The Best Point Guard

Wade tried to stop him, and he was strong.

But Su Xi was stronger.

Moreover, Su Xi’s handles were solid, and he wasn’t afraid of contact.

He pushed past Wade and drove inside the free-throw line, gathering the ball. After two steps, he exploded into the air, his body arching back like a fully drawn bow as he cocked the ball in one hand and viciously slammed it at the rim.

O’Neal was right under the basket. He jumped, attempting to knock Su Xi right out of the air.

Ever since O’Neal entered the league, no one had ever dared to challenge the great Shark so head-on.

Although O’Neal’s physical conditioning was no longer at its peak, his sheer size was still there.

O’Neal leaped, stretching out his arms to tear Su Xi apart.

But Su Xi had obtained Nate Robinson’s superhuman leaping ability. While he hadn’t fully absorbed it, it was still at the top tier of the league. His elevation already towered over O’Neal.

He unleashed his explosive power and strength to their absolute limits. He came down from the heavens. SMACK!

Their bodies collided violently in mid-air.

The upward force from O’Neal was immense.

The impact rattled Su Xi’s insides, making his head spin.

Any other perimeter player would have likely been knocked to the ground.

But Su Xi was, after all, blessed with superhuman strength. He pressed down with all his might, and in the instant he overpowered O’Neal, his strength talent finally increased to 99.

BOOM!

Su Xi forced the basketball through the hoop.

The entire American Airlines Center Arena was stunned into silence.

The moment the ball slammed through the rim, Su Xi’s strength finally gave out, and his body fell backward.

He tumbled to the floor.

Fortunately, Su Xi had excellent balance. He just managed to steady himself, landing in a cool pose.

Although Shaquille O’Neal landed steadily...

...he knew that the most important "first" of his career was gone.

This was the first time ever that he had been posterized, face-to-face, while fully prepared to defend.

He was utterly humiliated.

It seemed to signify the end of his reign of dominance.

The jumbotron overhead replayed Su Xi’s earth-shattering, violently beautiful poster dunk. Even the Miami Heat fans couldn’t help but let out wave after wave of amazed gasps.

The visual impact was just too powerful.

Like Mars colliding with Earth, this clash of pure power sent sparks flying.

Reggie Miller was yelling excitedly on television: "Wow! Whoa! WOOOW! My God, does that damn dunk even belong in this world? Jack is incredible! He’s a god! I have to say it, he has conquered the NBA’s most majestic peak! That is, without a doubt, the number one dunk of the season! He went over O’Neal, over the most dominant center in the history of the NBA!"

His passionate voice, accompanying the endless replays, made every fan watching at home feel the sheer force of the moment.

Su Xi went over O’Neal. That description alone was enough to get anyone fired up. And after seeing the footage, what true fan wouldn’t feel their blood boil with excitement?

BEEP!

Pat Riley requested a timeout.

The Knicks players rushed over to Su Xi, high-fiving him. Eddie Curry even jumped up for a chest bump.

The play was incredible, and everyone knew what it signified.

Posterizing the Shark.

Pure dominance!

Shaquille O’Neal walked to the bench. Though his expression was calm, the turmoil in his heart was indescribable. He was frustrated and felt helpless.

’He knew he had just given it his all, but he still couldn’t stop it. ’Maybe if I had been a little more prepared, if my positioning had been a bit better, I could have knocked him out of the air... But what’s the use now.’

O’Neal had lost to Su Xi in the Finals and in the Eastern Conference Finals.

But he had never felt a sense of loss this profound.

Many people say a dunk and a jump shot are both worth two points.

But to O’Neal, losing these two points meant losing his dominance.

He was no longer the tyrant who did as he pleased in the paint. He was no longer the absolute ruler who rampaged through the lane, an untouchable force nobody dared to provoke.

Su Xi’s dunk over his head announced that his invincibility had been shattered.

