Chapter 175 Artest is Incensed

　　Looking at the reporters in front of him, all of whom wanted to see him make a fool of himself, Artest, as a passionate man, had already been physically subdued by Su Feng tonight.

　　But...

　　Just as Artest was about to loudly tell the world "Who Su Feng is"...

　　"Ron, I presume that after tonight, you will never forget Su's name again?

　　Statistically, Su scored 40 points tonight, while you only scored 4. What are your thoughts on this?"

　　"Ron, as a rookie, have you realized the error of your pre-game remarks?

　　Also, we noticed that your scouting report states that you are a very good defender, but tonight Su shot over 50% while being guarded by you..."

　　"Ron..."

　　"Ro..."

　　Ro, ro, ro, ro!

　　Ro your head!

　　You bastards, can you not be in such a hurry to label me?

　　I haven't even had a chance to speak!

　　Listening to the chattering noise around him, having not received any "How to Deal with Reporters" training, and still being a rookie...

　　Thus, Artest completely lost his cool.

　　He said to the reporters, red-faced, "I don't want to answer any of your questions!"

　　Well...

　　Looking at Artest's resentful departure, no one would be able to find out who Su Feng was from Artest's iron mouth now.

　　However, for reporters who are good at stirring up trouble, believe it or not...

　　This kind of Artest is their favorite!

　　Because if Artest easily gave in, the reporters would only mention it briefly in the post-game reports.

　　But now, not only is Artest still stubborn, but his angry departure also makes people look forward to the next game between the Celtics and the Raptors!

　　Go, Ron!

　　Although we will continue to find ways to pry open your mouth, but...

　　Before we earn enough money from our articles, you must hold on!

　　Compared to Artest's post-game embarrassment, Duncan, as the Celtics' true general, remained calm as always.

　　Duncan, who scored 34 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, gave it his all in the game.

　　Therefore, in the eyes of the young Duncan, losing was just losing.

　　After all, excluding the lockout season, the NBA has 82 games each season.

　　And from the process of this game, Duncan also felt that Su Feng should take a urine test.

　　Honestly...

　　What relativity, what Newton's coffin...

　　The knowledge that Duncan had learned in college...

　　Was completely useless when he met Su Feng!

　　"I think Shaq is right, Su is the eternal 'truth'," Duncan said in an interview after the game.

　　On the other side, Su Feng, who defended the champion's coronation night with his strength in the opening game, also commented on Duncan's performance:

　　"In my opinion, Tim is already one of the best players in this league.

　　If I had to use a nickname to describe him, I would call him 'Stone Buddha'."

　　The difficulty of this game against the Celtics completely exceeded Su Feng's expectations.

　　And although such games are enjoyable...

　　Su Feng also knew very well that if the Raptors were in slightly worse shape when playing against such Celtics, they would be the ones to lose.

　　Therefore, compared to his perfect performance in the opening game, Su Feng felt that the Raptors should seize the time and continue to level up.

　　It is worth mentioning that after Su Feng gave Duncan the name "Stone Buddha," Su Feng also patiently explained the origin of this nickname to the reporters.

　　In addition, when asked about his personal goals for the new season, Su Feng playfully replied:

　　"I don't want to improve anymore.

　　So I have no other pursuits for my personal goals in the new season, as long as I can stay where I am."

　　Stay where I am?

　　At first glance, Su Feng's remarks were full of "negative energy."

　　But after briefly recalling Su Feng's achievements in the previous season, the reporters immediately reacted.

　　Because this was not just a statement full of "negative energy," it was simply using the most low-key tone to say the most arrogant things.

　　In his previous life, on the original historical timeline, O'Neal would have won the regular season MVP this season.

　　And...

　　If it weren't for a reporter named Hickman messing things up, O'Neal would have been the first unanimous MVP in NBA history before Curry.

　　Su Feng knew how scary O'Neal would be this season.

