Chapter 22: Clearly Defeated

Chapter 29: Clearly Defeated

The child held his breath.

A petite woman paced anxiously in the players’ tunnel, her fingers tightly entwined and pressed to her chest. It was obvious her eyes were a little red, yet her lips curved into a joyful smile.

“Mrs. Ye! Your son is one of the finest basketball players I’ve ever seen!” William Adams strode into the tunnel and spotted the mother waiting for her son. He greeted her warmly and shook Wen Xue’s hand.

“Thank you, General Manager. If it weren't for you, Su Feng never would have had this chance,” gratitude overflowed on the woman’s face. It was never easy for a woman to raise a child alone in the slums. If not for William Adams, Wen Xue truly didn’t know what path would have awaited the Soviet Summit.

“It’s your son’s own strength that matters. Believe me, madam, if there were teams looking to sign him now, they’d have to queue up!” William Adams’ happiness was no less than Wen Xue’s. Su Feng’s performance today had proven Adams had chosen the right person.

This Asian guard, who dared face John Wall, was nearly pushed aside and buried because of his skin color. Fortunately, Adams had caught a glimpse of his game footage during a visit to Wall; otherwise, the world would have lost a basketball prodigy.

“Where is Su Feng…” Wen Xue pointed with her delicate fingers toward the exit of the tunnel, wondering why her son hadn't returned yet.

“Oh, he must be giving interviews to reporters right now. Madam, your son is already a star at Butler University!” Adams beamed with pride.

The corridor buzzed with questions.

“And! Also! Where are you from? I mean, are you Chinese or Korean?”

“How do you feel about your performance today?”

“Was William Adams too soft on you? Do you think you have a shot at beating John Wall?”

With microphones nearly shoved in his mouth and impatient reporters pressing in, Su Feng suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed.

After his father’s death, Su Feng’s personality had changed dramatically and he’d always gone unnoticed. No one cared for this yellow-skinned, temperamental boy—even his stellar high school league performances drew little attention.

He had always lived apart from the world, never knowing what it was like to be in the spotlight.

So when worry and attention came crashing in, Su Feng was at a loss. Luckily, Gordon Tony Bruchaga, still possessing a boyish face, stepped forward to comfort him.

Bruchaga slung his arm around Su Feng’s shoulders from behind. The white small forward, still looking much like a high schooler, seemed nothing like the lethal force he was on the court.

“Yeah, on the court, all I have to do is shoot like I do in practice. Because he always finds us opportunities, I’m glad to have a teammate like him. With him, we can go far this season!” Bruchaga’s appearance satisfied the curious reporters, who left without further questions.

The grilling continued, but under Bruchaga’s “protection,” Su Feng was able to quickly return to the players’ tunnel.

“Hey, hey, you’ve got to get used to this. The media’s not so bad. Sometimes, they can even be useful to us.” Bruchaga smiled, patting Su Feng’s back, but Su Feng’s expression remained stiff.

Suddenly, Su Feng smiled—not because of Bruchaga, but because the beloved bad boy of the fans had spotted the most important person in his life.

“Mother.” Su Feng threw his arms around Henry in an embrace. Her son had grown up; now, he was the one caring for his mother.

“Su Feng, you know I’m so proud! Your father would be proud of you too!”

“Mom, I’ll play my best. I’ve already told the general manager I want to play professional basketball like Dad. William Adams will train me for that. Don’t worry—we’ll never have to live in fear again. Once I get my first paycheck, we’ll move! Leave Long Beach behind!”

“You must listen to Mr. Adams, alright? Don’t give him trouble. He’s a good man—we’ll never forget what he’s done for us.”

“I know, Mom. I’ll behave. I’ll head back to the locker room first, then come get you for the ride home.” Su Feng kissed his mother’s forehead, then, with the stadium staff’s permission, was the last to enter the team’s locker room.

As Su Feng pushed open the locker room door, a wave of applause greeted him.

“The hero always arrives last! Congratulations—you’ve won your first NCAA career victory!” William Adams led the Bulldogs in cheering for Su Feng’s outstanding performance. The entire team had been waiting for him in the locker room for quite some time.

“Hey kid, relax. This game was alright—their offense was pretty limited. This is just the start of another winning streak, and we’ll keep it going!” On the court, the team’s anchor, the Knight, squeezed the rookie’s shoulder.

Of course, the Knight wasn’t really giving Su Feng a massage—he just wanted to help him relax. If he were a rookie, the German thought he’d be nervous too. After all, tonight, everyone had been watching.

“I’m not worried, Dirk. You’ve been pretty anxious these days.” Su Feng forced a smile at the Knight. He knew that if he didn’t, his teammates would keep worrying.

Though no one said it, Su Feng knew his teammates always cared for him.

By this time, it was already December 15th. Two days after losing to the Bucks, the Houston Rockets’ home stadium was set to host another game.

This time, their opponent was not a team of flesh and blood, but the Portland Antonio Spurs, holding a 12-13 record.

Though the Blazers’ star Greg Oden had already succumbed to injuries and “Yellow Mamba” Brandon Roy no longer had his former courage, Rose City’s team was still a threat.

LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, Nicolas Batum—these names still made the Trail Blazers dangerous. The Rockets were well ahead of the Spurs in the standings, but if records were everything, the league could hand the O’Brien trophy to Houston right now.

Basketball is played on the court, not on paper.

“Take it easy, hey. In my rookie season, I never saw any rookie wall—those are just things so-called experts made up.” The Knight said, picking up a ball to start warming up. The German seemed in good spirits, knowing just how crucial Su Feng’s form was for the team.

As the Knight chatted with Su Feng, at the other end of the court, a similarly gentle giant had long been eyeing Dirk with intent.

