Sports Medicine Master System

The first round of the playoffs was in full swing.

Chen Yu didn't stay in Phoenix to follow the Phoenix Suns' playoff journey. Instead, he had come to Portland.

Steve Patterson and John Nash personally came to the airport to pick up Chen Yu.

"Chen, can you give us any details? What exactly is Steve's situation?"

"Chen, is it possible Nash will be out for the season?"

The resourceful reporters seemed to pop out of nowhere.

Chen Yu had taken the VIP route straight to the underground garage, but before the car could even start, he was swarmed by reporters.

After finally dealing with the reporters, the car drove out of the airport. Chen Yu couldn't help but ask, "Are the reporters always this crazy?"

John Nash gave a bitter smile. "There's nothing we can do. When the team's top star gets injured, it feels like the sky is falling."

He then added with a pleading look, "Chen, you're our only hope."

Chen Yu waved his hand, saying no more.

The regular season was over, and the rankings for the East and West had been decided.

First place in the West ultimately went to the Spurs. Duncan, having recovered from his meniscus injury, still maintained MVP-level performance. He even seemed to get craftier with age, his form improving the older he got.

Of course, the growth of Parker and Ginobili in the GDP trio was also a key factor in the Spurs maintaining their top spot in the West.

However, they were only first in the West.

The team with the best record in the entire league was the Magic.

Having added the final piece to their puzzle, the Magic were already showing the makings of a champion.

Second in the West were the Lakers.

Third were the Nuggets.

There were no powerhouses in the Northwest Division. The rapid decline of the Wolves was something no one could believe.

But after the Wolves' fall, the Supersonic and the Nuggets rose to prominence.

Especially the Nuggets; the partnership between J Kidd and Anthony sparked endless imagination.

In the end, the Nuggets edged out the Supersonic by two wins to enter the top three.

The rule that guaranteed division champions a top-three seed was still a huge pain in the ass.

The Phoenix Suns slid to fourth place.

The Mavericks had been trailing the Phoenix Suns, but they intentionally lost a few games in the final month, successfully sliding to sixth place.

With the two teams having swapped core stars, the Mavericks clearly didn't want to face the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

The Grizzlies miscalculated and unfortunately ran into the Phoenix Suns.

They had already played three games, with the Phoenix Suns leading the series 2-1.

The one game the Grizzlies won was thanks to an explosive performance from Wade. He went off for 36 points, completely dominating Ben Gordon.

Seventh, the King.

The King, who had made a name for themselves in the league over the past two years with their Princeton offense, had somehow slipped to seventh despite their roster remaining the same.

It just went to show that it wasn't that the King had gotten weaker, but that all their opponents had gotten stronger.

The Pioneer, with just one fewer win, ranked eighth.

Last season, the gap between the East and West was huge. The eighth-place team in the West could have ranked in the top four in the East.

This year, things were a bit more balanced.

The Magic's 61 wins were the best in the entire league.

The elimination of hand-checking was an epic buff for Tracy McGrady and Hill. Combined with the arrival of Howard, the Magic had soared and become unstoppable.

The Pistons were second. Retaining their Eastern Conference championship roster from last year, they continued their charge for the title.

The Nicks were third. Stoudemire had already become one of the top-tier inside players in the East, and even the entire league.

Fourth, the Bulls.

In fact, the Bulls' record was even better than the Nicks'.

Jay Williams returned as if reborn from a bloodbath, averaging 19.2 points and 6.2 assists, and forming the Bulls' new-generation backcourt duo with Schringer.

Add to that Little Shark Eddie Curry, who also returned after major surgery, and McDyess.

No longer having to play second fiddle to O'Neal, this former All-Star level player, after getting enough touches, contributed an excellent stat line of 17 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

This led to a bunch of Chicago media outlets constantly hyping up that the Bulls didn't lose out on their trade with the Phoenix Suns—in fact, they came out ahead.

This Bulls team was definitely not to be underestimated.

Fifth through eighth were the Pacer, the Celtics, the Digital People, and the Brooklyn Nets, respectively.

The people of Cleveland were clamoring that glory was just around the corner, but James was still too inexperienced and failed to lead the Knight into the playoffs.

So, the Pioneer ran into the number one team in the West, the Spurs, in the first round.

It was expected to be a teaching game, but unexpectedly, the Pioneer's young squad managed to claw out a victory in San Antonio.

The reason for that victory wasn't Milicic, who scored 21 points while shooting 3-for-4 from three-point range, nor was it Nash with his 13 assists. It was Iguodala.

Throughout the season, the Pioneer's coaching staff, along with Chen Yu's team, had been working hard to develop Iguodala as a playmaker.

In other words, they were trying to make Iguodala more versatile.

The demands were high, but Iguodala had somehow managed to pull it off, more or less.

Nash was like the brain, controlling everything, while Iguodala was his supporting deputy. As a small forward, he perfectly connected the Pioneer's inside and outside game.

In that winning game, he put up a near triple-double with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.

He could camp in the corner for a three-pointer, crash the boards to fight for rebounds, cover the paint when Milicic was drawn out, and also drive and dish to fulfill his playmaking duties.

He could also set screens and play help defense. His shadow was everywhere on the court; he was truly doing it all.

That game was arguably the Pioneer's best execution of their run-and-gun offense all season.

And it wasn't just the starters, but the bench as well.

Under the encouragement of Rivers's chicken soup for the soul, a bunch of rookies not only showed no stage fright but played with flair.

Al Jefferson even put up an incredible 5-for-5 shooting performance.

The bench scoring, 38 to 21, was the best proof of that.

After that win, the entire league was stunned.

Even Popovich admitted after the game that the Pioneer were playing a very new style of basketball, and that it was incredibly potent.

And that victory was a massive confidence boost for the Pioneer.

A bunch of young guys, what they lack most is confidence.

In Game 3 in Portland, the Pioneer were at one point dominating the Spurs.

Then, the unexpected happened.

Nash was on a fast break when he was swatted out of bounds by Mutombo. He took a fall and never got back up.

Chen Yu watched the replay of what happened in that instant.

One could only say that Mutombo, that old good guy, had learned some bad habits after going to the Spurs.

His move was a bit excessive, a bit unnecessary, and he showed no consideration for whether Nash would take a nasty fall.

Once Nash went down, the Pioneer completely fell apart, as if they'd lost their brain.

After the game, Popovich expressed his regret regarding Nash, saying it was just an accident.

That seemed to be the standard line.

But whether it was an accident or not, nobody knew.

Sure, the Spurs had a notorious villain like Bowen and were constantly criticized for playing dirty, but Chen Yu couldn't definitively say whether it was true or not.

He could only say that the Spurs were a team that would do whatever it took to win.

Their team atmosphere just had that kind of quality to it.

But discussing it now was meaningless. The man was already injured, and it was too late for regrets.

At Portland Center Hospital, Chen Yu saw Nash lying in bed.

He lay there all alone, his expression wooden, but when he saw Chen Yu push the door open and enter, an incredible light sparked in his eyes.

"Chen, thank you for coming so quickly." Nash struggled to sit up.

For every injured player, seeing Chen Yu was like a long-awaited rain after a drought.

Everyone knew that Chen Yu was always accompanied by miracles.

Chen Yu waved for Nash to lie back down, thought for a moment, and said, "Getting injured is a terrible stroke of bad luck. How about this? I happen to have some good news for you."

Smiling at Nash, Chen Yu lowered his voice. "If nothing unexpected happens, this year's regular season MVP should be you."