Chapter 1 For Honor

Facing a 0-3 deficit in the Finals, fighting for honor had become a reality the Mavericks players had to confront.

On TNT, during the pre-game preview, although reluctant, Charles Barkley, as a "fair and objective" commentator, rubbed salt into the wounds of Mavericks fans...

"If the Heat win tonight, they will become the first team in NBA history to win the championship with a perfect record in the playoffs."

Throughout NBA history, no team has ever won the championship with a perfect playoff record.

After entering the playoffs, opponents will inevitably adjust their tactics to exploit weaknesses. Coupled with the more intense nature of the playoffs compared to the regular season, and various unpredictable objective factors...

In Su Feng's previous life, only the "OK era" Lakers in his memory came close to this record.

But tonight...

As Charles Barkley said, if the Heat win another game, they will become the first team in NBA history to win the championship with a perfect playoff record.

Online, some fans who disliked the Heat regarded the Mavericks as "the hope of the entire village" before Game 4 began.

And on the court...

The Mavericks players, fighting to the death, didn't disappoint their supporters.

In the first quarter, even through the television screen, you could feel Dirk Nowitzki's frustration as he scored 18 points for the Mavericks.

Compared to the Finals when Jason Kidd was swept by the Raptors while with the Lakers...

If Kidd desperately wanted that team to be destroyed as soon as possible two years ago...

Then tonight...

Kidd, now thirty-two years old...

Really, really...

Wanted to play a few more games with these teammates this season.

In the first quarter, the Mavericks showcased their fluid offense, centered around Nowitzki.

On the defensive end...

Dwight Howard even crashed into the Heat's bench while trying to save a ball from going out of bounds.

If Riley hadn't been there to cushion Howard's fall...

With Howard's reckless attitude, that save would have sidelined him for days.

Relying on this spirit of unity and never giving up, the Mavericks took a 9-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Unlike Game 3, Manu Ginobili returned to normal.

Kyle Korver's shooting touch was also subpar.

In the first quarter, the "most accurate man on Earth" only made 1 of 4 shots from beyond the arc.

Most of the time, Korver was like Michael Finley's ATM; he could only lie down and be exploited whenever Finley wanted to shoot.

However, in the second quarter...

Just as the Mavericks fans were happy that their team finally had a chance to win a game, but also saddened by the near-zero chance of a comeback...

That man whom Lakers fans hated, 76ers fans still yearned for, Raptors fans cried about whenever they thought of the Toronto dynasty, and Celtics fans wanted to kill at the mere mention of his name...

Easily "cured" the Mavericks fans' complicated emotions.

"There's no way that shot's going in!"

In Charlotte, watching Su Feng's awkward shooting form at the start of the second quarter, Stephen Curry felt that his Uncle Su Feng was being too confident.

But...

Swish!

Curry: "..."

"Knowing my Uncle Su Feng, after he gets his touch, he usually makes them in a row! So, I bet Uncle Su Feng will make the next one!"

Next to Stephen Curry, Seth Curry pounded his chest while staring at the TV screen.

As a result...

Swish!

"Did you see that? Did you see that? That's my omnipotent Uncle Su Feng!"

Inside the Curry household, Seth Curry said excitedly after Su Feng made his second consecutive three-pointer.

"This is unbelievable, because it's one thing if it's an open shot... but both of these three-pointers were heavily contested by Josh Howard."

In Los Angeles, Mychal Thompson, turning to look at his increasingly handsome son, was trying to show him his understanding of basketball.

However...

Dismissing his foolish old father's outdated understanding of basketball, Klay Thompson said, "He'll shoot the next one... and I believe he'll make it."

American Airlines Center, a second after Klay finished speaking, Su Feng, as Klay predicted, took a contested shot in transition after stopping the Mavericks' offense.

And...

Swish!

"How did you know he would shoot it?" Old Thompson asked curiously.

"Shooter's... intuition," Klay said after a pause.

"Damn it, he showed off again!" In Maryland, Kevin Durant, clutching his Tracy McGrady signed jersey, was anxious.

Ever since witnessing McGrady sitting dejectedly on the sidelines after the team's loss in Phoenix last year...

Durant had vowed in his heart.

If he had the chance in the future...

He would take on the responsibility of restoring the glory of American wing players in the NBA!

"Holy crap! How the hell did that go in?"

Elsewhere in Los Angeles, James Harden, who didn't have a beard yet, was lucky there were no cameras around to capture his "shocked-idiot.jpg" expression as Su Feng made two more three-pointers after the Mavericks called a timeout in the second quarter.

Otherwise...

That expression of his would have fans laughing to death in front of their computer screens.

Unfortunately.

Although the Mavericks players had their best half since Game 2...

