The Best Point Guard

’They aren’t even fighting back. What’s the point of shooting anymore?’

’Might as well go back to the hotel and watch a movie.’

Su Xi sat on the bench, bored out of his mind. Isaiah Thomas felt the same way.

The two started chatting idly about international affairs, having absolutely no interest in the game itself.

Zach Randolph joined in, though of course, he mainly discussed his artistic sensibilities. Randolph was leaning more and more into the "artist" persona these days. It was shocking to see such a hedonistic guy transform so completely.

Randolph’s pre-game outfits now sparked heated discussions among the fans every time.

The last player to get fans this excited about fashion was Dennis Rodman.

Tonight, for example, he had walked in wearing an English kilt paired with a Zhongshan suit.

Su Xi was dumbfounded. Randolph had even deliberately done a couple of spins in the locker room.

’So, how does this mix-and-match look?’

’Mix-and-match isn’t just "throw-it-all-together,"’ Su Xi had wanted to say. ’You’re trampling all over art.’ But on second thought, Randolph being like this was actually a good thing. At least he wasn’t faking his aunt’s funeral to go clubbing or blowing his money gambling in the Atlantic Ocean. All he was doing was butchering a bit of art.

’But when it comes to art, who’s to say?’

’If someone’s going to butcher it, might as well be one of our own. At least Randolph is on our side.’

The Knicks walked away from Charlotte with a 39-point massacre of a victory.

It was the biggest massacre of the season so far.

Interestingly, after the game, a Charlotte reporter cornered Su Xi in the hallway to ask, "Jack, did the Knicks massacre the Bobcats by so many points tonight because of a personal grudge between you and Michael Jordan?"

"I don’t have a personal grudge against him, and I was barely involved. I only played for less than two quarters before sitting out. How would I know we were going to win by that much?"

Su Xi added irritably, "What the hell does that have to do with me?"

"So, did you score 24 points tonight to prove you’re better than Jordan’s number 23?"

"It’s a coincidence. You should be asking someone like Kobe that question. Ask him why he changed his jersey number from 8 to 24 this season."

Su Xi had just passed the buck.

Then he strode away. He didn’t want to get into it with the people from Charlotte; their reporters were all nuts.

Leaving Charlotte, the Knicks returned to New York.

Just then, the league announced the new All-Star Game ballot. The Knicks didn’t get four candidates, but they did get three: Su Xi, David Lee, and Zach Randolph.

This was the most of any team in the East.

As soon as voting opened, the numbers skyrocketed.

The vote counts for Su Xi, Zach Randolph, and David Lee instantly pulled far ahead of the pack.

This year, Zach Randolph was on the ballot as a center, David Lee as a power forward, and Su Xi as a shooting guard.

The three of them charged ahead in the polls, with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James occupying the other two likely starting spots.

That was pretty much how things stood.

After all, the stars with the most drawing power in the East were Su Xi, Wade, and James.

Oh, and the up-and-comer, Dwight Howard.

Howard was indeed getting better and better. His incredible athleticism and defensive presence in the paint gave him the aura of a next-generation superstar center.

This was why the Orlando People were so indignant, believing the Knicks were simply riding on their large fanbase and the appeal of Goat Su Xi.

Otherwise, how could Zach Randolph possibly be more popular than Howard?

Additionally, the Clevelanders were indignant on behalf of Shaquille O’Neal: On what grounds could Zach Randolph take O’Neal’s spot? O’Neal was the most dominant superstar center of all time; wasn’t Randolph still miles behind him? And Zach Randolph’s stats this year were nothing special.

David Lee also faced a lot of controversy. After all, he was still a relative newcomer, and his stats weren’t exactly convincing. Bosh and Little O’Neal were clearly more competitive candidates.

But Su Xi shut down all the talk with a single sentence.

"You have nothing to complain about. This is just how it is for a championship team."

Su Xi’s line, "This is just how it is for a championship team," ignited the pride of the New Yorkers. They flocked to the polls, and the lead grew even wider in no time.

It was worth mentioning that the Knicks’ next two home opponents were the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors, respectively.

One team had Dwight Howard, who was miffed about Zach Randolph, and the other had Chris Bosh, who was challenging David Lee’s spot.

Orlando was starting to look like a contender this season, even though they were still a bottom-feeder last year.

But with the powerful emergence of Dwight Howard and the maturation of the tactics put in place by Stan Van Gundy, they were showing the potential to be a real spoiler in the East.

Before this game began, Howard even told the New York fans, with mock ’anger,’ "I’m going to make you realize that voting for me is the smarter choice."

After saying this, he broke into a cheerful laugh.

Fans in China liked to call him "The Beast," while others called him "The Happy Beast."

He was known to flash a smile even in the middle of a game, but his talent was undeniable.

More and more commentators believed he would become the best center in the NBA: O’Neal was getting old, Yao Ming’s stamina was a major issue, and Yao’s defense was much weaker than Howard’s.

Tonight, the Orlando Magic rolled out a particularly interesting lineup.

Nelson, Hardaway, Grant Hill, Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard.

They had played on the court together before, but never all at once as starters. Hardaway had always come off the bench as the team’s sixth man.

Today, upon his return to New York, Hardaway was given the starting spot and received a huge ovation from the entire arena.

It was a rare sight.

For many long-time fans, this was a scene straight out of a dream.

Hardaway and Hill, two of the original "heirs to Jordan’s throne," playing for the same team.

And what’s more, they were both healthy at the same time.

It was astonishing.

In reality, both of them were still incredibly popular in the United States. They were the superstars who came before the era of the "Big Four" shooting guards, the kind of players with their own signature shoes. Grant Hill, especially, had once even surpassed Jordan in All-Star votes.

So, the sight left many of New York City’s older fans feeling quite emotional.

However, when Su Xi took the court, a tsunami of "M-V-P!" chants erupted from the crowd.

The atmosphere was electric.

Compared to Hill and Hardaway, Su Xi was much less of a veteran.

Since Jordan’s retirement, the league had anointed three "waves" of his successors. Hill and Hardaway were the first wave. The second was the "Big Four" shooting guards. And after them came players like LeBron James, Wade, and Antonio.

But Su Xi was not among them.

He was never counted among them, not from the very beginning. After his meteoric rise, no one dared to call him another "heir to Jordan." He was far too ambitious for that. He was aiming to overthrow Jordan and become the God of Basketball himself.

So, in terms of sheer presence, Su Xi had already surpassed all of them.

"Jack, I heard you and Scarlett are on the rocks. Hey, don’t do this to me! You’re both my idols."

Howard said this, ever the gossip, as he greeted Su Xi before the game.

His expression was both sorrowful and earnest.

Su Xi looked at him, a little taken aback. He said to Howard, "Where did you get that from? And since when are you a fan of Scarlett?"

"Hey, didn’t you see the news? Scarlett already said on TV that she might never get married. Did you two break up? Or... was she upset by those pictures of you in Los Angeles with Jessica and Fox? You should talk to her. I’m sure she’ll listen to you."

Howard said.

Su Xi shook his head, exasperated. He asked Howard, "Do you read the gossip rags every day?"

"Not every day. But I keep up when I have time. After all, I want to find a few girlfriends in Hollywood, too. I heard you don’t have to spend money to get a girlfriend there, right? As long as you’re in good shape, they’ll be all over you?" Howard asked.

"You’re delusional."

Su Xi ended the conversation. He couldn’t be bothered talking to the guy anymore.

He had an allergy to idiots.

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