Chapter 324 The Power Is Not Enough

On the 16th and 17th, the 76ers had no training scheduled, but as an outstanding "time manager," how could Su Feng waste time?

Not to mention anything else, Grover's high training fees meant that for a "thrifty person" like Su Feng, if spending money wasn't for pushing himself to the limit, then everything would be meaningless.

Pushing himself to the brink, challenging limits that others couldn't, that was Su Feng, the man known as "The Burning Man!"

As the saying goes, pushing yourself hard for a moment is good, but pushing yourself hard all the time is even better.

Under Grover's insane guidance, Su Feng felt that before the playoffs, the possibility of him breaking through the 90 mark in ball-handling speed had increased to at least...

Ten percent!

Well, taking away ninety percent was to prevent himself from becoming too proud.

On the evening of the 17th, the 76ers gathered as a team and flew to Toronto to prepare for their game against the Raptors on the 18th.

However, before the team departed, everyone failed to see Ratliff's figure.

"No need to wait... let's go."

After talking to Ratliff on the phone, the 76ers' head coach Davis covered his face with one hand.

As the saying goes, who can escape fate?

The 76ers, who were just complaining about the Timberwolves' bizarre injuries a few days ago, were now likely to lose Ratliff for a while...

"Theo accidentally fell in the bathroom this afternoon while showering. He must have slipped and twisted his ankle. I've arranged for the team doctors in Philadelphia to check his injury."

Davis explained to the players, who were speculating whether Ratliff had missed the team plane due to "group activities."

In the nCAA, March is called "March Madness," while in the nBA, March is usually called:

— "Devil March."

You know, Su Feng was just lamenting a few days ago that the 76ers were currently the only team in the league without any starting players on the injury list...

But who would have thought that only two days later, Ratliff would become the unlucky one to be added to the list.

Losing Ratliff would undoubtedly increase the difficulty of the 76ers' upcoming push.

But to be fair, in Su Feng's previous predictions, the 76ers had already been quite lucky this season.

After all, in the nBA, it's impossible for a team to go through an entire season without any injuries, no matter how good your team doctors are.

In Su Feng's previous life, if Yao and McGrady could have played a few more full seasons together, the Rockets' history might have been rewritten.

The 76ers had relied on overworking their starters to get to where they were this season, but the price of overworking the starters was that the risk of injury to those players would continue to increase.

So, there's never anything absolute in this world.

Without overworking the starters, the 76ers definitely couldn't achieve their current record.

But by overworking the starters, the 76ers had to bear the corresponding risks.

...

On the evening of the 18th, in Toronto, because of Ratliff's absence, veteran Scott Williams was called upon to start.

The last time they played the Raptors at home, Su Feng was able to happily help Iverson get a triple-double, but this time, Su Feng could only lament that times had changed.

Without Ratliff, the 76ers couldn't protect the paint with just rookie Ben.

"Mighty Mouse" Stoudamire learned from the lessons of their previous encounter, where his basketball dreams were repeatedly swatted away.

This guy refused to enter the paint and just randomly shot from the outside.

And then...

Everyone gets to eat dumplings during the New Year, right?

Relying on his random three-pointers, Stoudamire and Iverson engaged in a scoring duel in this game.

And Su Feng, once again, felt the pain he had inflicted on those star players before...

You could say that Christie...

Wasn't particularly strong in anything, but he could drag you into a shooting slump with him.

This famous nBA "henpecked husband" was good at guarding, helping, chasing, and...

All kinds of defense.

Who knew if his stamina was developed during certain exercises with his wife...

Anyway, without needing him to participate in the offense, Su Feng couldn't break through this guy's defense on this night except by gambling on his shooting percentage.

In Su Feng's previous life, Christie was also an underrated player.

You might not believe it, but when the Kings were stuck in a stalemate in the future, the Kings' go-to scorer besides Bibby wasn't Webber or Peja...

But Christie.

Christie, who was good at defense, was very willing to take important shots and could always step up and deliver a few minutes of critical hits when you needed him.

In Su Feng's previous life, if it hadn't been for the Raptors' future coach, Butch Carter, being such an idiot...

How could a Raptors team with McGrady, Carter, and Christie not even win 50 games?

After being fired by the Raptors in the early 21st century, Butch Carter was never hired as a head coach by any other team again.

Because the general managers of other teams weren't stupid. Even with a roster that could compete for the top three in the East in the 99/00 season, he managed to screw it up...

