The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 564 - 232 The Most Gimmicky Finals_5

Chapter 564: Chapter 232 The Most Gimmicky Finals_5

Playing a good game is key, playing a good game is key!

Then he threw himself back into the game.

The big screen at the venue displayed the starting lineup for both sides:

"Lakers: Point Guard Fisher, Shooting Guard Kobe, Small Forward Ariza, Power Forward Paul Gasol, Center Yao Ming;"

"Pacers: Point Guard Billups, Shooting Guard Su Wan, Small Forward Anthony Parker, Power Forward Zach Randolph, Center Shaquille O’Neal!"

Seeing the lineup of these two teams, Bill Walton couldn’t help but say, "I never thought these ten people would come together to play in the finals!"

Based on their values last season, it seemed impossible!

But it happened!

The jump ball was between Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming.

As Yao Ming jumped for the ball, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd.

Los Angeles people also knew what Shaquille O’Neal’s face would look like if the Pacers won, so at this moment, seeing any footage of Shaquille O’Neal being defeated made them cheer uncontrollably.

Especially when Yao Ming was the one defeating Shaquille O’Neal.

A fan on the sideline excitedly shook his poster, which read:

"We forgot about you, Shaq, when we got Yao!"

Classic inversion!

The poster was also very conspicuous, positioned right in front of Shaquille O’Neal.

Kobe received the ball from Fisher.

Facing Su Wan, Kobe started with his usual line, "Come on, Su, fire up that damn ’The zone’!"

Last summer, Kobe had tried to enter "The zone," but failed.

This seriously stimulated his competitive spirit.

Now he no longer thought about entering "The zone"; now he wanted to beat the damn "The zone!"

Then he would say:

"The zone"?

Isn’t it just something I wiped out?

Su Wan chuckled, "Old rules, not enough strength, you can’t see ’The zone,’ Little Snake!"

This season Kobe described himself as "Black Mamba," and Su Wan affectionately called him "Little Snake!"

Immediately thereafter, Kobe stopped talking and turned halfway towards Su Wan.

Just like last summer, Kobe had learned the "Dream Step" seriously from Olajuwon. After a summer of integration and a regular season of real battle, he had fully mastered this footwork.

When Su Wan was defending him, he clearly felt Kobe’s footwork was deceptive—solid and elusive—making him hesitant to exert force, lest he be exploited by Kobe.

With even more delicate footwork, Su Wan felt he hadn’t made any mistakes, but Kobe still managed to find an opportunity for a turnaround jump shot amidst his nimble moving.

"Swish!"

The ball went in!

As Kobe retreated, he glanced at Su Wan, said nothing, but that look alone made Su Wan feel infuriated, wishing for the three women watching the game on the sidelines to come over and help him vent his anger.

No wonder Shaquille O’Neal slapped him!

Who wouldn’t want to punch him with that look!

Following his remark about LeBron James, Su Wan and Shaquille O’Neal once again aligned:

Kobe was just asking to be beaten!

And the older he got, the more he deserved it! freewёbnoνel-com

Especially after winning his fourth Championship Trophy, did he even see others anymore?

In the Pacers’ counterattack, Kobe provoked Su Wan to receive the ball.

Su Wan rolled his eyes at him, then suddenly stood up and moved toward Billups’ defensive line.

Kobe didn’t catch up immediately; by the time he rushed over, Su Wan had already pulled up for a shot, falling in the process, and the referee blew the whistle as the ball went in.

That’s a "four-point play" to start!

A murmur spread through the venue.

Lying on the floor, Su Wan waited for his teammates to come and pull him up, still cheekily eyeing Kobe.

Kobe nodded slightly; the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even stronger.

"Daddy, good luck!"

A child’s voice from the sideline prompted Su Wan to turn, seeing it was Kobe’s six-year-old eldest daughter, Natalia Bryant.

This invigorated Kobe even more.

After Su Wan made his free throw, Fisher hadn’t even advanced the ball halfway up the court before dashing out from the wing to support.

With the ball in hand, facing Su Wan, Kobe lowered his focus, slowly advancing, while Su Wan stepped back two paces, his patience thinning:

Screw backing off, let’s do this!

He stepped up directly, applying pressure on Kobe.

Kobe’s footwork was indeed superb now, but it was undeniable that his explosive power wasn’t as strong as in his youth, and the steadily improving Su Wan had no reason to fear Kobe outpacing him on the first step.

25-year-old Kobe wasn’t known for his "first step," and certainly not at 31.

Indeed, Su Wan’s judgment was correct.

Kobe couldn’t outpace him with explosive power, but...

Backing him down and leveraging the "Iron Elbow" to forcefully push inside the three-point line, Su Wan found it tough to defend.

Arriving at his "sweet spot," Kobe made a turnaround jump shot, making it 2 for 2 from the field!

Cheers from the venue reached Barkley’s ears through the TV screen, his eyes filled with even more anticipation:

"Okay, the first game of the 2008-2009 Finals has just begun, and Su Wan and Kobe are already matching up against each other!"

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