Chapter 261: Chapter 59: You Are the Omnipotent Basketball God

The Pistons’ starting lineup: Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.

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

Both teams boasted strong lineups.

Everyone knew this was going to be a war of iron and fire.

On the TNT broadcast, you could clearly see the fire and determination burning in the players’ eyes.

Both teams had every reason they had to win.

Foster and Rasheed Wallace stood on opposite sides of the half-court line. The players skipped the customary pre-game pleasantries. This was seen as unusual, yet perfectly understandable: the two teams were already bitter rivals.

Before the game, the head referee specifically warned both sides about physical altercations and the limits on defensive contact.

He had a tough job ahead of him tonight, and the league was counting on him.

The ball was tossed into the air as the whistle blew. Foster and Wallace leaped simultaneously. Though Foster was white, he had an incredible vertical. Su Xi often told him, "If I had your hops, I’d be throwing down four or five dunks a night."

TAP!

Foster tipped the ball to Su Xi.

The moment Su Xi caught the ball, Billups rushed in, attempting to force a turnover.

This was his signature move—a classic case of what the Chinese call "striking the tree whether there are dates on it or not." It was always worth a shot.

But Su Xi was obviously not some reckless, inexperienced point guard. Though young, he was also very powerful. He stuck his rear out, not only blocking Billups but also slyly bumping him backward with force.

Billups got to experience the same ’joy’ Jessica had when she was knocked into the nightstand.

The moment Billups stumbled back, Su Xi exploded into a lightning-fast attack.

Su Xi’s speed and explosiveness, combined with a gift for rhythmic control and a super-low center of gravity inherited from the Smiling Assassin, meant he could surgically dissect any team’s defense in the paint at a moment’s notice.

He quickly drove inside the three-point line... The Pistons’ defense was classic Larry Brown philosophy, focused on pressuring the ball. This made them excel at defending scorers like Kobe and Tracy McGrady. However, they often struggled against powerful drivers. (Wade and James frequently broke through their defensive line. While they couldn’t exactly score at will, they were generally able to create their own shots.)

As Su Xi drove into the paint like a flash, the Wallace Brothers converged to double-team him.

They intended to lock Su Xi down, but he evaded them with a beautiful spin move. He leaped into the air, saw the defense was thin, and tossed the ball up... SWISH!

He scores.

Su Xi’s first basket sent the Indiana home crowd into a frenzy.

"You guys don’t look like you’ve improved one bit."

After scoring, Su Xi didn’t forget to share a few words with the Wallace Brothers.

All he got in return, of course, were furious glares.

Especially Rasheed Wallace, who snarled in response. With their menacing looks, they could play the part of Gate Gods without any makeup.

On the other end of the court, the Pistons played a meticulous half-court game, slowly grinding down the pace.

They ran the clock down to the 19-second mark. Hamilton got open off a screen from Ben Wallace, but his shot was off the mark.

Little O’Neal secured the rebound.

He passed the ball to Su Xi.

Su Xi pushed the ball upcourt, but Billups met him with a full-court press, slowing the Pacers’ offensive tempo.

As he crossed into the frontcourt, the Pistons tightened their defense.

Their defensive intensity was a level above what they’d faced from the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. Su Xi tried to drive twice, and both times he was shut down by their help defense. Seeing Artest momentarily open, Su Xi quickly passed him the ball.

The Pistons’ defensive rotation was even quicker.

This forced Artest to play into the teeth of the defense. He wanted to unleash a satisfying combo, just like the ones his wife supposedly landed on him, but Prince’s pestering defense made it impossible. It felt like being locked in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu hold.

Though he managed to muscle a path to the basket, it threw off his shooting form. CLANG!

The ball clanked hard off the iron.

The Double Wallaces worked in perfect sync to secure the rebound.

This was classic Pistons basketball.

Their offense wasn’t efficient, but they made damn sure yours wouldn’t be either.

The game continued in this fashion.

The pace was slow for both teams.

And neither was scoring efficiently.

Su Xi was subbed out five minutes into the quarter with 3 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal.

The score was 12-10, with the Pacers ahead by two.

Kenny Anderson came in to replace Su Xi.

"Jack, you need to make an adjustment," Rick Carlisle said to Su Xi. "When you’re on the court, you need to make an impact. Forget the tactics. I’m giving you the unlimited green light."

"Your minutes are limited. You have to remember, you’re our savior! Only you can help us!"

Carlisle gripped Su Xi’s shoulders, a fanatical gleam in his eyes. He needed Su Xi to believe: ’You’re f*cking God. We can’t do this without you.’

Su Xi had never seen such a look in a man’s eyes before. If Carlisle were a woman, he might have already started undoing his buttons.

Su Xi returned to the bench and sat down, recovering his energy.

Then, he understood why Carlisle had said what he did.

The Pistons and the Pacers had similar playstyles. They knew each other well and were both adept at physical, grinding basketball.

It was like they were taught by the same master; neither could figure out a way to break the other’s style.

Victory would come down to whoever played better on the night.

The teams traded blows, but both were highly inefficient.

The first quarter ended with a score of 19-18.

In other words, after Su Xi was subbed out, both teams combined had only made six or seven field goals.

When the second quarter began, the rhythm of the game was unchanged.