Chapter 110 The Air Canada Centre Arena

Before the playoffs even began, some experts and reporters who believed that run-and-gun teams like the Raptors would reveal their true colors in the postseason were dumbfounded tonight.

Because even in the playoffs, the Raptors' offense was still so "fast."

On TNT, to answer the doubts of these experts and reporters, Smith explained the "true face" of this Raptors team in a few words.

"The Raptors may look like an offensive-minded team, but in reality, most of their fast breaks come from defensive rebounds.

In my opinion, they are more like a faster version of the Bulls. They will never play slow if they can speed up.

But when they have to slow down, they can still use gritty, grind-it-out half-court offense to defeat their opponents."

During the regular season, because of the Raptors' dazzling offense and those acrobatic alley-oops, people always subconsciously ignored their other strengths.

Just like in Su Feng's previous life, most people would immediately think of the Warriors' unreasonable three-pointers when they were mentioned.

However, in this era, where the rules are completely different from the future, the Raptors cannot conquer the league by relying solely on run-and-gun.

On the Knicks' bench, influenced by the "Ewing's injury" aura, Van Gundy felt that this Raptors team was even more difficult to beat than the Bulls of yesteryear.

No choice.

Although Van Gundy had a rare moment of inspiration tonight, without the Raptors giving him a chance, even if he could come up with all sorts of tactics…

…he couldn't find any flaws in this Raptors team.

And this was also one of the reasons why Su Feng had hinted to Davis to be prepared for a five-game series before the start of this playoff round.

Because when a strong team plays a weak team, you don't need to bother with those fancy schemes.

You just need to do your own thing well.

You know, in competitive sports, most super teams collapse because of their own problems.

Therefore, for Su Feng, who knew the past so well, how could he allow these painful lessons to happen to him?

Wake up, aren't there enough protagonists in novels who die because of carelessness?

If he regarded reality as a novel, Su Feng didn't want to be killed by the plot.

He wanted to write his own script steadily!

…

And so, without even waiting for some unknown Raptors substitute to stand up and prove himself, the first game of this first-round Eastern Conference playoff series…

…was won effortlessly by the Raptors.

In the end, the score of this game was 95 to 110.

In the entire game, Su Feng played for 45 minutes. It wasn't until the final moments, when the Knicks withdrew their starters, that Davis called him back.

Shooting 11 of 23, including 3 of 7 from three-point range, and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line, Su Feng delivered a perfect performance in his playoff debut, scoring 33 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, and 1 assist.

Jordan had 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Carter shot 7 of 12, scoring 20 points and 5 rebounds, including free throws and three-pointers.

The trio of Su, Jordan, and Carter combined for 77 points. After the game, ESPN jokingly called them:

————"The Trident of God."

Okay, now the question is.

If the trio of Su, Jordan, and Carter are the Trident of God, then who is the "shaft" of this trident?

After the game, Van Gundy said in an interview with a helpless expression that the reason for tonight's loss was not that the Knicks played poorly, but that the Raptors played too well.

In addition, if Van Gundy's evaluation of Su Feng was translated using an "insider language assistant," it would be roughly as follows:

"Is there still anyone who doesn't think Su Feng is a superstar in 1999?"

Cough...

Actually, Jeff, you know, your reaction is sometimes really slow!

"Thank you Jeff Van Gundy for your evaluation of me.

But I don't think this game's victory is worth celebrating because no one can guarantee that the Raptors will advance to the next round before this series is over."

It is worth mentioning that after the game, when Su Feng was interviewed, he put away his usual nonchalant attitude from the regular season.

"I strongly agree with Su's statement because we don't have any advantages over other teams, so we must take every game seriously next."

On the other side, when the "Old Rogue" was interviewed, he also told the media in a low-key manner that he would do anything for his sixth championship.

Alright...

Given that both of the Raptors' leaders had said this, Van Gundy felt that he couldn't count on the Raptors making mistakes in the next round of the series…

…

On the 10th, in Toronto, for the second game between the two teams, Van Gundy, who had seen the script in advance, found that he was now able to face defeat calmly.

Although the Knicks copied the Raptors' homework, this Knicks team, without a super center or three-point shooters, couldn't break the Raptors' infinite rotations.

Relying on high morale and Van Gundy's flashes of inspiration, the Knicks were still able to fight the Raptors evenly in certain parts of the game.

But when the fourth-quarter clock reached zero, just like in the first game, without the Raptors making mistakes, the Knicks still didn't have a chance.

91 to 107. The Raptors won the second game smoothly, leading the Knicks with a score of 2 to 0.

In this game, Su Feng had a comprehensive stat line of 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.

On the Knicks' side, Allan Houston played the best.

But…

Under Van Gundy's management, it was too difficult for Houston, who was constrained by rationality, to score 81 points with his teammates every game.

In Su Feng's previous life, Houston wasn't without explosive potential.

In the 2002/03 season, after Van Gundy left, Houston had two 50+ point games in that season.

Unlike Van Gundy, Don Chaney, who took over the Knicks at the time, saw the problem with Houston's baseline mid-range shots at a glance.

So, when the mid-range king became a three-point king, people found that Houston was even harder to defend.

