Chapter 244: Chapter 50: The Playoffs Arrive

She hurried over and leaped onto Su Xi.

She was as jubilant as a lover in the honeymoon phase.

And completely oblivious to everyone around them.

...

This was Su Xi’s first time in a police station.

He regretted it deeply.

After finishing the commercial shoot, Su Xi and Scarlett got into the same car, with Su Xi driving her back.

Everyone on set knew what was going to happen next. The "Nevada Giant Cannon" even ran over to give Su Xi a friendly tip: "Boss, you should buy black condoms. They make it look smaller. Don’t scare Miss Scarlett."

This was indeed advice born from experience.

In the car, Su Xi and Scarlett started talking.

To be honest, this was their first official one-on-one date. They talked about everything from Indiana’s weather to its scenery, from the scenery to the local culture, and from the culture to interesting stories from their childhoods.

They were an even better match than they’d imagined.

It was a long drive back to the city center.

Long enough for the flirtatious atmosphere to blossom.

While shifting gears, Su Xi’s hand brushed against Scarlett’s thigh as she gradually moved closer. She was wearing delicate stockings, which made her leg feel even more soft and supple.

Su Xi couldn’t help but blush a little... not that he was some innocent boy.

"You asked me last time when you could have all of me, didn’t you?" Scarlett asked suddenly.

Su Xi grew a little nervous. He heard the warmth creeping into Scarlett’s tone.

He didn’t even make the connection that Scarlett was the recipient of the Super Agility talent.

There was a curve in the road ahead.

But just then, Scarlett leaned in. She rested against Su Xi’s shoulder, nibbled his ear, and whispered playfully, "Jack, hit the brakes. I want to... break things in with you..."

Su Xi’s mind went blank. He instinctively slammed on the brakes... BANG!

A police car slammed into them from behind, and the impact sent Su Xi’s large pickup truck flipping onto its side.

The airbags deployed instantly. Su Xi instinctively reached out to grab Scarlett, not caring what part of her he grabbed.

In any case, when the police ran over with their guns drawn, the two were found clinging tightly to each other...

Next, the police called for an ambulance. Scarlett, who had unbuckled her seatbelt, had suffered head and neck injuries from the impact.

Su Xi, meanwhile, was taken to the police station.

He was accused of reckless driving.

Because his driving had been erratic, swerving in an S-pattern, and then he’d suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing the police car to rear-end him.

Normally, the police would be at fault for a rear-end collision.

But this officer, named Robert, clearly didn’t recognize Su Xi, the superstar athlete from Indiana. He even made Su Xi spread-eagle on the hood while he meticulously searched the truck, only taking Su Xi into custody after confirming there were no illegal substances or dangerous weapons.

Once they arrived at the station, Su Xi’s treatment changed dramatically.

Robert didn’t know Su Xi, but everyone else did. The young star who had brought Indiana an unprecedented 70 wins was a well-known figure talked about on every street corner.

Even the chief came out to greet him personally.

Only then did Robert realize how overly harsh he had been during the arrest.

But he stood his ground, insisting that Su Xi had been driving recklessly and suggesting he might have been drinking or on drugs. After all, the news was always saying how wild NBA stars were in that regard.

To prove his innocence, Su Xi agreed to a urine test.

All the test reports came back completely normal.

Since there were no security cameras in the area of the accident, and the police car didn’t have a dashcam...

...classifying the incident became complicated.

In the end, based on the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," Su Xi was released. Furthermore, Robert was held fully responsible for the rear-end collision.

By the time Su Xi walked out of the police station, it was already eight o’clock at night.

He had already missed the game.

Two hours earlier, he had called Larry Bird, who had quickly arranged for someone to come to the station to post bail. But Su Xi had insisted on clearing his name, and by the time the urine test was done, it was already too late.

After thinking it over, Su Xi decided to go to the hospital instead of the arena.

When he arrived at the hospital, Scarlett was already fitted with a thick neck brace. She had a concussion and a cervical spine injury, and she needed to rest.

