The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 476 - 215: Shall I kowtow for you, Su?_2

Chapter 476: Chapter 215: Shall I kowtow for you, Su?_2

"You think I’m lackadaisical on the practice court, huh?"

"Well, let me show you how I can be lackadaisical on the game court!"

The next day, the Pacers had a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers!

After Allen Iverson left, "Little AI" Iguodala proved he could never become the true "AI." His stats were pretty good for his fourth professional season: 19.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, with a decent field goal percentage of 45.6% and a three-point shooting percentage of 32.9%.

But he was always one step shy of becoming a real "superstar." freёNovelFire-com

His team-oriented playstyle made it hard for him to draw fans.

Even though the 76ers were ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference under his and Andre Miller’s leadership, just one place behind the current ranking of the Pacers, their media exposure had plunged straight down compared to when they had Allen Iverson.

As for Iguodala, he only got enough exposure when playing against top "contemporaries" like Su Wan.

At other times, he was practically invisible.

This game was quite important for the Pacers; if they lost another one, they’d have the same record as the Philadelphia 76ers.

Zach Randolph chose such a game to give Su Wan some "eye drops," which showed how irritated he really was.

But what pissed him off even more was...

Before he could act nonchalant, Su Wan isolated him.

On offense, the ball wasn’t passed to him at all.

In situations where the offense stalled, Su Wan would rather "chuck" shots himself than pass the ball to the post.

Even when calling for a pick-and-roll, it was always in conjunction with Foster.

He was like an "invisible man" on the offensive end.

Which left him to hustle for "offensive rebounds" if he wanted to shoot.

Otherwise, he’d only get to handle the ball once every four or five minutes.

By halftime, Zach Randolph only had 6 points and 4 rebounds.

Looking good...

But those 6 points came solely from "second attack" frontcourt rebounds he grabbed himself.

Out of the 4 rebounds, 3 were offensive.

Such numbers were far from the averages he had with the New York Knicks this season: 17.6 points and 10.3 rebounds.

He was frustrated and stormed off to the locker room, tossing his towel to vent.

Rick Carlisle said, "Zach, if you’ve got something to say, just spit it out!"

Randolph was unabashed, "I just want to know why I’m not getting the damn ball!"

Su Wan sat back like a big boss, took a sip of water, wiped his sweat with a towel, and spoke for Carlisle, "You want the ball? Show some drive then. I saw you did well in the first half, grabbing 3 frontcourt rebounds. See, since you have that capability, just put on a good show. Stats are earned by fighting for them, right?"

"But you’ve already shot 15 times!"

That was what truly infuriated Randolph.

And Su Wan wasn’t exactly efficient tonight, hitting only 6 out of those 15 shots!

Yet Su Wan smiled shamelessly, "Otherwise, where would you get so many frontcourt rebounds?"

"???" Randolph was dumbfounded.

Should I thank you for missing shots?

He laughed.

Laughed in anger!

Of all the despicable perimeter players he’d seen, Crawford was the biggest asshole, holding the ball as if there was nothing else but the hoop, completely oblivious to his teammates!

But compared to Su Wan, Crawford seemed much easier on the eyes.

He was already missing the days he played with Crawford.

But Su Wan wasn’t done talking, "Also Zach, when we get back on the court, look up at the top of this arena. Then you’ll understand why I can take so many shots!"

Still unconvinced, Zach Randolph didn’t grasp the full meaning of Su Wan’s words until he walked out of the home team’s tunnel. Remembering what Su Wan had said, he glanced up instinctively, and when he saw the three championship banners hanging side by side above the court, he muttered softly,

"Fxxk!"

If he didn’t understand what Su Wan meant by now, he’d be a "pig-brained idiot."

So, winning "three consecutive championships" is impressive, huh?

Um...

Zach Randolph scoffed in his heart but said no more.

He couldn’t truly say that "three consecutive championships" weren’t a big deal.

In the second half, Su Wan continued to shoot wildly, shooting a challenging glance at Zach Randolph every time.

This demeanour drove Randolph up the wall.

"If you don’t want to pass me the ball, then just damn well bench me!"

During a break, he vented his dissatisfaction.

Little did he know that Su Wan wouldn’t give him any face, "Then just sit off the court!"

Randolph was stunned, even more so when Rick Carlisle decisively called Millsap to get ready to enter the game.

And the rest of the game passed with Randolph in a daze. The struggling Su Wan from the first half gradually warmed up in the second half, took 17 shots, made 11, and ended up with 32 attempts scoring 17 baskets, including 3 of 6 three-point shots, and 5 of 6 free throws, totaling 42 points along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

The Pacers beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109 to 99, a 10-point margin.

Iguodala had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals for the game, very well-rounded.

But his invisibility on the offensive end in the final moments, as well as being overwhelmed defensively by Su Wan, meant he could only leave the scene with his head down.

Postgame, Randolph faced the media with a sullen expression, the very picture of "unhappiness."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.