Although the plot was already known, Su Feng still found himself yelling in excitement while watching the '94 Finals with the Kobe family.
Perhaps it's because he would eventually tire of offensive basketball, but Su Feng found this intense 1990s-style melee surprisingly thrilling.
Just think about it—Olajuwon, a powerhouse, battling against the muscular Knicks, both inside and out. When people thought he was facing the challenge alone, the "Big Dream" understood the game and seized the moment. With a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he stood his ground against the formidable Ewing, who was matching him point for point. Without hesitation, Olajuwon met the challenge head-on, scoring decisively. It was a statement—a man's game, defined in one play.
"Su, your center of gravity isn't low enough when defending, and you need to learn to anticipate Kobe's offensive moves."
Over the past few days, while watching the Finals with Kobe, his father, Joe Bryant, occasionally offered guidance to both Kobe and Su Feng during training.
Su Feng had a feeling...
Beyond his well-honed shooting skills, he was destined to become a defensive specialist.
Especially in one-on-one situations.
"You're always focused on one-on-one. With summer vacation approaching, you should be mentally prepared—I'm going to train you to NBA standards."
As a former NBA player, Joe knew exactly how to develop players through training.
However...
"Su, don't listen to him. His training methods are outdated—I don't even break a sweat after his drills," Kobe complained.
Kobe's dissatisfaction with his father's training intensity was evident.
Are you two really father and son? Su Feng thought to himself.
Still, despite his skepticism, Su Feng had to admit that Joe's training wasn't as bad as Kobe made it seem.
In reality, what Su Feng needed most at this point was precisely the structured training that Joe provided.
After all, his constant one-on-one sessions with Kobe helped him accumulate valuable experience, but to truly improve his abilities, systematic training was essential.
To Su Feng, Kobe's frustration with his father's training likely stemmed from the fact that Kobe himself had an almost insane training regimen.
"You have to train with my dad, but you also have to train with me—otherwise, you won't make any real progress," Kobe remarked, visibly displeased as he watched Su Feng become engrossed in his father's structured training.
Su Feng smirked slightly. "Relax, I'll drill your techniques three times over using your father's training intensity."
Ever since gaining this iron mentality, Su Feng had discovered a deep appreciation for the pain of rigorous discipline.
How is steel made?
Through repetition. Only through repetition.
...
In the following days, Su Feng proved through his performance that he wasn't just bragging.
In addition to completing triple training sessions daily as per Joe's requirements, Su Feng also engaged in one-on-one and shooting drills with Kobe.
"No wonder Kobe appreciates him," thought Joe, astonished by what he saw.
At first, Joe had simply considered Su Feng as his son's friend. However, after spending time observing him, he realized something—while he wasn't sure whether Su Feng would make it to the NBA, he knew one thing for certain: apart from Kobe, there wasn't a more dedicated player in all of Philadelphia.
What surprised Joe the most was the competitive dynamic between Kobe and Su Feng. The two seemed to be pushing each other, constantly increasing their training intensity. Every day, their routine consisted solely of playing basketball—except when they were eating or sleeping.
Eventually, Joe started to worry that such extreme training could take a toll on their bodies. Concerned, he stepped in and put a stop to their relentless one-on-one battles.
"If I had this kind of passion back then…" Watching Su Feng and Kobe, Joe found himself lost in thought.
He needed a moment of silence.
…
Su Feng and Kobe's training continued until the 22nd.
Since this was the day of Game 7 of the Finals, the two "Iron Men" came to an agreement—they would pause their training and watch the game first.
The result unfolded just as Su Feng remembered. After the crushing defeat in Game 6, the Knicks—led by John Starks—crumbled under pressure. Starks shot 2-of-18 from the field, including 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, turning into a liability rather than a hero.
Watching the game, Kobe, a devoted Knicks fan, was visibly frustrated. "What is he doing? Can't he pass to his teammates? Why is he so stubborn?"
"Patrick is suffering too much. If only his teammates could step up…" he added.
Hearing Kobe's complaints, Su Feng—feeling rather "poor, weak, and helpless"—decided it was best to stay quiet.
Brother, stay calm…
Because one day, there would be a man named Shaq who would experience this same struggle.
Cough…
Almost revealing too much, Su Feng quickly reassured Kobe, "We will never be players like John."
Kobe nodded in agreement. "Yes, absolutely! Never that type of player!"
Little did John Starks know that, while he was coping with the pain of losing the championship, he had also unknowingly become a cautionary tale for Philadelphia's high school basketball players.
And perhaps motivated by Starks' downfall, the next day, Kobe and Su Feng made a bold decision—they would each attempt 1,000 shots daily.
Thus, Joe, who had originally planned to take his son on a summer vacation, soon realized that he and his wife were now free to enjoy their time together.
...
In the blink of an eye, August had arrived.
After nearly two months of intense training, it was no exaggeration to describe Su Feng's transformation.
Two months ago, Kobe had seen him as just an ordinary basketball fan.
Now, two months later, in Kobe's eyes, Su Feng was skilled enough to hold his own in the rotation at Lower Merion High School.
