Chapter 1 Obviously, James Was Really Forced Into a Corner As Time Went By

They say a man should be established by thirty.

But as the leading figure of the 2003 generation, James hasn't even touched the floor of the Finals yet!

In recent years, fans on the internet have been talking about how miserable Wade's experience of reaching the Finals three times in a row was...

But these people don't think about it. No matter how miserable Wade is, can he be as miserable as James?

On the court, looking at James, who was desperately blocking his receiving route...

To be fair.

Su Feng did feel a sense of "sorrow" emanating from this kid from head to toe at this moment.

But, already 37 years old, what bad intentions could Su Feng have?

As someone who has only won 11 championships and 11 Finals MVPs...

On the left wing, watching Kobe, who had already moved along the right wing to the left side of the court, after using the secret skill "repeated cross-step" to deal with James for several rounds, Su Feng suddenly accelerated and, on Kobe's running path, blocked Butler, who was closely following Kobe.

James hesitated slightly on this play.

Seeing this, Rondo quickly passed the ball to Kobe at the high post.

After receiving the ball, Kobe decisively fired from a position about 30 degrees on the left side.

Swish!

3 to 3.

In the NBA, it has long been a cliché that Su Feng cannot be defended.

However, even the most devout Feng fans, when asked why Su Feng cannot be defended, find it difficult to give the most accurate summary and description.

Take this play just now, for example. On the surface, the basketball didn't even touch Su Feng's hands.

However, at the instant when Su Feng observed Kobe's running route and screened for him, Su Feng simultaneously attracted Butler, James, and Yao Ming, who was standing in the paint.

It has to be said.

Feng Huang's court positioning is truly unpredictable.

Moreover, even if you can limit him from receiving the ball for one or two possessions, you can't stop him from helping the team complete the offense in his own way.

And this...

Is precisely the key reason why Su Feng can never be defended.

He is like an omnipotent brick.

Wherever he is needed, he can go and lay a brick.

Oracle Arena, back on the other end, the Warriors attack.

Rondo, who was careless earlier, started a psychological war with Curry, "Believe me, tonight you absolutely cannot score more than 10 points under my defense..."

Swish!

On the court, before Rondo could finish his trash talk, after using a step-back to create distance from Rondo, Curry immediately shot his second three-pointer of the night from the right wing, a full two steps away from the three-point line.

Looking at Rondo, Curry asked with a curious expression, "What were you trying to say just now?"

Rondo: "......"

Throughout history, players like Curry who can use three-pointers for strong attacks are outrageous!

And unlike Klay, whose dribbling skills are hard to describe...

This season, according to statistics, Curry's three-point percentage after dribbling has reached an astonishing 48.5%.

What kind of concept is this data?

Emmm.

You just need to know that Curry's open three-point percentage this season is lower than his three-point percentage after dribbling, and most of his three-point attempts after dribbling are just wild throws.

On the court, watching his nephew, who was faintly exuding an aura of "sky-defying" tonight, Su Feng finally understood why, in his memory, even at all costs, opponents competing against the Warriors had to prevent Curry from shooting.

Because when you are an opponent and you witness Curry making these high-difficulty three-pointers on the court...

You really can't help but want to kick him.

Back on the other end, it's the Lakers' turn to attack.

Seeing that it was difficult for Su Feng to receive the ball on the outside, Kobe decisively moved up to the high post and called Middleton to stand on the wing, clearing out the low post for Su Feng.

On the scene, amid the ear-piercing boos from nearly 20,000 fans at Oracle Arena, after some physical exchange, Su Feng, who always persuades people with reason, settled down against James.

On the sideline, Van Gundy, seeing this scene, also felt that Su Feng was outrageous.

Because with James' physique, in the NBA, let alone the outside, even in the inside, how many people dare to say that they can hold down Little Zhan Zhan?

You know, even "Philadelphia's Little Malone" at his peak rarely took the approach of directly confronting James head-on like Su Feng.

In Su Feng's previous life, fans who watched the 23 vs. 24 games should know that when facing James, Kobe would mostly use his experience and skills to outsmart James.

But as a pure man who has always liked to meet challenges head-on, Su Feng would never refuse this kind of close combat.

Hmm...

I don't know which bastard said back then that if he ever went inside to play the four, he would be a dog.

Bang!

