Don't talk trash to him.

Chapter 92 You guys still want to teach me how to do things

"Good job mate, you really are our secret weapon!"

In addition to the fact that his teammates ignored Yao Ming, the reason why Yao Ming took too few shots in the first half today was also because of O'Neal's front defense on him.

Yao Ming was extremely flexible in his rookie season, so flexible that he could dance the "Shanghai Tango" on the court. However, as he gained weight, his mobility gradually declined. Not to mention the "dream footwork", even "circling the front" became his nightmare.

During this period, Yao Ming had not yet reached his ultimate "fat" state, but the sudden forward movement still made him feel difficult.

On the Rockets' offensive end, it became difficult for him to stand firm and receive the ball, and almost all his energy was spent on fighting with O'Neal Jr.

O'Neal, who was praised, smiled like a black chrysanthemum.

In the second half, the Rockets adjusted their tactics. Jeff Van Gundy kept urging the players on the sidelines to help Yao Ming create space and give him the opportunity to play in the low post. With the support of the head coach, Yao Ming gradually got the chance to appear on camera and began to show his terrifying side.

Can you imagine a 2-foot-26 giant shooting in front of you?

This is the first feeling many inside players have after playing against Yao Ming.

It's really perverted!

Including the later Wenban Yama, why was he praised as "miraculous"? Isn't it because he is 2 meters tall, but can dribble and break through, and his shooting range is as far as the three-point line?

Such a height and such a soft touch is a nightmare for any defender.

The Pacers had basically no other options except to continue using front defense to make it difficult for Yao Ming to receive the ball. With McGrady's condition improving slightly, they narrowed the gap to just 5 points at the end of the third quarter.

However, as the game entered the fourth quarter, Yao Ming's physical condition began to have problems, and McGrady's condition also began to struggle. Suwan turned on "The zone" mode at 2 minutes and 13 seconds in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points in a row, beating Sura on his opponent and allowing him to go back to his mother's womb to practice defense. The Pacers also widened the gap to more than 11 points again.

At the end of the game, the Pacers defeated the Rockets by 99 points, 86 to 13.

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

In the CCTV-5 studio, the commentators looked very satisfied.

They don't care about the final outcome, they only care about whether Suwan and Yao Ming can perform well.

As a result, Suwan made 19 of 10 shots and scored 11 points in the final quarter, a total of 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, which was the key to the Pacers' final victory. Yao Ming's data was also outstanding, with 11 points in the first half, 15 points in the second half, and 26 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks in the whole game. His efficiency was amazing, with 15 of 10 shots and 6 free throws. If there was any problem, it was that he only scored 4 points in the final quarter...

But the flaws do not outweigh the merits. Both players contributed such wonderful performances. This "China Derby" is worthy of the expectations of domestic fans.

After the game, Suwan and Yao Ming hugged each other again in front of many cameras.

Su Wan said: "Don't gain any more weight, Yao Ming. If you keep going like this, you can loosen up Tenon just by defending from the front."

This is also the reason why he took the initiative to mention to Rick Carlisle about using O'Neal to defend from the front to limit Yao Ming, so that he could feel the feeling of moving slower, being defended from the front, and being unable to use his strength.

Of course, he didn't expect to convince Yao Ming all at once.

Everything should be done step by step.

Looking at Yao Ming's frightened expression, Su Wan knew that O'Neal's circling tonight must have left a deep impression on him. Normally, he would not have run out of energy just after entering the fourth quarter.

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

hiss~
Don't dare to think, don't dare to think!
"Your head coach is really awesome!"

Yao Ming was also deeply impressed by Rick Carlisle. Su Wan knew immediately that the tactic of front defense was thought up by Rick Carlisle. But he did not tell Yao Ming that all the suffering you endured tonight was the care of this "Big Shark" junior in front of you.

In fact, to be honest, Su Wan was quite good to Yao Ming. He still had a trick of "high double teaming" that he didn't use on Yao Ming, and that was the "chain trick" that really made Yao Ming miserable.

