Chapter 384 Swish!

Swish—!

Like an adult teasing a child, he faked grabbing the ball with one hand, then dribbled lightly while stepping back and turning. Finally, he unexpectedly twisted his waist and shot a fadeaway jumper...

At the Zhongzhou Arena, the 76ers fans felt that Su Feng's combo was out of this world!

Ahem! As one of the few combos in Su Feng's current arsenal, the "One-Handed Triple Threat" is better than holding the ball with two hands because it's easier to deceive opponents.

In the future, when McGrady was with the Magic, he often made his opponents dizzy.

Because with the "One-Handed Triple Threat," defenders can't really tell if the offensive player is going to pull up for a shot, break through, or pass.

Of course, such an awesome skill also has its limitations.

—Pure, natural, and unpolluted limitations.

Well... in Los Angeles, Kobe had already turned off the TV and gone to bed.

Damn you, Jordan, Tracy, Su Feng, you crispy little red bean chicken!

Having big hands is a big deal, huh?

Su Feng: Having big hands is a big deal when playing basketball.

Skills like grabbing the ball with one hand in the air, turning after catching the ball with one hand, or breaking through after holding the ball with one hand... if you don't have big hands, no matter how many Jordan highlight reels you watch, you won't be able to learn them.

At the Zhongzhou Arena, after the Hawks missed consecutive attacks, the score on the court was 0-4.

Su Feng scored on his first two possessions, both mid-range shots from just inside the three-point line.

"Wow, Su Feng's got a real good touch tonight," Zhang指导 said on CCTV, smiling.

"Elegant. This kind of offense is like a swordsman in a martial arts novel drawing his sword, a fatal strike without any wasted movement," Su Junyang echoed.

"A hall full of flowers intoxicates three thousand guests; a sword's frost chills fifty states," Sun指导 added.

Huh? Surprisingly, Su Junyang thought Sun指导's addition was pretty good this time.

On the court, the game continued, and the Hawks attacked.

Mutombo came up high to set a screen for Blaylock. Blaylock, this cannonball-type "183" (centimeters tall), is very similar to Lowry in terms of playstyle in the future.

With the help of the "African Mountain's" screen, Blaylock raised his hand and fired from the outside.

Clang!

However, this time Blaylock wasn't as accurate as he was in Game 2.

In basketball, no one can be accurate every game, unless your opponent is a "Hall of Fame computer."

The 76ers attacked. This time, Steve Smith defended well, and the 76ers switched to Stackhouse to isolate.

The North Carolina lottery pick also hit a mid-range pull-up jumper, swish!

"Yo, Stackhouse has been different ever since he redeemed himself in that series against the Bulls. His confidence is on another level," Zhang指导 commented.

Indeed, he's different.

In Su Feng's previous life, there was a similar example with Wang Shipeng before playing Slovenia.

Ever since his buzzer-beater against Slovenia, Wang Shipeng's confidence was unstoppable.

Stackhouse's current strength is only slightly more mature than Su Feng remembered him being at this time, but with his current mindset, Su Feng felt...

In this life, the NBA is going to have one more star wing named Stackhouse.

On the court, the Hawks attacked, and Smith scored despite Su Feng's interference.

And in return, Stackhouse pulled up again...

Clang!

Clearly, being confident is one thing, but you still have to miss shots sometimes.

On the Hawks' bench, head coach Wilkens had already seen the signs. In this game, the 76ers were going crazy in the two wings of the Hawks' defense.

Although soccer and basketball are two completely different sports, they are similar in that the flanks of the defense are one of the easiest places to find open space on the court.

So, the question is, can they beat the Hawks with this kind of mid-range shooting?

The answer is:

If they're accurate, of course they can.

Whether it was the Bulls in the 96/97 season or the Hornets in the 97/98 season, that's how they beat the Hawks.

Mutombo's defensive range is large, but based on his defensive efficiency, you can simply draw a fan shape from the basket to about one step inside the three-point line.

And on either side of this fan shape are the positions where Mutombo can't provide help defense.

In "Moreyball" theory, mid-range shots are too heavily discriminated against.

In fact, the reason why that future Rockets team always fell short was because they didn't have mid-range shots.

Leonard's winning a championship with mid-range shots in the future proves that you can't say mid-range shots are useless just because DeRozan has depression.

