The Best Point Guard

He had also become the leader of the Hornets.

When he faced Su Xi in the NBA, he was always fired up.

But Su Xi had no time for a little rookie like him.

He always crushed the Hornets with ease, turning them into just another cold number in his win column.

Honestly, who cares what a loser thinks?

As for whether Paul could grow another eight centimeters, who would care about that either?

Besides, it would definitely never happen.

Just like how he could never defeat Su Xi.

...

Su Xi continued to advance.

The group stage schedule was tight. The next day, Su Xi led the Chinese Team to an easy victory over Italy, followed by Puerto Rico, then Slovenia and Senegal.

There was no suspense.

In the past, these teams had all been a headache for the Chinese Team. Before every game, domestic commentators wrote all sorts of analytical articles. Basketball analysts offered their own breakdowns, and the internet was flooded with armchair experts dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of both teams.

Of course, most of them were biased toward the national team.

But now, people only asked one thing: How many points are we going to win by?

The question of victory or defeat was no longer even a discussion.

The Chinese Team successfully advanced as the top team in Group D. Their first-round opponent was Australia.

Of course, Australia couldn’t stop the Chinese Team’s onslaught.

They fell apart before the third quarter even started. The two teams weren’t on the same level; there was no point in comparing them.

Before the game, their center, Bogut, had run his mouth.

He showed no respect for Yao Ming or Su Xi.

Then, in the game, he got demolished. He was forced to eat his words.

One of the things fans loved most about Su Xi was this: he never put up with provocateurs. He wasn’t the type to turn the other cheek.

On the very first play, he drove into the paint, knocked Bogut over head-on, and ferociously slammed the ball into the hoop.

The backboard was left shaking precariously from the impact.

After landing, he even made a "low" gesture at Bogut.

No one on the Australian team dared to respond.

Given Su Xi’s ruthlessness, what if they were the next one to get dunked on and turned into a laughingstock?

Then, Yao Ming began to mercilessly torment the man who called himself the "White Duncan" with his skills.

Bogut played for half the game before being benched because the Australian coach thought he would get depression if he kept playing like this.

Because Yao Ming was constantly torturing him with his technique.

And Su Xi was constantly dunking on him.

Before the second quarter was even over, Su Xi had dunked on him three times.

Each time, it triggered a deafening roar from the crowd.

Bogut was furious at first, but by the end, he just hung his head in silence.

He had become a world-class joke.

That was the only significant outcome of the game.

Bogut’s actions proved that pissing off Su Xi was not something you could easily walk away from. Australia had no choice but to pack their bags and leave; they were eliminated.

The Chinese Team entered the quarterfinals.

Their next opponent was Serbia and Montenegro.

Serbia and Montenegro was a traditional powerhouse. Although the region wasn’t large, they were strong in major ball sports and produced a lot of talent.

It took the Chinese Team some time to defeat them.

The game was even trickier than their matchup against the Dream Team.

But luckily, they had Su Xi, their true anchor. Su Xi scored nine straight points at the start of the fourth quarter to pull away, and they maintained the lead until the end of the game.

The Chinese Team entered the semi-finals.

However, the legendary Dream Team was eliminated by the Greek Team.

This was the biggest upset of the World Championship. It was completely unexpected; no one thought the Dream Team wouldn’t even make it to the semi-finals.

This turned Coach K’s talk of revenge into a joke.

The Greek Team didn’t have any superstars, yet the Dream Team still lost.

After the game, Wade even said, "I don’t know why we lost. I don’t even know a single one of their players."

The implication was that the Greek Team had no stars.

Losing to the Chinese Team was understandable, but losing to the Greek Team?

Public opinion in the United States exploded.

The famous pundit Simmons was so angry he went on a tirade in the media: "What kind of Dream Team is this? Do they even deserve to be called the Dream Team? First, they lose to Argentina, then to China. After losing to China, they lose to Greece. At this rate, they won’t even be able to beat the Hawaii Team! How can you lose a game like this? It’s shameless!"

