The Best Point Guard
Chapter 390 - 123: [I Had Intended to Get Along With You as a Gentle Elder]
The game continued.
The Bulls were certainly playing with the reckless abandon of youth.
Under Su Xi’s tight defense, Syracuse passed the ball to Ben Gordon. Gordon caught it, ignored Artest’s defense right in front of him, and pulled up for a jumper... SWISH!
He sank a three-pointer.
Artest was stunned.
’This kid’s got some nerve.’
’Across the entire NBA, who the hell dares to shoot on me, Artest, like that?’
After making the shot, Ben Gordon didn’t even acknowledge Artest. He turned straight to Su Xi and said, "Jack, what do you think? How’s my shot compared to my senior’s?"
"Better than them."
Su Xi gave him a thumbs-up.
Ben Gordon was thrilled.
The Pacers were playing a bit conservatively, mainly because Little O’Neal couldn’t dominate in the paint. Antonio Davis knew his game too well.
Su Xi’s drives to the basket weren’t going smoothly either, as Tyson Chandler and Antonio Davis were excellent at help defense. Plus... Nocioni was a damn good flopper.
On Su Xi’s second drive to the basket, Nocioni went down at the slightest contact. It was a clear flop, but he fell stiff as a board, his head smacking the floor with a resounding THUD.
The referee would have been letting down such a performance if he hadn’t called an offensive foul.
The Bulls played with a wild energy in the first quarter. Their shots were decisive and resolute.
The Pacers, meanwhile, were comparatively conservative, and their strategy was somewhat neutralized by the Bulls.
This Bulls lineup was pretty good.
31-23.
The Bulls led by 8 points at the end of the first quarter.
As the second quarter began, the Pacers didn’t change their strategy.
They believed the Bulls’ frantic pace couldn’t last the entire game. As long as they played a steady game, the Bulls’ shooting percentage would eventually drop, and the Pacers could then defeat them with their wealth of experience.
But things didn’t go according to plan.
Three minutes into the second quarter, Kirk Hinrich once again used a screen from Antonio Davis to create space. He hit a long two-pointer, then said to Su Xi, "Jack, it’s time I take back what’s mine."
Hmm?
Su Xi frowned.
"You can’t beat me forever. This series is the time to set things right."
Just as Syracuse finished speaking, TWEET!
Su Xi raised his hand, calling for a timeout.
’I tried to treat you all with the grace of a veteran, but in return, you just got more aggressive and disrespectful. I’m done holding back.’ Su Xi decided to go right at Syracuse.
Su Xi had a friendly chat with Carlisle, and the Pacers made some substitutions.
Kenny Anderson, Reggie Miller, and Tony Battie entered the game, joining Su Xi and Little O’Neal on the court.
Originally, Su Xi had wanted to use the Bulls’ frenetic play to hone the Pacers’ defensive stamina.
But with Syracuse’s provocation, that was no longer necessary.
Anderson brought the ball past half-court and passed it to Su Xi.
Syracuse was still the one defending Su Xi.
Syracuse’s defense was excellent. He was especially good at guarding fast, attacking players; Wade always struggled against him. Syracuse could even be considered a "Wade-stopper." This went all the way back to the 2003 NCAA Final Four, where Syracuse eliminated Wade by a huge margin. But then, in the championship game, Su Xi completely dismantled him, achieving an unprecedented "super" quadruple-double in NCAA Finals history.
Su Xi caught the ball on the wing. He dipped low, executing a classic drive fake as his left foot jabbed forward sharply.
Syracuse’s center of gravity immediately shifted forward.
At that moment, Su Xi quickly turned, flowing from a step into a dribble that left Syracuse’s defense in the dust.
Sitting courtside, Kobe nodded again and again. Su Xi’s execution of that move was incredibly sharp.
The technique was masterful, very old-school.
Moreover, Kobe couldn’t help but notice: while the move was from the same school of thought as his own, Su Xi’s jab step was sharper, his reach was longer and more versatile, and his initial burst on the drive had the feel of Jordan.
Jordan’s explosiveness and speed were among the best in history.
In that respect, Kobe had to rely on technique to compensate.
Su Xi didn’t have to.
