The game on the court continued.

There was no denying it: when Su Xi and James worked together, their combined athletic prowess and Su Xi’s formidable defense posed a serious threat to the Pacers’ backcourt.

But just then, Reggie Miller stepped up again.

The veteran first hit a three-pointer, then assisted on a dunk by Little O’Neal, and even drew the sixth foul on Ilgauskas.

The Cavaliers were forced to bring in Tony Battie to hold down the center position.

「The game clock ticked down to the final 58 seconds.」

The Pacers still led by two points and had possession of the ball.

With the Cavaliers’ starting center on the bench and Carlos Boozer’s hot hand having gone cold, the team was in serious trouble.

Based on their performance in this game, the Cavaliers had already earned respect. That they could push the Pacers this far was already a pleasant surprise.

But Su Xi was determined to win.

His willpower was unshakable.

So far in the game, he had already put up 13 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block.

LeBron James’s stats were 21 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

The score was 86-88.

Under the intense pressure from the Pacers, both Su Xi and James had posted impressive stat lines.

"There’s no need for overtime. We can finish them in regulation."

Su Xi told Paul Silas with absolute certainty during the timeout.

He was full of confidence, his competitive edge razor-sharp.

This was something James lacked.

Paul Silas designed an offensive play for LeBron James and one for Su Xi. He was an old-school head coach, and in clutch moments, giving the ball to the team’s number one and number two players was a traditional move.

Su Xi readily accepted, even though his offensive arsenal wasn’t very deep.

LeBron James, on the other hand, reminded Paul Silas: "Make sure to station shooters around to be ready for a pass."

James’s thinking was very thorough.

The whistle blew, and the game resumed.

Su Xi locked onto Kenny Anderson, who used a screen from Foster to pass the ball to Reggie Miller.

But the instant Reggie Miller received the ball, Su Xi lunged in front of him. The moment Little O’Neal set the screen, Su Xi had already changed direction. He had originally intended to go for the steal but was a step too slow.

He clamped down on Reggie Miller, pressuring Miller with all his strength.

Miller bumped Su Xi with his shoulder and threw a subtle elbow.

But just as he raised his arm to shoot, Su Xi’s right hand chopped down viciously... SMACK!

Su Xi’s hand struck the back of Miller’s hand, knocking the ball loose.

Miller went into an exaggerated shooting motion to try and draw a foul.

But the referee wasn’t going to blow the whistle in a moment like this... this was 2003.

Su Xi swiped the ball and sprinted down to the frontcourt. He had intended to pass to James, but the King ran so fast that he drew the defense with him. So, Su Xi simply stopped at the top of the arc and pulled up for the shot... SWISH!

The ball tore through the net.

89-88.

With 37 seconds left on the clock, the Cavaliers took a one-point lead.

Su Xi’s point total also rose to 16.

Rick Carlisle immediately moved to call a timeout, but Larry Bird put a hand on him to stop him. "Let them play it out."

Bird knew exactly what the most important thing was right now.

Carlisle quickly understood.

He shouted a play from the sideline, signaling for Kenny Anderson to control the pace and go for a high-percentage shot.

However, Su Xi pressed up on him.

This forced Anderson to pass the ball to Artest early.

Artest held the ball at the top of the three-point arc, controlling the tempo.

He was the Pacers’ core perimeter player.

When the shot clock was down to nine seconds, he made his move, using a screen from Foster to drive to the basket.

Su Xi immediately came over to double-team, intending to lock Artest down with James.

But James misread the play and quickly switched to defend Anderson instead.

From a tactical standpoint, his choice wasn’t wrong.

But it lacked decisiveness and a killer instinct.

In a critical moment, you have to go all in. For the Cavaliers, if they could just shut down Artest’s attack, the win was theirs. They had the lead.

And they would have the next possession.

Facing Su Xi, Artest spun and then did a quick step-back... He had wanted to pass to Little O’Neal, but Su Xi’s pressure was too intense.

He was afraid of a turnover, so he spun and took the step-back jumper.

He created a huge amount of space for himself.

Allowing him to get the shot off.

Su Xi leaped at him, but he was just a little too late... SWISH! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The ball found the bottom of the net.

90-89.

The Pacers took back the lead by one point.

BUZZ!

The Cavaliers quickly called their last timeout of the game.

The players returned to the bench.

"You shouldn’t have made such a risky switch just now. If I were defending him, he wouldn’t have had a chance to shoot," James openly criticized Su Xi on the bench.

Su Xi couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

From the side, Tony Battie muttered, "You lost your defensive position. If Jack hadn’t stepped up, Ron would have driven straight to the basket and linked up with Jermaine."

Tony Battie was a straightforward guy; he said what he saw. He had been deeply involved in that pick-and-roll. He admitted his own ability to defend the pick-and-roll was average, but he also noticed that James’s was even worse.

James shot him a glare.

Just then, Paul Silas laid out the play. This was the final possession.

He looked at James and asked, "LeBron, do you want to take the last shot?"

James didn’t answer directly. He had been having a tough time against Artest’s one-on-one defense all night, and his own offensive repertoire was limited.

At that moment, Su Xi spoke up directly, "Coach, give me the ball. They scored on my man last time, so I should be the one to take responsibility for this."

Su Xi’s gaze was resolute.

Paul Silas looked back at James, seeking his opinion. After all, he was the King.

The King didn’t say anything.

Silence meant consent.

Paul Silas laid out the final play. Give the ball to Su Xi!

BUZZ!

The whistle blew.

The game resumed.

Carlos Boozer inbounded the ball to Su Xi. There were 15 seconds left in the game.

Su Xi dribbled the ball to the top of the arc, unhurried.

Just then, Ron Artest pressed up on him.

"I knew you’d be the one taking your team’s last shot," Artest said loudly. He even yelled to Reggie Miller on the side, "I won! Don’t forget to deposit that 1,000 USD into my account."

"In Cleveland, I can tell who the real boss is with just one look."

Artest’s words were so loud that the first five rows of spectators heard them clearly.

Could James possibly not have heard?

He was seething with rage.

Ron Artest was taking it too far.

Especially when he saw his defender switch from Artest to Kenny Anderson, his confidence surged.

He made a gesture, calling for the ball.

Su Xi ignored him.

This was a judgment to be handed down.

Su Xi had a reason he absolutely had to win!