Chapter 37: Amusement

Chapter 49: Playful Intrigue

"How come you've never heard of this guy?" The executives at the Cleveland Cavaliers Club eyed Su Feng’s collection of game memorabilia as if they were looking at wads of cash about to vanish.

"I did some digging—Su Feng’s father was a professional player, spent some time in the CBA. After retiring, the family moved to the United States. Back then, Su Feng was still young, and his father wasn’t well-known, so hardly anyone recognized them. I believe we need to assign a team to keep track of him, because rumor has it Su Feng is likely to be picked by a top league team in the first round. This kid isn’t just any ordinary talent!" CCTV basketball reporter Liu Qing was eager to unravel the mystery for Chinese fans.

However, the leader waved his hand dismissively. "No need to be hasty. There are many NCAA players from China, but very few ever gain real fame. I don’t want us spending too much time publicizing it, only for the kid to turn out mediocre. He’s just made it through one round, hasn’t he? If he can make it through the second, I’ll send you to get the story."

Clearly, the CCTV executives were unwilling to waste time on a Chinese player outside the established system, unless Su Feng continued to prove his abilities.

Liu Qing was disappointed, but could only accept it reluctantly. Now, he could only pray that Su Feng, playing across the ocean, would continue to clear the hurdles before him.

※※※

Su Feng was becoming ever more popular in China, though he himself was completely unaware of it.

This young man, raised in Wood, was now honing his ball-handling skills according to Stevens’ training regimen.

Although Su Feng's ball-handling was already sufficient for the NCAA, both he and Stevens knew their destination was not just March Madness, but the top professional league!

Of course, before that, Stevens and Su Feng also hoped to claim this year's NCAA championship. Everyone was preparing for the second game.

After defeating the University of Texas, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not relax, but pressed on with their preparations. Only a thoroughly prepared team can handle the unexpected.

Compared to Texas, the Bulldogs’ second-round opponent seemed far less daunting.

Murray State University—a name seldom appearing in the chaos of March. This year, many on their roster didn’t even recognize Stevens.

Game footage revealed that it was their teamwork which brought Murray State this far. In terms of individual talent, Stevens saw few threats.

But the Cavaliers' marshal knew well the ancient lesson of cautious navigation. Though the second-round opponent was not as formidable as Texas, Stevens urged his players to train diligently. In March Madness, every game is win or go home, and upsets are not uncommon.

After several days of training, the energetic Su Feng and the Cavaliers finally faced their second opponent, Murray State.

The match was played on a neutral court, yet today, most of the audience had become Cavaliers supporters. Especially for Su Feng—many held up signs with the number "1" on them, and his name echoed throughout the stands.

Su Feng’s popularity this year even surpassed that of Hayward.

At the tip-off, Su Feng assisted Matt Howard for a score under the basket. For guards accustomed to Brad’s intense defense, Murray State’s point guard couldn’t put any pressure on Su Feng.

On the next possession, Hayward executed a solo pull-up jumper, the basketball swishing through the net once more. People predicted that this might become Hayward’s trademark in the pros.

Finally, Su Feng hit an open three-pointer, completely igniting the Cavaliers’ offense. It was also Su Feng’s first triple of this March Madness campaign!

Just three possessions in, Murray State found themselves stymied by a 7-0 run. A team without stars, faced with a potential powerhouse like the Cavaliers, seemed utterly lost.

Up to this point, Murray State had relied on teamwork—precise and beautiful, textbook basketball.

But basketball is a game that demands both team unity and individual brilliance; only by blending the two can one succeed.

Murray State’s offense stalled, but no one stepped up. On defense, they were a step behind the Cavaliers.

Even blue-collar power forward Willie Wesley, usually quiet on offense, scored 12 points today, threading the needle at Su Feng’s direction.

By the start of the second half, only two-thirds of the fans remained in their seats. The rest, lulled by the one-sided game, had already drifted home.

A few hours earlier, the Cavaliers had battled the Raptors at the American Route Center. Now, in the frigid expanse of Minnesota, they braved the ice.

Kobe Bryant herded the team onto the bus, heading through the cold night toward a hotel on the deserted Minnesota Avenue.

“Damn this compressed season and these back-to-back games!” Kobe Bryant muttered in frustration.

Long road trips combined with a sudden drop in temperature would sap any player’s energy. They could only hope for a smooth game tomorrow.

Stepping into the Minnesota woods, one had better keep their eyes peeled—after all, this is wolf country.

The phrase “back to back” sounds twisted enough when uttered, but it’s even harder to endure in practice.

Twenty-four hours ago, at the American Route Center, tens of thousands of Cavaliers fans had cheered for Su Feng. Now, at Minnesota’s Target Center, he endured boos from the crowd.

Luke Ridnour, an old guard who’d joined the league in 2003, warmed up nervously, both teams lining up and ready for battle.

Though this was Ridnour’s ninth pro season, he still worried about the sophomore in the Cavaliers’ number 1 jersey. In the previous two games, Su Feng had dispatched both Westbrook and Calderon. He was red-hot. Ridnour didn’t expect to beat Su Feng—he just wanted to avoid a blowout.

As Ridnour steeled himself for the challenge, Su Feng’s eyes drifted from the court to the Timberwolves’ bench.

A young man with prominent brows and large eyes caught Su Feng’s attention. It was none other than the 2009 fifth pick, Ricky Rubio—the Spanish golden boy now making his NBA debut.

Compared to the veteran Ridnour, Su Feng was more interested in Rubio’s potential impact off the bench. He’d watched plenty of Rubio’s highlight reels: a fine floor general, but perhaps still too green to lead a winning team.

