"This was just a regular team practice. Don’t read too much into it, and don’t talk to any media."

Paul Silas immediately came forward. He was experienced. He knew this was a sensitive time, and any little stir could have a decisive impact on these two young geniuses.

Deep down, Paul Silas hoped to keep both geniuses on the Cavaliers. His tactical system was big enough to accommodate the growth of two talented young men.

However, judging by the way they stopped interacting and speaking to each other after their one-on-one, it was clear the two, who had once seemed inseparable, were facing a serious challenge.

This challenge was difficult for Paul Silas. He wasn’t Phil Jackson; he didn’t have the skill to dance on two eggs.

In fact, he couldn’t figure out if this was just a clash of egos between two young prodigies or a struggle for status that had reached the point of no return.

...

The Indiana Pacers were currently first in the East. They averaged 91.4 points per game while holding their opponents to 85.6. Under Rick Carlisle’s tactical leadership, they made outstanding contributions on both offense and defense.

Their roster was very well-rounded and tough. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Their core in the paint was Jermaine O’Neal.

Jermaine O’Neal was a first-round pick in ’96, slightly younger than even Kobe. But the start of his career was nothing like Kobe’s. After sitting on the bench in Portland for four years, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. The Smiling Assassin personally molded him, tailoring tactics for him. His face-up offense and back-to-the-basket skills improved rapidly, and he was named the league’s Most Improved Player.

As of now, he was the best power forward in the league at combining face-up and back-to-the-basket techniques, bar none. His offensive skills were even more dazzling than Chris Webber’s in his prime. Some said they saw shades of Olajuwon in him. This was high praise, of course, but if you looked at a side-by-side comparison of their offensive moves, you’d find many similarities. His signature move, a baseline spin move to the basket, was practically identical to Olajuwon’s.

Jermaine O’Neal was very mobile on defense. His rim protection was top-notch. Coupled with his quick lateral movement and great instincts for blocking shots, he was consistently near the top of the league in blocks, even winning the league’s blocking title in ’01.

But Jermaine O’Neal had his weaknesses. Players with such a flashy style often lacked stability against high-intensity defense. With too many technical options, they could fall victim to analysis paralysis. Furthermore, his lower body strength was insufficient, and his narrow shoulders couldn’t carry much muscle, putting him at a disadvantage when defending in the post.

That summer, he had signed a 7-year, 123 million USD contract extension with the Pacers. He was designated as the Pacers’ core in the paint for years to come.

The Pacers’ perimeter core was Ron Artest.

Artest was drafted by the Bulls in ’99. After two and a half years with the team, he was ultimately traded to the Pacers to make room for their twin towers in the paint. Once in Indiana, he was quickly discovered by Isaiah Thomas, who poured all his effort into developing him.

Recently, many people had been calling Su Xi the Ron Artest of point guards.

Why?

Because their defensive styles were somewhat similar, as were their weaknesses.

Artest was known as the best defender at the small forward position in the league today. He had a low center of gravity, a stable base, and was ferocious with his steals... all very similar to Su Xi. But what made him better than Su Xi was that while he wasn’t as explosive, his lateral quickness was excellent, his positioning was extremely precise, and he could quickly read an opponent’s drive and stay with them.

He could guard three or four positions on the court. His on-ball defense was absolutely at a historical level.

However, his help defense and rotational defense were a bit lacking. With the Pacers, that didn’t matter. He had Jermaine O’Neal behind him, and O’Neal was a master in that area.

Throughout history, every great on-ball defender had a formidable help defender behind them; it was a complementary relationship. Bowen had Duncan behind him, Joe Dumars had the entire Bad Boys Legion, and Moncrief had Lanier.

In contrast, Su Xi had nothing but empty space behind him... which was why many guards, once they broke through Su Xi’s line of defense, could slice through the Cavaliers’ paint as if it were undefended.

Artest and Su Xi shared another common flaw: their defensive efficiency dropped significantly against quick, agile guards.

However, Su Xi’s ability to defend the pick-and-roll was much stronger than Artest’s.

Perhaps it was because Artest’s grandfather and father were both boxers; his family was used to one-on-one fights.

Besides their two core players on the inside and perimeter, Indiana also had the all-time greatest shooter, Reggie Miller, holding down the fort, even though he was in the twilight of his career. However, the double-screen tactics Larry Brown designed for him years ago were still highly effective today.

Additionally, they had a squad of capable and tough players like Kenny Anderson, Al Harrington, Clothier, Anthony Johnson, Tinsley, and Fortes.

You could say their roster was a huge step above the Cavaliers’.

Almost no one thought the Cavaliers could escape with a win tonight, not even the home fans.

When Su Xi’s name was announced as he took the court tonight, some boos and curses could be heard in Gand Arena.

It sounded absurd. A player who had just led the team to three straight wins and was named Player of the Week was actually being booed.

This was probably the narrow-mindedness of small-town fans. They wouldn’t allow anyone to compete with their Son of Akron, not even a hint of it.

