Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 370 - 310: Showing Off Before the Master

November 29th.

A little after two in the afternoon, Chen Yu walked out of the operating room.

Sun Haiping rushed over at once. "Dr. Chen, how did the surgery go?"

The tension and worry on his face were genuine; he cared deeply for Liu Xiang.

Behind him, Liu Yudong was also waiting in his wheelchair.

Although Liu Yudong and Liu Xiang hadn’t known each other before, being so far from home in a foreign country, meeting someone from the same hometown—not to mention both being National Team athletes who shared the surname Liu—they quickly became friends.

"Don’t worry, the surgery was a success," Chen Yu said with a smile.

It wasn’t a complex procedure in itself; the main challenge would be the post-operative rehabilitation.

Sun Haiping breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly.

"He’ll be out in a little while. You don’t need to worry too much." Chen Yu nodded to Liu Yudong and prepared to leave.

Just then, Sun Haiping stopped him. "Dr. Chen, about that matter you mentioned before—having Liu Xiang train here in the United States. The higher-ups back home have agreed, but there are still some details they’d like to discuss with you."

"Oh, that’s great."

To be honest, it had already been a week. Chen Yu felt the approval had come rather slowly.

They could have held several meetings in that time.

Sun Haiping managed a faint smile. He had been thinking about this for the past few days. Emotionally, he didn’t want to part with Liu Xiang, but after turning it over and over in his mind, he concluded that if Liu Xiang wanted to go further in his career, this was a good move. For the sake of his future, he shouldn’t stand in his way.

Of course, it wasn’t up to him to block it anyway; the leaders had to give their approval.

And from what Sun Haiping knew, Director Yao of the Shanghai Sports Bureau had put in a lot of effort on this matter; he had practically made it happen single-handedly.

"Director Yao said that Liu Xiang is a promising talent and the pride of Shanghai. He believes it’s a wonderful opportunity for him to train in the United States. He wanted me to thank you properly and also to extend an invitation. The next time you visit China, you absolutely must go to Shanghai, and he will host you personally," Sun Haiping said.

"Alright."

Chen Yu waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.

After finishing up some business at his clinic, Chen Yu drove to the US Airways Center.

Today was game day, and a marquee matchup at that.

The first-in-the-West Phoenix Suns versus the fifth-in-the-West Spurs.

It wasn’t just because it was a clash of titans and a preview of a potential playoff battle, but also because this game marked Duncan’s season debut.

Chen Yu had told Popovich long ago that after Duncan’s surgery, he would definitely be out for the first month of the new season.

In fact, Duncan had already returned to the team last week but hadn’t officially played yet.

And now, he had chosen to make his return in a high-profile game like this.

"David, are you sure you don’t want to play for another couple of years?" During the pre-game warm-ups, Chen Yu stood on the sidelines chatting with David Robinson.

The media had already reported that David Robinson was going to retire at the end of this season.

His career had also been plagued by injuries—he had injured ligaments in his hand and fractured his foot, but what affected him most was likely his back, with its recurring spasms.

Chen Yu asked this because he was trying to imply that while back spasms were tricky, they weren’t impossible to deal with. If he left it to him, at 37 years old, he could probably play another two seasons after treatment.

After all, Ewing had won a championship at that age.

Robinson rubbed his face. "It’s mainly because my contract is up."

This was obviously not the real reason.

Given his status with the Spurs, even if the team was strapped for cash, they would likely still be willing to offer him another contract, even if it wasn’t in the tens of millions.

"Well, that’s fine too. After you retire, you can do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do," Chen Yu said with a smile.

He had won a championship, after all. Unlike Ewing, he didn’t have such a strong obsession with a title. When his performance was declining, retiring gracefully while still on top wasn’t a bad choice at all.

As they were chatting, a basketball rolled to Chen Yu’s feet.

Chen Yu bent down, picked it up, and tossed it to Little Curry, who was running over.

