Chapter 154 A Flurry of Praise from All Directions

Shortly after the draft lottery, just as Su Feng remembered, the Cavaliers owner and James engaged in a "crosstalk performance" from afar.

"Oh, we got the first overall pick..."

"Well, maybe, perhaps, we can give LeBron James a chance." The Cavaliers owner said in an interview.

And James' response was also full of emotional intelligence:

"Indeed, indeed, I very much hope that Cleveland can consider me."

For those who don't understand the Cavaliers' situation and James' draft background during this period, it's hard for them to appreciate the subtleties in this exchange.

Because if the Cavaliers didn't use this first overall pick to select James, then the Cleveland fans would definitely blow up the Cavaliers' front office with dynamite.

Anyone with common sense knows that Cleveland at this time was a city of despair.

Since the Browns won the NFL championship in 1964, this city, which you often see being made fun of on American talk shows, had long forgotten what hope was.

And in NBA history, the highlights left by the Cleveland Cavaliers were even more laughable.

Historically, to prevent the Cavaliers from being mentally deficient, the NBA had to introduce a rule prohibiting teams from trading their first-round picks in consecutive years.

Because in the early 1980s, under the operation of the Cavaliers' former brain-dead owner, Ted Stepien, can you believe that the Lakers became the only team in NBA history to win a championship and hold the first overall pick?

And in the late 1980s, the Cavaliers, who had finally built a civilian team, also assisted Jordan in completing one of the greatest buzzer-beaters in his career during that famous Eastern Conference Finals series against the Bulls:

—"The Shot."

As a result, with the Bulls making the playoffs every year, that scene would become a famous scene repeatedly played by major television stations.

Therefore, for Cleveland fans, LeBron James, who was born in Akron and grew up in Ohio, was the only savior in their eyes.

"In the past few years, LeBron has been improving his basketball skills with Su's guidance every summer.

Although there are still many outstanding rookies in the '03 draft, in my opinion, selecting LeBron James with the first overall pick is a no-brainer." After the draft lottery results were announced, ESPN columnist, Barbas, wrote in his personal column.

"His overall vision is very good, maybe he will become a player like 'Magic'.

His physical fitness is far superior to his peers, in my opinion, at worst, he can keep up with Scottie Pippen's pace.

Well, if something unexpected happens...

Then at the very least, he will become a player like Jamal Mashburn." Another ESPN columnist, Johnson, wrote in his personal column.

Perhaps it was because the Cavaliers had left too deep of a mentally deficient impression in NBA history...

Perhaps it was because they were worried that the Cavaliers wouldn't understand the script Stern had carefully prepared for them...

It was also possible that they didn't understand that the Cavaliers owner was deliberately showing off the first overall pick they had drawn to the world...

After the draft lottery, experts from all walks of life immediately began to patiently persuade the Cavaliers.

But in fact...

In Su Feng's eyes, these people's worries were completely unnecessary.

Because as early as when James had sought his advice, Su Feng had already learned from James that as long as the Cavaliers drew the first overall pick, they would definitely choose him.

Alright, stop acting.

Cleveland, your acting skills are really clumsy.

…

On the 22nd, at the Air Canada Centre.

Even though the fates of the rookies in the '03 draft had already aroused heated discussions around the world, with the official start of the Raptors' Eastern Conference Finals against the Sixers, the focus of people's attention quickly returned to this year's playoffs.

Before the start of this game, the Raptors' front office distributed a commemorative red and white t-shirt to every fan in every seat.

And on the t-shirt, was printed "Last Game".

Nash, you have to defend.

Carter, you also have to defend.

Su Feng, you have to double-team to defend.

With just offense, the Raptors scored 71 points in the first half.

And in the third quarter, Iverson, who refused to give up, also brought about a wave of "deadly rhythm".

Tyronn Lue, the new aid the Raptors acquired last summer, fully proved his value in this quarter.

With extremely high basketball IQ, Coach Lue didn't seek to completely shut down Iverson, only to make Iverson feel uncomfortable by sticking close to him.

