The day after the Raptors took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Celtics, the American media once again displayed their traditional talent, which was...

...flip-flopping.

Before, after Game 3 between the Raptors and Celtics, the American media had headlines like, "Glory Will Be Restored, Watch How the Celtics Overthrow the Raptors' Reign."

But now...

Almost all headlines read something like, "The King of Toronto is Leading His 'Invincible Fleet' Home."

According to the schedule, Game 5 between the Raptors and Celtics would be played on the 31st in Toronto.

With only one day between Game 5 and Game 4, it seemed that the Raptors securing their spot in the Finals was a foregone conclusion...

On the 30th, as Su Feng and the team returned to Toronto to prepare for Game 5 against the Celtics, in the West, relying on the steady performance of the "OK" duo in Game 4 against the Trail Blazers, the Lakers swept away the slump they experienced in Game 2. After winning two consecutive games in Portland, they also took a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference Finals series.

Online, more and more American fans were already talking about the upcoming Finals.

After all, if the situation continued to develop in this way, then a rematch between the Raptors and Lakers in the Finals for the second consecutive year was the focus of attention.

However, on the 31st...

At the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the young Rivers and D'Antoni could never have imagined that the progress of this Eastern Conference Finals series between the Raptors and Celtics would once again unfold as Davis predicted...

In Game 5, the Celtics, having completely lost home-court advantage, showed their tenacity in Canada.

With no way out, they not only played more relaxed on the offensive end than the Raptors, but also put on their best defensive performance of the series so far.

In fact, according to the strategy Davis formulated for this series, the Raptors were already objectively in an invincible position.

However, the reason why Davis believed that this series was not over after Game 4 was because he knew very well that with the team leading the Celtics 3-1, it was still not easy for the Raptors to deliver a fatal blow to this Celtics team, who were full of ambition.

In short, even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

In the first quarter, led by Su Feng, the Raptors, who fell into a "shooting slump," were immediately beaten 30-19 by the Celtics.

And in the second quarter, although the Raptors recovered some points, the Celtics still entered the second half with a 56-51 lead.

In the most competitive second half, the Celtics, unwilling to be eliminated, launched a wave of three-pointers from the outside, led by Ray Allen and Marbury.

As a result, relying on the 10-point advantage they regained in the third quarter, the Celtics once again gave their fans hope of a comeback.

In the end, 106-96, the Celtics successfully won Game 5 against the Raptors. With the next game, Game 6, between the two teams returning to Boston, the probability of the Celtics dragging the Raptors into a decisive game undoubtedly greatly increased.

It is worth mentioning that immediately after the end of this game, Rivers and D'Antoni both turned their attention to Davis.

The great prophet John, what kind of prophecy are you going to make now?

"Don't worry too much. Although we're on the road for the next game, the initiative is still in our hands," Davis said to his "Sleeping Dragon" and "Phoenix Chick" after the somewhat disappointing Game 5.

Hearing this, believe it or not...

Rivers and D'Antoni felt like the Raptors could already pop the champagne...

...

Looking back at the first five games of this year's Eastern Conference Finals, it must be said that the fighting power displayed by this young Celtics team has made Su Feng deeply feel the horror of this era that he personally guided towards rampaging...

If Su Feng could still enjoy the benefits of being a "time traveler" when the Black Eight eliminated Jordan and his Bulls that year...

Then this time, in this series against the Celtics, in Su Feng's view, the tactics played by the two teams in the first five games have completely surpassed this era.

Don't look at how the NBA more than ten years from now in Su Feng's original timeline seems to be no different from the current NBA...

But in fact, there are completely different distinctions between the two in terms of the concept of using three-pointers and the use of court space.

It's as if, before the start of World War II, the French were still fantasizing that they could use the Maginot Line and trenches to stop the German offensive.

At that time, the French's tactical thinking clearly did not keep up with the development of weapons and equipment.

And the NBA is roughly the same.

Because although the current rules impose certain restrictions on some tactics, such as three-pointers, in reality, for the shooters of this era, what prevents them from playing wildly is not entirely the rules.

Take "Mid-Range King" Allan Houston as an example.

A player who can consistently deliver a mid-range shooting percentage of over 45% under the defense of the HC rules, and who has shot at a 40% percentage in multiple seasons, does the HC rule really have a greater impact on him than Van Gundy forcing him to shoot three-pointers with his foot on the line?

The answer is obvious.

In this life, after the Raptors won the championship last season, Su Feng's appearance had the greatest impact on this era because...

The Raptors successfully shortened the process that these NBA coaches originally needed to spend a lot of time on to accumulate.

Therefore, there appeared this season's Celtics, copying the Raptors' core tactics while fighting against the Raptors.

However, no matter how terrible the future may be...

Grasping the present is still the top priority for Su Feng.

Anyway...

Bring soldiers to block, use water to dam.

In this timeline where Kobe has become "Magic," Su Feng knows very well that he can only forge a bloody path if he is "strong enough to take the hits."

...

On the 1st, the Raptors, who were dragged into Game 6 by the Celtics, arrived in Boston again.

On the same day, a scene that stunned Su Feng happened.

Because in Los Angeles...

Kobe, who had been repeatedly suppressed by old Pippen in previous games...

"Damn it, is this really the Kobe I know?"

In the hotel room, Su Ka Mai and others, who had previously used Kobe's performance in this Western Conference Finals series as a daily joke, almost tacitly turned off their phones at the first moment.

You might not believe it...

On the night of the 1st, "Magic" was playing at Staples wearing No. 8.

