The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 127 - 106: Season Ends_2

Chapter 127: Chapter 106: Season Ends_2

Su Wan had nothing left to do for Reggie Miller except to win this year’s championship...

That was it!

The conversation between the two naturally came to an end as they approached the bus.

The Pacers flew back to Indiana overnight.

On April 14th, Su Wan once again received a call from Bill Duffy, expecting it to be a reply from "Sports Illustrated", but it turned out to be a call from a Nike representative.

"They are planning to record a mini-documentary about your 54-point night, which will be released before your first signature shoe debut, but it requires you to squeeze in some time for an interview."

Su Wan was somewhat surprised.

Not by the fact that Nike was preparing a documentary for him.

But by the "54-point night," with their "Chosen One" as the backdrop, did they really not want to let go of this hot topic?

Hmm...

Indeed, they could not let it go!

The peak of this heatwave was a hot topic all over the United States and within Huaxia, just like when LeBron James was dubbed the "Chosen One" by "Sports Illustrated," igniting the whole nation. After entering the NBA, he had never been the topic of national discussion.

Oh, now there was one!

As Su Wan became the youngest player in history to score "50 points" in a game, with him as the "ultimate backdrop," his dreadful performance was ruthlessly mocked by fans in the United States.

After all, Nike was also in it to make money.

To not maintain such a hot topic at the moment would be like watching a wave of US dollars slip away right before their eyes.

Even if LeBron was the Nike CEO’s own son, the executives might collectively "force the palace," demanding the CEO to sacrifice his "own son."

Su Wan said, "Schedule the interview for the first morning after the regular season ends; that’s the only half-day I have."

He did not want it to interfere with his preparation for the playoffs.

On April 15th, the Pacers faced their last game of the regular season.

Perhaps it was the discussion stirred by Barkley’s post-game comments, or the Indiana fans felt a sense of competition:

Those bitches from New York, trying to steal our man from Indiana?

In this game, as Su Wan took his first free throw, Conseco Arena immediately erupted with a synchronized chant of MVP.

It made Su Wan laugh!

Indiana fans were so much more lovable compared to Clevelanders.

In the end, they easily won the last game of the regular season, finishing with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses, securing the third spot in the Eastern Conference, and concluding the 04-05 regular season campaign.

Because of the season’s many ups and downs, and the numerous hardships faced, everyone in Indiana was satisfied with the final outcome. As soon as the buzzer sounded, a unified cheer and applause cascaded throughout the arena to thank the Pacers players for their efforts this season.

When the camera panned to Reggie Miller, cheers filled Conseco.

More and more signs indicated that this "Poli Legend" who had served Indiana for 17 years would announce his retirement after this season.

Now, he had completed all the regular-season games of his last professional season.

As a 40-year-old veteran, averaging 23.45 minutes per game and scoring an average of 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with a shooting percentage of 43.7%, you couldn’t ask for more.

Reggie Miller bowed to thank the cheering fans, always feeling a sense of apology towards the people of Indiana.

Then the camera turned to Su Wan.

The cheers in the arena grew louder as if to burst through the roof. It was evident that after the "54-point night," Su Wan’s popularity in Indiana had reached a new peak.

Little O’Neal could see it too...

But he believed this was the nature of a "New Star."

When he first made a splash in Indiana, Pacers fans also showered him with affection, with cheers wherever he went, yet the team’s "spiritual leader" was still Reggie Miller.

Now, it seemed like a repeat of the situation.

During the post-game press conference, Su Wan sat in front of the microphone, facing a sea of reporters.

The first question asked Su Wan to summarize his rookie season.

Su Wan’s final statistics for the season were:

Averaging 23.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game, with 2.2 turnovers and 2.5 fouls per game. His shooting percentage was 45.4%, his three-point shot percentage was 32.6%, and his free throw percentage was 84.5%.

Hmm...

So-so!

