Five minutes into the first quarter,
Stephen Jackson felt like every bone in his body was about to fall apart; as for humiliation… he was already numb.
"Again?"
Su Yan asked with a smile.
He was enjoying the power boost granted by Steel Tendons and Iron Bones Lv1.
That harmless, innocent smile… made the man known as the "Warrior Saint" shiver inside.
Just as McGrady, David Lee, and the others had said:
"The Warrior Saint bullies the weak and fears the strong."
Or, put another way… he excels at exploiting the rules, using his natural physical gifts to play and survive in the league.
He understood:
as long as he played rough enough, most people would back off.
That meant a higher scoring chance, better defensive impact, and flashier overall stats.
Which naturally led to bigger paychecks.
Truth be told… Stephen Jackson is a genuinely good man off the court; violence is not his defining trait.
To keep it short:
In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city where his family and friends lived,
the moment he heard, without a second thought, he spent fifty grand to charter two helicopters and flew straight there.
He brought every relative and friend back to his own house.
More than thirty people crammed into his six bedrooms for two full weeks until the danger passed.
Honestly,
not many people would do that.
From that single act you could see Jackson isn't some villain at heart.
Even on the court,
he's just physical, intense on defense, never gives up—he's not out there trying to maim anyone on offense.
Not at all.
As for the "Malice at the Palace," well… everyone loses their temper sometimes.
You can't condemn him forever.
Besides, even a hothead like him, under Pop's guidance late in his career, became surprisingly docile.
All in all,
Stephen Jackson is fundamentally different from nut-kicker Green, foot-under shooter Zha Zha, "Uncle Bruce" Bowen, or thug Bogut.
Of course,
his mouth is tougher than anything.
"Bring it on—no way I'm scared of you!"
he snarled through clenched teeth.
Not fearless bluster; the pain left him no choice but to growl.
Sigh… a proud man has to finish the tough act he started, teeth clenched or not.
Tweet!
Luckily Coach Larry Brown sensed the danger and called a timeout,
cutting short this so-called "mutual combat" that was really a one-sided beating, then immediately giving Jackson a pep talk.
He told him to stop banging heads with Su Yan.
Jackson acted reluctant, insisting he could still fight and would soon adjust,
but when Gerald Wallace said he'd take over, Jackson agreed at once.
It really hurt.
He never wanted to clash with Su Yan again.
A short while later,
play resumed.
"The King of Cats" Gerald Wallace first grabbed a rebound in a brutal box-out with David Lee—
Bang!
—then powered through another collision, scoring the put-back right over Lee's head.
Pure toughness.
Next possession, Harrington's drive was swatted into the stands by Gerald.
Out-of-bounds.
Once play restarted, McGrady used a screen and darted inside again, but no longer in his prime—
Bang!
—Gerald's physical D forced him to a dead stop.
And it didn't end there; as McGrady hesitated on a pass, Gerald ripped the ball clean from his hands,
pillaging like a bandit.
"So… so physical!"
exclaimed announcer Kenny Smith, while Amy Johnson nodded: "Gerald's defense is legit.
This year
he's a real DPOY candidate!!!"
After the timeout
Gerald's string of defensive gems drew loud praise—then he hunted down Su Yan!!!
In everyone's eyes
only a warhorse like Gerald could pressure Su Yan on defense.
Stephen Jackson? Take a seat.
Transition.
Gerald Wallace shadowed Su Yan. Also a Small Forward, Gerald combined strength, burst, and decent speed—
the recipe for a lockdown defender.
Facing him, Su Yan should have used Off-Ball Movement Lv2 to shake free before attacking.
However,
at the moment Su Yan was still immersed in the strength surge from Steel Tendons and Iron Bones Lv1.
Stephen Jackson hadn't been enough.
Gerald Wallace might excite him more—at least keep his hunger for contact alive!!!
Su Yan demanded the ball.
"Oh?"
Chris Duhon was surprised; in prior games Su Yan mostly used screens or catch-and-shoot after relocating.
Calling for the rock?
Rare.
Still… if Su Yan wanted it, Duhon would feed him, no questions—full trust.
Right-side arc.
Su Yan sized up Gerald, waited for a sliver of space, then lowered his shoulder and drove.
No flair at all.
Raw power.
A style tailor-made for this bruising era—almost making you forget Su Yan was supposed to be a small-ball gem.
Yet
this toe-to-toe slugfest thrilled the crowd; they buzzed, craving a verdict.
Su Yan vs Gerald Wallace.
Who was stronger?
Bang-bang-bang!
A flurry of jarring, probing collisions.
Su Yan could feel Gerald's strength—clearly a notch above Stephen Jackson's.
"Some power, but not much."
After a few probes
Su Yan had the measure: Gerald had game, but nowhere near LeBron's tier.
Still far off.
Against a man who benches 180 kg, Gerald wasn't winning.
Bang-bang-bang!
Su Yan coiled, surged again, and Gerald could only retreat step by step.
Bang!
Another shove cleared space; Su Yan rose for a short jumper on the right.
Clank!
Missed.
Next trip he bulldozed Gerald again, but with Diaw contesting the layup rolled out.
Uh… Su Yan could beat Gerald, but right now he couldn't finish at the rim.
No conversions.
Su Yan deflated like a punctured balloon, suddenly bored.
Everything's pointless if you can't put the ball in the hoop!!!
End of the first.
First half: Su Yan dominated both ends against "Warrior Saint" Stephen Jackson.
Second half: Su Yan showed even more destructive force than "King of Cats" Gerald Wallace.
Yet his rim finishing was mediocre, efficiency ordinary.
Once Jackson dodged Su Yan, he quickly regained his own aggression.
[New York Knicks 27, Charlotte Bobcats 27].
The quarter ended tied.
On the bench
Su Yan snapped out of his revelry, stroking his chin in thought. "Looks like I need to switch it up!!!"