The Best Point Guard

"Kobe said I only know how to pad my stats with championships. He wants to go one-on-one to see who’s better at scoring."

Su Xi relayed this to his teammates and coaches on the bench.

It was an absurd statement. There was stat-padding, sure, but who had ever heard of championship-padding?

But this was the Knicks.

Any coach with half a brain wouldn’t be coaching the Knicks. Isaiah Thomas’s expression was grim. He looked at Su Xi and said, "That’s a very serious accusation indeed. You have to teach him a lesson."

"That’s right, Jack. Even when it comes to a scoring battle, you won’t lose to him," Zach Randolph said earnestly. "If you can only pad championships but can’t score, that’s actually kind of embarrassing. I’ve got your back all the way, Jack!"

"You’re Jack the Goat, you have to destroy him. Does Kobe really think winning the scoring title with 36 points per game is such a big deal?"

"..."

The entire bench was sincerely trying to persuade Su Xi, with not the slightest hint of sarcasm in their voices.

They genuinely believed it.

In their minds, it was as if Su Xi was supposed to be omnipotent. And they didn’t rank a championship any higher than a scoring title.

After all, Jack the Goat already had three championships, but not a single scoring title.

’Since the guys are all behind me, and I do want to see how I stack up against Kobe...’ After all, the scoring manual he’d copied from Kobe had already reached 97% integration. Su Xi figured his scoring ability couldn’t be that much worse than Kobe’s.

’Besides, Kobe’s drives aren’t as sharp as mine, and he’s not as physically strong.’

’I’ve never really cut loose and unleashed my full offensive firepower before.’

Su Xi also wanted to see where his own limits were.

And so, the matter was cheerfully settled.

...

Meanwhile, on the Lakers’ bench, Phil Jackson was still worried about Yao Ming’s stamina when Kobe announced with a huge smile, "Nothing to worry about. Jack’s going to duel me one-on-one in the fourth quarter. We’re going to see who can score more."

?

A wave of shock went through the bench. It wasn’t that they didn’t believe Kobe; it was just that the idea was too absurd.

Why would Su Xi get into a scoring competition with him?

The whole world knew Kobe was the best active scorer in the league. And Su Xi wasn’t some lone wolf; he was famous for being a tactical mastermind on the court.

"He’s going to get into a scoring battle with you?"

Phil Jackson asked, a little worried.

"Of course. I told him padding championships isn’t a real skill. If he’s got what it takes, he should come have a shootout with me. I don’t think he has any reason to refuse. He’s the guy who wants to be the God of Basketball; he won’t pass up a chance to go up against me."

Kobe said with utter conviction.

No one could quite wrap their heads around what Kobe was saying.

Yao Ming, however, sided with Kobe. Even though he also thought what Kobe said was outlandish—’Can you even ’pad’ championships?’ he wondered—he knew what Kobe’s mindset was this season. He said, "Jack did say he was going for the scoring title this season."

Then, Phil Jackson drew up the strategy, giving Kobe as many isolation plays as possible.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game was back on.

The Knicks’ lineup was now: Gary Payton, Su Xi, Ariza, Millsap, and Zach Randolph.

The Lakers’ lineup was: Jordan Farmar, Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, and Kwame Brown.

The Lakers’ current lineup stood almost no chance against the Knicks’ rotation. Even though the Knicks no longer had their championship-winning core from last season, they were still famous for the strength of their bench.

But when Su Xi posted up Kobe in the key and demanded the ball, Phil Jackson began to feel a sense of calm.

’Is Jack really going to have a scoring duel with Kobe? What’s he trying to gain from this? Does he want to prove he’s a better scorer than Kobe? Impossible!’

Phil Jackson had coached Jordan. In terms of sheer scoring threat, Jordan was superior because his athleticism was on another level compared to Kobe’s. But in terms of pure scoring technique, he felt Kobe had the edge. If it were a one-on-one matchup with a million USD on the line, he’d pick Kobe. But if his life were on the line, he’d pick Jordan.

Now, Su Xi was squaring up to go head-to-head with Kobe.

’Could he win?’

’If he can even beat Kobe on offense, that means one thing... he might actually surpass Jordan. That’s a terrifying thought.’

Su Xi established post position on Kobe. Kobe found Su Xi’s positioning to be incredibly precise. And even though he was a little taller, he couldn’t use his height to his advantage. Su Xi was too strong, and his arms were too long.

Su Xi calmly received the pass from Gary Payton. He took an offensive stance, lowered his center of gravity, and pushed back... THUD!

Kobe was immediately knocked back a step.

Su Xi possessed the strength of a big man—top-tier, even for those who played in the paint.

When he started his isolation play on the perimeter...

Kobe immediately felt that defending him was even harder than guarding Antonio or Pierce.

But Kobe was an extremely strong defender. He quickly adjusted his position and used the physical contact as a chance to constantly reach in, trying to disrupt Su Xi’s offensive rhythm.

However, Su Xi’s ball-handling was incredibly secure; his ability to play through contact was second to none.

He backed Kobe down with two hard bumps, then quickly gave a shoulder fake.

Kobe subconsciously bit on the fake. Su Xi had already spun around and released a fadeaway jumper... his form was picture-perfect.

The height he got on his jump was astounding.

Kobe scrambled to contest the shot, but he was a beat too late!

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