Free Web NovelChapter 388: Chapter 122: I, the Regular Season MVP. Nike, Pay Up
This really pissed Nike off.
Because the bonus money they had to pay out was cold, hard cash.
They had already decided to pour more promotional resources into the United States to build up Little Sheep Su Xi’s brand.
Otherwise, wouldn’t all that money have been for nothing?
By contrast, the resources invested in LeBron James hadn’t been a waste. Although his accolades and record were inferior to Su Xi’s, he was still the high and mighty "Chosen One," and many respected experts believed he was guaranteed to surpass Little Sheep Su Xi in the future. They predicted Little Sheep Su Xi would start strong but fizzle out, while LeBron James would start strong and only climb higher!
When Su Xi spoke, people had to take him seriously.
All past evidence proved that Little Sheep Su Xi was a vengeful person. If he was slighted, he would make sure to find those who had offended him and get his revenge, one by one.
Three days after Su Xi made his statement, he led his team to eliminate the New Jersey Nets.
In this game, it was as if he was reminding the fans, ’My run-and-gun is pretty damn good, too.’
He orchestrated fast-paced attacks the entire game. Under his leadership, Indiana’s offensive tempo was incredibly quick, and they ultimately defeated the Nets 132-101.
A score like that was unheard of in this era.
After the game, Jason Kidd said, "If I had a vote, I’d cast it for Little Sheep Su Xi."
This season, the debate surrounding Nash and him had been intense. Everyone was saying that Nash had already supplanted J Kidd as the league’s top Point Guard.
J Kidd obviously didn’t want that to happen. After all, many years ago, Nash had just been his backup.
Back then, he was still playing for the Mavericks.
J Kidd had his reasons for supporting Su Xi. "Little Sheep Su Xi is a combination of O’Neal and Olajuwon at the Point Guard position. He’s physical, fast, and explosive, with agile footwork and above-average passing. He can make sharp drives to the basket and also has the speed to create space from the defense."
"His control over the game clearly exceeds the scope of a ’floor general.’ He’s both a formidable finisher and a potent distributor."
"And don’t forget his leadership. Being able to take charge of a superteam as a rookie is an enormous test of leadership. You could say this is where Little Sheep Su Xi is truly light-years ahead of other stars. Looking at the entire history of the NBA, nothing like this has ever happened before."
J Kidd’s praise for Su Xi was almost sickeningly sweet.
But he was telling the truth.
The past words and actions of the Indiana players had long since proven this point: Indiana had only one core, and that was Little Sheep Su Xi.
Everyone rallied closely around him. If anyone dared show even a hint of disrespect toward Little Sheep Su Xi, an Indiana enforcer would ’open fire’ on them on the court. This pack of vicious thugs surrounded Little Sheep Su Xi, forming the most dangerous, yet also the most harmonious, team in the NBA.
Isaiah Thomas often said, "This is the modern-day Bad Boys Legion."
However, Stephen Jackson disagreed. He strongly retorted, "I read the Bible."
「After the four-to-zero sweep of the Brooklyn Nets.」
The regular season MVP award was finally announced.
It was Su Xi.
But when the voting results were released, Su Xi’s victory was razor-thin. He only beat Nash by 18 points and was even behind him in first-place votes. His lead over O’Neal wasn’t large, either. He won because of a massive lead in second-place votes, as all the voters who picked Nash or O’Neal for first place gave their second-place votes to Su Xi.
The 18-point margin also set a record for the smallest in NBA regular season MVP history, breaking the record from the ’96-’97 season when Carl Malone beat Michael Jordan by just 20 points.
Such a narrow victory gave the media plenty of fodder.
But Su Xi didn’t care about any of that.
All he knew was that he had won the regular season MVP, and Nike would have to cut him a check for 20 million USD.
This would be a massive windfall for Su Xi’s already flush bank account.
Phil Knight congratulated Su Xi on winning the regular season MVP in a voice that sounded like he was about to cry. "Jack," he said over the phone, "let’s sign a new contract. I’ll give you a direct cut of the shoe revenue."
