The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 572 - 234 The combination of Jordan and Kobe._3

Chapter 572: Chapter 234 The combination of Jordan and Kobe._3

At 3:31 of the first quarter, Kobe, in a post-up position, received the ball and tried pushing against Su Wan a few times; finally, with a push, using the rebound force, he turned around, performed a backward jump shot, and scored 2 points.

At 4:01 of the first quarter, Su Wan couldn’t shake off Kobe; during a breakthrough, he made a small jump step that deceived Kobe into jumping early, then, from the other side of the basket, attempted a shot but missed. However, he drew a foul from Kobe, and consecutively hit two free throws;

...

At 8:23 of the first quarter, Kobe received the ball in a post-up, suddenly turned around, and decisively broke to the basket, sticking out his tongue as he scored with a layup;

At 9:03 of the first quarter, Su Wan, receiving a pass through a cut, used pure speed to get behind Kobe and completed a two-handed dunk, scoring 2 points and also drawing a foul from Yao Ming nearby.

...

It was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, a do-or-die showdown for the Lakers and a game the Pacers were desperate to win.

The duel between Su Wan and Kobe had been particularly intense before, but it was even more fierce in this game.

By the end of the first quarter, Kobe had scored 15 points, while Su Wan had scored 17 points!

Su Wan wasn’t in "The Zone" then, but his performance tonight was extraordinarily good!

The duel between the two made even the Los Angeles fans at the sidelines stare in astonishment; for a while, they forgot it was the Finals—they felt like they were watching a street bullfight.

Su Wan and Kobe, with their impeccable skills, made basketball utterly pure!

At the end of the first quarter, one could see large beads of sweat continuously dropping from Su Wan’s forehead, he grabbed a towel and wiped his hair, soaking the entire towel.

Kobe was also sweating heavily.

Su Wan saw Kobe biting his shirt collar several times—he had already sucked quite a few mouthfuls. Kobe once said that when he feels physically unfit, he would bite his shirt collar and suck on the sweat to replenish salt.

This game proved that he wasn’t just posing; he really did that.

It also showed how much Su Wan had exhausted him.

In the second quarter, the two continued their duel.

Su Wan knew what Kobe was thinking.

If he couldn’t open up the situation inside, he wanted to use his attacks from the wings to help the team break through.

And his thinking was simple...

Since the Lakers could only rely on Kobe’s relentless attacks to win,

then entering into a duel rhythm early might cause Kobe’s physical fitness to deplete prematurely?

By the fourth quarter, when the Pacers already had more advantages inside, they could secure the game more steadily!

So if Kobe wanted to duel, let it be a duel!

Rick Carlisle wholeheartedly supported his decision.

Barkley, seeing the two pick up their rivalry again in the second quarter, was thrilled, repeatedly muttering, "The greatest Finals of the 2000s, the greatest Finals of the 2000s!"

No matter the sport, what ultimately invigorates audiences most is witnessing acts of "personal heroism."

A "world class" goal in soccer, dribbling past seven or eight players to score; a "strike out" in baseball; and in basketball, racking up high points in a single period as the "savior", and game-winning shots...

These moments represent the utmost refinement of "personal heroism."

And tonight’s Finals was eye-catching because it was a battle of "personal heroism" VS "personal heroism!"

Su Wan VS Kobe!

The two greatest twos of the 2000s—if Dwyane Wade’s name could have been added before this round of the Finals, it no longer holds now. As the conflict soared to the "longest river" VS "highest mountain," Dwyane Wade’s name couldn’t make the list. After all, he hadn’t even reached the Finals yet.

After the second quarter, Kobe’s score had reached 28 points, while Su Wan’s score reached 30 points,

The heavy breathing of both could be heard by the fans at the court, but their eyes were unusually bright.

Bill Walton remembered something he said two years ago when introducing the first Finals duel between Su Wan and Kobe:

For fans who regretted that ’The Glider’ didn’t face Michael Jordan in a spectacular showdown in the Finals, pay attention—the duel between Kobe and Su Wan will fill these gaps!

But now, he wanted to say:

There has been no more spectacular duel between two guards than this.

Even the historical matchup of Michael Jordan VS ’The Glider’...

Frankly, the hype outside that series, compared to the actual process, really was more form than content.

Michael Jordan outright dominated ’The Glider’!

He even left behind a classic line, "No disrespect to him, but if I hadn’t crushed him, people might think he’s on the same level as me!"

And the hype before this round of the Finals, compared to that time, was even more overwhelming.

As for the content...

The duels in the first five games justified the external hype.

Tonight’s game has elevated this matchup to another level.

Shaquille O’Neal, looking at Su Wan, was filled with disbelief. Even though he disliked Kobe, he had to admit that Kobe was the best two-guard he had seen after Michael Jordan.

Su Wan’s momentum was very fierce, but in terms of individual ability, he was somewhat suppressed by Kobe.

This was not just his view; the entire league’s media thought the same.

But this series, especially this game, completely overturned their previous thoughts.