Chapter 1 After the First Game

After the first quarter, Van Gundy was dizzy.

Obviously...

Everything that happened tonight was beyond Van Gundy's comprehension.

However, although he didn't quite understand the Raptors' offensive tactics, Van Gundy wasn't discouraged after introducing Sprewell in the second quarter.

This season, since the "Madman" joined the Knicks, Van Gundy has favored him.

Plus, in the team's five-on-five training sessions, Sprewell could always lead the substitutes to defeat Ewing's main team...

So, it might sting a bit to say, but from this season onward, Van Gundy's love for Ewing had indeed begun to shift to Sprewell.

However, in the second quarter, Sprewell, wielding his Xuanhua axe, not only failed to break through the Raptors' defense as Van Gundy had envisioned...

But his reckless charge completely extinguished the Knicks' last hope in this game.

Nicknamed "Madman," Sprewell mainly relied on physicality when playing; his shooting had never been consistent throughout his career.

Therefore, in the second quarter, Su Feng, who didn't rest, and Da Ben, who also didn't rest, joined forces to weave a net around Sprewell.

Facing the Raptors' "brothers-covering-each-other's-backs" style of defense, Sprewell couldn't even manage to score a free throw, let alone deal a critical hit tonight.

Benefiting from the hard work during the lockout, Da Ben and Su Feng's "attributes" this season couldn't be judged by normal standards.

So, wasn't Sprewell's reckless charging just a booster for the Raptors?

On the court, after happily receiving the "Madman's Nitro Boost," Nash, who hadn't played much in the first quarter, also began his performance.

With Nash's various fancy assists, the Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden felt like they were watching an exhibition game tonight.

On TNT, Smith laughed and said, "With this kind of magical passing, forgive me for saying, the sky is the limit of Steve's imagination."

To be fair, Nash was sure to gain a lot of fans after this game.

Because his free-flowing passing did increase the entertainment value of the game.

And right now, the golden-haired little Nash was a hit with both men and women.

During the second quarter, Jordan, who returned to the bench to rest, felt like he was back at media day.

Because Jordan hadn't felt much while playing on the court.

But after sitting on the sidelines and watching half a quarter of the Raptors' game, Jordan felt that the Raptors and the Knicks weren't even in the same league.

...

In the second quarter, when Jordan returned to the court, the score had been rewritten to 46 to 25.

And Jordan, who had prepared for a difficult game...

Found that the game had become the Raptors' "showtime."

Just like Su Feng remembered, before activating "Black Eight" mode and releasing Ewing's seal, the Knicks' overall condition was quite poor.

Plus, Van Gundy's excellent offensive tactics...

Therefore, it wasn't just an accident that they were hammered by the Raptors tonight.

Of course, the violence of the Su-Carter-McGrady trio against Ewing at the start of the game...

Was mostly coincidental.

On the court, as the score widened, the Raptors even began to slow down and seek stability in the second half, can you believe it?

You have to know, the Raptors could do more than just fast breaks and defensive counterattacks.

In terms of positional warfare, they were equally excellent with Su Feng and Jordan, two major offensive players.

So, Jordan and Su Feng, one basket, one basket, one miss, one miss, tortured Thomas and "Big Mama," who were responsible for guarding them, to the point of near death.

Thomas had good jumping ability, but his strength wasn't top-notch.

This season, his weight was only about 101 kilograms, which was 6 kilograms lighter than Jordan in his "bloated version."

So, when playing against Thomas, Jordan not only had the advantage in speed but also in strength.

And on "Big Mama's" side, although his butt was so big that even Su Feng's elbow couldn't move him...

Su Feng, who was taller and faster than Johnson, could always use his advantages to launch attacks.

On the Knicks' bench, Van Gundy, who had been hoping that the "Madman" could suddenly go crazy and Ewing could awaken his powers on top of the Empire State Building, was now completely desperate.

Because the Raptors were playing so steadily while leading by a large margin...

60 to 35, at the end of the first half, the Raptors were already leading the Knicks by as many as 25 points on the road.

In front of the TV, fans couldn't believe that this was the game played by the Raptors, who were still at the bottom last season.

Although everyone was willing to believe that the Raptors could make it to the playoffs after Jordan joined...

But...

As the fourth-ranked team on ESPN's power rankings in the new season, the Knicks were more than just defeated by the Raptors this night.

On TNT, watching Smith's increasingly loud voice, Knight knew that his commentary career was coming to an end...

Because in Knight's opinion, after this game, there would definitely be a lot of haters calling to complain about him.

But...

Knight was destined to be disappointed.

There were many fans who wanted to criticize him, but after this game started, the fans who called TNT didn't complain about him at all.

