Chapter 815 - 733: The Immensely Determined Ronaldo

Chapter 815: Chapter 733: The Immensely Determined Ronaldo

Chen Yu returned to Phoenix alone. The Phoenix Suns went straight to Portland to rest and wait for the Western Conference Finals to begin.

If the Phoenix Suns eliminating the Lakers in Game 7 was considered a minor upset, then on the other side of the bracket, the Pioneers eliminating the Mavericks 4-2 was definitely another. Before the series began, most media outlets had predicted that the Mavericks would advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Mavericks boasted a strong interior presence, anchored by the unstoppable O’Neal.

Meanwhile, the Pioneers’ biggest glaring weakness was their paint defense. Randolph had plenty of offensive firepower, but his defense was a complete liability. This very issue was why their first-round matchup against the Grizzlies had dragged all the way to a Game 7.

In the eyes of the media, no one on the Pioneers could stop O’Neal. Furthermore, the Mavericks possessed a solid roster featuring Josh Howard, Stackhouse, Terry, and the outstanding rookie Devin Harris. Unexpectedly, it was the Pioneers who had the last laugh in the crucial battle of Celestial King Mountain.

By Game 6, the Pioneers utilized their unmatched speed to completely gas out O’Neal. He simply could not keep up with their pace. The Pioneers relentlessly pushed the tempo on fast breaks and transition plays, specifically targeting O’Neal’s inability to get back on defense. This strategy ultimately caused the Mavericks to collapse.

O’Neal himself was also to blame. After arriving in Dallas, he became even more sluggish, playing defense entirely based on his mood. Expecting him to sprint back and forth to help anchor the defense was nothing more than wishful thinking. Although O’Neal dropped 33 points in Game 6, his plus-minus rating was the lowest on the team. That alone spoke volumes.

Heading into the Western Conference Finals, the Phoenix Suns would inevitably face the same challenge. D’Antoni’s run-and-gun system was truly unique, but Chen Yu felt it would not be a major issue. The Pioneers still had their own flaws, the most glaring of which was their lack of roster toughness. They were led by a bunch of young players. At the same time, neither Milicic nor Nash were anywhere near the level of top-tier superstars.

In a truly high-intensity, grinding battle, Chen Yu was much more willing to trust the abilities of Nowitzki and Hardaway. As for handling their fast breaks, they only needed to look at how the Lakers had dealt with the Pioneers last year. Let them play fast while we play slow; simply refusing to conform to their rhythm would be enough.

Over in the East, it was the same old rivals: the Pistons and the Magic. The two teams had already played their first game, which the Magic won 101 to 93. The Pistons still had a lot of issues to iron out. Their elite defense was still unable to withstand the offensive wing duo of Tracy McGrady and Hill.

When Chen Yu drove to his clinic, he found the iron gates still swarmed by reporters. However, upon seeing his car, none of them rushed forward, allowing him to enter the premises smoothly.

His clinic now housed the largest gathering of soccer superstars in the world. There were enough elite players to comfortably form several full soccer teams. While most National Teams stayed together in nearby hotels, only a select few superstars qualified to stay in the detached villas on the clinic’s grounds.

Chen Yu’s current daily tasks were quite simple: a routine ward round consisting primarily of massages and assisted recovery training to fine-tune the players’ physical conditions. The work itself was not particularly complex, but the sheer volume of patients meant it consumed a massive amount of his time each day.

After parking his car and hurrying to the medical center, a middle-aged man approached him.

"Hello, Dr. Chen." His face was plastered with a wide, ingratiating smile.

Chen Yu frowned imperceptibly. It was Li Jinfeng, the team manager of the South Korea men’s soccer team. He had contacted Chen Yu previously, wanting to arrange for the South Korea Team to come to the United States so Chen Yu could help adjust their physical condition.

Chen Yu had already rejected him once. He still could not forget everything that had transpired during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He had never seen such a shameless team, one that won games by intentionally injuring opposing players. Calling them shameless was already giving them too much credit.

Chen Yu chose to ignore him, pretending he hadn’t seen the man at all.

"Dr. Chen, we are truly very sincere about this," Li Jinfeng said, chasing after him to block his path. "Our players have just been through a long season and are in terrible physical shape. We really need your help."

