Su Xi stared intently at Billups. Billups was shocked. Before leaving the court at the end of the first half, the kid’s feet were leaden, his stamina completely drained. How could he recover so completely after just a short rest? ’What kind of monster is this?’

He cautiously changed directions, trying his best to avoid physical contact with Su Xi. He knew how strong Su Xi was, and once Su Xi stuck to you, his suffocating defense was incredibly difficult to break.

Billups played evasively, which prevented him from running certain plays. Oko came over to set a screen for him, and finding a sliver of space, he took a quick shot... But the moment he released the ball, Su Xi had already gotten around Oko and was flying at him. Su Xi’s ability to break through a pick-and-roll was top-tier in the league.

BANG!

Billups missed his first attempt.

Little O’Neal secured the rebound and passed it to Su Xi.

As Su Xi dribbled past half-court, he immediately realized the Pistons had changed their defensive strategy.

Billups was clearly sagging off him.

They were daring Su Xi to shoot.

Su Xi didn’t hesitate. He quickly waved for Little O’Neal to come out and set a screen.

As Little O’Neal ran out, Billups instinctively backed up, trying to get ahead of the screen.

But just then, Su Xi decisively pulled up and shot the ball.

He released the basketball with his left hand.

SWISH!

It dropped cleanly through the net.

After the shot, Su Xi turned sideways to face the Pistons’ bench. His sharp gaze locked onto Larry Brown as he held up three fingers and shook them.

"Radiating pure dominance!"

Larry Brown took a sharp breath.

Su Xi’s tenacity caught him off guard. He couldn’t help but be reminded of Iverson. He felt Su Xi’s mentality was the same as Iverson’s: ’You want to attack my weakness? Fine. I’ll beat you with it.’

Having worked with Iverson for many years, Larry Brown didn’t adjust his strategy.

He was actually hoping Su Xi would keep shooting like that.

But Su Xi wasn’t Iverson. Su Xi’s philosophy was to ’strike first to avoid being struck later,’ turning a passive situation into an active one.

On the other end, the Pistons ran their offense, and Hamilton hit a shot.

Then, using a screen from Little O’Neal, Su Xi shot again from beyond the three-point line... SWISH!

He made it.

Two three-pointers in a row.

Even Su Xi himself felt his touch was a little scary tonight.

But he still coolly turned sideways and showed three fingers to Larry Brown. "Thanks for the defensive strategy."

Su Xi’s tone was sharp.

Larry Brown now understood why Ben Wallace had gotten so angry.

Even someone as experienced as him was having trouble suppressing his rising temper, let alone a young, hot-blooded player like Ben Wallace.

"Don’t you even have the guts to guard me anymore, Ah Ben?"

Su Xi didn’t forget to needle Ben Wallace on his way back down the court.

Ben Wallace ignored him and jogged into the paint.

This time for the Pistons, Oko hit a three-pointer from the perimeter, stemming the tide.

Back on the other end, though the Pistons’ strategy hadn’t changed, the execution had.

Billups couldn’t help but move his defensive stance forward. When Su Xi called for a pick-and-roll, Ben Wallace’s steps also extended further out.

And at that moment, Su Xi threw the ball directly to the free-throw line. Reggie Miller ran over, caught the pass, and shot immediately... SWISH!

It ripped through the net.

It was only then that Larry Brown realized what made Su Xi so terrifying.

Su Xi’s offensive firepower was far from Allen Iverson’s. Iverson could drive into the paint against any defense and score all by himself.

However, Iverson was prone to getting hot-headed. Between trusting his teammates and trusting himself, he would always choose the latter.

Su Xi was different. He didn’t get hot-headed himself; he made his opponents get hot-headed. And if a teammate had an open look, he was decisive. There was nothing particularly praiseworthy about his passing technique, but it was decisive.

And decisiveness was enough!

The game continued.

Both teams went back and forth. Under Su Xi’s control, the Pacers maintained their lead and even gradually extended it.

Kenny Smith was getting more and more anxious on TV.

Barkley, however, kept chanting, "Who dares say Jack is just a parasite hiding under the Pacers’ wing now? Su Xi is here to lead the Pacers. He’s here to turn the Pacers into a championship team."

