Chapter 220: Chapter 36: Su Xi Is Here to Straighten Out the Superstars

At that moment, Kevin Garnett wanted to kill Su Xi.

He stormed over, but his reason held him back from doing anything more. He ran to set a screen for Cassell, planning to use the opportunity to land a cheap shot on Su Xi.

Su Xi deftly dodged, using a spin move to get around the screen.

Just then, the camera caught Garnett swinging an elbow as he set the screen.

Barkley said on television, "Looks like the Western Conference Team is getting serious now."

He was putting it mildly. After all, with the festive atmosphere of the All-Star Game, it wasn’t the time for divisive comments.

But the viewers at home could see it plain as day. Garnett had clearly lost his cool.

Cassell drove to the free-throw line, where Little O’Neal hedged out to slow him. Cassell came to a screeching halt and was about to gather the ball when Su Xi saw his chance and chopped down with his hand... SMACK!

He slapped the ball away from behind.

At the same time, he closed in and snatched the ball away.

The perfect answer.

Su Xi had stolen the ball right back.

He raced downcourt with Garnett in hot pursuit. They charged into the paint at nearly the same time. Without a moment’s hesitation, Su Xi leaped straight up, meeting Garnett’s defense head-on... BANG!

The two collided in midair.

Su Xi held nothing back, unleashing all of his explosive power, speed, and strength... KABOOM!

Taking the hit head-on, Garnett felt a jolt run through his entire body, like he had just been rammed by a bull.

His outstretched arms instinctively recoiled. It was an uncontrollable physiological reaction.

Su Xi seized the opportunity to toss the ball up... THUMP! SWISH!

The ball banked in.

Su Xi stumbled slightly upon landing. Garnett, however, was doubled over. He wanted to stand up straight, but his body hadn’t recovered from the impact.

"Is this your idea of ’tough’? Stand up straight when you talk to me."

Su Xi taunted.

Garnett grimaced in pain.

Only after Su Xi turned away did he finally catch his breath and pass the ball to Cassell.

As he ran back on defense, he rubbed his ribs.

’I can’t believe Su Xi is that strong.’

The game resumed. Kobe ran to the top of the arc to take the ball himself. He was tired of watching Cassell handle it; he knew Cassell was no match for Su Xi. It was a waste of time, and Cassell had no business trying to start a feud with him.

Cassell was a steady player, but at nearly 34 years old, his sun was setting.

Su Xi, on the other hand, was a rising sun, his future visibly limitless.

Cassell’s actions were born from pure insecurity. He couldn’t accept a younger player’s rapid rise, yet he lacked the skill to do anything about it. Worse, he was dragging Garnett into his mess. It was foolish, and he was only bringing humiliation upon himself.

Kobe went one-on-one against Reid. He used a beautiful post shimmy to shake his defender and sank the fadeaway jumper.

On the next play, Su Xi blew past Cassell again. Garnett came over to help, and Su Xi fearlessly initiated contact once more... he was actively seeking the collision. Garnett hadn’t expected Su Xi to be so aggressive; he was coming at him like his life depended on it. Garnett gave ground, trading space for a better defensive position.

Su Xi drove two steps deeper into the defense, then kicked the ball out. Little O’Neal caught it at the free-throw line and sank the jumper.

Sanders frowned on the sideline. His defensive scheme couldn’t contain Su Xi.

With 39 seconds left, Kobe proposed, "Let’s go one-on-one, Jack."

Su Xi readily agreed. The Little Elf had told him that if Kobe were to fully awaken his super talent while Su Xi was guarding him, Su Xi would also receive a portion of it.

That was why Su Xi had always wanted to go one-on-one with Kobe, the potential wielder of the ’Super Offensive Rhythm’ talent.

Back on defense, Su Xi immediately switched with Reid to guard Kobe.

Kobe cleared out for the isolation. He used a series of brilliant jab steps that kept Su Xi’s center of gravity shifting back and forth. But Su Xi’s defense still blanketed him; Su Xi was, without a doubt, already one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.

But it still wasn’t enough to stop Kobe.

Kobe took a hard dribble inside, then suddenly turned his body, pounding the ball hard as he faked a spin to his left. Su Xi’s center of gravity lifted as he bit on the fake, and Kobe immediately spun back to his right, rising for a fadeaway jumper. Su Xi recovered in time to get a hand in his face, extending his arm as far as he could.

But he couldn’t stop Kobe from getting the shot off. It went in. SWISH!

"The only way you’ll get better is by dueling me," Kobe trash-talked after the shot.

"Hope you can make some progress too. You still haven’t refined your offensive technique to a higher level," Su Xi shot back.

Those words made Kobe Bryant freeze.

’Lately, I’ve felt that my offensive game is on the verge of a true breakthrough,’ Kobe thought. ’I feel like I’m not far from that state of ’effortless perfection’ I’ve seen in Jordan’s tapes.’

’How could this guy, Jack, have seen that?’

Kobe was astonished.

He unconsciously matched Su Xi’s pace as they moved down the court.

Su Xi orchestrated the last possession of the first half from the top of the arc.

His teammates moved around him, running their routes.

With 10 seconds left, Little O’Neal came up to set a screen.

Su Xi took a long stride and drove inside.

He spun and passed to Pierce on the wing, then cut hard to the basket. As if reading his mind, Pierce immediately passed the ball right back to him.

Su Xi caught the ball, took one hard dribble into a jump stop. Garnett rotated over from the side with incredible speed; his help defense was insane.

However, there was no turning back now. Su Xi charged straight into the danger. He gathered all his strength and explosive power, leaped into the air, and met Garnett’s defense head-on... CRASH!

He crashed into Garnett hard once again. Garnett staggered from the impact, but his right hand still shot out, trying to strip the ball. His hand made contact, but Su Xi’s palm was too big and his grip was too powerful.

Not only did Garnett fail to knock the ball loose, but Su Xi planted his left hand on Garnett’s head. Using it for leverage, he pushed himself even higher.

With his right hand, he viciously slammed the ball through the hoop.

BAM!

Su Xi hammered it home.

At that moment, Su Xi’s body instantly lost its balance in midair. Garnett, who was underneath him, had stepped on Martin’s shoe, stumbled, and collapsed.

Su Xi lost his support.

But, at least he had Garnett below to cushion his fall.

He landed with his legs spread, standing astride Garnett’s body. He loomed over the fallen Garnett.

Su Xi looked down and extended a hand.

Garnett instinctively reached out, thinking Su Xi was going to help him up.

But... SMACK!

Su Xi gave him a high-five and said coldly, "Feels pretty damn good to dunk on your head. From this angle, your face looks like it’s covered in black truffles."

Su Xi always paid back every slight.

He didn’t care if you were a superstar or number one in the MVP rankings. If you pissed him off with a single word, he would make your life a living hell.

With that, Su Xi stepped right over Garnett’s head.

Staples Center was already erupting, roaring its approval for Su Xi’s incredibly dominant posterizing dunk.

But when Su Xi stepped over him, the frenzy in the arena grew even more intense.

"Is there anything in this world that scares Jack?" Magic Johnson couldn’t help but exclaim on television. "The man is absolutely wild."

"Before the game, I was worried he’d be ostracized by the NBA’s established superstars. Now, it looks like he came here to put them all in their place."

"It’s like Jordan put on a different jersey and came back to the league!"

Magic Johnson clicked his tongue in amazement.

He was utterly stunned.

...