Chapter 18

On the 18th, Su Feng, infuriated by Mingming, just refused to believe it...

Could it be that if he didn't watch the 76ers' games in person, this team couldn't win?

Heh...

Well, believe it or not, after Su Feng returned to Miami, the Suns really did win another game at home, changing the series score to 2-3.

Su Feng: "..."

Miami, that night, while having Britney upgrade his weapons, Su Feng curiously asked, "Honey, do I really look like a mascot?"

Britney, who had just helped Su Feng upgrade to the "Juggernaut Greatsword (Golden Legend)," smiled and said, "Honey, I don't know if you look like a mascot.

But do you know that the Boss in front of you is waiting for you to challenge?"

Su Feng: "..."

Good heavens!

Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

So, in order not to let his greatsword gather dust...

Su Feng bravely drew his sword and charged into that dark forest, entering the demon king's forbidden zone...

And began his endless fierce battle with the evil Boss!

In fact, throughout the 76ers' series against the Suns, Su Feng's timing was just right, and the 76ers won the games he watched in person.

But...

On the morning of the 19th, the day after Su Feng's battle with Britney, before Su Feng could wake up naturally, he was awakened by countless phone calls from Los Angeles and Toronto.

"What? You're still sleeping? Get up and watch the Finals with me!"

"No way, Su, it's almost 12 o'clock, and you're still asleep? No, no, you need to get ready and watch the Finals with me!"

As Tracy McGrady's best friend in this league, and McGrady's most respectable and lovable cousin, how could Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant accept McGrady leading a team to win the championship...呸! (Pēi! An exclamation of disbelief or disagreement)

How could they not go to the stadium to cheer for McGrady at this critical moment in the series between the Suns and the 76ers?

According to the 2-3-2 format of the Finals, the last two games between the 76ers and the Suns would be held in Philadelphia.

Therefore, under the strong demands of Carter and Bryant, Su Feng had to temporarily interrupt his second round of fierce battles with that evil Boss.

"It's okay, you go watch your Finals, Su.

Anyway, when you go to the Olympics this year, I also want to go to Greece for a while," Britney said with a smile as Su Feng prepared to leave.

Hearing this, Su Feng panicked!

What a joke!

Given the current international situation...

Didn't you see that the American team's stars have been withdrawing from the national team one after another?

Therefore, out of concern for Britney's personal safety, Su Feng certainly had to dissuade her.

However, before Su Feng could finish speaking, Britney said to him, "What? Are you worried that I'll run into your date with some young lady in the Olympic Village?

Besides, Su...tell me, is there any place in this world safer than being by your side?"

Su Feng: "..."

As we all know, as a large-scale international multi-person sporting event, the "multi-person sports" in the Olympics can be both proper and improper.

Therefore, with Su Feng's amazing athletic ability, his perfect body that could kill everything, and his frighteningly high status in the international sports world, how could Britney be at ease?

Don't blame Britney for not trusting Su Feng enough.

Blame...

Su Feng for being too charming.

...

On the 20th, Philadelphia, under the gaze of the Su-Kobe-Carter trio, at the Zhongzhou Arena, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming finally won their first O'Brien Cup of their careers.

As with the 76ers' previous wins, with the Suns' perimeter players unable to maintain their "Heavenly Hang-Up," the more stable 76ers, relying on the tacit cooperation of Iverson and Yao Ming, firmly held the initiative in this Game 6.

The only pity was that, in Su Feng's view, Yao Ming played too selflessly in this series.

Otherwise, based on his performance in piercing through the Suns' interior...

Plus Nike's boost to players in the Finals MVP voting, he really had a great chance to be elected Finals MVP in his timeline.

In the six Finals games against the Suns, Yao Ming averaged 21.5 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks.

His field goal percentage was as high as 60%, his three-point percentage was 40%, and his free throw percentage was an astonishing 95%.

In front of the television, after noticing Yao Ming's performance in this year's Finals, Shaquille O'Neal, who had already moved into his new home in Miami, became even more determined to hold on to Su Feng's coattails.

Because even if he thought about it while picking his toes, O'Neal knew that after this year's Finals, not to mention comparing himself to Duncan, even this Little Yao, who had just entered his fourth season, would probably be considered better than him in people's eyes.

