Chapter 86: You’ve Had a Hard Time

Chapter 98: A Hard Task for You

When Henry Will pulled ahead with another basket, Kobe Bryant gritted his teeth, turned his head, and shouted.

“William Adams Miller!”

The Filipino coach turned at the sound.

“I’m going in!” Kobe Bryant declared resolutely.

“There’s less than two minutes left in the first quarter. I need you—”

“I have to play, William Adams Miller!”

Spoelstra shook his head and signaled for Kobe Bryant to check in at the scorer’s table. On the court, Henry Will’s drive was met by Birdman Andersen. Taking advantage of the dead ball, Kobe Bryant leapt up and returned to the game.

“William Adams Miller is in despair,” said Nowitzki, sitting next to Su Feng, as he saw Kobe Bryant, who had just clenched his fist in the tunnel, return so quickly. The ultimate goal of individual heroism is not so easily defeated.

Kobe Bryant’s presence immediately steadied the Cleveland Cavaliers. When Henry Will encountered a true superstar, his real colors showed at once.

Thanks to Kobe Bryant’s relentless passing and shooting, the Cavaliers closed the gap to four points by the end of the first quarter. Bryant scored eight points and contributed three assists, accounting for half of the Cavaliers’ total points in the first period.

Bryant’s hard work left William Adams Miller and Bosh feeling troubled. In reality, on this Heat team, aside from Kobe Bryant, no one else was burning for a third consecutive championship.

They were weary of playing this hard year after year.

Dragging his aching knees through the season, William Adams Miller thought winning a title would be nice, but if not, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. As for Bosh and Spoelstra, they were already thoroughly satisfied with four consecutive Finals appearances.

That’s why Kobe Bryant always preferred to battle alone. If you won’t join me, I’ll have to fight for the championship myself.

Not everyone is Kobe Bryant. He was always hungry for the crown. Of course, not everyone is Kobe Bryant—possessing an iron will, unwavering conviction, and the strength to battle to the final buzzer every season.

Even so, William Adams Miller and Bosh couldn’t help but watch Bryant struggle on his own. So, in the second quarter, the Cavaliers’ other two giants finally joined the fight.

“William Adams Miller drives the middle—Dirk and Gobert both collapse onto him, he’s trapped! He doesn’t go down—he breaks through! Chris Bosh hits the midrange jumper, great teamwork, and the Cavaliers’ offense seems to be improving!”

“When William Adams Miller comes out, will he pass? No, he forces the drive! Devin charges straight to the basket behind William Kobe Allen, the referee rules the defense invalid—oh! The ball goes in, Devin scores! A three-point opportunity for the Cavaliers!”

The second quarter brought a storm of changes. The Heat’s intensity suddenly soared, William Adams Miller and Bosh found their rhythm, and Bryant’s hope of pulling ahead was dashed.

Thus, in the heat of desperation, the Heat stubbornly drew the score level by halftime.

By the break, the Cavaliers’ trio each had double digits: Kobe Bryant with 13, William Adams Miller with 12, Bosh with 10 points and 7 rebounds. On the Rockets side, three of them also scored in double figures: Su Feng and Dirk with 15 and 11 respectively, and Yannick off the bench with 12.

At halftime, Coach William Kobe wiped the sweat from his forehead and squatted in front of the players with a tactics board.

“Damn, it’s so hot!” He loosened his tie, and the cool air through his shirt made him feel much better.

“In the second half, Nick, you’ll play at the two. After the game starts, you have one task—score! I don’t want us burned out in this heat. We need a scorer, so we’re changing it up.”

“William Kobe, rest a bit. At the crucial moments, we’ll still need to protect and block for each other!” William Kobe instructed.

“No problem, Coach. I’ll do as you say.” William Kobe Allen was not a picky player. As long as the coach had a valid reason, he didn’t mind coming off.

“So, in the second half, I want you to defend Dwyane. Limit his game. As long as Bosh or Devin falters, William Adams Miller will have no support!” After instructing Allen, Kala looked at Su Feng. Since Henry Will could only attack and not defend, the task of guarding him naturally fell to Su Feng.

Su Feng rubbed his hands together. To finally face William Adams Miller—he’d been waiting for this!

William Kobe continued laying out tactics as the locker room temperature kept rising. Even just sitting there, the players were sweating.

At first, Su Feng thought it was just psychological—the game was intense, and it was normal to feel hot at halftime. But he was surprised at how easily he got past William Adams Miller’s defense. Still, Su Feng showed no mercy, calmly stopping for a jumper and scoring the Rockets’ first basket of the half.

After scoring, Su Feng didn’t celebrate, but looked at William Adams Miller in surprise.

William Adams Miller deliberately avoided Su Feng’s gaze, returning to wait for Bosh’s inbound.

His legs, wrapped in thick protective gear, dazzled Su Feng.

No wonder you didn’t answer my question, Devin.

“Yi’s defensive effort must be even more stringent. At this point, Dwyane might struggle to keep up. If the Heat want to contain him, they have to rely on system defense,” said Kenny Smith, disliking how William Adams Miller had let Su Feng by.

