Don't talk trash to him.

Chapter 122 This is a lesson Shaq should have learned long ago
"He hit my teammate in front of me, and I had to make him hit him back, it's that simple." - Foster explained his behavior of pushing Shaquille O'Neal.

"I don't know what the referee is doing? Is it because this is the American Airlines Arena? Or do they have to protect Shaquille O'Neal? Why was Jeff directly sent off for the same action?" - Rick Carlisle continued to blast the referee tonight after the game.

"I don't think there's a problem with it. Shaq doesn't want people dunking on him, and Jeff doesn't want Shaq dunking on him. It's that simple." - O'Neal Jr. on Foster's action against Shaquille O'Neal.

More reporters crowded into the Pacers' post-game press conference.

There was only one person sitting in front of the microphone, and that was Su Wan.

Irene stood up before everyone else and prepared to ask questions. A reporter who wanted to ask questions first expressed dissatisfaction: "She didn't wait for the staff to signal that she could ask questions before she stood up."

Su Wan glanced at him and looked at the "dog tag" hanging around his neck that said Miami Media. He said unhappily: "You may not understand, this is her privilege."

After that, he signaled Irene to start asking questions directly and ignore the Miami man.

"What we want to know is, did you feel any discomfort after being pulled by Shaquille O'Neal?"

"I don't know yet. After the interview, I need to cooperate with the team doctor to take an X-ray to know the final result. For the details, maybe I will know the answer tomorrow."

After asking the question, Irene sat down directly.

But this question also set the tone for today's press conference:
It was Shaquille O'Neal who started it first, and Suwan did not rule out the risk of injury. For the time being, he himself did not know what the situation was.

The Miami reporter heard Irene ask the question first, so he asked this question and then sat down. He knew that this was Su Wan's man.

But as an avid Heat fan, he must seek an explanation for Shaquille O'Neal's injury.

"Su, what do you think of Jeff Foster's rough action against Shaq? I remember you said that you hated players like Bruce Bowen who played dirty. Now, Jeff Foster did the same thing."

"He was just avenging his teammates, it's that simple. If you insist on confusing right and wrong, I can always find a videotape for everyone to see if it was Shaq who started it first or Jeff. If it was Jeff, then I will apologize for him!"

"But you tried to dunk on Shaq, and that was his attitude all along. No one dared to dunk on him. You provoked Shaq first."

"Dunk on his head, he can do that? Is this the privilege you Miami gave him? Then Jeff doesn't like people dunking on his head! And... he was the one who provoked me with trash talk first, from the beginning of the game to the second half, and it continued. I just showed my attitude!"

"You're friends, aren't you? You watched the car race together in Indiana, you have a friendship!"

"So why did he do this to me? He had countless ways to do it. If he didn't want to lose face, he could have avoided it, and his actions later proved it. If he wanted to stop me, he could have just hugged me in a safe way, and I wouldn't have any objections, but he chose to just drag me to the ground. Shaq didn't treat me as a friend! We Chinese have an old saying, we treat our friends with good food and drink, and we also have guns and cannons for our enemies!"

"He was already very remorseful at the time. He wanted to help you up, but you slapped his hand away."

"I'm going to kick you now, and then lend you a hand to help you up. Can you pretend that nothing happened?"

The Miami reporter really wanted to say "I can", but when he saw that Suwan really showed signs of standing up, he finally swallowed the word "I can".

He stopped talking.

Su Wan looked at the other reporters:
"Bruce Bowen and Ray Allen have known each other since childhood. They are friends. But in the last game, Bruce kicked Ray Allen in the back. Ray Allen broke up with him. Then, in the just-concluded series between the Supersonics and the Spurs, Bruce Bowen kicked him again. What does this show? This shows that sometimes, the best way to fight back is to let the other party know how it feels when the same thing happens to them. I believe that Shaq will not be so impulsive next time when facing those who want to dunk over him, because he now knows what it feels like to fall to the ground with his whole body!"

"If he dares to do it again next time..."

"It only means that his fall this time wasn't bad enough!"

Complete defeat!

