"Nelson, it’s not April Fools’ Day. Don’t joke with ."
’Is this a joke? The Dream Team... even if they choke, there’s no way they’d choke this badly.’
Nelson sighed. "I’m not joking. Why don’t you turn on the TV and see for yourself."
Chen Yu quickly changed his clothes, ran to the doctors’ lounge, and turned on the television.
TNT Television should be broadcasting it live.
The ga was over, and they were already in the post-ga analysis segnt.
"Kenny, stop making excuses for them! They played like a pile of shit! No teamwork, just a bunch of one-on-one plays. I’ve never seen such an ugly ga." On the television, Barkley was ranting, spittle flying everywhere. The constant bleeping was a clear indication of just how foul his language was.
It was only at this mont that Chen Yu truly believed the Dream Team had actually lost.
’What the hell?’
’Aren’t they the Dream Team? Aren’t they supposed to be invincible? How could they get knocked out in the quarterfinals?’
Just a few days ago, on the National Team, not only George Karl but all the players had been completely relaxed, thinking winning the championship would be a walk in the park.
And for good reason. They had won all three of their group stage gas, even beating Algeria by a full 50 points.
And now this...
Chen Yu rubbed his temples. ’This is just great,’ he thought. ’I was hoping to coast along with the National Team and snag a championship title. Now, we won’t even get a dal.’
Picking up his phone, Chen Yu called Nelson again and asked him if there was a ga tomorrow and what ti it started.
"Yes, at five in the afternoon. Are you coming?" Nelson asked.
Chen Yu gave a wry smile. "Of course. Gotta see things through to the end, wrap it up properly."
After hanging up, Chen Yu glanced at the television again and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
’Fucking incredible. A day when the Dream Team doesn’t even get a dal!’
With this sudden turn of events, Chen Yu had no choice but to drop his work at the clinic. The next morning, he took a flight to Indiana.
When he arrived at the hotel, it was surrounded by a large crowd of reporters.
The previous night, Chen Yu had made a point to check the news. The story of the United States Team’s elimination was like a bombshell dropped on the Arican sports world, causing a massive uproar.
From the players to the coach, the major dia outlets had blasted just about everyone, with a completely one-sided chorus of criticism.
They even took the ti to berate the star players who had declined the invitation to join the Dream Team, accusing them of having no sense of honor and of bringing sha to the United States.
So, it was only natural for so many reporters to be there.
Chen Yu, carrying his bag, had no desire to deal with these reporters. Furthermore, with things at such a fever pitch, he didn’t want to get involved. But the reporters weren’t about to let him go, spotting him from a distance.
As Chen Yu was passing by, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"What did you just say?"
Chen Yu spun around and strode quickly toward one of the reporters.
He glanced at the man’s press badge. Los Angeles Tis.
Suddenly being called out, the reporter was taken aback. He blinked, his voice lacking so confidence as he said, "I was just trying to ask if the Dream Team’s failure had anything to do with you. Did your dical team fail to ensure the players’ good condition?"
Chen Yu raised a hand, silencing the other reporters who were about to ask questions, and fixed his gaze on this one man.
Calvin Abel.
’I’ll rember you.’
"Are you out of your goddamn mind, asking a question like that?" Chen Yu cursed without reservation.
Trying to pin the bla on him at a critical ti like this—it was a wonder Chen Yu had anything polite to say at all.
"Let ask you sothing. During this entire World Championship, did a single player on the National Team get injured? No, right? So, how do you have the gall to say our dical team failed to ensure the players’ condition? Or are you suggesting our entire dical team knows Magic and can turn every single player into Michael Jordan?"
The reporter’s face turned green, especially as the other reporters around him started looking at him with expressions that seed to say, ’How can you be so stupid?’
"I didn’t an it like that," he quickly protested.
"Then what did you an?" Chen Yu snorted. "If you’re trying to bla the dical team for the loss, then sorry, we’re not taking that responsibility."
With that, Chen Yu turned and walked away.
’What a joke. Blaming the team doctor for a loss. What kind of thinking is that?’
He t up with Nelson.
Needless to say, morale was at rock bottom.
When George Karl saw Chen Yu, he looked incredibly embarrassed.
It couldn’t be helped. It was a total disgrace!
On his way over, Chen Yu had considered giving them a pep talk to boost their morale, but now, he figured he’d better not.
’It’s already co to this. They’re not getting a dal anyway, so does it even matter what place they finish in?’
In the eyes of Aricans, anything less than first place is a failure.
That evening at five-thirty, Chen Yu accompanied the team to Conseco Fieldhouse.
This year’s World Championship had only drawn moderate attention to begin with, and attendance had never been high. Now that the team was out, the attendance was even more pitifully low.
The entire arena was sparsely filled, with only about a third of the seats taken.
During the final pre-ga warm-ups, as Chen Yu was watching from the sidelines, he suddenly heard soone call his na.
In Chinese, no less.
He turned his head and saw it was Su Jun.
"Oh, right. You guys had a ga this morning, didn’t you? How did it go?" Chen Yu asked as he walked over.
Su Jun let out a long sigh. "We lost. Now we can only fight for 11th place."
His face was filled with lancholy.
So far in this World Championship, the China Team had managed to win only a single ga.
And tomorrow, they would be playing Angola, a ga they were also likely to lose.
To call this outco ’dismal’ would be an understatent.
"Dr. Chen, that interview manuscript... I’m planning to publish it after tomorrow’s ga. I really think our Basketball Association has to make so changes," Su Jun said with a serious expression.
He had been waiting for the right mont.
And now, Su Jun felt that mont had arrived.
This crushing defeat had to have taught them so kind of lesson.
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