The referee’s whistle sounded. After three straight defeats, the Timberwolves were desperate for a win to prove themselves.

“As the game begins, Ridnour controls the ball and pushes forward. Can the Timberwolves topple the exhausted Cavaliers in their debut season?” Even Mike Breen, sitting high in the stands, could see the Cavaliers players were mentally drained.

Minnesota’s weather was brutal—not everyone could handle its winter. What’s more, this was the Cavaliers’ second consecutive game. Even a marathon would be tough for these athletes, let alone maintaining their usual high-intensity play.

After halftime, Ridnour held the ball, then lobbed a “cannonball” to Love.

Another fifth pick, Kevin Love, drafted by the Timberwolves in 2008, hadn’t been highly rated at first. But each season, this versatile forward had doubled his output. Last season, at age 22, Love averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds, capturing two statistical crowns. Now, he was the Timberwolves’ centerpiece.

Receiving the ball, Love didn’t immediately post up. Having played guard in his youth, he possessed a soft touch rare among big men.

Seeing the young white forward turn for a jumper, William Adams Miller immediately closed out, determined not to leave Love an opening.

But Love didn’t go straight up. Sensing Miller’s weight shifting, he dropped a shoulder and darted past his defender.

Miller’s exhausted mind and body struggled to keep up—he was simply too slow today. Love broke through with ease.

With no one left at the rim, Love threw down a one-handed dunk, putting the Timberwolves on the board. His surname might be gentle, but on the court, the white forward was a bloodthirsty wolf.

“The Cavaliers’ schedule has been brutal lately, and it’s clear they’re feeling the strain. Even with strong conditioning at the start of the season, back-to-back games are still a grind,” Mike Breen observed.

Miller’s defense was clearly not at his usual level. But the opposition wasn’t about to show mercy, just because they’d played yesterday. The Cavaliers had an aging lineup—their physical limitations were an obstacle they had to overcome.

After Love’s basket and the Cavaliers’ response, Miller used Marion’s screen to shoot from beyond the arc. Su Feng’s pass was perfectly timed. The moment the opening appeared, he delivered the ball.

Su Feng’s absence from practice had become a media laughingstock—a source of ridicule. Reporters eagerly awaited the Cavaliers’ collapse, but found themselves disappointed.

Journalist Mu Ran, who had a good relationship with Su Feng, learned the full story and wrote it up in her column. She included details of Kobe Bryant’s mind games with the media, and how Su Feng slipped out of the hotel unnoticed.

The article caused a global sensation. Sometimes, the drama between two teams transcends basketball. One had to admit, Kobe’s “plan” worked brilliantly. He successfully threw off Brooks’ tactical preparations, lulling the Houston Rockets into complacency. By the time they realized it was all a ruse, Su Feng had already split the difference.

The Oklahoma media accused Su Feng and Kobe Bryant of being shameless tricksters, conveniently forgetting that the initial report of Su Feng’s absence from practice had originated with them.

Three to zero—many teams in league history have faced a 3-0 deficit. The only thing they have in common is that, without exception, they all lost the series.

Three-zero is a spell, a sentence for any team yet to finish the job. Though Durant and Brooks insisted they’d fight to the end, everyone knew these were just words. After all, Durant couldn’t very well say “we’ve lost” in front of the cameras.

The outcome of the playoffs was already determined. The only question was whether the Houston Rockets would be swept by the Cavaliers. In Su Feng’s vocabulary, there was no such thing as mercy.

Sure enough, a day later, the Rockets seemed to surrender at the same American Route Center. The insurmountable 3-0 deficit had sapped their will to fight.

Durant played only a half, never finding his rhythm. In the second half, he sat on the bench, doing nothing but finding a way to accept that the season was over.

Though it took half the game for him to come to terms with it, when the final buzzer sounded, Durant didn’t choke up.

He sat staring at the arena, countless cameras capturing the face of the league’s three-time scoring leader. Durant shook his head, eyes red.

Sixty regular-season wins, a championship goal—it had all seemed within reach. But sometimes, change comes faster than anyone expects.

The Cavaliers defeated the Oklahoma Thunder to advance to the Western Conference Finals. A year later, the Dallas Cowboys would once again compete for the Western crown.

When Charles Barkley announced the Cavaliers’ advancement, the entire arena erupted in cheers. Last year, the Dallas Cavaliers were eliminated by the Thunder in the Western semifinals.

This year, the Cavaliers toppled their nemesis and completed their revenge. They didn’t lose twice in a row to the same opponent, and MVP Su Feng, as expected, carried them further.

Durant clenched his fists and walked down the tunnel, head bowed. The sting of another elimination at the hands of the Cavaliers was all too familiar—and infuriating.

From now on, Durant would be the Cavaliers’ and Su Feng’s lifelong adversary. The original Houston Rockets were harmless, having no real enemies in the league. But now, the Dallas Cavaliers’ name was surely marked on the Rockets’ blacklist. Should they meet again in future playoffs, it would be a clash to remember.

The Cavaliers swept the Rockets 4-0, becoming the first team to reach the conference finals.

While the Cavaliers and Rockets settled their score, the Pacers and Knicks continued to fight hard. In the West, the Spurs faced the Nuggets—Popovich versus George Karl was no easy contest.

As for who would face the Cavaliers in the Western Finals, opinions differed.

One thing was certain—Kobe Bryant would rather face a run-and-gun team like the Nuggets than deal with the crafty Spurs. It wasn’t that he looked down on Denver, but the Spurs had far more playoff experience. Since their rise, their core trio had weathered countless storms. Their stability was enough to make any opponent despair.

So, Kobe Bryant was rooting for the Nuggets to prevail.