Free Web NovelChapter 399: Chapter 128: Advancing to the Finals
"Little Sheep Su Xi and the Pacers have become one. He may never reach the legendary heights of Michael Jordan, but for the next five years, he and the Pacers will be strong contenders for the championship. I predict he will win more championships than Jordan."
Larry Brown gave an exclusive interview to ESPN, spending a full 10 minutes discussing Indiana and Su Xi. For him, it was the biggest Waterloo of his coaching career in Detroit.
The reporter said to him, "But some people are already saying that a 20-year-old Jordan wasn’t as good as Little Sheep Su Xi. If, as you say, Little Sheep Su Xi wins more championships than Jordan, people will definitely say he’s a greater superstar than Jordan..."
"No, no. It’s not the same."
Larry Brown waved his hand. "The reason Jordan is called the God of Basketball isn’t because of his number of championships. Russell has more championships, Chamberlain’s stats were more explosive, and the Celtics’ eight consecutive titles were more thrilling. But why is Jordan the GOAT?"
"Because Jordan built a towering castle from ruins. He structurally changed the landscape of the league, and he defeated every superstar of his era. At the same time, he also has so many legendary stats."
"Little Sheep Su Xi’s stats and accolades are very good right now. He’s had a fantastic start to his career. In the future, he has the chance to become a legendary superstar like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or Russell."
"But you can never compare him to Jordan. Because before Little Sheep Su Xi joined Indiana, the Pacers were already a strong team. The framework of the castle was already built; he just added the final decorations and lit the brightest pearl on top."
Larry Brown said frankly, "But that’s already very impressive. You have to admit, he’s the most formidable rookie since Tim Duncan."
"Then what about LeBron James?" the host asked.
"Cleveland is still in ruins, but he still has time to prove himself," Larry Brown said.
"There’s a lot of talk now that Little Sheep Su Xi will leave Indiana after this season. All the teams are pursuing him right now," the reporter said. "Do you think if he leaves Indiana, he’ll have a chance to build a castle from ruins?"
"That’s hard to say. I don’t know. As he is now, I think it would be very difficult. He doesn’t have a truly ultimate killer move. Do you know what I mean? His passing is very good, but not top-tier. His ability to drive to the basket is top-tier, but his finishing could still improve. His one-on-one game with the ball is becoming more and more of a threat, but he’s still a ways off from the top scorers. And, most importantly, he’s only 191 or 192 centimeters tall. The NBA has never had such a ’short’ dominant player..."
Larry Brown held up his palms. "I don’t think he’ll leave Indiana. Indiana will give him everything he asks for."
"If he really does leave, then Miami and Detroit can set off fireworks."
"Are you saying Miami will lose this series?"
"Yes."
"But they beat you."
"It took them seven games. Last year’s Pacers only needed six."
"..."
Su Xi watched this interview on the plane to Miami.
Even though ESPN often trashed him, Su Xi felt that what Larry Brown said was fair.
He gazed out the window. The plane was soaring through the clouds, and the setting sun traced golden edges on the distant cloud banks.
...
101–102.
The Miami Heat won one back in Game 3. Dwyane Wade hit the game-winner, and once again shouted, "This is my house!"
After the game, the Pacers filed for a review, arguing that there was a problem with the Heat’s clock and that it took Wade much longer than 1.9 seconds from the catch to the shot.
But nothing came of it.
Su Xi took responsibility for the loss after the game, stating that his missed fadeaway jumper was the key reason the team lost. And he promised it wouldn’t happen again.
In Game 4, Su Xi made good on his promise. He didn’t even let the suspense last into the second half of the fourth quarter.
With 5 minutes left, the Pacers were already up by 15 points.
After that, they slowly extended their lead.
119–100.
The Pacers secured their third win.
They returned to Indiana with a 3–1 series lead.
Meanwhile, San Antonio had already eliminated the Phoenix Suns with a 4–0 sweep to advance to the Finals.
On the flight back to Indiana, Su Xi watched Game 4 on his laptop.
The game perfectly demonstrated the San Antonio Spurs’ ability to control the game.
Tim Duncan was the Spurs’ anchor. This year, Ginobili and Tony Parker had also developed rapidly, becoming the Spurs’ most important perimeter players for breaking down defenses.
This year’s Spurs were considered the strongest they had been in recent years.
They not only had their big three of Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili, but also a group of solid, stylistically diverse role players: Bruce Bowen, Muhammad, Brent Barry, Robert Horry, Jannero Pargo, Nestorovic...
Most importantly, they had the offensive and defensive system that Popovich had consistently maintained and constantly reinforced.
Su Xi watched the entire game carefully. Only one word came to mind: Solid.
The Spurs were truly solid.
They were like a precision instrument, tightly controlling every detail. They looked completely devoid of passion, but they could still hammer the flashy Suns into a meat paste, blow by blow.
’This won’t be easy.’
...
Shaquille O’Neal was losing his temper.
Because when Miami was down 1–3, the Los Angeles Times had mocked him: "Now do you know who the main culprit was for last year’s Finals loss?"
And when Shaquille O’Neal arrived in Indiana, a fan asked him the same question again.
O’Neal flew into a rage. He declared menacingly to the media, "I’m going to tear everything down! Everyone who doubts me can go to hell!"
O’Neal’s fury put the Pacers on high alert. The Shark was still very intimidating; no one wanted to poke the bear while he was still on the tail end of his prime.
At the very beginning of Game 5, the Miami Heat were feeding the ball to O’Neal.
However, on the very first play, O’Neal was called for an offensive foul on a post-up.
It wasn’t a hometown call.
It was Foster flopping the instant O’Neal turned and swung his elbow.
The offensive foul was undeniable.
Immediately after, Su Xi drove into the paint, went right at Shaquille O’Neal, drew a foul on him, and completed the and-one.
Two fouls right at the start of the game.
The ambitious O’Neal had no choice but to head back to the bench.
The Pacers seized the opportunity to relentlessly attack the paint, and Jermaine O’Neal put all of his skills on full display.
The Heat couldn’t handle it.
After 5 minutes, down by 7, they had to put O’Neal back in.
O’Neal came in, got the ball for a post-up, and as soon as he turned his back, he was triple-teamed.
Before he could even jump, he was sent to the free-throw line.
O’Neal was struggling.
He had to face a hard truth: he was older, he was heavier, and his reactions weren’t as quick as they were in his prime. If you turned back the clock four or five years, with his speed, the Pacers wouldn’t have even had time to foul him on the double-team before he completed a posterizing dunk.
Unfortunately, time waits for no man.
Whether O’Neal admitted it or not, his era was rapidly coming to an end.
Since Jordan’s retirement, he and Duncan, the two giants, had collectively dominated the league.
But starting last season, Su Xi and the Pacers had shattered that paradigm.
But O’Neal no longer had the power to stop any of it.
Despite his anger, despite his urgency.
But the decline of his physical abilities was irreversible.
The Pacers steadily controlled the pace of the game, and amid the cheers of the home crowd, they gradually put the victory in their pocket.
You could tell O’Neal really wanted to play well, but... there were no more ’buts’.
He was no longer the most dominant center in the league who would drop sixty-plus points in a single game just because the Clippers wouldn’t give him tickets.
A hero in his twilight years.
The greatest respect the Pacers showed was calling a timeout when O’Neal fouled out.
The Heat Team took the opportunity to put in their reserves, signaling the end of their season.
It was a classy move.
In their first season with O’Neal, the Heat made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. This was an excellent result that exceeded expectations.
As for Su Xi and the Pacers, they had only one goal left.
Defend the title!
