Chapter 36: Boring Matters

Chapter 48: Mundane Matters

Neither Kobe Bryant nor James Harden could compare to Cleveland Cavaliers’ number one pick, at least in Kobe’s eyes. It wasn’t that Su Feng was vastly superior in talent; rather, he possessed a psychological maturity beyond his years. Maturity meant fewer exploitable weaknesses.

Kobe Bryant was consumed by revenge, while Harden’s defensive lapses were frequently taken advantage of by Su Feng. In contrast, apart from lacking physical strength, Su Feng left little for opponents to exploit.

Su Feng understood well that the name across his chest meant more than the one on his back. “Dallas” was the key that unlocked everything; “Yi” behind him was just a small part of that.

Thus, Su Feng didn’t just focus on his own scoring. In terms of offensive diversity, he sometimes even surpassed James, especially during last night’s showcase. Most importantly, Su Feng could orchestrate the entire team, turning the four other men on the court into instruments for his own scoring.

Before the game ended, the Cavaliers already had five players scoring in double digits. If nothing unexpected happened, that number would only rise.

When Kobe pulled his team from the game, Carlisle greeted his players with excitement. He walked straight to Su Feng, giving the slightly shorter young man a hearty pat.

“Well done, kid! You scared the life out of them today!” Carlisle gestured to the stands behind him.

“I need you to rest now. We’ll need you again to close it out!” Carlisle smiled and waved Su Feng to the bench. At point guard, Carlisle had plenty of options—Kobe might just lose his mind entirely.

After the timeout, Su Feng “magically” vanished from the court, replaced by a more seasoned player.

Kobe had just designed a slew of defensive schemes for Su Feng, only to watch his plans fall apart as the target sat on the bench. What use was strategy when the man was no longer present?

When Kobe returned to the court, he found himself facing an entirely different defender—a brief flash of excitement. Su Feng had been suffocated, and now Kobe planned to break down this veteran at home.

But this time, Kobe’s aging adversary didn’t show the vulnerabilities Su Feng had. The veteran’s classic defense and solid positioning forced Kobe into a rash, failed shot.

The Rockets’ first possession after number zero’s return plunged them into chaos. Kobe could only suppress his anger and repeat to himself, “He’s young, he’s young…”

The Cavaliers soon regained possession. With Su Feng off the court, Kobe’s solo offense was limited. Who would the Cavaliers turn to for scoring now?

Of course, Carlisle’s choice before Su Feng’s arrival was their most intimidating sixth man, Jason Terry.

Terry moved leisurely outside while Marion darted about energetically, a stark contrast that convinced Houston’s rookie defenders Marion was the intended recipient. But Marion’s activity was merely a decoy. As soon as the defense relaxed, “Jet” suddenly burst to life, leaving Sefolosha behind in the right corner. Chandler delayed Terry’s “Swiss Army Knife” cut along the baseline, giving Terry a brief opening. Carlisle’s passes were never slow.

The pass arrived as Terry made his move. Catching the ball, Terry launched his shot before Sefolosha could recover. He didn’t disappoint, sinking the basket. Thirteen points—coming out of the timeout, the Rockets hadn’t narrowed the gap; it had only grown.

Kobe had to shout from the sideline, “Get the damn ball to Kevin!”

He wanted another chance. But with the coaches now dictating the plays, he had no choice.

People expected Durant to rescue the Rockets, but in truth, he disappointed every Oklahoma City fan.

Durant’s impatience, coupled with Marion’s timely intervention, disrupted his rhythm. He charged inside right away, betting on his shot. But a veteran like Marion wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake. The Cavaliers’ number zero was tracking him, long-limbed and imposing.

Naturally, the shot missed. Chandler, towering above everyone, claimed the rebound. This, too, belonged to the Cavaliers.

Minutes ticked by, and the closest the Rockets came was cutting the deficit to six. But they could never quite close the gap.

No matter how dire things looked, the Rockets had to stay composed and keep attacking. Defense wasn’t their main concern—it was offense. If they failed to score, all their defensive efforts would be wasted.

After two successful free throws, the Rockets regained their offensive rhythm. Kobe wanted to push past his older counterpart, convinced he could outpace him. Yet, when he reached for the ball, he realized that this wasn’t Su Feng—he couldn’t simply swipe the ball away.

Though slower and older, the veteran’s core strength was formidable, able to withstand the pressure of a defending guard. Seeing this, Carlisle couldn’t help but laugh.

Even among the Cavaliers’ guards, few could unseat him from his spot during scrimmages.

Kobe stared in surprise at the old soldier before him. Was he really over forty?

In the first two games, Kobe was mostly tangled up with Su Feng and hadn’t grasped the veteran’s depth. Today, he saw it clearly. The Cavaliers—old men, youngsters, guards—were all monsters.

Their will was unbreakable. No matter what you did, you couldn’t shake them. And the other was so physically strong that grappling with him was costly.

Su Feng and the veteran both locked down the Rockets’ defensive line, which was why Carlisle was so confident in winning with defense. Although the Cavaliers’ reputation was “sharpshooters,” in fact, Carlisle’s defenders shot less than their offense suggested.

No way around it. Kobe had to call in another play, sending in the big man from Congo at the top as he broke through. But Kobe’s drive wasn’t to score—it was to set up a score.

With the veteran removed, the Congolese’s footwork and athleticism far exceeded Nowitzki’s. Nowitzki couldn’t keep up and was left behind, while Kobe’s pass found Ibaka perfectly. Now, with Kobe accelerating, no one stood in his way.

Given the circumstances, Chandler might not be able to stop him, even if he rotated back to the basket.

He knew he’d take a hit if he tried, but protecting the rim was Chandler’s job. So, the “boxing champ” sprinted under the hoop, and the collision between two strong men left fans on the edge of their seats.