As a result, although Coach Lue accidentally slipped during a defense and was directly crossed over by Iverson, in this quarter, he successfully defended Iverson to 3-for-11 shooting.

In the fourth quarter, with a nearly 30-point deficit, Carlisle chose to call it quits.

In the end, the score of this Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 was 103 to 132.

The Raptors took the lead by winning the first game with a 29-point victory at home.

In this game, Su Feng, who was in excellent form, shot 13-for-24, including free throws and three-pointers, for a total of 41 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

And in the post-match interview, Su Feng also smiled and said: "There's no way, who told me my shooting is just too accurate?"

…

After the Raptors' Game 1 victory over the Sixers, online, the song that Su Feng wrote for Britney, "Legends Never Die" became popular.

And Su Feng also became a hot topic of discussion for a time.

Some people believe that as long as Su Feng can win the championship this year, then he will be the greatest player in NBA history.

And others believe that without establishing a dynasty, Su Feng's personal honors still lack persuasiveness.

However, being able to join the discussion of "Who is the greatest player in NBA history?" at the age of 25, in itself has already proven Su Feng's influence on this era.

On the 25th, after resting for two days, the Raptors and Sixers continued to play Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Toronto.

Carlisle strengthened his defense against the Raptors' outside players in this game.

However, in doing so, their defense was invisibly torn apart by the Raptors.

Although the NBA introduced zone defense, because the NBA has a defensive three-second rule, once Yao Ming and Ratliff are pulled out, their inside line is almost undefended.

At this time, Su Feng's cultivation results after a season of "浪" (làng - "wasting time" but implying "playing around") also became prominent.

On the court, he frequently launched breakthroughs, not only increasing in fluency, but also in the beauty of his posture, which can be described as superb.

In addition, everyone hoped that the Raptors could win the championship, so the referees rarely gave Su Feng the "体毛哨" (tǐ máo shào - "hairline foul calls," meaning very sensitive calls) that he had never seen before.

Ratliff was very aggrieved, and Little Yao was also embarrassed.

Because in this game, the two of them received two fouls each shortly after the start.

And in front of the TV, although Chinese fans hoped that this round of the "Chinese Derby" could go to Game 7, after the awards ceremony of Game 1, the hearts of the "rabbits" (a term of endearment for Chinese people) had already turned to Su Feng.

After all, in the eyes of the rabbits, Little Yao is still young, and there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

And Su Feng, he is already a veteran who has played for 7 years.

Eh...

That's not right.

Wait!

How is it that you've played for 7 years, and you're only 25 years old!

You know, most senior players are basically close to being old men in their thirties by this point.

However...

Su Feng, who skipped college and directly entered the draft, is just that young.

And don't look at his young age, but his seniority is terrifyingly high.

The final score of this Game 2 was 94 to 117, and the Sixers failed to complete the comeback in the second half.

Iverson scored 33 points and 11 assists in vain.

As for Little Yao, limited by the foul crisis, he only scored 8 points and 9 rebounds.

As for the Raptors, Su Feng continued his good form from Game 1, shooting 12-for-21, including free throws and three-pointers, for a total of 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

According to the schedule, the next two games of the two teams will be moved to Philadelphia.

Before the start of the third game, Carlisle was suspended for one game for complaining about the referee's calls after Game 2.

As a result, without a head coach...

The Sixers miraculously pulled back a game under the leadership of Iverson and Yao Ming.

In fact, the role of the NBA head coach is not as great as the fans imagine.

In addition to being responsible for the general direction of daily training, many tactical details, before the start of the game, the head coach and his assistant coaching team will formulate corresponding plans.

Therefore, apart from some coaches who like to be mentally deficient on the spot, letting their own stars run marathons and shuttle runs on the court, most coaches are still competing for the players' hard power on the court.

This Sixers team has a good foundation, and Carlisle's usual training of the players is also very good, so even if Carlisle is not there, the Sixers can still fight against the Raptors according to their original plan.

In the first two games, this Sixers team suffered from the Raptors' morale boost on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was because Su Feng's state was too good, making them somewhat at a loss.

On the 30th, the Sixers, who had pulled back a game, reignited their fighting spirit with the Raptors.

