Chapter 1 Fatigue

Fatigue!

Fatigue!

Fatigue!

Air Canada Centre. Looking at the timer that was about to hit zero, the final score of 102 to 103, and the shimmering [Nirvana] badge in his mind...

While enjoying the cheers of nearly 20,000 fans at the scene, Su Feng vaguely couldn't remember the last time he felt so physically drained.

Oh, right...

It seemed to be when he stayed up all night with Britney Spears learning English a month ago.

It is said that those who change the timeline without authorization will inevitably suffer punishment from the timeline...

Undoubtedly, on the night of May 21st, Su Feng, who had completely changed the face of the entire NBA, had tasted the "bitter fruit" he had personally planted for the first time.

However, for Su Feng, who had rich experience in getting beaten...

This kind of "bitter fruit"...

You know what? He actually quite liked it.

On the court, after Su Feng delivered that fatal blow to the Celtics, the Celtics players, who failed to create a miracle that night, were not in high spirits.

Including Duncan, most of the Celtics players chose to leave the court silently.

On the Raptors' bench, after the coaches of the two teams shook hands and embraced after the game, and Celtics coach Miller Karl "retaliated" by squeezing his hands red, Davis, shaking the fat on his face, was more relaxed than ever before.

Especially after exchanging a smile with Su Feng, who had just finished celebrating the victory with his teammates.

"Now, we are already invincible in this series."

Clenching his fists and looking up at the Air Canada Centre dome with the 98/99 season championship banner hanging from it, Davis thought silently.

To be honest...

It was fortunate that Davis was just thinking about it in his heart at this moment. Otherwise, if his words were heard, everyone would think he was crazy.

After all, the Raptors had just barely won Game 1 of the series, but at this moment, Davis seemed to have already determined that the Raptors had locked in this year's Finals ticket.

...

After the game between the Celtics and the Raptors, Duncan, who had 39 points and 20 rebounds, and Su Feng, who had 44 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, became the objects of reporters' scrambling interviews at the press conference.

And Duncan also dropped a golden quote during the interview.

"Su overturned everything I learned in textbooks about physics. I think we can only ask a witch to deal with him now."

Many years later, Duncan's evaluation of Su Feng was translated by many Rabbit Country netizens into: only magic can fight against magic.

And Su Feng said in an interview that compared to someone who only knows how to canvass votes all day long,

"Take a good look at him! I remember someone throwing several air balls in his first playoff game, right?"

"Beep, beep, beep!"

Los Angeles, after Kobe rushed back to his home in a fit of anger, Vanessa almost thought Kobe had been robbed on the way home when she saw her fiancé.

On the other side, after successfully piercing Kobe's fragile heart, Su Feng turned around and said to Yao, who was playing PS with him, "Allen told me today that he's coming to Toronto tomorrow."

Allen?

Allen Iverson?

For the young Yao, although he had seen Feng Ge's terrifying connections more than once, when he learned that his teammate for next season, that is, the 76ers' current boss, Iverson, was coming to Toronto, the young Yao was still a little nervous.

"He treated me to dinner when I had a tryout in Philadelphia," Yao said while controlling the controller and beating Su Feng's character on the TV screen.

"Well, he said he came to Toronto this time because he wanted to see you again." After being KO'd by Yao again, Su Feng said.

If Su Feng remembered correctly, in the original timeline, Yao Ming and Iverson had always had a good private relationship.

Because the two belonged to the Reebok camp, there was even a famous scene when Yao Ming participated in the All-Star Game in the future where Kobe gave Yao Ming a shoulder massage, Iverson cheered Yao Ming on, and Duncan let Yao Ming jump for the ball.

In addition, when Yao Ming was inducted into the Hall of Fame, his complaints about Iverson also showed that the relationship between the two was extraordinary.

However, in this life, the reason why Iverson has a good impression of the young Yao...

Then Su Feng really has to stand up and "take the blame."

Because of the friendship of fighting side by side with Su Feng in his early years, Iverson is particularly concerned about Yao, who will be joining the Philadelphia Thugs (Note 1) next season.

