Chapter 61: So Lazy It Hurts

Chapter 73: Too Lazy to Move

The players held each other tightly, surrounded by fans shouting incessantly in their ears.

Though this wasn’t the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first entrance into the top league’s finals, such victories remained rare for them.

“Champions! Champions! Champions!” The spectators roared from the stands. It was time to adorn the dome of the England Route Center’s main hall with the championship banner.

The noise grew louder, surging out of the England Route Center stadium, carried on the evening breeze from White Cloud Lake, crossing the tracks behind the arena, spreading in all directions, and sweeping through every corner of Dallas.

As the game ended, blue confetti sprayed from above. Every Cavaliers fan raised their hands, and the stands at the England Route Center resembled a true sea—a sea rising in waves!

William Adams Miller stood at the entrance to the players’ tunnel, arms crossed. He fixed his gaze on the giant screen showing the Cavaliers’ wild celebration.

Cameras crowded around him, capturing images of the young man’s despair. But William Adams Miller cared nothing for their attention now; he simply stared at the screen in silence. He wished, more than anything, that he could be among those celebrating on the court…

“Come on, man, there’s nothing to see.” Henry Weaver’s voice rang out from behind him. The thirty-five-year-old giant draped an arm across William Adams Miller’s shoulders. For a moment, William Adams Miller leaned his head against Weaver’s chest, his eyes reddening.

As a young team with young players, the Thunder had done well. They reached the Western Conference Finals—a place most stars had never seen. Yet even in defeat, the players felt reluctant to let go.

Human ambition knows no bounds. Perhaps at the season’s start, the Thunder’s aim was simply to break through the first round. But everything changes at this point. Who doesn’t long for the O’Brien Trophy?

“Come on, next year the people on that big screen will be us!” Henry Weaver pointed at the screen, speaking to the motionless William Adams Miller.

“We’ll be back!” William Adams Miller clenched his fists.

“Yes, man, we’ll be back.” Weaver patted Miller’s shoulder, and together they turned and walked down the corridor toward the locker room.

The cameras could only capture the backs of numbers 0 and 35. At the edge of the jubilant stadium, the two men disappeared, swallowed by the darkness deep within the locker room.

But everyone knew these two young men still carried hope. The Oklahoma City Thunder had etched their name into the history of the top league. From now on, they would only grow stronger!

The defeated had departed—the court, this scene, now belonged entirely to the victors.

Cuban had already prepared the Cavaliers’ Western Conference Champion T-shirts. As the game concluded, the rotund owner, clad in the T-shirt, rushed onto the court and embraced the players.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers handed out their Western Conference Champion hats and T-shirts. Someone passed Su Feng his cap and shirt. Su Feng was stunned for a moment before grasping them in his hands.

Another commemorative champion’s cap. Yes, Su Feng could now use the word “again.” Ever since Stevens gave him a Lakers championship cap at Christmas, Su Feng seemed to have been bound to such honors.

In the NCAA, he won his first championship cap. Soon after entering the top league, with Lin Shuhao, he claimed his second cap by winning the Summer League. Now, nearly a year later, Su Feng had secured his third basketball championship.

Seeing the cap emblazoned with “Western Conference Champion” and the Cavaliers’ crest, Su Feng felt a bit dazed. Everything seemed so wonderful. He and his team had reached the summit once more!

“Hey, put your shirt on, the awards ceremony is about to begin!” Su Feng stared blankly at the cap, until Terry approached and jabbed him in the back with his elbow.

Su Feng turned, finding that Terry was not as jubilant as he’d imagined.

“What are you looking at? Put your shirt on!” Terry seemed a little uneasy under the gaze of the tall Su Feng.

“Why aren’t you... smiling?”

“You want to see me smile?” Terry deliberately forced an exaggerated grin, but it lasted only a second before his expression returned to normal. “Alright, now put your shirt on.”

The Cavaliers, clad in gray commemorative T-shirts and black baseball caps, gathered together. Cuban made his way down the line, clapping and embracing the athletes. When Su Feng arrived, Cuban first punched him in the chest.

