Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 115 - 85: More Exciting Than the Finals (Part 2)

Chapter 115: Chapter 85: More Exciting Than the Finals (Part 2)

Chen Yu hadn’t really interacted with O’Neal much, so he didn’t know what his personality was like.

But now, Chen Yu discovered that O’Neal actually had a hint of childishness to him.

At first, he probably figured the All-Star Game was just for fun and that would be the end of it.

But then Adelman unexpectedly stuck him on the bench, treating him like he was invisible.

So he got upset and, just to be contrary, made a bet with Chen Yu and started cheering for Iverson. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"So what do you want to do? You don’t expect Adelman to apologize and beg you to play, do you?" Chen Yu retorted.

O’Neal pouted. ’It’s not that serious,’ he thought.

The man was a famous head coach, after all.

"They don’t need me anyway."

With this lineup, it really didn’t make a difference whether he was in or not.

Chen Yu secretly shook his head, not bothering to say any more.

Soon, the fourth quarter began.

Although Duncan couldn’t jump very high, he used his vast experience to immediately deliver a huge block on Antonio Davis.

Then, the West started to coordinate.

Under the basket, Robinson drew Mutombo away. Duncan moved up to receive the ball, while Kobe, on the wing, moved like a killer searching for an opening. He led Tracy McGrady in a wide circle before suddenly cutting to the basket from beside Duncan.

Duncan’s presence acted as a screen, delaying Tracy McGrady.

And with a clever behind-the-back pass, he delivered the ball perfectly.

Facing a recovering Antonio Davis, Kobe showed no fear, finishing with a reverse layup.

On the sidelines, Adelman clapped in approval.

With his outstanding tactical understanding, Duncan could play the role of a high-post playmaker, much like Weber.

And Pete Carril, the creator of the Princeton offense, was sitting right there on the bench.

「In the NBC broadcast booth.」

Kevin Johnson said in disbelief, "The West is actually running plays now! They’re starting to play for real."

He had actually noticed it near the end of the third quarter. The East’s sudden comeback was partly due to the outstanding performances of Iverson and Hill, but the more important reason was that they had suddenly started playing seriously, upped the intensity, and caught the West off guard.

However, the West reacted extremely quickly and started playing seriously as well.

Kevin Johnson couldn’t help but shudder, shouting excitedly at the camera, "Forget everything you’ve seen so far! This game is just getting started!"

How incredible would a game be when two teams with rosters like these actually play to win?

You could say it’s even more exciting than the NBA Finals.

And the key thing was, the West still had a bloodthirsty shark sitting on the bench.

As he was speaking, Kevin Johnson shouted, "What a shot! An incredible fadeaway from Iverson! J Kidd’s defense was perfect, but he just couldn’t stop him! See? He is ’The Answer’!"

Iverson posted up, changed direction, used a series of fakes to create a sliver of space, and made the incredibly difficult shot.

And right after that, it was Kobe’s turn.

He drove hard to the basket against Tracy McGrady, ignoring a leaping David Robinson who seemed to cover the sky, and contorted his body in mid-air to release the ball.

It bounced in.

And one!

The fans in the arena went completely wild, with cheers of "MVP!" growing louder and louder.

A play like that was easily a top-ten highlight.

From the sidelines, Chen Yu was surprised to find that the West was actually struggling to keep up.

Iverson was playing out of his mind, with all sorts of completely unreasonable drives and shots.

Some of his shots looked like they had no business going in, but they did anyway.

And then there was Hill. People always said his offense wasn’t explosive, but with his well-rounded skills, he wasn’t soft at all in a tough fight like this.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, the West was somehow still trailing by 5 points.

Timeout.

Duncan walked off the court, breathing heavily.

He was actually sweating—in an All-Star Game!

Beside him, Robinson rubbed his chest. Even a nice guy like him couldn’t help but mutter, "Deke was definitely doing that on purpose."

While fighting for a rebound just now, Mutombo had actually elbowed him.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think this was Game 7 of the Finals.

The players gathered around Adelman, who wore an extremely serious expression. This was no longer a matter of the West not playing seriously.

The West’s players were playing as hard as they could, but Iverson was just on another level today.

So far in the fourth quarter, he had taken four shots and made them all.

And Hill, even in a game of this intensity, was always able to drive to the basket and create opportunities.

If Iverson kept this up, the West might actually lose.

But Adelman was out of options.

Who was guarding Iverson? It was J Kidd—tall, a First Team All-Defense player, the nightmare of countless perimeter players.

Even with that, Iverson was still sinking shots. What more could you do?

He subconsciously glanced at Kobe.

Kobe was sitting on a chair, gasping for breath.

He couldn’t help but wonder if he had pissed off Tracy McGrady at some point. ’Otherwise, why is this kid defending me like a madman?’ he thought.

Kobe was great, but it wasn’t enough.

In a moment like this, the West needed a player who was a cheat code.

And that player was...

Adelman’s gaze drifted to O’Neal, who wasn’t far away, and his mood soured.

Just then, O’Neal suddenly stood up.

"Chen, come find me for the money after the game. Ten thousand US dollars. I lose," O’Neal said, then turned and pushed his way into the huddle.

"Coach, put me in."

O’Neal said with a serious expression.

Adelman didn’t speak, just gave a slight nod.

"Feed the post more." After a moment of silence, he added.

The players exchanged glances but didn’t say anything more.

By this point, everyone was fired up and playing with an edge.