Chapter 103 Atlanta's "Stimulating Battlefield"

After surviving Charlotte, back-to-back, the 76ers flew overnight to Atlanta, this "stimulating battlefield."

To avoid being ratted out by Ewing and Mutombo later, after the team arrived in Atlanta, Su Feng refused Stackhouse's suggestion to go out and have some fun, citing the need for rest.

Because Su Feng had been feeding him with turtle-style passes lately, Stackhouse felt he should take this opportunity to mend his relationship with Su Feng.

In 1996, the "Gold Club" wasn't famous yet, but Atlanta, fresh from hosting the Olympics, was full of places to have fun.

Currently, with Su Feng's rising popularity, coupled with the fear of Su Feng issuing a one-on-one challenge, Stackhouse's life trajectory had also taken a 180-degree turn, unlike Su Feng's previous life.

As an "old driver," Stackhouse decided to take Su Feng under his wing. That's why, after the team arrived in Atlanta, Stackhouse wanted to show Su Feng the unique customs and culture of the US.

Unfortunately, even if Jerry Jr. was paying tonight, Su Feng wasn't interested in Atlanta's customs and culture.

Recalling the situations he'd faced in his previous life, Su Feng, who had barely managed to give his waist a two-year break, was simple, unadorned, and dull.

On the afternoon of the 14th, as the team prepared to leave for the arena, looking at the drowsy Stackhouse, Su Feng knew that this substitute tool couldn't be used in tonight's game against the Hawks...

"After returning to Philly, it's time to harvest a wave of Stackhouse's bricklaying value."

While watching Stackhouse bragging to his teammates about how much fun he had last night, Su Feng stroked his chin and thought.

For the current 76ers, Stackhouse's importance was self-evident.

After all, if they kept overusing the main players regardless, with the decline in stamina, even a "sharpshooter" like Su Feng couldn't guarantee his shooting percentage.

So, in Su Feng's view, the one-on-one challenges with Stackhouse couldn't stop.

...

On the night of the 14th, at the Omni Coliseum, the 76ers' three-game winning streak was ended.

On this night, the 76ers lost to the Hawks 88-104.

At this time, the Hawks were also one of the Eastern Conference powerhouses, with Steve Smith, Christian Laettner, Mookie Blaylock, and Dikembe Mutombo, four All-Star players in their prime.

Smith was technically comprehensive. He would later win the NBA Sportsmanship Award and was one of the best shooting guards in the East in the 90s.

The reason he wasn't more famous was partly due to his personality, but mainly because Michael Jordan was overshadowing everyone during this period.

As for Laettner, who had been selected for the Dream Team, Laettner was having the peak of his career this season.

This season, he was averaging 18.1 points and 8.8 rebounds, scoring like crazy under Mutombo's long-armed protection.

In the future, after Jordan went to the Wizards, the first player Jordan wanted by name was Laettner.

At the time, many people suspected that Jordan was used to Laettner carrying his bags and handing him water during the Barcelona Olympics.

Laettner, nicknamed "the sissy's winning general," was also a player who was held back by the times, because everyone was shooting jump shots from a high position, so why did they say Laettner was a sissy?

And Blaylock was a "183" (centimeters) that people had forgotten.

In Su Feng's previous life, Blaylock had won the steals title twice in the 96/97 and 97/98 seasons. In addition, he had also been selected for the All-Defensive First Team twice and the All-Defensive Second Team four times.

This season, Blaylock's style of play was mainly focused on three-pointers. He attempted 7.7 three-pointers per game, making 2.8 of them.

The reason he was forgotten in the future was that Iverson and Paul, these two "183s," were too eye-catching.

After all, first there was "the Answer," then there was "CP3." Blaylock wasn't particularly outstanding in appearance, and he didn't even have a 58-point massacre or a Western Conference Finals story, so how could people remember him?

This Hawks team was well-configured, but similar to the Hawks team in the future that was scattered by James, this Hawks team lacked explosive points in critical moments.

