Chapter 355: Chapter 296: First Battle, Suns vs. Lakers
Wherever O’Neal was, there was never a shortage of fun.
After all sorts of goofy photos, he even pulled out two dolls and dragged Hardaway into taking a picture with them.
One was Hardaway’s "Lil Penny" doll, and the other was an O’Neal doll in an almost identical style.
He pressed the Hardaway doll to his face, closed his eyes in the pose of a baby sleeping with a teddy bear, and insisted that Hardaway do the same.
Hardaway’s face went pale with embarrassment.
Chen Yu watched this unfold and thought to himself, ’Whoever said O’Neal was dumb? The guy’s sharp as a tack. He deliberately had a doll of himself made to resolve that past misunderstanding. He’s also using this chance to show the media that he and Hardaway are thick as thieves and have no issues whatsoever.’
But the reporters weren’t about to let him off that easy. One of them asked O’Neal for his thoughts on the time he punched Skiles.
O’Neal was so embarrassed he looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
Back when he first entered the league, he was especially close with the other Black players on the Magic, like Dennis Scott and Brian Shaw, forming a small clique. Within the Magic, there was another clique, a group of white players led by Skiles.
Later, due to a series of issues including losing games, conflict erupted between the two sides. O’Neal punched Skiles in the jaw, and Skiles, relying on his agility, hit O’Neal in the family jewels.
Now, O’Neal was still a player, while Skiles had become his head coach.
"We don’t have a problem. That was just a friendly exchange between men," O’Neal insisted, pulling Skiles over and explaining with a dead-serious expression.
He even pointed at Hardaway, saying he was there at the time and knew what happened.
Hardaway had a pained look on his face, an "don’t ask me" expression that was practically a meme.
"New season’s here. How are you feeling?" Brian, having found a free moment, approached Chen Yu and asked with a broad smile.
Chen Yu shot him a glance. ’His tone makes him sound like a king who’s just conquered a dynasty, showing off to me.’
"Pretty good," Chen Yu said.
If nothing else, at least the team atmosphere was great.
It was the same last year. Hardaway had returned from a major injury and wasn’t trying to hog the spotlight. J Kidd wasn’t the type of player to stir up drama, either. And with Ewing and Olajuwon in the twilight of their careers, their goals were clear, so they certainly wouldn’t cause trouble.
That was why the locker room was so harmonious, with everyone working together toward a championship.
This season, they continued that team-building philosophy, recruiting even more veterans.
But it was the same story. For these veterans in the final stages of their careers, playing only for a championship, even a player with an explosive temper like Oakley was willing to accept his role on the team. During interviews with reporters, he’d proactively said he was willing to play well off the bench and would accept whatever the team asked of him.
The rest were either rookies or role players. Faced with these renowned veterans, they were more than satisfied as long as the old-timers didn’t bully them. How could they possibly start trouble themselves?
So, as long as the team’s core of Hardaway and O’Neal didn’t have any issues, the Suns’ locker room wouldn’t descend into chaos.
And Chen Yu felt that this, beyond tactics and player rosters, was the most important, most fundamental thing.
Wasn’t the OK Duo strong? Of course they were—so strong the league had to change the rules to limit them.
But didn’t they fall apart precisely because of locker room conflicts?
Thinking about it that way, Chen Yu suddenly realized Brian’s "retirement home" team-building strategy wasn’t a bad idea at all. It was actually pretty good.
"Come on, time for the picture."
Brian grabbed Chen Yu. It was time for the group photo.
As the camera flash went off, the smiles of the entire team were frozen in the shot.
The Phoenix Suns’ 2002-2003 season had officially set sail.
「October 29th, Phoenix.」
At three in the afternoon, Su Jun called for his assistant, Yi Xiaohua, and they set off by car for the US Airways Center.
"We have to go early. It’s definitely going to be crowded today."
But Su Jun had still miscalculated. As their car neared the US Airways Center, it slowed to a crawl, completely stuck in traffic.
Both sides of the road were packed with fans on foot.
Seeing the car had only moved a hundred meters in what felt like an eternity, Su Jun couldn’t wait any longer. He paid the fare, got out, and decided to walk the rest of the way.
This way, he could also take some pictures of the fans along the road.
Unexpectedly, he ran into some familiar faces on the way: the CCTV interview team, led by Zhang Weiping.
"Coach Zhang," Su Jun hurried forward to greet him.
Zhang Weiping wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even in October, Phoenix was sunny and sweltering, with waves of heat rolling in.
As the group walked toward the arena together, the conversation naturally turned to Yao Ming.
Today was the season opener, and it was the most anticipated one: the Phoenix Suns hosting the Lakers.
They were last season’s bitter rivals. The Lakers had narrowly lost in Game 7, and then over the summer, they completed a blockbuster trade that shocked the entire league, swapping the number one draft pick for O’Neal. Add to that the NBA debut of Yao Ming, the first-ever number one pick from China, and it was clear the league was second to none when it came to creating hype.
The two of them discussed whether Yao Ming would be in the starting lineup.
This was the biggest mystery leading up to the game, as Jackson still hadn’t made a clear statement.
"Actually, it might be better if he doesn’t start," Su Jun analyzed. "In a high-profile game like this, and for Yao’s first-ever NBA game, having him match up against O’Neal right from the get-go really isn’t a good thing."
Although many media outlets were high on Yao Ming, and the coverage back in China was overwhelming—fantasizing that Yao Ming would dominate O’Neal upon entering the NBA and become the world’s best center—Su Jun felt this was completely unrealistic.
