At the beginning, the way Su Wan activated "The zone" mode was like this:
The game started, he provoked the opponent, the opponent struck back, and then he smoothly activated "The zone" mode.
Recently, as he made a name for himself, the process of activating "The zone" mode gradually became:
The game started, he provoked the opponent, the opponent turned into a "Ninja Turtle," tucking their head inside, he kept on outputting, and eventually, the opponent couldn’t take it anymore and fought back; he then smoothly activated "The zone" mode.
But this game was very rare; Su Wan hadn’t even attacked the opponent when the opponent attacked him first.
The first possession, Su Wan’s drive to the basket missed, and Eddie Curry, timely under the hoop, protected the rebound and immediately shouted at him, "The Rookie of the Year with a 97% voting rate, is that all the strength you have? You’re far too lacking!"
He thought he was sticking up for Ben Gordon.
But because of his words, Gordon’s first attack ended up with Su Wan’s head-to-head block.
The people of Chicago saw Michael Jordan’s shadow in Ben Gordon.
But in the end, Gordon couldn’t become Michael Jordan, not even "one-fifth of Jordan"; he could only be considered to have inherited "one-third of Jordan’s Big Heart."
There were many reasons why Gordon couldn’t improve further, such as his poor dribbling ability, and his overly short stature for a two-guard; he was only 1.91 meters...
At such a height for a two-guard position, he should have dazzled Su Wan with stunning dribbling, like Allen Iverson did, but Gordon was best at shooting and didn’t have great positioning abilities, which was a terrible thing, because it seemed to tell Su Wan, "As soon as I get the ball, I’ll shoot."
So, he would unhesitatingly deliver a block.
The hopeful Chicago commentators, witnessing Su Wan’s head-to-head block which sparked roars from the crowd, had their expressions suddenly frozen.
This wasn’t the "Ben Gordon way of playing" they knew!
"Bang!"
Su Wan slam dunked, making a "low-altitude gliding" "Jet" gesture as he fell back.
Erin wrote in her notebook:
This is an eagle soaring!
She added another line:
Entrancing!
It was the Bulls’ turn to attack again. The Chicago commentator rubbed his eyes; he thought he must’ve been seeing things, that he hadn’t woken up properly, and he chose to believe in Gordon once more.
Believing in Gordon like him were the Bulls’ coach by the sideline and the players on the court.
Hinrich, to ensure Gordon received the ball more smoothly, opted to "cross" with him, playing "hand-to-hand" tactics.
Undoubtedly, a very smart decision.
But he underestimated the Pacers’ ability to quickly form a double team in such mismatches.
When Hinrich and Gordon were overlapping in position, in the instant of the handoff, Tinsley quickly let go of Hinrich and rushed toward Gordon for a frontal interception.
Gordon, who thought he had shaken off Su, hesitated in his action.
Before his brain could process quickly enough, Su Wan, like a cheetah, lunged from behind, aiming straight for the ball in his hands.
"Surrounded!" blurted out the Chicago commentator.
Gordon reacted quickly, raising his hand and drawing a rainbow in front of him.
A standard "three threats" Starting Move.
But he didn’t push back Tinsley; instead, he exposed the ball within Su Wan’s Field of View.
"Slap!"
With precise and swift interception, Tinsley secured the ball and passed it to Su Wan in the frontcourt.
Su Wan, the "Jet," took off again, bombing the basket.
"Bang!"
The temperature at Conseco Arena kept rising.
Not only were the Bulls’ players rookies, but their head coach was also a rookie, completely baffled by the Pacers’ fierce defense right from the start, and besides routinely putting in Gordon, he simply couldn’t think of other solutions.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I supposed to do now?
His gaze aimlessly followed the movement of the players on the court.
Hinrich shared the confusion.
The fact that Gordon hadn’t opened up the game made him unsure of what to do.
Eddie Curry, as a senior, chose to step up.
He had performed well in last season’s game against the Lakers, hailed by Shaquille O’Neal as the "best center in the Eastern Conference," and instantly rose to fame. The media dubbed him the "Little Shark," and indeed, his weight did "Sharkify" year after year, but then there was no thereafter; he was diagnosed with a heart condition, and the excessive weight crushed his fragile knees.
But without a doubt, he was at the best stage of his career, with an average 53.8% shooting percentage during the regular season and scoring 16.1 points; he felt he should have made the "All-Star team."
His confidence led him to receive the ball at this juncture, with Foster in front of him, and Little O’Neal coming in at the end of his turn.
"Clang!"
The ball eventually bounced off the frame, and Antonio Davis grabbed the Offensive Rebound and habitually passed it to Gordon.
Big Heart showed itself at this moment; two rounds earlier, one blocked and one intercepted, did not hinder Gordon’s confidence in shooting.
The outcomes proved that confidence in shooting and the ball going in were two different things.
Just like Kobe in the playoffs once had three consecutive three-point shots, all air balls.
Gordon paid tribute to his predecessor.
Ending the Bulls’ "Second Attack" with an air ball.
"Oh, No!"
The Chicago commentator began to howl; this was a Gordon he had never seen before.
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