Chapter 11 A Dream

On the morning of the 11th, when Su Feng woke up, he realized he had dreamed again last night...

This time, he dreamed that Jordan was guarding him in the Finals.

Wait a minute?

The 76ers and the Bulls are both in the East, so why the Finals?

Forget it, it was just a dream. Why think so much?

Anyway, in the dream, the 76ers had Su Feng taking the last shot.

In a daze, Su Feng realized that Iverson wasn't on the court...

Then he saw himself stepping on the Bulls' logo, pointing at Jordan and saying, "Watch closely, Michael, I'm going to hit the game-winner right here in a bit."

Swish!

"Sigh, I'm truly a loyal Jordan fan. This is probably the second time I've had a dream like this where I hit a game-winner against the Bulls, right?" After waking up, Su Feng rubbed his hair and thought to himself with emotion.

Because it was game day, Su Feng slept until he woke up naturally.

In the afternoon, when he met up with the team, Su Feng discovered that the 76ers' morale could only be described as "inflated" right now.

You might not believe it, but when the 76ers players discussed their next game's opponent, if it was a team like the Grizzlies or Raptors, everyone would say, "This game will be tough. We need to be careful."

But if the opponent was a team like the Heat, Knicks, or SuperSonics, everyone would say, "We're definitely winning tonight!"

Seriously, don't those strong teams have any dignity?

In the latest power rankings, the 76ers had soared to 15th place.

ESPN's assessment of them was, "This is a young team. They are full of energy, their games are exciting to watch, and they always bring unexpected surprises when facing strong teams."

Perhaps because of ESPN's assessment, or perhaps because the 76ers had defeated too many strong teams recently, before the game between the 76ers and the Heat, the biggest question on everyone's mind was:

Could the Heat finally break out of the "pretender club" and prove themselves this time?

Helpless...

No matter how angry Mourning was, the story of him getting dunked on by Su Feng was already well-known.

But having learned his lesson, Mourning behaved himself much more after arriving in Philadelphia this time. Besides the nutritious meals provided by the team, this tough guy refused to eat any takeout.

Mourning vowed that he would regain his dignity as a man in this game!

It's worth mentioning that perhaps because he felt humiliated by the 76ers defeating them last time, after leading his team to Philadelphia this time...

Pat Riley, the NBA's number one maniac, once again raised his whip!

On the 76ers' side, upon hearing that the Heat wanted to rent their game venue for hellish training, they agreed without a second thought.

The 76ers even kindly turned off the air conditioning in the game venue for the Heat, because, after all, hellish training with air conditioning? Would that still be called hellish training?

The Heat players were dying inside...

But with Mourning wanting revenge on one side and Riley brandishing his whip on the other, who dared to complain?

So, the next day, as they prepared to leave for the Zhongzhou Arena, Riley said angrily, looking at the listless players, "Are you not full?"

"This is our battle to wipe out the shame! Can you fight like men?"

Men?

Coach, if we weren't men, would we be playing in the WNBA?

The Heat players were on the verge of tears, while on the 76ers' side, everyone was radiant after having a day off yesterday.

Iverson, who was being praised by the American media as the NBA's number one point guard, was enjoying the flattery from his teammates.

But...

To Iverson's ears, these people's words didn't sound good at all.

But whatever, Iverson wasn't the kind of person who liked to hear rainbow farts anyway.

"Allen, do you know what Tim Hardaway looks like to me right now?"

Su Feng said with a smile, looking at Tim Hardaway, who was practicing his shooting on the opposite half of the court.

Iverson blinked curiously, signaling Su Feng to continue.

"I feel like he's your ATM." Su Feng said earnestly.

Iverson: "!!!"

On the court, Iverson adjusted his headband. "Su, I think you were right before. As a point guard, I must take on the responsibility of passing the ball to everyone."

Oh ho, this AI is limping again.

Su Feng looked at Iverson, who had successfully renewed his subscription, and patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "Allen, you know, in my heart, you are taller than those seven-foot giants right now."

Iverson clenched his fists. At this moment, he hated how there were so many people on the court.

There wasn't even a place to steal a laugh!

Depressing!

Who knew how painful it was to hold back laughter?

Fortunately, Su Feng, who had completely grasped Iverson's personality, offered an assist to this "Answer" at a critical moment.

He took the initiative to extend his big elbow and hook it around Iverson's shoulder. In this way, Su Feng blocked the sight of most people for Iverson.

Iverson, with his head down, couldn't have been happier at this moment.

Awesome!

Awesome!

So the question is, if Iverson is feeling awesome, then wouldn't Tim Hardaway, who was already feeling somewhat empty inside, be miserable tonight?