In fact, in the previous Western Conference Finals between the Lakers and the Suns, O'Neal also managed to get "20+15" per game.

But...

What persuasive power did those stats have compared to winning?

And as the last of the Four Guards to win a championship...

Relying on his performance of averaging 29 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals in this year's Finals, Iverson was successfully elected the 2003/04 season's Finals MVP.

Due to Iverson's unique status among black players, in addition to Bryant and Carter, Garnett, Duncan, and others came to the stadium to cheer for the 76ers tonight.

Compared to the Iverson in Su Feng's memory, in this life, influenced by someone, Iverson won two fewer scoring titles and one fewer regular season MVP.

However, the value of this Finals MVP and the weight of this O'Brien Cup were enough to ensure Iverson's induction into the Hall of Fame upon his retirement.

Zhongzhou Arena, as Iverson received the FMVP trophy from Bill Russell, the Answer burst into tears.

As the saying goes, even the strongest man has moments when he can't help but cry.

And as the shortest "FMVP" in NBA history, in his acceptance speech, in addition to thanking his family and teammates, Iverson also specifically mentioned Pat Krause and Su Feng.

Because of a past that the world will never forget with the latter, even those Philadelphia fans who thought they could forget Su Feng felt melancholic when Iverson mentioned Su Feng's name.

And with Krause winning this championship this year, the 76ers would undoubtedly have a brighter future.

In Su Feng's original timeline, because of the lack of hard honors, Krause had been unable to acquire more shares of the 76ers, and ultimately had to leave sadly.

As a result, as soon as Krause left, the 76ers sent Iverson to Denver.

And thus began a long period of drawing cards and tanking.

From the perspective of a transmigrator, Su Feng knew that with the 76ers winning the championship this year, Krause's position would be unshakeable in the short term.

And in that case, Iverson would very likely spend the rest of his career in Philadelphia in this timeline.

Because unlike the 76ers management who only brought Iverson back for nostalgia in the future...

Pat Krause was one of the few owners in the league who was willing to talk about feelings with players.

In addition, based on Su Feng's understanding of Little Yao, Yao Ming, who was unwilling to move, would inevitably have a more wonderful career than in his memory.

Because as one of the first teams to enjoy the benefits of the Chinese market, Krause, who spoke fluent Chinese now, had been working hard to turn the 76ers into the new home team in the hearts of Chinese fans in the past two years.

"Brother Feng, I'm an NBA champion now!"

Zhongzhou Arena, after personally cutting down the net symbolizing the Finals championship for the 76ers, Little Yao came to Su Feng, jumping and skipping, and said.

At this moment, accompanied by congratulatory messages from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and other places, TNT's Smith once again explained to the fans in front of the television:

"Although the NBA throne has been constantly changing in recent years...

What hasn't changed is that since the 1997/98 season, Chinese players have been 'dominating' the NBA!"

Since Hu Weidong became the first Chinese player to win an NBA championship in the 1997/1998 season...

In the past seven years...

Although the Raptors, Celtics, Lakers, and 76ers have successively become NBA champions.

However, it seems that the theorem that only teams with Chinese players can win championships has become a reality.

And if you know enough about the world of sports...

Then you should know that in the world of sports, it's never been the rabbits who are superstitious about these theorems.

It's precisely these foreigners.

And at the Philadelphia venue...

Looking at the Zhongzhou Arena, which had turned into a sea of joy, Stern was also happy to see people discussing the topic of "NBA teams with Chinese players can win championships."

Because in that case...

Why would he, Stern, need to build a transoceanic bridge?

How about a transoceanic high-speed railway?

In Stern's eyes, the 76ers' championship this year not only brought a carnival for the black Americans...

At the same time, Yao Ming also became the second Chinese player after Su Feng to grow into a superstar under his rule.

Moreover, under the sanctions of the super luxury tax, the ownership of the NBA championship will always remain suspenseful in the next few years.

And thinking of these...

Stern immediately felt that he could work until 2050 in one breath.

...

On the evening of the 20th, after leaving the happy moments to Little Yao and Iverson, Su Feng returned to Miami with Bryant that night.

Because Su Feng would be joining the Chinese men's basketball team to compete in the Olympics this summer, the main reason Bryant was pestering Su Feng this time was because he missed Little Su Hao.

As a result, after guessing from Bryant's words that he didn't know about O'Neal's upcoming trade...

