Chapter 40: Invincible Under the Basket

Chapter 52: Unstoppable Under the Basket

Su Feng strolled along the shores of Dallas's famous White Rock Lake. In the distance, she could glimpse villas built by oil magnates and Texas’s wealthy elite. Her mother paused by the lake, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath of fresh air. On the surface of the water, a gentle breeze swept by, Wen Xue’s hair draped over her shoulders, the woman completely relaxed, embracing the world.

How long had that tense life lasted? Su Feng couldn’t recall. For the past decade, she had lived almost every day worrying about her son. Would he follow the bad example of the boy next door? Could he get into trouble again at school? What would become of this child’s future?

Now, the single mother finally no longer worried about such things. Her son was in college, on the right path, and had become one of Dallas’s rising stars. Those lakeside mansions no longer evoked envy in Wen Xue, for she and her son had bought their own small villa in Dallas.

Basketball had taken her husband from the court, moved their family from China, sent Zhuzi across the street. And basketball had also allowed Su Feng to thrive, to possess herself in this restless era, to become a professional player. Gazing at the lake, Su Feng couldn’t help but smile. Sometimes, basketball truly was wonderful.

"You are... Mrs. Ye?" As Su Feng reminisced about the incredible events at White Cloud Lake, a young man with golden skin approached her. He looked like he was out for a morning jog.

"Sir, you are...?"

"My God! Looks like you’re a real mother! I’ve seen you on TV but never expected to meet you in person here! So you and your son live by White Cloud Lake?" The young man turned out to be a fan of the Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Oh, no, I’m just out for a walk." Su Feng’s mother gave a gentle smile, charming even the young man.

"Ma’am, please... could you take a photo with me? You know, there are many rich people by White Cloud Lake, but we rarely meet stars!" He raised his phone. If he posted a photo with Su Feng’s mother on his social media or Su Feng’s page, many fans and friends would surely envy him.

"Heavens, I’m not a star, sir." The woman from China was a bit flustered.

"Of course! Raising such a player makes you a great star! All Dallas fans dream of winning the championship trophy!" The Cleveland Cavaliers fan was enthusiastic.

They snapped a quick picture. The young fan was overjoyed, promising to buy tickets and cheer for Su Feng from the front row next time. After bidding farewell to Wen Xue, he walked away happily. By the lakeside, only the mother remained.

At that moment, Wen Xue’s phone vibrated inside her bag. Smiling, she took it out and glanced at the screen. It was Su Feng.

"Mom, where are you? We need to head to the airport." Su Feng’s tone was always a bit warmer when he spoke to Wen Xue.

"I’m out for a walk. Is it really okay to trouble Mr. Cuban?"

After two home games, the Cleveland Cavaliers would play their first away game of the season on October 31, the day after tomorrow, in Williamsburg. Of course, it wasn’t against the defending champion Lakers, but the Clippers, newly crowned by Blake Griffin.

Originally, Su Feng’s relationship with Wen Xue was not particularly close, but the Englishman had invited Wen Xue to Williamsburg to watch the game. In fact, not just Wen Xue, but many players’ families were invited.

As one of the most humane owners in the league, the Englishman was never stingy in this regard. The money spent inviting players’ families was insignificant to him.

Su Feng, never one to shy away from such things, naturally agreed. So now, as Su Feng prepared to fly with the team to Williamsburg, Wen Xue would begin her journey as well.

"No problem. Dirk said the Englishman does this all the time. Didn’t you say you always wanted to tour Williamsburg? Now, we’re going there."

Hearing Su Feng’s words, Wen Xue felt delighted. Yes, past dreams were unfolding step by step into reality. Things once unimaginable might actually be possible. For instance... could her son win the O’Brien Cup?

Two hours later, a plane carrying the Cleveland Cavaliers and some players’ families departed Dallas. The City of Angels welcomed its passengers.

—

New England, Williamsburg, City of God. To Su Feng, it was a city both familiar and strange. He had lived in Xiu Li City for over ten years, and Xiu Li was one of Williamsburg’s satellite towns.

