Chapter 728 - 653: Whether They Can Win Depends on Kobe

Chapter 728: Chapter 653: Whether They Can Win Depends on Kobe

There were quite a few people in the private box, and Old Bass was among them.

Chen Yu greeted everyone before pulling Su Jun over to a corner of the box to sit and chat.

A waiter brought drinks. Su Jun offered a quick "thank you" but didn’t rush to start the interview, as the players from both teams were just starting to take the court below.

As Yao Ming made his entrance, the entire arena seemed to erupt. Even through the glass, they could feel the tsunami of cheers.

Yao Ming had fully settled into life with the Lakers. He calmly waved to the fans, then went down the line high-fiving his teammates.

Seeing Yao Ming suddenly reminded Su Jun of something.

"Dr. Chen, you didn’t come all this way because of Da Yao, did you?"

In the last game in Portland, Yao Ming was fighting Randolph for a rebound in the paint. He landed first, and Randolph stepped on his foot.

It wasn’t a dirty play by Yao Ming; it was just a complete accident.

Randolph was fine; he didn’t twist his ankle.

But it was Yao Ming who went down.

The slow-motion replay showed that the heel of Randolph’s shoe had landed right on the tip of Yao Ming’s left shoe.

He most likely stepped right on his toes.

It didn’t seem like a big issue at the time. Yao Ming took a moment on the floor to recover before getting up and continuing the game.

He ended up with 25 points and 14 rebounds, helping his team defeat the Pioneers.

Yao Ming’s performance in the first four games of the Western Conference Finals was outstanding.

In the first round against the Kings, Yao Ming played just as he did in the regular season—covering a lot of ground, operating all over the paint, frequently setting screens in high-post pick-and-rolls, and serving as the team’s interior pivot.

But in the second round against the Mavericks, facing O’Neal, Jackson changed Yao Ming’s game plan, having him operate more in the low post and anchor the paint to battle O’Neal.

The results were decent.

Although Yao Ming constantly managed his weight, the Lakers capitalized on his natural gifts—excellent lower-body strength and a stable base—by having him do targeted training for post defense and physical matchups.

In other words, he could run the floor but also hold his ground.

It was the same strategy for the Western Conference Finals against the Pioneers.

The task of handling Milicic, that unorthodox big-man freak, was given to Odom.

In terms of agility, Odom was every bit Milicic’s equal.

With his excellent wingspan, he could stick with him from the basket all the way out to the three-point line. He might be a bit weaker, but at least they wouldn’t be left with no one to follow Milicic out and contest his shots.

This left Yao Ming to lock down the paint.

With his height, he could completely dominate Randolph.

He could also effectively limit the Pioneers’ drives.

Chen Yu thought for a moment, then nodded.

"You’re right."

Su Jun’s eyes widened.

Yao Ming had looked perfectly fine in the last game, even attending the post-game press conference. He couldn’t believe Yao was actually injured, let alone badly enough to require a house call from Dr. Chen.

The Lakers had kept it under wraps so well!

But as Su Jun looked at Yao Ming on the court, he couldn’t see anything wrong with his foot.

Besides, he was confirmed as a starter for tonight’s game.

Seeing Su Jun’s agitation, Chen Yu said calmly, "Calm down. He’s fine."

Su Jun gave Chen Yu a skeptical look and nodded.

He still had his doubts, but he didn’t dare voice them.

Chen Yu’s expression remained unchanged.

He, too, was holding something back.

’The truth is, Yao Ming’s situation is a little tricky.’

’Randolph stepped right on his left big toe.’

’The bone isn’t broken, of course, but the ingrown toenail on his left foot has gotten much worse.’

’Yao Ming developed an ingrown toenail on his left big toe this season.’

’Even though he’s been managing his weight, he’s still incredibly tall and heavy. Over time, the pressure on his toes is immense.’

’He can finish with either hand, but he’s still right-hand dominant. This means that when he’s in the paint, he more often plants his left foot to initiate a move, brings his right foot through, and then finishes with his right hand.’

’Day after day, it adds up, and the pressure on his left foot is definitely greater.’

’Besides, none of the players who make it in the NBA, especially the heavy centers, have normal feet.’

