Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 625: Chapter 551: The New Episode

After losing to Lithuania, the Dream Team was 2-2, ranking fourth in Group B.

Qualifying for the next round shouldn’t be a problem.

Australia and Angola were too weak; they shouldn’t pose a threat to the Dream Team.

But for the mighty Dream Team, failing to advance from the group stage with a perfect record was a failure in itself.

As he was leaving the court, Chen Yu saw Su Jun in the press section.

He nodded to Chen Yu from a distance, then turned and left with a bitter expression.

Before the game between the United States Team and Lithuania, the China Team had played against Italy.

to 89. The China Team was crushed by 37 points.

Yao Ming shot 3 for 12, scoring only 9 points.

And yet, that was the highest score on the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team.

The crucial thing was that after this loss, the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team was on the edge of a cliff.

To advance, there was only one path forward: they had to defeat the world champions, Serbia and Montenegro. There was no other choice.

True, with Peggy and others having withdrawn from their National Team for this Olympics, Serbia and Montenegro’s strength had plummeted. They were now 1-3, reduced to the same level as the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team.

But even a sinking ship has a few good planks. Serbia and Montenegro might have lost to New Zealand 87-90, but they also had close games, losing to Spain 68-76, Argentina 82-83, and Italy 72-74.

Analyzing the results alone, no matter how weak Serbia and Montenegro had become, they were still far stronger than the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team.

So, it was highly likely that the Chinese Men’s Basketball Team would be heading home.

However, for Chen Yu, this outcome was actually a good thing.

’You have to tear down the old to build the new. A complete loss could lead to a glorious victory.’

The next morning, Chen Yu went to the Queen Mary 2 as planned to help the Dream Team with their conditioning.

The whole team of 12, at his rates, came out to one hundred thousand US dollars for a single session. There was no reason not to do it.

There were many physical therapy rooms on the ship. Chen Yu had a staff member bring a laptop, connect it to a projector screen, and find the replay of yesterday’s show online.

The show had aired at ten o’clock last night, and by the time it finished, it was early morning in Greece.

Chen Yu hadn’t been awake, so watching the replay was fine.

The theme of this episode was the one Chen Yu had set before: the comeback.

The trailer was quite hype.

Chen Yu had leveraged many NBA resources, like the professional editing team at the New York Headquarters.

They were the ones who edited the promotional videos for the Finals; of course the quality would be good.

The opening for each episode was different.

"The Leaders!"

Under a dark filter, Oden threw his arms to the heavens, let out a great roar, and threw down a ferocious poster dunk. After landing, he flexed his massive arms aggressively for the camera.

The camera flashed.

Rose executed a crossover, then shot into the paint like a bolt of lightning, leaping high. He fully extended his body and slammed the ball into the hoop with both hands.

Immediately after, Jennings, Love, and Tyreke Evans—captains of the top teams in the East and West—all made their appearances.

Then, the screen suddenly went dark.

"The Underdogs!"

Durant appeared on screen without hesitation. Ernest coldly announced the show’s rules: they would be facing constant losses.

There was also a shot of Durant with his back to the camera, hands on his hips, head bowed in dejection. The scoreboard in front of him, reading 26 to 50, was particularly jarring.

And then there was Curry.

His height had truly become his disadvantage.

SMACK! An opponent leaped up and swatted away Curry’s floater.

After more than a month of the regular season, you could make a whole highlight reel of just his shots getting blocked.

Just then, Duncan, who was lying on a massage table getting treatment, asked, "Chen, is this Oden kid really that talented?"

Thanks to Chen Yu’s show, Oden’s name had been mentioned many times in the United States sports world, and Duncan had clearly heard of him.

Chen Yu said, "He still has a lot of problems, like his technique is too raw. But his physical gifts are undeniable. Barring any accidents, he’ll undoubtedly become a top-tier star."

Physical talent is so important, a point Duncan should know very well.

His own physical gifts were historic.

Duncan nodded and added, "He should be in the ’06 draft, right?"

’A prospect as good as Oden would be wasted in college.’

A thought struck Chen Yu, and he asked in surprise, "Why, Tim? Did Greg tell you that you guys are thinking of tanking?"

For a small-market team like the Spurs, which couldn’t attract top-tier stars, the only way to get ahead was to try their luck and hit the jackpot in the draft.

In that sense, the Spurs were actually big gamblers.

They had tanked so hard back then. While the losses were significant, they reaped the reward of a cornerstone for the next decade.

If Popovich really wanted to replicate the Twin Towers, he might just grit his teeth and choose to tank.

If they actually managed to get Oden to pair with their Big Three, they could capitalize on his rookie contract and maybe snag another two championships.

Of course, it was a high-risk gamble.

And with the uncertainty of high school players—just look at Kwame Brown—the risk was even greater.

Duncan quickly denied it. "He never said that. Besides, I doubt the league would give us the first pick even if we did tank."

The Magic getting the number one pick this year had already shown Duncan the league’s balancing act.

The Spurs were so strong, perennial contenders in the West. If they got the first pick on top of that, how would other teams even survive?

As he spoke, he turned his head to glance at Chen Yu.

Mentioning this year’s number one pick, Duncan couldn’t help but think of the trade between the Phoenix Suns and the Magic.

In the end, the number one pick didn’t go to the West; the Magic kept it.

On August 16th, the Phoenix Suns had officially completed a trade with the Bulls, sending McDyess for Tyson Chandler and Ben Gordon.