It was Friday, so after school, he had come to the arena with Dale.

Old Curry was also happy to bring his son to the arena to soak in the atmosphere.

So these days, you could often see Little Curry during the team’s games or practices. He would even help retrieve balls and do other small tasks he could manage, basically acting as if he were a ball boy.

Little Curry held the basketball, pushed it out with both hands, and tossed up a three-pointer.

The game wasn’t starting for a while anyway, so no one was bothering him.

Jon Hamm, who was rebounding under the basket, casually threw the ball back. Little Curry reached out for it, but another hand intercepted it first.

Little Curry looked up and saw a lean-faced Spurs player.

After a moment’s pause, Little Curry said, "I know you. You’re Steve Kerr from the Bulls."

A smile spread across Kerr’s face.

For an ordinary role player in the league, his time with the Bulls was indeed his most glorious and proudest period.

"Are you practicing threes? Your shooting form is wrong, though. Your release is too fast." Kerr ruffled Little Curry’s hair, then took a step forward and, from nearly two meters behind the three-point line, shot the ball.

The ball swished through the net, straight as an arrow.

"See? Like this."

Kerr demonstrated the shooting form, emphasizing the wrist action. "You should raise your release point and make your form more standard. The wrist, in particular, should drive the ball and add some rotation. You might be young, but you should build good shooting habits now. It’ll benefit you later on."

He had just noticed a kid on the court, glanced over out of curiosity, saw he was practicing threes, and spotted the problem with his form, so he came over to offer a couple of casual remarks.

He was a former three-point champion, after all.

"Is my release too fast?" Little Curry asked back.

Kerr nodded. Little Curry was already pushing the ball out as he was jumping.

He thought it might be because he was young and not strong enough, but his form was also a big problem—his release was too quick, and his release point was too low.

"Shooting like that, you’ll get blocked easily."

Kerr demonstrated again.

Little Curry thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, you’re wrong. I think this way of shooting is more suitable for me."

Kerr was taken aback for a second, then laughed.

’This little guy is actually telling me I’m wrong? I’m a three-point champion!’

’I even had my own highlight moment when the Bulls won the championship in ’97.’

"By the way, what’s your name? Who’s your father? And who told you all this?" Kerr asked.

Little Curry replied, "My name is Stephen Curry, and my father is Dale Curry. Do you know him?"

Kerr’s eye twitched. ’So it’s him,’ he thought.

The two of them were shooters from the same era.

Of course, he himself was just an ordinary role player who’d won a championship by riding Jordan’s coattails.

Old Curry, on the other hand, was the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer and a former Sixth Man of the Year. In terms of star power, he was a cut above him.

If Old Curry had taught his son to practice this way, then he really had nothing to say.

Just then, Little Curry added, "And it wasn’t my father who taught me to shoot like this. Dr. Chen told me to practice this way. He told me that shooting form isn’t what’s important; what’s most important is finding the shooting form that’s most suitable for you."

Chen Yu?

Kerr froze again, a flash of embarrassment crossing his face. "Well, then he’s right."

’I just tried to teach a fish how to swim.’

Since Chen Yu had pivoted from medicine to training, he had already established himself as one of the league’s top training experts.

Just look at Kidd’s recent huge increase in shooting percentage, and O’Neal, who had actually developed a decent free throw under Chen Yu’s guidance. That alone was enough to prove Chen Yu’s skill as a trainer.

Not to mention the trend of scientific training that teams across the league were adopting—a trend started single-handedly by Chen Yu.

In the field of training, just as in medicine, Chen Yu was slowly becoming an authority.

Little Curry grinned. "I think so too. But you’re amazing as well. You’re the best outside shooter in league history."

That last sentence made Kerr beam with delight.

"Keep it up. Maybe one day you’ll make it to the NBA and become a great player like your father." Kerr ruffled Little Curry’s hair again, offered a word of encouragement, and walked away smiling.

