Chapter 283: Chapter 69: The Perfect Closed Loop

Rashid Wallace lunged and missed again.

He looked pathetic, just like Tom Cat from the cartoons, flailing around everywhere but completely unable to catch Jerry.

This only fueled his rage.

When Su Xi came to a sudden stop and went into a shooting motion, Rashid charged head-on. Even if he couldn’t block the shot, he was determined to slam both Su Xi and the ball to the ground.

But Su Xi wasn’t shooting at all. With a pump fake and a spin, it was as if he performed the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, and Rashid Wallace couldn’t even manage to commit a foul.

Su Xi tossed the basketball off the backboard, rushed in, and jumped.

At that moment, Ben Wallace broke free from Foster’s screen, lunging forward with all his might. He was going to take Su Xi down.

He had been waiting for this chance for a long time... THUD!

The two bodies collided in mid-air.

But by then, Su Xi’s arm was already extended, his hand curling to grip the basketball. Wallace’s fierce collision sent his body reeling, throwing off his balance.

Yet, through sheer willpower, Su Xi continued to fight his way toward the hoop. It was a huge gamble. If he grabbed the rim, he wouldn’t fall hard. If he missed, the full force of Ben Wallace’s charge would undoubtedly send him crashing to the floor.

Just in the nick of time... BANG!

Su Xi felt something heavy collide with his elbow, causing his hand and upper body to lurch forward... BOOM!

That tiny push was all it took. Su Xi slammed the ball through the hoop, his right hand catching the rim.

The rim absorbed the immense impact, and Su Xi’s body swung from it.

Ben Wallace, having lost the opposing force, landed quickly and staggered, stumbling a few steps forward before regaining his footing.

When he turned back around, his face was covered in blood.

As it turned out, Su Xi’s elbow had connected with his brow bone. He had charged in too recklessly, intent only on taking Su Xi out.

He never imagined he would just be serving himself up, not only helping Su Xi complete the dunk but also getting his face bloodied for his trouble.

His face covered in blood, he looked terrifying. He glared with a murderous expression.

Like a demon crawling out of hell.

The head referee hurried over to preemptively stop him from doing anything else and called the Pistons’ medical staff onto the court.

"Next season, I’ll get my revenge."

Ben Wallace snarled, leaving them with that threat.

Covered in blood, he left the court.

His 2003-2004 season ended in bloodshed.

Su Xi stepped up to the free-throw line. He had a chance for an and-one.

Ben Wallace’s defense had crossed the line. The fact that his own head was bleeding wouldn’t change the official call.

"He deserved it."

Charles Barkley said after watching the slow-motion replay, "Ben Wallace brought that on himself. Jack isn’t an asshole like Carl Malone, deliberately throwing elbows at people."

SWISH!

Su Xi sank the free throw, bringing his total for the game to 38 points before heading to the bench for a rest.

He was all smiles as his teammates on the bench started celebrating.

That final play was a perfect showcase of Su Xi’s talent and skill.

Su Xi hadn’t just improved his off-ball movement and shooting, but his on-ball offense as well. As his agility improved, his ball-handling became even more of a threat, and the talent for a super-low center of gravity and rhythm that he’d learned from Isaiah Thomas was now on another level.

And it was this very move, learned from the Pistons’ own legend, the Smiling Assassin, that had just killed their best chance at a championship since the days of the Bad Boys Legion. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

One had to admit, it was a cycle of fate.

As Su Xi came off the court, Artest hoisted him onto his shoulders, shouting, "MVP! MVP! MVP!"

His celebration was so loud it even disrupted the game.

The Pacers were ecstatic.

Silence reigned on the Pistons’ bench tonight. The joys of one side are not shared by the other; to them, the visiting team’s bench was just noisy.

The final four-plus minutes flew by in the blink of an eye.

127-97.

The two teams put up the highest score of the series.

And at the same time, set the largest point differential of the series.

The Pistons’ dream was shattered.

Their season was over.