Zhongzhou Arena, two hours later, as the game between the Heat and the 76ers began, the 76ers fans at the scene put down their popcorn one after another.

Couldn't eat it.

No appetite.

Why bother eating popcorn!

After the team wins by a huge margin of a hundred points, the team will give out burgers and ice-cold soda!

If Mourning proved with his actions the last time the two teams played that the Heat were just an ordinary team without him.

Then on this night, the entire Heat team also proved with their actions that Mourning couldn't do anything without them!

You expect the Heat players to recover after hellish training yesterday?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson would like to have a word with you.

In the first quarter, relying on Mourning's strong performance, the Heat were still able to fight the 76ers.

But in the second quarter, as Davis habitually began to overuse his main players, the difference in stamina between the two teams' main players began to show.

By the third quarter, the Heat players were truly unable to run anymore. At this moment, even if Riley whipped them, they didn't want to run.

As for the fourth quarter, seeing the 20-point deficit, Riley, who knew the Heat's ability to chase points, simply gave up resisting.

At the scene, when the camera showed the expressions of the two teams, the heavy-faced Heat players formed a stark contrast with the relaxed and happy 76ers players.

In fact, the Heat players' mood might be even heavier than they were showing.

Because Riley had a habit, which was that if the team lost a game they shouldn't have lost, then next, he would not only increase the intensity of training, but also...

Hurt himself!

That's right, as the NBA's number one maniac, Riley didn't even spare himself when he went crazy.

The Heat players had all seen Riley's ruthless side towards himself. The last time they were惨败 (canbai, utterly defeated) by the Bulls, he poured a bucket of ice water from the locker room directly over his head.

There was even a time when he broke a locker in the locker room with a kick, causing his shin to hurt for days...

The Heat players were desperate.

And Su Feng was disappointed.

Because he had planned for so long, just to have a head-on, hand-to-hand fight with the Heat.

But where was the fight?

Su Feng was efficient in this game, making 8 of 10 shots, including 2 of 4 three-pointers, without even a free throw...

And Su Feng, who once again scored 18 points, only got a mere two million eight hundred thousand 打铁值 (da tie zhi, brick-making points) on this night, even with a brick-making value x5 and an SSS rating after the game...

81 to 104, honestly, if the pace of this game wasn't so slow, Su Feng felt that the 76ers could have scored at least between 120 and 130 points tonight.

Iverson had a blast though. He completely exploded against Tim Hardaway in this game.

Affected by the hellish training, "Little Bug" only scored 10 points and 4 assists, while Iverson had 24 points and 11 assists.

Two consecutive "20+10" games, especially against strong teams like the SuperSonics and the Heat, Su Feng felt that if Iverson's reputation continued to rise, it would really catch up with Stockton...

In Su Feng's previous life, the reason why Iverson didn't make the All-Star team in his rookie season was because the 76ers' record was too bad at the time.

Moreover, many people even believed that Iverson's Rookie of the Year award was given to him by the league through py (a secret deal), compared to Marbury, who made the playoffs in his rookie season.

But now, Su Feng suspected that Iverson's reputation, at least in his rookie season, would be crushing all the other members of the '96 golden generation except for him.

Because after the 76ers consecutively defeated the SuperSonics and the Heat, they had risen to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Bringing a team that was a bottom-feeder last season to the playoffs in his rookie season, and in the Eastern Conference, which was generally considered stronger than the West at this time...

Just imagine how exaggerated Iverson's reputation and popularity would be then.

"Tsk, unfortunately, those AI fans who were怼哭 (dui ku, reduced to tears) in my previous life won't be able to see this grand occasion." Su Feng thought to himself with emotion.

And just as Su Feng was marveling at Iverson's terrifying reputation and popularity...

New York, Fifth Avenue, Olympic Tower, David Stern was pondering...

The possibility of Su Feng and Iverson entering next year's All-Star Game together.

Although Su Feng's current average score was only 15+, there was still a gap between him and star players, but don't forget, Detlef Schrempf, who entered the Western All-Star team last year, only averaged 17+ points...

Schrempf was handsome, and in Su Feng's previous life, he would also be selected for the Western All-Star team in the '96/'97 season.

The reason why he was selected for the All-Star team, in addition to being the first German player to play in the NBA, was also related to his consistently high popularity in Seattle.

Stern felt that Su Feng and Schrempf had many similarities.

First of all, Su Feng, like Schrempf, had all the characteristics of becoming an idol superstar;

Secondly, they both had a large number of followers in their respective teams;

Finally, they were both international players, and they were also the pioneers of the NBA in their respective countries.

