Chapter 225: Chapter 40: [The Green Mountains Cannot Stop It; After All, It Flows East]

No sooner had Pierce declared his support for Su Xi than Reid draped an arm over Su Xi’s shoulder. He was drawing a clear line in the sand, separating himself from Tracy McGrady, Kidd, and the others.

Even though they were all seasoned veterans and established superstars in the league, Reid was his own man in Milwaukee. He didn’t have to answer to anyone.

His friendship with Su Xi dated back to before the draft—they had become friends at a training camp in Chicago.

The Eastern Conference All-Stars wanted to isolate Su Xi, but from the looks of it, he had turned the tables and isolated them instead... After all, Su Xi was on the court, while they were stuck on the bench.

It was a good thing for them Arenas hadn’t made it. If Arenas had been selected as an All-Star this year, given his friendship with Su Xi, he would have roasted those guys alive.

Meanwhile, over on the Western Conference bench, a rash of sore knees and ankle discomforts suddenly broke out.

Yao Ming once again took off his ankle wrap. "You know, a giant like me is prone to ankle discomfort. I need to rest."

He informed Coach Sanders with a polite and radiant smile that he had no intention of wading into these muddy waters.

It was just like his choice during the Rookie Challenge.

Shaquille O’Neal was also feeling "uncomfortable." O’Neal claimed his big toe was bothering him and took off his shoe and sock. "You know, I’ve been plagued by toe injuries for the past two seasons."

Kobe Bryant had a thick ice pack strapped to his shoulder. Sanders thought about talking to him, but one look at Kobe’s grim, unapproachable expression made him decide against it.

"And you? Tim, what’s wrong with you?" Sanders asked Duncan.

Duncan said, "I have a toothache..."

He then broke into a smile, revealing his perfectly white teeth.

Sanders finally got the picture. ’So that’s how it is. You all just want to sit on the sidelines and watch.’

’This is all so complicated.’

Yao Ming sitting out was understandable; he was Su Xi’s compatriot, after all.

As for the OK Combination not playing, they wanted to conserve their strength and prevent the Minnesota Timberwolves from gaining any more momentum.

’Duncan, what’s up with you?’

’Does a toothache really hurt that much?’

Garnett took a deep breath, his teeth grinding slightly.

Then, he steeled his resolve. ’Fine, don’t play then. Without you guys, do you really think I, Garnett, can’t handle that rabble from the East?’

Sanders deployed a new lineup and strategy with the players he had left.

The lineup they ultimately sent out was: Cassell, Ray Allen, Kirilenko, Garnett, and Brad Miller.

While this lineup wasn’t exactly dripping with star power, it was by no means weak. It had its strengths on both offense and defense.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game began.

The two sides faced off. Garnett shot a look over, his eyes devoid of emotion—filled only with hatred.

Su Xi met his gaze head-on and started walking toward Cassell.

Cassell avoided a direct confrontation with Su Xi. He dribbled to the top of the arc, used a quick screen from Kirilenko, and then passed the ball to Garnett. Facing Pierce, Garnett made a realistic jab step before pulling up for a jump shot... SWISH!

It was good.

The West had a height advantage.

However, the moment they scored, Su Xi had Little O’Neal quickly inbound the ball to him. "Run!"

With a shout, Su Xi took off, dribbling the ball at full speed toward the frontcourt.

He wasn’t following Carlisle’s set play.

The moment Garnett’s shot went in, a whole new plan had popped into his head.

He stormed the frontcourt like a bolt of lightning. Kirilenko and Garnett were both elite help defenders, and they immediately gave chase, converging on him from behind with immense speed, like two demons slamming a door shut.

But in the split second before their pincer closed, Su Xi slammed on the brakes. After a slight hesitation, he sent the ball out with a simple, unremarkable bounce pass. Paul Pierce arrived at the perfect moment, caught the ball, and leaped... BOOM!

A monster dunk.

The Staples Center erupted.

Pierce himself was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected to get the pass from Su Xi, let alone finish with a trailing dunk.

He had only trailed the play because of his court awareness; he was hoping to snag an offensive rebound.

He never thought Su Xi would be able to spot his run.

And yet, Su Xi had.

"Jack has excellent court vision. I used to make passes like that all the time in games," Magic said on TV. "Actually, a pass like that is simple. You use the process of elimination to know your teammate’s general location. You don’t even need to look."

Many viewers at home thought he was spouting nonsense. Who could possibly track a teammate’s path without looking at them?

But that was exactly how Su Xi had made that pass.

After making that assist, Su Xi’s comprehension of Magic’s ’Super Spatial Sense Talent’ deepened.

He was integrating more of it.

He also discovered that combining the ’Super Spatial Sense Talent’ with his drives made him even more lethal.

"Magic, I admit you’re the undeniable authority on passing. But your ability to attack the rim is inferior to Little Sheep Su Xi’s."

Barkley said, "You’re not as fast as him."

"That’s not necessarily true. We each have our own strengths." Magic wouldn’t concede the point; he thought his own ability to drive to the basket was pretty good too.

The game continued.

Su Xi picked up Cassell full-court, hounding him. He was full of energy and could afford to burn it on defense.

Cassell tried to accelerate past him, but Su Xi still had him locked down at the top of the arc. He was forced to turn his back and protect the ball.

But the moment he did, Su Xi reached in, grabbed the ball, and violently ripped it away—a classic recreated.

Su Xi ripped the ball clean away. The force of the steal sent Cassell stumbling, nearly making him fall, but he still couldn’t hold onto the ball.

He shouted for a foul, but no whistle blew.