The Way of Basketball: Never Talk Shit to Him!

JR Smith was another perimeter player who, following the likes of Kobe, McGrady, LeBron James, and Shawn Livingston, was drafted in the first round straight out of high school. Shawn Livingston was also a rookie this year, picked fourth overall by the Clippers. Being listed among those three names was enough to prove JR Smith's talent and capabilities.

Before the game with the Hornets began, Brandon Malone mentally prepared himself:

It was very likely that Su Wan would be blown out by JR Smith.

After all, the first half of his first game was a struggle, with Vujacic showing his superiority. If it weren't for finding his form in the second half, the term "bust" might have been stamped on Su Wan's forehead.

Everyone in the industry agreed that JR Smith's readiness to compete was above Vujacic's, and the 21 points he scored in his first game proved this point.

Malone thought this would be a one-sided slaughter.

Just like Hulk smashing Loki.

But in the first offensive and defensive sequence after the game started, JR Smith turned out to be the backdrop for that Huaxia man!

Su Wan had surprised him once again!

At the same time, he had another realization:

Even though both were Huaxia players, the personalities of "Shu" versus the "Little Giant" from the Rockets were quite different.

His flamboyant personality, actions on the court, and tendency to trash talk were all very American. Yet there was no record of him playing in the United States—Lack of American basketball experience was the main reason he wasn't high on Su Wan, thinking Su needed to adapt.

That was the conclusion drawn after the last game.

However.

Now it seemed that the MVP of the CBA Finals deserved attention.

The 2002 CBA Finals MVP had become a rising star among NBA centers. Last season, he averaged 17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game, making the All-NBA Third Team. This year, the 2004 CBA Finals MVP was dominating the recently crowned McDonald's All-American Game MVP and "Strongest High School Student in the United States."

JR Smith's face was flushed with anger, and all that was left in his mind was rage.

Su Wan exaggeratedly clapped his hands to provoke him.

He had never done such things before.

But under "The zone" mode, seeing Smith growing increasingly irrational, he subconsciously provoked his opponent to be even more irrational. Without thinking, it was a natural reaction from the brain.

Eager to save face, JR Smith's offensive intentions were too obvious, full of gaps. Su Wan caught onto his repetitive dribbling patterns and slapped the ball right out of his hands.

Another chance for a fast break.

Smith was really panicked now, in an attempt to stop Su Wan, who was leading the fast break, he actually clung onto his body.

The 90kg weight caused Su Wan to fail to resist gravity, and before landing on his feet, looking at the basket so close to him, he consciously raised his hand, with a broad movement; yet the flick of the fingers sending the ball flying was very gentle.

Such movement was a real test of a player's control over his body.

But Su Wan did it!

It was extreme, but he just did it!

"Tweet!"

As the ball flew mid-air, the referee blew the whistle, a faint murmur arose from the stands, and Brandon Malone's eyes fixed unblinkingly on the ball flying toward the hoop.

Su Wan released the ball at a very low point. The ball soared up, fell quickly down, and the trajectory was almost straight up and straight down. If this one went in...

"Swish!"

The faint sound of the net, like a bowl of clear water poured into a sizzling pan of oil. In an instant, exclamations erupted throughout the entire stadium.

On the sidelines, there was a "Hamburger Monster" seated, who sprung up as the ball went through the net, his belly fat jiggling "durang durang durang." This was probably the most agile he'd been since gaining weight, his hands clutching his head, his tiny eyes bulging out round.

Such a shot was too incredible, it was hard to contain the inner excitement.

The fans in the entire arena were ecstatic.

Players on the benches from both teams were the same, with several substitutes from the Cavaliers side subconsciously hugging each other, their mouths forming exaggerated "OMG"s. On the Hornets' side, several were so stunned they didn't realize they had stood up.

They felt like kneeling to watch.

Malone looked perplexed for a second, turned to his assistant, and the assistant coach was looking at him. In his eyes, Malone saw uncontainable excitement, and from his own eyes, the assistant saw satisfaction that reached his eyebrows.

