The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!
Chapter 95 - 91: And you want to teach me how to do things?

Chapter 95: Chapter 91: And you want to teach me how to do things?

"Man, well done, you indeed are our secret weapon!"

Aside from his teammates disregarding Yao Ming, another reason for Yao’s few attempts in the first half today was the fronting defense by Little O’Neal.

In his rookie season, Yao was incredibly agile, agile enough to perform the "Shanghai Tango" on the court. However, as he gained weight, his mobility gradually declined. Forget the "Dream Step"; even fronting became his nightmare.

At this period, Yao hadn’t reached his ultimate "fat" state yet, but the sudden fronting still troubled him.

On the offensive end for the Rockets, it became a challenging task for him to stand firm and catch the ball, as he spent almost all his energy grappling with Little O’Neal.

The praised Little O’Neal smiled like a dark chrysanthemum.

In the second half, the Rockets adjusted their strategy. Jeff Van Gundy kept urging the players from the sidelines, helping to create space for Yao and giving him opportunities for one-on-one plays in the low post. With the support of the head coach, Yao gradually got more camera time and began to unveil his terrifying aspects.

Can you imagine a 7-foot-5 giant shooting the ball in front of you?

This was the first impression of many interior players after facing Yao.

It’s just insane!

Including later on, Wembanyama, why is he hyped to be "godlike"? Isn’t it because he stands 7-foot-3, yet can dribble and break through, shooting from as far as the three-point line?

With such height and yet such soft touch, it’s a nightmare for any defender.

The Pacers, other than continuing with fronting defense to make it difficult for Yao to receive passes, basically had no other method. Plus, McGrady’s form was slightly warming up. By the end of the third quarter, they had narrowed the gap to just 5 points.

However, as the game moved into the fourth quarter, Yao started having problems with his physical fitness, and McGrady’s performance also began to falter. Su Wan, with 2 minutes and 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter, entered "The Zone" mode, scored 11 points consecutively, exploded his matchup Sura, told him to "go back to his mother’s womb and practice defense more," and the Pacers expanded the lead back to more than 11 points.

In the end, as the game concluded, the Pacers beat the Rockets 99 to 86 by 13 points.

In the first "Huaxia Derby," Su Wan had the last laugh.

In the CCTV-5 studio, a group of commentators was completely satisfied.

They weren’t concerned about the final win or loss; they only cared about whether Su Wan and Yao could perform well.

In the end, Su Wan made 19 of 10 shots, scored 11 points in the last quarter, totaling 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, key in securing the win during the final moments for the Pacers. Yao’s stats were equally brilliant, with 11 points in the first half, 15 in the second, totaling 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. His efficiency was shocking, making 10 of 15 shots and all 6 free throws. The only issue, if it had to be mentioned, was that he only scored 4 points in the last quarter...

But a flaw cannot obscure the splendor; both contributed a spectacular performance, making this "Huaxia Derby" worth the domestic fans’ long-held anticipation.

After the match, Su Wan and Yao embraced again under numerous cameras.

Su Wan said, "Don’t gain weight anymore, Yao. If this continues, just the fronting defense will loosen Tenon."

This was also the reason he proactively mentioned to Rick Carlisle about using Little O’Neal’s fronting defense to restrict Yao, to let him feel the slow movement, the difficulty of having someone front him, unable to exert his strength.

Of course, he didn’t expect to persuade Yao all at once.

Everything should progress step by step.

Seeing Yao’s still-petrified expression, Su Wan knew that tonight’s fronting by Little O’Neal must have left a deep impression. Usually, he wouldn’t be out of physical fitness just entering the fourth quarter.

If everyone in the league defended him like this...

Yikes~

Don’t dare to think, don’t dare to think!

"Your head coach is quite impressive!"

Yao also had a profound impression of Rick Carlisle. Su Wan knew right away that Yao thought the fronting defense strategy was Carlisle’s idea. But he didn’t tell Yao that all the hardships he endured tonight were courtesy of the "Shark" junior in front of him.

Actually, to be honest, Su Wan was quite considerate towards Yao; he still had the "High Position Double Team," a real "Chain Strategy" that would make Yao desperate, which he hadn’t used on Yao yet.

Hmm...

Definitely not because helping Stephen Jackson with the help defense on McGrady was too exhausting, and he didn’t have time to help defend Yao!

After the game, when reporters asked McGrady about his impression of Su Wan, McGrady said, "I know he has the same skin color as Yao, but that’s it. I haven’t matched up against him for long, so I don’t have much of an impression."

Erin immediately pulled out a photo from her camera of Su Wan thrashing Sura, scoring 11 points, with McGrady looking dumbfounded on the side:

Is this what you call "not much of an impression"?

After knowing McGrady’s comments, Su Wan laughed and said, "No problem, next time I will definitely leave a deep impression on him." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

The reporter reminded Su Wan that the Pacers and the Rockets had no more regular-season games against each other this season. If they wanted to face each other again, it would only be possible on the stage of the finals. Considering that one team ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference and the other fifth in the Western, it was not realistic. So the next matchup would likely be next season.

Su Wan said, "Then he will definitely have a deeper impression!"

Actually, for McGrady, Su Wan didn’t have too much competitive spirit.

Knowing the future well, Su Wan was aware that McGrady’s peak was basically over. If fate didn’t deviate, then injuries would soon catch up with him, his capabilities fading away like Wang Xiao’er celebrating New Year, getting worse year by year.

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