Chapter 51: Victory Within Reach

Chapter 63: Victory Within Reach

As the next ball was in play, a coach behind Su Feng called out, raising his hand. Su Feng swiftly turned around, giving only a brief glance at the position of the player requesting the ball before moving out. The basketball flew fast and straight, once again landing precisely in his teammate’s hands. Su Feng accomplished this effortlessly.

Today, you might just end up picking the next Jordan by surprise. Of course, there could never be another Kwame Brown. No one knows what this exhilarating gamble will ultimately bring to the team—not even the top prospects about to make their choices feel assured.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” William Adams Miller was leading a group toward the draft venue. The gates to professional basketball were about to be thrown open!

Muran found himself squeezed into the cramped, crowded press area. Today, he was not alone—many domestic media outlets were here in admiration. The Houston Rockets, and indeed the entire program, were broadcasting live!

It seemed Su Feng’s draft fate had captured the hearts of tens of thousands of fans in other countries as well. In the stands, more and more spectators were pouring into the stadium. It was easy to spot many with yellow skin among them.

These overseas students had all come for Su Feng; they wanted to witness, after Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, another yellow-skinned athlete stepping onto the stage of the top league.

In China, the draft broadcast hit an all-time high in viewership. Many players had made it to the top league before, but this was the first time a Chinese guard had been invited to the Little Black House.

Muran watched for a while, anticipation growing in his heart for the meeting about to begin in just a few minutes. At that moment, a group’s arrival caught his attention. He looked closely; sure enough, it was Su Feng’s entourage!

Su Feng, Hayward, his parents Wen Xue and Stevens, and William Adams Miller found their designated seats. Suddenly, a flash of light swept across them.

William Adams Miller clutched his phone, ready to answer the moment it rang. The seasoned agent glanced up at the luxury boxes in Madison Square Garden, surmising that all the team executives were in a state of anxiety. Any call at this very moment could alter Su Feng’s entire career trajectory.

Soon, the lights dimmed. William Adams Miller adjusted his posture, then brushed past Su Feng, nodding confidently as if to say, “No problem, everything’s ready!”

The top league commissioner, David Stern, was the first to take the stage as always. Whatever he said on stage, Su Feng didn’t catch a word. The man who had come all the way from the woods was a bit nervous!

David Stern’s formal speech drew applause, but at this moment, everyone’s attention was truly fixed on the envelope in the old man’s hand. Su Feng took a deep breath. He knew his draft journey was officially beginning.

“Ladies and gentlemen, in the 2010 top league draft, the Washington Wizards select…” Stern drew out the words, glancing at the envelope in his hand. His actions made everyone present tense with anticipation.

It was as if the air had solidified. Su Feng perked up his ears, waiting for David Stern to announce the name of this year’s lucky one.

“John Wall! From the University of Kentucky! Congratulations!” Stern concluded, and applause erupted from the audience. Wall, a gifted guard with height, weight, and speed on par with Su Feng, became the top pick of the year. This outcome was hardly a surprise—after all, Wall had been touted as the first pick since graduating high school.

“Damn it!” While others rejoiced for Wall, William Adams Miller frowned. Now, the Philadelphia Houston Rockets would soon make their choice. But there was still no word from Stefanski! Was he really going to pick Evan Turner?

Anxiously, Duffy glanced at Turner’s spot, where the player’s family was beaming with joy. He couldn’t tell whether they were happy for Wall or for themselves.

“With the second pick in the 2010 top league draft, the Philadelphia Houston Rockets select…” As Stern spoke, even Duffy’s heart seemed ready to leap out of his chest.

If Su Feng wasn’t picked by the Houston Rockets, he would likely drop out of the top three. Losing a top-three spot wasn’t a disaster, but who wouldn’t want their client to achieve the highest possible draft position?

William Adams Miller was even more nervous than Su Feng. Would it be Turner or Peak Su? What choice would the Houston Rockets make?

“Evan Turner! From Ohio State University!”

At that moment, Turner donned his Houston Rockets cap and leapt up. It seemed he’d received the news well in advance. In the stands, 76ers fans waved banners to welcome Turner.

