Chapter 49: The Rare First Point

Chapter 61: A Rare First Point

Offense matters more than defense—this is the flaw of many guards in the new generation. Young guards with both offensive and defensive prowess, like Su Feng, are nearly extinct, as rare as prehistoric dinosaurs.

Yet when those “prehistoric dinosaurs” rampaged across the earth, they inevitably brought destruction in their wake.

On the sidelines, Kings’ head coach William Cruz anxiously barked instructions, but he showed no intention of calling a timeout just yet. In the opening minutes, a six-point deficit wasn’t an insurmountable gap. Cruz would wait, hopeful the players on the court would adjust themselves.

However, not everyone could master Jackson’s habit of withholding timeouts. Lakers players had strong self-regulation, but that didn’t mean the Kings could do the same.

After watching Su Feng score easily under the basket for the third time, Cousins grew restless. He could accept losing to anyone—but not to his archrival, Su Feng. The other side had already scored on him three times; it was time to respond.

Julius Williams brought the ball up past half-court. Just as he was about to challenge Su Feng again, Cousins, locked in the paint against Haywood, shouted loudly for the ball. “Give it to me!”

Spotting the mismatch, Williams wasn’t selfish. He leapt up and fired a pass, the basketball hurtling into the paint like an intercontinental missile.

Cousins caught the ball with both hands and began backing down his defender, shifting cleverly. As he neared the hoop, he spun, preparing a hook shot to break the scoring drought.

But Cousins’ attack was too predictable. Whether from overconfidence or underestimating Haywood’s defense, he didn’t expect such fierce resistance. As soon as Cousins spun, Haywood sprang up to contest the shot. While Haywood didn’t possess Chandler’s defensive instincts, he understood one-on-one defense.

Cousins, startled by the challenge, had to loft the shot higher to avoid the block. The result: the hook grazed the rim and missed. William Adams Miller extended his long arm, collected the rebound, and pocketed it. Another failed Kings possession.

"Four straight empty attacks—the Kings desperately need a real point guard. Look at their offense: it’s either chaotic or overly simplistic. At this level, they can’t break down the defending champions’ defense."

On the Kings' bench, a short man in a warmup suit shook his head discreetly. He was confident that, if given the chance, he’d find better offensive routes after a few possessions. But the coach kept him sidelined for now—after all, he was only 1.75 meters tall.

Despite the failed attack, the Kings hustled back on defense. The Cavaliers, too, prided themselves on their transition defense.

Matched up against Julius Williams, a physical guard, Su Feng didn’t force the issue. Instead, he passed to William Adams Miller.

William Adams Miller tried to drive, but the Kings’ experienced defender John Salmons cut him off. Forced to seek a teammate, Adams Miller dumped the ball inside where Hickson was battling for position. Hickson, pinned behind him, raised his right arm to receive the pass.

Without hesitation, Adams Miller lobbed the ball high. The basketball traced a high arc and fell precisely into Adams Miller’s hands.

“Dirk has the ball—this is his first offensive attempt tonight. Let’s see what the Englishman can do.”

First, he felt for his defender with his back—Hickson was strong but didn’t crowd him fully; he was wary of Nowitzki’s drive. In last season’s Finals, Nowitzki’s sudden spin move left Bosh questioning his own existence. Hickson must have done his homework, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so cautious.

Of course, if a superstar could be shut down so easily, he wouldn’t deserve that title.

Nowitzki suddenly feinted with his shoulder, as if preparing to spin and drive.

The tense Hickson bit, backing up a step. But the shoulder fake was just that—a fake. Nowitzki’s real intent was to fade back and shoot!

Dirk’s signature one-legged fadeaway—rebuilt in this arena—left Hickson flailing, powerless to stop it.

All Hickson could do was pray the cursed shot wouldn’t drop.

“Clang!” The rim sang out crisply, and Hickson immediately craned his neck to follow the ball.

So Gobert wasn’t anxious. He knew his moment to shine would come.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers underwent sweeping changes this summer. Apart from Dirk and Dirk—err, Dirk and Su Feng—their starting lineup has been overhauled. Starting center Dalembert, Adams Miller at the three, Tony Allen at the two. This lineup could put tremendous pressure on the Hawks’ defense.”

Kenny Williams’ analysis was spot-on. Whatever critics might say about the Cavaliers, their defense had not regressed. Of the Cavs’ starting five, only Su Feng and Adams Miller had slightly weaker defensive skills. The frontcourt was precisely where the Hawks hoped to exploit them.

The referee tossed the ball, and the fans erupted in frenzied shouts. Relying on his experience and height, Dalembert secured the opening possession for the Cavaliers. The 2013-2014 season was underway for Cleveland!

Offense was the reason many experts doubted the Cavaliers. Adams Miller and Tony Allen were renowned guards, but their scoring and defensive abilities were not on the same level.

Adams Miller wasn’t an elite shooter, and Tony Allen’s offensive game was negligible. At center, neither Dalembert nor Gobert offered much scoring threat. Of this starting unit, only Su Feng and Adams Miller could be counted on for consistent points.

But Coach Carlisle, standing on the sideline, was supremely confident. With Su Feng, there was no need to worry about offense.

As the game unfolded, Adams Miller and Tony Allen began darting around the court, while Dalembert set an off-ball screen for Adams Miller at the high post, preparing him for a catch-and-shoot.

It was the Cavaliers’ first official game together, but their fluid movement suggested a team that had played together for a season. True system players found chemistry quickly.

Would the ball go to Adams Miller? Or would Tony Allen cut in unexpectedly? The Hawks’ defenders hesitated, unsure.

