Chapter 320: Chapter 88: The Destination of the Championship

The game continued, and Kobe was still on a tear.

Su Xi was doing his absolute best to guard him, but it wasn’t very effective. Kobe’s efficiency was sky-high.

But from another perspective, the results were excellent. Su Xi’s Fusion Level was increasing under the high-intensity, head-on defense. It started at 69% and had already reached 71% by the end of the third quarter.

The growth rate of Kobe’s Acquired Super Talent was noticeably slower than Su Xi’s other Super Talents. ’Perhaps it’s because there’s just so much content to it.’

The third quarter was over.

78–80.

The Lakers were ahead by 2 points.

Kobe’s activated Super Talent had given the Lakers a powerful surge of momentum, but the Pacers were hardly a team that could be crushed by one player’s explosive performance.

What’s more, Su Xi had also acquired Kobe’s Super Offensive Talent. He couldn’t utilize much of it, but it was still an improvement.

"I’m going to win this game, the next game, and the game after that."

Kobe declared imposingly to Su Xi as he walked off the court.

Su Xi glanced down. "Your shoelace is untied."

"I’m saying, I’m going to beat you. I’m going to make a comeback," Kobe said, his voice laced with aggression. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Your shoelace is really untied," Su Xi said.

"You..."

Kobe shot Su Xi a glare, then squatted down to tie his shoelaces. He was one of the few black superstars who would tie his own laces.

Su Xi strode back to the bench. His coach looked worried, and his teammates also felt the game was on thin ice. Kobe was just too ferocious. He already had 31 points; if he kept this up, he could very well score 50 or even 60.

"We have to find a way to contain him," Carlisle said with a frown. He turned to Su Xi. "Jack, any ideas?"

The assistant coach, Mike Brown, and the others standing beside Carlisle were already used to the head coach’s style of asking Jack for input instead of his assistants.

Mike Brown even thought it was a pretty good system, as it made their jobs easier. Not every head coach enjoyed having absolute, unilateral authority.

"There’s no need to go out of our way to contain him. Just let him keep playing like this."

Su Xi tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle and said coolly, "The Lakers’ problems are too deep to fix. Kobe’s outburst is nothing more than a last gasp. Victory won’t be going into their pockets."

Huh?

’So confident?’

Carlisle looked at Su Xi.

It wasn’t just a matter of confidence; Su Xi also had this intense, showy flair about him.

It was the kind of vibe the Godfather gave off while gently stroking his cat.

’Does his aura really have to be that powerful?’

"Are you like this in front of Scarlett and Jessica, too?" the handsome Carlisle couldn’t help but ask.

Huh?

Su Xi paused for a moment, figuring Carlisle might be trying to learn a few dating tips from him. So, he said, "I don’t need to put on an act for any woman. When I’m just standing there, they can’t help themselves..."

Su Xi spread his hands. "I’m not just bragging."

Carlisle looked at Su Xi and found himself momentarily captivated... Whether you were a man or a woman, it was hard to remain composed in the presence of a handsome man brimming with such confidence.

After a moment, he realized he’d gotten sidetracked.

’This is the NBA Finals! The most important championship game! How can I be acting like this?’

He even felt a bit unprofessional, but he honestly didn’t know what new tactics to implement. The Lakers had laid their cards on the table, as had the Pacers. Now it was just a matter of who would execute better.

So, his only instruction was a hands-off, "Enjoy yourselves."

...

The Pacers’ coaching staff governed by non-action. Over on the Lakers’ bench, however, Phil Jackson wanted it all.

He demanded that Kobe maintain his aggression, that O’Neal be more dominant under the basket, and that the other players stay completely focused on playing around their two stars.

He had laid out detailed tactical plans for all of it.

But the more detailed his plans became... the more muddled they seemed.

As everyone knows, there’s only one sun in the sky, and one mountain can’t hold two tigers.

When the crucial moment arrived, who were they supposed to listen to?

Who should get the ball?

The Lakers had never solved this problem. Even now, with Kobe having activated his Super Offensive Talent and brimming with confidence, Phil Jackson didn’t grant him any tactical priority. He stuck to the same old playbook.

This displeased Kobe. ’I have the hot hand tonight,’ he thought, ’so why can’t Phil Jackson just say, "O’Neal, you’re playing support for Kobe"?’

But Phil Jackson wasn’t Little Sheep Su. Su Xi had Little Elf, which could detect in real-time that Kobe’s offensive level had undergone a qualitative transformation.

To Phil Jackson, this wasn’t important. He had coached Michael Jordan, who was even greater.

He believed the most important factor in winning was following orders.

In reality, the Lakers at this moment were operating with three separate leaderships.

Each had its own agenda.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and the game resumed.

"Now, where were we?"

Yao Ming was speaking freely from the CCTV commentary booth. He probably hadn’t used his Chinese this much in a long time.

"We were talking about the league’s push to encourage offense, and the practical significance and inevitable reasons for the rise of perimeter play..." the other CCTV commentator helped him remember.

"That’s right. I predict that the pace of the NBA will get faster and faster, with an increasing emphasis on the perimeter. The percentage of plays where the ball is fed to a big man to battle it out in the paint will decline year after year."

"We’re already seeing that trend. The NCAA hasn’t produced a technically refined, traditional center in many years."

As Yao Ming spoke...

Su Xi drove to the basket. Facing O’Neal coming over to help, Su Xi came to an aggressive, abrupt stop. He drew O’Neal in, and at the very instant O’Neal pressed up and made body contact, Su Xi spun. The technique was perfect, showcasing his power and flexibility to the fullest. He left O’Neal completely in his wake.