Chapter 45: A Scoundrel

Chapter 57: The Bastard

With an 89% free-throw percentage this season, Su Feng once again made both of his shots. This was the first time the Cleveland Cavaliers had taken the lead since the final minute of the first quarter.

“Ye’s free throws have allowed the Cavaliers to break through the score, and he did it right over William Adams Miller. Could this be a turning point?”

The outcome was still uncertain, but for the first time since the opening tip, Carlisle revealed a relaxed smile on the sidelines. With Su Feng starting to make an impact, the flow of the game was bound to become more favorable.

You have a monstrous blade with a 16-point edge, but I wield an unyielding lightning—my second friend.

Su Feng’s brilliant play seemed to tip the scales toward victory, but soon, Nowitzki’s near-superhuman hot streak would steal all of Su’s thunder.

Initially, the main focal point of the game was the duel between William Adams Miller and Nowitzki. Nowitzki’s string of baskets at the end of the second quarter undoubtedly set every fan’s heart ablaze.

After Su Feng’s outside scoring, Dirk first sank a three-pointer, then followed up with a pair of inside fadeaways.

If you thought Nowitzki’s sudden outburst would push the Cavaliers ahead on the scoreboard, you’d be underestimating the San Antonio Spurs.

Popovich subbed in George Hill, who promptly slapped Terry across the face with his performance. In the first quarter, it was the demon blade; in the second, a new mountain to climb. This also revealed the Cavaliers’ glaring weakness at the two-guard position. Even when Carlisle sent in Stevens in the last minute, it was too little, too late.

At the end of the second quarter, the score stood at 51–49, with the Cavaliers holding a slim two-point lead.

Four points and three assists—Su Feng’s halftime stat line was modest, hardly worth mentioning. Many broadcasters claimed that the Spurs had found a new assassin and that even a greatly improved Su Feng was being held in check in San Antonio.

But Carlisle knew Su Feng hadn’t had much room to operate. In the first quarter, he’d been too tense and cautious; in the second, Nowitzki had taken most of the shots. So long as Su Feng kept pushing forward, there was no need to adjust. The real problem was that the Spurs always managed to find unexpected ways to attack.

From the “demon blade” scoring 16, to George Hill now pulling Terry’s face into the mix—the Spurs’ scattered points of attack made things especially difficult for a coach whose in-game reactions were relatively slow, like Carlisle.

The third quarter began with Carlisle putting Su Feng on Hill for defensive purposes. The results were obvious: Hill had fewer opportunities and, when he did handle the ball, Su Feng’s superior size made it nearly impossible for him to drive.

Meanwhile, William Adams Miller and Nowitzki continued to go at each other with full force. The battle between these two legendary power forwards left everyone else as mere spectators.

Midway through the third, Ginobili reappeared and used his drives to draw fouls, frequently reaching the free-throw line and continuing to cut inside. On the Cavaliers’ side, Kidd, taking over from Su Feng, saw little action.

Kidd’s 2-for-3 performance from beyond the arc earned him another scolding from Popovich.

Both sides’ offensive fervor surged in waves, with defensive intensity escalating. If the first two games had been about feeling each other out, then the second half of this Texas showdown had reached its most fevered pitch.

Ultimately, both teams scored 22 points in the third quarter, bringing the total to 73–71, a two-point difference. The tension was palpable. Su Feng took only one shot in the third, scoring 2 points and dishing out 2 assists.

The duel between William Adams Miller and Nowitzki became the talk of the game, making Su Feng’s lackluster performance barely worth mentioning. Even Ginobili, who’d racked up 16 points in the first quarter, was nearly forgotten.

“What do you think is the key to winning the fourth quarter?” During the break, Kenny Smith posed this question to Barkley, who sat beside him.

“Whoever, Tim or Dirk, can last until the end—that’s whose team will win!” Barkley's answer, though delivered with a grin, wasn’t entirely off the mark. After a third quarter dominated by the two great power forwards, the only images in fans’ minds were of Dirk and William Adams Miller trading blows.

But neither Popovich nor Carlisle, both coaches who prided themselves on their teams’ collective play, would leave victory up to a single player.

