The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 274 - 167: Can’t You Leave After Breaking Your Career’s Single-Game Highest Score?

Chapter 274: Chapter 167: Can’t You Leave After Breaking Your Career’s Single-Game Highest Score?

Su Wan was getting more and more exhilarated as the game progressed, and the following round, he charged into the paint, successfully drawing a foul from Jamal.

As a result, after sending Bogut off the court with two fouls, the Bucks’ other center was also sent off the court.

But compared to Bogut’s two helpless fouls, it seemed like Jamal was purposely committing fouls to get a break from the game.

The arena was filled with boos, and Su Wan could feel they were not directed at him.

Otherwise, they would have cursed out the referee as well.

The boos were likely for Jamal.

Su Wan’s hunch wasn’t wrong—seeing Jamal leave the court with two fouls, these Bucks fans’ first thought was that this guy had found another chance to slack off! This was also why, despite averaging 9 points and 9 rebounds a game, Jamal was traded away after only one year with the Bucks.

A player’s attitude on the court is entirely perceptible.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

After sinking both free throws, Su Wan’s score for the first quarter was quickly approaching 15 points. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Reid responded quickly, receiving the ball and scoring again.

In the ongoing scoring battle, by the end of the first quarter, Su Wan’s score had reached 18 points, while Reid’s had also climbed to 12 points.

The most thrilling aspect for Su Wan was that this time he hadn’t activated "The zone", and just his control over his body on a good night allowed him to keep scoring—of course, a good night was not much different from being in "The zone"; the only difference was that he couldn’t control his body to the limit, and this state of playing well was variable.

But this further demonstrated Su Wan’s improvement over the nearly two seasons.

Suddenly, he was struck by a compelling thought:

Without "The zone", could he score 50 points in a single game?

From what he had experienced tonight, it seemed entirely possible...

The Bucks’ perimeter defense posed no threat to him, and their two centers had encountered foul trouble due to his continuous assaults on the paint in the first quarter.

By taking advantage of these two aspects during the ups and downs of his condition, Su Wan could continue scoring.

The "tank’s" biggest advantage was that, even when his shooting was off, he could keep attacking the basket.

This was particularly important in the less stringent 2000s.

This wasn’t an era where you could get to the free throw line simply by jumping from behind it; part of the reason some fans did not acknowledge Wade’s "Porcelain King" status was that his calls came from repeatedly battling under the basket.

The famous "Wade’s fall" was a traditional two-guard’s flopping technique, to fake out the defender and then crash into him.

Only, Wade did it with a bit more force.

During the second quarter’s bench rotation, Mo Williams and Tinsley became the two main characters on the court, exchanging baskets.

However, their expressions were entirely different; Tinsley was enjoying himself, realizing how pleasant "dimensionality reduction" could be during the substitution phase. Su Wan dreaded the idea of LeBron James getting inspiration if he watched tonight’s game.

On the other hand, Mo Williams played with a sense of relief from his frustrations.

He had a tough season, with Ford taking his starting spot upon returning from an injury, leaving Williams without even the chance to compete, and then he suffered various injuries, leading to sporadic playtime.

The Pacers were the first to go with a small lineup, and the Bucks had no choice but to switch back to their starting lineup as well.

Rick Carlisle certainly did not want to bring his two starting big men back so soon. But there was no choice, since after the two centers left the court, the Bucks’ inside players simply couldn’t contain Su Wan, allowing him to keep attacking the paint and scoring.

Another key reason the substitute big men couldn’t stop Su Wan was due to Michael Red’s poor defensive quality as the first line of defense.

Allowing Su Wan to get to the basket, those less capable interior defenders naturally seemed unable to prevent Su Wan from scoring.

But how could Rick Carlisle complain when Michael Red was on fire tonight?

Not just tonight, but all season, as the team’s star, Red had enjoyed this privilege.

Sometimes, strict head coaches can provide good constraints for these superstars.

Only pity that most superstars don’t want to be restrained by head coaches.

Unlike the NCAA, in the NBA, coaches often lose their jobs when they clash with the stars.

That’s why most coaches with little credentials and hard-won positions can do nothing but let the players be.

Rick Carlisle was no exception.

After the Pacers’ "small lineup" returned to the court and warmed up, the gap with the opponents’ firepower was still evident. Left with no other choice, Rick Carlisle continued to concentrate the offense in Su Wan’s hands.

On Su Wan’s first offensive play of the second round, he held the ball, repeatedly feigning shooting intentions. Michael Red held back a few times but eventually sprang forward. Su Wan drove past him straight to the inside, where Bogut didn’t dare block him, standing under the basket watching Su Wan bomb the hoop like a warplane.

"Where’s your defense, No.1 Pick?" Su Wan said nonchalantly waving his hand, "You might as well sit on the sidelines!"

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