The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 615 - 243 He Absolutely Can’t Be the Second

Chapter 615: Chapter 243 He Absolutely Can’t Be the Second

Wade’s last few years had been somewhat disappointing.

Initially, the worst result during his early years were the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Although due to Su Wan’s involvement, Wade teaming up with Shaquille couldn’t win the championship as originally expected, and it wasn’t even Wade’s "Divine Enthronement" season in ’06, he still made it to the "Eastern Conference Finals" for those two consecutive years.

But what about now?

Since Shaquille O’Neal left, Wade’s best achievements have only reached the Eastern Conference semifinals, and for the past two years, he was eliminated in the first round.

Last year was the toughest for him.

Finally, his team made it to the playoffs, but he got injured at the end of the season.

This season, "Big Z" was underperforming and became a burden on the team. Even though David Lee grew into a 20-plus point, 10-plus rebound player, the Heat team still fell in the first round of the playoffs.

Watching his age reach 28, "Flash" was getting a bit anxious.

He had never forced the team’s hand before, but he expressed his stance and subtly pressured Pat Riley in this manner.

This year was LeBron’s contract year, and also Wade’s, so when he said these words in front of the cameras, the reporters quickly became sensitive, "Dwayne, if the team’s reinforcements don’t meet your expectations, would you choose to leave the Heat team?"

Wade was stunned at the moment.

Pat Riley’s "stern father" face flashed through his mind; his pupils shrank. No, bro, don’t mess with me! If Pat Riley hears this, how am I going to explain it?

"Leave Miami? Are you joking, man? I will never leave Miami; this is my second hometown. Everything I have was given to me by Miami!"

Hmm...

That’s how an honest person gets angry!

The reporters found it all rather bland at the time.

Yet, Su Wan knew that the wheels of fate had begun to turn...

Four teams in the Eastern Conference semifinals had been determined, with three already confirmed.

These were:

The Bulls, who had ousted the Cavaliers with 65 wins, achieving the "Black Eight" for the second time since the change to a seven game series format in the first round; the Pacers and the Hawks.

The Celtics battled the Magic team for six rounds in the most tense matchup of the Eastern Conference first round. Finally, the Celtics fought their way through, grabbing the last spot in this year’s Eastern Conference semifinals.

The pairings for the Eastern Conference semifinals were:

Pacers VS Hawks, Celtics VS Bulls.

The Western semifinals had just gotten fresh matchups:

Lakers VS Nuggets round two.

Then, the Eastern Conference experienced a "Black Eight" and the Western a "Black Seven," where the Mavericks, who were second in the Western regular season, were upset by the Spurs 4-2 in the first round.

Interestingly, during last year’s playoffs, both teams encountered each other with the Spurs ranked higher, only to be upset by the Mavericks; now they returned the humiliation.

Dirk Nowitzki took another hard hit.

Now, the outside world called him the "biggest softie in history."

In NBA history, a "Superstar" who had experienced both "Black Eight" and "Black Seven" was rare.

Dirk Nowitzki achieved it.

As for the "second biggest softie," some media assigned it to LeBron James, while others defended him, arguing that the Cavaliers being "Black Eighted" was also helpless. Then, with LeBron’s PR team’s "spin," the "softie" narrative entirely focused on Dirk Nowitzki.

An old saying goes, a centipede dies but never falls down! freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The "Chosen One’s" life meter was damn thick!

Su Wan, seeing the collective mockery towards Dirk Nowitzki from the outside world, and thinking how under such circumstances, he had sealed his divine status back in the original year of 2011, realized his mental fortitude was indeed impressive.

It can only be said that among the "older generation" of not-so-tough stars, placed in front of someone, they are also diamonds.

That’s what makes a counterpart shine.

The Phoenix Suns also fought their way through, meeting the Spurs in the semifinals.

Therefore, this year’s plot for the West was summed up in two words:

Revenge!

While the West confirmed its script, in the East, the Pacers and the Hawks began the first game of their series.

The starting lineup for the Hawks was: Point Guard Mike Bibby, two Joe Johnson, three Josh Smith, Power Forward Marvin Williams, and five Al Horford;

The starting lineup for the Pacers was: Point Guard Chauncey Billups, two Su Wan, three Afflalo, Power Forward Little O’Neal, and five Zach Randolph;

To put it bluntly...

Except at the small forward position.

The Pacers had an advantage everywhere else.

Mike Bibby was entering the decline phase of his career, while Chauncey Billups was still at his peak.

Joe Johnson was indeed still in his prime, but compared to Su Wan, he was somewhat lacking.

Joe Johnson’s limit was just a regular Superstar, at least two levels below Su Wan.

At Power Forward, Marvin Williams was a "genius" in college, hailed as "the genius swingman," but he became another "neither here nor there" second overall pick "bust" after entering the league.

His current playstyle was the now popular "Space Four," but what hindered his further progress was his inadequate defensive ability - he was better suited for guarding wings rather than inside players.

In fact, domestic big men in the United States, who don’t play close to the basket but shoot floaters, are basically all "softies."

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