Su Xi said, "Let’s talk after this season."
Su Xi had recently been planning to buy stakes in a few internet companies, so he needed the money. Theoretically, he could still get another 40 million USD from Nike, plus a 5% cut of shoe sales.
It was all stipulated in the contract.
Nike was filled with nothing but regret now. Phil Knight desperately wished he could travel back in time and slap his past self a couple of times.
Now, not only did he have to pay out the 20 million, but he also had to increase the company’s investment in media resources to build Su Xi up.
They absolutely had to maximize the value of this regular season MVP award.
After all, he was the youngest regular season MVP in history, as well as the youngest Finals MVP.
With honors that solid, how could they not go all-in on promoting him?
The moment Nike started throwing money around, a chorus of praise for Su Xi emerged.
When money talks, what are so-called ’principles’ even worth?
In his "Imperial Palace" mansion in Cleveland, LeBron James smashed another plasma TV. He was furious. And then, he fired the Goodwin Brothers.
Su Xi’s success was agonizing for him. Seeing Su Xi make money hurt more than losing money himself.
Originally, he was Nike’s golden boy; all the media resources were poured into him.
Now, not only was Su Xi earning more than him, Nike was also frantically pouring resources into him.
He was miserable.
He couldn’t accept it.
’Little Sheep Su Xi was just supposed to be my Pippen, for crying out loud! How did he suddenly get ahead of me? How dare he rack up so many awards?’
’If I’d known then what I know now, it would’ve been so much better not to trade him.’
’If he had stayed by my side, my spotlight would have definitely been bigger.’
So James thought to himself.
But back then, he had been the one to force management to trade Little Sheep Su Xi.
The Cleveland management was full of regret, too. They couldn’t help but wonder how great things would be if they hadn’t traded Little Sheep Su Xi.
...
Shaquille O’Neal, despite his busy schedule, took the time to congratulate Su Xi, appearing very gracious.
"He absolutely deserves the regular season MVP. His stats are incredible, and his team’s record is incredible. I have no complaints about the result. Congratulations to him."
O’Neal said, sincerely convinced.
Then, he added, "But I have a message for him. This is the playoffs now, and things are completely different. My goal this year is to take him down and get my revenge. I’m going to help the Heat win the championship, and no one can stop me from achieving that goal."
"Our whole team is ready."
Shaquille O’Neal vowed.
He was fired up.
O’Neal was full of drive. He was happy that Kobe and the Lakers hadn’t made the playoffs this year. In his calculations, if he led the Heat to a championship, the reputations of Kobe and the Lakers would be completely ruined. Everyone would mock the decision they made last summer, just as people had mocked Cleveland the summer before that.
Furthermore, if he led his team to get revenge on Indiana, the fans would finally understand that the person most responsible for last year’s Finals loss to Indiana wasn’t O’Neal, it was Kobe!
O’Neal had big plans.
And while he was talking, Kobe Bryant flew to Indiana.
He was there ostensibly to "offer some guidance," but his more important mission, of course, was to recruit Su Xi.
He desperately wanted Su Xi to join the Lakers and form a new era’s dynamic duo with him.
Nash also made a gracious statement after coming in second.
"I’d like to thank all the reporters and basketball experts who voted for me. This past season was incredibly important to me. We successfully proved that we’re on the fast track to success."
"Even though I didn’t win the regular season MVP, I’m still filled with gratitude for this past season. Little Sheep Su Xi’s performance was outstanding, and he deserves this award."
"Now, I’m going to put all of this behind me. I need to move forward toward my goal without any distractions. Who knows, maybe I’ll win a different MVP this season?"
Steve Nash’s words were gentle, but they carried weight.
With his team having the best record in the regular season, he naturally wanted more: the Finals MVP.
However, the Phoenix Suns weren’t the only team aiming for the championship this year.
He still had several hurdles to overcome in the West.
...
