The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 149 - 116 Let’s congratulate Su Wan and the Pacers_2

Chapter 149: Chapter 116 Let’s congratulate Su Wan and the Pacers_2

The expressions on their faces spelled out who would get possession of the ball:

The Pacers’ Stephen Jackson had secured the incredibly crucial rebound.

He quickly threw it to the frontcourt.

Su Wan, leaping forward like a ravenous cheetah just released from its cage, beat the ball to its landing spot with precise timing.

"Bang!"

After blowing past the other Pistons by a wide margin, he slammed the ball with both hands to bring the deficit back to just one point.

The look on the faces of the crowd in Detroit was constipated, devoid of the excitement they had shown just five minutes earlier.

The atmospheric pressure in the arena felt like it had plummeted to its lowest point.

The Pistons players started to show signs of miscommunication. A ball meant to be passed to Rashid Wallace for Hamilton to circle around went directly into Hamilton’s hands instead. The top of the key three-point shot was a hot zone for most, but not for the "Masked Man", who favored shooting from the "45-degree angle" on either side.

Moreover, he had to worry about whether Su Wan would emerge from some corner shouting "Indiana".

The ball nearly got stuck on the rim, then simply fell into Foster’s hands under the basket.

The close-up shot went to Ben Wallace, who at that moment was being pinned down by the imposing Foster in a post-up move, like he was carrying a mountain on his back.

This feeling wasn’t just a physical sensation for Ben Wallace; it was a shared psychological burden for all the Pistons players, and all the people of Detroit:

Su Wan’s presence was a mountain that left them gasping for air.

"Defense, let’s stop this one ball, guys, we’re still in the lead, just defend this one ball, and we remain the side with the greater advantage!"

As the clock dropped below the last minute mark, with only slightly over 40 seconds left, and the Pistons still up by one point, they had the absolute initiative, just as Ben Wallace had said—if only they could stop the Pacers’ offense this time.

But how to contain Su Wan?

Everyone had the same thought:

Don’t let Su Wan catch the ball!

The Pistons’ defensive strength was in the "Double Ben" of the inside line, where they could make it difficult for Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal to receive the ball. But against an outside player with explosive physical attributes like Su Wan, making it difficult for him to catch the ball was not something they could achieve.

Any attempt to double-team him could backfire.

Mismanagement could even revive Reggie Miller and Stephen Jackson from their "frozen" states.

Otherwise, they would have double-teamed Su Wan already—that was also why the original Pistons team in the 05 Finals left Manu Ginobili unattended on the wing. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to restrict him; they simply had no other choice and had to bet that Ginobili wouldn’t be the one to beat them.

Ginobili did beat them.

And now, Su Wan, who was even more troublesome than Ginobili, had them cornered in the toughest spot yet.

But this time their desperate defense had an effect, at least Su Wan wasn’t the first one to receive the ball. However, the motion of Stephen Jackson, who managed to get the ball, aiming for the basket forced Hamilton, who was assisting in the double-team, to quickly get back on defense; Su Wan struggled through the gap he had "torn" open.

He successfully caught the ball.

Prince tried to pressure Su Wan into initiating the attack from even further behind the three-point line, which would also give Ben Wallace more reaction time.

But as Su Wan watched him close in, he surprisingly dismissed his long arms and burst forward, forcing a breakthrough. With the two of them so close, Prince stood no chance if Su Wan just charged past him.

Left with no choice, he had to foul.

Then he raised his hand voluntarily.

His face was filled with frustration.

Billups patted his arm.

They all knew the pressure of defending a Su Wan like this was immense.

The Su Wan of the final 5 minutes was certainly much more terrifying than Kobe was last year—of course, they all knew it also had something to do with Su Wan not having to defend Hamilton.

Su Wan once again stood at the free-throw line, and the cacophony of curses rose again, though not quite as loud as the last time he was at the line.

More Pistons fans now clasped their hands together, praying earnestly, silently begging God in their hearts:

Don’t let it go in, don’t let it go in!