In Game 5 against the Trail Blazers, with O'Neal deeply trapped in the Trail Blazers' group of meat shields, Kobe became the key figure in changing the game.

If Su Feng remembered correctly, according to the script in his previous life, the Trail Blazers should have won the next two games and pushed the Lakers to the brink in Game 7.

However...

Under Kobe's leadership, the Lakers' CBA teammates around O'Neal ushered in a big explosion in this game.

In this game, the Lakers made a total of 12 three-pointers.

Under Kobe's internal and external connections, the Lakers, who had been passive, launched a 15-2 attack in the fourth quarter.

Benefiting from the Lakers' excellent performance on the outside, O'Neal also successfully got liberated at the end of the game.

In the end, 97-105, the Lakers killed this series in Game 5.

Kobe, who contributed 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists in the game, received high praise from Phil Jackson after the game, who believed that his understanding of basketball was no less than Jordan's.

"Recently, many people have been saying that if the Lakers had chosen Su instead of Kobe back then, maybe I would have won the championship a long time ago.

But I still want to say that, in my opinion, Kobe is far stronger than Su."

In addition, in an interview after the game, O'Neal, who has worn the Western Conference championship hat for two consecutive years, also connected remotely with Su Feng.

Honestly speaking...

Su Feng couldn't quite accept the fact that the Lakers entered the Finals before the Raptors.

Because Kobe in this life...

Is simply unbelievably stubborn!

No...

Why didn't you stay the History Iron King, and instead ran to learn from "Magic"...

Damn, that has no future!

"This world is too magical."

After the Lakers advanced to the Finals first, Su Feng, who turned off the TV and lay on the bed, couldn't calm down for a long time.

...

On the 2nd, after the Lakers secured their ticket to the Finals, the pressure was now on the Raptors' side.

In the evening, at the TD Garden, while the team was warming up before the game, for some reason, young Nash always felt that there were three Saiyans standing next to him.

Su Feng, Carter, and McGrady...

Although he couldn't see or touch them, whenever Nash tried to get close to these three, he could feel the terrible heat emanating from them.

Facts have proved that the way of heaven is good for reincarnation, and the heavens spare no one.

Early this morning, the three people who had just turned on their phones saw the message that Kobe had sent them last night.

Then...

There was no then.

The Su Ka Mai trio, who had been ridiculed, almost instantly turned on Saiyan mode.

"The importance of tonight's game should be self-evident, right?" On the court, Su Feng said seriously with his left arm around McGrady and his right arm around Carter.

Hearing this, Carter and McGrady nodded and clenched their fists.

At 8 p.m., this Eastern Conference Finals Game 6 was about to begin.

As a result...

Rivers and D'Antoni felt that they were not only not surprised, but they even wanted to laugh a little.

Because...

As Davis had predicted, the Celtics, who were already at the end of their rope, couldn't stop the Raptors from advancing in this game.

However...

What puzzled D'Antoni and Rivers was that it should have been more advantageous for the Raptors to be playing at home in Game 5, but why was Davis's judgment of the game situation so different?

On the Raptors' bench, after the Raptors had established a 20-point lead in the first three quarters, Davis patted D'Antoni and Rivers on the shoulders and smiled, "Gentlemen, I think we can open the champagne now."

In fact, the reason why Davis had different judgments about this series after each game was not because he could predict the future.

It was precisely because he couldn't predict the future that he made such judgments.

After the two teams' Game 1, because the Raptors won in a tactically passive situation, Davis firmly believed that in the next game, after he made changes to the Raptors' tactics against the Celtics, the Raptors would regain control of this series.

However, after Game 2, although the Raptors were leading 2-0 at the time, conversely, Auerbach's "sacrificial wrist" also made Davis feel the horror of this "Red Auerbach."

In addition, coupled with Boston's long-standing home court, Davis believed that this series was far from over.

However, this situation changed with Game 3, as Su Feng further exhausted the Celtics' physical strength, and Davis believed that the Raptors' physical strength would help them gain the upper hand in this series in the short term.

As a result, the Celtics' complete collapse in the fourth game undoubtedly confirmed Davis's judgment of this series.

However, before Game 5, because he knew that the upper limit of this Celtics team was also very high, Davis knew very well that once the Raptors were eager to achieve results in the game, they could easily be seized by the Celtics, who would seize the opportunity to win back a game in desperation.

But overall, even if the Celtics won back a game in Game 5, they could not change the fact that they were at the end of their rope in this series.

Therefore...

In Davis's view, where was he great in this series?

"Without Su, the situation we face would be very different." On the court, in the fourth quarter, after the Celtics withdrew their main players, Davis murmured with emotion.

At TD Garden, the Raptors ultimately won this game 109-91.

At the same time, they also successfully entered the final Finals for two consecutive years with a score of 4-2.

In the game, Su Feng had 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

McGrady had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Carter, who came off the bench, contributed 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

In the fourth quarter, when he was replaced, the young Duncan covered the top of his head with a towel without saying a word.

And Auerbach, after sighing, also looked at the Raptors' bench.

Perhaps, in the eyes of others, the Celtics had many opportunities to reverse the Raptors in this series.

But as the actual commander of the Celtics in this series, Auerbach was very clear...

Perhaps if they played a hundred more times, the score of this series would change.

But the end result, the Celtics would find it difficult to shake.

Because Davis in this series...

From beginning to end, he never thought about fighting Auerbach.

He chose an almost unsolvable tactic.

"Come back next year." Patting his disciple Miller Karl on the shoulder, Auerbach sighed regretfully.

...