This was the pressure everyone who played in Cleveland had to face.

"Jack, it seems you’re not very popular in Cleveland."

Reggie Miller took the initiative to greet Su Xi. "Hey, I’m Reggie."

Su Xi reached out and shook his hand.

Just then, the Little Elf automatically awakened and informed Su Xi. Reggie Miller possessed a super talent, one that was developed through training. ’Super Catch-and-Shoot Rhythm Talent’!

Su Xi wasn’t surprised. Reggie Miller was the best three-point shooter on the planet, and his off-ball ability was second to none.

Just then, Ron Artest walked over and bumped Su Xi with his shoulder. "Hey, little guy. You stole my Player of the Week. In this game, I’m gonna show you what top-tier defense looks like!"

"I’m not the one you’re guarding," Su Xi told him. "But I’ll definitely have more steals than you tonight."

"In your dreams!"

Ron Artest retorted sharply.

BWEEET!

The whistle blew.

The game began.

The Cavaliers’ starting lineup for the night was: Su Xi, Jason Kapono, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Ilgauskas.

The Pacers’ starting lineup was: Kenny Anderson, Reggie Miller, Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, and Jeff Foster.

Foster won the tip-off, giving the Pacers the first possession.

The once-unruly genius point guard, Kenny Anderson, brought the ball up the court conventionally. He was no longer the flamboyant promoter of "street culture" who played with flashy, showy moves.

In Rick Carlisle’s system, he dutifully waited at the top of the arc for a teammate to get open, then passed the ball to Jermaine O’Neal, who had established his position.

O’Neal singled out Carlos Boozer. He used a gorgeous face-up drive into a spin move to get past Boozer, but just as he shot, Su Xi rushed over to contest it... CLANK!

A brick.

Su Xi grabbed the rebound.

On the sidelines, Larry Bird sat with a smile on his face.

He had just spoken with Su Xi’s agent. Although he was put off by Mike O’Connor’s arrogance, at least the agent had brought him some good news.

Su Xi brought the ball past half-court. He ignored LeBron James’s call for the ball, instead directing James to run to the other side.

He ran a pick-and-roll with Carlos Boozer, then exploded into the paint with a burst of speed. He bumped Foster out of the way in mid-air and dished it to a trailing Ilgauskas, who slammed it home for a powerful dunk.

Larry Bird was very satisfied.

What the Pacers currently lacked most was this kind of powerful offensive initiator. Strictly speaking, the current Pacers were a jump-shooting team. Almost no one could drive from beyond the three-point line and create a threat in the paint.

Tinsley had the skills to drive, but his finishing was weak, and his court vision and passing choices were both mediocre.

At that moment, Su Xi ambushed Kenny Anderson at half-court.

Anderson had been called a genius among genius point guards in the 1990s; even Iverson had admitted to being influenced by him.

But now he was undeniably old, and his talent had long since faded due to a life of debauchery. He was trapped by Su Xi’s ambush along the sideline. Just as he tried to pass, Su Xi barreled right into him and stole the ball.

It was a blatant highway robbery.

Su Xi accelerated into the frontcourt. As LeBron James trailed along one side, Su Xi passed the ball over, assisting James on a powerful dunk.

Gand Arena erupted.

James raised both hands high. For a moment, it seemed as if all the home fans were cheering for their king.

Su Xi paid it no mind and continued to stick close to Kenny Anderson.

This time, Anderson learned his lesson and tried to stay away from the sideline. Carlisle also arranged for Artest to provide support on the side.

As soon as Anderson crossed half-court, he passed the ball to Artest.

Artest wasn’t an efficient offensive player, but you couldn’t say he had no offensive moves. In fact, he had quite a few, having come up on the streetball courts of New York.

He now had the ability to face up and attack off the dribble. He could also hit spot-up long-range shots, and his back-to-the-basket game was respectable. However, his shooting touch was truly average. In terms of shooting talent, he was a little worse than Su Xi. His muscles were rather stiff, which also affected his free throws. But he had worked hard on it, and Reggie Miller had given him pointers.

Therefore, he had the potential to become a spot-up shooter.

Of course, this was all contingent on him not getting stubborn. If he got a crazy idea in his head, ten bulls couldn’t drag him back.

He performed a pump fake in front of James. It wasn’t convincing, but it made James shift his center of gravity upward.

He quickly drove forward with the ball... his dribble looked awkward.

This triggered James’s gambling instincts, and he lunged for a steal.

But Artest completely shook him with a behind-the-back dribble, accelerated, and used his body to push the out-of-position James aside, driving straight to the basket for a layup.

"Your defense is three tiers below Little Sheep Su Xi’s."

After scoring, Artest said to James with sincere earnestness, "You still have a lot to learn. Don’t waste such a great physique."

But James was now ’allergic’ to the name Little Sheep Su Xi. Fury burned within him as he glared fiercely at Artest.

...