Ok……

It's definitely not that it's too tiring to help Stephen Jackson defend McGrady, and there's no time to help defend Yao Ming!
After the game, reporters asked McGrady about his impression of Suwan. McGrady said: "I know he has the same skin color as Yao Ming, but that's all. I didn't play against him for a long time, so I don't have much impression."

Erin immediately pulled out a photo from her camera of Suwan beating Sura and scoring 11 points in a row, with McGrady standing next to him in a daze:

Is this what you mean by "not having much of an impression"?
After Suwan learned about McGrady's remarks, he smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. I will definitely impress him next time."

The reporter reminded Su Wan that the Pacers and Rockets have no chance to play against each other in the regular season this season. If they want to play against each other again, it can only be in the finals. Considering that the two teams are ranked fourth in the East and fifth in the West, this is not realistic. Therefore, the next matchup will most likely be next season.

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

In fact, Suwan doesn't have much of a desire to win against McGrady.

Being familiar with the future, he knows very well that McGrady's peak period has basically passed. If the gears of fate do not deviate, injuries will find him next. His ability is like Wang Xiaoer's New Year, getting worse every year.

Maddie...

The same is true.

Hearing Su Wan's response, he just smiled slightly.

In his heart, only Kobe can barely be called his opponent, and the others... are just worthless.

After defeating the Rockets, the Pacers ushered in a round of "back-to-back", which were also their last two games before the All-Star Weekend.

Including the game against the Cavaliers, the Pacers have not lost in February. In addition, Reggie Miller will also make a comeback in the second game of the "back-to-back", so Rick Carlisle did not force himself in the first game of the "back-to-back" against the Suns.

In the first half, the Suns played more and more aggressively and established a 12-point advantage. At 7 minutes and 45 seconds in the third quarter, Rick Carlisle decisively replaced all the starters. The game entered "garbage time" and the Pacers suffered their first defeat in February.

After this game, the Suns returned to the top of the Western Conference.

Steve Nash scored 18 points and 16 assists, and his hot form made the home Suns fans shout "MVP"!
The "Son of the Wind" is now ranked first in the regular season MVP list.

Judging from the current trend, it is a foregone conclusion that he will win the regular season MVP this season.

Phoenix media has also been shouting at Mark Cuban recently: "Do you regret sending Steve Nash away?"

In fact, Mark Cuban will not regret it.

Because in the Mavericks, Steve Nash could never play the "Son of the Wind" form. That was Dirk Nowitzki's team, and Steve Nash could only play a supporting role in Dallas.

Although Steve Nash has a beautiful shot, his style of play requires a high percentage of ball possession. He needs to have the ball in his hands and play at his own pace to play at full power. This season's Steve Nash is a "miracle", a "miracle" of the right time, right place, and right people.

Such a "miracle" happened again in 2012.

James Harden arrived in Houston and became the league's top "operator".

The similarity between the two is that they both hired "Mustache" D'Antoni.

His "run and gun concept" allows the point guard to maximize his personal characteristics.

Steve Nash reached his peak form under his guidance, and James Harden also grew into a top player under his guidance. In addition, the highlights of "Linsanity" and "Fatten"'s careers are all related to him.

One is occasional, two are accidents, and when three or four players have completed their transformation under D'Antoni's hands, you can only say that this "little mustache" is really something.

Sure, there's a little bit of stuff, but not much.

Until 2024, D'Antoni has not proved that his "run and gun concept" can win the championship.

After losing to the Suns, the Pacers made every effort and successfully won the second game of the "back-to-back" game.

On February 2, Suwan and O'Neal Jr. set off for Denver to participate in the 13 All-Star Weekend.

Although O'Neal Jr. was not selected for the starting lineup, he successfully made it into the All-Star reserve lineup with his stats of 21.4 points and 10.3 rebounds.

Having two players selected to the All-Star Game for two consecutive years set a record for the Pacers.

Of course, the Indiana media felt bad about this.

If it weren't for the "Palace of Auburn Hills incident", the Pacers might have had three players enter the All-Star team at the same time this year.

That's what truly made history, the stars shine on Indiana!

They also forgot that if there hadn't been the "Palace of Auburn Hills Incident", how could Larry Bird have the guts to go all in and use two first-round picks plus a second-round pick to trade Suwan to the Pacers?
But soon, some Indiana media also responded, and they even asked fans to vote on whether this thing would make money or not...

