The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 169 - 125 Indiana Bible_2

Chapter 169: Chapter 125 Indiana Bible_2

He couldn’t imagine Shaquille O’Neal being unable to respond, getting slaughtered by 58 points!

Kobe saw these comments and was both pleased and annoyed. He really wanted to give Su Wan a call:

"You let Shaq be my number two, I’m happy, you say I can’t lead Shaq, I’m not happy!"

As long as the big "Shark" properly assists me, we could at least win another "three consecutive championships!"

At the Miami Arena, Pat Riley was listening to Stan Van Gundy’s season-end summary report as head coach.

After the report, Stan Van Gundy mentioned the coverage on Shaquille O’Neal, "Pat, should we touch base with some familiar media and help Shaq pull some reports?"

Otherwise, the intensity is too high.

He feared the "Shark" couldn’t bear it.

And...

That way, Shaquille O’Neal might also thank them.

Perhaps then, he might be less resistant to training.

Who would have known Pat Riley would raise his eyebrows in surprise, "Pull reports, why pull reports?"

He sipped the coffee in his hand and glanced at the tightly closed office door, "Actually, I have already contacted some media, not to pull reports for Shaq but to have them report these news as well."

"???"

Stan Van Gundy’s eyes widened in shock.

Seeing him like that, Pat Riley sighed, "Stan, do you know what your biggest problem is?"

Stan Van Gundy shook his head.

"That is, you don’t understand what these superstars really care about!"

You know, do you know why you were driven out of Los Angeles by the "Magic"?

Stan Van Gundy kept his grumbling internal.

Pat Riley, thinking he was attentively listening, corrected his "Godfather" posture, "What these superstars care about the most is their pride. Only by shattering Shaq’s pride can we get him fully focused on the training court. Just wait and see, in September, you’ll see a Shaquille O’Neal in the American Airlines Arena that will satisfy you!"

By this time, Su Wan had already returned to Indiana. The management valued this final championship greatly and specifically held a pre-finals press conference.

Without surprise, the first game of the finals would be played at the San Antonio Spurs’ home court.

They didn’t have as grand a venue or conditions for a large-scale press conference over there.

This season for the Pacers was not an easy one.

From Auburn Palace to the finals stage.

They went through extremes.

At the press conference, the five starters along with Reggie Miller, head coach Rick Carlisle, and general manager Larry Bird, all sat in front of the microphone, waiting for the interview to start.

Artest stood enviously at the side entrance, watching Su Wan and the other Pacers players under the spotlight.

The reporters seemed to have agreed to save Su Wan as the "main event" for last, initially asking others.

Larry Bird commented on the current Pacers: "I really like this Pacers team, and I see the traits of champions in them. I have great confidence in them, even if they might face the San Antonio Spurs!"

Finally, it was Su Wan’s turn for the interview.

Everyone wanted to know how he was feeling now: "If you ultimately win the championship and get the Finals MVP, you will stand alongside MJ as the second NBA player to win the Finals MVP in his rookie season."

Su Wan waved his hand, indicating it wasn’t important. He shifted the microphone a bit and cleared his throat, Erin watched his demeanor, clearly sensing a "everyone get ready, I’m starting the show" vibe.

"That year’s Finals video, Pacers vs. Lakers, the final score 2-4, when I saw Reggie Miller dejectedly sitting on the bench afterward, covering his head with a towel,

I deeply remember that image!

At that moment, I was thinking, if I ever became a Pacers player, I must win it all.

Now, Reggie Miller sits beside me, and I’m speaking as a player of the Pacers.

Reggie Miller is indisputable in all of Pacers’ past seventeen years of highlights.

But compared to the achievements of the ABA era Pacers, it’s still not enough.

Now the flag is in my hands.

To revive Indiana’s glory, I see it as an unquestionable duty!"

This statement left everyone stunned on the spot, for quite some time nobody spoke, even Larry Bird was stunned.

Among all the "Slogan Masters" he had seen, Auerbach was ranked first.

But now, he was thinking of placing Su Wan first.

And not just others, even he felt something inside him stirred by those words.

That was...

A sense of mission!

He had to admit, Su Wan’s demeanor this time was truly imposing.

Reggie Miller didn’t recover for a long time, struck by the historical significance and sense of duty in Su Wan’s words. Aside from "I have a dream," he was sure that this was the most fiery slogan he had ever heard.

As for the young Shaquille O’Neal who was unrelenting in his pursuit of the team captaincy, he too quietly sighed after hearing these words. The position of ’top leader’ of the Indiana Pacers, with Su Wan’s speech, seemed definitively out of reach now.

Sometimes, being good at playing isn’t enough; one must also speak impressively.

Moreover, Su Wan belonged to the sort who played beautifully and spoke even more beautifully.

Two words:

Invincible!

Competing with him for the position of ’top leader’ was always going to be an extremely difficult task.

It wasn’t a wrongful loss.

Young Shaquille had come to terms with it.

After all, he could never have thought up that speech in several lifetimes.

Even the seasoned player Larry Bird and the rest of the team went through a lot of mental gymnastics, not to mention the journalists sitting below.

The flashlights started and never stopped from that moment on.

Su Wan was destined to become the headline of tomorrow’s newspapers.

True to form, Su Wan’s declaration before the finals successfully sparked a heated discussion, especially in Indiana, predictably becoming their gospel.

The sales of Su Wan’s already popular jerseys completely skyrocketed.

All the people of Indiana were impatient to own a Su Wan jersey.

It was as if owning a Su Wan jersey made one a follower of his.

His phrase, "Reforge Indiana’s glory, it is our undeniable duty," had even become a banner, hanging in every nook and cranny of Bolis, setting the mood for the upcoming championship.

The Indiana fans were ecstatic, while the neighboring Cleveland fans were green with envy.

These days were truly torturous for them.

As Su Wan led the Pacers team through each round of the playoffs, their hearts hurt with each advancement.

The night they officially knocked out the Heat Team and entered the finals.

Their hearts, which had been continually aching, felt utterly dead!

Unexpectedly, in just one day, before the finals had even begun, Su Wan had made them regret trading him.

Reforge Indiana’s glory, it is our undeniable duty!

What a resounding slogan!

If Su Wan hadn’t left, still being a member of the Cavaliers,

Wouldn’t it be Cleveland going into the finals now?

Wouldn’t the slogan have changed to "Break the Cleveland Curse, it is our undeniable duty"?

Danny Ferry!

What will you give us to compensate for our loss of Su Wan?

They started creating chaos at the Quicken Loans Arena once more.

That evening, the Western finals also reached a critical game.

The Rockets were backed into a corner with a 0-3 deficit.

Without McGrady, the impact on their entire team was indeed too great.

In contrast, the Spurs team, although Bruce Bowen was suspended, it didn’t...

Affect the team in the slightest.

Whether it was the coherence in their offense or their defensive setups.

Without Bruce Bowen, they still had Horry.

The effect was essentially the same.

Scoring three-pointers, then playing the "black hand" on defense.

Thus, the Spurs team eliminated the Rockets 4-0, ending Yao Ming’s first Western finals journey with a sweep.

What made Yao Ming even more upset was the booing from the Toyota Center crowd, which he felt was directed at him!

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