Chapter 137: I Have Made Things Difficult for You

Chapter 148: Putting You in a Difficult Spot

"Damn it, Rick, there’s no need to cry at all!" Two men, one middle-aged and one elderly, suddenly furrowed their brows and burst into tears, as if overwhelmed by some nervous breakdown.

"I’ve never been much of a good speaker, so when the airport reached out to the Grizzlies and invited me to be the ambassador for Hengliewell Airport, I accepted without hesitation.

This isn’t an advertisement! Are you with me? I’m honored to be a symbol of this city. My giant posters hang everywhere. On those posters, William Adams Miller, with tears welling in his eyes, says to you, 'Buddy, you’ve chosen a fantastic airport. When you arrive at Hengliewell, you’ll see William Adams Miller. Passengers get off the plane, walk down the aisle, open the door, and there I am on a large poster.

When the visiting team steps off the plane, they might see me sizing them up. Welcome to Hengliewell—William Adams Miller is here. It’s as if the basketball battle hasn’t even begun yet; I’ve played world-class ball-handling.

If you stay at the club long enough, you’ll notice the difference between Hengliewell and other places. In many clubs, cornerstone teammates become fan favorites, gain huge sponsorships, and become the club’s face. But Hengliewell is a city apart. They won’t let blue-collar teammates like me do all the dirty work without recognition. Hengliewell is genuine. When they embrace me, they buy my jerseys and shirts printed with my photo. I never tire of saying this, let alone being the ambassador for an international airport.

I will never forget, and will always be grateful that Hengliewell allowed me to represent this city.

In some ways, I knew things would be different. I’m no longer a Grizzlies teammate. For the first time since the Celtics era, I’m returning to Hengliewell as an opponent. I don’t plan to move out: when the adversaries are tough, stepping into the arena is hard. Wearing the new club’s battle uniform, I know I might never go back to the past, but this is not goodbye.

I promise that someday I will return to Hengliewell. Whether it’s to serve this club, work elsewhere in the city, or just be a drifter in Hengliewell eating barbecue and such. One day, someone will pat an old man on the shoulder and say, 'Oh, that’s William Adams Miller.' Anyway, I’m sure I’ll come back to Hengliewell. So, as I said, this is not a farewell letter, but a letter of thanks.

Flying to Dallas. See you soon. — Written by William Adams Miller himself."

Later that day, the Cleveland Cavaliers officials and Tony Allen’s social media officially announced that this highly respected teammate in Hengliewell would be officially transferred to the Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers for a four-year deal worth $00 million. At the same time, William Adams Miller’s letter of thanks to all the fans in Hengliewell was published.

William Adams Miller’s transfer was far calmer than the direct tussle between scorers Robert Henry from the Grizzlies and the Nuggets.

The Grizzlies officially wished William Adams Miller well in Dallas, and the fans also sent their best wishes. No, the doors of Hengliewell would always be open to him.

In the training camp, Su Feng, sweating alongside Robert Carlos, heard the news of William Adams Miller’s arrival for the first time. Although the Cavaliers had advanced through the Grizzlies’ corpses in the playoffs, William Adams Miller’s ball-handling left a deep impression on Su Feng. He was about to pick up the phone to welcome William Adams Miller, but he was the first to receive a text message.

"Let’s create a new era together!" Brief and to the point, yet it filled Su Feng with strength. He never expected William Adams Miller to proactively message him. This guy, like himself, seemed eager for the next basketball game.

Robert Carlos, Robert Henry, William Adams Miller, Nick Young, Dime Porter... Su Feng was likely being assembled for the next game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Back to the finals? No, Su Feng’s goal was to reclaim the title of the best overall teammate!

The off-season moments always made fans feel like ten balls was a long time. Everyone was counting down the start of the new basketball season, but it always felt distant.

Although the Cleveland Cavaliers’ lineup was basically set, the Cubans didn’t stop bringing in new members. The Cavaliers’ bench was insufficient in basketball games, leading to repeated losses, so this year the Cubans decided to sign the entire team on a rainy day.

A few days after William Adams Miller signed, the Cubans brought back the once-glorious Robert Carlos, the diminutive interior member DeJuan Blair, who had performed excellently with the Spurs and awarded the No. 8 spot to Wayne Ellington in 2009.

