The Best Point Guard-Chapter 51 - 49: Iverson’s Super Speed Talent

Su Xi and Carmeron’s defensive switching stifled the chemistry the Longhorns Team relied on to survive.

The game continued.

TJ Ford forced a pull-up three-pointer. Worried about being blocked by Su Xi, he put an exaggerated arc on it, and the ball landed out of bounds.

In other words: an airball.

Play resumed on the other end. Su Xi attacked the paint from the top of the arc. He powered his way through, and TJ Ford couldn’t stop him. Coach Rick Banis had no choice but to shift the wing defense over, so Su Xi passed the ball smoothly to Anthony, who then took over on the wing.

When a team has two players who can punish the opponent’s defense from different positions, their offense has a solid foundation.

What’s more, their power forward, Hakim Warrick, was a stretch four who could space the floor.

TJ Ford could still use his superior speed and explosiveness to launch counter-attacks; his talent was undeniable.

However, he didn’t dare to settle into a half-court set and match up against Su Xi, which caused connection issues between him and his teammates.

Their once-powerful collective offense couldn’t be brought to bear.

Syracuse University quietly and steadily built a lead, pulling away at a constant pace.

The first half ended.

Syracuse University led 42-31, an 11-point lead.

Su Xi had 7 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block at the half.

His stats were well-rounded, and he played with fierce physicality. Not only did he use his strength to overpower TJ Ford on offense, but he also knocked Aivei aside when the Longhorns put him on defense. On the defensive end, Coach Rick Banis tried to use James Thomas to punish Su Xi after a switch.

Despite having a huge size advantage, Thomas couldn’t convert it into points. Su Xi’s strength wasn’t much less than his, and Thomas’s skills weren’t good enough to back him down. After Su Xi stripped the ball from him once, the Longhorns Team abandoned that plan.

They were getting a taste of what Auburn University went through. Although they were stronger and more talented than Auburn University, this wasn’t the same Su Xi from back then. He was ’keeping up with the times’ faster than anyone.

He turned every potential mismatch to his advantage.

Rick Banis was even heard complaining on the bench: "That guy doesn’t even look that strong, so why is he so powerful?"

He was truly a man who was ’softer to the soft, and harder to the hard.’

This was also why, despite Carmeron Anthony racking up 16 points and 5 rebounds in the first half, the crowd in the Super Dome Arena chanted Su Xi’s name more often.

Su Xi had, in effect, become one of Syracuse University’s two core players.

This piqued the strong interest of lottery teams that had never paid him any attention before.

...

At the start of the second half, Su Xi was not on the court. TJ Ford led his team on a rampage, overwhelming the lineup led by Carmeron Anthony.

The lead quickly shrank from 11 points to 6.

Jim Boham immediately looked toward Su Xi. Unconsciously, Su Xi had become his anchor.

It was a good thing Su Xi had such great recovery; any other player would have shot him a dirty look.

Su Xi entered the game four minutes into the second half.

By this time, the University of Longhorns had cut the deficit to 4 points with a three-pointer from Aivei.

Their momentum was surging.

Syracuse University, which had been leading in the first half, was now in a precarious position.

At that moment, Su Xi took the court.

The Super Dome Arena erupted in cheers.

"It should be pretty clear now who the star of this game is."

Chatford said excitedly on TV.

He was normally known for his sharp and cynical commentary, but he was completely smitten with Su Xi.

When it came to winning over the public, Su Xi had a unique advantage.

He had a face that captivated women and a style of play that excited men.

"Any woman who looks at his face for three minutes will fall deeply for him. Any man who watches him play for three minutes will also become a fan."

Chatford said, "To all the NBA lottery teams out there, you need to tear up your previous draft plans. Look at this kid! He’s tough, he’s handsome, he has a high basketball IQ, and his skills are great. And he’s from China—just look at what Yao Ming brought to Houston."

Chatford did his best to sell Su Xi.

His sales pitch was incredibly persuasive, causing many NBA lottery teams to reconsider, especially those in smaller markets.

Houston had been hogging the spotlight all year. Rumor had it they were making a fortune in the Chinese market—the largest developing country in the world.

Su Xi did not disappoint the scouting expert Chatford, who was promoting him so hard.

He stepped onto the court, and TJ Ford was already steering clear of him. It was Aivei who came up to defend.

Aivei was a diligent, hard-working player with a decent defensive skill set.

He adopted a disruptive style of defense, trying not to give Su Xi any room to accelerate.

This time, however, Su Xi displayed the masterful ball-handling skills mentioned in the scouting reports.

Su Xi bent low, keeping his center of gravity down. His long arms and huge hands controlled the basketball as he made quick, precise cuts, using the constantly changing dribble path to throw off Aivei’s balance.

Aivei did a great job; he hardly made any mistakes.

But when Su Xi suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of explosiveness, pulling off a sharp, wide crossover... Aivei’s center of gravity was shifted to the other side.

