Chapter 1 The Calm Before the Storm

The regular season concluded with the Heat finishing third in the East with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses.

Meanwhile, the Celtics topped the entire league with a franchise-best record of 69 wins and 13 losses.

This season, the Celtics players were playing with unparalleled fervor to bring a championship trophy to Auerbach, who was already in heaven.

During the regular season, even the 32-year-old Wallace was playing over 35 minutes per game.

In a normal season...

Su Feng might have thought that the Celtics' overexertion during the regular season would inevitably lead to fatigue in the playoffs.

However...

Considering the Celtics' current fighting spirit...

Su Feng believed that there was a more than 99% chance they would collectively push their physical limits in the playoffs.

Just like those 76ers who upset the Bulls back then...

With the air conditioning turned off at home, the 76ers players themselves were also suffering.

But in the end...

It was that one last burst of energy that allowed the 76ers to overcome a stronger opponent.

The reason there are so many miracles in competitive sports is that the athletes on the field are human, not robots.

Su Feng knew that no matter what, the Heat had to prepare for a seven-game series against the Celtics.

As the saying goes:

When enemies meet on a narrow road, the brave win.

Since this season is the last dance for this Miami Heat team...

If they don't draw their swords now...

Then when will they?

The final Eastern Conference standings for the 06/07 season were as follows:

1st to 8th: Celtics, Cavaliers, Heat, 76ers, Pistons, Hawks, Wizards, Raptors.

9th to 15th: Magic, Knicks, Nets, Bobcats, Bulls, Pacers, Bucks.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Heat would face the Hawks at home first, followed by an away game. The other matchups were Celtics vs. Raptors, Cavaliers vs. Wizards, and 76ers vs. Pistons.

During the regular season, the tension between the recovered Marbury, O'Neal Jr., and Carter remained high.

However, because of someone's announcement at the start of the season that he would be leaving the Heat in the summer of '07, it became impossible to trade Marbury for assets that would help the Raptors rebuild.

Even if the Raptors were willing to give him away for free, they would still have to consider the other lottery teams' feelings.

In the latter half of the season, Raptors general manager Rob Babcock had convinced the team's new owner.

If Marbury hadn't changed by next season, the Raptors would negotiate a buyout with him before the trade deadline.

There was no other way...

Even with a new owner, the Raptors' poor financial situation couldn't be changed...

So it wasn't that the Raptors' front office didn't want to buy out Marbury's contract...

But they had to find a way to squeeze the last drop of gas out of Marbury's tank before taking that final step.

And judging by Carter and O'Neal Jr.'s form...

Su Feng felt that the Celtics would definitely cruise through the first round.

Also, in Su Feng's eyes, the series between the Cavaliers and the Wizards was a foregone conclusion.

In his previous life, Little Zhan Zhan (LeBron James), a specialist in playing against the Wizards, had a dark history of a four-step game-winning shot in the playoffs against the Wizards...

But with the Cavaliers' current roster...

Su Feng felt that the Heat could start studying the Cavaliers now.

After all, according to the schedule, if both the Heat and the Cavaliers successfully passed the first round this year, Su Feng would once again face Little Zhan Zhan's challenge in the semifinals.

As for the series between the 76ers and the Pistons...

Frankly, in Su Feng's opinion, it was also a series without suspense.

Even if Big Ben (Ben Wallace) returned to his peak form...

He still wouldn't be a match for Little Yao (Yao Ming).

In Su Feng's eyes, the Pistons' only chance of winning this series was if Rivers could target the 76ers' power forward position, arrange more tactics for Randolph, and put Iverson in front of Billups so that Billups could fully exploit his "specialty of guarding 183cm players."

However...

Judging by Rivers' recent obsession with giving Pistons players different versions of motivational speeches before the game...

Su Feng didn't think Rivers could find the answer to beating the 76ers.

There was nothing to be done.

"Basketball Godfather" Davis wasn't a god either.

So not every assistant coach who followed him could achieve success like D'Antoni and Mike Brown this season.

In short, in Su Feng's opinion, the real highlight of the Eastern Conference playoffs was still the semifinals.

Because then...

Whether it was the Celtics, 76ers, Cavaliers, or Heat, any of them could beat the others.

After the regular season, the Western Conference standings were as follows:

1st to 8th: Mavericks, Warriors, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Suns, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Clippers.

9th to 15th: Lakers, Kings, Hornets, Spurs, Timberwolves, SuperSonics, Rockets.

According to the schedule, in the first round of the playoffs, the Mavericks would face the Clippers, while the Warriors, Jazz, and Trail Blazers would face the Suns, Nuggets, and Grizzlies, respectively.

Well...

This season, something happened that made Grizzlies fans want to cry.

After trading Battier, they originally wanted to start rebuilding, but they found that the overall strength of the West didn't allow them to tank.

So, as they played, the Grizzlies inexplicably made it to the playoffs.

