Chapter 218: Chapter 34: A Super Talent for Blundering into Brilliance

Su Xi only ended up passing the ball to the corner because he hadn’t controlled it perfectly.

"He’s got a little something."

Jason Kidd couldn’t help but nod from the sidelines. He knew how to pull off that kind of move, and he was capable of doing it, but he would never dare to try it in a real game.

Because one mistake would lead to an incredibly embarrassing turnover.

Incredible skill, incredible guts.

This was the first time Jason Kidd had a positive opinion of Su Xi.

J Kidd, at the height of his powers, was an arrogant man. His view of Su Xi was different from Ben Wallace’s or Tracy McGrady’s. He didn’t hate Su Xi or envy him; he just didn’t take him seriously at all.

But now, this pass from Su Xi had made him see him in a new light.

The game continued.

The defense on both sides was incredibly lax.

After inexplicably pulling off two brilliant passes, Su Xi completely let loose. His third attempt, however, ended in a clumsy turnover when he bounced the ball off Duncan’s shoe.

But after that, he went on a tear. He threaded a bounce pass through Garnett’s legs on the move, setting up Little O’Neal for a thunderous dunk. He followed that with a spinning high lob to Iverson for another slam. Then, from behind the three-point line, he executed a full spin and whipped the ball into the paint for Ben Wallace to finish with a ferocious jam...

Even though Su Xi’s passes never ended up exactly where he intended, the results were, undeniably, spectacular.

It was as if the fans in the Staples Center were witnessing the return of Showtime to Los Angeles.

Su Xi was engulfed by a deafening roar from the crowd.

His passing clinic became the most dazzling, electrifying performance of the first half of the quarter.

Su Xi was subbed out for a rest at the five-minute, thirty-five-second mark.

As he headed to the bench, fans by the court were shouting: MVP! MVP! MVP!

Based on his performance in the first five and a half minutes, Su Xi was more than deserving of the title.

When he was subbed out, the Eastern Conference Team led 23-19. Su Xi had racked up 2 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds, and every single one of those assists was highlight-reel worthy.

When Su Xi left the court, fans in the arena and those watching at home were all left wanting more.

"I think Jack has a gift for passing. He should come and learn from me," Magic Johnson said confidently. "I’ve always believed that no one else in the league could ever master my passing techniques and that there would never be a ’second Magic.’ But now, I want to pass on my entire understanding of the art of the pass to him."

If Su Xi had heard what Magic said, he would have wanted to grab his hand right then and there. ’Are you serious? You’d really be willing to teach me your gift for passing?’

But he wasn’t anywhere near Magic. The person sitting beside Magic was Charles Barkley.

Barkley, a die-hard Su Xi fan, couldn’t resist pushing back at Magic. "Come on, man, I don’t think you’d actually do that. You’d never want another Point Guard to surpass you."

"You underestimate me, Charles. I’m not one of those legends who holds back. I’ve always been an open book with the new guys," Magic Johnson said. "I’m heading to Indiana at the end of April. You’ll see a completely different Jack when I’m done."

"But he’s already this good. What else could you possibly teach him?" Barkley retorted wryly. "You can’t even keep up with Jack when it comes to picking up women."

"Charles, the weapons in my arsenal are beyond your imagination," Magic Johnson said, his tone proud.

He put his hands in his pockets. "I’ve known the limits of passing for a long, long time."

Barkley couldn’t tell if Magic was just posturing, but it was an undisputed fact that Magic Johnson was the greatest Point Guard of all time.

So, he just grumbled to himself a bit before getting back to commentating the game.

The Eastern Conference Team’s lineup was now led by the league’s top Point Guard, Jason Kidd, and top small forward, Tracy McGrady, playing alongside Pierce, Artest, and Martin.

While the West was stacked with talented big men, the East had a deeper roster of guards.

Neither team was playing much defense; they were just putting on a show.

Shaquille O’Neal was playing Point Guard, trying to imitate Su Xi’s earlier moves. He attempted all sorts of flashy passes, but nearly all of them resulted in turnovers. He didn’t have Su Xi’s luck.

But it was highly entertaining.

The All-Star Game was supposed to be a fun, lighthearted affair anyway. The fans were just there for a good time.

