The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 58 - 57 Whose Problem?

Chapter 58: Chapter 57 Whose Problem?

Brand was frantic — Su Wan wasn’t surprised at all. When a bench player from the Magic Team said, "Win a real championship ring," it enraged LeBron enough to make him want to fight. If LeBron could be disturbed like this, what about the others?

Such impatience was deadly for a center.

Because...

"Tweet!"

This time it was Tinsley, who drew a second foul on Brand by rough play under the basket. At this point, only three minutes into the game, the Clippers’ coach reluctantly subbed Brand out.

Without his strong inside presence, the other Clippers players immediately felt immense pressure.

The underdog spirit revealed itself in that moment; by the end of the first quarter, the Pacers had pulled ahead by 10 points.

Clearly affected by the two fouls and prolonged bench time, Brand’s performance continued to slump until he finally scored his first basket of the night in the third quarter.

In the end, the visiting Pacers beat the Clippers easily, 99 to 85, by 14 points.

LeBron, watching the game on TV, was completely dumbfounded.

No...

Is this even a game?

Isn’t this just being unfair?

Getting someone on the sideline to mess with Brand, and that someone being his beloved kin and brother!

If you play like this, who couldn’t win?

Why didn’t the referee eject Ron? Isn’t he disrupting the players’ performance?

The most disgusting scene was Su Wan walking off the court, and Ron Artest, that dirty scumbag, rushed to hug him first.

Their relationship seemed as close as if they had come from the same blanket.

LeBron was puzzled again.

He distinctly remembered that during the season opener, Su Wan and Artest, along with Stephen Jackson, were at each other’s throats the whole game, looking like they were about to fight. Considering the Pacers had just gone through the Auburn Hills incident, which left the team dispirited, sending Su Wan to Indiana with his character was supposed to intensify the discord — and that’s why LeBron and his team decided to transfer Su Wan there.

By Su’s nature, it was a wonder he wasn’t beaten up!

Now...

Why had everyone changed so much?

LeBron thought he understood human affairs well but now realized he really didn’t understand them at all. But one thing he knew for sure — he definitely couldn’t read tomorrow’s newspaper. Otherwise, it would just be asking for trouble.

At the venue.

After hugging Su, Artest hurried after the indignant Brand, his demeanor reminding Su of Yue Yunpeng calling out "Yanzi" on the street.

Girlfriends need coaxing, and so do brothers.

Brand was really angry, giving off a "Don’t mess with me" vibe, but Artest still managed to wrap his arms around him from behind, picked him up, and firmly dunked him to the ground. Brand couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.

Was he pacified just like that?

The tastes of middle-aged men are truly incomprehensible!

Then, in front of the media, Artest seriously said, "I know I’ve made a big mistake, and I know I can’t make up for it. I’ve brought a negative image to this league, which is serious, but I will find a way to make amends to the Pacers’ fans. Thank you for your continuous support."

Su also spoke on his behalf: "Ron has been training with me recently, and my progress wouldn’t have been possible without his help. I can see his remorse for the whole of Indiana and the entire league, and I believe he won’t repeat such behavior."

LeBron did have foresight, as the media the next day had a flurry of news comparing him with Su Wan:

"99 to 85, a 14-point big win—Cavaliers couldn’t beat the Clippers, but Su Wan won with ease!"

"24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block—Su Wan led the team to two consecutive victories!"

"Easing the tension between the team and the fans? At Cleveland, Su Wan was the ’catalyst of controversy,’ but in Indiana, he became the ’integration agent’ promoting unity. Whose problem is it?"

Especially the latter point, Larry Bird and Walsh hadn’t even considered it.

Larry Bird had hoped for the energy that Su Wan brought in merely to help the Pacers rediscover their lost passion. He never thought Su Wan could ease the tense relationships between the team and the fans, and so quickly at that.

But he did just that!

"How do we solve this, tell me, how should it be solved?" LeBron couldn’t help but look at the newspaper today.

When Su Wan was traded away, LeBron’s team secretly exerted influence, portraying him as a "troublemaker" through some reports. At the time, it didn’t stir much attention. But such things are waited on to ferment—if Su Wan had any disagreements with others in the Pacers, these articles would have been the last straw to crush him.

Not to mention, being controversial in the Cavaliers, and still causing trouble in the Pacers—this "troublemaker" image would definitely be hammered down!

It would certainly be a negative evaluation affecting Su Wan’s career.

However...

Now, Su Wan had eased the conflict between Artest and the fans, this "troublemaker" image probably couldn’t stick to him anymore.

Not only could it not stick, but the responsibility for the conflicts with LeBron at the Cavaliers might even be blamed on the Cavaliers and LeBron.

After all, if Su Wan could get along with someone as notoriously fierce as Artest, why would he have such a big issue with LeBron?

Or is it that LeBron really did something in the locker room and on the training ground that angered Su Wan?

What could they do now?

The situation was too passive!

"LeBron, now all you can do is lead the Cavaliers to a winning streak to regain some ground!"

That was the final advice from the Goodwin Brothers.

To hell with that!

LeBron angrily tossed his phone aside.

As if they needed to tell him that!

He did want to lead a winning streak, but...

With the current state of the Cavaliers, how could he lead them to consecutive victories?

Actually, the original Cavaliers team had been performing quite well during this period.

But Su Wan’s departure had wasted a month of team integration, meaning while other teams had been integrating since November, they had only started in December.

Not just one defeat, not two or three, but four consecutive defeats, including the late November loss to the Clippers, the Cavaliers had faced a "five-game losing streak." To be exact, they hadn’t won a single game since Su Wan left.

It wasn’t until December 12 that they finally clinched their first win of the month against the Grizzlies. But before Cleveland fans could catch a breath, the Cavaliers lost consecutive games to the Bulls, Spurs, and Pistons.

Their ranking dropped to the thirteen in the Eastern Conference.

Aiming for the No.1 pick!

Now the outside world was even more abuzz.

Because of Su Wan...

Still in retrospect!

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m

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