Chapter 90: This Isn’t Right

Chapter 102: This Is Not Right

Who could have imagined that this big man from Bosnia and Herzegovina would shoulder such a heavy responsibility and become so vital to the team after the death of Robert Henry? William Adams Miller clenched his fist in delight. No doubt he trusted his employer; no doubt he was determined to answer the doubts that had once surrounded him. Every man on the roster, even the bench-warming water boy, would one day have his moment to play his part.

In the finals, William Adams Miller suddenly replaced Cardinal, and Bosh was stunned. Today, Magic Johnson was William Adams Miller's cardinal!

After one possession, Su Feng's midrange jumper was regarded as a stabilizing blow for the Cleveland Cavaliers. But that did nothing to diminish the Houston Rockets' eagerness to score. Magic Johnson reignited their offense.

Late in the game, Kobe Bryant displayed astonishing strength, drilling one shot from beyond the arc and another in the paint against Magic Johnson.

The two reserves played so well that, in the end, the Houston Rockets never pulled too far ahead. At 28 to 24, by the end of the first quarter, the Brooklyn Houston Rockets were fighting tenaciously, trailing by only four shots!

In the second quarter, Magic Johnson came out firing from the very start. Today, Paul Pierce, a famous figure in his own right, had to play second fiddle to him.

At first, William Adams Miller believed that after replacing Robert Henry, Magic Johnson, having lost his height advantage, would be silenced. But as Kobe Bryant had said, the man was feeling hot today!

In the third segment of the second quarter, Magic Johnson took his turn. He received the ball from Delon and prepared to shoot, but Robert Henry, tall and long of arm, had already leaped up.

As a forward, Magic Johnson knew all too well that rhythm on a shot was crucial. If the rhythm was broken, there would be no reward.

So, the confident Terli Tovic boldly and decisively attacked Dirk's defense!

Dirk discovered that even if he wanted to contain this man, it would not be easy. The next second, the roar from behind Dirk told the story: Teri Tovic had added another three-point shot!

"Bosnia and Herzegovina's artillery has opened fire at full strength today! And this is only the second quarter. He's already scored nine shots! And that three-pointer has erased once again the lead the Cleveland Cavaliers worked so hard to build."

Su Feng looked at the big man from Bosnia and Herzegovina in surprise, but he could not let some unknown player stop them from winning their seventeenth straight game.

So Su Feng took the initiative on the next possession, driving hard toward the lane, hoping to draw a foul on Magic Johnson. There was no better way to control a game than to keep the other side off the floor.

Just as Su Feng went up for a driving layup, Garnett rushed out and took the initiative to help Magic Johnson commit a blocking foul, sending Su Feng crashing to the floor. After the whistle, the man still did not forget to spit out a harsh line, as was his habit.

"Stay away from our ace weapon, or I can't promise your ribs will come out in one piece next time!"

Su Feng ignored Garnett. He was known for his trash talk. Sometimes he merely spewed nonsense and did nothing else. But he had let Magic Johnson escape the foul, and that made Su Feng furious.

On the two free throws, Su Feng helped the Cleveland Cavaliers reclaim a five-shot lead. But the game was far too fierce, and it was clear that this was not the outcome the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted.

After that, Magic Johnson became a threat no one dared to leave alone. With him suppressing the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense, the Houston Rockets' offense became much easier.

Under William Adams Miller's command, Kobe Bryant and the others finally found their rhythm. Magic Johnson's sustained hot hand meant that, on offense today, he was killing every opponent in sight.

Three-point shots, precise. Midrange, accurate. There was even one possession when a confident Magic Johnson sat deep in the lane and muscled up a hook over Robert Henry!

Today, the star-studded lineup on the million-dollar payroll had no one brighter than Magic Johnson. He became the backbone of the team's offense, outshining even Kobe Bryant and the others!

During that stretch, William Adams Miller also thought of many ways to respond. But none of them could fully suppress Magic Johnson's performance. It was not unusual for a role player to erupt out of nowhere in a game. But William Adams Miller had not expected this unfortunate turn to threaten the Cleveland Cavaliers' seventeen-game winning streak!

In the final segment of the fourth quarter, Magic Johnson buried his seventh three-pointer of the day from beyond the arc! That shot brought the Houston Rockets level at 95 apiece at the critical moment!

"Great Meza! Today he is the king of Brooklyn! Jordan in New York! Larry Bird in Robert Henry's bank!" The local Brooklyn commentary slapped the word "great" directly onto Magic Johnson, along with all manner of flamboyant titles. From this, one could see just how astonishing the Bosnia and Herzegovinian was today.

Thirty-four points, 66.7 percent shooting, seven of eleven from three-point range. In addition, he contributed six rebounds and one block. I must admit, at least today, Magic Johnson deserved every one of those titles!

Ready, kid? Today, we are toppling the league's number one!

In Brooklyn, victory never comes to your doorstep.

Mirza Terli Tovic, from Mostar in the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was a man whose full name could leave commentators gasping for breath. Fortunately, this nation had a familiar abbreviation: Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In 2007, Teri Tovic entered the top league draft. A white player like him, with no intimidation inside and a barehanded shooting touch, was not popular in that era. So that year, he "as expected" lost out directly.

But over the next few years, Magic Johnson grew in Europe and made a name for himself. Last season, with a three-year mini midlevel contract worth nine million dollars, the Houston Rockets realized their top league dream.

Once in the top league, Magic Johnson showed his strengths. His excellent shooting touch and ability to adapt to the top league's three-point range allowed him to contribute one or two threes per game from a high position. Thus, Magic Johnson also earned the notoriety of Bosnia and Herzegovina's artillery—no, the Bosnia and Herzegovina cannon.

