The Best Point Guard

Su Xi told Charles Barkley in a matter-of-fact tone, "Your players might be a little more athletically gifted, but you guys can’t fly in the FIBA paint."

"But if we get our offense in motion, we can handle most opponents."

"No, you won’t be able to get moving. You’ll still only be able to play iso-ball."

Su Xi stated decisively, "You’ll see after the game."

Barkley still didn’t believe Su Xi’s assessment.

This was despite him being one of the two commentators in American basketball media who respected Su Xi the most.

His other American colleagues, however, were already in a taunting frenzy. They claimed the Dream Team would beat the Chinese Team so badly they couldn’t even fight back. That Little Sheep Su Xi would be stripped of all his wool, trampled by the Dream Team on his own home court. They said the Dream Team would shatter his false divinity and expose him as the emperor with no clothes.

It had to be said, their promotional skills were impressive. In the United States, at least, their rhetoric had brainwashed many basketball fans into thinking that taking down the Chinese Team would be a walk in the park.

They had completely forgotten that in Athens, the Chinese Team had won the gold medal, while they had only taken home the bronze.

BEEP!

The whistle blew amidst a unified roar from the entire crowd: "Su! Su! Su!"

The Chinese Team’s starting lineup was Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Li Nan, Su Xi, and Liu Wei.

Team USA’s starting lineup was Brad Miller, Chris Bosh, Carmeron Anthony, LeBron James, and Syracuse.

This game captured the attention of basketball fans worldwide, as it featured the most NBA stars in a single match since the NBA Finals.

Even in the NBA, it was rare to see such a high-quality showdown with so many superstars.

Some called it the ultimate showdown of the 2003 draft class.

Others said it was Little Sheep Su Xi single-handedly taking on the NBA’s elite.

But regardless of the talk, SMACK!

Yao Ming won the tip-off against Brad Miller.

Liu Wei pushed the ball up the court. Syracuse pressured him past half-court, so he passed to Su Xi.

But LeBron James didn’t dare press up on him.

The FIBA three-point line is shorter, which means the half-court is more congested and harder to maneuver in. Plus, there’s no defensive three-second violation, so big men can camp in the paint.

Su Xi quickly changed direction with the ball, slicing open a lane in the defense and plunging into it. He shouldered past James’s powerful frame, keeping the ball under tight control. He drove into the paint and leaped explosively. Howard met him in the air to block, but Su Xi simply bodied him out of the way and laid the ball in easily with his left hand.

With the very first basket, Su Xi established an Eastern dominance.

His sheer dominance sent the fans into an uncontrollable screaming frenzy.

This was the kind of ferocity they loved to see from Su Xi.

Su Xi waved to the fans, eliciting an even greater roar from the crowd.

In all of Asia, no basketball player was more popular than Su Xi.

Kenny Smith said anxiously on the broadcast, "They have to answer back, now! You absolutely cannot let Little Sheep Su Xi get going. Once that guy finds an opening, his momentum is unstoppable, and he’ll just keep widening the lead. He’s a madman."

Kenny Smith was on edge.

He knew Su Xi all too well.

Su Xi was the type of player who never let up when he had the upper hand. Once he found his ’flow’, he could take over the game with a single scoring run. It was a tried-and-true method for him in the NBA; the thing teams feared most was Su Xi catching fire.

Now, Su Xi’s very first basket was showing signs of that happening. How could Kenny Smith not be nervous?

After all, he was American. Of course he wanted the Dream Team to win.

Charles Barkley was also saying, "Someone has to step up and answer."

The ball was passed to James, who caught it on the wing beyond the three-point line, facing Su Xi.

Su Xi was applying pressure.

James made a couple of fakes with the ball, then quickly made his move... BEEP!

The referee blew his whistle. It was an unquestionable traveling call on James.

It was just too obvious.

If it had just been a little gather step, the referee might have turned a blind eye and let it go.

But what the hell was that, a full-on crab dribble? ’Do you think I’m blind?’

’Who travels that blatantly?’