The other criticisms were even harsher. Losing to Su Xi had already upset many "America-first" fans.

But now, the Dream Team hadn’t even made it to the semi-finals—their worst finish ever.

The 2003 draft class had been called the "Super Platinum Generation," but now everyone was calling James and his peers the "Disgraceful Generation."

The pressure on James and the others was immense.

That night, they were photographed blowing off steam at a famous pleasure-district establishment in Japan.

Now, the criticism back in the United States became even more vicious.

But for the Chinese Team, they still had work to do.

Su Xi said, "I’m so jealous they get to clock out this early. They can enjoy their vacation now, while I still have to play the semi-finals and the final. For David Stern’s sake, I’ll get revenge for you guys."

The Chinese Team’s opponent in the semi-finals was Greece.

The Greek Team’s head coach was Yannakis. He was a smooth operator, heaping praise on the Chinese Team before the game, saying they were there to learn from them.

It’s hard to be mad at someone so complimentary. Even a venomous tongue like Isaiah Thomas said the Greek Team played well.

Because Yannakis had said Isaiah Thomas was his idol, his lifelong role model. He also said he was deeply impressed by Isaiah Thomas’s coaching in the Finals and had watched the tape dozens of times.

Isaiah Thomas couldn’t figure out which game he was talking about, because he didn’t really remember what he had coached back then.

’Maybe it was the one where I wore the rainbow socks.’

’I did make a few gestures.’

Isaiah Thomas reflected inwardly.

But his outward demeanor was completely different.

He stated that Yannakis was not bad and might have a chance to get a position in the NBA.

At the same time, he also praised two of the Greek Team’s guards, Daamanthidis and Spanoulis.

Both were "Kings of Europe"—the European basketball world was famous for producing them. The two of them, along with the "Greek Little Shark" in the paint, had made things very difficult for the Dream Team in the last game.

This also served as a wake-up call for the Chinese Team.

Everyone on the Chinese Team prepared to go all out.

Su Xi even shifted his own combat readiness to the highest gear.

However, once the game started, they found it wasn’t like that at all.

The Greek Team was indeed strong, and their teamwork was smooth.

But in terms of strength, they didn’t even feel as strong as the Serbia and Montenegro Team; there was even a bit of a gap compared to Slovenia.

Yao Ming treated the Greek Little Shark like a punching bag.

Whether facing Daamanthidis or Spanoulis, Su Xi was completely dominant.

This once again proved one thing: the Dream Team was truly no match for the Chinese Team.

Regardless of whether they had lost their last game because they underestimated their opponent.

The Chinese Team proved one thing: Not only can we beat you, we can also beat the team that beat you.

This put the American fans in a very awkward position.

They didn’t know whether to thank Su Xi for avenging the Dream Team or be depressed that the Dream Team had been so thoroughly outclassed.

In any case, after defeating the Greek Team, this is what Su Xi said in an interview: "Even though the Dream Team lost, I defeated Greece. This proves one thing: the NBA is still the best league in the world. And I am the best player in this league. I am also the best player in the world."

Such words were a bit ’arrogant.’

They even violated advertising laws.

In China, advertisements aren’t allowed to use superlative words like ’best’.

But when Su Xi said it, the advertising laws couldn’t touch him.

Because he was just that good.

The Chinese Team advanced to the finals.

Their opponent would be decided between Spain and Germany.

The Chinese Team wasn’t nervous about facing either Spain or Germany.

Because whether it was Gasol or Nowitzki...

...they were both foes Su Xi had already defeated.

In Su Xi’s words, "If I can beat them in the NBA, of course I can beat them in FIBA."

Su Xi had always been this formidable.

His confidence also boosted the morale of the nation’s basketball fans, which did a great deal to restore national pride.

After all, our past was once as dominant and powerful as Su Xi is in the world of basketball!

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