The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 531 - 226: How Can One Sweep the World Without Being Lively in One’s Own House (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Brothers)_2

Chapter 531: Chapter 226: How Can One Sweep the World Without Being Lively in One’s Own House (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Brothers)_2

"I defend you only because you are a member of the Pacers," he said, "if it were anyone else, I’d do the same!"

"You are winning the Championship for yourself, not for me!"

"You’re the one who needs to prove that even without Kobe, you can still win the Championship!" he continued, "I already defeated Kobe two years ago. If anyone should seek vengeance, it should be him seeking it from me!"

"So, what you think, I don’t really care."

"And..."

"Face Rick Carlisle has given you the opportunity, if you can’t handle it, come the playoffs, you might find yourself sitting at the ’Water Dispenser.’"

"Would you rather be a key figure in the tactics, proudly lifting the Championship Trophy!"

"Or sit on the bench unable to play even a minute, and in the end, just be part of the team that wins a championship, proving to Kobe that you got lucky."

"You should think about it yourself!"

Suddenly, a bucket of cold water was splashed on Shaquille’s face.

It directly stunned the ’Shark.’

However...

Shaquille O’Neal seriously reflected on what Su Wan had said. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

Even though it was a bit threatening, he had to admit Su Wan wasn’t wrong.

Even though he couldn’t shake the label of "riding on coattails" anymore.

But as a "tactical core" winning a championship has a different value than grabbing one sitting next to the "Water Dispenser." When facing the media and Kobe, he would hold his head high.

At this time, Shaquille finally understood that Su Wan’s willingness to defend him was not because of any camaraderie between them.

What camaraderie was there between them!

The real reason Su Wan defended him was that he felt Shaquille genuinely fit the starting position but needed him to soberly realize what he needed to do. And if Shaquille didn’t wake up, Su Wan, despite giving him face during the regular season, would mercilessly bench him during the playoffs.

At that point...

It was the Su Wan he knew!

Shaquille O’Neal’s back was drenched.

Following that, his picks became even more aggressive on the court, although his enthusiasm waned whenever he saw Su Wan.

Su Wan didn’t mind at all.

He never thought that after becoming teammates with Shaquille O’Neal this time, their relationship would warm up.

He couldn’t afford a petty friend like Shaquille O’Neal.

Just take this instance; he might be proactive in setting screens because Su Wan defended him in front of the media, but the next time, if Su Wan hurt his pride, he’d revert to laziness on the court.

At that point, the Pacers’ tactical system would become passive.

From the few games, Shaquille O’Neal’s screen setting was starting to appear as a key tactic for the Pacers’ season.

A crucial aspect of Shaquille O’Neal’s screening:

Even without the ability to shoot from afar, at the moment of the screen, the opponent’s guards and forwards couldn’t position themselves quickly enough for a double team on the ball handler, potentially allowing the one pairing with Shaquille to slip past them.

If Shaquille O’Neal kept running sets like the "Mobile Screen," that would be lethal.

Take LeBron James’; the screen he prided with Vallejo followed this principle.

He even mentioned on a show that the Warriors’ "Mobile Screen" was learned from his and Vallejo’s technique!

So why wouldn’t the referees call Vallejo for a moving screen?

Along with "whistle protection," another reason is that these players are so big that the space they occupy when moving is also substantial; the referees can’t just call a "Mobile Screen" because of his movement, as it would quickly make the big men in the league extinct.

Because then it wouldn’t be the defenders avoiding the screener, but the screener dodging the defenders.

That’s also why.

Some big men take advantage of this, like Vallejo, and later on, Warriors’ players like Bogut, Zaza, and Steve Kerr probably figured since you’re not calling it, their team does carry some "Mobile Screen" movements to some extent during the matches.

Of course, that person’s followers shouldn’t complain.

A crow standing on a pig.

Neither can laugh at the other.

But even though this strategy is strong, if Shaquille O’Neal isn’t willing to screen voluntarily and is just tactfully responding to the protection, then he only has four words:

Better rest early!

And now, it seemed, his words had the desired effect; Shaquille O’Neal proactively changed, becoming more aggressive in screening for the team.

The Pacers’ style was gradually taking shape.

In the first 6 minutes of the game, with the ball handlers Su Wan or Billups and Shaquille O’Neal setting screens, they either initiated attacks themselves or passed to Zach Randolph, who had a 1v1 opportunity under the basket.

As the opposition adjusted their defense due to the Pacers’ perimeter breakthroughs and Randolph’s damage at the basket, the Pacers started showing their "shooting density," especially after Shaquille O’Neal was subbed out for outside shooters like Afflalo or Anthony Parker, enhancing their mid-to-long-range shooting.

If the Pacers’ shooters were feeling good that night, they often widened the lead by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, they continued using shots to disrupt the opponent’s defensive focus.