Chapter 188 The Rose Garden and the Burning of the Third Rocket

On the 28th, the 76ers' winning streak was ended.

You might not believe it if I told you...

The Vancouver Grizzlies completed their season sweep of the 76ers.

Honestly, having to fly from Phoenix to Vancouver to play right after a back-to-back game...

Even Su Feng needed a moment to recover.

This season, the "pseudo-strong teams" that the 76ers had defeated collectively shut themselves down on this day.

Because the 76ers proved with their actions that the Vancouver Grizzlies were the real "championship team"!

After defeating the 76ers, the Grizzlies, who had just achieved their 10th win of the season, were the most powerful contenders for the championship!

Helplessly, in the desolate Vancouver, the 76ers, except for Da Ben, who had a 100% shooting rate with 1 shot and 1 make, collectively felt ice-cold.

Far away in New York, Van Gundy had been studying the 76ers' losing games recently, but he couldn't figure out how the 76ers were swept by the Kings and Grizzlies even after racking his brains.

Actually...

It would be a miracle if Van Gundy could figure it out.

Because the Kings and Grizzlies were purely lucky, every time the 76ers faced them, they were either exhausted or in poor condition.

But speaking of it, Su Feng really felt what a glacial-era basketball market was like during this visit to Vancouver.

The Grizzlies were too miserable before they moved to Memphis.

In Su Feng's previous life, after the Raptors in neighboring Toronto selected Carter and ignited the entire Canada...

The Grizzlies selected Francis, who had explosive physical talent, in 1999, preparing to imitate their neighbors and use Francis to revitalize the basketball market, but the result...

However wonderful the Grizzlies' idea was, reality was that much more cruel to them.

Because Francis refused to report to Vancouver, the Grizzlies had no choice but to send Francis to the Rockets before relocating to Memphis in the 01/02 season.

Being chased and beaten by the Guang Tou Qiangs (Lumberjacks) before getting the two Gasol brothers was the destiny of this Grizzly bear.

...

On the 2nd, after being frozen in Vancouver, the 76ers arrived in Portland.

At the Rose Garden Arena, which had a very romantic name, the 76ers danced a song called "The Last Piece of Iron" with the Trail Blazers.

Because Portland is close to the Pacific Ocean, the climate of this city is very suitable for growing roses.

Therefore, when Paul Allen named the new arena, he borrowed from Portland's nickname, "City of Roses."

Of course, Portland will have another very famous nickname in the future, which is:

Rip City.

There was no other way; wasn't it thorns behind the romance of roses?

In the NBA, whether it was the "City of Roses" or the "Windy City Rose," it seemed that they could not escape the fate of being "torn apart."

The Bulls' first dynasty was built on the ruins of Portland, and years later, the Lakers' dynasty would begin their legendary journey by stepping on the rebuilding Portland.

Yao Ming overcame his first-round curse in Portland, and the Splash Brothers extinguished Lillard and C.J. McCollum with their surging waves.

Whenever the romantic season arrived, the city of Portland was like a rose, blooming with colorful and fragrant flowers.

But when it withered, how many people cared?

The 76ers did not give the Trail Blazers a chance to avenge themselves on this night.

The violent Rider was tricked by Su Feng and received his sixth foul in advance, going to bully Little O'Neal.

You're fierce, but I'm fiercer than you.

Moreover, Su Feng was fierce with his brain.

Su Feng, who was "super fierce tonight," played for 48 minutes in this game.

In addition to "calculating" Rider, he also let Anderson experience the dilemma of being surrounded by men.

You're just a small Ford, why are you learning from Iverson and pretending to be a Ferrari?

Su Feng felt that Carlesimo was even more poisonous than Van Gundy.

Because in this game, when the Trail Blazers were unable to break the deadlock for a long time, he refused to use Sabonis for a while.

It seemed that in Carlesimo's eyes, Rasheed Wallace, who was "211" cm tall, was the "roof of the world."

