Chapter 24

On the afternoon of the 24th, the Raptors flew to Boston with a 2-0 lead in the series.

On the same day, in the later Western Conference Finals Game 2, the Lakers were completely crushed by the Trail Blazers.

In the original timeline, Su Feng remembered that although the Lakers had the last laugh, the biggest point difference between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers in that series...

…was precisely in Game 2.

Moreover, it was the Trail Blazers who won.

However, compared to the 33-point rout in his memory, the Lakers lost even less "decently" in Game 2 in this life.

Because at least, in the original Game 2, O'Neal still had Kobe, who was 2-for-9 from the field, to rely on.

But this time...

Come and see, take a look, don't miss it when you pass by...

On the night of their arrival in Boston, Kobe, who was 1-for-16 from the field and only scored 8 points including free throws in Game 2 against the Trail Blazers, almost provided all the jokes for the Raptors.

And O'Neal, who was 5-for-20 from the free-throw line, made Big Ben raise his towering afro.

It must be said that the Trail Blazers' performance in Game 2 was simply a textbook example of how to play against the Lakers.

Throughout the game, including "The Roof of the World" Sabonis, the Trail Blazers had a total of four interior players foul out with six fouls.

Through fouls and physical battles, the Trail Blazers successfully minimized O'Neal's power at Staples Center.

In addition, Rasheed Wallace and other forwards also used their shooting range to torment the Lakers' defense.

Scottie Pippen played his best playoff game since the Bulls won the championship in the 97/98 season.

In that game, in addition to limiting Kobe's score to under 10 points, Pippen himself also had 23 points and 7 rebounds.

Obviously, Phil Jackson's team did not notice the danger level that this Trail Blazers team posed to the Lakers before the game.

And now, they needed to pay the price for their underestimation.

Because after winning against the Lakers on the road, the Trail Blazers had successfully regained home-court advantage.

However, although the Lakers' game brought unprecedented joy to the Raptors' players, in the early hours of the morning, listening to the "jazz" music suddenly playing outside the hotel window...

Su Feng, who was already asleep, had a familiar feeling.

In the NBA playoffs, it was not uncommon for away teams to have their mentality affected by the home team's fans...

However, compared to last year, this year the Boston fans were not only more professional in their organization, but they also used more advanced equipment in terms of creating noise pollution.

So on the 25th, considering that the players were generally sleep-deprived, Davis had to postpone the adaptation and recovery training originally scheduled for the morning to the afternoon.

However, in the afternoon, just as the Raptors' players were preparing to go to the arena for training, they received a notice from Boston that the arena was broken and they needed to go to the old arena for training.

In response, after exchanging a smile with the Celtics' staff, Davis didn't say much.

Because this trick...

He was very familiar with it.

He knew that the Celtics were going to renovate their home floor without even having to think about it.

…

On the 25th, after doing some shooting practice, because the condition of the old arena that the Celtics had provided to the Raptors was worrying, the Raptors had to end their training early and return to the hotel.

On the 26th, which was also the day of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Davis simply didn't wake up the players from their beds until the afternoon.

Playing on the road in Boston was a severe test for any team, so Davis had prepared the players psychologically before the team went to Boston.

However, even if Davis had exhausted his imagination, he would never have imagined that the gifts the Bostonians had prepared for them...

…were far more than that.

On the afternoon of the 26th, after the Raptors arrived at the North Shore Garden Arena, in addition to the traditional three things, renovating the floor, tightening the net, and loosening the rim, in the locker room, the Raptors' players were surprised to find...

…that the Celtics were planning not to even provide them with electricity.

Heh, electricity?

"F**k! Why is the water all cold?" Big Ben, who originally wanted to take a shower before the game, was shocked.

While eating a banana to replenish his energy, Su Feng calmly said to him, "Calm down, Ben.

If you really feel unbalanced, I suggest you think more about the Bulls of the 96/97 season."

Hearing this, Big Ben recalled the miserable Jordan and Pippen of that year in his mind, and his mood immediately improved a lot.

Easily clean up the Celtics?

Impossible.

With their hell-level home court, God knows how many times Su Feng's beloved little brother LeBron James would cry in the future.

Therefore, after learning about Davis's plan for this series, Su Feng chose to support him with both hands without even thinking about it.

Because no matter how difficult the Celtics' home court was, physical fitness was the Raptors' biggest advantage on an objective level.

And on the night of the 26th, just as D'Antoni and Rivers confidently believed that the Raptors had already stepped into the finals with one foot...

…amidst the Celtics' hoarse cheering, the process of this Game 3 once again confirmed what Davis had said at the end of Game 2.

In the first quarter, the Raptors, who failed to fully adapt to the court, saw Nash and McGrady commit turnovers while dribbling the ball, except for Su Feng, who had always been alert.

Because in the NBA's ancient river, no team had ever completed a comeback after falling behind 0-3, the Celtics, who were fighting with their backs against the wall, also showed their die-hard attitude in this game.

