Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 111 - 84: Let’s Restart the Game

Adelman, his temples graying, didn’t talk about any tactics. He didn’t even grab a clipboard, just clapped his hands and signaled for everyone to gather.

"Alright, fellas, enjoy tonight’s game."

He said this with a calm, collected smile.

It was hard not to be collected. After all, there was no way they were going to lose.

The starting center was O’Neal, the power forward was Duncan, and his protégé, King Chris Webber, was moved to the small forward position.

In the backcourt, it was Kobe paired with J Kidd.

And on the bench, they had Postman Ma Long, Admiral David Robinson, Wolf King Garnett, and Rashid Wallace.

Now look at the other side: an aging Mutombo, and Antonio Davis, who had only made his first All-Star team because Ratcliffe was injured.

Who else did they have?

The disparity in the frontcourt was so massive, it would be hard to lose even if they tried.

The oldest player, Carl Malone, extended his right hand and said with conviction, "Alright everyone, let’s win this game!"

Everyone exchanged a look and piled their hands on top of his.

Of course, Adelman joined in too.

After everyone’s hands were in the pile, Ma Long suddenly turned his head and looked at Chen Yu.

The others did the same.

"Huh?"

Chen Yu froze. ’I’m just a team doctor,’ he thought. ’Am I supposed to be part of this?’

"Chen, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to play in this All-Star Game," O’Neal said, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

’It’s just... his tone made it sound like he was grinding his back teeth as he spoke.’

"Me too," Kobe added, a competitive fire in his eyes. He was ready for battle; today, he was determined to win the All-Star Game MVP.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Chen Yu placed his hand on top of the pile. ’With so many people, there’s barely any room left.’

"Go get ’em, guys."

As he sat back down, Lexi, who was in the fantastic seat right behind him, excitedly patted his shoulder and asked who he thought would win.

"Emotionally, I’m leaning toward the East." After all, his old friends Hill and Tracy McGrady were on that team.

"But as long as you’re not blind, you can see that the West is definitely going to win."

The roster was just too stacked.

You could tell from last year’s Finals how lethal the OK Duo was, and the West’s current lineup was like a super-enhanced version of them. It really would be hard to lose.

Lexi’s eyes widened. "Are you saying I’m blind?"

"Huh?" Chen Yu quickly shook his head and changed the subject. "By the way, when my clinic opens this year, you should come to Phoenix."

Back when he was in Orlando, it was only three hundred kilometers from Miami, so he could occasionally find time to go back for a visit.

Now that he was in Phoenix, it was over a thousand kilometers away, making it difficult to find a chance to see her.

Lexi huffed softly. "I’ll think about it."

Just as they were speaking, the game began.

Facing Mutombo, O’Neal grinned like a shark opening its massive jaws. He leaped up and easily won the tip-off.

J Kidd controlled the ball and, in no hurry to push the pace, slowly dribbled across half-court before casually passing it off to Kobe.

Eager to make a statement, Kobe backed down on Tracy McGrady. With a shimmy left and right, he forced his way past McGrady’s right side toward the baseline. He was fast, but McGrady was fast too. Despite it being his All-Star debut, McGrady showed no signs of being out of place and stuck firmly to Kobe.

You could tell he was defending with intense focus.

Kobe reached the baseline, the ball dancing in his hands as he feinted a drive. But against the quick-footed McGrady, he couldn’t find a good opening.

With a light hop, he fed the ball to Duncan in the lane and cut along the baseline to the opposite side of the floor.

Duncan didn’t attack either; he wasn’t looking to score.

Before his meniscus surgery, he might have felt the urge to show off a bit. But now, he just wanted to quietly coast.

Seeing Kobe curl back out, he flicked a pass back to him.

Kobe caught the ball and went up for a shot.

But McGrady hadn’t been shaken and leaped with explosive quickness.

SMACK!

The ball was swatted out of bounds.

A clean, decisive block!

The entire arena fell silent for a second before erupting into a massive cheer.

Chen Yu subconsciously started to clap. ’That was a beautiful block by McGrady. It’s mostly those arms of his—they’re just so long.’

But after a single clap, Chen Yu remembered that he was the West’s team doctor.

He looked around; no one else on his side was clapping.

On the court, Webber inbounded the ball. Kobe used a quick fake to shake McGrady and dashed out to receive the pass.

His desire to score was truly intense.

But as soon as he caught the ball, McGrady was on him again like a shadow.

’This kid.’

Kobe shot a quick glance at the expressionless McGrady, backed into him, dipped his shoulder, and took a turnaround jumper.

CLANK! The ball hit the rim and bounced out.

Kobe frowned slightly as he landed. McGrady hadn’t been shaken off by the move, and his shot had been contested.

Kobe knew that McGrady had been on fire this season after moving to the Magic, even breaking into the top ten in scoring at one point, but he hadn’t expected him to be this tenacious.

’The key is, the guy I’m supposed to be dueling today is Iverson,’ he thought. ’It’s not your turn yet, McGrady.’

Under the basket, Mutombo boxed out O’Neal and leaped up to grab the rebound.

The whole time, O’Neal had barely even gone up on his tiptoes.

The East went on offense.

Iverson pushed the ball up the court, but after crossing the half-court line, he immediately passed it to Hill.

Although Hill’s scoring wasn’t explosive, he hadn’t won any major awards like a scoring title, and his leadership skills weren’t exactly top-tier, when it came to popularity, he was unrivaled.

You could tell just by being there.

The moment Hill got the ball, the entire arena erupted in cheers.

Even here in Washington, the city where Jordan was an owner, the crowd was full of Hill’s fans.