Tsk!

So, is that why Riley, that perverted old man, and I get along so well?

In these past two days, under Riley's training, even my already maxed-out defensive ability has shown signs of breaking through.

"Too bad, I wish there were 48 hours in a day!"

In my opinion, I'm only limited by time.

Otherwise, after the new season starts...

I'll make those judges who blackmailed me out of the Defensive Player of the Year award in the past few years see what "grind king"-level defense is all about!

But never mind.

After all, I'm not the petty type.

And since I already won the DPOY once early in my career, I'm more concerned with how to dive deeper into the sewer.

As everyone knows, on the basketball court, once your ability reaches a certain level, the impact you can have on the game is limited.

For example, statistically speaking, Tracy McGrady, with D'Antoni's help, is already heading down the sewer, and last season he put up gorgeous numbers that were no less impressive than mine.

And from a practical standpoint, if Kobe re-installs his passing key and activates "God Mode," he can essentially do everything I can do on the court.

This has nothing to do with how strong I am.

Because even if Shaq is strong, he only won four championships in my memory.

Since an NBA game is only 48 minutes long and players have limited stamina, even Jordan in the late stages of his career would try to trick Pippen into helping him farm monsters when he could.

So, after leaving the Raptors and their powerful supporting cast, I know that if I want to lead the Heat to rise, the first thing I need to learn is how to control my teammates.

That is, by drawing attention, by using my ability to attract double-teams, to drive my teammates' performance and fully tap into their potential.

In my previous life, Jordan during the second three-peat was the classic example.

Because fans who watched the Bulls' games back then should know that during the Bulls' second three-peat, Jordan's greatest role on the court was as a "buff monster" for his teammates.

Unless Pippen couldn't handle it anymore...

That's when Jordan would pick up his blade and cut down one kid after another.

So, if we're talking about absolute peak, Jordan during the second three-peat definitely wasn't his theoretical peak.

But in terms of realm, it was definitely when he was most dominant on the court.

And now, besides continuing to improve my own strength...

How to improve my realm has become my main goal for the next stage.

...

At the end of September, after the Heat had gathered for half a month, Riley announced his rotation plan to the team before the start of the new season's preseason games.

In the NBA, in order for players to understand their roles on the court, coaches usually announce their regular-time rotation chart to the players before the start of the new season.

Of course, in some games, coaches will also make adjustments based on their needs.

And that day, when I learned that Riley had only arranged for me to play 40 minutes per game in the 03/04 season...

I immediately felt like I was being underestimated.

"Pat... don't arrange for me to rest. Just carry me off the court after I die!" I said to Riley, word by word.

Hearing this, Riley looked at my determined eyes...

Although he really wanted to agree to my suggestion, he really couldn't bear to treat me as harshly as that bastard John Davis did.

"Pat, I came to Miami to create glory with you.

Could it be that in your eyes, I'm a sissy player?" I said sincerely, holding Riley's hands.

And now...

Believe it or not, Riley almost cried.

Look, what is a superstar? What is the league's number one player?

Patting my sturdy shoulder, Riley, deeply moved, paused before saying, "Alright, I'll have you play the entire first three quarters in the new season...

But I still need to have you rest for the first four to six minutes of the fourth quarter.

After all, this is also to give you more energy to finish the game."

In the training hall, I nodded at Riley's final suggestion.

As a "veteran" about to start his eighth season, I knew that I needed to rest appropriately.

So, after exchanging a smile with Riley, I immediately threw myself into a special training plan that involved running ten thousand meters with Odom.

At this moment...

Butler's eyes instantly lost their light.

Because...

After understanding the gap between himself and me these past few days, Butler had already prepared himself to be a substitute before the start of the new season.

However, based on the amount of playing time Riley agreed to give me, Butler felt that he wouldn't have any chance next season.

Damn it!

He was at least a player who averaged over 15 points last season. If he was only allowed to play a few minutes each game, he might as well die!

However...

As Riley readjusted the Heat's new season rotation plan, Butler quickly became dumbfounded.

According to Riley's plan, the Heat would start the new season with Miličić, Odom, me, Butler, and Alston as the regular starters.

Ginobili would be arranged as the team's sixth man.

In addition, Ginobili's playing time wouldn't mainly come at the expense of Butler's.

Because as a tactical genius, Alston was himself a pseudo-starter in Riley's tactics.

So in reality, when Ginobili played, he would mainly take up the point guard's playing time.

Korver was Butler's real substitute.

Although, like in my memory, Korver's defense was basically equivalent to Nash's at the point guard position, Riley, who "absolutely hated three-pointers," saw his terrifying shooting potential.

Well...

Don't be surprised.

Compared to other coaches who said one thing but did another, Riley was actually the crazy one in the league.

