Stadumier was absolutely livid.

"Give me the ball!"

As soon as Ginobili brought the ball upcourt, he started yelling for it.

Ginobili quickly passed him the ball. The moment he caught it, Su Xi was on him.

He didn’t even give him a chance to raise the ball.

He had no choice but to dip the ball low and slam his shoulder into Su Xi before making his move. His explosive power was exceptional—so much so that it actually triggered the integration of Su Xi’s long-dormant Super Explosive Power talent.

While it didn’t cause an immediate upgrade, the signs of fusion made Su Xi incredibly excited.

’Stadumier’s talent is no joke. And when he’s this furious, the chances of triggering a fusion are even higher.’

Stadumier took two large strides toward the paint. Just as he was about to pull up for a floater... SMACK!

Su Xi’s hand slapped straight down, smacking the ball just as it reached Stadumier’s waist. The ball hit the floor.

Su Xi snatched the ball and tore down the court.

Two steals in a row. Staples Center was in an uproar.

As Su Xi charged into the frontcourt, James ran with him.

Su Xi faked a pass to James, and Prince quickly shifted over to help on defense.

But Su Xi never let go of the ball. His massive hands made the fake incredibly convincing.

James had been used as a decoy once again.

Su Xi drove into the lane and threw down another powerful dunk.

When he landed, he raised both hands high.

Without any prompting from the arena DJ, the entire crowd broke into a conditioned chant: "SU! SU! SU!"

The Los Angeles fans knew exactly what to do.

Su Xi loved it.

Su Xi got back on defense while Stadumier was still complaining to the head referee, insisting Su Xi had fouled him.

But the referee, who had a clear view from the baseline, knew it was a perfect, clean steal. Su Xi’s timing was a work of art; even the ref had to admit the defense was flawless.

So, nothing Stadumier said was going to change his mind. Besides, the guy was being so obnoxious that if this wasn’t an All-Star Game, he would have T’d him up.

Back on defense, Su Xi didn’t say a word of trash talk. He just shook his head at Stadumier.

The disappointment was plain to see.

Stadumier was so incensed he wanted to throw a punch.

But a sliver of reason held him back. Throwing a punch in the All-Star Game meant he’d never play in one again.

Besides, Su Xi’s expression screamed, ’I’m not scared of you. I can handle you whenever I want.’ That look made Stadumier hesitate.

After all, the mystery of Ben Wallace’s injury was still unsolved.

In that brawl at the Auburn Hills Palace, Ben Wallace had taken all the blame, and he’d also taken all the punishment.

Stadumier knew he was no match for Ben Wallace in a fight. If even Wallace couldn’t get the upper hand, what chance did he have?

Ginobili brought the ball upcourt again.

This time, he didn’t pass to Stadumier.

He drove into the paint himself. Halfway there, Su Xi saw his chance and laid a trap. Ginobili’s famous, herky-jerky Euro step seized up, forcing him into an early shot... CLANG!

His rhythm was completely disrupted.

And his aim was gone.

Su Xi grabbed the rebound.

Ginobili complained to Su Xi, "Jack, I thought you said you were only going to play serious defense in the second half?"

"Force of habit," Su Xi told him with a grin.

Then, he added, "You guys should start playing for real. Don’t want you saying I’m just bullying you."

Su Xi’s voice was just loud enough for everyone on the court to hear.

’How arrogant,’ Stadumier thought.

He hoped someone would step up and teach the cocky brat a lesson.

Su Xi brought the ball past halfcourt. Syracuse tried to call for the ball.

Su Xi completely ignored him.

He drove on Ginobili. Ginobili hated physical contact with Su Xi; he was too solid, and bumping into him hurt. It was a sharp, jarring pain, with no give at all.

So he simply moved aside, giving Su Xi a clear path to the lane.

When Stadumier saw Su Xi coming, he yelled inwardly, ’Perfect!’

He postured, ready to get his block back.

But as Su Xi drove into the lane and made a simple, poor-man’s Euro step to the left, Stadumier automatically cleared a path for him.

No amount of anger could change his turnstile defense.

Su Xi slipped past him and laid the ball in easily.

Su Xi was getting more and more fired up.

The sophomore team’s offense ground to a halt.

Led by Su Xi, the rookies quickly took the lead and extended it to five points by halftime.

"This is just the beginning. See you in the second half," Su Xi told Stadumier as they headed off the court. "You’re going to pay a heavy price for your stupid provocation." This wasn’t over.

Su Xi had adopted a take-no-prisoners attitude toward him.

Stadumier saw the ice in Su Xi’s eyes and felt a subconscious flicker of fear.

But he quickly forced himself to put on a tough front. "Hmph! Who do you think you are? Jordan?"

Stadumier was all bark and no bite.

Su Xi was already walking back to the bench.

Doug Collins came up and clapped Su Xi on the shoulder. "Jack, you’re thrilling to watch. You remind me of Grant Hill, of Michael Jordan."

he said, his voice full of excitement.

’Huh?’

LeBron James, standing nearby, froze. He shot Doug Collins a strange look. ’He reminds you of Hill Jordan, but what about me? Me? Weren’t you supposed to be here to mentor me?’

He couldn’t figure out Collins’s judgment. Among the top four rookie perimeter players, Su Xi didn’t have a superstar’s aura no matter how you looked at it. ’He can defend, and his offense is pretty straightforward, but that’s it.’

But Collins had his own way of seeing things.

Of course, his eye for talent wasn’t the same as that of James or other commentators. Otherwise, why was he known as a "kingmaker" and not someone else?

But what happened next was even more surprising.

A.C. Green had been widely perceived as disliking Su Xi. As a devout Christian, he had supposedly kept Su Xi late for practice the day before, deliberately preventing him from going to a commercial shoot.

But now, he was actually extending his hand for a high-five and clapping Su Xi firmly on the shoulder.

"I love your defense, kid! You played exceptionally well. You’ve really impressed me. Your control over Stadumier was nothing short of perfect."

he said.

This left everyone in disbelief.

Why the sudden change of heart overnight? Was there some unwritten rule at play?

The rookies couldn’t figure it out.

Just then, the halftime show began.

Hilary Duff walked onto the stage and began to sing. The entire arena erupted in cheers; clearly, she was a huge fan favorite.

Although she was from Houston, her career was based in Los Angeles. She was Disney’s current leading lady, the new generation’s princess and sweetheart.

After her performance, someone from the crowd suddenly yelled, "Hey, Hilary, why don’t you get in on the race for Jack? I’m rooting for you! We need a Team S-H!"

The fan’s shout caught everyone by surprise.

But it also triggered a wave of excited screams.

Everyone loved the drama and couldn’t get enough of it.

There was already Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson. If you added a top-tier pop idol, the Disney Little Princess, into the mix...

...imagine the chaos.

It would be quite the show.

Three female stars could blow up the internet.

At that moment, Hilary Duff just smiled and, to everyone’s surprise, walked directly over to Su Xi.

This made the teasing from the crowd even louder.

Everyone was dying to know what she would say to Su Xi. A spotlight even swung over to focus on them.

"Hey, Jack, don’t forget our collaboration agreement," Hilary Duff said.

"Of course not," Su Xi replied.

It was just a simple exchange.

But then Hilary Duff stepped forward, hugged Su Xi, and whispered in his ear, "Can you win the MVP trophy tonight? I want to write about it in a lyric."

They were just discussing her song. But to everyone watching, it sparked a frenzy of speculation.

’What could they possibly be talking about?’

’Looks like the Disney Little Princess can’t wait!’