As a result, at the end of the first half, to the surprise of the experts once again, the Celtics, playing at home, had once led the Raptors by as many as 18 points.

And originally, D'Antoni and Rivers, who thought Davis was just saying it casually at the end of Game 2, were once again impressed by Davis's foresight.

"So John, what should we do now?"

During the halftime break, looking at Davis, who could always predict the enemy's moves, D'Antoni and Rivers asked sincerely.

And since his "Sleeping Dragon" and "Young Phoenix" had asked, Davis naturally generously and compassionately told the two his alternative plans for the game.

After the halftime break, in the third quarter, the Raptors repeatedly used three-pointers to narrow the gap between the two teams to around 10 points.

However, because the Raptors players had barely touched the ball in the past two days of rest, this wave of counterattack also came to an abrupt end in the second half of the third quarter as the Raptors players' touch declined.

And soon, the Celtics quickly widened their lead back to more than 15 points.

At the end of the third quarter, the score between the two teams was 69 to 84.

At this time, almost all the experts in North America agreed that the Celtics had locked in the victory of this game.

Because from the process of this game, the Raptors had no chance of a comeback except to hope for a miracle.

However, if miracles could always happen, then miracles could not be called miracles.

And coincidentally, Davis on the Raptors' side also believed that the Raptors were doomed to lose.

However, in the fourth quarter, when he noticed the Raptors' starting five, Auerbach, who had already begun planning for the fourth game between the two sides on the Celtics' bench, almost spat out a mouthful of old blood from his chest onto the Celtics' honor floor.

Battier, Thomas, Su Feng, Old Curry, Bogues.

Obviously, from the Raptors' lineup, the Raptors had already admitted the Celtics' victory on this night.

But...

With Su Feng still on the court, weren't the Celtics panicking?

Swish!

Swish!

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Su Feng, who had scored five points in a row, swaggered to the position where he had made the game-winning shot in Game 1, and then slowly spread his hands.

And under the boos of the entire arena, even if he knew that Davis's move was a conspiracy...

What could Auerbach do?

Having lost 0-2, the Celtics had no room for error.

Therefore, if Su Feng could really bring this broken lineup back to tie the score, then with the Raptors' other four main players, who would be fully rested at that time, could the Celtics really ensure that they would win this Game 3?

To put it bluntly, Davis wasn't playing the never-say-die trick at all...

He was purely trying to disgust people.

Because in fact, even if the Raptors brought back their full main lineup, they might not be able to play as well as Su Feng with these four role players.

However, under Su Feng's continued deterrence, the Celtics had to bring back their main players such as Duncan and Artest to the court.

And in this way, Davis's goal had been achieved.

That was to continue to give full play to Su Feng's advantage in this series.

As a result, Davis didn't substitute Su Feng off until there were 2 minutes and 03 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Because at this time, being behind the Celtics by 19 points, even Su Feng could not threaten the Celtics.

In the end, 91 to 107, the Celtics successfully won a game back on their home court.

Throughout the game, in addition to Su Feng, who scored 29 points, none of the Raptors' starting five scored in double figures.

Carter, who came off the bench, contributed the second-highest 18 points for the team, while Old Curry scored 17 points.

On the Celtics' side, Duncan still steadily scored a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds.

Marbury and Ray Allen scored 17 points and 8 assists and 19 points respectively.

After the game, as the winning side, Auerbach's expression was even more uncomfortable than the losing side.

And as the losing side, Davis smiled incomparably brightly.

"As a head coach, you not only have to see the game in front of you, but you also have to prepare for the next game in advance." In the away locker room, after the game, Davis continued to teach D'Antoni and Rivers.

After gathering his courage, Rivers asked in a low voice, "So John... are we still preparing for this series with the intensity of seven games?"

"Seven games? No... this series can only be played for a maximum of 6 games.

Didn't I say it before? We are destined to win." Davis said with a smile, holding Rivers's shoulder.

Hearing this, D'Antoni and Rivers completely couldn't understand what Davis was thinking on a daily basis...

Because at the end of Game 2, this guy wasn't saying this!

…

On the 29th, in Boston, the Raptors ushered in Game 4 against the Celtics.

In the two days before the start of this game, the Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers 106-95 in Portland in the Western Conference Finals on the other side.

Therefore, currently, the score of this year's Eastern and Western Conference Finals has become 2-1.

In the folks, the predictions of the major experts in North America can be said to have changed twice a day.

Because in Game 3, after the Celtics showed that they could also defeat the Raptors, many experts who had previously predicted that the Raptors would easily advance had begun to be optimistic that the Celtics would be able to complete a comeback after falling behind 0-2.

But...

Game 4 between the Raptors and the Celtics once again disappointed these experts.

In the first quarter, the Celtics and the Raptors seemed to be competing to see who could give the opponent more opportunities.