Syracuse was tossed aside helplessly. He desperately fought his momentum to try and catch up, but Su Xi had already started toying with him. Su Xi suddenly stopped short. Syracuse scrambled to halt his own steps, staggering forward. Su Xi then spun away from him, gave a nimble shoulder fake, turned back, and rose for the shot.
It was all one fluid motion.
Syracuse was completely unable to offer any real defense.
He could only watch as the basketball flew over his head. He didn’t even dare to jump for the block; his center of gravity was too compromised to allow it.
SWISH!
The ball sliced through the net.
Su Xi had just thoroughly and completely humiliated Syracuse on a technical level.
Even though Su Xi’s Super Offensive Technique was only at 87 points, with the enhancement from his physical stats, dismantling Syracuse’s defense was a piece of cake. He didn’t even need to get physical.
"What was that you just said? Say it again!"
Su Xi stared down Syracuse.
Su Xi’s gaze was filled with authority.
For a moment, Syracuse didn’t dare to answer.
The game continued.
Su Xi cranked up the intensity on his defense against Syracuse. When Antonio came to set another screen, Su Xi swiftly navigated around it. After all, Su Xi was a man whose flexibility stat was maxed out. When it came to breaking the pick-and-roll, he was number one in the league! Number one in history!
The only reason Su Xi hadn’t been this smothering on defense earlier was because he had wanted to focus on honing the team’s overall defensive coordination.
But since Syracuse had run his mouth, there was no longer any need to give the Bulls that respect. He would just smother him.
In truth, the Bulls’ offense didn’t require the Pacers’ most serious attention.
This overwhelming individual pressure completely suffocated their offense.
Su Xi smothered Syracuse.
Flustered and struggling, Syracuse finally managed to pass the ball away.
Ben Gordon received the ball, but Anderson was already there to cut him off.
Anderson was older. Unlike Artest, who liked to go for the all-or-nothing play, he simply focused on disrupting Ben Gordon’s rhythm.
CLANK!
Ben Gordon’s shot clanked off the iron.
Under the basket, Tony Battie grabbed the rebound and passed it to Su Xi.
Su Xi brought the ball up the court, immediately posted up Syracuse on the wing, and went to work on him one-on-one.
Syracuse wasn’t weak, but he still couldn’t help but give ground against Su Xi’s powerful backing down. Su Xi backed him down for two steps, then with a quick spin, created an opening. Nocioni rushed over to help, but Su Xi flicked his wrist, passing to an open Reggie Miller, who caught it and fired... SWISH!
The three-pointer was good.
Effortless.
On the sideline, Carlisle frowned, muttering, "So Jack is a super shooting guard."
As a Point Guard, Su Xi’s passing was probably upper-mid tier. But as a shooting guard, his passing was absolutely elite for the position.
At the very least, Kobe Bryant, sitting by the bench, didn’t possess that kind of passing ability.
Up in his box, Larry Bird watched with delight, taking in Su Xi’s progress over the season. In just one season, Su Xi had gone from knowing nothing about one-on-one play to being an upper-mid tier isolation player in the league. ’How incredible is that?’
’With such an all-around skill set, who will be able to compete with him in the future?’
’Maybe he can truly create another era of guards dominating the league.’
It was a shame.
Larry Bird knew in his heart that the Pacers probably wouldn’t be able to keep Su Xi.
Why else would Kobe Bryant have flown all the way from Los Angeles to watch so intently?
Indiana was a much more conservative place; it wasn’t exactly known for the kind of nightlife he enjoyed.
At that moment, Kobe was also thinking: ’If Jack takes one wing and I take the other, we’d be a two-pronged attack. Across the entire NBA, who the hell would dare mess with the Lakers?’
’Plus, Little Sheep Su Xi’s game is so complete.’
’His on-ball defense is second to none.’
’Players who are better than him in isolation don’t have his ability to penetrate and finish.’
’Players who can penetrate and finish like he can aren’t as good at moving without the ball and hitting open threes.’
’And players who are better at moving off-ball and hitting open threes can’t match his isolation game.’
’It’s a perfect loop!’
’He’s the super-partner heaven sent for me.’
’The two of us together? What’s Jordan Pippen compared to that?’
’We could win at least eight championships—an eight-peat!’
So thought Kobe Bryant.