Olajuwon followed O’Neal, immediately bodying him up in the paint.
O’Neal tried backing him down but felt a steady resistance. It felt stronger than last season.
When they matched up last season, O’Neal had always felt that Olajuwon was a bit past his prime.
But the crowd’s focus was on the perimeter.
Hardaway was now standing in front of Kobe.
The mushroom-headed Kobe dribbled the ball, his gaze more focused than ever.
Even though this was just an inconsequential preseason game, the man standing before him was Hardaway—his former idol.
For the past two years, Kobe’s hunger for glory had reached an unprecedented level. He craved every honor, yearned to defeat every opponent.
Idol?
He would challenge even the Basketball God himself.
With a powerful pound dribble from his right hand, the ball shot back up, and Kobe made his move.
He wanted to overpower Hardaway with speed and strength.
But clearly, Kobe had underestimated him.
Hardaway didn’t give an inch. He met force with force, and his long arms restlessly poked at the ball, disrupting Kobe’s drive.
Kobe went behind his back to change direction, but Hardaway had already anticipated it and cut him off.
The continuous pressure forced Kobe to turn his back to protect the ball.
If this were a boxing match, Hardaway had clearly won the first round of exchanges.
With his back to the basket, Kobe had no intention of retreating. He gave a shoulder fake to shift Hardaway’s balance, then spun past him and drove into the paint.
But Hardaway wasn’t completely beaten; he recovered quickly and stayed with him.
Kobe was young, fast, and explosive, but the Hardaway of today was not slow either.
Near the baseline, Kobe stopped on a dime and pulled back, trying to use a crossover to get past Hardaway.
He failed again.
Hardaway’s defensive experience was vast. Like Hill, he was an all-around player with height and a long wingspan, giving him a huge advantage when guarding other perimeter players.
And speaking of which, the last time he had faced Kobe was in last summer’s Western Conference Semifinals. Although the Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns 4-1, Hardaway had consistently dominated the young Kobe in the first three games.
In terms of experience and skill, Hardaway was clearly superior.
Especially now that his body was no longer a burden holding him back.
Kobe opted for a tough shot, leaping high for a fadeaway jumper.
But under Hardaway’s pressure, his body was clearly out of control.
CLANK. The ball hit the rim and bounced out.
O’Neal instantly shoved Olajuwon aside, leaped up, and grabbed the rebound.
The focus of the matchup instantly shifted to the paint.
Olajuwon spread his arms, not giving an inch, but O’Neal didn’t care. He lowered his center of gravity, created space, and went straight up for the shot.
A loud CLANG echoed through the arena.
Many fans in the stands gasped in disappointment.
Olajuwon had jumped and swatted the ball away with his big hand. O’Neal, who was going for a one-handed dunk, lost his grip and dunked nothing but air.
On the sidelines, Chen Yu applauded.
’Looks like Olajuwon’s in good shape. At least he’s not shying away from contact. Plus, he knows O’Neal well and has a wealth of experience defending him.’
’In the end, physical condition is everything.’
’If your knees are shot, you can’t exert your full strength, you can’t jump... you can’t defend even if you want to.’
O’Neal pouted in frustration and ran back down the court.
J Kidd brought the ball up, his eyes scanning the court.
Olajuwon didn’t post up too deep.
This season, the Suns’ offense had undergone some changes.
Last season, the Suns’ interior offense was weak, so their main tasks were defense and securing rebounds.
But this season was different.
Olajuwon could score; he had averaged 11.9 points per game last season.
After some discussion, the coaching staff decided he could play further from the basket.
There were several reasons for this.
First, Olajuwon had a mid-range jumper near the basket. Robinson was even more versatile—that guy could shoot threes. Even the backup, Gugliotta, was a big white guy who liked to float on the perimeter for mid-range shots.
Having them step out for more shots would play to their strengths, reduce physical contact in the paint, and lower Olajuwon’s risk of injury.
Second, it fit well with the recent rule changes.
Now that centers could no longer mindlessly camp in the paint, the lane had actually opened up.
With Olajuwon and the others drawing defenders out, it created space inside, which was beneficial for the Suns’ perimeter players to drive and score.
Both J Kidd and Hardaway preferred to drive to the basket to score most of the time.
Building on this foundation, Skiles was even thinking of borrowing from the Jazz’s playbook, running some high-post pick-and-rolls or dishing to the low post after a drive.
Both J Kidd and Hardaway could penetrate and pass. After receiving the ball, Olajuwon had the ability to attack the rim further, and players like Robinson could shoot.
This was the core strategy the coaching staff had designed for the Suns’ roster this season.
Skiles planned to implement this strategy with the backup unit as well.
Ewing, in the twilight of his career and no longer in peak physical condition, also relied heavily on his mid-range jumper.
Of course, that was the plan. Whether it would work out remained a question mark.
Seeing Olajuwon move up to the elbow and force O’Neal to follow, J Kidd suddenly made his move, then swung the ball across the court.
Marion, near the weak-side corner, had already cut to the basket as if reading his mind. He caught the pass and finished with a layup.
O’Neal, having been drawn out of position, was too slow to get back and defend.
Chen Yu applauded.
But Chen Yu was more interested in seeing Hardaway on offense.
’Not sure if he hasn’t found his rhythm or what, but he’s been focusing entirely on defense since the start, with little desire to attack.’