As for this game, Chen Yu was just as concerned as Skiles.

But he wasn’t concerned about the outcome.

Never mind a single regular-season game; even in the playoffs, a win or a loss didn’t have that much of an impact on Chen Yu.

After winning the championship last season, Chen Yu had already proven himself with the team. He didn’t need to prove anything more.

Even if he left the Phoenix Suns, Chen Yu would still be the best sports medicine doctor on the planet.

Chen Yu was simply afraid of players getting injured.

The Spurs’ lineup, after all, included Bowen.

Last year, when Kidd was taken down and suffered a herniated disc, Bowen was the one responsible.

He played dirty, and Popovich, to be honest, was the type to do whatever it took to win. That’s why Chen Yu was worried a player might get hurt during the game.

Even if the injury could be treated, it was still a lot of suffering.

As O’Neal secured the opening tip, the game officially began.

Popovich didn’t sit back down. Instead, he stood on the sideline, arms crossed, watching the game quietly.

Popovich was taking this game very seriously.

In the past, any team in the league with championship aspirations had to figure out how to deal with the Lakers.

Now, that team had changed from the Lakers to the Phoenix Suns.

The Suns’ primary offensive weapon was still O’Neal.

However, with the legalization of zone defense, and especially after a full season to get used to it, every team’s zone defense was getting better and better.

Therefore, in the paint, the twin towers of Duncan and Robinson could double-team O’Neal without hesitation.

One played behind him, while the other fronted him to deny the pass.

Their goal was to disrupt his ability to receive the ball.

O’Neal was unstoppable under the basket, but only if he could get the ball.

His style of play meant he couldn’t run outside the paint to receive a pass and then initiate the offense with the ball in his hands.

And he wasn’t willing to do that, either.

Sure enough, faced with this situation, Hardaway had no choice but to throw a lob pass.

As soon as O’Neal caught the ball, he was immediately swarmed by both Duncan and Robinson.

O’Neal didn’t pass. He chose to force his way through, lowering his hips, brutally carving out space, and rising up for the shot.

The whistle blew as O’Neal stumbled upon landing.

Duncan had jumped high, reaching from the side and behind to hit O’Neal’s wrist.

Popovich’s expression grew more pensive.

The good news was that Duncan had recovered well. After the meniscus transplant, his athleticism had returned to a large extent. While he might not be the "flying demon" he once was, defying gravity, he had at least regained ninety percent of his athletic ability.

On the court, this translated to a better vertical leap and quicker movement, especially his spin speed.

This allowed Duncan to provide help defense more quickly, complete the double-team on O’Neal, jump higher, and disrupt O’Neal’s shot more effectively.

But what worried Popovich was that O’Neal seemed to be intentionally working on his ability to draw fouls under the basket.

In the past, when facing a double-team, O’Neal would have been more rational, or at least he wouldn’t have just mindlessly forced the issue.

No matter how much of a "Big Shark" he was, he was still human. Anyone would be affected by a double-team.

But now, O’Neal seemed even more reckless.

Popovich figured out the reason: O’Neal’s free-throw shooting had improved.

Previously, when O’Neal forced a shot and missed, his low free-throw percentage meant it was equivalent to not scoring at all.

But now it was different. With his improved free throws, not only was O’Neal not afraid to force the issue, he even dared to initiate contact and look for the whistle.

And an O’Neal like this was obviously a much bigger threat, making him even harder to defend and contain.

O’Neal flexed his wrist as he walked to the free-throw line. After receiving the ball, he stood still and took a deep breath.

For a long time.

It took so long that Popovich couldn’t help but yell to the head referee, Danny Crawford, "Danny, hasn’t it been more than 10 seconds?"

Crawford completely ignored him.

For a superstar like O’Neal, not getting a "superstar call" was already something. Who cared about going over by a second or two?

At the free-throw line, O’Neal took his sweet time and calmly sank both shots.