The Best Point Guard

He won a standing ovation from the crowd at Madison Square Garden Arena.

On the sidelines, Zach Randolph said to Artest, "That was way too easy. My grandma could go out there and dunk."

Artest nodded in complete agreement. "My grandma could too."

"Your grandma could do more than that; she could probably rob a bank," Randolph retorted.

The two of them were now inseparable. In fact, Little O'Neal and Jackson were also on the sidelines, forming the Pacers' cheering section.

The Pacers had been eliminated by the Cavaliers in the first round, and they were extremely bitter about it. These veteran Pacers were furious. They felt awful but had no one to take it out on. They couldn't exactly beat up Marbury, could they? They still had to play together in the future.

When Su Xi led the Knicks to sweep the Cavaliers, they finally got a taste of vindication. One by one, they came out to declare how awesome Su Xi was, that the old Pacers were still invincible in the East, and that a championship for Su Xi was a championship for the Pacers.

Their group came to New York specifically to cheer on the Knicks.

"The Knicks' small forward position looks a little weak. Let me play the three for you next season," Artest said devotedly, giving Isaiah Thomas a meaningful look. "Hey, Isaiah, we've always been good friends."

The Smiling Assassin, Thomas, was indeed on very good terms with Artest. He had once treated Artest as the core player of the Pacers, and Artest's career had taken off under his guidance.

For Isaiah Thomas, promoting Artest wasn't a difficult decision to make. After all, Artest was the man who had broken Jordan's ribs.

"I can't make that call," Isaiah Thomas said calmly, holding up his hands.

"You're the head coach, general manager, and president. You're the top dog at the club, and you can't make the call? I'm not even asking for a ten-million-dollar salary. I'll take a pay cut to play with Goat Su Xi, I don't care."

Artest said.

He was, in fact, in his contract year.

But the Pacers would definitely offer him a renewal contract in the tens of millions per year, yet he was willing to give that up for Su Xi.

Truly a man who followed his heart.

However, Isaiah Thomas shook his head. "You should just stay in Indiana and take the high salary. Besides, you've already won two championships. Just enjoy the rest of your basketball career."

"How can Indiana compare to New York? I'm a New Yorker. There's nowhere to even spend the money I earn in Indiana."

"Then you can sponsor my song and dance troupe. My troupe is very elegant, perfect for men of taste like us," Zach Randolph chimed in, seizing the opportunity to promote his troupe.

The few of them were having a very lively chat by the bench.

The game on the court was just as heated.

Tonight, the Knicks' shooting wasn't as good as it was in the last game, so they were trailing the whole time.

But it was only by three or four points, and Su Xi always found a way to bring it back.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, were in fine form tonight. They scored one basket after another, with Nowitzki, Stackhouse, and Jason Terry all making spectacular shots.

But the Knicks weren't anxious at all. They didn't even push their run-and-gun offense to the highest gear, just advancing the ball casually, without any rush.

The Knicks didn't even call a timeout; in fact, it was the Mavericks who called one in the first quarter.

End of the first quarter.

The Knicks trailed 25-30, down by 5 points.

Then the second quarter began.

The Knicks changed their lineup, bringing on Hardaway, Jerome, and Jalen Rose.

They partnered with Su Xi and Tony Battie.

The Knicks' pace slowed down, shifting to half-court offense with isolation plays and pick-and-roll tactics.

The Knicks' shooting still hadn't improved.

Fortunately, the Mavericks also went a bit cold, and both teams kept pace with each other, the score difference remaining the same.

At the end of the first half, the Knicks were trailing 51-57, down by 6 points.

Both sides played a fairly conventional game.

However, the ESPN and CCTV broadcast booths had completely different styles of commentary.

ESPN's Larry Brown said, "The Knicks keep trying to make changes, but they can't change the weakness of their roster. If the Mavericks just play a steady game, their victory is a lock. The Knicks shouldn't have been so desperate to win in the Eastern Conference Finals. If they had strategically given up two games and let Zach Randolph return for this one, they would have had a much better opportunity."

"But looking at the situation now, they are certain to lose this game. They've already used every trick in the book. They seem to think that constantly changing tactics can lead to victory, that if they just change fast enough, they can make up for their roster's disadvantages."

"So naive!"

Larry Brown stuck to his position. He was too far down the road of hating on Su Xi to turn back now; all he could do was floor it.

While this would erode the status he had built in the basketball world, what other choice did he have? Surrender to Su Xi?

He had already tried that, even showing willingness to be an assistant coach and defensive coach for the Knicks.

But what did he get in return? Rejection from Little Sheep Su Xi and James Dolan telling him to look elsewhere.

Reggie Miller sat beside him, not saying a word. He didn't engage in the debate at all, thinking it was all meaningless. Especially when he saw his former teammates gathered behind the Knicks' bench, he could only think one thing: 'If I were part of that, I'd be so happy.'

He had his pride. He felt that arguing with a defeated foe like Larry Brown was beneath him.

He'd just let the final score make Brown eat his words.

After all, Reggie Miller had never once doubted Su Xi's ability.

Because Su Xi had never let him down, delivering one victory after another, one championship after another.

The difficulties and challenges Su Xi and the Pacers had faced in the past were far greater than what the Dallas Mavericks presented today.

The Mavericks were certainly strong, but were they on the same level as the Pistons, the San Antonio Spurs, or the Lakers?

Not even close.

At the end of the day, they were just a jump-shooting team.

Their core was Nowitzki, and Nowitzki wasn't a two-way player, even if his offense was historically great.

But he played too far from the basket.

So, Reggie Miller believed Su Xi could definitely create a miracle... or perhaps it wouldn't even count as a miracle.

Meanwhile, the commentators on CCTV said during halftime:

"If the Mavericks can't even pull ahead by double digits with the Knicks playing like this, then I think their loss is guaranteed."

Coach Zhang said, "You have to understand, Su Xi only had 11 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in the first half. For any other star, those are amazing stats. Projected for the full game, that's a triple-double with over 20 points. Before Su Xi, a guard getting a 20-5-5 stat line would be hyped for half a year. But for Su Xi, this is a failing grade."

"The way I see it, Su Xi will score at least another 20 points in the second half, pick up a triple-double along the way—a 35-point triple-double is just a normal performance for him. If he pushes himself a little, he'll get 40. Then he helps elevate his teammates... what can the Mavericks possibly do to resist?"

"I'm not saying Nowitzki is bad, but he just doesn't have the ability to put the nail in the Knicks' coffin. If it were O'Neal, if it were Duncan, given the quality of the Knicks' current interior defense, they would have been hammered into oblivion by now. No matter how strong Su Xi is on the perimeter, he wouldn't be able to turn the tide."

"I don't think there's any doubt that Su Xi will win the championship this year. I'm not trying to be contrary to my American colleagues, but those people in the United States are just extremely jealous of Su Xi right now. They don't like the NBA being dominated by a Chinese person, especially when this member of the Chinese Team also led his country to take away the gold medal they thought was a sure thing in international competition."

"So, why do I say Su Xi is the pride of our nation? Because he's essentially challenged the entire NBA by himself, and he's won."

"We must support him even more. Once he gets his personal three-peat, the ugly faces of the American media will be slapped swollen. We need to teach them a lesson, make them realize there's a price to pay for spouting nonsense."

"I see they're being much more low-key now, not spouting as many lies when it comes to topics about Su Xi. But it's not enough. They should be even more humble."

"With Americans, you have to beat them into submission before they'll show you genuine humility and truly respect you."