The "free culture" of the American media allowing people to vote is a long-standing one.

The most famous of these was the Orlando Sentinel, which asked Orlando residents to vote on whether Shaquille O'Neal was worth 2 million. The final result of the discussion made Orlando successfully lose the future "Triple Crown".

But the American media never tires of it.

After Suwan arrived in Denver, he was planning to spend two days with O'Neal, but he received a call from Bill Duffy. When he heard that Suwan was planning to go around the area with O'Neal, he said with regret: "I'm sorry, Su, but you are the starting All-Star in the Eastern Conference. The officials have arranged a lot of activities for you. In addition, I have two local endorsements for you, and...we should talk about your sneaker endorsement contract. This matter has been delayed for long enough."

"Nike, Adidas, Reebok and several other sneaker representatives are waiting to meet you!"

"So I'm sorry, you'll have to sacrifice some of your relaxing time."

Su Wan sighed helplessly, but he didn't want to give up the opportunity to make money.

His wallet isn't that fat yet.

At least compared to his current fame, he is not making US dollars very fast.

The “leeks” are getting impatient, so it’s time to harvest them.

He knew very well that the bulk of it came from the sneaker contract.

However, Suwan is a little worried that Bill Duffy's business negotiation skills are not very strong. Last year, LeBron James signed a 7-year, 9300 million dollar sneaker endorsement contract, while Carmelo Anthony, who is as famous as him and just won the "NCAA copy" this year, as Bill Duffy's client, finally only signed a 4-year, 1510 million dollar contract with A-hook.

The average annual income is only 377.5 million US dollars.

Although one of the reasons for this is that Michael Jordan said, "I want Carmelo Anthony, and Nike is not allowed to snatch him from me."

But such a contract is still too small!
At least compared with LeBron James' annual contract of 1328.57 million, it is really the gap between "an ant and an elephant".

Could it be that this was the reason why Bill Duffy asked Su Wan to intervene directly from the moment he met with representatives of various brands?

It's still a bit forced.

Suwan met with Bill Duffy and then met with the representative of the first sneaker brand.

The highlight is right at the beginning:
Representative of Nike.

Their sincerity was very good, and they directly offered a 7-year contract worth 1 million yuan.

To be honest, Nike has always been very cautious in recruiting talent, and has always taken a very aggressive approach. This is why they have been beating Adidas in the "war for talent" in recent years.

However, Adidas is no pushover. Although their ability to attract players has not been as strong in recent years, they successfully launched the "Adidas Five" last summer: Billups, Arenas, McGrady, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, which brought back a lot of market share.

This may also be the reason why Nike pursues Suwan so fiercely.

Su Wan was not in a hurry to sign, but read the contract carefully.

The amount is indeed large, but there are also many requirements. Take the rookie season for example. He is required to play the remaining games and then win the "Best Rookie" award to get the full endorsement fee. If he fails to meet the requirements, part of the endorsement fee will be deducted.

Of course, this is definitely not directed at Suwan. These clauses are included in the contracts of all players.

This is also to supervise the players and prevent them from falling into depravity after getting big contracts.

There are too many such examples in history.

Su Wan felt that these requirements were not difficult for him. When he thought that the 100 million was basically a sure profit, the smile on his face became a little more pronounced.

Perhaps sensing that Su Wan was in a good mood, the Nike representative on the other side suddenly spoke up: "By the way, Su, could you please stop targeting LeBron? After all, you may both be Nike spokespeople in the future."

Su Wan's smile froze on his face. He slapped the contract and his eyes lost their warmth:
“Did I give too many smiles?”

"what?"

Seeing Su Wan's sudden change of attitude, the representative didn't seem to realize what was wrong with him, but scared the other representative who was traveling with him. But before the representative could say anything, Su Wan pushed the contract in front of the two of them impatiently:
"You guys still don't seem to have figured out who is asking whom to sign the contract? You guys want to teach me how to do things? Get lost now, come back and talk to me after you've figured it out!"

Third update
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(End of this chapter)