Sports Medicine Master System

In the evening, Chen Yu drove to the US Airways Center.

He parked in his designated spot, grabbed his bag, and got out. Just as he locked the car door, he heard someone call his name from behind.

He turned his head and saw it was Olajuwon.

Surprisingly, Ewing was with him.

Chen Yu nodded in acknowledgment while silently sizing them up.

Even before their recent conflict, their relationship couldn’t be described as great. They were just regular teammates who would exchange greetings and nothing more.

But during the period of their conflict, they were practically strangers, not saying a single word to each other during games or practices.

Now, however, their relationship seemed to have eased up a lot. It had even gotten a little better.

The three of them walked side-by-side toward the locker room.

"Chen, what do you think would be the best seeding for us?" Olajuwon asked.

The two of them had been talking about playoff seeding.

With a month and a half, twenty games, left, the season was about to end.

At this point, it was indeed time to start thinking about what seed they should aim for in the playoffs.

Chen Yu thought for a moment, then asked them what they thought.

Ewing glanced at Olajuwon and said, "Of course we should push for fourth to get home-court advantage. As for who we face in the second round, or whether we should avoid the Lakers, that’s not important at all. Our goal is the championship, anyway."

Right now in the West, the Kings were still first.

The Lakers, however, had slipped to third in the West.

One reason was O’Neal missing some games, but according to media analysis, the more significant factor was that the Lakers’ players had grown a bit complacent after winning two consecutive championships.

This was very normal. Forget about going for a three-peat; players could get complacent even after winning just one title.

But without a doubt, even with the Kings’ incredible record, everyone still considered the Lakers the team with the best odds of winning the title.

Therefore, if the Phoenix Suns wanted to make a run for the championship, they couldn’t ignore the Lakers.

Olajuwon, however, analyzed methodically, "Our roster is older, but we’re more experienced. The best option is still to avoid the Lakers in the second round. Let them and the Spurs wear each other out, and then we can deal with the less experienced Kings in the playoffs."

Ewing curled his lip. "You’re just scared."

In their minds, the Lakers and the Spurs were the real powerhouses. Even though the Kings had burst onto the scene this season with a terrifyingly good record, they still didn’t register on their radar.

As they were talking, Chen Yu suddenly reminded them, "Smile."

There are reporters ahead.

The two of them snapped out of it and quickly put on a smile.

After they passed the reporters and entered the corridor, Ewing asked, "Chen, what do you think?"

"Me?" Chen Yu smiled. "I think you two are doing great just like this."

Chen Yu didn’t care what seed they got in the playoffs or who they faced.

Just as Ewing said, since they were aiming for the championship, they’d have to face the tough teams sooner or later.

What he wanted to see was these two men, calmly discussing things together like this.

Both of them were taken aback.

"I’m heading off." Chen Yu didn’t say more, just waved and walked toward the office area.

At 8:00 PM, the game began.

Brian also came to the courtside, sitting down next to Chen Yu to ask about Teylon Hill’s recovery.

"It’s going well. Why?" Chen Yu asked in return.

Brian said, "Here’s the thing. I want to know if he can return in early April. If so, he’ll have half a month to practice with the team and build chemistry."

Teylon Hill was traded to the team mid-season and has yet to play a single game or participate in a single team practice for the Phoenix Suns.

He didn’t know the team’s situation, hadn’t practiced their plays, and had no chemistry with his teammates.

If he returned directly in the playoffs, his coordination with the team could be a problem.

Chen Yu nodded thoughtfully. He hadn’t considered that issue.

"What do you think I am, Aladdin’s Lamp? You think your wish is my command?" Chen Yu sighed helplessly.

He tore his meniscus, and Chen Yu had performed another surgery to repair it during the All-Star break. Returning in early April would mean a recovery period of less than two months, which, to be honest, was a bit short.

To ensure a good recovery, he’d have to pour more "recovery effects" into him.

But with more and more patients now, his "recovery effects" were really stretched thin.

But since Brian had brought it up, Chen Yu could only nod. "Alright, I’ll do my best."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Brian, feeling a bit guilty for asking, grinned and changed the subject, asking about Olajuwon and Ewing.

After all, their conflict had only blown up a short while ago.

"Them?" Chen Yu turned his head toward the court.

On the court, the Phoenix Suns were maintaining their lead.

Suns’ offense.

Olajuwon made a reverse cut to the free-throw line, raised his arms, and set a screen on Mobley, who was tailing Hardaway.

Hardaway used the screen to change direction, drove into the paint, and made a floater.

"Looking good," Chen Yu said, clapping along with the people around him.

Chen Yu suddenly realized that moving Olajuwon to the four-spot really did seem to be a better choice.

Chen Yu wasn’t on the coaching staff, but he knew what the Phoenix Suns’ core tactic was this season.

Driving to the basket.

J Kidd’s shooting was a mess; his main scoring method was driving and drawing fouls.

Hardaway’s shooting was also relatively average; he preferred to score by driving close to the rim.

Marion was incredibly athletic and also loved to drive and attack the rim.

Therefore, the Phoenix Suns’ core strategy was to create opportunities for players like Hardaway to score by driving.

They were a team of slashers, through and through.

Previously, when Olajuwon was at the five-spot, they had to rely on passing the ball around the perimeter to create driving opportunities.

This was because Olajuwon had to stay near the basket and couldn’t operate outside the paint.

And neither Robinson nor Gugliotta had the awareness to facilitate.

But now with Olajuwon at the four, the situation was completely different.

He was so versatile. He could run pick-and-rolls, set screens, and distribute the ball, constantly creating opportunities for the perimeter players.

He was like a gear, connecting the inside and outside games seamlessly and making the Phoenix Suns’ offense incredibly fluid.

Chen Yu looked over at Skiles again.

This version of the Phoenix Suns was probably the team Skiles had envisioned all along. It was also why Skiles still wanted to move Olajuwon to the four-spot even after his conflict with Ewing.

He must have seen that Olajuwon could be more impactful at the four, contributing more to the team.

And it wasn’t just on offense, but on defense too.

With Ewing inside, J Kidd on the perimeter, and Olajuwon roaming in between, the Phoenix Suns’ defense was layered and impenetrable—a true two-way force.

At the end of the half, the Phoenix Suns were up 61-44, leading the Rockets by a full 17 points.

In the second half, the Rockets tried to mount a comeback.

But it was no use. At the end of the third quarter, the deficit was still 16 points.

Skiles hesitated for a moment, then benched his starters for the entire fourth quarter, letting J Kidd lead the reserves.

He was starting to manage the playing time of his key starters, especially Ewing and Olajuwon.

This was something Chen Yu had recently suggested.

With the season nearing its end, months of long games had taken a heavy toll on veterans like Ewing.

To keep them healthy, Chen Yu had proposed that once a win was secured, they should be taken out early to rest.

They weren’t chasing personal stats anymore, anyway.

Chen Yu even suggested that for back-to-backs or consecutive road games, they could consider resting players like Ewing for a game, depending on the opponent.

This was actually a very bold proposal.

Fans buy tickets to see the stars. If a perfectly healthy star doesn’t play, it’s a letdown for the fans.

The optics weren’t great either.

But Chen Yu felt it was necessary.

The Phoenix Suns’ roster was too old, and staying healthy was no easy task.

And no amount of maintenance was better than an extra game of rest.

Just like now—getting the win while also getting some extra rest. What wasn’t to like?

As the timer hit zero, the scoreboard read 104-93. The Phoenix Suns had once again defeated the Rockets by a comfortable 11-point margin.

"Time to work."

Chen Yu stood up and patted Nelson on the back.