In the low post, after receiving Kobe's lob pass, Su Feng immediately launched a fierce attack on James behind him.

This collision, if it didn't shake the earth, would at least cause heaven and earth to change color.

However, James, with his firmly rooted stance, stood like a rock in his defensive zone.

Bang!

On the sideline, as Su Feng charged towards James with the ball for the second time, fans who could hear the sound of muscle colliding were already terrified.

With this collision, in order to maintain his center of gravity, James had to readjust his stance while using his hands to push against Su Feng's waist.

But, in the blink of an eye...

At this lightning-fast moment, Su Feng seemed to be uncontrolled by Newton, completing a very smooth turn towards the inside with the ball.

How strong must one's core strength be to complete this series of actions in such intense physical contact?

No!

What about the law of inertia?

Newton's coffin lid definitely couldn't be held down.

Because at the moment Su Feng completed his turn, James quickly slid over to follow!

Facts have proved.

The novel titled "The No. 1 Cheat in Basketball" in Su Feng's memory knew nothing about what these superhumans in the NBA could do on the court.

Because for this ball, if you watch it in slow motion frame by frame, you will find...

Su Feng and James were almost forcibly twisting and changing their body's center of gravity while fighting against each other.

But...

What's even more absurd is that at the instant James caught up with Su Feng, Su Feng suddenly stopped moving forward and completed a fadeaway jump shot towards the other side.

Silky smooth!

Fluid!

Swish!

5 to 6.

Alright...

With Su Feng like this...

Can you believe that he is already 37 years old?

In the first quarter, the Warriors fans at Oracle Arena fully experienced the "joy" of the Mavericks fans and Celtics supporters back then.

From a statistical point of view, Su Feng's 5-for-7 shooting in the first quarter didn't result in many points, and his shooting percentage could only be considered average.

But every shot he took and every run he made could inexplicably instill a sense of fear in you.

On the court, the score for the two teams in the first quarter was 35 to 34.

Although he was almost driven to self-isolation by Curry shortly after the start of the game, Rondo, who transformed into "Sa Ren Lang," defended his dignity with his strength.

Throughout the second half of the quarter, facing Curry, who was as vigorous as Hua Qiang, Rondo did not give Curry even one chance to draw his knife.

Limited by the physical limitations brought about by his age, Little Yao only played the first 6 minutes of the first quarter.

Klay and Butler performed well in the second half, scoring 9 and 8 points respectively.

On the other hand, Little Zhan Zhan, because he was desperately defending Su Feng, had a shooting touch tonight that was even more Schrödinger-like than Kobe's, missing all three of his sudden cold shots.

In this life, because James and Curry can perfectly complement each other, neither of them chose to gain weight last summer.

In Su Feng's previous life, the reason why James chose to gain weight during the Heat era and maintain a certain weight during his second stint with the Cavaliers was because the team needed him to pave the way like a tank to create opportunities for outside shooters.

In addition, when necessary, James, who moves up to the power forward position, can also ensure the flexibility of the team's offensive and defensive lineup on the court.

And Curry, on the other hand, needs some strong attacks to ensure his scoring efficiency when his outside shooting touch is not good.

As everyone knows.

In the NBA, even Su Feng back then experienced unstable shooting touch in order to adapt to his new weight.

There's no way around it.

In this world, no matter how good a shooter is, they cannot avoid the negative buff of gaining muscle affecting their shooting touch.

But in this life...

James, who has maintained his weight at around 115 kilograms year-round, has not only regained his famous "sudden cold shots" skill, but also has a significantly higher shooting percentage in the game than Su Feng remembered from the top of the arc and the 45-degree angle on the left wing, which are James' preferred spots.

However...

On this night, James' shooting touch was still inevitably affected by the close combat with Su Feng.

And this...

Also reflects from the side how terrifying Su Feng's scoring stability is after his various techniques have become increasingly accomplished.

Because in the game, James was desperately defending Su Feng, and Su Feng was also desperately blocking James' path forward.

You know, the confrontation between these two in the game is relative.

In the second quarter, the Lakers were led by Middleton, who was subbed off early in the first quarter, and Bledsoe, who replaced Rondo.

On the Warriors' side, Curry and Clarkson, who were subbed off by Van Gundy in the last three minutes of the first quarter because they couldn't find a chance to attack, led the team.