Because for these fans who had been blinded by the Raptors, their main purpose in calling was to hope that TNT could broadcast more Raptors games in the future, so that the Raptors could continue to blind them.

To be honest...

After watching the Raptors' first half, the other games that started at the same time on February 5th, even those between strong teams, felt dull to the fans.

There was no way around it; in this era of defensive basketball, the Raptors' performance at Madison Square Garden was more than just a clear stream in a mudslide.

The "Basketball Mecca," even Stern, who didn't understand basketball, was already conquered by the Raptors' offense.

...

In the second half, after resting sufficiently, Su Feng and Jordan continued to perform their "two-man show" at Madison Square Garden.

And when the Knicks gradually lost their desire to chase points, Nash accelerated, and the "Toronto Black Pearl" began to sail at full speed again.

To be fair...

The Raptors' style of play not only pleased the fans but also successfully tortured their opponents.

Jordan, who already had a feud with the Knicks, hadn't felt this relaxed and comfortable in a long time.

You have to know, even in the year when the Bulls won 72-10, as long as the Bulls weren't focused, they could still lose.

But in tonight's game, Jordan believed that even if he made five, six, seven, or eight more mistakes, the Raptors couldn't lose.

Toronto, the "true Raptors fans" who were watching the game remotely couldn't find any adjectives to describe their feelings at this moment.

In short...

Although they couldn't say exactly what was so great...

But at this time, a "bullshit" American version was just right!

On TNT, Smith laughed and said, "The Raptors' performance in the opening game is really amazing.

I have never seen so many alley-oops, dunks, and no-look passes in a basketball game.

To be honest, even the Lakers of the 'showtime' era haven't played such a good-looking game."

After pausing, Smith continued, "They are simply the NBA version of 'City of God,' a group of beasts soaring in the sky."

In front of the TV, listening to Smith's commentary, many fans felt that they had regained their love for basketball through this game.

In the end, 118 to 88.

At the start of the new season, the Raptors used a dominant road win to shatter the values of people in this era.

In the whole game, Su Feng made 10 of 18 shots, including 2 of 4 three-pointers and 5 of 6 free throws, scoring a game-high 27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Jordan also made 10 of 18 shots.

However, because the "Old Rogue" made 0 of 3 three-pointers, he only scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, including free throws.

Carter's debut got him 18 points, and McGrady, who came off the bench, also had 15 points.

Old Curry came off the bench and scored 4 three-pointers in "garbage time," scoring 12 points.

Nash and Da Ben, who were focused on making assists, both produced bizarre stats.

The former had 6 points and 13 assists, while the latter had 2 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

In addition, Joe Smith, who chose to join for a minimum salary, also had 10 points in this game.

The Raptors, with six players scoring in double figures in the opener, could be described as having multiple offensive threats.

But the Knicks were miserable.

Because apart from Sprewell, Ewing, and Houston scoring in double figures, their other players only scored single-digit points.

And Sprewell, who had 17 points, only shot a mere 30%.

If his name were covered, just looking at the data, you might even think he was *that* man.

After the game, Jordan, who was overjoyed, didn't remember all the things he had told the young people on the Raptors before the game.

In an interview, Jordan admitted, "The process of this game was all within my expectations because I believed that the Raptors had a lot of potential when I joined the team."

Well...

God knows if the people of the future will be deceived by Jordan's words.

Let me tell you a joke.

If Jordan competed with Baylor in terms of vision, then Baylor might really break his second-place curse in this competition.

When asked about his opinion of Su Feng, Jordan took out the promotional plan that he and Su Feng had already decided on and said with a smile:

"I get along very well with Su. He is a young man who is willing to learn from his seniors. Believe me, with his eagerness to learn, he will achieve even greater success in the future."

This season, inheritance and the torch were also the Raptors' promotional theme.

After playing the Knicks, Jordan, who confirmed that his chances of winning the championship had risen to 50%, didn't care that he scored fewer points than Su Feng in this game.

As for the distribution of the ball tonight, given Jordan's current state, he had to be satisfied even if he didn't want to be.

Because as a thorough "rogue," Jordan knew very well that a united team atmosphere would help the Raptors to compete for the championship.

So, right now, in Jordan's view, nothing was more important than pleasing Su Feng.

It was worth mentioning that after the game, Su Feng also thought so in an interview.

"I told you how strong the Raptors were before Michael joined us, but you just didn't want to believe me."

After putting on a wronged expression, Su Feng continued, "Of course, one game doesn't explain everything.

So I also hope that fans can continue to pay attention to us and give us more support."

