Chapter 142 Let It Stop

Chapter 15: Stop Here

That is how it is. The game will not be terminated because of anyone's wishes. All right, let us continue.

Edward Henry suddenly cut across the block, intercepting Kobe Bryant as he pursued Su Feng. Su Feng raised his hand at a 45-degree angle on the right, and Henry Williams's pass arrived right on target.

After receiving the basketball, Su Feng initiated a direct drive to the basket. Facing Henry Williams's help defense, Su Feng pivoted on the axis of this "African Mountain," easily slipping past Henry Williams. Su Feng's spin was so fast that Henry Williams practically brushed past empty air.

Having turned past Henry Williams, Su Feng went straight up for a layup without holding onto the ball. Of course, Henry Williams would not give up easily. He jumped high, preparing to stake his territory with a chase-down block.

Su Feng knew that Henry Williams would undoubtedly try to block him from behind. He also knew how poor his own reverse layup capability was at times. Therefore, Su Feng lifted the basketball with one hand, gently manipulating it with his wrist rather than attempting a conventional floating layup.

A scoop layup from bottom to top is much more difficult to block than a direct layup. Henry Williams watched the basketball glide past his outstretched hand, secure and graceful, softly dropping through the net.

In midair, unable to control his momentum, Henry Williams collided violently with Su Feng. The slightly slender Su Feng naturally could not withstand the full impact of an NBA collision.

Su Feng crashed straight into the press row, and the opponent had hardly held back. But when Su Feng heard the referee's whistle, he felt it was entirely worth it! A basket made with a shooting foul awarded an extra penalty shot. Who could complain about hitting the floor for that kind of reward?

As Su Feng rejoiced, the faces of Edward Henry and Chandler blocked the lights of the arena's overhead dome.

Su Feng grabbed their forearms and pulled himself up. He walked straight to the free-throw line as if the heavy fall had never happened. Kobe Bryant pursed his lips. This Chinese player was as tough as nails.

At the free-throw line, Su Feng did not miss. The Cleveland Cavaliers successfully converted all three shots. This also meant that the advantage the Houston Rockets had accumulated during the first quarter of basketball had completely evaporated!

Seeing the score tied once more, Brooks called for the game's second timeout. He intended to reinforce the team's perimeter shooting by substituting Stojakovic for the hard-nosed veteran. Only by first curbing the Cleveland Cavaliers' scoring surge could the Houston Rockets regain control of the basketball game.

"Shawn, take a rest! Peja, take off your training top. I have only one requirement for you: three-pointers, three-pointers!" In stark contrast to Brooks's tactical adjustments, Williams sent Stojakovic onto the court, naturally aiming to strengthen the offense and increase Cleveland's firepower beyond the three-point arc. Riding this momentum, striking while the iron is hot was far better than holding back!

Brooks could do nothing about it. A young team had to pay its tuition fees. Kobe Bryant and the others had let their guard down on the court.

Despite his reluctance, Kobe Bryant understood at least one thing. Today, if he and Su Feng engaged in a battle of attrition, they would ultimately ruin both themselves and the team. He knew his shooting percentage was dipping, and the team was falling behind by too many possessions.

The number zero guard finally calmed down after a frenzied minute and a half. He looked at Durant. Durant merely opened his hands slightly. The silent giant never complained, but Kobe Bryant understood he could no longer drag the team down with selfishness.

Williams received the basketball and channeled it to Kobe Bryant, who advanced the ball once more. Cleveland fans chanted "defense," eagerly anticipating Su Feng continuing to put the clamps on Kobe Bryant.

Durant stepped up to the high post, setting a screen for Kobe Bryant. People were reminded of the tactic where Kobe Bryant would attack the basket directly before the defense could react. Su Feng stepped up to contest Kobe Bryant's drive.

This time, however, instead of forcing his way into the paint alone after breaking past the perimeter, Kobe Bryant whipped a pass to Durant.

Veteran Peja could no longer match Durant in sheer speed. When Durant caught the pass, he easily shook off Peja and drove straight toward the rim.

Edward Henry was drawn out of the restricted area by Williams, and Chandler was trapped behind the screener. Durant extended his long arms, hoisted the basketball high, and leaped powerfully.

Although this long-limbed fellow looked slender, the moment he dunked, he was filled with explosive force! An explosive tomahawk slam seemed to awaken the young thunder.