Because as early as the 96/97 season, Riley's Heat had attempted an average of 22+ three-pointers per game.

So these past two days, whenever I practiced long-range three-pointers in the training hall...

Even though he kept cursing in his heart, Riley said, "Good shot!"

...

In Miami, I, who had been inseparable from Riley recently, was constantly refreshing the Heat assistant coaches' understanding of human limits.

And in San Antonio...

After "Happy African Mountain" suddenly remembered that he should make another push for a championship at the end of his career...

In Philadelphia, Rick Carlisle, with the mid-level exception, immediately brought someone to his door to find him.

In the 02/03 season, Mutombo, who was in much worse shape than before, only managed to score 7.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.

Since Mutombo turned "37" years old in June of this year.

So this summer, on the issue of Mutombo's contract renewal, Popovich preferred to sign him for one year at a time.

Only...

Popovich, who was still arguing with Mutombo's agent, could never have imagined that this "African Mountain," who had been enjoying the joy of basketball since the "Atlanta Fairy Tale," would suddenly regain the passion of his youth?

"Come to Philadelphia! Yao needs a mentor, and you will be an important member of our championship journey!" Carlisle said affectionately to Mutombo that day, knowing that Yao Ming needed a solid backup.

Hearing this, Mutombo chatted with Carlisle for several hours, and soon, he was attracted by the new season's 76ers lineup that Carlisle had constructed.

At the end of my career...

Should I assist that little brother from the East?

As early as when Yao Ming landed in the NBA and played against him, Mutombo became one of the "Yao fans" in this league.

Because in a game against the 76ers, after he blocked Little Yao on the court...

Facing his finger-wagging, this little giant from the East was not angry, but smiled and shouted "Tomato" at him.

Interesting!

In Mutombo's opinion, he hadn't seen such an interesting inside player in a long time.

Therefore, since the opportunity to win a championship was once again in front of him, how could Mutombo, who had rekindled his fighting spirit, refuse?

So...

Although two years later, two years earlier than in my memory, Mutombo still became teammates with Iverson and Yao Ming.

And thus...

Everyone was showing off their skills, except for the Spurs, who were once again injured in the world.

Because last summer, Popovich, who was still fantasizing about relying on "Mourning + Mutombo" to lead San Antonio back to the playoffs...

Could only cry while hugging the thighs of the two "super guards" Hinrich and Tinsley.

Oh, poor Gregg.

"Holy crap!"

And that day, after noticing that the Philadelphia 76ers also showed the determination to compete with the Lakers, Suns, and Celtics while he was taking care of his baby...

Just by looking at the 76ers' inside lineup, I couldn't help but tremble for my successor.

Yao Ming, Mutombo, Ratliff.

Are you trying to block shots for Iverson on the court because he was blocked too many times last season?

This summer, Yao Ming officially reached a contract renewal agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers.

And since Yao Ming had been the starting center for the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the past three years, he successfully triggered the "Su Feng Rule" during this contract renewal.

Therefore, after spending a lot of money to recruit troops for the team this summer, if the 76ers can't win a championship as soon as possible, then in the 04/05 season, after Little Yao's salary starts to count towards their salary cap...

The 76ers will face a salary cap explosion in the future.

And based on Pat Croce's net worth...

He can't afford to keep playing like this.

"Brother Feng, my 'Great Wall Series' is comfortable, but can you please ask the designer to make the new shoes look better in the future..."

After reaching an early contract renewal agreement with the Philadelphia 76ers, Little Yao, who had been training with Iverson in Philadelphia this summer, also called me.

Unlike the Little Yao in my memory, who had to bear all the pressure alone...

No matter how I looked at it, I felt that this Little Yao was developing into a comedian.

Good-looking!?

Do you want good looks or to avoid the risk of injury?

No, you don't think your brother Feng signed you to make money, do you?

What a joke!

The center position is a complete money-losing position in the shoe industry.

"Okay, I can consider it after you become the MVP." I easily ended the discussion while chatting with Little Yao on the phone.

"Oh, by the way, how is your training with Allen this summer?" After shutting Little Yao up, I didn't forget to ask about his training results with Iverson.

"Very good, Ewing taught me a lot of tricks for the center position.

And Iverson has also been unusually diligent this summer. Just wait and see, Brother Feng, the championship next season will definitely be ours!" Little Yao said confidently to me on the phone.

Hearing this...

I felt that this Little Yao seemed a bit inflated.

So, in order to further understand Yao Ming's growth rate, after hanging up the phone with Little Yao, I immediately called my good brother, Ewing.

Because I had spoken up for Ewing this summer, when Ewing learned that I wanted to invite him to give Yao Ming some guidance, the "Big Gorilla" agreed without thinking.

"To be honest... your little brother has even more talent in shooting than I did back then.

