The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 271 - 165: Tonight is Not a Test of the "Small Lineup," but a Test of Him_2

Chapter 271: Chapter 165: Tonight is Not a Test of the "Small Lineup," but a Test of Him_2

To be honest, the young O’Neal not only resembles Little Si according to the media, but even Su Wan thinks he’s like Little Si...

Young O’Neal: Hmm???

Oh, even Su Wan thinks he’s like an enhanced version of Little Si!

Young O’Neal: Hmm!!!

"Australian, where’s your rim protection?" Young O’Neal roared at Bogut.

He completely stunned Bogut with his shout.

Hey man, I haven’t offended you, have I?

It was the Pacers’ number 99 I had problems with just now!

Ford’s speed when pushing forward was seriously fast. Calderon was the first to fall back on defense, yet before he even reached the frontcourt, Ford had already beaten him there, truly deserving the title Allen Iverson gave him as "the man faster than me."

But him being alone in the frontcourt was useless. He had to wait for Reid and Bobby Simmons to get into position and for the two big centers to trudge past midcourt.

The offensive scene was as constipated as it could get.

Finally, everyone was positioned. Ford, who had extinguished his cigarette, stomped on the throttle. In the positional war, he easily broke through Calderon.

Just that effortlessly, it was clear that Calderon could defend a hundred times, and Ford could break through a hundred times.

Even swapping in Tinsley didn’t make much difference.

Honestly, if it weren’t for Ford’s "Glass Man" attribute being too predominant, he could certainly have been an All-Star level guard.

Because he was really, really fast!

Rick Carlisle’s strategy against him was to "surround but not squeeze." Like most speedy, diminutive guards, Ford’s offensive moves were simple: rely on speed to make breakthroughs. His shooting wasn’t stable, but what set him apart from other speed-type point guards was his exceptional field of view.

Standing at 1.83 meters, he averaged 7 assists per game in his rookie season.

"Breakthrough pass" was just a method of handling the ball for others.

For him, it was his key weapon in the NBA.

Just like everyone knew Allen Iverson would break through from the right, but they just couldn’t stop him.

It was the same with TJ Ford; everyone knew he looked to pass during a breakthrough, but no one could stop him from getting the ball to his teammates.

Like this time, seeing Su Wan come over, Ford instantly passed the ball to Reid, who was lying in wait beyond the three-point line.

The ball swished through the net.

This season, Reid could average 25.4 points per game.

Averaging 25 points per game was also a threshold in the NBA.

Players who could perform offensively at this level during a season were usually called "super scorers."

If it weren’t for the many stunning scorers this season, Reid’s name might have appeared over and over again as a "new generation two-guard" in major media publications.

Now, well, Su Wan, Wade, Arenas...

Each one’s scoring was fiercer than his, there really was no surpassing them!

"It’s okay, it’s okay, just play our game!"

Seeing the opposition open up with a three-pointer first, Rick Carlisle wasn’t worried. He signaled on the sidelines for Calderon to play his own game of basketball.

It was an unnecessary concern.

He might have been flustered, but Calderon was not.

Ford had easily broken through him last round; this time, Calderon easily broke through Ford.

After all, Calderon was 1.91 meters tall and weighed 91 kilograms. These numbers might not mean much against other point guards, but against Ford, it was like comparing a "compact car."

Just as he broke through Ford, he encountered obstruction from Bogut.

Though not fond of the Australian, this guy did have some clever moves up his sleeve. He completely enveloped Calderon, not giving him a chance to scout the inside. The composed Spaniard chose to pass the ball outwards.

Su Wan got the ball and quickly executed a wide "V" dribble to adjust his attack trajectory.

Originally behind Calderon, he directly breezed past from Calderon’s right side. Bogut attempted to stop him with a sliding step, but Su Wan’s speed was clearly faster. Seeing he couldn’t stop him, as soon as the two bodies made contact, Bogut actively exerted force from his waist, toppling Su Wan off balance. The referee immediately blew the whistle.

