The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 205 - 138 LeBron James, the Biggest Data Brush in the NBA! _2

Chapter 205: Chapter 138 LeBron James, the Biggest Data Brush in the NBA! _2

"I’m not exaggerating, our fate, the three of us, lies in the thoughts of you two," continued Su Wan. "It’s up to you to choose whether to remain enemies or become friends!"

As Su Wan finished speaking, glints of light flashed continuously in the eyes of Artest and young O’Neal.

To be honest, as players at their level in their careers, it was impossible for them not to have fantasized about entering the "Hall of Fame."

But they also knew how difficult it was to get into the "Hall of Fame."

Su Wan’s words had opened the door to a new century for them.

Or rather, they suddenly realized that the "Hall of Fame" wasn’t so out of reach.

At least, as Su Wan had said, if the Pacers won for two more years, securing "three consecutive championships," their chances of making it into the "Hall of Fame" would greatly increase.

That’s the Hall of Fame!

O’Neal and Artest looked at each other for the first time that day, their gazes meeting without any evasion.

They could see the stirring in each other’s eyes.

Somehow, they found each other much more agreeable at a glance.

Seeing the timing was almost right, Su Wan signaled the bartender to bring over the already-prepared drinks.

When Artest saw Su Wan, who hadn’t had a drink in a thousand years, actually pouring himself a drink to toast with them, his eyes widened in surprise, "Are you really going to drink?"

Su Wan replied, "Reggie has retired, but Indiana’s banner must not fall. I alone cannot hold up this banner. Jermaine, Ron, we need to carry this banner together. I need your help. So, here’s to you, and to the defense we’re about to make, to the ’three consecutive championships’ we’re about to achieve, cheers!"

With a boisterous "cheers," O’Neal and Artest raised their glasses together, the three glasses clinking with a crisp "ding!"

They quite enjoyed the drink, and after finishing, they planned to move to another venue to continue partying.

Su Wan hadn’t planned to go, but thinking about leaving the two newly reconciled men alone, and in case something went wrong again, he decided to go along.

They partied until 2:30 AM before each went their own way. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

The next morning, the news of the "Pacers’ triangle of iron" partying wildly in the nightclub made sports headlines across all major media.

The closed training camp was about to start.

While other teams were busy with their core players leading early training sessions, preparing for the new season, or making bold claims like "This season, you will see a different XX team," the news about these three from the Pacers seemed a bit degenerate by comparison.

Soon, many media outlets expressed doubts about the Pacers’ ability to defend their title, with some even directly naming Su Wan, "There are many in the NBA who peak as soon as they debut but swiftly fall, and more than half of those cases are due to a lack of self-control!"

They thought Su Wan would be next.

However, Indiana media became excited upon seeing this news.

If they recalled correctly, this was the first time O’Neal and Artest had been spotted together at a nightclub, which might imply that their relationship off the court was better than what people expected.

They believed Su Wan would not falter, for local media had frequently tracked Su Wan’s summer whereabouts and found his ultimate destinations were always the training gyms. He simply hadn’t posted photos on Facebook like other stars competing for the "hardest worker of the summer" title.

Su Wan always kept a low profile in these respects.

He seemed to enjoy being underestimated, even better if they threw "trash talk" at him.

Reggie Miller called Su Wan upon seeing the news, "Those two actually went to a nightclub with you and stayed out that late?"

Still hungover, Su Wan corrected, "It wasn’t me dragging them both; it was them dragging me along, and they even teamed up to pour drinks down my throat, these two guys..."

"It sounds like a fierce battle, it seems like you’ve already resolved the key conflicts..." Reggie admired Su Wan, but he was curious about how he managed to persuade O’Neal and Artest, who were both known for their volatile tempers and seemingly had nothing in common.

Su Wan casually mentioned, "Of course, it was with the vast power of love that I moved them. Honestly, I’ve made preparations to retire and become a priest at the church. I’m going to be a fantastic priest. What about you? How much longer will you enjoy retirement? Have you thought about what you’ll do next? I’m still in need of a driver."

"Go to hell!" Reggie swore before revealing his plans, "Larry invited me back as an assistant coach, but I declined."

Actually, until last night, he had been pondering returning to help Su Wan maintain team stability, but after seeing the news, he felt reassured and abandoned that idea.

Su Wan was proving to be a better leader than he had imagined.

He had quickly eased the tension between O’Neal and Artest.

Even if it was only a temporary relief, it was impressive nonetheless.

"I might become a commentator, but ultimately, I might need some time to decide."

After some more idle chat, Reggie hung up the phone. He hadn’t expected to call Su Wan again before the new season started, but after just two days, he couldn’t resist calling him again:

"Dude, this is crazy, right? They just released your interview like that?"

He was referring to the "Night of 54 Points" documentary Nike made for Su Wan.

Su Wan blasted away at LeBron James in it:

"He is indeed the most talented high school player of the past three years, but also the most overhyped rookie by the media!"

"I still can’t understand why Carmelo Anthony couldn’t share ’Rookie of the Year’ with him. Especially since the reason Yao Ming was overlooked for Rookie of the Year the previous year was that the Rockets’ record was worse than the Phoenix Suns."

"LeBron is the most absurd person I’ve ever seen. When everyone else tries hard on defense, he’s always the one standing with his hands on his hips waiting, and the most ridiculous moment I remember is when his assigned man drove past him for an inside layup, and then he blamed his teammates for not covering in time, huh... I was one of the players he blamed!"

"I’d really like to know when did he develop such inappropriate on-court privileges? Did it start in high school, or did it begin after joining the Cavaliers?"

"Why do I say he needs guidance? It’s because he has too many immature aspects on the court."

"He always uses the excuse of not wanting to lose to stay on the court when they are far behind in the game, padding some stats that don’t help the team at all."

"What’s my biggest conflict with LeBron? I just don’t approve of his playing style; he has no ability to direct teammates in tactics, yet he keeps playing as the point guard just for the sake of having the ball."

"In fact, I really don’t know what position he plays. If he’s a point guard, then he shouldn’t be shooting so much. If he’s a shooting guard, then please hand over the playmaking responsibilities. If he’s a small forward, do what a wing should do, like help on defense or guard the opposing team’s key player. If he’s a power forward or center, well, I’ve never seen him down in the post defending the opposing team’s big men, but he’s grabbing nearly six backcourt rebounds per game. If you really want the rebounds, why don’t you go for the frontcourt rebounds and fight for ’second attack’ opportunities?"

"I think he’s more like an opportunist on the court, going wherever there’s stats to pad, filling his stat sheet, then losing the game. This is also why his stats improved so much compared to his rookie season, yet the Cavaliers still couldn’t make the playoffs."

"LeBron James, the NBA’s biggest stat padder!"

"He needs me to pull off such a performance to fully wake him up!"

"The ’Night of 54 Points’ is his belated coming-of-age ceremony!"

"Excited? If you really want me to say it, I hope he can change in the new season and play a real game."

...

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