"I get along very well with Michael. He is a senior who is willing to guide young people. Believe me, even if he plays until he is 50 years old, he can maintain his dominance in the NBA."

As the saying goes, Su and Jordan's mouths are liars.

After the reporters interviewed the two of them one after another, it was unknown whether Drexler was on his way on horseback, but the bond between Su Feng and Jordan's inheritance was officially established on this day.

On the other side, Carter, who attended the press conference with Davis, specifically talked about the highlights of him, Su Feng, and McGrady dunking over Ewing in this game.

"That was our bet.

If one of us could dunk over Patrick in this game, the other two would have to give him $10,000 each.

Of course, because all three of us completed this bet, we don't need to pay each other $10,000 now."

To be honest, there wasn't much of a problem with Carter saying this bet.

After all, this would also increase the buzz around the three of them dunking over Ewing in this game.

But...

Vince Carter, why are you saying this while showing a disappointed expression?

To be honest, if Ewing, who has now been reduced to the nth center, wasn't powerless to refute, and Ewing's evaluation among the players wasn't low due to labor negotiations, otherwise...

Carter would definitely be labeled as not respecting the old.

"It's great to be able to join this Raptors team.

Su and I have a good relationship. He has provided me with a lot of help. In my opinion, he is the best team leader in this league."

Unlike Carter, Nash, who also attended the press conference after the game, once again showed what is called "emotional intelligence."

Although Nash also praised Jordan afterward, he was very skilled in grasping the primary and secondary aspects of praising people.

There was no way around it...

Jordan would probably leave after this year, but Su Feng would be the Toronto Dragon King for a long time to come. As Su Feng's "sock brother," how could Nash not see this?

Speaking of which, in stark contrast to the Raptors' joyful atmosphere after the game...

After this game, Van Gundy, who was full of question marks, was completely confused.

Although the Knicks still had 49 games to face...

Looking at the Raptors' exaggerated score and the Knicks' defense being completely broken in this game, Van Gundy's ambitions when reviewing the Knicks' three armies were poured with a basin of cold water by the Raptors.

Now Van Gundy's heart...

Was ice-cold.

...

On the 6th, the news of the Raptors' opening game massacre of the Knicks and the gorgeous style of play they showed in the opening game instantly stole all the attention of the new season.

In particular, the bet that Su, Carter, and McGrady made before the game to dunk over Ewing became a popular topic.

And Jordan's post-game sentence, "This was all within my expectations"...

For a time, the Raptors, a team of cup-holding champions, successfully captured the hearts of countless fans.

Of course, just like Su Feng said, the Raptors still have 49 games to play, so "one game means everything" or something...

Okay...

On the evening of the 6th, after the Raptors defeated the Wizards 107-87 in Washington in a back-to-back game, the entire North American continent was torn apart...

After the lockout, the Wizards traded Webber to the Kings for Richmond, but unfortunately, after joining the Wizards, Richmond's condition began to decline.

Last season, when playing against Richmond, Su Feng always thought that Richmond was a slightly stronger guard, but now...

Where the hell is Richmond strong?

That guy's weight of 110 kilograms is even 3 kilograms more than Jordan!

It has to be said that in the 98/99 season, the main task of many players was to lose weight rather than playing and training.

You have to know, Richmond is considered good.

Because even though he has gained a lot of weight, his scoring ability is still there.

However, God knows how many players have fallen by the wayside after this lockout?

The Raptors also played very happily in this back-to-back game against the Wizards.

They successfully killed the game after three quarters.

And the fans who had been recommended by their friends and didn't quite believe that NBA games would be good-looking had completely fallen in love with the Raptors after watching this game.

There was no way around it.

In the new season, because teams other than the Raptors have chosen a relatively conservative slow-paced style of play, the Raptors naturally tend to get more attention.

To put it bluntly, the comparison with their peers can also highlight how good the Raptors are.

However, just as the Raptors' reputation was rising sharply and the atmosphere within the team was becoming more and more bizarre, Su Feng became melancholy...

Without even asking, everyone knew why Su Feng was so melancholy.

Because according to the schedule, the Raptors' next opponent was:

The Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers, who also had a 2-0 start to the new season, have now become a completely "iron army" under Brown's leadership.

They scored 83 and 81 points in the first two games, respectively, and relied on limiting their opponents to under 80 points per game.

Although the 76ers can't limit their opponents' scores so low in every game as the season progresses.

But in Larry Brown's opinion, there is nothing more fun than defeating opponents with this torture-king style of defense.

Um...

Um!

If there is anything more fun than this, then in Brown's mind...

It should be torturing the Raptors to death in this way, right?

...