But Xiu Li and Williamsburg seemed like two entirely different cities.

Outside, due to Su Feng’s relationship with William Wallace, nothing seemed to have happened, and both persisted in their daily routines. Su Feng continued to train after practice, while William Wallace, despite public opinion, kept playing after practice.

Su Feng and William Wallace spoke less and less, seemingly two parallel lines. They moved forward together without interfering, but would never intersect.

Two days after losing to the Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced a suitable opponent—the 76ers, who had lost Iguodala.

Bynum had been traded to Philadelphia before announcing his compensation for the season, leading the 76ers to send Iguodala directly into their rebuilding phase.

This season, the 76ers had no stars and their overall strength was weak. If William Wallace wanted to recover his form, today was an ideal opportunity.

At the start of the game, Su Feng did his best to create chances for William Wallace. But Wallace still couldn’t find his rhythm, missing shot after shot and giving the 76ers repeated opportunities to attack.

Defensively, Wallace was bested by Su Feng’s defeated rival, Evan Turner. Wallace seemed absent-minded, easily outmaneuvered by the offense.

Every Cavaliers player had a stampede of wild horses running through their minds as Su Feng and Wallace ended their hard-earned 24-second possessions with Turner’s shots.

Even William Adams Miller, usually good-tempered, was angry with Wallace. It seemed playing well once a month was Wallace’s personal standard. Someone who could have been a star made no effort, content with the status quo. A coach’s words alone couldn’t change such an attitude toward basketball.

The Cavaliers’ game against the 76ers proved fiercer than expected. In the end, Adams Miller was lucky enough to rely on Su Feng and Darren Collison’s dual-guard lineup to secure the win. As for Wallace? He scored 11 points, had 3 turnovers, 4 rebounds, 14 shots, and 4 boards. That was his contribution.

Four million dollars a year—perhaps Wallace felt it wasn’t worth it. Good or bad, basketball was just a job.

The Cavaliers beat the 76ers in Philadelphia 100-96, avoiding defeat. But neither Adams Miller nor the fans were satisfied. Wallace seemed lost again, and the duo hailed as the best just a week before had vanished overnight.

On November 28, the Cavaliers played back-to-back games against the Chicago Rockets. With Derrick Rose injured, the highly anticipated match lost its biggest attraction. There had yet to be a memorable game between Su Feng and the youngest MVP, Rose. Unfortunately, even the gods didn’t grant fans the chance to witness elegance.

After losing Rose, the Houston Rockets, led by Luol Deng alone, couldn’t withstand the Cavaliers’ onslaught. Su Feng scored 34 points, made 13 assists, Collison added 18 points. Adams Miller’s dual-guard lineup won again.

After the game, Mike Breen flipped to the bottom of the stats sheet and finally saw Wallace’s name.

Wallace had four points, three assists, five rebounds—his stats seemed "well-rounded." What Breen didn’t know was that the previous night, after the team arrived in Chicago, Wallace didn’t go to the hotel with them, but left directly under a friend’s lead. No one knew where he went or what he did. How could you expect someone who couldn’t even manage basic sleep to perform on the court?

The Cavaliers closed out their last game of November with a victory. December for the Cavaliers meant not only Christmas but also the arrival of Nowitzki.

Half a month ago, people worried that with Wallace playing so well, Nowitzki would not have a role in the offense.

Now people wondered about Wallace’s relevance once Nowitzki returned.

Just as Wallace was about to fall into a slump, on December 1, he helped the Cavaliers seize the Pistons at home with 27 points and a 53% shooting percentage. Most of Su Feng’s 11 assists went to Wallace!

Cavaliers fans cheered—the Dallas duo had finally awakened! After this difficult adjustment period, surely the Cavaliers could reclaim their place atop the West.

Yet, the ink on Wallace’s good press had scarcely dried. In the next game against the Clippers, he scored only 6 points, bringing jubilant fans back to reality.