As Su Xi approached, a nurse named Sofia made a point of instructing him, "Jack, Scarlett can’t engage in any strenuous activities for a while. Especially while she’s on bed rest, no strenuous activities."

The meaning behind her words was quite obvious.

Because she herself blushed first.

’Why the fuck should I explain anything?’ Su Xi thought.

...

Larry Brown was annoyed. He had gone to the trouble of resting the Wallace Brothers, leaving them in Detroit. But when he got to Indiana, he saw that Su Xi wasn’t even on the court.

’Did the Pacers anticipate my anticipation?’

’Or did Little Sheep Su Xi calculate that I was going to tank?’

Larry Brown was very annoyed.

Rick Carlisle, however, was delighted.

When he heard that Su Xi had been in a car accident that afternoon, his heart leaped into his throat. He wanted to push for 71 wins. Even though both 70 and 71 wins were the second-best records in history, one more victory held greater significance, especially since this was the final game of the season against the Pistons.

Just as he was about to strategically give up on the game and let his starters rest up, he discovered that the Wallace Brothers hadn’t even come to the arena. In that case, they had to go all out.

He directed his team to charge relentlessly, attacking the Detroit paint from all angles.

They quickly took the lead.

Without Su Xi, the Pacers were still a top-tier team.

But without the Wallace Brothers, the Pistons were just an ordinary strong team.

There was a clear difference in class.

Larry Brown realized this as well.

In front of their TV, the Wallace Brothers started cursing, so angry they were pounding their chests and stamping their feet. What happened to figuring out Little Sheep Su Xi’s weaknesses? The guy didn’t even show up. Wasn’t this a case of losing the chicken and the eggs, just asking for trouble?

’Be patient? Be patient my ass!’

Rashid was grinding his teeth in anger. "I think Larry Brown got played. Little Sheep Su Xi is a cunning bastard. When we really meet in the playoffs, we two brothers will have to come up with our own plan so we don’t get led into a ditch again."

Ben Wallace nodded. "I can’t exist on the same court as Little Sheep Su Xi. When we meet in the playoffs, I’m definitely going to shatter his bones."

The more they talked, the more they found common ground, their shared hatred elevating their friendship.

But on TV, the Pistons were steadily losing ground.

When Su Xi turned on the TV, the game was in the third quarter, and the Pacers were up by 17.

He was surprised, until he saw the Pistons’ roster on the screen.

And heard what Charles Barkley was saying on TV.

"This is a battle between two old foxes. We all thought tonight would be a clash of titans, that there would be some bad blood. But both teams held something back. The Pacers are resting Jack Su, and Larry Brown didn’t even bring the Wallace Brothers. They’re both probing each other’s depths, trying to get a leg up before the playoffs."

"So damn crafty."

Barkley lamented.

His fellow commentators all agreed, and so did the excited viewers watching at home.

"The playoff picture is very clear now. The Pacers have secured the second-best record in history with 71 regular-season wins. They’ll be first in the East, followed by the Brooklyn Nets in second, the Pistons in third, the Heat in fourth, the Hornets in fifth, the Bucks in sixth, the Knicks in seventh, and the Celtics in eighth."

"There isn’t much to see in the first round of the East. The Pacers should take down the Celtics in five games at most. The top four teams in the bracket are pretty much guaranteed to win. The only real suspense is between the Heat and the Hornets."

"The standings over in the West are: Minnesota Timberwolves, Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, King, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Rockets, and Nuggets."

"The ninth-place team in the West, the Jazz, won 42 games. If they were in the East, they could have even been seeded fourth." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"So, overall, the league’s landscape is still ’West strong, East weak.’"

"..."

In the second half of the broadcast, TNT began analyzing and commenting on the playoff situation.

"For me, there’s no suspense about this year’s Rookie of the Year. It has to be Su Xi. He led his team to their best record in franchise history, and his personal stats are incredibly well-rounded. He’s the only choice that Carmeron Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James would respect."

"If it were given to any of the three—James, Wade, or Antonio—it wouldn’t be a convincing choice..."