On the court, the players celebrated wildly, and on the bench, the coaching staff was just as excited.
"Now that we’ve won this one, we have a shot at advancing from the group stage, don’t we?" Andy Dunbar’s face was flushed with excitent.
Italy was a lost cause. No one ever expected to beat them.
But they had a real chance against Ecuador.
A win there would give them two victories, all but guaranteeing they would advance.
Even if they ended up tied with another team in the standings, they’d most likely advance.
Alina clearly thought the sa. Smiling, he walked over to the opposing bench to shake hands with Jorjic.
Today, Croatia had handed the United States Team a massive gift.
Faced with their optimism, Chen Yu could only think, ’Whatever makes them happy. A win is always a good thing, no matter what.’
Chen Yu wasn’t scheduled for the post-ga press conference, but he was cornered by reporters anyway.
He couldn’t imdiately tell what country the reporters were from and assud they were French, so Chen Yu preempted them. "Zidane is recovering from an injury. You should ask Lerre when he’ll be back."
The reporters acted as if they hadn’t heard a word, thrusting their recorders forward. One of them asked loudly, "Chen, what are your thoughts on Shaq publicly stating that if he were to be traded, his first choice is the Phoenix Suns?"
’What the hell?’
Chen Yu stopped dead in his tracks.
’Since when is O’Neal on the trading block? And his first choice is the Phoenix Suns? That’s got to be bullshit.’
’He just lost the Western Conference Finals to the Suns, costing them their glorious three-peat dynasty, and now he wants to be traded to them? What is that? That’s practically defecting to the enemy.’
"What do you an?" Chen Yu strode toward the reporter who had asked the question.
Ga 7 had only just ended a little after noon.
The trophy presentation for the Western Conference Finals caused a delay, so the press conference didn’t start until almost 1:00 PM. That timing worked out for the news to have just reached them here in Japan.
At the post-ga press conference, Jackson appeared very calm about losing Ga 7.
"We were a bit unlucky, and the Phoenix Suns are not as weak as people might think." Right from the get-go, Jackson set the tone for his answers to the reporters’ questions.
If the Phoenix Suns were weak, would they have been able to drag the Lakers to a Ga 7?
Jackson continued, "They have legendary stars like Olajuwon and Ewing. They also have Hardaway, who was called the next Jordan, plus J Kidd, the league’s assist leader, and Marion, who’s a very talented young player."
"I’d even say their roster is better and more well-constructed than ours. They eliminated the Kings, who are an incredibly strong team, so they’re the real deal."
He seized the opportunity to lavish praise on the Phoenix Suns.
Losing to a weaker opponent is a disgraceful upset; you have to look inward and find what you did wrong.
But losing to a stronger opponent? That’s just being outmatched. It’s a hard-fought loss.
So there was nothing wrong with the Lakers. The answer to any question was simply: the opponent was too strong.
Jackson’s noncommittal answers clearly didn’t satisfy the press, who then turned their pointed questions toward Kobe and O’Neal.
This ti, however, Kobe—usually not the most diplomatic player—took the high road. In response to the reporters, he didn’t complain about a thing. Instead, he just said he should have played harder and that he had let down his family, his team, and all the Lakers fans.
It was a textbook-perfect response.
But it was so perfect that the dia all felt it was the calm before the storm, the darkness before the dawn.
Kobe’s anger and dissatisfaction were still simring beneath the surface, yet to be unleashed.
This ti, however, it was O’Neal—normally so charismatic he could have the entire press corps laughing—who unexpectedly dropped a bombshell.
"We have a lot of problems. For instance, we have no teamwork. We played like a complete ss."
He didn’t just say their teamwork was poor; he explicitly said they had *no* teamwork. That distinction imdiately made the depth of O’Neal’s dissatisfaction clear to every reporter.
Another reporter imdiately fanned the flas. "Shaq, when you say ’no teamwork,’ are you talking about Kobe?"
O’Neal shot the reporter a look. ’I’m angry, not stupid,’ he thought. He imdiately shook his head. "I never said that."
But then his tone shifted. "However, I feel our roster is just too weak. For the last three years, our rivals have been getting stronger while we’ve only gotten weaker. I think we need to make a change, or else..."
He paused for a mont, several thoughts racing through his mind. Then, gritting his teeth, he continued, "We’ll fall apart."
O’Neal couldn’t think of a better phrase at that mont, so he went with "fall apart."
The reporters in the audience were stunned, a collective shiver running through them.
Aside from the truly brainless players who run their mouths and spout nonsense to the press, any player with half a brain—or even those who’d learned the hard way after years of grinding it out in the league—knew full well that the more you talk, the more you risk saying the wrong thing.
Anyone can spout canned responses.
But beyond those canned answers, every extra word spoken to the press was packed with hidden aning.
So what did O’Neal an when he said the team would "fall apart"?
From a reporter’s perspective, the ssage was clear: he was unhappy with the team for failing to secure the three-peat, and he was telling managent in no uncertain terms, "Our roster is trash. If you don’t make changes, I’m out. I want a trade."
While Los Angeles was a big market like New York, the Lakers didn’t have the deep pockets of the Knicks.
