Chapter 316: Chapter 86: Yao Ming Commentates on the Finals

The Lakers’ starting lineup for tonight was: O’Neal, Medvedenko, Devin George, Kobe Bryant, and Gary Payton.

The Pacers’ starters: Tony Battie, Little O’Neal, Miller, Artest, and Su Xi.

Battie had played very well in the last game, so he was promoted to starting center for this one.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and O’Neal tipped the ball to Gary Payton.

Payton caught the ball, but as he took his first step forward, Su Xi was instantly on him. He caught Payton off guard with a powerful bump and used his long arms to slap the ball loose.

A steal to start the game.

In the broadcast booth across the ocean, Yao Ming said with a smile, "This is the master versus the student. The whole league knows Su Xi learned his defense from Gary Payton; their defensive styles are nearly identical. Gary Payton often brags on TV that Su Xi is his star pupil. But from the looks of it now, the student has surpassed the master."

Gary Payton chased after Su Xi.

Su Xi accelerated on the drive, charging to the basket. Medvedenko lunged over to block him but was bodied away by Su Xi in mid-air as he laid the ball into the hoop with his left hand.

"That’s Su Xi’s strength for you. When that guy charges and bumps into you, it’s like being hit by a car. I hate guarding him. Among the rookies, you have him, Antonio, and James—three monsters of strength. The 2003 draft class produced a lot of freaks of nature."

The audience in front of their TVs was captivated by Yao Ming’s commentary.

This was all firsthand information, after all.

Other commentators just shouted a few phrases and essentially read from a script, like they were reading an instruction manual.

The game continued. Kobe posted up Artest. As he spun into the paint, he passed the ball to O’Neal, who finished with a thunderous dunk.

"If Kobe keeps playing like this, it’ll be very difficult for the Pacers to win. But, if Kobe always played like this, he wouldn’t be Kobe."

Yao Ming hit the nail on the head.

He also shared some gossip. "Back when Su Xi first joined the Pacers, a lot of players in the league said Artest would definitely put him in his place. After all, Artest is a known hothead, and the Pacers were his territory. But it wasn’t long before Artest was completely won over and fully submitted to Su Xi’s leadership.

"That just goes to show you that Su Xi really is something special. NBA locker rooms are complicated environments. Everyone’s a millionaire or a multi-millionaire, and they’re all cocky. Who’s going to listen to anyone else?"

Yao Ming seamlessly wove these stories into his commentary on the game.

The two teams traded blows in a tense, back-and-forth affair.

With their backs against the wall, the Lakers delivered a phenomenal performance. The OK Combination played as one, with both superstars having strong individual games and interacting frequently.

But even so, the Lakers couldn’t manage to pull ahead.

The Pacers, on the other hand, had truly come into their own. Led by Su Xi, the entire team fought valiantly, with scoring threats emerging from all over the court.

Neither team could get the upper hand.

The Lakers had been hoping Su Xi would sub out for a rest after seven minutes, but not tonight. He played the entire first quarter and capped it off by hitting an incredible buzzer-beating three-pointer.

It was a complete heave.

The fact that it went in showed that luck was on Su Xi’s side tonight.

It also gave the Pacers a two-point lead.

"If the game continues at this pace, the Lakers will lose," Yao Ming said. "The Pacers have more tenacity and a much deeper roster. Outside of the OK Combination, the Lakers are struggling to find a third scoring option."

Yao Ming told the fans watching across China, "Today, we are about to witness a historic moment for Chinese basketball."

This filled the viewers in front of their TVs with anticipation and excitement.

After the second quarter began, O’Neal had a burst of dominance. He repeatedly wreaked havoc in the paint, at one point helping the Lakers build a six-point lead.

At that same moment, Su Xi’s shooting touch went ice-cold.

But he quickly changed his approach, dishing out assists instead. Little O’Neal and Reggie Miller stepped up. Little O’Neal dominated his matchups, while Miller hit his signature cold-blooded threes.

The Pacers erased the deficit.

By the end of the second quarter, the Lakers led by only one point.