The Miami reporter left in disgrace.

On the other hand, when Wade was asked about the issue, he chose to avoid answering: "I just want to know how Shaq is doing now. I hope he is OK. If he has a problem, I think it will be a big problem for us."

"Who do you think should be primarily responsible for the conflict that occurred on the field?"

“…Next question!”

"Do you think it's Shaquille O'Neal's fault?"

“…Next question!”

"This conflict..."

"If there are no other questions, let's end our interview today!"

……

This was definitely the most torturous interview Wade has ever given.

Su Wan is his good brother and he did nothing wrong.

Shaquille O'Neal was his teammate and the best partner for winning the championship. He had problems, but Wade couldn't say anything.

What can he do?
He can only...

"Next question!"

The next morning, the game was reported by major media outlets across the United States.

"This is Indiana, Shaquille O'Neal, you hit the wall!" - Indiana Star;
"When you don't want someone to dunk on you, you can't dunk on someone else's head, otherwise they will do the same thing as you. Shaq, you should grow up!" - Los Angeles Times;
"Before you start to attack Su Wan, you need to think carefully, because you are attacking the new soul of Indiana!" - "The Bleacher Report"
With the exception of Miami and cities like Detroit, the media in most cities favor the Pacers.

After all, Shaq took action first.

Since he can directly pull Su Wan who is flying in the air, others can do the same to him.

In the afternoon, the injury report about Shaquille O'Neal came out.

Miami fans have been praying since last night.

Don't mention it, a miracle really happened:
The final MRI results showed that Shaquille O'Neal was fine and his ribs were not broken.

But the pain was still there, and the team doctors, including Shaquille O'Neal himself, did not dare to take the risk, so they did not return to the court after leaving.

After two inspections yesterday and today, the results are the same:

Shaquille O'Neal has no problem with his ribs!

When the news came out, it felt like dawn had dawned for Miami fans.

Shaquille O'Neal also appeared in front of the media that afternoon, greeting reporters in a very energetic manner.

But when reporters mentioned the "pulling" incident, Shaquille O'Neal's face fell.

Obviously, he didn't want to talk about this.

One reporter risked his life to ask, "Aren't you going to reconcile with Sue?"

He was asked to leave directly.

There is a reason for Shaquille O'Neal's stress reaction.

He didn't expect that so many media outside would not speak up for him.

What made him most angry was that Kobe, who had already gone fishing, actually took the initiative to accept an interview and said: "This is a lesson Shaq should have learned a long time ago, and he should thank Suwan!" I thank you for nothing!

Now in his eyes, Su Wan and Kobe are in the same boat, and it is impossible for him to reconcile with Su Wan.

Facing the camera, he said positively: "Next I will focus on the game, the Heat will soon equalize the score, I have confidence in myself and my teammates!"

After making such a harsh statement, the “Big Shark” was indeed much more focused the next day.

However, to the disappointment of Barkley, Bill Walton and others, he did not apologize to Suwan.

In their view, this is what Shaq should do.

Su Wan was not surprised. In fact, if his stepfather had not gone to scold him, he would not have apologized for using racist words against Yao Ming.

This person's pettiness is consistent with his character.

A child.

He's the kind of kid who says, "I can fight with you, but I'll get angry if you fight with me."

Generally, this kind of child is one whose father did not spank him enough when he was young.

Shaquille O'Neal is one of these people.

His biological father abandoned him when he was just born, and he had never felt the strong "father's love" until his stepfather appeared.

But even Suwan had to admit that at this stage, as long as Shaquille O'Neal focused on the game, it would be difficult for Foster to stop him.

At the end of the game, the "Big Shark" who was in a wheelchair halfway through the previous game returned to full health and scored 24 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Heat tie the score to 1-1.

After the game, he said with an unsatisfied look: "If I wasn't there in the second half of the last game, we would be leading 2-0 now!"

When all the Pacers heard his words, they were eager to fight and take revenge immediately. However, since the semifinals between the Suns and Rockets had not yet been completed, in order to balance the progress of both sides, the third game between the Heat and the Pacers in Indiana would not start until a week later.