In the fourth game between the two teams, Iverson and Yao Ming frequently launched an impact on the Raptors' inside line with strong attacks.

However, in the decisive fourth quarter of the two teams, the advantage of the Raptors' lineup depth became prominent.

Su Feng and his second-in-command may occasionally doze off together in a game, but such dozing is always a small probability event.

In the case of Iverson and Yao Ming's lack of stamina...

Su Feng shot 7-for-8 in the fourth quarter, including 3-for-4 from three-point range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line, and successfully helped the Raptors win the game with a score of 109 to 100 with a wave of 21 points in a single quarter.

In the fifth game, the game between the two teams returned to Toronto.

As soon as the first quarter started, Nash and Carter joined forces to score 7 three-pointers.

And in the second quarter, with Iverson's assist, Big Ben also awakened his DNA of being a board god in Philadelphia.

In the third quarter, relying on Yao Ming's hard work of scoring two points and two points, on the surface, the Sixers and the Raptors were evenly matched, but the score was further widened by the Raptors.

Because three points are more than two points...

That's one more point!

In the final quarter, Iverson and Yao Ming were unwilling to give up, even when they were 20 points behind, these two fought to the last moment.

And Carlisle also respected the choices of these two stars.

Because in the case that your star player is still working hard, as the head coach of the team, if you give up, then you are not mentally deficient, you don't want to humiliate the word pit, do you?

As a result, don't even say it, because of the slack in the fourth quarter when they were leading by a large score, on the court, after Carter made 4 consecutive turnovers, the Sixers really narrowed the score back to around 10 points.

It's just a pity that after Su Feng and Nash each hit a three-pointer in the subsequent rounds, the Sixers' counterattack was strangled.

In the end, the score of the two teams' Game 5 was 103 to 120.

Iverson and Yao Ming scored 35 points and 8 assists and 29 points and 14 rebounds respectively.

As for the Raptors, Su Feng scored a game-high 36 points.

Nash contributed 20 points and 9 assists.

Big Ben grabbed 19 rebounds.

Carter sent out 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists... and 7 turnovers.

After the game, at the Air Canada Centre, the Raptors players once again wore the hat symbolizing the Eastern Conference championship that had been separated for two years.

And although they were very bitter inside after losing the game, Little Yao and Iverson still accepted the result of the defeat calmly after the game.

Because this series...

These two also used up all their ammunition.

On the other side, in the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers eliminated the Timberwolves with the same score.

Unlike playing the Suns, when facing the Lakers, the Timberwolves became the side whose lineup was countered.

Garnett's retreating while fighting cannot stop the brutal O'Neal.

And Kobe, who was一心想 (yī xīn xiǎng - "single-mindedly wanted") to prove himself to Su Feng, also compromised on O'Neal in mentality as the playoffs deepened, and seriously became his second-in-command.

After all, just like how McGrady turned into a clown before...

In the NBA, if you can't win to the end, then no matter how many personal honors you get, it's all in vain.

And at this point...

People realized in a trance...

Oh, so the Lakers have reached the Finals for five consecutive years!

In the past few years, don't look at O'Neal being complained about...

But the Lakers have not missed any Finals.

As the most dominant player in the NBA during this period in Su Feng's memory, O'Neal's strength will not decline because of people's impressions.

On the contrary, under his pressure, this fathead fish has mutated.

Facing O'Neal who can罚球 (fá qiú - "shoot free throws"), before the start of the Finals, Su Feng and Davis knew that the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic could no longer be used as the main means of persecuting O'Neal.

In the next round of the Finals, the Raptors can only beat this Lakers team by比进攻 (bǐ jìng gōng - "comparing offenses")!

…

ps: The first update is here with 6500 words! For the next update, Qiao strives to gkd (gan kuai de - "hurry up")! In addition, in the bonus chapter at the end of this chapter, there is also a detailed data table of Su Feng's first 7 seasons, made by Letheplodder and proofread by Qiao!

ps2: Continue to kneel for monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendations! Tomorrow is the 1st, everyone, remember to prepare some guaranteed monthly tickets for Qiao!