And even more inexplicable than the Grizzlies...

Were probably the Clippers fans.

Uh...

If there really were Clippers fans in Los Angeles at this time.

In the second half of the regular season, relying on a steady performance against weaker teams, the Clippers ultimately made it to the playoffs with a record of 39 wins and 43 losses.

And the other famous team in Los Angeles, the Lakers, was more comical...

Because they were competing for the top draft pick before Kobe's injury...

They almost made it to the playoffs after Kobe's injury. (Kobe fans were furious!)

On the one hand, the Lakers' improved record in the final stages of the season was related to Scott's dismissal...

On the other hand...

It was because this Lakers team shouldn't have been at that level if they had played well.

In addition, in the second half of the regular season, in order to increase the value of Milicic and Odom, Little Buss (Jim Buss) also gave a death order to the interim "scapegoat" Madison.

As a result...

While Scott, who was unemployed at home, was still insisting that it wasn't his fault that the Lakers didn't play well this season...

Milicic and Odom directly slapped him in the face.

Leaving aside Milicic's completely different growth trajectory in this life compared to his previous life...

In terms of talent alone, this Serbian handsome guy wasn't below Gasol.

Therefore, if Scott hadn't been so stubborn and had paid a little more attention to Milicic, how could Kobe have been trapped in a solo battle in the past two seasons?

Huh?

You say it's because Kobe wasn't willing to pass the ball to Milicic?

Then why, according to ESPN statistics, the player who liked to pass the ball to Milicic the most on the Lakers in the past few years was Kobe?

And...

Why, in Su Feng's memory, did Kobe seamlessly connect with Gasol as soon as he arrived?

However...

No matter how Kobe fans try to defend Kobe now...

The Los Angeles media wouldn't let Kobe go while denouncing Scott.

So...

Do you know why Su Feng could only release the ultimate weapon, Su Hao, to let Kobe rest and recover from his injury?

Because judging by Kobe's personality...

Even if he knew that Achilles tendon rupture was an injury that ordinary people couldn't overcome, he wouldn't be able to sit still.

Of course...

Unlike the Los Angeles media's belief that the Lakers would definitely kick Kobe away after he recovered from his injury, just like they kicked O'Neal away back then...

Because Little Buss and Kupchak had already finalized the King's Landing trade in advance...

So, in the eyes of Little Buss and Kupchak, the "darkest moment" in the Lakers' fans' mouths could be endured.

In addition to the "Los Angeles Two Bears," the SuperSonics' performance this season also caught Su Feng's attention.

emmm...

Su Feng wasn't concerned about the SuperSonics' record.

But about Brandon Roy, whom they had selected last summer.

Since Roy was absent due to injury in both of the Heat's games against the SuperSonics this season...

For Su Feng, this was also a major regret of the 06/07 season.

Roy, who played 68 games for the SuperSonics in the regular season and averaged 20.5 points per game, had basically secured the 06/07 season's Rookie of the Year award.

Because Presti's cultivation of young players had always been simple and crude, directly giving you full rights to shoot...

Therefore, Roy's growth rate was also faster than Su Feng had previously expected.

And as a result...

Combining this with the SuperSonics' record this season...

If Presti could also select Durant...

Then Su Feng felt that in this life, Durant might miss out on my (Russell) Westbrook.

I just don't know...

Whether Durant, without Westbrook outside the window, could still develop the ability to carry even when his teammates were defending him to death.

In addition, after Bargnani proved that he couldn't prove Houston...

Su Feng also had no doubt...

That in this life, the miracle once created by the Cavaliers' owner, the silly son, would fall on the head of the Rockets' owner, Alexander.

However...

If Stern really gave the Rockets the top pick for two consecutive years through backdoor deals...

In Su Feng's opinion, it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing.

Because in the 2007 draft, as long as Oden participated...

Then other teams couldn't have other choices in the top pick.

But due to Oden's congenital shortcomings...

This Houston...

Was almost putting together a theoretically historically strongest lineup.

First was Williams, the top pick in 2002.

Then Livingstone...

Asking if I don't understand...

Who exactly did this life's Houston offend?

Compared to the Rockets, who were likely to be tragic again...

This season, the Spurs, who wanted to trade Bogut, also encountered trouble.

Just like the Raptors wanted to trade Marbury but no one paid attention...

At this juncture in 2007...

Affected by someone...

The Spurs' rebuilding plan was delayed for another year.

But as the Spurs' new general manager...

Kerr couldn't have imagined that the Spurs wouldn't even be able to compete for the bottom two in the West after changing coaches.

Oh!

Damn it!

Just how talented was this "Little General" Johnson to turn this Spurs team into what it is today?

However, even though there were many bad teams in the West during this period...

But with the rise of teams like the Mavericks, Warriors, Trail Blazers, and Jazz...

Su Feng didn't think that the West during this period lacked competitiveness.

