The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 410 - 202: Kobe, stop talking trash to Su Wan!

Chapter 410: Chapter 202: Kobe, stop talking trash to Su Wan!

In the Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, when Yao Ming scored a crucial "Second Attack" bucket over Tim Duncan with 3 minutes and 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter and earned a chance for an additional free throw, Kobe was the first one to rush over and threw a punch toward Yao’s tightly clenched fists against his chest.

He really wanted to shout, "I have the best teammate in the world!"

After that "and-one," the Lakers sealed a 10-point lead and eventually eliminated the Spurs with a 97 to 86 victory.

A buzz rose from the crowd, and the DJ shouted immediately, "The Finals, The Purple Gold Dynasty is back. Pacers, are you ready? Kobe and Yao Ming are bringing the Lakers!"

Kobe and Yao embraced, celebrating their Western Conference Championship in their first year of forming the "replica OK". Kobe silently whispered to himself,

I’m back in the Finals!

From the summer of ’04 to the summer of ’07, Kobe had made it back to the Finals stage once again.

And more importantly...

He had made it back to this stage before Shaquille O’Neal!

Next, he needed to do one more thing: to beat the Pacers. Then, everyone would know who was the most important player in the Lakers’ "three consecutive championships" journey from the early ’00s.

It’s the ultimate question: Kobe vs. Shaquille—who can’t live without whom!

Yao Ming held the Western trophy. It had taken him five years, from ’02 to ’07, just for this trophy.

But...

Had he joined the Lakers earlier, could he have touched this Western trophy sooner?

This thought suddenly popped into Yao’s mind.

Although he’d only been working with Kobe for one season, he was very clear that Kobe and McGrady were two completely different players.

The media always put them on the same level, but in Yao’s eyes, Kobe might not have a huge gap over McGrady in raw skills. However, when it came to attitude on the court and off the court, McGrady would be utterly outclassed by Kobe.

This was the hardest-working player Yao had ever seen, and the most desperate teammate he had ever met on the court.

McGrady could never show the same look in his eyes during a game as Kobe did.

Looking at it this way...

The Shark is just so-so!

Who wouldn’t win championships with Kobe!

Yao now looked at Shaquille O’Neal similarly as Xiang Yu regarded Emperor Qin—deeming himself as a suitable replacement.

Securing a spot in the Finals, the post-game questions naturally had nothing to do with the Spurs anymore, all inquiries were related to the Pacers...

"Before he won two Championship Trophies, I had already gotten three, and I have more experience than him, so I’m not worried about anything!"—Kobe speaking about Su Wan’s "two consecutive championships";

"I’m going to show him why winning three consecutive championships is such a difficult task!"—Kobe confidently believed he could stop the Pacers from getting the "three consecutive championships";

"I’m looking forward to it, because such a spectacle is not commonly seen by domestic fans."—Yao Ming on the Finals featuring a "Huaxia derby" for the first time;

"We probably won’t meet because this is about the Championship, he wants it and so do I!"—Yao Ming indicating that he would not meet with Su Wan privately after heading to Indiana;

"Kobe is definitely one of the best at the two in the league, and so is Su Wan..."—Yao Ming briefly commented on Kobe and Su Wan;

"Anyway, the winning team will surely have a Huaxia player!"—Yao Ming humorously replied when asked by the journalists to predict which team would ultimately win the Championship Trophy;

...

As the post-game interviews accompanied the Lakers’ charter flight to Indiana, Su Wan’s response was quick: "He has the experience of winning three consecutive championships, but he lacks the experience of winning Finals MVP!"

What’s meant by "stabbing right at the heart!"

But Kobe was not so easily defeated: "I might not have it now, but after this round of the Finals, I will!"

Su Wan: "I’m just asking, can one really accumulate experience by watching others lift the Finals MVP trophy?"

Kobe replied again: "I will be holding up the Finals MVP trophy in front of the Los Angeles fans, without a doubt!"

Su Wan: "Kobe’s joke is not bad, just a little cold with no other issues!"

As the two exchanged verbal jabs, a wave after wave of journalists was also dispatched from China. At the same time, to ensure that this commentary would be sufficiently exciting, the team for the live broadcast was carefully selected, sending the likes of Yu Jia, Zhang Weiping, and others.

Su Wan saw the commentary team in the stadium cafeteria on the day of the game.

Zhang Weiping said, "Little Su, you have no idea how lively it is back in China!"

Su Wan could actually imagine it.

Yao Ming’s entry into the NBA had sparked a "red storm" in China, but just like the saying "centers don’t sell shoes", the person who truly ignited the nation’s basketball passion was the guard Su Wan.

You should know that the current generation of old basketball fans in China are basically Michael Jordan’s fans.

Now that there’s a "Huaxia Jordan," who knows how excited they would get.

Only Yao Ming is considered a "golden signboard" for China abroad, and they would also vote for Yao when casting votes for Su Wan, otherwise this year’s All-Star Weekend "Ticket King" would definitely still be Su Wan.

But Su Wan now had the chance to reach a new height of reputation value.

If the Pacers win this time, then Su Wan would become an even more unprecedented record-holder, unlikely to be surpassed by future generations, as the first player to establish a Dynasty in his first three years of professional career and to win "three consecutive MVPs"...

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