It's a pity…

At that time, the Knicks were no longer as strong as they used to be in terms of overall team strength.

…

On the 13th, the game between the Raptors and the Knicks moved to New York.

With the team trailing 0-2 in the series, New York fans naturally wouldn't give the team a good look.

It had to be said that Su Feng had really ruined a lot of classics in this life.

Because if Su Feng remembered correctly, according to the original historical trajectory, the Knicks would have the support of all of New York this season…

However, perhaps because they were used to the boos at home.

In the third game, the Knicks, who had practiced their three-pointers, played their best game of this series.

The inspired Van Gundy, after repeatedly studying the team's losses in the first two games, went all-in and hit the jackpot.

One good thing about Van Gundy was that although he always had many problems when coaching, he was indeed the kind of stubborn character who never gave up.

Because he saw the gap in strength between the Knicks and the Raptors, he not only didn't put pressure on the players before the start of the third game but instead changed his usual approach and began to encourage them with words.

And after removing the burden, the Knicks successfully made the New York fans say, "It smells so good!"

97 to 101. The Knicks, refusing to be swept, not only pulled back a game but also made the fans at Madison Square Garden cheer for them again in this game.

However, Van Gundy's brainstorming was ultimately limited.

In the fourth game, after the Raptors increased their defensive pressure on the Knicks' perimeter, the Knicks returned to their old ways of not being able to score on offense and not being able to defend on defense.

Tracy McGrady, who hadn't had a name in the first three games, became Davis's trump card.

When the Raptors removed Nash and used McGrady to guard Houston, the defensive level of this Raptors team suddenly increased by more than just one or two levels?

And wasn't it 1999? Did anyone still think that McGrady was getting those beatings for nothing during training?

In the 1998/99 season, although he mostly played as a substitute, McGrady, who averaged 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, was definitely a key player in the Raptors' lineup.

In the end, 104 to 91, the Raptors eliminated the Knicks with a score of 3 to 1 and advanced to the next round smoothly.

At Madison Square Garden, at the end of the game, New York fans also applauded this Raptors team.

Perhaps Su Feng had ruined a lot of classics in this life.

But at the same time, new classics were also being forged.

It should be known that this season, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Raptors were saving the NBA.

And after the series, in an interview, Van Gundy also admitted many of his mistakes in his previous coaching and said that he would learn from Davis next season and strive to give New York fans a different viewing experience.

However…

Su Feng, who knew that Van Gundy's brain would short-circuit again once Ewing returned, was very clear that although Van Gundy wasn't the kind of coach who was stubborn, there was no other way for this guy to get enlightened except to become a commentator.

But in any case, at least for now, given that the team was missing someone but was playing well in the playoffs, New York fans were still willing to trust Van Gundy for a while longer.

Of course, the price of this trust was naturally…

After the games this season, New York fans felt that someone seemed to be dispensable.

Don't think that New York fans wouldn't think of saving Dolan money, but you said, with someone's anxious performance, did he deserve such a high salary?

Seriously, after this series, Su Feng really didn't expect that the New York media could start criticizing Ewing, who had nothing to do with this series, before the game.

Poor Ewing.

I don't know how this big gorilla will live his life next.

Getting back to the point.

Just as the Raptors eliminated the Knicks 3-1, the situation in the other first-round games in the East and West was gradually becoming clear.

In the East, the Celtics had already eliminated the 76ers with a score of 3-0 two days ago, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals ahead of schedule.

Just as Su Feng remembered, Ratliff was helpless against Duncan.

In Su Feng's previous life, in the career matchup record between these two, Duncan not only averaged "20+10" but also turned Ratliff into a younger brother, making him only able to get an average of "6+4" data.

In the NBA, the problem of player style countering each other has always objectively existed.

Faced with Duncan, who was taller, faster, and smarter than him, Ratliff could only describe it as being completely countered.

And with Ratliff being blown up by Duncan, although Christie made Ray Allen feel what SM-style defense was like in this series…

…but with Duncan carrying him, Marbury was activated by Duncan.

Marbury, who kept setting screens with Duncan and outputting from under Duncan's legs, averaged 23.8 points and 9.3 assists in this series against the 76ers, in a sense, fighting off Iverson, who averaged 31.3 points on the 76ers' side.

And then…

There was no then.

Although Miller Karl was nominally the head coach of this Celtics team, everyone knew that the man named Auerbach was actually in control of this Celtics team.

Therefore, although Larry Brown made some successful arrangements in this series and decisively abandoned the good-looking but useless Camby, the result of the game proved that after losing Su Feng, the strength of this 76ers team could no longer be compared with the previous season.

And in Philadelphia, the longing for Su Feng, which had been temporarily suppressed after the team's management fired Berlinberg, now completely erupted.

Only God knew how many Philadelphia fans were holding signs on the night the 76ers were swept out of the playoffs by the Celtics, hoping that Su Feng could come back…

As for the media reporters who were good at stirring up trouble, they took the opportunity to ridicule the Philadelphia fans:

"Oh? Now you know to ask Su Feng to come back? Where were you earlier?"

Wake up, Philadelphia people.