Suddenly remembering something, Su Feng looked at Bryant with a serious expression and asked, "If I remember correctly, Bryant, your endorsement contract with Adidas has expired, right?"

In Su Feng's original timeline, due to the impact of various negative news, plus Bryant's frequent wearing of Air Jordans while endorsing Adidas, Adidas had been very hesitant about renewing Bryant's contract.

And in this life...

Even without the Eagle County incident, Adidas didn't want to renew Bryant's contract now.

Because what sponsor could stand the fact that their own star was constantly walking around in the enemy's shoes?

And that he could drive a bunch of shoe designers crazy when designing shoes for him?

Compared to Bryant, Adidas had already chosen to bet on McGrady.

So, out of consideration for the future development of the "Phenomenon" series...呸! (Pēi!)

Out of consideration for Bryant's future development, Su Feng decided to extend another invitation to Bryant using his veto power when he and Nike jointly created the "Phenomenon Series."

And at this time...

Listening to the astronomical figures that Su Feng was quoting to him, Bryant was also struggling.

Because Bryant knew that if it weren't for his relationship with Su Feng...

He would never find a second offer like this in this world.

"What are you still hesitating about? Endorsing 'Phenomenon' doesn't mean you're lower than me.

Moreover, at 'Phenomenon,' you can also get your own 'exclusive shoes,'" Su Feng said to him, looking at Bryant's hesitant expression.

Hearing this, Bryant said after pondering for a while, "But...Su, even if you say that, people will still think I'm 'surrendering' to you."

"Then I ask you, if you were to endorse Air Jordans, would you be willing?" Su Feng asked, looking at Bryant.

Bryant: "..."

"But you also know that it's only a matter of time before I surpass Michael Jordan in the future.

So, do you still want to endorse Air Jordans now?"

Su Feng was very clear that based on Nike's virgin complex when choosing endorsement stars, even if players like Carter and Bryant, who switched halfway through, performed well on the court, Nike wouldn't pour resources into them like they did for him and James.

Therefore, Su Feng wanted Bryant to join the "Phenomenon" family, not just because he wanted Bryant to help him sell shoes.

Because, on the surface, Carter and others were all Su Feng's shoe-selling tools.

But in reality, wasn't "Boss Su" also bringing them along to eat soup and meat?

No cap.

Based on the current sales of the "Half-Man, Half-God" series in the United States, after Carter retires in the future, the shoe dividends he can get will probably make 99.99% of NBA stars jealous.

And even though Bryant had already proven in Su Feng's original timeline that he had a very good business sense after retirement...

But for this kind of stable, long-term meal ticket, how could Su Feng, as Bryant's best friend, not give Bryant one?

Wake up!

After Bryant joins the "Phenomenon" family, just the "8+23" collaboration will have people wanting it, right?

Want to wear it, right?

Moreover, as a branch under "Phenomenon," series like "Half-Man, Half-God" have always been on par with Su Feng's main series.

In other words, what he, Su Feng, was planning was not just surpassing Jordan on the court.

What he was planning was to rely on his connections in the current league, and by huddling together for warmth, to make "Phenomenon" achieve a complete transcendence of "Air Jordans"!

And if he wanted to make "Phenomenon" surpass "Air Jordans."

Su Feng had never naively thought that he could conquer American fans by relying on him, a foreigner, alone.

But if he brought Carter and Bryant and others in...

Then the situation would be completely different.

Because for the new generation of American fans.

Bryant and Carter were also their youth!

...

On the 21st, when Nike executives officially learned that Su Feng had persuaded Bryant, no one knew why...

In the eyes of these Nike executives, their opponent, Adidas, in the field of basketball was a little...

Too easy to beat.

Compared to the share of the football market that Adidas had painstakingly taken from Nike...

Nike executives found that whenever Adidas had a faint momentum to rise in the field of basketball, they only needed to do nothing, and Adidas would take the initiative to offer them a god-level assist.

"My God! If Bryant and Su do a Lower Merion collaboration this summer, it will definitely be a hit!"

"More than just a hit? Trust me, this time, even the poorest leeks will open their wallets for these shoes!"

"By the way, how should we choose the shoe colors? How about the red and white of Lower Merion, plus the Lakers' purple and gold trim and the Heat's flame pattern?"