Kobe held his breath, bracing for the impact. That’s playoff basketball—on a narrow path, only the brave press on. No one backs down.

The Congolese gripped the ball with both hands, legs coiled to leap. But just as he was about to take off, the ball was stolen!

“What?!” Kobe looked down—of course, it was Su Feng.

Su Feng’s defense was perfectly timed. He crashed in, intercepting the ball before Kobe even noticed.

But as the ball was intercepted, it flew toward the baseline. If it went out of bounds, it would be a wasted effort, giving the Rockets another chance to organize.

Su Feng didn’t hesitate. He chased the ball as if it were a gazelle and he a hungry lion.

He dove for it, body parallel to the hardwood, grasping the ball with both hands in midair. Yet Ibaka sprawled out, completely blocking Su Feng’s passing lane. If Su Feng couldn’t get the ball back in play, all his effort would be in vain.

With no room to maneuver, he started falling. In a split-second decision, Su Feng angled the ball sharply downward.

“What?!” As Kobe reacted, the ball struck his trailing leg, then ricocheted out of bounds.

Su Feng crashed into the press row, startling a flock of camera-wielding reporters. The referee’s whistle blew. “Rockets number nine out of bounds! Cavaliers ball! Well played!”

“Good job!” Nowitzki shouted with excitement as the call was made, rushing over to pull Su Feng to his feet.

“Unbelievable!” Kobe cursed, unable to fathom how Su Feng had saved the ball in such an improbable fashion.

“And he’s still fighting desperately for the Cavaliers’ possessions. His defensive rotations have been perfect! Now, everyone—especially all Thunder players on the court—needs to stay on guard! You never know where number one will appear next!” Barkley exclaimed as the Cavaliers set up their next play. With Bryant’s superb ball-handling, Kobe didn’t dare gamble for a steal.

The crowd buzzed about Su Feng. No one could predict what heights this young man would reach. This season, he’d nearly replaced Nowitzki as the team’s leader. What about the future? Perhaps he’d lead them to the summit, just as Nowitzki once did. Though a championship repeat seemed unlikely for the Cavaliers this season, their future looked bright.

No one expected the Cavaliers to stumble through a string of defeats in early February. On February 1, they faced the season’s champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Houston’s formidable strength left the aging Cavaliers overwhelmed. In last year’s playoffs, Houston had been too young and inexperienced, and Cleveland’s savvy had carried them through the Western Conference Finals. Back then, the Rockets were no match for Cleveland.

But this season, the young Rockets had matured, while the Cavaliers had grown weaker. Cleveland had barely won twice all year. So far, Houston had lost only four games, two of which came at Cleveland’s hands. Su Feng and Nowitzki had played the role of the roadblock, but this time, Houston seized their chance and finally toppled the Cavaliers.

Bryant and Durant scored 56 and 15 points respectively. The Cavaliers, who previously had Thunder under control, were beaten largely due to injury.

Brendan Haywood, the Cavaliers’ only interior defensive anchor, was injured in the second quarter. Chandler’s departure at the beginning of the season had already devastated Cleveland’s inside presence. Now, with Haywood sidelined, only the Frenchman Mahinmi was left. With their interior defense crumbling, the Rockets seized victory.

Su Feng put up 28 points and 11 assists, but with the Cavaliers’ poor defense, it wasn’t enough.

95 to 86—the Rockets finally avenged their loss. The defeat ended Cleveland’s dream of a ten-game winning streak, while Houston’s win helped them hold onto the top spot in the West.

Even so, the loss didn’t draw much concern. Losing one or two games in a season was normal, especially to a team as strong as the Rockets. No one thought much of it.

But then, unexpectedly, on February 3, the Cavaliers lost again—this time to the Indiana Pacers.

In that game, Bryant played only three minutes before leaving with an injury. Haywood had just been lost two days earlier, with no return in sight. Now, with Bryant out as well, the Cavaliers’ rotation was in shambles.

Though Bryant’s role wasn’t as prominent as last season, he remained an indispensable part of the rotation. Carlisle, deprived of healthy players, was forced to rely on Delonte West, who remained frustratingly inconsistent.

West had his moments this season, but expectations had to be kept in check.

The Pacers capitalized on the opportunity: Paul George exploded for 30 points, David West added 20. For the Cavaliers, only Su Feng performed well under the heavy blows. In the end, Cleveland lost 87 to 98—their second straight defeat.

Most shocking of all, a day after losing to the Pacers, the Cavaliers fell to the rebuilding New York Knicks. Throughout the game, Su Feng kept star rookie William Adams in check, but no one could have predicted Adams would hit a game-winning jumper in the final two seconds.

With that, the Cavaliers had lost three straight! Once again, Su Feng was under scrutiny—this time, not even he could deflect the blame. Last time, when Billups scored the winner, people blamed Carter, not Su Feng, who was contesting the shot. But this time, William Adams had scored directly over Su Feng, and there were no excuses. Even if his stats surpassed Adams’s, Su Feng had lost, and lost thoroughly.

Barely an hour after being felled by William Adams at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks’ star Anthony scored 17 points on 20% shooting—and still came away with the win. At that moment, the commentators had only one name on their lips: “Linsanity.”

“Incredible William Adams! He’s saved the Knicks! My God, after last month’s illness outbreak, we’re witnessing another miracle. Since early February, William Adams has been putting on a wild show! Is this Asian point guard ready to dominate the league?!” Mike Breen gazed in astonishment at the court, at the yellow-skinned guard who had performed wonders and rescued the Knicks from despair.

It was said William Adams was on the verge of being cut by the Knicks, unable to even afford a decent apartment in New York. He’d been crashing on teammate Landry Fields’s couch these past few days.