Chapter 227: Chapter 41: [If I Don’t Get the MVP, Who Dares to Touch the Trophy?]

With 21 seconds left and a 19-point lead.

Su Xi still indulged Garnett’s ’disrespectful request’.

Such magnanimity.

The fans in the Staples Center roared.

They loved a good spectacle and didn’t mind the drama escalating. Word of Garnett and Su Xi’s spat had already spread throughout the entire Staples Center. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The viewers at home were all hoping Garnett would get his foul mouth shut for him again on this play.

No one likes a guy who spews filth and calls it ’keeping it real’.

The fans who followed all the drama, in particular, utterly loathed Garnett’s behavior. So when Su Xi led his squad on a fast-paced assault that left the other team in shambles and built a massive lead, everyone felt a satisfying sense of vindication.

Trash talkers deserve to be put in their place.

"Here’s Kevin’s chance. If he can just shut Little Sheep Su Xi down on this play, it won’t be a total loss for him."

"As we all know, winning or losing the All-Star game doesn’t really matter. This is a personal duel between Garnett and Su Xi."

"I don’t think Little Sheep Su Xi’s limited offensive arsenal is enough to handle Garnett’s elite defense."

"Let’s wait and see. This is the real highlight of the night."

Kenny Smith eagerly started making excuses for Garnett and hyping him up.

Since Su Xi had returned to the court, Smith had been uncharacteristically quiet, unable to get a word in.

Overwhelmed by the one-two punch from Su Xi’s two supporters on the commentary team, Barkley and Magic were all smiles.

Now, with the two players facing off at the top of the three-point arc, he finally had a chance to vent.

Meanwhile, in front of his TV, LeBron James also looked up.

’Finish him, Kevin! Please! Don’t let this guy keep shining!’

James couldn’t help but pray to God for Garnett. At this moment, he was even willing to lend Garnett his own "Chosen One" luck.

’He just couldn’t stand seeing Su Xi shine so brightly.’

’The NBA isn’t big enough for a young player more amazing than me.’

Garnett was thinking the same thing. ’The NBA can’t have some rookie dunking on me and still basking in the glory.’ If this were the Minnesota Timberwolves’ training facility, he would have already smashed his fist into Su Xi’s nose.

Garnett had the size advantage, but his footwork was nimble. With his arms spread wide, he looked like a massive, terrifying spider, weaving an inescapable defensive web with his athleticism and physical gifts.

Caught in this web, Su Xi remained calm, in no hurry to break through Garnett’s defense directly.

He stood there calmly, letting the clock run down.

It almost looked as if he’d given up on the play.

After all, the Eastern Conference Team’s victory was already sealed, and with a stat line of 16 points, 9 rebounds, 19 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block, he was virtually a lock for MVP.

This was a battle of patience, and the advantage was with Su Xi.

With 10 seconds left, Su Xi suddenly took a step back. His posture was relaxed, as if he was backing off and giving up on the one-on-one.

The on-edge Garnett subconsciously lunged forward. With that one move... an opening instantly appeared in his previously ironclad defense.

Su Xi’s ability to seize an opportunity was second to none; he had deliberately baited Garnett into this mistake. The moment Garnett exposed the opening, Su Xi exploded with a burst of speed, driving forward... and in an instant, his foot was past Garnett’s side.

It was like a bolt of lightning.

Garnett was instantly a step behind, and Su Xi strode past him.

But just as Su Xi drove past and into the paint, Garnett spun around rapidly. He was, after all, the most versatile defender in the league. In that split second, as Su Xi made his move to attack the rim, Garnett reacted in a millisecond, turning to give chase.

Using his long strides, Garnett’s explosive first step allowed him to just barely catch up by the time they reached the free-throw line.

But right then, Su Xi came to a sudden stop mid-drive, his body twisting like a water snake to change direction. His incredible flexibility allowed him to pull off an unbelievable move. Although his ball handling was a bit stiff... on the sidelines, Duncan couldn’t help but leap to his feet.

It reminded him of his younger teammate, Manu Ginobili.

’Is that a Eurostep?’

Just as he was marveling at Su Xi using such a graceful move to get past Garnett, Su Xi suddenly threw the ball off the backboard.

At the same time, Garnett quickly shifted his weight to follow him to the left.

But it was too late.

Su Xi had once again out-thought him. He had thrown the ball off the backboard.

As he did, he used his body to muscle past Garnett and cut in from the right.

Garnett was completely shaken off.

His balance was off, and by the time he managed to turn around... Su Xi was long gone.

Su Xi leaped explosively in the paint, caught the rebound off the backboard with his right hand, and cocked the ball all the way back like drawing a bowstring to a full moon.

His form might not have been as elegant as Vince Carter’s or as fluid as Tracy McGrady’s.

But it was unbelievably powerful!

In mid-air, Su Xi slammed the ball down through the hoop with vicious force.

The sheer force was staggering!

BOOM!

As Su Xi focused all his strength into that single point and hammered the ball through the rim, the entire rim sagged, and the stanchion itself seemed to buckle and sway!

They had no choice but to yield to Su Xi’s raw power.

The moment Su Xi let go of the rim, the final buzzer sounded. The game was over.

Su Xi landed, his sneakers screeching sharply against the hardwood.