In the first half of the second quarter, compared to the first quarter, the technical and tactical content of the Lakers and Warriors instantly dropped several levels.

On the Lakers' side, Bledsoe, who can make Westbrook call him an expert when he gets reckless, excels at taking risks and finding victory in chaos.

Anyway, after a burst of attacks, if Bledsoe can't solve the problem, he directly passes the buck to Middleton, which is essentially the Lakers' version of the "Turtle Du" style of play.

And on the Warriors' side, the combination of Curry and Clarkson is just a chaotic mess, isn't it?

Fans in front of the TV, who were still carefully savoring the various battles of wits between the Lakers and Warriors in the first quarter, felt that tonight's game suddenly switched from the "US-Soviet Hegemony" to the "African Civil War."

It has to be said.

Being able to play so many things in one game...

The Lakers and Warriors are truly the "Hidden Dragon and Crouching Phoenix" of the current NBA.

In the second half of the second quarter, the two teams successively switched back to their starters.

Compared to last year, Old Kobe this year didn't even need Su Feng to remind him, and he had already consciously started to play support for Su Feng on the court.

There's no way around it.

This "Black Mamba" is destined to only be able to unleash his greatest energy in this kind of crucial battle by logging into his "Pennsylvania Magic Master" account.

Time is ruthless and makes people old.

If possible, who wouldn't want to be young forever?

"Whoa! Kobe's organization and dispatch tonight are truly amazing!

Look at this ball, Rondo has nothing to do after dribbling the ball past half court!" On the court, after Kobe assisted Green with a wonderful pass to score on a cut to the basket, Zhang Zhidao laughed on CCTV.

Hearing this, Yu Jia only felt that his heart was instantly trampled by ten thousand alpacas.

Back on the other end, the Warriors attack.

Butler gets rid of Kobe and scores on a reverse cut layup.

"Marc Gasol's help defense on this play is too slow.

By the time he gets into position, the daylilies will be cold!" Zhang Zhidao continued to commentate on CCTV, seemingly oblivious to Kobe's defensive mistake.

And at this point, Yu Jia really couldn't stand it anymore!

Because on this play, wasn't it Kobe himself who failed to keep up with Butler?

"Tonight, the Warriors' offense always manages to hit the Lakers' weak spots." Of course, Yu Jia, who has extremely high EQ, still chose a relatively euphemistic way to commentate.

But...

What Yu Jia never expected was that Zhang Zhidao could actually continue his words and say, "Isn't that right? Tonight, the Warriors are clearly taking advantage of Marc Gasol's slow movement speed."

Yu Jia: "......"

In the second half of the second quarter, the Warriors clearly and intentionally increased Butler's offensive opportunities on the court.

After four years of training, Butler has now developed an ironclad ability.

Kobe can only rely on his years of accumulated defensive experience to compete with Butler.

Since the Warriors were unexpectedly dragged to the sixth game in their series against the Kings before a winner could be decided, James was also conserving his energy in this game, waiting to explode in the second half, given his poor shooting touch in the first quarter.

But how could Su Feng give James the opportunity to coast on the court?

Thus, in the second half of the second quarter, the Lakers and Warriors had already formed a tacit understanding.

You play your game, and I'll play mine.

You focus on attacking my Kobe.

And I'll focus on hammering your James.

Oracle Arena, at the end of the first half, the score between the two teams was 65 to 65.

During halftime, both Kobe and James felt that their legs were heavier than usual.

After a brief rest, the two teams switched sides and fought again in the third quarter.

On the court, watching Su Feng still leading him around while on offense...

James really wanted to take a scalpel and fillet Su Feng.

Fortunately, Curry's artillery support came very timely on this night.

In the third quarter, when James was physically and mentally exhausted, Curry led the Warriors to a climax with a wave of four consecutive three-pointers and forced the Lakers to call a timeout.

After the timeout, in order to relieve James' defensive pressure, the Warriors took the initiative to make a defensive adjustment, switching to Klay to guard Su Feng.

But after a few possessions...

Van Gundy had to call a timeout and, after an emotional exchange of glances with James, switched the defense back again.

As a super 3D player.

Klay's defensive ability is indeed outstanding.

And his excellent stamina and defensive awareness also allow him to keep up with Su Feng on the court.

