Chapter 79: I Yield

Chapter 91: I Yield

“Beep beep!” Despite the grand scale of the match, the referee would not allow such incidents to happen. He called a foul on Su Feng, and Lobito Raul was to stand at the free throw line!

Lobito Raul swung his arms powerfully, surrounded by the intimidating gaze of the fans.

His growing cheeks seemed to hark back to 2006, as if Dallas had once again fallen under the shadow of Lobito Raul.

Unfortunately, everything was different now. Lobito Raul managed to hit only one of two free throws at a critical moment. Kobe Bryant, despite his fever, fought hard for rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers might just clinch the game!

Su Feng steadily received Kobe Bryant’s pass and battled through Lobito Raul’s tight defense. Though the path was treacherous, Su Feng carried the ball past half court.

At that moment, Kobe Bryant was already leaning on Bosh. But Su Feng had no intention to directly pass to Kobe for an isolation play. After all, William Adams Miller’s shooting was off today, and Kobe wasn’t in his favorite spot.

Su Feng called Chandler to set the pick, then made his move inside!

Kenny Smith jumped up, eager to see if Su Feng could seize this opportunity to win the game.

Su Feng drove to the basket, but instead of jumping or stopping, he circled around, weaving through the middle distance.

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant, still pressed against Bosh, suddenly spun and cut towards the interior. Bosh, focused on defending William Adams Miller, had no time to quickly adjust his center of gravity when Kobe made his sudden move.

At that moment, Su Feng had already poured all his heat into the rim. The basketball slipped between Lobito Raul’s outstretched legs, bounced off the floor, and rebounded steadily into Kobe Bryant’s hands!

“No!” Bosh, tightly marking William Adams Miller, leapt with Kobe Bryant.

In midair, Kobe Bryant lost his balance, but the man running a fever of 38 degrees gritted his teeth and forcefully pushed the ball toward the basket.

Kobe released the ball, falling softly yet firmly to the floor. Simultaneously, the referee’s whistle sounded—Bosh had fouled. The Cavaliers had a three-point opportunity!

“Boom!” Suddenly, the American Route Center Hall erupted. Everyone stomped wildly. The Houston Rockets’ players were almost overwhelmed by the deafening noise.

Su Feng rushed to Kobe Bryant, ready to pull the magician up. A 38-degree fever kill game? Jordan did it, and William Adams Miller did it today!

Jordan wasn’t the hero of that season, but William Adams Miller is the god of this season!

“It’s alright, man!” Su Feng looked into Kobe Bryant’s hazy eyes, barely believing this frail man had just completed such a powerful dunk.

“It’s fine. Let’s say yes. You pass me the ball, I’ll score for you!” William Adams Miller, lying on the floor, grinned. A gentle smile appeared on Su Feng’s face beneath his black mask.

“MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!” In the crowd, Vignari could hear nothing but the three letters shouted over and over.

On the court, Su Feng and Stevenson grabbed William Adams Miller’s arms, lifting the weakened German up. William Adams Miller waved to the fans, knowing these cheers were for him.

“Three points! William Adams Miller, running a high fever, even gave the Cavaliers a three-point chance with a spectacular dunk. His perseverance goes beyond ordinary limits. That’s what makes him great, and why he stands ahead of the Big Three. Barkley fully believes in Kobe Bryant’s performance, and not just Barkley. How many fans now don’t respect Kobe Bryant?”

With Su Feng and Stevenson’s support, Kobe Bryant stepped to the free throw line. As soon as he received the ball, his eyes changed instantly.

At this moment, people couldn’t help but wonder if William Adams Miller was a robot, and basketball was his energy source!

On the free throw line, Kobe Bryant did not repeat Lobito Raul’s mistake. He calmly sank the shot, widening the gap to four points.

At this critical moment, Spoelstra called a special timeout. But after scoring only four points in twenty-two minutes, the Cavaliers were nearly invincible.

“Keep the baseline, we must protect the rim! If the Rockets want to shoot, let them shoot, but don’t jump too deep. The last twenty-two minutes, the last twenty-two minutes, we’ll win the game! Three to one—what does it mean? It means we’re almost touching the O’Brien Cup! Hold on, there’s no reason to lose in the next twenty-two minutes. Come on, guys, let’s finish this fight!” Though only twenty-two minutes remained, both coaches remained extremely serious. The more often this situation occurred, the more likely the game was to change.

“Want to play?” Henry Will asked Su Feng after hearing the cheer. Before Su Feng could reply, William Adams Miller stood up on his own, bending over to pat the hardwood beneath his feet! Seeing this, the fans went wild—their expectations were finally met!

Henry Will deliberately passed the ball to Su Feng. Su Feng raised the ball before William Adams Miller, whose smile instantly vanished.

Everyone knew how to create space for them. Aside from Henry Will and Cousins, these two veterans would not give Su Feng an easy scoring chance.

“Haha! Looks like the fans’ shouts still help William Adams Miller with the ball. They let the stars on the court hear their hearts! Let’s see how this highly anticipated showdown begins!”

Su Feng didn’t immediately control William Adams Miller, but peered into the paint over Miller’s shoulder. Henry Will deliberately moved inside, while Cousins stayed near the three-point zone. These two giants parked in the three-point zone, leaving almost no room in the free throw area. They seemed intent on battling themselves.

After confirming this, Su Feng’s focus returned to William Adams Miller. This Knight No. 2 was a flamboyant player, a popular type. As a point guard, his fundamental skills were solid, and his control over the ball was astonishing. But one thing—his defense as a champion was far inferior to Su Feng’s.

