The players from both teams were on the court, warming up.
Chen Yu sat in the front row, not really watching.
He’d done everything he could, and even some things he shouldn’t have. Whether they made the playoffs in the end wasn’t up to him, but to Hill and the others.
"Has the game started?"
Chen Yu sent a message to Nelson. Today was the Phoenix Suns’ last game of the regular season, a home game against the Jazz.
Right now, the Phoenix Suns and the Pioneer were both at 50 wins. If the Suns won this game, they would move up a spot from seventh to sixth in the West, allowing them to avoid the defending champions, the Lakers.
But even if they did avoid them, it felt pretty pointless.
The sixth seed would face the Kings, and they couldn’t beat them either.
The Kings were truly strong this season. They had even set a franchise record for the longest road-game winning streak at a full 22 games. They almost never lost on the road.
Adelman and his Princeton offense were shining throughout the league.
Given the Phoenix Suns’ current roster, missing Hardaway, they were most likely looking at a first-round exit if they faced the Kings.
Thinking of Adelman made Chen Yu think of the All-Star Game.
And thinking of the All-Star Game naturally led his thoughts to Olajuwon.
The Rockets’ 00-01 season was over, and the team was on break. That meant it was almost time to start Olajuwon’s treatment.
His knee would be relatively easy to handle. It was cartilage wear. A minimally invasive surgery to polish the cartilage surface, followed by a boost from the system’s treatment effects, should do the trick.
The trickier part was his bulging disc.
Olajuwon’s bulge was much more severe than J Kidd’s. Chen Yu hadn’t seen Olajuwon since the All-Star Game, so he didn’t know if the bulge would develop into a herniation.
’It would actually be better if it did herniate. A bulge that doesn’t herniate is like a ticking time bomb—there’s no way to deal with it.’
’Once it herniates, the options open up. You can perform surgery directly to remove the protruded nucleus pulposus.’
During this time, Chen Yu had been studying a fair number of research papers on herniated discs. He discovered that some surgeons in China were performing a procedure that used disposable surgical equipment to suture the annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc.
Chen Yu studied the papers on this topic carefully. Normally, such a suture was useless.
The annulus fibrosus has no blood supply, so it has no ability to heal on its own. It’s not like you can just stitch it together and it will grow back.
Well, it’s not that there’s none at all, but the blood supply virtually disappears after adulthood.
Therefore, this suturing only reduces the chance of recurrence after the removal surgery to a certain extent.
Over time, a relapse is still likely to happen.
’But I’m different,’ he thought. ’I have the system. I can make a blood supply grow in the white zone of a meniscus, which has none. It’s highly likely I can make this annulus fibrosus heal as well.’
Chen Yu also thought of Duncan.
During the All-Star Game, he had told Duncan to come see him during the summer to have his knee looked at.
He’d had his meniscus removed, and at the time, Chen Yu had considered an allograft transplant.
If that surgery was successful, he would have a solution for future patients with removed menisci.
"Where’s Jamie?"
Chen Yu muttered to himself.
’I’m still short one patient with a removed meniscus to experiment on.’
’As it happens, there’s one right in my clinic. Jamie had his meniscus removed, and he’s a doctor himself. He’s the perfect subject for an experiment.’
Nelson sent a text: "It’s about to start. Scott and the guys are still stressing. The Jazz are still trying to push for third to get home-court advantage, so this is going to be a tough game. We might slide to seventh."
After a pause, he sent another message: "But sixth or seventh feels the same, because we can’t beat the Lakers or the Kings."
Chen Yu couldn’t help but smile.
’That’s true.’
Facing the Lakers or the Kings, it was just a question of how badly they’d lose.
In that respect, it was similar to the Magic’s situation.
After fighting so hard to make it into the playoffs, they’d run into the championship-favorite Digital People in the first round and lose all the same.
Nelson sent another message, asking how the Magic game was going and if Hill was really making his comeback.
"Yeah, he’s back. He’s playing right now, and he’s looking pretty good," Chen Yu messaged back, then looked up at the court.
Hill threw a long pass straight to Armstrong in the corner. He pulled up for a shot and it CLANGED off the iron.
Chen Yu wasn’t watching the game closely, just glancing over occasionally. It seemed that at the start, Hill wasn’t attacking much and was just passing the ball.
He had probably just returned and was still adjusting to the pace of the game.
He was a smart player; he knew how to help the team.
Most importantly, even with Hill just passing the ball, it was a qualitative improvement for the Magic.
He was Grant Hill. Even if he wasn’t attacking, would you dare to ease up on your defense against him?
If you gave him space, he could drive and score in an instant.
The first quarter ended with the two teams tied.
The Heat were also playing hard.
Chen Yu’s gaze fell on number 12 for the Heat.
Bruce Bowen.
’He looks like a nice enough guy, so why does he play so dirty?’
Hill had been out for over a month because of him.
As his mind wandered, the second quarter quickly came to an end.
Amazingly, the two teams tied again in the second quarter.
49-49. At the end of the half, the two teams were back where they started.
Chen Yu hurried back to the locker room.
"Is everything okay?" Weisbrod asked nervously.
Chen Yu was examining Hill and Tracy McGrady.
Everyone in the locker room watched Chen Yu anxiously.
Chen Yu stood up and shook his head, indicating that everything was fine.
Hill was basically fully recovered. As for Tracy McGrady, he had some muscle tightness, but the kid was tough, so it wasn’t a major concern.
"That’s good," Pleasance said, breathing a sigh of relief.
The Heat’s offense was relentless today. If Hill hadn’t returned, he felt they really might not have been able to handle it.