Su Feng had considered using breakthroughs to create fouls and get Mutombo off the court.

But believe it or not, in Mutombo's career, he only fouled out twice in the playoffs.

Mutombo's opponents in those two games were the Spurs and the Lakers.

Similarly, the centers on those two teams were "The Admiral" Robinson and "Shaq" O'Neal.

The reason Mutombo's defense is so strong is that he is a defensive player who controls fouls very well.

The reason is simple. With Mutombo's wingspan, does he need to make body contact with you?

From far away, he can block you after you shoot first. If you want the referee to call a foul on that kind of iron-blooded block, then it must be twenty years later.

The 76ers' game against the Bulls was the same. Because the calls are different in this era than in the future, unless Jordan is a few years younger, do you want 34-year-old Jordan to go to the free-throw line like crazy?

No matter how strong Jordan's willpower is, he'll probably die of exhaustion on the court first.

Eras and versions determine tactics. Don't compare the standards of rulings 20 years in the future to this era.

And even if you're not afraid of death, just look at Hill's first-round exit. Before you create a foul, Mutombo will definitely block you until you cry.

To beat the Hawks, Su Feng and Stackhouse must shoot above 45% from the Hawks' two wings to have a chance.

What? You say a 45% mid-range shooting percentage is low?

Then you've probably played too much 2K...

You have to know, the Hawks are one of the best defensive teams this season. What does a mid-range shooting percentage above 45% mean in the 90s playoffs?

"Old Rogue's" mid-range shooting percentage is close to 50%, which is god-like, and in the playoffs, a wing player who can maintain an average of 45% shooting percentage is a superstar.

The Hawks' extended defense won't easily give the 76ers three-point opportunities, but they can't defend this kind of mid-range shot.

And once they change their defensive strategy, the pressure on the 76ers' perimeter will inevitably decrease.

So, pull up, turn around...

This is the only way for the 76ers right now.

……

Su Feng must be glad that this Hawks team lacks top defenders on the wings.

The bottom line is that in this era, no team is invincible.

Even the Houston Rockets' three old guys were playing with a pile of gold and silver.

Relying on the outstanding performances of Su Feng and Stackhouse, the two "Iron Men" said to Mutombo's big hand that night:

No!

After establishing a lead in the first quarter, the 76ers tied the Hawks in the second quarter under Su Feng's leadership.

In the third quarter, the Hawks began to speed up, wanting to regain the lead.

As a result, their weakness of lacking key scoring points was also exposed in this game.

Ratliff, who had all sorts of rebounds stolen from behind his head by Mutombo in the first two games, successfully proved himself in this game. He couldn't out-rebound him...

Couldn't he at least box him out?

If he couldn't be a center, could Ratliff at least be a boxing-out machine?

In the end, 84-92, the 76ers successfully won a game back at home.

Blaylock and Laettner didn't play well in this game. The Hawks' highest scorer was Smith, who shot 8 of 17, 4 of 6 from the free-throw line, and had no three-pointers, scoring 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

The key to the 76ers' win was that Su Feng and Stackhouse combined for 58 points.

The former shot 11 of 24, including 1 of 4 from three-point range, and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line, scoring 25 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 assists.

The latter shot 12 of 26, including 2 of 6 from three-point range, and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line, scoring a game-high 33 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

With Su Feng helping Stackhouse attract firepower, the Iron Man experienced an Iverson-esque offensive environment that night.

It's worth mentioning that Su Feng's highest single-game playoff score in his previous life was 31 points, which he scored when he was with the Pistons in the future.

In this life, in Stackhouse's words...

He was conquered by Su Feng!

If playing one-on-one with Su Feng could get him such an offensive environment, then he, Stackhouse, was willing to play with Su Feng for the rest of his life!

So, people are like this...

No one can resist the truth.

Now Stackhouse is no longer ashamed of being defeated by Su Feng back then...

This guy has already decided that when he writes his autobiography in the future, he must write about the story of how he lost to the high schooler Su Feng back then.

See? I knew Su Feng when he was still in high school. That's called fate, you guys don't understand!

Speaking of which, Iverson, who had been sitting on the bench watching, felt terrible.

He really wanted to go up and fight alongside his teammates... pulling down the brim of his baseball cap, his expression was as unwilling as it could be.

