The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 43 - 42 Su Wan’s Value and the Auburn Palace Incident

Chapter 43: Chapter 42 Su Wan’s Value and the Auburn Palace Incident

Bill Duffy not only brought news of a team contacting Danny Ferry but also told Su Wan the outcome, "After Danny patiently listened, he hung up the phone directly. From what I know, the caller was Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and he offered any Mavericks perimeter player, except for Devin Harris, or a first-round pick plus a second-round pick."

Hearing it was Mark Cuban,

Su Wan was not surprised.

This summer, the Mavericks owner had regretted not spending money on Steve Nash, letting him go to the Phoenix Suns for free, which resulted in a fallout with Old Nelson. Since the start of the summer, the Mavericks’ trades were all done under his influence.

And Mark Cuban had always been covetous of the Huaxia market, from the earliest days with Wang Zhizhi, to later Yi Jianlian and Ding Yanyuhang, nearly every Huaxia player had opportunities with the Mavericks. To say that the Mavericks needed these players then to fill gaps without other motives, Su Wan wouldn’t believe it.

Now, with Su Wan’s conflicts with LeBron escalating, it would be unlike Mark Cuban not to stir things up!

People who make money too easily all have one problem—they love to cause trouble!

The chips he offered were sincere enough:

The Mavericks’ current perimeter players included Josh Howard, Michael Finley, Daniels, Jason Terry, Stackhouse, and Tarik Abdul-Wahad.

Even from a salary perspective, the cash-strapped Cavaliers couldn’t afford Terry or Michael Finley, but bringing in the likes of Josh Howard wouldn’t be an issue.

Especially since Josh Howard was making only 860,000 US dollars this season but could contribute an average of 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game—a real bargain.

Moreover, the Mavericks had prepared a second option for the Cavaliers:

If they don’t want players, then a first-round pick plus a second-round pick.

That was almost the price for an "All-Star caliber" player, yet Danny Ferry dismissed it without a second thought.

It shows how highly Danny Ferry valued Su Wan, at least at the level of a legitimate All-Star player.

Such players are almost "not for sale"...

"LeBron must also know about this news, right?" Su Wan regretted not being able to witness LeBron James’s reaction to the news in person. Recently, he could tell that LeBron’s dissatisfaction with him had reached an extreme point.

But...

Dear LeBron, the real game is just beginning!

Su Wan had thought that the news would make tomorrow’s headlines.

Mark Cuban’s move was equivalent to opening Pandora’s Box, leading to more teams exploring trade possibilities.

After all, it was clear to everyone that the rift between Su Wan and LeBron was heading towards an irreversible split.

But the result was that the next day’s headlines were not just in the sports section but were dominated across all news by an even more explosive sports event:

The Auburn Hills Palace brawl!

Just yesterday, at the Pistons’ home ground, they faced off against the Indiana Pacers.

Although it was just a regular-season game, the two teams held deep grudges. Pacers’ Head Coach Rick Carlisle was the former head coach for the Pistons, who was fired by the Pistons’ front office to make way for Larry Brown.

Last year, Artest’s winning of the "Best Defensive Player Award" prevented Ben Wallace from his fourth consecutive "Defensive Player of the Year," adding another Chapter to the rivalry.

Then, there was the "elimination grudge" from last season’s Eastern Conference Finals where the Pistons defeated the Pacers 4-2.

The tension between the two teams was at its peak.

In their first meeting this season, sparks were flying from both sides.

The atmosphere was so intense it felt like a return to the 90s.

With only 45.9 seconds left in the game and the Pacers leading by 15 points, it should have been "garbage time," and nothing should have gone wrong. But the two teams carried on with a "bayonets-fixed, fight-to-the-death" attitude.

Artest’s rough foul and the frustration of losing caused Ben Wallace to retaliate with a forceful shove, sparking a fierce confrontation between the players.

Fortunately, the referees reacted quickly, and Rasheed Wallace stepped in between, calming everyone down.

You read that right—the "Rasheed Wallace" became the peacemaker at this moment.

Referee: With that kind of temperament, how did we not know?

Artest lay down on the scorer’s table.

Both teams returned to their benches to cool down.

However, it was at this moment that a plastic water bottle flew from the stands, striking Artest.

This "Beast" instantly became enraged. Unable to hit Big Ben, he couldn’t hit the fans either?

He immediately charged into the stands.

Stephen Jackson, the "Martial Saint," joined him.

Initially, he tried to hold back Artest. But after he himself was hit, he decisively chose to join in.

Fred Jones, who intended to break up the fight but ended up being brutally beaten by the fans, became the second "ignition point."

The chaos escalated once again.

Others like Jermaine O’Neal and Tinsley also joined the fray.

Larry Brown’s intention to use the PA system to call for calm was ignored by the Pistons’ fans, who blocked the tunnel and prevented the Pacers’ players from leaving.

The scene turned violent once more.

It wasn’t until ten minutes later that with the full deployment of security, the Pacers’ players were finally able to leave.

At the end of the game, television captured three striking images: a fan still bleeding, a shocked and bewildered woman, and a frightened, crying child being comforted.

NBA commissioner David Stern, upon learning of the incident, was furious and quickly responded:

For the Pacers, Artest was banned from all remaining regular-season games, and if the Pacers made the playoffs, he was banned from those as well; Stephen Jackson was suspended for 30 games; Jermaine O’Neal for 25 games; Johnson for 5 games; Miller for 1 game;

Additionally, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jermaine O’Neal were sentenced to 1 year of probation, 60 hours of community service, and a fine of 250 US dollars each for their involvement in the fight and the disruption of public order.

On the Pistons’ side, Big Ben was suspended for 6 games; Billups, Coleman, and Campbell for 1 game each;

The Auburn Palace security guards, who failed to maintain order promptly, were all fired.

As for those fans, they were permanently banned from entering the Auburn Palace to watch games.

In terms of the bloodiness on the scene, the Auburn Hills brawl wasn’t too severe.

But in nature and subsequent impact, it was one of the most severe brawls in NBA history, so much so that 20 years later, it was still synonymous with NBA brawls.

Because Pacers’ players had fought with spectators!

This was something David Stern could not tolerate.

Of course, the price the Pacers paid was severe.

Their most promising year to win the championship turned into a year of nothingness.

The New York Times gave a sharp criticism, "A plastic water bottle destroyed the Pacers’ Reggie Miller era!"

The pain spread across all of Indiana, but life went on as usual for the other teams.

Su Wan showed up at the gym on time, got changed and began warming up. Seeing that LeBron had also arrived early, he glanced over with interest and shouted, "LeBron, got the guts to have a Bullfight with me?"

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