But when facing Klay, how could Su Feng treat him the same way he treated James?

On the court, because Klay's wingspan and athleticism are not enough to limit Su Feng from receiving the ball, why would Su Feng need to wander around?

Receive the ball, pull-up jumper.

Receive the ball, pull-up jumper again.

As a player who understands how to compress the opponent's shooting space.

Because Klay is difficult to keep up with Su Feng's first step, Klay has to choose to give Su Feng some space when defending.

As a result, before James could even catch his breath for two minutes...

The Lakers, led by Su Feng, returned a wave of offensive high tide to the Warriors.

As the saying goes, one thing subdues another.

There is no doubt.

Su Feng's "hooligan style of play" is precisely the nemesis of Klay's type of player.

In terms of defensive effect alone, the only players on this Warriors team who are suitable for defending Su Feng are James and Butler.

Because although Butler's wingspan is also average...

His outstanding athleticism and tenacious fighting spirit can still cause Su Feng a lot of trouble.

On the court, in the second half of the third quarter, Van Gundy, knowing that constantly grinding James wasn't a solution, made another defensive adjustment.

Switching to Butler to defend Su Feng, and James to defend Kobe.

And after noticing the Warriors' adjustment, Su Feng said to Kobe, "As the second-best scorer in the league after me, you wouldn't have lost your killer instincts, would you?"

Hearing this, Kobe was immediately furious.

Why are you biting the hand that feeds you, not appreciating my good intentions?

On the court, Kobe, strongly stimulated, subconsciously removed his passing skills.

And until this moment...

On the sideline, Warriors coach Van Gundy finally discovered the Lakers' tactical thinking that ran throughout the entire game.

Good heavens!

So, tonight, you're just focusing on attacking James, is that it?

Oracle Arena, after three quarters, James, who had been targeted by the Lakers all night, was already exhausted.

Although he is 30 years old and in his prime...

But...

Having just fought a grueling six games against the Kings, even the most hardworking ox needs to rest.

And what's more, in this game, James had to pay a corresponding price in sweat for every defensive possession in order to increase Su Feng's scoring cost?

In the fourth quarter, on the court, Su Feng on the Lakers side didn't rest.

And at this point...

James was really almost unable to hold back.

"Jeff, in this series, I know that the strength of our two sides is comparable.

So I didn't prepare any complicated routines for this series.

Let's just compare and see which of our two teams' superstars falls first!" Before the start of the fourth quarter, on the Lakers' bench, Lu Zhidao, who had been standing with his arms crossed on the sideline all night, laughed.

Soldier against soldier.

General against general.

King against king.

Faced with Lu Zhidao's overt strategy, Van Gundy, after hesitating for two seconds, chose not to accept the challenge and left Butler and Klay on the court at the beginning of the final quarter.

Van Gundy knew that James needed to rest for a while.

But soon...

Van Gundy couldn't rest anymore.

Because in the first two minutes of this quarter.

Led by Su Feng, the Lakers played a small 10-0 run.

Su Feng didn't score a single point in these two minutes.

But...

The Warriors just couldn't defend the Lakers.

And the reason is also very simple.

Because Klay and Butler's short arms made it too easy for Su Feng to receive the ball, so after Su Feng received the ball, the Warriors' defensive attention was always drawn to Su Feng.

In addition, the Warriors also encountered trouble on the offensive end.

That is, with the decline in physical strength, and with Little Yao and James not on the court at the same time, they lacked a player who could pry open the Lakers' defense and make a decisive shot.

Originally, Butler could also play this role in previous games.

But in the final quarter, under Su Feng's defense, Butler's ironclad ability was obviously a little too iron.

In fact, to put it bluntly...

The Lakers still benefited from the schedule.

But...

When competing for the regular season standings earlier, who would have thought that the Lakers, who advanced to the playoffs as the second seed in the West, would have a better schedule than the Warriors, who were the first seed in the West?

Oracle Arena.

Obviously.

The balance of this Western Conference Finals Game 1...

At this moment, it has already completely tilted towards the Lakers!

……

ps: emmm! I'll keep it short as a sign of respect first! As expected, A Qiao's flag is as unreliable as his troubling physique! But then again, based on my visual estimate last time, the combined length of me and Shrimp Emperor isn't even 5cm... What the hell, if it's really 5cm shorter, how will the two of us survive?