Although, in the eyes of the "Phenomenon" branch executives, the contract that Su Feng had offered Bryant this time was a bit overpriced...

But as a group of leek-cutting experts, in the eyes of the "Phenomenon" branch executives, after Bryant joined "Phenomenon," it was only a matter of time before "Phenomenon" completely surpassed "Air Jordans."

After all...

How could "Air Jordans'" appeal to the Chinese market compare to Su Feng's "Phenomenon"?

And in the United States, the "Half-Man, Half-God" series under "Phenomenon" had long become the first choice of young Americans.

According to Bryant's personal wishes, after he announced that he was joining "Phenomenon," his personal branch would be named "Black Mamba."

And on the 22nd, just as the NBA was holding its expansion draft...

The Bobcats' management team, who had originally thought that they could cause a sensation as a new team joining the NBA, immediately burst into tears in the toilet.

Because on this day, Nike not only officially announced that Bryant would sign a 5-year, $81 million contract with "Phenomenon."

And before the start of the next season, Nike would also officially launch the "Lower Merion Collaboration" shoes between Su Feng and Bryant!

According to the details of Bryant's contract with "Phenomenon," if Bryant could be selected to the All-Star team three times before the contract ended, then the contract would automatically turn into a "lifetime contract" like Carter's.

And if Bryant could get a "lifetime contract" with "Phenomenon," then in the future, after his retirement, in addition to being able to get $20 million from this "lifetime contract" every year, he would also enjoy a certain percentage of the "Black Mamba" series.

Online, as more details of the "Lower Merion Collaboration" were released in the next few hours, this time, how could the leeks in China and the United States hold back?

Charlotte Bobcats?

What the hell is that trash.

In the eyes of the leeks in China and the United States, being able to grab these "Lower Merion Collaboration" shoes would be a profit!

And the most amazing thing was, as a leek who had been cut in his previous life, do you know how crazy Su Feng was when he gave Nike ideas this time?

According to the news announced by Nike on this day, when they sold the "Lower Merion Collaboration" this year, they would also hide 100 pairs of shoes signed by Su Feng and Bryant in this batch of shoes.

Moreover, these 100 pairs of shoes signed by Su Feng and Bryant would also have their exclusive numbers on the bottom of the shoes!

And for those shoe collectors...

Undoubtedly, this kind of "unconscionable" limited edition was their pursuit.

And among them, especially the two pairs of shoes numbered 8 and 23, had already been speculated to sky-high prices in the past two days!

Yes, you read that right.

At this moment, Nike hadn't even started producing the shoes yet, but online, someone had already offered sky-high prices to buy these two pairs of shoes!

"Why don't we find Nike to py (a secret deal or collaboration) a little, and keep these two pairs of shoes for ourselves?"

Looking at Bryant, who was holding Little Su Hao, Su Feng said with a smile this day.

Hearing this, Bryant immediately felt that Su Feng was becoming less and less human lately.

Because if Bryant remembered correctly...

The pile of trading cards that couldn't be bought on the market now...

Could all be found in the iron box under Su Feng's bed.

For example, trading cards like the Kobe's first All-Star trading card, of which there were only 8 in the world, Su Feng had 7 in his iron box.

For example, the most expensive card in the Su Feng No. 23 God-Slaying card series released in the millennium, numbered 23, was also in Su Feng's iron box.

You must know that, currently online, the prices that those trading card collectors were offering in order to get these cards could not even be described as crazy.

But what they didn't know was...

These rare cards, which were enough to destroy the entire trading card market once Su Feng released them...

Were mostly just toys for Su Bao.

Just like online, many fans thought that "Phenomenon" had used a sky-high price to win over Bryant this time...

In fact, how did they know.

What Su Feng used to conquer Bryant was the bargaining chip of being Bryant's chef.

According to another "agreement" between Bryant and Su Feng, Su Feng had to provide Bryant with the best cooking services in the off-season for the next few years.

Of course, in return, Little Bryant's future basketball enlightenment training would be the responsibility of Teacher Kobe.

And for the price he had paid for signing Bryant this time...

Although Su Feng's heart ached...

But thinking about the matter of buying a school district house in Los Angeles in the future...

Su Feng suddenly felt that...

He didn't seem to have lost so much.

...

