"Congratulations on the Eastern Conference championship."

Su Xi walked into the locker room and offered his congratulations to Artest, who was missing a front tooth. Artest was so excited he had torn his jersey and was now wearing an Eastern Conference Champions T-shirt. The championship trophy itself was clutched tightly in Reggie Miller’s arms, who wore the expression of a gay man who had just met the man of his dreams.

Little O’Neal wore a good-natured grin. He would be stepping onto the court for the NBA Finals for the first time, and he was over the moon.

Everyone in the locker room was showing their joy and excitement in different ways.

Su Xi, on the other hand, seemed to be the calmest person there, though everyone thought he had the most reason to get carried away with excitement. After all, he was only 19, had already made history by leading his team to the Finals, and it was only his rookie season.

On television, Barkley had already started comparing him to Magic Johnson.

After all, the only person in history to lead his team to the NBA Finals and win Finals MVP in his rookie season was Magic Johnson.

Could Su Xi replicate such success?

The second half of the TNT Channel broadcast was in a frenzy discussing this very topic.

Rick Carlisle didn’t hesitate to call Su Xi the team’s leader and the Eastern Conference Finals MVP in front of the media. He even shot a question back at the reporters, "Why don’t we have an Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy? Are the Eastern Conference Champions not champions?"

After three rounds of playoffs, Su Xi had indisputably become the Pacers’ most crucial X-factor.

If the Pacers team itself was a priceless crown, then Su Xi was the jewel on that crown, his presence turning it into a true symbol of power.

In the locker room, Su Xi was on the receiving end of a champagne shower from everyone. The joy of victory took the form of sweet bubbly sprayed all over him.

It was a bit like an NBA version of the Water-Splashing Festival: the most popular person received the most "blessings."

...

Sweeping the Pistons 4-0 was a fantasy outcome. Before the series began, not a single basketball expert had made such a bold prediction.

But that’s exactly what happened.

The Pistons could certainly find many reasons for their failure; the media had plenty of them ready-made.

But their season was over.

Larry Brown and Billups sat in misery at the press conference inside the Auburn Hills Palace. As the biggest losers in the East this year, they were there to be "inspected" by the media.

Neither of them was in a very good mood.

Larry Brown didn’t even bother with pleasantries.

When a reporter asked him what he thought of the loss, he said, "I don’t know."

He clearly hadn’t accepted the defeat yet.

In contrast, Billups adapted more quickly. He said, "I didn’t defend Little Sheep Su Xi well. I gave him too many opportunities to break through our defense. Moreover, he’s very cunning and extremely good at hiding his true strength. The level of skill he showed in Game 1, Game 2, Game 3, and Game 4 were all different. He brings something new to every single game."

"Even within the same game, on two consecutive defensive possessions against him, you can feel his intensity increasing."

Billups spoke his true thoughts. "It’s terrifying, because you have no idea what he’s truly capable of."

The reason Billups came to this conclusion was because Su Xi had "farmed" 5 agility talent points off him in the fourth game. Of course, it had an immediate effect.

At Su Xi’s current level of physical and technical talent, any increase in talent points would bring about a substantial improvement.

If Su Xi were sitting in the press area, he would definitely stand up and applaud. ’Billups, you’re incredibly perceptive.’

Then, a TNT reporter asked Billups, "So what level do you think Little Sheep Su Xi’s skill is at?"

"I think he’s the best active point guard in the NBA."

Billups was completely serious.

The reporters in the audience fell silent.

If Billups had said this before the series started, it definitely would have been taken as sarcasm, and the Detroit fans would have burst out laughing.

But now, they couldn’t laugh.

Billups had been beaten "black and blue." If he said Little Sheep Su Xi was the best active point guard, then it must be true.

Billups himself was a top-tier NBA point guard, a skilled two-way player. Among active players at the number 1 spot, he might not have been in the top five, but he was solidly in the top ten.

When he said Su Xi was the best point guard, perhaps J Kidd and others wouldn’t be convinced.

But J Kidd, you’re fucking out of the running already.

Little Sheep Su Xi is leading his team to the Finals, so what can you even run your mouth about?

If you want to talk shit, you’ll have to wait until next season, or until after the Pacers lose in the Finals.

However, in today’s league, point guard was a relatively weak position among the five. The talk was all about the Four Great Centers, the Two Dominators, the Four Great Forwards, the Four Great Guards... there was rarely any discussion about point guards.

With the NBA currently focused on half-court set plays, point guards didn’t stand out as much as players in other positions.

Carlisle and Artest subsequently attended the post-game press conference. Compared to Larry Brown and Billups, their faces were beaming with the joy of victors.

The reporters were a bit surprised that Su Xi hadn’t come.

Su Xi avoided it because he didn’t want to be asked about dating Scarlett Johansson. He gave the post-game opportunity to show off to Artest.

Ron Artest was very happy and excited.

"We never saw the Pistons as a threat. Ever since Jack joined us, we haven’t lost to them. So, this 4-0 sweep? It’s just business as usual, isn’t it?"