A smile appeared on Hill’s face as well.
In the first half, Hill had been holding back, afraid of re-injuring himself.
He knew he had come back too soon.
But after playing half a game, his ankle was perfectly fine. That meant he could get serious in the second half.
"Chen, after the game, we’re going to celebrate. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?" Hill asked with a smile.
Chen Yu was taken aback. ’This guy is as cocky as ever.’
"Let’s talk after you win," Chen Yu said with a smile and left the locker room.
This game was also being broadcast nationally.
After all, Hill was back.
"Two shot attempts, only 2 points from free throws. Although he can still facilitate the offense and pass, you can see his form really isn’t good enough. He came back too fast, too hastily," Hanna Strom commented in the NBC studio.
Kevin Johnson, however, offered a different perspective: "Actually, just by being on the court, Hill can help the Magic. He’s so well-rounded. He can defend, he can organize, and his playmaking, in particular, is excellent—his court vision is fantastic. The only reason the Magic won their last game was because Tracy McGrady was going all out to score. But in this game, Tracy McGrady is playing much more within the system. He hasn’t taken many shots, yet he already has 17 points."
"But the Magic are still tied with the Heat at the half. It’s because Hill’s passing is creating scoring opportunities for other players. Hill himself hasn’t shot much, probably because he just needs to get used to the game after being out for so long."
"If the Magic can make it to the playoffs, I’d be interested to see what kind of results they can get against the Digital People."
As the two commentators chatted, the second half began.
When Hill was on the court, Armstrong, the team’s official point guard, had his role reduced to just bringing the ball past half-court.
Once across the timeline, he would give the ball to Hill and let him decide how to run the offense.
Hill could attack with the ball or drive and dish. He was also exceptionally smart, with a thorough understanding of tactics.
You could say he was the brain of the Magic.
Hill rhythmically dribbled the ball, approaching the three-point line. In his peripheral vision, he took in the positioning of every player on the court.
He gave a tactical hand signal, and everyone started moving.
Tracy McGrady made a v-cut, and Andrew De Clerk suddenly screened up high.
For a split second, an opening appeared under the basket.
Just then, Hill made his move.
He snapped his wrist down, the ball exploded upward, and his body suddenly accelerated. Like a gust of wind, he blew past Bowen.
The fastest first step in the league was no joke.
He drove straight for the baseline.
A sharp stop and pull-back crossover shook off the pursuing Bowen, and he took a step to drive into the paint.
Facing A.C. Green, Hill channeled his inner Olajuwon, showing off his footwork in tight quarters. A pump fake sent A.C. Green into the air, and Hill spun to face the basket, switching hands for a successful layup.
The move wasn’t complex, but it was fluid and perfectly timed.
The entire Waterhouse Center erupted in a roar of cheers.
Many fans had bought tickets today just to see Hill.
And starting with that play, Hill began to take over the game.
If Tracy McGrady was a prodigiously talented swordsman just entering the world, sharp and eager to show his skill, then Hill was a seasoned veteran. His swordsmanship was masterful, his experience vast, and he could handle any opponent with composure.
More than that, he was a leader, capable of guiding his team to victory.
His signature drives, his powerful post-up mid-range jumpers.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t shoot. After working on his shot in the summer of ’99, he had immediately become one of the league’s best scorers, rocketing to third on the scoring list.
It proved that whenever Hill wanted to, he could score at will.
Pat Riley had involuntarily risen to his feet and was standing on the sideline. Dressed in a sharp suit, his expression was grim, but he was completely out of options.
If it were Tracy McGrady, he could still choose to double-team him.
In the last game against the Magic, they had tried double-teaming Tracy McGrady in the final moments, and the results had been pretty good.
Otherwise, Tracy McGrady wouldn’t have been held to just 29 points.
But this was Hill. He could pass, and double-teaming him would absolutely make the Heat pay a heavy price.
Bowen was already defending Hill with everything he had, but he just couldn’t stop him.
In a single quarter, Hill went 6 for 9 from the field, and with free throws, he exploded for a full 16 points.
He led the team to a 31-23 quarter, building a full 8-point lead over the Heat.
Riley’s brow was furrowed. He had a feeling they were going to lose this game. Hill was just too dominant, and he had no good way to counter him.
’Fortunately, I won’t have to worry about Hill in the playoffs.’
’That’s a headache for Larry Brown.’
This season, Old Brown had adjusted Iverson’s position, moving him from point guard to shooting guard, and surrounded him with a bunch of defensive players, completely unleashing Iverson’s offensive abilities.
As a result, the Digital People had stockpiled quite a few excellent defensive players.
But while George Lynch was a decent defensive stopper on the wing, could he really guard Hill?
’That’s a joke.’
There were very few people in the entire league who could guard Hill.
Riley also thought of another issue. Under Brown’s "one star, four defenders" tactical system, the Digital People’s scoring—or rather, their ability to win—was highly dependent on Iverson’s performance.
If Iverson had an off night, it would be very difficult for them to win.
Although few in the league could stop Iverson, the Magic had Tracy McGrady.
Back on the Raptors, they had always groomed Tracy McGrady as a defensive stopper. He was tall with a long wingspan, quick feet, and outstanding athleticism—a strong perimeter defender.
The huge height difference would surely be able to limit Iverson to some extent.
Thinking about it this way, Riley suddenly started to look forward to the results of a first-round matchup between the Magic and the Digital People.
He felt that this year’s Magic were definitely the most underrated team in the East. Their record had been completely affected by Hill’s absence. If Hill had been healthy for the entire season, the Magic’s record would be nothing like it was now.

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