Don't talk trash to him.

Chapter 192: The Strongest Cavaliers Since the New Century

After the game, reporters mentioned Suwan's "tongue-sticking dunk."

Su Wan was stunned for a moment. He really couldn't remember whether he had done that action.

But it's normal to do it. Tonight he just wanted to show off as much as possible to piss off these San Antonio people.

"Is this imitating Michael Jordan?" the reporter's question followed.

Su Wan said: "It is true that everyone will think of Michael Jordan after seeing the tongue-sticking dunk, but after tonight, my name will probably be added to this matter."

"It's something I have to get used to, and as my achievements get higher and higher, inevitably, I will be compared to Michael Jordan."

"I am not afraid of challenges. What I should worry about is the people who compare me with me!"

"Even if he is, Michael Jordan!"

The reporter looked stunned.

What surprised him even more was that he didn't think Su Wan was talking nonsense.

看看苏万今晚的数据吧，31分6篮板2助攻2抢断2盖帽。

At the age of 21, Jordan could only achieve this much in terms of statistics, right?
Although the statistics are the same, Jordan cannot compare to the honors in that rookie season who became the "next Magic Johnson", the first "MVP Four" in NBA history in the second year, and the phenomenal "super rookie" who won the "Finals MVP" "back to back" in the first two years of his career!
If we were to say who poses the biggest threat to Michael Jordan now, it is not Kobe, nor Wade and the like, but Suwan, who just turned 21 years and 5 months old!
This was also the reaction of most media people to Su Wan’s words the next day.

Barkley immediately stated: "As the most successful super rookie in the first two years of his career, Suwan is qualified to be compared with any star, even Michael Jordan.

Anyway, Michael Jordan has blocked his contact number, so it doesn't matter if he says a few more words.

The New York Times also published an article saying: "It is unrealistic for anyone to surpass Michael Jordan's achievements on the court, except for Suwan, who has enough time to do it!"

Of course, there are also dissenting voices, such as the Los Angeles "Little Snake" who is quite concerned about this matter. He said: "It is too early for (Su Wan) to talk about this matter now. It will not be too late to talk about this matter after he wins a three-peat!"

What this means is that now I am the only one who can touch Jordan.

Now he has what it takes to challenge Jordan. With Yao Ming, he believes he can complete his second "three consecutive championships" in his career before the age of 32!
If someone asked Kobe:
"When will you become the No. 1 player in the NBA?"

He will answer you:
“This season, this season!”

Su Wan was simply provoked to rebel by that reporter.

Just stick out your tongue and you're imitating Jordan.

He's dribbling the ball and imitating Jerry West!

The new generation has no human rights, right?

But he really didn't expect that his public opinion momentum would be so strong.

Can he challenge Michael Jordan in the third year of his career?
As expected, it is better to become famous early. Everyone likes to hear stories about young and successful people.

Michael Jordan's story of enduring hardships and finally reaping the rewards is even more interesting to watch.

Su Wan's script is quite boring, with only one word in the whole script:

Cool!
But people these days just like to see something exciting.

If he doesn’t win the “three consecutive championships” at the age of 21, does he have to wait until he is 31?

After defeating the Spurs, the Pacers continued to be strong in the rest of the schedule and did not lose their first game of the season until mid-December.

In the second game of the "back-to-back" game, they lost to the Seattle SuperSonics, who were ranked 13th in the Western Conference.

Ray Allen and Lewis seemed to be assisted by God. They made every shot they could on this night. Both of them scored more than 30 points and helped the team successfully defeat the Pacers.

Reggie Miller, who just took up the commentary position on ABC, said: "The Seattle SuperSonics will be talked about after this season because of this game, even if they are only 13th in the Western Conference and maintain this ranking until the end."

However, the general manager of the Supersonics who was watching the game was not happy.

The 07 draft next summer will be a "big year" for the draft after two drafts. Among them, the "once-in-twenty-years" super genius Greg Oden, who is called "a combination of Tim Duncan and David Robinson", is also the target of the SuperSonics in this draft.