Su Xi spread his arms wide, and the entire Staples Center erupted.

No one had expected Su Xi to pull off such a violent, audacious, off-the-backboard alley-oop to himself in the final seconds. He had toyed with Garnett’s defense, leaving the superstar with his head hung low, like a soda can crushed under a boot.

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

The City of Angels chanted for Su Xi.

He had conquered them all.

The roar of the crowd showed that this was what everyone had wanted to see.

This was the second time in three days that Su Xi had earned such a popular mandate in this arena.

Now that’s what you call a Chosen One.

Su Xi raised his hands high as the cameras swarmed him, his handsome features, his effortless style, and his sheer dominance broadcasting into millions of homes.

The replay on the jumbotron above told the entire world that this was the wildest, strongest, most dominant dark horse of the new generation.

Shaquille O’Neal was screaming from the sidelines. He immediately ran onto the court, forgetting he was on the Western Conference team, shouting, "That was savage! That was savage!"

Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, and Michael Redd also rushed over to celebrate with Su Xi.

Su Xi’s basket had ignited everyone’s excitement.

It told the world that Su Xi was the brightest star of the night.

Sure, there was an element of chance to this game; many of the West’s biggest superstars hadn’t played.

But with a stat line of 18 points, 10 rebounds, 19 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block, who could deny that he had given the most incredible performance of the night?

And when you add in the fact that he posterized the league’s top defender, Kevin Garnett, twice? What more could you ask for?

LeBron James turned off the TV.

He furiously smashed the remote on the ground, then crushed it under his foot.

’He hated Su Xi so much.’

’What right did Su Xi have to be this good? He was supposed to be my sidekick! I was so good to him at the start, and this is how he repays me? By hooking up with celebrities, becoming the top All-Star vote-getter, stealing my Rookie Challenge MVP, and now stealing the show at the All-Star Game?’

The more James thought about it, the angrier he became. He flopped onto his bed and tried to sleep it off.

Meanwhile, Su Xi, the record-setting All-Star vote leader, was mobbed by people. A TNT reporter immediately weaved through the crowd to interview the young man who had just made history and sent viewers at home into a frenzy.

"Jack, you secured the triple-double in the final moments. You’re the first player in All-Star history to get a triple-double in his debut game. You’re also only the second player to get one since Michael Jordan, and your 19 assists are second only to Magic Johnson’s record of 22. Did you ever expect to achieve a stat line like this coming into the game?"

The TNT reporter reeled off Su Xi’s stats in an instant.

This is what makes the NBA so captivating; their databases are incredibly detailed.

Su Xi smiled. "I never predict outcomes," he said. "But I have to thank my friends who fought alongside me. They didn’t freeze me out. If I had been frozen out like Jordan or Kobe were, I never would have gotten 19 assists, let alone led the team to victory."

Wow.

The reporter was inwardly stunned when he heard Su Xi’s answer.

’There was so much to unpack in that one statement from Su Xi.’

He used the word ’led’, and he mentioned being ’frozen out’.

It showed that Su Xi was not only incredibly confident, but also the type to hold a grudge over the smallest slight.

This veteran sideline reporter, with 20 years of experience, immediately realized that Su Xi was a Jordan-esque figure. Jordan was just as petty, and just as fiercely confident.

The difference was, Jordan was much more low-key in his rookie season.

"You had an interesting matchup with Garnett tonight. The viewers at home saw you knock KG over twice, and you two had that incredible one-on-one duel at the end where you finished with that artistic and powerful dunk. Can you tell us if anything interesting happened between you two?"

The reporter was feigning ignorance.

Fans all over the world knew how Garnett had provoked Su Xi.

But everyone wanted to hear Su Xi’s side of the story.

"Nothing interesting happened between us," Su Xi said, staring seriously into the camera. "And I don’t feel like telling you what did happen. I’ll just tell you this: if he doesn’t apologize to me, this isn’t over."

He took the posture of a judge handing down a sentence from on high.

But in the eyes of the public, Garnett was the established superstar, while Su Xi was just a rookie.

How could he dare?

But then they remembered this was Su Xi, and suddenly it seemed perfectly reasonable.

After all, Su Xi had always been this bold.

In the entire basketball world, there wasn’t a single person he was afraid to call out.

And what’s more, he always came out on top.

Even if people called it an opportunistic upset.

But a win is a win.

It’s like money; no matter how crumpled a bill is, it still buys food and services.

"Jack, you got the huge triple-double, but your point total wasn’t the highest on the Eastern Conference Team. Do you think you can still win MVP for this game? If you do, you’ll be the first player in history to win the Rookie Challenge MVP and the All-Star Game MVP in the same weekend. Would making history like that be especially exciting for you?"

"If I don’t get MVP? Who else on the Eastern Conference Team would dare to even touch the base of the trophy?"

Su Xi stared into the camera and shot back a domineering question, "The guys who were too scared to play in crunch time, the ones shivering on the bench?"

As soon as Su Xi said it, the reporter’s head started spinning.

’So arrogant!’

One stone had just stirred up a thousand waves.

He never dreamed Su Xi would use this question to launch such a massive, indiscriminate attack. He was taking a direct shot at all the players who sat out the final minutes.

This... this... The reporter was at a complete loss for words.

’This kid is trying to take on the entire league by himself.’

...