He couldn't even do the simplest things. How could you expect to be a head coach in the nBA?

In this game, "Ai-Feng" was either being matched up or exploded, and the only hope for the 76ers to turn the tide was some unknown substitute.

However, as it turned out...

Ginobili turning on the "Pampas Eagle" switch for about 15 minutes every game in the future was a daily occurrence...

But having the names of certain unknown substitutes mentioned was just a small probability event.

Camby, who was "posterized" by Iverson in the last game, also put up good numbers in this game. After all, if Camby wasn't talented, how could he have been the second overall pick in 1996?

Plus, with Ratliff out, Big Ben was quite annoyed by the Raptors' swingman, Walt Williams...

So, at 96 to 105, the 76ers suffered their second consecutive loss in Toronto.

And after the team finished this game and returned to Philadelphia, Ratliff's injury report also came out.

His injury wasn't serious, but the team doctor advised him to rest for 2 to 4 weeks.

Feeling guilty, Ratliff hobbled into the training facility on crutches, looking extremely miserable.

His lips were pursed, he was clutching his training clothes, and his body was trembling uncontrollably.

If Ratliff could choose, he would rather break his third leg than his damn right foot.

Especially when Su Feng came over to ask about his condition, looking into Su Feng's sincere, clear, and bright eyes, Ratliff really wanted to find a steel plate and smash himself to death with it.

"Theo, rest well during this time. Don't secretly play basketball and listen to the team doctor."

To Ratliff, Su Feng's voice was so gentle at this moment.

Even though there was no light on Su Feng's body, in Ratliff's heart, Su Feng was surrounded by holy light...

Speaking of which, Ratliff only had crutches in his hand at this moment.

If you gave him a battle flag now, he would definitely shout "For the King" and charge to the front line without hesitation.

Armored Warrior, Healing Priest, Su Feng switched so skillfully.

So, Anduin is the best! No rebuttal!

...

The story behind Ratliff and the 76ers' team doctor will be put aside for now...

After suffering a defeat in Toronto, the most painful thing for the current 76ers was the continuous back-to-back games ahead.

And even Su Feng, who was well prepared for the difficulties...

Never expected that it wasn't until the team won in Boston on the 28th that the 76ers finally ended their five-game losing streak that had started with the Hornets.

Thanks to the nCAA Finals, the nBA didn't schedule any games, so the 76ers got a rare chance to catch their breath before heading to Boston.

And the Celtics were indeed a team aiming for the "championship."

In Boston, they didn't even resist.

For Duncan, the Celtics had completely gone crazy.

They had only won 9 games so far this season. Honestly, who knows how much effort Celtics coach Carl had put in behind the scenes to turn such a good team into this?

And after finishing this game against the Celtics, the 76ers still ranked seventh in the East with a record of 41 wins and 28 losses.

Don't look at the 76ers' recent losing streak, but they weren't the only ones currently on a losing streak.

The gap between the Cavaliers, who were currently ranked tenth in the East, and the playoff teams had gradually widened.

The Magic, who were ranked eighth in the East, were still 1.5 games behind the 76ers, while the Bullets, who were ranked ninth in the East, were 3.5 games behind the 76ers.

As the strong teams gradually exerted their strength, the current situation in the East could only be described as tragic.

Apart from the Bulls and Heat, who had basically locked up the top two spots in the East, the Knicks, Hornets, Hawks, and Pistons had almost identical records.

These four teams were plundering everywhere to compete for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

In contrast, the situation in the West was much more stable.

The Jazz, Rockets, Supersonics, and Lakers firmly held the top four positions in the West.

And below that, it was a battle of weaklings. Even the Pacers, who were currently ranked eleventh in the East, could be ranked sixth in the West...

...

On the 30th, the 76ers lost to the Pistons in Detroit, ending their March journey with a record of 5 wins and 9 losses.

In March, the 76ers' record declined sharply, and the impact of Ratliff's injury was self-evident. However, it was worth mentioning that during the continuous losing streak in March, the 76ers also had a classic masterpiece of robbing the Bulls.

You might not believe it, but on the latest team power rankings, the 76ers' ranking didn't fall but rose instead.

The reason was:

Although this young team wasn't stable enough yet, their outstanding performance against strong teams was definitely worth looking forward to.

And after the games in March, Su Feng's various statistics continued to rise steadily.