"Train well, so that we can stay in good shape and win the next game!"

This might be the episode where the Pacers players listen to Rick Carlisle the most.

Su Wan naturally couldn't remain silent until the next game, so he directly said sarcastically: "In fact, he could have chosen to return as a king in the last game, but he gave up. He is a person who looks as big as he looks, but he is a coward at heart!"

Shaquille O'Neal was furious when he heard Suwan's response.

But in this incident, Su Wan, who was standing on the sidelines and bend his dislocated finger back to continue the game, had an absolute commanding advantage and he could not commit any fraud at all.

The Eastern Conference Finals are temporarily suspended, and all eyes turn to the Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns in the West.

Suwan would also look at the scores after each of their series games.

As the series progresses, the confrontation between the two teams becomes more intense.

It can also be seen that both sides have their own "keys to victory". Basically, whoever gets into their own rhythm first will have the last laugh.

The Suns won the "decisive battle" and thought they could win it in one go, but in the end the Rockets returned to their home court and fought tenaciously to win.

The first "Game 7" of the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals officially began.

The Suns were in great form, with Stoudemire actively participating in defense. The Rockets also played their best game, letting Yao Ming take charge in the first three quarters and McGrady attack in the last quarter. Don't ask why this game was played so reasonably, the answer is that if they win one more game, they can create history.

The Suns will return to the Western Conference Finals after 12 years, and the Rockets will also return to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 94 years.

The desire of the media and fans on both sides has become the motivation for the players of both teams.

The game went on until the very last minute. McGrady's pull-up shot from outside the three-point line failed to go in, and Yao Ming grabbed the crucial frontcourt rebound. Before he jumped up, Stoudemire had no choice but to foul and send Yao Ming to the free throw line.

What’s the difference between this and giving away points?
Xiao Si also thought so, so when he committed a foul, his expression was full of helplessness.

"Uh-huh!"

"Shh!"

Yao Ming's free throws silenced the Suns' home court.

Steve Nash makes a final attempt at the "logo three-pointer"...

Missed!

The Rockets finally eliminated the Suns by 1 point thanks to Yao Ming's two free throws and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

The day after the Suns were eliminated, Steve Nash received his regular season MVP award.

Barkley felt sorry for the Suns, such an elimination was really frustrating.

But it should be said: "This year's winners are all very disappointed. Ben Wallace received his season's best defensive player award after being eliminated, and Steve Nash also received his regular season MVP trophy after being eliminated."

After a day of rest, the Rockets rushed to San Antonio, and the first game of the Western Conference Finals officially began.

In the end, the Spurs, who were well-rested, defeated the Rockets, who had just escaped from the "Game 7" and had not yet recovered, and won their first victory in the Western Conference Finals.

On the second day after the Western Conference Finals, the Heat vs. Pacers, which had been suspended for a week, started again.

This time the home court is in Indiana!

When Shaquille O'Neal entered Conseco Fieldhouse with the rest of the team, he was startled by the wild boos from the crowd.

He had never been booed like this in any arena.

This is when he has prepared himself mentally...

Is it necessary for these people to hate me so much?

As far as he could vaguely remember, his first trip back from Orlando hadn't caused such boos.

Bill Walton noticed Shaquille O'Neal's surprised expression, as if he knew what he was thinking: "If Shaq knew more about Sue's current position in Indiana, he would no longer be confused. He has offended the person he should not offend in Indiana!"

All the members of the Pacers team then came on the court, each with a serious expression, as if what they were about to face was not a game, but a war!
Rick Carlisle, who used to hold the tactical board and constantly emphasize game tactics before the game, was a little different today. He didn't call everyone to his front until just before the game started. He said a few simple words and asked everyone to put their hands together and cheer.

He didn't have to say anything at all.

What tactics we will use tonight are all the result of hard training over the past week.

He has seen the results of the training and believes that these results will be shown in the game tonight.

Rick Carlisle believes no one will be more hungry to win than the Pacers tonight.

First update today.


(End of this chapter)