On the 22nd, after the Charlotte Bobcats picked people from the other 29 NBA teams, as Su Feng had guessed before, Rafer Alston was indeed not selected by the "discerning" Bobcats' management.

On the 24th, the newly crowned champion 76ers held a grand championship parade in Philadelphia.

In this championship parade, Yao Ming not only contributed a lot of emoji packages for future silly netizens, but Iverson also tattooed a new tattoo on his arm for this championship:

—"Man will conquer nature"!

And on the 25th, at Madison Square Garden, amidst the boos of the fans, "the worst president in NBA history" Stern also revealed the answers one by one to those who cared about this year's draft.

First round, first pick.

Without any suspense.

The Orlando Magic selected Dwight Howard.

First round, second pick.

Also without any suspense.

The Charlotte Bobcats selected Emeka Okafor.

And then, in the first round, third pick, as previously exposed by the media, the Bulls and the Spurs completed a trade at the draft.

After sending their first-round pick this year, Chandler, and Kendall Gill to San Antonio, the Bulls traded for Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, whom the Spurs had selected for them.

And in the first round, fourth pick, the Houston Rockets, who were extremely eager to have a talented player stand up and save them, selected Shaun Livingston.

"Su, what pick do you think Chris will be selected at?" Looking at Su Feng, Kobe asked curiously in Miami.

Hearing this, Su Feng pondered for a while and replied, "I feel that if the Portland Trail Blazers really want to get Chris, then they will definitely make a trade next."

Sure enough, as Su Feng expected.

After sending the team's first-round eleventh pick this year and "Mighty Mouse" Damon Stoudamire to Los Angeles, the Trail Blazers' management team once again helped Baylor become the background board for the draft.

In Su Feng's original timeline, in fact, at the 2005 draft, the Trail Blazers really wanted to get Paul.

Unfortunately, because Atlanta was convinced of Marvin Williams' talent, they rejected the offer that the Trail Blazers made to them.

And in this life, after the Trail Blazers got Chris Paul as they wished...

Su Feng was very curious whether the fates of Roy and Oden and others would also be rewritten as a result.

In the 2004 first round, fifth pick, after the Los Angeles Clippers selected Chris Paul, they then sent this "183" from Wake Forest University to Portland.

And next, because the Heat had previously traded their 2004 first-round pick to San Antonio...

So Su Feng was more concerned about where those 2004 first-round picks he knew in his memory would go.

First round, sixth pick, the Wizards selected Devin Harris.

And in the first round, ninth pick, after Presti and others left the team one after another in the past two years, the Spurs once again brushed shoulders with the correct answer this year.

They used the pick they traded with the Bulls to select Luke Jackson at this pick.

As a result, with the Spurs and the SuperSonics making mistakes one after another...

Baylor unexpectedly completed his self-redemption!

In the first round, eleventh pick, the Clippers used the pick they swapped with the Trail Blazers to select...

Andre Iguodala!

Compared to the Golden Generation of '03, although the Golden Generation of '04 didn't produce many superstars, this year was definitely the year with the most high-quality role players.

First round, thirteenth pick, the Hawks picked a helper for Wade.

Josh Smith, from the prestigious Oak Hill High School, came to Atlanta with his explosive physical talent.

And in the first round, sixteenth pick, Anthony also welcomed the person who would go on late-night adventures with him in the future...

JR Smith.

And in the first round, twentieth pick, after the Jazz selected Jameer Nelson, they immediately used Nelson to trade back Al Jefferson from the Hornets.

Judging from the transaction details announced by the two teams afterwards, this was also a premeditated transaction.

Because the Jazz's own draft pick was not high enough, so after learning that the Hornets really wanted Nelson, they conducted a wave of py (secret deal) cooperation with them.

And in the first round, twenty-third pick, the Kings selected Kevin Martin.

As the NBA's Magneto before Harden, Martin, who was slender, was known for his ability to draw fouls, and his "crooked handle machine gun" was also one of his labels.

If Su Feng remembered correctly, the reason why Lonzo Ball was unwilling to adjust his shooting form when he first entered the league was because he thought that Martin and Marion could make it, so why couldn't he?

And next, in the first round, twenty-sixth pick, the Lakers still selected Sasha Vujacic, just like in Su Feng's memory.

Vujacic, who had a handsome face, was still able to wear the Lakers' jersey in this life, mainly because of the Lakers' poor three-point shooting last season.