Not only did the players on both teams frequently commit turnovers, but the rims on both sides also enjoyed the most top-notch massage service.

As for the reason...

In Su Feng's opinion, it should be related to the Celtics temporarily adjusting the position of their honor floor before this game.

Because as early as when he was playing Minesweeper during the pre-game warm-up, Su Feng discovered that the position of the honor floor in the North Shore Garden Arena was very different from the first game.

However, for the Raptors, Su Feng felt that such a change had almost no impact.

Because if they wanted to adapt to such a game environment in a short period of time, no one on the Raptors' side could do it except for him.

Even with his reminder, it would be difficult for the Raptors' players to avoid making mistakes in the intense game.

Therefore, Su Feng didn't understand why Auerbach would come up with such a dim move that was unfavorable to his own side.

After all, after temporarily adjusting the position of the home court's honor floor, the Celtics' players also experienced discomfort.

As a result...

On this night of the 29th, the Raptors and the Celtics once played a scene that made fans want to fall asleep.

In response, although the always humble Su Feng didn't know why the Celtics would make such a dim move, Davis was very clear about why Auerbach would temporarily adjust the position of the Celtics' home court honor floor.

"Last year plus this year... they have been scared by Su."

After patting D'Antoni and Rivers on the shoulders, Davis said with a smile.

Facts proved that great players, in addition to being able to restrain their opponents on the court, could also always make their opponents lose sight of each other off the court.

In Game 3, even the most fanatical Celtics fans didn't dare to celebrate in advance until Su Feng was substituted off.

And this was what Su Feng had accumulated bit by bit in the past two seasons...

————Dominance!

Just like when Michael Jordan was at his peak, any young man who dared to provoke Jordan would be immediately substituted off by the head coach.

Because they were afraid of Su Feng's performance, which was unaffected by the Celtics' home court honor floor in Game 3, the Celtics came up with this dim move of killing one thousand enemies and losing eight hundred of their own men in Game 4.

In Su Feng's previous life, in the Cavaliers-Warriors battles, the Cavaliers' strategy of eating, sleeping, and playing Curry was precisely because Curry successfully defended several times later that it was cracked.

Basketball games, especially the more intense and exciting playoffs, psychological warfare and gamesmanship, are also key factors that can determine the outcome of the game.

And it was obvious...

The current Su Feng had already become the Celtics' inner demon.

In the first half, amidst the melodious sound of iron being struck by both teams, the Raptors led 41-38.

In the third quarter, as Duncan's physical strength gradually declined, the Celtics, who lost their stable scoring guarantee, quickly lost the initiative in Game 4.

In the fourth quarter, Davis's investment in the substitutes also paid off.

Because they had more playing time than the Celtics' role players, Old Curry, who had been maintaining a good state, became the Raptors' x-factor in the fourth quarter.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

In this game, 12 of the 15 points contributed by Old Curry were scored in the fourth quarter.

And because the touch of both teams in this game was generally poor, after these 4 three-pointers from Old Curry, the Raptors had almost locked in the victory.

In the end, after the Celtics tried hard to chase points to no avail, the Raptors successfully took their series point in this Eastern Conference Finals on the road with a score of 94-83!

Now, they were leading with a score of 3-1.

Throughout the game, Su Feng scored the highest 30 points for both teams, plus 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, and 1 assist.

On the Celtics' side, although they fought to the last moment, Duncan, whose gas tank was about to run out, could not change the Celtics' losing situation even though he scored 26 points and 13 rebounds.

However, after the game, Rivers and D'Antoni on the Raptors' bench felt that they were going to be played to death by Davis.

Because just as the two were excitedly celebrating that the Raptors had taken the series point in this series, Davis said worriedly that the Raptors' next game would be difficult...

Ah, no!

John, are you doing this on purpose?

Can't you just let us pat you on the butt?

And it was worth mentioning that Su Feng also contributed a brand new term at the press conference.

Because in this game, Su Feng and Old Curry's touch could be said to be the best in the game, so Su Feng also used the sound of "Splash" to describe his and Old Curry's shooting.

"Although Dell and I have only worked together for less than two years, in my opinion, Dell and I are the most accurate perimeter combination in NBA history.

So in the future, please call us the 'Splash Brothers'!" Su Feng said to the media with a smile while patting his good brother Old Curry's shoulder.

And for being able to have his name alongside Su Feng's, on this night, the young Old Curry smiled especially happily.

But...

Where could Dell Curry have imagined that Su Feng seemed to be praising him, but was actually trying to trick his son?

Heh...

Stephen, you don't think that your Uncle Su is such an unforgiving person, do you?

Wake up...

See, your dad and I are brothers!

So in the future, no matter what Splash Brothers, Haier Brothers, or Wave Brothers you form with others, in front of your Uncle Su, you have to call me Uncle!

…

ps: After writing this chapter, I suddenly felt that Su Feng was such a dog...