Chapter 19: A New Competition Schedule

Chapter 25: A New Game Time

“Victory!” everyone answered in unison.

As the timeout ended, Su Feng turned to step onto the court. At that moment, Carlisle grabbed him.

“Don’t be afraid to lose, kid,” Carlisle said simply. Su Feng nodded, then walked into the battlefield of fate, answering the thunderous roar of the Rockets’ fans.

As Su Feng set foot on the court, he realized he could even hear his own heartbeat.

Gudjohnsen already stood at the sidelines, while the Mavericks were surrounded by the Rockets on the court. McMillan would never allow Su Feng to relax and receive the ball from his movement—did you know?

The referee glanced at Su Feng, signaling that he was ready. Then, he blew his whistle and passed the ball to an Englishman whose hair was drenched in sweat.

The moment Dirk received the ball, Su Feng suddenly sprang into action! The seasoned mill master standing next to him grabbed Su Feng’s jersey, trying to stop his run for an answer. Yet, Terry Lima found himself in a difficult position and forced the old Miller aside.

At this point, even if the players acted rough, the referee would turn a blind eye. After all, at such a crucial moment, the officials didn’t want to disrupt the flow of the game. As long as it wasn’t too excessive, they would let it go.

With Terry’s screen, Su Feng broke free from the crowd. Dirk wasted no time, immediately sending the ball down the baseline. As Su Feng caught the basketball, the numbers on the shot clock began to tick.

Delaying his dribble between midcourt and the third line, Kobe Bryant crossed in front of Su Feng—not too close, not too far.

Meanwhile, Terry and Peja were sprinting wildly. But McMillan knew these two were merely bait. In this situation, Carlisle would surely let Gudjohnsen take the final shot!

So Aldridge stayed with Gudjohnsen.

As the twenty-four second shot clock dwindled to five, Gudjohnsen, who had been positioned inside, suddenly ran toward the high post!

“It’s him!” Aldridge followed closely, Terry’s first block was in place and Aldridge slipped away swiftly. But soon, Chandler exploded forward, and Ed was completely blocked!

“Dirk Gudjohnsen, he’s out!”

Relief washed over Kobe Bryant. Though Dirk and Carlisle didn’t arrive late, they were prepared and willing to heed their assistant coach’s advice. This meant the players’ will had not collapsed. As long as it held, hope for victory remained!

Practice continued smoothly into the afternoon, but neither Carlisle nor Gudjohnsen appeared on the training court. Just as everyone was preparing for Dirk to miss the game, two figures argued at the entrance.

“Brick, you can’t take away my chance to play!”

“I’m thinking of your health. You heard the doctor; you need bed rest now, not to show up in your damn training gear!”

Just as the voices ceased, the door to the training court swung open. Everyone’s attention shifted; Gudjohnsen stood there, scanning the arena.

“Sorry, guys, I’m late!” Gudjohnsen strode into the training court like everyone else, picked up a basketball, and bounced it on the floor.

“Come on, boss, let him play if he wants to. A little fever can’t stop Dirk!” Terry flashed Carlisle a grin. If Gudjohnsen could shoot and so on, things surely weren’t that serious.

“If you call thirty-eight degrees a low fever, Jet, then I’ll say nothing!” Carlisle’s roar stunned the crowd. Thirty-eight degrees? History sometimes has such coincidences.

“Oh, oh, wait, man, your brain’s really cooked to thirty-eight degrees!” Terry gaped at Gudjohnsen in disbelief, reaching out to feel the Englishman’s forehead. The moment his hand touched Dirk’s skin, a surge of heat shot up his wrist. Dirk’s forehead was burning hot!

Now, Terry believed it.

“Rick’s words mean nothing. I can’t just watch my brothers struggle on the court, while I do nothing. It’s just a fever—it’s not a problem!” Gudjohnsen finished speaking and then sneezed. It appeared Dirk’s condition was worse than expected.

“Yes, yes!” Gudjohnsen wiped his nose and looked around, seeking Su Feng.

Outside the three-point line on the other half, Gudjohnsen saw Su Feng and called out to him. “Tomorrow, when you pass by, give me a look or a shout. I can’t guarantee my reactions will keep up with your passing speed tomorrow.”

Afterward, Gudjohnsen took another shot. Unexpectedly, his shooting touch seemed entirely unaffected!

Carlisle bent and shook his head. He knew how important the next game was for the Mavericks. If the score reached 3–1, Dallas could be said to have one hand on the O’Brien trophy—the highest honor, one the Mavericks had never before touched!

In such a crucial battle, Gudjohnsen would never allow himself to be absent. If Carlisle himself were sick, he’d certainly make the same choice.

“You can play, but I’ll strictly control your minutes. If I spot anything unusual from you on the court, I’ll pull you immediately.”

“No problem, change me anytime if anything’s wrong,” Gudjohnsen finally smiled—it was the first smile on the Englishman’s face all day.

After practice, players usually stayed courtside for interviews. With only two teams left in contention, nearly every day’s practice was open to the media.

Gudjohnsen was naturally the reporters’ favorite interviewee. As the Mavericks’ star, every word he spoke was worth a thousand dollars.

But today, reporters noticed something was off with Gudjohnsen. His eyes were glazed, as if he’d had too much to drink. A healthy man shouldn’t be coughing and rubbing his nose constantly.

“Are you sick, Dirk?” Gudjohnsen’s odd behavior drew questions from the reporters.

“As you can see, my finger still hurts.” Gudjohnsen raised his injured middle finger, but clearly, his words didn’t convince the journalists. A runny nose and cough had nothing to do with his finger.

“Was it yesterday’s heavy rain and sudden drop in temperature in Dallas that gave you the flu?”

“Well, I know I can’t hide anything from you. Yes, I have a fever—and it’s serious. But rest assured, I won’t let it affect my performance on the court.”

When Gudjohnsen admitted it, the reporters were stunned. Fever? What did that mean for Dirk and the Mavericks? It could even become the turning point of the Finals!

The news sent the journalists into a frenzy. The Mavericks’ path to the championship was truly fraught with obstacles! Yet for reporters, the stranger the story, the more money they made!