Barkley also had high praise for Larry Bird: "Larry Bird truly lives up to his name as the greatest small forward in history. Not only was he a great player, but his management of the team after retirement is even better. Unlike a certain best shooting guard in history..."

Bird, watching on TV, also had high praise for Barkley: ’Charles really knows his basketball.’

Su Xi was subbed out with four minutes left in the third quarter, with the Pacers leading by 9 points.

Carlisle confidently took Su Xi out. It was almost time for rotations, and both teams were about to bring in their bench players.

However, Larry Brown did the opposite. He didn’t sub out all his key players. Instead, he kept his starters on the court.

In those last four minutes of the quarter, they clawed back 4 points, shrinking the deficit to 5.

Carlisle didn’t realize there was a problem.

During the break between quarters, he made personnel adjustments according to his established strategy. He subbed out Foster, Little O’Neal, and Reggie Miller, putting Artest on the floor with Pollard, Tony Battie, Krohseil, and Fred Jones.

The whistle blew.

The Pistons’ entire starting lineup was still on the court.

As soon as the whistle blew, the Pistons unleashed an extremely aggressive, attacking defense. Fred Jones didn’t even make it past half-court before the ball was stolen. Billups drove into the paint, scored, and drew Artest’s fourth foul in the process.

In an instant, the Pacers were at a disadvantage.

A fierce energy surged through Auburn Hills Palace. Cries to "kill" and "crush them" ignited the home crowd atmosphere in an instant.

Carlisle was caught completely off guard. He hadn’t expected Larry Brown to make such an unconventional move. ’Can the Pistons’ five starters really play without any rest?’

He hurriedly subbed Little O’Neal back in for Pollard.

Billups made the and-one free throw, narrowing the gap even further.

Fred brought the ball past half-court with a screen from Little O’Neal, then passed it to Ron Artest. As soon as Artest got the ball, Prince immediately swarmed him, playing very aggressive defense. Artest tried to use his strength against him.

But, just as he lowered his shoulder to power through... BANG!

Prince hit the floor.

The head referee blew his whistle. Artest was called for his fifth foul of the game.

Artest had a short fuse. He rushed up to argue with the referee, fuming that it was a normal move, that Prince had flopped, that Prince was a punk, and that the ref was his accomplice.

TWEET!

The referee gave him a technical foul without hesitation.

When Artest heard the call, he went ballistic. He charged at the referee, looking murderous. Fred couldn’t even hold him back. He glared at the ref, letting out a series of vicious roars.

The referee didn’t indulge him.

He blew the whistle and gave him a second technical foul.

He was ejected from the game.

The situation took a nosedive.

Before Su Xi was subbed out, victory was all but assured for the Pacers. But now, with the Pistons’ continuous counterattacks and Artest’s lack of composure at such a critical moment, the Pacers were instantly thrown into a major disadvantage.

Auburn Hills Palace erupted in celebration. They cheered, screamed, and whistled, giving Artest a jeering send-off.

In truth, those two technical fouls on Artest were a bit unreasonable. In 2003, that kind of roaring and yelling was hardly a big deal; the league hadn’t announced its zero-tolerance policy yet. Combining the two techs into one would have been more appropriate.

But that’s how games are: things can change in an instant. One wrong move and the whole game is lost.

"Looks like a certain someone’s lips are about to be planted on that poor donkey’s ass again," Kenny Smith gloated on TV.

Barkley was speechless. He was miserable. He hated the referees, and he hated Artest.

’This was clearly a game they had in the bag. Why has it become such an uphill battle?’

On the court, Carlisle glanced at his bench. He subbed Reggie Miller into the game, along with Eric Williams.

He was pinning his hopes on the two scorers to steady the team.

He let Su Xi rest a little longer.

Just then, Ben Wallace suddenly approached the bench. He said to Su Xi, "Hey, I thought you were so tough? Why are you hiding over here, scared to move? Now’s your chance. You take us down tonight, you’ll be in the headlines tomorrow, and you’ll be a lock for the All-Star game. Come on, bring it."

Hmph.

Su Xi sneered. "I’ll be happy to grant your request."

Tch!

’Cocky bastard.’

Ben Wallace was unimpressed. He turned and walked away.

...

...