Wallace was still the cynic who never put basketball first. He wasn’t Dallas’s savior, nor could he join Su Feng as the strongest duo.

"Amazing ball handling, Gay and Tony’s collaboration is perfect!" Reggie Henry applauded as Tony Allen relaxed his grip on the ball.

Adams Miller cursed on the sidelines, though amid the noisy scene, no one could hear the college coach’s profanities. Judging by his mouth, the words he just uttered probably involved the letter "f."

"Although Gay’s pass and Allen’s cut were beautiful, I must say Wallace’s performance is like sleepwalking—his distracted defense gave Tony Allen an opportunity. When Tony started his move, Wallace seemed startled, with no reaction. By the time he regained his senses, the Grizzlies had already scored."

For Wallace’s latest lapse, Su Feng felt neither disappointment nor whispered advice in Wallace’s ear. From past experience, Su Feng knew that no matter what advice you gave this man, he wouldn’t accept it.

Wallace might nod in agreement in front of you, but once he turned away, he could dismiss teammates’ words entirely.

"Wallace's defense is terrible. Ironically, his offense tonight isn’t much better than Tony’s. Looks like God forgot to visit his lucky star this evening."

Then the Cavaliers attacked again. Su Feng broke through Conley’s defense as Tony Allen closed in. The Grizzlies’ number nine guard, though limited in scoring, was a formidable perimeter defender. When Tony Allen blocked, Su Feng changed direction.

Unexpectedly, Tony guessed Su Feng’s move and forced him to stop. With Conley’s rapid approach, Su Feng was forced to pass!

Since Tony Allen sprang up and folded, it meant his opponent was temporarily open.

Su Feng didn’t hesitate, spotting Wallace in the gap. He bounced the ball on the floor, threading it between Conley and Allen to Wallace’s hands.

Facing Rudy Gay from the defense, Wallace didn’t choose to drive but instead shot directly from beyond the three-point line!

"My God, is he going for a three? This was clearly a great opportunity to break through!" Cavaliers’ Wallace chose to shoot, leaving Henry in the commentary booth perplexed. Even as a skilled shooter himself, Henry couldn’t help but be baffled.

Wallace gave the impression that the game had "no seed"; he preferred shooting from outside, especially lurking on the perimeter. He’d rather take a few shots than drive for a layup or draw a foul, and he didn’t even want the defender to stick to him. At the start of the season, Wallace could still use active movement and Su Feng’s cooperation to shine in open play. But now, the guy wouldn’t run honestly unless absolutely necessary.

When Rudy Gay charged at Wallace, he became tense again. His hurried shot missed, squandering another chance for the Cavaliers to close the gap. That’s why Grizzlies fans still cheered, even with Mike Conley playing so poorly. Wallace was worse than Conley today!

"Another brick—oh, Wallace meets his old team for the first time this season, and he’s not excited at all? Three for twelve, Wallace’s performance is nothing if not consistent!"

As the ball left his hands, Adams Miller sat on the bench, having paced the sideline for ages. He seemed calm, as if the Cavaliers had just taken the lead.

But in truth, Miller sat down because he was deeply disappointed. With players like Wallace on the team, no one wanted to win anymore!

With 44 seconds left, Wallace wasted yet another scoring opportunity. Miller had only one timeout left; the outcome seemed decided.

In the stands at FedEx Forum, some fans raised big signs. Wallace’s name was printed on all of them, along with a single sentence: Thank you for helping the Grizzlies win.

Once, this would have been an honor for Wallace. But now, wearing the Cavaliers’ blue jersey, such "praise" was meant to shame the exiled Grizzly.

In the end, the Cavaliers lost 98-102. Su Feng glanced at the scoreboard, then focused on Wallace.

What exactly did that guy want!?

The Memphis Grizzlies ended the Cavaliers’ brief winning streak, and the Cavaliers’ 3-88 record was no longer surprising. Even at the start of the season, the Grizzlies had won six straight.

Reggie Henry noticed Su Feng and Wallace had no interaction whatsoever, and he could probably guess why the Cavaliers were underperforming.