Chapter 39: The Place Where Dreams Begin

Chapter 51: Where Dreams Begin

Facing Chalmers’ defense, Su Feng felt little pressure. As soon as he stepped to the three-point line, he lobbed the ball straight into the paint, hitting Kobe Bryant with a pinpoint pass.

Kobe’s supernatural performance in last season’s finals against Bosh was still fresh in fans’ minds. So when Dirk—now holding the ball—moved, not only the fans but even Bosh himself could feel his heartbeat quicken.

Kobe leaned into Bosh, backed him down with two steps as if to go one-on-one. But after successfully drawing the defense, Kobe passed the ball to the left corner. There, Su Feng spread his arms, ready to receive!

Chalmers knew Su Feng was not a guard renowned for his three-point shooting, so he didn’t close out aggressively. Instead, he gave Su Feng two steps of space, spread his arms wide, trying to limit his drive.

Yet as soon as Su Feng caught the ball, he rose and launched an immediate shot without hesitation. That kind of confidence and determination to shoot the three had previously only been seen in forwards. But Su Feng—he was never associated with the term “sharpshooter.”

Chris Brickley, the young coach watching from the sidelines, smiled. This season, you had better not give Su Feng too much room beyond the arc. Otherwise, you’ll pay a heavy price.

Swish! The ball sliced through the net, sending a ripple of white through the mesh. After scoring, Su Feng raised his arm, flashing three fingers. Chalmers, ever the straightforward type, could only wonder: why did it go in?

“Hahaha, look at Shaq! He’s even stronger this year than last! Three-pointers have become a regular weapon for him now!” Barkley laughed with excitement. In his eyes, the Cleveland Cavaliers were now truly contenders against the Heat.

Although LeBron and Su Feng had both made strong statements before the game about refusing to concede victory, basketball is always a forty-eight-minute contest. Whether a team can sustain its momentum is the key to winning.

After Su Feng subbed out, Terry and Odom made their first appearance, forming the most notable bench pairing. Initially, everyone had high expectations for the firepower these two would bring off the bench. But as the game unfolded, it was the Heat who held the edge in bench scoring.

The Heat’s bench lacked outstanding individual talent, but their close cooperation and spread-out attack left the Cavaliers with no defensive focal point.

Just after LeBron Chamberlain drained a three, Norris Cole followed in the next possession with a brilliant drive, catching the Cavaliers off guard.

Terry and Odom, the two main scoring options, found themselves isolated and stagnant. Terry was reluctant to pass to Odom, while Odom seemed out of sync with Cleveland’s system.

Odom missed his first three attempts. Without Odom’s threat, Terry had no room to shoot against the defense, and could do little to change the situation.

As for old Kidd, he was in no position to shoulder the scoring burden for the team.

With Su Feng and Kobe on the court, the Cavaliers weren’t overly passive. But once the two left, Miami seized total control.

As the game wore on, Odom’s performance continued to decline. Not only offensively, but also on defense, he stood by as his man repeatedly drove past him with success.

“What the hell is he doing?” Lamar seemed unaware that the regular season battle had resumed. Even Barkley, usually a staunch Cavaliers supporter, couldn’t bear to watch Odom’s display.

Without Chandler’s protection, LeBron and Wade broke through with ease. The impact of these two stars was now more terrifying to Su Feng than ever before. Chamberlain and Cleveland’s fans must have missed Chandler dearly—if he were here, LeBron and Wade wouldn’t be so unrestrained.

Su Feng’s excellent passing and individual scoring was not enough to suppress the firepower of Miami’s Big Three. Kobe’s precise shooting couldn’t wrestle back control for Cleveland either.

In the third quarter, LeBron, Wade, and Battier rained threes from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for Cleveland, all three were hot tonight.

Seven of ten threes, three of five—downpours that seemed to end the heated battle at the England Route Center Arena. The Cavaliers trailed by thirteen heading into the final period.

In the clutch, Su Feng scored two threes from beyond the arc. But outside of Kobe, no one around Su Feng could step up and break the deadlock.

Terry was completely locked down, Odom was sleepwalking, Marion was no match for LeBron, and Carter—long past his prime—offered little on offense.

