"LeBron, from now on, I need you to work with me on the wing."

Su Xi said to James.

"Work with *you*? Why shouldn’t you be working with *me*?" James retorted angrily.

Su Xi slowed his pace and calmly met LeBron James’s gaze. "Because I can lead this team to victory."

"Ridiculous..." James shook his head.

But before he could finish, Su Xi cut him off. "I can win without you. Can you? As the King, do you want to sit on the bench and watch me get the win?"

"You know The Law can make it happen."

Su Xi’s words struck a nerve with James.

"Whether you want to treat me like your little sidekick or fight alongside me as an equal, right now, our opponent is the Pacers. Don’t make this ugly."

Su Xi patted James’s shoulder. He was speaking from the heart.

He could have easily taken a different approach with James, but he chose not to. There was no deep-seated animosity between them.

With that, he walked over to Tinsley.

Tinsley was hurrying over, a resentful look on his face. Su Xi had just stolen the ball right from him, and he’d seen Larry Bird clapping on the sidelines. He couldn’t accept it; he was desperate to redeem himself.

But he didn’t understand Su Xi at all. In the half-court set, he still tried to break down Su Xi’s defense with his own rhythm, but Su Xi hounded him, locking him down again. Reggie Miller came out to get the ball and passed it to Little O’Neal on the inside.

Little O’Neal caught the pass and made a quick spin move. He drove under the basket and was about to throw down a dunk when Su Xi charged toward him, eyes locked on like a tiger.

Little O’Neal and Su Xi met in mid-air. He switched from a dunk to a layup, gently flicking the ball off his left hand... CLANG!

It was no good.

Ilgauskas grabbed the rebound and passed it to James.

James pushed the ball upcourt on the fast break but was forced to stop on the wing by Ron Artest’s defense.

Just then, Su Xi and the other Cavaliers caught up to the play.

Su Xi made a quick, timely back-cut and got wide open. James didn’t pass. He used a jab step, feinting a drive, and as he was about to make his move... SWIPE!

Artest, with his lightning-quick hands, slapped the ball away.

But he couldn’t corral the loose ball, and Su Xi sprinted over to secure it.

He took one dribble, then fired a bounce pass into the paint. Boozer caught it in stride and laid the ball into the hoop.

"LeBron, if you’re not going to play by the rules—if you think you’re above it all, that every play has to revolve around you, that you have to control every possession—then I’ll rip up our agreement, too. Who do you think it would hurt more if I called a timeout right now, blew up at you, and then took our feud public with the media? You or me?"

"I’m not the King. I’m not the Chosen One. I don’t have a pristine image to protect."

Su Xi said all of this in a low voice, his hand on James’s shoulder as they headed back to the other end of the court.

Then, Su Xi moved to the top of the arc to pick up Tinsley.

James was a smart guy. The way Ricky Davis had shown his true, bitter colors on his way out had already been a difficult situation for him. If Su Xi also started making trouble now, he’d face a huge crisis of confidence from all sides, which would have a massive impact on every aspect of his career.

Once Su Xi whispered those words in his ear, he was left with no other choice.

Even as the King, he had to operate within the framework of the Law.

In that moment, he finally understood that he couldn’t just do whatever he pleased, even with all the special privileges he was afforded on the team.

And in that same moment, he finally understood why Su Xi’s nickname was ’The Law’.

It turned out that from the very beginning, the Law was meant to restrain the King.

He had thought the Law was a weapon the King used to conquer his enemies.

Su Xi cut off Tinsley at the top of the arc, then funneled him toward James on the left side.

James hesitated for a split second, but he didn’t miss the opportunity Su Xi had created. He quickly closed in, cutting off Tinsley’s path.

In a panic, Tinsley tried to force a pass, but it was deflected by Su Xi’s long arms. James scooped up the loose ball and fired a long outlet pass. Su Xi sprinted downcourt to catch it, drove to the hoop, drew the defense, and dished it to James on the wing. James soared through the air... SLAM!

A one-handed slam dunk.

The dunk sent Gand Arena into an absolute frenzy.

Paul Silas pumped a clenched fist, shouting in excitement, "Yes, that’s it, boys! Just like that! When you run the floor, no one in the league can stop you!"

He was thrilled to see that after Su Xi’s talk with James, the two were suddenly working together seamlessly.

’Young guys,’ he thought. ’It’s normal to have a little friction. They make up just as quickly.’

The one-two punch from Su Xi and James, on both defense and offense, had clearly stunned the Pacers.

Rick Carlisle and Larry Bird exchanged a look at almost the exact same moment. They were both witnessing the brilliant sparks that fly when immense talents collide.

Carlisle’s eyes were full of disbelief. ’Are the Cavaliers really going to trade Jack?’

Larry Bird, however, was certain they would.

Because Su Xi’s agent had approached him and made it clear that his client no longer wanted to be on the Cavaliers. He wanted Bird to make a trade happen. What’s more, the agent said that before any trade, Su Xi wanted to amend his rookie contract.

O’Connor had arrogantly stated, "We can’t accept being exploited by the standard rookie contract. Therefore, we want the right to opt out after the third year—a player option."

Larry Bird had been stunned. ’Can they even do that?’ While it was true that league contracts weren’t as rigid back then, and there was some room to modify even standard rookie deals... this was just outrageously bold.