JR Smith sat on the ground, his eyes vacant.

Because of his tug, Su Wan fell to the ground upon landing. Since he was clinging to Su Wan, he naturally fell down as well.

While falling, his eyes were fixed on the ball flying out of Su Wan's hands.

When the ball went into the hoop, he pounded the floor, utterly dejected.

Even so, he still hadn't managed to prevent Su Wan from scoring.

And he even got a foul for it!

"Don't worry too much, you're not the first, and certainly not the last!" His action caught Su Wan's eye and elicited "heartwarming" encouragement. All the previous ostentation had been about building a persona, making others annoyed by him, but this sentence from Su Wan was purely for show-off purposes. Because showing off felt really damn good. If you didn't want to show off while playing basketball, you might as well go home and sell roasted chicken.

With that, he had managed to show off again!

After making the additional free throw, JR Smith's composure completely crumbled.

The court became Su Wan's personal showcase.

The "Future's Strongest Nervous Saber" actually wasn't bad in immediate combat power; this season he averaged 24.5 minutes per game, scoring 10.3 points, grabbing 2 rebounds and dishing out 1.9 assists. However, from his average field goal percentage of 39.4%, three-point shooting percentage of 28.8% and free throw percentage of 68.9%, it was clear that, like the "Du Lao 1.5" from '07, he was racking up the stats purely based on the number of shots taken, not efficiency.

Adjusting to the physicality of the game, his performance was inconsistent, a common ill among the rookies – "Godlike one game, ghostlike the next."

Even LeBron James, the "Chosen One" around whom the whole team played, couldn't avoid this trend, and JR Smith, prone to getting hot-headed, was no exception.

An impatient JR Smith chose to forcefully challenge Su Wan almost every time, opening the eyes of the Hornets' summer league head coach to a new level of possibilities:

This is actually considered a shooting option?!

More often than not, before JR Smith could take his shot, Su Wan would seize the opportunity to increase the physical contact, forcing his form to distort.

With poor shot selections, distorted shooting form, JR Smith went on to attack for six consecutive rounds, only making one basket.

Su Wan took advantage of every missed shot, turning them into one fast break after another for scores.

Soon, his points breached double digits, then surpassed 15 points.

The two players' performances were worlds apart.

"Pop!"

With another fast break finished with a single-handed slam, Su Wan's face was marked with a carefree smile.

He could feel his jersey getting sticky; he could feel the sweat sliding down his forehead; he could feel his breathing getting heavier, as he needed to gasp for air.

His heart was racing!

He loved this feeling!

"Ding, host's physical fitness is nearing its limit, exiting 'The zone' mode shortly, countdown 10, 9, 8…"

Already reaching my physical limits?

He hadn't pushed himself to his physical limit like he did in the last game.

But...

He glanced at the clock; there were still 3 minutes left in the first half.

A quarter in the summer league lasts 10 minutes.

That meant, even so, his physical endurance sustained the "The zone" mode for just 17 minutes on the summer league stage.

Making his way back on defense, Su Wan repeated the same gesture from the end of the last game:

game over!

This sparked a wave of cheers from the audience.

He walked towards the bench amidst the cheering.

Coach Ma Long watched completely immersed, as if he were just a spectator on the sidelines, only realizing Su Wan was approaching him when he said:

Excuse me?

His big eyes filled with big question marks.

Then, he remembered he was the coach.

"I don't want to play anymore, it's pointless, sub me out!"

This was the strategy Su Wan had planned in advance.

Exiting "The zone" mode with his physical fitness drained, not to mention he would instantly become a "wimp on the court," was less appealing than continuing to show off!

He had every right to do so.

17 minutes of playtime, 9 out of 15 shots made, 2 out of 3 free throws made, notching up an impressive 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, the score was now 48 to 32.

Feeling that this game was pointless...

What's there to say?

Brandon Malone had no objections whatsoever, hurriedly made space on the bench for Su Wan, motioning for the Cavaliers players to clear a spot.