But if you want to select such a super favorite, there is no other way except the "No. 1 pick".

So this year the Supersonics have only one task, and that is to play badly!
Therefore, every time the Sonics won a game, the general manager felt like vomiting blood.

Especially the fact that the Pacers, who were ranked first in the league, "capsized" in Seattle made him want to complain:
On purpose?

Can't you beat the SuperSonics?
Why didn't he believe it so much?
Especially when the Pacers won the next game by 24 points, defeating the Denver Nuggets, ranked 4th in the Western Conference, he felt this way even more.

If the Supersonics really fail to sign Greg Oden in the end, he will blame Suwan for it.

On December 12, Madison Square Garden, as usual, saw a fight involving multiple players.

This is another large-scale fighting incident since the "Conseco incident".

The two parties involved in the fight were Anthony, Jr. Smith, Allen Iverson of the Nuggets and Nate Robinson, Collins, Jeffries and Jerome James of the Knicks.

This more violent fight ended with Allen Iverson being suspended for 13 games, Anthony, Smith, and Robinson being suspended for 10 games, Collins being suspended for 6 games, Jeffries being suspended for 4 games, and everyone else being suspended for 1 game.

Compared with the "Auburn Hills Palace Incident" and the "Conseco Incident", such punishment can only be said to be "just enough."

Most media believe that there is only one reason why there was no severe sentence:
Neither side hit the fans.

David Stern is like this.

But even though the outside world thinks that such a punishment is already very light, Steve Francis still believes that the league's punishment is racially discriminatory.

His reason is: "The fights in the ice hockey league and the rugby league are even bloodier, but their penalties are much lighter than the one in this fight between the New York Knicks and the Nuggets."

"Just because the NBA is a black-dominated league, can we be treated like this?"

Check it out!

How well is this weapon of "racial discrimination" used?

This is the norm for black people in America. As long as they feel a little bit aggrieved, they will use "racial discrimination" as a weapon.

Martin Luther King's eldest son even came to have a conversation with people from the NBA headquarters.

But David Stern stuck to his guns and said the meeting was unnecessary.

Su Wan knew about this "fight".

Originally, the Nuggets entered into a large-scale trade shortly after the fight.

I don’t know what Gaoyuan’s management is thinking.

Maybe they think that a boss with "gangster temperament" is better able to manage this new generation with "gangster temperament"?
Anyway, they traded Brad Miller for Allen Iverson.

Now the facts have proved that the "leader" is the "leader". Allen Iverson is definitely the one who rushes to the front in such occasions, setting an example for his brothers, and was directly suspended for 13 games.

After the game, facing the media, his face was full of:

You can’t bully me, and you can’t bully my brothers even more!
The media also asked Su Wan about his opinion on the league's penalty: "Do you think the league's penalty is too severe?"

Su Wan said: "I have always felt that the league's penalty was too severe, and it's not just this time, you know!"

The reporters laughed at that moment.

In this regard, Su Wan does have a say.

Before the Knicks riot, the Pacers had already had a riot.

The incident gradually subsided. On December 12, there were still 20 days before the "Christmas Game". The Pacers, ranked first in the Eastern Conference, played at home against the Cavaliers, ranked second in the Eastern Conference. Even if the Cavaliers won this game, they would not be able to surpass the Pacers and become first in the Eastern Conference. They were about 4 wins away from the Pacers, but the media still described this game as a "battle for the top spot."

Another confrontation between Suwan and LeBron.

LeBron and Cleveland are full of confidence.

In particular, the Cleveland media said directly: "This is the most equal strength between the two sides. LeBron James will prove that as long as he has enough help, he is no worse than anyone else!"

LeBron James did not show his confidence. He chose to praise the Pacers: "The Pacers are one of the strongest teams in the East in recent years. They are composed of a group of excellent players. They represent the top combat power in the East. Any team will feel pressure to play against them!"

In fact, he didn't want to say that.

But after signing the contract with Bill Duffy, every time he had such an occasion, Bill Duffy would prepare template answers for relevant questions for him and ask him to answer all the questions according to what was written on them.