“In their last two games, the Spurs lost consecutively, scoring below 80 each time. What do you think is the cause of these similar defeats?” Kenny Smith was already at the commentary desk with Barkley. During pregame preparations, these two on-air treasures naturally became the stars of the broadcast.

“Without a doubt, the Spurs’ consecutive losses are down to their stars underperforming. In those two games, Aldridge scored 17 and 13 points. Not a low tally, but for a player billed as a star, it’s clearly not good enough. Whether LaMarcus can break out of his slump will be key for the Spurs to stop the slide. Of course, I don’t think LaMarcus will take Dirk lightly tonight.” Charles Barkley offered a serious analysis of the Spurs’ recent setbacks. If Aldridge heard Barkley’s words, he’d certainly agree.

Indeed, Aldridge had played poorly in his last two games. In this league, Su Feng was not the only one under scrutiny. Aldridge had recently been thrust into the spotlight for the same reason.

Su Feng wanted to prove himself tonight, but what about Aldridge? Like Su Feng, the reserved big man preferred to bury his emotions deep and unleash them through basketball.

To defeat Dirk and lead the Spurs to victory, tonight’s game was Aldridge’s best chance to prove himself.

“Hey, did you see LaMarcus today? Later, get him more touches—let him go one-on-one in the post as much as possible.” Seeing Aldridge’s sharp form during warm-ups, Coach Nate McMillan quietly instructed veteran point guard Tony Bruchaga.

Miller nodded thoughtfully and fed the ball to Aldridge. The only thing that truly worried old Miller tonight wasn’t Kidd or Aldridge, but that same silent rookie!

The stands filled, the cheers grew ever louder. Neither team wanted to lose, and with the referee’s whistle, the game officially began.

Even as Su Feng sat on the bench, the camera constantly gave him close-ups. The moment he appeared on screen, the commentators would unconsciously bring up the rookie wall.

On defense, Bruchaga could typically use his strong frame and experience to limit opponents’ attacks—especially old-timers like Kidd, who were his prime targets.

Kidd wasn’t quick, and Miller knew him well. Thus, Miller was excellent at defending Kidd.

But the young Rocket in jersey No. 1 made Miller nervous. His biggest worry was defending against speed—and Su Feng was the very model of a speed guard!

Dirk struggled for position in the paint. Tonight, Aldridge was determined to lead his team to victory and shadowed the German relentlessly. Many assumed Dirk and Aldridge were primarily jump shooters with little defensive impact—but that was just a fan’s illusion.

Both Aldridge and Dirk were exceptional defenders, making it hard for Dirk to shake Aldridge’s close coverage.

Meanwhile, Batum, newly arrived and full of excitement, was sticking to Marion like glue. The tall, strong Matthews made Terry’s off-ball movement awkward as well.

After a round of unsuccessful attacks, Su Feng decided to take matters into his own hands and break through!

He lowered his center of gravity, dribbling rapidly with alternating hands. The veteran unconsciously licked his lips, sensing the lightning-quick guard wanted to drive. This made Miller tense up even more.

Suddenly, Su Feng raised his hand—Miller rushed over! But Su Feng didn’t start his move, instead shifting slowly.

“Just a routine move?” Miller realized he’d overreacted, and his tense body relaxed a little.

But Su Feng’s steps were deceptive. Seeing Miller drop his guard, Su Feng gave a little kick and then exploded forward as if ignited.

A relaxed Miller knew he had to stop it, but his aging legs just couldn’t respond.

A gust of wind blew past Bruchaga, lifting the hem of his loose shorts. The old veteran spun around and found Su Feng already pulling away, heading straight for the paint.

Marcus Camby, the best shooter of the ’96 generation, tried to recover and protect the rim, but Chandler, having cut to the basket, was blocked outside. The Spurs’ paint was wide open, waiting for Su Feng’s arrival.

Su Feng was not one to show off, but faced with such an open path to the rim, he would not pass up the chance for a spectacular finish.

The yellow-skinned youth leapt off one foot, soaring to a height that would rival even the league’s best black athletes.

With both hands, he brought the ball behind his head and smashed it fiercely into the hoop.

A thunderous “bang!” echoed as the ball crashed through, Su Feng’s powerful dunk leaving the trailing Miller utterly humiliated.

Coach McMillan, who had been smiling, froze instantly. It was clear Houston’s bench was going to be a headache for him as well.

“And he slammed it! I’ve never seen a Chinese dunk excite me like this—not even Yao Ming!” Charles Barkley bellowed, dragging out his roar.

“Maybe Derrick Rose’s dunks are more shocking, but this one’s right up there!” Kenny Smith compared the dunk to Rose’s, laying bare his admiration.

In less than twenty-four seconds, Su Feng had dunked on the Spurs. Some said the rookie wall might hold him to single digits tonight. Rockets fans were eager to see who could stop him.

On the Spurs’ next possession, Miller decided not to tangle with Su Feng. Seeing Aldridge muscling for post position, he passed the ball inside without hesitation.

No wasted words, no extra moves. Aldridge caught the ball and sat down in the post. Dirk hadn’t expected him to play so aggressively tonight and was caught off-guard.

Sensing a gap in Dirk’s position, Aldridge seized the chance, spun, and shot. Though Dirk tried to contest, he couldn’t block Aldridge’s vision.

Aldridge gently released the ball—it dropped through the net with a sweet swish. The Spurs scored on back-to-back possessions; the silent No. 12 pounded his chest and hurried back on defense.

“That guy really is like me,” Su Feng thought to himself as he watched Aldridge.

Moody players like Aldridge reminded Su Feng of his own past, and so, the two became friends.