Chapter 1 After the Raptors smoothly took their first playoff victory of the year...

Immediately after the game, ESPN used its official website to educate its many fans with a little-known fact.

Namely, that as of this season, the Raptors are the team that calls the fewest timeouts out of all 29 NBA teams.

"Can you believe that Coach John Davis didn't actively call a single timeout in their playoff opener?"

Online, after being educated by ESPN on this little-known fact, many fans jokingly said that Davis was actually the real "Zen Master" in the league.

Well, a real "Zen Master" should be calm and composed like Davis.

As for the fake "Zen Master"?

Heh, isn't that Kentucky Fried Chicken grandpa standing on the Lakers' bench planning to go back to selling burgers yet?

This season, as the Raptors' record has gotten better and better, Davis has become a legendary coach in the eyes of many fans.

But for Su Feng, who is familiar with the future twenty years of NBA development history, he is very clear...

How high the current public opinion can hold up the Raptors, then when the Raptors encounter a trough in the future...

The public opinion at that time can also trample the Raptors badly.

Just like what was written in "The Three-Body Problem," from hero to waste, then from waste to savior, and finally from savior to dictator...

In fact, most sports athletes have had similar experiences to Luo Ji.

In competitive sports, the winner is king and the loser is the bandit.

Therefore, it is still the same old saying.

In April of 2000, only Su Feng himself knew what he was carrying on his shoulders.

...

On the 26th, after resting for two days, the Raptors continued to face the Knicks at home.

This was the second game of the two teams' first-round playoff series.

The Raptors' substitutes once again ushered in a carnival.

Because in this game, after the first half, the Raptors' lead had already reached 28 points.

In the third quarter, after only playing for half a quarter, Davis took the initiative to withdraw the main players.

Judging from the comparison of the two teams' lineup strength, the Knicks should not have played so badly after the first game.

However, in fact, after the first game between the two teams, the Knicks' players were already on the verge of collapse mentally.

During the game, once they fell behind, the Knicks' players would become more and more frustrated, and they had no desire to chase points at all.

As a result, as the Raptors continued to widen the gap on the court, the Knicks' players simply lay down and let them do whatever they wanted.

In the end, the score of this game was 81 to 114. After winning this game, the Raptors had already obtained the match point in this series.

And after the game, the Knicks players' poor performance on the court also suffered collective bombardment from the New York media.

Online, many Knicks fans even complained that if the Knicks continued to perform like this, it would be better to let them go up and play.

However, Su Feng had a different view on the criticisms from New York fans and the media.

Because in Su Feng's opinion, it was only because the players on this Knicks team had good professional ethics, otherwise, who the heck would be willing to work hard for the Knicks with this group of pressure monsters in New York?

Admittedly, as seasoned veterans, Ewing, Johnson, and Houston's mentality should not be so fragile.

But, you also have to see the consequences of working hard for the Knicks.

Well, even a legendary star like Ewing has been deprived of the right to wear a Knicks jersey and breathe air by Knicks fans, let alone anyone else?

To put it bluntly, in Su Feng's opinion, it wouldn't matter who you replaced on this Knicks team now.

Because for a strange team like the Knicks...

Just honestly pay the luxury tax to the league...

...

On the 29th, the Raptors and Knicks game moved to New York.

Although they held two match points, a sweep had become the only unspoken goal of the entire Raptors team for this visit to New York.

In the first quarter, the Knicks were hit by an 18-0 run by the Raptors right from the start.

The ironic result was that in the deafening boos from the fans, the person who stood up for the Knicks, whose morale had already collapsed...

Was still Ewing.

Even though the collapse of the Empire State Building was already destined, Ewing still charged towards the Raptors' position on this night.

In the second half of the first quarter, Ewing repeatedly stopped the Knicks' rout through his individual play.

However...

In the second quarter, facing the Raptors' onslaught like a storm, the Knicks still couldn't hold on.

At the end of the first half, the Knicks' deficit to the Raptors had reached 25 points.

In the third quarter, almost all the commentators in the United States began to discuss the Raptors' next round opponent.

And at Madison Square Garden, the proud New York fans continued to express their dissatisfaction with the Knicks players on the court with their boos and curses.

"Give me all the balls!"

On the court, after looking around the court, a slightly tired Ewing patted Ward on the shoulder and said.

In the third quarter, because the Knicks were falling further and further behind, many Knicks players on the court appeared hesitant when attacking.

And even though Ewing knew that everything he was about to do was meaningless...

But even if it was meaningless, Ewing still wanted to lead the charge one more time.

"Okay!"

Looking up at Ewing, Ward did not refuse Ewing's final request.

In fairy tales, many of us have heard stories of heroic figures reversing the situation and killing the evil big boss at the last moment.

But on this night, the fairy tale did not belong to the Knicks and Ewing.