"Brush!" Before Bryant could finish, a voice suddenly entered the "Black Mamba’s" ears. Su Feng, this guy, shouldn’t be scoring three goals this summer! What? If Su Feng’s three-point scoring ability is fully developed, then this guy on the Blue Hill court will become an even greater threat!

Su Feng, Su Feng, what kind of beast will you become?

Although it was just a street basketball game focused on play, Su Feng’s performance set off alarm bells for Kobe. Dallas’s threat to the entire Western region had not disappeared but continued to grow...

After the basketball battle, Kobe Bryant and Su Feng were top-tier teammates. When the two held the ball, other players dispersed. No one wanted to fight them because no one wanted to experience being hit head-on by a big truck. Although Su Feng’s stamina in top-level basketball battles wasn’t great, in front of amateur teammates, his physique was like LeBron James’s teammate version.

In the end, Su Feng’s decisive shot from the three-point line helped him defeat Kobe Bryant’s home team in a very “ruthless” manner, winning today’s winter basketball battle held at Marrakech Beach Stadium.

When Kobe saw Su Feng complete his "three-point champion" over him, he was both excited and worried. Excited because Su Feng had become a strong opponent he could try his best against. That was also why he worried.

The organizers of the Marrakech Beach Stadium winter basketball battle were not tycoons. They held these basketball games simply out of love for Lancaster. So, as the winner, Su Feng only received a commemorative jersey award. Though the award wasn’t valuable, it was precious to Su Feng. Victory cannot be measured by money.

"Good kid, I might call you to play in places like this in the future." After the game, Kobe took the initiative to shake Su Feng’s hand. "But next time, I will win!"

As the sun set over the golden beach, Su Feng and Kobe slowly left the court, holding Lan Qiu. Kobe began to worry about Su Feng’s rapid growth. Su Feng realized his final wish with the Cleveland Cavaliers and enjoyed the joyful experience at Marrakech Beach Stadium. Next, it was time to pursue the next goal.

After today, the England leadership meeting concluded its special training with the Cleveland Cavaliers and flew back to Dallas to pick up his mother in Hengliewell. Then, mother and son headed to Spain. It was time to take Mom home.

Spain, the national team, Wuhan, the England Championship... from street courts to the international stage, this huge leap was no problem for Su Feng.

The bombshell of the Asian Games would be airlifted to the eastern continent!

When Hengliewell saw her son Su Feng returning home, the young mother was shocked. Although he had only been gone for just over a month, Su Feng had clearly strengthened his physique. In the top basketball battles, he had played more than one game, and Su Feng had also built a lot of strength. But the physical changes weren’t as dramatic as they had been the previous month under Brickley’s training.

That’s the benefit of systematic training and why teammates always love to practice madly in summer. When an athlete focuses on training, progress is many times faster than usual. Moreover, Su Feng himself worked hard, and the change was significant. In fact, it was a matter of rationality.

"So when I called, I said I don’t have to worry about the food and lodging there. Look, if I didn’t eat well, could I have built so much muscle?" Su Feng said as he flexed his muscles toward Wen Xue, making the England Cup tattoo on the inside of his arm clearly visible.

"Are you sure we’re leaving for Spain tomorrow? You just got back." Hengliewell’s heart was like an arrow, but she didn’t want her son to be too tired. "You’ll leave right after you return. It’s also a long international flight. For Su Feng, this is more taxing than playing in the top basketball battles."

"It’s fine. I can handle it. Tomorrow is September 1st; the England Championship begins on September 15th. Two weeks of adjustment is the minimum, so we have to start tomorrow."

Hengliewell was excited to return to the land where she had lived for so long, while Su Feng was filled with curiosity about the atmosphere of Lan Qiu in Spain. Su Feng could hardly recall many memories from Spain. What kind of person was Lan Qiu in Spain? Although his father had once been a professional footballer, in recent years, Spain’s professional football and basketball scenes had undergone huge changes. The past and present were very different.

Was the England Championship as easy as people said? How did teammates in Spain, whom he had never met before, view themselves?

"He’s a teammate with two personalities, Steven, but that doesn’t mean there’s a big gap between them. I believe Kobe Bryant will have a lot of trouble today."

