The Best Point Guard

Entering the Super Domain meant that Su Xi was now a super scorer.

’What the hell.’

Su Xi felt like he had searched high and low for something, only to have it fall right into his lap.

He even felt a little regretful. ’If I’d known it was this easy, why would I have spent one or two seasons padding my stats with missed shots?’

’I should have just gotten double-teamed by Superwoman and Spider-Man.’

’Superheroes, indeed.’

Such were Su Xi’s thoughts.

After his power suddenly ascended a major level, Su Xi’s emotions unexpectedly calmed down.

Even with the media in a complete uproar, he had no intention of getting involved.

His only annoyance now was... Jessica Alba was furious. She believed Su Xi had stood her up.

So, she had stormed back to Los Angeles.

Su Xi didn’t know how to appease her.

So, he didn’t try.

He figured that when a woman loves someone, she’ll lie to herself.

After all, hadn’t she been lying to herself all these years?

Su Xi wasn’t a scumbag; he was very responsible. But he was, in a way, a bit too smooth for his own good.

Su Xi spent three days in Miami before returning to New York. For three days, he stayed in his hotel, ordered takeout, and was perfectly happy.

By the time he returned to New York, the Cleveland Cavaliers had already advanced, becoming the other team to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

At this point, the situation in the West had also become clear.

The San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks had both reached the Western Conference Finals, setting the stage for another classic Texas showdown.

While Su Xi was still on the plane, the league finally announced the penalties.

Both sides were punished in equal measure.

On the Knicks’ side, Nate Robinson was suspended for 13 games. Because he had rushed from the bench to join the fight, his actions were deemed particularly egregious. He was also fined 50,000 USD, nearly wiping out the salary difference he gained from his last trade.

However, James Dolan subsequently announced that he would pay all the fines.

And that he would pay them in coins.

Zach Randolph was suspended for 7 games, Eddie Curry for 5, and Jalen Rose for 3. They were fined 20,000 USD, 10,000 USD, and 10,000 USD, respectively.

On the Miami Heat’s side, O’Neal received a 7-game suspension, Moning got 5 games, and Wade got 3...

But that wasn’t the most important part.

Most importantly, the league fined the Miami Heat 200,000 USD.

The official reason given was failure to maintain order in the arena, allowing many fans to throw objects onto the court.

But anyone could see it was a warning to Miami.

And this was just the public warning. There were surely other, private punishments, like: ’Miami Heat, you can forget about getting the number one draft pick for the next few years.’

With the suspensions announced, the Knicks were dejected. They had hoped to argue for no suspensions for Randolph and Eddie Curry.

But now, even though the league’s ruling was relatively lenient, it was still extremely detrimental to the Knicks’ playoff run.

When the penalties were released, the New York Media immediately attacked the league, believing it was a shameful attempt to pave the way for LeBron James and push him into the spotlight.

After all, this ruling was most advantageous for the Cavaliers.

Everyone knew the Cavaliers would have had no chance against the Knicks, but now, with two of the Knicks’ core players suspended, the Cavaliers’ chances of winning had increased dramatically.

After all, the Cavaliers were no slouches. They had managed a 7th-seed upset to reach the Eastern Conference Finals; that would be impossible without real ability.

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s head coach, Mike Brown, made a now-famous statement. "I don’t think you can underestimate any team with Little Sheep Su Xi. I’ve worked with him before. I know how incredible he is."

"So, when I hear all this media talk about the Cavaliers having an advantage, I find it absurd. How could we possibly have an advantage? The soul of the Knicks is Little Sheep Su Xi. As long as he’s there, they are a complete team."

You could read his words in several ways.

You could take it as him admiring Su Xi, viewing him as a super-player. At the same time, you could also hear the passive-aggressive tone of someone who gained an advantage but is playing innocent.

What kind of nonsense was that?

The Knicks’ entire frontcourt had collapsed, and he was saying it had no effect? ’If you’ve got the guts, get rid of Ilgauskas and see if that has an effect!’

Meanwhile, it wasn’t just the East that was affected; the competition in the West also grew exceptionally fierce.

Both Dallas and San Antonio knew that this year, if they could just eliminate their rival and conquer the West, they would have hit the jackpot.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were certainly lucky; they could win the Eastern Conference title.

But the Western Conference champions would be even luckier. Getting to avoid a battle with the Knicks and just take out the Cavaliers? Wasn’t that a sure thing?

Both the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs had the strength to easily crush the Cavaliers.

Thus, the narrative that the Western Conference champion would be the NBA champion had already started circulating in the West.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was already out there saying, "We’re already prepared to win the championship. I’ve already booked the parade floats. Miami did something very good for Dallas, though I can’t condone their actions. But, it has undeniably benefited us. Because we will easily defeat the Spurs and conquer the West."

Mark Cuban was known for being one of the most outspoken people in the NBA.

The idea of paying the fine in coins was his suggestion to James Dolan.

In contrast, the Spurs were much more low-key. They didn’t comment on the matter publicly, but behind the scenes, they were overjoyed and preparing for their series with great intensity.

Amidst all the controversy and scheming, Su Xi arrived in New York.

The first thing Su Xi did upon returning to New York was find Crawford. The two of them began training together.

They competed on offensive skills, and Crawford was instantly destroyed.

Crawford’s offense was normally very strong, especially in one-on-one situations.

But now, Su Xi dispatched him as easily as eating a meal. Su Xi’s skills and his application of them had reached a level beyond top-tier in the league. He could essentially score at will, his shooting percentage was much higher, and his ability to make contested shots had significantly improved.

It was, after all, Kobe’s complete offensive arsenal.

Moreover, in Su Xi’s own words: ’My physical gifts are way better than Kobe’s.’

’Even with just 95 points in a stat, my offensive threat can match Kobe on a normal day.’

Of course, if Kobe were to go into Super Saiyan 3 or 4 mode and drop 70 or 80 points in a single game, Su Xi still wasn’t quite at that level.

But then again, scoring had never been Su Xi’s primary objective.

After one training session, Crawford’s confidence was completely maxed out.

When the confident Cleveland team arrived in New York to face the Knicks, they were immediately greeted by footage of Crawford’s interview.

"I know a lot of people are hoping the Knicks get beaten. A lot of Clevelanders think they’ve got this in the bag, even fantasizing about LeBron James dominating the league... Heh, I know what you’re thinking. But, you can stop thinking it."

Crawford appeared on all the major New York television stations with a smile.

"This series won’t be the LeBron James show. Wherever Goat Su Xi is, he shouldn’t expect to be the main character."

"My meaning is obvious. Just you wait and see. We’re going to end this quickly."

"Those who think we’re going to lose because of this should prepare for the Goat storm."

Crawford said with absolute conviction.

"Jamal’s getting a little cocky."

Larry Hughes said to Snow as they watched the TV.

At that moment, LeBron James’s brow was tightly furrowed in concentration. He couldn’t help but feel a little worried. He had been suppressed by Su Xi for three years, and a certain fear of him had formed in his heart. Even though he was the "Chosen One," he worried Su Xi would suddenly pull out a new weapon.

"It’s just an empty bluff."

LeBron James said with a calm expression, "We just need to play our game, and we’ll beat them easily."

"There’s no doubt we’ll be lifting the championship trophy this year."

James told his teammates with great certainty.