……

After successfully winning Game 3, the 76ers brought the series score to 1-2. Game 4 between the two teams will be played on the 13th.

Although they held Game 3, the 76ers were still the underdogs.

Because if either Su Feng or Stackhouse lost their touch, then it would be difficult for them to take down this tough Hawks team.

On the 12th, the 76ers rested in the morning and trained in the afternoon.

After returning home in the evening, Su Feng also paid attention to the other three semi-final series.

As expected...

Van Gundy, who was leading 2-0, was the Van Gundy that Su Feng remembered.

The Heat won two games in a row at Madison Square Garden, changing the series score to 2-2.

In Game 4, the atmosphere between the two sides became increasingly tense... Multiple players from both teams received technical fouls.

If nothing unexpected happened, Su Feng guessed that Van Gundy would have to hug Mourning's thigh in the next game.

Because in Game 4, Heat players repeatedly took cheap shots at Ewing.

No matter how serious Stern's warnings were before, Riley was as stubborn as could be now.

In Pat Riley's view, with the Bulls already out, as long as the Heat can advance to the Finals, who cares about being unscrupulous?

On the Western side, the SuperSonics and the Rockets also tied 2-2, fighting a bloody and brutal battle.

On the other side, the Jazz changed their series score with the Lakers to 3-1.

Although Kobe helped the Lakers break through the Jazz's defense in Game 3 with his desperate charges, the Jazz were still the Jazz.

In short, Sloan's team was one word:

Stable!

Su Feng decided that when the Lakers and Jazz played Game 5 on the 14th, he would definitely watch the live broadcast, because he wanted to witness Kobe's famous scene.

Of course, before watching the show, Su Feng had to find a way...

To break through the Hawks' shackles first.

……

On the 13th, at the Zhongzhou Arena, when the timer approached zero, the 76ers fans in attendance stood up and chanted Su Feng's name...

Leave with your chest proudly puffed out, Su!

There was no way...

Su Feng was even more tired in this game than in Game 4 against the Bulls, but with Stackhouse off, he couldn't break through this Hawks team on his own.

That night, Wilkens adjusted his tactics, no longer choosing to double-team Su Feng, but at the same time focusing on defending Stackhouse.

89-79, the Hawks captured Philadelphia, taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

The Hawks' highest scorer in this game was Blaylock, who had 18 points. They used a team-wide effort to tangle with the 76ers.

Su Feng shot 9 of 24 from the field, including 1 of 4 from three-point range, and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line, scoring 27 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.

Before he had cultivated the top-level skills like Jordan, Su Feng charged repeatedly in this game, throwing punches randomly...

But he couldn't kill the old master.

Stackhouse shot 5 of 21, scoring a total of 14 points including free throws.

The 76ers' "trident" had already lost one prong, and now that another was lost, it became a single Overlord Spear, challenging the Hawks' four stars alone.

In front of the TV, Kobe sighed after watching this game.

Because he originally thought the 76ers could win this game.

The Lakers and the 76ers were both forced to the brink of elimination, which made Su Feng and Kobe not only have a pleasant conversation when they talked on the phone that night, but also talked until four o'clock the next morning.

Su Feng felt that Kobe was indeed the person who understood him the most, and Kobe thought that Su Feng was different from those who stood and talked without back pain.

Well... Su Feng and Kobe decided that after McGrady entered the NBA next season, they would definitely kill McGrady and say to McGrady:

Rookie, welcome to the NBA!

The Lakers' current predicament is similar to the 76ers', of course, the 76ers' side is because the others really have no scoring ability, while the Lakers' side is because...

They gave Jones and Van Exel opportunities, but they were useless.

Good guy Jones, explosive physical fitness, excellent defense, good at both offense and defense, but afraid to play in clutch moments.

And Van Exel, if he's not crazy, then it's a sunny day in O'Neal's opinion.

On the 14th, with the blessings of the hometown folks in Philadelphia, the 76ers flew to Atlanta to prepare for Game 5 against the Hawks on the 15th.

Trailing 1-3, after arriving in Atlanta, the 76ers players had no intention of going out to play.

Although it is difficult to come back from a 1-3 deficit, but...

Looking at the fans who sent them to the plane, in the 76ers players' view, at least, they had to win another game against the Hawks and bring this series back to Philadelphia!

