Chapter 74: Time Waits for No One

Chapter 86: Time Waits for No One

The Trailblazers displayed unwavering determination from the very start. Though their team had nothing to do with the championship battle of this basketball war, they were not lambs led to slaughter.

Soon, however, Nash felt the traces of time upon himself. Su Feng gradually took control of the ball beyond the three-point line. Seeing an opening inside, Su Feng’s lower body accelerated sharply.

One step, then another—Su Feng slipped past Nash. In that moment, he seemed to dissolve into mist, and when he burst forward again, he was already trailing behind Nash.

Nash turned to chase, but how could he catch up? Su Feng was among the fastest defenders in the league, while Nash, when mentioned, was most often described as “once.”

Su Feng breezed into the paint. The big men scrambled to cover him, raising their arms to block the basket entirely.

Su Feng spun his head swiftly, scanning the court. Then, the point guard flicked the ball behind his head, passing it to Carter.

Last season, Carter had hit a career low with the Trailblazers, but now, in a new environment, he too hoped for a fresh start.

Carter began calmly. Dudley retreated, unable to recover on defense in time, and could only try to make up for lost ground. Evidently, his efforts were futile.

The ball passed through the net—Su Feng had assisted Carter’s three-pointer. Nash smiled and shook his head. Last season, Carter’s passer was himself. This league, year after year.

Despite Cleveland’s strong response, Nash remained steady in controlling the game’s tempo. After all, the veteran was a legendary point guard; though aged, his power endured.

Nash was the Trailblazers’ only advantage—and their greatest “flaw.”

During this basketball war, only 14% of Nash’s shots were assisted by teammates, the lowest scoring ratio in the league. This was largely because, as long as Nash was on the court, the Trailblazers had to let him orchestrate every attack. Yes, every single one.

Nash was the sole brain of the Trailblazers; when present, he could mobilize everyone. But once that “brain” temporarily lost its function, the Trailblazers’ “limbs” grew numb.

In the eighth minute of the first quarter, head coach Alvin Gentry substituted Nash with Shannon Brown using the Lakers’ belt buckle. At thirty-seven, Nash was living up to his reputation in name only. He could no longer fill an entire segment without moving; his congenital spinal issues increasingly affected his play.

Shannon Brown, in truth, was a formidable guard, his dunks dazzling. But everyone knew: this man was a point guard, not a playmaker.

Once Nash left, the Trailblazers immediately lost their organization. Teammates who had just joined the series seemed “cut off.”

Afterwards, the Trailblazers fell into chaos. Hill and Dudley fired indiscriminately from beyond the arc, while Shannon Brown’s aggressive drives crashed into a wall of blocks.

With Cleveland easily breaking their balance, Nash sat on the bench, shaking his head helplessly. Sometimes, he truly envied Su Feng. At least that man had tasted the glory of a championship…

In the second quarter, Nash returned, and the Trailblazers managed to staunch the bleeding for a while. But at thirty-seven, Nash could not be Phoenix’s eternal guardian. When he left to catch his breath, the gap widened again.

In the second half, even with Nash on the court, the Trailblazers could not hold back. Nash’s poor defense became Su Feng’s focus. Off the court, Nash and Su Feng might be good friends, but in competition, there was no mercy.

Nash was infuriated by Su Feng’s relentless drives, but under Su Feng’s tenacious defense, it was hard for Nash to break free.

Nash’s average points per game had dropped to 9.9; in this basketball war, he was no longer a super scorer. With his scoring ability diminished and Su Feng’s inhuman pressure, Nash was forced to swallow defeat in Dallas.

Nash, with 10 points and 9.9 assists, still managed a double-double at thirty-seven—a feat remarkable in itself. Yet in competitive sports, there is but one winner.

Nash scored 29 points and delivered 11 assists to Su Feng, helping his team defeat the Trailblazers 100-89.

Though, under Nash’s brilliant passing, Gortat scored 22 points, he could not restore the Trailblazers from their loss.

“Steve Nash, another heavyweight name added to the killer list of this basketball war! Kidd must be glad—at least he doesn’t have to face him. Believe me, old Nash must be badly bruised after this game.”

Another glorious victory, another worthy adversary. Su Feng’s popularity continued to rise; in this basketball war, he seemed poised to claim the league’s top shooting guard title.

Su Feng’s consistently outstanding performances made him the darling of the media. Now, major websites and newspapers frantically analyzed Su Feng’s technical traits, predicting the heights he might reach in the future.

He had twice defeated Westbrook in succession—a feat not by chance, for Westbrook’s strength was indeed unrivaled! Perhaps this guy would be the next Derrick Rose. I’m not talking about his playing style, but about his potential to win the MVP trophy during his rookie contract in the regular season!!!

“This year, his performance beyond the arc is also superb, with a three-point shooting percentage reaching 39%. You know, last season’s three-point percentage was less than 35%. The increase in offensive methods makes defense even harder. The greater the spacing, the better the chances for his teammates. Defense is a headache. I think coaches of the other 29 teams are all worried now.”

The Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster had begun to age, yet they strung together four consecutive victories at a critical moment. It was astonishing. Aside from Kobe Bryant’s brilliant play, the Cavaliers’ excellent performance was also key to their current success. He was gradually seizing the team’s leadership from Bryant, and as you can see, he was doing so spectacularly.

On the day after defeating the Thunder, nearly every sports website and newspaper worldwide lavished praise on Su Feng.

Had the Cavaliers beaten another team yesterday, the impact might not have been so great. But this year, the Thunder’s momentum was fierce, and to lose twice in a row to the Cavaliers was something nobody had expected.