“Ahem!” Just as everyone thought William Bryant’s tactics had ended, he stopped Leonard.

Leonard turned, his face still calm.

“Play more aggressively! It’s okay. Take a few more shots today,” William Bryant whispered mysteriously in Leonard’s ear. The Houston Rockets’ ailing small forward nodded slightly and rejoined his teammates.

An 11–0 gap was an excellent start; Houston Rockets fans, brimming with confidence at first, were now on edge. Even Shaquille O’Neal was silent for a long time. When the Houston Rockets were behind, it was hard for him to mock them.

In contrast, Sir Charles Barkley was reinvigorated, commentating from the studio with enthusiasm. If the Houston Rockets suffered a sharp drop in morale after the Cavaliers’ 11–0 opening run, Barkley looked forward to the moment Su Feng would fully take control of the game. If all went well today, Barkley was even willing to buy O’Neal a flag of the right size.

But the Houston Rockets were still the Houston Rockets. Under William Bryant’s direction, they finally relied on Duncan’s interior play to break the deadlock. The Houston Rockets scored, but only with four minutes left in the period.

“San Antonio Houston Rockets finally break their drought after four minutes. There was a lot of ball movement this time. I think William Bryant wants to shake off Su Feng’s defensive threat.”

Duncan’s basket temporarily stopped the bleeding for the Spurs, but it was no panacea. One or two successful scores wouldn’t change anything. What the Houston Rockets needed now was an offensive surge.

To trigger such a surge, two conditions must be met. First, limit the opponent’s points, halting or even shutting down their attack. Second, ensure a high success rate for their own offense. Even one failed possession could break the momentum.

At this point, the Houston Rockets had just completed an excellent offensive sequence. Now, all that remained was to defend.

After their offensive play, the Houston Rockets fell back quickly, completely giving up on offensive rebounding. While this cost them second-chance opportunities, it also minimized the risk of Su Feng’s fast breaks.

“The Houston Rockets’ defense is quick, leaving no gaps for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They’re forcing a half-court game, taking it one possession at a time. Do the Cavaliers really need to rely on isolation to score?”

In the previous possession, Su Feng had assisted Kaman with a timely cut. But since then, the separation between the two had been shut down. The Houston Rockets’ defense was tight and their rotations swift. Even off the ball, the Cavaliers couldn’t create separation.

Su Feng didn’t hold onto the ball, instead surveying the situation before passing to old Carter. Carter took the ball beyond the three-point line, but posed no threat to the Houston Rockets. Frankly, aside from Su Feng and Nowitzki, no one else could threaten Houston with the ball at this point.

Seeing no shot, Carter passed to Marion. Marion’s defender, the long-armed, defense-specialist Leonard, gave him no space. Marion couldn’t even attempt a move; if he dared to expose the ball, it would surely be stolen.

“The Houston Rockets’ defense is superb—the Cavaliers seem completely contained.”

Barkley ignored Kenny Smith, staring anxiously at the court, searching for a way out.

After the ball circled around, no opportunity appeared, and it ended up back in Su Feng’s hands. Su Feng stepped back, signaling everyone to clear out. Parker swallowed nervously. Was Su Feng going to take him one-on-one?

Su Feng didn’t wait for Parker to set himself; instead, he pushed off his right foot and “popped” in front of Parker.

Parker, reaching instinctively, felt a gust of wind brush the hairs on his arm. What on earth were Su Feng’s legs made of!?

With Parker beaten, the Houston Rockets had to rotate. Of course, they could have watched Su Feng lay it in, but no one would actually let that happen. Splitter stepped up from Kaman to contest at the rim. Even if Su Feng passed to Kaman, the unremarkable German center would be unlikely to score.

The Rockets’ defense looked seamless, poised to close the gap before the quarter’s end. Yet this time, Su Feng didn’t go all the way or settle for a layup. Facing Splitter, who’d just entered the paint, Su Feng lobbed the ball toward the hoop.

