The Best Point Guard

Coach K implemented a host of desperate strategies, including moving Carmeron Anthony to power forward and having Chris Paul rapidly push the pace. He also tried having Brad Miller and Dwight Howard control the paint simultaneously, or having Wade relentlessly attack and draw fouls.

These tactics always yielded some results.

No one could deny the Dream Team’s absolute dominance in one-on-one situations.

But they were facing the Chinese Team—the Chinese Team led by Goat Su Xi and FIBA’s number one center. Whenever they patched up one weakness, another would be exposed.

And so the cycle repeated, over and over.

The Chinese Team consistently maintained its lead, keeping it at a margin of seven or eight points.

As the game drew to a close, Su Xi took over with back-to-back isolation plays. First, he hit a jump shot over Wade. Then, he drained a pull-up jumper from a meter behind the three-point line.

This completely crushed the Dream Team’s hopes of victory.

The seemingly invincible and arrogant Dream Team had no choice but to swallow a defeat.

Japan, a nation that had once revered them, was now roaring for Su Xi, cheering him on. The entire arena echoed with chants of "MVP!"

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, countless fans in the United States were disappointed, frustrated, vexed, and even despondent.

They were discovering that no matter what they did, they simply couldn’t defeat Su Xi.

And so, a new narrative began to emerge on the internet: This is a victory for the United States, too. Jack Su is a product of the NBA. He grew up in the United States. He’s our pride.

Oh, well. If thinking that way helps them feel like they won, so be it.

After the game, when Su Xi saw his final stat line, even he was taken aback.

points, 18 assists, 13 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 blocks.

A monster triple-double.

And this was a monster triple-double in a FIBA game, where the Chinese Team only scored 92 points in total.

The Dream Team scored 81.

This stat line could only prove one thing.

The GOAT is the GOAT!

His reputation as the number one player in the basketball world was no empty boast.

Su Xi gave a post-game interview.

A reporter from Japan asked Su Xi how it felt to defeat the Dream Team and whether he was excited.

Su Xi struggled a bit to understand the question, then smiled and said, "Oh, for me, this is normal. You see, those guys on the other side are very strong. They’re called the most powerful team in the world, the Dream Team. But if you know anything about the NBA, you’ll realize they’ve all lost to me before."

"I just beat the same guys I’ve beaten before. What’s so exciting about that?"

"If I were the kind of guy who gets all giddy over a single group stage win, I wouldn’t be worthy of the twenty thousand people here screaming and cheering for me."

In a calm voice, Su Xi had just uttered the most arrogant words in the world.

In this day and age, only he would dare to look down on the Dream Team like that.

And the Dream Team, it seemed, could only take it.

What else could they do?

Demand a rematch?

Or talk more trash, insisting that victory was guaranteed next time?

Was there even any point?

The audience was tired of hearing the boy who cried wolf.

The Dream Team refused to be interviewed.

Meanwhile, Su Xi was swarmed by a mountain of reporters.

The reporters wanted to hear his assessment of the Dream Team.

Su Xi smiled. "I don’t really like to comment on others. As you know, I’m a friendly person. I rarely offend anyone. Even if my opponents are just average, I won’t put them down."

When asked for his opinion on the Chinese Team,

he said, "We’re certainly not as weak as some people have suggested. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have won tonight."

This was Su Xi. He’d get revenge for the slightest offense.

And dripping with sarcasm.

But the fans in China were loving it!

The Chinese fans were ecstatic!

This was exactly the kind of attitude they loved about Su Xi.

Su Xi was the kind of guy who would call his opponent shit, and then prove that they were, in fact, shit.

You had no choice but to respect it.

After the interview, Su Xi was escorted by the crowd back to the locker room, where he celebrated the victory with his teammates.

At that moment, back in China, the news that the Chinese Team had defeated the Dream Team was absolutely everywhere. For the fans back home, this victory was a moment of immense pride and vindication.

And what’s more, it was the best possible start to the tournament.

They had been worried that this year’s World Championship wouldn’t be able to continue the miracle of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

After all, the Chinese Team hadn’t faced the Dream Team directly in the last Olympics.

Now, their wish had been granted.

They finally understood what Su Xi meant: a world champion is a champion who beats every single team.

And the Dream Team, of course, was no exception.

Coach K and Chris Paul represented the Dream Team at the post-game press conference.

Facing aggressive questioning from ESPN at the press conference, Coach K took the blame. "My tactical preparation for the Chinese Team was insufficient. Fortunately, this is just a group stage match. We will win it back. If we meet them in the knockout stage, I’m certain our chances of winning will be over ninety percent."

Then, a reporter asked for his assessment of Goat Su Xi.

He replied, "There’s not much to say. He’s the MVP. He proved he’s the best player in the world. What more can I say?"

The reporter then asked Chris Paul the same question.

Paul said, "I’ll do whatever it takes to beat him. If God gave me another 8 centimeters, I think I could definitely be better than him."

Paul believed the only reason he wasn’t as good as Su Xi was because he was eight centimeters shorter.

He was a defiant rookie, but of course, he was genuinely good in the NBA. Making the Dream Team as a first-year player proved he had some serious skills.

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