If nothing unexpected happened, Su Feng believed that this year's Western Conference champion would be produced among the Western Conference's new Big Four.

The Mavericks had a luxurious lineup and Nowitzki at his peak.

The Warriors' trident was becoming increasingly tacit, and Stoudemire had also made significant progress this season.

The Jazz had everyone contributing and theoretically had no weaknesses.

And if the Trail Blazers could find the right path forward, then with Garnett, Paul, and Pierce as their core, they would also have the strength to compete for the championship.

Tsk!

No cap.

Looking at the current Western Conference's new Big Four...

Su Feng really didn't know why McGrady's fans were still blaming McGrady for not playing well this season.

Because if McGrady had played poorly this season...

How could the Suns have made it to fifth place in the West?

According to the schedule, the Heat's first playoff game against the Hawks would be on April 21st.

As the regular season officially ended, the statistical leaders for the 06/07 season were also determined.

Garnett successfully won the rebounding title with an average of 13.9 rebounds per game.

Garnett, who had once led the MVP rankings early in the regular season, had indeed played his heart out this season.

But judging by the Trail Blazers' final record...

Timberwolves fans had long given up hope that Garnett would win the MVP.

And after Nash won the assist title again with an average of 11.9 assists per game...

People joked that the league should simply rename the award the "Nash Award."

You know, if Su Feng hadn't stopped Nash from winning an assist title once...

Do you know how many consecutive assist titles Nash would have won after winning it again this year?

It was ridiculously unbelievable!

When it came to the skill of passing for easy scores...

In Su Feng's opinion...

As long as Nash's teammates weren't like O'Neal, who was prone to bricking shots...

Then he even suspected that Nash would be the NBA's assist leader until he retired.

In addition, the 06/07 NBA block leader was Howard.

Although the Magic still didn't make it to the playoffs this season...

But after returning from the World Championships, Howard wasn't as bad as people criticized him for.

As a mobile fortress, in fact, Howard at his peak not only came with his own defensive system, but his defensive coverage was also historical.

It was just that in this era when Yao and Shaq were still around and Duncan was still at his peak...

Howard seemed relatively weak.

Of course...

He was indeed a defensive liability on offense.

This season, according to Orlando local media reports, Ewing, Howard's personal coach, was almost driven to death by Howard.

And for the situation where Howard couldn't learn Ewing's center skills no matter how hard he tried...

The Magic's management's approach was also very simple and crude.

According to Orlando local media reports, next season, the Magic would spend a lot of money to hire Olajuwon to guide Howard together with Ewing.

It was just that...

Don't look at how Olajuwon was still complaining in the media that Ewing didn't know how to teach...

But when next season started...

Olajuwon would definitely join Ewing on top of the Empire State Building to fly a plane together.

In Su Feng's opinion, the Magic's management's training ideas for Howard were also problematic because his predecessors were too outstanding...

Because since Howard was a liability on offense, why not let him continue to strengthen his defensive skills?

When he was young, many of Howard's defenses were based on instinct and talent.

And if he could go one step further and better combine his talent with defensive positioning and awareness of help defense...

Then who said that Howard couldn't show his dominance on the court by relying on defense alone?

As the saying goes, there is a sequence to learning, and each profession has its own expertise.

There aren't so many Jordans and Olajuwons in this world.

And if you have to demand everyone to meet the standards of Jordan and Olajuwon...

Then even the NBA, a league full of superhumans, would have to collectively commit seppuku to apologize.

"Sigh, before I knew it, I've already won the scoring title for the sixth time...

Oh, right, Kobe, how many scoring titles have you won?"

Miami, this day, while receiving off-court guidance from Kobe, Su Feng, who was criticized by Kobe for "your offensive choices have problems," simply took out a local Miami newspaper and said to Kobe.

In the 06/07 season, Su Feng, who played 42.5 minutes per game for the Heat, won the NBA scoring title for the sixth time in his career with an average of 35.6 points per game, please be advised!

In addition, Su Feng also won the NBA steal title with an average of 3.1 steals per game, a new career high, also please be advised!

At the same time, Su Feng, who also averaged 11.2 rebounds, 10.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game for the Heat, also had his third season with a "30+10+10" performance.

Therefore, please...

Kobe, how dare you criticize my offensive choices?

Inside the training hall, looking at Su Feng, who looked exasperated, Kobe said, "Dale Carnegie once said that arrogant people don't grow because they don't listen to serious advice."

Su Feng: "..."

"Look, from the footage, you clearly knew that the other team was going to double-team you.

But why didn't you pass the ball to Trevor in the corner?" Kobe asked, pointing to Su Feng's game footage with one hand on a crutch.

Hearing this...

Although Su Feng knew that if Kobe himself was playing on the court...

He definitely wouldn't pass.

But...

When Kobe could calm down and analyze the sport of basketball...

You had to admit...

He really saw through it more than many people.

…

ps: The second chapter is here! Seeking subscriptions, seeking monthly tickets!