The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 173 - 127: Without Bruce Bowen, They Are So Weak! _2

Chapter 173: Chapter 127: Without Bruce Bowen, They Are So Weak! _2

The ball hit the target steadily.

During the retreat, he glanced back at Rick Carlisle and flashed a faint smirk.

Dull-witted yet extremely sarcastic, that was the low-key Tim Duncan in play.

"Low-key" was merely his "camouflage."

He always performed provocations that seemed trivial, yet they felt very intense to those involved.

Defensively, Popovich made adjustments. Outside the three-point line, there was still Manu Ginobili defending alone, with point guard Parker and small forward Horry positioned slightly behind Ginobili. No matter which side Su Wan went, they were firmly set on trapping him.

Stephen Jackson was shooting well tonight, but Popovich decided to let him be.

He knew Stephen Jackson wouldn’t last, and his shooting wouldn’t kill the game.

If Stephen Jackson, with a 34% three-point shot success rate, was disregarded, it was even more clear for Tinsley.

Additionally,

Popovich didn’t believe Su Wan’s passing could always be that timely.

This was finals-level defensive targeting.

Su Wan had poor passing skills, and without a three-point capability, Popovich had him completely figured out.

However, that was exactly what Su Wan wanted to see.

His intention was to manipulate the Spurs’ defense, directing more defensive focus towards him and allowing the Pacers’ others to attack.

Unfortunately, he initially wanted to attract Tim Duncan’s inside help defense, and use the "assist" strategy to activate little O’Neal.

On reflection, his third-layer thoughts were preempted by the fourth-layer strategist, Popovich.

But he managed to shift the Spurs’ defensive formation still.

That level of strategic thinking was something Popovich had anticipated but could not afford to ignore.

Could he really let Su Wan keep widening the score 1v1?

So...

Win!

Tony Parker was having a tough night.

He was bullied by Su Wan in the first half, and now Tinsley was bullying him with physicality.

Actually, his physical contesting skills had improved significantly since coming to the United States. But he had focused more on upper body strength, which helped him release the ball towards the hoop even if he lost balance.

Tony Parker had many "Miracle Shots" during his "Peak Period."

For the same reason, when defending a fiercely combative player like Tinsley, he often couldn’t hold his ground and had to "retreat while fighting."

Each time he retreated, he could feel his manly image diminishing in the eyes of Eva, sitting courtside.

But in the final moments, his coordination with Tim Duncan was excellent.

Just before reaching the Reasonable Collision Zone, Tony Parker suddenly dodged out of the way, clearing his position, allowing Tim Duncan to almost seamlessly take over his spot perfectly.

Such coordination...

All were forced upon Parker after continuously failing to hold his defensive position, making Tim Duncan train hard.

So sometimes, it wasn’t just Tim Duncan being formidable; it was his teammates forcing him to perform better.

Later, there was an interesting topic whether Tim Duncan would achieve greater if he weren’t with the Spurs; most netizens thought so. But Su Wan doubted it, believing Duncan might not have been so "versatile" without the "old, weak, sick, and disabled" Spurs team.

Many things were born out of necessity.

Tinsley felt the "cotton" he was originally guarding turned into "stone," his face expressing a bit of pain. But reaching his "sweet spot," even before his staggering body stabilized, muscle memory had him shooting.

"Slap!"

Tim Duncan’s "ruthless" block had Tony Parker inwardly exclaiming with delight.

Like relying on aggression, right?

Watch my teammate teach you a lesson.

The scene was filled with cheering, but these cheers hadn’t even stopped before they saw a figure grab the ball that flew out and, with the speed of lightning, dashed towards the hoop again.

Tim Duncan had just stabilized his stance and seeing he wasn’t far from the Reasonable Collision Zone, thought of making the incoming player commit an "offensive foul."

But as his foot touched the white line, he realized his naivety.

Because the opponent had already soared up like a helicopter, executing a Dunk.

All he could see was the number on the Pacers jersey:

Number 99!

Almost reflexively, Tim Duncan fell backward.

No way, if contact was made, it would be a blocking foul directly.

"Bang!"

The moment Tim Duncan hit the ground, the sound of the hoop being slammed echoed above his head.

He could also hear a suppressed murmur from the arena’s spectators.

Well, another "background board" moment.

Duncan’s expression remained unchanged, he was used to it.

But he couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

Why the hell does it always have to be me?

Tony Parker, who was initially smirking, suddenly stiffened, his gaze unconsciously shifting toward Eva sitting courtside.

He saw Eva’s expressive eyes intensely fixed on Su Wan shouting loudly after landing, with her legs under the black dress uncontrollably tightening.

Clearly, she was thrilled by that play!

And it wasn’t just her being thrilled.

Which front-row spectator wouldn’t be exhilarated by that play!

But they couldn’t cheer for the opponent, they could only try hard to restrain themselves.

Little O’Neal ran over and slapped Su Wan’s butt heavily.

Lately, whenever he was excited, he liked doing this.

After the Block that left him grinding his teeth, Tinsley’s eyebrows also relaxed, jogging over to Su Wan and giving him a high-five:

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