The Pacers would be raising the Eastern Conference championship trophy on the road.

Larry Brown and Carlisle exchanged a perfunctory handshake, and Brown quickly left the arena, refusing any media interviews.

If not for the sake of sportsmanship, he wouldn’t have even wanted to be seen with Carlisle.

He knew someone would inevitably ask, ’Larry Brown, you took over Carlisle’s coaching job, so how did you end up getting eliminated by him?’

It was the truth, but did the truth always have to be spoken? Did it have to be laced with the mocking tone of rubbing salt in the wound?

"If the Eastern Conference Finals were a best-of-nine series, the Pistons definitely would’ve won. Our victory was a complete accident, a real fluke."

During the post-game interview, Su Xi ignored the reporter’s question and started with his own thoughts. "The Pistons are really tough. I honestly never thought we’d get so lucky and manage to sweep them."

Pure sarcasm.

Su Xi’s handsome face was filled with mockery.

The Pistons fans were furious, of course, and Kenny Smith felt a hot sting on his face. This wasn’t a joke; it was a direct slap in the face.

And it wasn’t just slapping him; it was a slap to all the so-called basketball experts who had spoken with such conviction. Before the game, they had all sworn that the Pistons would make history, that a 4-3 comeback was a foregone conclusion.

And yet, their comeuppance had arrived so swiftly.

"Jack is just so... vindictive, hahahaha." Barkley said it like a criticism, but anyone could hear the giddy delight in his laugh. "He’s so much like Jordan, though Jordan wasn’t this crazy in his rookie season."

Su Xi’s reputation for taking on anyone and everyone was already well-established in the basketball world, and his feud with the Pistons wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon. After all, even while covered in blood, Ben Wallace had still managed to spit out a threat about next season.

So, Su Xi’s sarcasm was only fair.

"My assessment of the Detroit Pistons is: tough! Tough! Very tough."

Su Xi continued, "They’re good at everything... so why can’t they beat me?"

The taunting continued.

Then, he finally said, "Now, what was your question again?"

The reporter’s brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment. It took him a while to process before he said to Su Xi, "You scored 38 points tonight, a new personal best. You also helped the team continue its winning streak and led the Pacers to the top of the East. How are you feeling right now?"

"Uh..."

Su Xi snapped out of it too. "I’m very happy," he said.

That’s it?

The reporter looked at Su Xi.

Su Xi nodded.

"In this game, we saw you do things we’ve never seen before, like playing at the shooting guard position. Your off-ball movement and shooting were incredibly precise and put the Pistons on the defensive right from the start. A lot of people are saying you were deliberately hiding your true strength. Was this part of your plan from the beginning?"

"What do you think?"

Su Xi flashed a mysterious smile. "Actually," he told the reporter, "you should ask the basketball experts that question. They know the game better than we players do. They might even understand me better than I understand myself."

Uh...

"You haven’t lost a single game in the playoffs so far. You’re the first team in Eastern Conference history to reach the Finals with a perfect record. Now all the fans in the East have even higher expectations. Do you think you’ll be able to continue the winning streak in the Finals?"

The reporter continued to ask.

Su Xi smiled. "For that question," he said, "you should still go ask the omniscient basketball experts. I only know the basics of basketball. They’re the real walking encyclopedias."

Pacers fans and neutral fans alike found Su Xi’s interview highly entertaining.

Su Xi was truly not someone to be trifled with. Even when the ’uncrowned kings’ of the media got passive-aggressive with him, he would hit back with even sharper sarcasm.

Was there anything this kid was afraid to do?

"So, who do you think will advance, the Lakers or the Minnesota Timberwolves?" was the reporter’s final question.

Su Xi didn’t hesitate. "Lakers."

"Why?" the reporter pressed.

"The Lakers are stronger. Besides, the playoffs are best-of-seven, not best-of-nine."

A perfect callback.

Su Xi had brought his sarcasm full circle.

The audience watching on TV burst out laughing.

...