After Liverpool exhausted all of the sports world's "comeback luck" recently, the Miracle of Istanbul wasn't replicated in Dallas tonight, as the remaining Mavericks fans had hoped.

The first half of the second quarter belonged to Su Feng, who scored 19 consecutive points.

The second half belonged to Shaquille O'Neal, who dominated the Mavericks' interior.

Limited by the Mavericks' defensive schemes and with Su Feng facing relentless double-teams while the other Heat players struggled to find their touch, O'Neal grabbed offensive rebounds on seven consecutive possessions for the Heat.

In the realm of missed shots...

At this moment...

Who could stop O'Neal from regaining recognition from the world?

This big, clumsy oaf, who had dominated the league since the 1990s but always struggled in the playoffs...

Finally caught up to his former self tonight.

Halftime.

From trailing by 9 points in the first quarter to leading by 9 points at halftime...

The Heat demonstrated what a momentum swing was with a 38-20 run in the second quarter.

After halftime, in the third quarter, even Kidd started driving to the basket to relieve the offensive pressure on Nowitzki.

Early in the quarter, the Mavericks briefly tied the score.

But as the game became a stalemate, Su Feng emerged victorious in a mid-range duel with Nowitzki.

In terms of shooting percentage, Nowitzki's mid-range shooting percentage this season was comparable to Su Feng's.

However, Su Feng was more consistent on offense.

On TNT, Barkley said with emotion, "From the beginning to the end of this season... I've never seen Su Feng struggle!" (Su Tie - Su Feng's nickname, implying that he never misses.)

Before Game 4, some conspiracy theorists believed that the league would force this Finals to go longer for ratings.

But judging from the officiating tonight, this was a very fair contest.

Stern didn't want to sabotage Su Feng's moment of apotheosis.

So even if this series ended 4-0, he wouldn't interfere.

American Airlines Center.

After three quarters, the Heat led 91-82, thanks to Su Feng's steady performance.

In the final quarter, Su Feng didn't rest.

Riley also approved O'Neal's request to continue playing in the fourth quarter.

With the Finals at this stage, Riley didn't want any surprises.

Considering Howard's attitude when saving the ball in the first quarter...

Riley didn't think the Mavericks looked like they were down 0-3.

Although Nowitzki and his teammates fought to the last moment, as the clock ticked down in the fourth quarter...

Nowitzki, who had just received a pass from his teammate and was still trying to launch an attack, knelt on the floor.

Beep, beep, beep.

No one knew if the droplets on Nowitzki's face at the end of Game 4 were sweat or tears.

John Davis immediately asked his assistant for a towel, walked onto the court, and covered Nowitzki's head.

Seconds later...

Patting Nowitzki's trembling body, Davis leaned down, trying to get close to Nowitzki's ear, and said, "Dirk... A young man once told me that the most glorious day in a person's life isn't the day they achieve success, but the day they can face failure and work hard again."

Hearing this, Nowitzki nodded, unable to say a word. But Davis knew that he would recover, looking at the German boy who helped him up.

"Congratulations, Gary."

Elsewhere on the court, after sighing, Kidd congratulated his old rival and old friend, Gary Payton, from the bottom of his heart.

Winners and losers.

Losing is losing.

Whether the series ended 3-4 or 0-4...

In Kidd's eyes, there was no difference.

So, to avoid adding to John Davis's workload after the game...

Kidd knew...

That he, who was already used to failure, should learn to comfort himself.

But...

But...

If possible...

"Sure enough, I still want to be the ultimate winner!"

On his way back to the bench, Kidd quickly covered his face, which he could no longer control, with a towel.

Dallas.

The night was long.

American Airlines Center.

Many Mavericks fans were reluctant to leave long after the game ended.

Mark Cuban, sitting among the Mavericks' cheerleaders, clenched his fists and stood on the sidelines like a nail, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart.

"I won't leave. Because in this unforgettable moment... I want to see how arrogant and excited the Heat are, the team that beat us. And next year... we will make a comeback!"

As early as the moment the game ended...

On the court, O'Neal, carrying Payton, cut down the symbolic game net for the Heat.

Compared to the Mavericks' defeated expressions...

At the time of the trophy presentation, every Heat player was a winner this night.

Alonzo Mourning, who had once lost his voice due to kidney disease, immediately hugged Su Feng tightly...

Hugging the number one player who had led him to a championship ring.

"We... we are the champions!"

The past hardships and bitterness had vanished at this moment.

The young streetball king Rafer Alston opened champagne on the sidelines and sprayed Riley.

Manu Ginobili, whose hair was thinning, mischievously brought two buckets of ice water and demanded that Riley perform the ice bucket challenge.