"The Houston Rockets have finally responded; they've managed to stem the bleeding. I hope Durant's dunk can inject new life into the young Houston Rockets! The Cleveland Cavaliers tried to take over the game outright, but Durant says no!"

However, Williams did not hold onto the basketball after receiving it; instead, he quickly swung it away!

Following the camera's tracking, the orange basketball traced an arc and fell into the hands of Edward Henry.

Edward Henry fired a three-pointer from the top of the key, with no sign of Williams anywhere near him. Where was the Congolese center? That fellow had been delayed by a Cleveland off-ball screen. Setting the pick was Su Feng, who then cut hard into the interior to initiate another wave of pressure.

"Another guard setting an off-ball screen for a teammate. As I said, the Cleveland Cavaliers will definitely execute this tactic more than once today! Robert Henry hits the three-pointer, yes! The Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers have made three shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter of basketball, hitting six out of zero—wait, making multiple consecutive threes now! The Houston Rockets' seven-point lead has vanished in a flash, leaving just a one-point margin. The Dallas gunners are finding their range. I'm sure the Houston Rockets are feeling the heat!" Charles William Adams Miller was utterly convinced by Williams's tactical setup and Cleveland's precise execution. A team like this truly deserved never to be underestimated!

The Cleveland Cavaliers scored yet again, narrowing the gap to just two points. Now, Kobe Bryant had only one thought in his mind: score! Only by continuing to put points on the board could they maintain this crumbling, precarious lead.

This time, Kobe Bryant charged like a bullet into the Cleveland Cavaliers' defensive box. On the other side, Su Feng stood like a warrior clad in steel plates, determined to block the bullet from piercing Cleveland's heart.

Kobe Bryant forced a drive past Su Feng's defensive wall, only for the referee to blow the whistle in time to bail him out.

"Cleveland number one, defensive foul!" the referee shouted loudly, gesturing toward the scorer's table. Su Feng did not argue with the official; instead, he quietly walked to his assigned position.

This was Su Feng's first foul of the basketball game. It showed that Kobe Bryant was not proving lethal enough today. If Kobe Bryant was reduced to relying on fouls to score, Su Feng was confident he could keep him quiet all night.

Facing the jeers and taunts of the Cleveland fans, Kobe Bryant calmly converted both free throws, securing three points for the Houston Rockets. Yet mentally, the Houston Rockets felt more like a trailing team terrified of being pulled away by Cleveland than a squad holding a lead!

The Cleveland Cavaliers were pressing the pace relentlessly, looking every bit the energetic young team they were. As soon as Su Feng crossed midcourt, he handed the ball directly to Williams before sprinting toward the interior. It seemed Su Feng was content to play a supporting role in this particular offensive sequence.

Williams watched Edward Henry running with absolute focus, glancing over at Su Feng from time to time to see if the latter was coming over to set another screen for Edward.

Although Kobe Bryant had always been the marquee name for the Houston Rockets, the truth was that Durant was their true leader.

Brooks smiled happily off the court—not just because of Durant's dunk, but because Kobe Bryant had finally regained his composure.

On the ensuing Cleveland possession, Kobe Bryant played tight defense on Su Feng, denying him any clean shooting space. The Cleveland Cavaliers circulated the ball multiple times through crisp passing but ultimately failed to find an opening.

In the end, Peja was forced into a desperate heave as the shot clock expired with four seconds remaining. Naturally, the basketball missed the mark. The Houston Rockets successfully contained the Cleveland Cavaliers' offensive wave, and Kobe Bryant quickly pushed the ball upcourt after receiving a pass from Williams. Yet outside the three-point line, the number zero guard came to a halt. He did not act rashly; instead, he waited for his teammates to settle into position.

"Kobe Bryant seems to know what he needs to do. He doesn't want to force the issue anymore; he wants to get the whole team involved."

No sooner had William Adams Miller spoken than Kobe Bryant delivered a pass. The target was Durant, who had just used a subtle baseline cut to shake off the sluggish Peja and slide toward the rim.

Seeing this, Chandler quickly rotated over to anchor the paint and guard the basket. If Durant dared to attack the rim recklessly, he would make him pay dearly.

However, Durant was not the kind of forward who relied purely on brute force in traffic. His soft shooting touch and enviable wingspan allowed Durant to release an unorthodox floater just as Chandler closed in.

Chandler leaped with all his might, but his fingertips still fell short of the basketball. The ball cleared Chandler, effectively breaching Cleveland's final line of defense.

The Houston Rockets scored another basket, and Brooks felt a measure of stability return to the situation. At that moment, Edward Henry stepped forward.

