AT&T Center.
Chen Yu arrived at the employee entrance alone, carrying his bag.
"Dr. Chen?"
The security guard at the entrance was startled.
"Good evening, Sam."
Chen Yu greeted him, then motioned for him to open the turnstile.
Sam quickly swiped his card to open the turnstile, saying with a flattered tone, "Dr. Chen, I can’t believe you still remember me."
"I have a pretty good memory."
Chen Yu smiled and walked straight in.
He greeted people along the way and soon arrived at the visitors’ locker room.
Even though they had moved to a new arena, the Spurs’ visitors’ locker room was still just as spartan.
"Chen, what are you doing here?!"
The players present were all taken aback when they saw Chen Yu appear.
Chen Yu had told them before that he wouldn’t be traveling with the team to away games anymore.
Chen Yu greeted everyone one by one, then said, "I have a strong feeling we’re going to win big tonight. How could I miss such an important day?"
The players exchanged glances, not quite understanding what Chen Yu meant.
Chen Yu waved his hand, signaling for them to get back to their preparations, then beckoned to Nowitzki.
In truth, he had come specifically for Nowitzki.
He pulled him aside. Skiles wasn’t around; he must have gone to the pre-game press conference.
"A little nervous?" Chen Yu asked with a smile.
Nowitzki subconsciously nodded, then quickly shook his head.
Chen Yu thought to himself, ’I was right to come.’
The long period of training, especially for what was essentially a secret special move, had made Nowitzki start to doubt himself.
Confidence isn’t something you can just have. It has to be built up slowly through victories.
And right now, Nowitzki was just lacking that little bit of confidence.
"Relax. I told you, you’re ready. What, you don’t even trust me now?" Chen Yu retorted.
Nowitzki quickly shook his head, but his gaze still wavered.
Chen Yu didn’t expect to restore Nowitzki’s confidence with just a single sentence. He patted his arm and said, "Don’t overthink it. When you get on that court and sink your first shot, you’ll know. At that moment, no one will be able to stop you. The only one who can stop you is yourself."
After he had practiced that Golden Chicken Standalone move to perfection, Chen Yu, Nelson, and the others all agreed that it was practically unstoppable.
The only thing that could stop him was his own shooting touch.
Nowitzki nodded slightly, then hesitated before saying, "Chen, I’m really grateful you came today."
Chen Yu smiled and gestured for him to go get ready.
Then, right there, he started checking on the medical team’s work.
For example, whether the athletic taping was done properly and if the players had warmed up thoroughly.
By the time Skiles got back, Chen Yu had already gone out to the court.
Chen Yu didn’t get involved in the specific tactical arrangements.
However, on the sidelines, he was surrounded by reporters.
They were asking about his TV show.
ABC had taken the initiative to release the news, stating that the second season of "How to Get into the NBA" was already in preparation.
Chen Yu thought for a moment, then confirmed it.
In the end, Chen Yu had agreed to ABC’s proposal.
The money was one reason.
Chen Yu had received a tip from Old Kolangelo that a minority shareholder in the Phoenix Suns wanted to sell their stake.
If Chen Yu wanted to take it over, he could acquire another 4% of the shares.
That wasn’t a small amount.
Opportunities to buy shares didn’t come up often.
And if it weren’t for Chen Yu’s significant contributions to the Suns, he wouldn’t even have been in a position to take over this stake.
The Suns were currently valued at 470 million US dollars, ranking fourth in the league.
A 4% stake would be worth 18.8 million, but buying it would require paying a premium. It would take at least twenty million US dollars to secure it.
Chen Yu couldn’t really come up with that much liquid cash on such short notice.
The other party had explicitly stated they wanted cash, paid as soon as possible.
His business had run into some problems; otherwise, he wouldn’t be selling off a constantly appreciating asset.
Once this share transfer was complete, Chen Yu would become the second-largest shareholder on the Suns, second only to Old Kolangelo.
Secondly, Chen Yu had also calculated that doing this show would allow him to scout and discover potential rookies ahead of time, which would also be beneficial for the Suns’ future development.
It would also increase his own fame and influence.
If ABC was managing the whole production, he wouldn’t actually have to put in too much effort himself.
Chen Yu’s personal confirmation made many of the reporters present extremely excited.
This was definitely big news.
You could say that the American public would have something exciting to look forward to again during this year’s offseason.
At 7:30 PM, the game officially began.
Chen Yu sat on the sidelines.
Both teams were old rivals, and they got into the zone right from the start.
As Chen Yu had expected, the Spurs’ defense on Nowitzki was the same as in the season opener.
Duncan was guarding him straight up, with Bowen looking for opportunities to help.
The Spurs’ strongest weapon was still their team defense. They ran a zone defense overall, but their help defense and rotations were exceptionally timely.
Chen Yu was well aware of this, as he had handled the Spurs’ defensive training business.
Their switching defense after an opponent’s pick-and-roll was particularly swift, and every player had the awareness to fill the gaps.
On this point, Chen Yu felt the Spurs were setting a trend.
The league’s pace was constantly increasing. With the proliferation of pick-and-rolls, perimeter defenders couldn’t afford to play too close. This created openings for guards to drive and kick or to pull the defense out of position. As a result, strengthening help defense and switching awareness had become crucial.
This was the direction things were heading, and the Suns had been practicing it as well.
Chen Yu’s eyes were fixed on Nowitzki. He wasn’t rushing to make a play; he was slowly finding his feel for the game and adjusting to its intensity.
This was the right approach.
You have to adapt to the intensity first before you can find your own rhythm.
And once you get into your own rhythm, you’re unstoppable.
Just then, the Spurs executed a set play.
Parker drove with the ball, pulled off a give-and-go with Bowen, and charged towards the basket.
But he was cut off by Chandler.
Instead of forcing a shot, he jumped out of bounds along the baseline and threw the ball out while in mid-air.
It went straight to the weak-side corner.
Somehow, Ginobili had appeared there, and he was wide open.
He caught it and drained the three-pointer without hesitation.
The season before last, Chen Yu had taken on the Spurs’ three-point shooting training contract.
Ginobili had been one of the key players he trained.
This season, he was averaging 4.1 attempts per game with a 38% success rate, making him a respectable three-point shooter.
The key question was, how did he get so wide open?
Sitting on the sidelines, with players moving all over the court, Chen Yu’s attention had been entirely on Parker for that moment, so he hadn’t seen Ginobili’s movement.
Nowitzki answered with a mid-range jumper, but it bounced off the rim.
He was still trying to find his touch.
Soon, the Spurs were on the attack again.
Duncan pulled out of the paint. Parker had the ball and again executed a give-and-go with Bowen, then cut into the paint, leaped, and flung the ball to the weak-side corner.
There, Ginobili appeared once more, wide open again.
His touch was really on point; he sank another one.
The Spurs were now up by 5 points.
This time, Chen Yu saw it clearly.
As Parker drove in, Ginobili on the weak side moved at the same time, first using a screen from Duncan.
The next key action was Parker’s drive, which drew Chandler in to help. At that moment, Nazr Mohammed, whom Chandler had just left unguarded, turned and set a screen on Ben Gordon, who was following Ginobili.
That was the crucial point. It was Mohammed’s screen that gave Ginobili the open shot.
Chen Yu subconsciously crossed his arms. ’This play... why does it look so familiar?’

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