Stern, who had learned about the situation in the Rabbit Country (China), knew that once Su Feng was selected for the All-Star team, then Su Feng, this rabbit, would stir up the national pride of the entire Rabbit Country.

Next, it would be much easier for the NBA to further open up the Chinese market.

Because a large number of Chinese basketball fans would find a sense of identification and see hope in Su Feng.

Moreover, it's worth mentioning that Stern really liked Su Feng's current nickname—

"Sweet Melon."

Ever since Drexler put "Sweet Melon" on Su Feng's head, this little Jewish old man couldn't have been happier.

Because Stern thought that the nickname "the.king" was too easy to offend people and was not conducive to Su Feng's future development.

You're just a little newbie, and you're already called king or little emperor as soon as you enter the league. What if you fail in the future? How are you going to deal with that?

Call the hammer of "the.king"!

Look, how fragrant is "Sweet Melon"?

A Chinese Sweet Melon galloping in the NBA, this looks like a sign of a big hit!

Stern was good at promoting people. In his opinion, the slogan that the 76ers had put forward this season was very much in line with his intentions.

Never bow your head. First of all, it would make people feel that the NBA was a league full of passion and competition, and freedom was something that every American talked about every day.

Iverson was a grassroots idol in American basketball, a black hero;

As for Su Feng, Stern had never thought about how to design this kid before, but now, Stern felt that he had found his way.

Smiling as sweetly as a "Sweet Melon", coupled with Su Feng's cross-border good looks, he was definitely an idol superstar.

It didn't offend anyone, and it made people feel that this kid was easy to get close to.

Stern had investigated the Chinese market, and he knew that Chinese fans preferred this kind of low-key and unpretentious star.

As the saying goes, cast a long line to catch a big fish. Stern felt that the idea of "AI and Maple" entering the All-Star team together seemed to be feasible.

The 90s were different from the future. Anyway, for All-Star voting, even the starting lineup, as long as Stern wanted to promote you, he could sneak you in.

In Su Feng's previous life, after Kobe was labeled as Jordan's successor, Stern, sensing the business opportunity, immediately arranged for Kobe to enter the All-Star team.

But...

This season's All-Star Game was different from the next season's All-Star Game.

Stern was very conflicted now.

Because at the 1997 All-Star Game, the NBA official would formally award the 50 greatest players in NBA history, so in the eyes of the league's top management and fans, the NBA should choose those players with outstanding achievements to enter the All-Star Game as much as possible.

"Forget it, why think so much? What if some players get injured and can't play?"

You might not believe it, but Stern, who always hoped that star players would not get injured before the All-Star Game, was actually hoping that one or two less important stars would be absent from the All-Star Game due to injury on this day...

Who knew if this was a decline in morality or a distortion of human nature?

……

"It's strange, why don't the media use 'the.king' when reporting on me recently?"

After defeating the Heat, the 76ers went to Charlotte to prepare for their game against the Hornets.

It's worth mentioning that during the team's flight, Su Feng specifically opened the basketball magazine he had just bought to see how the media was praising him recently.

However, what he found strange was that people seemed to have forgotten his nickname "the.king" overnight.

In these news reports, Su Feng saw countless "Sweet Melons" and couldn't find a single "the.king"!

Su Feng, who almost had hallucinations, had a vision of Anthony holding a shotgun and smoking a cigar to kill him...

No!

Could it be that LeBron James is a son of destiny and is now going to take back the nickname 'the.king'... right?

Su Feng decided that as soon as he got off the plane, he would buy two local newspapers in Charlotte to see what the Charlotte media were saying.

Um...

After arriving in Charlotte, Su Feng felt that he had been drawn into a mysterious event.

Because after buying two local newspapers in Charlotte, turning to the sports section, and reading the preview of the 76ers' game against the Hornets, Su Feng found that even the Charlotte media had started calling him "Sweet Melon"...

"Could it be that destiny is at play?" Su Feng shook his head and decided not to think about it anymore.

After all, tomorrow he would have to show off his corridor three-pointers in front of his nephew Stephen Curry.

As a kind senior, Su Feng felt that it was necessary to tell Curry through practical actions that bear children don't deserve to eat potato chips.

That's right, that's right, look at Seth. This time, Su Feng specially prepared a pile of snacks for Seth Curry when he came to Charlotte.

Although Su Feng felt that it was shameful to stab elementary school students in the heart, considering that Stephen Curry slapped him in the face in front of his father last time, Su Feng felt that it was necessary to let Stephen Curry understand the cruelty of this reality in advance!

……

ps: The 2000 monthly ticket bonus chapter is here! That's all for today. Everyone can read the author's notes for future notifications. A Qiao will try not to use ps at the end of the chapter.