603 Simple Rehabilitation Training (1/2)

Auckland, Golden State Warriors Training Camp.

Fidel, the team doctor, hurried into the room. There was a TV on the wall. On both sides of the TV, there was a tactical board of the court. On the other side was a whiteboard.

This was where the team analyzed and discussed tactics. Fidel did not come here often. Right now, all members of the coaching staff had arrived.

Fidel felt like he was late. He said apologetically, ”Sorry coach. I rushed here as fast as I could.”

After Fidel finished talking, he went to the back to find a seat.

”Fidel, sit here.” The Warriors' coach, Nicholas, pointed to a seat close to him.

It was the seat facing the TV. Usually, the head coach, Nicholas, would sit there alone. There was an extra chair there today.

Although Fidel felt somewhat overwhelmed and a bit flattered, he nodded and sat next to Nicholas.

”Fidel, look at this.” Nicholas pressed the remote.

The game between the Clippers and the Blazers appeared on the TV.

Fidel didn't understand for a while. He thought about it carefully. The Clippers and the Blazers were both teams in the Western Conference and the Clippers and Warriors were also in the Pacific Division. Their chances of facing off against each other were quite high. In the next two weeks of competition, the Warriors would not meet the Clippers or the Blazers. He was just a team doctor. He didn't know much about tactics, so he didn't quite understand the reason Nicholas wanted him to watch the video.

”Coach, why am I watching this?” Fidel asked.

”Look at him.” Nicholas pointed to Wood on the TV. ”Look at Wood.”

”Oh, he played very well. There were a few very beautiful shots. It was enjoyable to watch!” Fidel was a bit slow to catch on.

”What else?” Nicholas asked.

”What else!” Fidel thought about it and said helplessly, ”Well, you may not be happy to hear it, but my two sons are fans of his.”

Fidel's slowness made Nicholas feel discouraged. If it weren't for Fidel's medical skills, Nicholas would have kicked Fidel out.

Nicholas had no choice but to clarify, ”I want you to watch his movement. Don't pay attention to whether or not they were well executed. Analyze, from a professional's point of view, how much has his knees have recovered.”

Nicholas said everything very clearly. He was afraid Fidel might misunderstand again.

Fidel suddenly understood the situation. He gave a little smile. He then looked at the TV screen. After focusing on it for ten seconds, he said, ”In my professional judgment, Wood's knees are in better condition than most normal players. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to pull off such difficult maneuvers. For example, if you rewind a bit...”

Nicholas pressed the rewind button. Fidel pointed to the TV. ”Yes, here, after the sudden stop, the immediate change in direction, then a jump-and-throw. Such coherent movements, coordination of the body, and explosive power require great strength. The average player cannot perform such actions. Doing something like this puts the joints on the knees under pressure in all sorts of areas within a short time span. Unless he has a very strong knee, he will get injured very easily...”

Fidel's analysis was as fierce as a tiger. As he was talking, he suddenly stopped.

”Wait a minute. Is this Wood?” Fidel stared at the screen in surprise.

After repeated confirmation, Fidel found that this was not a simulation. Suddenly, he showed an expression of shock, ”How did Wood's knees recover? This is impossible!”

”So you also think it is impossible?” Nicholas asked.

Fidel nodded and thought for a while. ”Wood's injuries stem from a cruciate ligament tear. The torn cruciate ligament caused the subsequent menisci tearing. In fact, cruciate ligament rupture is a very common knee joint injury. The traditional medical treatment is arthroscopic ACL reconstruction, but the treatment for this is more complicated. As far as I know, Wood did undertake this treatment. This is an arthroscopic surgery. It is not only for the use of ACL reconstruction but also for the use of arthroscopic reduction and fixation surgery...”

Fidel's professional analysis was, again, as fierce as a tiger. Professional jargon kept coming out of his mouth.

When Fidel finished his analysis, Nicholas asked, ”So your conclusion is that it is impossible for Wood to recover from his injury?”

”In theory, yes.” Fidel shrugged and said, ”But our reality is different from theory. Wood has really recovered.”

”Can you be sure? I mean, is it possible that he only did well this one game, but his knees still haven't recovered?” Nicholas asked eagerly.

Fidel frowned. This time, he thought about for a long time. ”This is a possibility, but I am not inclined to believe it is the case. From the technical performance shown by Wood, I think his knees have recovered.”

”What you mean is that his knees have returned to their state when he was in his prime?” Nicholas asked, unwilling to believe it.

”From this performance, I can draw such a conclusion,” Fidel nodded.

”Damn! Another MVP player,” Nicholas said somewhat angrily. ”The competition in the Western Conference is getting tougher and tougher!”

...

It wasn't only the Warriors, the defending champions, that paid close attention to the game between the Clippers and the Blazers. Other teams paid close attention to it as well. They focused on the fact that Wood had fully recovered.

This was not good news for the other 29 teams, especially for the ones in the Western Conference. It was very bad news. The competition in the Western Conference was fierce. The gap in skill between the teams in the playoffs was very small. It was often the case that three or four teams would compete for one or two places in the playoffs.

A healthy Wood meant that there was another MVP-level superstar in the NBA. It also meant that there was another team in the battle for a place in the playoffs in the Western Conference. That team was the Los Angeles Clippers.

An ordinary All-Star player could change the record of a team. An ordinary superstar player could change the results of the playoffs, and a regular season MVP was enough to change the situation of the entire NBA.

Every team had the same question. How did Wood recover from such a severe injury?