“Parker’s off tonight, on both ends. Shut him down! Limit his scoring and shots on defense, and on offense, use him more to ease the pressure on Dirk! They think you’re finished tonight. Tell them it’s far too soon to make that call.” Carlisle circled Tony Parker’s name on his tactics board with a thick red line.

Su Feng ignored Neal’s defense, sprang forward, and, hovering in mid-air, zipped a pass. The ball flew over the crowd and landed in Terry’s hands, who was posted in the lower left corner.

Terry caught it and launched, but George Hill’s fierce leap forward exceeded the Jet’s expectations. The three-pointer missed, William Adams Miller grabbed the rebound, and the Cavaliers came up empty.

On the Spurs’ possession, George Hill immediately raised his hand for the ball in the left corner, as his teammates sprinted to clear the strong side.

George Hill—another Spurs gem found in the bargain bin. With his sturdy frame and exaggerated wingspan, he was far tougher than Lee.

After catching the ball, Hill executed a triple-threat and drove straight to the basket. While he wasn’t the most explosive athlete, his first step was sharp enough to get by Terry.

Seeing this, Tyson Chandler quickly rotated to protect the rim, worried that Hill would go all the way. But Hill calmly pulled up for a mid-range jumper, rendering Chandler’s help defense useless. Two points. Instead of tying the score, the Cavaliers now trailed by three.

“More energy! Be more aggressive!” As Su Feng took the ball from the baseline, Carlisle shouted from the sideline—one of the league’s three most notorious sideline yellers. At times, he called out tactics on every offensive possession.

Su Feng knew if he didn’t follow Carlisle’s orders, the coach would be hollering all night. Should he attack more aggressively? Let’s try!

Across half court, he raised his hand—screen and roll. Su Feng orchestrated the offense skillfully, and Chandler was more than willing to set a screen for his youngest teammate.

Su Feng came off the pick and hesitated. Neal, prepared to recover, didn’t expect Su Feng to slow down. Neal forced himself to brake, trying to stay in front. But as soon as Neal stopped, Su Feng took off again!

At that moment, Neal was completely left behind. Defense wasn’t his strong suit; his athleticism was truly limited. Unable to keep up, Neal scrambled helplessly.

Su Feng easily left the Spurs’ defender in his wake, stepped into the paint, and leapt toward the rim.

Short and stocky Blair flew over to help, but Su Feng was unfazed by the sudden appearance of the “Black Bear.” Calmly, he pulled the ball back in mid-air, avoided Blair’s block, and laid it up again. The ball kissed the net, and with a smooth reverse layup, Su Feng notched his first field goal of the game!

“A sharp drive and a beautiful finish—if only we could maintain that kind of play,” Kenny Smith said, growing excited as he sensed Dallas’s momentum building.

The Spurs attacked again; William Adams Miller’s reverse hook failed against Nowitzki’s defense. Chandler secured the rebound, giving the Cavaliers another chance to take the lead.

Su Feng’s next pick-and-roll didn’t yield a basket, but this time, the screener was Dirk instead of Chandler.

Su Feng and Nowitzki worked the pick-and-roll to perfection. Popovich, knowing Su Feng’s speed, had instructed his team: “Switch immediately!”

Rounding Dirk’s pick, leaving Gary Neal behind, Su Feng suddenly found himself face-to-face with William Adams Miller.

After the switch, Su Feng didn’t immediately drive but dribbled in place twice. This time, he was going one-on-one with William Adams Miller.

Suddenly, the ATT Center erupted in boos. Who did this shaggy kid think he was—Kobe Bryant?

Of course, Su Feng wasn’t under any such illusion. He simply knew that William Adams Miller was a smart defender; you couldn’t beat a clever opponent with crude, simple moves.

He had to admit Miller’s defense was airtight. Su Feng’s driving lanes were nearly sealed off, yet, just like Neal, Miller maintained a certain distance from him.

So Su Feng took a sudden step forward, and after bumping Miller, stepped back as if preparing to shoot.

William Adams Miller, having watched Su Feng’s game tapes, knew that while the Chinese rookie rarely shot threes, his mid-range jumper was deadly accurate. So the “Rookie No. 21” stretched out his long arms and lunged forward.

Su Feng didn’t shy away but instead drew Miller in with a fake.

“Damn it!” Popovich cursed, as the referee’s whistle sounded across the arena a moment later.

