Chapter 27: Chapter 26: Doing Things That Old Birds Can't Stand
"The strongest force in the '04 class, from Huaxia? This rookie is even fiercer than Yao Ming was back then, and he's only 19 years and 116 days old, four months younger than LeBron!" — ESPN News Express;
"Is the next Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen no longer a joke? Huaxia's new rookie Su Wan showed amazing form in the preseason! Isaiah Thomas should apologize with his life, otherwise how could he be foolish enough to trade away the first-round pick of '04." — New York Times;
"The uncertainty surrounding Su Wan has diminished a bit, and the Cavaliers' ticket once labeled a third prize now first scratches off the letter ONE!" — Open-air grandstand;
"I really think that Su and I are the same type of people, you see, we always say things that seem absurd but are extremely accurate, yet we manage to perform impressively on the court!" — Charles Barkley, TNT commentator, during a talk show discussing Su Wan.
"He has greatly improved, and I think that was his purpose in coming here, he has more talent than I do." — Yao Ming on his preseason performance;
"Su is still improving, and I believe he will become a star in this league." — Paul Silas rated Su Wan's preseason performance as S-level;
"He has shown his ability, and he performed well. We worked hard to blend in, we began to understand each other, and that is the most important reason he could perform well, as could I. We will definitely be the best partners!" — LeBron James's latest comment on Su Wan.
The massive exposure has significantly increased Su Wan's popularity across the United States, evident from his Facebook followers, which have now reached 100,000. It all started increasing from the preseason. Clearly, his performance has won many people over.
However, Su Wan knew very well that such immense exposure was entirely due to his outstanding performance, contrasting sharply with the struggles of other high-ranking rookies from the '04 class. If he couldn't continue performing at such a level,
then the current exposure would turn into a "dagger" stabbing himself.
The current praise could then become widespread ridicule, and he would be seen as a "flash in the pan rookie," with his earlier strong performances attributed to opponents not taking him seriously or understanding him. His capabilities would be belittled to the ground.
And then...
Being fat at the start is not considered fat, but getting fat later can break the bed.
Even if his performance remained stable, if someone from the '04 class later performed better than him, then he would become nothing more than a "stepping stone" for that person.
In any case, the regular season hasn't even started yet, the road ahead is long, and this is just the beginning. Su Wan didn't take this huge exposure too seriously.
After the whole preseason, instead of getting carried away, he actually felt a bit troubled.
The reason for his troubles:
In the six preseason games, he only activated "The zone" mode four times.
Now, there aren't many rookies bold enough to challenge him.
This means that in the regular season, if he wants to activate "The zone," he'd have to provoke those old birds.
But...
Provoking the old birds has a high chance of success, but the risk is also high!
If he provoked them and failed to outperform even in "The zone," that would be really embarrassing.
So Su Wan cannot always be the one provoking others; he needs those experienced players to start challenging him.
To get them to provoke him would require doing something they can't stand—what should he do? Su leaned back on the locker room chair, his head resting against the locker door, his eyelids drooping just as the locker room door swung open. He glanced over as LeBron finished his interview and came back.
"Uncle, finished with your interview?"
"Yeah..."
"The season opener is tomorrow, how do you feel, nervous?"
"Not really!"
"You have to believe in yourself, with your capabilities, you definitely can!"
"I think so too!"
Since Su Wan's performance in the preseason had stirred up a hot debate and made him the brightest star of the '04 class so far, LeBron James's attitude has become warmer.
This change did not surprise Su Wan. LeBron, the old "change-face master." He was always on remarkably good terms with capable teammates.
But if your performance declined or your state slipped, he wouldn't call you when he left, at most you'd get a text saying: Buddy, I left, and it was pretty sudden; even worse for the "brothers," they would only find out he had left during a dinner through the news.
LeBron could tell Su Wan was being evasive, and since he wasn't that thick-skinned yet, seeing that Su Wan didn't want to talk more, he didn't continue. Su watched his retreating figure, but his eyes gradually lit up:
He had figured out how to get on the old birds' nerves!