Old Bass was too poor and too stingy.
Last season, the Lakers’ total payroll was still $59 million. This season, with the official implentation of the luxury tax, their payroll dropped right below the tax line. It was obvious they weren’t willing to spend a single extra di.
When you’re not willing to spend money, you’re naturally stuck using veterans and spare parts. It’s no surprise the roster wasn’t great.
A quick-thinking reporter had already put two and two together. He shot up his hand. "Shaq, your contract is up next sumr. Will you be signing an extension with the Lakers this sumr? Or, has Lakers managent even approached you about negotiating an extension?"
The upcoming season was the final year of O’Neal’s billion-dollar contract, making it the right ti to consider an early extension.
At that, a lightbulb went off for many of the reporters.
No wonder O’Neal was talking about the team "falling apart." He was obviously demanding a response from managent.
’Either you strengthen the roster to my satisfaction, or I’m gone next year.’
O’Neal simply shook his head, saying that was his agent’s business and he wasn’t involved.
But what reporter would believe that? If he really wasn’t involved, why would he say sothing like that now?
When another reporter was called on, he glanced around, then took a deep breath and asked, "Shaq, hypothetically, if you were to leave the Lakers, do you have a preferred destination in mind?"
’It’s already a huge story, so why not make it even more explosive? If I can get him to na a team, tomorrow’s headline can be ’O’Neal Demands Trade, Potential Destination Revealed!’’
After asking the question, the reporter felt a pang of anxiety, worried O’Neal wouldn’t answer.
O’Neal hesitated as well.
O’Neal’s goal with his earlier statents had been clear. The team had lost and the three-peat was over. Life had to go on, and the next step was simply to keep chasing a championship.
But the current roster clearly wasn’t going to cut it. They had to get stronger. His comnts were ant to pressure the Lakers’ notoriously cheap managent.
At the sa ti, with his contract expiring next year, O’Neal wanted an early extension. He wanted to use a massive, multi-year deal to show that punk Kobe—the one making a re ten-sothing million a year—exactly who the real leader of the team was.
He had made his stance clear. O’Neal worried that naming a preferred team would be going too far.
But the anger from the loss was still fresh. After a mont’s hesitation, O’Neal made his decision. ’Screw it,’ he thought.
But when he actually started to think about which team he’d go to, O’Neal drew a blank.
’There didn’t seem to be any other suitable teams in the league.’
’No, wait. There is one!’
O’Neal cleared his throat. "This season, I had so injuries and missed so gas, so I lost so of my dominance. I feel like a big reason we lost was that I didn’t play well enough. If I were healthy, I’d be even more dominant. I could bring a championship to any team!"
The reporters in the audience exchanged glances. The sharper ones had already read between the lines.
O’Neal felt he wasn’t healthy enough.
That was true, of course. O’Neal had missed several gas this season due to a toe injury.
So connecting the dots... if O’Neal wanted to get healthy and still play for a competitive team, where would that be? Obviously, the Phoenix Suns.
They had Chen Yu, the number one miracle doctor in the league.
Also, if the Phoenix Suns won the championship this year, Olajuwon and Ewing would, if not retire imdiately, certainly be preparing to.
So the Phoenix Suns would be in need of a big man. Wouldn’t O’Neal be a perfect fit?
Not to ntion the Phoenix Suns still had the superstar guard Hardaway, O’Neal’s forr teammate on the Magic. The two of them had even reached the Finals together.
No matter how you looked at it, the Phoenix Suns were the most logical fit.
Before the reporters could ask any follow-up questions, O’Neal waved a hand, declared the press conference over, and stood up to leave.
Chen Yu stared at the reporter before him, his expression unreadable.
The reporter had vividly recounted the events of the post-ga press conference, practically repeating O’Neal’s speech verbatim, before adding his own speculation and analysis.
For a mont, Chen Yu was completely baffled.
’Did the Suns’ mind gas actually work? Did they really just break up the Lakers? No. This isn’t my fault. There’s no smoke without fire. This outco could only an the conflicts were already there. They had just surfaced now that the glorious three-peat dynasty was over.’
"Chen, what are your thoughts on Shaq wanting to co to the Phoenix Suns because of you?" the reporter pressed.
He couldn’t help but marvel as he said it.
’The draw of a miracle doctor like Chen Yu was just too powerful.’
’Olajuwon and Ewing had co to the Phoenix Suns purely because of Chen Yu, allowing the team to snag them for a bargain.’
Chen Yu snapped back to reality. "I don’t have any thoughts on it. That’s all just dia speculation. I don’t believe Shaq ever explicitly said he wanted a trade to the Phoenix Suns, did he? Besides, trading a superstar like him is a very complex affair, so I have no opinion. As you know, I’m just a team doctor. Player trades are a matter for the front office."
With that, Chen Yu gave a dismissive wave and turned to leave.
The reporter quickly tried to follow him.
’So ordinary team doctor? No way. Even superstars like O’Neal were willing to switch teams just to play with him. There was nothing ordinary about that.’
But Chen Yu was already walking away quickly, giving the reporter no chance for a follow-up.
The news was a bit of a shock. Chen Yu knew he had to call Brian right away to find out what was really going on.
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