"Give me the ball next possession!" The Englishman flashed those words at Su Feng as he sprinted past toward the frontcourt. Robert Henry knew it was time for him to step up!

Williams finished speaking and looked over at Su Feng. In the second period of basketball, Kobe Bryant had been finding success playing with the wind at his back and would likely attack the rim again. Stopping number zero was undeniably Su Feng's responsibility.

Su Feng understood Williams's intent and nodded slightly. At the same time, the electronic buzzer sounded, bringing the brief intermission to an end.

Edward Henry clapped his hands, his competitive fire burning brighter than ever. "Let's go, let's keep fighting! We're down by seven points! When we were down fifteen points to the defending champions, didn't we pull off a comeback back then too?!"

As the Cleveland Cavaliers players burst back onto the court with high spirits, William Adams Miller looked on in astonishment.

"Do these people not realize they're the ones trailing?"

The second period of basketball commenced, and play resumed. Since Chandler had won the opening tip for Cleveland in the first half, the Houston Rockets gained possession to start the second half.

Kobe Bryant maintained control of the ball, dribbling at a brisk pace. He navigated out to the wing and flipped a pass to his left to the center before initiating contact with Su Feng.

After passing the ball, Kobe Bryant did not stand still. He cut from right to left, and as he zipped past the big man, the center handed the ball right back to him.

The rest of the Houston Rockets players cleared out to the right side, giving him room to operate. Kobe Bryant was going to play ISO!

Su Feng lowered his center of gravity, spread his arms wide, and attempted to expand his defensive coverage. And Kobe Bryant? Naturally, he had no intention of showing weakness. The guard unleashed a flurry of rapid crossover dribbles in an attempt to scramble Su Feng's defensive reads.

Suddenly! Kobe Bryant kicked off the floor and drove hard toward Su Feng! Just as he was about to blow past him, Kobe Bryant slammed on the brakes, interrupting Su Feng's defensive rhythm, pulled the ball back behind his back, and swept away toward Su Feng's left side.

Su Feng was momentarily faked out by Kobe Bryant's hesitation move, pausing for half a second. Yet that half-second was more than enough for Kobe Bryant to carve out shooting space.

Kobe Bryant did not continue driving all the way to the rim because Chandler was lurking inside the paint with predatory intent. Pulling up for a jumper was far easier than tangling with the "boxing champion" at the rim.

So Kobe Bryant elevated powerfully. This fellow always jumped high on his jumpers, maintaining a wonderfully straight posture. Kobe Bryant possessed great touch. Just as he launched his shot, Su Feng's silhouette suddenly sprang up from below like a spring.

"What?!" Kobe Bryant was certain he had just shaken off Su Hill. When on earth had this guy recovered? What a monster!

There was no turning back now. This was it. Kobe Bryant had to release the shot. But Su Feng utilized his exceptional wingspan to present a massive challenge.

In the end, Kobe Bryant forced the ball over Su Feng's outstretched arms. Although Su Feng did not manage a direct clean block, his fingertips grazed the basketball, altering its trajectory entirely.

The ball sailed high into the air, completely missing the rim. Chandler leaped up with his running momentum, plucking the falling basketball out of the sky with ease.

"And despite being faked out initially by Kobe Bryant, he still managed to contest the shot with sheer willpower!"

William Adams Miller checked the box score. In the second quarter of basketball, Kobe Bryant had only scored once from the field. That last attempt was his fifth shot of the period. Going one for five—such a shooting percentage was far too low, even for a perimeter star.

Thus far, Su Feng's defense on the perimeter had been virtually flawless. Forty points a game? Sorry, but Su Feng would never let that happen at this arena!

A successful defensive stop and rebound re-energized the Cleveland Cavaliers. This time, Su Feng suddenly caught the ball on the break and flipped a pass to Williams.

A shooter was a shooter; once he found his rhythm, letting him fire away might just bring the team unexpected surprises. Therefore, everyone expected Williams, who received the pass, to finish off the Cleveland possession.

Cleveland's offensive momentum had been interrupted by Durant earlier. If they wanted to maintain their advantage, they had to keep scoring on the offensive end! Let us see what kind of performance they will put on this time. William Adams Miller's eyes filled with anticipation. Su Feng had delivered plenty of surprises to the fans today, thoroughly capturing everyone's attention.

Although Edward Henry had instructed Su Feng to feed him the ball, Su Feng did not foolishly try to force a shot from beyond the arc. Instead, he signaled to Chandler to set a pick.

