The Pistons mounted a strong offensive in the final two and a half minutes of the first half, but the Pacers resiliently held them off.

In the end, they only managed to narrow the gap to three points.

46-43.

The Indiana Pacers headed into the locker room with the lead.

This result was exhilarating for the Pacers fans. Su Xi’s performance on the court left them ecstatic. They saw the value of the trade; Su Xi wasn’t just there to be the icing on the cake—he was there to fight the tough battles.

The wisdom behind Larry Bird’s decision was now crystal clear.

Charles Barkley said, "Su Xi’s value isn’t just about the winning streak they had before. It’s in what we just saw this first half: him completely wreaking havoc on the Pistons’ defense while they were utterly helpless to stop him."

Kenny Smith, not wanting any part of what was about to happen to a donkey’s right buttock, retorted sharply, "I think you’re celebrating too early. Larry Brown is no pushover, and the Detroit Pistons are not some small-time team that can be easily conquered. If Little Sheep Su Xi gets completely locked down in the second half, what are you going to say then?"

"Don’t get so worked up, my dear Kenny. I’ll go ahead and buy that pink lipstick for you," Barkley chuckled mischievously.

"You’d better get ready to put on some purple lipstick and kiss that stupid donkey... This’ll be your second time, so you should be a natural at it!"

...

In the Pacers’ locker room, everyone already knew about the unique bet. The donkey became the main topic of conversation. They all wanted to see a fresh pink lipstick print on its butt. In the other locker room, they were even more eager to see Barkley kiss the donkey again.

This extra wager made both teams even hungrier for the win.

Artest approached Su Xi for the first time, and Su Xi’s personal bodyguard, Tony Batty, shot a wary glance in their direction.

He was highly attuned to locker-room politics and knew that the only player on the Pacers roster who could threaten or feel jealous of Su Xi’s status as the core perimeter player was Ron Artest. He wouldn’t let what happened in Cleveland happen again.

Artest frowned, thinking Batty was being rude. ’I even invited you to my place to party with some hot young models, can’t you cut me some slack?’

But Batty was highly attuned to locker-room politics. He knew that once you picked a side, you never switched. You rise and fall together.

Besides, Tony Batty knew which side his bread was buttered on.

Artest spoke very politely; this was one of the few times he had ever initiated a conversation with Su Xi.

In truth, the first half had earned Su Xi a good deal of Artest’s respect. Artest revered and admired strength. He was especially impressed by Su Xi’s attitude—not only did he go head-to-head without backing down, but he also trash-talked his opponents so relentlessly they didn’t even dare to look up.

He also understood that there were many things Su Xi did that he couldn’t.

"Aren’t you worried about getting into a fight with Ben Wallace?" Artest asked Su Xi.

"That’s something he should be worried about," Su Xi said with a smile. Then he asked Artest, "How’s your dad doing?"

Artest laughed, a wide, genuine smile on his face.

...

"I’m going to kill him, Coach! Give me a plan! I want to brutally destroy him! I have to take him out! Larry, I can’t take it anymore!"

In the other locker room, a fuming Ben Wallace repeatedly pleaded with Larry Brown, his anger practically boiling over.

Larry Brown looked at the agitated Ben Wallace, a little surprised. In his memory, Ben Wallace had never been this emotional, this out of control. ’What in the world did Little Sheep Su Xi do to him?’

Brown motioned for Ben Wallace to calm down first, then asked, "Ben, tell me, do you want to kill him, or do you want to beat him?"

"I want both!" Ben Wallace snarled, clenching his fist.

"If you want to kill him, I can’t help you with that. But if you want to beat him, you have to calm down first. You’re not usually like this, Ben. Listen, take a deep breath. I’ll come talk to you in three minutes."

Larry Brown told Ben Wallace, then walked aside to discuss adjustments to their second-half defensive strategy with the coaching staff.

Ben Wallace tried to regulate his breathing for a while, but he was still seething. Su Xi’s trash talk was like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Prince, who was standing nearby, added, "Now you see how nasty that Little Sheep Su Xi is, don’t you? He’s like a rock in an outhouse—hard and stinky. You can’t crush it, and you can’t kick it away. You just end up getting filth all over yourself."

"I’ll blow it up," Ben Wallace said furiously.

Prince muttered to himself, ’Wouldn’t that just splash all of us with filth?’

Larry Brown and his coaching staff quickly devised a new plan. In the second half, they would employ an isolation strategy, separating Su Xi from his teammates. The general principle was: give him the shot, but not the drive; give him the drive, but not the pass.

This strategy was essentially an admission that they currently had no way to control Su Xi’s penetration. In fact, it was the same tactic they had used against Iverson just last week.

When the Pistons players heard this plan, they were somewhat dejected.

But aside from this, they had no better options.

Larry Brown had thought more than once, ’If only the Pistons had another big man to anchor the paint, someone who could work in tandem with a roaming, helping Ben Wallace, how great would that be?’

’Forget Su Xi; even Iverson wouldn’t be able to penetrate that kind of defense.’

After laying out the strategy, Larry Brown turned specifically to Ben Wallace and asked, "Did you understand all that?"

"Understood," Ben Wallace nodded. Then he asked, "If he drives deep by himself, can I go all-out to shut him down?"

"Yes," Larry Brown said, granting him a special privilege.

......

BEEP!

The second half began. Su Xi was in the starting lineup. The halftime break had allowed him to fully recover, and his stamina was back to eighty or ninety percent.