The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 264 - 163 What the Hell is Respect! _2

Chapter 264: Chapter 163 What the Hell is Respect! _2

Those who knew, saw his disdain; those who didn’t, might think he was afraid of Su Wan.

With a stern face, McGrady leaned towards Su Wan, his usually sleepy eyes now brimming with seriousness.

But Su Wan didn’t take him seriously.

Once he had decided to target McGrady during the All-Star Weekend as revenge on the entire city of Houston, he had gone out of his way to study recordings of McGrady’s games since his comeback this season.

At this point in his career, McGrady was already on the decline; although he still averaged 24.6 points, his field goal percentage was only 40.6%, and for the rest of his career as a main player, his highest shooting percentage would only be 43.1%!

And more often than not, his shooting percentage was below 40%.

People say Allen Iverson was the king of inefficient "bad shots," but that was more a product of the way he played in Philly. After Iverson transferred, compared to McGrady during the same period, Iverson had a better shooting percentage.

If even the "bad shot king" outperformed him, one could imagine how poor McGrady’s efficiency was.

During this period, McGrady could hardly be considered a "superstar;" he was at best an ordinary All-Star.

And this time, after a major injury comeback, McGrady’s form and efficiency were even worse than during the same period, reminiscent of two years later when he had minimally invasive surgery on his knee.

It was certain either his knee was still in the recovery phase, and McGrady was reluctant to make moves, or it was a "trauma shadow phase," and he seemingly couldn’t let go.

In any case, he was a "soft persimmon" that could easily be manipulated!

With a simple "in&out" move, Su Wan faked him out causing McGrady to shift his center of gravity. With a hesitation step for a second probe, Su Wan suddenly cut diagonally, stopped abruptly, and shot a jump shot, the ball hitting the mark with certainty. Kevin Garnett seemed ready to block, but unsure if Su Wan was going to breakthrough or shoot, he was a step too slow. By the time Su Wan leaped for the shot, Garnett could only watch, unable to interfere.

"Is that how you defend on the Raptors?"

As Su Wan retreated, he glanced over at McGrady.

To be honest, it was a little bit easy!

He had thought that with his current form, taking McGrady one-on-one should not be difficult, but he hadn’t realized it would be this unchallenging.

A cornered dog will jump over a wall, and to make matters worse, Kevin Garnett was egging on: "Again, Tracy, that kid has no respect for you!"

McGrady had the ball in the frontcourt facing Su Wan, and the arena erupted in cheers.

Su Wan’s easy breakthrough moments earlier had left the audience somewhat incredulous; this was not the invincible McGrady they remembered.

Okay, this was just the All-Star game; it was understandable for McGrady not to be serious on defense!

But...

Another one should be manageable, right?

McGrady acted as expected, eliciting high-pitched screams of approval; yes, just like that, McGrady, show that little punk some colors. Let him learn some respect for the veterans of the game.

This is the Toyota Center!

Su Wan gave up a step but charged up secretly below, ready to stick close at any moment.

Since McGrady came to the Rockets, whether it was to ensure enough shot attempts for himself or the "Magic Ball" moment inflated his confidence in his own shot, he became obsessively infatuated with the "dry pull-up jump shot," and the obsession only grew.

His shooting percentage declined each year because he always used this inefficient approach.

The mid-range shot was already deemed the lowest efficiency approach by Magic Ball Theory, and McGrady kept opting for high-difficulty "dry pulls."

Plus, as someone with poor stamina, this type of shot which relies heavily on core strength and body control, would drain his energy severely with each attempt.

Don’t be fooled by his seemingly effortless shooting.

As expected, McGrady fell for it, feinting with a "Fake a shot" beyond the three-point line, squeezed a step inside, and went for the jump shot from the right side of the free throw line, but he hadn’t anticipated that Su Wan, who had been retreating, would suddenly rush forward.

"Slap!"

A solid block! freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

The forceful slap sent McGrady stumbling upon landing.

Wondering why McGrady hadn’t expected Su Wan to suddenly pounce?

Don’t ask, because that’s what you call "the league’s fastest first step"!

McGrady had grown used to opponents giving him space near the free throw line for an easy shot, wary of his breakthrough.

To him, Su Wan’s initial reluctance was the same as the others; they all feared his penetration.

Su Wan landed, wobbled slightly and quickly chased down the ball.

The allure of the All-Star Weekend was supposed to shine at this moment... hell it was!

He had just gotten his hands on the ball when a flurry of urgent footsteps sounded from behind; Su Wan glanced at the number 24 on the jersey.

Hmm...

It could only be him!

Su Wan decisively went for a dunk, and in the end, he secured the fast break without too much trouble.

Kobe looked at Su Wan with a slight sense of regret.

Su Wan rolled his eyes in response.

The local Houston fans were moved; Kobe and McGrady, rivals yet allies, at a time like this, it was natural he wouldn’t stand for a rookie bullying McGrady.

If Su Wan knew what the people of Houston were thinking, he would undoubtedly nod in rare agreement.

But the Houston fans got it wrong; Kobe wasn’t standing up for McGrady, he simply couldn’t stand someone else stealing the spotlight...

"Come on, McGrady, let’s continue!"

As Steve Nash brought the ball up to the frontcourt once more, Su Wan started provoking McGrady again.

McGrady, wanting to regain his dignity after being blocked, demanded the ball.

Credit where it’s due, he was still a man!

Su Wan continued to feign giving up the shot, but this time McGrady wasn’t fooled. He aggressively drove toward the basket. Once past the free throw line, seeing McGrady hadn’t shot yet, Su Wan immediately closed in.

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