A few minutes later, when Patrick Ewing was replaced by Don Chaney, what he received was neither the applause and cheers from fairy tales, nor the embrace of a blonde beauty...

But, that resounding...

American "get out."

20 points and 8 rebounds was Ewing's answer when he was replaced.

In this way, this "Big Gorilla," who once engaged in a peak showdown with Hakeem Olajuwon in the Finals, one of the NBA's 50 greatest superstars, ended his 99/00 season amid boos.

And it is worth mentioning that on the Raptors' side, when Su Feng was replaced, the deranged Knicks fans gave him...

Cheers like Napoleon's cavalry arriving in Paris.

His Supreme Majesty Su Feng arrived today in New York, which has always faithfully supported him!

In the end, 95 to 116, the Raptors won three straight games, eliminating the Knicks with a score of 3 to 0, and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

After the game, online fans complained about Su Feng's performance in this year's first-round playoff game.

Because in the three games against the Knicks, Su Feng only averaged 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Of course, the focus of the fans' complaints was not that Su Feng's performance was not good enough...

But...

If he continues to play like this, the Honeys are very worried that Su Feng will be mistaken for a scrub.

"The Raptors are too strong, so strong that their opponents have already fallen before Su Feng even needs to make a move."

"This season, many people are saying that Su Feng lacks moments of performance at critical moments.

But now the question is, does Su Feng have the opportunity to play at critical moments?"

"In my opinion, maybe Shaq's presence on the court is more direct.

But have you ever thought about why Shaq always has to fight to the last few minutes to determine the winner?"

"Without a doubt, Su Feng is the most worthy

As Grant Hill's left and right arm, Hughes' rapid growth not only reduces Hill's pressure when attacking, but also makes Hughes a very reliable defender when defending.

In addition, as Hill's right-hand man, Stackhouse, who has greatly increased his confidence in this life, can always stand up at critical moments.

Plus, Joe Smith, who won the championship with the Raptors last year and broke his mental barrier...

To be honest, in Su Feng's opinion, Riley is indeed awesome.

Because facing a Pistons team that has set off a youth storm, the Heat relied on their tenacious will and strict discipline to force the Pistons into the final decisive battle.

Awesome!

Riley!

Why don't you work harder and eliminate this Pistons team while you're at it?

Cough, well, Su Feng's beautiful fantasy ultimately failed to become a reality.

On May 4th, just as the Raptors were resting and patiently waiting for their Eastern Conference Semifinals opponent, at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, another 90s super center fell...

Relying on the excellent performance of the three outside gunners who joined forces to score 70 points, the Pistons had the last laugh in the decisive battle with the Heat.

And Mourning's refusal to be replaced by Riley in the fourth quarter also became a classic.

At that time, because the Heat were already trailing the Pistons by as many as 20 points with only 3 minutes left in the game, Riley decided to replace Mourning in order to save Mourning's last bit of face.

However, for the iron man Mourning, he didn't want such face at all.

"I can still play! Don't replace me!"

On the sidelines, looking at Mourning's persistent face, Riley sighed deeply and finally chose to respect the warrior's decision.

Of course, unlike a certain background board in New York, because Mourning did not give up at the last moment, the Miami fans present were all infected by Mourning's spirit.

At the end of the game, the Heat fans stood up and gave their applause to Mourning.

And on TNT, Smith couldn't help but joke: "I wonder what Patrick will think when he sees this scene?"

Sigh...

What else do you think Ewing can think?

Could it be that he can put tears on the plane?

Back to the topic.

After the Pistons advanced to the semifinals and met with the Raptors, the semifinal matchups in the East and West this year have all been released.

First of all, in the East, in addition to the Raptors and Pistons series, the Celtics and Pacers also met in another half.

After the Celtics and Pacers matchup was released, many people in the world were very curious whether Bird could lead this Pacers team to personally avenge his mentor and old club.

And in the West, after the Mavericks eliminated the Spurs 3-1, and the Lakers eliminated the SuperSonics 3-0, these two teams will compete for a Western Conference Finals ticket in the Western Conference Semifinals.

As for the other half of the West, it is the Jazz against the Trail Blazers.

Because starting from the semifinals, the 5-game 3-win system will become a 7-game 4-win relationship, so for the eight teams entering the Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals, the next game is the real test.

Especially those teams that are determined to win the championship.

In the 7-game 4-win system, they often not only have to face their opponents in front of them, but also whether they can advance ahead of their next round of opponents is also the key to whether they can go to the end.

According to the schedule, the Raptors and Pistons' division semifinals will begin on the 6th.

From the perspective of the team's physical condition, the Raptors are undoubtedly the better side.

After all, after eliminating the Knicks, the Raptors players have rested for almost a week.

In contrast, the Pistons, who had just finished the decisive battle with the Heat, only have one day of rest.

