Chapter 164 For King's Last Season in Toronto

In order to safeguard His Majesty the King's last season in Toronto, the Raptors' second-in-command and young players all displayed impressive form during the preseason.

Su Feng only played in the first three preseason games, leaving the opportunity to perform to Nash and others.

As a result, Su Feng didn't notice it while playing on the court...

But when he returned to the bench to observe, he realized that this Raptors team faintly possessed the essence of that once-famous Greek national basketball team from his memories.

Because the Raptors had maintained their main lineup for the past five years, the chemistry between the players could be said to have reached its peak.

There were no special arrangements.

Nor were there any deliberate tactics.

In Su Feng's eyes, the passing and cutting coordination developed through improved understanding between each other could not be described by the simple phrase "like mercury flowing to the ground."

In the end, the Raptors easily achieved a perfect 7-0 record in the preseason.

Second-year player Parker, who received the most playing time, and new team member Marshall, became the biggest surprises for the Raptors in this preseason.

In the preseason, after seven games, Parker's field goal percentage in the paint reached an astonishing 80%.

Although Parker's field goal percentage in the paint certainly couldn't remain that high with the increase in the number of games...

But as the point guard true center in Su Feng's memory who could compete with seven-footers in field goal percentage in the paint, Parker's floater and layups after contact...

In Su Feng's view, were ridiculously solid.

Conversely, unlike Parker, Marshall, who was 206 centimeters tall, only scored 4 points in the paint in these seven games.

However, he was able to make an average of 4 three-pointers per game from beyond the arc.

Moreover, in the preseason, thanks to the Raptors having too many players that opponents needed to target on the court, Marshall, who could always find open looks on the court, also shot 60% from three-point range.

Honestly speaking, if Parker and Marshall could continue their hot form in the upcoming regular season...

Then, in Su Feng's view, even if Carter and O'Neal were to stage "Three Variations on a Plum Blossom" (a Chinese idiom referring to repeated setbacks and comebacks)...

This Raptors team, which had become even stronger after a summer, would not fear the "Five-Star Celtics" or the "Three-Man Lake" (referring to the Lakers).

On October 25th, before the start of the regular season, the Raptors officially announced their 15-man roster for the new season.

Centers: Ben Wallace, Collins, Spandiinia.

Power Forwards: O'Neal, Marshall, Barkley.

Small Forwards: Su Feng, Jackson.

Shooting Guards: Carter, Dell Curry, Williams.

Point Guards: Nash, Parker, Jaric, Tyronn Lue.

In the first power rankings of the year by ESPN, the Raptors, Celtics, and Lakers were ranked in the top three.

And in the player rankings, something infuriating to Kobe fans happened again.

Because ESPN actually ranked Kobe fifth among shooting guards again, behind McGrady and Ray Allen.

"Seriously! Did ESPN make this list with their feet?"

"Exactly! Why is a two-time All-NBA defender ranked lower than a shooter!"

"It's confirmed, ESPN is definitely a Kobe hater! And an irrational one at that!"

It was quite amazing, actually.

In his previous life, if Su Feng remembered correctly, ESPN would troll Kobe every year at the beginning of the season.

For example, ranking Kobe as low as possible, describing him as a cosplayer of Jordan, or subtly dissing Kobe while praising Wade and others.

Therefore, as a staunch Kobe fan, Su Feng would always give ESPN a big thumbs-up at this time every year when he was a fan...

Ah, no!

He would run over and argue with those Kobe haters every year.

However, in this life, as Kobe's best friend, when he saw Kobe receiving such unfair criticism...

Believe it or not, Su Feng was quite happy.

Cough...

Because in Su Feng's opinion, with such motivation, Kobe could become stronger and catch up to him.

After all, as the Black Mamba who had grown up under his guidance, Su Feng would be very troubled if he kept standing still.

Are you angry, Kobe?

If you are, then use all your strength to squeeze that damned fathead out of the low post and prove to me that you can fight me!

...

After the preseason ended, the 02/03 season officially began after a few days of adjustment.

On the 31st, the Raptors hosted the Wizards at home.

As a result, Jordan felt terrible when he saw the supreme treatment that Canadian fans gave to Su Feng.

Because in Jordan's eyes, this was even more heartbreaking than the Raptors fans saying that he only won the championship back then by riding Su Feng's coattails.

And what was even more heartbreaking was that in the opening game, the Wizards almost suffered another "58 Massacre" in the away game against the Raptors.

As in Su Feng's memory, Hamilton, who was not liked by Jordan in the summer, was traded by the Wizards to Motor City.