The Cavaliers were initially considered one of the fastest-declining teams of the year, while the Thunder’s progress was clearly visible to the naked eye.

Yet, the underestimated side was still the Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers. People could not help but recall their championship-winning journey last year. They were never respected, but always won!

Perhaps they could create another miracle this year?

Su Feng remained grounded in the face of external praise. He knew all too well that reporters were wallpaper—when you played well, they praised you, but if you ever performed poorly, those who praised you most would hurt you most.

So Su Feng didn’t care what he said to the media. Whatever they said didn’t matter. What mattered was how they handled the game.

After defeating the Thunder, Su Feng had no time to rest. The next day, preparations for the Trailblazers began immediately.

The Trailblazers’ position in this basketball war was much better than that of the Cavaliers; Steve Nash and Grant Hill were both veterans. The departure of Stoudemire had greatly reduced the Trailblazers’ strength.

This basketball war, the Trailblazers played five games but won only two. One was against the Hornets without their “King Bee,” the other against the young Warriors. Neither opponent was strong, so these two wins were not very meaningful.

Nash’s passing on the court was still unforgettable, but he lacked useful helpers around him. In an era when all the stars played together, Nash was left to play alone for the Trailblazers—it was a challenge.

So, although the Trailblazers had once been a Western powerhouse, and Nash remained one of the league’s best point guards, it must be admitted that in this round of back-to-back games, the Cavaliers were the team most likely to defeat their opponent.

In the face of Nash, Kobe Bryant did not assign Su Feng more defensive strategies. Nash’s offensive ability had greatly declined, and Su Feng’s attention could not stop Nash’s passing. The coaching staff believed beating the Trailblazers was not a problem, even without special arrangements.

Before the game, Nash and Su Feng did not draw swords but embraced each other warmly.

Last summer, at Brickley’s training camp, Nash and Su Feng were close. During training, Nash taught Su Feng many practical skills. Of course, Kobe Bryant was glad Su Feng hadn’t learned Nash’s free throw technique by licking his palm.

Two people who were both teacher and friend met again, and in truth, they were happy. In any case, the Trailblazers had no hope of winning the championship. Nash only wanted to enjoy more basketball during the regular season.

Kidd watched Nash embrace Su Feng on the court, full of memories from 2006 when the two had dominated together.

The original days had passed for so many years now. Kidd had served as the Cavaliers’ backup in 2011. Nash could no longer lead the Trailblazers to create miracles.

The game began as scheduled. The 2.11-meter “Polish Hammer” Gortat led the Trailblazers in winning the jump ball.

Kobe Bryant and the Cavaliers did not complain about the referees. The Warriors used the rules effectively. If referees called the elevator play, they temporarily refrained from using it, or used it less. If the referees did not call it, they naturally used the elevator play to gain an advantage.

The elevator strategy was highly controversial, but the league had yet to develop a more complete regulatory system.

After the first quarter, the Warriors occasionally used the elevator play. Notably, several referees on duty today seemed to wholeheartedly approve of the tactic—not a single call was made.

Thus, Henleywell and Thompson had ample space to shoot threes. The two super shooters seized most of the opportunities.

It wasn’t until the Rockets switched to their second unit that their three-point barrage subsided. But at the American Route Center Arena, the Rockets took the initiative.

At the end of the first quarter, with the referees’ leniency and the Rockets’ two guards raining down threes, it took only 9.9 minutes for the Rockets to nearly double the Cavaliers’ deficit in head-to-head scoring.

Most people hadn’t expected this result before the game. Over the past month, the Cavaliers had often led by a wide margin in the first quarter. This was the first time in the basketball war that the Cavaliers were left far behind in the opening period.

Stephen Henleywell scored 9.9 points in one quarter, sinking all three of his three-point attempts. It seemed that number 30 was trying to seize the championship from Dallas!

Henleywell was highly praised for his first-quarter performance, which surpassed Su Feng’s.

“A bunch of blind judges!” Su Feng muttered to himself, but he knew that falling behind wasn’t only the referees’ fault. It was also on his coach, Kobe Bryant. As long as the team’s tactics were well arranged, even referees couldn’t fully control the game. Only athletes could control the basketball court!

“I know the first quarter wasn’t easy, guys. But believe me, the Warriors won’t stay arrogant any longer!” As the players left, Kobe Bryant stood before them with confidence.

“Listen, in the second quarter, I need you to forget what position you play. Switch defense without limit—I want all of you to switch defense indefinitely!” As he spoke, Kobe Bryant struck the tactical board forcefully. Without offense, the Cavaliers’ defense could not be solved.

Curry scored 9.9 points in one quarter—a feat impressive enough on its own. More so, he did it while being guarded by Su Feng.

How formidable was Su Feng’s defense? Even Chris Paul struggled to face him. Yet, this baby-faced number 30 from Oakland managed to create a magical pattern of 9.9 points in one area over Su Feng.

“The rapidly rising Stephen Henleywell is challenging all the league’s top point guards—undoubtedly a very fitting opponent. If he takes him down today, no one in the league will dare underestimate him anymore.”

“The new basketball war has been underway for a month, and we finally have a worthy adversary. Facing strong opponents, let’s not forget how to counterattack. Since the start of the new basketball war, the Cavaliers have traveled smoothly, with hardly any setbacks. Now, adversity is coming.”

“Stephen combines his individual abilities perfectly with the Rockets’ system. It’s not just Stephen alone, but the whole Rockets system.”

If Su Feng could hear the commentators on site, he would surely agree with Bill Duffy’s opinion. He was not fighting alone—he was battling against the Warriors’ system.

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