The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 581 - 236 The Biggest Loser of the Finals_2

Chapter 581: Chapter 236 The Biggest Loser of the Finals_2

Su Wan replied, "Do you hope to double your salary?"

What kind of knowingly asked nonsense is this!

Which defending champion wouldn’t want to keep all of its players?

The next morning, as news of the Pacers winning the championship and "Redemption City" completing its collective redemption spread throughout the League,

last night’s "Battle of the Century" sparked massive debate.

Su Wan broke the finals single-game scoring record, scoring 63 points, leaving all the fans who missed the game riddled with immense regret.

When they found out that Kobe also scored 55 points in that game, they immediately flocked to various websites to watch the replay of last night’s game, their hearts racing as they regretted not staying in front of the TV the previous evening even more.

With his fourth career championship, the discussion about whether Su Wan could catch up with Jordan was everywhere, with some saying it was still too early to debate this topic, while others believed it was only a matter of time before Su Wan caught up with Michael Jordan, though surpassing Jordan might be more difficult.

The New York Times said, "If Su Wan wants to accomplish this in Indiana, he might have to lead the team to ten consecutive championships!"

The Miami Newspaper nodded in agreement, "Su Wan needs a bigger platform to achieve this!"

The Los Angeles Times had never found these papers so agreeable, but they had new insights, "What Su Wan needs isn’t just a bigger platform, but also a team with a championship heritage, not one that has never won or whose last championship banner is covered in dust!"

They might as well have said directly that Su Wan should come to Los Angeles!

The New York media laughed it off, "Shaq’s experience in Los Angeles lets everyone know that superstars who go there don’t end well!"

The Los Angeles media retorted, "The reason New York media are so confident is that they have forgotten Patrick Ewing!"

The New York media replied, "If Patrick had won three consecutive championships for the Knicks, he could have been the mayor of the city! But Shaq, even after winning three consecutive championships for Los Angeles, couldn’t even get a year at 20 million, so retribution came, and Los Angeles lost this season’s championship! Everything is for the best arrangement!"

They argued for half a day over the potential chance of getting Su Wan, then remembered that Su Wan, unless he actively requested a trade, wouldn’t possibly opt out of his contract to become a free agent until next year.

Their current belittlement seemed rather pointless.

Additionally, Shaquille O’Neal’s comments about LeBron James became a hot topic all over the United States.

First off, Su Wan winning another championship made Cleveland’s previous decision seem like a joke again.

No matter how you looked at it, Cleveland had no reason to give up Su Wan.

You see...

Su Wan was not "unopened" at that time.

By the end of the first month, he had become "the third player in history," and by then, he had already been on par with Big O and Michael Jordan. At that time, most of the media had already determined that Su Wan would be the "Rookie of the Year" of the ’04 class!

Typically, a rookie of this level, even if there was a conflict with LeBron James, should have been appeased, not hastily traded away.

When Danny Ferri saw all the media debate, he felt the urge to curse these reporters’ mothers.

It’s not like...

It’s only been a few days, right?

Are we just making "history books" now?

At the time, Su Wan had potential, which he didn’t deny.

But when Larry Bird offered two first-round picks and a second-round pick, no one said the Cavaliers were losing out; rather, they said Larry Bird was taking a huge gamble.

What about now?

Just because Su Wan had won "three consecutive championships" and then got his fourth career championship after a year, has the tune changed?

Of course, inside, Danny Ferri was filled with immense regret.

He knew Su Wan was great, but he didn’t expect Su Wan to be this great!

If you say the first "three consecutive championships" were due to the Pacers building a solid foundation with young O’Neal and Artest supporting Su Wan from inside and outside at their peak,

this fourth championship...

That was truly carried by Su Wan alone.

The "core player" young O’Neal during the "three consecutive championships" was only the "Sixth Man" of the team this season.

Other players, from Zach Randolph to Shaquille O’Neal to Chauncey Billups, were at the lowest point of their career evaluation, covered in doubt.

Leading them to a championship was not only a testament to Su Wan’s ability on the court but also off the court.

Compare that with LeBron’s ability to handle the locker room...

If he had known, he would have traded LeBron and kept Su Wan.

Danny Ferri believed that if he had pulled off this move, it would have been hailed as a "Divine Enthronement" in NBA history.

It’s possible that Clevelanders would build a temple in his honor!

What?

You ask why they would build a temple for him?

Because if he had traded LeBron, he wouldn’t have survived that year; certainly, some extreme Clevelanders would have shot him dead.

Yep...

That’s how Clevelanders are!

So, this was actually a "dead end." No matter how Su Wan dominated over LeBron now, from Danny Ferri’s perspective at the time, he could only trade Su Wan and keep LeBron.