Rich Paul has entered Bill Duffy's company for professional training. Bill Duffy is the only one left in his "think tank", so he can only do as he is told.

He praised the Pacers, and Shaquille O'Neal praised him: "LeBron this season is absolutely incredible. He can do everything on the court. With him, the Cavaliers have the possibility of defeating any opponent!"

Listen to what he said, how can our "king" not smile?

If Suwan had such awareness at the beginning, would LeBron have gone to that step with him even if there was a little bit of non-cooperation on the court?

People!

Sometimes you just have to know where you stand!
As a Cavaliers player, the first rule to follow is:
LeBron is not wrong!

Then the second law to follow:
If so, follow the first one.

The Cleveland media was very satisfied with Shaquille O'Neal's attitude of respecting LeBron in front of the media, so even though he rarely screened for LeBron on the court, they did not have much criticism.

To be honest, Shaquille O'Neal's smoothness at times is simply a model of a workplace person.

Compared to living freely, what is face?
Moreover, as the NBA's former "three-time Finals MVP", his words are more meaningful and more satisfying to the people of Cleveland.

If a minor character says the same thing, it won't have a similar effect.

It’s really hard to imitate his style!
Su Wan answers questions before the game.

“Does it make you nervous to face the Cavaliers again?”

"I won't be nervous against any team. Don't forget, we are the defending champions!"

"Not even against the Lakers?"

“I say, no team will.”

"What do you think is the biggest difference between LeBron this season and before?"

"The biggest difference is ... he's now shown as a three in the lineup, whereas he was shown as a one last season."

"You mean he changed his position on the court but didn't change his playing style?" The reporter keenly sensed the meaning of Su Wan's words.

"It's a no-brainer."

"Is it possible that he listened to the New York Times and looked at how Scottie Pippen played when he was with the Chicago Bulls?"

"Do you dare to say such things in front of him?" Su Wan asked with a smile.

The reporter remained silent. Of course he didn't dare to say that. If he said something like that in front of LeBron, he would lose the right to interview LeBron forever.

The two names that LeBron hates to hear the most are Suwan and Pippen.

"What do you think of Maria Sharapova's recent interview in which she said you are a nice man?" The person who asked this question was Irene.

"Did she say that?" Su Wan really didn't know.

However, Irene looked at him with an expression that said, "Stop pretending to be stupid."

Su Wan said: "Then she must be wrong. I am more than just good."

Erin: "..."

The Cleveland reporter at the scene saw that Su Wan was still in the mood to "flirt" with the female reporter, and immediately wanted to rush up and ask:
Suwan, can you give us Cleveland a little respect?
We are now a strong rival to you!
Do you understand my strong enemy?

You should treat the strong team with your attitude!
But it’s okay, when this game is over, you will know that the current Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer the same as they used to be!

There is a reason for the Cleveland reporter's confidence.

Su Wan could understand the source of their confidence. After all, judging from the record, this season's Cavaliers are indeed the strongest Cavaliers since the new century. Except for the first month of last season when they temporarily stayed in the first place in the Eastern Conference, when else have they climbed to such a high position?

And this time the second place in the Eastern Conference is very stable.

The Pistons, who are third in the Eastern Conference, have been left 3 wins behind by them!
How can a Cavaliers team like this not have confidence?
Shaquille O'Neal entered Conseco Arena amid boos, and the noisy boos made him feel like nothing had changed.

But when he turned around, he saw a domineering "square face" instead of a "round face" with puffy cheeks. He lowered his head and looked at his jersey. All of this had changed.

The first thing Su Wan said when he met him:

"When did the Heat get new jerseys? How come I didn't know?"

This is clearly a mockery of him being abandoned by the Heat.

Shaquille O'Neal's face darkened immediately: "Just wait, there will be a day like this for you. What do you think the NBA is?"

Su Wan sneered: "Who do you think made you look so miserable now?"

Shaq stopped talking, he couldn't speak.

Suwan was not wrong. The biggest reason why he was kicked out by the Heat was that they did not win the championship and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals for two consecutive years. He was the culprit.

And the person who made him the culprit was Su Wan!

But Suwan didn't intend to let him go: "Does it feel good to lick LeBron in Cleveland? This is your only way to survive now. I can ignore you, the most dominant player in history!"

These words directly pierced Shaquille O'Neal's fragile self-esteem. He howled and wanted to fight, but fortunately the people next to him stopped him.

Su Wan just watched with a sneer on his face.

Shaq actually knew why Suwan was so angry when he saw him tonight.

Since joining the Cavaliers, he has often talked about Suwan in front of the media.

He was also prepared to have a fight with Su Wan tonight.

But he really didn't expect that Su Wan's words tonight were so vicious, and every word he said was like a stab at his heart.

How could he bear such humiliation!
This exchange of insults made the game even more tense. The Pacers still had their regular starting lineup.

The player who replaced LeBron as the starting point guard for the Cavaliers is Gibson, who was selected in the second round of the Cavaliers this year. The second position is Quentin Richardson, the third position is LeBron, the fourth position is Channing Frye, and the fifth position is Shaquille O'Neal.

In the first round, Su Wan faced "Ah Q" with the ball.

Although Battier said Quentin Richardson can do well as long as he wants to defend.

But everyone knows that the best Quentin "died" in the Clippers. After the injury, the one standing in front of everyone was "Ah Q".

His lateral movement had deteriorated a lot, so when Su Wan forced his way through, he had no way to stop him.

It was not easy for him to get to the free throw line, and then he was pushed away by Su Wan.

Shaquille O'Neal didn't dare to step forward to defend, but Suwan had no intention of shooting directly. He rushed straight to the basket and challenged Shaquille O'Neal.

Generally speaking, in this situation, Shaq's choice is to knock his opponent down.

But he still remembers clearly what he went through the last time he knocked Su Wan down.

Unless he doesn't plan to play against the Pacers in the future, he really doesn't have the courage to knock Suwan down a second time.

The Pacers will really retaliate when faced with a "flagship foul."

He didn't dare to gamble...

In the end, he chose to watch Su Wan complete the dunk.

How can this not be considered progress?

Mike Brown came up and shook his head.

The defensive ceiling of the Cavaliers' lineup is not high. It mainly depends on whether Shaquille O'Neal dares to step forward to block. With his weight, if he can actively do these things, he can pose a certain threat to opponents who attack the inside.

It’s a pity that when Shaquille O’Neal saw that LeBron was not involved in defense, he would often evade help defense.

As for the remaining Gibson, Quentin and Channing Frye... let's not mention them!
Anyway, the Cavaliers didn't win games by relying on defense this season.

Only occasionally the offense opens up, the players become motivated, and they can rely on defense to win the game more easily.

However, such scenes have been rare so far in the new season.

Gibson passed the ball to LeBron on the wing in the frontcourt.

Then the Cavaliers re-positioned according to LeBron's instructions.

Many reporters knew about Suwan's remarks against LeBron before the game.

All I can say is that based on this round alone, they really couldn't tell whether LeBron was the point guard or the center.

"The Cavaliers' signings this summer were definitely successful. Look at the space the Cavaliers have created for LeBron now. This is definitely the best one-on-one space you can imagine!" Bill Walton praised the positioning of other Cavaliers players.

Gibson, Quentin and Channing Frye stood at their respective three-point hot spots at extreme distances.

Shaquille O'Neal under the basket also pulled away from the "three-second zone" at the first opportunity.

This is the space tension that made Michael Jordan ecstatic and Kobe Bryant like it.

LeBron looked at Artest in front of him but he was not very satisfied. He almost dropped the ball in his hand, but he did not blame himself for not dribbling it well. Instead, he yelled at his teammates to move. Artest suddenly exerted force and hit LeBron, who was concentrating on directing his teammates to move, with his chest, taking advantage of his unstable center of gravity to steal the ball.

The Pacers' chance to fight back.