In addition, Yao's honest and simple face and tall stature gave Iverson an unprecedented sense of security when he first met him...

Therefore, Su Feng has never been too worried about whether Yao can successfully integrate into the Philadelphia Thugs.

He even already automatically envisioned the scene of "Boss Ai" in his mind even though this Yao hadn't played an NBA game yet.

See, isn't Iverson running to Toronto to personally visit his lovely giant partner?

It's just that, in the young Yao's view, Iverson's visit to Toronto this time was not just to visit him.

Because as early as the last time he had dinner with Iverson, Yao had discovered from Iverson's words and deeds the brotherhood between Iverson and Su Feng that transcended national borders.

...

On the 23rd, according to the Eastern Conference Finals schedule, the Raptors will usher in their second battle with the Celtics tonight.

In the morning, during the coaching staff's internal war meeting, the young D'Antoni was once again given a lesson by Davis.

At that time, D'Antoni presented Davis with a 33-page report on the problems exposed by the Raptors in Game 1.

However, who would have thought that Davis not only discerned everything before D'Antoni did...

And he boldly proposed the conjecture that the Raptors had basically locked in the victory of this Eastern Conference Finals.

"John, I don't mean to offend you, but..." Looking at the confident Davis, D'Antoni always felt that Davis was too optimistic.

"But? There's no 'but,' Mike.

Unless it's the end of the world, we're destined to win this series." Patting D'Antoni on the shoulder, Davis said confidently.

As the saying goes, strategically despise the opponent while tactically taking them seriously.

In fact, as the controller of this Raptors team, how could Davis not know that the overall strength of this year's Celtics was no less than that of the Raptors after fighting a tough Game 1 with the Celtics?

First of all, after Game 1, compared to last year, this Celtics team, which paid more attention to three-pointers, not only fully utilized Ray Allen's ability to create space for players such as Duncan and Marbury in the game;

Secondly, Duncan's absolute advantage when facing O'Neal and Big Ben was also fully revealed.

In the regular season, McGrady, who was selected for the All-Defensive Second Team this year, had exposed the weakness of having too high a center of gravity when facing guards like Francis who were good at penetration.

Therefore, it can be said that throughout Game 1, the Raptors were being suppressed by the Celtics tactically.

As a famous coach of the next generation who grew up under Su Feng's painstaking cultivation, Davis's greatest advantage is that he is good at learning.

Therefore, not long after Game 1, Davis had already found a good strategy to break the situation from the problems exposed by the Raptors.

Moreover, in Davis's view, the Raptors' tactics in Game 1 were not entirely useless.

Because after this Game 1 with the Celtics, it can even be said that even if the Raptors lost Game 1, they would win the most critical and valuable thing in this series...

--Stamina.

In the entire Game 1, except for Su Feng, who played for 48 minutes, players such as Carmackbone all played for about 30 minutes.

In contrast, the Celtics, who had just fought a fierce six-game series with the Pacers, had players such as Duncan, Marbury, and Ray Allen playing for more than 40 minutes each in order to maintain pressure on the Raptors throughout the game.

Although Auerbach had learned his lesson from last year's failure, just like Davis said to D'Antoni in Game 1...

Su Feng is the Raptors' real advantage when facing the Celtics.

Therefore, the further this series goes, the more beneficial the result will only be for the Raptors.

This is also the most stable way that Davis thought of after watching the first quarter of Game 1 to get a ticket to the Finals.

In Su Feng's previous life, whether it was in the series with the Thunder or the series with the Rockets, Steve Kerr had never wavered in his belief in using a nine-to-ten-man rotation, because Kerr knew the importance of stamina in a series.

Unlike the NCAA, because the NBA series is a long contest, the loss and passivity of one or two games will not greatly affect the final outcome of a series.

Compared to the Philadelphia Thugs, who needed to upset the odds back then, the current Raptors have long since turned from dragon slayers into evil dragons.

Therefore, avoiding accidents in this series is the key that Davis needs to consider when playing against Auerbach.

"In Game 2, I plan to let Steve start and let Vince play as a substitute. Do you have any objections?"

In the war room, looking at his "Sleeping Dragon" and "Phoenix Chick", Davis said calmly.

Hearing this, D'Antoni and Rivers did not raise any objections after looking at each other for a few seconds.

"Vince's defensive efficiency against Ray is far less than Tracy's.

In addition, in Game 1, neither Tracy nor Steve could limit Stephen's performance.

So, in my opinion, letting Vince play as a substitute can not only further increase our offensive firepower in the substitute lineup, but also limit the Celtics' personnel rotation."

Although the "Sleeping Dragon" and "Phoenix Chick" did not question his formation, as a wise "Lord", Davis still explained his tactical intentions to them.

After listening to Davis's intentions, both D'Antoni and Rivers felt that letting Carter play as a substitute was a brilliant move.

Because in Game 1, Ray Allen's ghostly movement made the Raptors extremely annoyed when dealing with him.

But there is only one Su Feng.

Therefore, letting the more defensive McGrady guard Ray Allen is indeed wonderful.

"That's great. In this way, when Carter is responsible for leading the substitutes, we can let Su return to the bench to rest. I have to say, John, this small change in personnel has immediately made our situation clearer."

In the war room, after listening to Davis's strategy to break the situation, Rivers flattered him immediately.

However, Rivers' flattery was destined to be in vain.

Because...

Who said that Davis was considering letting Su Feng rest?

This morning, after meeting Su Feng, Davis had already confirmed that Su Feng's stamina had recovered at least 99%.

So let Su Feng rest?

That doesn't exist...

"But, if you don't let Su rest, I'm worried..." Looking at Davis, who kept shaking his head, Rivers, who was trying to prove himself in front of D'Antoni, gave his opinion.

However, before he could finish speaking, Davis waved his hand to interrupt him.

"I know what you're worried about, but that situation will no longer happen, because the playoffs are not a one-game system."

For Davis, who relied on Su Feng's stamina to complete the Black Eight Bulls miracle back then, he knew very well that in terms of the speed of stamina recovery, in the current league, only the No. 8 in Los Angeles could barely compete with Su Feng.

Therefore, after Game 1, Davis did not intend to change his thinking on how to use Su Feng.

In addition, in Davis's view, one Carter is not enough to make Auerbach change his personnel rotation like in Game 1.

But, add a Su Feng...

Then the situation will be completely different.

This is also the reason why Davis firmly believes that the Raptors have already booked their tickets to the Finals in advance.

Because the further this playoff series goes, it is destined to be a case of one side growing stronger while the other grows weaker.

However, after Davis finished saying all his thoughts, D'Antoni and Rivers felt that Davis seemed to have missed something...

"Don't worry, Tim in Game 1 was just an exception.

No matter how good a player is, it is impossible for him to perform like that in every game." Looking at D'Antoni and Rivers, Davis smiled.

"Moreover, they have Tim, don't we also have Su?" After a pause, Davis added.

At this point, D'Antoni and Rivers were completely kneeling before Davis's tactics.

But...

Will everything really go as smoothly as Davis expected?

...

The evening of the 23rd, Air Canada Centre, Toronto.

Looking at his cousin who appeared in the starting lineup tonight, Carter on the Raptors' bench never expected that as Emperor Feng's right-hand man, he would actually be arranged to be a water dispenser manager one day.

On the sidelines, Iverson, who was chatting happily with the young Yao, also became a scene that cameramen actively captured.

After all, in the media now, many American experts are questioning whether Philadelphia dares to use their No. 1 pick to bet on this Chinese giant.

In front of the TV, because Game 1 between the Celtics and the Raptors caused great attention, many fans were looking forward to Game 2 being as exciting as Game 1.

As soon as the first quarter of the game started, the two teams' fierce competition for every inch of land reminded people of the classic battle on the 21st.

But in the second quarter, as Carter came on, the situation quietly underwent a completely different change from Game 1.

