Um?

In a VIP suite at a Las Vegas casino, Jordan was taken aback when he received a call from Su Feng. The sharply dressed "His Airness" paused, then hesitated.

That pause...

Was because Su Feng actually dared to call him.

And that hesitation...

Was because of the warm way Su Feng had addressed him.

"The Great God of Basketball"...

Oh!

Damn!

In the past few years, Jordan hadn't heard anyone call him that in ages.

And the best part was...

The one calling him that so warmly...

Was that little thief, Su Feng!

"Hey, Su, don't bother with the pleasantries.

What do you want?"

He really wanted to hang up and block the caller, but after a moment's thought, Jordan decided against it.

As for Su Feng...

One could say his seniority in this life was significant.

Look...

Most players in the league these days had to call Jordan "Uncle."

But Su Feng...

Could call Jordan his brother!

What was clout?

That was clout!

"What's up, Michael? Nothing special...

Just haven't seen you in a while and kinda miss you." Su Feng said affectionately over the phone.

Jordan: "..."

Damn you.

Because of his physical limitations, Battier had to resort to eye-contesting defense most of the time when guarding players like Su Feng and Kobe.

But against players like Su and Kobe...

What good was contesting their eyes?

On the court, knowing that Battier couldn't stop him, Su Feng simply took his passing game off the table for the rest of the quarter.

With Su Feng's all-out offensive onslaught, the Grizzlies narrowly lost to the Heat at home by 7 points.

The final score of the game was 128 to 121.

Su Feng scored 46 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists on 15-for-30 shooting, including 7-for-12 from three-point range and 9-for-10 from the free-throw line.

O'Neal recorded his seventh triple-double of the season, scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.

For the Grizzlies, Gasol also had a superb performance with 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists.

"The Beard" Davis dropped 39 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.

After the game, despite the loss, Van Gundy's Grizzlies were praised.

Because they not only kept the score close, but they also almost took down the Heat in their own arena through offense.

"In my opinion, the reason most teams are losing to the Heat by a large margin this season is that they're playing too timid!

The fact is, as long as you dare to go toe-to-toe with this Heat team, you're not without a chance to beat them!" Charles Barkley said in his post-game analysis.

The next day, after noticing the media eagerly quoting Barkley's comments...

For a moment...

Su Feng felt...

Barkley was indeed his number one loyalist in this league!

For the Heat, who had readjusted their tactics in the new year...

What they needed most right now was for their opponents to take the initiative and play offense with them.

Because the faster the pace of the game...

The more opportunities Su Feng and O'Neal would have to pad their stats!

In Su Feng's opinion, if he could successfully achieve his three major goals by the end of the season...

He would definitely treat Barkley to a feast!

...