Artest rushed to the front, taking the lead. When he was almost at the Cavaliers' basket, he remembered to look for his teammates. However, he couldn't see anyone on either side at this time, so he could only force a layup by himself.

"Snapped!"

There was a loud bang.

LeBron James' signature "chasing block" nailed his shot firmly to the backboard.

As Artest landed on the ground, he stared at Artest:

Steal me?
snort!
I can’t cover you to death!

"Bah!"

But Su Wan followed closely behind, picked up the rebound under the basket, completed the "second attack", and then glared back on behalf of Artest:

Is it useful to cover it?

Isn’t it a goal yet?

Artest was also shameless. The next second after he saw the ball go in, he turned his head and looked at LeBron, even though he didn't dare to look at him at first:
Is it useful to cover me?

I have brothers, do you have brothers?
The relief on LeBron's face quickly turned into helplessness, and he spread his hands towards his late teammates, as if to say, what's the use of me having you?

The Cavaliers attacked again and the ball fell into LeBron's hands.

Suwan glanced at Gibson's position.

Standing motionless in the bottom corner.

Can you believe that this guy scored 6 points in Game 30 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Cavaliers and the Pistons this season and led the Cavaliers to the Finals?

Ten years later, thanks to media marketing, everyone only remembers LeBron scoring 07 points in the final moments of the five games of the 5 Eastern Conference Finals.

What no one knew was how badly he struggled in the rest of the series, including Game 6.

If it weren't for Gibson, the Cavaliers would have had to go to a Game 7 and would most likely not have made it to the finals.

But Gibson is not a qualified "catch and shoot" guard. He needs to hold the ball to play his fundamental role.

This is the reason why he was later squeezed to the bench by Mo Williams, and it is also the reason why he can only stand in the bottom corner now.

Under Artest's close entanglement, LeBron staggered towards the basket like a lost man in a storm.

Um……!
Not to kill, but to walk!
Su Wan was stunned.

no……

One step, two steps, three steps...

How many steps are there?
"Referee, stop sleeping and get to work!" Su Wan reminded the referee.

We know that LeBron’s basic skills are not good and he needs to make do with some effort, but, isn’t this too much of a compromise?
But the referee still didn't blow the whistle.

LeBron finally "walked" to the inside, pushed Artest away, and jumped up for a layup.

Maybe he used too much force to push Artest away, so he was unable to jump up.

O'Neal Jr. slapped Gibson's shot from the side, which was not high enough and directly hit his hand.

Gibson was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand and made a three-pointer.

There was a "bang" sound.

Missed!

Shaquille O'Neal grabs the offensive rebound.

But when he was dunking, Foster held down both the "shark" and the "fish". Although the action was big, it was very warm. In the end, he protected Shaq's center of gravity and hugged him. However, the "shark" did not appreciate it and pushed him away with an elbow.

This is what O'Neal looks like when he's in a bad mood.

"This is the only way you can stop me from completing my attack!"

Shaq cursed again, but seeing Foster's gloomy expression, he kept the next words to himself.

Just accept it as soon as you see fit.

But when he elbowed Foster away, all the Indiana people saw it and booed loudly.

"Dangdang!"

"Dangdang!"

Then after he missed two free throws, the boos turned to cheers.

Su Wan once again took the ball and attacked the inside.

Do you really think I'm a soft persimmon?

Feeling unhappy, Shaq tried to block the shot this time, but Suwan passed him and just elbowed him hard in the stomach, then dribbled the ball out again, leaving the depressed-looking "Shaq" still there.

"Shh!"

"Ah Q" who was following Su Wan originally thought that Su Wan was going to move outside the three-point line to try to attack again, so he followed him closely. Unexpectedly, Su Wan turned around and made a jump shot, successfully putting the ball into the basket.

It’s 6-0!
Mike Brown subconsciously wanted to call a timeout, but when he saw LeBron successfully catch the ball, he planned to watch one more round, but saw that Artest had LeBron "trapped" in the spot again, so he could only signal a timeout.

"Shaq, you have to move to the high post more often. This is the only way the Cavaliers can win this game!"

