The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 54 - 53 Su Wan is so useful!

Chapter 54: Chapter 53 Su Wan is so useful!

Rick Carlisle had gone over a lot before the game, covering every aspect comprehensively.

However, once the game started, it was still the SuperSonic Team that first opened the scene.

With 2 minutes and 14 seconds left in the first quarter, the SuperSonic Team led by 6 points with a score of 8 to 2.

The head coach of the SuperSonic Team was Nate McMillan, one of the "Top Ten Legends of the SuperSonic Team." He dedicated his entire career to Seattle, and after retiring in 1998, he served three years as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach of the SuperSonic Team in 2000.

George Karl was his coach during his playing days, and from the fast-break mode of this SuperSonic Team, one could tell that he had learned a lot about fast-pace concepts from George Karl:

For instance, he also liked to use "physically talented men" in the frontcourt to provide energy on the court.

In this regard, without the younger O’Neal, the Pacers’ frontcourt was not at an advantage.

Neither Austin Croshier, the "hero who helped the Pacers reach the finals in 2000," nor David Harrison, this year’s 29th first-round rookie, were so-called "physical freaks."

Croshier rose to prominence in 2000, where with a reliable three-point shot and a tough style under the basket, he became an indispensable part of that year’s Pacers team. But based on his subsequent performances on the court, it turned out he was a true "contract year player." After his performance in the 1999–2000 season earned him a 7-year, $55 million contract, his performance rapidly declined.

Had it not been for the younger O’Neal’s suspension, he would not have had a chance to start.

Harrison only played in the league for four years, then went on to become a legend in China’s CBA.

During his four years in the NBA, he was best known for being captured by journalists standing beside Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson during the Auburn Hills Palace incident, becoming one of the "Three Musketeers" later subjected to mandatory psychological counseling.

Compared to athletic ability, Croshier’s height of 2.08 meters and David Harrison’s height of 2.13 meters were their real advantages.

To leverage the height advantage in the frontcourt, they would need to slow down the pace.

Unfortunately, Tinsley was not good at this.

Coming from the streets, his style of play could be described in four words:

Brawl master!

The more chaotic the battlefield, the better he jumped. Despite being only 1.88 meters tall, his reliable shooting and small hooks under the basket allowed him to comfortably complete scores inside.

But in a fast-paced or position war, he tended to lose rhythm and become "invisible" on the court.

Rick Carlisle had long been prepared for this.

With a glance,

Su Wan called out, "Ball!"

There are two methods to drag the rhythm into a position war. One relies on the high-speed CPU of the point guard to accurately guide everyone’s positioning, and the leading masters of this are Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo.

Su Wan is not among them.

The other method is to spread out the lineup, allowing players with ball-handling one-on-one skills to solve problems through individual ability.

Su Wan...

was doing just that!

The one he was facing with the ball was none other than Ray Allen, the "little teddy biscuit"!

Granted, in the 2010 Finals, he was the first line of defense against Kobe, but had Paul Pierce not been on the wing and Kevin Garnett behind him, his up-close defense would have been no different from surrender.

Too light!

He was 1.96 meters tall but only weighed 92 kgs.

Facing Ray Allen’s aggressive "nonsense patch" style defense, Su Wan was unfazed and directly drove hard with the ball. Nowadays, you couldn’t use hands for contact, so perimeter defenders, who wanted to create the first confrontation within the free-throw line, had to use their chests to absorb the ball handler’s impact.

Ray Allen didn’t have the capacity to withstand such a force and was instantly knocked away by Su Wan.

The 2.03-meter-tall Reggie Evans utilized his mobility for a defensive switch, but Su Wan didn’t care for him and simply threw the ball up with a lifted hand.

With a "clang," Su Wan’s first shot for the Pacers rebounded off the rim.

Evans came in for the rebound, and the SuperSonic Team’s paint was left with only "Joker’s Brother." With Harrison and Croshier going "2 on 1," they successfully grabbed the offensive rebound and completed the basket.

