The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 153 - 118 Buddy, Can You Really Enter The Zone?_2

Chapter 153: Chapter 118 Buddy, Can You Really Enter The Zone?_2

He had caught up with some predecessors in this aspect and was about to become a member of the "Defense President Mountain."

However, winning the "Best Defensive Player Award" this time was met with some sneers.

The New York Times wrote, "Ben Wallace’s taking this Best Defensive Player trophy should be indisputable, if not for the last six minutes of the series’ fifth game two days ago!"

The Indiana Star wrote, "If Ben Wallace is the Best Defensive Player of the season, why didn’t Su Wan even make it into the Best Defensive Lineup?" They were still indignant that Su Wan hadn’t made it into the "Best Defensive Array."

This time they were quite confident.

However, the topic didn’t persist for long.

That evening was Game 4 of the Spurs versus SuperSonics series, and Bruce Bowen’s foot slide that led to Ray Allen’s exit from the game became the headline of the sports section in the media the next day.

"Ray Allen suffers from Bruce Bowen’s foot slide, childhood friend also couldn’t escape misfortune. Ray Allen: I will never forgive him, never!" — ESPN;

"Su Wan’s self-defense was too light. He should have followed and stepped on him one more time, and no one would blame him for doing that." — Seattle Sentinel;

"Another major player injured for the SuperSonics, only Rashard Lewis is left from the regular starting lineup, a season that excited countless SuperSonic fans ends in such a sigh-provoking result" — TNT Newsflash;

The news of Bowen causing another player’s injury sparked widespread discussion.

Reporters specifically went to Conseco Arena to ask Su Wan for his opinion.

They expected Su Wan to say something impassioned, but Su Wan replied, "This incident happened in the game between the SuperSonics and the Spurs, and the injured person was Ray Allen. The attitude of the other members of the SuperSonics is what’s most important; my words have no impact on this matter."

The reporter tried a different angle: "What if it had happened in a game between the Spurs and the Pacers?"

Su Wan said, "Then I would definitely make the Spurs pay!"

"What if it were you?"

Su Wan laughed, "If Bruce wants to go to the hospital, I don’t mind him coming after me, but this time, I can’t guarantee he would be out in a month."

"Is that a threat?"

"Kidding me, buddy, if threats worked, then Bruce Bowen wouldn’t repeatedly play dirty!"

...

The outside world was outraged, but as Su Wan said, nothing happened in the fifth game between the Spurs and the SuperSonics.

Ray Allen’s injury didn’t seem to rile up the SuperSonics.

They even avoided Bruce Bowen, as if he were some unavoidable curse.

Little did they realize it was this kind of retreat that made Bowen and those pulling his strings even more unscrupulous.

In the end, as the final game ended, the already understaffed SuperSonics, now missing a formidable "machine gun," quickly lost any suspense in the matchup.

Before this game, the Spurs had already secured a 3-1 lead, and after this game, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a large score of 4-1.

But after the game, no one cared about the result; the questions from reporters still revolved around Bruce Bowen playing "dirty" again.

Popovich maintained the same stance, "That’s Bruce’s style, I believe other teams would be pleased to have Bruce. Their current dissatisfaction is only because they don’t have Bruce Bowen!"

Tim Duncan also said, "Bruce is a good guy, an absolute good guy. I’ve always believed this, and as for what happened on the court... injuries are part of the game and can’t be avoided. We hope Ray Allen is okay and recovers quickly; we look forward to his continued performance on the court."

This statement full of "love and peace" directly amused Su Wan.

He realized that when he’s feeling down in the future, he could watch more of the Spurs’ post-game interviews.

Clearly, the aggressor and the beneficiary were speaking as if "we forgive Ray Allen," as if they were the "victims."

Barkley was furious, "Repeatedly saying the same thing makes it seem insincere, you should sincerely apologize to Ray Allen, and all the players injured because of Bruce Bowen’s ’dirty tricks’!"

Popovich, who was drinking black coffee for a pick-me-up and studying the next round’s opponents, almost sprayed out his coffee when he saw Barkley’s remarks.

Why is this old buddy so naïve still?

Will a sincere apology "resurrect" Ray Allen?

Victory or defeat is the main theme of this League.

No wonder he’s never won a championship!

Popovich has always believed:

No matter what happens in the process, as long as the final result is lifting the O’Brien Cup, there will be no shortage of flowers and applause.

This is his "way to the championship", as well as his "way of espionage".

Whatever means serve the final result are good means!

In the eyes of the League, the Spurs are their own...

In fact, the news about Bruce Bowen’s infamous "black hand" move lost heat even faster than Popovich anticipated.

As the Spurs advanced to the next round and the SuperSonic Team was eliminated, media attention gradually shifted to the two remaining matchups.

The battle between the Phoenix Suns vs. the Rockets and the Wizards vs. the Heat Team became the main focus of media reports in the next few days.

On May 6th, the clash between the Wizards and the Heat Team in the Eastern Conference was the first to conclude. After five games, the Heat Team decisively beat the Wizards 4-1 at their home court, successfully advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In their first year with Shaquille, the Heat Team made it to their first Eastern Conference Finals since the 96–97 season.

This made the Miami media believe even more in Pat Riley’s shrewd trading eye.

Remember, it was a risky "team-shaking trade" performed while in the semifinals, and even with someone like Shaquille O’Neal, considering his age and a lengthy major contract, it wasn’t an easy decision to make.

But Pat Riley, he did it decisively.

With such a general manager, fans can feel at ease.

And in the eyes of most Miami media, they had already reserved their spot in the finals for the Eastern Conference.

Although Su Wan’s performance in the last game of the semi-finals was stunning, they believed it wasn’t a state he could achieve every game.

What’s more, Dwyane Wade is not Billups, and certainly not Hamilton. His ball-handling and scoring ability is not easily contained, especially this season’s even more improved Wade!

On the perimeter, they have a "big man" who is no less than Su Wan.

On the inside, their advantage is even more apparent.

Little O’Neal is just Little O’Neal. In front of Shaquille O’Neal, he’s just a "little brother".

A simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, even with just a basic roster analysis, the Heat Team facing the Pacers definitely has the upper hand.

They predict that the Heat Team will handle the Pacers within six games, then embarking on their first finals journey in team history...

The day of the game arrived quickly, but the headline grabber wasn’t the game itself.

It was Su Wan...

The latest issue of "Sports Illustrated", released that day, featured Su Wan with his arms crossed, staring intently at the camera. Next to him was the very prominent Chinese characters:

"Absolute State"!

And next to that, a line of small English text clarified the four Chinese characters:

The zone!

This was Su Wan’s first time on the cover of "Sports Illustrated," and with a theme related to "The zone" and his pose being the "arms crossed" action, the issue was a complete hit and frenzy among fans.

Many fans even blocked Su Wan at the entrance to the Miami Arena, asking him to sign this issue of "Sports Illustrated".

The level of excitement was evident.

The first time Su Wan met Shaquille and Wade on the court, the "Shark" curiously asked, "Buddy, can you really get into The zone? What does it feel like?"

Su Wan smiled faintly and replied, "You’ll know once the game begins!"

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