The Best Point Guard

In what should have been a smooth-sailing career for LeBron James, Su Xi had undoubtedly become his personal disaster—or perhaps, his nemesis.

Looking at Su Xi’s fame now, LeBron could hardly believe it. ’Back in the day, I was the one who personally pushed to get this kid to Cleveland, hoping he’d be my sidekick.’

Back then, LeBron James, riding high on his "Chosen One" reputation, was at the height of his influence and could easily sway decisions. In fact, during his time in Cleveland, Su Xi had been very respectful of him. He even sided with LeBron during his conflict with the veteran player, Ricky Davis.

Because of this, James gained control of the locker room.

But Su Xi began to shine brighter and brighter on the court, sometimes even stealing James’s spotlight. This was something James couldn’t tolerate. He didn’t need a sidekick who could upstage him, so he put intense pressure on the team’s executives, and Su Xi was traded to Indiana.

James probably never would have dreamed back then... that Su Xi would shine so brightly with the Pacers, lead the team to consecutive championships, win back-to-back Finals MVP awards, and now even complete a three-peat, all while being the reigning regular-season MVP.

In terms of accolades, Su Xi wasn’t just in a league of his own among the 2003 draft class; he was in a league of his own in the entire NBA. Looking back at the annals of NBA history, no fourth-year player has ever accomplished what Su Xi has.

The Chosen One had become one of the "others."

Even the Cleveland Cavaliers fans were starting to wonder: ’If we hadn’t chosen James and had kept Goat Su Xi in Cleveland instead, would we already have a championship by now?’

Of course, this was a hypothetical that wouldn’t change even if you could rewind time ten thousand times.

But still, what if?

LeBron James had actually considered another question himself. ’If I’d been a bit more magnanimous back then and kept Little Sheep Su Xi on the Cavaliers, would I have three championships by now, too? With my status and media pull, nabbing two of the Finals MVP awards... that wouldn’t be asking for too much, would it?’

It really wouldn’t have been.

In fact, the practical implications were enormous.

If James had kept Su Xi on the Cavaliers, Su Xi probably wouldn’t have developed so quickly. And even if he had, James could have ridden his coattails, siphoning off a couple of Finals MVPs, maybe even a regular-season MVP.

It could only be said that James had been too clever for his own good.

He was the one who had made Su Xi.

And Su Xi, instead of thanking him, just kept dominating him at every turn.

James had worked on improving some technical aspects of his game during the offseason, but... his fundamentals were what they were. It was difficult for his skills to reach that ultimate, polished level.

However, when combined with his powerful physical gifts, it was still enough to make him a much greater offensive threat.

In this game, he made a lot of beautiful offensive plays, even throwing down a dunk worthy of the Top 5 highlights.

But he couldn’t fight the inevitable tide. The Knicks’ run-and-gun offense was like a flood bursting through a dam; it wasn’t something he could stop alone, and it certainly wasn’t something the Cavaliers could stop.

The Cavaliers were considered a formidable team in the East. Last season, they had even made an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Mike Brown had built an extremely strong defensive lineup around James.

It was just that this lineup couldn’t stop the Knicks’ run-and-gun offense.

And it definitely couldn’t stop Su Xi from scoring at will.

Throughout the game, Su Xi and James rarely guarded each other directly. Stephen Jackson was assigned to defend James, and Trevor Ariza also got some reps in guarding him to gain defensive experience.

Likewise, other Cavaliers players were assigned to guard Su Xi.

In the first half, Su Xi *only* put up 21 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.

But during halftime, he received his championship ring.

This was Su Xi’s first championship ring with the Knicks. He happily showed it off to the surrounding crowd, eliciting screams from the fans.

It also sparked envy in Gary Payton, who said to Su Xi during the break, "Jack, we absolutely have to win the championship this season."

Standing nearby, Isaiah Thomas ribbed him good-naturedly, "Whose fault is it that you joined Miami last season instead of us? Your taste in teams is even worse than your taste in women."

Normally, Gary Payton would have fired back, confident that his taste in women was far superior to Isaiah Thomas’s.

But now he had to eat crow, especially since Thomas was speaking the goddamn truth: if Gary Payton had chosen the Knicks last season, he’d be one of the people smiling with a new ring on his finger right now.

SIGH!

"If only I were as good a bootlicker as you," Gary Payton said with envy. "You latched onto Jack’s leg, and your entire reputation got a complete makeover."

He’d gone up against Isaiah Thomas back in the day, so he knew exactly what Thomas was—and wasn’t—capable of. He even believed you could tie a dog to the Knicks’ bench and it wouldn’t stop them from winning the championship.

And after joining the Knicks, he saw this belief confirmed.

Because Isaiah Thomas just spent his days striking poses. He never made any tactical plans. He’d just hold up the clipboard, hem and haw for a bit, and then say, "Let’s hear what Jack has in mind."

’My grandma could do this job,’ Gary Payton thought to himself.

After receiving his championship ring, Anfernee Hardaway said in an interview, "Goat Su Xi is the greatest player I have ever seen. Bar none."

"I once defeated Jordan. Shaq and I eliminated the Bulls back when we were in Orlando. But even if I were back in my prime, playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal, I don’t believe we could beat Jack the Goat in any playoff series."

"I know exactly what I’m saying, and it’s not just because I won a championship by following him. If you’ve played just one game on the same team as Jack, you’ll understand what I mean."

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