At the same time, Van Gundy emphasized defense.

His core philosophy was: Offense can fail you when your touch is off, but defense will always keep you at a consistent level.

So, when he saw Su Xi, his eyes were filled with delight.

He was a huge fan of Su Xi.

Before the game, he told Su Xi, "Stick to your defense, stick to your path. Don’t listen to the negative criticism from the outside. You’re not some flashy, superficial idol player—you’re a historically great one-on-one defender."

He even tried to recruit Su Xi. "Why don’t you come to the Rockets? If you came to Houston, you and Yao Ming could form an inside-outside duo. I’m confident I could build you into a championship tandem. You’d be more potent than The Utah Jazz, more united than the OK Group. All those people chirping on TV and mocking you now will have to eat their words."

"How about it? Join us when your contract is up."

Jeff Van Gundy looked at Su Xi, full of anticipation.

Su Xi politely declined. "That’s two years from now. Let’s talk about it in two years."

Jeff Van Gundy persisted like a salesman. "Just think about it."

This was a head coach who was stubborn, obstinate, and inflexible, but also earnest, hardworking, meticulous, and fiercely protective of his players.

But Su Xi wasn’t so keen on working with him, because his ambition was never to be just a defensive specialist. Defense was merely the first step on his path to greatness.

The Rockets’ starting lineup for the night was: Francis, Mobley, Jim Jackson, Kevin Karto, and Yao Ming.

The Pacers’ lineup was: Kenny Anderson, Su Xi, Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, and Jeff Foster.

Su Xi was matched up against Francis, a combo guard with explosive athleticism.

His nickname was ’The Franchise’, and Chinese fans liked to call him Boss Fred.

The moment Francis dribbled the ball to the top of the arc and faced off against Su Xi, Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean were instantly on the edges of their seats.

Because CCTV broadcasted more Rockets games than any other team, Francis was a top-tier NBA guard in their eyes. They wanted to see just how good Su Xi was by measuring him against Francis.

Francis was very strong, with blazing straight-line speed, an incredible vertical leap, and a potent scoring ability—he had at least three or four elite-level talents. Furthermore, his rebounding ability was top-tier for a guard of his height. (This is probably why many people in the future would say Westbrook’s player comparison was Francis.)

In the early 21st century, there were several powerful combo guards: Baron Davis, Stephon Marbury, Stephen Francis, and Su Xi’s good buddy, Arenas.

Judging by their 2004 levels, Francis was undoubtedly a cut above the rest. He had been voted a Western Conference All-Star starter for three consecutive years. Last season, he averaged 21 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. In the words of Ricky Davis, he was a superstar among superstars.

However, Su Xi locked him down on the very first possession.

Su Xi used his superior strength to drag him into a defensive quagmire. His super-entangling defense was on full display, unleashing his speed, explosiveness, and flexibility. Francis was struggling; he was starting to regret his decision to have his teammates clear out for him to go one-on-one.

In the end, he had to rely on his incredible leaping ability to force himself up and get the shot off.

CLANG!

The ball bricked off the rim.

Little O’Neal grabbed the rebound.

After that first brick, both Francis and Su Xi gained a newfound respect for each other.

"Good defense, kid. You might be the best player of the new generation at defending me..." Francis said, then couldn’t help but correct himself. "No, you’re the best player in the world at defending me."

Su Xi acknowledged Francis in return. "You impressed me too. I didn’t think you’d be able to get that shot off. You made a mistake on your drive; I thought I had you completely locked down."

Uh...

Francis felt a bit weird.

’Is he fucking praising me or insulting me?’

The game continued.

The Rockets slowed the pace way down. They were masters at using their defense to drag their opponent’s offense down to their level, then beating them with experience.

However, the Pacers’ defensive fundamentals were much better than the Rockets’.

On the first possession, Su Xi used a screen from Foster to pull Yao Ming out of the paint. Su Xi took advantage of the mismatch, slipped into the key, and laid the ball in with his left hand.

The play earned a roaring ovation from the entire arena.

Shortly after, Yao Ming received a pass from Francis. He posted up Foster in the paint, turned, and hit a hook shot.

Right from the start, the two Chinese players scored for their teams, each in their own signature way.

"This is a true Chinese Derby. Su Xi and Yao Ming are both core players for their teams. They’re not just the aces of their respective squads, but also basketball heroes for all of us in China."

"We should all applaud the performance of these two Chinese players in the NBA."

"I really hope that one day Su Xi and Yao Ming will play on the same team and bring glory to the Chinese Team on the Olympic stage."

The CCTV commentator made an emotional appeal on television.

This resonated strongly with the audience watching at home. ’Yes, if Su Xi and Yao Ming played for the national team together, just how strong would they be?!’

The game continued.

With Francis tied up by Su Xi, the Rockets’ entire perimeter attack relied on Mobley. Jim Jackson, one of the old "Three J’s," was also completely shut down by Artest. The ball had to be fed into the paint, where Yao Ming scored repeatedly.

On the Pacers’ side, Su Xi was the one attacking the Rockets’ defense with the ball. Although he didn’t score as much as Yao Ming, his stats were blooming across the board, and he firmly maintained their lead.

Whether it was the fans in the arena or the Chinese fans watching on TV, everyone was having the time of their lives watching the game.

This was a true clash of titans, a basketball Spring Festival Gala.

And no matter who won, they were happy.

It was like choosing between the palm and the back of your hand—both were precious.

The first half ended quickly. Su Xi played 15 minutes, notching 8 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. Yao Ming played 18 minutes, putting up 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Both were the best-performing players on their respective teams.

The Pacers led 56-43, a 13-point advantage.

As the buzzer sounded to end the first half, the ratings for the national ABC broadcast skyrocketed. For Americans, how the Chinese Derby went didn’t matter, nor did the performance of the two Chinese players.

What mattered was Scarlett Johansson’s upcoming performance. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Would Scarlett Johansson declare her love again tonight and stake her claim?

The ’SS’ ship fans in front of their TVs were so excited they could practically jump out of their seats.

Meanwhile, the ’SJ’ ship fans were all grinding their teeth, but they too remained glued to their screens, filled with resentment. ’Let’s see what kind of stunt Scarlett pulls this time. She’s just a shameless homewrecker. Jessica was clearly here first!’

Su Xi had intended to head back to the locker room, but Artest, Little Ao, Miller, and the rest of the Hu Su Bao ganged up to stop him. They wanted to watch the drama unfold too.

Furthermore, a Rockets staff member came over to invite both him and Yao Ming to dot the eyes of the lion for the upcoming lion dance performance.

They even ’morally blackmailed’ Su Xi: "Jack, you wouldn’t want to disappoint all these supporters here in the arena, would you?"

Sigh!

Su Xi felt helpless.

He could only sit on the sidelines and make awkward small talk with Yao Ming.

And damn, the Rockets’ organizers were geniuses; they really knew how to generate buzz.

The lion dance was scheduled after Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Duff’s performance. Wasn’t that just blatantly giving Scarlett space to perform?

"Alright, I’m not going to pretend anymore. I support Scarlett. I think Scarlett and Jack are a better match. Don’t give me that ’Jessica knew him first’ stuff. This is romance, not a seniority contest. Besides, who says true love has to come first? Jack and Scarlett have a love forged in life and death!"

ABC commentator Billy King said on air.

Just twenty minutes earlier, this same guy had been criticizing Su Xi for becoming the all-time All-Star vote leader on the back of gossip fans.

Everyone criticizes Su Xi, and everyone ships the couples.

Basketball commentary is a job; shipping is life.

Few people could resist the magic of gossip.

...

...