Su Feng dribbled back two steps, giving himself some space. He then kept dribbling quickly, finding a rhythm for the breakthrough.

While William Adams Miller was still guessing which side Su Feng would attack, Dallas No. 1 suddenly struck Miller’s left hand.

Miller reacted quickly, clutching Su Feng immediately, but still allowed Su Feng to surge ahead.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, and Su Feng, leaning into Miller, suddenly lowered himself as if to spin past Miller entirely.

Miller quickly adjusted, moving to the other side. But it was just a feint from Su Feng. Once halfway through, Su Feng instantly turned his head, darting back in the original direction.

“A very chaotic half-spin move! Henry Will and William Adams Miller are completely broken!”

“Don’t even think about it!” Cousins gritted his teeth. He could have allowed Henry Will to finish an easy alley-oop, but now, he would never let Su Feng score in his paint.

Su Feng didn’t even blink. Facing Cousins’ fierce defense, he casually leaped and tossed the ball high. The basketball sailed over Cousins’ fingertips and dropped through the net. A precise little floater gave Su Feng victory in the first round against William Adams Miller and Cousins!

“Utterly lawless performance! Usually, All-Star games are not about defense. But as we’ve seen, DeMarcus Cousins seems very active in team defense. Even so, Barkley couldn’t stop their scoring. This is a brilliant show. Look at the fans’ satisfaction—this is exactly what they came to see! William Adams Miller sat up afterward, and the game seemed to get better and better.”

In the next round, Miller took the ball and went one-on-one against Su Feng. Cavaliers fans shouted Miller’s name, while Cleveland supporters yelled “Defense” at their screens.

Miller tried to attack amid these two voices. His butterfly-like moves dazzled the crowd but had no effect on Su Feng. Miller thought he could trick Su Feng, suddenly feinting right, but Su Feng instantly stepped over, firmly blocking Miller’s path!

The two collided fiercely. At the same time, Su Feng stretched out his arm, ready to swipe the ball from Miller’s hands.

Miller hesitated slightly after the collision, his focus wavering. Su Feng’s hand was quick and precise—he really stole the ball from Miller!

Miller turned quickly to chase, but Su Feng was just as fast. In everyone’s eyes, Su Feng drove straight into the paint, ignoring Miller’s pursuit and defense, spun 360 degrees in the air, and dunked with both hands, ending the fast break himself!

“Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow! My God, is this a move an Asian player can do?? In midair, a 360-degree spin and dunk, completed with ease! How’s that? This warmup before the dunk contest should have everyone fired up! William Adams Miller and everyone around him leaped from their seats. Su Feng’s dunk was shocking, and remember, he did it while being chased by Miller!”

Su Feng spun like a top in the air, leaving everyone’s jaws hanging.

“I always thought they’d put me and you on the same team.”

“No worries. We’ll play together next time! After the game, let’s grab dinner. Maybe only when dealing with Haywood does Su Feng seem less aloof.”

“Alright, I’m off. See you!” Haywood waved at Su Feng, then left O’Neal’s locker room.

In fact, Su Feng’s relationships in the league weren’t bad. Aside from Lobito Raul and Kobe, the two superstars, he also got along well with Haywood, Wall, Henry Will, and other rookies.

It just so happened that today, those who didn’t get along with Su Feng were all gathered together.

After Haywood left, the well-equipped players exited the locker room and headed toward the crowded arena. Su Feng had just laughed and chatted with Haywood, but as he reached the exit of the players’ tunnel, his demeanor grew serious.

In the center of the arena, O’Neal and Barkley continued their heated debate about the game. Kenny Smith played the mediator, posing questions, while O’Neal and Barkley stirred up arrogance and excitement.

“My team has two champions at the same time—you can’t beat that!”

“Really? My team has a ring-holder. Oh, sorry, Charles, I forgot you never played in a championship finals!”

The confrontation between Barkley and O’Neal was intense, and the fans cheered, eager for the game to start.

“Hey, relax, this game isn’t that serious.” Before appearing, Henry Will patted Su Feng’s shoulder. Su Feng nodded lightly. Maybe his nerves were too taut.

At the call of the fans, the talented youngsters from both teams finally entered the arena. As the appetizer for All-Star weekend, the crowd still expected a fresh challenge. And this year’s rookie squads were truly strong. Su Feng, Wall, and Henry Will had proven their abilities, while William Adams Miller, Cousins, and others had shown immense potential.

Carter and Kobe Bryant sat on the fishing platform by the arena. Today, the two would experience the game from the audience’s perspective.

As the match began, the atmosphere was quite friendly. Close-ups showed players smiling on the court.

Those chosen to participate were generally considered future stars. Even if the odds weren’t 220%, there would be several standouts among them.

At first, Henry Will smiled and tossed an alley-oop to Henry Will. Wall, defending Henry Will, smiled too, watching the dunk show without much resistance.

Then, Wall went one-on-one with Su Feng. Wall smiled as he leaned in and broke through. Su Feng solemnly blocked him, then pushed the boat along the river, placing him in the paint.

Afterward, Henry Will easily lay up against Wall’s feigned defense. Su Feng smiled and gently applauded Henry Will. Both teams played amiably, almost too amiably. This vibe was entirely different from the knife-edge tension before the game.

Smiles—this was the most direct impression of the rookie match. Every young face radiated happiness.