Your Su is already wearing the Raptors' jersey!

He can't come back!

Faced with the ridicule and satire from other media outlets, this year was destined to be a year of collective self-isolation for basketball enthusiasts in all of Pennsylvania.

Because even if they were angry in their hearts, they knew that these satires and ridicules were all facts.

The hero who had been protecting Philadelphia all along, now…

Everyone called him:

————"The Northern God."

Let's put aside the Philadelphia fans, who were in an extremely collapsed mood, for the time being.

In the East, after Su Feng destroyed the Knicks' black eight legend, Riley became the biggest winner.

The Heat also easily defeated the Hawks with a score of 3-0.

Compared with the Hawks team that staged the Atlanta fairy tale that year, the current Hawks no longer had the ambition they once had.

Although after being happy for a whole year, Mutombo found that he still wanted to win another championship.

But for this Hawks team that had already been happy, no matter how thick Mutombo's arms were, he couldn't reverse the team's happy atmosphere.

So, how would Riley, who was intent on assassinating Davis, know that his true love had actually saved him once in the summer of 1999?

According to the next schedule, the Raptors' opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals would be the Pacers, who had beaten them twice in the regular season.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Pacers eliminated the Pistons 3-2, the last team in the East to advance to the semifinals.

According to the current format, the playoffs would be best-of-seven series starting from the semifinals.

Because the Pacers had beaten the Raptors twice in the regular season, before the start of the Raptors' and Pacers' semifinal series, many experts who were not firm enough in their positions jumped to the Pacers' side, believing that the Pacers had a high probability of beating this Raptors team.

As for the public's optimism, believe it or not, Pacers coach Bird himself wasn't so optimistic about himself.

Bird, who had a clear understanding of the strength between the Pacers and the Raptors, knew that the Pacers' two wins over the Raptors in the regular season relied on conserving their strength.

To put it bluntly, what brilliant tactics had he, Bird, arranged at that time?

It was just that in the NBA, no team could maintain its form in every game.

However, just when Bird was unusually low-key in thinking that the Pacers only had a 20% chance of winning against the Raptors in this series, those die-hard fans who had been brainwashed by him in the early years thought that Bird must be holding back a big move!

Come on, Larry, please tell us loudly, who are you planning to have Su Feng and Jordan be truck drivers this time?

Seriously, Bird felt that these people were really crazy.

Because he told the truth every day, but they thought he was pretending?

Pretending my hammer!

Did they really think that he could take off his suit and put on a jersey to play basketball now?

Bird felt bad.

Because after being inexplicably crowned by a bunch of people who were against the Raptors, Bird's shoulders were under tremendous pressure in the next series against the Raptors.

And speaking of...

Just when the East was fighting fiercely, in the West...

The Lakers were cruising all the way.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers easily beat the Supersonics 3-0.

This season, Vin Baker's weight alone was enough to give the Supersonics' management a headache, but before the playoffs started, Schrempf's injury made things even worse for the team.

In this life, the Lakers were definitely also beneficiaries of historical changes.

Because not only had "Zen Master" joined the Lakers early and slept with Jeanie Buss...

Ah, no, he had unlocked O'Neal's shackles!

And because the Timberwolves had previously helped the Celtics, Brandon couldn't land in Minnesota as originally planned, and Joe Smith also decided to go to Toronto to play for a year first...

So…

The Timberwolves didn't even keep their spot as the eighth seed in the West this year.

As a result, how could the current Supersonics cause any trouble for the Lakers?

In addition, as for their Western Conference semifinal opponent, the Rockets...

Su Feng felt that the Lakers could even pop champagne in advance to celebrate their entry into the Western Conference Finals.

Without a doubt, if the Raptors were playing on Hall of Fame difficulty, then the Lakers were definitely playing on professional difficulty.

Seriously, if Su Feng were to predict even more boldly, the Lakers could announce their entry into the Finals in advance.

Because on the other side, the Jazz were dragged into the fifth game by the Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

This team, which was the only one that might be able to cause trouble for the Lakers, was already exhausted when they advanced to the Western Conference semifinals.

And their semifinal opponent, the Trail Blazers, were waiting in full strength.

Therefore, after noticing the Lakers' schedule, in addition to shouting "My Lakers are the champions," Su Feng's level of caution now...

Suddenly, it rose another level!

Just think about it, if that little bastard Kobe got a championship before him, who knew how he would complain about him at that time!

Hey, isn't that a coincidence?

In Los Angeles, under the death glare of young Kobe, the Lakers' players all felt that Kobe was toxic.

Because even though the team had eliminated the Supersonics 3-0, Kobe had made the Lakers feel like they had been eliminated these days.

But this time, O'Neal was also on Kobe's side.

Because this fathead fish was now extremely eager to announce the arrival of his era.

Wake up, Lakers' players.

Do you know that if that little bastard Su Feng gets a championship before me, who knows how he will complain about me at that time?

Recently, Kobe, who felt more and more pressure, was more than just obsessed with his training.

To be fair, he, Kobe, had to get the championship this year, okay?

…

ps: Very urgent and critical, Qiao is continuing to code! In order not to deduct 200, I'm going all out!