He can basically learn everything I teach him right away.

I think starting from the new season... Shaq will meet a strong competitor!" Ewing said to me on the phone.

This summer, Yao Ming mainly improved his finishing ability under the basket and...

His shooting ability from beyond the three-point line.

Little Yao mainly increased his offensive tricks for the former.

The latter came from Carlisle's request.

According to Ewing, Yao Ming is now definitely one of the most reliable shooters for the Philadelphia 76ers from beyond the three-point line.

Moreover, Ewing also expressed his appreciation for Yao Ming's energy-saving scoring method.

In my previous life, among the four major centers, in fact, except for O'Neal, the other three were all-around players.

And as a center who was good at retreating while fighting, Ewing's scoring method in the later stages of his career was mainly jump shots.

Although in the court, a center shooting three-pointers is not conducive to his team grabbing offensive rebounds, Ewing said that as long as Little Yao can make reasonable shot selections on the court...

Then with the power of his pick-and-roll with Iverson, he can easily do what O'Neal needs to spend a lot of effort to do.

And in this way, he also reduces the risk of Little Yao getting injured when fighting with opponents in the paint.

In short, I have recorded this new version of Little Yao in my notebook.

Because after my "baby-sitting period" is over, the 76ers, who are determined to win the championship, will inevitably become the Heat's great enemy.

...

In October, the Suns, who had been desperately pursuing a meat shield this summer, finally signed "Big White Bear" Ostertag from the free agent market.

And originally, the Mavericks' management wanted to poach Dampier from the Warriors, but now they were miserable.

Because after Nelson joined Oakland in advance, Cuban still wanted to poach people from him?

No way!

On the 4th, the Heat held a media day in Miami.

And this was also the first time I publicly appeared in front of the world wearing the Heat's number 23 jersey.

In my original timeline, in order to express his unrequited love for Jordan, Riley would have retired the Heat's number 23 jersey during the game against the Wizards in April of 03.

But as the saying goes, times have changed.

In order to recruit me, Riley only had me in his eyes, where was Jordan?

Michael Jordan?

Ha...

Just a guard who played pretty well in the early years.

And it's worth mentioning that, in order to further express his love for me...

Riley only allowed me to take the core group photo on media day.

On the one hand, this was to announce to the world that the Heat would officially enter the Su Feng era starting from the 03/04 season.

On the other hand, I knew that Riley was helping me cut the cake in advance.

In the NBA, before the league was occupied by brotherly basketball, establishing the leader of a team in advance was something that any team had to do when building a team.

Because in this way, not only will your team be more cohesive, but also in the future, if your team really succeeds, then there will be a primary and secondary distinction when dividing the honors.

In my previous life, both the Heat and the Warriors had encountered situations where fans were constantly arguing about who should get the honors.

But before them, neither the Lakers 1.0 nor the Lakers 2.0, nor the Bulls, had ever encountered such situations, because the Lakers and the Bulls had established who was the leader of the team early on.

In fact, I had already known the pros and cons of this aspect during my time with the Raptors.

So I didn't foolishly ask Riley to arrange for Ginobili and Miličić to take the core group photo with me.

"Su, many fans are questioning your choice this summer.

How long do you think it will take you to bring this Heat team back to the playoffs?" After the core group photo was taken, I was surrounded by reporters.

"Why would they question?

To be honest, if I didn't consider putting pressure on the rookies, then in my opinion, we are already a championship-level team." I said with a smile.

"Why are you so confident in this Heat team?" The reporters asked.

"Because I am Su Feng." I replied.

Good...

What a domineering answer!

But, I don't know why...

When I said that "because I am Su Feng," not a single reporter dared to refute me in person.

I knew that the stupid bald eagles in America like the "personal heroism" thing.

Therefore, I wouldn't be cowardly when I needed to be domineering.

"This is definitely the most domineering declaration I have ever heard in my life!

The King of Miami has announced to the world his determination to lead the Heat to rise!"

Kenny Smith, who had automatically transformed from a 50-year-old fan of the Raptors to a 70-year-old fan of the Heat, said during the new season preview program on TNT.

And Barkley, who had just joined TNT this summer, said, "Believe me, under Su's leadership, the Heat will definitely quickly become a team with the strength to compete for the championship. He has the ability!"

Inside the TNT studio, although Smith didn't think much of Barkley, a "trash" who had only won one championship, he felt that this guy was quite compatible with him in terms of praising me.

And a few days later, before the start of the preseason, ESPN also ranked the Heat in ninth place in the new season's team power rankings.

As a team that was still tanking for a "championship" last season...

The Heat being ranked ninth without playing a single game was basically due to my personal influence in people's eyes.

But in Los Angeles...

When he saw that ESPN still ranked him behind McGrady, Carter, Iverson, Allen, and others in the player rankings...

