Chapter 314: Chapter 85: 3:1, Securing Match Point

After finishing his call with Larry Bird, Su Xi received another call from Isaiah Thomas.

Isaiah Thomas congratulated Su Xi on the major victory. He was most pleased that Su Xi had solved his stamina problem. He also thanked Su Xi for teaching Carl Malone a harsh lesson, destroying his championship dream and making him leave the court on his knees.

Isaiah Thomas utterly detested Carl Malone.

Then, Nike also called to congratulate him.

Nike was currently feeling a mix of pain and pleasure. While the huge bonus payments made them wince, if Su Xi led his team to defeat the OK Combination and win the Finals MVP in his rookie season, his popularity on the court would reach an unprecedented peak.

Nike would definitely reap huge rewards from this. They would certainly promote Su Xi as their number one asset and had even come up with tags like ’Successor to the League’ and ’Ruler of a New Era’.

This would make things a bit awkward for James.

But from any perspective, Su Xi had gone further in his rookie season than LeBron James and was a more suitable successor. Moreover, if he won the championship, he could truly claim to have started a new era.

It was a bustling night. Su Xi’s phone was ringing off the hook. There were many calls he didn’t answer and countless text messages he didn’t even have time to open.

In fact, the phones of the other Pacers players in the locker room were in a similar state.

One could predict that if they won the championship, their phones would get even busier.

...

Su Xi didn’t wake up until noon the next day in his large hotel bed. He then saw Kobe Bryant’s resolute statement at the post-game press conference on TV. "To me, second place is the biggest loser. I will not let us lose this series. We will achieve redemption."

At the press conference, Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal looked each other in the eye.

They put on a show of reconciliation between the general and his commander right then and there.

This invigorated the Lakers fans.

Su Xi’s reaction could only be described as... lukewarm.

He didn’t think Kobe and O’Neal could truly unite. Their relationship was already beyond repair; their conflict was structural. There was no chance they would suddenly become inseparable overnight.

Besides, they were more likely to team up when things were going well. In adversity, they were both players who trusted themselves more.

Kobe was a superstar guard on the rise, filled with limitless confidence in himself.

Shaq was the league’s number one center who, despite just having slipped from his peak, was still dominant. He didn’t think he would be replaced by some wet-behind-the-ears young guard, and he still believed his way of dominating the game was the prevailing method in the league today.

CLICK!

Su Xi turned off the TV.

After washing up and finishing lunch, Su Xi watched half an hour of game tape, then headed to the hotel gym to train as usual.

Su Xi’s life wasn’t as glamorous as many people described. Just because a guy was dating two Hollywood goddesses at the same time didn’t necessarily make him a playboy; he might just be a training maniac.

After obtaining the Super Physical Talents of both Big Wei and Xiaowei, combined with his own super recovery ability, playing a full game was no longer an issue for Su Xi. But he still wanted to find out where his true limits were.

So, he trained like a madman in the gym.

He worked out from the afternoon straight through to the evening.

He barely took a break.

And this video footage was soon posted online by someone in the gym with an agenda, sparking a new round of discussion.

After last night’s game, some Lakers fans had been suspecting all day that Su Xi had taken performance-enhancing drugs. Otherwise, there was no explaining his radical transformation.

Su Xi took a urine test after the game.

The results of the urine test came out at noon.

They showed that everything was clear.

Then the Los Angeles media began to suspect that Su Xi had taken some high-tech substance that current tests couldn’t detect.

There were also conspiracy theories that the league had taken a bribe from the Pacers and deliberately let it slide.

All sorts of theories were floating around.

Time Warner even launched a serious-looking program to discuss the matter, bringing in some experts. Some of these experts said that if Little Sheep Su Xi had taken performance enhancers, he would definitely be lethargic now. Moreover, the effects wouldn’t last, and he would be exposed in the upcoming games.

This even became the main evidence for Los Angeles fans to believe the Lakers could make a historic 1-3 comeback.

And at this very moment, the video of Su Xi working out conveniently circulated on the internet.

In the footage, Su Xi was constantly training on various equipment, from cardio to anaerobic exercises, from machines to stretching... Su Xi never stopped.

Although some Los Angeles netizens questioned if it was old footage and not from today.

But did it matter?

If it was from before, it would only mean Jack had been hiding it.

And if it was from today, it proved Su Xi definitely hadn’t taken any performance enhancers and that his stamina was more than sufficient.

’Besides, don’t performance enhancers just boost excitement and explosiveness?’

...

A lot happened on the first day after the game.

The media wasn’t just discussing Su Xi’s stamina.

They were also discussing Su Xi’s achievements.

Previously, public opinion had somewhat ’suppressed’ Su Xi’s achievements. In the coverage of James and Su Xi, James undoubtedly received more positive hype.

But now that the playoffs had reached the Finals, and James had been home fishing for almost two months, the only NBA news left was about the Finals.

Su Xi’s incredible triple-double and monster dunks had just made a shocking appearance, and he now had a chance to win the Finals MVP.

The media could no longer keep it under wraps.

So they just opened the floodgates. "Is Little Sheep Su Xi the true leader of the golden 2003 draft class?"

"Will Little Sheep Su Xi become the true chosen one of the 2003 class?"

"Does Little Sheep Su Xi have the best talent in the 2003 class?"

"Has Su Xi truly pulled away from James and Cameron?"

The conclusions of these discussions varied. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

However, the very existence of such a large-scale debate was proof of Su Xi’s commanding lead. Perhaps after the new season began, LeBron James and Cameron Anthony could make a comeback.

But if Su Xi won the Finals MVP this season, everything would be completely different.

James could only pray that Su Xi wouldn’t win the Finals MVP.

That Finals MVP award would completely render his half of a Rookie of the Year award tasteless, even turning it into a ’joke’.

Moreover, a Su Xi backed by a Finals MVP would inevitably become the number one rookie and leader of the 2003 draft class.

There was no way around it; it was an honor as solid as it gets.

Unless Su Xi’s on-court performance continuously declined afterward, and James and Anthony achieved increasingly better results.

This was why at James’ house, not only was the TV smashed, but the sound system was as well.

...

Carl Malone’s injury report came out at noon the next day. He had a fracture.

His season was over. He would not be appearing on the court for the rest of the Finals.

His career was also over.

Carl Malone’s agent seemed very somber when discussing the matter, but he still encouraged the Lakers to keep fighting, hoping they could win the championship.

Furthermore, some people asked, since Carl Malone had suffered such a serious injury, shouldn’t Bender, the one who injured him, be suspended?

But this was not the mainstream opinion.

After all, the head referee hadn’t even called a foul on Bender.

Anyone who had seen the game footage knew that Malone’s injury was his own damn fault—a perfect case of karmic retribution.

If Carl Malone hadn’t intentionally tried to injure someone, would he have gotten injured?

There was not an ounce of sympathy for Carl Malone.

And the tragic thing for Malone was that not only were the Lakers fans not grateful to him...

...but on the contrary, there were many ’reflections’ on the internet.

"Are we playing so badly in the Finals this year because of Carl Malone’s championship curse? He jinxed the Lakers."

"Our roster is so good. Without Malone, we could win three straight championships. With him, how come we’re suddenly struggling?"

"Historically, he’s always been more of a hindrance than a help. He’s never proven himself in the Finals, and he’s been constantly venting his personal grudges, which only motivated Little Sheep Su Xi to become even stronger."

"The Lakers really shouldn’t have signed him. I hope the Lakers can win the next game now that he’s gone."

"They definitely will..."

"..."