After the Lakers had agreed with the Heat on the details of the "Shaq Goes East" trade, Buss, who was also not prepared to renew Phil Jackson's contract, hoped that the Lakers could maintain the Staples Center's box office with offensive basketball next season.

Therefore, when he was testing out with the Lakers, Vujacic, who was accurate with his three-point shooting, became the Lakers' first choice.

And in Su Feng's original timeline, compared to his performance on the court, Vujacic was probably more famous for his relationship with Maria Sharapova.

Next, in the first round, twenty-seventh pick, the Spurs used the first-round pick they got from the Heat last year to select Beno Udrih.

As early as when he was playing in Europe, Udrih had already entered the Spurs' scouts' field of vision.

And judging from Udrih's future career development, although he wasn't as explosive as another Slovenian star, Doncic, in the future, at least his "mediocre" performance was still worthy of his pick.

And in the first round, twenty-eighth pick, the Celtics selected Tony Allen.

Previously, when Allen was testing out with the Celtics, the Celtics were attracted by Allen's tenacious defense.

Plus, in the series against the Heat that had just ended, the predicament that Othello and Ray Allen and others had encountered when facing Su Feng, so Karl couldn't have other choices at this pick.

And in the first round, twenty-ninth pick, in order to make up for the team's lack in the interior, the Suns selected the famous "Brazilian Movie King" Varejao.

In the first round, thirtieth pick, the 76ers selected David Harrison.

An inside meat shield with a height of 213 cm and a weight of 127 kg.

In front of the television, when he noticed the 76ers' choice, Su Feng always felt that the 76ers' management, who weren't very keen on Harrison at this time and even wanted to trade him, simply didn't know how lucky their choice was.

In Su Feng's original timeline, as O'Neal aged, meat shields like Harrison quickly faded out of the league as well.

But right now...

As Shaq was about to go east, where could the 76ers find a meat shield like Harrison on the market?

However, as one of the few players in the 2004 draft who still had some combat power, the reason why the 76ers selected Harrison at this pick wasn't because they had foreseen Shaq's move east.

After all...

You can't let them select Ha Seung-jin, right?

Compared to the extremely high-quality first-round picks of 2004, the second-round picks of 2004 were clearly a bunch of trash.

Before the start of the draft, Ha Seung-jin, who had attracted much attention from the Korean media, wasn't selected by the Trail Blazers until the sixteenth pick of the second round.

And at this moment, at the draft site, there were still Korean reporters who were unwilling to give up, believing that this was because the NBA teams didn't know enough about Ha Seung-jin, so they had missed a treasure!

It was just a pity that the NBA teams didn't know enough about Ha Seung-jin at this moment...

Otherwise, sixteenth pick in the second round?

Wake up, not every Asian giant who is more than 220 cm tall is called Yao Ming in the NBA.

Of course, although the second-round picks of 2004 were all trash, the Heat still selected the most capable one in this group of trash.

Trevor Ariza.

The defensive role player that Su Feng had personally selected.

In April, when Ariza was testing out with the Heat, Riley discovered the defensive potential that was hidden in this guy.

Because Ariza was tall and had long arms, even though he was directly turned to ashes by Su Feng in a one-on-one, Riley was still convinced that Su Feng's judgment was correct.

In Su Feng's original timeline, because he was often accompanied by harsh sounds like "clang, clang, clang" on the court, Chinese fans preferred to call Ariza "Iron Ariza."

But just like data can lie, sometimes, even if you have finished watching Ariza's game, you will be deceived by his on-court performance.

Little-known fact.

In the playoffs of the 2007/08, 2008/09, and 2013/14 seasons, Ariza's true shooting percentage on the court exceeded 60%.

In addition, Ariza's career finishing rate at the rim was as high as 62.1%.

Because Ariza's scoring structure was mainly based on off-ball catch-and-shoot and cutting layups, even if he was 0 for 10 on the court, his damage to the team's offense was not as exaggerated as some Ariza haters said.

Moreover, as a good wing defender, Ariza could also provide good protection for his own guards.

Therefore, in Su Feng's view, under the premise that Ariza's own position was a role player, it was a luxury to ask him to play like Pippen.

And once you watched the game with this expectation...