Before LeBron could say anything, Mike Brown spoke first.

That's exactly what LeBron was trying to say.

To be honest, he missed "Big Z" very much at this moment.

Shaq nodded very reluctantly.

The timeout ends and the game resumes.

With Shaq's help, LeBron successfully got rid of Artest and rushed to the basket, causing O'Neal to foul.

"Yes!"

LeBron was satisfied with this smooth personal attack and walked to the free throw line with his chest puffed out.

After making both free throws, the Cavaliers finally got their first 2 points of the game.

At this time, almost 3 minutes had passed since the start of the first quarter.

However, after Shaq was willing to cooperate, LeBron also began to show his power in accelerating to the basket.

After all, he is the "young James" in his fourth season of his career. It is undeniable that when he can speed up and once the pick-and-roll is in place, his impact on the basket is really hard to stop.

At the same time, his final layup was also very technically demanding.

The most important reason why so many "Little LeBron"s failed to become LeBron in the end is because they were not packaged. Oh, no, it's because their hands were not as good as LeBron's.

When exerting force to attack the basket, people often fail to control the strength in the final shot, resulting in the shot being too light or too heavy.

However, his continuous shooting only ensured that the Cavaliers' scoring continuity was better than at the beginning. In the next 5 minutes, the Cavaliers were still suppressed by the Pacers.

The pace of the game was firmly controlled by the Pacers.

When the Pacers used a "small lineup", Mike Brown had to replace Shaquille O'Neal to ensure that the team's offense and defense conversion speed would not become a weakness. Without the pick-and-roll, LeBron James began to struggle again in the face of Artest's entanglement.

No, this time LeBron struggled even more than before.

The mobility of the "small lineup" was fully demonstrated after Foster left the field.

Moreover, the "small lineup" has changed. Calderon was replaced by Anthony Parker. The five forwards formed have high height and a fully mobile "iron bucket formation". It is easy to catch players like LeBron who only know how to break through.

In the last three minutes of the first quarter alone, LeBron made three consecutive turnovers.

The last mistake was caused by his impatient mentality.

He was dribbling the ball in the backcourt and suddenly threw the ball towards his teammate when crossing the center line. Suwan was quick-eyed and quick-handed and grabbed the ball. The Pacers immediately launched a counterattack.

Although LeBron is a master of blocking shots, he still stepped aside obediently when faced with the Pacers' counterattack that instantly formed a "more people against fewer people" situation.

He doesn't want to be a "background board"...

"Bah!"

The sound of dunks rang out and the first quarter ended. The Pacers successfully established a 38-point advantage with a score of 29 to 9.

The Cavaliers' offense is already strong. If this momentum continues, they will be able to score over 100 points in this game.

Just talking about offensive firepower, the Pacers this season are not afraid of any player. Based on the performance in the first game alone, if it continues throughout the game, the Pacers may score as high as 150 points tonight.

Bill Walton has experienced the era when the Nuggets and Warriors were "running wildly", but looking at the Pacers' performance in the first quarter of this game, he couldn't help but secretly exclaim: "The Pacers are really strong tonight!"

Reggie Miller said: "Any team that competes with the Pacers this season in offense is a suicidal act. The Cavaliers are committing suicide tonight!"

In fact, he is itching to retire and wishes he hadn't retired yet.

Playing along with the current rhythm of the Pacers is what every pitcher aspires to do.

The Pacers' good form really continued. At the end of the first half alone, they scored a high score of 72 points.

If this happened two years ago, the Pistons might have only scored this many points in the entire game.

Of course, with the Pistons' slow-paced style of play, even this season's Pacers would not be able to score 72 points in the first half against them.

To put it bluntly, it depends on who the opponent is.

As for the Cavaliers' ingredients, the Pacers naturally used various methods, such as "stir-frying over high heat", "frying until dry over quick heat", "boiling over high heat", and "drying over high heat"...

Clean it up however you want!

Compared to the Pacers who scored 72 points in the first half, the Cavaliers' 48 points were not enough...

8 words are coming!


(End of this chapter)