Currently, his average playing time in the 96/97 season was close to 38 minutes, making him the most overworked high school rookie in nBA history.

As long as Su Feng could continue to maintain his current playing time, then in the future, this statistic...

Might only be broken by his heir.

Saying goodbye to March, the 76ers would usher in their final stretch in April.

In the first three weeks of April, the 76ers had a total of 12 games to play, with a high intensity of 4 games a week.

And according to the current situation, as long as the 76ers could win half of those games, they could ensure that they would successfully get a playoff ticket.

In Su Feng's previous life, the eighth-place threshold in the East this season was 44 wins, but in this life, because of the emergence of the 76ers as a spoiler, Su Feng estimated that this threshold would eventually be raised to around 46 wins.

The reason for the increase in the playoff threshold was simple: In Su Feng's previous life, the Cavaliers didn't put so much pressure on the Magic and Bullets at the time.

In basketball games, the desire to win had a significant impact on the results.

You know, the Bullets and Magic were both aiming for the playoffs this season. If they failed to make the playoffs, then the ninth place in the East would be the most awkward ranking.

In the nBA, generally speaking, you either make the playoffs and become a playoff team to sell more tickets;

Or you tank and bet on the talents of those rookies;

Most teams with normal thinking would only choose these two options.

Therefore, whether it was the Bullets or the Magic, Su Feng could clearly feel that these two teams, like the 76ers, were already playing desperately when he watched their game tapes.

The relatively good news for the 76ers at the moment was that Ratliff's injury was recovering well, and the team doctor estimated that he could return in another week.

But on April 1st, after the 76ers lost their direct battle with the Magic, Su Feng realized just how exaggerated the difficulty was of taking a bad team from the previous season to the playoffs in his rookie season.

In Su Feng's previous life, LeBron James tried to take the Cavaliers to the playoffs in his rookie season.

As a result, the Cavaliers at that time also won first and then lost, and because of a collapse at the end of the season, they directly missed the 03/04 season's playoffs.

If the players in the current 76ers lineup were all in their prime, that would be fine, but after rookie Ben lost Ratliff's help, his existing shortcomings were very obvious.

Iverson had the highest degree of completion, but no matter how much of a scorer he was, he was just an "Answer" in his rookie season.

The 76ers lacked follow-up, and Su Feng could say that he had already done everything he could. In short:

This 76ers' "power wasn't enough."

At this time, the difficulty of breaking out of the East was much greater than in the future, because the East at this time was full of strong teams. The East was strong and the West was weak, and it wasn't just a joke.

Fatigue was invading the entire 76ers team, and the worst thing was that even Su Feng...

Was having trouble "controlling" Iverson's rational switch as the team continued to suffer losses.

On the 2nd, in Philadelphia, in the team's back-to-back game against the Raptors, Iverson, who was hot-headed at the time, took 35 shots.

He made 14 of them, plus free throws, and scored 41 points, but the result was...

The Raptors, the "championship" team, had the last laugh.

"Mighty Mouse" certainly couldn't defend Iverson, but even the worst defense couldn't withstand that unreasonable offensive selection.

Previously, under Su Feng's "remote control," Iverson's shots seemed unreasonable, but in fact, they were all reasonable shots that had been corrected with Su Feng's help.

Just like in the future, Kerr also needed Curry and Klay to shoot those crazy three-pointers, in fact, as the team's star, you sometimes had to stand up and play these clutch shots.

However, if you played too many of these clutch shots, the damage to the team's overall offense would be very serious.

Iverson's fighting spirit was the capital that allowed him to stand in the nBA, but at the same time, this fighting spirit was also a double-edged sword.

After losing to the Raptors on the 2nd, the 76ers officially handed over the seventh place in the East, and what the 76ers fans were most worried about at the moment was...

The Bullets, who were ranked ninth in the East, had quietly closed the gap to only 1.5 games behind the 76ers after successively defeating the Spurs and Celtics, two "championship" teams.

The current situation of the 76ers was not just bad.

Before Ratliff's return, they would have to face three strong opponents: the Pacers, Hornets, and Bulls.

Compared to the comfortable schedule in the first half of the season, the 76ers faced a double test of willpower and lack of experience in the second half of the season.

Rookie coach Davis was already anxious.

Su Feng, who was busy behind the scenes, couldn't possibly calculate everything successfully in every game, because the 76ers only had a few cards to play...

