Chapter 57: A Grand Victory

Chapter 69: A Resounding Victory

"Which of you can surprise me? If you think you can, come up here! I’ll collaborate with you, but you must come up with a dunk that will make everyone’s eyes light up!"

Kobe Bryant of the Houston Rockets, a former superstar in the top league, was putting on a show that was anything but ordinary. Many people wanted to dunk in front of Kobe Bryant, and countless cameras were trained on him, but not everyone had the courage to step up.

"Go on, you give it a try!" William Adams Miller suddenly shouted excitedly in Su Feng’s ear.

“What? I’ll be recognized!” Su Feng quickly waved his hands in protest.

William Adams Miller glanced around, borrowed a Cleveland Cavaliers baseball cap from a teenage boy nearby, and put it on Su Feng’s head.

"With a baseball cap and sunglasses, they won’t recognize you! Go on, I want to see the look of surprise on Kobe Bryant's face!"

Before Su Feng could protest further, she grabbed his hand and thrust it into the air.

"Oh, looks like we have a volunteer!" Kobe Bryant spotted the raised arm in the crowd. As he had said, all eyes turned to Su Feng.

"Come on, man! You raised your hand, don’t be afraid!" Kobe Bryant beckoned with the microphone, and the crowd began shouting, parting to let Su Feng through.

"If I get recognized, none of us are leaving this place," Su Feng muttered, shaking his head as he handed his phone and other belongings to William Adams Miller.

A yellow-skinned "masked man" made his way onto the court amid cheers and shoves.

William Adams Miller noticed Su Feng’s phone screen was still on and meant to turn it off for him. But as the Italian girl caught sight of the photos in his album, her smile froze.

It turned out Su Feng had been taking photos all day, but not of the scene—there was only one star in his camera roll today: Valentin Wegner. She was everywhere: wearing sunglasses, frowning as she spoke, happily licking ice cream, fixing her hair, smiling... There was not a single cityscape from Dallas, just her, always her, through Su Feng’s lens. All he saw was her.

Wegner couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the photos. This aloof boy had such a side to him.

"Are you a good guy or a bad guy?" Meanwhile, on the court Kobe Bryant was hyping up the crowd with banter as Su Feng prepared for his dunk.

Seeing an Asian face approach, Kobe Bryant’s expression was doubtful. Not out of prejudice, but rather, he wondered what kind of spectacular dunk an Asian could possibly perform for the crowd.

"You sure you’re up for this?" Kobe Bryant exaggerated a look of distaste. Of course, he wasn't actually displeased with Su Feng—it was all to rile up the audience.

Su Feng, still behind his disguise of hat and sunglasses, seemed determined not to remove them. He took the basketball from Kobe Bryant, dribbled twice.

"Are you sure you don’t want to take off the sunglasses and cap? I hope your face doesn’t bounce right off the rim," Kobe Bryant joked, earning laughter from the crowd. After all, aside from his height and arms, this Asian didn’t seem remarkable. People weren’t expecting much from his dunk, perhaps only a masked man’s gaffe.

After a moment’s thought, Su Feng stepped toward Kobe Bryant and handed the ball back to the former league superstar.

He gestured for Kobe Bryant to hold the ball aloft with one hand, arm stretched up. Clearly, Su Feng wanted Kobe to be a prop in his dunk performance. The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Everything ready, Su Feng signaled the crowd to clear the way, then retreated two steps beyond the three-point line. In the next instant, he exploded into motion! His burst of speed stunned the onlookers.

In a flash, Kobe Bryant saw the Asian in the baseball cap flying at him! Then, the yellow-skinned man leaped high, grasping the ball from Kobe’s outstretched arm.

But Su Feng didn’t dunk immediately. Suspended mid-air, he spread his legs, switching the ball from left to right hand through his legs, then slammed it fiercely through the hoop with his right.

The entire move was seamless. As Su Feng landed, Kobe Bryant stared in astonishment at the man beside him. He even wondered if Sprite had intentionally arranged for this ringer. How lucky could you be to find someone like this for a dunk contest?

The stadium was silent for half a second, then erupted in cheers! William Adams Miller jumped out from the crowd, hugging Su Feng on the court.

"Did you see his shocked face?! Ha, you were amazing!" To everyone’s surprise, the scene Wegner had imagined came true.

"Hey, kid! You scared the hell out of me!" Afterward, Kobe Bryant came over to high-five Su Feng himself. "Why have I never heard of you before?"

A reporter later asked Griffin how he would feel if he met the Cleveland Cavaliers again in the playoffs. Griffin answered accordingly.

In fact, during the regular season, the Trailblazers were the only team that hadn’t beaten the Cavaliers. There was history between Griffin and Su Feng, but now the two teams had developed such a rivalry that Cavaliers versus Trailblazers was the most anticipated first-round matchup for fans.

Though the regular season wasn’t over, both Trailblazers and Cavaliers fans already had their minds on the playoffs.

Even after Billups tore his ankle in February, the Trailblazers remained formidable. In his absence, second-year guard Bledsoe performed well. For the Cavaliers, the Trailblazers were perhaps the toughest opponent.

As usual, the Cavaliers ended the regular season ranked higher. But most media outlets predicted the Cavaliers were more likely to falter.

Kobe Bryant showed no worry during interviews, despite his team failing to win a single game against the Trailblazers with Paul on the roster. "I don’t mind being the sacrificial lamb, but I hope those who come to cut us down sharpen their knives before they try," he quipped.

After the Trailblazers secured sixth place in the West, the dust settled.

Chris Paul was supposed to join the Los Angeles Cavaliers last summer, but the league vetoed the trade, so Paul chose another team in LA. The move also "indirectly" sent Odom to Dallas.

