"That play..."
Chen Yu shot to his feet, his face a mask of disbelief.
"Shit, is he a monster?" O’Neal, beside him, also cursed.
The entire arena was filled with waves of gasps and shouts.
Just a moment ago, the East’s Tracy McGrady started from the free-throw line, tossed the ball up with his right hand, and exploded toward the hoop. The ball bounced off the backboard, and he leaped into the air, caught the rebound, and slammed it viciously into the basket.
A self-alley-oop!
Pulling off a dunk like that in a private practice session wouldn’t be surprising.
But in a real game, he was probably the first to do it.
It was absolutely insane.
On the sidelines, even Jordan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched McGrady jog away. ’These kids are way too fierce.’
That single play completely ignited the entire arena. Cries of "McGrady" erupted from the stands.
He kept a straight face, running back on defense without a word, as if using that dunk to answer the boos he’d received before the game.
Still on the court, a strange light flashed in Hardaway’s eyes as his gaze followed McGrady.
He still remembered the first time he met McGrady in Orlando. The kid had been so nervous and reserved, his face a mixture of excitement and exhilaration.
’Right, this kid wears number 1 because of me.’
’And before I knew it, he’s already become a star.’
’And then there’s the one with the afro.’
Hardaway turned his head to look at Kobe, not far away, wearing the number 8 jersey.
The kid who had snuck into the locker room back in the day, chasing him for a photo, had also become a star, with two championships under his belt.
’While I, on the other hand, still have empty hands.’
’I’m about to turn 31. After finally getting healthy again, just like Chen Yu said, I don’t have many years left to waste.’
’These kids look up to me as their idol. If I, their idol, don’t have any honors to my name, won’t they end up looking down on me?’
The thought vanished as quickly as it came, and Hardaway charged forward with the ball.
He backed down Iverson in the low post, leaned back, and pulled up for a turnaround jumper.
Iverson was too short to effectively bother Hardaway’s shot.
A short while later, Hardaway was at it again. He slammed the ball down, it bounced high—a hang dribble. A subtle hesitation disrupted the defender’s rhythm, then he exploded forward again, blowing right past McGrady who was guarding him, and drove to the basket for a successful floater.
’I was just giving this kid pointers not long ago. Let me show you exactly why I’m qualified to do so.’
On the sideline, Chen Yu nodded to himself.
’I don’t know what triggered Hardaway’s competitive spirit, but he’s going all out now.’
And a fully healthy Hardaway, at the peak of his experience and skill, was someone very few could guard.
Not to mention, he was also a great passer.
The lean and tall Hardaway’s core strength was not weak at all. He drove to the basket against Little O’Neal, but he didn’t shoot. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he casually tossed the ball behind him.
Kobe trailed behind, leaped into the air, arched his body like a bow, and finished the alley-oop with a thunderous dunk.
After landing, Kobe let out an excited roar and instinctively raised his hand to high-five Hardaway, but then he pulled it back.
’Today, Hardaway’s gunning for the MVP, isn’t he?’
’Last year, the West lost, and I had to watch Iverson lift the MVP trophy. This year we’re back for revenge, and Iverson isn’t playing much, but now there’s Hardaway.’
’And with Hardaway handling the ball, I don’t even get a chance to show what I can do.’
Kobe’s feelings were complicated. Once, this man was his childhood idol, the goal he was chasing. But after he entered the league, Hardaway’s star had begun to fall like a meteor.
It was painful for Kobe to watch his idol become like that.
Now that Hardaway had finally returned to health and regained his old form, he should be happy, logically. But with his own honor on the line, Kobe couldn’t bring himself to be happy.
’Even with two rings, some in the media still mock me as a mascot. I need an honor like this to prove myself too.’
Hardaway played brilliantly, leading the West to pull far ahead and widening the lead to 14 points by halftime.
But in the second half, the East began to fight back.
It was Hill who sounded the charge. In just three minutes, Hill scored 8 points through a combination of drives and jumpers, closing the gap in one fell swoop.
At this moment, O’Neal, who had been coasting quietly, suddenly exploded with power.
Watching O’Neal continue to abuse the rim with impunity, Chen Yu on the sideline suddenly remembered that the big guy had said he would help Hardaway win the MVP.
’But this guy is truly domineering.’
Mutombo had a pained expression on his face; he couldn’t even be bothered to defend anymore.
There was simply no stopping him.
’So how are we supposed to deal with him in the playoffs?’
’A prime Olajuwon might have been able to limit O’Neal.’
’And Ewing. A young Ewing, while maybe not able to stop O’Neal completely, could definitely have limited him.’
’But now they’re both old, and O’Neal has grown into this monster. He’s truly unstoppable.’
’After thinking it over, the best way seems to be a double-team.’
Just then, Chen Yu overheard Rivers and Old Nelson talking next to him.
"Shaq is too hard to guard," Rivers lamented first.
You don’t realize it until you come to the West, but if you want to accomplish anything here, O’Neal is the one hurdle no one can get past.
Old Nelson, despite being a Western Conference coach himself, saw nothing wrong with discussing how to defend one of his own players. After a moment of thought, he said, "Yeah, he’s incredibly tough. The only things I can think of are to front him to some degree, try to disrupt the passes to him, and then just send him to the free-throw line."
"Of course, if he gets serious, then there’s nothing anyone can do."
This was a prehistoric beast who could drop 61 points when he got serious.
