The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 148 - 116 Let’s congratulate Su Wan and the Pacers

Chapter 148: Chapter 116 Let’s congratulate Su Wan and the Pacers

"This one’s for you, bitches!"

Su Wan’s voice echoed clearly throughout the Auburn Palace Arena.

For the first time tonight, silence enveloped the venue.

Stunned expressions filled the stands as onlookers beheld a "miracle."

Most of them had once seen, through a grainy video, Michael Jordan’s awe-inspiring layup:

Jordan, initially set for a dunk, realized mid-flight that his jumping height was insufficient for an over-the-top slam. He changed his mind in mid-air and, as simply as drinking water, performed a change-hand layup.

It was an NBA classic on par with Dr. J’s reverse layup off the backboard.

Just now, Su Wan, facing the dunk-prepared Ben Wallace, replicated that very play.

Although Ben Wallace’s height was more like that of a small forward, even less, his reputation as "Defensive Player of the Year" was firmly in place. To pull off such a maneuver against him was absolutely solid gold.

Even the noisy Detroit people had to shut up at this moment.

As fans, they had to acknowledge "absolute power."

The point difference was now down to two baskets.

Yet, there were still more than three minutes left.

The Pistons sensed the crisis.

Billups lost confidence in his one-on-one with Su Wan after the latter’s recent attempt felt like being shrouded by a Beast; the ball quickly moved to Hamilton. Reggie Miller couldn’t stop him at all this night, but...

Hamilton, with room to shoot, instinctively glanced at Su Wan’s position.

This caused him to miss his shooting chance as Miller rushed in front of him.

Rashid Wallace took the top of the arc, ready to "deal cards," but ultimately, with no opportunity for his teammates, his tentative three-pointer missed.

The ball bounced off the rim.

Ben Wallace, with his ’Rebound King’ instincts, found a prime position and leapt high, only to be outdone by a figure who darted from behind him, grabbing the rebound before Wallace could.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound of the ball being caught was like a cannon blast, buzzing Wallace’s ears.

He didn’t doubt for a second that the ball could have been squeezed and burst.

Again, the arena gasped.

From their angle, they saw Wallace getting "picked" right over his head.

And the man carrying out this visual impact was no one else but Su Wan.

"Defence!"

"Defence!"

"Defence!"

Seeing Su Wan with the ball again, the crowd immediately burst into a unified chant, desperate urgency threading through their cries if one listened closely.

Su Wan’s undeniable performance in the last few minutes instilled a hint of fear in them.

Even just dribbling from the backcourt to the frontcourt, Su Wan caused the Detroit people’s hearts to race.

Prince was always reliable; at least in the hearts of Pistons fans, he had almost never failed defensively. It was because of his presence that Billups and Hamilton’s backcourt wasn’t a "defensive black hole."

But now, as they watched him take small, quick steps in front of Su Wan, constantly adjusting his defensive stance, their unease grew.

Could he prevent a score?

This question was akin to "Does he really love me?"

When posing such a query, the answer is often obvious.

The only difference is, with the latter, one could continue to deceive oneself with various reasons to believe:

He loves me!

But with the former...

The truth would give a definite answer:

Can’t stop it!

"Swoosh!"

As Su Wan’s continuous cross-steps sent Prince off to one side, the "Defence" chants halted abruptly and, amid the wailing of Pistons fans with their hands in their hair, Su Wan nailed a free throw line jumper, narrowing the gap to three points.

The determined gazes of the Pistons were thoroughly shaken at that moment.

The assistant coach had to call the last timeout to set up a tactic.

Two minutes can be long or short. If they could score now, they would keep an advantage of at least two possessions, and if they could drag the game into a "free throw battle," he believed that the Pistons could still manage to narrowly clinch victory.

The coach scribbled and sketched on the strategy board without designating who would take the last shot.

Instead, he offered several possibilities, letting Billups make the decision.

"Mr. Key" ultimately opted to pass the ball to Rashid Wallace, reverting to the "top of the arc dealer" tactic. Billups and Hamilton dashed out from both sides. Reggie Miller couldn’t keep up with Hamilton, and just as Su Wan was about to cover, "Masked Man" made a long-distance pass to Billups.

The pass was swift, but because of its length, Su Wan managed to get back in front of Billups in time to block.

The trajectory was true; "thud," the ball hit the rim and bounced out, flying high.

The crowd let out a collective sigh of regret.

Bill Walton also commented, "That shot had a high chance of going in; maybe it’s Su’s quick defensive return that sped up Chauncey’s hand flick when shooting. Of course... no player wouldn’t fear a Su like that!"

Even "Mr. Key" felt the pressure of such psychological fluctuation.

Little O’Neal and Ben Wallace fell to the ground in a scramble.

They both knew, this rebound would likely decide the life or death of this game.

To say they fought until falling was an understatement; even if it meant breaking a leg, the ball was worth fighting for.

The ball bounced before them and was grasped by a pair of powerful hands.

Little O’Neal smiled; Ben Wallace fiercely pounded the floor.