His mood greatly uplifted, he opened the attribute panel and added all the 133,000 zone points he had gained from the four preseason games to the "Dribbling" potential.
The "Dribbling" potential surged dramatically, increasing from 64 points to 77 points.
Originally, once it reached 60 points, the growth speed of the dribbling ability slowed down, but now the effect of further training would be accelerated.
Adding the 133,000 zone points to the previous residual 3,000 zone points, after his investment, only 1,000 points remained.
However, it didn't matter anymore, because...
The regular season, it had arrived!
The NBA 04~05 season officially kicked off on November 2nd.
There were three games on the first day of the league.
Among them was the Houston Rockets, which formed the "New OK Combination" during the summer.
During the off-season, the slogan "Rockets for Champions" was chanted loudly in Houston, but ultimately they lost their away game against the defending champions Detroit Pistons with a score of 79 to 87.
The "New OK Combination" performed terribly; McGrady had a disastrous debut with the Rockets, scoring only 18 points with a 33.3% shooting rate, along with 2 rebounds and 1 assist; Yao Ming fared even worse, scoring only 8 points and 3 rebounds with a 22.2% shooting rate.
During the game, it was visible that Yao Ming had noticeably gained weight over the summer, which affected his touch; many shots that he would normally make easily did not go in this game. There was also a complete lack of chemistry with McGrady.
Additionally, it was apparent that the Rockets' system was not fluent, among many other problems.
Bill Walton commented on this game, and he stated after the match, "To see this lineup perform to their potential, it's going to be a long wait."
Aside from this game, there was another match that also drew significant attention.
That was:
Gold Digging Team VS Lakers!
This summer, Houston had assembled the "New OK Combination," but Los Angeles' "OK Combination" had fallen apart. Few were surprised by this outcome, as ever since Kobe said, "Shaquille also did it," their splitting was an inevitable conclusion. Last season's formation of the "F4 Super Group" failed to win the championship, which became the last straw. Pat Riley, seizing the opportunity, successfully brought Shaquille O'Neal to the South Coast with a trade centered around Caron Butler and Odom.
"The City of Angels" became Kobe's city.
This was his first game as the "Boss."
It was clear to everyone that Kobe wanted to prove his ability, and his performance was more than sufficient—25 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, leading the team in both points and assists. Chris Mimm was tonight's "X-factor;" coming from a season average of 6.1 points and 5.4 rebounds with the Cavaliers, he achieved a "double-double" with 23 points and 12 rebounds in his first game for the Lakers.
With their combined efforts, the Lakers defeated the Gold Digging Team, marking a "successful beginning."
After the game, Kobe stated, "Whenever I want, Los Angeles can have a new 'Shark'."
On November 3rd, after the league's opening game, it was time for the Cavaliers to play their first game of the new season.
Seated at their home ground, the Cleveland Cavaliers faced the challenging Indiana Pacers in their season opener. The Pacers had battled the Detroit Pistons through seven games in the playoffs last season, sadly stopping at the Eastern Conference Finals.
They were the only team to have forced the Pistons to a full seven games in the playoffs last season, underscoring their strength.
This season, having prepared thoroughly, they aimed for the championship.
Quicken Loans Arena, idle for several months, was especially lively today.
Many Clevelanders, who had not visited the arena since last April, were surprised to find next to the huge poster wall of LeBron James, another poster wall featuring Su Wan clutching a basketball with one hand.
They didn't rush to enter the arena, but instead, many stood in front of the posters, asking their companions to take photos of them.
Before the preseason, Su Wan's dissatisfaction with the ball-handling rights made many dislike this Huaxia newcomer. However, after witnessing Su Wan's performance during the preseason, they believed he deserved more opportunities to handle the ball, recognizing his capability.
It almost caused a blockage in front of the posters.
Fortunately, the arena security noticed something amiss and managed to disperse the crowd on time.
By the time this group of fans entered the spectator seats, players from both teams were already on the court.
Suddenly, a burst of noise emanated from the technical table; Su Wan stepped up to the table, flung his arms wide suddenly. As he raised both hands, white magnesium powder scattered into the air, eliciting a huge cheer.
LeBron: ???
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone