Chapter 268: Chapter 62: The Pistons’ Wishful Calculation

Larry Brown was notoriously distrustful of rookies and extremely strict. The European genius, who barely spoke any English, was going through the most stifling time of his life.

Su Xi and Milicic exchanged a look before Su Xi was subbed out to rest.

On draft night last summer, Milicic was the highly anticipated superstar second-overall pick, while Su Xi was the much-questioned eighth pick. Now, less than a year later, they were facing off in the Eastern Conference Finals, and their statuses couldn’t be more different.

Milicic watched Su Xi leave the court to a chorus of cheers from the entire arena, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

He didn’t know where to go from here.

But he still remembered the encouragement Su Xi had given him during their first matchup. It was the glimmer of light that kept him going through the countless times he wanted to just give up.

96–75.

The Pacers took their second home game, securing a 2–0 series lead.

"This was just a continuation of the first game, or rather, a continuation of what happened after Rasheed Wallace got his two technical fouls. In reality, the Pacers only won one game."

Kenny Smith declared this brazenly after the game, staring right at the 2–0 score.

He said it with a completely straight face.

His composure was top-notch.

Even Charles Barkley, who was supporting the Pacers, wasn’t as self-assured as him. It was as if he was thinking, ’That’s right, you beat us, but so what? We’re just going to win it back anyway.’

He possessed a blind optimism; Smith didn’t seem to care at all that they were down 0–2.

In fact, the Pistons team projected the same kind of atmosphere.

Larry Brown was still smiling as he left the court, and Rasheed Wallace, following behind him, even waved at the fans who were booing and cursing him. His expression screamed: ’Just wait ’til I come back. I’ll fucking destroy you all!’

They seemed to possess an endless supply of confidence and strength, like a table tennis master spotting their opponent three points to start the game.

Su Xi didn’t do any post-game interviews. His performance in this game was "unremarkable": 13 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Little O’Neal put up 29 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal tonight, a stat line worthy of a superstar big man. After the game, he was swarmed by the media for interviews and attended the post-game press conference.

...

On Tuesday, Larry Bird found Su Xi. He had finally brought him Michael Jordan’s "secret formula."

After hearing it, Su Xi was a bit stunned.

Larry Bird thought Su Xi was amazed and even made a point to tell him, "I personally flew to Charlotte to get this training method from Michael Jordan. It’s about increasing the weight of the basketball..."

Su Xi thanked Bird all the same. After all, Bird had brought him two of the special basketballs.

However, he had already learned of this method last summer.

What was Michael Jordan’s "secret formula"? Was there any way Tim Grover wouldn’t know? He was Jordan’s personal trainer, after all.

He had taught the whole routine to Su Xi long ago. The reason Su Xi’s pull-up jumper was still inconsistent was due to his physical attributes.

Not every player with big hands could master their shot just by using two heavier, oversized basketballs. Jordan’s secret formula was something only he could use. A crude imitation wouldn’t cut it.

Unless... one could replicate his entire set of technical skills and talents from Jordan himself.

Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals would be held at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit. The Pistons had the next two home games. The Eastern Conference Finals followed a 2-2-1-1-1 format, which was considered fairer. In contrast, the 2-3-2 format currently used for the NBA Finals was actually considered more advantageous for the team with the worse regular-season record.

The Pistons were full of confidence; to them, losing two away games was nothing to worry about.

The players weren’t worried, the head coach wasn’t worried, the fans weren’t worried, and the basketball experts still believed they had a better chance of making it to the Finals.

The reasons were the same as before.

Just as Kenny Smith had said, the second game was merely a continuation of the final few minutes of the first. The Pistons were never going to beat the Pacers without Rasheed Wallace.

But with Rasheed returning, how would the Pacers respond?

Most importantly... Larry Brown had already studied Su Xi thoroughly over the past two games.

At the post-game press conference for Game 2 in Conseco Fieldhouse, Larry Brown stated very clearly, "Let’s see what interesting changes happen in Game 3."

The playoffs were a competition of ’who could scout better, who had fewer weaknesses,’ and who could adapt faster.

