The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 72 - 70: Disaster of False Accusation

Chapter 72: Chapter 70: Disaster of False Accusation

Michael Redd had made his stance clear, but as he entered Conseco Arena before the game, he still faced a massive chorus of boos from the crowd. He had no doubt that if a vote for "Indiana’s Most Unwanted" were held at that moment, he would be first.

"Is Bill Simmons out of his mind?"

This year was Redd’s "contract year," and he just wanted to play well and sign a big contract in the summer.

To him, any night of poor performance meant less money in that big contract he could earn.

He didn’t want to mess with a "powder keg" like Su Wan...

As for the boost to his bargaining chip that All-Star status could provide, Michael Redd was well aware that even Los Angeles’s Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t beat Yao Ming. How then could he hope to compete for an All-Star starting spot with Su Wan in Milwaukee?

The Pacers’ overall strength was even stronger than that of the Bucks.

Rather than making bold statements and getting blown out under the watchful eyes of the public, and affecting his value—

It was better to develop quietly. With his stats this year, an All-Star reserve spot was guaranteed, so why should he fight for that very unlikely All-Star starting position?

But then Bill Simmons, that jerk, had to push him into the limelight.

He even suspected the guy had been hired by Su Wan.

Just to slap him in the face, to gain more fame for himself...

After the warm-up, the starting lineups for both teams took the court—For the Pacers: Tinsley, Su Wan, James Jones, young O’Neal, Foster; for the Bucks: Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Mason, Joe Smith, Zaza Pachulia.

Young O’Neal won the tip-off, and the game began.

Tinsley brought the ball upcourt and passed to Su Wan, and without waiting for Su’s signal, the others actively cleared out, giving him the space to go 1-on-1 against Michael Redd.

The arena erupted in loud cheers at this very moment.

Michael Redd felt his scalp tingle; this was the first time he had faced Su Wan since the trade, and he was surprised: Su had only been there for just over a month, how did he manage to garner such cheers?

He remembered how in his rookie season he had been as invisible as could be.

Not to mention the fans, even some team staff might not recognize him.

Sometimes if he stayed late for extra practice, he’d see wary looks from the security guards.

He truly clawed his way up from the dirt.

Before he could snap out of his reverie, Su Wan made his move: a series of feints to throw Redd off-balance, then a sudden step and a forcible breakthrough to the right, shaking Redd off behind him, and facing Joe Smith’s help defense in the middle, he stopped short, crouched, drilled under to the basket, leaped high and completed a slam dunk.

By this time, Pachulia was struggling to make it back to the three-second zone from the sides.

Being a bulky center with slow footwork, Su Wan timed his breakthrough with Pachulia having to move out to avoid a defensive three-second violation. That left only Joe Smith to face as help defense.

Facing both Michael Redd and the "Roaming No.1 Pick" in a "2-on-1" wasn’t very difficult.

The Bucks took the ball out for a counterattack, with Mo Williams increasingly showing the demeanor of the future "Mo Buzhuan," looking every inch the man in control of the game. Mason’s run overlapped with his, and Williams disdainfully waved him off, sending him to the side.

Williams seized the gap created by the inside pick and roll to complete a mid-range jump shot.

Tinsley’s man-to-man defense this time was spot on, mainly because Mo Williams wasn’t very tall, didn’t run fast, and had a lean frame. He finally had a chance to capitalize on his own robust physique, disrupting Mo Williams’ dribbling rhythm through physical confrontation.

The rhythm was off, and the subsequent shots were unstable.

Little O’Neal grabbed the rebound and passed it to Tinsley.

Before the ball even crossed half court, it was back in Su Wan’s hands.

Seeing everyone’s setup, Su Wan knew what was going on; they were building a stage for him to perform on and fiercely counter Bill Simmons’ remarks.

What he didn’t know was that the person who initiated this was Ron Artest, who was standing in front of the bench and cheering for Su Wan. In the locker room, without Su Wan present, he told the others, "Our ability to regain the affection of the Indiana natives so quickly is inextricably linked to Uncle. He has helped us so much; it’s our turn to help him now."

Tinsley joked, "Ron, have you noticed that you’re starting to make speeches just like Uncle now?"

"That’s called captain’s temperament. Do you get it or not, Jamal!" Artest rolled his eyes.

Tinsley laughed, Reggie Miller laughed, and only Little O’Neal’s eyes flickered, but he agreed that Su Wan should have a good performance tonight; it was what he deserved. Even if the person proposing it was Artest.

The two weren’t in harmony, but as long as Reggie Miller was there, their conflicts didn’t erupt.

Reggie Miller was surprised when he realized this.

He had been worried that once he retired, the Pacers might fall apart because of these two.

But now it seemed there was another person who could bind them together on the same battle ship.

Even if Su Wan didn’t know the story behind it, he could tell, and he was moved. Having experienced a teammate like LeBron in the early stages of his career, now encountering this bunch of Pacers guys, he felt fortunate.

From this perspective, he had to thank LeBron’s team for sending him to Indiana.

Ironically, in the media’s eyes, few of these guys had a positive image; instead, LeBron, in front of the media, was the "Chosen One" with a perfect personality.

Maybe Zhou Shuren was right after all!

The more chivalrous one is, the more likely they’re to end up as dog butchers; the unfeeling ones are often the scholars.

These seemingly perfect "gentlemen" often have flawed personalities.

Not just LeBron James, but Kobe, too, whose media image had always been developed in Michael Jordan’s mold. After the "Eagle County incident," he lost all his endorsements, and only then did his agent craft a new commercial image for him:

Love me or hate me!

It was after that people realized Kobe was actually a kid without emotional intelligence, with a horrible attitude.

Su Wan liked this Indiana.

He didn’t hold back, facing off against Michael Redd, forcing him back inside the three-point line with continuous cross-steps. Right at the three-point line, he was fully powered, charging to the basket and finishing his second layup:

"Michael, if this is all you’ve got in terms of defense, then I could score 40 points tonight!"

Michael Redd really wanted to say, give it a try, but he couldn’t utter the words. After two confrontations, he was clearly aware that he couldn’t withstand Su Wan. He hated Bill Simmons even more. If it wasn’t for that old man, he wouldn’t be suffering such an undeserved calamity.

So sometimes, standing in the C position wasn’t so great.

Just like Michael Redd now, it was like those future Paris Olympians who desperately waved their hands as they entered the stadium, only to listen to the announcer introduce them as "Coreans from North Korea"—full of discomfort and embarrassment yet powerless to do anything about it.

Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.co(m)