"With the illegal defense rule gone this season, it basically allowed zone defense. In the NBA, any team will practice some form of zone, especially those aiming for the championship, because they have to deal with O’Neal."
Su Jun pushed up his glasses and continued to share his insights. "For O’Neal, a zone defense doesn’t just allow for quicker double-teams. Most importantly, it can create a pincer attack from the front and back. One player bodies him up while another goes for the steal. This makes him hesitant to dribble and turn after catching the ball, and it can also cut off his connection to the perimeter."
"So you see, the Mavericks, who barely played any zone all season, are able to use it now in the playoffs. I’m sure they practiced it a lot during their daily training sessions."
"And it’s specifically targeting the Phoenix Suns’ tendency to drive and the poor outside shooting of their starters."
At this point, Su Jun couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "This is what the playoffs are all about."
If you have even the slightest weakness, your opponent will exploit it.
Beside him, Yang Jian nodded in agreement and added, "But Mr. Su, with the Mavericks’ defense packed in so tight, are they really willing to bet the Suns can’t hit their outside shots? Hardaway’s mid-range jumper is still pretty good. Kidd’s shot might be a little off, but that’s only relatively speaking. If you leave him wide open, he should be able to sink it."
A career 40% shooter like Kidd would sink them one after another if you had him taking uncontested shots in practice.
Su Jun shrugged. "There’s no other way. It’s a trade-off. I think in Old Nelson’s view, the Suns’ penetration is the bigger threat, and since the Mavericks don’t have great defensive resources on the perimeter, they have to prioritize the biggest problem first."
"Actually..." After a brief pause, Su Jun frowned. "I think a simple zone defense will have a limited effect on the Suns because they have Olajuwon. Look, just like that."
On the court, the Phoenix Suns were on offense.
Kidd handled the ball at the high post, while Ewing moved down to the baseline. Olajuwon, however, did the opposite, coming up near the free-throw line.
Hardaway and Marion were positioned on the left and right, forming a 1-3-1 formation.
Olajuwon positioned himself in the soft spot in the middle of the 2-3 zone, caught the ball, and immediately pulled up for a shot.
His skills were well-rounded, and his mid-range jumper was solid.
On the next possession, the Suns used the same formation. This time, however, Lafrentz chose to follow him out. He had no choice; he couldn’t just let Olajuwon shoot.
Just then, Marion, who had been drifting from the wing toward the baseline, suddenly made his move and cut straight to the basket.
Olajuwon leaned against Lafrentz, flicked his wrist, and delivered a precise pass into Marion’s hands for a successful cut.
"See? That’s one way to break a 2-3 zone. If you have a center who can hit mid-range shots and pass, you can play like this, and it’s very effective. And Olajuwon is exactly that kind of all-around player. I bet the Suns practiced against zones during the season, and also practiced how to break them. See how Skiles hasn’t even called a timeout? The players are adjusting on their own."
"This brings me to another point. The Suns’ players might be old, but they are incredibly experienced. Think about it: Olajuwon led his team to a championship, Ewing has been to the Finals multiple times, and even Hardaway has led a team to the Finals. So their playoff experience is vast. In this respect, it’s the Mavericks who are lacking."
"Most importantly, the key players on the Suns are very smart."
Kidd is an assist king, and he and Hardaway together have a thousand tricks up their sleeves. Olajuwon and Ewing are crafty veterans, both with high basketball IQs. When they’re on the court, they are always thinking.
On the sidelines.
In contrast to the composed Scott Skiles, Old Nelson had been standing on the sidelines with his arms crossed since the start of the game, scrutinizing his team’s every offensive and defensive possession.
"The zone defense is having a limited effect," Harris, who was also there, said with a furrowed brow.
The Mavericks were running a 2-3 zone, packing the paint, and while the Suns’ drives had decreased, that was about the extent of it.
They were still driving when they needed to.
For example, right now, Olajuwon came out to set a high screen for Kidd, who had the ball. Kidd then dribbled and drove to the basket.
As the Mavericks collapsed their defense, Kidd flung the ball to an open Hardaway on the wing.
The timing was perfect.
Hardaway shot and scored.
"It’s fine." Old Nelson shook his head slightly. He never expected a simple 2-3 zone to completely shut down the Suns. His main strategy for today’s game was actually to push the pace with fast breaks, force the Suns to run, and drain their stamina.
So, the time to win would be in the second half, in the fourth quarter.
In the early stages, even if they couldn’t stop the Suns, they just needed to keep the score close.
Youth was the Mavericks’ greatest advantage.
And in Old Nelson’s opinion, this tactic was working well.
To avoid leaving anyone open, Olajuwon and Ewing were clearly giving it their all, hustling back on defense and doing their best to keep up with the pace.
’The effects might not be visible in the short term, but just wait until they’ve run for a whole half.’
’How long can two old guys with a combined age of nearly 80 last?’
Sure enough, as halftime approached, Old Nelson keenly noticed that Olajuwon and Ewing were clearly starting to run out of steam.
After all, at their age, they didn’t get a lot of playing time during the regular season. Now, in the playoffs, the intensity was higher, and the physical toll was much greater.
52-47.
Halftime. The Phoenix Suns led by 5 points.
Though his team was trailing, a smile appeared in Old Nelson’s eyes as he walked off the court.
’This game is in the bag.’
Don’t be fooled by Olajuwon and Ewing’s low scoring numbers; they only combined for a dozen or so points per game on average.
