Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 114 - 85: Even More Exciting Than the Finals
The NBC Television broadcast booth.
Kevin Johnson was in the middle of a non-stop analysis of the game.
"The East is showing some tactical coordination, which makes them stronger than the West in that regard. The West is just playing chaotic, run-and-gun basketball. If it weren’t for Weber and J Kidd connecting the offense, it would be even uglier to watch."
"But the West’s advantage in the paint is just too great. Antonio Davis can’t stop Duncan at all. The East is now trailing by a full 15 points. Making a comeback will be incredibly difficult."
As he was speaking, he suddenly exclaimed, "What a play! Hill fakes out Weber! He’s too fast, Weber can’t stop him at all. Facing the Admiral, he doesn’t force a shot. Instead, he throws the ball off the backboard because Tracy McGrady is rushing in too! He catches the rebound and finishes with a monstrous dunk! Duncan never expected Tracy McGrady to charge in; he was out of position. A brilliant play! That’s the power of the Orlando Gemini!"
Kevin Johnson rattled off the long string of words at top speed, finally slamming his hand on the table and shouting about the amazing play.
That toss and dunk—if you look back at the entire All-Star game, you could say this was the most spectacular basket of them all.
"That’s chemistry. That’s the basketball IQ of one of the league’s top small forwards. I think Adelman miscalculated. He didn’t pick a true small forward. Weber is agile enough, but he still can’t keep up with Hill."
Never mind the West’s starting five; for the bench, Adelman’s choices were also concentrated on inside players.
Garnett, Rashid Wallace, Antonio McDyess... the West has far too many excellent big men.
But he didn’t pick a single true small forward.
So when Hill started playing seriously, no one could stop him.
On the next possession, Hill was at it again. In transition, he received a long pass from Iverson, did a behind-the-back dribble while on the run, and blew past Duncan like a gust of wind for a one-handed tomahawk dunk.
The East picked up the pace.
Hill, Tracy McGrady, and Iverson, like a three-pronged Trident, tore the West’s uncoordinated defense to shreds.
And it wasn’t just on offense, but on defense too.
Hill gritted his teeth and actually managed to hold his ground against Duncan’s post-up near the paint, preventing Duncan from getting a comfortable shot off.
CLANK! The ball bounced off the rim.
Mutombo leaped up, snatching the rebound over Robinson.
The move was a bit aggressive. Robinson even staggered when he landed, then looked at Mutombo in confusion.
’What the hell? Why is everyone suddenly playing for real?’
When the East suddenly ramped up their defensive intensity, the looks on the faces of the five West players were full of discomfort.
In that moment of dazed confusion, the 15-point lead was cut to just 7.
Adelman had already risen to his feet involuntarily. He glanced quickly at the clock—one minute left in the third quarter.
After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to wait and not call a timeout just yet.
Then, Iverson went coast-to-coast. He drove hard at an aging Payton, hit him with a reverse crossover and a sudden stop, then pulled up for the jumper.
A three-pointer!
The ball sailed through the air like a shooting star and plunged straight into the basket.
Adelman’s eyes widened. The lead was down to 4 points.
The crowd in the stands was going wild.
In the final minutes of the third quarter, it was like the East had flipped a switch. Everything they threw up went in. They quickly went on a 13-2 run against the West, nearly completing the comeback.
Some fans were already chanting "MVP" for Iverson.
His offense was unstoppable.
On the sidelines, Lexi, who was behind Chen Yu, grew anxious. She shook his shoulders. "Look, the East is about to win!"
If the East won, Chen Yu would lose ten thousand US dollars.
Ten thousand US dollars! That was her salary for a month.
Chen Yu’s gaze fell on the short player turning to run back on defense. ’He’s not even as tall as I am,’ he thought.
As Kobe hit a tough, contested shot, the third quarter finally came to an end.
The five West players walked off the court, their expressions grim.
"Fack."
Payton, who loved to talk trash, couldn’t help but curse. "Those guys are actually playing for real," he complained. "It’s the All-Star game! We’re just supposed to put on a show. Isn’t taking it this seriously going a little too far?"
Adelman’s face was dark.
If they lost this game after blowing the lead, it would be a huge joke. He clapped his hands, his expression serious. "Alright everyone, drop the careless and arrogant attitude. The other team is playing for real now. Every single one of you needs to focus. I don’t want tomorrow’s headlines to be ’West All-Stars Blow 15-Point Lead in Humiliating Loss.’"
The players exchanged silent glances and nodded.
Kobe, in particular, looked like he had fire shooting from his eyes.
For the first time, Adelman picked up his clipboard and began to draw up a play.
"Watch out for Hill’s passes," Adelman said first. "The East has scored a lot of baskets from Hill driving into the paint and dishing the ball out. His penetration is too much of a threat."
As he said this, Adelman felt a pang of regret. ’If I’d known Hill was in such good form, I would’ve picked a standard small forward no matter what,’ he thought.
"And their drives."
Iverson, Hill, and on top of that, Tracy McGrady—all of them were experts at driving to the basket.
"Aren’t you going to go over and listen?" Not far away, Chen Yu nudged O’Neal and whispered.
With everyone gathered around for tactical instructions, it didn’t look right for O’Neal to remain seated.
They might have a bet going, but that was just dessert after the main course, a bit of extra fun. Who won or lost didn’t really matter. With O’Neal’s net worth, could he really care about winning ten thousand US dollars from Chen Yu?
O’Neal had long since dropped his previous goofy grin. He glanced at Adelman in the huddle and snorted. "They’re the ones who won’t let me play."
Chen Yu turned his head and looked O’Neal over again, who was built like a small mountain.