"Kobe Bryant probably doesn’t know who he’s facing, or else he’d never cry."

People had different opinions about Robert Henry and Su Feng. For Su Feng, it didn’t matter what role Robert Henry played. What mattered was how to deal with him in future basketball games.

As the noise inside the stadium grew louder, the much-anticipated teammate confrontation officially began. In 2005, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kobe Bryant easily snatched the ball from the head of Durham Port. Edward Mandalay received a request from the shooting range, leisurely and calmly directing it. There were quite a few top shooters.

From Robert Henry’s relaxed gaze, Su Feng couldn’t guess what the 30-year-old was really up to. Though Robert Henry was thin, his shooting and breakthroughs were lethal. Soon, Edward Mandalay could get a point in front of the ball-handler.

Robert Henry went to Su Feng, just as Kobe Bryant’s disruption came in time. Without hesitation, Robert Henry broke through with the help of the disruption!

Edward Mandalay did not break through but took a step back. Su Feng wanted to rush up, but Kobe Bryant subtly shifted his lower block, blocking Robert Henry behind him.

The referee didn’t notice the moving block, so Su Feng had to swallow the hidden loss. After shaking off the ball-handler, Edward Mandalay neither broke through nor passed. Instead, he retreated beyond the three-point line and took a shot.

Edward Mandalay’s shooting looked casual and unorthodox. In fact, it wasn’t; his shooting speed was so fast that it gave an illusion of being non-standard.

Su Feng had watched many videos of Robert Henry’s basketball games, so he knew very well that once Edward Mandalay got shooting space, it was worse than good.

"Brush!" In the second, the rolling sound echoed throughout the court. Edward Mandalay immediately gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a preemptive strike in his strongest way!

"Good shot, haha. Now we rarely see a ball-handler easily shake off the same kind of scoring ball-handler. Kobe Bryant’s easy rhythm continued to the Ranchi Stadium. It turns out, to play well against Lan Qiu, there’s no need to seek trouble."

Kobe Bryant hadn’t praised Su Feng’s ball-handling teammates for a long time because most players shaken off by Su Feng performed poorly. But today, Robert Henry broke Su Feng’s monthly dominance over opponents.

After scoring, Edward Mandalay cried; his baby face looked very happy. After clapping with Klay Thompson, he spread his arms and cautiously defended. He was not afraid of facing Su Feng at all.

"Calm down, buddy. Kobe Bryant is a cunning guy!" Robert Henry, an old acquaintance of Edward Mandalay, was ready to play basketball. When he faced the Nuggets and Houston Rockets in the playoffs, he realized Edward Mandalay’s strength.

Su Feng cried but didn’t respond. If he wasn’t strong, the expectations for his basketball career would be too regrettable.

The Cavaliers counterattacked, watching the Warriors’ center area. In fact, their ball-handling was quite good.

Edward Mandalay was thin but smart in scoring and known for his quick hands. If he wasn’t careful, he’d steal the ball.

Klay Thompson’s ball-handling was tough. He was a "D"-level teammate with scoring ability. He excelled at three-pointers and ball-handling. William Adams Miller, another young Houston Rockets teammate, had excellent strength and resilience, not letting opponents take advantage of him on the ball. In fact, if the Cubans hadn’t stopped Hu in the summer, the Rockets’ forward would have been Robert Henry. Even so, sophomore William Adams Miller hardly had enough money.

As for Kobe Bryant and Kobe Bryant, these two veterans knew defense very well. People were attracted by the Rockets’ unique offense, but in fact, William Adams Miller did a lot of work on their ball-handling.

At the Spain Aviation Center Stadium, Su Feng shouted at Robert Henry and the fans. Edward Mandalay had just made three points, and now the fans hoped Su Feng could respond with a score.

But Su Feng didn’t indulge in a solo battle with Robert Henry. The overall situation remained his top priority. Seeing Robert Henry running back and throwing out Barnes, Su Feng didn’t hesitate to immediately pass the ball to Robert Henry, giving him a chance to cut inside.

But Kobe Bryant’s reaction was quick; Robert Henry had just received Lan Qiu when Kobe was already on his breakthrough path.

As a rough Cavaliers player, Kobe Bryant was still quite intimidating inside.