Because he still vividly remembered blocking Stackhouse's game-winning shot when the Philadelphia Thugs upset them in the playoffs that year, Jordan obviously preferred to trust his junior between Hamilton and Stackhouse, despite the fact that this junior often provoked him.

And the facts proved...

Every player who comes out of North Carolina has a burning desire to clang shots.

On this night of the 31st, under the defense of Stackhouse, who shot 3 for 19, and Jordan, who shot 4 for 15, Su Feng created his lowest single-game score in recent seasons.

Because at that time, Su Feng, who was still on the court as a "ball-handler," never expected that this Wizards team would die so quickly?

Heavens!

I haven't even shot yet, and you guys are already done?

Seriously!

Are you guys from North Carolina all enemies of mine?

15 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists.

After the game, Su Feng cried as he looked at his poor stats.

And Ben Wallace laughed as he looked at the 21 rebounds he grabbed in just three quarters.

Well...

This could be considered Jordan giving Su Feng a 50-50 split in his own way before he retired.

On November 1st, the Raptors faced the Spurs in a back-to-back game.

Because Davis would implement the second-in-command rotation policy whenever there was a back-to-back game in the new season, Carter and O'Neal were absent from this game due to the flu.

And as sworn enemies who had already formed a deadly feud last season, Popovich was almost driven crazy by the Raptors in the Air Canada Centre in this game.

Because why could you still justifiably leave Su Feng on the court when you were leading by 40 points!

Don't ask, the answer is that Su Feng can abide by the unspoken rules when playing against anyone, except for the Spurs.

In the end, the score of this game was 77 to 133, and the Raptors easily won their second consecutive win since the start of the season with a 56-point victory at home.

And counting their opening game against the Wizards, the Raptors' net score had reached an astonishing 103 points in the first two games of the new season.

However, compared to the crushing defeat, what Popovich was most uncomfortable with at the moment...

Was probably the big gift that Riley gave him in the summer.

Because not long after being traded to the Spurs, Mourning had to return to the hospital for treatment...

Therefore, Popovich's dream "Mourning + Mutombo" twin towers lineup was now only left with the happy Uncle Mu.

And Bowen, who committed evil deeds against Carter last season, simply didn't dare to play in this game.

After the game, Popovich did not give an interview.

After defeating the Spurs, the Raptors only lost to the Jazz on the road in the remaining regular season games in November.

Because that game was a back-to-back, Davis rested Nash and Ben Wallace.

In addition, Salt Lake City was a high-altitude home court, so the Raptors players also had a few problems on the court.

On December 1st, the NBA officially announced the Eastern and Western Conference Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month awards for the first month of the new season.

Su Feng, who averaged 27.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks in the first month of the new season, successfully won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award for November.

And the Western Conference Player of the Month for November was won by McGrady, who averaged "30+8+9".

In Su Feng's previous life, as long as you were a guard playing under D'Antoni, your stats basically couldn't be too bad.

Because 99% of D'Antoni's offensive tactics were initiated by the core guard.

In addition, McGrady had already begun to enter the peak of his career, and D'Antoni had unlocked the "sewer tactics board" early under Davis's influence...

Therefore, Su Feng knew very well that if he wanted to achieve the goal of "three consecutive scoring titles" this season, he had to send someone to Phoenix to break McGrady's legs...

Bah, he had to be more sewer-like than McGrady.

"Seriously, how is Kobe defending...

How did he let McGrady score 41 points in their game against the Suns on the 26th!"

This day, while thinking about the upgraded version of the sewer tactics, Su Feng complained while looking at McGrady's recent stats.

In December, the Raptors continued their good form in November.

In addition, at the beginning of the month, Su Feng also successfully upgraded his 【Long Range Shooter】 badge to the gold level.

Just...

Even though Su Feng had clearly felt the bonus that his 【Long Range Shooter】 badge brought him in training...

Because Su Feng's shot selections on the court this month would even scare Davis into a heart attack, Su Feng's three-point shooting percentage in the new season actually dropped by 3 percentage points.

And for this...

The happiest player on the Raptors in December was probably Ben Wallace.

Because since the start of the new season, Ben Wallace's single-game rebound count had not been lower than 15 times.

And in the new season's average rebound rankings...

Ben Wallace was leading the league with an exaggerated average of 17.8 rebounds per game.

In December, the Raptors only lost to the Pistons and Mavericks in early and late December.

With the strict implementation of the "second-in-command rotation policy," the regular season record was no longer the Raptors' pursuit.

Except for the Christmas game against the Celtics, where the Raptors fielded their full starting lineup, for most of the games this month, you could basically see news every other day about Nash having diarrhea or Carter catching a cold again.