With twenty seconds left, LeBron once again broke into the paint and hit a three over Haywood.

This time, Su Feng’s furious outburst at the bench left everyone stunned. No one dared speak up—they feared being accused of forming factions. If this misunderstanding deepened, the locker room atmosphere would deteriorate even further.

In truth, Su Feng was already regretting it. But in his moment of struggle, it was Henry’s stubbornness that truly angered him. His role also made it difficult to communicate quickly and effectively with Henry. Thus, silence became their only option.

Chamberlain, surrounded by reporters, pushed open the locker room door and immediately sensed something was wrong. The Cavaliers’ locker room had never been so quiet, not even after a crushing defeat.

The general manager instinctively glanced at Su Feng and Henry, who sat near each other yet now avoided eye contact.

Henry was filled with guilt and disappointment—Su Feng, who had placed so much trust in him, was now let down. Su Feng himself was deeply remorseful—how could he have acted so childishly?

“Dirk, come with me to the press conference.” Chamberlain had no other choice; he waved for Su Feng and Dirk to follow. After dealing with the damned media, they would consider the next step.

Today, the Cavaliers had lost. The press room buzzed with excitement. It wasn’t that Cleveland couldn’t lose, but no one wanted to see them lose in this way.

“How do you evaluate Glen Davis’s flagrant foul?” The first question for Su Feng was a heavy one.

Everyone awaited Su Feng’s response, hoping for something forceful—perhaps, “I’ll treat him like I did Pachulia!”

Had this been twenty minutes earlier, Su Feng might have said just that. But now, calmed down, he was less aggressive.

“There’s no doubt Glen Davis’s action was extremely dirty. It’s incredible to me that such a flagrant foul could be committed out of a blatant disregard for the play. I hope the league will review this closely and issue a more appropriate penalty. If the league allows this kind of malicious and harmful behavior, soon many will be left lying on the court.” Su Feng’s answer was still sharp, but also rational.

“Coach Chamberlain, how will Samuel Adams Miller’s injury affect your rotation?”

“There’s no question it will have an impact. Samuel has always been an indispensable part of our team. But we’ll do our best to adjust and address the problem.”

“Dirk…” The press conference continued. Su Feng kept glancing at the door; his most urgent task was to get to the hospital and check on Samuel.

Fortunately, it was a home game for the Cavaliers. The female press officer, reading Su Feng’s thoughts, ended the conference early and let the three leave.

Exiting the players’ tunnel, Chamberlain felt his head throbbing. The reporters’ questions only added to his frustration, as if he were wading through a pile of mess.

But what he needed most now was to confirm one thing. The bald coach walked up to Su Feng, patting him on the shoulder.

“Su, about you and Samuel…”

“Don’t worry, Coach. There’s nothing between us. I’ll talk with him when I get the chance.” Su Feng hung his head in shame, regretting his impetuousness.

Soon after, Henry, having changed into casual clothes, approached Chamberlain and Su Feng. Only when Chamberlain waved him over did Henry dare to step closer. “It’s okay, come on.”

Henry slowly walked over, stealing a glance at Su Feng—when he caught Su Feng looking back, the Frenchman quickly averted his eyes. “Coach, when are we going to see Samuel?”

“Let’s go now.”

γ

When Chamberlain, Su Feng, Henry, and Kobe arrived at the hospital, a mass of reporters had already gathered at the entrance. Had it not been for hospital security, they would have overrun the place.

The four struggled through the crowd, fending off microphones jammed into their faces, finally making it into the hospital lobby. Guided by security, they found the right floor and room for Samuel Adams Miller.

But when the four pushed open the door, they were taken aback—Samuel looked… remarkably energetic!

“Samuel, you rascal! What have I always told you on the practice court? You’ve gone and lost us all face, damn it!” Upon seeing the group, Samuel was the first to break the silence with a laugh.

“Come off it, old man—it was you who went down first!”

“I’m not even sixty-two yet! Stop calling me old man all the time. I bet I could still torch you for ten points on the court! Remember, basketball is a merciless game!”