Under the guidance of thousand-win coach Lenny Wilkens, they could win the games they should win, but they would definitely not lose fewer games than they should lose.

The key to the Hawks' victory in this game was Mutombo.

In Su Feng's memory, the tall and long-armed Mutombo had won the Defensive Player of the Year award 4 times, the block title 3 times, and the rebounding title 2 times. He had also been selected for the All-Defensive Team and the All-Star team multiple times in his career.

Mutombo's control on the defensive end was astonishing. On this night, he blocked the "Golden Double Guns" 7 times.

Uh... Su Feng was shot!

Because he was only wagged a finger at by Mutombo once, he was unfortunately brought to the headlines by Iverson, who was blocked six times.

Mutombo was the nemesis of breakthrough-type players like Iverson.

In Su Feng's previous life, before becoming Iverson's teammate, Mutombo averaged 5.5 blocks per game against the 76ers in his first seven encounters with Iverson.

Mutombo had a wide defensive area. Even if you had good hang time and jumping ability, when you encountered his exaggerated wingspan, he only needed to jump slightly and find the right time to block you.

As the best defensive center in the NBA during this period, Mutombo also belonged to the type of player who came with his own defensive system.

The 76ers didn't have Shaq, plus they were playing back-to-back, so they were contained by Mutombo in this game.

The Hawks successfully avoided being labeled as a "fake strong team" by the media, while on the 76ers' side, Ratliff and Stackhouse became Benzema.

Ratliff was blamed because his performance in this game was in stark contrast to Mutombo's.

A dignified Alabama man actually lost to Mutombo, who was nearly "40," in the blocks category. This was simply incomprehensible!

Unable to argue with his teammates, Ratliff felt extremely guilty. Although he wanted to say that Mutombo seemed to be "50" years old, he refrained from doing so, thinking that he would have to take more blame.

As for Stackhouse, it goes without saying. He was physically drained and played an extremely embarrassing game, going 0 for 11 from the field. His performance was even worse than Rondo or Kidd.

In this way, after assigning blame, the 76ers returned to Philadelphia with laughter and joy.

...

On the 15th and 16th, the 76ers had no games.

On the afternoon of the 15th, Stackhouse "cried" during team training.

Looking at his teammates who were opening bets on the side, the grief-stricken Stackhouse looked at Su Feng with despair and said, "I didn't sleep well last night, can we just play one game today?"

Su Feng shook his head. English didn't have so much fancy linguistic artistry.

He said bluntly, "Jerry, how can a battle between men only be one game? Look, the NBA Finals are seven games..."

Damn it!

Seven games?

I'd rather die!

But, just as Stackhouse wanted to refuse, he saw Ben Wallace "beating up" Ratliff on the side.

God, coach, are you not going to manage this kind of internal fighting?

Looking at Ratliff, who was about to be "beaten to death," Stackhouse gave in.

So...

In the evening, Stackhouse, who had made plans to hang out with friends, canceled, because...

He really didn't even have the strength to open the refrigerator.

On the 16th, Su Feng let Stackhouse go after confirming that his kidneys hadn't recovered.

As a scoring machine, Su Feng wanted Stackhouse to be a super sixth man. If he was knocked down by himself, what difference would there be between that and being knocked down by those girls in the nightclub?

Now Su Feng didn't have to stare at Stackhouse and fleece him to death, because after the system's small update last week, even Ben Wallace's bricklaying value had risen to 4000.

On the 17th, the 76ers, who had returned to Philadelphia, once again showed their unstable side.

Facing the Hornets, who came from Charlotte to seek revenge, the 76ers failed to win this offensive battle.

Because on the Hornets' side, Muggsy Bogues, who was 160 centimeters tall, had returned from injury.

One was as high as a mountain, Mutombo, and the other was as short as a chair, Bogues. Iverson was feeling extremely uncomfortable in two consecutive games.

As everyone knows, all the "183s" who can survive in the NBA have a special skill, so what about Bogues, who couldn't even be saved by padding his shoes or stuffing his socks?

