Chapter 730 - 655: The Magic’s Right Time, Place, and People

Chapter 730: Chapter 655: The Magic’s Right Time, Place, and People

Without another word to Su Jun, Chen Yu turned his focus to the game below.

His previous guess had been spot on.

When the bench unit took the court, the Pioneer had surprisingly started to fight their way back.

Kobe had been subbed out.

He was an absolute workhorse, but even he had to be managed carefully during the high-intensity playoffs, especially since he needed to save his strength to close out the game in the fourth quarter.

In the window of opportunity created while Yao Ming was leading the bench players, the Pioneer launched a furious comeback.

This was the three-point barrage they were best at, a tactic they had used throughout the playoffs.

A bunch of young guys in their early twenties, running themselves ragged, rotating quickly, pushing fast breaks, and playing without any regard for set plays or coordination—just launching the ball as soon as they got near the three-point line.

In fact, back when the Phoenix Suns won their second title, they had also stockpiled three-point shooters and had their bench unit score points with the same kind of frenetic shooting.

But the Pioneer were clearly more committed to the strategy; literally everyone, from the point guard to the center, was letting it fly.

The two bigs, O’Ku and Milicic, didn’t even go into the paint anymore. They just set up on the left and right, ready to catch and shoot.

How was Yao Ming supposed to defend against that?

Their guards were also applying full-court pressure.

They’d trap in the frontcourt, and any steal immediately turned into a fast break.

Just as Chen Yu was thinking this, Larry Hughes managed to poke the ball loose, flicking it away even as he fell to the floor.

And the one who caught it and led the break was, surprisingly, Milicic.

The guy hadn’t lost the long-stride dribbling package he’d learned from Chen Yu. He opened up his stride, moving with a speed that was completely unexpected from a center.

He gathered the ball before he even reached the three-point line.

One step, two steps, and then he launched himself from the free-throw line.

SLAM!

Even many of the Lakers fans in the arena couldn’t help but gasp in amazement.

That dunk from just inside the free-throw line was incredible.

"That’s insane," Su Jun couldn’t help but exclaim.

For a big man nearly seven feet tall to be able to move like that... his athleticism was just unimaginable.

With a wave of his hand, Jackson immediately called a timeout.

A 12-point lead had, in the blink of an eye, been whittled down to just three points by the Pioneer’s chaotic onslaught.

Having rested for barely four minutes, Kobe was sent back into the game.

The Lakers immediately began to slow the tempo.

The game gradually stabilized.

Only then did Su Jun sit back down, remarking with a sigh, "The Pioneer are really strong."

’No kidding,’ Chen Yu thought.

They’d pulled off an eighth-seed upset against the Spurs and battled to eliminate the Phoenix Suns. If the Pioneer weren’t strong, who was?!

And that scoring run seemed to get the Pioneer’s shooters into a rhythm.

They took a massive number of three-pointers every game, so their performance was heavily dependent on being in rhythm.

Throughout the entire fourth quarter, the Pioneer managed to shoot 5 for 8 from beyond the arc.

And somehow, they won.

On the Lakers’ home court, in the crucial Game 5, the Pioneer didn’t choke. They toughed it out and ground out another victory.

With the series at 3-2, the suspense would now carry over to Portland.

When the game ended, even the usually mild-mannered Nash couldn’t stop himself from roaring at the Lakers fans in the stands, pounding his chest in excitement.

He had finished the game with 24 points and 15 assists, shooting 4 for 6 from three-point range.

Things had grown much quieter in the luxury suite.

The expressions on the faces of Old Bass, his son, and his daughter were not pretty.

The Western Conference Championship trophy had already been delivered to the arena. They had the celebration planned and had even coordinated with the local police, asking for help with crowd control in case the fan celebrations got out of hand.

And now... The feast was prepared, but the guest of honor never arrived.

"What a shame." Su Jun stood up to applaud, glancing over at Old Bass and his entourage.

When the game started, he truly believed this one was in the bag for the Lakers.

Yao Ming would have won his first career Western Conference Championship as a key player.

But after watching this game, Su Jun’s confidence was shaken.

The Pioneer were far more resilient and tough than he had ever imagined.

"Doctor Chen, if the Pioneer manage to win in a Game 7, they wouldn’t actually win the championship, would they?" Su Jun couldn’t help but ask.

