Chapter 308: Chapter 81: Two Super Physical Talents

LeBron James felt the exact same way.

After all, hadn’t James often told the media he admired Su Xi, wished him well, and insisted their relationship was still close? In reality, they no longer spoke in private.

A classic tale of bitter rivalry was unfolding in James’s heart: if there’s already me, why must there be him?

Now, James was in an amazing mood, practically floating on air.

As long as Su Xi didn’t win the championship—didn’t win the damned championship in his rookie season—he couldn’t be considered the Man of Destiny. He wouldn’t pose a threat to the Chosen One’s status.

James didn’t want to be Su Xi’s equal. He wanted to reign supreme.

The only way he could accept Su Xi was as the number two, ranked beneath him.

How could Su Xi win an honor that he himself had never won?

In fact, Su Xi had already accomplished a lot.

If he won another championship and took the Finals MVP...

James would be put in a very awkward position. The media would undoubtedly dedicate all their coverage to this historic super rookie.

Moreover, they would dredge up the past, criticizing how foolish Cleveland’s trade was. In fact, some media outlets were already doing so, ever since the Pacers secured the best regular-season record in franchise history and won the Eastern Conference Championship.

A championship and a Finals MVP would also cause fans and the media to elevate Su Xi to another echelon entirely: a near all-time great.

This was a realm LeBron James himself hadn’t yet reached. Despite holding the title of "the Chosen One" and enjoying the media’s feverish hype, his officially recognized status was still just that of a "near-superstar."

While he had also collected some ’fragments of an all-time great’ during his own rookie season, his collection paled in comparison to Su Xi’s.

Therefore, seeing the Lakers so dominant and Su Xi looking like a spent force was exactly what he hoped for.

He couldn’t bear to watch Su Xi looking so triumphant anymore.

He had already smashed two television sets.

The Pistons players shared LeBron James’s sentiment. They had been brutally slaughtered by Su Xi in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even now, they insisted it was a fluke—a series of flukes.

So, they didn’t want the Pacers to keep pulling off so-called miracles. They’d rather see the Lakers, a team from the West, win the championship than watch the Pacers enjoy the spotlight.

The fact that Su Xi now clearly looked like a spent force made them ecstatic.

Rashid Wallace even brought out his prized red wine.

To celebrate the Lakers’ championship victory in advance.

...

"I can still play!"

Su Xi did three push-ups in the locker room to prove his stamina was fine.

Half the people in the locker room were surprised, the other half were completely baffled.

Rick Carlisle stared at Su Xi, his eyes filled with disbelief but also a hidden glimmer of hope.

Seeing the looks around him grow more and more expectant, with a hint of fanaticism hidden within, Su Xi decided to tell a lie.

He said calmly, "Alright. I was originally going to interact with you all in my second form, but I didn’t expect the Lakers to push us so hard, to throw their weight around and bully us. I’ve decided to stop holding back."

"I’m laying my cards on the table. I was hiding the truth about my stamina. I’ve decided to go all out against the Lakers in the second half in my true form."

When Su Xi said these words...

The entire locker room erupted, the roar was deafening!

It was a combination of surprise and elation, a surge of confidence and faith.

Even though Su Xi’s little speech had plenty of questionable parts and things to pick apart, nobody was going to scrutinize the details at a critical moment like this.

As long as Su Xi could get on the court, they felt confident they could overcome anything.

Su Xi had long been their standard-bearer, their spiritual backbone.

After Kobe Bryant and Carl Malone finished their interviews with the sideline reporters, they happened to hear waves of excited shouts coming from inside as they passed the visitor’s locker room.

A feeling of unease made his heart skip a beat.

He had a bad feeling about this.

So, he glanced at Carl Malone next to him.

Malone, however, was dismissive. "The Pacers know it’s hopeless," he said. "They’ve given up and started the party early."

"I’ve seen this kind of thing many times in my long career."