"The main problem now is to solve the team's panic and tension after a series of losses."

"Secondly, we must put the brakes on Iverson, otherwise, we won't even be able to beat teams like the Raptors."

"Finally, we have to find every possible way to survive the period before Ratliff comes back."

Su Feng, who was always calm, summarized himself after the team lost to the Raptors on the 2nd.

The more unfavorable the situation, the more calmly you had to deal with it.

Because basketball games weren't an exercise where you could become stronger just by shouting a few times and playing a flashback.

Su Feng knew that he had to calm down rookie coach Davis first, so that he could control the team as easily as before.

As for why Su Feng didn't make adjustments earlier?

Wake up... Su Feng wasn't a god.

He was indeed ahead of this era in keyboard theory, but in actual operation, he was just a rookie.

Some things, some truths, couldn't be transformed into your own wealth without experiencing them personally.

Su Feng had obviously underestimated the impact of the schedule and injuries on a team, and these wrong judgments would continue to help him in his future career.

On the 3rd, before the team went to Indianapolis, looking at Davis, who was frowning and scratching his head...

Su Feng jokingly said to him: "Coach, if you keep scratching like this, I feel like you're not far from becoming Jeff Van Gundy."

After getting along for nearly a season, Su Feng knew Davis's personality very well. This guy didn't like to put on a coach's airs and preferred to mingle with the players.

He wasn't the kind of person who would ignore me despite my constant requests in the future.

And after being said that by Su Feng, Davis, who felt that he seemed to be showing signs of baldness, quickly put down his hand and even asked Su Feng to take a look at the top of his head for him...

Taking this opportunity, Su Feng chatted with Davis about some interesting stories off the court.

And after relaxing, Davis looked at Su Feng curiously and said, "Su, why can't I see any 'tension' on your face?"

Su Feng spread his hands and smiled: "Because coach, if there's a problem that you can't solve no matter what today, then believe me, you won't be able to solve it even if you wake up the next day."

After hearing Su Feng's words, Davis thought thoughtfully.

The impact of Ratliff's absence was a difficult problem for the 76ers to solve.

So stop dwelling on it.

What we should be thinking about was how to win the Pacers without Ratliff.

Looking at Davis, who was in a pensive mood, Su Feng didn't bother him, but turned and put his arm around Iverson and said:

"Allen, have you noticed in the last few games that you've been passing the ball to me less and less?"

Iverson frowned and bit his lip. The "Answer" had been under a lot of pressure recently, because as the 76ers suffered a losing streak, there had been a lot of public opinion criticizing him for playing more and more selfishly.

"Su, do you also think that my style of play is wrong?" Iverson looked up at Su Feng and asked.

"No, as the star player of this team, we can't win if you don't stand up and score." Su Feng patted Iverson on the shoulder and said.

"But Allen, abandoning the team's ace is impossible to win with." After a pause, Su Feng added.

Su Feng knew very well that you had to inspire someone like Iverson and let him think for himself.

So...

That's why Duncan was able to become a cornerstone for fifty years.

Because he studied psychology.

"Ben, what are you looking at?"

After giving his teammates a pep talk one by one, Su Feng asked, looking at Ben, who was reading a magazine.

"Hehe, Su, look, this chick is so hot."

Ben pointed to a black woman in the magazine wearing 404 clothing and said to Su Feng.

Su Feng: "..."

Well, maybe Su Feng didn't have to worry about this guy the most...

"Ben, why aren't you 'nervous' at all?" Su Feng asked curiously.

After thinking for a while, Ben, who was asked by Su Feng, said to Su Feng in a firm tone:

"I believe in you."

"Last year, when I first came to you for training, you told me that becoming an All-Star player was just a matter of course in your opinion.

And as it turns out, you did it.

Su, you know, I'm a very stupid person.

I can't help you when the team is on the attack, so I can only try to grab every rebound and do my job well.

Let me give you a simple example.

If Su, you are the light of Philadelphia, then I am like your shadow.

So instead of thinking about those things, I should think about how I can help you.

Because the stronger the light, the thicker the shadow."

Su Feng: "..."

That's too much...

You're all stealing my lines, how am I going to use this to fool my Pippen in the future?

But you have to say, Big Ben's terrifying big elbows are really reassuring...

...

ps: Guaranteed 2/2, this chapter is yesterday's guarantee! 6000 words! I'll go change it first, and I'll open a single chapter tonight to thank you for the rewards!