The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 270 - 165: Tonight is Not a Test of the "Small Lineup," but a Test of Him

Chapter 270: Chapter 165: Tonight is Not a Test of the "Small Lineup," but a Test of Him

Su Wan entered the Bradley Arena.

There wasn’t much booing in the arena.

Even though Su Wan had gotten into an argument with their "No.1 Pick," it seemed they didn’t want to boo at Su Wan over Bogut.

It all came down to Bogut’s stats thus far: averaging 9.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists with a field goal percentage of 53.4%. For a rookie, these aren’t bad numbers. But for a "No.1 Pick," they’re pretty awful.

In the 2000s, among the six "No.1 Picks," Bogut’s rookie season stats were second from the bottom, only slightly better than the "Watered-down No.1 Pick" Kwame Brown from ’01.

It was hard for them to imagine how this "old white man" from Australia could brighten the future of the Bucks.

And this guy was also a "Big Mouth," often stirring up trouble off the court.

Including this time, they didn’t know why Bogut had to spout off to the media like that after the team lost the last game.

Did you really not know that Su Wan is petty?

Don’t spit trash talk at him, or the next time you meet, he’ll make sure you have a humiliating night.

This year, the Bucks had decent momentum and, even if they couldn’t reach great heights, there was hope for a playoff run. The Milwaukee fans didn’t want to watch their team suffer a crushing defeat one night and be utterly disheartened.

But Bogut still did it!

Since he did, all Bucks fans could do was to keep their mouths shut.

In their hearts, they prayed that Su Wan would be gentle with the Bucks.

As for Bogut, they were fine with him being humiliated!

This was the first time Su Wan saw Bogut with his own eyes.

And how should I put it?

"Chiseled features" are generally a compliment.

But for him, it’s derogatory.

Just too damned prominent.

Add to that a nose bridge straight out of the Sanxingdui bronze statues, and that solid chin.

If he grew a bit more beard and got some red in his face from drinking...

His entire face matched Su Wan’s stereotype of an Australian white man to a T.

What struck Su Wan most about Bogut wasn’t how many players he’d destroyed in the League, how many "Black Hands" he’d played, but that after Australia lost to Spain in the ’19 World Championships, he made a "counting money" gesture at the camera, then cursed, "Damn Huaxia, damn refs, damn Spain."

Su Wan would never believe this guy wasn’t a bit racist.

In some ways, Su Wan disliked Bogut even more than he did Bruce Bowen.

Seeing him now, the memories of watching his punchable face on TV before the time travel all came rushing back, and Su Wan’s demeanor became instantly serious.

The camera just then gave Su Wan a close-up, and seeing his stern expression, a faint wail arose from the stands.

The Pacers’s assistant coach on the bench heard the noise, looked up to see Su Wan’s close-up, and turned his head in confusion toward the stands from where the sounds came; he didn’t quite understand why the Milwaukee people suddenly made such noises.

Wasn’t it too early for that?

The game officially started shortly after.

Rick Carlisle made some changes to the Pacers’ starting lineup tonight, opting for a "Small Lineup" as the starters. With the playoffs approaching, he was rushing to integrate the small lineup.

The Bucks’ starting lineup was: Point Guard TJ Ford, two Michael Redd, small forward Bobby Simmons, Power forward Jamal Magloire, and five Andrew Bogut.

That was an odd lineup...

Last summer, newly appointed coach Terry Stotts of the Bucks must have seen the success of the Seattle SuperSonics last season and, with Ford’s return, wanted to leverage his speed, Breakthrough pass, and use the firepower beyond the three-point line to annihilate opponents.

In theory, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Any lineup that uses the three-point shot as a primary offensive weapon could be considered to fit the future trend.

What makes it odd is their choice of players.

You can pretend Michael Redd is Ray Allen; that’s not a big problem. But expecting Bobby Simmons to play like Lewis is asking too much.

And then there’s the use of interior players; the management signed Jamal Magloire in the summer just because, based on his credentials from being selected for the All-Star roster in ’04, he was a steal for just 8.53 million US dollars.

But here’s the thing. Last summer, everyone knew his brother had been shot, which affected his mindset. He just wanted to get back to Toronto to be with his family, which was why the Hornets wanted to trade him. The Bucks thought the beer in Milwaukee could cure him midway through, but it just made him more muddled and often sluggish on the court.

Terry Stotts, reluctant to let go of his 9 points and 9 rebounds stats, fancied himself clever by promoting Bogut to the starting lineup for an "absolute height" two-center combo interior.

A team that wants to open the game with three-point shots using big centers more suited for Position War...

Calling them odd is already a compliment.

It’s downright bizarre! frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Only in the Eastern Conference could they still be hovering in eighth place. If they were in the Western, with their record, they’d already be down to tenth.

The opening possession belonged to the Pacers.

The sluggish formation speed of the big-center lineup gave the Pacers a chance right from the start; Su Wan received a pass from Calderon, drove inside to attract a double-team, and then passed back to the trailing O’Neal, who completed a "single-handed slam dunk."

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m