84 to 74. On this night, the 76ers once again relied on their strategy of blocking the paint and letting you jump shot to defeat the Trail Blazers.

At this point, the 76ers also ended this four-game road trip with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss.

On the other side, after the Magic defeated the Bulls in a row, the 76ers could temporarily sit more securely in the seventh position in the East.

...

On the 3rd, after the team returned to Philadelphia, Davis gave the whole team a day off, considering the recent dense schedule.

It was worth mentioning that after entering March, Su Feng's current average score had risen to 17.9 points.

His other data were: 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.

In addition, Su Feng's shooting percentage had also ushered in a wave of increases.

His current shooting percentage was 45.4%, his three-point shooting percentage was 39.1%, and his free throw percentage was 82.5%.

Su Feng's recent improvement in shooting percentage was related to the breakthroughs that Grover taught him.

The threat of breakthroughs was greater, and he would naturally get better opportunities when shooting.

In short, what was there to target for other opponents for this kind of monster who could still do special training during the regular season?

Speaking of which, on the rookie list, because Iverson had been busy building his divine weapon recently, Su Feng had successfully topped the list with his recent excellent performance.

However, the current public opinion generally believed that if the 76ers could enter the playoffs as they wished, then the best rookie should be shared by Su Feng and Iverson.

Moreover, the Philadelphia media even believed that Su Feng was qualified to be selected into the All-Defensive Team.

Um...

Before expressing such a view, the Philadelphia media did not forget to compare Pippen's data with Su Feng's.

Anyway, the final result of the comparison was that Su Feng "completely defeated" Pippen on the defensive end this season.

To be fair, with this kind of comparison that avoided the important and focused on the trivial, Su Feng felt that it was okay for this group of Philadelphia reporters to compare him with Jordan.

Of course, Su Feng was not stupid enough to expose this kind of report that praised himself.

As for Pippen's reaction when he saw these news?

Wake up, there was no social network in this era, how would Su Feng know what Pippen's reaction was?

If there was a social network, Su Feng couldn't wait to have a wave of online confrontation with Pippen on Twitter.

At that time, Su Feng would definitely do his best to let Pippen feel what it meant to "press a key to summon Dong Lai, a celestial being from beyond the sky."

...

On the 4th, the 76ers rested in the morning.

Because they were going to face the Bullets, who were currently hovering on the edge of the playoffs, tonight, Su Feng had been studying the Wizards' playing style and characteristics since he woke up in the morning.

Now the 76ers' total record was 37 wins and 20 losses, while the Bullets were 33 wins and 24 losses. Therefore, tonight's dialogue was exactly the 58th game of the season for each team.

However, just when Su Feng went to the training hall to join the team in the afternoon, Davis frowned and pulled him aside.

And then, Davis said word by word, making Su Feng stunned...

Because if Davis's words were translated into Chinese, the general meaning was as follows:

"Su, you did it last night too, didn't you?"

Su Feng: "???"

What did I do?

I've been catching up on sleep at home all day yesterday.

Seeing that Su Feng wanted to quibble, Davis immediately took out Su Feng's "crime."

Su Feng: "..."

Su Feng felt that he was really sitting at home, and the pot came from the sky.

Or...

Should I go play football, and wear a No. 9 jersey for Real Madrid?

This is not a crime at all, this is simply defaming people's reputation out of thin air!

Davis handed Su Feng a local Philadelphia tabloid.

The nature of this tabloid was similar to that of the British "The Sun," anyway, it was the kind of newspaper that couldn't wait to expose the shots of celebrities going to the toilet in front of the public.

And what this tabloid reported was that Stackhouse had stayed up all night at a bar in Philadelphia last night, and had fooled around with several gorgeously dressed women.

As for why Su Feng was lying down and getting shot?

Because in the photos taken by this tabloid, there was a masked man in black, who was called Stackhouse's "friend."