"Little Sheep Su Xi only has three moves in his arsenal: driving, passing, and getting physical," Rasheed Wallace said loudly on the plane back to Detroit. "We’re all taking him too seriously. His stamina is good for 25 minutes, tops. If we keep wearing him down, we might even be able to limit him to under 20."

"And he can’t jump high," Prince added knowingly. "He always does a low layup."

"When he drives, we need to focus on cutting off his passing lanes. His shot isn’t that accurate," Billups chimed in.

This was exactly what the Pistons’ three video analysts had said.

Every team has dedicated video analysts whose job is to capture opponents’ tactical movements and study the technical characteristics of their players.

Many NBA head coaches get their start as video analysts.

Video analyst and scout—these two professions are the cradle for great head coaches.

Larry Brown encouraged the players to hold these kinds of technical analysis meetings, as it would boost the team’s cohesion and morale, especially after a loss.

But this technical analysis meeting quickly devolved into a rally to bash Su Xi.

"...We absolutely cannot let Little Sheep Su Xi leave The Palace of Auburn Hills with a smile on his face! We’re gonna roast him into lamb chops and make him sizzle with the smell of grease!" Rasheed Wallace was the first to shout this. He then apologized to his teammates, saying it was his own lack of discipline that caused the team to lose two away games. "...Otherwise, we’d be the ones up 2–0 right now."

His teammates all forgave Rasheed Wallace, saying that good things take time and that the Pacers were already a meal on their plate, ready to be devoured sooner or later.

"I’ve already thought about what I’m going to say after we eliminate the Pacers," said the usually quiet Ben Wallace. "I’m going to let everyone know Little Sheep Su Xi’s true colors. During that brawl at Auburn Hills, he was the one who sneak-attacked me. God is fair. God will make him taste pain... will make him fall into endless failure."

As he spoke, Ben Wallace even started to sound like the victim.

He conveniently forgot all the dirty moves he’d made against Su Xi in that game, and the fact that... he was clearly the one who had attacked Su Xi.

Public opinion on the matter was already settled, yet he was actually trying to rewrite history.

He planned to exploit the public’s tendency to forget and, riding the momentum of a team victory, crush Su Xi once and for all.

It had to be said, it was actually a pretty good play.

’But what if the Pistons couldn’t win?’

The Pistons hadn’t considered that question. All the factors were laid out right in front of them. Plus, their morale was sky-high, their cohesion was off the charts, and they had home-court advantage.

’How could the Pistons possibly lose?’

...

Su Xi and Carlisle spent another afternoon watching game tape. They both knew a brutal battle awaited them. The Palace of Auburn Hills was never an easy place to play, and escaping with a victory would be difficult.

Carlisle had even considered a strategy: go all out to win the first away game, then strategically concede the second one. They could then return home, conserve their energy, and crush the Pistons in one fell swoop.

The Pacers were now up 2–0, and thanks to their regular-season record, they still had two more home games left in the series.

But Su Xi disagreed with this approach. He felt it would deflate the team’s morale before the battle even began.

There’s a saying in China: a charge is made on the first drum roll; the second brings exhaustion, the third, defeat.

Competitive sports are all about momentum. You have to fight to the very end in every single game.

When two opponents meet on a narrow road, the braver one emerges victorious.

’But... what is the path to victory?’

When Su Xi came out of the video room, Mike O’Connor, who had been waiting for a long time, said to him, "There’s a media outlet from China that wants to come and interview you..."

Su Xi frowned. "I don’t have time right now."

"They’ve already gone to Detroit."

O’Connor scratched his head, then said, "Miss Huang arranged it."

Huang Xiaoman was Su Xi’s agent for all matters in China, responsible for handling his domestic projects and investments.

Besides, O’Connor knew... despite Su Xi’s current flings with Scarlett and Jessica, Huang Xiaoman was the ’original one.’

"Scarlett also said she’s going to The Palace of Auburn Hills to cheer you on..." O’Connor said. "It was in the news this afternoon."