All the top-tier powerhouse teams had come to the United States. As an ambitious National Team willing to spend money, the South Korea Team felt they also needed to fine-tune their players’ conditions. This was a necessary step that they absolutely could not afford to skip.

Seeing that Chen Yu remained unmoved, Li Jinfeng hurriedly fished a check out of his briefcase and offered it. "Dr. Chen, please take a look at this check first. If you are not satisfied, we can still negotiate further."

Forced to stop, Chen Yu scoffed inwardly at the man’s attempt to buy him off with money.

He took the check. Li Jinfeng felt a surge of joy in his heart, certain that no one could resist cold, hard cash.

But in the very next moment, without even glancing at the amount, Chen Yu ripped the check in half and stuffed the pieces into his own suit pocket.

"Frank!" Chen Yu waved at the security guard in the distance. "Escort this man out. And next time, don’t just let anyone in here."

After delivering the reprimand, Chen Yu bypassed Li Jinfeng and walked into the medical center. If one were to list his most despised sports teams, the South Korea Team would undoubtedly rank near the top.

After changing his clothes, Chen Yu began his work. With the arrival of various National Teams, the clinic was no longer accepting ordinary patients. The inpatient wards were occupied by players with more severe injuries. Those with minor issues would commute from their hotels every day according to their treatment schedules.

His morning consisted primarily of ward rounds. The exhausting season had just ended, and without any time to rest, these players had immediately reported to their National Teams to prepare for the FIFA World Cup. Consequently, their physical fatigue had reached its absolute limit, resulting in quite a large number of patients.

Shevchenko was dealing with a knee injury. Swedish midfielder Ljungberg suffered from Achilles tendinitis. Paraguay striker San Cruz had fluid buildup in his knee.

Eriksson had been dealing with a constant string of disasters, and Lippi’s luck was no better. Nesta suffered a relapse of an old injury. Zambrotta sustained a strained left thigh muscle. Gattuso suffered a similar thigh muscle strain, but on his right leg. England seemed cursed with metatarsal fractures, while Italy was plagued by muscle strains.

There were countless other injured players. Ankles, knees, groins, backs, and shoulders were all taking a beating. For these professional athletes, coming off a grueling season, it was rare to find anyone who wasn’t riddled with injuries.

This was also a major reason why upsets were so frequent at the FIFA World Cup. The more crucial a core player was to their club, the more exhausted they became during the season. Instead of getting the rest they desperately needed during the offseason, they were forced to play in the tournament under immense pressure. It was only natural for their performance to fluctuate.

However, with his involvement this year, this issue would likely see a massive improvement. It was no exaggeration to say that Chen Yu single-handedly elevated the entertainment value of the FIFA World Cup.

Blatter had even specifically mentioned this to him. The FIFA president even wanted to mandate that all national Football Associations must report to Chen Yu’s clinic.

But Chen Yu had flatly rejected the idea, knowing that with only a week’s time and thirty-two teams involved, Blatter was practically trying to work him to death. More importantly, FIFA refused to reimburse the medical expenses. Wealthy teams like England and Italy didn’t care about the cost, but others simply could not afford such a hefty fee.

His ward rounds began at the detached villas, with his first stop being Ronaldo. After all, the Brazilian had a rock-solid relationship with Chen Yu and possessed the utmost seniority. However, upon arriving, Chen Yu did not see him. After asking the caretaker, he learned that Ronaldo had already gone to the rehabilitation center.

The man was truly diligent, which was understandable. Ronaldo had been preparing for this FIFA World Cup for four long years. In fact, fully committing to burning his boats, he had already told Chen Yu that this would be the final FIFA World Cup of his career.

He had hoisted the FIFA World Cup before, but the only thing missing from his resume was leading Brazil to lift the trophy as the absolute core of the team. It was an all-or-nothing endeavor. If he succeeded this year, great; if not, by the time 2010 rolled around, he would be thirty-four and had no desire to merely tag along for another tournament. It would hold no meaning for him whatsoever.

His determination was incredibly fierce. Arriving in the United States ahead of schedule, without even bringing his wife, spoke volumes about his focus.