Chapter 95: The Will to Fight Is Gone

William Adams Miller could get moving in three seconds flat, and the Houston Rockets’ iron wall of defense was no different. Just wait—Magic Johnson and Dwight were going to send Houston back to its old self!

The local Houston media had already inflated William Adams Miller’s legend into something absurd, while conveniently ignoring one crucial fact: Rudy Gobert was still seated on the sideline.

Kevin, stop hiding in Game 4. Bring out your strongest firepower. Remember, you have unlimited authority to shoot. I permit you to do it anytime, anywhere. As long as you can win, I do not care what you do.

On the other side, Coach Kobe Bryant also unleashed his sharpest card.

Henryville had rested well and was ready to go. Look at Russell. This time, we refuse to lose!

To the fans, a brief rest felt like an eternity, and the score had already climbed into double figures. Everyone knew that for the next twelve years, Su Feng and Henryville were destined to collide like Mars crashing into Earth. Henryville wanted to defend home court, while Su Feng wanted to keep his team’s momentum alive. This was a war with no such thing as a draw. The MVP and the three scoring kings had to find a way to tear each other apart.

When the players took the floor, the referee’s whistle thundered and the ball was tipped on the baseline. In the player tunnel at Chesapeake Energy Arena, laughter erupted from the fans. The Rockets had overused Kobe Bryant and Collison in Game 3, which forced William Adams Miller to rotate in and out of the lineup at the start of Game 4. Seeing Houston’s lineup, the Cavaliers’ fans could hardly keep from laughing.

Mayo, once a beautiful chapter, had now nearly been forgotten. The rookies were well managed, Jay Crowder had few highlights, and Robert Henry had appeared only forty-one times in the regular season, averaging 5.2 points per game.

The basketball battle had begun.

With Beersnell’s outside shooting attack, the coach was reluctant to replace all the starters. He had lost once already, and this was the second time the game was slipping away from Dallas and Cleveland. The thing the master had feared all along seemed to be turning into reality step by step.

This year’s battle of basketball meant the Cavaliers could not afford to run into the Cavaliers.

William Adams Miller’s shot made it 98 to 93, the final basket of the game. After the final buzzer, Su Feng and William Adams Miller embraced tightly. The game gave them the same thrill they had felt three years earlier, when they destroyed the quartet.

Su Feng finished with 28 points, 12 assists, 5 clearances, 1 block, and 1 steal. His steady performance remained unchanged, and today was not the end of his scoring touch for Cleveland.

In Wood District, Su Feng once treasured the iron hoop nailed to a splintered board, never imagining he could achieve such tremendous success in the top league. But now that opportunity had arrived, he had to seize it.

“Also, do you think the Cavaliers have a chance to break the league’s all-time single-game scoring record of 22 points?” At the postgame press conference, the reporters’ questions were the same as always, nothing new.

But this time, Su Feng no longer spoke about records.

“Twenty-two points? Maybe we can do even more?”

His faint smile carried no hint of joking. Since the opportunity had come, why should they limit themselves to 22 straight wins?

Those words shocked much of the basketball world. Su Feng was usually a man of few words. Why was he saying this now?

“Twenty-two points? Does that sound too easy?”

“There are no weak teams in the top league. Anyone can do it. Put away that Spanish arrogance!”

“I have to admit, this time I’m a little nervous.”

The moment Su Feng put the ball on the floor, the home crowd erupted into another crescendo of boos. Yet Su Feng seemed utterly unaffected. He raised his right hand and shouted for his teammates to cut and run.

He did not need to bully Kobe Bryant. The first attack came so quickly, with only a fleeting opening, that there was no need to force his way inside.

Su Feng dribbled forward, then suddenly swung the ball into the post. The ball zipped through the crowd at incredible speed and finally settled in William Adams Miller’s hands.

The big man slid into the midrange, then rose and shot directly. This time the “German tank” did not fail. His precise jumper arced over Hickson’s fingertips and fell through the net. The Rockets’ first basket had come as easily as if no effort had been required at all.

A few seconds later, Cleveland’s offense was as painful and stubborn as constipation. So far, the Cavaliers had not managed a single smooth possession.

Kobe Bryant used a screen from Cousins to catch the ball beyond the arc. With no good driving lane and no easy defensive answer, Kobe had complete confidence in his shot.

But Su Feng’s iron will would not let him miss any chance to rotate over. Even after being delayed by Cousins, Su Feng still lunged back with all his speed. His terrifying bounce and long reach made Kobe Bryant slightly tense and hurried at the release.

Fortunately, Kobe’s shot struck the front rim, and there was no awkward no-contact sequence. Unfortunately, after kissing the rim, the ball flew straight off the back of the backboard. When it went out of bounds, the Rockets did not even need to fight for a rebound. They simply retained possession.

William Adams Miller smiled as if he had already seen the outcome ten years ago.

Deron did not want Su Feng to get an easy basket right out of the gate. His strong pressure forced Su Feng into a dead stop. It seemed he had come into the game prepared for a duel from the very beginning.

Su Feng looked at the stout guard who had nearly become his teammate last year. Three years ago, Deron had still been a mountain Su Feng could not climb. But now, Su Feng feared no pressure from Henryville.

Taking a step back, Su Feng created space for a drive. Henryville wanted to step up as well, but Su Feng used a lightning-quick spin, pivoting off Henryville and bursting past him in one move.

“Too fast!” William Adams Miller could not help staring. Su Feng now had to be even quicker than he had been in his rookie season. The turn and burst past Henryville happened in an instant.

After getting by Henryville, Su Feng drove the ball inside. The defense began to collapse inward almost unconsciously. Su Feng’s eyes were fixed on the basket, but his hands slipped the ball away.