Can’t compare to the "Old Hooligan"’s average of 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, nor Shaquille O’Neal’s 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 3.5 blocks.

He’s still a bit behind the two "legendary rookies" known for "pick Joe when there is Joe; when no Joe, pick Shaq."

His stats are only above the "Chosen One," LeBron James, and one of the "Unrivaled Duos," Carmelo Anthony.

What’s the use?

It won’t do, really won’t do!

Hehe~

"I don’t feel anything special..." Su Wan’s brief silence seemed to be a serious contemplation of the question, "just a feeling that, if I had been selected by the Pacers from the start, I might have performed even better. You guys have no idea how tough it is to take care of a high school student."

Then there was...

The delightful daily ritual of "nursing LeBron."

The reporters chuckled, not surprised, knowing Su Wan’s new nickname among them?

If an interview didn’t take a dig at LeBron, it was uncomfortable!

Next up were the playoff predictions.

With the regular season wrapped up and the rankings for the Eastern and Western conferences settled, the Pacers, coming in third, had their first-round playoff opponent set against the Chicago Bulls.

Because of Su Wan’s sensational end to the season,

after scoring 54 points, he then consecutively scored 28 and 26.

The reporters were eager to know, "Will you try to break the record for a playoff debut?"

The current NBA rookie playoff debut scoring record was established by "Sky Hook" Jabbar at 36 points. freēNovelFire.com

It looks very challenging.

But because it’s Su Wan, the reporters think it’s something worth watching.

And an advantageous point for Su Wan is that their opponent, the Chicago Bulls, is also a "Youth Army" with no playoff experience. In comparison, the Pacers have more overall playoff experience. So out of the eight first-round playoff matchups, the Pacers against the Bulls is widely considered to have a predictable outcome, and the Pacers are expected to quickly take care of them and move on to the next round.

Su Wan didn’t make any definitive statements. Since his current goal is the championship, he would do whatever it took to win games more comfortably on the playoff stage rather than deliberately break some records.

His interest in "breaking records" is about the same as Jack Ma’s interest in money.

The remaining three matchups in the Eastern Conference were: the Heat Team, first in the Eastern Conference, VS the eighth-place Brooklyn Nets; the second-place Pistons VS the seventh-place Philadelphia 76ers; and the fourth-place Boston Celtics VS the fifth-place Wizards;

Apart from the matchup between the Pistons and Philly, this year’s Eastern Conference showdowns generally lack appeal.

Now, the reporters’ questions were making Su Wan’s professional playoff debut full of gimmicks.

Su Wan was sure that these were reporters from the Nike camp.

The four matchups in the Western Conference were: the Phoenix Suns, first in the Western Conference, VS the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies; the second-place Spurs VS the seventh-place Nuggets; the third-place SuperSonic Team VS the sixth-place Sacramento Kings; and the fourth-place Mavericks VS the fifth-place Rockets...

What others were focusing on, Su Wan didn’t know.

But he immediately called Bill Duffy when he saw the matchup between the Rockets and the Mavericks: "Have you collected the evidence I asked for?"

Bill Duffy said, "Just got a lead!"

Su Wan instructed, "Once the first game between the Rockets and the Mavericks is over, have someone deliver this evidence to the FBI!"

Bill Duffy didn’t hesitate, "Okay!"

After taking care of everything, Su Wan murmured, "Yao, I can only help you so much. Now, you should be able to get past the first round, right?"

Yao had many regrets.

One of them was that in the early years of his career, he was frequently reversed after leading 2-0 in playoff series.

The subsequent series against the Jazz Team seemed naturally unmanageable.

But Su Wan felt that the 2005 playoff series against the Mavericks could have been avoided.

Since Mark Cuban had no shame, flipping the league’s table directly should be no problem, right?

As for why he was helping Yao Ming...

What else is there to say?

Whether it was the "red sentiment" before traversing or the many favors received after, Su Wan thought it necessary to lend a helping hand.

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