Chapter 92: Artificial Affectation

Chapter 104: Pretense

“You’re wrong about that, Robert Henry.”

“Hm? What are you thanking me for?”

With Nari lying behind Su Feng, her head resting against his face, she murmured in a soft, teasing voice.

“Without you, my life would be terribly dull.”

After that, Su Feng could not help quickening his pace. He could hardly wait to enjoy his “feast”...

William Adams Miller fished leisurely at White Cloud Lake, Robert Henry returned to China early to prepare for the Asian Games, and Henley Will was still busy working on his coaching license. For nearly a month, he rarely slept well. Su Feng and Robert Henry Nari spent their wonderful time in Spain until the top league finals came to an end.

On June 20, 2013, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the San Antonio Spurs, who had eliminated the Houston Rockets at home with a 95-88 victory, and won the top league championship for Cleveland for a consecutive year.

LeBron James had finally fulfilled the promise Duncan had once made him: the future belonged to him and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James had won back-to-back titles, defeating the Thunder of youth last year and the seasoned Cleveland Cavaliers this year. In two championships over three years, James had undoubtedly established his own dynasty.

For three straight years, the only team able to stop James and the Heat from tearing the league apart had been the Dallas Rockets.

Though James’s reign had made the Miami fans exceedingly comfortable, fans all over the world were now waiting for one thing: a team that could break the Heat’s rule.

Which team would be the one to defy James? Opinions differed. Some believed the Cavaliers could do it again; others thought the Thunder, once healthy, might manage it. But absolutely no one believed the Dallas Rockets could defeat the Cavaliers again.

Look at last season: they had been battered and beaten by the Cavaliers. Winning two games in the Western Conference finals had already been a marvel for the Rockets. As for going to the Finals to break the Heat’s rule? Well, dreams were free, but don’t be absurd.

Now, fans around the world were watching with bated breath. The Cavaliers had just been eliminated, losing the battle but winning countless rounds. The Rockets had already been gone for a month, and there had long been no sign of them.

The day after the top league finals, Su Feng returned to Dallas. This time, he did not come back to celebrate Dirk’s birthday, nor had he returned early to renegotiate with Cuba. There was only one purpose to his return: to prepare with the team for the draft a week later.

“I didn’t expect you to be so interested in the draft,” Henley Will said in surprise when he saw Su Feng returning from vacation just to attend the top league draft. Su Feng, a guy who had once cared only about training himself, now also knew how to choose teammates.

“We’re glad you’re willing to take part in the team’s summer operations. After all, only when you’re on the court can you tell us which players suit us best. Honestly, we don’t want to sign players like Mayo and Odom anymore. They look fine on the surface, but in reality they can’t keep up with the team. With your advice this year, our reinforcement work should go very smoothly!” General manager Nelson Jr. did not mind Su Feng’s involvement in personnel matters; on the contrary, he was delighted by it.

“I don’t want to give you any advice, but I think that guy is decent. Of course, it’s up to you.”

Su Feng knew his duty was to play well on the court; he had no right to interfere in anything else. So he did not pressure the team to pick Gobert, nor did he insist that they must sign a star. He only wanted the team to pay attention to the people he thought were good. As for the choice itself, that was for the team’s management to decide.

“How much do you know about Gobert?” Sitting down with the others, they began discussing draft targets. Although this year the Rockets would only have a late first-round pick, with Su Feng’s strong interest, even after the first round, Cuban, Henley Will, and Nelson took it very seriously.

“Not much. I only know that he has abundant energy and is single-minded about defense. But honestly, I’ve only seen him once and haven’t had much contact with him. So it depends on how he performs in the trials.”

Su Feng spread his hands, admitting that Gobert had impressed him, but he was not certain he was the right fit for the Rockets.

Cuban did not care either way. As long as Su Feng’s request could be met, what was the harm in spending three million dollars to buy a draft-rights option and then using that option to sign Gobert? To make the star happy, three million was nothing worth mentioning.

There was no denying that the Rockets’ center position was weak, but Cuban’s real targets this summer were Howard and Al Jefferson, two All-Star centers. Gobert? As a backup, he would be fine.

On the court, the score had become 8-0, and Su Feng had already scored all eight baskets with ease. And this was still less than halfway through the first quarter.

Bill Duffy poured himself a drink, a smug smile spreading across his face.

Are you ready, Victor Jason? This punch might hurt.

Cousins left the court with a dissatisfied expression. He was not angry at anyone, but he was deeply disappointed in his own performance. When Su Feng scored, he was beside him, and he even jumped at the same time. So, considering the earlier reverse-layup, this was the second basket Su Feng had scored right in Cousins’ face.

As soon as Cousins stepped off the floor, he threw the towel handed to him by the staff to the ground. William Adams Miller shook his head. Since the Cavaliers already had enough trouble, he did not want Cousins to get into trouble again.

“Come on, DeMarcus, take a good rest. We’ll need you later!” Henley Will did not blame Cousins, but now he had no time to deal with player emotions. Cousins sat on the bench, staring at the stats sheet: the Rockets, 8 baskets; the Cavaliers, 0 baskets. Su Feng, 8 baskets; Cousins, 0 baskets.

The young prodigy from Kansas gritted his teeth, wishing he could get on the court and twist Su Feng’s head off. But if there was anyone more volatile than that brother of his, it was the Rockets, who had won the championship last year.

