Chapter 246: Chapter 51: A Resounding Victory, Laden with Honors

The Nevada Tractor Factory was also thrilled that they hadn’t signed Banks back then, choosing instead to give the 200,000 USD to Su Xi... This was the reason their fame had exploded throughout Nevada.

Now, endorsement deals for Su Xi started at seven figures annually.

The Celtics’ starting point guard, Atkins, was a typical small guard: fast, with an accurate shot and a very good three-pointer. He was also quite aggressive on the defensive end, but due to his size, his effectiveness was limited. His passing ability was also rather ordinary.

Overall, he and Su Xi were not in the same league.

However, Carlisle said that if Atkins was utilized correctly, he could be enough to create a mismatch advantage against Su Xi.

But then again, the playoffs were a completely different beast from the regular season.

On the last day off before the playoffs began, the NBA announced the All-Rookie First Team: Su Xi, Wade, James, Anthony, and Bosh.

The All-Rookie Second Team was: Hinrich, Ford, Hayes, Josh Howard, and Haslem.

There was no controversy over this.

Only Bosh’s inclusion was a little awkward, because aside from him, the other four members of the All-Rookie First Team were all top contenders for Rookie of the Year.

Later that afternoon, the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams were also released.

The surprising thing was, Su Xi made both.

It wasn’t just him; Jermaine O’Neal and Ron Artest were selected as well.

The Pacers had won 71 games, which gave them an unprecedented advantage in this kind of voting.

The All-Defensive First Team list was: Su Xi, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Kevin Garnett, and Ben Wallace.

It was a very objective selection.

This season, Su Xi was the steals leader and also had the most blocks among point guards. His "entangling" style of defense had already become a classic. Although many people said he relied too much on physical contact and that many of his moves bordered on fouls, arguing that his defensive ability would plummet under new defensive rules.

But under the current rules, Su Xi was a lethal weapon at the one-guard position, and he could switch onto any position at a moment’s notice.

In addition, Su Xi and Artest were both named to the All-NBA Third Team.

The All-NBA First Team list was: Kidd, Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, and O’Neal.

The All-NBA Second Team list was: Cassell, Stojakovic, Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, and Ben Wallace.

The All-NBA Third Team list was: Su Xi, Reid, Artest, Nowitzki, and Yao Ming.

When this list came out, it was extremely controversial.

Many people felt Su Xi shouldn’t have made the Third Team, as he wasn’t yet at the level of the third-best point guard in the league.

But Pacers fans were furious. On what grounds did the Timberwolves’ Cassell make the Second Team? And that shooter Stojakovic made the Second Team too?

What right did they have? They got beaten like stray dogs by Su Xi, Reggie Miller, and Artest. On what grounds were they ranked above the Pacers players?

Voices of support and opposition rose and fell, constantly intermingling.

And this was just for the team awards. If the individual awards were released, all hell would break loose.

But no matter what anyone said, it was an established fact that Su Xi and the Pacers had been overwhelmingly successful in the regular season. Their 71 wins were an honor etched into the annals of history, something no one could erase.

The executives at Nike were the ones panicking the most right now.

They never dreamed the bonus would have to be paid out so quickly. His signature shoe wasn’t even scheduled for release until the second round of the playoffs.

Because according to the contract, in black and white...

If Su Xi made an All-NBA Team, he would receive an additional bonus of 10 million USD.

The Third Team was also an All-NBA Team.

In other words, Su Xi had cashed in on his bonus in his very first season.

The money he’d gotten from Nike this season had already surpassed what LeBron James had taken from them. If you factored in the contract’s payment structure, he left "The Chosen One" far behind in the dust.

When LeBron James heard the news, he was so angry he nearly fainted.

Because he hadn’t made an All-NBA Team, nor had he made an All-Defensive Team.

Even though both of those selections weighed team record heavily, he already understood in his heart that he had fallen behind Su Xi in the race for Rookie of the Year.

That alone was enough to make him miserable.

What made him even more miserable was hearing that Nike had to pay Su Xi an extra 10 million USD bonus.