But Su Wan, even as he tilted, managed to throw the ball towards the basket in a bizarre hand-raising gesture before fully hitting the ground.

"Swish!"

It was a "hollow ball"!

The spectator seats erupted in a burst of urgent cheers.

They couldn’t wait to look up at the replay on the big screen.

It was clearer now, Su Wan had completely lost his balance, and his hand position was far from standard, but the ball still went into the basket.

"You still have five fouls, use them sparingly, the game has just begun, don’t disappoint me, Kangaroo!"

Su Wan got up from the ground. Bogut’s foul wasn’t a "malicious foul," just a slightly excessive normal foul, within the bounds of the game, which he could accept.

Still, he wasn’t opposed to physical contact; he even liked it.

Even if his opponent was the much-disliked Bogut!

Dropping a trash talk, he sat waiting for the fast-arriving Pacers teammates to pull him up.

Bogut looked shocked, seemingly unable to believe that under those circumstances, Su Wan still managed to score.

"Swish!"

Steadily hitting a "2 and 1," negating Michael Red’s recent three-point shot.

The Bucks fans at the venue couldn’t help cursing.

Although the Bucks wanted to emulate the previous season’s SuperSonic Team, the results weren’t promising, as they could only hit an average of six three-pointers per game.

Each one was precious.

All because of Bogut’s foul, the opponent also managed a three-pointer in response, which was really...

If you’re going to provoke, at least make it count!

Some impatient fans couldn’t help cursing.

It wasn’t that they were quick-tempered, but with Su Wan making such a difficult shot early on, how could he not play more confidently afterward?

It was a troubling start, causing great unease among them.

The good news was, the Bucks seemed very accurate from beyond the three-point line tonight.

Following Michael Red, Bobby Simmons also scored a three-pointer.

As this season’s small forward, who, like Red, had high tactical hopes from the team, Simmons, also coming out from the second round like Red, relied on three-pointers too.

Of course, Red also had another weapon slightly suitable for dominating weaker players, which was a forced dribbling breakthrough.

These two three-pointers brought smiles to the Bucks coach.

As long as they could create space at the start, Ford’s breakthrough passes could further increase the threat.

The Pacers’ counterattack saw Calderon’s breakthrough tangled by Ford, and by the time he finally shook off his defender, the Bucks’ interior defense was ready. They had no choice but to pass the ball to Su Wan.

Su Wan broke past Reid, drawing Bobby Simmons to defend, and was surprised to see Artest, quickly passing the ball to him.

"Clang!"

Unfortunately, a great opportunity went to waste as Artest couldn’t make it.

The ball didn’t bounce out.

For the Bucks’ two big centers, this kind of rebound was naturally well protected.

Indeed, since Bobby Simmons and Michael Red both made three-pointers, the Pacers’ formation was widely spread; Ford dashed forward, drawing a foul from Little O’Neal at the basket.

He rolled on the ground a few times.

"That’s Allen Iverson!"

Seeing him fall, the Milwaukee fans’ hearts clenched.

It couldn’t be helped; he had congenital spinal stenosis, a collision that might not be serious for others could be a risk of injury for him, which also explained why he fell to the 7th pick in the 2003 draft.

Fortunately, Ford quickly got up and stepped to the free-throw line, steadily making both shots.

These two free throws successfully put the Bucks ahead.

Calderon having twice ineffectively handled the ball, the possession shifted to Dior.

"Magic" slowly broke past Bobby Simmons, passing the ball back to Calderon.

Today, the Spaniard’s performance was lackluster, missing again from beyond the three-point line.

Thankfully, Little O’Neal leaped up, grabbing the rebound, and as his body flew out of bounds, he smashed the ball onto Jamal.

It remained Pacers ball.

Rick Carlisle signaled Su Wan to go one-on-one.

Su Wan realized that tonight wasn’t about testing the "Small Lineup" but rather assessing his ability to forcefully resolve issues when the "Small Lineup" struggled, which was just fine as he really wanted to go all out shooting tonight.