It wasn’t until the third minute that Hardaway initiated his first offensive play.
He took the ball from the wing and drove into the paint against Kobe.
His moves were simple and clean, but he was incredibly fast.
Moreover, he used a lot of deceptive little moves on the drive and was a master of changing pace. Kobe let his guard down for a moment, and Hardaway used a change of speed to slip past him to the basket.
Even facing O’Neal, Hardaway showed no fear. He pump-faked, spun, and tossed the ball in through a narrow gap.
"Great shot!"
Beside him, Nelson jumped to his feet, cheering excitedly.
This was the dominant Hardaway he remembered—a smart player who knew how to use his body. Watching him play gave the illusion that everyone else was moving in slow motion while he was at full speed.
It was because he was fast enough and skilled at using various small moves to slow down his opponents, thereby creating opportunities.
But after a series of injuries, a physically diminished Hardaway found this style of play increasingly difficult.
But now, the creative, spirited Hardaway was back.
"Don’t get too excited. It’s just one basket," Chen Yu said, pulling Nelson back into his seat.
But his composure was just an act. Deep down, Chen Yu was just as thrilled.
’Last season, Hill’s perfect comeback proved my medical skills.’
’But Hill’s injury wasn’t that severe.’
’Hardaway is different. He suffered a truly career-ending injury.’
’If he can regain his health and return to his peak form, that will be the true testament to how good my medical skills are.’
’And from the looks of it now, it’s perfect.’
This offensive play seemed to restore Hardaway’s confidence.
His reluctance to attack earlier was likely him just getting used to his body again and building confidence.
After that, Hardaway started actively calling for the ball.
And it wasn’t just scoring; Hardaway was also involved in playmaking. After all, he had always been labeled as a tall point guard.
J Kidd was the assist king, a master facilitator.
And with two master playmakers on the court, the Suns’ offense became incredibly fluid.
The ball always found its way to the right spot, and the two of them consistently controlled the tempo and exploited the opponent’s weaknesses.
Halfway through the first quarter, Jackson was the first to call a timeout.
to 12, the Suns were up by 4.
Jackson stood on the sideline, watching his players walk off the court.
Beside him, his lead assistant coach, Jim Clemons, said in a low voice, "Phil, the Suns are a strong team."
Jackson nodded thoughtfully.
The Suns’ performance had completely exceeded his expectations.
Hardaway looked healthy, and Olajuwon looked like he could still play.
Combined with J Kidd’s playmaking, after watching half a quarter, Jackson even felt the Suns were playing a much more disciplined game than the Lakers.
’What kind of strategy were the two-time champion Lakers even running?’
’You could say it’s my prized triangle offense, but more often than not, it’s just the ’O’Neal tactic’—mindlessly give the ball to O’Neal and wait for the win.’
Looking at it now, Jackson felt the Lakers couldn’t defend the Suns. The defensive three-second rule, combined with Olajuwon’s tendency to drift outside the paint, was having a huge impact on O’Neal’s interior defense, leaving him stretched thin.
Of course, on the offensive end, O’Neal was still unstoppable.
The aging Olajuwon could only rely on his experience to bother him. Completely shutting O’Neal down was simply impossible.
That was why the Lakers still had 12 points and were only trailing by 4.
The key thing was, the Lakers were a championship-caliber team, while the Suns were a squad of the old, the weak, and the injured.
Jackson suddenly felt that everyone had underestimated the Suns’ strength.
As his mind wandered, the players came off the court.
What adjustments could Jackson make? He could only let the players catch their breath and tell them to be more decisive.
Jackson had no good counter for the Suns’ strategy of having their big men float outside the paint.
Making O’Neal run back and forth was obviously unrealistic.
But having his power forward, Walker, drop back to defend against the Suns’ perimeter drives wouldn’t work either. Robinson could just spot up at the three-point line and wait for a shot.
Jackson even found himself wondering how he would deal with a Suns team like this if it were the Western Conference Finals.
But the thought startled him.
’That makes it sound like the Suns could actually make it to the Western Conference Finals.’
’With this bunch of old guys, it’s a question whether they can even last the whole season.’
Since it was the preseason, the focus was on practicing lineups and building chemistry. The starters didn’t play for long before Skiles made substitutions.
However, before the bench unit came in, the Suns had managed to maintain their lead the entire time.
It made Skiles keep turning his head to look at the Lakers’ bench.
’Are the defending champions just out of form?’
Chen Yu high-fived Hardaway, then turned his gaze to Gugliotta on the court.
For Gugliotta, Chen Yu had chosen to perform a minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery to give him an artificial ligament transplant.
’His autografted ACL, as expected, had lost its elasticity due to a lack of blood supply and being submerged in synovial fluid.’
’Since he had already had an autograft, after careful consideration, I decided to use an artificial ligament.’
’At the same time, I also repaired his collateral ligament and patellar tendon.’
’For his recovery, I even used two Gold Level treatment effects.’
’The artificial ligament is strong enough. Combined with the repaired collateral and patellar tendons to maintain joint stability, his knee function has actually recovered very well.’
’Although he definitely can’t compare to the Wolf King in his prime, his physical condition should be at least eighty percent recovered.’
’Seeing him running and jumping on the court, not shying away from battling for rebounds in the paint, it’s clear his condition is excellent.’

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