The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

When the referee blew the whistle, Leonard held his head in his hands, extremely frustrated.

The Pacers couldn't respond to these two goals.

In the end, the game concluded with the New York Knicks winning the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals with a 114-104, 10-point advantage.

The stats for both sides in this game are as follows:

Su Wan 37 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block; Stephen Curry 19 points, 6 assists, 3 three-point shots; Paul George 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Dior 9 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists; Tyson Chandler 11 points, 11 rebounds; Ray Allen 14 points, 3 three-point shots; Vince Carter 12 points, 2 three-point shots;

Lin Shuhao 14 points, 5 assists; Afflalo 11 points, 3 assists; Leonard 8 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds; Zach Randolph 28 points, 12 rebounds; Marc Gasol 13 points, 10 rebounds; Little O'Neal 15 points, 7 rebounds; Billups 12 points, 4 assists;

From the players' scores, it is clear that both teams had multiple scoring options. The only place the Pacers lost is their lack of a "Super Star" level player.

Zach Randolph, currently at power forward, is at least top 3 in the league, but in the entire league, he might only rank in the teens or twenties.

Meanwhile, Su Wan is undoubtedly the league's No. 1!

Additionally, Bill Walton said: "From this game, we can see that the influence of inside players on the outcome is not as significant as before. Now a team wanting to win the championship must have an outstanding outside player!"

This statement is only half true.

Traditional inside players like Zach Randolph do have reduced influence on the game.

This is because the current league's mobility is greater, with more mature offensive and defensive tactics, and improved player skills, leading teams to have stronger restraints on those inside players with only basket attack capabilities.

Of course, Shaquille O'Neal is a different story.

After all, at the peak, the "Big Shark" could knock down defenders and complete a slam dunk before the double team arrived.

Moreover...

Those versatile inside players still have phenomenal dominance over the game.

For instance, players like Olajuwon, in this era, are still the masters of the game.

After the game, a reporter asked Leonard how it felt to match up with Su Wan in the playoffs. Leonard remained silent for a while and then said just two words:

"No solution!"

Indiana fans, when reading the newspaper the next day, also shook their heads helplessly.

Su Wan is just like that.

However, isn't it a bit too soon to feel this way just after the first game?

After all, there are at least three more games to play!

If they already feel there's no solution now, then after game two of the series, will it be "to hell with the basketball dream, give me the ball, I want to go home"?

Their worries quickly became reality.

The second game of the Eastern Conference Finals also started at the New York Knicks' home court.

Because both sides knew each other's weaknesses in this game, it began with targeted defensive formations and intense defensive pressure.

Under this defensive pressure, the New York Knicks lost their shooting touch midway through the third quarter.

They missed eight consecutive three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, the Pacers capitalized on this "scoring drought" by focusing on accuracy, and by the end of the third quarter, they were leading by 6 points.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Su Wan recalled the time in the future Western Conference Finals when the Rockets missed 22 consecutive three-point attempts.

He forcibly took over the game and started a one-on-one battle with Leonard.

Leonard, who initially couldn't defend, became more serious and increasingly active in defense, with this unspoken phrase evident on his otherwise expressionless face:

I must stop him!

But as Su Wan kept scoring under his defense, Leonard's expression gradually shifted from active to doubtful and confused.

By the end of the game, Su Wan scored 16 points in the final quarter, helping his team overturn the score and secure another victory with an 8-point advantage, bringing the series to 2-0.

As the buzzer sounded, there were only three questions left on Leonard's face:

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I doing?

Seeing Leonard's world-doubting expression, Barkley couldn't help but say: "For a rookie, facing Su Wan in his first career season, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing!"

On the positive side, he's seen the "ceiling" of this league, which gives Leonard, who has great potential and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in his first year, a sense of awe and prevents him from losing his drive just because he made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season.

But on the negative side...

It can also lead to thoughts of giving up.

Especially seeing Su Wan tonight...

If Barkley were Leonard, he would definitely think:

Even if I only sleep 8 hours every day and train hard, I'm probably not this guy's match, am I?

It's not just Leonard who feels helpless.

Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, and others also wore expressions of helplessness.

Having Su Wan go from a teammate to an opponent truly feels unbearable.

Two days later, the third game of the series arrived.

This time, the home court was the Indiana Pacers'.

Before the game, Su Wan said: "This is the Eastern Conference Finals, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear boos from the entire arena. It's not a big deal. We are opponents now, and I understand that very well."