“Could you be a little more patient on offense? Patient! I’ve told you so many times in practice: be patient, play to your own rhythm. What happened? In the end, you all got led around by the Rockets! Jim, you replace Sullins. Control the situation on the floor; I need you to control the situation on the floor, patient transition! If we play our own game, of course we can bring the score back!”

William Adams Miller was replaced by Jim Bryant of Brigham Young, the tenth pick selected by the team this year.

Born in 1989, Bryant was unquestionably an “older” rookie, since the white boy had spent four years in college before entering the draft. An older player could still enter the lottery zone; this was, in fact, recognition of William Adams Miller’s strength.

Although he was white, he had even joined the national team as a college student in the summer of 2010. Never underestimate a team’s dream; even the traveling coaches on the roster were destined to shine among the stars. For a college student, such an honor was excellent.

Bryant nodded after hearing Henley Will’s arrangement. Although he was not a point-center oriented toward organization, compared with Thornton and Sullins, he was at least a pure starting center.

Although he was only the tenth pick, the Cavaliers still held high hopes for William Adams Miller. After the substitution, the old rookie stepped onto the court. Su Feng glanced across and saw that his opponent had changed. But soon he looked away again. No matter who his opponent was, today Su Feng would kill him all the same!

The Cavaliers made the first adjustment to their lineup, with Henley Will replacing the year’s tenth pick, William Adams Miller. He had trained with members of the national team and was a fine young man. One hoped his arrival would revive the Cavaliers’ dreadful offense.

Bryant felt the fear of facing the starting center; he had just completed a stunning rebound after halftime.

Bryant was only 1.88 meters tall, but he was strong. At the point-center position, at least, William Adams Miller had an excellent body.

During his college years, his first step was very solid. With that powerful frame, few could stop him.

But against William Adams Miller’s drive, Su Feng shocked the arena by standing firm and stopping him directly! Bryant might beat opponents in college, but this was not college basketball — this was the top league!

After being forced to stop by Su Feng, Bryant began looking for his teammates. Of course, he was far from organizing the offense now; instead, Su Feng had forced him to pass the ball out.

Bryant retreated beyond the three-point line and reluctantly moved the ball away.

Later, Bryant prepared to use his off-ball movement to find an opening for a shot. But unfortunately, how could one shake free from a man even Russell Westbrook could not lose?

Bryant had finally experienced the so-called Rockets defense. No matter how he ran or changed direction, Su Feng stayed with him all the way.

The twenty-four-second clock was about to expire, and the Cavaliers’ ball was still bouncing frantically around. William Adams Miller’s arrival seemed to have done nothing to improve the Cavaliers’ offense.

“After the block, the Cavaliers immediately rushed to take the baseline ball. My God, I’m going to dominate the court today too!”

With a long, drawn-out howl, Su Feng drove straight to the basket like a knife. Naturally, he did not miss the chance to attack the rim.

A powerful tomahawk finish sent every fan in the stands leaping from their seats. After the basket, Su Feng pointed to the championship banners hanging above the arena, then turned away without any flashy celebration.

“Six to zero, and that’s also six baskets, one block, one steal. What a marvelous night it will be for Shaq, and I believe it will keep going!”

The game had only just begun, and the Cavaliers still had not scored. It was not that the Cavaliers’ players were not trying hard enough, but that Su Feng’s defense had nearly paralyzed them.

Had a god appeared?!

Just as Hickson was congratulating himself, a yellow-skinned player wearing the Rockets’ number one jersey suddenly took off from the floor, stretched out his long arm, and caught the ball in front of all the Cavaliers players.

After taking the ball, his body was still rising. No one knew how high that fellow could jump, but by the time Cousins came down, the man was still climbing!

Su Feng, hanging from the rim with one hand, pushed the ball back into the basket after the jump. What was most striking about this play was that Su Feng, who stood only 1.93 meters tall, did not have much runway. Instead, he completed the entire dunk, jumping almost straight up from inside the paint, as if a giant were standing under the rim.

“Hahaha! Another basket! Timeout! Coach William Adams Miller has finally stopped the game! Because he knows that if he does nothing, the Cavaliers may not get a basket at all! Incredibly, his speed has given us a new understanding of Asians. Look at the Rockets bench’s reaction. Ye’s dunk not only scared us and the crowd, it conquered his teammates too! Cavaliers, Cavaliers, Cavaliers, William Adams Miller...”

“This kid is very much like Dwyane. They both have lightning speed, terrifying leaping ability, and the ability to finish at the rim. But he also has a wide vision that Dwyane doesn’t, and a three-pointer that is becoming more and more accurate. I mean, he may even be stronger than Dwyane in the future!”

This time, even Shaquille O’Neal, who had always opposed Barkley, had to praise Su Feng.

O’Neal, who had won a championship with Wade, knew what real strength was. In his eyes, Su Feng was now very close to Wade.

In the end, the Cavaliers scored their first basket of the game in a pitiful struggle, relying on Cousins’ fierce battle inside. Although the Cavaliers finally had a basket, it was obvious they had not improved.

After that, the Rockets continued their attack. What stood out most in Barkley’s mind was how poor the Cavaliers’ offense was, and how good the Rockets’ offense was. The importance of a good point-center in controlling the game became obvious at a glance.

When Su Feng was halfway through the game, he was even doing street-style crossover moves through his legs again and again. The fans in the arena laughed, seeing how effortlessly he moved on the court.

Bryant stood up. His basic defensive skills were solid, but his athletic ability was still not enough. This guy, whether defending at center or defending a center, was actually in a great deal of pain.