After crying, Su Feng turned off the video and put his phone aside, his expression serious again.

William Adams Miller’s role was to entertain during intense basketball games. Tonight, facing Edward Mandalay, that was true.

"And today, you have a very tough defensive task. Edward Mandalay is undoubtedly the Rockets’ primary scoring point. His shooting speed is fast, breakthroughs smart, and shooting choices reasonable. To defend him, you must be even more serious."

Before the players warmed up, Hengliewell explained to the team what to watch for in the game. Losing to the defending champion Miami—Hengliewell was acceptable, but if they lost to a Western Conference top-eight club, she wouldn’t be happy. So today, no matter what, the Cavaliers must not slip up—they have to keep the victory at home!

Su Feng nodded. It was precisely because of the heavy responsibility of defending Robert Henry that he felt so excited.

On the other side, the Warriors’ teammates were relatively relaxed. Robert Henry was definitely an optimist. If other guards were to compete with Su Feng now, they’d surely frown and cry. But Edward Mandalay was different. He always joked with teammates on the court as if the next opponent wasn’t worth mentioning.

In fact, it wasn’t that Robert Henry looked down on Su Feng. Now everyone in the club knew Su Feng was not easy to provoke, except for the fool Howard. But Edward Mandalay was so relaxed entirely because of his personality and confidence!

In front of Su Feng, Robert Henry believed he could still perform well!

The two clubs entered the stadium with completely different mindsets. Su Feng only warmed up on the court. What about Edward Mandalay? He joked with teammates and then showed off his dance moves. In short, it was so easy.

Seeing this, Robert Henry suddenly braked, passing the ball to Su Feng to focus on organizing the offense.

Su Feng shook his head. Kobe Bryant’s new ball-handling was very pretty. But he could stop Robert Henry because Robert Henry wasn’t fast enough!

After receiving Lan Qiu again, Su Feng made no extra moves. He accelerated directly for the breakthrough.

Robert Henry reacted quickly, almost as fast as Su Feng. He immediately took a step, trying to block Su Feng’s path.

However, Robert Henry’s thin physique showed its weakness. Su Feng charged to the top, forcing his way through Robert Henry.

Kobe Bryant knew he had to make up for it now, but his massive body refused to listen. When he managed to take a difficult step, lightning-fast Su Feng had already entered the three-second area.

Su Feng didn’t hesitate and took off directly. He believed he could handle the strong Cavaliers player.

Kobe Bryant had no choice but to jump up quickly to contest Su Feng’s layup. This time, the ball-handler didn’t seek a screen; if Kobe could interfere with him mid-air, he would thank God.

Kobe jumped up together, and Su Feng felt as if there was a high wall ahead. But he was ready—Su Feng suddenly pushed his waist and abdomen in mid-air, spinning himself suspended.

"What did he intend to do by spinning in mid-air?"

Seeing Su Feng complete a 60-degree close-range aerial turn pivoting on Kobe Bryant! This move allowed Su Feng to glide past Bogut!

But that wasn’t the end. Su Feng raised Lan Qiu in his right hand and aimed for the basket, only to find Kobe Bryant had already blocked it.

This shocked Su Feng. He thought Kobe Bryant was the last line of defense. Unexpectedly, Hengliewell was the lurking threat behind.

Despite the tense situation, Su Feng remained calm. He twisted his body, switched the ball from his right hand to his left, evaded Hengliewell’s screen, then steadily placed the ball into the basket without losing balance.

Unsteady balance caused Su Feng to fall to the baseline, and Lan Qiu fell into the net. Seeing this shot, everyone, including Su Feng’s teammates, was dumbfounded.

This was William Adams Miller’s signature move: a 60-degree mid-air turn before scoring. When facing big blockers, many top ball-handlers used this tactic. But after the spin, William Adams Miller believed that besides Su Feng, only Kyrie Irving from Cleveland and John Wall from Washington could do it in the club.

Ellis was a full-time teammate, but Robert Henry, having cooperated with Monta for years, was still shocked by Su Feng’s basket. Are you sure the Spaniards didn’t carry Villa on their backs?

After scoring, Su Feng rubbed his sore backside and got up crying.

Su Feng was really silly—falling hard and crying.