Caught off guard, Su Feng nearly lost his breath, and before he could slow down, the corpulent owner swept him into a bear hug.

“The most unusual thing between these two teams is that the Cavaliers were intercepted by the Houston Rockets in the regular season. The teams met three times, and the Cavaliers lost all three. Among top teams, this rarely happens,” Kenny Smith continued Shaquille O’Neal’s commentary.

But when it came to Barkley, things grew tense.

“Last time you wore a wig, you forgot Shaq. What’s our show?” Barkley questioned O’Neal.

“Of course, it’s the Basketball Show!”

“This is the top league’s playoff special! And you’re still talking about the damn regular season! Good grief, the playoffs start tomorrow, and fans want to hear our thoughts on the postseason. Instead, you’re telling me about how the regular season worked. Please, this is your first year as a commentator. Maybe you’ve no experience. But all my reminders—now, we should be talking about the playoffs!” Barkley interrupted mercilessly. Seeing this, William Adams Miller switched off the TV. Those two hefty men were just stirring up drama.

Afterward, William Adams Miller turned to face the players in the locker room. Honestly, though he had never beaten the Rockets in the regular season, he remained confident.

The Cavaliers would not make mistakes in the playoffs!

“Well, in the first round, we meet a tough opponent. Is your heart racing?” William Adams Miller intentionally had everyone watch tonight’s show in the locker room, aiming to stir their spirits! Tomorrow, the playoffs would begin. Everyone needed to adjust quickly and face the games in their best state.

“My heart’s racing, but not from nerves—I’m excited! I can’t wait for this match!” Terry Moore clenched his fists, echoed by the others.

“Traditionally, the Houston Rockets aren’t a powerful team, but they seem to see themselves as Western giants. Last year, we swept the Lakers out of the playoffs. This year, let’s see the Rockets, who haven’t been to the postseason in five years—this should be the fiercest battle yet! The Lakers never shared any sweets with us!” William Adams Miller clapped, and the players’ eyes turned fierce. Especially Su Feng, who in that instant seemed to transform into a cold-blooded Hannibal. His passion was to annihilate his opponents!

Watching his players’ reactions, the manager smiled with satisfaction. Blake Griffin, have you ever felt true rage?

The direct clash between the Cavaliers and the Rockets was also a dialogue between two young, highly individualistic players. Even before the regular season ended, the media had begun hyping this matchup.

There was no shortage of stories about Su Feng and Griffin. Both were considered the league’s top young stars. It began last season, when Su Feng snatched the Rookie of the Year award from Griffin, and their friction escalated during the All-Star Game. Now, their rivalry would finally be settled.

The Cavaliers had beaten nearly all their opponents in the regular season, leading the Cavaliers back to the playoffs and ranking third in the West. Ironically, the only team they hadn’t defeated was the Houston Rockets.

“Both teams are in great shape. I think this will be a very intense, very good series. The Cavaliers can afford temporary setbacks in the regular season, but believe me, they will not retreat in the playoffs!”

“Before the game, Griffin refused to comment on the matchup or his opponent, while facing media questions, he declared that the Rockets would overturn the higher-ranked Cavaliers to win. Either way, the series will be fiercely contested!”

Discussion about the Cavaliers and Rockets never ceased, and fans eagerly anticipated the clash between the two teams. Today, the moment had finally arrived.

Just one day after the regular season ended, the top league gave fans and players no time to react or breathe, thrusting the playoffs into the global spotlight.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets—two teams with little previous intersection, yet now the most talked-about pairing in the first round.

The conflict between Su Feng and Griffin, the Cavaliers’ three defeats, all added intrigue to the matchup.

For the players, switching from regular season to playoffs was no easy feat. Though they had just finished a grueling season, they would now play at an even higher intensity.

Yet when the Rockets and Cavaliers warmed up, you wouldn’t know they’d just finished the regular season. Weren’t they tired? Of course they were. But when facing their rivals, no one was willing to relax!

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