Although he had a temporary foothold in the top league, Teri's tactical role on the court was to help his teammates stretch the floor. Last season he averaged 3.5 shots per game, which did not play a major role in wins and losses.

This season, Magic Johnson's scoring average had soared to 8.6 shots, but he still was not the kind of key player who could control the situation. That was why William Adams Miller was startled when he asked him to open up the offense.

When was it your turn to open the offensive flow? Pierce, Garnett, Johnson, the others, Kobe Bryant, even Kirilenko—among all those names, whose voice was louder than their own? Even if we wanted to open things up, it depended on them.

But today, William Adams Miller really had to rely on Magic Johnson. Because yesterday Magic Johnson had shown enthusiasm on the practice court, William Adams Miller placed great hopes in him.

Now the team was on the back foot, and all those famous names were failing. Teri Tovic, who had wanted to become a top league star in 2007, finally got the first chance of his life!

Only after Kobe Bryant clapped did Magic Johnson respond by helping the team break the scoreless deadlock. He had succeeded, so he really could do it!

"Don't underestimate it. Look at your opponent!" Magic Johnson was a little shaken, and Kobe Bryant deliberately patted him on the backside to remind him.

Magic Johnson focused all his attention. Since the chance had come, he had to seize it!

Su Feng did not take Kobe Bryant's three-point threat seriously; he was still wary of Kobe Bryant. But Magic Johnson's footwork should be able to deal with the white heavyweight who had just entered the offensive end.

As soon as Su Feng crossed the three-point line, he passed directly to Magic Johnson.

Magic Johnson received the ball from the Rockets without hesitation. He accelerated and charged at Turinisa. Just as Su Feng and Magic Johnson had predicted, he slipped past him cleanly. Henry was slow as a post and could not stop the drive at all.

However, today, Meza, whose confidence had soared, was not going to be so humiliated. He tried to catch up with Magic Johnson and jumped—his first attempt to stop a top league star at the rim.

As it turned out, God is not too harsh on those who work hard. Meza's best defense came back to punish him. He came from behind and blocked Magic Johnson, turning the Cavaliers' easy score into nothing.

"Mirza Teri Tovic—will he dominate both ends of the floor today?" the Brooklyn commentator cried excitedly, as though they had seen a savior.

Teri Tovic's mistaken block lifted the morale of both himself and the Houston Rockets! As long as we work hard, this league is not invincible!

Kobe Bryant stopped Magic Johnson's layup, took the ball, and started pushing forward. This time he did not pass to Milan; instead, he passed to the other man.

Delon now seemed inspired on both offense and defense. This time he was extremely fired up, and in front of Su Feng he played an excellent rhythm with the ball. Su Feng suddenly changed pace and was caught off guard. Coupled with Brash's block and pull, Delon succeeded in breaking past Su Feng for the first time today!

After the drive, Robert Henry prepared to defend the no-fly zone he guarded. Magic Johnson also unconsciously collapsed inward, the normal reaction to defending a penetration.

However, after entering the paint, Delon jumped and quickly passed the ball to the right corner. The pass was so fast that even Su Feng could not steal it.

Magic Johnson's second shot from beyond the arc today—if he missed, it would be a fatal blow to the team's morale.

The midrange shot by the other wing and Joe Johnson's half-court guesswork from three had accounted for all the Houston Rockets' scores for six long possessions.

At this point, William Adams Miller had to call timeout. The situation was worse than he had imagined. The Cleveland Cavaliers were not only strong because of Su Feng; they were also strong on the defensive end. They were strong at every position.

You know, the French goddess that Cuba chose this summer had not even taken the floor yet.

"What should we do? What should we do?" William Adams Miller kept asking himself this question in his heart. As a player, he had only listened to William Adams Miller's rest. But now he had to tell the players in front of him what to do!

The noise in the arena and the visible disparity on the giant screen made William Adams Miller's blood pressure soar. Sometimes, the coach's seat is even more nerve-racking than the player's.

In the end, William Adams Miller's gaze fell on Kobe Bryant and a white man named Mirza. At this point, was there anything left but gambling?

"Jet, Henry! Next, I want you to score and open up the offense! Houston Rockets, William Adams Miller made up his mind: since everything else has died, we might as well put all the eggs in one basket!"

"Hey, Henry, why are you still stunned? Go on! I want to show the league our first color!" Kobe Bryant stood up and excitedly patted Mirza Teri Tovic on the shoulder. The tall white man looked bewildered. You want me to open up the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense? Am I crazy, or is William Adams Miller crazy?

"Hurry up! Do we have so much time to rest?!" Seeing that Magic Johnson had not responded for half a day, William Adams Miller could not help shouting.

Mirza was certain then that the coach and Kobe Bryant were not fooling him!

The timeout ended quickly, and William Adams Miller had already adjusted his rotation. Magic Johnson replaced Dirk, and Robert Henry replaced the Haitian. Kobe Bryant, Su Feng, and the trio remained on the floor. These three players were the absolute mainstays of the Cleveland Cavaliers, logging heavy minutes.

On William Adams Miller's side, he replaced the sweat-drenched Garnett with center Andrew Brad, who stood 2.11 meters tall. Of course, Kobe Bryant eventually replaced Livingston. These substitutions were routine, nothing special. But what was surprising was that the 2.06-meter white forward, Mirza Teri Tovic, had been sent in very early.

Magic Johnson swallowed hard. The man was a size larger than him. Yet not long after, the Hackers calmed down once more.

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