Bogues had an excellent overall view. His defense was affected by his height and couldn't be considered top-notch, but if you said he was a loophole, then Iverson, who was a head taller than him, would have something to say.

Bogues used his agility and speed to cling to Iverson on this night.

The 160-centimeter-tall Bogues had amazing strength, and he knew how to use his teammates to protect himself. He could even steal the ball from your hands from time to time.

Iverson's pull-up jumpers weren't effective in this game. Instead, Bogues scored 20 points over him.

In Su Feng's previous life, before Bogues' decline, Iverson disliked playing against him.

Because when facing Bogues, Iverson found it difficult to break through and could only rely on pull-up jumpers to gamble on his touch.

And for a player like Iverson, who combined breakthroughs and shots, he couldn't shoot accurately if you didn't let him break through a few times.

In the future, coach Lue became famous in one battle by sticking to Iverson the whole game.

The Hornets successfully took revenge in this game. It's worth mentioning that when both sides took off their main players in the fourth quarter, Coleman also complained, "Fortunately, those two little traitors weren't in this game!"

Faced with his teammates' teasing, Dell Curry appeared to think nothing of it on the surface, but in reality, he felt a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Especially when Su Feng took the initiative to ask about the two Currys' recent situation after the game, Dell Curry suddenly felt that in this league, many people only pretended to like Stephen and Seth when they met them because of himself.

Dell Curry was touched by Su Feng. He planned to invite Su Feng to his home for dinner next time Su Feng came to Charlotte.

He, Dell Curry, had made this friend, Su Feng!

...

This season, the 76ers, who had been swinging wildly between winning streaks and losing streaks, had become the biggest topic of conversation for the people of Philadelphia after dinner.

Because even the 76ers fans themselves didn't know what level this team was at now...

And with Christmas approaching, Su Feng could feel the strong Christmas atmosphere in the streets and alleys of the US.

Many stores in Philadelphia had launched discount activities, and on the 18th, because the 76ers had a day off, Su Feng, who had nothing to do, bought a PS game console while shopping.

You know what, playing these ancient games, Su Feng actually found them quite fun...

The graphics of these games were poor, but while playing them, Su Feng could feel the game manufacturers' full sincerity.

This was nothing like the future...

Wasn't 2K just a famous game that changed its skin every year?

And FIFA simply skipped changing its skin. They adjusted the sliders and changed the data, and then told you it was this year's latest model.

Su Feng played all day and didn't beat Resident Evil.

And when he wanted to continue beating it the next day, he looked at the basketball quietly waiting in the corner, hesitated for 0.1 seconds, picked up the basketball, and went to the training hall for extra practice.

Games, Su Feng would have plenty of time to play slowly after retirement.

But if he didn't play the next game well, he would have to live the same life as Ye Xiu...

Thanks to the love of the big boss, the 76ers didn't have many games recently. Next, the 76ers' most important games were on the 20th and 21st, challenging the Knicks and the Bulls respectively.

Jeff Van Gundy had been under a lot of pressure recently.

Because just yesterday, while Su Feng was playing Resident Evil, the Knicks had their crotches beaten out by Su Feng's idol, Grant Hill, in Motor City.

The Knicks were slaughtered by the Pistons by a full 34 points in that game.

After the game, Van Gundy's biggest doubt wasn't why the Pistons were able to rout the Knicks by 34 points, but why the Pistons were able to score 112 points against the Knicks' iron-blooded defense...

Fortunately, there were almost no Chinese Knicks fans during this period, otherwise, watching a game like that could kill people.

In that game against the Pistons, "Grandma" Larry Johnson was 6 for 8 from the field, extremely efficient, and no one on the Pistons could match up with him. However...

Van Gundy would rather send his two sons, Ward and Childs, onto the court one after another than give Larry Johnson one more minute of playing time.

Ewing was only 3 for 11 from the field and scored only 6 points. If the point difference between the two teams hadn't been widened in the third quarter, Su Feng suspected that with Ewing's state on this night, he would have set an embarrassing bricklaying record.