He angrily summoned the Goodwin Brothers and unleashed a torrent of abuse. "Why? Why? Why did you negotiate such a great contract for Little Sheep Su Xi? Why does he get 10 million USD and I don’t?"

The two brothers remained silent.

Eric Goodwin complained internally, ’Even if we had negotiated it for you, you didn’t make an All-NBA team.’

Luckily, he didn’t say that out loud, or James would have become even more furious.

Now he was sitting in front of his TV watching Su Xi, Wade, and Anthony play in the playoffs, while he could only start preparing for the 2004-2005 season ahead of schedule.

James was an extremely hardworking person. He had already drawn up an incredibly detailed training plan, polishing his skills and physique to an unprecedented degree.

Moreover, he also had clear instructions for the team’s future plans.

He told the Cavaliers’ owner and general manager: I want to keep Carlos Boozer, I want a point guard who can shoot threes, and I want a forward who can box out and grab rebounds.

Furthermore, he instructed the team not to re-sign Stephen Jackson.

He really hated Stephen Jackson. Jackson had pointed his finger in his face several times in the locker room, showing zero respect for "The Chosen One."

And he had repeatedly brought up Little Sheep Su Xi, deliberately trying to get under his skin.

He was furious. He couldn’t keep someone with such a rebellious streak.

The Ricky Davis disaster couldn’t be allowed to happen a second time.

...

Time went on, and who would have thought that after being traded from Cleveland one after the other, Ricky Davis and Su Xi would end up meeting in the first round of the playoffs.

While Su Xi was warming up in the arena, Ricky Davis came over to greet him. The sharp edge in his eyes was gone; he was no longer the man who saw Su Xi and James as players who were there to assist him.

He had accepted his role with the Celtics and was diligently doing his job.

"Jack, I told you a long time ago, you have a brighter future than LeBron James. He acts selfless on the surface, but in reality, he’s the one who cares most about his stats."

Huh?

Davis’s words struck Su Xi as odd. He thought to himself, ’Is there anyone in this world who cares more about stats than you? You’re the guy who would throw the ball at your own backboard just to get a triple-double.’

But on second thought, it takes one to know one.

That was probably why the two of them were like fire and water.

"Keep it up, Jack. The playoffs are a whole different game from the regular season. If you’re not ready, all the honors you’ve earned will turn into scalding water poured on you." Ricky Davis patted Su Xi’s shoulder, sounding like a spiritual mentor.

At that moment, Tony Battie also finished exchanging pleasantries with Paul Pierce. They were, after all, brothers who had been through life and death together.

"I already talked to Pierce, Jack. If they dare pull any dirty moves on you, I’ll be the first one to go after them. I don’t care who it is." Tony Battie delivered his bodyguard’s pledge.

This was actually very important. The stakes in the playoffs were completely different from the regular season. Once the postseason began, a lot of dark and dirty tactics would come out.

Su Xi thanked him.

But Battie just patted his own chest. "It’s what Hu Su Bao is supposed to do."

Su Xi always felt that the moniker "Hu Su Bao" was weird. He had once asked Huang Xiaoman about it, and she had told him, "Stay out of women’s business."

Before the game started, a documentary was played at the Pacers’ home arena, showing footage of the Pacers’ two Eastern Conference Finals losses and one heartbreaking NBA Finals defeat since 1993.

It stirred up strong emotions among the fans in the arena.

Pulling the "an army burning with righteous indignation is bound to win" card in the very first playoff game—the Pacers’ ambition this year was written all over their faces.

The more it was like this, the more cautious Su Xi became.

If they capsized, the backlash would be that much more severe.

BWEEE!

The whistle blew.

The game began.

The Pacers’ starting lineup was: Su Xi, Miller, Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, and Foster.

The Celtics’ starting lineup was: Atkins, Davis, Pierce, McCarthy, and Blount.

SMACK!

Foster won the tip-off against Blount. Su Xi took possession, brought the ball past half-court, and initiated the first play of his playoff career.

...