Then naturally, the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

But after you lowered your expectations for Ariza, you would find...

This guy was definitely an excellent championship puzzle piece!

Because "Shaq's Move East" was a foregone conclusion, even though Su Feng had made a flag before coming to the Heat that he would no longer play inside, he also knew that next season, the most suitable lineup for the Heat would be...

"One Big Four Small"!

He would play power forward, responsible for helping O'Neal stand at the free-throw line to break the zone defense.

And in that case, with Mourning and Haslem still on the inside, the frontcourt and backcourt became the key areas for the Heat to strengthen.

Therefore, as a defensive tool that could be plugged in and used immediately...

Ariza, who could be sent on the court to be beaten up without needing to level up, was undoubtedly the best choice for the Heat at this year's draft.

In Su Feng's view, as long as Butler could correct his defensive attitude this summer as he had previously promised himself...

Then with the "New Miami Twin Towers" formed by him and O'Neal...

What power, which inside combination in history could compare?

Heh...

The best power forward in history?

To be honest, with Su Feng's height of "220" cm after putting on an afro...

It was just that he disdained to compete with Duncan, Garnett, and others for the title of the best power forward in history.

Otherwise, the NBA's interior would have been turned upside down by him.

Fake powerful power forwards can only take high-post jump shots and thump their chests.

Real powerful power forwards can both stand at the free-throw line to organize the team's offense and charge with the ball.

...

On the 25th, after the draft came to an end, Su Feng was ready to go to Las Vegas to meet with the Chinese men's basketball team.

And just as O'Neal had moved out the treadmill, preparing to start losing weight, and patiently waiting for the news of the Heat and Lakers officially trading to come...

Minnesota, Garnett, who had originally decided to renew his contract with the Timberwolves, began to struggle again at this time.

In Su Feng's original timeline, because Garnett had already become the NBA's regular season MVP at this time, plus he had been selected to the NBA's All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team for many years...

So after joining hands with the Timberwolves to advance to the Western Conference Finals in the 2003/04 season, Garnett had not struggled as much as he was at this moment when renewing his contract.

After all, based on the pattern of the East and West at that time, Garnett also believed that as long as he could break out of the West, then it would only be a matter of time before he won the championship.

But...

In this life, as the trajectory of history changed, Garnett, who had failed to make the All-NBA First Team for many years and didn't have a regular season MVP trophy, became ambiguous about whether to renew his contract with the team this summer after he couldn't get a reply from the Timberwolves that they would strengthen the team's lineup next season.

And due to the butterfly effect brought about by the "Super Luxury Tax"...

Do you know how much the Timberwolves' management, who had paid the luxury tax twice in the past four years, wanted to curse at this moment?

Because based on the Timberwolves' current salary structure, how could they still strengthen the team?

In the 2003/04 season, the Timberwolves' total salary was as high as $72.85 million.

And if they couldn't control the team's total salary below the luxury tax line next season...

Then what awaited them would be the sanctions of the "Super Luxury Tax"!

However...

Based on the current league pattern, before the Timberwolves' management had lost their minds, they also believed that if the Timberwolves didn't strengthen, then even breaking out of the West would be a luxury.

Therefore, after Garnett constantly conveyed his ambitions to the team through his agent...

Currently, the Timberwolves' management had also split into two factions.

One faction believed that the team's management should try every possible means, use all its connections, and turn the impossible into the possible.

And the other faction believed that the team should first solve the Timberwolves' increasingly bloated salary space before thinking about other things.

As a result, because the latter faction had the upper hand in this debate...

Garnett, who felt that he was wasting his career with the Timberwolves, suddenly felt that...

In that case, why wouldn't he switch to a more promising team to "fight for the future"?

For example...

The Portland Trail Blazers, who had selected Chris Paul in this year's draft and, once they regained their love for basketball, wouldn't care about the "Super Luxury Tax", with Paul Allen as their owner?

As early as when Paul was still playing in the college league, Garnett had heard of this fiercely defensive "183."

And as a help-defense monster who often had to help and defend for his teammates on the court, no one knew more clearly than Garnett how important a player like Paul was to a team.

In Su Feng's original timeline, the reason why Garnett would say that "the sky is your limit" to Rondo was because Garnett didn't have to worry about him most of the time when playing with Rondo.

Moreover, because Garnett had formed a deep friendship with