Paul’s arrival on the Trailblazers gave an already strong Western team another formidable contender. Though the Blazers only finished sixth this season, if not for injuries, their record would have been much higher.

Paul is the kind of point guard who elevates everyone around him. Just look at Andrew Jordan’s leap this season as a blue-collar center—you’ll see how vital a good point guard is.

Though Griffin was the loudest among the Blazers, Kobe Bryant knew the team was truly tough. Paul wasn’t one for many words.

For England, drawing the Blazers in the playoffs was good news. Everyone wanted to see Cavaliers versus Trailblazers. The series was a market hit and meant big money for England’s coffers.

But for Kobe Bryant, nothing was worse than facing Paul early. Not that he lacked faith in Su Feng, but if he could choose, he’d rather face other opponents.

In the following days, the Trailblazers and Cavaliers swept their remaining regular-season games. On April 26, the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 106–89 in their last game, securing third place in the West with a 46–20 record.

Notably, the Cavaliers were only one win behind the second-place Houston Rockets.

The Los Angeles Trailblazers ended with a 40–26 record, still trailing the Cavaliers.

With this season shortened, every step felt rushed. Normally, there’d be a two- or three-day break before the playoffs, but this year, after beating the Hawks, the Cavaliers had only a single day to rest before entering the postseason.

Both the British management and Kobe Bryant knew that with the Cavaliers’ current strength, their chances of repeating as champions weren’t high. Still, the first round hurdle had to be cleared.

For the defending champions to fall in the first round—what a joke that would be.

So, in these days, Su Feng spent little time at home and rarely saw William Adams Miller, who had finished her season. The busiest time of year had come again. The day after the regular season, Su Feng was up at 6:30 and at the training facility early. The seamless transition from regular season to playoffs left no time for anyone to slack off.

It wasn’t just the top-league players who couldn’t rest. TNT’s trio of Barkley, O’Neal, and Kenny Smith were all working overtime.

Every year before the playoffs, TNT aired a special program, a treasured tradition. This year, despite the tight schedule, they worked hard to get it done. Unlike last year, this time the Dallas Cavaliers were one of the first-round teams drawing the most attention.

"Cavaliers versus Edunhua? No suspense. Rockets versus Trailblazers? Not many unknowns there. Cavaliers versus the Warriors? Eh...that’s interesting, but upsets are unlikely."

Su Feng and Kobe Bryant shed their warm-ups. People say basketball is dominated by South Americans, but neither Su Feng nor Dirk are from South America. Today, skin color would not be an obstacle to victory!

How would you know if you never tried?

The whistle blew.

The referee tossed the ball into the air—a dazzling sight under the bright arena lights.

Kendrick Perkins, the defensive center who’d won a title with the Celtics in 2008, was a key mid-season addition for the Rockets. Everyone knew the Rockets’ interior defense, especially at the five, had long been criticized. In the past, attacking their paint was a surefire way to good results.

Perkins’ arrival had shored up that weakness. In the series against the Grizzlies, his defensive prowess was on full display and a key reason the Rockets had come this far.

Though "Big Baby" Perkins played hard, at only 2.08 meters, he couldn’t win the tip. Chandler, with his half-hand advantage, gently tapped the ball back to Su Feng.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the game is on!" Kenny Smith shouted as Cavaliers fans roared. The blue sea of the Dallas stands surged, and the city’s temperature seemed to rise.

The din crashed against Su Feng’s ears, but his mind remained calm and clear. The rookie guard was unfazed by the feverish atmosphere. He advanced slowly, gesturing to direct the offense.

Kobe Bryant was positioned better inside. Su Feng paused outside the arc, glancing at Dirk as if to pass it to the post.

But in the next instant, Su Feng switched the ball to his left hand and accelerated—a sudden burst! Another beautiful fake. If he’d been up against anyone else today, Su Feng might have already broken into the paint.

Unfortunately, his opponent was William Adams Miller, who’d scored forty in the last round and was built like an alien.

Su Feng’s sudden move caught Miller off guard; he thought Su Feng would get by him. But Miller was no Fisher—he was young and energetic.

Seeing Su Feng change speed and direction, Miller shuffled quickly and used his strong body to block the path.

The thud of their collision made Miller’s heart cramp as she watched from the front row. Su Feng surely felt it too; he couldn’t break through that wall.

His drive stopped, but his mind did not. Seeing his path blocked, Su Feng pushed the ball to Chamberlain in the right corner.

Chamberlain was being guarded by Rockets star Kevin Durant. Durant’s height and wingspan were daunting—arms outstretched like a giant spider, giving Chamberlain no room to shoot.

But the Cavaliers weren’t a team that relied solely on individual stars. With no shot, Chamberlain quickly passed again.

By then, Su Feng had run through an off-ball screen and cut back, shaking Miller and finding himself open.

Miller often relied on his extraordinary physique to cover for his defensive lapses, but his anticipation was not top-tier. Defending off-ball motion was not his strength.

Unfortunately for him, Su Feng was experienced in both on-ball and off-ball offense.

As Su Feng received the ball, Miller lunged at him with long strides. Seeing Miller’s weight shift forward, Su Feng instantly decided to drive.

But Miller’s athleticism was truly remarkable—almost instantly, he shifted his center of gravity and stayed with Su Feng.

In the first playoff round, Su Feng had faced the veteran Will Carlisle. In the second, it was Fisher, no longer the “old fish” of years past. The previous rounds, Su Feng had outplayed older defenders.

But this round was different; attacking was no longer easy. Knowing how hard it was to score, Su Feng leaned into Miller on the drive, but at the last moment, passed the ball instead.

His target wasn’t just anyone—it was Kobe Bryant, who had been itching for a chance. Kobe caught the crisp pass at midrange.