Rick Carlisle nodded in approval.

Isolating with the ball doesn’t necessarily have to score, as long as the ball handler can disrupt the opponent’s defensive formation with their one-on-one play, and create matchup advantages for the other team members, then it’s a successful isolation play.

Or else what do you think "The Little Blacksmith of Milan" did to lead his team to "back-to-back championships"?

A superstar’s isolation play that can draw double-teams and alter the opponent’s defensive formation is an "offensive heavy artillery."

Those who only focus on shooting percentages are definitely "basketball blind," and loyal "data-only believers."

Just like the Pacers’ offense this time, it looked like Su Wan ended up with a miss, but it was actually Harrison who got the rebound.

In reality, Harrison was able to grab that "offensive rebound" because he was given a "2v1" opportunity, which in fact was created by Su Wan’s isolation play.

The following possession, following the same formula, Su Wan once again broke through Ray Allen. Facing the help defense from Reggie Evans, he went for a floater and missed again, but this time the Pacers grabbed the offensive rebound again. It wasn’t Harrison this time but Croshier, and he easily finished the play with a putback.

Seeing that helping on Su Wan’s one-on-ones resulted in twice leaving someone open under the basket, the SuperSonic Team changed their defensive strategy. They stopped helping, but that opened the door... Su Wan just scored with a throwing shot!

McMillan scratched his head.

Having one wing player’s isolation plays force the team’s defense into a dilemma like this is the most uncomfortable situation.

And the defense abilities of all three of SuperSonic’s perimeter players were simply not up to par!

Neither Reidno nor Lewis could replace Ray Allen to guard Su Wan.

At least Ray Allen could contest him somewhat. With the 6’2" Reidno or almost cross-movement-less Lewis, Su Wan would probably have even more fun.

With 6 minutes and 45 seconds left in the first quarter, McMillan watched as Su Wan missed another shot, but the Pacers finished with another easy score by outnumbering their opponents, he decisively subbed Reidno out and brought Antonio Daniels in.

Just like Stephen Jackson, the "1997 first-round fourth pick" also graduated from the "Spurs Military Academy" and became a well-rounded "wing puzzle piece" there.

Daniels, who entered San Antonio with the label of "draft bust," learned how to organize and defend there.

This season, he shared the Point Guard minutes with Reidno, and coming off the bench for Ray Allen, he could get an average of 27 minutes with 11.2 points and 4.1 assists, which was quite efficient.

However, what really made him a key rotation player for the SuperSonic Team was his defensive ability!

Often when the team faces a troublesome perimeter ball handler, McMillan would put him in.

So far, he had done well.

Su Wan noticed Daniels entering the game.

This was a face unfamiliar to him.

Although he was a transcender and familiar with the NBA, he wasn’t so knowledgeable as to know every player like Daniels intimately. But his intuition told him that McMillan wouldn’t substitute a player at this time if he simply felt the "backdrop" was too monotonous and wanted to change it for him, right?

In the next offensive possession, Su Wan decisively called for James Jones to execute a "hand-to-hand" tactic with him.

Pretending to pass the ball into Jones’s hands, he then quickly held on to the ball and feigned a breakthrough.

Lewis and Daniels couldn’t keep up with the switch and had no choice but to bravely stand in front of Su Wan.

After calling for his teammates to spread out, Su Wan easily broke through Lewis and completed a "single-handed slam dunk."

Compared to Su Wan, Lewis’s movements were like pressing the "slow-motion button."

Passing McMillan on his way back to defense, Su Wan pointed at Lewis and then at Ray Allen, making a "substitute" gesture.

Meaning: It’s useless to switch any of them out, you should at least take one of these two out.

Rick Carlisle smiled, experiencing what McMillan was going through now, which he himself had experienced in the season opener.

Indeed, the feeling of getting under Su Wan’s skin is truly not as good as watching him getting under someone else’s.

Su Wan is really easy to use!