The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 84 - 82 I don’t need your approval! (Fourth update)

Chapter 84: Chapter 82 I don’t need your approval! (Fourth update)

Su Wan had dislocated his finger, and the big screen at the venue kept zooming in on him.

It even showed close-up shots of his dislocated finger from time to time.

Everyone at the venue could see that his finger was abnormally bent at a frightening angle.

Not only did Kobe think Su Wan couldn’t play anymore, but the Lakers fans also thought the same, and as they had expected, the team doctor came over.

They assumed that after the team doctor came, Su Wan would follow him to the locker room and never return, or maybe return to sit on the sidelines after being bandaged.

On both sides of the player’s tunnel, the Lakers fans were ready to boo him.

But what happened next was far beyond their expectations...

Su Wan had spoken to the team doctor and surprisingly found a towel to try and straighten his own finger. —When the fans realized this, they widened their eyes as if they were about to pop out.

Kobe’s pupils also shook.

The man, who usually could pass by someone jumping out suddenly without changing his expression, now felt deeply shocked.

At this moment, he had to admit that this Huaxia rookie, flashy and sharp-tongued, was a real man!

If he were in the same situation, he would have done the same...

Definitely!

Odom, seeing Su Wan manage to straighten his finger, immediately looked toward Artest on the bench, his eyes asking:

Where did this monster come from? fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Indeed, anyone who could compete with Kobe like this was not normal.

It’s just a game...

Why risk your life!

Artest, too preoccupied to care what his childhood friend was thinking, saw Su Wan adjusting his finger himself and quickly approached to stop him, but Su Wan had realigned the joints of his finger in an instant, leaving no time for Artest to speak.

"Uncle, are you sure you can really do this?"

Su Wan flexed the recently dislocated middle finger in front of him: "Couldn’t be surer!"

"Mad, really mad, this guy is crazy," said young O’Neal, once again astonished by Su Wan’s actions. He considered himself a strong person, but faced with the same situation, he certainly would have chosen to follow the team doctor back to the locker room.

A hint of relieved smile flickered across Reggie Miller’s face.

Previously, he had a conversation with "Big Bird".

About his retirement.

Larry Bird had asked him if he wanted to go on a "retirement tour," which Miller categorically shook his head at, knowing he wasn’t at that level.

Then they talked about Su Wan.

"You can retire at ease, Reggie, we’ve found your successor."

Those were Larry Bird’s exact words.

Now, seeing Su Wan’s crazy actions, Reggie Miller had to admit, "Big Bird" was right, the Pacers had indeed found their new leader...

Su Wan was a person with leadership qualities.

And now, he had proved that he possessed the spiritual power to inspire everyone.

He would be a great leader.

Reggie Miller had never been so sure of this.

"Come on, guys, if you really care about me, then quickly finish this garbage time!" Su Wan joked before going onto the court, prompting light laughter from the whole Pacers team. After the laughter, their expressions turned exceptionally determined.

After a brief pause, the game restarted.

When Su Wan actually stepped onto the court, the Los Angeles people, who had booed him before the game, now spontaneously applauded and cheered for him. This scene reminded Su Wan of the playoffs in the future year of 2009, where Yao Ming made his "Return of the King," similar to this scene.

Above the grudges between players, was an appreciation for their attitude.

Su Wan’s fighting spirit deserved applause from everyone, even here in Los Angeles, where a crowd that hated him because of Kobe.

On the ESPN commentary booth, Bill Walton said, "If the Los Angeles people still booed at this time, Kobe would definitely stop it, he definitely would."

"Are you sure you can really do this, rookie, I won’t go easy on you!" Kobe looked at Su Wan standing in front of him, expressing his concern with a touch of arrogance.

Su Wan, his whole being spelling out the word "fight": "Speaking as if you know how to take it easy!"

Kobe laughed, for he truly didn’t understand what "taking it easy" meant.

The possession belonged to the Pacers.

Objectively speaking, it should have been Su Wan’s touched-out finger that caused the dislocation, otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown a guilt-ridden expression just now.

As soon as Tinsley had caught the ball, Su Wan’s and Kobe’s duel had resumed.

Both men were like two raging bulls, frightening to behold.

At the start of the game, the others on the court seemed to be in a different world from them. But now, inspired by Su Wan’s "fight through minor injuries," the rest of the Pacers were noticeably more aggressive.

If Su Wan was a raging bull, then they were a pack of angry hounds.

The Pacers firmly controlled the pace of the game.

The score difference quickly widened.

As the first half was about to end, apart from Kobe, the rest of the Lakers looked as if they had given up, ready to surrender.

They were genuinely outplayed.

Though the Lakers had an offensive lineup, their defensive was lacking.