Udonis Haslem also snatched Riley's suit and put it over his championship t-shirt, pointing at Riley and yelling at reporters, "Now, immediately, you make him run 50 laps!"

Riley, knowing that these players held a lot of resentment towards him, wanted to light a cigar to calm himself down.

But Spoelstra snatched the cigar from his mouth and said, "What are you waiting for? Light it for me!"

Riley: "..."

After becoming the first player from the 2003 draft class to win a championship ring, Kyle Korver clearly couldn't hang out with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, and others.

During a post-game interview on the sidelines, Korver, perhaps because the celebratory wine prepared by the Heat tonight was a little fake, opened his arms and laughed at the reporters, "I am the king of the 2003 draft class!"

Nearby, Trevor Ariza, who was also a little tipsy, put his arm around Korver from behind and recreated the famous scene from "Titanic."

"From now on, please remember to call me champion player Caron Butler!"

On the other side, pointing to a few close friends who attended the game, Butler cheered to his heart's content.

And only at this moment...

You might not believe it.

Su Feng had finally broken free from Mourning's unbreakable seven-day lock.

As a result...

A second after escaping from Mourning's embrace...

An even more terrifying pair of big elbows wrapped Su Feng in a hug.

It turned out that O'Neal and Payton had returned after cutting down the net.

As the hero in the hearts of all the Heat players and staff...

Who wouldn't want to hug Su Feng at this moment?

The Heat fans in front of the TV, experiencing the taste of a championship for the first time, hated that this night was too short.

Because a few hours...

Wasn't enough for them to vent their uncontrollable excitement.

Miami, American Airlines Arena.

Nearly 20,000 fans inside the arena and tens of thousands of fans outside the arena wanted to rush into the bars, buy all the alcohol they could find, and celebrate and sing to their hearts' content.

Dallas...

After being manhandled by every Heat teammate and staff member...

At the championship award ceremony...

Su Feng, on the other hand, became the most out-of-place person.

Because Su Feng's habit of becoming expressionless when he was too excited...

Had happened again.

In that instant, his "calm" appearance greatly stimulated the Mavericks fans who were still in the arena.

Because in the eyes of these Mavericks fans...

Su thief!

Aren't you happy that you beat us and won the championship trophy?

Center court.

Finally...

Su Feng and O'Neal together lifted the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which symbolized the highest team honor in the NBA.

At the same time, on TNT, Barkley announced to all of North America, "Let us congratulate the Miami Heat! They are the NBA 2004/05 season champions!"

In the Zhonghua family (China)...

At this moment, congratulatory messages were sent from all over the country to the Heat, who had won the championship in Dallas.

On the court, after the Heat players gave their championship speeches, Bill Russell, the "Lord of the Rings," handed Su Feng the Finals MVP trophy, one of the highest individual honors in the NBA.

This was the fourth time in Su Feng's career that he had won both the regular season and Finals MVP awards in the same season.

When giving his acceptance speech...

Standing on the temporary awards platform in the center of the court...

Looking around...

Scenes from his past nine seasons played like slow-motion movies in Su Feng's mind.

Two years in Philadelphia, young and reckless, fighting against the gods with mortal strength.

Five years in Toronto, the dragon-slaying boy became an evil dragon, with three gems on his crown but more regrets.

And this time...

After personally laying the foundation for a dynasty in Miami...

Su Feng vowed...

That he would create a dynasty belonging to him and the Heat.

The future is too far away.

I only seize the day.

"To all basketball enthusiasts in front of the TV, are you ready to enter an era dominated by Su Feng?"

Dallas, as soon as Su Feng took the stage, his first words shocked the world.

"That's really arrogant... But I like his personality!"

In Boston, Larry Bird smiled at the little guy on TV who was full of confidence.

"Does he think that just because he won this season, he can win next season?"

In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant, holding Vanessa, was anxious.

"I hope that one day in the future, I will be qualified to say such domineering words like my idol."

In Cleveland, LeBron James, who had been led astray by Su Feng, said with envy.

"It seems that after I recover from my injury, it's time to tell this guy that you can't be too proud too early."

In Philadelphia, Allen Iverson, sitting in front of the TV with Yao Ming, said with a smile.

In the summer of 2005.

As Su Feng won his fourth championship in his career.

While officially ascending to the throne...

Ahead of him, there were groups of heroes who would try to knock him off the throne in the future.

The chaotic era would continue.

For Su Feng, who had obtained a temporary experience card as the number one basketball player...

If he wanted to permanently retain this title when he retired and his career was concluded...

Then he had to be vigilant at all times.

Because in the NBA, there was never a one-game, one-season, or even a few-seasons judgment.

As Auerbach said, a basketball player's career...

Was always a marathon.

Only when you reach the finish line can you know who will cross the line first!

...