……

On the evening of the 14th, Su Feng first watched the Heat and Knicks' war.

History has indeed changed...

Because of the feud between the Heat and Knicks before, the conflict between the Heat and Knicks in this life completely got out of control.

The turning point of this game came in the third quarter, when Ewing, who was once again cheap-shotted, fell directly on the court.

In Su Feng's previous life, the feud between the Heat and Knicks could fill a book.

In Su Feng's memory, the Heat and Knicks should have had a fight first this season, and then another fight next season.

Then the famous scene of Van Gundy hugging Mourning's thigh would happen.

But...

When Riley became unscrupulous for victory, the "New York Gangsters" didn't want it.

"Big Mama" Johnson immediately punched and knocked down Mashburn, who had cheap-shotted Ewing at the time, and then Oakley and Mourning got into a brawl.

At the same time, the Knicks and Heat's substitutes all rushed into the arena.

In a critical moment, in order to protect Ewing, who was still lying on the floor, Van Gundy bravely stepped forward, shouting don't fight, don't fight, while hugging Mourning's waist and being thrown around.

However, how could Mourning, who had just been punched in the crotch by Oakley, endure it?

Just like that, Van Gundy was dragged by Mourning for tens of meters, and even took an elbow in the chaos...

However, the bloodied Van Gundy calmed the players on both teams down.

However, Van Gundy's sentence "It's pretty sweet" when he was carried out of the arena on a stretcher once again angered the Knicks players.

Enough is enough, die Riley!

Honestly, if Riley hadn't run fast, then he would have tasted what brain matter was like that night.

The game was interrupted for nearly an hour. After the referees controlled the situation, on the Heat's side, all the starting players except Tim Hardaway were ejected.

On the Knicks' side, only Allan Houston was left.

In this game, a total of 12 players from both teams were ejected by the referees, and in the remaining game, relying on Hardaway's outstanding state, the Heat successfully won Game 5 by a six-point margin.

New York...

After learning this news, Stern was completely angry.

"They're treating my warning as a deaf ear!"

"All players involved in the brawl will be suspended! The suspension penalty will be determined based on the degree of involvement and the seriousness of the attack!"

Looking at Stern, who wanted to give Riley a knife, Adam 笑话, who felt that his opportunity to rise had come, said to Stern, "David...

But if everyone is suspended, then the series between the Knicks and Heat, or even the season for these two teams..."

"Then let them all go home!

How many times have I said, players are here to play basketball, not to fight, let alone to maliciously injure people!" Stern glared at someone, lowering his score for that person in his heart.

At this time, Mark on the side said: "I think we should severely punish them.

This is a good opportunity, David! We must use the most severe method to tell other teams that if they dare to challenge the authority of the league, then don't think about winning the championship!"

Listening to Mark's words, Stern felt much more comfortable.

"Let's do it this way, if these two teams dare to have any objections, then fine them, and if the fines aren't enough, then continue to suspend them!"

Without a doubt...

Stern was really angry this time.

Because after the league quickly responded, the Heat and Knicks...

Were done for this season.

In this suspension list, the fewest games suspended was Ward, who was suspended for 8 games and fined 50,000 US dollars.

The most games suspended were Oakley and Mourning, who both received suspension tickets for 16 games.

It was a good thing that there were no fans in the Heat's arena who came out to provoke the Knicks players, otherwise, if they had another fight with the fans, then this brawl might have changed many people's careers.

After the official suspension list was released, Riley was much more low-key this time, while Van Gundy, who had just finished stitching up his wounds in the hospital, was about to cry.

Because...

The Knicks were wronged!

Now it was good, Ewing was cheap-shotted and his season was over, and Oakley, Johnson, and other main players were all suspended...

Van Gundy was feeling very bitter and wronged.

In the West, when they learned that there was chaos in the East, the Jazz, SuperSonics, and Rockets couldn't stand it.

Because this season, they could win the championship if they just got out of the West!

The Bulls were gone, the Heat were gone, the Knicks were gone... and the 76ers, who everyone was most afraid of, were about to be knocked out by the Hawks.

If they didn't go for it now? When would they?

Lakers: Why don't you guys play with me?

Western Big Three: You're the Western Knicks, what are you causing trouble for!

……

ps: Here's a 5500-word update first! 阿悄 is going to continue writing! Mwah!