Chapter 235: Chapter 46: The Great War with Minnesota

This highly anticipated game was held at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Timberwolves fans were fully behind Garnett’s quest for revenge, treating what happened to him at the All-Star Game as a disgrace to all of Minnesota.

This was why Su Xi was met with a chorus of boos from the entire arena when he took the court, with plenty of curses and wild accusations mixed in.

But none of this could affect Su Xi.

Su Xi’s mental fortitude had long been acknowledged by everyone. Nothing could make ’this arrogant, overbearing, and tyrannical young demon’ even frown.

He was like a devil lurking in the shadows, always waiting for the chance to devour a person’s soul in a single gulp.

Su Xi, Artest, Reggie Miller, Little O’Neal, and Foster took the court as the Pacers’ starting lineup.

The Timberwolves countered with Cassell, Hassel, Spreeville, Garnett, and Elvin Johnson.

Sanders had used this defensive lineup to secure the top spot in the West, earning nationwide acclaim. He and Carlisle were considered the strongest contenders for Coach of the Year.

The outcome of this game was crucial.

It would decide many things.

"After the All-Star Game in Los Angeles, Little Sheep Su Xi claimed that from now on, he would school Garnett every single time they met. I’m now waiting to see if he can back that up."

As an ESPN commentator, Mike Brin made his biased stance clear on television. He didn’t believe Su Xi could make good on his claim.

TWEET!

The whistle blew.

Foster leaped high and tapped the basketball to Su Xi.

The moment Su Xi received the ball, he launched into a ferocious charge. He unleashed his full talent—his speed, explosiveness, and strength... Cassell was still powerless to stop him; Su Xi knocked him aside outside the three-point line.

Then, Spreeville stepped up to cover him.

Spreeville’s nickname was "Madman." The average fan’s impression of him was mostly defined by the fact that he had nearly choked his head coach, P.J. Carlesimo. But in reality, he was a swingman who excelled on both offense and defense. In just his second season, he was selected to the All-NBA First Team while also making the All-Defensive Second Team.

Setting aside the more famous "heirs to Jordan" like Grant Hill and Hardaway, he too was once considered a successor to Jordan.

However, with personnel changes and tactical shifts within the Warriors, his performance steadily declined. He went from being ’the best two-way shooting guard’ to a ball hog who only cared about padding his stats, a slide that culminated in the infamous incident where he nearly choked his head coach.

After that, he went to the New York Knicks. At the time, the Knicks had been effectively dismantled by Jordan and the Bulls, but his arrival allowed them to raise their banner once more, forming the second iteration of the New York Gang. The brand-new New York team, composed of him, Larry Johnson, Ewing, Houston, and others, once made it to the Finals, but they ultimately couldn’t defeat the San Antonio Spurs and their Twin Towers.

But as Ewing aged and both Larry Johnson and Houston succumbed to injuries, Spreeville reverted to being a stat-padding ball hog.

Spreeville was a two-way swingman, a player who acted as the tip of the spear. On offense, he excelled at breaking down the defense off the dribble and was very strong at pushing the fast break. On defense, he loved to pressure the ball-handler, always serving as the first line of defense.

However... a playstyle like that requires the support of good teammates. During his prime with the Warriors, he had Weber and Mulin. During his prime with the Knicks, he had Johnson and Ewing, as well as Houston.

His current career renaissance with the Timberwolves was because he had Garnett backing him up, with Cassell handling ball distribution.

He could play without restraint.

THUD!

Su Xi ran straight into Spreeville.

Spreeville was very strong and had a bit more weight on him than Su Xi, so he only took half a step back, and Su Xi’s offensive momentum was checked.

The Su Xi from before might very well have been locked down by him.

But now, with a flick of his wrist, Su Xi passed the ball to the corner. He didn’t pass to the wide-open Artest right in front of him, but instead to Reggie Miller, who was running to the corner. The pass was perfect, arriving just as Miller did.

Reggie Miller caught it and shot... SWISH!

It went in.

After acquiring the Magician’s "super spatial awareness" talent, Su Xi’s ability to track his teammates’ movements had jumped several levels.

Even Garnett was stunned. He had been ready to double-team and go for the steal. If Su Xi had passed the ball to Artest, he was 90% certain he could have intercepted it.

But who would have thought Su Xi would pass it to that unexpected spot in the corner?

Right at the start of the game, Su Xi used a pass to land a three-point blow on the Timberwolves.

On the other end of the court, Su Xi stuck close to Cassell.

But Sanders was prepared. To counter Su Xi’s suffocating defense, he had Spreeville waiting on the wing to receive the pass.

Once in the frontcourt, the Timberwolves executed some precise movements to get the ball to Spreeville.

The Madman attacked Artest. Both players had a powerful, aggressive style.

In the end, Spreeville used a spin move to get past Artest, drawing the help defense from Little Ao. He drove into the contact and took a jump shot... CLANG! A brick.

Garnett rushed in for the putback dunk.

This was a typical play for the Timberwolves. As long as Spreeville could break down the defense and draw the help from the interior, he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.

Even if he missed, it was just an ’assisted rebound’ for Garnett.

When it came to ’assisted rebounds,’ Spreeville and Kobe Bryant seemed to have learned from the same master.

The Madman had Garnett by his side, and Kobe had O’Neal.

The game continued, with both teams trading baskets.

Both teams were playing at a high level, essentially on the same tier.

For the moment, neither team could get the upper hand.

Su Xi played for 6 minutes before coming off for a rest. He had recorded 3 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.