“Haha, can you believe it—a rookie just drew a foul on William Adams Miller! Look at Coach Pop’s face!”

The moment Su Feng reached the lower left corner, Terry delivered a timely pass. Facing Camby, the Chinese guard showed no hint of panic—Camby was like a wall in front of him.

Camby’s bid for Defensive Player of the Year was built on strong stats and help defense. As for his man-to-man abilities, perhaps they weren’t quite elite.

Without hesitation, Su Feng attacked. Camby immediately tried to use his body to cut him off.

But before Camby could make contact, the point guard suddenly retreated in a wide arc behind the three-point line, setting up for a jumper.

“Don’t even think about it, rookie!” Everyone knew Su Feng’s step-back was lethal, so when he pulled up, Camby didn’t hesitate—he reacted instantly, leaping to contest. With his height and reach, Camby was sure he’d block the shot.

But as Camby soared, Su Feng slipped right past him at waist level.

It turned out, Su Feng’s feet had barely left the floor, and he hadn’t even gathered for a shot. It was just a masterful hesitation fake, so convincing that Camby, once the league’s best defender, was completely fooled.

“Marcus bought it! A beautiful fake step-back—believe me, Charles, if you were on the floor, you’d have fallen for it too!”

Barkley shot Kenny Smith a disdainful glance, as if to say, “Easy for you to talk from the sidelines.”

With almost instantaneous speed, Su Feng drove along the baseline, slicing under the rim.

Aldridge rotated back to help, but in mid-air, Su Feng used a smooth reverse layup to evade the block. Gliding to the far side of the basket, he finished with a “moon-gazing” reverse.

Landing, regaining balance, locking on his target, and sprinting back on defense.

A beautiful reverse layup ignited the sleepy Cavaliers, trimming the deficit but not making Su Feng complacent.

No flashy celebration, no exaggerated expression, no wild roar.

That was Su Feng—expressionless on defense, eyes locked on his opponent, waiting to fulfill his defensive duty.

Perhaps an ordinary rookie couldn’t change much in four minutes. But Su Feng was anything but ordinary…

Faced with such adversity, Coach McMillan was truly at a loss. Before the game, he’d repeatedly emphasized not giving Su Feng too many open looks, and his players had taken the message seriously. Yet Su Feng had just shredded the Blazers’ defense with a gorgeous reverse.

This wasn’t a tactical breakdown—it was a defeat at the hands of Su Feng’s individual brilliance. For the rookie, shaking off Marcus Camby was as easy as swatting a post.

“Perfect! Aldridge and Marcus Camby were powerless!” Kenny Smith shouted, electrified as the ball swished through the net. Who doesn’t love a hero’s return? In Smith’s eyes, Su Feng still had a chance to be the protagonist tonight.

“It’s fine—just keep attacking!” McMillan stood on the sideline, calming his players. A single basket wasn’t the end of the world, but they couldn’t let it deflate their morale.

The Blazers still led by five as Kobe Bryant advanced slowly into Cavaliers territory.

Su Feng clapped hard, drawing his teammates’ attention, then spread his arms wide.

Such a simple gesture, but at this moment, every Cavalier defender dug in even harder. No one wanted to be beaten by a rookie.

This time, Kobe Bryant hadn’t even reached the arc before he ran into the “enthusiastic hospitality” of the Chinese defender. Su Feng pressed him hard, playing suffocating, oppressive defense that made it nearly impossible for Bryant to get free.

The pressure came not just at the point guard spot, but across all five positions.

Kobe Bryant tried to take his man off the dribble. The forward soared past Su Feng, but as he rose, he met no fear, no hesitation.

After receiving the pass, the fierce Kobe bluffed Marion off balance and charged into the lane like an armored car.

Kobe leapt high for the layup, but before he could release the ball, it was sent flying against the backboard.

This time, it wasn’t Su Feng who blocked Kobe—it was Tyson Chandler, inspired by Su Feng’s “boxing champion” energy.

“Chandler’s block is on fire—he’s injecting life into the Cavaliers!”

Chandler finished the swat, handed the ball to Su Feng, who took off without hesitation. As Su Feng accelerated, the entire Cavaliers squad naturally pushed the pace. A dominant center sets the tempo on the basketball court—he alone…