The Best Point Guard

If Stephon Marbury were a white or Asian man, his complexion would have been absolutely hideous. But he was Black.

Jackson didn’t think he’d said anything wrong. He even hoped Marbury would humbly accept his advice, because it was for his own good.

He really was trying to help Marbury, and what he’d said was indeed the truth.

But the truth is what hurts the most.

TWEET!

The whistle blew, and Marbury returned to the court.

Madison Square Garden Arena first erupted with a roar of cheers, which were quickly followed by a downpour of boos and curses.

Su Xi brought the ball into the frontcourt, and a murderous aura once again filled Madison Garden.

Cries for blood echoed endlessly.

The New York fans really wanted Marbury ’dead.’

Marbury’s mindset was now bordering on frantic. He had to prove himself. He proactively went to defend Su Xi, but... some things can’t be accomplished just by taking the initiative.

Su Xi didn’t even use a fake. He charged straight at Marbury, and just before impact, he quickly twisted his body, brushing past Marbury and speeding away. Marbury tried to stop him, but the difference in their strength was too great.

Su Xi was like a tank rolling through, leaving nothing in his wake.

Su Xi pierced the defense, forcing Jackson to provide help defense—former teammates with perfect chemistry, now opponents.

Su Xi continued to drive deeper, drawing Jackson’s defense with him.

Upon entering the paint, Su Xi leaped into the air. He jumped much, much higher than before, and Stephen Jackson could no longer interfere with him.

While in the air, Su Xi looked over his shoulder and passed the ball out to the top of the arc. Jalen Rose caught it there, jumped, and released... SWISH!

The three-pointer was good.

Su Xi and the Knicks players were starting to build some initial chemistry. Though their playstyle was disorganized, their understanding of each other was growing.

Su Xi knew Jalen Rose would go there, and he also knew Rose had a high percentage on open shots from that spot.

That’s why he drove deep by himself, drawing as much of Jackson’s defensive attention as possible.

Meanwhile, Marbury failed to rotate over on defense.

Likewise, Artest had been drawn into the corner by Quentin Richardson.

Although the Knicks didn’t have any set plays, they were gradually developing chemistry.

This chemistry was even more reliable than a set play.

Amid the arena’s cheers, Marbury initiated the offense. He brought the ball past half-court, not changing his style of attack. Even though he ran a high pick-and-roll with Stephen Jackson, he didn’t pass after the drive, instead opting for a pull-up jumper... but he had underestimated Su Xi’s ability to fight through a screen.

Su Xi possessed exceptional physical gifts and defensive experience. He was the best guard in NBA history at defending the pick-and-roll, bar none.

Marbury was too focused on a stable release for his jump shot. By the time he reached the apex of his jump to shoot, Su Xi was already lunging ferociously from behind.

Su Xi’s vertical leap had now reached an elite level, and that was on top of his astonishingly long arms and terrifying explosiveness.

SMACK!

Before the ball had even fully left Marbury’s hand, Su Xi slapped it away from behind.

It was a huge, solid block—clean and decisive.

Before Marbury could even react, Su Xi had already landed, secured the ball, and was sprinting downcourt.

Stephen Jackson tried to grab Su Xi at the free-throw line for an intentional foul, but once Su Xi was at a full sprint, how could Jackson possibly hold him back?

Fueled by a combination of powerful explosiveness and raw strength, he fought through the foul and completed the layup.

2+1.

Su Xi walked to the free-throw line.

The deficit was erased.

SWISH!

He made the free throw.

The entire arena thundered with applause.

Watching the Knicks’ powerful resurgence, Carlisle felt like his own heart was about to need resuscitation at a hospital.

’Who would have thought Marbury would be so useless? Wasn’t he playing perfectly fine in the previous games?’

’Why did he fall apart completely the moment he ran into Su Xi?’

Just then, on the other side of the Pacific, a CCTV commentator delivered a classic line: "Marbury running into Su Xi, that’s a case of Li Gui meeting Li Kui—the imposter meeting the real deal. How could he not get completely crushed? The two of them are simply incomparable; they aren’t stars in the same league."

At the TNT broadcast desk, Kenny Smith said with considerable frustration, "Stephon Marbury really is the Son of New York. The moment he’s on the court, he’s just handing out gifts to the Knicks. Can’t he be like Fraser Jones, just bring the ball across half-court steadily and pass to his teammates? The Pacers have a formidable roster. If they just run their offense, the Knicks are no match for them."

For all these years, Kenny Smith had consistently positioned himself as Su Xi’s antagonist. He was just no longer so obvious and arrogant in his attempts to discredit Su Xi. Now, he was more subtle, even a little passive-aggressive.

Charles Barkley said, "This proves one thing conclusively: Su Xi’s value to the Pacers was irreplaceable. If Stephon Marbury keeps playing like this, he might get traded. He can’t fill Su Xi’s shoes. Even if he normally plays well, what happens if they face the Knicks in the playoffs?"

Barkley’s words were quite cutting.

Hearing this, the Pacers’ executives couldn’t help but have second thoughts.

Larry Bird, in particular, was thinking: ’What if we really do face the Knicks in the playoffs? With Marbury’s mental state, won’t they just target him and tear him apart?’

The game continued.

Marbury’s mental state didn’t improve.

He still favored iso-ball, and he had backed himself into a corner.

He wanted to prove himself, but deep down, he only trusted himself.

And yet, the Pacers’ situation was such that if Marbury would just trust his team and work with them, they could surely defeat the Knicks.

In the final few possessions of the first half, the Pacers effectively split into two units. One was Marbury playing iso-ball, and the other was the rest of the team working together, especially on defense.

This split actually increased the Pacers’ combat effectiveness somewhat, but Su Xi knew the Pacers too well. He could always thread the needle and help his teammates break through the defense.

Most importantly, in the process, his chemistry with his teammates was growing stronger.

’I’m really grateful to the Pacers,’ Su Xi thought, ’and especially grateful to Marbury.’

’Without their ’exquisite’ coordination, it would have been very difficult for us to find this groove.’

The first half ended quickly.

Su Xi felt like he was just getting started, and so did his teammates.

Because they had all tapped into that elusive, profound chemistry.

Their confidence was soaring.

The main reason a team becomes terrible is a lack of hope. A lack of hope leads to a loss of confidence. A loss of confidence means no backbone. And without a backbone, players give up on themselves and spiral downwards, creating a vicious cycle.

Breaking that cycle is incredibly difficult. Many teams try to do it by overhauling their roster, constantly drafting new players and mixing in new pieces, but it’s a very difficult path with few success stories.

Just look at the Portland Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls. They still haven’t succeeded, because the rookies they draft are just as likely to get sucked into the culture of tanking.

Unless a savior descends from the heavens.

Su Xi was the Knicks’ savior.

Although the Knicks had been on a winning streak, this game marked a true, qualitative change for the team.

And it was all thanks to the generous gift package delivered by Marbury.