Therefore, after the playoff division semifinal matchup results were released, Davis, D'Antoni, and Rivers all believed that the Raptors had no excuse to lose in Game 1.

On the 5th, the Raptors did not arrange training. Davis hoped that the team could be in the best condition to play the opening game of the semifinals well.

On the 6th, in the crowded Air Canada Centre, the Raptors ushered in their Game 1 of this year's playoff semifinals.

Before the game, during the warm-up, Stackhouse, Hill, and Joe Smith all took the initiative to say hello to Su Feng.

Because Stackhouse and Joe Smith had both been teammates with Su Feng, during the pre-game chat, the two jokingly told Su Feng that they had told Pistons coach Rick Carlisle about Su Feng's weaknesses.

Regarding this, although it was a joke, this conversation made Su Feng even more vigilant.

Because Su Feng, who is very familiar with future history, knows very well that Carlisle is by no means an ordinary person.

In Su Feng's previous life, as one of the famous NBA coaches of the future, in the 08/09 season, after arriving in Dallas, Carlisle not only quickly cleaned up the mess left by Little General Johnson, but also led the unpopular Mavericks to defeat the Heat in the Finals in the 10/11 season.

In addition, although Rasheed Wallace was indeed exchanged at the behest of Larry Brown, if it weren't for Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Prince, and others left to him by Carlisle, even if Brown was good at building a defensive system, I am afraid that the Pistons would be difficult to leave a name in history.

Moreover, Carlisle, who is good at building teams, is not the kind of stubborn academic coach.

This season, after he took over the team's coaching position from Alvin Gentry, the Pistons' number of three-point attempts and hits has ushered in a qualitative leap.

In Carlisle's coaching resume, the three-pointer has always been a weapon he likes very much.

Of course, unlike offensive coaches such as D'Antoni and Old Nelson, because offense and defense balance is the kingly way Carlisle pursues, he is also very good at building a team's defensive system.

In Su Feng's previous life, in the 10/11 season, the Mavericks were building a wall of sighs around Tyson Chandler that made the Emperor and Wade despair.

Therefore, in Su Feng's heart, Carlisle's danger level can definitely rank in the top five in the current league.

"Alas, is this the punishment the world line has for me?"

On the court, during the warm-up, looking at Carlisle, who coached the Pistons two years in advance, at this moment, Su Feng couldn't help but feel the bitter fruit of changing history without authorization.

Due to P.J. Carlesimo's lack of strength in this life, Carlisle, who should have been his assistant coach, also decided to become the head coach in advance.

And coincidentally, because Carlisle's coaching philosophy coincides with the Pistons, after Gentry led the team to a wave of losing streaks this season...

What Gentry never expected was that this wave of losing streaks not only did not allow him to eat interest, but also directly cost him the Pistons' coach position.

In short, compared to last year, starting from the semifinals this year, the Raptors will face a strong challenge.

On the court, after chatting with Hill for a few minutes, Su Feng also returned to the bench, quietly waiting for the entrance ceremony to arrive.

In Su Feng's previous life, when many Hill fans blew Hill, Su Feng always felt that these people were blowing too much.

But in this life...

You may not believe it when I say it.

The number one Hill fan in this league now...

Is Su Feng himself.

Hill, who averaged 26 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.4 steals in the regular season, may not be as good as many of his juniors in the era of soaring data in the future in terms of data.

However, please do not doubt Hill's strength because of this.

Because this is definitely a top supercar with a faster launch speed than McGrady.

Due to his overly gentlemanly personality, many Hill fans are like Hill and don't like to argue with others about how strong Hill is.

But for Su Feng, who regarded Hill as his idol in his early years, even if he has developed the "three-piece suit" in the past four years, he would not think that his strength is far above Hill because of this.

As early as before the start of this year's first round of the playoffs, Su Feng had foreseen the difficulty of this year's semifinals.

At the Air Canada Centre, after the stadium DJ Martin finished introducing the players from the two teams appearing tonight with his bass cannon-like voice, the big screen gave the starting lineups for the two sides fighting tonight.

Pistons: Terry Mills, Joe Smith, Hill, Stackhouse, Hughes.

Raptors: Big Ben, Little O'Neal, Su Feng, Carter, McGrady.

On TNT, during the pre-game preview, Smith said: "In tonight's starting lineups for the two teams, no player is taller than 210 centimeters. This is the first time in this year's playoffs."

And Derek on the side echoed: "For a long time, tall players have dominated this league, but since the Raptors won the championship with a small lineup last year, this year we have found that many teams have begun to follow the Raptors."

In the center of the court, Big Ben and Mills have stood in the center circle.

And a few seconds later, a scene that surprised McGrady appeared.

Because...

Tonight, it was actually the Raptors who attacked first!

...

ps: A 5000-word chapter is here!