Covered in cream and foam, Chen Yu sat back down.
"Your idea?" Chen Yu asked, turning to Brian beside him as he wiped himself with a towel.
Brian quickly shook his head. "No way. I just told them to get a cake. Who knew it would turn out like this? This must be Jes’s idea."
Chen Yu shot him a glare. ’Yeah, right. As if I’d believe you.’
"By the way, after this season ends, I’m planning to go back to Chicago. So I won’t be able to sign a contract for next season," Chen Yu said.
"What!"
Brian’s face went pale with fright. He said hurriedly, "Chen, don’t scare me like that. That’s not a funny joke."
"That’s right, it must be a joke. Chen, don’t ever make a joke like that again. You know my heart isn’t strong," Brian said, clutching his chest.
Chen Yu gave him a sidelong glance, not bothering to respond.
Because Wang Zhizhi was playing, this game was getting a lot of attention in China.
The sports channel was also broadcasting it.
The host was Yang Jian, with Su Jun as the guest commentator, while Zhang Weiping was reporting live from the arena.
"Just a moment ago, the Suns hosted a little event here at home. Their mascot played a prank on the team doctor, Chen Yu, but it was mainly to celebrate the end of Chen Yu’s first full season working with the Suns."
Zhang Weiping described the scene before continuing, "I have to say, having a good team doctor is a huge help to the team. Before the game, I was in the locker room interviewing Hardaway and Olajuwon, and they both told me how much work Chen Yu has put in this season. Take Olajuwon, for example. He’s 39, and it’s truly remarkable that he can still maintain his current form."
"And then there’s Hardaway. He got injured on the 11th, so for him to come back this quickly and make it for the first round of the playoffs is incredible. He told me Chen Yu put in a lot of effort to make it happen."
They also brought up the topic of Yao Ming.
Everyone knew that back in February, Chen Yu and Brian had rushed to China to scout Yao Ming.
After that, the Eastern Team had publicly stated their hope for Yao Ming to go to the Suns.
And just two nights ago, in the Jia A finals, Yao Ming exploded for 56 points and 21 rebounds, finally helping the Eastern Team win the Jia A championship. On the other side, the ’War God’ Liu Yudong’s monster 53-point performance was in vain as he fell short of the title.
Having fulfilled his promise, there were no longer any obstacles to Yao Ming entering the NBA, so news about his draft prospects began to circulate again.
Zhang Weiping said, "Before the game, I interviewed the Suns’ General Manager, Brian. He said that Yao Ming’s projected draft position is very high right now, but their first-round pick isn’t high enough, so nothing is certain. Of course, he also made it clear that if they get the chance, they will definitely find a way to get Yao Ming. I think that’s enough to show the Suns’ intentions."
At this point, Zhang Weiping sighed quietly. In his opinion, the Suns were a perfect fit for Yao Ming in every respect.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t as simple as mutual interest. It would really come down to luck.
After some more off-topic discussion, the two returned to the game at hand.
"Teacher Su, who do you think has a better chance of winning this game?" Yang Jian asked.
Su Jun thought for a moment and said, "Emotionally, I’m rooting for the Mavericks because of Da Zhi. I hope the Mavericks can go further and that Da Zhi has a great performance. But if we’re analyzing this rationally, I think the Suns have a better chance of advancing in this series."
Yang Jian nodded and asked why he thought so.
Su Jun picked up his prepared notes and began his analysis. "The Mavericks have a potent offense this season. A lot of media outlets say the Kings’ Princeton offense is the best in the NBA, the ultimate display of offense, but if you look at the stats, the Mavericks averaged 105.2 points per game for the whole season, even higher than the Kings."
"The Mavericks have shown extraordinary offensive scoring ability, but then you look at another stat: points allowed per game. The Mavericks allow an average of 101 points, the second-highest in the entire league."
"In other words, their offense is the best in the league, but their defense is the second-worst. They’re a team with a huge gap between their offense and defense. A team like that has a major vulnerability: if they run into a team with tough defense and their scoring dries up, they can easily lose."
"This is especially true since they rely heavily on three-pointers, and three-pointers are more dependent on a player’s shooting touch. In their game against the Suns at the end of the season, they lost because of their defense. J Kidd led the perimeter defense, and both Olajuwon and Ewing did a great job containing Nowitzki, which is why they lost."
"The Suns, on the other hand, are a very balanced team on both offense and defense. They’re seventh in the league in points per game and fifth-lowest in points allowed. And the Suns... they’re a very... peculiar team."
As he finished his sentence, Su Jun paused to think before finally landing on the word "peculiar."
Yang Jian was intrigued and asked Su Jun why he said that.
Su Jun said, "With a lot of teams, like the Lakers, you can tell at a glance whether they’re strong or not. But you can’t do that with the Suns. They’re a team you can’t quite figure out."
"If you look at their starting lineup, you’ll be shocked. Ewing, Olajuwon—these are legendary stars. J Kidd is the assist king, Hardaway is the famous ’heir to Jordan,’ and even Marion made the All-Rookie Second Team and was the Suns’ leading scorer last season."
"But then you take a closer look, and you realize Ewing is 40 and Olajuwon is 39. And on their bench, they’ve got a whole bunch of other veterans."