And this was Kobe's strict assessment.
Meanwhile, Su Feng was completely immersed in his daily routine of relentless training…
Clang, clang!
A great man once said there is no such thing as a natural sound in this world—but after countless missed shots…
The sound of iron hitting the rim had become familiar.
Looking at his own progress now, even Su Feng found it hard to believe.
Turns out he had completely misunderstood Slam Dunk before.
Geniuses really do exist.
"Well, it looks like upgrading the system again won't be possible anytime soon."
That day, after upgrading his system to version 6.0 in one go and using up all his points, Su Feng found himself deep in thought as he stared at the requirements for the next upgrade.
"Good thing I met Kobe… Otherwise, this would be rough."
"Since I can't upgrade the system for now, my next focus should be accumulating more points while also digesting my potential as fast as possible—turning it into immediate game-ready skills.
If necessary, I can use a little bit of my points to spin the roulette to test my progress…
Of course, I also need to work on my essentials. Right now, apart from defense and shooting, I feel pretty lost on the court."
After carefully analyzing his situation, the next morning, Su Feng—armed with an eight-flavor sandwich—showed up at 4 a.m. sharp for his usual training session with Kobe.
During his visit to Kobe's house, Su Feng had realized something—Kobe's mother's cooking was…
Well, let's just say it wasn't quite suited to his tastes.
Of course, he couldn't expect traditional Chinese culinary craftsmanship in an American household. Thankfully, Su Feng had experience cooking for himself in his previous life, so he was confident in his skills.
"How did you make this sandwich?"
Seeing Kobe finish two sandwiches in seconds, Su Feng couldn't help but smirk. Clearly, he had won over Kobe's stomach.
"Even if I tell you, you won't make it yourself," Su Feng said matter-of-factly.
Kobe nodded, not bothering to argue.
In his mind, life was limited, and every moment should be dedicated to his great basketball career.
Little did Su Feng know what Kobe was thinking. Otherwise, he would have laughed.
Try saying that again when you meet Vanessa in the future!
Oh, man.
Previously, to ensure that Kobe maintained peak condition during their one-on-one games, Su Feng had secretly mixed nutrients into the sandwich.
This special nutrient solution, drawn from the roulette system, provided a feeling of fullness and had a slight effect on physical recovery.
No side effects—at most, it would just make Kobe's core strength even stronger.
Now that's scientific sports nutrition.
Interestingly, Kobe himself probably hadn't realized that in these two months, not only had Su Feng been improving, but his own progress was remarkable as well.
"Kobe, can you teach me some back-to-the-basket techniques and the correct shooting posture for fadeaways?" Su Feng asked after Kobe finished his eight-flavor sandwich.
Hearing Su Feng's request, Kobe instantly switched into "senior mentor" mode and grinned. "No problem. If you're willing to learn, I'll teach you everything."
In reality, post moves and fadeaway techniques were no different from mastering crossovers—they were simply basketball skills.
Even many casual basketball fans could pull off a crossover.
But professional and amateur levels were worlds apart.
In Su Feng's previous life, only a handful of perimeter players in the NBA were truly skilled at post moves.
The same applied to fadeaways.
That's why experienced fans can instantly distinguish between superstars and ordinary players.
In a league like the NBA—where superhuman talent was abundant—even getting a shot off was no easy feat.
Especially in the brutal, physical 90s—if you didn't grasp the fundamentals, forget about scoring. Your opponent could completely shut you down before you even had a chance to catch the ball.
This is why many NBA players dominate when they transition to leagues like the CBA.
They've spent their entire careers playing at the highest level, so techniques that don't always shine in the NBA suddenly become unstoppable in a lower-tier league.
That's what fans jokingly call a dimensional reduction blow.
Thinking back to what he had observed during the Finals, Su Feng knew one thing—
As long as the hand-check rule remained in place, he should avoid inefficient scoring methods as much as possible.
Instead, he should focus on developing skills similar to what Jordan perfected in his later years—turnaround jumpers, fadeaways, and high-release shots.
Quietly mastering the art of scoring like a true Northern God…
That was the goal.
Now that he had set his sights on developing these skills, the fastest way to learn was to have Kobe teach him.
After all, at this point, Kobe was undoubtedly one of the best players in American high school basketball.
"Look, when you're posting up, your defender will place a hand on your waist—some will even be annoying and use their legs to block you, making it impossible to turn or even dribble…" Kobe began explaining.
Su Feng listened carefully, mentally taking notes as the lesson began.
"So when you spin, you have to be quick, decisive—one explosive move to break free from the defense.
But because of that, when you take a fadeaway shot, there's a good chance you'll overcompensate with your power.
That's why you need to practice both movements separately—not just perfecting a fast turnaround but also making sure your shooting touch isn't affected by your explosiveness.
And if you want to improve your post game, you must train your core strength and legs."
One thing was clear…
Kobe would make an excellent basketball coach.
"Looks like my training workload just increased," Su Feng muttered to himself after an intense day of studying.