Besides, plenty of people in the crowd tonight hadn’t come just to watch the game.

The Eastern Conference Team was playing more seriously than the Western Conference Team. Jason Kidd was taking the game seriously, and his pick-and-roll chemistry with his regular-season teammate, Kenyon Martin, was excellent.

They had some beautiful plays together.

This, however, didn’t sit well with Tracy McGrady. Tracy McGrady was already ticked off about not getting the starting spot, and now that he was finally on the court, Jason Kidd was dominating the ball and treating him like a simple spot-up shooter.

How could the reigning scoring champion possibly tolerate that?

Soon enough, he took control of the ball. He was determined to put on a show.

Unfortunately for him, his shot was off. To make matters worse, O’Neal was camping in the paint with a ferocious look on his face. No one knew if he was just for show, or if he was actually trying to rack up a couple of blocks for the crowd’s amusement.

Tracy McGrady had no intention of becoming a punchline for the Shark’s antics, so he stayed out of the paint and kept shooting from the perimeter.

And kept clanking shots.

All of a sudden, the East’s offensive efficiency dropped even lower than the West’s.

Play went back and forth.

The atmosphere was lively, and there were still some exciting plays.

But the energy on the court was fading. It was a far cry from the constant string of highlights when Su Xi was playing—that thrilling feeling of never knowing what might happen next.

Carlisle didn’t sub Su Xi back in, instead continuing to cycle through his other players.

The East really did have a lot of guards.

Reid, Baron Davis, and others were subbed in as well.

Su Xi sat on the bench, but his mind wasn’t idle. He was replaying his six highlight-reel assists. ’Was that all just luck? Or do I have a knack for pulling off flukes?’

The first quarter ended quickly, and the second quarter began.

Su Xi was finally subbed back onto the court 8 minutes and 16 seconds into the second quarter.

He was on the floor with Reid, Pierce, Little O’Neal, and Martin.

The five players on the court for the Western Conference Team were Sam Cassell, Ray Allen, Kirilenko, Nowitzki, and Brad Miller.

This lineup for the West... was clearly more geared toward a real game. None of them had a knack for showmanship. They weren’t going to goof around like O’Neal, nor did they have the explosive athleticism to drive in for flashy dunks.

This lineup had just gone on an 8-2 run before the East’s substitutions, helping the Western Conference Team build a 73-66 lead.

The moment Sam Cassell saw Su Xi check in, he got fired up.

He spread his arms wide in front of Su Xi, immediately dropping into a serious defensive stance.

"The two of them standing together are like a pair of antonyms," Barkley joked on the broadcast. "They’re natural opposites. E.T. and the pretty boy!"

Just then, Su Xi started his drive.

Even though Cassell’s defensive stance was serious and professional...

But when Su Xi suddenly threw out a jab step, Cassell was still beaten by Su Xi’s explosive power. He instinctively retreated in a hurry.

But Su Xi stopped on a dime, stepped back behind the three-point line, and let the shot fly with his left hand... SWISH!

He drained it.

Su Xi was thrilled. He turned to Reid with a huge smile. "Hey, man, how about that three?"

Before checking into the game, Su Xi and Reid had been talking about this very thing.

Reid had joked that he wanted to see how Su Xi’s left-handed shot was coming along.

So Su Xi gave it a try, and with a bit of luck, he drained it on his first attempt.

That’s why he was now proudly showing off to Reid.

But before Reid could answer, Cassell, his face a mask of anger, snapped at Su Xi, "What are you so proud of, rookie?! If I had been defending for real, you wouldn’t have even gotten a shot off."

Cassell was pulling rank, acting like an arrogant veteran.

This pissed Su Xi off. ’I’m talking to Reid, what the fuck does this have to do with you?’

’Who the hell do you think you are?’

"So why didn’t you defend for real, then?" Su Xi shot back at Cassell. "Is that the go-to move for you vets? Playing defense with your mouth?"

Su Xi’s sarcasm was biting.

It instantly wounded Cassell’s pride. He took the inbounds pass and immediately started backing Su Xi down, determined to score on him.

Seeing how aggressive he was being, Su Xi decided he wasn’t going to hold back anymore.

’Bring it on, then.’