109-91.

The Pacers, as expected, secured a home victory.

Su Xi finished the game with 15 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block, which was about on par with his season averages—and he only played 27 minutes. His efficiency was off the charts. Of course, many people claimed his assists were high because the Pacers had so many strong players, his rebounds were high because Foster and Little O’Neal boxed out for him, and his scoring was high because his teammates created space for him, leading to mostly easy balls from attacking the paint.

Basketball pundits can always see the "essence" through the "phenomenon," always ready to throw out some "shocking" hot takes.

But the stats and the record are right there. What can you do besides chirp?

LeBron James, staggering his minutes, played for 34 minutes tonight and put up 28 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

It was another one of those "the team lost, but Ah Zhan didn’t" games.

After the game, he would receive a flood of praise. People would say he has a boundless future, that the sky’s the limit for him, that he’s destined to be the league’s chosen one.

After all, he was so young yet already demonstrated such a dominant presence on the court. Moreover, he was still brimming with limitless potential, every fiber of his being pulsing with explosive energy.

From that perspective, it was all true of James.

Aside from losing the game and his subpar performance when matched up against Su Xi, he had a nearly flawless game.

Perhaps the only slight blemish was what Stephen Jackson said in an interview with the Indiana media after the game: "I want to play Pacers-style basketball. LeBron is a great, talented player with a boundless future, but he and I aren’t very compatible."

Jackson’s words were diplomatic, but they would surely become a thorn in James’s side. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

This showed that James didn’t have full control of the Cleveland locker room, even though he was the team’s designated leader.

After the game, Carlos Boozer and Jason Kapono went to Su Xi’s place in Indiana. Su Xi still hadn’t bought property there; since the rent was relatively cheap, he was just renting a villa in an affluent neighborhood.

They had a fun night, playing video games, catching up, and gossiping about Su Xi’s love life, just like they used to back in Cleveland.

The next morning, Su Xi drove them to the airport to rejoin the Cavaliers.

As they said their goodbyes, Ah Bu told Su Xi, "I’m not planning on playing for the Cavaliers next season. Even though my style of play fits well with LeBron’s, I feel like it’s hard to make a name for myself playing alongside him."

Boozer has the perfect playing style for a second-in-command. He’s good at the pick-and-roll, has a solid mid-range shot, and is a decent defensive rebounder.

A style like his was the perfect complement to James’s "all-around" game.

However, the memory of Su Xi being unceremoniously kicked out was still fresh in Boozer’s mind. He was traumatized by it, afraid he would be next.

Furthermore, the Cavaliers couldn’t offer Boozer the contract extension he was hoping for. Boozer was a second-round pick, but his stock was very high right now. He had a chance to land a contract like the one Arenas got, which was clearly something the Cavaliers were unwilling to pay.

"As long as you’ve thought it through, I’ll support whatever decision you make," Su Xi told Boozer.

"I wonder when we’ll get to play together again," Kapono said wistfully.

Compared to Su Xi and Boozer, Kapono’s position on the Cavaliers was more precarious. When Su Xi was still in Cleveland, Kapono had been promoted to a key rotation player. After Su Xi left, he became a fringe player.

However, he had a deadly three-point shot. He was the kind of floor-spacing shooter that every team in the NBA needed, so he didn’t have to worry about being unemployed.

"We’ll definitely get the chance," Su Xi said earnestly.

They bid each other a reluctant farewell.

Such a heartwarming friendship.

The funny thing was, the next day’s news headline read: "Rivals on the Court, Brothers off the Court: Little Sheep Su Xi Sees the Chosen One Off at the Airport." The camera had caught a shot of Su Xi getting out of his car and waving to Ah Ka and Ah Bu, but the article’s focus was all on James.

Well...

Su Xi thought about it for a moment but didn’t bother to explain.

Although he and James had their unpleasant moments, they had also shared some good times in the past.

’Let it all blow away with the wind.’

...

After the big game against the Cavaliers, the debate over Rookie of the Year didn’t die down. In fact, it grew even more intense. The voices supporting Su Xi and the voices supporting James grew louder, drowning out the support for other competitive rookies like Antonio, Wade, and Syracuse.

The Rookie of the Year race had become a two-man showdown.

Before the season began, no one would have dared to predict that the final Rookie of the Year contest would be between Su Xi and James.

Especially James. You could have killed him, and he still wouldn’t have imagined it.

After all, back then, Su Xi was just a helper he had picked out.

Su Xi tuned out all the chatter, focusing his attention on their next opponent.

Last Friday, during a team community event, he had made a promise to the Pacers supporters: "We will definitely lead the team to the 70-win club this season."

The entire crowd had erupted.

For years, Indiana had fought hard only to be repeatedly defeated, always striving for the championship trophy.

But ever since losing to the Lakers in the Finals, things had been going from bad to worse. This season, the arrival of Carlisle and Su Xi had given them a glimmer of hope.

They desperately needed some kind of honor to lift their spirits.

Making it into the 70-win club in the regular season would be the ultimate shot in the arm.

However, the challenges facing Su Xi and the Pacers were considerable.

The Cavaliers were just small fry.