At least for now, Yao Ming was no match for O’Neal.
Under these circumstances, an early matchup against O’Neal would only bring Yao Ming a sense of defeat and negatively impact his future development.
Zhang Weiping nodded in agreement. "I think so too. You spent a long time in Phoenix over the summer tracking Da Liu’s story, so you should know that O’Neal has been receiving treatment from Chen Yu. If he’s fully healthy again, then truly no one in the league can stop him."
"By the way, I saw in media reports that O’Neal has also been practicing his free throws. You’re in Phoenix often, do you know if he’s actually made any progress?"
After media day, O’Neal had proactively told the press that he was working hard on his free throws.
It sparked a heated debate for a while.
But it was met mostly with ridicule, because O’Neal always said that, yet he never managed to improve.
"I wouldn’t know about that," Su Jun said, shaking his head. "But Chen Yu set up a sports lab that uses scientific methods to improve athletes’ technical skills. Reporter accounts say it’s very impressive and extremely professional."
Zhang Weiping recalled something and said, half amused and half exasperated, "I really never expected he’d think of using Baoding balls to train hand dexterity."
J Kidd, who was traded to the Nuggets, now never lets the balls leave his hands, which has led many players around the league to eagerly follow his example.
As they spoke, the US Airways Center was just a stone’s throw away.
Zhang Weiping sighed with emotion. "Well, today’s the day we see what he’s really made of."
Bartel and Wang Zhizhi hadn’t made much of a name for themselves after landing in the NBA. Yao Ming, arriving in the NBA under the spotlight with the title of number one pick, was finally facing his day of reckoning.
Chen Yu, on the other hand, wasn’t worried about the traffic.
It was game day, so Chen Yu had already arrived at the arena at noon to prepare for the evening’s game.
To the fans and the media, this might be a highly anticipated game, but to behind-the-scenes staff like Chen Yu, it was just another regular-season game, no different from the 81 games that would follow.
Inside the arena, Chen Yu and Nelson sat together, watching the players warm up.
The Lakers players began to arrive as well.
Chen Yu saw Kobe. He actually walked over, chatted with Hardaway for a bit, and also waved a greeting to Chen Yu.
But O’Neal, who was stretching nearby, was completely ignored as if he were thin air.
Chen Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are those two really on such bad terms?"
’No matter the conflict, no matter the animosity, it shouldn’t be like this, right?’
’They’re both superstars in the same league. They’re bound to run into each other. To make things so awkward publicly... you could only say it’s a bit petty.’
Nelson nodded in agreement. And that was to say nothing of the fact they had been teammates for years and won a championship together.
Before long, Olajuwon and Yao Ming emerged from the players’ tunnel together.
Jackson had already made it clear that a major part of Olajuwon’s responsibility with the Lakers was to mentor Yao Ming. He even said that if Olajuwon were to retire, he hoped he would stay with the Lakers as a full-time assistant coach.
It was clear that Jackson really valued Yao Ming.
"Chen!"
Olajuwon came over immediately and gave Chen Yu a hug, then curiously asked what the championship rings looked like.
He would also be receiving his championship ring during the pre-game award ceremony.
Chen Yu greeted Yao Ming, then said, "Don’t worry. It cost Brian a lot of money, so I’m sure you’ll be satisfied."
It was the first ring in team history; Brian was taking it extremely seriously.
Each championship ring cost 15,000 US dollars. The league helped fund the production of 25 rings, and then the team paid to have another 60 made.
That was 85 rings in total. The players on the team and the key management staff almost all got one.
"That’s good." Olajuwon grinned from ear to ear.
Chen Yu’s gaze fell on Yao Ming.
He stood there shyly, not saying much.
"Don’t overthink it, and don’t pay any attention to the media’s nonsense. This is the first game of your NBA career. Even though you’re the number one pick, you’re also a rookie. You have to allow yourself to make mistakes. Success only comes from making mistakes. Believe in yourself. If you didn’t have the talent, no one would have made you the number one pick," Chen Yu said, patting him on the arm to reassure him.
’Besides,’ he thought, ’there’s still that so-called bust of a number one pick, Kwame Brown, to take the heat.’
Yao Ming paused for a moment, then nodded with a serious expression, indicating he understood.
Chen Yu smiled and told them to go warm up.
Watching Yao Ming’s retreating figure, Chen Yu suddenly thought of Kwame Brown.
’It’s strange, now that I think about it. With such amazing physical gifts, why would the Washington media call Kwame Brown a bust?’
’I was at the draft last year, so I know the situation. Even if they held the draft a hundred more times, Brown would still have been the number one pick. His physical talent was just that good.’
Chen Yu suddenly recalled that not long ago, while visiting various teams to inspect their mental health support systems, he had watched a Wizards practice session. He remembered Jordan cursing people out quite a bit.
’Could it be because that old rascal’s venomous tongue wore him down?’
’After all, the kid just turned 20 this year. He’s still just a young guy.’
’That old rascal’s sharp tongue and foul temper... very few people could stand it. Back in the day, he called Cartwright "Bill the Pill" and called Little Worm Boggs a "midget." It was truly vicious and cut deep.’
’Just this summer, right after Hamilton was traded by the Wizards, the media reported that Jordan had cursed him out, saying he wasn’t worthy of wearing Air Jordans because AJs were for All-Stars.’
’You can just imagine the critical hit Hamilton took from that—a guy who was already averaging 20 points per game in his third year in the league.’