And New York...

As Su Feng had predicted, as long as he didn't rest, Stern would only turn a blind eye to the Raptors' behavior.

...

Saying goodbye to 2002 and looking forward to 2003.

On the first day of the New Year, Su Feng received "Three Rams Bring Bliss" (a Chinese idiom wishing good fortune).

After the first round of voting for the 2003 Atlanta All-Star Game, influenced by his upcoming birth with Britney and the whole league feeling sorry for him...

Su Feng successfully broke the NBA All-Star Game's single-round voting record with 1.5 million votes in a single round.

And in the December Player of the Month awards announced by the NBA on January 1st...

Su Feng, who averaged 32.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.6 blocks in December, also unanimously won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month award.

However, what made Su Feng feel the most gratified was that McGrady's personality had changed due to the different environment and life circumstances in this life.

Because the Suns often suffered from blown leads after three quarters in their December games...

Therefore, after accepting the criticism from the media that he was shooting too much, McGrady reduced some of his unnecessary pull-up jumpers on the court and increased his connection with Hill.

See...

What is McGrady with the ideal mentality in the eyes of the "wheat fans"?

Because of Hill's previous initiative to give way, coupled with the fact that Hill was also half of McGrady's idol, compared to the McGrady in Su Feng's memory who could only carry the team alone, after correctly finding how to be a leader, this McGrady was clearly the best shooting guard in the league at the moment.

Um...

Even if Kobe and Iverson would be furious about it, in Su Feng's eyes, there was no one else!

As a result, after McGrady adjusted his style of play, not only did the Suns return to the right track, but Su Feng also had much less pressure to shoot on the court.

After all...

No matter how much the Raptors didn't pursue wins in the regular season, the players on this Raptors team were all ruthless.

Therefore, do you know how difficult it was for Su Feng to score on the court?

In addition to studying his opponents, he also had to guard against his teammates from suddenly killing the game!

Look, isn't that right...

On the 2nd, in the game against the Nets, Marshall, the new player that the Raptors recruited in the summer, successfully tied the single-game 12 three-pointers record that Su Feng created in the game against the Suns.

In this game, Marshall, who had a hot hand, scored all of his points from three-pointers.

Su Feng, who was still on the court teaching Pierce, was thus sent back to the bench by Marshall with a depressed look on his face.

And what was even more coincidental was that...

On the 4th, in the game between the Lakers and the SuperSonics, no one knew what method Payton used to stimulate Kobe...

Kobe, who had further improved his shooting form in the summer, mixing one-motion shooting into his two-motion shooting, also tied the NBA single-game 12 three-pointers record jointly held by Su Feng and Marshall on this night.

This season, the conflicts between Kobe and O'Neal, both on and off the court, had deepened again under the instigation of the Los Angeles media.

However, Kobe and O'Neal were not without making changes for each other.

In fact, in Su Feng's previous life, during the 02/03 season, in order to reduce the number of times he occupied O'Neal's low post on the court, Kobe precisely compromised with O'Neal by increasing his shots from beyond the arc.

And when Kobe had a good hand, O'Neal did not like the O'Neal haters later said, not want to see Kobe score on the court.

It's just that, knowing that he would definitely be the halberd handle that would be abandoned, Kidd was no longer paying attention to the contradictions between OK.

Anyway, just make trouble.

As long as it doesn't affect the team's performance, why would Kidd care if the Lakers would be flooded after he left?

As a result, after losing Kidd's restraint, coupled with the fact that Jackson was also fueling the contradictions between OK in order to control the team, and Fisher's misrepresentation when conveying messages for OK...

O'Neal and Kobe disliked each other even more.

In simple terms...

In the eyes of Kobe, this impulsive young man, he had made so many changes for the team, but that damned fatty was still being lazy every day, how could he tolerate this?

And in the eyes of O'Neal, who was stubborn and proud, if he hadn't chosen to use the chamber pot back then, how could the Lakers have snatched that championship from Su Feng and Duncan?

But he was still in his prime, and this Kobe wanted to snatch the baton from him?

And for the big news between OK...

After becoming a part of it in this life, Su Feng found that this news was even more dramatic than Qiong Yao.

Forget it, forget it.

Let's take care of ourselves first.

Su Feng knew that although OK was making a lot of noise now, it was still too early for these two people to break up in the short term.

...

In January, the Raptors' journey of returning as kings continued.

And Su Feng had to temporarily say goodbye to the court for a while.

Because just one week after the birth of Kobe's eldest daughter, Natalia, Britney also gave birth to a son and a daughter for Su Feng in Toronto.

