The Best Point Guard

Hardaway was full of praise for Su Xi, and his words carried significant weight. As someone once hailed as Jordan’s successor, who, by his own account, had even beaten the man himself, he personally admitted that Goat Su Xi was a cut above.

...

After the second half began, Su Xi became even more aggressive in his scoring, and the Cavaliers launched another powerful counterattack.

Perhaps the Knicks’ glittering championship rings had spurred on LeBron James.

He went on a rampage, unleashing a powerful assault on the rim.

At one point, he cut the lead to just five points.

But Su Xi switched into scoring mode himself, going on a frenzy. Attacking from both inside and out, he quickly widened the gap once more.

In the third quarter, both players were like giant statistical black holes, frantically absorbing every number in sight.

James finished the quarter with 18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.

Su Xi dropped 25 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal in the quarter.

James’s performance in the third quarter was more well-rounded, while Su Xi was more focused on scoring.

Su Xi was already up to 46 points.

In the fourth quarter, Su Xi predictably went on another run, pushing his point total to 62 before Mike Brown called a timeout to bring in his bench players.

This was a new scoring record for Su Xi at Madison Square Garden Arena.

The arena erupted in continuous screams as everyone cheered for Su Xi.

But it was clear to everyone that Su Xi hadn’t even broken a sweat; he could definitely surpass this number. Tonight it was a 60-point game, but in a few days, it might be 70. He might even challenge Kobe’s scoring record for an active player.

When Su Xi first announced he would challenge for this season’s scoring title, many people were still skeptical.

But now, after just a few games, everyone shared the same sentiment: It was just too easy for Goat Su Xi to score. He could score at will. Unlike other scoring champions, he never gave the impression that he had to go all out just to get his points.

Su Xi spoke to the media after the game.

"Having a big lead on the scoring charts is exactly what I was going for. I’m aiming for the scoring title this season."

"I’ve never thought of scoring as a difficult thing. You just have to put the ball in the basket. And for me, there are just so many ways to do that."

"It feels great to get the championship ring. It’s the reward for everything we did last season. I love this feeling, and I see a lot of my teammates came back. Winning together, earning honors together—it’s a great feeling."

"The roster has definitely changed a lot this season. We lost many players, but at the same time, we’ve brought in a lot of very capable young guys."

"I believe in them. They’re strong, explosive, and very ambitious."

"It’s always fun playing with young guys."

Su Xi was actually younger than some of the rookies, but when he commented on "the young guys," no one found it the least bit strange.

After all, his standing in the league was undeniable.

Then, another reporter tried to stir the pot, asking about the Cavaliers and LeBron James.

Su Xi shot the reporter a knowing look, his eyes clearly saying, ’I know what you’re trying to do.’

"They’re a very good team. Their defense is tough, and their players are explosive. LeBron is even stronger than last season; he’s definitely a top-five player in the league."

Su Xi replied.

The reporter quickly followed up, "So, who are the other four top-five players?"

"Duncan, Wade, Kobe, O’Neal, Nowitzki, Garnett... and me..."

"But that’s more than five people."

"’Top five’ is just a general term. There are at least ten guys who could be considered top five."

"What about number one, then? Is ’top one’ also a general term?"

"Heh," Su Xi grinned. "That one isn’t. That can only be me. I don’t believe anyone besides myself would claim to be number one."

Su Xi said matter-of-factly.

He was as confident as ever.

But no one could say he was wrong.

At most, they’d say he was a little cocky.

...

The Knicks’ new season continued. In the first month, they achieved a record of 11 wins and 2 losses.

Their two losses were against the New Orleans Hornets and the Denver Nuggets.

The reason was simple: in both games, Su Xi’s shot wasn’t falling, and the other young players went cold as well.

However, they won all their games against strong opponents.

Then, as November arrived, Cleveland quietly dropped a bombshell. They used a pile of draft picks and some expiring contracts to acquire Shaquille O’Neal directly from Miami.

The Cavaliers’ core remained completely intact; they had gotten O’Neal for practically nothing.

O’Neal was a lot heavier, but he still had plenty left in the tank.

The media was in an absolute uproar. Popovich even came out and stated publicly, "The league should investigate this trade. It’s completely abnormal. If Pat Riley was willing, I could have traded for O’Neal with the same package, and my offer would have even been better than the Cavaliers’."

Many people were indignant, believing there had to be some under-the-table dealing involved. This was worse than a highway robbery.

Many teams in the East were particularly incensed, with several general managers protesting openly. They felt it destroyed the league’s competitive balance and that the NBA was just clearing a path for James.

With this move, the Cavaliers’ strength skyrocketed. Many even believed they could now win the championship.

After all, the Cavaliers had already made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season without O’Neal. Now, adding an O’Neal who was still at the tail end of his prime, plus Ilgauskas—with two towers like that, how were other teams supposed to compete?

The league had truly bent over backward to elevate James to the same level as Su Xi.

Even many previously neutral media outlets couldn’t stand it anymore, feeling that the league was propping up James far too blatantly.

However, on the Knicks’ side, no one came out to comment on this highway robbery of a trade.

Not even Isaiah Thomas made a statement.

The New York media ran some stories, which were generally critical, but there was no pervasive air of pessimism within New York’s basketball circles.

After two or three days, the league had yet to make any official comment on the matter. An anonymous source stated that there were no shady dealings involved in the trade; it was perfectly normal. One team was willing to pay the luxury tax, and the other wanted to clear salary cap space.

That became the official narrative.

At the same time, however, a well-known reporter revealed that the trade wasn’t finalized by the two general managers, but rather after a three-hour phone call between Pat Riley and LeBron James.

The call convinced Pat Riley, who then decided to trade Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland for what was essentially a giveaway price.

No one knew what they talked about for three hours.

"It was probably Pat Riley telling James, ’You hang up first.’ And James saying, ’No, you hang up, then I’ll hang up.’ And Riley saying, ’No, you hang up first, then I will...’" Zach Randolph joked in the locker room, riffing on the recursive scenario.

It was the hottest topic in the NBA. Every locker room was discussing how two grown men could possibly talk to each other for three straight hours.

What could they possibly have to talk about?

For NBA players, talking to a woman for three hours was an impossible feat. The longest conversations those guys had with women usually consisted of: "I’m rich, I’m huge, just bear with it."

Before the Knicks’ game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Su Xi finally addressed the issue. "I wish Shaquille O’Neal all the best. He’s in a new environment again. I don’t know if Cleveland is the right fit for him, but I hope he finds some measure of success there."

Then, a reporter asked him, "A lot of people are saying that LeBron and Shaquille O’Neal are a match made in heaven, and that their combined power could surpass the OK Combination. What are your thoughts?"

"Maybe."

"Aren’t you worried they’ll beat the Knicks and win the championship? After all, their acquisition was so significant, while the Knicks, on the other hand..." the reporter from Charlotte pressed, clearly trying to get a rise out of him.

Su Xi shrugged. "Why would I be worried? Does adding two losers together automatically guarantee success?"

"The Knicks are stronger this season than last. So, we should get at least four All-Star nominations. Otherwise, I’ll have to assume the league doesn’t know what it’s doing."

Su Xi had brought up the most important matter. All-Star voting was about to open, and he had to pressure the league to put more Knicks on the ballot. He wanted his teammates to receive All-Star honors.

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