"Phil, have you ever been to Spain?" Beneath the canopy, Brian glanced at Florentino, then turned to ask Jackson.
Jackson shook his head. "Never. Why?"
Brian said, "I have. A couple of years ago, when that big guy from the Grizzlies was getting ready for the draft, I went to Spain to scout him. I visited Madrid. How should I put it... the city’s cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and the temperature swings are huge. It’s not very comfortable."
Jackson gave Brian a strange look.
He couldn’t recall ever seeing any news about Brian going to Spain to scout Pau Gasol.
But this wasn’t the time to call Brian’s bluff. Jackson just nodded in agreement. "The climate is definitely a major issue."
Florentino, holding his wine glass, just smiled as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Brian’s eye twitched. He suddenly turned to Chen Yu. "Chen, do you speak Spanish? I hear it’s really hard to learn."
"That’s enough."
Chen Yu coughed lightly to stop Brian, pointing to the TV in the distance. "Don’t talk anymore. Watch the game."
The Suns and Spurs game had already started.
O’Neal struck first, powering through David Robinson for a two-handed dunk right from the start.
This game was crucial for the Spurs, who were on the brink of elimination, but it was just as important for the Suns.
Skiles didn’t want to drag this series out any longer either. A 4-1 victory seemed like a great result.
"Great play! It’s gotta be Shaq. There’s no one in the entire league who can guard him one-on-one."
Brian, who had been on the same side as Jackson a moment ago, couldn’t resist stirring the pot again, needling the coach.
The Lakers let such a useful player like O’Neal go in a trade to the Suns. Brian was dying to ask Jackson if he regretted it.
Jackson’s eye twitched unnaturally. He forced a smile. "You’re right, Brian. There aren’t many in the league who can stop Shaq. But to be honest, he’s getting up there in age, and our current roster is younger. So we own the future."
Brian’s expression didn’t change. "It’s fine. A 40-year-old Patrick can still play. Shaq’s only 31. He can play for at least another ten years."
Florentino, who had been silent, suddenly interjected, "Brian, you’re right. With Chen, Shaq can play for at least another ten years. And that’s the effect Chen has. He’s done an incredible job maintaining players’ conditions. Just look at Baggio. To be in that kind of shape at his age is simply unbelievable."
Jackson’s expression soured. ’Brian, whose side are you on, anyway?’ he cursed inwardly.
Chen Yu almost burst out laughing. ’These three are something else. Put them together and you’ve got a full-blown drama.’
"Watch the game, watch the game."
Chen Yu coughed again to stop them.
The soccer team nearby had finished and ran over to watch the game.
Jackson fell silent, watching the game with a grave expression.
The Suns were still frighteningly strong today, and Jackson noticed one thing in particular: the Suns had started using a zone defense.
They were using the zone to lock down Duncan’s operating areas.
And it wasn’t just O’Neal helping out on defense; even Marion would rush over to double-team him and block passing lanes.
Marion had a solid build and an excellent wingspan. At times, he could even defend the power forward position.
For the entire game, the Suns focused on one thing: limiting Duncan.
They weren’t just stopping him from scoring; they were also restricting his ability to pass the ball out.
Duncan’s value to the Spurs wasn’t just as a super-scorer. His passing and screens were also incredibly important.
While executing this defensive plan, the Suns didn’t neglect their own scoring.
They reduced their drives to the basket, focusing more on outside shooting and O’Neal’s offense in the paint.
Especially three-pointers.
When the Suns’ bench was on the court, they were clearly jacking up threes like crazy, pushing the pace of the game.
For a few minutes in the second half, Skiles even put in a quick, small-ball lineup, subbing McDyess in for Sabonis to speed up the offense. They crossed half-court in seconds, didn’t set up a half-court offense, and just launched a three whenever they had a chance.
This change of pace left the Spurs looking flustered.
The key was that the Suns had shooters who could actually make the shots.
"Phil, the Suns are really strong," Kupchek said to Jackson in a low voice.
They had a dominant offensive force, good teamwork, and the ability to adjust their lineup based on their players. You could truly say they had no weaknesses.
It was no surprise at all that the Lakers got swept this year.
In front of the TV, Little Curry let out an excited cheer.
Old Curry, with Ginobili guarding him, pulled up and drained a three-pointer.
That was already his third three of the game.
Jackson’s gaze deepened, and he couldn’t help but glance at Chen Yu again.
Because of the salary cap, once most teams had two superstars, it was hard for them to afford an excellent bench.
Their only other option was to get lucky and capitalize on rookie contracts.
This highlighted just how brilliant the Suns’ veteran-focused team-building strategy was. The veterans Chen Yu attracted were on low salaries but were far more reliable than fringe players or rookies. If even one of them had a throwback game, it was enough.
And the Suns had several such veterans.
Jackson once again strengthened his resolve to poach Chen Yu. He felt Chen Yu’s contribution to a team was truly greater than that of one or even two max-contract players.
The game lost all suspense at the start of the fourth quarter.