After witnessing Van Gundy's operations this season, Su Feng felt that when he coached Yao and McGrady in his previous life, he didn't know if Yao and McGrady were too strong or if this Knicks team was really a "fake strong team"...

Because reasonably speaking, with the roster of the Rockets during the Yao and McGrady era, coupled with a genius like Van Gundy, they could still achieve a record of more than 50 wins. Take a look at the current Knicks, and you'll understand.

...

On the evening of the 19th, when the 76ers flew to New York, everyone on the plane was in a good mood.

Because after winning two games against the Knicks this season, everyone felt that it was time to regain the feeling of winning again.

For this two-game road trip before Christmas, the 76ers players all believed that the game against the Bulls was unlikely, so winning against the Knicks, in everyone's opinion, was a key battle for the 76ers to continue to challenge for eighth place in the East.

But you might not believe it.

Because unlike his teammates, Su Feng believed that if the 76ers could go all out, the team might be able to spend Christmas with a two-game winning streak.

The regular season wasn't the playoffs, and the Bulls had recently run into trouble.

This season, after starting with a thrilling 12-game winning streak, the Bulls lost to the Heat and the Raptors in early December.

On December 17, in the game against the Lakers, they were almost torn apart by Shaq.

In that game, Jordan taught his future successor, Kobe, a lesson.

Jordan was 10 for 32 from the field, making 22 misses.

If it hadn't been for Pippen and Kukoc, who were in excellent form, scoring a combined 66 points and pulling the Bulls back from the brink of death, Jordan's position in Kobe's mind would have been shaken.

It's worth mentioning that it was also after that game that Kobe made a special phone call to Su Feng.

He believed that he should learn more from Jordan, because a shooting guard should be brave enough to shoot and take responsibility.

Su Feng was amused at the time, because he didn't expect Kobe to think the same as himself, wanting to be "Jordan's successor."

Ahem, let's get back to the main point.

The main reason for the Bulls' recent poor form was that the whole team currently lacked motivation.

Before Rodman kicked that poor reporter in the groin, the Bulls, who thought they were invincible, were no longer as focused in every game as they were last season.

So, if you look at it from a higher perspective, you can also see Rodman's kick as a way to wake up the entire Bulls team.

Su Feng knew that if he wanted to beat this Bulls team once in the regular season, the game on the 21st would be the best opportunity.

Because after Ratliff's arrival, there was a reason why the 76ers were able to win against the strong teams one after another.

This young 76ers team had a high ceiling. Once they played well, they had a chance to win any game in the regular season.

Moreover, you might not believe it, but in his rookie season, apart from his first game, Iverson scored 32, 37, and 44 points in the other three games against the Bulls.

In 3 games, Iverson's scoring was higher than the "old rogue's," and he was very efficient.

And if Su Feng remembered correctly, it was in this game on December 21 in his previous life that Iverson would leave behind a classic: crossing Jordan and then hitting a fadeaway jumper in his face.gif.

Although he didn't know if Iverson would have the chance to stage this scene in this life, Su Feng was very clear that in this rock-paper-scissors league, Iverson was one of the Bulls' kryptonite.

Longley couldn't protect the Bulls' paint, he was slower than his future countryman Bogut, and Rodman lacked the deterrence against Iverson.

Neither Jordan nor Pippen could defend Iverson for the entire game. Ask Pippen, and you'll know how uncomfortable he was in the last game.

Even the rules couldn't limit Iverson's breakthrough, and this was a reasonable "Answer" that Su Feng was constantly renewing.

Therefore, in Su Feng's view, the 76ers had a chance to send both the Knicks and the Bulls into the "fake strong team club" before Christmas.

Of course, Su Feng, who had great ambitions, also knew the principle of taking things one step at a time.

It was king to steadily accept the warmth from Van Gundy first!

Knicks, honestly stay in the "fake strong team club." The strong team identifier, the 76ers, is here!

...