James looked aggrieved and tried to argue with the referee, but the ref was from Portugal and didn’t understand much English.

Su Xi took the opportunity to hit James with some trash talk. "Stop bugging the ref. This isn’t the NBA."

James glared at Su Xi angrily.

Su Xi inbounded the ball to Liu Wei and ran with him to the frontcourt. Liu Wei passed to Yao Ming, who went one-on-one with Brad Miller in the post.

He spun quickly and put up a hook shot... CLANG!

The ball bricked off the rim.

Just as Bosh shoved Wang Zhizhi aside to grab the rebound, Su Xi charged in from behind, snatched the ball right over Bosh’s head, and slammed it through the hoop with two hands... BOOM!

Another thunderous dunk.

The entire arena erupted once more.

"Su! Su! Su!"

The unified chant sounded like an army’s roar.

Bosh looked just as aggrieved, trying to complain to the ref, ’How can he grab the ball and dunk it while it’s still over the cylinder?’

The answer was simple: This is FIBA.

The International Basketball Federation allows it.

Bosh was frustrated.

But the game went on.

James stopped being the primary attacker. He had to admit that if they couldn’t push the pace, Carmeron Anthony was more effective than him on a FIBA court.

Antonio went one-on-one against Li Nan.

He showcased his kaleidoscopic offensive repertoire, finishing the play with a spin move into a jump shot.

The Dream Team was finally on the board.

Antonio’s offensive skill set was deadly in both systems.

Su Xi called out to him, "See, Cameron! Skill will never betray you. As long as your fundamentals are solid enough, you’re a top superstar in FIBA or the NBA."

Su Xi said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

He was praising Antonio.

But of course, he was also taking a jab at LeBron James.

LeBron James heard it too.

Su Xi crossed half-court and once again attacked the defensive line manned by James. He drove into the paint and passed to Wang Zhizhi, who hit a jumper from the high post.

Su Xi was orchestrating the entire team’s offense.

On the other end, a long shot from Syracuse missed, and Yao Ming secured the rebound.

The two teams traded blows.

The Chinese Team maintained their lead, and it was slowly growing.

The Dream Team had no answers, even after benching James.

Coach K was in a bind. He could stop neither Su Xi nor Yao Ming.

When your opponent has two dominant, unstoppable players, any overall advantage you have is rendered useless.

His only hope now was to wait for Yao Ming’s stamina to drop, then use their athletic advantage to launch a fast-break offense, crush the Chinese Team, and retake the lead.

However, in the second quarter, the Chinese Team subbed out Yao Ming. They transitioned into a fast-paced offense even faster than the Dream Team.

Su Xi played point guard, surrounded by four tall shooters: Zhu Fangyu, Li Nan, Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi.

It was a true "one star, four shooters" lineup.

In fact, it was more like five shooters.

Because Su Xi could also shoot the three.

The Dream Team and the Chinese Team started trading baskets. Team USA was more athletic and better able to drive into the paint to score without Yao Ming there.

However, they also couldn’t stop Su Xi’s drives. When Su Xi used his explosive momentum to create opportunities for his teammates to shoot, they were still helpless to stop it.

As a result, when the second quarter ended, the Dream Team hadn’t narrowed the gap. In fact, the lead had expanded from 7 points to 11.

During halftime, the fans were all cheering for Su Xi, celebrating the East Wind prevailing over the West Wind.

The mood on the Dream Team’s side, however, was grim. They were in a tough spot, with no idea how to handle Su Xi, let alone how to beat the Chinese Team.

They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Now, they couldn’t even beat the lineup that didn’t have Yao Ming.

Once Yao Ming returned for the second half, how were they supposed to compete?

It seemed impossible.

Coach K was about to scratch his head raw from frustration.

At the broadcast table, Charles Barkley finally understood why Su Xi had been so confident before the game.

It was true. Many NBA superstars seemed to forget how to play on the FIBA court. Their dominance vanished, and the tendency to play one-on-one was severe.

Most importantly, the United States’ dominance in the paint was in rapid decline.

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