Rivers nodded with a wry smile. "Then sending him to the line it is."
Beside them, Chen Yu blinked.
’Free throws?’
’I think I’ve read a report about this. It must have been Old Nelson who kept intentionally fouling O’Neal and sending him to the line, because every fan knows O’Neal’s free-throw shooting is terrible.’
’That’s not a bad move.’
’If O’Neal gets the ball under the basket, he’s going to score nine times out of ten. It’s better to just foul him and send him to the line. If he misses both, great. Even if he makes one of two, you still come out ahead.’
But Chen Yu was just thinking about it. It was still uncertain how far the Phoenix Suns would go in the playoffs this year.
Even if they did face the Lakers, that would be a problem for Skiles to worry about.
On the court, O’Neal had a burst of energy, extended the lead to 10 points again, and then stopped attacking. It was as if he were saying, ’As long as I’m here, you guys in the East can forget about catching up.’
Even Chen Yu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. ’That’s what you call dominance. Truly on another level of unstoppable.’
Still, this game was probably in the bag.
No one was trying to steal the show. Although Jordan’s performance was a bit disappointing, at least things were going according to Stern’s script.
After Duncan scored off the backboard, with 11 seconds left on the clock, both teams simply stopped playing.
Hill was the first to approach Hardaway and gave him a hug.
Both were once called "the next Jordan," and after a year of torment, Hardaway had finally found his old self again.
The other players crowded around, hugging Hardaway to congratulate him.
On the sideline, Chen Yu was clapping.
’Thinking about it now, this All-Star Game MVP isn’t just about skill.’
’It’s not like Hardaway was the only one who could score. But the others gave him face and didn’t attack, so you also have to consider his standing in the league.’
And Hardaway, who had become famous early in his career, clearly had that kind of pull.
During the award ceremony, there was a small interlude.
Stern took the trophy, but instead of handing it directly to Hardaway, he passed it to Jordan, gesturing for Jordan to give it to Hardaway.
Under the flash of cameras, Jordan hesitated for a moment, then understood what Stern was thinking. He readily accepted the trophy and presented it to Hardaway.
"Keep it up."
Jordan smiled and hugged Hardaway.
Of all the so-called "next Jordans," Hardaway was the only one he truly respected.
Not even Hill.
Jordan couldn’t quite stand Hill’s "perfect gentleman" demeanor.
Holding the trophy and facing the cameras, he was supposed to say something, but the words caught in his throat, and Hardaway choked up.
He had seen the splendor of the summit and experienced the pain of the valley. Only someone who had been through it all could know how hard-won this moment was, so unreal it almost felt fake.
It took several long seconds for Hardaway to compose himself. He began by thanking his teammates, coaches, and his family.
As he was speaking, Hardaway suddenly asked, "By the way, where’s Chen?"
He whipped his head around, searching for Chen Yu in the swarming crowd.
The camera quickly responded, panning to find Chen Yu.
On the big screen, Chen Yu appeared, holding Lexi and standing in a corner by the court.
Hardaway turned, his eyes fixed on Chen Yu across the crowd. "I know I’ve said thank you countless times, but I still want to say it again. Chen, I still remember when we first met the year before last. I was so down and out, like a total wreck. I’m sure you must have thought so too at the time."
On camera, Chen Yu smiled and nodded.
’Still in his pajamas at noon, slumped on the sofa, unshaven... a complete loser.’
"Back then, my life felt completely bleak. I even considered retiring. Then you showed up and told me, ’Let’s go. We’re going to Orlando.’ So I went. And now, as you can all see, I’m standing right here."
"Chen, thank you."
Hardaway raised the trophy high.
Hill was the first to applaud, followed by Stern, then Jordan, and then everyone.
The entire arena echoed with thunderous applause.
Chen Yu kept his smile, but without realizing it, his eyes had grown moist.
’This bastard, actually getting all sentimental on me.’
The All-Star Game was over.
Hardaway’s name once again resounded throughout the United States.
After weathering every storm, he was still Penny.
And Chen Yu also gained some fame from it, but he had long since stopped caring about such things.
’Fame is something I no longer lack.’
"The season is entering its second half, so our work needs to move into the next phase. Our focus now is to ensure everyone can finish the regular season healthy."
Chen Yu said this, tapping the table during a routine meeting of the medical team.
The team had a lot of older players, and after the wear and tear of half a season, the latter half was precisely when injuries were most likely to occur.
"Chen, should we lower the training intensity then?" Nelson asked from the side.
The Phoenix Suns’ training intensity had always been high.
They practiced tactics, of course, but the players were all experienced veterans. Most of the time, they didn’t need extensive drills; chemistry wouldn’t be an issue over time.
Therefore, they focused most on basic physical conditioning to maintain their form.
Chen Yu had already considered this issue. "No need. I’ll be keeping a close eye on them during this period."
’As long as I’m watching and continuously applying healing effects, it won’t be a big problem.’
’Plus, with the training effects, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort.’
’Anyway, for the time being, until the World Cup, I shouldn’t be too busy.’
’Even if things get busy, it won’t be too late to reduce the intensity then.’
As they were discussing the work schedule, the phone on the table vibrated.
Chen Yu picked it up and glanced at it, slightly taken aback.
It was a message from Lexi, saying a VIP patient had arrived at the clinic.
A player from France named Robert Pires. It was another career-threatening injury: a torn cruciate ligament.

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