You can see that from their stats, this season the Lakers were scoring an average of 98.7 points per game, their firepower was about to break a hundred, but they were losing 101.7 points per game.

They were supposed to be a team that relied on offense to defeat their opponents.

Facing a team like the Pacers, whose firepower wasn’t weak, it was really hard for them to cause much limitation defensively.

The game once again entered the Lakers’ favorite "Kobe is still trying" phase.

However, this time Kobe’s complexion wasn’t as bad as usual.

He was enjoying the offensive and defensive battle with Su Wan.

He felt very engaged.

Su Wan’s endurance was beyond his expectations.

At the end of the first half, he showed a look of wanting more and went through the player’s tunnel back to the locker room without speaking to any teammates. He just put on an eye mask and closed his eyes to rest, taking it more seriously than if he were going out on a date with Vanessa.

The other Lakers were relieved.

Kobe not talking to them was the best grace they could ask for!

Keep in mind that the Lakers were down by 13 points at halftime. Normally, Kobe would have erupted in the locker room.

Tonight...

It seemed Su Wan had tired him out quite a bit.

Especially Odom, who already considered Su Wan the best brother.

minutes of rest time, and Kobe, slowly cooling down, suddenly sat up straight, yanked off the eyemask, and frowned while touching the right side of his ribcage.

Frank observed Kobe’s unusual behavior and hurried over, asking with concern, "What’s wrong, Kobe?"

"A bit uncomfortable... but it probably isn’t broken."

He could feel it himself.

Frank, watching his calm demeanor, was so scared that he quickly called the team doctor.

The team doctor explored for a while, his expression becoming grave; his conclusion was the same as Kobe’s:

The ribs probably weren’t broken.

"But I don’t rule out a slight fracture. Just to be safe, it would be better not to play in the second half!"

That was the team doctor’s opinion.

Soon, Kobe’s personal trainer arrived upon hearing the news, and after checking, his answer was the same as the team doctor’s.

Kobe was curious about why this happened...

"It’s probably because you gained too much weight last summer, the skeletal load was too great, plus the physicality tonight was a bit too rough, so... Kobe, my opinion is the same as Mike’s, it’s best not to continue playing this game to avoid more serious consequences."

His expression was serious, but Kobe shook his head without hesitation: "No, even if this becomes the last game of my career, I must play... I don’t want to regret it later!"

If this really became his last game, but he hadn’t played, he would definitely regret not finishing the second half with Su Wan.

The trainer didn’t persuade further, nor did the team doctor, and naturally, Frank didn’t say another word.

Once Kobe had made up his mind, everyone knew he would follow his own thoughts all the way.

However, the second half didn’t last very long, the Pacers who had the advantage implemented a more diverse offense, and by the end of the third quarter, they had pulled ahead by 20 points. Rick Carlisle substituted Su Wan at 6 minutes and 35 seconds in the third quarter, and at the same time, Frank substituted Kobe.

A huge cheer arose from the crowd, though it wasn’t clear if it was for Su Wan or for Kobe.

A dramatic scene occurred just as Su Wan was about to sit down on the bench:

A black father holding his 6-year-old child handed him over to Su Wan: "Uncle, can you sign this for the kid? Just on his jersey will be fine, he just told me that from today onwards, he’s your most loyal fan."

"Is that so?"

Su Wan looked at the child whose eyes were filled with anticipation, wearing the striking number 8 Lakers jersey. Su Wan then signed his own name on Kobe’s jersey.

The reporters at the venue hastily took out their cameras to capture this destined to be classic moment.

In the end, without any surprises, the Pacers won by a huge margin of 108 to 87, defeating the Lakers by 21 points.

Su Wan looked at the score and grinned widely.

By then, his body had already cooled.

The pain from duking it out with Kobe the whole game started to become more evident.

He felt it was even more intense than the "after-effects" of confronting Artest.

This "Poison Snake" really played rough.

But Su Wan could be sure that Kobe’s feelings were definitely no better at the moment.

His moves...

Were just as rough!

"Rookie, I must admit, I was wrong in my earlier views."

Kobe approached Su Wan after the game, apologizing for his pre-game remarks. Su Wan, who was initially grimacing in pain, immediately put on a "cold and ruthless" face upon seeing him, even carrying an air of "boy, this game was such an easy win."

Men, after all, must not lose face!

He didn’t notice that Kobe’s lips were also twitching slightly—he also wasn’t having a good time.

Hearing Kobe’s generous apology, Su Wan was just about to dismiss it and move on.

Unexpectedly, Kobe added, "At least in this game, you’ve earned my respect!"

Hey, this stubborn pride!

Su Wan immediately responded: "Kobe, I’ve told you, don’t think of yourself as a successful Michael Jordan just yet. You haven’t proven you can win a championship without Shaquille. My grandma could win with Shaquille, I don’t need your approval!"

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