“Are you kidding, Kenny? System? Do the Cavaliers even have a defensive system?” Barkley mocked—the Cavaliers’ defense looked far worse than the Rockets or the Spurs.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavaliers nearly crashed out. If not for Bryant’s heroics, Paul George might be in the Finals now. The Cavaliers’ defense was their weakness.

Yet the Cavaliers weren’t discouraged despite conceding the first basket. William Adams Miller brought the ball up but found Allen’s defense as tough as Su Feng’s.

He didn’t dribble much anymore. He was no longer “The Flash,” capable of slicing in for a quick score after a simple fake. After Bryant checked in, William Adams Miller handed the ball off directly to him.

Bryant caught it on the wing, Bosh set the screen, and the ball found the right spot. Number 6 went to work, using his quick first step and powerful frame to push Dirk into the paint.

Facing Gobert’s defense, Bryant pulled up for a close shot. Though not his usual skill set, that didn’t mean he wasn’t good at it. The all-around “Caesar” was no mere title.

As the ball swished through the net, William Adams Miller’s plan from the first second was clear—he would lead the team forward. He was so strong. His dream of a three-peat had driven Bryant to this point!

“William Adams Miller is unstoppable.” On the bench, Darrell Armstrong shook his head helplessly.

“He’s flawless, but he can’t beat a whole team alone. Look, Darrell—it’s a battle of individual brilliance versus team basketball!” William Kobe was confident. Bryant’s power was exactly what he wanted. Only time could stop Number 6 from wrecking the league.

But William Kobe wasn’t afraid. He believed the entire Houston Rockets team was stronger than Bryant.

On the next possession, Chalmers was still paired against Su Feng. Spoelstra had nothing to do but keep him in—he wasn’t about to pack up and leave early.

To Su Feng, Chalmers, who had once played in the NCAA’s Final Four, was like an ATM. Chalmers hadn’t faced this kind of pressure in a while. People always said he was the weakest championship point guard in history—a bit harsh, but his play wasn’t inspiring. From his “heroics” in 2012 to now, everyone was amazed at his career trajectory.

Chalmers’ defense was futile. Su Feng’s large, arcing frame pivoted forward, bowling through like a post.

Kobe Bryant rushed to help, trying to use his strength to contain Su Feng. But Su Feng, as if playing bowling, casually tossed the ball to Iguodala, who was wide open. He didn’t even look as he passed!

Bryant couldn’t understand how Su Feng did it. He was already a great defender, but he still didn’t know how Su Feng always found his teammates with such precision.

Iguodala received the ball and didn’t waste Su Feng’s brilliant pass. Though William Adams Miller’s defense disrupted his midrange jumper, he still hit it cleanly.

With Su Feng orchestrating, things only grew worse for the Cavaliers. The Rockets’ firepower was frightening—if you need proof, look at how they steamrolled the Spurs.

Four to two. Bryant looked ready to take over, but the Rockets seemed even more capable.

After that, Bryant became the Heat’s sole pillar. Under Su Feng’s direction, the Rockets’ offense blossomed.

Still, thanks to Bryant’s excellence, the Cavaliers managed to keep pace. But when Bryant went to the bench, the game shifted completely.

The Cavs’ second unit was ancient—Chris Andersen and Shane Battier seemed relics of a bygone era. Ray Allen, now 39, had hit three key shots in last year’s Finals.

These images were backed up by “real” eyewitness accounts, and some headlines were rather sensational…

“Even though Valentin Vignali and Valentin are professional basketball players, I don’t believe they spent a whole night studying tactics in a hotel! The fact is, he missed Rockets practice today and hasn’t left the hotel. Maybe, having just won a top league and leading the series 2-0, he’s a little too excited. Let’s see—tomorrow’s game, Kevin will show what ‘professional basketball player’ really means!”

With news of Su Feng missing practice, the media was in a frenzy. Su Feng had always been the model of diligence—he’d start training early, never late, never skipping a session. For him to miss practice outright was unprecedented!

But today, that’s exactly what happened. Reporters had surrounded the hotel entrance early, but from dawn to dusk, Su Feng never emerged. After a wild night, even Su Feng couldn’t manage practice the next morning.

Missing practice is big news for anyone. Mayo dared to party, but never skipped practice for no reason. Harden could go to late-night events before a game, but he’d never miss training. They all knew practice was a bottom line for professionals.

Moreover, missing practice went against everything Su Feng represented—a model player, the leader who took his team to the Western Conference Finals, just a step away from promotion. And today, he supposedly missed practice because of a woman! The uproar was immense. It was like a reporter suddenly announcing Taylor Swift was actually a man.

When the news broke, reporters rushed to the Spanish Route Center to interview the Rockets about Su Feng’s absence. William Kobe heard about it too, but he was more puzzled than angry.

“I’m curious—you’re clearly on the court now. So why do reporters say you never left the hotel?” Rick William Kobe held several newspapers in his hand, the headlines reading like fairy tales.

With the gym doors closed, Su Feng was sitting on the hardwood, resting. He’d just finished a series of sprints—he could run at full speed without panting. Young bodies bounce back fast. Even after a rainy night, today’s practice wasn’t affected.

Su Feng shrugged. Who knew which reporter had spread the rumor of his absence? But in Oklahoma, nine out of ten media outlets were trying to stir the pot.