With a 19-point lead, the Suns had all but secured their spot in the Finals.
A frustrated Popovich kept calling timeouts, trying to make one last push, but it had little effect.
As the clock hit zero, the game came to a close amidst Barkley’s non-stop praise.
The Suns won 4-1, smoothly eliminating the Spurs and advancing to the Finals.
"Chen, congratulations," Florentino was the first to congratulate Chen Yu.
Brian, standing nearby, subconsciously extended his hand, thinking Florentino would congratulate him, but Florentino completely ignored him.
Jackson sighed and also stood up to congratulate Brian.
He even felt that the Suns were already the guaranteed champions.
The Pistons had Da Ben and excellent defense, but they lacked offense and star power.
And the Suns, with O’Neal, were a natural counter to the Magic, who weren’t strong on the inside.
Whichever of these two teams came out of the East, it was unlikely they could beat the Suns.
So this year’s championship would undoubtedly belong to the Suns again.
Miller stood at the back of the crowd, clutching a beer bottle, silently staring at the screen.
Just then, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
It was Payton.
"Just think, this time next year, you could be on that same court, hoisting that championship trophy." Payton’s eyes were filled with envy and hope.
Miller froze for a moment, the thousands of thoughts in his mind dissolving into a sigh.
「The next day.」
The news of Florentino’s big-money offer to poach Chen Yu actually overshadowed the news of the Suns being the first to advance to the Finals, and it was reported by multiple media outlets.
「New York NBA Headquarters.」
Grannick pushed open Stern’s office door and sat down in front of him.
Stern didn’t speak right away, instead pushing a copy of the Los Angeles Times in front of Grannick.
"Real Madrid Offers a Ten-Million-Dollar Mansion and a Multi-Million-Dollar Salary to Poach Chen Yu!"
The front-page headline made Grannick frown.
"A soccer team?"
Grannick quickly scanned the details of the report, then asked if the news was true.
"What do you think?" Stern asked back with a wry smile.
From the information he had received, the story was true.
And it was most likely Jackson who had leaked it.
Otherwise, how could the reporters be so well-informed as to know Real Madrid offered a ten-million-dollar mansion and a five-million-dollar annual salary?
"This is just..." Grannick was at a loss for words for a moment. After some thought, he asked, "David, have you discussed this with the board of directors? Any results?"
At the mention of the board, Stern snorted. "For now, at least, I don’t think they’ll reach any kind of consensus. Rose, think of it this way: they share a common desire to stop the Suns from getting any stronger, but at the same time, each of them wants to have Chen Yu all to themselves and become the next Suns."
"So what do you think the outcome will be?"
Grannick fell silent.
Everyone was jealous of the Suns, but everyone also wanted to be the Suns.
"Then let’s go with Adam’s plan," Grannick said.
In any case, he couldn’t think of a perfect solution himself.
Stern crossed his hands. "The main problem is that this year’s Hall of Fame class has already been announced."
On March 10th, the Hall of Fame North American Committee had already announced the nominations.
Then on April 7th, during the NCAA Final Four, the final list of inductees was also confirmed.
The inductees are former Celtics center Robert Parish and Lakers legend James Worthy.
Adding another one at this point would be a bit against the rules.
"What about next year?" Stern asked.
It was clearly too late for this year.
Grannick said, "If we wait until next year, the Suns will have a three-peat."
It wasn’t that the Suns couldn’t win three championships in a row, but doing it in a way that drew so much envy would provoke protests from other teams.
Stern heaved a long sigh.
He had imagined the emergence of the next Michael Jordan throwing the league’s balance off-kilter, but he never would have thought that one day, a team doctor would be the one disrupting the balance of power among the league’s teams.
"Let’s leak some information first and see the reaction," Stern said cautiously.
Grannick nodded. "Okay, then I’ll go talk to David."
The David he was referring to was David Gavitt, the current chairman of the Hall of Fame’s board of directors.
He would be the most suitable person to nominate Chen Yu.
「Meanwhile.」
Yao Ming and Kobe were staying in Phoenix.
The entire Suns team had also returned to Phoenix.
Now, they could rest and wait for the Eastern Conference series to end.
But this was the final stretch; they couldn’t afford to relax.
The day after the team returned from San Antonio, Skiles scheduled a recovery practice.
Chen Yu drove to the arena early in the morning.
As he was approaching the arena, he suddenly got a call from Brian.
"What’s up?" Chen Yu connected his Bluetooth.
Over the phone, Brian’s voice was full of surprise. "Chen, I just heard from my old man... they’re going to nominate you for the Hall of Fame?"
"What the hell?"
Chen Yu was stunned for a second. ’Did I hear that right? Did Brian just say the Hall of Fame?’
"The Hall of Fame, Chen! My head is spinning right now. I have no idea what’s happening," Brian said, his tone completely bewildered.
Chen Yu was just as baffled.
’Of course a team doctor can make it into the Hall of Fame,’ he thought. ’But the thing is, I’m so young and still working. How am I already up for the Hall of Fame?’

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