They fought for every ball, and everyone was running relentlessly.

Sam Cassell even came out to press Hardaway as soon as he crossed half-court.

This level of intensity made Brian, who had snuck over to Chen Yu’s side after the game started, start cursing again.

"Chen, listen to me. Don’t even talk to Sanders after the game. Just refuse to give the Wolves players any physical therapy. That’ll piss them off," Brian said viciously.

’Who can stand them trying so hard just against the Suns?’

He wanted Chen Yu to stay in Phoenix more often, but he was also conflicted because whenever Chen Yu was in Phoenix, every visiting team played against the Suns as if they were on steroids.

Chen Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Just think of it as a playoff preview. Don’t worry, I’m very busy lately. I won’t be in Phoenix that often."

On the court, Hardaway protected the ball, ignored Cassell’s harassment, and unhesitatingly lobbed it into the post.

He was thinking clearly. When the team was in a tough spot and couldn’t get anything going, they had to go to O’Neal.

This was when O’Neal’s dominance truly showed.

O’Neal caught the ball, exploded into motion, backed down Nestorovic with one step, and rose up for a thunderous dunk.

That dunk sounded the horn for the Suns’ counterattack.

The Wolves played hard and had a strong lineup, but when it came to the sheer star power of the starting five, the Suns were still unmatched in the league.

It was Hardaway again. He hadn’t just boosted morale in the locker room; on the court, he was fulfilling his promise with his actions.

He drove with the ball, used a change of pace to create a sliver of space, then pulled up and knocked down the shot.

He used a screen while the paint was open, drove hard to the basket, and faced the recovering Nestorovic. He jumped without hesitation, absorbed the contact in mid-air without losing his balance, and finished with a layup.

While scoring himself, he didn’t forget to get his teammates involved.

He drove and kicked it out to Marion in the corner.

He faked a shot, drew the double-team, then whipped a long pass, finding a wide-open Old Miller on the run.

The Suns quickly caught up and then took the lead.

On the sidelines, Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief seeing the team’s performance.

To be honest, the incident with Ma Long injuring Daniels had been a huge blow to the team’s morale.

Not to mention the issue with him harassing the intern.

For a few days there, whenever they ran into reporters, every other question was about Ma Long’s damn mess.

Every reporter was just waiting for you to misspeak so they could hype up a story about conflict within the Suns, about so-and-so publicly criticizing Ma Long.

All of this was an unavoidable distraction for the players.

And that’s why the Suns had lost games.

But today, the Suns had clearly found their form again.

And when the Suns were playing up to their potential, they were still the most powerful team in the league—the defending champions!

Top-tier offense, top-tier defense, a stacked bench, a mix of experience and talent—they were used to high-stakes games and never feared a challenge.

Sanders was treating this like a playoff game, but when it came to a real high-stakes matchup, the Wolves were still a long way off.

So when it was time for substitutions, seeing that Sanders had no intention of rotating his players, Skiles went ahead and made his first.

What was a high-stakes game for them was just another regular-season game for the Suns.

During the timeout, the Suns completed their substitutions.

"David, go get ’em!"

Chen Yu even stood up and shouted to David West.

Since the season began, the young man had been in a similar situation to Milicic, getting almost no playing time.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to develop him; the roster was just too stacked for him to get a turn.

But the young man wasn’t discouraged. He was always diligent in practice.

Chen Yu had heard from Jon Hamm that he always stayed behind for an extra hour of practice after every team session.

It wasn’t easy for a young player to be so hardworking and self-disciplined.

David West turned his head in pleasant surprise. Confirming it was Chen Yu talking to him, he responded with an excited, firm nod.

Brian asked curiously, "Chen, you seem to think very highly of this West kid."

It was Chen Yu who had suggested trading for West during the draft.

Chen Yu’s eyes followed David West. "I’ve told you before, a player who is smart enough can go far in this league."

West was that kind of person.

The game resumed.

West immediately came up to set a screen for Hardaway.

After completing the pick-and-roll, he popped out to open space.

As if he knew exactly where he was, Hardaway threw a no-look pass his way.

Catch, and shoot.

The mid-range jumper was nothing but net.

Soon after, in the same fashion and from almost the same spot, West once again received a pass from Hardaway and coolly drained another mid-range shot.

His shot was steady, showing a composure that was completely unlike that of a rookie.

Even Sanders couldn’t help but give him a couple of extra looks.