An eighth-seed upset, followed by a Cinderella run all the way to a championship... that would be the single greatest miracle in NBA history.

"Unlikely."

Chen Yu shook his head.

Even if the Pioneer got past the Lakers, they’d have a tough time beating the Magic.

The Magic were truly a powerhouse this year.

Last summer, the Magic’s front office ultimately chose to keep Howard, and it now looked like they’d finally made the right decision.

Howard was the perfect complement to Hill and Tracy McGrady!

He was physically dominant, with elite defense and rim protection.

This addressed the exact problem the Magic had faced for years: a lack of toughness in the paint.

On the other hand, Howard’s offensive skills were raw; he mostly just scored on dunks and easy baskets right under the rim.

But now, that weakness had ironically become a strength.

With two superstars and a former number-one pick on the same team, you’d think ball distribution would be a major issue.

But as it happened, Howard had almost no ability to create his own shot and didn’t demand the ball.

Moreover, both Hill and Tracy McGrady were exceptional at driving to the basket.

The Magic’s most common play now was to have Hill or Tracy McGrady drive the lane. If they had a good look, they’d take the shot themselves. If not, and the opposing center rotated to help, a simple dump-off pass would give Howard an easy, powerful dunk.

That style of play made him an even better fit alongside Hill and Tracy McGrady than McDyess had been.

Add to that the league’s elimination of hand-checking, which made driving to the basket easier, and it was like the stars had all aligned for the Magic.

Now, they were dominating the Pistons in the East, leading the series 3-1.

After tomorrow’s game, they would likely be the first team to advance to the Finals.

And their style of play was even more unstoppable than the Pioneer’s run-and-gun offense.

Hill and Tracy McGrady... one was the top small forward in the league, the other was one of the "big four" shooting guards and a perennial scoring title contender. In a do-or-die game, they were far more reliable than the Pioneer.

"Time to go!"

Chen Yu didn’t linger. After saying goodbye to Su Jun and Old Bass, he left the arena.

Regardless of whether the Pioneer ultimately made it to the Finals, based on their performance so far, Chen Yu had already succeeded.

Perhaps in the future, many teams would seek out Chen Yu, asking his company to help them with their own rebuilds.

Su Jun didn’t stay long either. He found the other reporters from his agency, told them to cover the post-game press conference and the locker room, and then he quickly returned to his hotel.

That evening, Su Jun wrote up a special feature, sent it back to China, and arranged for it to be published the next day in the *Basketball Pioneer Post*.

He never expected that his article would trigger such a massive uproar back in China.

This year, the men’s National Team had only one mission: the Asian Championship.

The National Team had already assembled in May.

Starting in June, they were scheduled to play a series of exhibition games.

But it was at this time that a National Team veteran, Bartel, who had been left off the most recent training camp roster, suddenly reappeared, announcing through the media that he was permanently retiring from the National Team.

The whole thing was very strange.

At the end of April, when the Basketball Association announced the roster for the training camp, Bartel had been left off.

At the time, he’d handled it gracefully with the reporters, saying he was getting older, that every generation has its new talents, and that he would step aside for the younger players. His attitude was extremely humble.

Logically speaking, he had already been cut, he’d said all the right things publicly, and it was the offseason. He should have just been resting quietly.

But instead, right as Su Jun’s article was published and sparking widespread discussion, he suddenly made this announcement about permanently retiring from the National Team.

First of all, there was a problem with the statement itself.

In China, there was no such thing as a player "permanently retiring" from the National Team.

There was only the National Team needing you, and you accepting the call.

To announce your own permanent retirement was tantamount to open rebellion.

Furthermore, he hadn’t communicated with the Basketball Association beforehand. As a legendary figure in the sport, making the announcement directly to the press caught the Association completely flat-footed.

And it didn’t end there.

When reporters asked him why he’d made the statement, he added that the current National Team wasn’t the same as the old one and that there was no place for him anymore. Then, in a passive-aggressive tone, he said he had to focus on his professional league career, or else he might not even have a team to play for in the CBA soon.

The media immediately interpreted these remarks as a direct attack on the CBA’s recent commercialization reforms.

This was because not long before, the Shougang team had announced that they were planning to recruit an interior player from the Greek league named Yannis Brosis.

His arrival would likely cost Bartel his starting position with Shougang.