Carl Malone was always this confident. It was just like in his interview moments ago, when he had vowed, "We’ve already got the Pacers beaten. The horn for our counterattack didn’t sound tonight—it sounded last game. The tables have already turned. Su Xi is no threat. He can play 30 minutes a game at most, and he’s already burned through twenty in the first half."

"Really?" Kobe frowned, feeling they should be more cautious.

Back in their locker room, the atmosphere was more relaxed than ever. Phil Jackson was even joking with Shaquille O’Neal, who was wolfing down a hamburger to refuel. Phil Jackson teased, "You should eat the parts of that hamburger separately. You’ve got quality carbs, protein, and a vegetable salad... It’s very healthy."

O’Neal, of course, would do no such thing. His appetite was as astonishing as his massive frame.

Kobe also refueled at halftime, but he wouldn’t touch that kind of food. He ate a specially prepared nutritional meal. The taste and texture were awful, but Kobe was used to this ascetic lifestyle.

Kobe reminded Phil Jackson, "When we passed the visitor’s locker room just now, they burst into cheers. I don’t think things are that simple. Maybe they have some kind of secret weapon for the second half."

A secret weapon?

Phil Jackson thought about it very seriously.

He wracked his brain, but he truly couldn’t imagine what kind of secret weapon they could possibly have.

Still, to be safe, he decided they should start the second half more conservatively, focusing on defense just in case.

...

Once Rick Carlisle learned that Su Xi’s stamina wasn’t an issue and that he could keep playing, a whole new range of tactical possibilities opened up.

He could finally operate without restraint. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

What’s more, he could feel his players’ confidence and conviction growing.

This was an excellent sign. Confident and self-assured players often perform far better.

So, Rick Carlisle made a decision. "Jack, let’s hit them with a surprise attack. We’ll start by making it look like you’re resting on the bench. We’ll let Fred give us a three-minute burst, and then you’ll go in."

Su Xi nodded in agreement.

He liked this plan.

"Fred, don’t be nervous. The second you can’t handle it, we’ll put Jack in," Carlisle said, patting the Dunk King Fred Jones’s shoulder. "Play without holding back."

Fred Jones was instantly filled with bravado. With someone covering for him, he naturally felt bold enough to go all out.

TWEET!

The whistle sounded, and the second half began.

The Pacers sent in: Fred Jones, Artest, Clothier, Little O’Neal, and Tony Battie.

The Lakers’ lineup was: Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Luke Walton, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Neither side continued with their starting lineup.

Phil Jackson frowned. He wondered what kind of surprise tactic the Pacers were planning with this lineup. ’Who is the secret weapon?’

Derek Fisher brought the ball past half-court and passed it to Kobe.

Kobe hit them with a jab step, but decided to feel things out first and passed the ball to Luke Walton.

Luke Walton dribbled once, then passed to Fox. Fox couldn’t find an opportunity for a jump shot and passed it back to Fisher at the top of the arc.

Fisher tried to drive, but was locked down by Fred Jones. He turned his body, rocking back and forth, but couldn’t shake the Dunk King.

Just as he finally managed to pass the ball to Kobe, the buzzer sounded. The 24-second shot clock had run out.

The Lakers had actually been forced into a 24-second violation.

It was utterly ridiculous.

Everyone found it unbelievable.

Phil Jackson spread his hands in frustration. ’I told them to be conservative, not so conservative they don’t even want to f*cking shoot!’

Just then, Fred Jones went on the offensive. As soon as he crossed half-court, he drove aggressively and directly into the paint.

The Lakers were caught completely off guard.

’Where did this guy get so much confidence?’

’Was he the secret weapon that caused all that cheering in the Pacers’ locker room?’

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, the Dunk King, Jones, delivered a thunderous slam.

The Lakers’ interior defense was completely unprepared. O’Neal and Luke Walton each assumed the other would stop Jones. They could only watch as he drove all the way to the hoop, parting their defense like the sea, and finished with a monster dunk.

The Pacers’ bench erupted!