The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 293 - 176 This is the Real Playoffs_2

Chapter 293: Chapter 176 This is the Real Playoffs_2

The others clapped excitedly.

Su Wan and the other two exchanged glances, a fiery light gradually igniting in their eyes.

Treating the whole team to dinner wasn’t a big deal. Little O’Neal signed a contract of 100 million in ’03, and Indiana’s taxes were low. Adding up the whole contract, he’d pocket roughly 70 million; Su Wan’s contract with Nike for basketball shoes was even higher, 110 million. The company was based in Portland, so he wouldn’t have to pay state taxes, just federal taxes, taking home about 70% as well; Artest couldn’t match their pay, but he was still worth several million.

But...

How could they miss the opportunity to make a good brother pay up?

Jia Misen was a swingman at the power forward and small forward positions, naturally falling under Little O’Neal’s responsibility.

As for Caron Butler and Arenas...

Normally, both would be fighting to defend Caron Butler, but Artest chose to guard Arenas.

Ever since that game against the Bucks, where Bobby Simmons got the best of him, Artest had been wary of such shooters.

Moreover, the bet was about who had the lower shooting percentage, not who scored more points.

Looking at the regular season percentages for the three Wizards players, Arenas was at 44.7%, Jia Misen at 44.3%, and Caron Butler the highest at 45.5%.

Not his preferred defensive matchup, and with the highest shooting percentage, there was nothing more to say. Artest had to do battle with his namesake, Arenas, through three hundred rounds.

Then the next day, he’d wait, all smiles, to see Su Wan unhappily pull out his wallet and foot the bill.

Hmm...

He believed that in this playoff series, Caron Butler would definitely have the highest shooting percentage of the three.

Because Rick Carlisle had added one more thing: "If these three players score a total of over 55 points, then all three of you will treat the whole team to a big feast."

"Alright!"

This time Foster led the applause.

Looking at his excited demeanor, he obviously had already decided what he wanted to eat.

"Jeff’s really been asking for a beating lately!"

"I agree, what do you think, Su?"

"Jeff, don’t leave after practice ends, wait at the grove!"

Overall, the atmosphere was pretty good.

That was thanks to the Cavaliers.

Winning nearly 30 points on average over four games, walking without any swagger would just be too modest.

Now, each member of the Pacers felt invincible!

But they weren’t arrogant.

That was the benefit of winning the championship.

With broader horizons, they were well aware that the playoff journey had just started and that the games would only get tougher.

It was that great saying:

Strategically, despise the opponent. Tactically, take them seriously.

May ’04, Pacers vs. Wizards, the semi-final’s first game kicked off in Indiana.

The media framed it as "Special Agent 0 vs. Special Agent 99."

This season, the Wizards faced off with the Pacers three times.

But Su Wan participated only in two of them, winning one and losing one.

During the loss, the "Three Musketeers" together scored 80 points, completely flustering the Pacers. However, the Indiana Pacers took their revenge in the next game, limiting the three to 40 points, and with a score of 100 to 82, 18 points ahead, they secured a victory, preventing a sweep.

It was this experience of "losing first, winning later" that made Rick Carlisle take the defense against the "Three Musketeers" seriously.

As long as they could limit those three, the Pacers could win the match.

"Tweet!"

The referee’s whistle blew, and the starting line-ups of both sides entered the court.

The Wizards, led by Arenas, stood ready for battle.

Advancing past the first round had fueled their desire for an even grander stage. Even facing the league’s first-ranked Pacers, they showed no fear, for the regular season’s large victory margin suggested that the Pacers should be the worried ones.

The jump ball featured Haywood vs. Little O’Neal.

The ball belonged to the Pacers.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Tinsley handled the ball past mid-court. Su Wan got the ball facing Caron Butler and went straight for a forceful breakthrough. Getting up close to the free-throw line in the skirmish, he leaned on Butler’s shoulder to gain leverage, pushed him back, and took a jump shot.

The entire motion was incredibly smooth, especially at the moment when their bodies separated. Su Wan quickly adjusted his posture, and as he released the shot, his hand position spelled out just two words:

Perfect!

"Swish!"

The ball went in cleanly.

2-0!

"Come on, defense, defense!"

Scoring the first point, Su Wan’s face did not relax; it became even more solemn.

Not just him, young O’Neal and Artest wore the same expression.

The competition had now begun.

Special Agent number zero had barely crossed half-court with the ball when he saw Artest dash in front of him like a tornado. The fierceness of the encounter startled Arenas. By now, he had grown accustomed to the playoff intensity, knowing the physicality of the playoff stage would only intensify.

But this...

Wasn’t this just too damn intense?

The ball left his hands, passed to Butler.

"Straw Boy" immediately felt the same pressure.

He tried to use the "three threats" position to push Su Wan back, but Su Wan ignored it altogether, instead continuously pitted his chest against him, forcing him to pass the ball quickly.

Butler didn’t find an opportunity until he was two large steps from the three-point line, finally taking a glance at his teammate’s positions.

Jia Misen was lurking near the baseline, noticing he’d been pushed by Su Wan towards mid-court, he hurried over to offer support.

The ball went to him, and so did young O’Neal.

Relative to Jia Misen’s speed, young O’Neal was a bit slower, but not slow enough to give Jia Misen a significant advantage.

Known as the "most low-profile 20,000-point man", Jia Misen’s scoring ability was beyond doubt. However, the gap between him and the top scorers lied in lacking a signature and consistent scoring skill, along with stability—he was very much form-dependent.

With just under 8 seconds left after two passes, the Wizards’ offensive setup was in complete disarray.

Jia Misen had no choice but to barrel into the paint against young O’Neal, taking "slow three steps."

Young O’Neal precisely judged his shooting attempt, but could not match Jia Misen’s unique "half-hook throw", the shot left Jia Misen’s hand, and only then did he manage to get his hand up to disrupt it.

"Swish!"

The shot went in!

The Wizards had their response.

"Damn!"

Young O’Neal swiped the air furiously with his hand.

Jia Misen was taken aback, tempted to say:

Brother, is it that serious?

I’ve only made one basket; why do you act like I’ve stolen your money?

Soon, Jia Misen realized it wasn’t just young O’Neal; Su Wan and Artest also looked much the same.

Every time he and Butler or Arenas scored against them, they had the look of "I’ll get you back for this."

Gradually, their momentum was suppressed.

And for an offensively focused team like the Wizards, a dampening of their spirit inevitably affected their offense.

"The Three Musketeers" lost their shooting touch due to this change in morale, and the Pacers took advantage of it to build up a 10-point lead by halftime.

"Fxxk, my defense is the worst!"

The kicker was, even with a half like that, Artest was still dissatisfied. Glancing at the halftime stats, he let out a howl that could be heard throughout the arena.

Arenas, sipping on Gatorade, shook his head with a frown.

Madman, he’s simply a madman!

"Guys, do you see their attitude over there? This is what real playoffs are like. We’re not playing house like we did with the Nets anymore, everyone smarten up!" Eddie Jordan shouted in the locker room at the Wizards, pouring "chicken soup" into them, "Are they really better than us? No, they’re just more experienced, they just have more attitude. In the second half, let’s show our attitude, we can definitely catch up!"

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