The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 77 - 75 Upside-down

Chapter 77: Chapter 75 Upside-down

Rick Carlisle revealed a comfortable smile.

Just as he had thought, Su Wan had "transformed" again!

Manu Ginobili, who had been unstoppable in the first half, was left completely embarrassed at the start of the second half with a steal and a block.

And Carlisle was well aware that he could expect more...

On the Spurs’ side, after hitting a wall against Su Wan twice, Ginobili didn’t dare to go one-on-one with him again. The ball ended up in Tim Duncan’s hands.

The "Stone Buddha" switched to offensive mode, employing skilled "back attacks" one after another. Little O’Neal didn’t lose his position throughout, yet when Tim Duncan turned, he couldn’t interfere at all.

Tim Duncan secured his position well and then scored with a hook shot.

That’s the "Stone Buddha"!

The saying went, "Prosperous run car adversaries Buddha, desperate Demon Blade slays gods and demons."

It might seem like praise for Ginobili’s ability to create miracles, but honestly, unless it was absolutely necessary to gamble, Tim Duncan was always the Spurs’ first choice. He also proved with his stable condition that he was the Spurs’ "stabilizer."

Everyone said LeBron decided the limit of a team, but in reality, the man who truly determined a team’s limit was Tim Duncan.

He could make a playoff team instantly become a championship team, like the 98-99 Spurs season; or win a championship virtually single-handedly during a transitional period, like in 2003; or become an "exceptional second-in-command" and help the team continue to win championships as young players emerged, like in 2007; or even in his near retirement, prove once again "the boss is still the boss" during another transitional period, like in 2014...

Even if it weren’t for Ray Allen’s miraculous three-point shot, his slightly doubted ability to "defend the title" would have been proven!

From a team management perspective, "With Joe, pick Joe; without Joe, pick Shaq" was incorrect, it should be "With Joe, pick Joe; without Joe, pick Buddha"...

Which "No.1 pick" can be used for 17 years?

Some with the "City Son" buff "No.1 picks" only lasted 7 years.

"Ball here!"

Responding to Tim Duncan’s moment, Su Wan directly asked for the ball.

Although recently, with Little O’Neal’s return, the team had started using two tactical systems, when Su Wan insisted on having the ball, Tinsley would pass it to him without hesitation.

Hmm, how could this not be considered a reflection of his position on the team?

Ginobili was itching to regain his dignity on the defensive end.

Su Wan intentionally used a wide body front change to lure him into reaching out.

Sure enough, "troublemakers" cannot endure loneliness.

Seeing the ball close at hand, Manu seemed like he had been hit by a pole like Ximen Qing, and without even looking for Wang Po, he pounced fiercely. Su Wan once again displayed his incredible ball control, hooking the ball back with a "large behind-the-back dribble" to the other hand.

As Ginobili reached for the steal, he left a large open space in front of him.

Driving with the ball, Su Wan easily completed the layup.

"fxxk!" Popovich couldn’t help it anymore, he immediately called a timeout, pointing at Ginobili,"You sit on the bench and reflect!"

He certainly didn’t believe that in one half Su Wan had found a way to contain Ginobili.

It was impossible!

With Ginobili in such good form tonight, in the League only a few could limit such a Manu, and there was one sitting on the Pacers bench; the others simply couldn’t do it.

The only explanation was:

Manu was off his game, playing recklessly on the court!

Ginobili was also scratching his head.

He didn’t know why his "Snake-shaped Breakthrough" which had worked every time in the first half, suddenly failed in the second half, despite his serious play.

Replacing Ginobili on the court was Robert Horry.

Popovich used him to fill the small forward spot, then positioned Bruce Bowen against Su Wan: "I don’t want to see that rookie score again!"

Bruce Bowen could feel the anger in Popovich’s tone. He knew he had to make an immediate impact as soon as he got on the court, or else he would end up like Ginobili. But that wasn’t what he feared the most.

What he feared the most was losing Popovich’s trust.

This was something he absolutely could not allow to happen!

So he must guard Su Wan.

With that thought, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

The best way to scare a rookie was to frighten him thoroughly, letting him know what the NBA was really about.

This was also what puzzled Bruce Bowen the most:

Why do others let this rookie be so presumptuous when they come across him?

Just take him down and see if he dares to be so arrogant again?

He prepared to show Su Wan some color as soon as he got on the court.