At that moment, Su Xi’s body was also a bit unstable.

His coordination and agility weren’t yet good enough to support such a big move.

But getting past Aivei was incredibly easy.

He drove to the free-throw line. James Thomas instinctively backed off; he considered Carmeron the bigger threat and was unwilling to double-team.

Su Xi pulled up for a jumper... SWISH!

It went in.

Su Xi wasn’t a great shooter, but leaving him open was like opening a safe and letting him take the money himself.

As soon as Su Xi entered the game, he stabilized the team and extended the lead to 6 points.

Then, he stuck to TJ Ford at the top of the arc in the backcourt.

TJ couldn’t get his speed going. Forced into a corner, he tried to change direction... but in that instant, Su Xi’s astonishingly long arm shot out and swiped the ball.

Iverson watched from the sideline, stunned. He muttered subconsciously, ’This defense is something else.’

Iverson loved to gamble on steals, and what Su Xi did just now showed him a brilliant example of ’baiting the trap’: Sticking to TJ Ford wasn’t the goal. Deliberately giving him half a step of space was the lure, tempting TJ Ford to take the ’only correct’ path.

Then, he would go for the steal mid-way.

Iverson often did the same thing, so he could see what was happening.

This made his fondness for Su Xi skyrocket.

Su Xi stole the ball and threw a long pass to a streaking Anthony, who drove to the basket for a layup.

The lead widened.

Su Xi’s impact on the game was immediate.

The Super Dome Arena was once again conquered by Su Xi.

In front of their TVs, even more people were won over.

The viewership for this one Final Four game surpassed the total for all the previous games combined.

Lottery prospect TJ Ford had been reduced to a backdrop for Su Xi’s highlight reel.

"There’s no suspense left," John Thompson said, turning to Allen Iverson. "Now do you see why I like Little Sheep Su Xi so much?"

Old John answered his own question: "He’s tough but has finesse; he’s humble but has a sharp edge. He’s built on defense, but his offense is methodical. What’s more, he’s a great team player and has an extremely strong ability to handle pressure. That’s the Georgetown way."

Iverson hadn’t expected the old coach to have such a high opinion of Su Xi.

"He’s just a bit slow," he remarked with a sigh.

Then, he added, "If only he had my speed."

The words had barely left his lips when a figure suddenly appeared beside him. "What did you just say, Mr. Iverson?"

Su Xi was tightly gripping Iverson’s hand.

He had even stopped playing the game.

Iverson was completely caught off guard.

He had never experienced a scene like this before. John Thompson, sitting next to him, was also bewildered.

"I said... if only you had my speed," Iverson repeated under Su Xi’s intense gaze.

Su Xi was incredibly excited. He asked enthusiastically, "Mr. Iverson, do you sincerely hope that I can obtain your talent for speed?"

This completely baffled Iverson.

But Iverson was a loyal man, a man of his word. He always believed in keeping his promises. He had once said that if he made it big, he would take care of the people who had helped him, and now, he was supporting more than half of his old neighborhood.

Any other superstar might have just brushed it off with a casual remark.

But Iverson looked directly into Su Xi’s earnest eyes and replied with equal sincerity, "Alright. Even though that’s just an expression, I do sincerely hope you could have my talent for speed, that you could be as quick as me. It would be a huge improvement for you. But, you know that’s impossible. You need to get back to the game..."

As Iverson spoke these sincere words, he felt a slight numbness in his body.

Then, Su Xi let go of his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Iverson. I will grant you one wish in the future."

Su Xi was ecstatic. He had finally gotten his wish. He never dreamed he would so coincidentally obtain the super-speed talent he had been longing for. He bowed to Iverson and then sprinted back toward TJ Ford.

Coach Jim Boham was fuming on the sideline. TJ Ford had just sunk a shot.

Who would have thought that Su Xi would stop halfway back on defense to strike up a conversation with Iverson?

But then again, Su Xi’s hearing was just that sharp.

Iverson spread his hands, watching Su Xi’s retreating back. He found himself inexplicably liking Su Xi more and more, feeling a growing sense of closeness. He said to John Thompson, "This kid is really interesting, actually saying he’ll grant me a wish. Haha, does he think he’s Aladdin’s Lamp?"

John Thompson smiled too.

He said, "You can tell the kid really likes you. He wanted to get a blessing from you. An idol’s blessing is very important to a young player. You did a good thing, Allen. You’re becoming more and more kind. I’m proud of you."

Old John’s words made Iverson immediately sit up straight.

Although he didn’t show much of a smile, his slightly raised chin was like that of a kitten getting its head scratched by its owner.

Proud, smug, and deeply satisfied.

...

...

...

[I bet you didn’t expect the biggest easter egg of this game would be Iverson’s super speed talent, did you? Hehe. Please vote with monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, keep reading, and add to your collection!]