　　After all, this was likely to be the only time in recent years that O'Neal would not have to get on the treadmill in the early stages of the regular season.

　　Therefore, when interviewed, Su Feng did not act like a fool and set a flag, but instead used this joking tone.

　　Because this way, if Su Feng could still match the personal honors he achieved last season, then Feng Ge was awesome.

　　And if he couldn't get it, then Feng Ge was also awesome.

　　Because Feng Ge had tried his best, it was just that the Carter-McGrady "trash brothers" were too bad, and Feng Ge couldn't carry them.

　　In short, you have to be hard-headed when you need to be.

　　But when it's time to talk about EQ, you still have to talk about EQ.

　　...

　　Thus, the Raptors' opening game against the Celtics came to an end.

　　On the 3rd, after a day of rest, on the 4th, the Raptors continued to sit at home and face the Miami Heat.

　　This season, the Heat were still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

　　With Mourning, Mashburn, and Hardaway, they were ranked seventh in ESPN's power rankings for the new season.

　　Originally, Su Feng thought that the Raptors should not have any grudges with the Heat.

　　But the process of this game...

　　Was truly hard to describe in words.

　　Mashburn, who is 203cm tall and weighs nearly 110kg, has made great progress this season under Riley's whip.

　　Don't look at Mashburn's peak career stats being achieved when he was a gunslinger in Dallas, but in terms of game performance, Mashburn in the Heat is his true peak.

　　After all, with a coach like Riley...

　　If Mashburn was still as unruly as he was in Dallas, he would likely be suffocated to death in the sauna by Riley before he even got to play.

　　Unlike the inexperienced Artest, in this game, Mashburn adopted a very targeted, pesky defense against Su Feng.

　　As long as Su Feng got into position in the low post, he would use the fronting defense, and then try to disrupt Su Feng's shooting percentage by double-teaming with his teammates.

　　And when Su Feng chose to drive to the basket, he would use his body and elbows without hesitation.

　　Therefore, many of Su Feng's shots in this game could only be forced from the high post, from the blind spots of the two wings.

　　And facing the Heat's iron-blooded rotation, how could Su Feng know that in this league, the person who understood him the most was never his teammates or coaches...

　　But the perverted suit-wearing man standing on the Heat's bench, gnashing his teeth.

　　Do you know that Pat Riley even dreams about Su Feng now?

　　Do you know that Pat Riley was even prepared to rebuild around Su Feng in order to get him from the 76ers back then?

　　Do you know how much Pat Riley wanted to kill John Davis after Su Feng won the championship with the Raptors last season?

　　In Riley's eyes, Larry Brown was nothing compared to his hatred for John Davis!

　　Riley was the man in this league who understood Su Feng the most.

　　Die, Raptors!

　　Die, John!

　　Ahem...

　　Let's put Riley's inner thoughts aside for now. On the court, it must be said that the Heat's defense against Su Feng was very effective tonight.

　　It's just like Riley told Mashburn before the game...

　　At the time, after listening to Riley's arrangements, this not-so-bright guy, in order to avoid being blamed after the game, immediately asked Riley: "Can I stop Su if I do these things?"

　　After a pause, Riley rarely didn't give Mashburn his devil eyes.

　　"No... Even if you do all of the above, we are still very likely not to be able to contain Su.

　　Because...

　　He is Su!"

　　See...

　　What does it mean to understand Su Feng the most?

　　Just like Riley predicted.

　　Although Su Feng did shoot 3 for 10 in the first half of this game, in the second half, he gradually regained his touch and frequently hit incredibly difficult god-like shots from the high post, from the blind spots of the two wings.

　　In the first two games of the season, Su Feng found that his condition was ridiculously good.

　　It's just that...

　　The Heat had the last laugh in this game.

　　Before becoming a kidney fighter, as one of the best centers in the league, although he was often forgotten in various nominations and selections, Mourning was indeed a true iron-blooded man.

　　On the Raptors side, although the Carter-McGrady brothers have been gradually recovering their form under Grover's training recently.