And when Su Weiguo and Wang Yuanyuan, who had gone to the United States in advance to prepare to help Su Feng take care of the children, learned that Su Feng had arbitrarily named these two children Su Hao and Su Baobao...

You might not believe it.

The current number one player in the NBA thus became the ping-pong ball under the mixed doubles of his parents.

And Los Angeles...

After learning that Britney had given birth to "dragon and phoenix twins" for Su Feng, no one knew how many mobile phones Kobe smashed this night.

Liar!

He must have known long ago that his girlfriend was pregnant with dragon and phoenix twins!

It must be like this!

It must be like this!

Cough...

Kobe's depression will not be mentioned for the time being.

For Su Feng, who suddenly became a father...

When he saw those two cute little lives, this joy of becoming a father was a very special joy in Su Feng's eyes.

It cannot be described in words.

But it really exists.

And in order to allow Su Feng to have more time to accompany Britney and the two children, the Raptors also approved a full month of vacation for Su Feng.

As a result...

This time Stern was unhappy.

Because the All-Star Game was about to start...

But as the NBA's top card, you want to strike?

However...

Even if Stern wanted to summon Su Feng back with thirteen golden badges...

He could only tell the media during the interview: "This is a very special moment. I think we should understand the choice Su made."

As the most justifiable reason for the NBA to take a break, Stern knew that at this time, the alliance could only turn a blind eye to Su Feng.

It's just that...

The Raptors' "second-in-command rotation policy" before...

In Stern's view, had to be settled properly.

Because if Su Feng didn't play, and Carter, O'Neal, and others didn't play either...

Then you can't let Stern put on the clothes of a cheerleader and attract ratings for the Raptors game that will be broadcast live across the United States next!

It is worth mentioning that because Su Feng withdrew from this year's Atlanta All-Star Game, Jordan, who had already announced that he would retire at the end of this season, no longer needed Carter to give him a spot.

As for the impact of Su Feng's absence on ratings?

Stern might not believe it if he said it.

Because Su Feng's decision to take a month off to accompany Britney made Su Feng become a friend of American women almost overnight.

Therefore, during the period when Su Feng was resting, the NBA actually received more attention.

In addition, at the Raptors' home court, Raptors fans also put up banners saying "Let him rest, let him rest" to support Su Feng.

And before the start of the Atlanta All-Star Game, ESPN also popularized a hot piece of knowledge to the public.

That is, Su Feng, who received a total of 5.07 million votes this year, broke the NBA All-Star vote king record and became the first player in NBA history to receive the highest number of votes but miss the All-Star Game due to non-injury reasons.

And Los Angeles...

Kobe, who was originally angry because Su Feng had deceived him, was miserable this time.

Because when Vanessa gave birth, Kobe, as a straight man, still chose to fight for the Lakers' boss seat...

Therefore, recently, every time Kobe came home, he had to cry with the dog he raised for a long time before he could get the right to enter the door.

Seriously!

Wife, listen to my explanation!

It's not that I don't want to accompany you!

I just...

Ah ah ah!

Damn Su Thief!

Wait, the next time we meet, if I don't twist your head off, then I'm not called Kobe Bryant!

...

Speaking of which, during the time when Su Feng was with his family, several major events happened in the NBA.

First of all, after the end of the Atlanta All-Star Game, the Celtics were also affected by the "championship virus".

Because Tim Duncan injured his knee in the century war with the Lakers, he will miss all of the remaining games of the season.

And New York, in order to gain the space to recruit Su Feng in the summer of 2003, after giving Sprewell away to the Timberwolves for free, the Timberwolves, which had been hovering on the edge of the playoffs, suddenly became the top combat power in the West.

At this moment in the 02/03 season, "Madman" was still a top-tier scoring guard in the league.

In addition, with Richardson, who was selected by the Timberwolves before, and Szczerbiak and other strong players, this Timberwolves team can also be said to be full of stars just from the lineup.

Moreover, because the Timberwolves have to wait two more years before triggering the "super luxury tax", Garnett has been having a very comfortable life recently.

In fact, because the Timberwolves are performing better and better, the media in Minnesota also believes that the judges should add Garnett to this year's regular season MVP candidates.

However, at the end of February, with Su Feng's official return...

The people who were still discussing who would become the regular season MVP in the 02/03 season suddenly discovered that...

The wind direction suddenly changed.

Because of various prestige bonuses...

This season, in the eyes of the fans, if the NBA doesn't give the MVP to Su Feng again, then they would really have to bomb the NBA headquarters.