Kobe already had the intention of running to bomb the ESPN headquarters.

"They might as well rank me after that rookie named Dwyane!" Kobe couldn't help but complain when he called me that day.

Hearing this...

It might be a bit of a blow to Kobe.

Because if I remembered correctly, ESPN would really do that in the future.

There's no way, who made ESPN the leader of Kobe haters in this league?

And after the media day, Riley officially announced the Heat's 15-man roster for the new season.

Centers: Miličić, Mourning, Samaki Walker, Loren Woods.

Power Forwards: Odom, Haslem, Brian Grant.

Small Forwards: Su Feng, Butler.

Shooting Guards: Ginobili, Korver, John Wallace.

Point Guards: Alston, Kirk Penney, Bimbo Coles.

The media generally believed that the Heat would be a one-man team next season.

After all, in the Heat's announced 15-man roster, except for me, all the other players were either rookies or unknown role players.

In the eyes of many media outlets, although they respected me very much, in their eyes, this Heat team could not pose a threat to teams like the Lakers and Celtics, except for their looks.

"How far the Heat can go next season will completely depend on Su's personal performance!"

"Although Su is already the undisputed number one player, I still want to say that basketball is a five-man sport!"

"Darko's potential is very good, and Manu has also proven that he can adapt to NBA-level competition.

In addition, Lamar also showed great potential during his time with the Clippers...

But, but, but!

The Heat can't expect Alonzo, who has just had a kidney transplant, to put up '20+10' performances again and come to the court to help His Majesty the King, can they?"

Online, when the Honeybees saw the predictions made by media outlets other than ESPN and TNT for this Heat team, who knows how many Honeybees were instantly shut down.

After all, they were used to me constantly winning and couldn't accept me leading the team to tank for a "championship."

"Su, if you feel uncomfortable because of too many losses next season, please remember to call me as soon as possible. I will be ready to comfort you at any time." "Sun King" McGrady said to me on the phone in Phoenix after the end of the holiday.

"Uh... Su, actually, I would be happy to see you join Philadelphia at a minimum salary." And in Philadelphia, Iverson, who was getting further and further down the path of being a comedian with Little Yao, also rarely called to joke with me that day.

"Su... Although I have said almost everything that needs to be said to you when we parted, don't forget to take good care of Little Kobe because you lose too many games!" And in Los Angeles, Kobe, who was very concerned about Su Hao's growth, also made a friendly reminder to me on the phone that day.

"Su, don't pay too much attention to people's comments. After all, tanking to get a lottery pick is also a good choice." Nash comforted me on the phone in Oakland.

"Huh? Su? He's just a friend who used to take a bath with me often and had a good relationship." In Motor City, Ben Wallace said mischievously when asked about his friendship with me.

"Su, I just looked at the schedule, and our opponent in the opening game of the new season is actually you!

To be honest, I can't wait to compete with you on the court!" James said to me on the phone in Cleveland.

Look...

What is a successor that he had worked hard to cultivate?

In this situation, James' words are obviously different in "EQ"!

"I'm also looking forward to it, LeBron!" I said with a smile on the phone.

But...

I would never have imagined that...

After hanging up the phone with me, James had already begun to plan how he should challenge me in the opening game.

Should he jump on the technical table and shout "I want to defeat Su Feng"?

Or jump on the technical table and shout "I want to defeat Su Feng"?

That day, James couldn't sleep all night just thinking about the exciting scene in the opening game.

Of course, before the start of the regular season...

The performance of this Heat team in the preseason was the focus of people's attention.

Although the preseason is just an appetizer before the start of the regular season, in the eyes of experts and reporters, at least through the preseason, they can make a more reasonable prediction for this Heat team.

At this time, the ESPN editorial department, which had previously ranked the Heat in ninth place in the new season's team power rankings, also began to panic.

Because in the first preseason game of the new season...

The Heat lost to the Wizards 91-119 on the road.

Arenas, who had just joined the Wizards this summer, was unstoppable in this game.

And after playing only the first quarter, I was photographed by reporters leaving the arena.

Many people believed that I was angered by the performance of his teammates.

And after the game, Riley did not explicitly state the reason why I chose to leave the arena early during the interview.

So now the question is...

Was I really angered by his teammates, or...

"Michael needs comfort now, and it's just a preseason game, no one would really take it seriously, right?"

After the press conference, Riley looked at the reporters who were eager to write Heat news reports and sneered.

...

ps: A 7000-word chapter is here! Please subscribe, give monthly tickets, and give recommendation tickets! In addition, the ability value of Su Feng before the start of the 03/04 season and the lineup list and salary structure of the main teams will be released for free in the chapter comments! I wish all the handsome and genuine readers a happy new year in advance! I wish everyone a happy new year and all the best!