Watching as the ball dropped from the big man’s fingertips into the net, Su Feng stepped back, creating space for his own drive, then spun smoothly!

William Bryant rushed over to help, only to find Su Feng had already completed his spin!

“What are you doing?” Green was baffled. Spinning in place was useless for a drive.

It might seem so, but who said Su Feng intended to attack himself?

Su Feng’s spin drew everyone’s attention. Yet during the move, using the torque from his core and momentum, he quickly dished the ball to a cutting teammate under William Bryant’s nose!

A streetball sleight of hand had tricked the most elite team in the world. Bryant’s man took the pass and finished easily.

“He’s in! What a magical assist. Only he could conceive of a pass like that!”

In the stands, fans and commentators alike shouted in excitement. Off the court, William Bryant was dumbfounded.

If anyone had dared to play that kind of flashy streetball in the past, Bryant would have mocked them as a clown—showboating without any substance, show over victory.

But what had Su Feng just done? He’d used a “pure show” move to tear open the Houston Rockets’ defense. He didn’t just play—he played to win!

By now, the Cleveland Cavaliers had completely outpaced the Houston Rockets. The Rockets had only 45 seconds left.

Morale shattered, the Houston Rockets couldn’t get back up. They’d just found a glimmer of inspiration from Leonard’s drive, but now even that was lost.

After Su Feng’s unbelievable assist to Bryant, the confident Su Feng used a feint and a fake to lure the defense, then set up Iguodala for a three-pointer.

With 4:22 left and a four-point lead, this was effectively the Rockets’ death sentence. What could they do? Even after their morale was crushed, their shooters couldn’t hit a shot.

In the final moments, Bryant’s Rockets tried fouling, but the Cavaliers’ steady free throws dashed any hope.

“The game is over! 97-93, the Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers have pulled off a dramatic comeback, defending their home court after trailing by 12 at the start of the fourth quarter.

“It seems the Cavaliers are determined to get revenge on the Rockets this year! If a gap this wide couldn’t crush them, what possibly could?”

As the Cavaliers celebrated, Duncan shook his head. The Rockets had failed to score a single field goal in the last seven minutes—a testament to the Cavaliers’ terrifying defense.

Against a team that can only attack, facing a squad with such defensive prowess is manageable… Number 21 turned away, no longer watching the Cavaliers’ victory celebration.

Facing a team like this, with such defense, is a formidable task.

All three starting perimeter players had been named to the All-Defensive Team. That was no joke.

After defeating the Rockets, the Cavaliers had taken the lead at home, setting a positive tone for the series. Yet Su Feng wasn’t particularly excited.

The Cavaliers were still far from winning the series. They hadn’t reached four wins yet.

The fierce contest in the West had only just begun.

The fact that the San Antonio Houston Rockets had been held scoreless for the last seven minutes was something the Cavaliers could cherish for a lifetime.

No matter how much Cuban had spent last summer building this Cavaliers team, making the Rockets go seven minutes without a basket was worth every penny.

The following day, the Cavaliers’ last seven minutes were replayed on every sports network. All the experts agreed: this was the standard of defense every team should aspire to.

Relentless defense, timely rotations, flexible switches, dominant rebounding—you could see every coach’s defensive emphasis condensed into those seven minutes.

Footage of those minutes played for at least an hour on every major channel. Even the news from the Eastern Conference Finals had just broken.

Some fans were even led to believe that the Rockets and Cavaliers’ clash was, in fact, the championship itself!

At that point, William Adams Miller must have been glad, in retrospect, that he’d spent his whole career in the East. Had he come to the West, even a great like him might not have reached the Finals three years in a row.

The Cavaliers’ victory brought them comfort and worldwide adulation. No one had a bad word to say about them—they were no paper tiger. They were strong enough to lay hands on the O’Brien Trophy once more!

Besides the win, team doctor Benjamin brought even more good news.

“You mean Vince is now physically ready to play?” Carlisle read Benjamin’s report, which confirmed Carter’s foot had healed.

“Yes, Vince’s recovery has been much faster than we expected.”