In March, Su Feng, who was completely immersed in the happiness of having both a son and a daughter, regained the scoring title that had been occupied by McGrady.

And in April, taking advantage of the gap in the away games, Su Feng also took time to watch this year's NCAA Finals.

The result was the same as he remembered. Anthony led Syracuse University to win the 2003 NCAA Championship in one go.

And Anthony also became the first freshman player to win the Most Outstanding Player award in the Final Four since 1986.

It has to be said that Anthony in college was really terrifying.

And at the NCAA Finals, Su Feng also used the foreshadowing he had laid when he gave Anthony shoes before to formally return the nickname "Melo" to Anthony in front of fans across the United States.

"Don't call me 'Melo' anymore.

Because compared to this kid, my smile is not worth mentioning at all."

Patting Anthony on the shoulder and looking at Anthony, who had already run over and tattooed "Wu Wang" on his arm, Su Feng said with a smile during the interview.

And New York...

Although Stern had heard about Anthony's background in the underworld, when he noticed that Su Feng had been constantly promoting newcomers off the court...

There was a moment when he really wanted to rush to Washington and chop down Jordan, who had been making trouble with Stackhouse again recently.

Because Jordan during the Wizards era, where was the look of the old senior from the past?

He was just a humanoid sprinkler.

Today he sprays the newcomers, tomorrow he sprays the opponents he used to play against.

Anyway, standing, sitting, lying, and walking, you could see news about Jordan spraying people everywhere.

Therefore, before the rookies of the 03rd class entered the league, Stern felt that he really should raise the status of Su Feng, the idol of James and Anthony, even higher.

After all, as a key node for the golden generation to enter the league...

He couldn't let these lovely rookies become people like Jordan.

...

While the news of who between Anthony and James would become the top pick in the 03rd class was constantly flooding the screen, Su Feng stole the headlines again in the Raptors' last two games in April.

On the 15th, the Raptors hosted the Celtics at home.

After Duncan's season was scrapped, Auerbach had been too lazy to watch the games recently.

Because after losing Duncan, the main player, no matter how well the remaining 4 stars played, it would be difficult for them to go further in the playoffs.

After all...

Before everyone disintegrated because of the "super luxury tax", who wasn't a universe team?

As a result, in this game, Su Feng, who felt that the basket was as wide as the sea, scored his single-game high of 53 points this season.

And on the 16th, in the last regular season game against the Lakers, Su Feng and Kobe launched a scoring battle.

After adjusting his shooting form, Kobe's threat from beyond the three-point line this season was completely different from the past.

So now the question is.

Why did Su Feng have to practice the two-motion shooting so hard, instead of mixing one-motion into the two-motion like Kobe?

The answer is simple.

That is, you can carefully compare the games of Kobe and Jordan and you can find out.

Because Kobe doesn't have Su Feng's 【Long Range Shooter】 badge, so with the version updates of the league, in order to update his skills and increase his threat on the court, this was a step that Kobe had to take.

However, in this way, Kobe would also fall into another vicious circle on the court.

That is, once he lost his shooting rhythm...

Then it would be easy for him to clang shots continuously.

And Su Feng was different.

Even though his three-point shooting percentage had reached a career low of 34.6% this year due to his shot selection, Su Feng's mid-range shooting percentage was still as high as 49.5% this season.

However, in this game on the 16th, whether it was Young Hero Su or Young Hero Kobe, their touch on the court could only be described as "sky-defying".

As a result, these two people also proved with practical actions...

When they were in good touch, neither of them could defend the other.

However, Su Feng was the one who had the last laugh on this night.

Because at the decisive moment, Su Feng first used the advantage of his big hands to block Kobe's key shot on the court.

Then, in the next defense, under Kobe's astonished gaze, Su Feng forcibly snatched the damned basketball from his hand.

And at that time on the court, Kobe's aggrieved and desperate picture of trying to get the ball back with his small hands...

Also became the headline picture used by the New York media to ridicule the Los Angeles fans after the game.

In the end, the Raptors won this game with a score of 107 to 101.

Su Feng scored a game-high 51 points, while Kobe scored 47 points.

And after all the games of the 02/03 season were over, the Raptors also regained the top spot in the league after two years with a record of 66 wins and 16 losses.

"I think there is no team that can stop the Raptors now!

They are the number one championship favorite in my mind!"

On TNT, when reviewing and summarizing the regular season of 02/03, Kenny Smith said firmly.

...

ps: This season, because of the needs of the plot, the regular season will pass very quickly. And some stories that happened in the regular season, let's talk about them slowly in the playoffs.

ps2: A big chapter of 7500 words is here! Please give me monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendation tickets!