While they second-guessed, Su Feng suddenly accelerated. Everyone else was a decoy—Su Feng had planned to attack the rim himself from the start.

The Tiger reacted quickly, stepping over to cut off Su Feng’s path. But Su Feng glided past smoothly, leaping without losing speed.

It had to be said—these signature shoes perfectly suited Su Feng’s style. His drives felt unencumbered, the special soles providing superior comfort on acceleration.

With a single move, Su Feng shed his last defender. The Hawks’ defense, drawn away by the decoys, left the lane unguarded.

In three seconds, Su Feng sliced through like lightning, and before Horford could rotate over, he rose and threw down a twisting 180-degree dunk.

“And in spectacular fashion, he gives the Dallas Cavaliers their first points of the season!” Barkley’s voice was almost drowned out by Su Feng’s dazzling drive and thunderous finish. From the opening tip, Su Feng was relentless.

“They say offense is the Cavaliers’ weakness this season, but on that play, the Hawks had no answer. Every Cavalier was moving, each a scoring threat. That actually makes their offense terrifying,” Mike Breen concluded, echoing Carlisle’s confidence after witnessing the first possession.

With Su Feng, offense was never a problem—he was a magic point guard who elevated everyone around him.

Su Feng’s dunk opened the season. He didn’t celebrate, but quickly set up with his teammates on defense.

Tiger just inbounded the ball, but in the backcourt, three elite defenders—Su Feng, Adams Miller, and Tony Allen—spread their arms, waiting for the Hawks to throw themselves against this wall.

This time, even the Atlanta Hawks would find it hard to soar over these three mountains.

Offense was just the appetizer; the Cavaliers’ defense would soon teach their opponents true despair.

With his explosive drive and powerful dunk, Su Feng delivered a gift to fans at the start of the new MVP campaign. That dunk was worth waiting half a year for—since the Cavaliers were eliminated in late May and only now returned to the court at the end of October.

But everyone knew that offense was just the prelude. What the Cavaliers truly expected this summer had yet to be unveiled.

“Come here, Julius.”

Julius turned around in surprise, momentarily stunned. Before the coach headed over to Brooks, he had to call on him first.

“For tomorrow’s game, I want to increase your minutes. I’ll need you to do more on offense, so I hope you’ll prepare through some contact drills.”

“Increased minutes!” Julius flashed a toothy grin at Brooks’ words.

“Of course, but if you lose focus on defense again, I’ll pull you immediately!” Seeing Julius’s raised brows and smile, Brooks quickly injected another “dose of reality.”

“Heh, I’ll do my best, coach!” Julius thumped his chest, then eagerly ran back onto the court to warm up.

Opportunities sometimes arrive without warning.

Brooks looked at that green, youthful team, his heart heavy. They were so young, he couldn’t say who was ready to shoulder the burden. No clear candidate had emerged.

He could only hope the one still growing wouldn’t let himself down tomorrow.

The referee’s piercing whistle blared again. Chandler barked at the official in frustration, but Marion quickly pulled him away.

In the stands, the Cavaliers’ fans rained down raucous boos, a chorus that seemed to last all night.

“Julius draws Tyson Chandler’s fourth foul! With eight minutes left, the Cavaliers’ defensive anchor must avoid further fouls!” Kenny Williams pored over the stats. “Julius now has 15 points. In the fourth, the Cavaliers’ defense has focused on him and Durant’s relentless attacks.”

“If Julius hits both free throws, the Rockets will take the lead! He’s outscoring Adams Miller, who has three turnovers; meanwhile, Julius has committed none!”

Kenny Williams and Barkley didn’t say it outright, but Julius was hotter than a bikini beauty on a Los Angeles beach tonight.

Carlisle watched Julius step to the line again and could only shake his head. Julius was a crafty player, always switching hands in midair to find space, slipping through defenders’ arms to avoid blocks, drawing fouls and finishing. Chandler was not easily baited, yet Julius’s convincing fakes had fooled him several times.

Receiving the ball from the referee, Julius was met by a crescendo of boos from the home crowd. But the bearded young man ignored it, calmly sinking both free throws to give the Houston Rockets a crucial fourth-quarter lead.

Stevenson caught Su Feng’s pass beyond the arc. Confident, he pulled up immediately.

But to Stevenson’s surprise, Julius was fiercely tenacious on defense tonight! Stevenson, never a reliable three-point shooter, was rattled by Julius’s pressure and missed badly, the ball clanging off the left side of the rim. Adams Miller grabbed the defensive rebound and launched a quick counterattack.

But the impatient No. 0 guard remained flustered. As the game grew tighter and the clock wound down, his anxiety mounted.

Under Su Feng’s pressure, Adams Miller’s pass bounced off his own foot and out of bounds—a golden fast-break squandered by a rookie mistake, to the visible frustration of the entire Rockets lineup.

Once again, Adams Miller failed to deliver in the clutch. Su Feng, not about to waste such chances, used Chandler’s screen, drove inside the arc, and prepared for a pull-up jumper.

Adams Miller, desperate to atone, leapt up to contest, but his anxious state clouded his judgment. Su Feng simply used a subtle fake, not even shooting. Adams Miller’s jump left him out of position.

Su Feng stepped back, found his rhythm, and swished the jumper through the net, putting the Cavaliers back in control.

Brooks called timeout. He couldn’t bear to see a repeat of the previous night. When play resumed, to everyone’s surprise, Adams Miller was benched!

Taking his place was sophomore guard Maynor, who already had 13 points off the bench—a bright spot for the Rockets alongside Julius.