O'Neal shoved Su Yan hard.
Su Yan knocked O'Neal over.
A brawl was about to erupt.
"What do you think you're doing? You want to throw hands?!"
Antoine roared and charged straight at Su Yan.
Right now he didn't care who'd started it—he'd back his teammate unconditionally.
"Shameless!"
Tyson, equally furious, sprinted in to intercept Antoine; the two bumped foreheads, ready to swing at any second.
"Shit, bro!"
The moment Curry saw Su Yan blindsided and bullied he couldn't hold back—he rushed in, looking ready to fight O'Neal to the death.
Morris followed right behind, stepping in Curry's way.
He had no wish to brawl, but he wasn't about to let Curry escalate things further.
LeBron darted in too—was he joining the fight?
No.
He was trying to break it up.
But Wilson Chandler had no idea LeBron wasn't looking for trouble; without a word he chased after him and blocked his path.
"Can't win so you start swinging—that's the skill level of the eastern conference first?!"
Wilson couldn't resist the jab.
LeBron said quickly, "Man, everybody loses their cool sometimes. Don't stop me—I'm here to separate them.
The court's no place for a fight."
Like hell I believe you.
Wilson didn't budge.
At the same time,
On Su Yan's end—he'd floored O'Neal and had no intention of letting up.
He dove in like a fish, landing right on top of O'Neal, who grit his teeth and ignored the searing pain in his hip.
He raised his fists.
O'Neal swung at Su Yan again.
"Too slow!"
Su Yan's eyes flashed cold; he slipped the punch easily and whipped his own fist straight into O'Neal's face.
"Thud!"
A rock-solid connection.
"Aaaargh~"
O'Neal howled in pain, the right side of his cheek blazing red.
Luckily for him he had thick skin; an average player might've been tucked in for an early nap after a shot like that.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort Su Yan followed up with a second punch.
Panicking, O'Neal threw his arms up to block.
"Thud!"
Su Yan's heavy blow landed on O'Neal's forearms, the shock still jolting his face.
"Why's this guy so good in a fight?"
Taking shot after shot,
O'Neal finally sobered up—but the mood was already too heated for apologies or backing down.
That simply wasn't an option.
He'd started the fight; he'd finish it lying down if he had to.
"No time!"
Seeing words were useless, LeBron narrowed his eyes, grabbed Wilson's arm, and flung him aside like a chicken.
He was getting serious now—
LeBron's strength was terrifying.
In two long strides he reached Su Yan and caught his arm just before another punch landed.
Then,
He wrapped Su Yan in a bear-hug and said quickly, "Shaquille's had enough.
He lost his head.
He didn't mean it—he knows he was wrong.
Su Yan, could you do me a favor and let this end here?"
O'Neal stayed silent.
He actually had an opening to swing again—but he didn't dare.
"Hmph!"
Su Yan gave a cold grunt, struggled a moment, then gave up the idea of throwing another punch.
LeBron had pleaded this sincerely, and O'Neal hadn't taken a cheap shot—
And Su Yan had already pummeled him pretty good.
Good enough.
All of the above… though it sounds long, happened in the blink of an eye.
By the time all three referees plus Curry, Morris, Tyson, David Lee and the rest arrived,
Su Yan and LeBron were already on their feet.
The fight was over.
O'Neal still lay on the floor, right cheek swollen and red—clear evidence of the beating.
At that moment he looked even more pathetic,
Especially once he realized how he'd lost control—he wanted to crawl into a hole.
"Tweet-tweet!"
The refs blew the whistle and stopped play.
They headed to the scorer's table to review the footage and assign blame for the brawl.
Perfect—
The break also let the riled-up players return to their benches and cool off.
"Is Su Yan okay?"
Salena clenched her fists, worry written on her face.
Meng-Meng frowned, her face icy with anger. "If you can't outplay him you throw punches—how low!"
Furious, she was still anxious about Su Yan's safety.
If not for the game being live, she'd have rushed over to check on him—and cursed O'Neal up and down.
On the big screen
The director replayed the clash.
One look was all it took—crystal clear.
Su Yan had planted O'Neal like a stake, then blown past him as easily as crossing an empty street at dawn,
Enraging the big man.
He'd started it: a dangerous blind-side shove to the back, then a wild punch—
Doubly guilty.
Su Yan, provoked, retaliated—and the brawl exploded!
After the replay, fans watched O'Neal on the ground covering up and taking shots.
They cried he had it coming.
"If losing means you swing, the NBA would be a daily boxing league—say goodbye to the sport!"
"Unforgivable."
"The Shark's old—time to face reality. After tonight, maybe just retire."
"This era no longer belongs to The Big Shark; he's faded too fast—just a relic with no fight left."
"Speaking of which… Su Yan's scary in a fight—no fluff, every punch lands for full damage!"
"Absolute beast!"
"That's a 20-year-old powerhouse—Shaquille really shouldn't have messed with him.
It could only end badly."
"S-so strong.
I used to crush on Su Yan's looks, worried he might not be tough enough to… satisfy me.
Clearly I stressed for nothing.
Love him, love him."
"Satisfy you? Dream on—he's a man you'll never have in your life!!!"
"Su Yan's so strong, so brutal—but I adore it.
My garage has been empty for ages. Big bro Su Yan, free to park tonight~"
"…"
The more violent Su Yan got, the more the women swooned.
Weird.
Unfathomable.
At the scorer's table
After several replays the three refs huddled and settled the penalties.
Cavaliers: O'Neal—flagrant-2, ejected; Antawn Jamison—flagrant-1.
O'Neal had been useless and started the fight; even though he'd spent the rest of the scuffle getting pummeled,
Still,
He had to be tossed.
New York Knicks: Su Yan—flagrant-1; Tyson Chandler—flagrant-1.
Curry had been held back by Morris—no punches, no problem.
Though LeBron had grabbed Wilson Chandler, the tape showed
His intent was to break things up—no punishment.
Almost everyone accepted the rulings without complaint.
Except Head Coach Mike Brown, who barked, "Su Yan threw those heavy shots—why wasn't he ejected too?!"
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