’You can’t even look at O’Neal’s feet.’

’His toes are all crammed together; getting an ingrown toenail is practically a given.’

Yao Ming’s ingrown toenail had been a recurring problem this season, and this time, the swelling was severe. For some inexplicable reason, the Lakers’ team doctor had suggested simply removing the nail entirely.

Jackson didn’t dare follow that advice and immediately called Chen Yu.

Chen Yu had stopped helping other teams in the league with player conditioning, especially after the Suns were eliminated. However, this was a straightforward medical treatment. Moreover, the Lakers were a client of his company, so of course he couldn’t refuse the call.

Removing the nail was out of the question.

The toenail isn’t just there for show; it actually improves the foot’s structural support.

Chen Yu had treated Yao Ming, trimming the nail and getting the inflammation under control. With the added boost from his System, it shouldn’t be a major issue.

At least, it wouldn’t affect the rest of the playoffs.

Down below, the game was about to start. The Pioneers’ starting center was O’Ku.

"Dr. Chen, do you think the Lakers can win today?" Su Jun asked.

Chen Yu thought for a moment. "It depends on Kobe’s performance."

The Pioneers had been the ultimate dark horse, riding their Cinderella story all the way to the Western Conference Finals. But the moment they ran into the Lakers, they were taught a harsh lesson.

The Pioneers lost both away games.

A major reason was Randolph getting completely dominated by Yao Ming in the paint.

Randolph’s post defense was decent, but the height difference was just too great.

Over three seasons, Yao Ming had polished his hook shot and turnaround jumper to perfection. Forget Randolph’s average athleticism; even if he had the leaping ability of someone like Howard, he would’ve struggled to bother Yao’s shot.

But in Game 3, Rivers made an adjustment.

He brought in O’Ku.

O’Ku couldn’t completely shut down Yao Ming in the paint either, but on the offensive end, he could stretch the floor out to the three-point line and provide firepower for his team.

Yao Ming was mobile, but not mobile enough to defend that far from the basket.

And Jackson wouldn’t let him go out that far anyway.

If he left the paint, who would protect the rim?

So, upon realizing this, Jackson simply left O’Ku wide open.

He had Odom provide help defense inside the arc, but beyond it, he dared O’Ku to shoot.

Jackson knew his team couldn’t be flawless like the "Five-star Phoenix Suns." There would always be a weakness; you just had to make up for the points you gave up by scoring somewhere else.

In Game 3, the Pioneers won on the back of this adjustment.

In Game 4, Rivers tried the same thing.

But in that game, O’Ku’s shooting was ice-cold, and he squandered several opportunities.

For a big center to be pulled so far out to shoot threes was actually detrimental to the team’s offense.

With an extra defender clogging the paint, the Pioneers couldn’t execute their drive-and-kick plays or their baseline cuts.

That’s why the Pioneers lost Game 4.

However, Chen Yu believed that across the first four games of the series, the player who truly decided the outcome wasn’t Yao Ming, but Kobe.

In ’02, when O’Neal left for the Phoenix Suns, Kobe was officially handed the keys to the franchise. With the ball in his hands, he had the green light to take over.

He was young, healthy, and had spent the last two summers training with Chen Yu’s company.

As a result, his skills had improved dramatically.

He had the skill, the athleticism, and the youth. On top of that, the league had banned hand-checking this season.

You could say that this year, Kobe had officially entered his prime—the kind of prime where he seemed capable of anything.

While the Pioneers could at least scheme against Yao Ming to some extent, they had absolutely no one on the perimeter who could handle Kobe.

Facing Kobe, Joe Johnson was basically an ATM.

Tony Allen’s defense was better, to be fair.

But putting him on the floor meant sacrificing a secondary scorer who averaged over 20 points per game.

Double-teaming him had limited effect as well.

Having Nash help double-team Kobe was just asking for trouble.

Iguodala could swing over to the shooting guard position, and his defense was decent, but it still had a limited effect.

The proof was in the numbers: Kobe was averaging 30.2 points through the first four games and had exploded for 39 in Game 4.

So, in Chen Yu’s eyes, whether the Lakers could win tonight depended on two things: Kobe’s performance, and how the Pioneers chose to deal with him.