"And these veterans aren’t all just nobodies, either. Teylon Hill made a name for himself with the Knight and was even an All-Star in ’95."
"Tom Gugliotta—a lot of people call him overpaid and underperforming, but how many fans remember that he was the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first ’Wolf King’? He once averaged 20 and 8, made the All-Star team, and was a star even Garnett had to call ’big brother’."
"Dan Majerle was a three-time All-Star, a famous Suns legend. Even a fringe player like Rodney Rogers had his miracle moment, scoring 9 points in 8 seconds."
"So if you count by All-Star appearances, the Suns have a total of seven players who have been All-Stars. It feels incredible. They should be really strong, right? But these guys have either suffered major injuries or are on the verge of retirement."
"At the start of the season, a lot of media outlets jokingly called the Suns the ’Old, Weak, Sick, and Disabled’ team. And you could say they weren’t wrong at all. They really are a team with an aging roster."
"But with a team like this, you never know who’s going to suddenly step up and help them win a game. Take the last game of the season, for example. Mario Elie, who’d been bricking shots all game, suddenly hit two consecutive three-pointers and put the game out of reach."
"And look at the others, like Olajuwon. The media says that under Chen Yu’s care, his body has recovered and his form is returning. But he’s still only averaging 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds, a slight decline from last season. But once the playoffs start, are you telling me you’re not afraid he might explode?"
"It’s the same with Ewing. Last season with the Supersonic, he was still putting up 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds. This season he came off the bench, and even though he was moved into the starting lineup later, he’s only averaging 5.4 points and 4.7 rebounds. But again, come playoff time, you just don’t know what kind of numbers he might put up."
"That’s why I say the Suns are a team you can’t figure out, and you can’t accurately measure their strength based on stats alone."
Yang Jian nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, a phrase came to mind. "Teacher Su, I think I understand what you mean. It’s that you can never underestimate the heart of a champion, or in this case, a veteran who wants to win a championship, right?"
Su Jun’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Yes, that’s exactly what I mean."
"Players like Mario Elie and Dan Majerle are on one-year contracts and will almost certainly retire this summer. And while Ewing and Olajuwon signed for two years, at their age, you can imagine what their condition will be like next year. If the Suns don’t win the championship this season, they’ll have to sign new players next season and build chemistry all over again. Who knows how that will turn out."
"So for Ewing and the others, this year is their last window to win a title. They will definitely give it their all for the championship."
As they talked, the game began.
Just like in the last game, Olajuwon was back at the five, and with a leap, he easily won the tip-off.
The Suns had possession.
"A zone defense?" Su Jun exclaimed softly.
It was clear the Mavericks were running a 2-3 zone, collapsing their defense inward.
"They’re targeting the Suns’ poor outside shooting and trying to prevent their drives to the basket."
The Suns were not a good outside-shooting team.
J Kidd was a career 40% shooter, and both Hardaway and Marion were players who did more damage by driving to the hoop than with their jump shots.
This time, however, J Kidd took a look around and pulled up for a shot immediately.
A three-pointer!
Nash was playing off him, offering almost no resistance.
Then, with a CLANG, the ball unsurprisingly bricked off the rim.
Nowitzki gritted his teeth, boxed out Ewing, and let out a grunt as he leaped up to snag the tough rebound.
The moment he landed, Nowitzki had already fired the outlet pass.
Nash caught the ball, dribbling like the wind as Finley took off down the other side of the court.
A fast break.
J Kidd sprinted back to give chase, but Nash didn’t hold onto the ball, firing a long pass to Finley.
Facing Hardaway, Finley showed no fear, converting a reverse layup.
Old Nelson immediately jumped to his feet, excitedly applauding Finley from the sideline.
On the other side, however, Skiles frowned.
Beside him, Frank Johnson was also frowning. "Just as we thought. They’re running a zone and pushing the fast break as much as possible."
With limited defensive resources, packing the paint with a zone defense was the best option to exploit the Suns’ poor outside shooting.
And pushing the fast break was clearly a way to target the Suns’ big men, Olajuwon and Ewing, exploiting their age and slow foot speed.
Clearly, after losing the last game, Old Nelson had done some serious thinking and made new adjustments.
"Let’s wait and see."
Skiles said calmly. The game had just started, after all. There was no rush to make a move. He’d watch a little longer.
In the back row, after the game started, Chen Yu had returned to his usual seat.
Seeing J Kidd miss a wide-open shot right at the start, Chen Yu couldn’t help but turn to Nelson next to him. "By the way, have you talked to Jason about summer training?"
The sports lab he was setting up was almost done with renovations. It was just a matter of recruiting clients and then opening for business in the offseason.
To address J Kidd’s poor shooting—a problem he’d never been able to fix through practice—Chen Yu had specifically asked Nelson to see if Kidd would be interested in coming to his sports lab for some specialized training and adjustments over the summer.
"I asked. He said he’s open to it."
Nelson’s gaze followed J Kidd on the court. He was also at his wit’s end. ’After all this time, and all the shooting practice he’s put in, he just can’t seem to improve. It’s almost like a curse.’

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