The "boxing champion" obediently stepped up to set a screen, and Su Feng used this human wall as cover to slice into the three-second zone.

Fortunately, they had an extraordinary talent in Su Feng. The exploits of these players would be etched into the history of the arena.

Edward had scored fifteen points with five makes tonight, leaving him in a fine mood. The basketball game seemed to give him the feel of playing in Los Angeles. This joy prompted Edward to decide to spend a wonderful evening with his partner. Of course, before that, he had to help his wife pick up Su Feng first.

Following the post-game interviews, the Cleveland Cavaliers players trickled down the player tunnel to wrap up their duties for the day. Su Feng stripped off his jersey as he walked through the tunnel, revealing his heavily muscled upper body. Fatigued, he was already pondering how to adjust the intensity of tomorrow's training session, but Edward's shouting from behind cut off his train of thought.

"Thanks for the brilliant performance today! Haha, another victory, let us keep it rolling!" Teammate Edward jogged up from behind, slinging an arm around Su Feng's shoulder and extending a fist for a bump.

Su Feng was not quite used to Edward's sudden enthusiasm. This guy had been jawing at him in the locker room just a week ago, yet now he acted like his best friend. Such whiplash was hard to stomach.

However, Su Feng didn't want to cold-shoulder Edward; since the man was being warm, there was no need to put up a wall. So Su Feng raised his hand and lightly bumped Edward's fist.

"Hey, we don't have a basketball game the day after tomorrow. My wife and I want to invite you over for dinner. If you hadn't passed me the ball out there, maybe I wouldn't have played so well. We're both very grateful—are you free the night after tomorrow?" Seeing that Su Feng wasn't being antagonistic, Edward immediately laid out his invitation.

Edward didn't care which teammate his sister-in-law wanted to hook up with, nor did he care if Su Feng might corrupt Kim Kardashian. In fact, Edward didn't even care about the potential drama brewing with Cole Williams. The only thing he cared about was helping his wife keep the peace.

"The night after tomorrow?" Su Feng hesitated, as he really didn't feel like going. Although Edward wasn't showing hostility at the moment, Su Feng couldn't say he genuinely liked the guy. Williams had warned him to stay away from anyone carrying that kind of tough-guy reputation. For some reason, that warning suddenly popped into Su Feng's mind.

Yet how could he turn down an invitation without being rude? Rejecting Edward outright would make things too awkward.

"I have time that night, but I might have to leave early. Because, as you know, we have a basketball game the very next day." Su Feng crafted a clever excuse—he could show up, but he wouldn't stay long.

"Of course, I need to rest early too. Haha, it's settled then. We'll expect you the night after tomorrow." Edward beamed, humming a tune under his breath. If he brought this good news back to his wife, Kendall would surely reward him.

Those tough guys were formidable characters!

Su Feng didn't think too deeply about it. It was normal for teammates to invite each other over for a meal. Of course, he could never imagine the true purpose behind this gathering. A person whose heart was entirely consumed by basketball could hardly spot the traps hidden in high society.

On the night of their victory over the Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers players rushed to the airport to board the private jet prepared by their owner, flying onward to Cleveland.

This was the final opponent of this grueling back-to-back stretch of basketball games—and the toughest nut to crack.

Aside from the opponent's inherent strength and the fact that it was an away game, the Cleveland Cavaliers' physical stamina was clearly depleted compared to the previous two contests.

It was already 1:00 AM when the players landed at the Cleveland International Airport. Su Feng rubbed his sleepy eyes as he trudged off the plane.

Dragging their exhausted bodies, the players shuffled out one by one to where the team bus was waiting. Su Feng thought he could finally get a good night's sleep once they reached the hotel. Instead, a multi-vehicle pileup on the highway leading into the city caused a severe traffic accident, resulting in crawling gridlock.

Though it was the middle of the night, cars heading into the city were still backed up in long lines. The Cleveland Cavaliers bus was merely one of many pebbles caught in the torrent.

"Damn it, why do we run into everything!" Seeing that traffic remained completely paralyzed after half an hour, Williams angrily slapped the bus seat. The players had worked hard and were desperate for rest. Naturally, everyone grew irritable at the sight of a traffic jam.

Su Feng didn't react as aggressively as Williams, but his mind felt profoundly uneasy. His sleep had been severely disrupted, leaving him with a splitting headache and muscles aching from the grueling battles on the court.