　　And in the last game, the cousins also put on a very exciting performance.

　　But...

　　Hey!

　　Who doesn't have a time when they're rusty and in bad shape?

　　In this game, from the very beginning, Riley's purpose was not to stop Su Feng.

　　Because Riley knew better than anyone that if Su Feng, who had maxed out his offensive abilities, turned on some kind of switch, then no matter how clever his arrangements for Su Feng were, he would only be blown out by Jordan like he had been against Jordan back then.

　　So...

　　The purpose of the Heat putting on an iron-blooded rotation in Toronto from the very beginning was to limit the group of helpers around Su Feng.

　　After all, if Su Feng's critical hit rate was 75%...

　　Then the critical hit rate of Carter-McGrady and others, in Riley's view, was at most 25 to 50.

　　And it was obvious that Riley had bet correctly.

　　After just playing an opening game against the Celtics with the intensity of the Finals, the Raptors players had not yet recovered...

　　Then, the Heat took them to a regular season game at the level of the Eastern Conference Finals.

　　Plus, for a young team like the Raptors, it was impossible to perform consistently in every game, so...

　　106 to 102...

　　The Heat conquered Toronto!

　　And Riley, who originally thought he would feel much better after winning against the Raptors, found that he actually felt even worse after winning!

　　Because Riley never expected that Su Feng, who scored 31 points in this game, almost led the team to a comeback in the fourth quarter...

　　Uncomfortable!

　　So uncomfortable!

　　If Su Feng was given to him, Riley, then where would he need to make so many arrangements?

　　Riley was suffering in his heart.

　　Riley didn't want to say it.

　　It is worth mentioning that after losing to the Heat, Su Feng once again contributed a classic quote in the post-game interview.

　　"Well... I haven't played an NBA game in a long time, I'm a bit rusty."

　　Reporters: "..."

　　Wait...

　　Dude, didn't you just finish the opening game the day before yesterday?

　　How are you rusty now?

　　On the other side, similar to Su Feng, the Carter-McGrady brothers, who only combined for 19 points in this game, also used rust as an excuse for their poor performance after the game.

　　Reporters: "..."

　　Okay...

　　For the sake of you guys working so hard in the last game against the Celtics, we'll allow you to be stubborn this once.

　　However, on the 5th, after the Raptors were upset by the Nets in a back-to-back game, the reporters were no longer calm.

　　Because they had not forgotten how "arrogant" John Davis was at the beginning of the season.

　　(Davis: Is telling the truth arrogant and conceited these days?)

　　On the 5th, in the game against the Nets, Su Feng's excellent touch in the first two games experienced a Schrödinger-like decline.

　　However, in this game, Su Feng still used his actual actions in his matchup with Pierce to interpret who the real "Truth" of the NBA was.

　　It's just that, this season, after drafting Francis, the Nets' combat power could no longer be compared to last season.

　　Honestly...

　　With a lineup composed of Van Horn, Pierce, Kittles, and Francis, plus a bunch of bench heroes they had hoarded in the past two years...

　　In Su Feng's view, the potential of this Nets team was also monster-level.

　　Of course, the main reason for the Raptors' loss in this game was that they didn't play well themselves.

　　It's the same old saying.

　　In the NBA, no matter how strong a team is, it is impossible to guarantee that they can win every battle.

　　In Su Feng's previous life, he often saw some keyboard master coaches in many basketball novels start an invincible journey after assembling a luxurious lineup.

　　But in reality, winning games also has to abide by the "Basic Law of Reason."

　　In the Raptors' opening 4-day, 3-game stretch, if they could adjust the order of the Raptors' games, they might not have played so hard.

　　But with the team still in the process of further integration and finding their game feel, the Raptors' new season schedule could only be described as hellish.

　　So, after losing to the Nets on the road, looking at the reporters who wanted to find fault after the game, Su Feng just said with a calm face: "I haven't played back-to-backs in a long time, I'm rusty."