And according to Stackhouse's recent remarks in an interview that "he and Su Feng are inseparable," this tabloid suspected that this masked man in black was 99% Su Feng himself.

Therefore, this tabloid identified that Su Feng had also done it.

In fact, there were countless reports of NBA players' scandals like this in the NBA.

Just like the Houston media in the future were immune to Harden's news about going to nightclubs, when Harden didn't go to nightclubs, it was news in the eyes of the Houston media.

But this report was bad because the masked man in this photo...

Was smoking, which was easy for people to misunderstand.

But the question came...

What did this have to do with Su Feng?

Su Feng patted his forehead with his big hand, and said to Davis seriously and solemnly: "Coach, please believe me, I am not that kind of person."

Davis nodded, "In fact, after careful consideration, I also think there is a problem with this report. If it doesn't work, then sue."

Sue, must sue!

If Su Feng didn't sue this tabloid into bankruptcy, then he would write his name backwards!

Because it would be fine if Su Feng really did it...

Um!

Su Feng would not take the blame for this kind of pot.

But then again, this incident also made Su Feng realize that he was really popular now.

After all, if Su Feng wasn't popular, would this tabloid come to stir up trouble for him?

Of course, after contacting his agent Bill Duffy, Su Feng did not forget the instigator of all this.

However, after educating Stackhouse with a set of military boxing, Su Feng still felt that it was not enough to relieve his anger...

In Su Feng's opinion, he had greatly underestimated Stackhouse's physical fitness.

This guy's kidneys were hard!

"Jerry, I want to improve my singles skills recently, you shouldn't refuse to do extra training with me, right?"

Su Feng, who never forced others to do things they didn't want to do, looked at Stackhouse, who was "bruised and swollen," with a kind tone.

"I..."

Stackhouse swallowed and said, "Su, believe me, I can play with you all day!"

Su Feng patted Stackhouse on the shoulder with satisfaction, and then handed him a towel, "Why are you so careless? You can fall while walking?"

Stackhouse: "..."

...

On the evening of the 4th, the 76ers hosted the Washington Bullets at home.

In this game, Howard and Webber proved with their strength that fighting and retreating can also kill people.

Who said that "fierce as a kitten" is not "fierce"?

Ratcliffe and Da Ben were annoyed by these two people, why were you not tough or breakthrough?

At this time, Howard was not the old Howard of the future. At 23 years old, he was at the peak of his career, and as a member of the future "Western Fronts," Webber was equally technically comprehensive, able to breakthrough, shoot, and pass.

In this game, the two took turns picking and rolling with the team's point guard Strickland, causing the 76ers' interior defense to lose sight of one another.

In Su Feng's previous life, Strickland, at his peak, won the assists title in the 97/98 season. In this game, he kept feeding Webber and Howard, and on the defensive end, he could also cover Iverson.

No matter how iron man was, it was an indisputable fact that Iverson's physical fitness tank was not as full as in the first half of the season.

In Su Feng's previous life, Iverson had always relied on his tenacious fighting spirit to support himself on the court. With his style of play, was it possible that he didn't consume physical energy?

The future Westbrook was an example. In order to ensure that he had the physical strength to charge, Westbrook's playing time never exceeded 37 minutes per game.

It should be known that Iverson had never stopped having minor injuries in the early stage of his career. This season, because he had the opportunity to enter the playoffs, he had stepped on the accelerator and accelerated crazily in the previous games.

However, after entering February, Iverson's state was basically good for one game and bad for several games.

In this era, it was impossible to rotate, and with Iverson's character, it would be better to just shoot him directly than to ask him to accept the rotation.

On the 76ers' bench, in this game against the Wizards, after entering the second half, Davis also discovered this problem under Su Feng's "hints."

But...

Looking at the 76ers' bench, who could share Iverson's pressure?

Davis certainly knew that the rotation path was not feasible, but it was feasible in his opinion to reduce Iverson's playing time as necessary.

