Free Web NovelChapter 374: Chapter 115: Su Xi, an Outright Scumbag
"You just want to say you’re better than LeBron James, that’s all," the reporter said, a bit exasperated.
"Anyone who watched the game will have a clear answer."
Su Xi didn’t want to argue with him.
"Even if you won now, and even if your stats look better than LeBron’s, you still can’t compare to LeBron in terms of talent. A player’s career is a long marathon. LeBron will definitely have a more brilliant career than you," the reporter confidently predicted.
"Heh."
Su Xi let out a short laugh and said no more. But the disdain on his face was plain to see.
Su Xi then answered a few more questions.
Before leaving, he kicked the basketball away and strode toward the locker room.
This game was just one regular-season game in a long season, not even nationally televised.
But for Su Xi, its significance was extraordinary.
This was the first game where Su Xi had truly single-handedly carried the team on both offense and defense, at times using his own scoring prowess to drag the team to victory. With this game, Su Xi’s actions told everyone that he had kicked off an all-out rivalry with LeBron James—and won the opening round.
In the post-game press conference, Rick Carlisle confirmed as much.
"Jack is the best player in the 2003 draft class."
"Jack is the best perimeter offensive player in this league."
"Jack isn’t just a Point Guard; he’s also a shooting guard."
"Jack will become an all-time great. A 40-20-10-5 game is just the beginning. You’ll see many more perfect individual performances from him."
The basketball media didn’t widely report on Su Xi’s historic, monster triple-double, and the Pacers’ victory was only mentioned in passing. However, some media outlets harshly criticized Su Xi for stepping on the basketball during the final play. They claimed it was unsportsmanlike and lacked competitive spirit, with some experts even suggesting the league should suspend him.
The whole thing was absurd.
However, on the ever-growing internet, the debate comparing Su Xi and James grew increasingly fierce.
Especially after this head-to-head matchup.
The prestige of "The Chosen One" was fading. The wall-to-wall media coverage was starting to backfire.
People were discovering that James held no advantage over Su Xi whatsoever. He wasn’t the unstoppable force the hype suggested. Only the vague, mystical notion of his "talent" could still fool some weak-willed bandwagon fans.
Because this game had all the necessary ingredients.
People used to say Su Xi’s strong record and numerous accolades were just because of his team’s stacked roster. But now, the Pacers were on the road, missing two of their core players from the frontcourt and backcourt, as well as their starting small forward.
People used to say Su Xi’s on-ball offense was weak, but tonight, his scoring in half-court sets far surpassed that of LeBron James.
The two main arguments against him were demolished in one fell swoop.
Not only did Su Xi lead the weaker team to victory, but his stats also completely eclipsed James’s.
Wasn’t that enough to prove Su Xi was better than James?
If there truly was a "Chosen One" in the 2003 draft class, wasn’t Little Sheep Su Xi a better fit for the title?
Just look at what he’d accomplished in just over a year.
In comparison, LeBron James seemed more like a spoiled child.
He enjoyed all the praise and resources the league lavished on him, yet he hadn’t achieved more than Su Xi.
Of course, putting Su Xi aside, LeBron James’s performance was indeed excellent. He was a phenomenal rookie and a phenomenal sophomore.
But Su Xi was historic.
...
After a big win in Cleveland, Su Xi and the Pacers continued their sweep through the Central Division.
In Chicago, Su Xi went all out. Under the defense of the three rookies—Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Hinrich—he wildly took 31 shots, making 14 of them for a game-high 35 points. His offensive efficiency wasn’t great, but they won the game.
In the words of one commentator: "After leading the team on a smooth offensive run, Little Sheep Su Xi rewards himself with a few isolation plays. He often slows down, dribbling single-handedly into the heart of the Bulls’ defense. The young Bulls rookies can’t seem to figure out the youngest Finals MVP in history. They just keep trying to trap him."
They didn’t even know if their efforts were having an effect. Little Sheep Su Xi frequently bricked shots while being trapped, but he remained in firm control of the game’s tempo. He seemed to be playing arbitrarily, but he knew what he needed to do far better than his younger opponents.
Su Xi was younger than both Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, and significantly younger than Hinrich, who had played four years of college ball.
After the game, Ben Gordon, the third overall pick from the University of Connecticut, said with bewilderment, "Sometimes I think he’s brilliant. Other times, I think he’s even more stubborn than I am."
"But either way, he’s on another level right now. All we can do is try our best to guard him."
Ben Gordon was giving himself too much credit. He hadn’t put any defensive pressure on Su Xi at all; his defense was far worse than that of his fellow alumni. His shooting, however, was another story. He carried on the proud tradition of University of Connecticut guards, a golden reputation shared with alumni like Hamilton and Ray Allen.
The real defensive pressure on Su Xi in that game came from Hinrich and Luol Deng, who guarded him tightly.
Su Xi was delighted.
After this game, he would have accumulated enough difficult, bricked shots. He looked forward to upgrading his super offensive talent again.
But in Milwaukee, he didn’t face anything resembling a proper defense.
Michael Redd was a great guy, but he was by no means a great defender.
When Redd guarded Su Xi, Su Xi felt no pressure at all. With no intention of disrespecting Michael Redd, he simply gave up on his isolation plays for the game and focused on facilitating for his teammates.
He worked with the new guys, helping them integrate into the team’s up-tempo offense.
Destroying the Bucks was just a byproduct of it all.
The Pacers slaughtered the Bucks by 17 points. The media started calling them another run-and-gun team.
Carlisle stressed, "We’re different from Phoenix. We have better defense."
Charles Barkley thought Carlisle was just flattering himself. In his opinion, the Pacers’ defense without Artest, Jackson, and Little Ao was like a streetwalker’s bra—it looked like it was there, but it wasn’t doing a thing.
Meanwhile, Artest, Jackson, and Little Ao were enjoying a leisurely "vacation" in Los Angeles. They’d been spotted together more than once—sometimes in a recording studio, sometimes at a photo shoot. They even launched a fashion brand called "Three’s Company" and started selling t-shirts. The first design was the "Auburn Hills Special Edition."
In contrast, the suspended Pistons players weren’t having nearly as much fun. They were taking the blame for their team’s declining record, with Pistons fans and commentators criticizing them for their impulsiveness, which may have cost the team its best shot at a championship.
After their tour through the Central Division, the Pacers returned home to host two teams from the West: the Clippers and the Trail Blazers.
Both teams were still in the midst of a long rebuilding process, and beating them posed little difficulty.
The slide in the standings that Pacers fans had feared never materialized. They were leaving everyone else in the dust in the Eastern Conference rankings.
Su Xi’s leadership and one-on-one skills earned even more widespread praise.
The biggest question weighing on Larry Bird’s mind now was, ’What do I have to do to keep Little Sheep Su Xi?’
He even went to Los Angeles to find Jessica Alba. When Jessica Alba learned that Larry Bird wanted her to use an emotional appeal to help the Pacers keep Su Xi...
A look of unprecedented clarity dawned on her face. She absentmindedly nodded and agreed to Larry Bird’s request.
The moment he left, she was on the phone with Su Xi. "Jack, why don’t you come play in Los Angeles? It’s the City of Angels! That way we wouldn’t have to be long-distance anymore."
"Are you recruiting for the Lakers or the Clippers?" Su Xi asked, puzzled. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll get to Los Angeles and become a Hollywood playboy? The women here won’t be able to resist me."
Su Xi was being an unabashed player.