　　Reporters: "..."

　　Wait...

　　You can use rust as a reason for this too?

　　"Well, it's the first time playing back-to-backs this season, and it's true that I'm a bit rusty," McGrady said in perfect unison with Su Feng after the game.

　　"It's been too long since I played back-to-backs, you guys saw it, I couldn't even make open shots."

　　And Carter, who had shot 1 for 9 from three-point range in the past two games combined, picked his nose and said dismissively.

　　The reporters were completely speechless.

　　Because they found that...

　　Compared to Artest, the Raptors were the real stubborn ones!

　　Thus, the defending champion Raptors successfully attracted the attention of a large number of haters through two consecutive losses at the very beginning of the new season.

　　TNT, while participating in TNT's post-game analysis program, former Nets coach, now returned to NCAA coaching, Calipari laughed: "Michael's retirement has had a very obvious impact on this Raptors team.

　　Although Su is very strong, he is no longer the Su of last season after losing Michael's guidance.

　　I think the team most likely to win the championship this season is not the Raptors, but the Lakers."

　　On the other side, because he had said during the opening game commentary that Su Feng was the Raptors' real C, and Jordan was smddx... (some mother du bi, chinese internet slang for something insignificant)

　　So at this moment, listening to Calipari's words, although Smith knew that this guy was not targeting him, he always felt like he had been slapped in the face.

　　Therefore, Smith set a trap for Calipari: "Two losses alone don't mean anything, right?

　　You know, the Raptors also lost a lot of games last season when Michael was still around."

　　"Yes, two losses don't show anything." As a professional basketball person, Calipari nodded and didn't notice anything wrong with Smith's statement.

　　"So, John (Calipari), you mean you think the Raptors will keep losing games next?" Smith began to continue setting the trap.

　　"Not keep losing games, after all, as the defending champion, they still have the strength.

　　But in my opinion, they can only be considered a strong team at most this season, not the number one contender for the championship." Calipari fell into the trap.

　　"Oh?" Smith glanced at Calipari with a smile and then continued to set the final trap: "Then how many wins do you think they can get this season?"

　　"50 wins, probably, 60 wins is definitely impossible, I think they can get 50 wins at most," Calipari said after weighing it in his mind for a while.

　　Similarly, Smith also weighed it in his mind and said: "John, you see, it's so boring to just predict like this, how about we make a bet?"

　　"Huh?"

　　At this moment, looking at Smith, for Calipari, who had not been on television many times, how could he know the sinister intentions of Smith, a seasoned gambling player on TNT?

　　"How about this, I'll guess, I think the Raptors can definitely get 60 wins, so if the Raptors don't get 60 wins, I'll lose.

　　And if I lose, I'll do an outdoor interview program naked on Fifth Avenue," Smith laughed.

　　"What if I lose?" Calipari asked curiously.

　　"Then you just have to shout 'I don't understand basketball at all' three times on our program.

　　Of course, out of consideration for the image of the guests, we will handle it for you in post-production," Smith revealed his true colors.

　　After listening to Smith's bet, Calipari felt that...

　　Young people these days are working too hard for the sake of program effects.

　　Because 60 wins...

　　That is to say, even if the Raptors only get 59 wins, he wins.

　　And when he thought that if he won, Smith would have to do an outdoor program naked on Fifth Avenue in New York...

　　Hiss----!

　　You know what, Calipari actually wanted to see it.

　　"Okay, then let's do it that way!" Calipari agreed to the bet proposed by Smith with a smile.

　　On the other side, after trapping Calipari, Smith felt that it was necessary to give Su Feng a call.

　　Because look...

　　As your simp, I'm simping you so much...

　　Feng Ge, stop acting, it's time to carry!

　　...

　　ps: My shoulder hurts a lot today, I need to go out to get rid of some centipede poison, I'll continue to be low-key, tolerant, and murderous tomorrow. Good night everyone!