By this point, signs of fatigue were clearly visible on O’Neal.

"O’Neal doesn’t train much, and he doesn’t deliberately manage his weight. He’s a bit lazy, but it’s not entirely due to laziness. For a giant like him, too much training can actually increase the risk of injury. For him to have maintained his peak form for this long is honestly remarkable. He entered the league in ’92; it’s been almost 12 years now."

Yao Ming explained.

Few giant centers in the NBA can even play for 12 years, and for one to maintain the level of dominance O’Neal has is completely unprecedented.

Yao himself was now a little worried that he might not be able to play for 12 years.

The CCTV broadcast cameras clearly captured the moment Su Xi came off the court, when a beautiful woman stood up, took his hand, and asked for his autograph on her back.

"That’s Anne Hathaway, a very famous American actress. Su Xi has a way with female stars..."

CCTV cut to a commercial break.

Even though everyone in the United States called Little Sheep Su Xi a playboy, on Chinese television, Su Xi was portrayed as a wholesome young man.

No mainstream media outlets reported on Su Xi’s scandalous gossip, even though it was all over the internet in the form of jokes and memes. But mainstream television stations... how could they possibly report on such sordid affairs?

During the halftime commercial break on CCTV, there were a total of 13 ads.

Su Xi was in five of them.

One for a mobile communications company.

One for Nike.

One for Pepsi.

One for a global fast-food brand.

And another for a domestic beverage company.

If not for the concern of causing viewer fatigue, Su Xi’s sponsors could have easily filled all 13 commercial slots.

Su Xi currently dominated the domestic sports market. His commercial resources surpassed even Yao Ming’s; he had come from behind to take the top spot.

It was just like how Su Xi’s status in the NBA had already surpassed Yao Ming’s.

Although Yao Ming was a first-overall pick, he was a center and had never become the true leader of the Rockets. Su Xi, on the other hand, played guard—the position most beloved by fans. Plus, his skills were constantly improving, he had won many hard-fought games, his star was on the rise, and now he was in the Finals. Most importantly, he was handsome.

How could his commercial value not be sky-high?

When the commercials ended, the second half of the game began.

Both teams sent out their first-quarter starting lineups.

On the very first possession, Su Xi made a clever off-ball cut. He ran to the corner, getting open to receive a pass from Little O’Neal. As Kobe flew over to close out, Su Xi passed it inside again. Artest caught the ball, drove to the hoop, and dished it to Tony Battie. Battie leaped up, preparing to throw down a powerful dunk.

But O’Neal flew over and simply knocked him to the ground. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Battie immediately clutched his arm, cold sweat pouring down his face.

The slow-motion replay showed that as he landed, he braced his fall with his left hand, and his wrist was clearly twisted.

"Tony Battie handled that fall all wrong. When I first got into the NBA, the very first thing the coaches told me was that when you get knocked down, you have to go down with the momentum. Never, ever try to brace your fall with your hands. Do you know how strong O’Neal is?!"

The referee stopped the game, and the Pacers’ team doctor came onto the court to check on him.

They then helped him walk off the court.

Before leaving the court, Tony Battie made a point to go over to Su Xi and whisper a few words in his ear.

Su Xi patted him on the back.

"Tony Battie must be the type of ’bodyguard’ player that Chinese fans love most. He followed Su Xi all the way from Cleveland, even buying out his own contract at one point. He’s a very loyal guy. He even knows that Chinese fans nicknamed him Hu Su Bao. He asked me what it meant, and I told him it means ’Su Xi’s Protector.’ He was thrilled to hear that."

Yao Ming revealed another little secret.

The fans in front of their TVs found this fascinating. ’So they know about the nicknames we give them!’

At the same time, they all wished Tony Battie well, hoping that their Hu Su Bao would be all right.

His contributions in the last two games had been immense, and he had been very successful in defending O’Neal.

The Pacers subbed in Foster.

Tony Battie’s departure wouldn’t be a huge loss for the Pacers.

It wasn’t enough to tip the scales of the game.

Foster took the free throws in Tony Battie’s place, making one of two.

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