Although he had said many times before that Miami was Wade’s team, most people still considered it his. But now, after Su Xi’s poster dunk...

The Shark realized his era was over. This dunk was symbolic.

On the bench, he patted Wade’s shoulder. "Keep it up, young man."

The Shark had finally conceded to age.

Pat Riley felt a pang of sadness, but it was a natural phenomenon. No one could stay dominant forever. As one person ascends the mountain, another must descend.

Su Xi was on his way up; O’Neal was on his way down.

"Jack, I guarantee it, your dunk on O’Neal will be part of the NBA’s historical highlight reel. It’s going to be on the walls of countless basketball fans all over the world, as a poster... or a desktop wallpaper."

Isaiah Thomas said in Su Xi’s ear, "Believe me, your era has officially begun."

Su Xi raised an eyebrow. "I think so too," he said.

He was very confident.

’As a leader, humility is a shameful act.’

’People follow you not because they want to see you be gentle, kind, and deferential. They want to see a leader full of ambition. If the leader lacks ambition, their followers will have no fighting spirit.’

"Jack, you were getting revenge for me, right?" Zach Randolph suddenly whispered to Su Xi as they were about to go back on the court.

"You could see it that way. But more importantly, I just don’t think O’Neal is as handsome as you," Su Xi replied.

Zach raised an eyebrow, his dark face beaming. "Of course. Whether it’s inner beauty or outer beauty, I’ve got him beat by a mile."

Su Xi nodded seriously.

’He was basically face-blind when it came to men.’

’But he knew for sure that O’Neal and Randolph competing on looks was like arguing over which of two pieces of stinky tofu was more perfectly square.’

’It was meaningless.’

「The game resumed.」

Su Xi’s monster dunk boosted the Knicks’ momentum while dealing a significant blow to the Miami Heat’s morale.

Wade drove to the basket again, trying to reenact his ’This is my house’ moment.

But this time, Eddie Curry just bodied him, sending him to the free-throw line with a hard foul.

Wade made both free throws.

After that, the Knicks continued to run their offense through Randolph. He had an advantage at the power forward spot, and since he had just joined the team, the Knicks needed to evaluate his skills and playstyle to figure out how to best integrate him.

Randolph did an excellent job.

He even successfully executed plays with Su Xi, Ariza, and Eddie Curry.

Randolph was a plug-and-play type of player. His offensive skills were valuable to any team. And as long as he had the right attitude on defense, his massive frame could make an impact in the paint.

The two sides went back and forth.

The first half ended in a tie.

During the halftime show, Reggie Miller was still incredibly excited. "The outcome of this game doesn’t even matter anymore," he said. "What matters is that Su Xi conquered Shaquille O’Neal, and he did it face-to-face. He has surpassed the NBA’s last dominant ruler and announced the dawn of his own era."

This statement drew a rebuttal from Mike Brin. "Is he really qualified to be talking about the start of his era yet?"

"Then who is? Two seasons in the league, two championship trophies, two Finals MVP trophies, one regular season MVP trophy, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team... He beat the two greatest big men of the post-Jordan era, O’Neal and Duncan, in back-to-back Finals. This season, he joins a last-place team, leads them on a 25-game winning streak, and secures the best record in the league. If that doesn’t count as starting an era, then who gets to press that button?"

Reggie Miller retorted aggressively.

Mike Brin hemmed and hawed for a long time but couldn’t come up with a response.

Fans watching on TV also began to wonder: ’Does this play really signify the dawn of Su Xi’s era?’

"I believe this is an era where many stars are rising at once," Larry Brown chimed in seriously. "I don’t think Su Xi has beaten James, Wade, Kobe, Nash, Nowitzki, Duncan, and Garnett to the punch in starting the ’Su Xi Era’. No one can press that button." He added, "It will be very difficult for the NBA to see another single dominant ruler."

"Even if he did posterize O’Neal. The fact is, it’s just two points. It doesn’t mean anything more than that."