The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 61 - 60 Detroit, A Bunch of Weaklings

Chapter 61: Chapter 60 Detroit, A Bunch of Weaklings

Twenty years later, Michael Jordan was recognized as the "number one player in the League."

But from a League management perspective, NBA’s number one had to be David Stern!

In 1984, the NBA’s value plunged to 15.5 million USD, on the brink of bankruptcy. David Stern, a lawyer by trade, assumed the role of commissioner during this time, and a series of reforms revived the League.

To create buzz, he transformed the All-Star Game into the All-Star Weekend, adding technical competitions such as the "Dunk Contest" and "Three-Point Shooting Contest," allowing players to engage with fans in a variety of ways.

Another major initiative was, of course, the "Christmas Day Games"!

During Christmas, when the other three major North American sports leagues had no games scheduled, 2-3 headlining "key battles" were arranged to increase the NBA’s competitiveness nationwide. — As it turned out, besides the players cursing on that day, there were no issues. Over a decade, the "Christmas Day Games," just like All-Star Weekend, had become a "golden signboard" for the NBA.

Many families made watching the "Christmas Day Games" their Christmas entertainment.

This year David Stern had arranged two "Christmas Day Games."

One was the Heat Team vs. the Lakers.

It would be the first on-court encounter between Kobe and O’Neal since their split; the love-hate relationship between them made this match highly anticipated.

Previously, the League had also promoted this match as a "Christmas feast."

But an otherwise ordinary night in mid-November rendered all the League’s promotion efforts futile. Now, the interest in this game paled compared to the other spotlighted battle:

Pacers vs. Pistons!

The first encounter between the two teams since the "Auburn Palace incident," this time at the Pacers’ home. Everyone wanted to see if the teams would unleash a second "all-out brawl" during the "Christmas Day Games"!

Indeed, basketball’s viewership rates cannot compete with MMA...

David Stern wished he could slap himself.

Why had he scheduled these two teams for a "Christmas Day Game"?

And then he remembered—he thought both teams had a rough style of play, a classic approach, reminiscent of the ’90s, and wanted to have a "nostalgia kill" on Christmas. Now, whether it was nostalgia or not, if the two teams really brawled on the Christmas stage, the owners of the League’s 30 teams might kill him.

He immediately organized a series of measures, urging the Pacers’ executives to upgrade the arena security systems and commanding the media to avoid stirring the pot and inciting the players’ emotions before the game.

Donnie Walsh quickly executed David Stern’s orders.

Conseco Arena had a hundred security guards dispatched temporarily for the game, forming a perimeter at every corner of the arena. Ten security guards were also arranged behind the Pistons’ bench, vigilantly observing the fans’ every move.

Tarpaulins were erected on either side of the visitors’ tunnel to prevent Pacers fans from throwing objects during the Pistons’ entry and exit.

Seats by the court were tied together, preventing even the most impulsive fans from wielding chairs for violence as had happened in Auburn Hills.

Barkley, observing the serious atmosphere on-site, couldn’t help but laugh: "You can feel the Christmas spirit all over the United States, even at the White House, but except at Conseco."

The Pistons’ security measures today were also quite different from before.

Usually, the team’s security detail only included one person, but today there were three more.

Each of these security guards looked as if they were preparing for battle, presumably having settled their affairs with their families before entering the arena.

It wasn’t just the security guards under pressure; the Pistons players were also on edge.

After all, Detroit fans indeed went too far that time, and even though the punishment seemed like "an equal fifty strokes for both sides,"...

Losing four season ticket holders was nothing; they’d soon be replaced.

But losing four main players, including the core, effectively meant the season was finished.

So, before the game, Larry Brown kept emphasizing: "No matter what those crazy bitches yell at you, just ignore them and play the game."

Essentially, he was asking them to "not hit back when hit, not talk back when cursed" by the audience.

Seeing the towering tarpaulins and the increase of ten security guards behind the bench, they finally felt more at ease.

They were at ease, but the visiting Pacers fans were very annoyed.

Many among them were holding back from making trouble!

But now, with their home arena so protective of the opposing players...

"Booooo..."

The booing erupted continuously and never stopped. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

All sorts of trash-talk poured out of their mouths, and the arena sounded like a cacophony of wailing spirits. Even the so-called "Devil’s Home Court" of the Energy Cube paled in comparison to Conseco’s atmosphere that night.

However, mere trash-talk and boos did not destabilize the Pistons in the slightest.

They seemed relaxed and warmed up in an orderly fashion before the game.

The Pacers fans on-site were burning with resentment. Su Wan entered with the team and noticed the situation.

When the home players were introduced, Su Wan walked out to the tune of "Extreme Ways," causing the crowd to erupt in cheer.

The Pistons players sitting on the bench all took notice, surprised that Su Wan, this newcomer, could make the Indiana natives like him so quickly.

Reaching the center of the court, Su Wan didn’t stop but walked towards the sidelines, grabbing a handheld microphone from the commentators, and then leapt onto the scorer’s table.

The stands immediately filled with murmurs, and everyone couldn’t help but look expectant.

Su Wan’s first table jump was in the Summer League, when he shouted to the stands, "This is my horse"; his second jump was in his debut professional game, where he performed the pre-game ritual of tossing up powder.

These had now become classic moments for him.

Since joining the Pacers, Su Wan hadn’t jumped onto the scorer’s table, making this jump...

The background music cut out instantly, the noisy scene went silent so suddenly that even the breathing sounds of a woman running at night could be heard clearly.

They awaited Su Wan’s next move.

The "Double Wallace" exchanged glances, seeing the disdain in each other’s eyes; they sneered at Su Wan’s actions.

But then, Su Wan started to speak, aiming directly at them...

"What can I say?"

"Detroit..."

Su Wan’s gaze turned towards the Pistons’ bench, locking eyes with several players as his pointed finger shook continuously at them:

"A bunch of weak chickens who resort to fighting when they can’t win the game!"