But their importance went beyond scoring. Olajuwon’s help defense and ability to facilitate from the post, and Ewing’s rim protection and post defense—those were what truly mattered.
’Once those two run out of stamina, the Suns’ entire offense and defense will collapse.’
’Keep the score close, continue this through the third quarter, then explode in the fourth and take the game in one fell swoop.’
’That’s the plan!’
Old Nelson smiled calmly, as if he could already see the outcome of the game, and walked briskly back to the locker room.
Meanwhile, Chen Yu also returned to the locker room with the team.
"Time to work!"
Chen Yu clapped his hands, and the entire medical team sprang into action.
Before the game, Chen Yu and the others had held a meeting and made specific arrangements.
Those who needed to eat, ate. Those who needed massages, got them. Bruises were immediately iced. Unstable taping was redone.
"Come lie down," Chen Yu said, beckoning Olajuwon over. He told Ewing to first use the restroom, grab some food quickly, and then silently applied a Silver Level Rehabilitation Effect as he began to massage and relax Olajuwon’s body.
Chen Yu had noticed long ago that the Mavericks were playing at a fast pace. Olajuwon and Ewing were struggling to keep up, and their stamina was being excessively drained.
Therefore, he needed to use massage to quickly release the accumulated lactic acid and restore their energy.
He even used a Rehabilitation Effect.
Chen Yu had specifically saved a few Rehabilitation Effects for today’s game, just in case a situation like this arose.
It was the playoffs, after all.
If this had been a regular-season game, he might not have even personally intervened, let alone used a treatment effect.
With the combination of the Rehabilitation Effect and his technique, Olajuwon immediately felt the difference as soon as Chen Yu started. His sore, weak legs grew warm, and the feeling was so comfortable he almost drifted off to sleep.
"How does it feel?" Chen Yu asked.
Olajuwon didn’t speak. He felt that if he opened his mouth, a groan of pleasure would escape, so he just silently gave a thumbs-up.
After five minutes, Chen Yu stopped.
"Restroom, then eat," Chen Yu said, patting Olajuwon. On the other side, Ewing had just finished and could take his turn.
Olajuwon sat up, stretched a bit, and gave Chen Yu another thumbs-up. "Chen, I feel like I’ve been brought back to life."
It was as if he hadn’t even played the first half; all his fatigue was almost completely gone.
"Go on, hurry," Chen Yu said with a wave, gesturing for Ewing to lie down.
He also found a moment to call Hardaway over and used the Eye of All-Seeing to check on his wrist.
Throughout the first half, it felt like Hardaway was holding back. His shooting percentage wasn’t high, going 4-for-12, and he only had 11 points including free throws.
It wasn’t that his wrist hadn’t healed, but after ten days without playing or practicing, he’d lost his shooting touch.
"Keep it up." After confirming there was no problem with the wrist, Chen Yu said with a smile.
"Don’t worry."
Hardaway patted Chen Yu’s shoulder and walked away.
When Chen Yu turned back, he was surprised to see that Ewing had closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep. ’Maybe the effect was too good?’
Chen Yu kept an eye on the time but didn’t wake him.
’A nap of just a few minutes could help him recover a lot.’
The 15-minute halftime break ended in a flash. Despite how short it was, Chen Yu had still managed to work up a sweat.
But the results were obvious.
Olajuwon and Ewing had clearly recovered and were in excellent condition.
The second half of the game began.
The Mavericks stuck to the same strategy: play fast and run.
Nowitzki caught the ball in the low post, tried taking a dribble, and moved toward the basket.
Near the end of the first half, Nowitzki had clearly felt that Ewing was getting tired; his footwork was sluggish and couldn’t keep up. That’s why he was trying to attack the basket now.
But as soon as their bodies made contact, Nowitzki nearly stumbled and lost the ball.
The force he felt coming back at him was like hitting a brick wall.
Without time to think, Nowitzki quickly pulled back and shot off one foot.
But Ewing reacted with incredible speed, pressing in and leaping up to heavily contest the shot.
The ball clanked off the rim.
As soon as Nowitzki landed, he felt a pang of frustration. He was about to get back on defense when he noticed Ewing had already taken off down the court, running even faster than him.
’What’s with this guy?’
A question flashed through Nowitzki’s mind. It felt like after coming back for the second half, Ewing had suddenly become full of energy.
It wasn’t just Nowitzki. On the sidelines, Old Nelson noticed it too. When the Mavericks tried to push a fast break, he felt—though he wondered if it was just his imagination—that Ewing and Olajuwon were running even faster than in the first half.
’Stamina would certainly recover some during halftime.’
’But in a high-intensity game, the accumulated fatigue can’t be overcome with a mere 15-minute break.’
As time went on and the game entered the fourth quarter, Old Nelson was dumbfounded.
’This is a huge problem!’
Old Nelson couldn’t figure it out. According to his predictions, Olajuwon and Ewing should have been exhausted and unable to play by now.
But these two 40-year-old geezers in front of him were still full of life.
On the court, Olajuwon spun sharply outside the paint, took two steps back toward the basket, and leaped up to pin the ball against the backboard.
’Spinning that fast and jumping that high? How does that look like someone who just played a grueling first half and expended a huge amount of energy?’
At this point, Old Nelson would have believed it if someone told him Olajuwon was 19.
With his hands on his hips, Old Nelson paced back and forth in frustration, repeatedly looking up at the opposing bench.
The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong!
’Did those two old geezers secretly take stimulants during halftime?’

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