"Beep!"

The game resumed.

The ball was given once again to Tim Duncan for a solo play under the basket.

The "Stone Buddha" once again proved his unwavering stability, easily handling little O’Neal and scoring.

Jermaine O’Neal’s defensive abilities were not bad; if it weren’t for Artest being on the team, he could have made the "All-Defensive Second Team" just for fun, but in front of Tim Duncan, he was like a toy, completely manipulated by the massive hands of the "Stone Buddha."

After being scored against twice, little O’Neal got anxious. He actively asked for the ball, wanting to go one-on-one with Tim Duncan. Just as he was getting ready, Bruce Bowen aggressively moved in, creating a double team with Tim Duncan.

Jermaine’s ability to handle the ball in the low post was not very good, which was also why Su Wan didn’t understand his fondness for holding the ball under the basket. Without good passing abilities, the threat posed by an interior player holding the ball under the basket is always limited.

Didn’t you see what happened to Ewing because of this, ridiculed by the New York media? —To be fair, Ewing did have the ability to distribute from the post, but the New York media set his comparison to Hakeem Olajuwon!

This...

Little O’Neal had to shoot quickly.

"Clang," a sound rang out. It was no good!

Foster stepped up, grabbing this crucial "offensive rebound."

Over this period, Su Wan realized how underrated Foster was. Although he never averaged over 10 rebounds a season in his career, during his peak, he managed to average about 3.5 "offensive rebounds."

His average didn’t hit double digits, simply because he yielded many backcourt rebounds.

This is fundamentally different from certain players who average 7.5 rebounds per game, including 6.3 backcourt rebounds.

Or maybe...

The main reason players like Foster had fewer rebounds was because of the existence of certain other players.

Of course, with the Pacers, it wasn’t that some player "sucked away" Foster’s backcourt rebounds.

Instead, Foster’s role was to protect the backcourt rebounds while focusing mainly on positioning to create space for teammates to compete for defensive rebounds, acting as a "sacrificial lamb." He wasn’t blocking out for a specific player but for the whole team.

And his real rebounding ability was definitely top-notch in the league, often showing brilliant moments of grabbing "offensive rebounds" between two opposing big men.

Just like this ball.

After protecting the rebound, he quickly passed it to Su Wan out on the perimeter.

Seeing Su Wan get the ball, Bruce Bowen was thrilled, not expecting to get a chance to "show him who’s boss" so soon. He sprinted towards Su Wan and, upon getting close, leaped up, aiming a "kick."

He had used this move before.

Against the Timberwolves’ Szebiak, this kick had floored him, leaving him lying on the ground for a long time before getting up.

After the game, the team doctor confirmed that the "handsome man’s" nose had been broken.

And looking back at that moment, Szebiak said with utmost sincerity, "Thank God I can still play basketball."

Seeing Bruce Bowen leap into the air, Su Wan, recalling the kick Szebiak had endured, had a persistent question in his mind:

Why do others, when faced with Bruce Bowen’s dirty tricks, let him bully them without fighting back?

Even if they couldn’t retaliate at the moment, why not punch him out the next time they encounter him, making sure he couldn’t get up? Would he still dare to be so presumptuous?

Anyway, Su Wan had long decided that if this bastard dared to provoke him, he would give him a lesson he’d never forget.

And now, he had actually come...

Bruce Bowen’s kick was fast and fierce, no wonder Szebiak couldn’t react in time, but Su Wan had activated "The Zone" mode and was already on alert, so...

Watching the foot flying towards his face, Su Wan leaned back, letting go of the ball, and with crossed arms, caught Bruce Bowen’s foot and with a fierce force, tossed him upward.

At this moment, Bowen, flying through the air, had no support points. Tossed by Su Wan, his body instantly lost its balance, his leg kicking upwards while his body tilted backward, spinning 90 degrees in the air to fall in an "upside-down" manner onto the floor.

"Crack!"

Bowen’s face hit the ground first, then he clearly heard his neck make a sound. Fortunately, his body’s instincts to survive let his hands unconsciously brace against the floor, cushioning some of the impact; otherwise, he felt that his neck would have been directly snapped by the force...

Then his entire body heavily slammed onto the floor, a great pain radiating from all around his body, causing him to let out a painful cry.

Bruce Bowen lay there on the ground, motionless for a long while.

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