The Best Point Guard-Chapter 48 - 46: He Should Come and Assist Me

When Su Xi took the court, the cheers he received were second only to those for Carmeron Anthony.

He was already a household name.

The roar from the New Orleans fans for him was far louder than for TJ Ford, a potential lottery pick who played the same position.

Head Coach Rick Banis stood on the sidelines, a dapper figure. He was one of the most prominent coaches in the NCAA in recent years. He joined the Longhorns in ’98 and immediately restored the team to its former glory. He had led them to the Sweet Sixteen for three consecutive years, and this year, they had even reached the Final Four.

The board of trustees trusted him, and his players respected him. He was on the fast track of his career.

He had at least four NBA-caliber players on his roster. TJ Ford was considered a lottery prospect. Combo guard Royce Aivei, forward James Thomas, and center Greg Robinson, while slightly less talented, were dominant forces in the NCAA. Most importantly, all four had high basketball IQs; they didn’t just play hero ball. (All three would later become coaches, with Aivei currently serving as an assistant coach for the Rockets.)

This was why they were a number one seed.

Unlike an impetuous youngster, he wasn’t bothered by the sound of over 60,000 people cheering for Little Sheep Su Xi.

"Turn their cheers for him into cheers for you. Don’t lower yourself to the level of a flash in the pan," Rick Banis told TJ Ford.

He enjoyed teaching his players a little life philosophy.

But his players didn’t always listen.

When TJ Ford stepped onto the court, he made a beeline for Su Xi.

He confronted Su Xi, "So you’re the one who said you could stop me? That you could beat the Longhorns?"

Su Xi looked down at TJ Ford, who was a good half a head shorter than him. Taking full responsibility for his words, he nodded seriously. "Yeah."

It was that single, simple "Yeah."

TJ Ford was livid.

’This arrogant?’

"Just you wait!"

TJ Ford spat out the threat.

Su Xi replied happily, "Great!"

’The angrier TJ Ford got, the happier Su Xi became. TJ Ford is definitely a player with extreme explosiveness. If I’m matched up against him and he goes all out, won’t my own explosiveness stat go up a point or two?’

’So how could Su Xi possibly complain about TJ Ford confronting him? The guy was a living saint.’

TWEET! The referee blew his whistle and tossed the ball into the air. The Final Four had officially begun.

The Longhorns’ center, Robinson, won the tip-off against Craig.

The ball went to TJ Ford.

Ford brought the ball up the court, and his matchup against Su Xi at the top of the arc immediately drew the attention of the entire crowd.

On the ESPN broadcast, Chatford said excitedly, "Let’s see what Little Sheep Su Xi is really made of! Is he just a bubble inflated by the media, waiting to be popped by the lightning-quick TJ Ford?"

Su Xi spread his arms wide.

He hadn’t expected TJ Ford to attack directly with his speed. Despite being incredibly fast and undersized, Ford was actually a team player. He had led the NCAA with 8.8 assists per game last year and was in the top three again this year.

Besides, he wanted to put Su Xi in his place. ’I’ll show him the consequences of being so dismissive.’

The NCAA shot clock was 35 seconds long.

He had plenty of time to toy with Su Xi.

McNamara watched from his hospital bed, breaking out in a cold sweat for Su Xi. He himself had been dropped by TJ Ford’s incredibly low center of gravity and rapid-fire dribbling—twice.

POUND!

TJ Ford began to pound the ball harder and harder in front of Su Xi... POUND! POUND! POUND!

Each dribble was faster than the one before, accelerating rapidly.

Iverson watched from the sideline with an appreciative look.

But at this moment, the smile on Su Xi’s lips grew even wider.

He closed in on TJ Ford, his center of gravity shifting to match Ford’s rapid-fire crossovers.

Just then—SCREECH!

TJ Ford abruptly threw out a jab step, unleashing his explosive talent.

Su Xi was ecstatic. ’The Super Explosiveness talent inside me is stirring, it’s about to finish fusing!’

’This proves TJ Ford’s explosiveness is top-tier at minimum, possibly even super-tier.’

’Even Carmeron Anthony couldn’t trigger the talent fusion anymore, but this guy can.’

Su Xi, grinning, stayed right with him. But just as he did, TJ Ford came to a sudden stop and then executed another vicious crossover.

Su Xi was thrown off balance, like a passenger flung to the side when a speeding car makes a sudden turn.

Su Xi was thrilled. ’The Super Explosiveness talent, which hadn’t improved in ages, suddenly shot up... from 86% to 88%!’

He scrambled to catch up, looking a little clumsy.

A huge grin spread across TJ Ford’s face. He was loving this.

He could have blown right past him, but he decided to stay and play.

He suddenly leaned into Su Xi, intending to use his signature whirlwind spin to send the off-balance defender tumbling. It was a move that never failed him on the streetball courts.

However, the moment he made contact, he felt an immense, powerful force pushing back. It was pure Newtonian physics.

He staggered, and without a moment’s hesitation, he spun away.

His reactions were incredibly fast.

A normal defender would have never been able to recover.

But... was Su Xi ordinary? 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Was this player, known for being "softer against the soft, but harder against the hard," ordinary?

His 93% Super Flexibility talent was already the best in the NCAA, surpassing even most top-tier talents.

Su Xi seized the opportunity. He lunged, his body bending like rubber. He looked completely reckless, as if he’d totally lost his balance, but his incredibly long arm shot out from the side... SLAP!

TJ Ford lost control of the ball.

Just as he moved to regain control, Su Xi’s right hand—the one that had just swatted the ball—pushed off the floor, and his powerful body came barreling through.

It was like a defensive version of a ground-hugging flight.

TJ Ford was knocked aside. He could only watch helplessly as Su Xi took the ball and sprinted down to the frontcourt.

The Super Dome Arena erupted.

No one had seen that coming.

Su Xi had been at a clear disadvantage, yet he’d somehow managed to turn the tables?

How did he do that?

Even the experts in the building couldn’t figure it out.

Iverson was in disbelief. He had thought TJ Ford was about to unleash a combo that would KO Su Xi. He had even prepared some words of comfort for Coach John Thompson.

But Su Xi had turned the tables, and now his tactful condolences were stuck in his throat.

Su Xi brought the ball into the frontcourt and passed it to a trailing Carmeron Anthony. Anthony drove to the basket and finished with a powerful tomahawk dunk, igniting the entire arena.

"Melo! Melo! Melo!"

The fans chanted in unison, the roar deafening.

Carmeron Anthony raised his hands high, like a King basking in his subjects’ adoration.

"The Chosen One," James, felt a pang of jealousy as he watched.

’Melo is so damn lucky,’ he thought. ’How did he find such a perfect sidekick? Great defense, doesn’t demand the ball, does everything he can to support him on the court, and even hypes him up off the court... Why don’t I have someone like that?’

He looked at Su Xi, who was now quietly walking toward TJ Ford, and was filled with a strong sense of possessiveness.

’A player that good shouldn’t be playing second fiddle to Melo.’

’The Chosen One should have a diligent, meticulous guard like that by his side.’

’He should be playing for me.’

...