The Best Point Guard

Su Xi started attacking hard at the beginning of the second half. He wasn’t doing anything fancy, just forcing the issue and scoring from the wing. The Dallas Mavericks had no choice but to throw multiple defenders at him.

But Su Xi dominated their defense, just like Kobe had dominated it in the regular season.

Little General Johnson rubbed his eyes. He could have sworn he was seeing Kobe’s shadow.

What made Su Xi even more terrifying than Kobe, however, was his potent passing threat. He could shoot through a double-team, but he didn’t always force it. When he chose to pass, his teammates would put the ball in the hoop.

Dallas was playing great on offense.

But the lead was shrinking.

The reason was simple: the Knicks’ offensive efficiency surpassed theirs.

The momentum shifted, and the Knicks gradually took control of the game.

And their control solidified as Crawford unleashed his own offensive firepower.

The Mavericks’ scorers were gradually drained of stamina from defending Su Xi, and they could no longer provide potent firepower on offense. In contrast, the Knicks were firing on all cylinders. After Su Xi broke the game open, Crawford immediately went on a tear. Then came Ariza, Tony Battie, and Channing Frye.

The Knicks had created a brand-new style of play.

That style was essentially: We’ll do our best not to defend you, but don’t even think about stopping us.

Larry Brown said, "The Knicks can only get away with this style of play against the Mavericks. If they were playing the San Antonio Spurs, they would have been crushed by now."

Reggie Miller couldn’t help but retort, "Then why did the Dallas Mavericks beat the Spurs? Why aren’t the Spurs representing the West? Besides, who’s to say the Knicks wouldn’t use a different lineup and strategy against the Spurs?"

Reggie Miller’s point was logical and well-supported, leaving Larry Brown speechless.

It was just like the Mavericks, who knew exactly how the Knicks were playing but were still powerless to stop their own decline.

They were waiting for Su Xi’s hot hand to cool off and for the other Knicks players to go cold.

But that moment never came.

Instead, they watched as their lead was erased, as the Knicks pulled ahead, and then as the Knicks’ lead grew to double digits.

In the fourth quarter, Nowitzki went on a scoring rampage, at one point cutting the deficit to just 4 points.

He showed his superstar side, but Su Xi also stepped up. He repeatedly drove into the paint, drawing fouls and getting Dampier to foul out. Immediately after, he assisted Channing Frye on a three-pointer, which not only stemmed the Mavericks’ momentum but also put them completely on the defensive.

Su Xi’s formidable individual talent was dictating the outcome of the game.

During Su Xi’s two previous trips to the Finals, some people always said he was just riding on the coattails of the Pacers’ already powerful roster—that he was merely the icing on the cake.

But tonight, who would dare say Su Xi was just the icing on the cake?

Put this Knicks roster on any other team, and forget the Finals—even making the playoffs would be a monumental achievement. Furthermore, just keeping these troublemakers from turning the locker room into a toxic mess was a testament to his incredible charisma.

The fourth quarter soon drew to a close, and Nowitzki was unable to pull off a miracle comeback.

Little General Johnson was also out of options.

Just as he said in the post-game press conference, "Little Sheep Su Xi has perfected the art of the single-superstar team. We’re also led by a single superstar, but Nowitzki is ultimately an inside player. His ability to score off the dribble just can’t compare to Su Xi’s."

"But we’ll get a win back on our home court."

Little General Johnson was still full of confidence.

However, Eddie Curry would be returning for the Knicks in the next game, and Zach Randolph would be back for the game after that.

Did they really have the confidence to hold serve in their two home games?

With the Knicks winning their first two home games, the experts who had previously remained silent saw the writing on the wall and began jumping out to declare: Little Sheep Su Xi will be this year’s champion once again.

Nike absolutely hated that narrative, but they tearfully accepted it.

It was a bittersweet feeling.

But the main story for the media wasn’t the Knicks winning two games, but the fallout from those two home victories.

Isaiah Thomas pulled out a check right then and there. "I’m a man of my word," he announced. "This is a check for one million USD, and I will donate it immediately to grassroots basketball in China. You can all go and remind a certain someone now. With his net worth, he shouldn’t try to welsh on the bet."

"But I guarantee you, he’s going to be miserable. Because he’s lost to Isaiah Thomas yet again, and this time, he’ll never get a chance for revenge. I’m going to keep winning, so how is he supposed to get back at me? Is he going to find a magic potion that turns him 25 again?"

"I’d advise him against it, though. Because even if he did find a magic potion to turn him 25 again, he’d discover he still couldn’t beat Goat Su Xi."

"Right now, at least there are still people who call him the God of Basketball and say that Jack can never surpass him."

"Just let him live in all that hollow praise. But I believe it won’t be long before even that disappears. Once we win the championship this year, people will realize that Jack is greater than he ever was. Jack will have won a three-peat with two different teams. And him? He couldn’t even play without Pippen."

"If people judged him by the same standards they judge Jack, would he still be the God of Basketball?"

Isaiah Thomas was firing shots directly at Jordan, acting as if he were in a playoff series against him, not the Dallas Mavericks.

It was, in fact, a bit strange.

After all, it was strange that Jordan was one of the most talked-about figures of the NBA Finals. He hadn’t played a single second, yet he was all over the news.