But alas...

Not even "God" could stop Su Wan’s free throws.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

When the second free throw went in, the score reversal was complete, and the Pistons’ 12-point lead was utterly exhausted; now, the Pacers were in the lead.

"10 seconds left..."

"There’s still a chance!"

"There’s still a chance!"

The only ones still holding on to an optimistic and active attitude were the commentators from the local Detroit sports channel. They kept repeating, "There’s plenty of time for the offense, as long as they can score, the Pistons can still lead!"

However, their optimism didn’t last long, as the hope on their faces dissipated in less than 5 seconds.

Because...

No sooner had Billups gotten the ball to the frontcourt than he was confronted by a sudden tough challenge from Su Wan. Hamilton quickly responded by moving to receive the ball, but Billups’ rushed pass was intercepted by Su Wan, who stood between the two players and forcefully completed a steal.

What was even more frustrating...

Having secured the ball, Su Wan burst into action, quickly creating a gap between them. They didn’t even have the chance to foul him immediately.

"Hahahaha!"

Barkley was amused.

Seeing Su Wan quickly running towards the Pistons’ basket, Hamilton and Billups, realizing they couldn’t catch up, didn’t bother to continue the chase and slowly walked forward, preparing for the inbound. But seeing them not pursue, Su Wan simply waited on the spot, running down the clock for about 2 seconds before Hamilton and Billups hurried forward.

Su Wan wasn’t in a rush to shoot, waiting for them to commit a foul and take his free throws.

With this, there was just less than a second left on the clock, not even enough time to attempt a shot from the backcourt.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

Su Wan confidently made both free throws, extending the lead to three points, securing the last bit of insurance for the Pacers.

Even if the Pistons had scored a three-pointer without running out of time, they would have had to go to overtime.

"Buzzer!"

Unfortunately, in the end, just as Billups got his hands on the ball, before he could throw it, the buzzer sounded.

The game was over.

Immediately, Su Wan turned towards the Pistons’ spectator seats and made a "double-handed strangulation" gesture.

The already silent stands became so quiet that not a single sound could be heard.

Many unconsciously touched their own throats.

In that moment, they truly felt as if Su Wan had their throats in his grasp.

TNT thoughtfully played a clip from 11 years earlier when Reggie Miller made the "Double Hand Choke" gesture to the Knicks’ spectator seats for comparison.

Big Ben was right beside Su Wan, watching him make the gesture, but he didn’t rush forward in a rage to stop him like before.

Su Wan’s display in the last moment had utterly subdued him.

For such a victor, no matter how he celebrated his victory, all he could do was silently endure it.

If you can’t match the skills, what else can be said?

Soon after, Su Wan was toppled by the swarming O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, and Tinsley.

Watching this scene, Barkley’s eyes still lingered on the six minutes of dominating presence Su Wan had shown on the court: "Ladies and gentlemen, this was a very typical playoff match. If you still don’t understand the importance of a Superstar to a team, then this game will dissolve all your doubts!"

The "Piston Five" had a more widely circulated name before their championship— "Civilian Five Tigers."

This nickname said it all.

This team had four All-Stars, but not a single traditional "Superstar!"

Their success shook the NBA’s belief in the "Only Superstar Theory," and media started to ponder whether a championship team really needed a "Superstar" as its cornerstone.

And now, everything was explained.

No one would say last year’s Pistons championship was luck; you can’t win a championship on luck, but tonight’s reversal proved that they too feared "Superstars!"

Su Wan alone had broken them...

"32 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks, a staggering stat line..." Bill Walton, "but anyone who watched this game knows, the dominating performance Su Wan showed was more shocking than these stats. The 54-point night was his regular-season masterpiece, while tonight’s game is the representative of his playoff career. Let’s congratulate Su Wan and the Pacers, eliminating the Pistons 4-1, advancing to this year’s Eastern Conference Finals!"