The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 565 - 233 "The Tallest Mountain" VS "The Longest River

Chapter 565: Chapter 233 "The Tallest Mountain" VS "The Longest River

Su Wan refused to show weakness; he took the ball directly and, upon receiving it on his flank, Kobe immediately stepped up to challenge him. Su Wan, with great attention to detail, lowered his center of gravity and used his shoulder to push against Kobe’s waist, trying to push him away. With both hands, he circled the ball in front of his chest in a standard "three-threat gesture," attempting to drive Kobe back, but to no avail.

Kobe was also playing tight defense.

What else could be done?

Su Wan could only try to break through Kobe’s tight press with his dribble!

Knowing that Kobe would react, Su Wan, while moving sideways to the right, first took a "Dragging Step" to create some space before bursting forward with force.

Kobe hadn’t expected Su Wan to be so crafty!

His initial move was a quick sidestep after gathering strength, but when Su Wan powered through, he found it hard to keep up.

And then...

"Bang!"

With a fierce elbow, Kobe was sent reeling, and Su Wan, with a mid-range jump shot, hit back with the same intensity.

Now, not only had Su Wan seen that Kobe’s footwork had greatly improved last summer, but Kobe had also noticed Su Wan’s improvements with the ball.

If in the previous four seasons Su Wan was considered a naturally gifted ball-handler on offense, now he truly could be classified as a technician!

He knew how to use his footwork to create separation,

And even Kobe had to admit that Su Wan’s instant power was more terrifying than his own in his younger years.

Even though Su Wan had not quite reached the levels of Allen Iverson or Tracy McGrady, when it came to creating separation, even the top perimeter defenders would find it a headache!

Of course, that was normal; born in ’85, Su Wan was just a month shy of turning 24, entering the prime physical stage of his career.

Kobe, having been through that stage, knew just how fearsome a young player could be during that time...

For someone like Su Wan who had developed technical skills early on, that was even more formidable!

Seeing Su Wan hit back, Bill Walton smiled and said, "For those who didn’t get enough of Kobe and Carmelo’s face-off, don’t worry—during the Finals, you will see the longest river of the 2000s versus the highest mountain!"

Basketball fans watching the commentary on ESPN lit up at these words.

Before the Finals started, fans had no problem with the various descriptions of the series, but when it came to the battle for the two-spot between Su Wan and Kobe, they always felt something was missing.

"The strongest active player at the shooting guard position"?

Not a bad title, but it was just that—not bad!

"A battle between two shooting guard legends"?

Still, something seemed off!

It wasn’t until Bill Walton described it as the "longest river of the 2000s versus the highest mountain" that fans were truly thrilled:

Since the 2000s began, Kobe had become the core player of the "three consecutive championships," and at that time, he was named alongside Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady.

Now Philly no longer had "The Answer," the "UFO" in the Northern Realm was gone too, and the man who once shone brightly alongside Kobe, after a poignant 35-second affair that moved God, was continuously battered by fate. His shattered knees led to his formal departure from the top shooting guard tier this season.

The great river flows east, waves washing away all heroes.

Only Kobe, after weathering countless trials, lifted his fourth Championship Trophy just last season.

In terms of Championship Trophy count alone, Kobe was now the most decorated active player.

Moreover, he had also the widest timespan of Championship victories!

From 2000 to 2009, it was undoubtedly the longest river of the decade!

And although Su Wan only entered the League in 2004, his brilliance was undeniable. If Kobe’s "three consecutive championships" weren’t enough to deem him the highest mountain, then...

Su Wan also had three "Finals MVPs" to his name. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, he could also boast three regular season MVP awards!

He stood as the decade’s pinnacle of glory, even someone like Kobe had to look up to him.

And "the highest mountain" was indeed the perfect description!

This phrase quickly spread across various platforms on the internet.

Nike was the first to catch on to the phrase.

Hearing this description, it sparked an idea.

They had been trying to build the "arch-rival" image between Su Wan and Kobe,

But they hadn’t been able to find just the right angle to encapsulate both players.

No matter how you looked at it, they weren’t quite from the same era.

Su Wan entered the League a full 8 years after Kobe!

But now, they had the angle...

The highest mountain of the 2000s vs. the longest river!

The issue of time no longer existed.

And as this hook gradually took over media platforms, the back-and-forth battle between Kobe and Su Wan on the court came to a temporary halt.

Su Wan, driving towards the basket, helped Shaquille O’Neal with a familiar Staples Center slam dunk to score his first points of the night. The Lakers then shifted their offensive focus to the inside.

Seeing Yao Ming’s intention to receive the ball, the entire Pacers team began to tighten their formation.

Rick Carlisle’s primary target in combating the Lakers was Yao Ming.

Firstly, Shaquille O’Neal’s fitness meant he could only play a maximum of 25 minutes per game, and those minutes had to be distributed;

Secondly, Yao Ming’s stamina was also a point they could exploit;

Therefore, with Shaquille on the court, Rick Carlisle emphasized the importance of draining Yao Ming’s energy. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Despite the back-and-forth between Su Wan and Kobe, the struggle under the basket had never stopped.

Shaquille put in 120% effort, constantly battling for position with Yao, exhausting himself but also making Yao’s breathing grow heavier.