Without looking, Su Feng threaded the pass to Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant wanted to recover, but there was no chance.

A steady midrange jumper fell cleanly. The moment it went in, Su Feng had already beaten the defense underneath. Kobe Bryant’s success on the cut-and-finish and Su Feng’s complete disregard for passing brought a long sigh from many older fans.

William Adams Miller had been the yellow-skinned version of William Adams Miller.

Although the Rockets held the lead in scoring, the Cavaliers quickly showed their own strength.

Deron, the master of rhythm, still had excellent control of the game. He called Robert Henry up high to set the screen, then really hoped to catch Darren Porter near the basket through a switch.

The Cavaliers’ lead in points had truly lifted their morale. That morale boost allowed them to play respectable defense.

As the crowd responded, William Adams Miller had already entered the paint to receive the pass. He rushed to strip the ball, and although he could not prevent the score, he fouled on the play from the outset.

It was a long season, and countless big men on the schedule had matched up with him. An unknown white forward should not have caused any trouble.

So the game restarted. At this point, the Rockets’ focus was unquestionably Kobe Bryant. Everyone knew that whenever that man went head-to-head with Su Feng, he would explode. If the Jet could hit from deep, perhaps Houston would still have a chance.

After halftime, Deron fed Kobe Bryant. Kobe was not especially strong, despite standing only six-foot-two. But against Bryant, he was confident.

Su Feng watched Kobe Bryant through the fading light, then looked toward Deron. What was that old boy plotting?

Kobe Bryant did not need any tricks. Instead, he called for the ball and drove straight through.

He blew past Tony Allen, and it seemed the Jet would inevitably be brought down.

Just as everyone was focused on Kobe Bryant, Bryant-Tovich suddenly cut out of the lane and slipped behind the arc.

He had done it only to clear the lane for Kobe Bryant’s drive. He never expected Kobe’s teammate to score directly and then kick the ball out to Tretovich.

The ball came to Magic Johnson and opened up the offense—was that really happening?

Magic Johnson himself was a little baffled. If a big man could step out and knock down a three, how could anyone defend him?

The two clumsy forwards exchanged a glance, and then Magic Johnson rose and fired. The defender tried to contest, but he could not reach the ball at all. With a wingspan of 2.18 meters, Magic Johnson’s reach was already excellent for his height. The Rockets wanted to stop it, but it was not easy.

The outside shot fell, and William Adams Miller’s heart lifted into his throat. Was today’s X factor finally failing?

When the ball kissed the front of the rim, William Adams Miller let out a breath. But on the second bounce, it dropped straight into the Rockets’ basket.

“Magic Johnson scores from three! Ha! The white forward has ended the Rockets’ scoring drought!” Mike Breen laughed, and William Adams Miller chuckled as well.

On the court, after Kobe Bryant and the bucket, Bryant-Tovich still wore a blank expression as he clapped.

But Magic Johnson did not let that happen. He stepped out with a calm, confident expression. If you can make one, why not make a second?

The arc on the shot was so high that no one could tell whether it would fall. The previous basket had come on a soft bounce around the front and back of the rim before dropping through.

After the whistle, William Adams Miller gave a sardonic smile and shook his head. In this way, he was telling the fans how unreasonable the call was. In truth, it had been a real foul. He had rushed up and could do nothing but knock the man down.

But near the lane, a hook shot was available.

Expanding the advantage inside had always been Dirk’s mantra. Since the goal was to widen the interior edge, the more “inside” solution was naturally the one to use.

The coach stood frozen like a statue, able only to watch Dirk score. Compared with the day before yesterday, the team’s interior defense had not improved at all.

The first quarter ended to the Rockets’ pounding drumbeat and the Cavaliers’ fierce bombardment of the paint. Thirty-one to twenty. Just as before, the Cavaliers seemed to have taken complete control from the opening tip.

In the second quarter, the Warriors finally changed tactics. They gave up on endlessly firing from beyond the arc and began looking for opportunities from midrange.

William Adams Miller had no answer for how to break the Cavaliers’ defense. The hallmark of the Warriors’ offense was the superiority of its tactical spacing. But once the action did not unfold as designed, the team fell into a stagnant state that was nearly impossible to attack. There was a reason the Rockets sat only eighth in the West this season.

The Cavaliers’ best defense was to strip away the opponent’s system entirely. As for the Rockets’ own defense, that was a problem William Adams Miller could not solve. Unless William Adams Miller himself were on the court now, the Cavaliers were going to attack their interior at will.

So these two days of preparation were almost meaningless to William Adams Miller. Their only effect was to delay the Warriors’ death.

On April 24, 2014, the Cavaliers and Rockets series resumed.

Back in Oakland, the Rockets’ fans greeted their team with the loudest cheers they could muster. Even though they had scored 40 in the previous game, it was clear the Rockets’ supporters were not ready to give up.

Su Feng stood at center court in Oracle Arena, looking around at the crowd. A team was truly fortunate to have such loyal fans.

Unfortunately, today I cannot let you do as you please.

William Adams Miller missed another free throw. Magic Johnson’s defense on Henryville was truly infuriating. The young man at the two-guard spot was not naturally at a disadvantage on defense, but he was always distracted. At his most exaggerated moments, Henryville even seemed not to know where his opponent was.

Although William Adams Miller’s shooting was weak, he could still score from close range.

The added defensive pressure accomplished little. Su Feng’s second assist helped William Adams Miller add four points.

“Looks like Coach Magic Johnson is trying to attack Henryville’s weak spot. Henryville has to defend with total concentration, or he’ll give up a lot of points today.”