Once this trade was done, it cut off any possibility of the Magic making another trade.

Other than McDyess, the Magic had no other suitable options.

Chen Yu smiled without saying anything. ’Stern’s method of propping up the Magic this year was indeed a bit clumsy. He wasn’t even trying to hide it.’

Just as they were talking, Popovich slipped into the therapy room, greeted Chen Yu, and sat down nearby, focusing on the television.

When he saw Durant’s interview, he couldn’t help but sigh, feeling a pang of sympathy.

After the last episode, audiences all over the United States felt for Durant.

The kid had it too rough!

Fortunately, at the last moment, they had reconciled because of Harden.

Now, all the viewers were hoping they could stage a comeback and make it to the playoffs.

Many media outlets and viewers had already analyzed that if a team didn’t make the playoffs, it would surely be broken up, and the captain would be traded to a playoff team.

But after all they had been through, many viewers really didn’t want to see Durant’s trio get broken up.

The three teenagers had gone through misunderstandings and conflicts, but ultimately reconciled. Viewers hoped the three of them could support each other and continue on their journey together.

No matter the final outcome or their ranking, that would be a purer result.

If Durant’s trio could pull off a comeback and become champions, it would be the most perfect victory of all.

It was also the kind of inspirational story that American audiences loved most.

And so, on the day Durant celebrated Little Jordan’s belated birthday, they faced a challenge from the Golden-winged Sparrows.

"Chen, I remember this Harden kid was rejected by George, right?" Popovich suddenly asked.

Chen Yu nodded.

"He has good court vision," Popovich murmured.

This episode’s focus was on Durant and Curry, so they had specifically included a segment of game footage, unlike before when it was all highlight reels.

Because of this, as a professional coach, Popovich was able to see much more.

For instance, Harden’s court vision and his keen awareness of his teammates’ positions.

He felt that Harden had the potential to become an elite playmaker.

"Then why did George reject him?" Popovich asked again.

Chen Yu shook his head. He hadn’t asked.

"I’ll ask him."

Popovich took out his phone. Although George Gervin had already left the Spurs by the time he arrived, as a Spurs legend, it was impossible for the two not to be acquainted.

But after pulling out his phone, Popovich remembered it was the middle of the night in the United States and the man would be asleep, so he gave up the idea.

"And this DeAndre, his athleticism is really impressive."

Popovich’s attention shifted back to Little Jordan.

His technique was a complete mess, but his outstanding athleticism was plain to see.

"Chen, you’ve really scouted a lot of good prospects."

Popovich sat up straight, growing more and more interested as he watched.

Before, it was all highlight reels, which at best showed some brilliant plays. Audiences loved that stuff, but as a head coach, Popovich preferred to see other things.

For example, shooting touch, shot selection, off-ball movement, and how a player used their body.

These were the things that determined a player’s floor.

You couldn’t get the full picture just from watching highlights.

Only in a real game could you gauge their true depth.

That’s why, at this moment, Popovich was focusing his attention on Harden and Little Jordan.

And even their opponents: Derek Kerycott’s impressive wingspan and excellent athleticism, and Cole Aldrich’s soft shooting touch—they were all eye-catching.

"Chen, do you have the full game tapes for these? Could you give us a copy?" Popovich asked eagerly, his interest piqued.

"I do. I’ve set up a media website where I’ll be regularly uploading the game footage. You can follow it."

Chen Yu had already had someone build the website, and it was now live. It was called Pioneer Scouting.

He planned to integrate content from the prospect training camp, the TV show, and other things, and try to build up the site.

The ultimate goal was to start with rookie evaluations and build a professional sports media outlet.

’I have too much exclusive news on my hands.’

Popovich took note and continued watching the show. When he saw Devil’s Mountain win the game cleanly and the three teenagers celebrating in the locker room—with Little Jordan taking off his shirt and dancing around on a bench—he couldn’t help but feel happy for them and applauded.

Just then, Marion came in with Mabry.

Soon after, James also walked into the room, chatting and laughing with Anthony.

They then found seats nearby and started watching the TV show.

The show made a brief transition, shifting the focus to Curry’s team, the Grand Canyon.

It opened with footage of the Grand Canyon’s crushing defeat to the California Boys Team.

In over a month of the regular season, Curry’s team had had its fair share of trouble.

Curry was good-natured. And while Mackie had ADHD, his mother’s careful guidance had given him a pretty good personality as well.

The only problem was Green.

It was hard to say if it was just his personality or something else, but the kid was obsessed with provoking opponents, protecting his teammates, and intimidating his rivals in what he saw as the right way.

He also seemed to enjoy the role of the on-court agitator.

That’s why the Grand Canyon’s games were always problematic, especially after opponents figured them out and their record took a nosedive.

As the captain, Curry was too easily targeted.

Mackie, meanwhile, had nothing but raw athleticism and extremely unrefined skills.

And Green was even worse; he had almost no offensive moves to speak of.

As soon as Curry was neutralized, it was very difficult for them to win.

The more they lost, the more trouble Green stirred up.

For instance, in this game on TV against the California Boys, the opening shot was of Klay Thompson leaping up with a huge motion and viciously swatting Curry’s shot away.

Curry fell backward to the ground. After landing, Klay Thompson, likely on purpose, used his momentum to step right over Curry.

That wasn’t all. He then turned and roared viciously at Curry.

The next moment, an enraged Green charged over and shoved Klay Thompson hard to the ground.

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