Compared to the first game, in the second quarter, Su Feng, who was heavily besieged by the Celtics, left the stage he had carefully built for his right-hand man.

In the first six minutes of the second quarter, Carter scored 12 points and 4 rebounds.

Although Auerbach regained the Celtics' main force at a critical moment, just as Davis had predicted, the Celtics' main players had shown signs of fatigue after being further depleted by the Raptors in Game 1.

For the playoffs, which require more movement and consumption, sports experts with authority have estimated that it takes at least 3 to 4 days for a team to return to its peak state.

Therefore, the Raptors, who adopted a mix of main force and substitutes in both the first and second games, may lose one or two games in this series because of their decision, but relatively, they also gained a stamina advantage far greater than that of the Celtics.

At the end of the first half, what made the Celtics fans desperate was that the Raptors had expanded their lead to more than 10 points.

At the end of the first half, the score between the two teams was 45 to 57.

On TNT TV, Smith said while reviewing the first half of the game: "In fact, the Raptors are just playing to their normal level."

In the third quarter, due to the decline in stamina, the Celtics' speed in retreating defense further decreased.

The Raptors seized the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and launched a wave of attacks, scoring a single-quarter score of 18 to 30 in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Celtics withdrew their main force early.

The experienced Auerbach knew that the Celtics' pre-match strategy of trying to win back home-court advantage in Toronto had completely failed.

Instead of being further tortured by the Raptors, it was better to preserve the Celtics' last hope.

In the end, the Celtics failed to play to the level of Game 1, which disappointed neutral fans, while the Raptors' supporters were happy that they were now leading 2-0.

Throughout the game, Su Feng and Duncan scored 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists and 21 points and 11 rebounds respectively.

Carter, who came off the bench, played his best game since this year's playoffs.

After the game, before accepting the interview, Carter, who scored 34 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists, looked at his cousin with a puzzled expression and said: "Tracy, am I more suitable for playing as a substitute?"

Looking at his lovely cousin...

McGrady always felt that Carter would definitely be tricked to death by Su Feng in the future.

Oh, my dear cousin, this is the difference between you and me.

Anyway, we are all wage earners working for capitalists...

After this season, I will go to start my own business and become the number one wage earner.

As for you?

Just be an obedient tool for Emperor Feng!

Toronto, after the Raptors took a 2-0 lead, the North American experts who believed that the Celtics had a chance to beat the Raptors at the end of Game 1 turned their pens one after another.

In the words of these experts, it is only a matter of time before the Raptors advance to the Finals.

Just as Rivers and D'Antoni were preparing to flatter Davis...

Compared with his pre-game confidence, Davis said with concern after this game: "Let's still prepare to play seven games with the Celtics!"

Rivers, D'Antoni: "..."

Ah no...

Coach, how can you be so unpredictable?

How can your face change faster than flipping a book?

"What? You want me to treat you to champagne? I'm telling you, Allen, don't even think about it!"

On the other side, after hearing Iverson ask him to treat him to champagne after the game, Su Feng immediately became anxious.

What a joke!

The Raptors are about to be eliminated by the Celtics...

And you still want me to celebrate in advance?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

As a loyal reader of The Art of Stability, Su Feng would never let the story of Istanbul happen to him, even if he died.

However, there was no champagne, but in Su Feng's view, a midnight snack was still possible.

Touching Iverson's cornrows, feeling the feeling that he hadn't felt for a long time...

At this moment, the scene of the Philadelphia Twin Stars being in the same frame was like a huge irony.

Fortunately, next to these two people, the young Yao also brought hope for the coming year to the people of Pennsylvania who were in despair.

The NBA playoffs are still going on.

In Philadelphia, on the morning of the 24th, after some deliberation, Pat Klaus picked up the phone in his hand.

"Mr. Rick, if possible, can you please consider us before renewing your contract with Detroit?"

...

ps: Note 1: Because someone was ganked, I will use Philadelphia Thugs to replace Philadelphia x people in my book in the future.

ps2: 6000-word chapter delivered~!