Just when Davis was thinking again, suddenly, he saw a figure that surprised him:

Kenny Smith.

Kenny Smith, who was kicked up by Su Feng, felt that the 76ers were too ignorant of respecting the old and caring for the young.

However, Smith was not as silly as Stackhouse after all.

When he was deeply watched by coach Davis, Smith knew what Su Feng wanted to do...

In Su Feng's previous life, Smith would have spent the last part of his professional career in Denver.

Although he didn't have much playing time for the Nuggets, in the 48 games he played for the Nuggets, he could average 7.9 points and 3.4 assists per game.

Moreover, his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 42.5%. Nearly 6 points of his average 7.9 points per game were scored by three-pointers.

Smith, nicknamed "The Jet" when he was young, had long lost his speed, but his playing style was steady, especially in the later stage of his career, his three-pointers were getting more and more accurate.

During the Rockets' two consecutive championships, Kenny Smith stepped forward many times, turned the tide, and ignited the boosters for the Rockets again and again.

Now, Iverson needed a steady substitute to give him time to adjust, and Smith was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Because after Davis activated the plan to squeeze Su Feng, Smith was not afraid even if he was passed by someone on the court.

He was experienced. As long as Su Feng could help him defend, he could quickly return to his position.

Moreover, Smith's three-pointers would be extremely crucial when the 76ers' second lineup was on offense.

Since Smith had come in this life, how could Su Feng let him just leave after taking some materials?

"Kenny, do you still want to go to the playoffs and have a good time again?" Su Feng asked curiously, patting Smith on the shoulder.

Smith smiled awkwardly. In fact, he really wanted to just mess around and retire...

But for some reason, after being said so by Su Feng...

At this moment, Smith's mind was filled with the scene when coach Tomjanovich said to everyone, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion"...

"Su, please be considerate of this old guy, I am no longer young." Smith sighed.

"Kenny, you are only 31 years old this year, right?

Look, the 34-year-old Michael is still dominating this league." Su Feng smiled.

"I am different from Michael.

In fact, I really admire your and Allen's talent.

I have long seen through the thing of talent.

Just like in Houston, no matter how hard I try, I can only chase Hakeem from behind." Smith shook his head.

"You are lying!

I saw it with my own eyes in 1995. Believe me, Hakeem Olajuwon would definitely not have won two championships without Kenny Smith."

"By the way, I was only 17 years old that year." Su Feng said, patting Smith on the shoulder.

"Hahaha, I'm not bragging, who else dared to shoot besides me back then?" Smith laughed, being reminded of the memories by Su Feng.

"So, Kenny, can you please accompany me and Allen, Ben, Theo, Jerry... this 76ers team, to go to the playoffs?"

"I don't know how far we will go. Maybe we will be swept home by the Bulls and Heat in three games in the first round, but I want to try." Su Feng looked at Smith seriously and said.

In an instant, for some reason, Smith always felt that Su Feng's figure overlapped with coach Tomjanovich.

"Su..." Smith felt a little choked in his throat.

"Kenny, I have always believed a saying, that is, a team cannot go far by relying on a group of children alone."

"But, it's different if there are a few old guys."

"No matter how high mine and Allen's talent is, at this moment, in this 76ers team, your experience is unmatched by all of us."

Looking at Su Feng's sincere eyes, after a long time, Smith laughed after getting up and moving his body, "Then let me try before I retire, whether my 'jet' can still fly!"

The former third booster of Space City, the current Philadelphia 76ers... water dispenser manager, Kenny Smith, was ignited by Su Feng on this night.

Uh...

Although the 76ers still lost to the Bullets in this game against the Wizards, who were accurate in Webber and Howard, Smith scored two quite wonderful three-pointers after coming off the bench in the fourth quarter.

Listening to the cheers in the Mid-State Ballpark, Smith smiled as brightly as he did in 1995 on this day.

...

Fa Biao De Wo Niu